title: Marcos Baghdatis

text: At Roland Garros, Baghdatis stunned 25th ranked Ivo Karlovic for the second time this season, winning in three sets. However, he was defeated in the second round by Damir Dzumhur 4–6, 3–6, 6–4, 2–6. Baghdatis's grass-court campaign began in Stuttgart, where despite losing, he showed encouraging signs in his loss to superstar Rafael Nadal, by 6–7, 7–6, 2–6. This promise was fulfilled in an incredible week of ball striking at Nottingham. Baghdatis stunned world No. 7 David Ferrer 6–2, 7–6, young gun Alexander Zverev and Simone Bolleli to his way to the semifinals. However, Baghdatis, with an early break ahead against Denis Istomin, was forced to retire hurt after feeling a 'pop' in his calf muscle. It ended a great week for the Cypriot, who obtained his first top-ten win in more than two years.


title: Marcos Baghdatis

text: At Wimbledon, his campaign was in doubt due to the calf injury suffered at Nottingham. However, he decided to participate, and with his left calf heavily strapped, he defeated Donald Young in four sets in the opening round. In round 2, Baghdatis, struggling with his calf injury and form, was trailing two sets and a break down against Australian qualifier John Millman. However, the Cypriot produced one of the most incredible comebacks in recent Grand Slam history to defeat Millman, 6–7, 2–6, 6–3, 6–2, 6–4 in over three hours. Baghdatis ran out of gas in round 3, with David Goffin exacting revenge against the Cypriot with a comfortable 3–6, 4–6, 2–6 victory.


title: Marcos Baghdatis

text: Baghdatis's resurgence in season 2015 continued at the Atlanta Open to kick-off his US Open swing. Baghdatis, defeated Austin Krajicek, Sam Groth and Vasek Pospisil on his way to the semifinals. There, Baghdatis stunned Gilles Muller 6–7, 6–3, 7–6 to reach the final. In the final, Baghdatis obtained a right groin injury early in the match, severely hampering his performance in his 3–6, 3–6 loss to John Isner. It was Baghdatis's first appearance in an ATP World Tour final since 2011.


title: Marcos Baghdatis

text: Unfortunately, due to the groin injury suffered in Atlanta, Baghdatis was forced to pull out of the events following Atlanta, except for Winston-Salem (first round loss to Pierre-Hugues Herbert). At the US Open, Baghdatis was forced once again to pull out of the tournament in the middle of his opening-round match against Steve Darcis. He retired hurt again citing his right groin.


title: Marcos Baghdatis

text: Baghdatis was solid on the ATP World Tour over the coming months. He reached the round of 16 at St. Petersburg, Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo.


title: Marcos Baghdatis

text: His final tournament of the season was in Stockholm for the Stockholm Open. In the round of 32, Baghdatis defeated American Sam Querrey 7–6, 6–1. In the round of 16, Baghdatis shocked in-form Australian Bernard Tomic 7–6, 6–3. He defeated for the second time in 2015 Gilles Muller in the quarterfinals 7–6, 4–6, 6–3. However, Baghdatis's right groin injury again forced him to retire from a match, where he retired in the second set of his semifinal against top seed Tomas Berdych.


title: Marcos Baghdatis

text: The Cypriot enjoyed 11th straight finish in top 100. Improved to 63–13 lifetime in Davis Cup thanks to doubles win over Greece in July w/Chrysochos (d. Stergiou/Theodorou)...Posted 26 tour-level wins in 2015, four more than 2013–14 combined. Baghdatis ended the year at No. 46 in the ATP rankings and will hope to continue his resurgence in 2016.


title: Marcos Baghdatis

text: Baghdatis, due to the birth of his second daughter, began his 2016 campaign only a couple of days before the Australian Open at the exhibition Kooyong Classic where he had competitive matches with Pablo Carreño and Paul-Henri Mathieu. At the Australian Open, where Baghdatis was unseeded, he drew ninth seed Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in a match between two former finalists. Despite playing some vintage tennis in the second set his lack of match play showed in his four-sets defeat. Baghdatis reflecting on the loss, said "I played a good match. It was my first match of the year and I lack a bit of rhythm, especially under pressure. I had some chances in the third set but the lack of matches before the tournament made me make wrong decisions at those moments."


title: Marcos Baghdatis

text: Baghdatis next participated at the ATP 250 tournament, Open Sud de France. Seeded eighth, Baghdatis defeated Lukas Lacko in the opening round. In the second round, he saved seven second set setpoints against Taro Daniel, winning in straight sets. In the quarterfinal he was, however, beaten in two sets by top seed and eventual champion Richard Gasquet. Baghdatis next moved onto Rotterdam, where he competed at the ABN AMRO ATP-500-tournament. He was drawn against fourth seed David Goffin and achieved a three-sets victory, coming back from a 5–2 deficit in the third set tiebreak. He improved to 4–1 against Goffin in their head-to-head. Baghdatis's run ended in Rotterdam after round two, with a two-sets defeat to eventual champion, Martin Kližan.


title: Marcos Baghdatis

text: Baghdatis further continued his incredible resurgence at the prestigious Dubai Tennis Championships. Baghdatis, stunned Viktor Troicki, Vasek Pospisil, Bautista Agut and Feliciano Lopez on his way to the final. He would succumb to second seed and superstar Stan Wawrinka in the final 6–4, 7–6, including a near 30-minute tiebreaker in the second sets. Baghdatis, re-entered the world's top 40 for the first time in three years, and hit form that was present from ten years ago. Baghdatis said after the final: "I didn't win the tournament this week but I won a lot more, I won my confidence back. I'm happy I'm back and playing this kind of tennis now. It's just to continue improving and play at this level throughout the year."


title: Marcos Baghdatis

text: Traditionally his worst surface, Baghdatis began his clay-court season in Houston. He recorded the first double-bagel victory of his career in the opening round against Diego Schwartzman, before stunning Fernando Verdasco 6–4, 6–3 to book a spot in the quarterfinals. He was defeated by eventual finalist Jack Sock 6–4, 6–4. Baghdatis, however, struggled once again for majority of the clay-court season, recording first-round losses in Bucharest and Madrid, while pulling out of a number of other tournaments. At Roland Garros, Baghdatis recorded an impressive straight-sets win over Giles Muller, before despite winning the first two sets, bowing out in a thriller to Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in five sets.


title: Marcos Baghdatis

text: Baghdatis produced solid, without spectacular results over the coming months. He made the quarterfinals in both Halle and Nottingham on grass, with his run in Halle en route to a straight-sets victory over world No. 8, Tomas Berdych. He was disappointed at Wimbledon, ousted in straight sets to John Isner. He extended his grass-court season in Newport, and made the semifinals before bowing out to eventual champion Ivo Karlovic.


title: Marcos Baghdatis

text: Baghdatis was forced to pull out of the Olympic Games in Rio due an elbow injury. He stated "It is clear that unless I am 100% fit and healthy to compete, I shall not participate at the Olympics because I would be doing injustice to my country."


title: Marcos Baghdatis

text: Baghdatis lost in the first round in seven out of the 15 ATP tournaments he played during the 2017 year. His continued struggle with form saw his year-end ranking fall outside the top 100 for the first time since 2004. Similar results with numerous first round exits followed in 2018, with Baghdatis finishing the year ranked 125.


title: Marcos Baghdatis

text: At the 2017 Chengdu Open, Baghdatis made his last ATP final where he lost against Denis Istomin after being forced to retire in the first set due to a back injury.


title: Marcos Baghdatis

text: At the 2018 Indian Wells Masters, Baghdatis went on a run to the fourth round as a qualifier defeating Yoshihito Nishioka, 14th seed Diego Schwartzman, and Dudi Sela along the way. He withdrew from his fourth round match against Milos Raonic due to injury. The result would earn him a wildcard into the 2018 Miami Masters the next week. He lost to Jared Donaldson in the first round in straight sets.


title: Marcos Baghdatis

text: At the 2018 Wimbledon Championships, Baghdatis won his last match over a top-10 when he defeated world No. 7, Dominic Thiem, in the first round.


title: Marcos Baghdatis

text: At the 2019 Open Sud de France, Baghdatis qualified for the main draw and defeated top seed and defending champion Lucas Pouille in the second round to make the quarterfinals. He lost to Radu Albot in the quarterfinals in straight sets. He received a wildcard into Dubai Open two weeks later where he won his opening match against fellow wildcard Mohamed Safwat but lost in the next round to Gaël Monfils in straight sets. Two more weeks later, he won the 2019 Pingshan Open as the 2nd seed defeating Stefano Napolitano in the final. It would be his first challenger title in over four years and the last title of his career.


title: Marcos Baghdatis

text: Baghdatis announced that he would retire and that the 2019 Wimbledon Championships would be his last tournament. He received a wild-card entry into the main draw and defeated Brayden Schnur in the first round in straight sets which would be his last win of his career. On 4 July 2019, he lost to Matteo Berrettini in the second round in straight sets for his last match. He was cheered by fans in the stadium as he was leaving the court in tears. Many fellow players such as Roger Federer praised his retirement and he was honored as one of the biggest retirees in 2019.


title: Marcos Baghdatis

text: Baghdatis made his Davis Cup debut for the Cyprus Davis Cup team in 2000 as a 14-year-old. Upon making his debut Cyprus were competing in the lowest division of Davis Cup competition possible and fell one win shy of being promoted in 2000. In 2009, the Group II relegation play-off tie was held in Nicosia, Cyprus and Baghdatis led the team. They fell one match short of advancing to the Euro/Africa Group I, after leading two sets to love in the doubles against Finland, Baghdatis and Photos Kallias lost the rubber, and Cyprus lost the tie 2–3.


title: Marcos Baghdatis

text: Baghdatis is one of the most successful Davis Cup players in the modern era. He has the longest winning streak in Davis Cup matches of all time with 36 consecutive singles victories, surpassing (in 2016) the previously held record of 33 by Björn Borg.


