title: John Parr

text: In 2014, Parr reunited with The Who, Jeff Beck, Mick Hucknall and other rock musicians for Kenney Jones' Rock & Horsepower concert to raise money and awareness for prostate cancer. Back at his studio "Somewhere in Yorkshire" he joined forces with Guns N' Roses producer Mike Clink, who along with Slash and Nikki Sixx, collaborated on the forthcoming Pete Way album. At the O2, Parr joined producer Tony Visconti, Woody Woodmansey (Spiders From Mars), Glenn Gregory (Heaven 17) and many members of the original Bowie band to perform in the "Man Who Sold the World" concert. Parr continued his work with the military playing concerts and fund raisers for Help For Heroes. Christmas 2014 saw the release of "Ring Out The Bells", a charity single produced by David Mackay, which featured Charlie Norman and the children of St Catherine's School along with guest performances by Parr and Meatloaf duetist Lorraine Crosby. The proceeds went to the Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital.


title: John Parr

text: 2015 saw Parr on the road doing international and UK shows with Bonnie Tyler, Kenney Jones and Cockney Rebel. He also wrote and recorded "Man of Steel" for the late rugby league footballer; Steve Prescott.


title: John Parr

text: In 2016, the 88th Academy Awards (Oscars) included the launch of Google's Android campaign featuring Parr and "St Elmo's Fire" as the theme tune.


title: John Parr

text: After a year of travel in 2017, in 2018 Parr returned to the studio to begin work on his seventh album and to do some shows close to his heart, namely the BBC Tracks of My Years show with Ken Bruce, The Story Behind the Song for the BBC "One Show" anchored by Carrie Grant and Foreigner’s 40th Anniversary tour, culminating at the Albert Hall and later as special guest for Jeff Beck.


title: John Parr

text: One of Parr's sons, Ben, is an actor who is best known for the role of Freddie in the soap "Hollyoaks". His first appearance was in the episode broadcast on 4 January 2007. He also appeared in the BBC drama "The Curse of Steptoe".


title: Tre'Davious White

text: Tre'Davious White Sr. (born January 16, 1995) is an American football cornerback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU, where he was a consensus All-American as a senior in 2016. He was drafted by the Bills in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Since earning a starting position as a rookie, White has become one of the league's top cornerbacks as part of a resurgent Bills defense, having garnered two Pro Bowl selections and All-Pro honors.


title: Tre'Davious White

text: White attended Green Oaks High School in Shreveport, Louisiana. He played both cornerback and quarterback. He was rated by Rivals.com as a five-star recruit and was ranked as the fourth best cornerback and 18th best overall player in his class. White committed to Louisiana State University (LSU) to play college football under head coach Les Miles.


title: Tre'Davious White

text: White stated that he originally committed to LSU as a wide receiver, but that he chose to remain a defensive back when he realized he was unlikely to see significant playing time on a roster that included future NFL stars Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. As a true freshman at LSU, White played in 13 games with 11 starts. He finished the season with 55 tackles and two interceptions. As a sophomore in 2014 he started all 13 games and also served as the punt returner. He recorded 33 tackles, two interceptions and a punt return touchdown. As a junior, he was chosen to wear the No. 18 Jersey, which signifies the player with the best leadership qualities on the team. He finished the year with 44 tackles and returned a punt 69 yards for a touchdown against Syracuse. The Associated Press and Southeastern Conference (SEC) coaches both selected White for their All-SEC second team. White was expected to be a late first-round choice in the 2016 NFL Draft, but he instead chose to return to LSU for his senior season. After the season, he earned first-team All-SEC honors from the AP. He was also a consensus All-American, earning first-team honors from the American Football Coaches Association and Walter Camp Football Foundation.


title: Tre'Davious White

text: White was invited to the Senior Bowl and was set to play until he injured his ankle during practice. He was able to raise his draft stock after practicing well and showing an ability to learn quickly while working with Cleveland Browns


title: Tre'Davious White

text: defensive backs coach DeWayne Walker for the Senior Bowl. He attended the NFL Combine and was able to complete all the combine and positional drills.


title: Tre'Davious White

text: White also participated at LSU's Pro Day and opted to attempt to beat his combine times in the 40, 20, and 10-yard dash, but was unable to. NFL draft experts and analysts projected him to be selected in the first or second round. He was ranked the third best cornerback in the draft by "Sports Illustrated", Pro Football Focus, and ESPN, ranked the fourth best cornerback by NFL analyst Bucky Brooks, ranked the fifth best cornerback by NFL analyst Mike Mayock, and ranked the seventh best cornerback by DraftScout.com.


title: Tre'Davious White

text: The Buffalo Bills selected White in the first round (27th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft. He was the fifth cornerback drafted in 2017.


title: Tre'Davious White

text: On May 18, 2017, the Buffalo Bills signed White to a four-year, $10.09 million contract that includes $7.78 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $5.47 million.


title: Tre'Davious White

text: Head coach Sean McDermott named White the No. 1 starting cornerback on the Bills' depth chart to start the regular season, alongside E. J. Gaines.


title: Tre'Davious White

text: White made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the Buffalo Bills' season-opener against the New York Jets, recording four solo tackles and two pass deflections in Bills' 21–12 victory. On September 24, 2017, White recorded a season-high seven combined tackles, a season-high four pass deflections, and made his first career interception during a 26–16 victory against the Denver Broncos in Week 3. White intercepted a pass by quarterback Trevor Siemian to seal the Bills' victory in the fourth quarter. He was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for September.


title: Tre'Davious White

text: In Week 4, he made four combined tackles, a pass deflection, and returned a fumble recovery for his first career touchdown during a 23–17 upset win over the Atlanta Falcons. On October 22, 2017, White tackled wide receiver Adam Humphries, forcing him to fumble the ball, and recovered it to set up the Bills' game-winning field goal during their 30–27 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On November 26, 2017, White intercepted a pass from quarterback Alex Smith and returned it 63 yards with 1:28 left in the fourth quarter of the Bills’ 16–10 victory at the Kansas City Chiefs. In Week 13, White made five combined tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception during a 23–3 loss to the New England Patriots. The interception was a pass by quarterback Tom Brady intended for tight end Rob Gronkowski. Immediately after the play, Gronkowski jumped elbow-first onto White while he was still on the ground and drew a personal foul penalty. White suffered a concussion as a result of the hit. Gronkowski was upset, claiming that White should have been flagged for a pass interference penalty, but nonetheless was suspended one game for the hit.


title: Tre'Davious White

text: White started all 16 games as a rookie in 2017 and recorded 69 combined tackles (53 solo), 18 pass deflections, and four interceptions. Pro Football Focus gave White an overall grade of 91.6, which ranked third among all qualifying cornerbacks in 2017. White was a finalist for 2017 Defensive Rookie of the Year award, but lost to Marshon Lattimore of the New Orleans Saints. His performance helped Buffalo clinch a wild-card berth, their first playoff appearance since 1999. On January 7, 2018, White started in his first career playoff game and recorded a tackle and a pass deflection during the Bills' 10–3 loss at the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Wildcard Game.


title: Tre'Davious White

text: In week 9 against the Chicago Bears, White intercepted quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and returned it for 37 yards in the 41–9 loss. White finished the 2018 season with 54 combined tackles, 8 passes defensed, and two interceptions as the Bills finished with the number one ranked pass defense.


title: Tre'Davious White

text: In week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals, White intercepted Andy Dalton twice as the Bills won 21–17. Against the Miami Dolphins in week 7, White caused two crucial turnovers to help Buffalo win 31–21, intercepting Ryan Fitzpatrick at the Buffalo 2-yard line and forcing receiver Preston Williams to fumble at Miami's 30-yard line. The Bills scored off of both turnovers.


title: Tre'Davious White

text: In week 9 against the Washington Redskins, White recorded his first career sack on rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins in the 24–9 win.


title: Tre'Davious White

text: In week 12 against the Denver Broncos, White recorded a team high 4 passes defended and intercepted a pass thrown by Brandon Allen in the 20–3 win. White recorded his second game of 2019 with two interceptions in week 15 against the Pittsburgh Steelers on "Sunday Night Football", picking off quarterback Devlin Hodges twice. On December 17, 2019 it was announced that White earned the first Pro Bowl invite of his career. Despite sitting out the final week of the season against the New York Jets to rest for the playoffs, White still managed to co-lead the league in interceptions in 2019 with six and also did not allow a single touchdown reception by opponents throughout the season.


