title: Qismat

text: "Qismat" was filmed in a single schedule of 45 days in Chandigarh and other villages of Punjab. Principal photography of the film was started on 13 February 2018 at Anandpur Kalud (village in Punjab) and ran till 31 March 2018 where Jalesh Oberoi served as cinematographer. The last scene where Bani dies in the hospital was a dilemma for Sidhu and he kept it for filming. And, finally decides to not spoil the originality of the concept and was shot similar to screenplay. Sidhu in an interview described the film experience as “friendly vibe” and “comfortable” for him as compared to his 2019 film "Shadaa".


title: Qismat

text: Arjun Rathod served as art director, background score was composed by Gurmeet Singh and Sandeep Saxena whereas post-production was done by Varun Bansal. Choreography for film was done by Mehul Gadani, Arvind Thakur and Sunil Thakur whereas Japneet Dhingra served as costume designer. Qismat was edited by Manish More and its final cut ran for 137 minutes. British Board of Film Classification passed the film uncut of runtime 137 minutes 21 seconds. Overseas distribution rights for the film were acquired by B4U Network Ltd. In India, the film was rated as 'U' category and passed with runtime 140 minutes.


title: Qismat

text: Soundtrack of "Qismat" is composed by B Praak and Sukhe was released on label Speed Records whereas lyrics were penned by Jaani. B Praak has given music in four songs and Sukh-E has produced two dance numbers of the film.


title: Qismat

text: First song of the film "Kaun Hoye Ga" sung by B Praak and Divya Bhatt was released on 24 August 2018 which received good response and trends on YouTube and other sites. Second song of the romcom "Pasand Jatt Di" sung by lead actor Ammy Virk was repeased on 5 September 2018. This song was also written by Jaani whereas music was given by Sukh-E. Third song the romantic one "Awaaz" sung by Kamal Khan was released on 11 September 2018. Lyrics of this song were also written by Jaani whereas music was composed by B Praak. Later the songs "Gallan Teriya", "Fakira" and "Dholna" were released. In an interview, Sidhu disclosed that, "Dholna" song was originally in the film Sargi but was removed in editing due to highly intense emotions of songs wasn't matching the film. He was one to add the song in the film while other opposed. Full album of "Qismat" was released on 21 September 2018 on Google Play Music and other websites it received the good reviews from critics and audience alike. On Google Play Music 164 users rated it 4.2 out of 5. Gurlove Singh of BookMyShow described the film's music as "soulful".


title: Qismat

text: "Qismat" was released worldwide on 21 September 2018 and distributed by White Hill Studios with major territories India, Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. In previous two years, Ammy's two films Nikka Zaildar and Nikka Zaildar 2 in almost end of the September which were hits. So, this film is considered lucky for him and "Qismat" was also released in the same date.


title: Qismat

text: First look of the film was shared on 14 August, then the song "Kaun Hoyega" sung by B Praak was released on 24 August and trailer of the film was released on 30 August by Speed Records and further the other songs of the film were released one by one before release of the film.


title: Qismat

text: "Qismat" had grossed ₹19.25 crore in India and ₹11.8 crore in other territories, for a worldwide total ₹31.05 crore. It became fifth highest-grossing Punjabi film of all time, as well as second highest-grossing Punjabi film of 2018, second highest-grossing film for Ammy Virk and Sargun Mehta after their debut Angrej released in 2015.


title: Qismat

text: According to Box Office India "Qismat" opened very good. The collections of the film were three times Shahid Kapoor's starrer Batti Gul Meter Chalu in cities of Punjab. The film opened as the second highest grosser of 2018 behind Carry On Jatta 2 also the film had eighth highest opening ever for Punjabi films. On its opening day the film grossed ₹2.3 crore and ₹1.8 crore nett in India. It collect ₹2.37 crore on its second day and took a total of ₹4.67 crore in just two days On its third day film grossed ₹2.66 crore in India making the weekend total ₹7.33 crore. According to Bollywood Hungama at overseas, the film performed better than all other Indian releases collecting ₹71.51 lacs at United States, ₹1.27 crore at Canada, ₹44.28 lacs at United Kingdom, ₹55.64 lacs at Australia and ₹17.25 lacs at New Zealand in its opening weekend. The film opened as fifth highest opening weekend of all time behind Carry On Jatta 2, Sardaar Ji, Sardaar Ji 2 and Manje Bistre also the film was announced as a huge hit after its weekend by Box Office India. In four days the film netted ₹6.03 crore at domestic box office and the Monday collections dropped just 25% from the good opening day.


title: Qismat

text: In its second weekend, the film dominates even on new releases like Parahuna and Sui Dhaaga in Canada. In 10 days, the film collected ₹9 crore at overseas including ₹1.64 crore in US, ₹4.48 crore in Canada, ₹89.28 lacs in UK, ₹1.37 crore in Australia and ₹38.77 lacs in New Zealand. The film continued its blockbuster run in third week, till its third weekend film grossed ₹1.95 crore in USA, ₹5.82 crore in Canada, ₹1.24 crore in UK, ₹1.6 crore in Australia and ₹43.86 lacs in New Zealand and remained in top charts in some countries.


title: Qismat

text: "Qismat" received positive reviews from audience and critics alike. All the cast and crew of the film were praised.


title: Qismat

text: "Jasmine Singh" of "The Tribune" appreciated Jagdeep Sidhu, saying, "Only a few directors have managed to dabble with romance on screen, and Jagdeep Sidhu is one such director who has handled the subject with ‘love’." Reviewer adds about dialogues, "The dialogues in the film are light yet hitting, in fact it has hundred romantic pick up lines that might come to your rescue someday. The film has dollops of humorous dialogues, the credit for which goes to the dialogue writer and Ammy Virk for delivering them in such a way that even the saddest person wouldn’t help smiling." Amit Arora of Times Of India rated the film as 3.0 out 5. Praised most the soundtrack of the film, saying, "The only thing that makes the first half bearable is the music. ‘Pasand Jatt Di’ and ‘Gallan Teriya’ are already a hit and even during a short drive, you are likely to catch one or the other on the radio. ‘Kaun Hoyega’ and ‘Fakira’ have been woven well into the script and Jaani and B Praak deserve credit as music directors." But on other side the reviewer criticised the tragedic scenes in the film, length of the film and chemistry between Ammy and Sargun in first half.


title: Qismat

text: In an interview director Jagdeep Sidhu told, ""Qismat" movie team is working on to bring another movie with good content. This team includes Ammy Virk, Sargun Mehta, Jagdeep Sidhu, Jaani and B Praak. They are all set to entertain the audience with another Punjabi movie but the title of that movie is not yet finalized. Jagdeep have told that may be they will give it title "Qismat 2" or they will decide something else related to the movie." Also, Sidhu shared a post on Instagram writing "Based on Soni-Paalo and Bazi Pichi" and captioned "writing start". In May 2019, he confirmed the sequel with same crew. In July 2019, Virk also confirmed the film on his official social media handles. On 11 September 2019, Sidhu released the title poster of "Qismat 2" with the release date as 18 September 2020. Due to COVID-19 pandemic the shooting of the sequel was delayed. Finally the filming began on 17 October 2020.


title: Ramanujan (film)

text: Ramanujan is a 2014 biographical film based on the life of Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. The film, written and directed by Gnana Rajasekaran, was shot back to back in the Tamil and English languages. The film was produced by the independent Indian production house Camphor Cinema, ventured by Srivatsan Nadathur, Sushant Desai, Sharanyan Nadathur, Sindhu Rajasekaran. The cast consists of Indian and British film, stage and screen personalities. It marks the Tamil debut of Abhinay Vaddi, the grandson of veteran Tamil film actors Gemini Ganesan and Savitri, as the protagonist.


title: Ramanujan (film)

text: Featuring an ensemble cast of Suhasini Maniratnam, Bhama, Kevin McGowan, Abbas, Nizhalgal Ravi, Michael Lieber, amongst others in supporting roles, the film was set in the early 1900s, tracing the life of Ramanujan, and shot across five different locations, across India and England, which includes Kumbakonam, Namakkal, Chennai, London and Cambridge. The film features, music and background score composed by Ramesh Vinayagam, cinematography handled by Sunny Joseph and editing done by B. Lenin.


title: Ramanujan (film)

text: "Ramanujan" was received Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film in 2013, although the film had released, a year later. The film was released worldwide on 11 July 2014, across India and United Kingdom. It was released simultaneously in Tamil and English languages.


title: Ramanujan (film)

text: Set in the early 1900s, the film traces the life of the prodigious math genius Srinivasa Ramanujan from the time he was a young Tamil Brahmin to his years in England, where he attended Cambridge University during World War I. The film follows his relationships with his mother Komalatammal, his wife Janaki, and his collaborator Professor G. H. Hardy. The film also showcases how Indian society viewed a mathematician of such great stature.


title: Ramanujan (film)

text: Gnana Rajasekaran looked for an actor who would physically resemble Ramanujan and signed Abhinay Vaddi, who is the grandson of veteran Tamil actor Gemini Ganesan, for the main role. Michael Lieber was signed to play Edensor Littlewood. Lieber confessed he had no knowledge of Ramanujan, when he signed the film, and went as far as to meet Béla Bollobás, who worked with Littlewood personally, for his research work. He found it difficult to speak the Tamil lines, but appreciated it later on, "I would be lying if I said that the task of learning Tamil was not daunting at first, but once I got the hang of it I was able to appreciate what a beautiful language it is. There were many different ways of learning the Tamil lines; some used audio tapes, prompting, flash cards, or word boards. I learnt the meaning of the words and memorised chunks of dialogue." Similarly, Kevin McGowan, who was signed for the role of G. H. Hardy, was unfamiliar with the story of Ramanujan. The film also stars Bhama, Suhasini Maniratnam, Abbas and Richard Walsh amongst others. Sunny Joseph, best known for his high-profile Malayalam works with directors Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Shaji N. Karun, was signed as cinematographer.


title: Ramanujan (film)

text: The film has been shot in the five main locations of Ramanujan's life, Kumbakonam, Namakkal, Chennai, London and Cambridge. The first two schedules were shot in India while the third was done in England, where they took the permission of Cambridge University to shoot. The task to create a script in multiple languages was described by Sindhu Rajasekaran as "quite a chore. Roxane de Rouen and I are working with Gnana Rajasekaran, the director of ‘Ramanujan,’ to make the characters speak words that make them real. No, you wouldn't find roadside urchins who speak in Queen's English here; people would speak what comes to them naturally: Tamil, English, Indian English, even Tamenglish. What a delight it is to live in this world where languages are not borders, but an element to experiment with..."