title: Marcos Baghdatis

text: Two days before his third-round match against Lleyton Hewitt at the 2008 Australian Open, a video posted on YouTube almost a year earlier made headlines in the local media. The video shows Baghdatis at a barbecue hosted by his Greek Australian fans in Melbourne in early 2007. In it, Baghdatis is seen holding a flare chanting, among other things, pro-Cyprus slogans such as "Turks out of Cyprus" twice, with the "Hellas Fan Club", a group which was later at the centre of a clash with police. A representative of the local Turkish Cypriot community referred to the chant as a "racist attack" and a "straight-forward provocation of our community", and called for the player's expulsion from the tournament and Australia, though no such action was taken.


title: Marcos Baghdatis

text: Supporters of Baghdatis said he was not calling for Turkish Cypriots to leave Cyprus but, rather, an end to Turkey's military occupation since 1974. In a statement issued through his manager, Baghdatis said he was "supporting the interest of my country Cyprus, while protesting against a situation that is not recognized by the United Nations".


title: Max Arciniega

text: A native of the Northwest side of Chicago, Arciniega graduated from the Columbia College Chicago. In 2020, he opened an acting school in Chicago.


title: Max Arciniega

text: Maximino Arciniega was born in Chicago, Illinois to Mexican immigrants. He grew up in the Hermosa neighborhood in the northwest side of Chicago, and attended Steinmetz High School. He graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a B.A. in theater. Arciniega gained fame after starring as Krazy-8 in the first three episodes of the crime drama Television series Breaking Bad, later reprising his role in the spin-off/prequel series Better Call Saul. He has also made appearances in The Barber (2014), Hard Luck Love Song (2020), and Old Henry (2021). In 2020, Arciniega opened the MA School of Acting in Chicago.


title: The Final Countdown (album)

text: The Final Countdown is the third studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. Released on 26 May 1986 through Epic Records, the album was a commercial success, peaking at number 8 on the U.S. "Billboard" 200 chart and reaching high positions in charts worldwide. It was recorded at Powerplay Studios in Zürich, Soundtrade Studios in Stockholm, Mastersound Studios in Atlanta and Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. "The Final Countdown" is the first album to feature keyboardist Mic Michaeli and drummer Ian Haugland and the last to feature guitarist John Norum until 2004's "Start from the Dark".


title: The Final Countdown (album)

text: Five singles were released from the album: "The Final Countdown", "Love Chaser", "Rock the Night", "Carrie", and "Cherokee." The first single was responsible for launching Europe into mainstream popularity.


title: The Final Countdown (album)

text: "Rock the Night" and "Ninja" were the first songs written for the album, and were premiered on the band's "Wings of Tomorrow" tour in 1984. "Rock the Night" was released as a single in Sweden in 1985, peaking at number 4 on the chart, and was also featured on the soundtrack EP for the Swedish film "On the Loose" the same year, together with the songs "On the Loose" and "Broken Dreams." "Rock the Night" and "On the Loose" would be re-recorded for inclusion on "The Final Countdown" along with "Ninja", all with slightly different lyrics.


title: The Final Countdown (album)

text: Due to the national success of "On the Loose" and "Rock the Night", Europe went on a new tour around Sweden in 1985, with new songs "Danger on the Track", "Love Chaser" and the power ballad "Carrie" included in the setlist and ready to be recorded for the album. "Carrie" was co-written by Tempest and keyboardist Mic Michaeli during a jam session. The early version of the song consisted of only keyboards and vocals, and was performed that way on the 1985 tour, but the album version would feature the whole band.


title: The Final Countdown (album)

text: The song "The Final Countdown" was based on an old keyboard riff that Tempest had composed as early as 1981–82, on a Korg Polysix keyboard he had borrowed from Michaeli. In 1985 bassist John Levén suggested that Tempest should write a song based on that riff. The lyrics were inspired by David Bowie's song "Space Oddity". The sound of the keyboard riff used in the recording was achieved by using a Yamaha TX-816 rack unit and a Roland JX-8P synthesizer. "I made a brassy sound from the JX-8P and used a factory sound from the Yamaha, and just layered them together", Michaeli said.


title: The Final Countdown (album)

text: "Cherokee" was the last song written for the album, being written only a week before the band went to Switzerland to start recording the album. Tempest said he had been inspired by the history of the Native Americans to write the song.


title: The Final Countdown (album)

text: The recording of the album began in September 1985 at the Powerplay Studios in Zürich, Switzerland. At the suggestion of their record company, Epic Records, the band decided to work with the American producer Kevin Elson, who had worked with bands like Journey and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Originally the band had approached Scorpions producer Dieter Dierks and Bon Jovi producer Bruce Fairbairn to produce the album, but in the end they decided to go with Elson. Elson would also produce the band's sixth studio album, "Start from the Dark" in 2004.


title: The Final Countdown (album)

text: During the recording sessions, vocalist Joey Tempest came down with a bad allergic reaction to bread products, which delayed the recording for a while, and forced Joey to make changes to his diet, so he could complete his work on the album. The vocals for the title track were recorded at the Soundtrade Studios, Stockholm, Sweden, while the rest of the vocals were recorded at the Mastersound Studios, Atlanta and Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California.


title: The Final Countdown (album)

text: The album was mixed in March 1986 at Fantasy Studios. Guitarist John Norum was not pleased with the result, claiming that the keyboards had "buried" the rhythm guitars in the final mix.


title: The Final Countdown (album)

text: "The Final Countdown" was the band's breakout album and granted Europe international recognition. Upon its release in May 1986, it sold very well in most European countries and peaked at No. 8 on the US "Billboard" 200 album chart. By 1994, it achieved triple Platinum status in the United States and received sales awards all over Europe.


title: The Final Countdown (album)

text: When it was time to choose the first single from the album, Tempest suggested "The Final Countdown". Originally the band had never planned to release the song as a single, and some members wanted "Rock the Night" to be the first single. "The Final Countdown" was written to be an opening song for concerts, and they never thought it would be a hit. But when their record company Epic Records suggested that it should be the first single, the band decided to release it. It became a worldwide success, peaking at number 1 in 25 countries, including the United Kingdom, France, and West Germany. In the US, it peaked at number 8 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and number 18 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song has been a regular in Europe concerts ever since its live debut on the premiere of the band's Final Countdown Tour on 29 April 1986 in Gävle, Sweden and arguably became the band's most recognizable and popular song. One of the most memorable performances of the song took place in Stockholm, Sweden on 31 December 1999, as part of the Millennium celebrations.


title: The Final Countdown (album)

text: "Love Chaser" was released as a single in Japan only, and was on the soundtrack for the movie "Pride One". "Rock the Night" was released as the worldwide follow-up single to "The Final Countdown." It became a Top 10 hit in Germany, Holland, France, Ireland, and Switzerland, and peaked at number 30 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart and number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. The next single, "Carrie", peaked at number 3 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, their highest single on the chart to date. "Cherokee" was released as the last single from the album, peaking at number 72 on the "Billboard" Hot 100.


title: The Final Countdown (album)

text: "The Final Countdown" received mixed reviews upon its release. "Rolling Stone" "Magazine" writer J. D. Considine wrote that "the words to 'The Final Countdown' make almost no sense whatsoever on paper, but there's genuine drama to the way Tempest's keening vocals surge through the mock-orchestral morass of synths and guitar. Maybe it's trite, maybe it's derivative, but it's also undeniably effective. From the stirring stadium schlock of 'Rock the Night' to the self-indulgent melodrama of 'Love Chaser', the best moments here are insidiously catchy, leaving you humming along against your better judgment". Howard Johnson of "Kerrang!" was not excited by the album and considered Europe "just bland and boring" and "boasting the most nauseating keyboard sound on a title track of all time".


title: The Final Countdown (album)

text: The contemporary review by Doug Stone of AllMusic was more positive. He finds the title track "bombastically brilliant glorious garbage ... that could only spew from the vacuous '80s", but writes that the rest of the songs combines "heated drive and hot delivery to meld "The Final Countdown" into a unique portrait of propulsive prog and a worthy addition to any hard rock collection." Canadian Journalist Martin Popoff remarks how the album "sounds very nice, rhythmic, even modern beyond its years, but it's also gutless and shamefully commercial". PopMatters' Ben Varkentine, on the contrary, reviewed badly the album criticizing the production and the composition of "rock songs with half-assed keyboard lines smeared on them", which "aimed at being anthems but succeeded only in being derivative not only of other bands but of themselves."


title: The Final Countdown (album)

text: The first leg of the Swedish tour started in Gävle on 29 April 1986. The album had not been released yet because the cover art was not complete, but Europe was forced to start the scheduled tour. The album was eventually released on 26 May, the same day that the band played the last concert on the leg, at Solnahallen in Solna. The band did two concerts at Solnahallen, on 25 and 26 May. These concerts were filmed for a TV broadcast, which would later be released on VHS and DVD, entitled "The Final Countdown Tour 1986". A "" of the DVD was released in 2006. The promotional music video for "The Final Countdown" was shot partly during the soundchecks for those concerts and partly during the actual concerts.


title: The Final Countdown (album)

text: Europe went on a Japanese tour in September 1986, playing four concerts in Tokyo and one concert each in Nagoya and Osaka. During that tour, guitarist and band co-founder John Norum told the other band members that he wanted to leave the band, due to musical differences and other disagreements with the band's manager, Thomas Erdtman. Norum agreed to stay in the band for the second leg of the Swedish tour, which started in Örebro on 26 September 1986, as well as a promotion tour around Europe including TV appearances and interviews. He made his last appearance with the band for a Sky Channel broadcast at the club Escape in Amsterdam, Netherlands on 31 October 1986.


title: The Final Countdown (album)

text: Norum was then replaced by Kee Marcello, who had just left another Swedish rock band, Easy Action. At first Marcello had been hesitant to join Europe, because he had put a lot of work into Easy Action's upcoming album "That Makes One". After some consideration he changed his mind and decided to join the band. He appeared in the music videos for "Rock the Night", "Cherokee" and "Carrie," before making his first TV appearance with the band at Peters Popshow in Dortmund, West Germany on 12 December 1986.


title: The Final Countdown (album)

text: The European leg of the tour started in Bergen, Norway on 24 January 1987 and ended in Genoa, Italy on 3 March 1987. A concert done at Hammersmith Odeon, London on 23 February, was filmed and released on video, entitled "The Final Countdown World Tour".