title: Tre'Davious White

text: During the wild-card game against the Houston Texans, White was featured in a marquee match up against Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins. White finished with five combined tackles, including a forced fumble on Hopkins which was recovered by teammate Tremaine Edmunds, as the Bills lost 22–19 in overtime.


title: Tre'Davious White

text: On April 23, 2020, the Bills exercised the fifth-year option on White's contract. On September 5, 2020, White signed a four-year contract extension worth $70 million with $55 million guaranteed with the Bills, keeping him under contract through the 2025 season. The contract made him the highest-paid defensive back in the league at the time.


title: Tre'Davious White

text: In Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans, White was ruled out with a back injury, missing just the second game of his professional career. White recorded his first takeaways of the season in Week 9 against the Seattle Seahawks, recovering a Russell Wilson fumble forced by teammate Jerry Hughes in the third quarter and picking off Wilson in the fourth quarter, as Buffalo would win 44–34.


title: Tre'Davious White

text: In Week 15 against the Denver Broncos, White forced a fumble on quarterback Drew Lock that was recovered by Hughes, who returned it for a 21 yard touchdown during the 48–19 win. Overall, White finished the 2020 season with 57 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 3 interceptions. He was named a second-team All-Pro and was invited to the 2021 Pro Bowl following the season's conclusion.


title: Tre'Davious White

text: White recorded his first interception of the season against the New York Jets in Week 10. During a Thanksgiving game against the New Orleans Saints, White suffered a non-contact injury to his left knee in the second quarter and was ruled out of the game after halftime. The following day on November 26, it was revealed that he tore his ACL and was ruled out for the rest of the season. Buffalo officially put him on injured reserve on November 30.


title: Tre'Davious White

text: White noted that the injury was the first time since middle school that he, a three-sport athlete in high school, had been sedentary, and briefly fell into depression; he eventually was coaxed out by his former LSU teammates, Bills teammates and reporter Michele Tafoya, a personal friend; he purposely chose to slow-walk his injury recovery in deference to the training staff's decisions. On August 30, 2022, White was place on the physically unable to perform list, missing the first seven games of the regular season. He was activated on November 1, in time for the matchup against the New York Jets.


title: Tre'Davious White

text: White made his return to play on the Thanksgiving game—52 weeks to the day of his injury—on November 24, 2022 against the Detroit Lions, playing the first two drives (in which Lions quarterback Jared Goff avoided throwing toward him) before leaving the game as part of the coaching staff's limited phase-in plan for White's return.


title: Tre'Davious White

text: White is married with two children. His eldest, son Tre'Davious Jr., was born shortly after he was drafted.


title: Tre'Davious White

text: In 2018, as part of a cross-promotion between Pegula Sports and Entertainment sports properties, White appeared in a commercial for the fictional "Tre White Goalie Academy" promoting White's effort to be elected to a Pro Bowl. The commercial became a sort of running gag for White, who notes the similarities between the goaltender and defensive back positions in that both serve as a last line of defense against scoring, and that there were no collegiate hockey teams in Louisiana (White had been a track and basketball star during football offseason in high school). White became a fan of Buffalo Sabres goaltender Carter Hutton (whom White mock-mistakenly called "Sutton" in the video) as a result of making the commercial, having otherwise largely been unaware of hockey before joining the Bills. In White's first "Sunday Night Football" appearance in 2019, White identified his "alma mater" as the Tre White Goalie Academy during on-screen introductions; White subsequently caught two interceptions in the game, playing a major role in the Bills' playoff-clinching win.


title: Adrian Martinez (actor)

text: Adrian Martinez (born January 20, 1972, in New York City) is an American actor and comedian, known for "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" and "Focus". He also worked in the theatre. He is also known for his role as the "Discount Double Check" guy in a series of State Farm commercials starring Aaron Rodgers.


title: Adrian Martinez (actor)

text: Martinez debuted his acting career with the series "America's Most Wanted" in 1993, and since then he has acted in several television series. He has also worked in the theater, and a member of LAByrinth Theater Company.


title: Adrian Martinez (actor)

text: In 2009, Martinez appeared in "" as Brian Jeremy, the secondary antagonist, Set in 2008, Johnny Klebitz in The Angels of Death and The Lost MC Brotherhoods.


title: Adrian Martinez (actor)

text: In 2010, Martinez starred in the action comedy "Cop Out" as Tino, along with Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan, directed by Kevin Smith, released on February 26, 2010, by Warner Bros. Pictures. He portrayed the role of Ginger Goon in the superhero comedy film "Kick-Ass" which starred Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Mark Strong, and Chloë Grace Moretz, directed by Matthew Vaughn and released on April 16, 2010.


title: Adrian Martinez (actor)

text: In 2012, Martinez starred in Spanish-language comedy "Casa de Mi Padre" as Manuel along with Will Ferrell, Gael García Bernal, and Diego Luna. The film was directed by Matt Piedmont and was released on March 16, 2012.


title: Adrian Martinez (actor)

text: In 2013, Martinez appeared in the biographical comedy film "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" as Hernando for a supporting role along with Ben Stiller and Kristen Wiig in the lead. Stiller directed the film based on the script by Steve Conrad, which released in North America by 20th Century Fox on December 25, 2013. Later he also starred in the film "American Hustle" as Julius along with Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Amy Adams, and Jennifer Lawrence. David O. Russell directed the film based on his own script co-written by Eric Warren Singer, and the film was released on December 13, 2013, by Columbia Pictures.


title: Adrian Martinez (actor)

text: In 2014, Martinez appeared in the superhero film "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" as Bodega Cashier, opposite Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, directed by Marc Webb and released on May 2, 2014.


title: Adrian Martinez (actor)

text: In 2015, Martinez played a prominent role of Farhad in the heist comedy "Focus" along with Will Smith and Margot Robbie, directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa based on their own script. The film was released on February 27, 2015, by Warner Bros. Focus was his first main role in the career of 20 years, on which Martinez felt like he had "been running in a marathon for 20 years and somebody from the side just reached out and handed [him] a cup of Champagne." He also appeared in the comedy film "Sisters", along with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, which was released on December 18, 2015.


title: Adrian Martinez (actor)

text: In June 2015, Martinez was cast in an action comedy starring Bruce Willis to play the owner of a local pizza joint. The movie - working title "Going Under" - was directed by Mark Cullen and Robb Cullen. It was released on video-on-demand to poor reviews as "Once Upon a Time in Venice" (also known as "LA Vengeance" in the UK) in 2017.


title: Adrian Martinez (actor)

text: He joined the main cast on the ABC TV series "Stumptown" (2019) as "Tookie", a food truck owner who serves as an informant for the main character, played by Cobie Smulders.


title: Iota

text: Iota (; uppercase: Ι, lowercase: ι; ) is the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Yodh. Letters that arose from this letter include the Latin I and J, the Cyrillic І (І, і), Yi (Ї, ї), and Je (Ј, ј), and iotated letters (e.g. Yu (Ю, ю)). In the system of Greek numerals, iota has a value of 10.


title: Iota

text: Iota represents the close front unrounded vowel . In early forms of ancient Greek, it occurred in both long and short versions, but this distinction was lost in Koine Greek. Iota participated as the second element in falling diphthongs, with both long and short vowels as the first element. Where the first element was long, the iota was lost in pronunciation at an early date, and was written in polytonic orthography as iota subscript, in other words as a very small ι under the main vowel. Examples include ᾼ ᾳ ῌ ῃ ῼ ῳ. The former diphthongs became digraphs for simple vowels in Koine Greek.


title: Iota

text: The word is used in a common English phrase, "not one iota", meaning "not the slightest amount". This refers to iota, the smallest letter, or possibly yodh, י, the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet. The English word "jot" derives from iota. The German, Portuguese, and Spanish name for the letter J ("Jot" / "jota") is derived from iota.


title: Iota

text: These characters are used only as mathematical symbols. Stylized Greek text should be encoded using the normal Greek letters, with markup and formatting to indicate text style.


title: Eurocopter EC120 Colibri

text: The Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters) EC120 Colibri ("hummingbird") is a five-seat, single-engine, light utility helicopter. Jointly designed and developed by Eurocopter, China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC), Harbin Aviation Industries (Group) Ltd (HAIG) and Singapore Technologies Aerospace Ltd (STAero) at Eurocopter France's Marignane facility, the EC120B was assembled by Eurocopter in France and Australia.


title: Eurocopter EC120 Colibri

text: In China, the aircraft is produced by Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation (HAMC) as the HC120. In 2004, HAMC began local manufacturing of the HC120 at their assembly line in Harbin, in northern China. In the Chinese market, both the People's Liberation Army and multiple local police forces have purchased HC120 helicopters.