title: Ramanujan (film)

text: The film's soundtrack and score were composed by Ramesh Vinayakam. Vinayakam called it an honour to have composed music for the film and "an opportunity for me to travel on a new path" and added that he was given the required creative freedom by the director and producer. He said that he had to go classical for one part of the film and into European sounds for another segment. No modern instruments, but old world instruments were used in order to bring the period alive, while four orchestral pieces were recorded in Germany, where the composer worked with the Stuttgart-based GermanPops Orchestra that has worked on contemporary and classical styles. Being a film about a mathematician, the songs were related to mathematical terms as well. Poet Vaali had written a number, "Narayana Narayana", which was said to "incorporate the idea of infinity and nothingness", while another number, written by Thirumalisai Alvar thousands of years ago, "stresses that numbers are absolute". One of the instrumental tracks, "One to Zero" was described as a "musical metaphor" as it was based on the numbers, with Vinayakam explaining, "One is represented by one note, two by two notes and so on, while zero is represented by a rest. After the initial exposition, at any point of time, three of these layers criss-cross each other from a distance of one beat from each other". "Narayana" was sung by Vani Jayaram, who said that she was initially surprised that she was given a song whose pitch (shruthi) was less than what she usually sings in but learned that, in the days of Ramanujan, people only sang in that pitch.


title: Ramanujan (film)

text: The soundtrack album of "Ramanujan" was released at the Suryan FM radio station in Chennai on 13 June 2014. The album, which features eight tracks, including four songs and four instrumentals, was praised by critics. Indiaglitz in its review wrote, "Ramesh Vinayakam was always there and thereabouts with his wonderful albums in the past. With this album he has struck the right chords towards his name once again. This must be the break he's been looking for years". musicaloud.com gave it a score of 9 out of 10 and wrote, "Ramesh Vinayakam expertly draws from Carnatic and Western classical styles to produce one of the finest period film soundtracks ever". Behindwoods.com gave it 3 stars out of 5 and wrote, ""Ramanujan" enthralls the listener by transporting them to a bygone era of classical music". Noted Malayalam film composer M. Jayachandran, praised Vinayakam for his music in "Ramanujan". The album was also named by Deccan Music and Milliblog as the best Tamil music album of the year 2014.


title: Ramanujan (film)

text: The official trailer of the film was released on 16 June 2014. On 9 July 2014, the producers of Ramanujan arranged a special screening at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, receiving an invitation from the president Pranab Mukherjee. The film was simultaneously released in India and United Kingdom in Tamil and English languages on 11 July 2014. After the film's theatrical run, the makers released the VCD and DVD formats of the film in late 2014, which featured the making video, behind-the-scenes featurette, and deleted scenes from the film.


title: Ramanujan (film)

text: The film received mixed reviews from critics, who generally praised the acting but criticized the writing. The "Deccan Chronicle" called "Ramanujan" "a brilliant piece on canvas with edifying moments and relevance to modern age" and went on to add that it was "not to be missed", giving it 3.5/5 stars. S. Saraswathi of "Rediff" wrote, ""Ramanujan" is a brilliant film, a must watch" and gave the film 4/5. Gautaman Bhaskaran of "The Hindustan Times" gave the film 3/5 stars and wrote, "The movie is a poignant look at the way a prodigy struggled and suffered in a penurious family, a mastermind whose mathematical wizardry invited ridicule and revulsion in far lesser mortals. Rajasekaran, who also scripted the film, takes us through a linear narrative to tell us about the intelligence of boy Ramanujan as he completely foxes his school-master with a little insight into the importance of zero, and later about his frustration when he hits a wall in his quest to sink into, and shine, with numbers". "Sify "wrote, "Making biopics is indeed very challenging and the director has been successful to a very large extent to bring out each and every character. Gnana Rajasekaran has done a well-researched biopic on Ramanujam...it is a film that is definitely worth viewing". "IANS" gave it 3/5 and wrote, "Gnana Rajasekaran certainly knows the art and succeeds narrating an inspiring tale, but his work doesn’t resonate deep within. This is so because the director merely recreates several important episodes from Ramanujan’s life on the screen while ignoring the need to build a screenplay to keep the viewers hooked". Bharath Vijayakumar of "Moviecrow" rated 3/5 stars and said, "Ramanujan is a noble effort and a fascinating insight about the life and times of this Maths Wizard who lived all his life in unison with his true love.".


title: Ramanujan (film)

text: In contrast, "The New Indian Express" wrote, "The director’s persistent effort to bring on celluloid lives of eminent people is laudable. But a movie is not only about the theme, but also about how it is presented on screen. And the presentation of the life and journey of the mathematical genius is disappointing and uninspiring". Baradwaj Rangan of "The Hindu" wrote, "The film runs nearly three hours and it’s puzzling why it needed to. There appears to have been no effort to streamline the events of Ramanujan’s life. The writing, too, fails to make "Ramanujan" interesting", going on to add "The great man certainly deserved a better movie". M. Suganth of the "Times Of India" gave 2.5/5 and wrote, "For a film that is about a man with astounding talent, the filmmaking is largely unimaginative. The staging is somewhat old-fashioned (read dated), the pacing staid and the film often slips into the kind of melodrama that you nowadays find in TV serials.". "Daily India" gave 2.5/5 and stated, "In overall, "Ramanujan" is a cleanly made and it's a very rare kind of movie in biopics genre. Editing and cinematography is worth praising. Abhinay Vaddi, the grandson of veteran Tamil film actor Gemini Ganesan done a good job and made justice to their roles.". "Indiaglitz" gave 2.25/5 and wrote, "An honest attempt to drive through the life of a genius gets stuck at lot of bumpers.".


title: G-LOC

text: g-force induced loss of consciousness (abbreviated as G-LOC, pronounced "JEE-lock") is a term generally used in aerospace physiology to describe a loss of consciousness occurring from excessive and sustained g-forces draining blood away from the brain causing cerebral hypoxia. The condition is most likely to affect pilots of high performance fighter and aerobatic aircraft or astronauts but is possible on some extreme amusement park rides. G-LOC incidents have caused fatal accidents in high performance aircraft capable of sustaining high "g" for extended periods. High-g training for pilots of high performance aircraft or spacecraft often includes ground training for G-LOC in special centrifuges, with some profiles exposing pilots to 9 "g"s for a sustained period.


title: G-LOC

text: Under increasing positive "g"-force, blood in the body will tend to move from the head toward the feet. For higher intensity or longer duration, this can manifest progressively as:


title: G-LOC

text: Under negative "g", blood pressure will increase in the head, running the risk of the dangerous condition known as redout, with too much blood pressure in the head and eyes.


title: G-LOC

text: Because of the high level of sensitivity that the eye’s retina has to hypoxia, symptoms are usually first experienced visually. As the retinal blood pressure decreases below Intraocular pressure (usually 10–21 mm Hg), blood flow begins to cease to the retina, first affecting perfusion farthest from the optic disc and central retinal artery with progression towards central vision. Skilled pilots can use this loss of vision as their indicator that they are at maximum turn performance without losing consciousness. Recovery is usually prompt following removal of "g"-force but a period of several seconds of disorientation may occur. Absolute incapacitation is the period of time when the aircrew member is physically unconscious and averages about 12 seconds. Relative incapacitation is the period in which the consciousness has been regained, but the person is confused and remains unable to perform simple tasks. This period averages about 15 seconds. Upon regaining cerebral blood flow, the G-LOC victim usually experiences myoclonic convulsions (often called the ‘funky chicken’) and often full amnesia of the event is experienced. Brief but vivid dreams have been reported to follow G-LOC. If G-LOC occurs at low altitude, this momentary lapse can prove fatal and even highly experienced pilots can pull straight to a G-LOC condition without first perceiving the visual onset warnings that would normally be used as the sign to back off from pulling any more "g"s.


title: G-LOC

text: The human body is much more tolerant of "g"-force when it is applied anteriorly to posteriorly (front to back or Gx) than when applied longitudinally (along the length of the body). However, in general, most sustained "g"-forces incurred by pilots are applied longitudinally. This has led to experimentation with prone pilot aircraft designs which lies the pilot face down or (more successfully) reclined positions for astronauts.


title: G-LOC

text: The "g" thresholds at which these effects occur depend on the training, age and fitness of the individual. An untrained individual not used to the "G"-straining manoeuvre can black out between 4 and 6 "g", particularly if this is pulled suddenly. A trained, fit individual wearing a "g" suit and practicing the straining manoeuvre can, with some difficulty, sustain up to 12-14"g" without loss of consciousness. The Blue Angels regularly sustain 3–5 second bursts of 10 "g" thresholds.


Vaxis – Act II: A Window of the Waking Mind is the tenth studio album by American progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria. The album, like most of the studio albums from the band, is a concept album that continues the "Amory Wars" storyline. It was released on June 24, 2022.


title: Vaxis – Act II: A Window of the Waking Mind

text: Work on the album traces back to 2019; in May 2020, frontman Claudio Sanchez stated that approximately 75% of the album had been written. Sanchez noted that while he had the general concept of the album's story outlined, he was struggling with some of its themes in the wake of the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic. He recounted starting a song called "Hallelujah Quarantine" in September 2019 that was themed around a criminal organization that misused voluntary quarantines to steal from people, a concept that, when written, seemed harmless, but upon the onset of COVID-19 lockdowns and controversies around them, seemed could be problematic or misconstrued. The album was produced by Claudio Sanchez and Zakk Cervini.


text: The album is a concept album that furthers the story established in most of the band's prior studio albums, "The Amory Wars". It is the second part of a five chapter story arc, described by the band as "a couple on the run from tyrannical forces and their mysterious new addition". Musically, Sanchez noted the band emphasized working without limitations and taking risks rather than "just giving the fans what they want", something he felt veteran bands sometimes fall into later into their careers.


text: In addition to furthering the story concept, Sanchez has stated that several of the songs were inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the album was recorded. In particular the songs explore the challenges of living through quarantines and lockdowns ("Comatose", "A Disappearing Act", "Love Murder One", "The Liars Club"). Other songs were inspired by the murder of George Floyd ("Ladders of Supremacy") and Sanchez's relationships with his son ("Blood", "Rise Naianasha (Cut the Cord)") and wife ("Our Love").