title: The Final Countdown (album)

text: On 15 April 1987 the band started their first U.S. tour at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco. The tour ended in Philadelphia on 17 May 1987, as the band had been playing in 23 cities and traveling 14,565 km. A Swedish TV crew followed the band on the tour, producing the documentary "Europe in America", which would be shown on TV and released on video.


title: The Final Countdown (album)

text: Another Tempest-written song that was recorded during the sessions, "On Broken Wings", was used as a B-side on the "Final Countdown" single.


title: The Final Countdown (album)

text: Instrumental "Where Men Won't Dare", co-written by Tempest and John Levén, was an unfinished outtake which was included as a bonus feature on "" DVD.


title: The Final Countdown (album)

text: In 2001, Sony released a remastered version of the album with expanded liner notes and three bonus tracks, live takes of "The Final Countdown", "Danger on the Track" and "Carrie", taken from the "Final Countdown World Tour" home video that was taped at Hammersmith Odeon in London 1987.


title: The Final Countdown (album)

text: In 2019, Rock Candy Records released a remastered version with another three bonus tracks and expanded liner notes, a 1986 version of "Seven Doors Hotel", b-side remix of "Rock the Night" and "On Broken Wings"


title: ICC Men's Test Team Rankings

text: The ICC Men's Test Team Rankings (formerly known as the ICC Test Championship) is an international rankings system of the International Cricket Council for the 12 teams that play Test cricket (though Afghanistan and Ireland are not currently ranked as they have not played enough matches recently). The rankings are based on international matches that are otherwise played as part of regular Test cricket scheduling, with no consideration of home or away status.


title: ICC Men's Test Team Rankings

text: After every Test series, the two teams involved receive points based on a mathematical formula involving both teams' previous rating and the result of the series. Each team's points total from matches over the last 3–4 years is divided by a figure based on their total number of matches and series played, to give a "rating".


title: ICC Men's Test Team Rankings

text: A drawn match between higher and lower rated teams will benefit the lower-rated team at the expense of the higher-rated team. An "average" team that wins as often as it loses, while playing a mix of stronger and weaker teams, will have a rating of 100.


title: ICC Men's Test Team Rankings

text: The top ranked Test team was previously awarded the ICC Test Championship mace, until the inauguration of ICC World Test Championship. From 2002 to 2019, the mace was transferred whenever a new team moved to the top of the rating list. The team that was top of the ratings table on 1 April each year also won a cash prize.


title: ICC Men's Test Team Rankings

text: Australia is currently the highest-ranked team in the rankings, as of an update published in January 2022.


title: ICC Men's Test Team Rankings

text: The ICC provides ratings for the end of each month back to June 2003. The teams that have successively held the highest rating since that date, by whole month periods are:


title: ICC Men's Test Team Rankings

text: The summary of teams that have held the highest rating from June 2003 to the present by whole month periods are:


title: ICC Men's Test Team Rankings

text: Since the ICC officially began ranking teams in 2003, Australia had dominated the rankings table. However, from 2009, several teams (Australia, South Africa, India, England, New Zealand, and Pakistan) have competed for the top positions.


title: ICC Men's Test Team Rankings

text: The ICC retrospectively applied the current rating system to results since 1952 (providing ratings for the end of each month from then). The table only begins then, as prior to 1952 there is insufficient data available due to the infrequency of matches and the small number of competing teams in these earlier periods.


title: ICC Men's Test Team Rankings

text: The teams that have successively held the highest rating from January 1952 until May 2003, by whole month periods are:


title: ICC Men's Test Team Rankings

text: The summary of teams that have held the highest rating from 1952 to the present by whole month periods are:


title: ICC Men's Test Team Rankings

text: The rankings system was called ICC Test Championship, until the inauguration of ICC World Test Championship in 2019. From 2002 to 2019, the top-ranked Test team was awarded with the ICC Test Championship mace and the top team at each April 1 cut-off (until 2019) was also awarded a cash prize, the winners of which are listed below. The mace is now awarded to the winners of the ICC World Test Championship.


title: ICC Men's Test Team Rankings

text: Each team scores points based on the results of their matches over the last 3–4 years. A series must include at least two Tests.


title: ICC Men's Test Team Rankings

text: The rankings table gives the total points from all series played in the 12–24 months since the May before last, plus all the series played in the 24 months before that, for which the matches played and points earned both count half. Each May, the matches and points earned between 3 and 4 years ago are removed, and the matches and points earned between 1 and 2 years ago switch from 100% weighting to 50% weighting. For example, at May 2014, the matches played between May 2010 and May 2011 were removed, and the matches played between May 2012 and May 2013 switched to 50% weighting. This happens overnight, so can result in teams changing positions in the ranking table despite no one playing.


title: ICC Men's Test Team Rankings

text: Each time two teams complete another series, the rankings tables is updated as described below, based on the ratings of the teams immediately before they played.


title: ICC Men's Test Team Rankings

text: As each match won earns a team 1 series point and their opponent 0, losing earns them 0 series points and their opponent 1, and drawing earns both teams series point, each match played therefore earns teams ratings points as follows:


title: ICC Men's Test Team Rankings

text: As this formula only applies when the gap between the ratings of the two teams at the start of the series was less than 40 points, winning a match will always earn a team more rating points than the rating they already had, and losing a match will always earn a team fewer rating points than the rating they already had. Drawing a match will earn the weaker team more rating points than the rating they already had, and the stronger team fewer.


title: ICC Men's Test Team Rankings

text: The difference between winning and losing a single match is therefore 100 points. Also, whether the outcome of a match is a win & lose or a draw, the total rating points earned by the two teams from that match will be the sum of the two teams' ratings before the series began. The total rating points earned from a series will therefore equal the sum of the two teams' ratings before the series began multiplied by (the number of matches + 1).


title: ICC Men's Test Team Rankings

text: Therefore, again, winning a match will always earn a team more rating points than the rating they already had, and losing a match will always earn a team fewer rating points than the rating they already had. Drawing a match will earn the weaker team more points than the rating they already had, and the stronger team fewer.


title: ICC Men's Test Team Rankings

text: For both teams, the difference between winning and losing a single match is still 100 points. Also, whichever of the three outcomes happens, the total rating points earned by the two teams from that match will be the sum of the two teams' ratings before the series began.


title: ICC Men's Test Team Rankings

text: Suppose two teams, initially with ratings of 120 and 90, play a 3-match series, and the team with the higher initial rating wins 2–1:


title: 2020 Israeli legislative election

text: Legislative elections were held in Israel on 2 March 2020 to elect members of the twenty-third Knesset. The result was initially a stalemate, which was resolved when Likud and Blue & White reached a coalition agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, the premiership would rotate between Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, with Gantz given the new position of Alternate Prime Minister until November 2021. These elections followed continued political deadlock after the April and September 2019 Knesset elections.


title: 2020 Israeli legislative election

text: The extended period of political deadlock that led up to the election was the result of close races in April and September 2019 that left both incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition favorite Benny Gantz unable to muster a 61-seat governing majority, in coalition with their respective blocs of smaller, ideologically allied parties.


title: 2020 Israeli legislative election

text: As a result, Netanyahu and Gantz agreed in principle that the only solution was a national unity government between Netanyahu's Likud and Gantz's Blue and White parties. However, substantial disagreements over the terms of such a government prevented one from being formed, as Netanyahu demanded the inclusion of his allied right-wing, religious parties, and Gantz refused to cooperate with a Netanyahu-led Likud as long as he was under indictment for alleged bribery and fraud.


title: 2020 Israeli legislative election

text: Orly Adas, director of the Central Elections Committee, cautioned that she lacked the necessary funding and staff to conduct a third election, and President Reuven Rivlin stressed his desire to avoid calling one, repeatedly expressing his dismay at the failure to form a unity government. Nevertheless, as required by the Basic Law, he initiated on 21 November 2019 a 21-day period in which any member of the Knesset (MK) who received the support of 60 of their fellow lawmakers was allowed to try to form a government. After no MKs succeeded at this task by 11 December, Rivlin was forced to call the new election.


title: 2020 Israeli legislative election

text: The 120 seats in the Knesset are elected by closed list proportional representation in a single nationwide constituency. The electoral threshold for the election is 3.25%. In most cases, this implies a minimum party size of four seats, but it is mathematically possible for a party to pass the electoral threshold and have only three seats (since 3.25% of 120 members = 3.9 members).


title: 2020 Israeli legislative election

text: Two parties can sign an agreement that allows them to compete for leftover seats as though they are running together on the same list. The Bader–Ofer method disproportionately favors larger lists, meaning that such an alliance is more likely to receive leftover seats than both of its comprising lists would be individually. If the alliance receives leftover seats, the Bader–Ofer calculation is then applied privately, to determine how the seats are divided among the two allied lists.


title: 2020 Israeli legislative election

text: With the deadline to form a government ending at 11 December at midnight, elections called 90 days later should have been held on 10 March. However, as that date would have conflicted with the Jewish holiday of Purim, the election would have to be held either one week earlier on 3 March, or one week later on 17 March. A Knesset bill was required to be passed to allow the election date to be moved up to earlier in March. The date of 3 March conflicted with Israeli memorial day, so Likud pushed for an election date of 16 March, while Blue and White wanted an election held on 2 March. The two parties agreed to hold elections on 2 March 2020, and the required Knesset votes took place on 11 and 12 December to ratify 2 March.


title: 2020 Israeli legislative election

text: Three television channels released exit polls shortly after polls closed at 22:00. Following their release, Netanyahu tweeted "Thanks" in Hebrew. Around three hours later, two of the channels released updated polls that took into account voting between 20:00 and 22:00, which showed a slight drop in predicted seats for the right-wing bloc.