title: Eurocopter EC120 Colibri

text: The EC120 Colibri has its origins in the P120, a proposal by French helicopter manufacturer Aérospatiale that was intended to replace both their Aérospatiale Gazelle and Aérospatiale SA 315B Lama single engine helicopters. During the 1980s, Aérospatiale sought international partners with which to co-produce the P120, these included aerospace companies in China, Singapore, and Australia. In the aftermath of the Chinese Government's crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, the exclusion of Chinese involvement in the project was speculated.


title: Eurocopter EC120 Colibri

text: On 20 October 1992, a contract for the joint development contract of the new helicopter was signed by the three principle partners of the project, the newly formed Eurocopter, China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC) and Singapore Aerospace Ltd (STAero). Under the joint development agreement, Eurocopter received a 61% controlling interest and technical leader in the programme, CATIC received a 24% work share and STAero received a 15% work share; CATIC designed and produced the cabin structure and fuel system, STAero produced the tail boom, access doors, and composite materials, while Eurocopter produced the dynamic assemblies, installed the avionics, electrical and hydraulic systems, and conducted the final assembly activity. Development of the rotorcraft allowed Eurocopter to extend its range to include rotorcraft.


title: Eurocopter EC120 Colibri

text: On 9 June 1995, the first prototype EC120 Colibri conducted its maiden flight. By February 1996, the prototype had accumulated 60 flight hours, a second prototype joined the test program later that year. In February 1997, the EC120 Colibri was formally launched at the Helicopter Association International (HAI) show in Anaheim, California; by June 1997, more than 50 orders had been received for the type. By October 1998, more than 100 orders had been received for the type, leading Eurocopter to increase the production rate from four helicopters per month to six. In 2002, Eurocopter was in the process of establishing a second assembly line for the EC120 at Australian Aerospace's facility in Brisbane, Australia.


title: Eurocopter EC120 Colibri

text: In September 2003, Eurocopter and China Aviation Industry Corporation II (AVIC II) expanded their partnership agreement to include a co-production arrangement with AVIC II-subsidiary Harbin Aircraft Industry Group (HAIG). On 11 June 2004, a final production agreement was signed; under the agreement, CATIA and HAIG received exclusive market rights in China, and Eurocopter agreed to stop selling French-built EC120s in mainland China. In June 2014, the People's Liberation Army of China became the launch customer for the Harbin-produced HC120, reportedly placing an order for eight of the type with options for fifty more.


title: Eurocopter EC120 Colibri

text: On 30 November 2017 Airbus Helicopters formally announced the end of the H120 program citing low delivery numbers. Only five H120s were delivered in 2016 compared to 63 Robinson R-66s. Airbus stated they are moving away from the lower end of the market spectrum and those helicopters are not as sophisticated as their traditional product line.


title: Eurocopter EC120 Colibri

text: Within the Green Rotorcraft European Clean Sky Joint Technology Initiative environmental research program started in 2011, a H120 Technology demonstrator equipped with a HIPE AE440 high-compression aircraft diesel engine, running on jet fuel, first flew on 6 November 2015. It aimed to reduce pollutant emissions and increase fuel efficiency, nearly double the range and enhance operations in hot and high conditions.


title: Eurocopter EC120 Colibri

text: The powerplant trialed was a liquid-cooled, dry sump lubricated 4.6-liter 90° V8 engine with an common rail direct injection, fully machined aluminum blocks, titanium connecting rods, steel pistons and liners, one turbocharger per cylinder bank. With an air-to-air intercooler, it weighed without gearbox and the installed powerpack weighs . The rotors were driven via the existing transmission, the faster-turning Turbomeca Arrius turboshaft was replaced with a multiplier gearbox.


title: Eurocopter EC120 Colibri

text: The brake specific fuel consumption was 200 g/kW⋅h. Torque oscillations were reduced through a light torsional shaft and vibrations are damped by Silent blocs. It was manufactured by Teos Powertrain Engineering—a joint venture between Mecachrome and D2T (IFPEN group)—for the mechanical design, engine main parts manufacturing, assembly and testing and Austro Engine for the dual-channel FADEC and harness, fuel system, airworthiness. Power was maintained at 2,500 m and ISA+20° and it achieved 42% a fuel consumption reduction, reducing the direct operating costs by 30% along with simpler maintenance.


title: Eurocopter EC120 Colibri

text: The EC120B Colibri is a single-engine multimission helicopter, designed for safe, simple, and cost-effective operations. It incorporates several of Eurocopter's trademarked technologies, those of prominence are the 3-bladed Speriflex main rotor head and the 8-bladed fenestron anti-torque tail rotor; these have been partially credited with contributing to the rotorcraft's noise signature, which is 6.7 decibels below International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) limits.


title: Eurocopter EC120 Colibri

text: Airbus Helicopters has claimed that the EC120 B possesses the lowest operating cost in its class. As of 2014, the EC120 has the distinction of being the only single-engine rotorcraft to be certified to JAR/FAR 27 standards; measures incorporated to meet these standards include an energy-attenuating main structure, energy-absorbent seats for all on board, and a crash-resistant fuel system.


title: Eurocopter EC120 Colibri

text: The aircraft features a wide, ergonomic cabin with high levels of external visibility, which can accommodate a single pilot along with four passengers in typical passenger configuration. The design of the cabin is suitable for a wide variety of civilian and parapublic missions, such as utility transport, offshore transport, training, law enforcement, casualty evacuation and corporate transport. In the casualty evacuation role, the rotorcraft can carry one pilot and one stretcher patient as well as one or two medical attendants.


title: Eurocopter EC120 Colibri

text: In a cargo-carrying capacity, the EC120 can carry one pilot plus of total useful load volume spread between the cabin and the hold, which is externally accessible from the right-hand side and to the rear, as well as from the cabin in some configurations. To ease cargo operations, the cabin floor is flat and unobstructed; alternatively, a cargo sling can be installed to carry cargo of up to .


title: Eurocopter EC120 Colibri

text: According to Airbus Helicopters, the EC120B integrates a high level of advanced technology to make the rotorcraft easier and safer to fly, as well as to reduce costs. A particular emphasis was placed on allowing end-customers to perform as much of the maintenance tasks themselves. The primary instrument panel is the twin-screen vehicle and engine multifunction display (VEMD) which provides control and monitoring of various aspects of the rotorcraft, such as the fenestron tail rotor and key engine parameters; the VEMD decreases overall pilot workload for greater safety. In a baseline configuration, flight controls are installed only on the right-hand side, dual controls or left-hand only flight controls can be optionally installed. Third parties have offered their own avionics suites for the EC120, adding functionality such as an autopilot.


title: Eurocopter EC120 Colibri

text: In addition to various civil roles, the EC120 has also been used by several military operators to conduct training, observation and light utility missions. Airbus Helicopter has promoted the type in a training capacity due to features such as positive control response, performance computation systems, modern instrumentation for ease of use, overall compact size, and a high level of cabin visibility.


title: Eurocopter EC120 Colibri

text: A wide range of optional equipment can be installed upon the EC120 B, this includes a wire strike protection system, air conditioning, sand filter, skis, windshield wipers, electrical external mirrors, a cargo sling, emergency flotation gear, forward looking infrared (FLIR) cameras, and external spotlights. For corporate customers, the EC120 can be equipped with a "Stylence" interior, offering a luxurious interior with leather upholstery, in-flight office and telecommunications facilities, along with reduced noise and vibration levels via additional insulation.


title: Eurocopter EC120 Colibri

text: The first EC120B was delivered in 1998. By 2008, Eurocopter had already delivered more than 550 Colibris to various customers.


title: Eurocopter EC120 Colibri

text: In 2004, the United States Department of Homeland Security U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) selected the EC120B to meet its Light Sign Cutter requirement, a program potentially involving 55 aircraft with a total value of US$75 million in then-year dollars. In 2006, the CBP ordered 15 EC120B helicopters, with a further five aircraft since ordered.


title: Eurocopter EC120 Colibri

text: The Spanish Air and Space Force (SASF) has procured a number of EC120s, which are used as rotary-wing trainers at the Armilla AFB. In 2003, the SPAF formed an aerobatic display team, the Patrulla ASPA, which use the type; a typical display involves five EC120s performing complex manoeuvers in addition to formation flight.


title: Eurocopter EC120 Colibri

text: In January 2008, the French Defense Ministry selected the EC120 as the French Army's new lead-in rotary-wing trainer to replace the Aérospatiale Gazelle. 36 EC120 Bs equipped with Sagem avionics shall be operated through a 22-year public-private partnership (PPP) with operator Hélidax. On 12 October 2010, the final EC120 was delivered to Hélidax.