text: The album's name, track list, and initial release date of May 27 was first announced in January 2022. In April 2022, the band announced they were delaying the release a month to June 24 due to China's COVID lockdown causing supply chain disruptions, making the vinyl release impossible for the original date. The album is the band's first since "" in 2018, the band's longest gap of their career. The album's deluxe edition features a 96 page hardcover novel "A Window of the Waking Mind" that ties into the album's concept, written by Sanchez and his wife Chondra Echert. Singles "Shoulders" and "Rise, Naianasha (Cut the Cord)" were released well ahead of the album in 2021, along with accompanying music videos. Further singles "The Liars Club" and "Comatose" were released in 2022 ahead of the album's release. To promote the album, the band went on the headlining "Great Destroyer" tour with Sheer Mag prior to its release, and headlined the A Window of the Waking Mind Tour in summer 2022 alongside Alkaline Trio and Mothica.


text: "Vaxis – Act II: A Window of the Waking Mind" was released to critical acclaim from contemporary music critics.


title: Superstore (season 2)

text: The second season of the American television series "Superstore" was ordered on February 23, 2016. On May 15, 2016, NBC announced that "Superstore" would be moving to Thursdays in the 8 p.m. time slot, leading off NBC's Thursday night primetime programming in the 2016–17 season. The season premiered on September 22, 2016, and concluded on May 4, 2017. On September 23, 2016, NBC gave the series a full season order of 21 episodes.


title: Superstore (season 2)

text: "Superstore" follows a group of employees working at Cloud 9, a fictional big-box store in St. Louis, Missouri. The ensemble and supporting cast features America Ferrera, Ben Feldman, Lauren Ash, Colton Dunn, Nico Santos, Nichole Sakura and Mark McKinney.


title: Superstore (season 2)

text: The day after the first season finale had aired, "Superstore" was renewed for a second season on NBC. The second season will contain 13 episodes, but on September 21, 2016, the day before the second season premiere, NBC ordered 9 additional scripts, possibly making the episode-count up to 22 episodes. NBC announced on May 15, 2016, that the show had been moved, and would be airing on Thursdays in the time slot 8 p.m. The show will be leading off NBC's Thursday night primetime programming in the 2016–17 season. It was announced the same day that the second season would begin airing on September 22, 2016. On August 3, 2016, it was announced that Michael Bunin would be playing a recurring role in the second season as Jeff, Cloud 9's district manager. A trailer for the new season was released on September 8, 2016. A promotional poster was released on August 5, 2016. On September 23, 2016, NBC gave the series a full season order of 22 episodes.


title: Superstore (season 2)

text: To promote the second season, NBC announced on May 15, 2016, that it would be airing a special Olympics-themed episode of "Superstore" during the network's coverage of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. On June 30, 2016, it was announced that the episode would be airing on August 19, 2016, in one of the last days in the Olympics. Executive producer Justin Spitzer revealed in an interview during NBC's TCA Press Tour that the plot in the episode would occur in the middle of the first season, not after the first season finale. The episode included guest appearances from real-life Olympic medalists Tara Lipinski, Apolo Ohno and McKayla Maroney, in addition to Cecily Strong who played the fictional Olympic medalist Missy Jones. The episode received a series high of 9.67 million total viewers, up 34 percent from the previous high of 7.21 million, which was achieved in the series premiere. The special episode also achieved a 3.0 rating in the 18-49 demographic, a full point up from the premiere episode's 2.0.


title: 19th Special Forces Group

text: The 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne) (19th SFG) (A) is one of two National Guard groups of the United States Army Special Forces. 19th Group—as it is sometimes called—is designed to deploy and execute nine doctrinal missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, direct action, counter-insurgency, special reconnaissance, counter-terrorism, information operations, counterproliferation of weapon of mass destruction, and security force assistance. Headquartered in Draper, Utah, with detachments in Washington, West Virginia, Ohio, Rhode Island, Colorado, California and Texas, the 19th SFG(A) shares responsibility over Southwest Asia with the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), and the Pacific with the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne). Company A, 2nd Battalion is one of several National Guard units with colonial roots.


title: 19th Special Forces Group

text: The parent unit was constituted on 5 July 1942 in the Army of the United States as the 1st Company, 1st Battalion, Third Regiment, 1st Special Service Force, a combined Canadian-American organization. This unit was activated on 9 July 1942 at Fort William Henry Harrison, Montana, then disbanded on 6 January 1945 in France.


title: 19th Special Forces Group

text: 19th Group was constituted on 15 April 1960 in the Regular Army as Headquarters, 19th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces. One year later, on 1 May 1961, the unit was allotted to the Army National Guard; 19th Group was concurrently organized from existing units in Utah with headquarters at Fort Douglas. Continuous reorganization developed over the next three decades, and by 1 September 1996, the unit consisted of elements from the Utah, California, Colorado, Ohio, Rhode Island, Washington, and West Virginia Army National Guards.


title: 19th Special Forces Group

text: During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, a company element from the 19th SFG was attached to TF Dagger as were several regular and National Guard infantry companies to provide FOB security and to act as a QRF. As the prospect of war grew A company, 1st Battalion, 19th SFG, were tasked with liaison roles supporting conventional forces: ODA 911 and ODA 913 were to support the I MEF; ODA 914 was divided into two elements, one supporting the 3rd Infantry Division with ODA 916 and the other supporting British Forces; ODA 915 was attached to the 101st Airborne Division; and ODA 912 was tasked with providing PSD for General Harrell, the commander of CFSOCC (Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command).


title: 19th Special Forces Group

text: On 1 October 2005, 1st Special Forces was redesignated as the 1st Special Forces Regiment. Today's unit designation - Headquarters, 19th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces Regiment - was then established.


title: 19th Special Forces Group

text: 19th Group operators attend the same Special Forces selection and training as their active duty counterparts. The unit deploys elements to conduct special, irregular, and counterterrorist operations in various places around the world. Their official motto is "De Oppresso Liber" (Latin: "From oppressed [to] free"), a reference to one of their primary missions to train and assist foreign indigenous forces.


title: 19th Special Forces Group

text: In September 2014, the "Huffington Post" reported that members of the 19th SFG were deployed to Morocco to take part in Operation Enduring Freedom – Trans Sahara.


title: 19th Special Forces Group

text: Green Berets from the 19th SFG took part in the War in Afghanistan (2015–2021); A Company, 1st BTN, 19th SFG was deployed to Afghanistan in July 2015 and several members were decorated for their actions during December 2015 and January 2016. On 5 January 2016, during a major operation assisting Afghan forces reclaiming territory held by the Taliban, SSG Matthew McClintock of A Company, 1st BTN, 19th SFG was killed by small arms fire during an hours long battle in the Marjah district, Helmand Province.


title: 19th Special Forces Group

text: Controversially, from June 1 to June 7, 2020, during the George Floyd protests, members of the 19th SFG were deployed to Washington, DC and stationed outside the White House. Photos began to circulate of soldiers wearing the arrowhead patch and the Special Forces Tab. Questions rose as to why Special Forces soldiers were needed. On June 4, National Guard commanders made the decision to pull the Special Forces patches off the uniform in an attempt to avoid sending the wrong message.


title: 19th Special Forces Group

text: In April 2007, the 5th Battalion of 19th SFG and troops from the 2nd Battalion were called to Operation Iraqi Freedom.


title: 19th Special Forces Group

text: In April 2007, the following units of the 19th SFG were called to active duty (Operation Iraqi Freedom V)


title: 19th Special Forces Group

text: On September 2008, the following units of the 19th SFG were called to active duty (Operation Enduring Freedom XIII)


title: Panthenol

text: Panthenol (also called pantothenol) is the alcohol analog of pantothenic acid (vitamin B), and is thus a provitamin of B. In organisms, it is quickly oxidized to pantothenic acid. It is a viscous transparent liquid at room temperature. Panthenol is used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic products as a moisturizer and to improve wound healing.


title: Panthenol

text: In pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and personal-care products, panthenol is a moisturizer and humectant, used in ointments, lotions, shampoos, nasal sprays, eye drops, lozenges, and cleaning solutions for contact lenses.


title: Panthenol

text: In ointments it is used for the treatment of sunburns, mild burns, minor skin injuries, and disorders (in concentrations of up to 2–5%). It improves hydration, reduces itching and inflammation of the skin, improves skin elasticity, and accelerates epidermal wounds' rate of healing. For this purpose, it is sometimes combined with allantoin.


title: Panthenol

text: It binds to the hair shaft readily, so, it is a common component of commercial shampoos and hair conditioners (in concentrations of 0.1–1%). It coats the hair and seals its surface, lubricating the hair shaft and giving it a shiny appearance.


title: Panthenol

text: Panthenol is generally well tolerated. In rare cases, skin irritation and contact allergies have been reported.


title: Panthenol

text: Panthenol readily penetrates into the skin and mucous membranes (including the intestinal mucosa), where it is quickly oxidized to pantothenic acid. Pantothenic acid is extremely hygroscopic. It is also used in the biosynthesis of coenzyme A, which plays a role in a wide range of enzymatic reactions and in cell growth.


title: Panthenol

text: Panthenol is an odourless, slightly bitter, highly viscous, transparent, and colourless liquid at room temperature, but salts of pantothenic acid (for example sodium pantothenate) are powders that are typically white. It is easily soluble in water and alcohol, moderately soluble in diethyl ether, soluble in chloroform (1:100), in propylene glycol, and slightly soluble in glycerin.


title: Panthenol

text: Panthenol comes in two enantiomers: and . Only -panthenol (dexpanthenol) is biologically active, however both forms have moisturizing properties. For cosmetic use, panthenol comes either in form, or as a racemic mixture of and (-panthenol).


title: Gerridae

text: The Gerridae are a family of insects in the order Hemiptera, commonly known as water striders, water skeeters, water scooters, water bugs, pond skaters, water skippers, or water skimmers. Consistent with the classification of the Gerridae as true bugs (i.e., suborder Heteroptera), gerrids have mouthparts evolved for piercing and sucking, and distinguish themselves by having the unusual ability to walk on water, making them pleuston (surface-living) animals. They are anatomically built to transfer their weight to be able to run on top of the water's surface. As a result, one could likely find water striders present in any pond, river, or lake. Over 1,700 species of gerrids have been described, 10% of them being marine.


title: Gerridae

text: While 90% of the Gerridae are freshwater bugs, the oceanic "Halobates" makes the family quite exceptional among insects. The genus "Halobates" was first heavily studied between 1822 and 1883 when Buchanan-White collected several different species during the Challenger Expedition. Around this time, Eschscholtz discovered three species of the Gerridae, bringing attention to the species, though little of their biology was known. Since then, the Gerridae have been continuously studied due to their ability to walk on water and unique social characteristics.


title: Gerridae

text: The family Gerridae is physically characterized by having hydrofuge hairpiles, retractable preapical claws, and elongated legs and body.