title: 2020 Israeli legislative election

text: On 8 March 2020, Lieberman gave Gantz his backing to form a new government. The next day, the Joint List agreed to work with Gantz and Lieberman to oust Netanyahu. Orly Levy announced on 10 March that she would not support a minority government and had unofficially left the Labor–Gesher–Meretz alliance. Blue and White MKs Zvi Hauser and Yoaz Hendel had previously stated that they would not support a government that relied on the Joint List's support. An aide to Gantz also stated that he plans to form a government by 23 March. Lieberman and Labor party leader Amir Peretz also reaffirmed on 11 March that an alliance with the Joint List would not change their party's position on forming a political alliance with Gantz.


title: 2020 Israeli legislative election

text: The elected MKs were sworn in on 16 March 2020. On 15 March, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin announced that he had asked Gantz to form the new government after Gantz received support from 61 of the 120 MKs.


title: 2020 Israeli legislative election

text: Prior to the election, Gantz vowed to form a government that would not include Netanyahu. However, after the election and with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, Gantz reversed his stance and announced he was willing to support an emergency coalition with Netanyahu. On 21 March, Netanyahu announced negotiations were completed for a national unity government with a rotating prime ministership where Netanyahu served first, to later be replaced by Gantz, although Gantz denied this and claimed negotiations were still ongoing. On 26 March, one day after Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein resigned, Gantz instead agreed to become Speaker of the Knesset. The fact that right-wingers in Netanyahu's coalition agreed to support Gantz's bid to become speaker put the future of the Blue and White alliance in jeopardy. The same day, MKs elected Gantz as the new Speaker of the Knesset by a margin of 74–18.


title: 2020 Israeli legislative election

text: On 27 March 2020, it was revealed that a major obstacle to a possible long-term alliance between Gantz and Netanyahu emerged with regards to implementing U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan. Barak Ravid of Israel's Channel 13 news revealed that despite Gantz's previous claim that he wanted to implement the peace plan, Gantz still wanted to hold peace talks with the Palestinians, which Trump and Netanyahu still opposed. Ravid stated that this would likely make the upcoming deal between Gantz and Netanyahu short-lived. As part of the proposed coalition deal between Netanyahu and Gantz, Gantz would replace Netanyahu as Prime Minister of Israel in 18 months. On 12 April, Rivlin announced that he had denied Gantz's request for a two-week extension to form a government. Despite Likud requests for Rivlin to ask Netanyahu to form a new government, Rivlin hinted that he will also deny Netanyahu the right to a new government if no agreement between Gantz and Netanyahu was signed on 13 April 2020. If no deal is signed, and if the MKs do not change the PM recommendation numbers by midnight on 13 April, the Knesset will either hold a vote for PM candidates or approve another round of elections. Netanyahu acknowledged that he and Gantz were not close to signing a coalition deal. On 13 April 2020, Rivlin agreed to extend the mandate for Gantz by another 48 hours after Gantz and Netanyahu both agreed to continue negotiations for a coalition government.


title: 2020 Israeli legislative election

text: Negotiations between Gantz and Netanyahu expired after the two failed to produce a coalition government by the 15 April deadline. On 16 April, Rivlin responded by giving the Knesset a 21-day deadline to choose a new prime minister. If no candidate is selected, another round of elections will be held. The next election would likely be held by 4 August 2020. Despite not agreeing to a coalition government by the required deadline, Netanyahu and Gantz still pledged to continue talks. However, on 17 April, a source close to Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and an anonymous high-ranking Likud minister who spoke with Shas Party chairman Aryeh Deri told Al-Monitor that Kahlon and Deri were showing signs of splitting with Netanyahu, with Kahlon planning to also resign as Finance Minister. It was also reported that Deri, who serves as the mediator of talks between Gantz and Netanyahu, "might even be open to a new alliance with Blue and White — now that its anti-clerical component, Yair Lapid, quit the party and went his own way", and would only continue to support Netanyahu until the next election.


title: 2020 Israeli legislative election

text: On 20 April, Netanyahu and Gantz signed the original coalition proposal which will see Netanyahu remain for power for only another 18 months was agreed to. After Netanyahu steps down, Gantz will take over as Israeli prime minister for at least 18 months. It was also agreed that the new Israeli government would have an equal number of cabinet ministers aligned with Likud and Blue and White. Blue and White received the Justice, Economy, Labor and Welfare, Communications, Agriculture, Culture and Sports, Absorption, Tourism, Minorities, Diaspora, Science and Space, Strategic Affairs, and Social Affairs ministries. The positions of foreign minister, energy minister and environmental protection minister will rotate upon the change of prime minister. The terms of the agreement also provide that Gantz serve as defense minister when the new government is sworn in, and would automatically become interim prime minister if early elections were to be called. The number of specific safeguarding clauses highlighted the mutual distrust of the two coalition partners.


title: 2020 Israeli legislative election

text: On 22 April, it was reported that the Netanyahu-aligned Yamina political alliance, headed by interim defence minister Naftali Bennett, had not yet agreed to join the new coalition government, and was now "considering all options", including breaking with Netanyahu and joining the opposition. Bennett was said to be unhappy with the new coalition government's decision to hold back on judicial reform. The same day, however, officials from both the United Torah Judaism (UTJ) and Labor parties signed the coalition deal. As conditions for signing the deal, members from UTJ will serve as health minister and Knesset Finance Committee chairmanship, and will also hold two deputy minister positions and another Knesset committee chair, while Labor leader Amir Peretz will serve as economic minister and will coordinate with Blue and White on parliamentary matters and policy issues. The Labor Party voted in favor of joining the government on 26 April 2020.


title: 2020 Israeli legislative election

text: On 30 April, the bill approving the new coalition government was given its first approval in Knesset. On 6 May, the coalition agreement was approved by the Israeli Supreme Court. The same day, both Blue and White and Likud issued a joint statement claiming that the new unity government would be sworn in the following week. On 7 May, the bill approving the new government became law after it was given final approval in the Knesset. Netanyahu and the new Israeli government were sworn in on 17 May. On 23 December, the Knesset again dissolved, resulting in the need for new elections.


title: Appalachian stereotypes

text: The Appalachian region and its people are mostly viewed negatively due to the "Appalachian Stereotype". According to Stuart Hall, a scholar of cultural studies, a stereotype can be described as using images, tools, and identity to understand why people make certain judgments. These are generalizations that people, especially those that live outside the region, have towards the place and its inhabitants. Historically, media sources have played a significant role in promoting these stereotypes. Due to this, the world outside the region largely views the Appalachian area as lawless, violent, and uneducated.


title: Appalachian stereotypes

text: The first inhabitants of the Appalachian region were Native Americans, such as the Powhatan, Saponi, Monacan, and Cherokee groups. The people of Appalachia can trace their ancestral background from the large migration of Scotch-Irish where their ancestors used to live. The Scotch-Irish moved to the region, as well as the African-Americans who were set free from slavery. The population kept on growing as more communities migrated to Appalachia. One of the biggest populations that the region ever recorded was around 1870 to 1950.


title: Appalachian stereotypes

text: Notably, the increased population growth resulting from the expansion of coal mining attracted various immigrants. Despite there being hopes of providing a rich lifestyle to the coal mine workers, they lived under low life standards due to poverty. Miners were paid by the ton of coal produced, instead of an hourly rate. Due to this, the economy stayed poor and struggled to allow the region to prosper.


title: Appalachian stereotypes

text: Pre-civil war era, the majority of the miners within the Appalachian region were of Irish, Scottish, or Welsh descent. As they struggled to deal with the low wage, workers started to create unions and benevolent societies. The Workingmen's Benevolent Society won some concessions regarding class tensions, insufficient wages, and poor living conditions, but none were enough to make significant differences. This generated violence from the miners.


title: Appalachian stereotypes

text: After the Civil War, violence arose between the people of the Appalachian region and the state militia, causing the deaths of hundreds. Continued conflicts between the coal mine workers and the mine owners and operators caused massacres such as the Matewan massacre.


title: Appalachian stereotypes

text: Appalachian individuals are perceived largely to be impoverished, white, rural, lazy, and rough around the edges. Appalachians are also stereotyped to be hillbillies. NPR describes the stereotypical portrayal of Appalachians as "children in sepia-toned clothes with dirt-smeared faces. Weathered, sunken-eyed women on trailer steps chain-smoking Camels. Teenagers clad in Carhartt and Mossy Oak loitering outside long-shuttered businesses."


title: Appalachian stereotypes

text: According to Professor Roberta M. Campbell of Miami University Hamilton, the "stereotype of the backward, barefoot, poor white hillbilly" is the most common stereotype of Appalachian people, but that the stereotype "obscures the realities of race and racism in Appalachia." Stereotyping Appalachian people as being poor white people thus contributes to the "invisibility of blacks in Appalachia" as well as Hispanics and other racialized people. Professor Wilburn Hayden, Jr. of York University, a leading scholar of Black Appalachian people, has criticized "the perception within Appalachia, as well as outside


title: Appalachian stereotypes

text: the region, that whites are the only significant group living there and/or that other groups are so small that their presence in the region is of little consequence."


title: Appalachian stereotypes

text: The traditional Appalachian dialect and accent also comes with a slew of stereotypes and consequences for those who bear it. Those with Appalachian accents or who use Appalachian dialect are perceived to be less educated and less wealthy. There is also the incorrect theory that Appalachian English is closely related to Elizabethan English, or that it has not progressed far past Elizabethan English. These stereotypes harm the access to opportunities and impressions of Appalachian people outside of Appalachia. As a result of these negative stereotypes, thousands of people from the Appalachian region face judgment and, intense scrutiny on a daily basis.


title: Appalachian stereotypes

text: During the appraisal called "Community Action in Appalachia" during the War on Poverty, it was found that the population of those who wanted a change in how they lived was split into two. The group helped provide community centers throughout Appalachia, with hopes of allowing individuals to become more educated and view other, newer technologies created by society. Some embraced the new ideals and modernism provided by the community centers created, and others annexed them with the thought that government intervention was not needed within their area. After the appraisal was finished, very little changed and development was recorded. Small instances across the counties, but nothing caused significant change. This created a new view on Appalachia, and it caused many to believe that the Appalachians simply did not want to change and did not embrace new parts of modern society.