title: Eurocopter EC120 Colibri

text: Since 2011, a number of EC120s have been operated by the traffic police of Kurdistan, Iraq. As of 2014, the crews are trained to undertake surveillance and rescue missions.


title: Eurocopter EC120 Colibri

text: The EC120 is used by both private individuals and companies, helicopter charter and training organisations as well as law enforcement and government use.


title: Legacy carrier

text: A legacy carrier, in the United States, is an airline that had established interstate routes before the beginning of the route liberalization permitted by the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 and so was directly affected by that Act. Legacy carriers are distinct from low-cost carriers, which, in the United States, are generally new airlines and were started to compete in the newly deregulated industry.


title: Legacy carrier

text: A typical characteristic of legacy carriers is that they usually provide higher quality services than a low-cost carrier; for example, a legacy carrier typically offers first class and business class seating, a frequent-flyer program, and exclusive airport lounges. Many legacy carriers are also members of an airline alliance through which they agree to provide those services to each other's passengers. Also, legacy carriers generally have better cabin services, such as meal service and in-flight entertainment.


title: Legacy carrier

text: The term 'legacy carrier' has generally not been used outside the United States. Many other countries have long-established flag carriers that are or were historically owned by or often given preferential treatment by their national governments. The national airlines occupy a position roughly equivalent to the American legacy carriers on quality of service and membership in international alliances compared to newer low-cost carriers. None of the American legacy carriers is an official flag carrier of the United States.


title: Legacy carrier

text: Since the Deregulation Act, many legacy carriers have folded or merged with other carriers. Those that survived now benefit from the fact that low-cost carriers no longer hold large cost advantages over the major legacy carriers. There are currently three U.S.-based legacy carriers left that operate transcontinental and overseas route networks.


title: Legacy carrier

text: A trend among legacy carriers is to outsource short-haul and medium-haul flights to regional airlines. In 2011, 61% of all advertised flights by American, United, and Delta were operated by a regional airline, an increase from 40% in 2000. Another trend is for legacy carriers to aggressively challenge the low cost carriers resulting in some LCCs failing.


title: Legacy carrier

text: The list has shrunk over the years. In 2005 there were four legacy airlines which were under Chapter 11 bankruptcy. More mergers took place in the decade 2010-2019 and more low cost carriers emerged. As of 2020, the list of legacy carriers remaining after 10 years of mergers is as follows:


title: Legacy carrier

text: Through the mid-20th century, the "Big Four" airlines in the United States were American, Eastern, TWA, and United. Additionally, Pan Am focused exclusively on international service and was the unofficial U.S. flag carrier. Many smaller airlines operated concurrently, and some grew into national airlines in the years surrounding the 1979 deregulation.


title: Legacy carrier

text: By the end of 1991, there were seven remaining transcontinental legacy carriers: American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, TWA, United, and USAir. These seven stood for a decade until TWA was incorporated into American in 2001; the remaining six subsequently stood for nearly another decade until three of them were respectively incorporated into the other three during the early 2010s.


title: Garry Moore

text: Garry Moore (born Thomas Garrison Morfit; January 31, 1915 – November 28, 1993) was an American entertainer, comedic personality, game show host, and humorist best known for his work in television. He began a long career with the CBS network starting in radio in 1937. Beginning in 1949 and through the mid-1970s, Moore was a television host on several variety and game shows.


title: Garry Moore

text: After dropping out of high school, Moore found success first as a radio host and later moved to the medium of television. He hosted several daytime and prime time programs titled "The Garry Moore Show", and the game shows "I've Got a Secret" and "To Tell the Truth". He was instrumental in furthering the career of comedic actress Carol Burnett. He became known early in his career for his bow ties and his crew cut fashion.


title: Garry Moore

text: After being diagnosed with throat cancer in 1976, Moore retired from the broadcasting industry, making only a few rare television appearances. He spent the last years of his life in Hilton Head, South Carolina and at his summer home in Northeast Harbor in Maine. He died on November 28, 1993, at the age of 78.


title: Garry Moore

text: Moore was born on January 31, 1915, in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Mason P. Morfit and Mary L. (née Harris) Morfit. He attended Baltimore City College (actually a high school), but dropped out to pursue a career in radio and writing.


title: Garry Moore

text: Beginning in 1937, he worked for Baltimore radio station WBAL as an announcer, writer and actor/comedian. He used his birth name until 1940, when, while on the air announcing "Club Matinee" hosted by Ransom Sherman at NBC, Chicago, Sherman held a radio contest to find a more easily pronounceable one. "Garry Moore" was the winning entry, which was submitted by a woman from Pittsburgh who received a prize of $100.


title: Garry Moore

text: Moore headed "Talent, Ltd.", a variety program on Sunday afternoons in 1941. In the years that followed, Moore appeared on numerous network radio shows. He started out as an announcer and then as support for broadcast personalities, one of whom was Jimmy Durante.


title: Garry Moore

text: From 1943 to 1947, Durante and Moore had a joint show with Moore as the straight man. Impressed with his ability to interact with audiences, CBS offered him his own show. Starting in 1949, the one-hour daytime variety show "The Garry Moore Show" aired on CBS. Moore briefly returned to radio as host of NBC's "Monitor" in 1969.


title: Garry Moore

text: Between 1947 and 1950, Moore began to make tentative steps into the new medium as a panelist and guest host on quiz and musical shows. On June 26, 1950, he was rewarded with his own 30-minute CBS early-evening talk-variety TV program, "The Garry Moore Show", which was a shorter version of his radio show. Until September 1950, it was also simulcast on radio. During 1950 and 1951, he hosted prime-time variety hour summer replacements for "Arthur Godfrey and his Friends". He appeared as a guest star on other programs including CBS's "Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town".


title: Garry Moore

text: During his run as a variety-show host, Moore was tapped to host CBS' weekly prime-time TV panel show "I've Got a Secret". It premiered on June 19, 1952. On this show, Moore began his friendships with comedian Henry Morgan and game show host and panelist Bill Cullen, with whom he had a long working relationship. Morgan later stated that Moore had helped him keep his job as a television host.


title: Garry Moore

text: Moore became known for his involvement in the variety of stunts and demonstrations of the show's contestants. The popularity of "I've Got a Secret" led to a cameo in the 1959 film "It Happened to Jane". In the film, Doris Day's character was a contestant on the show, with Moore and all the panelists playing themselves.


title: Garry Moore

text: Moore's variety program was moved to the daytime slot, where it ran until June 27, 1958. Within three months of the end of the daytime show, Moore and his longtime colleague Durward Kirby moved the revived "The Garry Moore Show" into prime time as a Tuesday night comedy and variety hour that ran from September 30, 1958, to June 14, 1964.


title: Garry Moore

text: Although the show was a bigger hit in prime time, Moore always preferred the daytime housewife audience. He thought it gave lonely housewives something to listen to and watch while they worked. The show provided a break into show business for many performers, including Alan King, Jonathan Winters, Carol Burnett, and Dorothy Loudon. "The Garry Moore Show" featured regular supporting cast members Durward Kirby, Marion Lorne, Denise Lor, and Ken Carson, as well as a mixture of song-and-dance routines and comedy skits. The show also introduced the public to comedienne Carol Burnett. After the show ended, Burnett became a star in her own right, hosting "The Carol Burnett Show", from September 1967 through the spring of 1978.


title: Garry Moore

text: During preparations for an episode of his variety show, Moore and his writing team knew it wasn't going to be a good episode despite staying up late the night before to do rewrites. So, at the start of the show, Moore went out in front of the live audience and flat out told the audience as well as the audience at home that it wasn't going to be a good show and recommended to the home viewing audience to tune in to what was airing on the rival networks that night. Every time a joke would bomb with the audience, Moore would turn to the camera and say, "it's your fault for still watching this!" The home audience was so fascinated by the frank honesty of Moore that they stuck with the episode, and it was one of the highest-rated episodes of the season.


title: Garry Moore

text: "The Garry Moore Show" was cancelled in 1964, and in the summer of that year, after having been on radio and television for 27 uninterrupted years, Moore decided to retire, saying he had "said everything [he] ever wanted to say three times already." He gave up hosting "I've Got a Secret" and was replaced by comedian Steve Allen, who would host the show until the end of its run in 1967 (although Moore had ended his retirement before "I've Got a Secret" left the air, he never returned to the series as host and Allen helmed a subsequent, one-season syndicated revival in 1972). Moore's main activity during his hiatus was a trip around the world with his wife.