title: Gerridae

text: Hydrofuge hairpiles are small, hydrophobic microhairs. These are tiny hairs with more than one thousand microhairs per mm. The entire body is covered by these hairpiles, providing the water strider resistance to splashes or drops of water. These hairs repel the water, preventing drops from weighing down the body.


title: Gerridae

text: They are generally small, long-legged insects and the body length of most species is between . A few are between . Among widespread genera, the North Hemisphere "Aquarius" includes the largest species, generally exceeding , at least among females, and the largest species averaging about . Females typically average larger than males of their own species, but it appears to be reversed in the largest species, the relatively poorly known "Gigantometra gigas" of streams in northern Vietnam and adjacent southern China. It typically reaches a body length of about in wingless males and in winged females (winged males, however, only average marginally larger than females). In this species each middle and hind leg can surpass .


title: Gerridae

text: Water striders have two antennae with four segments on each. Antennal segments are numbered from closest to the head to farthest. The antennae have short, stiff bristles in segment III. Relative lengths of the antennae segments can help identify unique species within the family Gerridae, but in general, segment I is longer and stockier than the remaining three. The four segments combined are usually no longer than the length of the water strider head.


title: Gerridae

text: The thorax of water striders is generally long, narrow, and small in size. It generally ranges from 1.6 mm to 3.6 mm long across the species, with some bodies more cylindrical or rounder than others. The pronotum, or outer layer of the thorax, of the water strider can be either shiny or dull depending on the species, and covered with microhairs to help repel water. The abdomen of a water strider can have several segments and contains both the metasternum and omphalium.


title: Gerridae

text: Gerridae have front, middle, and back legs. The front legs are shortest and have preapical claws adapted to puncture prey. Preapical claws are claws that are not at the end of the leg, but rather halfway through, like mantises. The middle legs are longer than the first pair and shorter than the last pair and are adapted for propulsion through the water. The hind pair is the longest and is used for spreading weight over a large surface area, as well as steering the bug across the surface of the water. The front legs are attached just posterior to the eyes, while the middle legs are attached closer to the back legs which attach midthorax but extend beyond the terminal end of the body.


title: Gerridae

text: Some water striders have wings present on the dorsal side of their thorax, while other species of Gerridae do not, particularly "Halobates". Water striders experience wing length polymorphism that has affected their flight ability and evolved in a phylogenetic manner where populations are either long-winged, wing-dimorphic, or short-winged. Wing dimorphism consists of summer gerrid populations evolving different length wings than winter populations within the same species. Habitats with rougher waters are likely to hold gerrids with shorter wings, while habitats with calm waters are likely to hold long-winged gerrids. This is due to potential for damage of the wings and ability for dispersal.


title: Gerridae

text: "Cretogerris," from the Cretaceous (Albian) Charentese amber of France, was initially suggested as a gerrid. However, it was later interpreted as an indeterminate member of Gerroidea. They are morphologically similar to the unrelated "Chresmoda," an enigmatic genus of insect known from the Late Jurassic to the Mid Cretaceous with a presumably similar lifestyle.


title: Gerridae

text: Wing polymorphism (i.e., the presence of multiple wing morphs in a given species) has independently evolved multiple times in Gerridae, as well as complete wing loss, something that has been important for the evolution of the variety in species we see today, and dispersal of Gerridae. The existence of wing polymorphism in a given species can be explained as a particular case oogenesis-flight syndrome. Following this rationale, which is commonly applied in insects, developing short wings provides the individual with the capacity to dedicate the energy stores that would usually be used for wing and wing muscle development to increasing egg production and reproducing early, ultimately enhancing the individual's fitness. The ability for one brood to have young with wings and the next not allows water striders to adapt to changing environments. Long, medium, short, and nonexistent wing forms are all necessary depending on the environment and season. Long wings allow for flight to a neighboring water body when one gets too crowded, but they can get wet and weigh a water strider down. Short wings may allow for short travel, but limit how far a gerrid can disperse. Nonexistent wings prevent a gerrid from being weighed down, but prevent dispersal.


title: Gerridae

text: Wing polymorphism is common in the Gerridae despite most univoltine populations being completely apterous (wingless) or macropterous (with wings). Apterous populations of gerrids would be restricted to stable aquatic habitats that experience little change in environment, while macropterous populations can inhabit more changing, variable water supplies. Stable waters are usually large lakes and rivers, while unstable waters are generally small and seasonal. Gerrids produce winged forms for dispersal purposes and macropterous individuals are maintained due to their ability to survive in changing conditions. Wings are necessary if the body of water is likely to dry since the gerrid must fly to a new source of water. However, wingless forms are favored due to competition for ovarian development and wings and reproductive success is the main goal due to the selfish gene theory. Overwintering gerrids usually are macropterous, or with wings, so they can fly back to their aquatic habitat after winter. An environmental switch mechanism controls seasonal dimorphism observed in bivoltine species, or species having two broods per year. This switch mechanism is what helps determine whether or not a brood with wings will evolve. Temperature also plays an important role in photoperiodic switch. Temperatures signify the seasons and thus when wings are needed since they hibernate during winter. Ultimately, these switching mechanisms alter genetic alleles for wing characteristics, helping to maintain biological dispersal.


title: Gerridae

text: Water striders are able to walk on top of water due to a combination of several factors. Water striders use the high surface tension of water and long, hydrophobic legs to help them stay above water.


title: Gerridae

text: Gerridae species use this surface tension to their advantage through their highly adapted legs and distributed weight.


title: Gerridae

text: The legs of a water strider are long and slender, allowing the weight of the water strider body to be distributed over a large surface area. The legs are strong, but have flexibility that allows the water striders to keep their weight evenly distributed and flow with the water movement. Hydrofuge hairs line the body surface of the water strider. There are several thousand hairs per square millimeter, providing the water strider with a hydrofuge body that prevents wetting from waves, rain, or spray, which could inhibit their ability to keep their entire body above the water surface if the water stuck and weighed down the body. This position of keeping the majority of the body above the water surface is called an epipleustonic position, which is a defining characteristic of water striders. If the body of the water strider were to accidentally become submerged, for instance by a large wave, the tiny hairs would trap air. Tiny air bubbles throughout the body act as buoyancy to bring the water strider to the surface again, while also providing air bubbles to breathe from underwater. Despite their success in overcoming submergence in water, however, water striders are not as competent in oil, and experimental oil spills have suggested that oil spilled in freshwater systems can drive water strider immobility and death.


title: Gerridae

text: The tiny hairs on the legs provide both a hydrophobic surface as well as a larger surface area to spread their weight over the water. The middle legs used for rowing have particularly well developed fringe hairs on the tibia and tarsus to help increase movement through the ability to thrust. The hind pair of legs are used for steering When the rowing stroke begins, the middle tarsi of gerrids are quickly pressed down and backwards to create a circular surface wave in which the crest can be used to propel a forward thrust. The semicircular wave created is essential to the ability of the water strider to move rapidly since it acts as a counteracting force to push against. As a result, water striders often move at 1 meter per second or faster.


title: Gerridae

text: Gerrids generally lay their eggs on submerged rocks or vegetation using a gelatinous substance as a glue. Gravid females carry between two and twenty eggs. The eggs are creamy white or translucent, but become bright orange.


title: Gerridae

text: Gerrids go through the egg stage, five instar stages of nymphal forms, and then the adult stage. Instar durations of water striders are highly correlated throughout the larval period. This means that individuals tend to develop at the same rate through each instar stage. Each nymphal stage lasts 7–10 days and the water strider molts, shedding its old cuticle through a Y-shaped suture dorsal to the head and thorax. Nymphs are very similar to adults in behavior and diet, but are smaller (1 mm long), paler, and lack differentiation in tarsal and genital segments. It takes approximately 60 to 70 days for a water strider to reach adulthood, though this development rate has been found highly correlated to the water temperature the eggs are in.


title: Gerridae

text: Gerridae generally inhabit surfaces of calm waters. The majority of water striders inhabit freshwater areas, with the exception of "Asclepios", "Halobates", "Stenobates" and a few other genera, which inhabit marine waters. The marine species are generally coastal, but a few "Halobates" live offshore (oceanic) and are the only insects of this habitat. Gerridae prefer an environment abundant with insects or zooplankton and one that contains several rocks or plants to oviposit eggs on. It has been studied by prevalence of water striders in varying environments, that water striders most prefer waters around . Any water temperature lower than is unfavorable. This is likely due to the fact that development rates of young are temperature dependent [5]. The cooler the surrounding waters, the slower the development of the young is. Prominent genera Gerridae are present in Europe, the former USSR, Canada, US, South Africa, South America, Australia, China and Malaysia [5]. None have been yet identified in New Zealand waters.


title: Gerridae

text: Gerrids are aquatic predators and feed on invertebrates, mainly spiders and insects, that fall onto the water surface. Water striders are attracted to this food source by ripples produced by the struggling prey. The water strider uses its front legs as sensors for the vibrations produced by the ripples in the water. The water strider punctures the prey item's body with its proboscis, injects salivary enzymes that break down the prey's internal structures, and then sucks out the resulting fluid. Gerrids prefer living prey, though they are indiscriminate feeders when it comes to terrestrial insect type. Halobates, which are found on open sea, feed off floating insects, zooplankton, and occasionally resort to cannibalism of their own nymphs. Cannibalism is frequent and helps control population sizes and restrict conflicting territories. During the non-mating season when gerrids live in cooperative groups, and cannibalism rates are lower, water striders will openly share large kills with others around them. Some gerrids are collectors, feeding off sediment or deposit surface.


title: Gerridae

text: Gerrids, or water striders, are preyed upon largely by birds and some fish. Petrels, terns, and some marine fish prey on Halobates. Fish do not appear to be the main predators of water striders, but will eat them in cases of starvation. Scent gland secretions from the thorax are responsible for repelling fish from eating them. Gerrids are largely hunted by birds of a wide range of species dependent on habitat. Some water striders are hunted by frogs, but they are not their main food source. Water striders are also sometimes hunted by each other. Water strider cannibalism involves mainly hunting nymphs for mating territory and sometimes for food.


title: Gerridae

text: Several endoparasites have been found in gerrids. Trypanosamatid flagellates, nematodes, and parasitic Hymenoptera all act as endoparasites. Water mite larvae act as ectoparasites of water striders.


title: Gerridae

text: Sudden increases in salt concentration in the water of gerrid habitats can trigger migration of water striders. Water striders will move to areas of lower salt concentration, resulting in the mix of genes within brackish and freshwater bodies. Nymphal population density also affects the dispersal of water striders. The higher density of water striders in the nymphal stage results in a higher percentage of brachypterous adults developing flight muscles. These flight muscles allow for the water striders to fly to neighboring bodies of water and mate, resulting in the spread of genes. This spread and mixing of genes can be beneficial due to a heterozygotic advantage. Generally, water striders will try to disperse in such a way to lower the density of gerrids in one area or pool of water. Most do this by flight, but those that lack wings or wing muscles will rely on the current of their water body or flooding. Eggs in "Halobates" are often laid on floating ocean debris and thus spread across the ocean by this drifting matter.