title: Appalachian stereotypes

text: Most of these stereotypes come from things of the past. The rough look of those who live in the Appalachian region comes from times in the late 1800s when Appalachia was hit with a depression due to economic over expansion, decrease in money supply, and a stock crash. It also arises from the look of miner, who would come home looking very dirty and worn because of the conditions they were working under in the mines. After the appraisal "Community Action in Appalachia", the public started to view the region as underdeveloped and stuck in the past. Due to the fact that the region is heavily dependent on labor jobs, majority of people do not feel the need to go past a high school education, thus causing the stereotype that Appalachian individuals are uneducated.


title: Appalachian stereotypes

text: Discrimination against Appalachians is significant enough that some municipalities, such as Cincinnati, have enacted laws making it illegal to discriminate against peoples of Appalachian identity. The Human Rights Ordinance policy was passed in 1992 by the City of Cincinnati, which explicitly proclaimed it forbidden to discriminate against characteristics such as race, national origin, sex, religion. Before the policy was declared, the U.S. District Court declined the admission of Appalachians in the Civil Rights Act of 1964.


title: Appalachian stereotypes

text: Appalachia's social, cultural, and economic features establish an identity that consistently defines characteristics that infuse prejudices and distinguishes them from other minority groups. The Appalachians are often victims of locational prejudice, where people often discriminate against due to their location and where they identify as home. The people of Appalachia are stereotyped as the poor White minority, tending to fuse Appalachia into one community, one state, which would make Appalachia the third largest state in the nation due to population.


title: Appalachian stereotypes

text: Derogatory language against Appalachians includes the terms "Redneck" and "Hillbilly." These terms often come up in comedic use, stereotyped as the role of the "hillbilly fool". The term "Hillbilly" was first coined in 1899, around the time coal industries made an appearance in the Appalachian communities. In reference to Appalachia, the utilization of the word "Hillbilly" has become such a commonplace that the term is often used to characterize the sociological and geographical happenings of the area. A major example of this occurrence is the characterization of the emigration of residents of the Appalachian Mountains to industrial cities in northern, midwestern, and western states, primarily in the years following World War II as the "Hillbilly Highway". The term Redneck is often met with pride among mountain people.


title: Appalachian stereotypes

text: For many years, the term "Mountain Whites" existed as an official Library of Congress Subject Heading. Criticized for its false representation of Appalachia as a racially homogeneous region and because it was a term applied by outsiders to a group of people who do not necessarily identify as a specific ethnic group, it was replaced with the subject heading "Appalachians (people)".


title: Appalachian stereotypes

text: Within the region, discrimination against women is also a very big issue. Due to Appalachia being known for their coal mining industry it makes it difficult for women to find well-paying jobs. Many women have to settle for working "unskilled" labor.


title: Atlantic College

text: Atlantic College (formally the United World College of the Atlantic; alternatively styled UWC Atlantic College, UWCAC, or UWCA) is an independent boarding school in the Vale of Glamorgan in south Wales. Founded in 1962, it was the first of the United World Colleges and was among the first educational institutions in the world to follow an international curriculum; it helped create the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in the 1960s.


title: Atlantic College

text: In addition to the IBDP, Atlantic College places student participation in community service at its core. It is known for its liberal and progressive education, its global ethos, and its strong focus on local and global sustainability. It is attended by approximately 350 students from more than 90 countries, the majority of whom are selected through their National Committees, which help fund their education through partial or full scholarships; around 60% of students receive some form of financial aid.


title: Atlantic College

text: Atlantic College was founded by Kurt Hahn, a German educationalist who had previously set up Gordonstoun School in Scotland, the Schule Schloss Salem and the Stiftung Louisenlund in Germany, and the Outward Bound movement. Hahn founded the institution as a practical response to the search for new and peaceful solutions in a post-war world riven by political, racial and economic divisions. Hahn had been invited by British Air Marshal Sir Lawrence Darvall to address the NATO Defence College in 1955, where he saw former enemies from several nations working together towards a common goal, and realised how much more could be done to overcome the hostility of the Cold War if young people from different nations could be brought together in a similar way. He envisaged a college for students who were already grounded in their own cultures but impressionable enough to learn from others. Drawn from all nations, the students would be selected purely on merit and potential, regardless of race, religion, nationality and background.


title: Atlantic College

text: On 19 September 1962, Atlantic College opened with nine teaching staff and 56 male students aged between 16 to 19 years from 12 counties; in 1967, the school became co-educational, with a cohort hailing from 35 nations. Atlantic College was hailed by "The Times" as "the most exciting experiment in education since the Second World War." The College was the result of Kurt Hahn's vision and the work of individuals such as the founding Headmaster Rear Admiral Desmond Hoare, Director of Studies Robert Backburn, Air Marshal Sir Lawrance Darvall, and Antonin Besse, who donated St Donat's Castle for the college's premises.


title: Atlantic College

text: In 1967, Lord Mountbatten of Burma became President of the organisation and the title United World Colleges came into existence. Mountbatten was an enthusiastic UWC supporter and encouraged heads of state, politicians and personalities throughout the world to share his interest. He was personally involved in founding what became the third UWC – the United World College of South East Asia – in Singapore in 1975, following the founding of the second College, the Lester B Pearson United World College of the Pacific in Canada in 1974, named after Nobel Peace Prize winner and former Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson.


title: Atlantic College

text: In 1978, Mountbatten passed the Presidency to his great-nephew, the then Prince of Wales, Charles. Presidents of Atlantic College include Queen Noor of Jordan, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (until her death in 2022), and until his death in 2013, Nelson Mandela of South Africa.


title: Atlantic College

text: The college's stated mission is to "make education a force to unite people, nations, and cultures for peace and a sustainable future". Students from over 90 countries participate in Atlantic College's two-year programme, in which they combine academic studies with activities and service. Admission into United World Colleges, and scholarship awards, are decided by national UWC committees around the world and the Global Selection Programme.


title: Atlantic College

text: Atlantic College was one of the first colleges in the world, and first in UK, to follow an international curriculum, and offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. The College was one of the key institutions involved in the creation of the International Baccalaureate, and continues to be actively involved in its development. In May 1967, 108 students at Atlantic College joined 37 at the International School of Geneva to sit the first trial exams for the IB. Having already participated in these pilot exams in parallel to offering the British GCE A-Levels, in 1971 Atlantic College became the first school in the world to entirely abandon a national curriculum and qualification in favor of the new program.


title: Atlantic College

text: The college also offered a Pre-Diploma course, offering 15-16-year-old students the chance to study IGCSEs among the rest of the college's older population. This programme ended in 2019.


title: Atlantic College

text: IB graduates are typically accepted at the most competitive colleges and universities around the world, with many enrolling in Ivy League universities in the United States as well as British universities. Students at the college are eligible, after graduation, to participate in the Davis United World College Scholars Program, which funds undergraduate study for UWC students at selected universities in the United States.


title: Atlantic College

text: Service has been a core part of the college's ethos and structure since its founding, rooted in Kurt Hahn's philosophy and belief that physical activity and especially service to others were vital elements of a well rounded education. At the beginning of each year at the college, students are obliged to select 3 activities that they will each carry out for at least 2 hours a week as part of the International Baccalaureate's CAS requirement. The opportunity to undertake weekly community service, physical activity, and creative activity offers students a 'counterbalance' to the Diploma Programme's academic pressures, and allows the students an opportunity to reflect on their experiences and develop specific interests and passions.


title: Atlantic College

text: Additionally, Atlantic College runs a Project Week every year giving students a change to delve into either service based or expedition based experiences, and hosts student-ran Conferences on a quarterly basis offering deep introspection to students into the chosen conference topic.


title: Atlantic College

text: The College has a strong tradition of boat design and boat building. The Atlantic College Lifeboat Station stood within its grounds as an active RNLI lifeboat station from 1963, when it opened as one of the first experimental inshore lifeboat (ILB) stations established in the United Kingdom, and staffed mostly by students, until 2013.


title: Atlantic College

text: Much of the development of the Atlantic 21, 75 and 85 classes of lifeboat took place at Atlantic college. What was to become the world's most widely used type of craft for inshore rescue, the rigid inflatable boat (RIB), was originally conceived, designed, prototyped, tested, and built at the college under its founding headmaster, retired Rear-Admiral Desmond Hoare. The B Class Atlantic Inshore Lifeboat was named by the RNLI after its birthplace. It has often been claimed that, had the College earned royalties on every rigid-hulled inflatable boat now in service, its scholarship fund would have never looked back; instead, Desmond Hoare, who eventually patented the design in 1973, sold the rights to the RNLI for the nominal fee of one pound; he did not cash the cheque, which is still displayed at the college. David Sutcliffe, a member of the founding staff of the Atlantic College in 1962 and its second headmaster, published "The RIB The Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Lifeboat and its Place of Birth The Atlantic College" in 2010, a book that tells the story of the inception of the RIB (rigid inflatable boat).


title: Atlantic College

text: The building of ILB training vessels at the school is a longstanding student activity, and were used for practice and training of the student-led RNLI crews at the station until its closure in 2013. In 2014 students at the college helped design a new boat in conjunction with companies in Japan, to help in the aftermath of a tsunami.


title: Atlantic College

text: Atlantic College is located at St Donat's Castle, a 12th-century castle near the town of Llantwit Major on the South Wales coast, overlooking the Bristol Channel. The castle has been continuously inhabited since it was first built. The extensive grounds also include the 12th-century St Donat's Church and the historic terraced gardens, as well as preserved woodland, farmland and Heritage Coastline. St Donat's Castle is the main building of the College, housing the Tudor great hall, the gothic dining hall, Bradenstoke Hall (today used for assemblies and performances), an extensive 25,000-book library, staff offices, student common areas and certain academic departments. Before being purchased for use by the college by Antonin Besse, it was owned by William Randolph Hearst, who undertook major renovations, including transporting the roof and fireplace from the Bradenstoke Priory in Wiltshire and an ornate, gilded and vaulted ceiling from a church in Boston, Lincolnshire.