title: Garry Moore

text: In 1961, during an episode with Fresh magician Michel de la Vega, Garry Moore was tied up and placed into a trunk. Garry proved to be a very good assistant to the magician and the act went smoothly before the cameras. Audience reaction was so great and immediate that a repeat performance was scheduled. The second presentation brought an even greater flood of mail and telegrams praising the act. By popular demand, Michel was brought back to "l've Got a Secret" for the third time. In 1962, Gary Moore was hypnotized live in "I've Got A Secret" by Michel de la Vega. The French hypnotizer sets Gary Moore's body stretched out over 2 chairs. Michel de la Vega then stands on top of Gary Moore's body showing how rigid it had become in a matter of minutes. It was the first performance of hypnosis on American television.


title: Garry Moore

text: On the tenth anniversary broadcast of "I've Got a Secret", on June 19, 1962, Moore announced that he had recently had an operation on his right hand, and so that was why he was seen shaking hands with his left hand for a few months, protecting his hand from strong handshakes. After an absence of two years, "The Garry Moore Show" returned to the CBS prime-time lineup in the fall of 1966. It was canceled mid-season because of low ratings against NBC's highly rated western "Bonanza."


title: Garry Moore

text: The successful "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" replaced "The Garry Moore Show" in the CBS time slot. Moore then made sporadic television guest appearances such as cameos on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, reunions with Carol Burnett on her program, and serving as a panelist on various game shows, before Mark Goodson asked him to host another series.


title: Garry Moore

text: That show was a revival of "To Tell the Truth", which had ended its run on CBS in 1968. Moore was asked to host a revival of the series for syndication, which launched in September 1969. When "To Tell the Truth" was planned to be revived for syndication, producers Mark Goodson and Bill Todman originally wanted Bud Collyer to host the show once again. But when they called Collyer he declined, citing his poor health.


title: Garry Moore

text: When Goodson and Todman called Moore about the job, he immediately contacted Collyer, who told Moore, "I am just not up to it." Moore often took part in the show's silly and goofy stunts, as he had done on "I've Got a Secret", performing magic tricks and cooking. This led to this version of "To Tell the Truth"'s being compared to "I've Got a Secret". Moore hosted the series from its premiere until the midway point of the 1976–77 season, the revival's eighth.


title: Garry Moore

text: In 1944, Moore recorded six of his radio monologues for Decca, including his classic “Hugh, the Blue Gnu”, his triple-time speed reading of “Little Red Riding Hood”, and a calamity-filled version of “In the Good Old Summertime”. They were released two years later as Decca 444, an album of three 78rpm records titled “Culture Corner”. In 1956, Moore recorded a Columbia LP record album for children. It featured tales by Rudyard Kipling, including "The Elephant's Child" and "How the Camel Got His Hump." Also in 1956, Moore recorded a Columbia LP record album titled "Garry Moore Presents My Kind Of Music," with contributions by jazz musicians George Barnes, Ernie Caceres, Wild Bill Davison, Randy Hall, Mel Henke, and Sonny Terry. In 1965, he also narrated two children's classics for orchestra back-to-back on a single Westminster LP, Saint-Saens' "Carnival of the Animals" and Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf".


title: Garry Moore

text: Moore became ill in 1976 and was diagnosed with throat cancer. He left "To Tell the Truth" shortly before Christmas 1976 to undergo surgery, turning the show over to panelist Bill Cullen. Semiregular panelist Joe Garagiola also acted as the host for several weeks, claiming he was "pinch-hitting" for Moore.


title: Garry Moore

text: Moore returned in September 1977 to begin "To Tell the Truth's" ninth season, to explain his sudden absence and to announce his permanent retirement, explaining that while recovering from his surgery, he believed his throat cancer was a sign that continuing beyond his 42-year career would be "just plain greed". Moore later explained in another interview that he felt comfortable moving on from the world of entertainment. Joe Garagiola hosted the program for the rest of the season, which proved to be its last. After his showbiz retirement, Moore kept getting various offers for more work that he continued to turn down, including frequent phone calls from the producers of "The Love Boat".


title: Garry Moore

text: Moore retired to Hilton Head, South Carolina, where he spent his time sailing, and also at his summer home in Northeast Harbor, Maine. Moore also became a regular humor columnist for the local newspaper "The Island Packet" with a column titled "Mumble, Mumble", later releasing a book of his columns under the same name in the early 1980s. He made two rare television appearances during his retirement, in a 1984 special on game-show bloopers, hosted by William Shatner, and in a 1990 television tribute to Carol Burnett on "Sally".


title: Garry Moore

text: Moore, a constant smoker, died of emphysema at Hilton Head on November 28, 1993, at the age of 78. He was buried in Forest Hill Cemetery in Northeast Harbor, Maine. He was named one of the 15 greatest game-show hosts of all time by "Time".


title: Taifa

text: The taifas (singular taifa, from "ṭā'ifa", plural طوائف "ṭawā'if", a party, band or faction) were the independent Muslim principalities and kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Portugal and Spain), referred to by Muslims as al-Andalus, that emerged from the decline and fall of the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba between 1009 and 1031. They were a recurring feature of al-Andalus history.


title: Taifa

text: The "taifas" were eventually incorporated by the Almoravid dynasty in the late 11th century and, on its collapse, many "taifas" re-appeared only to be incorporated by the Almohad Caliphate. The fall of the Almohads resulted in a flourishing of the "taifas", and this was the case despite constant warfare with Christian kingdoms. Taifa kings were wary of calling themselves “kings,” so they took the title of "hajib", presenting themselves as representatives for a temporarily absent caliph. The "taifa" courts were renowned centres of cultural excellence in which poets, scientists, and other scholars were able to thrive.


title: Taifa

text: Wars between the taifas were common and rulers of Muslim taifas were known to ally with the Iberian Christians (and the North African kingdoms) against European or Mediterranean Christian rulers from outside of al-Andalus. These alliances frequently included payments of large tributes in return for security. Eventually, the taifas of Badajoz, Toledo, Zaragoza, and even Sevilla paid tribute to Alfonso VI. By the end of the 13th century one remained, the Granada, the rest being incorporated into the Christian states of the north.


title: Taifa

text: The Arabic term "mulūk al-ṭawāʾif", meaning "kings of the territorial divisions" or "party kings", was originally used for the regional rulers of the Parthian Empire. This period was treated as an interlude between Alexander's conquest of Persia and the formation of the Sasanian Empire. The negative portrayal of the Parthian period by Muslim historians may have been inherited from Sasanian propaganda. In the 11th century, Ṣāʿid al-Andalusī first applied the term to the regional rulers who appeared after the collapse of Umayyad power in Spain, "whose condition was like that of the "mulūk al-ṭawāʾif" of the Persians". The phrase implied cultural decline.


title: Taifa

text: The corresponding term in Spanish is "reyes de taifas" ("kings of "taifas""), by way of which the Arabic term has entered English (and French) usage.


title: Taifa

text: The origins of the taifas must be sought in the administrative division of the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba, as well in the ethnic division of the elite of this state, divided among Arabs, Berbers, Iberian Muslims (known as "Muladíes" – a significant majority) and the Eastern European former slaves. The most secure rulers were governors of frontier provinces, such as the “Farthest Frontier” of Zaragoza; since these regions had been ruled by families for generations prior to the fall of the caliphate, there was minor immediate impact when the caliphate fell.


title: Taifa

text: During the late 11th century, the Christian rulers of the northern Iberian peninsula set out to retake the lands of the former Visigothic Kingdom that had been conquered by Muslims. By this time the caliphate of Cordova, among the richest and most powerful states in Europe, had suffered a civil war, known as the Fitna of al-Andalus. As a result, it "broke into "taifas", small rival emirates fighting among themselves".


title: Taifa

text: However, the political decline and chaos was not immediately followed by cultural decline. To the contrary, intense intellectual and literary activity grew in some of the larger taifas.


title: Taifa

text: There was a second period when taifas arose, toward the middle of the 12th century, when the Almoravid rulers were in decline.


title: Taifa

text: During the heyday of the taifas, in the 11th century and again in the mid 12th century, their "emirs" (rulers) competed among themselves, not only militarily but also for cultural prestige. They tried to recruit the most famous poets and artisans.


title: Taifa

text: Observers in al-Andalus in the 1080s did not see a decline as likely, much less imminent or probable. However, by the 1090s, popular revolt became a real possibility as the "ulama" accusations against "taifa" kings gained popularity.


title: Taifa

text: Reversing the trend of the Umayyad period, when the Christian kingdoms of the north often had to pay tribute to the Caliph, the disintegration of the Caliphate left the rival Muslim kingdoms much weaker than their Christian counterparts, particularly the Castilian–Leonese monarchy, and many had to submit to them, paying tributes known as "parias".