title: Gerridae

text: Sex discrimination in some Gerridae species is determined through communication of ripple frequency produced on the water surface. Males predominantly produce these ripples in the water. There are three main frequencies found in ripple communication: 25 Hz as a repel signal, 10 Hz as a threat signal, and 3 Hz as a courtship signal. An approaching gerrid will first give out a repel signal to let the other water strider know they are in its area. If the other gerrid does not return the repel signal, then the bug knows it is a female and will switch to the courtship signal. A receptive female will lower her abdomen and allow the male to mount her and mate. A non-receptive female will raise her abdomen and emit a repel signal. Males that are allowed to mate stay attached to the same female for the entire reproductive season. This is to ensure that the female's young belong to the mounting male and thus guarantee the spread of his genes. Females oviposit, or lay their eggs, by submerging and attaching the eggs to stable surfaces such as plants or stones. Some water strider species will lay the eggs at the water edge if the body of water is calm enough. The amount of eggs laid depends on the amount of food available to the mother during the reproductive season. The availability of food and dominance among other gerrids in the area both play crucial roles in the amount of food obtained and thus, resulting fecundity. Water striders will reproduce all year long in tropical regions where it remains warm, but only during the warm months in seasonal habitats. Gerrids that live in environments with winters will overwinter in the adult stage. This is due to the large energy cost which would need to be spent to maintain their body temperature at functional levels. These water striders have been found in leaf litter or under stationary shelters such as logs and rocks during the winter in seasonal areas. This reproductive diapause is a result of shortening day lengths during larval development and seasonal variation in lipid levels. Shorter day length signals the water strider of the coming temperature drops, also acting as a physical signal the body uses to store lipids throughout the body as food sources. Water striders use these lipids to metabolize during their hibernation. The length of the hibernation depends when the environment warms and the days become longer again.


title: Gerridae

text: Kin discrimination is rare in Gerridae, only really being seen in "Halobates". Without hunger playing a role, several studies have shown that neither "Aquarius remigis" nor "Limnoporus dissortis" parents preferentially cannibalize on non-kin. Those two species are highly prevalent in American waters. These species do not show familial tendencies, leaving their young to forage on their own. Females cannibalize more on young than males do and, in particular, on first-instar nymphs. Young must disperse as soon as their wings are fully developed to avoid cannibalism and other territorial conflicts since neither parents nor siblings can identify members genetically related to themselves.


title: Gerridae

text: Gerridae are territorial insects and make this known by their vibration patterns. Both female and male adult Gerridae hold separate territories, though usually the male territories are larger than the female. During the mating season, gerrids will emit warning vibrations through the water and defend both their territory and the female in it. Even though gerridae are very conspicuous, making their presence known through repel signals, they often live in large groups. These large groups usually form during the non-mating season since there is less need to compete. Instead of competing to reproduce, water striders can work together to obtain nutrition and shelter outside of the mating season. Water striders will attempt to disperse when these groups become too dense. They do so by flying away or cannibalizing.


title: Yaoguai

text: Yaoguai (妖怪 pinyin yāoguài) is a term for monsters or strange creatures. Yaogui (妖鬼 yāoguǐ, lit. "strange ghost"), yaomo (妖魔 yāomó, lit. "daemon") or yaojing (妖精 yāojīng, often translated as "sprite" or "faerie") are loosely related terms.


title: Yaoguai

text: Yaoguai (妖怪) is a compound word consisting of two Chinese characters. 妖 (yāo) is a noun meaning "monster" or "demon". 怪 (guài) means "strange" or "unusual" when used as an adjective, and "monster" or "unusual creature" as a noun. Each word individually signifies and connotes strangeness.


title: Yaoguai

text: Classical usages of both terms relate to preternatural phenomena and freakish occurrences where explanation fell outside the limited understanding of those observing them. These included freakish vegetation ("草妖")，eerie sounds ("鼓妖")，the unnatural onset of fog and darkness ("夜妖")，as well as a sudden loss in verbal fluency or inability to express oneself ("诗妖").


title: Yaoguai

text: Yāo are blamed for sudden outbreaks of confused and erratic action, or transgressive behaviour ("胡作非为"), with one saying being that "when affairs go awry, there must have been a yāo (acting)" ("事出反必有妖").


title: Yaoguai

text: In later terminology, "yāo" refers to natural objects (animals, plants or rocks) which have acquired sentience (lit. spiritual awareness), the ability to assume human or near-human forms, supernatural or magical powers, as well as the ability to cultivate so as to achieve immortality or transcendence.


title: Yaoguai

text: In Wang Chong's 1st century text the "Balanced Discussions", things such as animals, plants, and rocks are said to be endowed a human-like essence and capacities as a result of immense age ("物之老者，其精为人").


title: Yaoguai

text: 怪 (pinyin: guai) is much broader and can refer to any kind of monstrous entity, whether inherently magical or not. It includes chimeric species of various kinds such as found in the "Classic of Mountain and Seas", as well as quasi-humanoid entities such as the 魑, the 魅, 魍魉, and the 坟羊, which possess inconsistent or overlapping descriptions.


title: Yaoguai

text: Read together in the modern era, 妖怪 is a Chinese umbrella term that generally means "eldritch monster" and includes a wide range of entities which have a resemblance to the goblins and the unseelie faeries of other cultures. The term is usually used in Chinese mythology, folklore, and popular entertainment.


title: Yaoguai

text: A yao (妖, pinyin: yāo) is a supernatural creature with uncanny properties, usually dwelling in remote wildernesses or at the fringes of civilisation, and arising as the result of anomalies in the material force (qi) that pervades the natural world. In folklore, their characteristic attributes include a strange or otherworldly nature, attractiveness and beauty, and the ability to seduce or compel, and their association with ill-omens or misfortune. Typical powers ascribed to them include shapeshifting, the creation of illusions to lead astray, and mind control for the purposes of seduction or enthrallment.


title: Yaoguai

text: In their tendencies and powers, they have some resemblance to the fairies of European lore. However, the 妖 often partake or share in the essential nature of an animal or a plant (a vixen, a snake, a butterfly, or a tree or a flower), is capable of assuming human or near-human form and of wielding supernatural powers, as well as developing other abilities due to Taoist cultivation.


title: Yaoguai

text: Yaoguai (妖怪) are distinct creatures from ghosts (鬼, pinyin: gui) and demons (魔, pinyin: mo). Ghosts are the spirits of the deceased, whereas demons are often described as fallen immortals and gods.


title: Yaoguai

text: Sun Wukong (the Monkey King and protagonist) uses this term often to insult his (demonic) adversaries.


title: Yaoguai

text: The birth of these creatures is described as being due to human activity which disrupts the normative order. Natural phenomena (including inauspicious omens and signs, natural disasters, etc.) are correlated to human conduct in traditional Chinese thinking. Disturbances in the moral order either cause, stimulate, or evoke disturbances in the world of phenomena. The operative principle is either moralistic - the retributive punishment of Heaven, or naturalistic - the concept of stimulus-response (also known as "sympathetic resonance"). The latter is a connective principle according to which like-begets-like and the musical analogy of resonating strings is often used. According to the classic text the "Zuo Zhuan", "when people lack constancy or engage in strange or abnormal behavior, then this leads to the emergence of the yao" ("人弃常则妖兴").


title: Yaoguai

text: In the literary text, "Investiture of the Gods", the fox-sprite Daji is sent on a mission by the goddess Nuwa, to corrupt the last king of the Shang and to instigate the fall of his dynasty, as punishment for the latter composing a ribald poem.


title: Yaoguai

text: In "Journey to the West", the demons seek this mostly by the abduction and consumption of a holy man (in this case, Tang Sanzang).


title: Yaoguai

text: Not all "yaojing" are actually demons; some others are of quite unusual origins. In the case of Baigujing, she was a skeleton that became such a demon. Many "yaojing" are fox spirits, or according to the "Journey to the West", pets of the deities. There are also "yaoguai" kings ("mówáng") that command a number of lesser demon minions.


title: Yaoguai

text: In Chinese folklore, living creatures and inorganic substances other than humans will also gain mana, wisdom, or look completely similar to humans through years of cultivation. Such a situation has always been called "成精 (Chengjing)", "Yaoguai" and "Yaojing" are most often called such creatures, and only a few are called "仙 (Xian)"


title: Yaoguai

text: This type of Yaoguai often appears in classic stories such as "Journey to the West", "Legend of the White Snake", "Investiture of the Gods" and "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio".


title: Yaoguai

text: Many stories believe that only humans can cultivate. Animals and objects do not have the characteristics of humans. They should wait for the next reincarnation to become humans before they can cultivate. Therefore, the spiritual energy of non-human objects and the cultivation of human form are against the sky. "魔 (Mo)", harms mankind. Therefore, things are often oppressed after cultivation. They are either captured by Taoists or priests, or immortals, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas want them to go on the right path, and they are hardly tolerated by the right way and human beings.


title: Yaoguai

text: In addition, there is a saying that "Dharma cannot be rectified for a thousand years, and you do not learn the wild fox Zen for a day. (千年不得正法，不學一日野狐禪)" Therefore, some gong sects clearly state that the energy and skill created by the cultivation of species and the set of practice methods they teach will also be regarded as evil. Gong, those who learn it will also be harmed by it.


title: Yaoguai

text: In the Chinese classical novel "Journey to the West", some gods were relegated to the mortal world and became Yaoguai because they violated the laws of heaven. The most representative ones are Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing.


title: Yaoguai

text: In addition, in the "Journey to the West" in the heavenly court, there are also some people who violate the laws and deviate from the mortal, but privately descend. Many of them are waiters and mounts around the gods, such as the Golden and Silver Horned Kings of the Taishang Laojun, Yellow Robe Demon, which was originally Kui Mulang, Maitreya Bodhisattva's Yellow Brows Great King, Manjushri's Azure Lion and so on.


title: Yaoguai

text: In popular culture yaoguai often engage in romantic relationships with humans. These relations are usually described as subversive of the natural order, if not forbidden, and usually have detrimental effects on their human partners. The truly evil ones are usually referred to as "guài" (literally, "weird") or "mó" (literally, "demon" or "magic") in Chinese and in popular culture they are often depicted as feeding on the vital energy of their thralls. Their greatest goal is achieving immortality and deification. But monsters are not usually thought of in a religious sense. Whilst not all are evil, their appearance is generally regarded as inauspicious.