title: Atlantic College

text: Lessons take place in modern academic blocks built in the 1960s–80s, converted Medieval estate buildings, and the castle itself. Next to the castle are the Social and Gymnasium blocks, and the 12th-century tithe barn (with a contemporary extension), which is both used by the college and open to the public as a theatre, arts centre and cinema. The college owns sports fields, tennis courts, and in addition to indoor and outdoor swimming pools have a range of surf and rescue equipment, kayaks, sailing boats, RNLI training boats, and a cliff suitable for climbing and rescue practice.


title: Atlantic College

text: In 2004, the college installed a carbon neutral biomass heating system to replace an ageing and unsustainable oil-based system. It runs on locally sourced sustainable woodchip biomass, and makes the campus the largest site in the UK to be heated in such a way. Students live in eight modern accommodation houses built in the castle grounds named after either ancient Welsh kingdoms or benefactors to the college: Kurt Hahn, Antonin Besse, Powys, Whitaker, Gwynedd, Madiba, Tice and Sunley. The Pentti Kouri house, formerly Dyfed, was refurbished in the autumn of 2008 to include technologies such as geothermal heating and an energy usage monitoring system to lessen its impact on the environment.


title: Atlantic College

text: Due largely to the college's setting at the castle, in combination with its reputation as a progressive institution, media sometimes use terms such as ""Hogwarts for hippies"" to describe the school.


title: Atlantic College

text: The college has hosted several royal visitors to the castle, including Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Lord Mountbatten, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, as well as Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan and Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus of the Netherlands, whose son, Willem-Alexander was a student at the College at the time. The fiftieth anniversary of the college in 2012 was marked by a visit by Queen Noor of Jordan, in her role as President of the United World Colleges. Senior politicians such as former Prime Minister of Canada Lester B. Pearson and former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Alec Douglas-Home also visited St Donat’s, as have several Ambassadors.


title: The Big Easy (film)

text: The Big Easy is a 1986 American neo-noir romantic thriller film directed by Jim McBride and written by Daniel Petrie Jr. The film stars Dennis Quaid, Ellen Barkin, John Goodman, and Ned Beatty. The film was both set and shot on location in New Orleans, Louisiana.


title: The Big Easy (film)

text: New Orleans police lieutenant Remy McSwain (Dennis Quaid) investigates the murder of a local mobster, leading police to suspect a war between two crime families.


title: The Big Easy (film)

text: Anne Osborne (Ellen Barkin), a state district attorney, arrives to investigate alleged police corruption. After seeing firsthand some unorthodox practices by Remy, Anne accuses him of being on the take. He argues that she lacks an understanding of how the system works in New Orleans for police.


title: The Big Easy (film)

text: Despite Anne's suspicious and apprehensive feelings towards Remy, they form a romantic relationship. When Remy is allegedly caught accepting a payoff in an Internal Affairs sting, a furious Anne is tasked with prosecuting him. With Remy's fellow officers' assistance, crucial evidence is destroyed and suppressed; the charges are dropped, at which point Anne, now clued in, is conflicted over her personal feelings for Remy and her duty to uphold the law.


title: The Big Easy (film)

text: It is later revealed that Jack Kellom (Ned Beatty), Remy's boss, who is his mother's fiancé, and detectives De Soto (John Goodman) and Dodge (Ebbe Roe Smith) are behind the spate of murders to cover their involvement in heroin smuggling that they operate from a boat yard. Kellom goes to the boat and is confronted by De Soto and Dodge. Kellom suggests getting rid of the drugs, but De Soto shoots Kellom. Remy and Anne arrive and are confronted by De Soto and Dodge, and a shootout ensues, resulting in De Soto being shot by a fatally wounded Kellom. Remy shoots Dodge with a flare gun, starting a fire. Remy and Anne barely escape before the boat explodes.


title: The Big Easy (film)

text: The final scene shows Remy carrying Anne into her apartment, then the two dancing; it appears they were just married.


title: The Big Easy (film)

text: Filming took 50 days and the lead actors rehearsed three weeks before the start of principal photography.


title: The Big Easy (film)

text: The original title of the script was "Windy City", and was set in Chicago. The title was briefly changed to "Nothing But The Truth".


title: The Big Easy (film)

text: Well-known New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison makes a cameo appearance as a judge. Garrison became known for his Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories and his own investigation into JFK's murder from New Orleans in the 1960s.


title: The Big Easy (film)

text: The city of New Orleans and its atmospherics function as a protagonist in the film. This is evident from the beginning of the film: The opening is an aerial shot of the New Orleans bayou and the cajun band BeauSoleil plays "Zydeco Gris Gris" on the soundtrack (title sequence).


title: The Big Easy (film)

text: The producers used well-known locations such as Tipitina's, Antoine's, Blaine Kern's warehouse full of Mardi Gras parade floats, and a French Quarter strip joint, to flesh out the mood of the film.


title: The Big Easy (film)

text: The film had a limited opening on August 21, 1987, and grossed $353,259. It widened a week where its gross was $3,626,031 from 1,138 screens and the total receipts for the run were $17,685,307. In its widest release the film was featured in 1,219 theaters. The motion picture was in circulation five weeks.


title: The Big Easy (film)

text: Roger Ebert, film critic of the "Chicago Sun-Times," lauded the film, and wrote, ""The Big Easy" is one of the richest American films of the year. It also happens to be a great thriller. I say 'happens,' because I believe the plot of this movie is only an excuse for its real strength: the creation of a group of characters so interesting, so complicated and so original they make a lot of other movie people look like paint-by-number characters."


title: The Big Easy (film)

text: Sheila Benson, writing for the "Los Angeles Times," wrote, "Screenwriter Daniel Petrie Jr. sets up the conflict, and director Jim McBride fleshes it out with devastating, sexy assurance..."


title: The Big Easy (film)

text: Film critic Vincent Canby was a bit tougher on the film, and wrote, "Remy and Anne are made for each other, or would have been if "The Big Easy" were the sophisticated comedy it could have been...[the film] was directed by Jim McBride who one day is going to come up with a commercial movie that works all the way through, and not just in patches."


title: The Big Easy (film)

text: The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 89% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on 37 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The critics consensus reads, "Loaded with atmosphere and drenched in the sizzling chemistry between Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin, "The Big Easy" remains one of the strongest—and steamiest—thrillers of the 1980s." On Metacritic — which assigns a weighted mean score — the film has a score of 77 out of 100 based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.


title: The Big Easy (film)

text: The film is praised for the accuracy of Quaid's Cajun accent, which he meticulously researched in preparation for the role. However, residents of the New Orleans area were not so pleased, referring to it as "cringe-inducing."


title: The Big Easy (film)

text: The film was first shown in 1986 at various film festivals including the "Cognac Festival du Film Policier," the Davao City Film Festival in the Philippines, the Valladolid International Film Festival in Spain, and the Sundance Film Festival before being picked up for distribution. According to Robert Redford, founder of Sundance, "The Big Easy" was the first film sold at the festival. Redford tells of dragging David Puttnam, then the head of Columbia Pictures, to see the film. After the screening, Puttnam decided to pick up the movie for distribution. "The Big Easy" was released as The Big Crackdown in the Philippines by Season Films and Jemah Films on November 5, 1988.


title: The Big Easy (film)

text: "The Big Easy" was first released on VHS in 1988 by HBO Video. February 2, 1999, a video and DVD of the film were released on the Trimark label as part of the label's "Gold Reel Collection."


title: The Big Easy (film)

text: The film inspired its television series, which premiered on the USA Cable Network August 11, 1996. Tony Crane played McSwain and Susan Walters played Anne Osbourne. Actress Leslie Bibb also appeared as a recurring role in the series. There were approximately 35 episodes broadcast over two seasons. Although Daniel Petrie Jr. (who wrote the screenplay to the original film) was credited as an executive producer of the series, Petrie has stated that he was "not at all" involved in the series, receiving only "a credit and money".


title: The Big Easy (film)

text: With the action taking place in New Orleans, and the main protagonist's Cajun family background (Remy McSwain), the producers of the film used cajun, zydeco, R&B, and gospel music in the soundtrack.


title: The Big Easy (film)

text: An original motion picture soundtrack album was assembled by label executive Danny Holloway and released in 1987 on the Island label. The album contains twelve tracks including "Tipitina", played by New Orleans pianist Professor Longhair (1974 re-recording from his album "Rock 'n' Roll Gumbo" in the substantially remixed version produced for its 1985 CD reissue), the New Orleans anthem "Iko Iko," by The Dixie Cups, and a ballad, "Closer to You," written and performed by actor Dennis Quaid who also performs the song in the film. Other performers on the album include Terrance Simien, BeauSoleil, Buckwheat Zydeco, Dewey Balfa, Aaron Neville and The Neville Brothers.


title: Parvathi T.

text: Parvathi T., also known as Maala Parvathi, is an Indian actress, who appears in Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu films


title: Parvathi T.

text: Parvathi was born in Thiruvananthapuram, to Adv C. V. Thrivikraman and gynaecologist Dr K. Lalitha. She completed her Pre-degree from All Saints College, Thiruvananthapuram and was the University Union Councilor. She completed her Bachelor's in Psychology from Government College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram. She was Vice Chairperson of College Union during the first year following which she became union chairperson in her college during her second year and also campus coordinator for SPIC MACAY. Parvathi has completed her Master's and M.Phil in Psychology from Kerala University's Kariavattom campus, Thiruvananthapuram. She pursued her LLB from Kerala Law Academy Law College, Thiruvananthapuram. Parvathi is married to B. Satheesan, who works with C-DIT, Government of Kerala. They have a son Ananthakrishnan, who has completed his graduation.


title: Parvathi T.

text: She started her career in anchoring through 'Ulkazhcha' in Asianet and made her acting debut in 2007 through the Malayalam film "Time" directed by Shaji Kailas. Parvathi has 100 plus films to her credit. Some of her notable movies are "Neelathamara", "Leela", Kanyaka Talkies, Munnariyippu, Take Off, Comrade in America, Godha, Game Over, C U Soon and Maara. She has also associated with 'Abhinaya', a theatre group in Thiruvananthapuram. Parvati has worked with the director MG Jyothish for the plays The Lady from the Sea (Sagara Kanyaka), The Lesson and "Bhagavadajjugam". She has authored a book titled "Mayoorageethangal" and penned lines for "Sreeprasadam" and "Megamalhar" musical albums composed by Damodar Narayanan. Parvathi is passionate about women's rights and has supported several survivors of GBV. Parvathi is working as a PR Consultant for MSL group since 2006 (clients include Hay Festival, Emirates Airlines etc.). She is also working for Ten Degree North Communications from 2016.