title: Taifa

text: Due to their military weakness, "taifa" princes appealed for North African warriors to come fight Christian kings on two occasions. The Almoravid dynasty was invited after the fall of Toledo (1085), and the Almohad Caliphate after the fall of Lisbon (1147). Warriors of the "taifas" took part in the Battle of Sagrajas, which resulted in the defeat of the Christians. Nevertheless, the Almoravids and the Almohads did not help the "taifa" emirs but rather annexed their lands to their own North African empires.


title: Taifa

text: In the 1100s, the remnants of the "taifa" dynasties in al-Andalus would join forces with Christian powers as a last attempt to shift momentum back in their favor against the Almoravids.


title: Taifa

text: Certain "taifas" hired Christian mercenaries to fight neighbouring realms (both Christian and Muslim). The most dynamic taifa, which conquered most of its neighbours before the Almoravid invasion, was Seville, which ironically was also the first of the major taifas to fall, followed (somewhat quickly) by Badajoz, Valencia and Zaragoza. Zaragoza was also very powerful and expansive, but inhibited by the neighbouring Christian states of the Pyrenees. Zaragoza, Toledo, and Badajoz had previously been the border military districts of the Caliphate.


title: Taifa

text: After the fall of the Caliphate of Cordoba in 1031 about 33 independent taifas emerged out the civil war and conflict in al-Andalus. Many of the less tenable "taifa" kingdoms had disappeared by the 1030s, having been taken over by more powerful neighboring "taifas." The strongest and largest taifas in this first period (11th century) were the Taifa of Zaragoza, Taifa of Toledo, Taifa of Badajoz and the Taifa of Seville. The most notable taifa to conquer most of its weak neighbours was the Taifa of Seville under the Abbadid dynasty.


title: Sharad Kapoor

text: Sharad Kapoor (born 13 February 1976) is an Indian actor, who works in Hindi and Bengali movies and television. Having debuted in "Mera Pyara Bharat" in 1994, Kapoor has acted in many films throughout his career, including "Jai Ho", "Tamanna", "Lakshya", and "Josh". He also worked as an assistant director on the movie "Lakshmanrekha".


title: Beechcraft Starship

text: The Beechcraft Starship is a twin-turboprop six- to eight-passenger pressurized business aircraft produced by Beech Aircraft Corporation.


title: Beechcraft Starship

text: Development of the Starship began in 1979 when Beech decided to explore designs for a successor to its King Air line of turboprops that would fly faster and carry more passengers. The design was originated by Beechcraft in January 1980 as Preliminary Design 330 (PD 330).


title: Beechcraft Starship

text: Beechcraft President Linden Blue was the executive sponsor of the project at its inception. Max E. Bleck was the Beechcraft President who oversaw its subsequent production. C.R. Stoner, head of Beechcraft’s Experimental division, was the project manager.


title: Beechcraft Starship

text: On August 25, 1982, Beech contracted with Scaled Composites to refine the design and build an 85% scale proof-of-concept (POC) aircraft. One of the significant changes made to the design by Scaled Composites was the addition of variable geometry to the canard.


title: Beechcraft Starship

text: The POC aircraft first flew in August 1983. This aircraft had no pressurization system, no certified avionics, and a different airframe design and material specifications from the planned production Model 2000. Only one POC was built and it has since been scrapped.


title: Beechcraft Starship

text: Prototypes were produced even as development work was continuing—a system demanded by the use of composite materials, as the tooling required is very expensive and has to be built for production use from the outset. Beech built three airworthy full-scale prototypes. NC-1 was used for aerodynamic testing and had an ejection seat and was the only Starship equipped with conventional electro-mechanical avionics. NC-2 was used for avionics and systems testing and NC-3 was used for flight management system and powerplant testing. NC-1 first flew on February 15, 1986.


title: Beechcraft Starship

text: The program was delayed several times, at first due to underestimating the developmental complexity and manufacturing learning curve of the production composite construction, and later due to the technical difficulties of correcting a pitch damping problem and developing the stall-warning system. By the end of development, the Starship had grown larger in cabin volume than the King Air 350 while having the same gross ramp weight of . Starship development cost $300 million. The first production Starship flew on April 25, 1989.


title: Beechcraft Starship

text: The Starship is noteworthy for its carbon fiber composite airframe, canard design, lack of centrally located vertical tail, and pusher engine/propeller configuration.


title: Beechcraft Starship

text: Carbon fiber composite was used to varying degrees on military aircraft, but at the time the Starship was certified, no civilian aircraft certified by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration had ever used it so extensively. Beech chose carbon fiber composite for its durability and high strength-to-weight ratio. According to Beech, the Starship weighs less than it would have if it were built from aluminum. Nonetheless, the empty weight of production aircraft exceeded the target by several thousand pounds.


title: Beechcraft Starship

text: Beech studied several configurations before settling on a canard configuration in early 1980. As configured, the Starship is difficult to stall; the forward surface stalls before the main lifting surface, which allows the nose to drop and more-normal flight to resume.


title: Beechcraft Starship

text: A traditionally located vertical tail would have transmitted propeller noise into the airframe. In its place, directional stability and control is provided by rudders mounted on the winglets. Because of this addition Beechcraft called the winglets "tipsails".


title: Beechcraft Starship

text: Mounting the engines so that the propellers are facing rearward, pushing rather than pulling the aircraft, is done for the purpose of a quieter cabin, since the propellers are further back from the passengers and because vortices from the propeller tips do not strike the fuselage sides. However, the propellers are operating in a turbulent airflow in the pusher configuration (due to airflow past the wings moving aft in vortex sheets) and high-velocity exhaust gases are discharged directly into the propellers, producing more noise where they are than if the propellers had been in a tractor configuration.


title: Beechcraft Starship

text: Flight instrumentation for the Starship included a 14-tube Proline 4 AMS-850 "glass cockpit" supplied by Rockwell Collins, the first application of an all-glass cockpit in a business aircraft.


title: Beechcraft Starship

text: Beech sold only eleven Starships in the three years following its certification. Beech attributed the slow sales to the economic slowdown in the late-1980s, the novelty of the Starship, and the tax on luxury items that was in effect in the United States at the time.


title: Beechcraft Starship

text: The last Starship, NC-53, was produced in 1995. In 2003 Beechcraft said that supporting such a small fleet of airplanes was cost-prohibitive and began scrapping and incinerating the aircraft under its control. The aircraft were sent to the Evergreen Air Center located at the Pinal Airpark in Arizona for destruction. Beech worked with owners of privately owned Starships to replace their airplanes with other Beech aircraft such as the Premier I jet.


title: Beechcraft Starship

text: In 2004, Raytheon sold off its entire inventory of Starship parts to a Starship owner for a fraction of its retail value.


title: Beechcraft Starship

text: Several Starships have been donated to museums since the decommissioning program began. The Kansas Aviation Museum received the first donated aircraft, NC-41, in August 2003 and the Beechcraft Heritage Museum in Tullahoma, TN, received the second donated aircraft, NC-49, in September 2003. NC-42 was donated to the Museum of Flight in Seattle, WA, and is currently on loan to the Future of Flight at Paine Field in Everett, WA. NC-27 was donated to Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon in late 2003 and is currently on static display. NC-23 is on Airline Row at the Pima Air & Space Museum. NC-6 is on display in Liberal, KS, at the Mid-America Air Museum. Aircraft NC-28 is on display at the Queensland Air Museum, after it was used by the Queensland Institute for Aviation Engineering in Caloundra. Aircraft NC-14 is on display outside at the Southern Museum of Flight.


title: Beechcraft Starship

text: , nine Starships hold an active registration with the FAA. Three Starships are registered in Oklahoma (NC-29, NC-35 & NC-45), one in Texas (NC-50), one in Colorado (NC-51), and four are registered to Beechcraft in Wichita, Kansas (NC-2, NC-8, NC-19 & NC-24). NC-51 was used as a chase plane during the re-entry phase of Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne. In October 2008 NC-29 was the first of the five remaining privately owned airworthy Starships to complete RVSM certification, returning the aircraft's service ceiling to the original FL410 limit.


title: Beechcraft Starship

text: Evergreen Air Center sold 24 Starships back to private owners for $50,000 each. Most are being used for parts; however, one of these aircraft has since been made airworthy again. Some former Starship parts have been used on the Epic turboprop kitplane.


title: Beechcraft Starship

text: Salt Lake Community College used a Starship in their Aviation Maintenance program until late 2012 when it was sold and scrapped for parts.