title: Bident

text: A bident is a two-pronged implement resembling a pitchfork. In Greek mythology, the bident is a weapon associated with Hades (Pluto), the ruler of the underworld.


title: Bident

text: Likewise, the three-pronged trident is the implement of his brother Poseidon (Neptune), god of the seas and earthquakes, while the lightning bolt, which superficially appears to have a single main point or prong, is a symbol of their youngest brother, Zeus (Jupiter), king of the gods and the sky.


title: Bident

text: The word 'bident' was brought into the English language before 1914, and is derived from the Latin "bidentis", meaning "having two teeth (or prongs)."


title: Bident

text: Ancient Egyptians used a bident as a fishing tool, sometimes attached to a line and sometimes fastened with flight feathers. Two-pronged weapons mainly of bronze appear in the archaeological record of ancient Greece.


title: Bident

text: In Roman agriculture, the "bidens" (genitive "bidentis") was a double-bladed drag hoe or two-pronged mattock, although a modern distinction between "mattock" and "rake" should not be pressed. It was used to break up and turn ground that was rocky and hard. The "bidens" is pictured on mosaics and other forms of Roman art, as well as tombstones to mark the occupation of the deceased.


title: Bident

text: The spear of Achilles is said by a few sources to be bifurcated. Achilles had been instructed in its use by Peleus, who had in turn learned from the centaur Chiron. The implement may have associations with Thessaly. A black-figured amphora from Corneto (Etruscan Tarquinia) depicts a scene from the hunt for the Calydonian boar, part of a series of adventures that took place in the general area. Peleus is accompanied by Castor, who is attacking the boar with a two-pronged spear.


title: Bident

text: A bronze trident found in an Etruscan tomb at Vetulonia seems to have had an adaptable center prong that could be removed for use as a bident. A kylix found at Vulci in ancient Etruria was formerly interpreted as depicting Pluto (Greek: Πλούτων "Plouton") with a bident. A black-bearded man holding a peculiarly two-pronged instrument reaches out in pursuit of a woman, thought to be Persephone. The vase was subjected to improper reconstruction, however, and the couple are more likely Poseidon and Aethra. On Lydian coins that show "Plouton" abducting Persephone in his four-horse chariot, the god holds his characteristic scepter, the ornamented point of which has sometimes been interpreted as a bident. Other visual representations of the bident on ancient objects appear to have been either modern-era reconstructions, or in the possession of figures not securely identified as the ruler of the underworld.


title: Bident

text: The Cambridge ritualist A.B. Cook saw the bident as an implement that might be wielded by Jupiter, the chief god of the Roman pantheon, in relation to Roman bidental ritual, the consecration of a place struck by lightning by means of a sacrificial sheep, called a "bidens" because it was of an age to have two teeth. In the hands of Jupiter (also known as Jove, Etruscan Tinia), the trident or bident thus represents a forked lightning bolt. In ancient Italy, thunder and lightning were read as signs of divine will, wielded by the sky god Jupiter in three forms or degrees of severity (see "manubia"). The Romans drew on Etruscan traditions for the interpretation of these signs. A tile found at Urbs Salvia in Picenum depicts an unusual composite Jove, "fairly bristling with weapons": a lightning bolt, a bident, and a trident, uniting the realms of sky, earth, and sea, and representing the three degrees of ominous lightning (see also Summanus). Cook regarded the trident as the Greek equivalent of the Etruscan bident, each representing a type of lightning used to communicate the divine will; since he accepted the Lydian origin of the Etruscans, he traced both forms to the same Mesopotamia source.


title: Bident

text: The later notion that the ruler of the underworld wielded a trident or bident can perhaps be traced to a line in the "Hercules Furens" ("Hercules Enraged") of Seneca. Dis (the Roman equivalent of Greek "Plouton") uses a three-pronged spear to drive off Hercules as he attempts to invade Pylos. Seneca also refers to Dis as the "Infernal Jove" or the "dire Jove", the Jove who gives dire or ill omens "(dirae)", just as in the Greek tradition, "Hades" is sometimes identified as a "chthonic Zeus." That the trident and bident might be somewhat interchangeable is suggested by a Byzantine scholiast, who mentions Poseidon being armed with a bident.


title: Bident

text: In Western art of the Middle Ages, classical underworld figures began to be depicted with a pitchfork. Early Christian writers identified the classical underworld with Hell, and its denizens as demons or devils. In the Renaissance, the bident became a conventional attribute of Pluto in art. Pluto, with Cerberus at his side, is shown holding the bident in the mythological ceiling mural painted by Raphael's workshop for the Villa Farnesina (the "Loggia di Psiche," 1517–18). In a scene depicting a council of the gods, the three brothers Jove, Pluto, and Neptune are grouped closely, with a Cupid standing before them. Neptune holds the trident. Elsewhere in the "loggia", a putto holds a bident.


title: Bident

text: Perhaps influenced by this work, Agostino Carracci had depicted Pluto with a bident in a preparatory drawing for his painting "Pluto" (1592), in which the god holds instead his characteristic key.


title: Bident

text: In Caravaggio's "Giove, Nettuno e Plutone" (ca. 1597), a ceiling mural based on alchemical allegory, Pluto – with his 3-headed dog, Cerberus – holds a bident. (Immediately beside him, Neptune is shown with a trident. Some writers have confused the two figures; Neptune's identity is confirmed by his embrace of the Hippocamp – the "sea horse" with fins for forelegs, and whose markings appear to repeat the trident in a stylized, perhaps symbolic, form.)


title: Javan tiger

text: The Javan tiger was a "Panthera tigris sondaica" population native to the Indonesian island of Java until the mid-1970s. It was hunted to extinction, and its natural habitat converted for agricultural land use and infrastructure. It was one of the three tiger populations in the Sunda Islands.


title: Javan tiger

text: Formerly, it was regarded as a distinct tiger subspecies, which had been assessed as extinct on the IUCN Red List in 2008. In 2017, felid taxonomy was revised and the Javan tiger subordinated to "P. t. sondaica" along with the Sumatran tiger and the Bali tiger.


title: Javan tiger

text: Results of mitochondrial DNA analysis of 23 tiger samples from museum collections indicate that tigers colonized the Sunda Islands during the last glacial period 11,000–12,000 years ago.


title: Javan tiger

text: "Felis tigris sondaicus" was proposed by Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1844 as a scientific name for the Javan tiger.


title: Javan tiger

text: In 1929, the British taxonomist Reginald Innes Pocock subordinated the tiger under the genus "Panthera" using the scientific name "Panthera tigris".


title: Javan tiger

text: In 2017, the Cat Classification Task Force of the Cat Specialist Group revised felid taxonomy and now recognizes the living and extinct tiger populations in Indonesia as "P. t. sondaica".


title: Javan tiger

text: The Javan tiger was small compared to other subspecies of the Asian mainland, but larger than the Bali tiger, and similar in size to the Sumatran tiger. It usually had long and thin stripes, which were slightly more numerous than those of the Sumatran tiger. Its nose was long and narrow, occipital plane remarkably narrow and carnassials relatively long. Based on these cranial differences, the Javan tiger was proposed to be assigned to a distinct species, with the taxonomic name "Panthera sondaica".


title: Javan tiger

text: Males had a mean body length of and weighed between . Females were smaller than males and weighed between .


title: Javan tiger

text: The smaller body size of the Javan tiger is attributed to Bergmann’s rule and the size of the available prey species in Java, which are smaller than the deer and bovid species on the Asian mainland. However, the diameter of its tracks are larger than those of Bengal tiger in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal.


title: Javan tiger

text: The Javan tiger was said to be strong enough to break legs of horses or water buffaloes with its paws.


title: Javan tiger

text: The Javan tiger used to inhabit most of Java but had retreated to remote montane and forested areas by 1940. Around 1970, the only known tigers lived in the region of Meru Betiri, the highest mountain in Java's southeast. This rugged region with sloping terrain had not been settled. An area of was gazetted as wildlife reserve in 1972. The last tigers were sighted there in 1976.


title: Javan tiger

text: The Javan tiger preyed on Javan rusa ("Rusa timorensis"), banteng ("Bos javanicus") and wild boar ("Sus scrofa"); and less often on waterfowl and reptiles. Nothing is known about its gestation period or life span in the wild or captivity. Up to World War II, some Javan tigers were kept in a few Indonesian zoos that were closed during the war. After the war, it was easier to obtain Sumatran tigers.


title: Javan tiger

text: Bounties for hunting the Javan tiger were issued in the 1830s. Around 1850, people living in rural areas considered it a plague. The killing of tigers increased at the beginning of the 20th century when 28 million people lived in Java and the production of rice was insufficient to adequately supply the growing human population. Within 15 years, 150% more land was cleared for rice fields. In 1938, natural forest covered 23% of the island. By 1975, only 8% of the forest remained, and the human population had increased to 85 million people. In this human-dominated landscape, the extirpation of the Javan tiger was intensified by the conjunction of several circumstances and events:


title: Javan tiger

text: In 1960, the tiger population in Ujung Kulon National Park was estimated to comprise 10–12 individuals. Until the mid-1960s, tigers survived in three protected areas that had been established during the 1920s to 1930s: Leuweng Sancang Nature Reserve, Ujung Kulon, and Baluran National Parks. Following the period of civil unrest, no tigers were sighted there. In 1971, an older female was shot in a plantation near Mount Betiri in Java's southeast. The area was upgraded to a wildlife reserve in 1972, a small guard force was established, and four habitat management projects were initiated. The reserve was severely disrupted by two large plantations in the major river valleys, occupying the most suitable habitat for the tiger and its prey. In 1976, tracks were found in the eastern part of the reserve, indicating the presence of three to five tigers. Only a few bantengs survived close to the plantations, but tracks of Javan rusa were not sighted.


title: Javan tiger

text: After 1979, no more sightings of tigers in Meru Betiri National Park were confirmed. In 1980, it was recommended to extend the wildlife reserve and eliminate the disruptive influence of humans on the fragile ecosystem. The Indonesian Nature Conservation Authority implemented these recommendations in 1982 by gazetting the reserve as a national park. These measures were too late to save the few remaining tigers in the region. In 1987, a group of 30 students of Bogor Agricultural University ("Institut Pertanian Bogor") conducted an expedition to Meru Betiri. They searched the area in groups of five and found tiger scat and tracks.