title: You Give Love a Bad Name

text: "You Give Love a Bad Name" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi, released as the first single from their 1986 album "Slippery When Wet". Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Desmond Child about a woman who has jilted her lover, the song reached No. 1 on the U.S. "Billboard" Hot 100 on November 29, 1986, and became the band's first number one hit. In 2007, the song reentered the charts at No. 29 after Blake Lewis performed it on "American Idol".


title: You Give Love a Bad Name

text: Despite the lyrics of the chorus, the song should not be confused with "Shot Through the Heart", an unrelated song from Bon Jovi's 1984 self-titled debut album.


title: You Give Love a Bad Name

text: The melody of "You Give Love a Bad Name" was originally written for Bonnie Tyler under the title "If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)" with different lyrics commissioned by its producer Jim Steinman. Dissatisfied with its success in the US and the UK (which he attributed to reticence on the part of her label in promoting it), Desmond Child re-wrote the song with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora.


title: You Give Love a Bad Name

text: Upon the release of the Ava Max song "Kings & Queens", comparisons were drawn with that song, "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)", and reviews highlighted Desmond Child's credit as a songwriter for "Kings & Queens".


title: You Give Love a Bad Name

text: "Cash Box" called it a "jackhammer single" that could push Bon Jovi to massive success and said that "Jon Bon Jovi’s grinding vocal and the anthemic production spell A-O-R." "Billboard" called it "hard rock, raspy and aggressive."


title: You Give Love a Bad Name

text: In a retrospective analysis, Chris Molanphy expressed his disgust at the song for being spiteful and derisive in its lyrics, and calling them "sub-Meat Loaf" (Meat Loaf being best known for his work with Steinman). However, he did credit it for introducing the genre of hair metal to the mainstream. He also noted in another commentary how the song shared many similarities with Steinman's songs due to Child's involvement, saying "Steinman might as well have [produced it]", due to Child using devices such as its verbose title and anthemic chorus, likening it to "'Bat Out of Hell' infused with Aqua Net".


title: You Give Love a Bad Name

text: The music video for the song used all-color concert footage (the only all-color video song from "Slippery When Wet") and photogenic shots primarily of Jon Bon Jovi, as well as other band members in concert. This video was filmed at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, California.


title: You Give Love a Bad Name

text: Bon Jovi was now being managed by Doc McGhee, who realized that Bon Jovi needed a video for MTV. Doc hired video director Wayne Isham, who had directed videos for Doc's other band, Mötley Crüe. The two bands were competitive with each other and Mötley Crüe felt betrayed that Wayne would direct one of Bon Jovi's videos.


title: You Give Love a Bad Name

text: Wayne had the band's name painted on the stage and made sure that the band did not see it until they began shooting.


title: You Give Love a Bad Name

text: The song was used in the game "Guitar Hero 5", episodes of "Family Guy", "30 Rock", and "The Vampire Diaries" Season 4 finale, "Graduation".


title: Yamaha MT-15

text: Yamaha MT-15 is a motorcycle manufactured by Yamaha since 2018. It is based on the Yamaha YZF-R15, with 155cc water-cooled single-cylinder engine equipped with the mainframe and variable valve timing mechanism (VVA), the inverted front fork, etc. The exterior parts are specially designed, but the shape of the front mask is based on the Yamaha MT-09 from the 2017 model.


title: Yamaha MT-15

text: Started manufactured in Thailand in December 2018. Then January 2019 in Indonesia. Indonesia's specifications are also exported to the Philippines and Vietnam. Started manufactured in Malaysia in November 2020.


title: Yamaha MT-15

text: Manufactured in India from April 2019, with same engine body and frame design Thailand's specifications, with differences on several parts such as the front fork, swing arm, wheel size, etc. Although the shape is quite similar except for telescopic front fork in terms of appearance, the ABS are standard equipment for India's specifications.


title: Sharing economy

text: In capitalism, the sharing economy is a socio-economic system built around the sharing of resources. It often involves a way of purchasing goods and services that differs from the traditional business model of companies hiring employees to produce products to sell to consumers. It includes the shared creation, production, distribution, trade and consumption of goods and services by different people and organisations. These systems take a variety of forms, often leveraging information technology (particularly digital platforms) to empower individuals, corporations, non-profits and government with information that enables distribution, sharing and reuse of excess capacity in goods and services.


title: Sharing economy

text: The term "sharing economy" began to appear around the time of the Great Recession, enabling social technologies, and an increasing sense of urgency around global population growth and resource depletion. Lawrence Lessig was possibly first to use the term in 2008, though others claim the origin of the term is unknown. Dariusz Jemielniak and Aleksandra Przegalinska credit Marcus Felson and Joe L. Spaeth's academic article ""Community Structure and Collaborative Consumption"" published in 1978 with coining the term "economy of sharing".


title: Sharing economy

text: There is a conceptual and semantic confusion caused by the many facets of Internet-based sharing leading to discussions regarding the boundaries and the scope of the sharing economy and regarding the definition of the sharing economy. Arun Sundararajan noted in 2016 that he is "unaware of any consensus on a definition of the sharing economy". As of 2015, according to a Pew Research Center survey, only 27% of Americans had heard of the term "sharing economy". Survey respondents who had heard of the term had divergent views on what it meant, with many thinking it concerned "sharing" in the traditional sense of the term.


title: Sharing economy

text: The term "sharing economy" is often used in an ambiguous way and can imply different characteristics. For example, the sharing economy is sometimes understood exclusively as a peer-to-peer phenomenon while at times, it has been framed as a business-to-customer phenomenon. Additionally, the sharing economy can be understood to encompass transactions with a permanent transfer of ownership of a resource, such as a sale, while other times, transactions with a transfer of ownership are considered beyond the boundaries of the sharing economy. One definition of the sharing economy, developed to integrate existing understandings and definitions, based on a systematic review is: "the sharing economy is an IT-facilitated peer-to-peer model for commercial or non-commercial sharing of underutilized goods and service capacity through an intermediary without transfer of ownership"The phenomenon has been defined from a legal perspective as "a for-profit, triangular legal structure where two parties (Providers and Users) enter into binding contracts for the provision of goods (partial transfer of the property bundle of rights) or services (ad hoc or casual services) in exchange for monetary payment through an online platform operated by a third party (Platform Operator) with an active role in the definition and development of the legal conditions upon which the goods and services are provided." Under this definition, the "Sharing Economy" is a triangular legal structure with three different legal actors: "1) a Platform Operator which using technology provides aggregation and interactivity to create a legal environment by setting the terms and conditions for all the actors; (2) a User who consumes the good or service on the terms and conditions set by the Platform Operator; and (3) a Provider who provides a good or service also abiding by the Platform Operator’s terms and conditions."


title: Sharing economy

text: While the term sharing economy is the term most often used, the sharing economy is also referred to as the access economy, crowd-based capitalism, collaborative economy, community-based economy, gig economy, peer economy, peer-to-peer (P2P) economy, platform economy, renting economy and on-demand economy, through at times some of those terms have been defined as separate if related topics.


title: Sharing economy

text: The notion of "sharing economy" has often been considered an oxymoron, and a misnomer for actual commercial exchanges. Arnould and Rose proposed to replace the misleading term "sharing" with "mutuality". In an article in "Harvard Business Review", authors Giana M. Eckhardt and Fleura Bardhi argue that "sharing economy" is a misnomer, and that the correct term for this activity is access economy. The authors say, "When 'sharing' is market-mediated—when a company is an intermediary between consumers who don't know each other—it is no longer sharing at all. Rather, consumers are paying to access someone else's goods or services." The article states that companies (such as Uber) that understand this, and whose marketing highlights the financial benefits to participants, are successful, while companies (such as Lyft) whose marketing highlights the social benefits of the service are less successful. According to George Ritzer, this trend towards increased consumer input in commercial exchanges refers to the notion of prosumption, which, as such, is not new. Jemielniak and Przegalinska note that the term sharing economy is often used to discuss aspects of the society that do not predominantly relate to the economy, and propose a broader term collaborative society for such phenomena.


title: Sharing economy

text: The term "platform capitalism" has been proposed by some scholars as more correct than "sharing economy" in discussion of activities of for-profit companies like Uber and Airbnb in the economy sector. Companies that try to focus on fairness and sharing, instead of just profit motive, are much less common, and have been contrastingly described as platform cooperatives (or cooperativist platforms vs capitalist platforms). In turn, projects like Wikipedia, which rely on unpaid labor of volunteers, can be classified as commons-based peer-production initiatives. A related dimension is concerned with whether users are focused on non-profit sharing or maximizing their own profit. Sharing is a model that is adapting to the abundance of resource, whereas for-profit platform capitalism is a model that persists in areas where there is still a scarcity of resources.


title: Sharing economy

text: Yochai Benkler, one of the earliest proponents of open source software, who studied the tragedy of the commons, which refers to the idea that when we all act solely in our self-interest, we deplete the shared resources we need for our own quality of life, posited that network technology could mitigate this issue through what he called 'commons-based peer production', a concept first articulated in 2002. Benkler then extended that analysis to "shareable goods" in "Sharing Nicely: On Shareable Goods and the emergence of sharing as a modality of economic production", written in 2004.


title: Sharing economy

text: There are a wide range of actors who participate in the sharing economy. This includes individual users, for-profit enterprises, social enterprise or cooperatives, digital platform companies, local communities, non-profit enterprises and the public sector or the government. Individual users are the actors engaged in sharing goods and resources through "peer-to-peer (P2P) or business-to-peer (B2P) transactions". The for-profit enterprises are those actors who are profit-seekers who buy, sell, lend, rent or trade with the use of digital platforms as means to collaborate with other actors. The social enterprise or referred to as cooperatives are mainly "motivated by social or ecological reasons" and seek to empower actors as means of genuine sharing. Digital platforms are technology firms that facilitate the relationship between transacting parties and make profits by charging commissions. The local communities are the players at the local level with varied structures and sharing models where most activities are non-monetized and often carried out to further develop the community. The non-profit enterprises have a purpose of "advancing a mission or purpose" for a greater cause and this is their primary motivation which is genuine sharing of resources. In addition, the public sector or the government can participate in the sharing economy by "using public infrastructures to support or forge partnerships with other actors and to promote innovative forms of sharing".