title: Beechcraft Starship

text: As of September 2020, only six Starships remain airworthy. Two of the last remaining airworthy Beechcraft Starships (NC-33 and NC-50) are owned and operated by an engineering firm in Addison, Texas. NC-33 lost its data plate when it was scrapped, was subsequently registered in Mexico, but when brought back to the USA, the FAA revoked its certificate. It is now registered in the experimental category as N903SC. The other airworthy Starships are located in Oklahoma (NC-35 and NC-45), Colorado (NC-51), and Germany (NC-29, though registered with the FAA by a company in Delaware).


title: The Wings Tour

text: The Wings Tour, also known as 2017 BTS Live Trilogy Episode III (Final Chapter): The Wings Tour, was the second worldwide concert tour headlined by the South Korean boy band BTS to promote their second Korean studio album, "Wings" (2016). The tour began on February 18, 2017 and concluded on December 10, 2017 in South Korea. It visited 12 countries including Brazil, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, and the United States. The tour gathered 550,000 fans, making it the band's second biggest tour to date.


title: The Wings Tour

text: On November 18, 2016, BTS released a trailer on YouTube announcing the tour, along with a poster listing the dates for the first two shows held at Gocheok Sky Dome in South Korea. Later, six shows were confirmed in five cities in Chile, Brazil, and the United States.


title: The Wings Tour

text: Tickets for the North American leg sold out within a few minutes. Due to high demand, two additional shows were added for the Prudential Center and the Honda Center. Over 60,000 fans were in attendance at the concerts in Newark, Chicago, and Anaheim. The group went on to sell out their concert in Chile, and became the fastest K-pop group to sell out the Movistar Arena, Chile's largest indoor arena. According to Puntoticket, the Chilean ticket sales and distribution company, BTS' concert was the fastest-selling show in Chile's history, only comparable to Maroon 5’s concert in 2015, selling more than 10,000 tickets in less than 2 hours. On January 13, 2017, BTS announced a second show at the same venue. In Brazil, more than 50,000 fans tried to buy the 14,000 available tickets, which led to protests on Twitter asking for the Brazilian promoters of the tour to move the concerts to a larger venue. BTS sold 44,000 tickets in total across the South American leg of the tour.


title: The Wings Tour

text: On July 27, 2017, BTS announced three finale concerts held in Seoul at Gocheok Sky Dome on December 8–10, 2017. On September 2, 2017, additional dates at Japan's Kyocera Dome were announced for October 14–15, 2017, which were later sold out. It was the first time that the group held dome concerts in Japan since their debut.


title: The Wings Tour

text: The tour received positive reviews from music critics. "Billboard" praised the group's "militarily precise choreography". They also complimented the members' solo stages, stating that "The solitary, reflective showcases moved the audience". "Bucks County Courier Times" wrote that the concert, which "included elaborate dance routines for almost every song, stunning intermission videos and plenty of speeches and antics from the BTS members", was an "incredible experience". "Idolator" highlighted the band's intricate choreography as well as each member's ability to showcase their respective strengths through solo stages. They concluded, "The Wings Tour is the perfect introduction to the professionalism and pageantry of K-Pop. BTS is in a league of their own and the world is starting to realize it". CNN acknowledged BTS as the first K-pop act to sell out arenas in the United States, praising their evolution in the industry.


title: The Wings Tour

text: "The New York Times Magazine" reported on the remarkable success of The Wings Tour in Chile, which sold out in record time. It was revealed that "the band’s online popularity had become so entrenched in Chile that tour promoters didn’t even bother with a traditional media push". It was also reported that the audience's screams alone reached "an earsplitting 127 decibels", the loudest ever recorded at the Movistar Arena. "Manila Bulletin" praised the group's performances and noted the impressive attendance numbers for the show, stating "BTS’ drawing power is no joke".


title: The Wings Tour

text: The Grammys reported on BTS' first dome concerts in Osaka, highlighting that BTS "drew impressive crowds and delivered smashing performances".


title: Konnect Entertainment

text: Konnect Entertainment (; stylized as KONNECT Entertainment) is an independent South Korean entertainment company founded on June 5, 2019 by Kang Daniel. The company is based in the Gangnam District of Seoul in South Korea. As of September 2021, Konnect fully manages solo artists Kang Daniel, Chancellor, and Yuju while domestically managing solo artist CL. It is also home to dance crew We Dem Boyz (WDBZ).


title: Konnect Entertainment

text: Konnect Entertainment was founded on June 5, 2019 as a one-man agency for and by Kang Daniel. The name "Konnect" is a fusion of the words "Korea" and "connect", which reveals his goal to connect Korea to the rest of the world through his future activities.


title: Konnect Entertainment

text: Immediately after the disbandment of project boy group Wanna One, it was revealed that Kang was in a legal dispute with his former agency due to the transfer of his exclusive contract rights to third parties without his prior consent. This dispute resulted in his six-month hiatus from the entertainment industry until the Seoul Central District Court ruled in his favor, allowing the suspension of his contract. This ruling meant that he could pursue individual entertainment activities without any interference from his former agency. After receiving help from multiple experts as well as his lawyers, Kang established both KD Corporation Ltd. and Konnect Entertainment. A representative from the agency revealed that:


title: Konnect Entertainment

text: "Kang decided to go in the direction of establishing a one-man agency after considering every possible angle in terms of what agency structure would best suit his long-term activities. His decision was also heavily influenced by the fact that he wanted to return to his fans, who had waited for a long time, as quickly as possible."


title: Konnect Entertainment

text: During the comeback show for his second EP that aired on Mnet and M2 channels, Kang revealed that his dance team at Konnect Entertainment partially consists of friends that he has known since before his debut. As for KD Corporation Ltd., plans to branch out into various business directions in the future were announced. In February 2020, a cafe on the first floor of Konnect Entertainment's building in the Gangnam District of Seoul called Cafe de Konnect officially opened for business. It held a fan-only event on February 19 and 20 before opening to the public on the following day. The fan event allowed 100 fans to claim a free drink after showing their membership card from Kang's official fancafe on a first-come, first-served basis. In the same month, Kakao Friends released a limited-edition beverage and dessert menu as part of its collaboration line with Kang for three cafes including Cafe de Konnect.


title: Konnect Entertainment

text: In February 2021, Konnect Entertainment announced that it would launch a mobile application for Kang's official fancafe which had previously been located on the company's official website. The app was released for free for iOS on the Apple App Store and for Android on the Google Play Store on March 30, 2021. This marked the first time an artist in Korea had ever released their own app. Developed by Konnect and titled "Kang Daniel", the social networking service has an automatic translation function with 10 translatable languages including: Korean, English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, Malay, Spanish, Portuguese, and Thai. In August 2021, it was announced that singer-songwriter and producer Chancellor had signed an exclusive contract with Konnect Entertainment. The agency confirmed this and said "we will spare no effort to support him so that he can showcase his full potential as a producer and artist". Following her departure from Source Music and the disbandment of South Korean girl group GFriend, former member Yuju signed an exclusive contract with Konnect Entertainment in September 2021.


title: Konnect Entertainment

text: In June 2022, Cafe de Konnect launched a beverage and dessert menu to commemorate the collaboration line between Kang and SpongeBob SquarePants. In the same year, the agency won the APAN K-pop Label Award for "leading the Korean wave" as it promotes the development of K-pop and is active in various fields. Kang, Chancellor, and Yuju each held a special performance at the 2022 APAN Star Awards to commemorate this award as artists of the agency. Following their placement as runner-up on Mnet's "Street Man Fighter" and their long-standing relationship with the agency as Kang's dance team, dance crew We Dem Boyz (WDBZ) officially signed an exclusive contract with Konnect Entertainment in November 2022. In the same month, they were featured on Kang's lead single "Nirvana" from his repackaged album "".


title: Konnect Entertainment

text: In July 2019, Sony Music Korea confirmed that it would take charge as both the investor and distributor of Kang's solo debut extended play (EP), "Color on Me". Since then, the company has continued distributing Kang's subsequent works including his three-part color series: "Cyan", "Magenta", and "Yellow". In June 2022, he started Japanese activities in partnership with Warner Music Japan.


title: Konnect Entertainment

text: In April 2021, South Korean game development company Dalcomsoft revealed its next rhythm game app featuring music from Kang Daniel. Developed by Dalcomsoft Inc. and in collaboration with Konnect Entertainment, the app was released on April 29, 2021 for iOS on the Apple App Store and for Android on the Google Play Store. "Superstar Kang Daniel" is the first version of the app series exclusively made for a solo artist. Two months later, it was announced that CL had signed a domestic management contract with Konnect Entertainment. The agency confirmed that it would be responsible for CL's domestic activities and said "we will actively support CL so that she can carry out her music activities as a top-tier musician". This would work as a partnership agreement between Konnect Entertainment and CL's own label, Very Cherry.