title: Javan tiger

text: In the west of Java lies the Halimun Reserve, today integrated into the Mount Halimun Salak National Park. A tiger was killed there in 1984, and pugmarks found in 1989 were the size of a tiger's. However, an expedition of six biologists conducted in 1990 did not yield any definite, direct evidence for the presence of a tiger. A subsequent survey was planned in Meru Betiri National Park in autumn 1992 with the support of WWF Indonesia, deploying camera traps for the first time. From March 1993 to March 1994, cameras were deployed at 19 locations but did not yield a picture of a tiger. During this period, no tracks indicating the presence of tigers were discovered. After the final report of this survey had been published, the Javan tiger was declared extinct.


title: Javan tiger

text: Rumors and indications of the possible presence of tigers in Meru Betiri National Park prompted the park's Chief Warden Indra Arinal to initiate another search. With support of the "Sumatran Tiger Project", 12 park staff members were trained in autumn 1999 to set up camera traps and map their observations. The Canadian "The Tiger Foundation" provided infrared cameras. Despite a year of work, they did not photograph a tiger, but few prey and many poachers.


title: Javan tiger

text: In 1890, Dutch author Jan Gerhard ten Bokkel noted how the fear of tigers brought the people to use superstitious language: "A Javan will never speak about a tiger without calling him 'Mister', it's always: Mr. Tiger. The beast might hear him once, and take revenge at him for merely saying tiger in a familiar way!"


title: Javan tiger

text: Occasional, unofficial reports of Javan tigers surface from enthusiasts who believe the tiger still exists in Java.


title: Javan tiger

text: In November 2008, an unidentified body of a female mountain hiker was found in Mount Merbabu National Park, Central Java, who allegedly died from a tiger attack. Villagers who discovered the body have also claimed some tiger sightings in the vicinity.


title: Javan tiger

text: In January 2009, some villagers claimed to have seen a tigress with two cubs wandering near a village adjacent to Lawu Mountain. Local authorities found several fresh tracks in the location. However, by that time, those animals had already vanished.


title: Javan tiger

text: Following the October 2010 eruption of Mount Merapi, two Indonesian villagers claimed sightings of a big cat paw print in the residual ash, which sparked rumors that a tiger or leopard was roaming abandoned farms in search of food. Personnel of the nearby national park did not think it was likely that the paw print belonged to a tiger.


title: Javan tiger

text: In August 2017, a wildlife ranger photographed an alleged Javan tiger in Ujung Kulon National Park. A tiger expert later identified the animal as a Javan leopard.


title: Viktor Zolotov

text: Viktor Vasilyevich Zolotov (; born 27 January 1954) is the current Director of the National Guard of Russia (Rosgvardiya) and a member of the Security Council of Russia.


title: Viktor Zolotov

text: Zolotov is a former bodyguard to former President Boris Yeltsin, former St. Petersburg Mayor Anatoly Sobchak, and current Russian leader Vladimir Putin. While working for Sobchak, Zolotov became acquainted with Putin, as well as figures in the St. Petersburg criminal underworld. A member of Putin's "siloviki" inner circle, Zolotov's rise to power and wealth happened after he became a close Putin confidante. The Zolotov family has obtained valuable land plots through dubious means.


title: Viktor Zolotov

text: Zolotov was born in 1954 in Sasovo in Ryazan Oblast into a working-class family and worked as a steelworker. Zolotov started his career in 1975 with the KGB Border Troops.


title: Viktor Zolotov

text: In 1991, Zolotov was seen as a bodyguard next to President of the Russian SFSR Boris Yeltsin during Yeltin's "Tank Speech" during the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt. After the Dissolution of the Soviet Union, he became part of the newly-created Federal Protective Service, responsible for the protection of high-ranking Russian officials. In the 1990s, he was hired as a bodyguard of the Mayor of Saint Petersburg Anatoly Sobchak. At this job, he met Putin, who was a Vice Mayor at this time. Zolotov became a sparring partner of the future President of Russia in boxing and judo, and "whenever Putin appeared in public, Zolotov could be spotted walking directly behind him".


title: Viktor Zolotov

text: Zolotov also served in Roman Tsepov's private guard service Baltik-Eskort, prior to the poisoning of Tsepov by an unknown radioactive substance. The agency was created in 1992, based on the advice from Zolotov, who allegedly oversaw this agency later as a member of the active reserve, according to Yuri Felshtinsky and Vladimir Pribylovsky. The firm provided protection to high ranking Saint Petersburg officials, including the city mayor Sobchak and his family, as well as vice-mayor Putin. It also served as the central mechanism for the collection of tribute and "chorniy nal" or "black cash" () for Putin's purposes.


title: Viktor Zolotov

text: A high-ranking SVR defector Sergei Tretyakov asserted that Zolotov and Putin-appointed director of the Federal Protection Service (FSO) General Murov had openly discussed how to kill the former chief of Yeltsin's administration Alexander Voloshin. They also made "a list of politicians and other influential Muscovites whom they would need to assassinate to give Putin unchecked power". However since the list was very long, Zolotov allegedly announced, ""There are too many. It's too many to kill - even for us."" This made SVR officers who knew about the story "uneasy", since FSO includes twenty thousand troops and controls the "black box" that can be used in the event of global nuclear war


title: Viktor Zolotov

text: From 2000 to 2013, he was the Chief of the Security of Putin, while the latter was Prime Minister of Russia and then President of Russia. Zolotov commanded security officers that are known in Russia as "Men in Black" because they wore black sunglasses and dressed in all-black suits. They use a variety of weapons including portable rocket launchers.


title: Viktor Zolotov

text: On 12 May 2014, Zolotov was appointed Minister of Internal Affairs of Russia and commander of the Internal Troops of Russia. On 5 April 2016, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the National Guard of Russia, which superseded the old Internal Troops of Russia, and relieved of his previous duties—and by a separate Presidential Decree was named a member of the Security Council of Russia.


title: Viktor Zolotov

text: In April 2018, the United States imposed sanctions on him and 23 other Russian nationals for their involvement in Ukrainian affairs.


title: Viktor Zolotov

text: In August 2018, Zolotov became a target of an investigation of the Anti-Corruption Foundation. Alexei Navalny alleged a theft of at least $29m in procurement contracts for the National Guard of Russia. Soon, Navalny was imprisoned, formally for staging protests in January 2018, and Viktor Zolotov published a video message on 11 September, where he called Navalny into a duel and promised to make "good, juicy mincemeat" of him.


title: Viktor Zolotov

text: On 2 March 2021, the Council of the European Union imposed a set of restrictive measures against Zolotov saying he was "responsible for serious human rights violations in Russia, including arbitrary arrests and detentions and systematic and widespread violations of freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, in particular by violently repressing protests and demonstrations." These relate to the quelling of pro-Navalny protests in early 2021.


title: Viktor Zolotov

text: During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, "The Moscow Times" considered Zolotov to have disappeared from public view since around 13 March 2022, together with other senior siloviki (key Russian security officials), including Sergey Shoigu, Igor Kostyukov and Valery Gerasimov.


title: Viktor Zolotov

text: Despite a career in government, Zolotov and his family own approximately $9.8 million worth of real estate in Russia, as well as plots of land that may be worth $22.7 million. According to the OCCRP, Putin gave Zolotov state properties that had been bequethed by the state to workers and pensioners after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Workers say they were swindled out of the properties given to Zolotov.


title: Viktor Zolotov

text: His daughter Zhanna Zolotova owns a 500-square-meter (5,380-square-foot) apartment in Moscow, valued at roughly $5 million. She is married to Yuri Chechikhin, a film and television producer.


title: Rasmus Kristensen

text: Rasmus Nissen Kristensen (; born 11 July 1997) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a right-back for club Leeds United and the Denmark national team.


title: Rasmus Kristensen

text: Kristensen was born in a football family and began playing football in Brande IF when he was six years old. He played in the club for six years, before joining Herning Fremad where he played for two years. In 2012, Kristensen signed a youth contract with FC Midtjylland.


title: Rasmus Kristensen

text: Kristensen was promoted to the first team squad in the summer 2016 at the age of 18. He signed af five-year professional contract.


title: Rasmus Kristensen

text: At the age of 18, Kristensen got his official debut for FCM on 7 March 2016, in a Superliga match against FC Nordsjælland. He started on the bench, but replaced Václav Kadlec in the 39th minute in a match, which FCM lost 1–2. He turned into a key player for the team in the 2016–17 season.


title: Rasmus Kristensen

text: After 1.5 years with Ajax, Kristensen moved to Austria and joined Austrian Football Bundesliga club FC Red Bull Salzburg on a five-year contract.


title: Rasmus Kristensen

text: On 8 June 2022, Kristensen joined Premier League club Leeds United on a five year contract for an undisclosed fee in the region of £10 million. He will play for the team from 1 July 2022, and became Leeds's second confirmed arrival of the summer transfer window, reuniting with former Salzburg teammate Brenden Aaronson. He made his senior league debut for Leeds as part of the starting eleven in their season opener on 6 August with a 2-1 home win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.


title: Rasmus Kristensen

text: In November 2020, he was called up to Kasper Hjulmand's senior squad due to several cancellations from, among others, the Danish national team players playing in England, due to the COVID-19 restrictions, as well as a case of COVID-19 in the squad, which had put several national team players in quarantine.


title: Rasmus Kristensen

text: He made his debut for the Denmark national football team on 4 September 2021 in a World Cup qualifier against the Faroe Islands, a 1–0 away victory. He started the game and was substituted at half-time.


title: Rasmus Kristensen

text: Kristensen is the nephew of the former Sturm Graz player Sigurd Kristensen and is the cousin of Leon Jessen.


title: Simon Mayo

text: Simon Andrew Hicks Mayo (born 21 September 1958) is an English radio presenter and author who worked for BBC Radio from 1982 until 2022.


title: Simon Mayo

text: Mayo has presented across three BBC stations for extended periods. From 1986 to 2001 he worked for Radio 1, including a five-year stint on the Radio 1 Breakfast Show. From 2001 he presented on BBC Radio 5 Live: from his debut until 2009 on a daily afternoon programme, and since then until 2022 with "Kermode and Mayo's Film Review" on Fridays. Between January 2010 to December 2018 he was the presenter of "Simon Mayo Drivetime" on BBC Radio 2, for the final six months with co-host Jo Whiley. Since March 2021, Simon Mayo Drivetime has returned on Greatest Hits Radio.


title: Simon Mayo

text: In 2008, Mayo was recognised as the "Radio Broadcaster of the Year" at the 34th annual Broadcasting Press Guild Awards, and the "Speech Broadcaster of the Year" at the Sony Radio Academy Awards, receiving the latter for his "ability to paint colourful pictures of location and event and his ability to bring the very best out of his guests, encouraging conversation and interaction between them while skilfully nudging and controlling them" and for being "a master of light and shade, handling serious and lighter issues with aplomb."