title: Sharing economy

text: Lizzie Richardson noted that sharing economy "constitutes an apparent paradox, framed as both part of the capitalist economy and as an alternative". A distinction can be made between free sharing, such as genuine sharing, and for-profit sharing, often associated with companies such as Uber, Airbnb, and Taskrabbit. Commercial co-options of the 'sharing economy' encompass a wide range of structures including mostly for-profit, and, to a lesser extent, co-operative structures. The sharing economy provides expanded access to products, services and talent beyond one-to-one or singular ownership, which is sometimes referred to as "disownership". Individuals actively participate as users, providers, lenders or borrowers in varied and evolving peer-to-peer exchange schemes.


title: Sharing economy

text: The usage of the term sharing by for-profit companies has been described as "abuse" and "misuse" of the term, or more precisely, its commodification. In commercial applications, the sharing economy can be considered a marketing strategy more than an actual 'sharing economy' ethos; for example, the company Airbnb has sometimes been described as a platform for individuals to 'share' extra space in their homes, but in reality the space is rented, not shared. Airbnb listings additionally are often owned by property management corporations. This has led to a number of legal challenges, with some jurisdiction ruling, for example, that ride sharing through for-profit services like Uber de facto makes the drivers indistinguishable from regular employees of ride sharing companies. The escrow-like model practiced by several of the largest sharing economy platforms, which facilitate and handle contracting and payments on behalf of their subscribers, further underlines an emphasis on access and transaction rather than on sharing.


title: Sharing economy

text: Sharing of resources has been known in business-to-business (B2B) like heavy machinery in agriculture and forestry as well as in business-to-consumer (B2C) like self-service laundry. But three major drivers enable consumer-to-consumer (C2C) sharing of resources for a broad variety of new goods and services as well as new industries. First, customer behavior for many goods and services changes from ownership to sharing. Second, online social networks and electronic markets more easily link consumers. And third, mobile devices and electronic services make the use of shared goods and services more convenient.


title: Sharing economy

text: In many cases, the sharing economy relies on the will of the users to share, but in order to make an exchange, users have to overcome stranger danger. Access economy organizations say they are committed to building and validating trusted relationships between members of their community, including producers, suppliers, customers or participants. Beyond trusting others, the users of a sharing economy platform also have to trust the platform itself as well as the product at hand.


title: Sharing economy

text: According to a report by the United States Department of Commerce in June 2016, quantitative research on the size and growth of the sharing economy remains sparse. Growth estimates can be challenging to evaluate due to different and sometimes unspecified definitions about what sort of activity counts as sharing economy transactions. The report noted a 2014 study by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which looked at five components of the sharing economy: travel, car sharing, finance, staffing and streaming. It found that global spending in these sectors totaled about $15 billion in 2014, which was only about 5% of the total spending in those areas. The report also forecasted a possible increase of "sharing economy" spending in these areas to $335 billion by 2025, which would be about 50% of the total spending in these five areas. A 2015 PricewaterhouseCoopers study found that nearly one-fifth of American consumers partake in some type of sharing economy activity. A 2017 report by Diana Farrell and Fiona Greig suggested that at least in the US, sharing economy growth may have peaked.


title: Sharing economy

text: A February 2018 study ordered by the European Commission and the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs indicated the level of collaborative economy development between the EU-28 countries across the transport, accommodation, finance and online skills sectors. The size of the collaborative economy relative to the total EU economy was estimated to be €26.5 billion in 2016. Some experts predict that shared economy could add between €160 to €572 billion to the EU economy in the upcoming years.


title: Sharing economy

text: In China, the sharing economy doubled in 2016, reaching 3.45 trillion yuan ($500 billion) in transaction volume, and was expected to grow by 40% per year on average over the next few years, according to the country's State Information Center. In 2017, an estimated 700 million people used sharing economy platforms.


title: Sharing economy

text: According to TIARCENTER and the Russian Association of Electronic Communications, eight key verticals of Russia's sharing economy (C2C sales, odd jobs, car sharing, carpooling, accommodation rentals, shared offices, crowdfunding, and goods sharing) grew 30% to 511 billion rubles ($7.8 billion) in 2018.


title: Sharing economy

text: According to Sharing Economy Association of Japan, The market size of the sharing economy in Japan in FY2020 was 2.1004 trillion yen and FY2021 was 2.4198 trillion yen. It is expected to expand up to 14.2799 trillion yen in FY2030. For ride-hailing services, there is no “Uber” like service which allow run your own ride-sharing fleet in Japan. This is because local regulations prohibit non-professional drivers from ferrying paying customers.


title: Sharing economy

text: The impacts of the access economy in terms of costs, wages and employment are not easily measured and appear to be growing. Various estimates indicate that 30-40% of the U.S. workforce is self-employed, part-time, temporary or freelancers. However, the exact percentage of those performing short-term tasks or projects found via technology platforms was not effectively measured as of 2015 by government sources. In the U.S., one private industry survey placed the number of "full-time independent workers" at 17.8 million in 2015, roughly the same as 2014. Another survey estimated the number of workers who do at least some freelance work at 53.7 million in 2015, roughly 34% of the workforce and up slightly from 2014.


title: Sharing economy

text: Economists Lawrence F. Katz and Alan B. Krueger wrote in March 2016 that there is a trend towards more workers in alternative (part-time or contract) work arrangements rather than full-time; the percentage of workers in such arrangements rose from 10.1% in 2005 to 15.8% in late 2015. Katz and Krueger defined alternative work arrangements as "temporary help agency workers, on-call workers, contract company workers, and independent contractors or free-lancers". They also estimated that approximately 0.5% of all workers identify customers through an online intermediary; this was consistent with two others studies that estimated the amount at 0.4% and 0.6%.


title: Sharing economy

text: At the individual transaction level, the removal of a higher overhead business intermediary (say a taxi company) with a lower cost technology platform helps reduce the cost of the transaction for the customer while also providing an opportunity for additional suppliers to compete for the business, further reducing costs. Consumers can then spend more on other goods and services, stimulating demand and production in other parts of the economy. Classical economics argues that innovation that lowers the cost of goods and services represents a net economic benefit overall. However, like many new technologies and business innovations, this trend is disruptive to existing business models and presents challenges for governments and regulators.


title: Sharing economy

text: For example, should the companies providing the technology platform be liable for the actions of the suppliers in their network? Should persons in their network be treated as employees, receiving benefits such as healthcare and retirement plans? If consumers tend to be higher income persons while the suppliers are lower-income persons, will the lower cost of the services (and therefore lower compensation of the suppliers) worsen income inequality? These are among the many questions the on-demand economy presents.


title: Sharing economy

text: Using a personal car to transport passengers or deliveries requires payment, or sufferance, of costs for fees deducted by the dispatching company, fuel, wear and tear, depreciation, interest, taxes, as well as adequate insurance. The driver is typically not paid for driving to an area where fares might be found in the volume necessary for high earnings, or driving to the location of a pickup or returning from a drop-off point. Mobile apps have been written that help a driver be aware of and manage such costs has been introduced.


title: Sharing economy

text: Uber, Airbnb, and other companies have had drastic effects on infrastructures such as road congestion and housing. Major cities such as San Francisco and New York City have arguably become more congested due to their use. According to transportation analyst Charles Komanoff, "Uber-caused congestion has reduced traffic speeds in downtown Manhattan by around 8 percent".


title: Sharing economy

text: The percentage of seniors in the work force has increased from 20.7% in 2009 to 23.1% in 2015, an increase in part attributed to the rise of the access economy.


title: Sharing economy

text: An example of grocery delivery in sharing economy is Instakart. It has the same business model as that of sharing economy based companies like Uber, Airbnb, or CanYa. Instacart uses resources that are readily available, and the shoppers shop at existing grocery shops. The contract workers use their personal vehicles to deliver groceries to customers. Instacart manages to keep its cost low as it does not require any infrastructure to store goods. In addition to having contract workers, Instacart allows signing up to be a "personal shopper" for Instacart through its official web page.


title: Sharing economy

text: A common premise is that when information about goods is shared (typically via an online marketplace), the value of those goods may increase for the business, for individuals, for the community and for society in general.


title: Sharing economy

text: Many state, local and federal governments are engaged in open data initiatives and projects such as data.gov. The theory of open or "transparent" access to information enables greater innovation, and makes for more efficient use of products and services, and thus supporting resilient communities.


title: Sharing economy

text: Unused value refers to the time over which products, services, and talents lay idle. This idle time is wasted value that business models and organizations that are based on sharing can potentially utilize. The classic example is that the average car is unused 95% of the time. This wasted value can be a significant resource, and hence an opportunity, for sharing economy car solutions. There is also significant unused value in "wasted time", as articulated by Clay Shirky in his analysis of the power of crowds connected by information technology. Many people have unused capacity in the course of their day. With social media and information technology, such people can donate small slivers of time to take care of simple tasks that others need doing. Examples of these crowdsourcing solutions include the for-profit Amazon Mechanical Turk and the non-profit Ushahidi.


title: Sharing economy

text: Encompassing many of the listed benefits of the sharing economy is the idea of the freelance worker. Through monetizing unused assets, such as renting out a spare guest room on Airbnb, or providing personal services to others, such as becoming a driver with Uber, people are in effect becoming freelance workers. Freelance work entails better opportunities for employment, as well as more flexibility for workers, as people have the ability to pick and choose the time and place of their work. As freelance workers, people can plan around their existing schedules and maintain multiple jobs if needed. Evidence of the appeal to this type of work can be seen from a survey conducted by the Freelancers Union, which shows that around 34% of the U.S. population is involved in freelance work.