title: Simon Mayo

text: Mayo is also a published author. His works include a book titled "Confessions", based on the "Confessions" slot from his radio shows, and several fictional thrillers.


title: Simon Mayo

text: Mayo's parents, Derek Mayo (1929–2001) and Jill, were both schoolteachers. He attended St John's Primary School in Croydon, Surrey, the Arden School in Knowle (for one term), the independent Solihull School (where his nickname, according to a newspaper profile in 2008, was "Heinz", after the salad cream brand) and Worthing High School in West Sussex which was then a state grammar school for boys. He graduated from the University of Warwick in 1981, with a degree in History and Politics.


title: Simon Mayo

text: His mother had undertaken part-time work in radio, and having occasionally experienced it with her, Mayo had wanted to work as a studio manager. But as a result of a frequency deficiency in his left ear, he failed the required hearing test, and refocused his career on presenting. Mayo spent some time honing his skills at Southlands Hospital Radio, and then worked for five years as a presenter with BBC Radio Nottingham from 10:45am to 2pm, followed by Dennis McCarthy. With a Radio Nottingham colleague he developed a programme format called "Globe Phone" and sent it to Johnny Beerling, Head of Radio 1, who offered him a job.


title: Simon Mayo

text: He joined BBC Radio 1 in 1986, presenting a two-hour Saturday evening show from 7:30pm to 9:30pm. In October 1987 he progressed to the weekend early slots from 6am to 8am and then became presenter of the weekday evening show in January 1988, which went out from 7:30pm to 10pm. Five months later he was offered the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show, regarded as the most prestigious presentation job in UK radio.


title: Simon Mayo

text: Mayo spent five years presenting "Radio 1 Breakfast" on BBC Radio 1. Throughout his tenure on the breakfast show, which was based on a "zoo" format, Mayo was joined by news anchor Rod McKenzie and by a sidekick weather and travel presenter: first Carol Dooley, then Sybil Ruscoe, Jackie Brambles, and Dianne Oxberry. Weather and travel news reader stand-ins include Mayo's Radio 1 colleague Lynn Parsons, Caron Keating (from "Blue Peter" and "Songs of Praise"), and Philippa Forrester (from CBBC). The show's producer was Ric Blaxill, who also made regular speaking contributions.


title: Simon Mayo

text: He started his first breakfast show by playing "Somewhere in My Heart" by Aztec Camera, which was preceded by a montage of previous breakfast show hosts and then Mayo himself saying 'It's me, Simon Mayo, good morning.'


title: Simon Mayo

text: The programme became known for various features, including "On This Day in History", sound-tracked by a looped version of George Michael's "I Want Your Sex"; the long-running cryptic game "The Identik-Hit Quiz", where Mayo and his co hosts would act out a short scene which cryptically led listeners to the title of a hit song; and his "Confessions" feature where members of the public sought absolution for their (often frivolous or humorous) "sins". Mayo had already presented the dilemma show "Scruples" for BBC television, and had joined his Radio 1 colleagues on the host roster for "Top of the Pops". Both "On This Day in History" and "Confessions" spawned spin-off books.


title: Simon Mayo

text: Due to frequent plays from Mayo, several unlikely hit singles reached the UK charts, including "Kinky Boots" by Patrick Macnee and Honor Blackman; "Donald Where's Yer Troosers?" by Andy Stewart; and "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life", sung and written by Eric Idle. For helping Monty Python have a hit with the latter – 13 years after it first appeared on the soundtrack to "The Life of Brian" – Idle presented Mayo with a model bare foot, in the style of the animated version which used to end the opening titles to the TV show.


title: Simon Mayo

text: Like all Radio 1's high-profile presenters of the time, Mayo would take his turn to spend a week in a coastal area of the UK during the Radio 1 Roadshows which ran for three months of the summer. For a short while, he also presented an additional weekend show for the station on a Sunday afternoon, provisionally titled "O Solomon Mayo", to cover for the absent Phillip Schofield, who was working in the West End.


title: Simon Mayo

text: Mayo formally gave up the breakfast show in 1993, though he had been on an extended period of paternity leave when the announcement was made. His stand-in Mark Goodier was his replacement.


title: Simon Mayo

text: Mayo took over the station's mid morning slot in October 1993, where he remained until February 2001. In addition to this, in May 1994, he presented "Simon Mayo's Classic Years", where he played two hours of classic pop tunes. The show originally went out on a Sunday lunchtime from noon till 2pm, but in November 1994 went out from 10am till noon on Sundays. This lasted until October 1995.


title: Simon Mayo

text: In January 1997, Mayo made a brief return to the breakfast show for three weeks after Chris Evans was dismissed, but both Mayo and BBC Radio 1 ruled out the possibilities of a permanent return to the programme. On his first morning as breakfast stand-in, Mayo read out an email from a man who had emigrated to New Zealand four years earlier and had arrived back in the UK that morning, and was "delighted to hear you're still doing the breakfast show".


title: Simon Mayo

text: Mayo remained on the mid-morning slot until he left BBC Radio 1 in 2001, seeing breakfast-show presenters Mark Goodier, Steve Wright, Chris Evans, Mark and Lard, Kevin Greening, Zoe Ball, and Sara Cox, come and go from the slot, but the slot went to Jo Whiley.


title: Simon Mayo

text: His final show was on Friday 16 February 2001, and before signing off, he said: "One of the reasons I'm not going to do a DLT is that I've nothing to complain about at all – though as I'll still be employed by the BBC it'd be a stupid thing to do. I always thought as a kid working at Radio 1 would be the most fun and the best place for any presenter to work and I still think that's true." His final track played on BBC Radio 1 was "Ace of Spades" by Motörhead.


title: Simon Mayo

text: In May 2001, after 15 years of broadcasting with BBC Radio 1, Mayo moved on to another national BBC station, BBC Radio 5 Live, to present an afternoon programme. He began broadcasting every weekday from 1pm to 4pm, where he remained until 18 December 2009. He was on air in 2001 when the 9/11 attacks took place in the United States, broadcasting live as the events unfolded.


title: Simon Mayo

text: The programme generally combined topical debates, interviews and reviews. It came live from Westminster each Wednesday for live coverage of Prime Minister's Questions, with discussion and debate afterwards with political correspondents and MPs. The programme also featured Mayo's former Radio 1 sidekick Mark Kermode reviewing the new movie releases each Friday afternoon. The banter between Mayo and Kermode in this section of the programme was described by both men as "wittertainment at its most wittertaining." (The neologism "wittertainment" is a portmanteau of "witter" and "entertainment", and was coined in a – now deleted – Wikipedia entry. However, Kermode and Mayo took note of the article before its deletion and have since been using the term regularly to refer to their show.)


title: Simon Mayo

text: In a May 2008 interview with "The Guardian", Mayo mentioned he "signed a contract for the next two years" and was uncertain whether he would still be at BBC Radio 5 Live when it moved to Salford. It was later confirmed that Mayo was to move to BBC Radio 2's drivetime slot, though he continued to host a weekly two-hour film review show, "Kermode and Mayo's Film Review", on BBC Radio 5 Live with Kermode until April 2022. In May 2009, Mayo and Kermode won a Gold Sony Radio Award in the Speech Award category.


title: Simon Mayo

text: In addition to his daily programme on BBC Radio 5 Live, from October 2001 to April 2007, Mayo hosted the Album Chart show each week for BBC Radio 2. Alongside this, on 2 January 2006, he presented "The Ultimate Music Year" for the station, where listeners got the chance to vote for their favourite year for music. He has also presented many "Sold on Song" projects, presented the Top 100 Albums and provided holiday cover for Johnnie Walker on Sundays. From April 2007 to April 2008 Mayo took over the "Radio 2 Music Club" every Monday night from 11:30pm to 12:30am.


title: Simon Mayo

text: In January 2010, Mayo took over from Chris Evans on the Drivetime show, noting he was "very lucky to be given a second chance in such a high-profile slot." The programme included a number of regular daily features including "Nigel's Recipes", "Confessions", "Homework Sucks" and "The Showstopper". Every Friday he hosted "All-Request Friday" where listeners rang the show and had their favourite song played on the radio after a short interview. The show ended on 4 May 2018 after eight years, as Mayo was to begin hosting a revamped drivetime show with co-host Jo Whiley from 14 May 2018. On 22 October that year, the station announced that Mayo would be leaving BBC Radio 2 altogether after a backlash against the change, with Whiley moving back to an evening slot. Their last show together aired on 20 December, with Mayo presenting his last show after 17 years with the station the following day.


title: Simon Mayo

text: As his opening theme Mayo used the 2003 recording by Jools Holland and Prince Buster of the 1948 song "Enjoy Yourself" by Carl Sigman and by Herb Magidson. Later editions of the show also used the popular 1950 hit version by Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians. Incidental music included "Light My Fire" by Edmundo Ros.


title: Simon Mayo

text: In May 2011, Mayo won a Sony Award for "Best Music Show" for his work and that of his team on the BBC Radio 2 drive time slot.


title: Simon Mayo

text: On 21 December 2018 Simon presented his last show on BBC Radio 2, it being an All Request Friday, which featured his jingles previously used on his drivetime show. The last song to be played was "Bring Me Sunshine" by Morecambe and Wise.


title: Simon Mayo

text: On 4 March 2019 at 10am, Mayo presented the launch of a new classical music digital radio station, Scala Radio, where he was one of the lead presenters. He presented a daily mid-morning show for two years, until starting work for Greatest Hits Radio; he continues to present his "Essential Albums" show for Scala on Saturdays.


title: Simon Mayo

text: Mayo returned to his Monday to Friday drivetime radio show on 15 March 2021 on Greatest Hits Radio, resurrecting many staples from his former BBC Radio 2 drivetime shows, including "Confessions", "Tunesday", "Nigel's Recipes" (Foodie Thursday, sponsored by Heinz), and "All-Request Friday". He also presents his Album Show on Sunday afternoons, commencing September 2020.


title: Simon Mayo

text: Mayo presented "Act Your Age", a panel game for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast on Radio 4 on 27 November 2008.


title: Simon Mayo

text: Between 1995 and 1998 Mayo presented a TV version of "Confessions", based on the hit feature from his BBC Radio 1 breakfast and mid-morning shows.


title: Simon Mayo

text: Starting in 1999 he was the original presenter of National Lottery game show "Winning Lines" on BBC1 until 2000 when he was replaced by Phillip Schofield in 2001.


title: Simon Mayo

text: In 2005 he presented a series "The Big Dig" on BBC TV about allotments in the Rhondda Valley contrasted with others in Highgate, London.