title: Konnect Entertainment

text: In September 2022, South Korean production company Snowballs revealed its next puzzle game app featuring Kang Daniel as the main character. Developed by Snowballs Inc. and in collaboration with Konnect Entertainment, "Starway Kang Daniel" was released on September 29, 2022 for iOS on the Apple App Store and for Android on the Google Play Store.


title: Konnect Entertainment

text: In December 2019, it was revealed that Konnect Entertainment donated 31,000 briquettes to 31 briquette banks nationwide to thank fans for helping those in need on Kang's birthday. In December 2020, Kang and all of his agency staff participated in the Holt Children's Services (HCS) campaign "Please Protect Me" by handcrafting and delivering 100 book covers to the humanitarian organization. Proceeds from the book cover kits bought by Konnect would be used to provide mental and medical care, housing, living, and educational support to children in need.


title: Good Morning Gorgeous

text: Good Morning Gorgeous is the fourteenth studio album by American singer Mary J. Blige, released on February 11, 2022, through 300 Entertainment and her Mary Jane Productions imprint. It marked her first release for 300 Entertainment and her first album that was not released by a subsidiary of Universal Music.


title: Good Morning Gorgeous

text: The album includes collaborations with Anderson .Paak, Dave East, DJ Khaled, Fivio Foreign, and Usher. It was preceded and supported by three singles: "Good Morning Gorgeous", "Amazing" featuring DJ Khaled, and "Rent Money" featuring Dave East.


title: Good Morning Gorgeous

text: The album received six nominations at the 65th Grammy Awards including Album of the Year and Best R&B Album.


title: Good Morning Gorgeous

text: Blige revealed the track listing on January 21, 2022, alongside the release of "Rent Money". Two days after the album release, Blige performed during the Super Bowl LVI halftime show alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Kendrick Lamar.


title: Good Morning Gorgeous

text: Blige released the first two singles, "Good Morning Gorgeous", which peaked at number 83 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, and "Amazing" featuring DJ Khaled, on December 5, 2021. On January 31, 2022, she released the third single, "Rent Money" featuring Dave East. On June 30, she released the fourth single, "Come See About Me" featuring Fabolous.


title: Good Morning Gorgeous

text: "Good Morning Gorgeous" was met with generally favorable reviews from music critic. On review aggregator Metacritic, the album received a score of 75 out of 100 based on 7 reviews.


title: Good Morning Gorgeous

text: Leah Greenblatt, reviewing the album for "Entertainment Weekly," points out that "with her 15th studio album, the queen of hip-hop/soul dives into life as a single woman" because "if 2017's Strength of a Woman was her record about divorce rovisonos, [...] Gorgeous is the sound of an artist slowly re-emerging." Greenblatt writes that "as a songwriter, Blige's gift has never been so much specificity as sincerity, and the songs on Gorgeous deal with topics so familiar that they have worn out like the grooves on a vinyl record: hope, pain, learning to love and let go; [...] in the freedom that comes from no longer having privileged consideration in the pop market."


title: Good Morning Gorgeous

text: "Clash"'s Robin Murray calls the singer "a phenomenon" as "her graceful touch defies time and trends, with her vivid approach pushing toward a more universal sense of connection." Murray, at the end of the review, writes that one hears "a record that exudes charm and grace." Mosi Reeves of "Rolling Stone" writes that "almost all of Blige's 15 albums have a conceptual structure; [...] but Good Morning Gorgeous seems looser than others" in which "the artist carefully avoids the deep melancholy of her past. The music is mostly hopeful and lively, even when the sentiments belie that."


title: Good Morning Gorgeous

text: Less enthusiastic "Pitchfork"'s Eric Torres review, who although finds that the album "a celebratory record that mixes uplifting, soulful affirmations with exercises in contemporary rap and R&B", it has collaboration whitch "come across as scattered, an unfortunate side effect that hinders the album’s invigorating self-empowerment; [...] The album’s assorted collaborations range from solid to baffling".


title: Good Morning Gorgeous

text: In the United States, "Good Morning Gorgeous" debuted at No. 14 on the "Billboard" 200 with 25,000 equivalent album units earned in its first week. It also entered at No. 9 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, becoming Blige's 19th top-10 entry and surpassing Mariah Carey for the second most top-10 titles on the chart.


title: Sisig

text: Sisig ( ) is a Filipino dish made from parts of a pig's face and belly, and chicken liver which is usually seasoned with "calamansi", onions, and chili peppers. It originates from the Pampanga region in Luzon.


title: Sisig

text: "Sisig" is a staple of Kapampangan cuisine. The city government of Angeles, Pampanga, through City Ordinance No. 405, series of 2017, declared sizzling "sisig babi" ("pork "sisig"") as a tangible heritage of Angeles City.


title: Sisig

text: The earliest known record of the word "sisig" can be traced back to 1732, and was recorded by Augustinian friar Diego Bergaño in his "Vocabulary of the Kapampangan Language in Spanish and Dictionary of the Spanish Language in Kapampangan". Bergaño defines "sisig" as a "salad, including green papaya, or green guava eaten with a dressing of salt, pepper, garlic and vinegar." The term "mannisig" as in "mannisig manga", a phrase still used today refers to eating green mangoes dipped in vinegar.


title: Sisig

text: The term also came to be used to a method of preparing fish and meat, especially pork, which is marinated in a sour liquid such as lemon juice or vinegar, then seasoned with salt, pepper and other spices.


title: Sisig

text: It is commonly accepted that the use of the pig's head in the dish came from the excess meat from the commissaries of Clark Air Base in Angeles City. Pig heads were purchased cheap (or free) since they were not used in preparing meals for the U.S. Air Force personnel stationed there during the American Occupation of Luzon and Visayas. Aling Lucing became popular when she grilled the pig's ears and to add her use of the cheeks to accommodate the bigger demand, a recipe she learned from the nextdoor stall owner in Crossing, Ricardo "Bapang Kadok" Dinio. The evolution of "sisig" moved forward when Benedict Pamintuan of Sugay's, a restaurant also in Angeles, thought of using a sizzling plate as a serving vessel so that the pork fat would not go cold and turn into lard when it was served. "Sisig" still has many variations with recipes varying from city to city, and sometimes family to family, in the Kapampangan province.


title: Sisig

text: Lucia Cunanan of Angeles, also known as "Aling Lucing", has been credited with reinventing "sisig" by grilling the pig's ears, and using the cheeks as well. The Philippine Department of Tourism has acknowledged that her "Aling Lucing's" restaurant had established Angeles as the "Sisig Capital of the Philippines" in 1974. Cunanan's trademark "sisig" was developed in mid-1974 when she served a concoction of grilled and chopped pig ears and cheeks seasoned with vinegar, calamansi juice, chopped onions and chicken liver and served in hot plates. Today, varieties include "sisig ala pizzailo", pork combination, green mussels or "tahong", mixed seafood, ostrich "sisig", crocodile sisig, spicy python, frog "sisig" and "tokwa't baboy", among others.


title: Sisig

text: According to Cunanan's recipe, preparing "sisig" comes in three phases: boiling, broiling and finally grilling. A pig's head is first boiled to remove hairs and to tenderize it. Portions of it are then chopped and grilled or broiled. Finally, coarsely chopped onions are added and served on a sizzling plate.


title: Sisig

text: Variations of "sisig" may include pork or chicken liver and/or any of the following: eggs, ox brains, "chicharon" (pork cracklings), and mayonnaise; although these additions are common nowadays, they are frowned upon by the traditionalist chefs of Pampanga as it deviates far from the identity of the original sisig. Recently, local chefs have experimented with ingredients other than pork such as chicken, squid, tuna, and tofu.


title: Sisig

text: The annual "Sisig Festival" ("Sadsaran Qng Angeles") is held every year during December in Angeles, Pampanga, celebrating the "Kapampangan" dish. It started in 2003 and was made an annual festival by Mayor Carmelo Lazatin in December 2004 to promote the city's culinary prowess. The festival also features a contest where chefs compete in making dishes, primarily "sisig". Congo Grille, a restaurant chain in the country, was the winner in 2006.


title: Sisig

text: In 2008, the festival was put on hiatus following Aling Lucing's death. In 2014, Ayala Malls's Marquee Mall incorporated the festival by including it within their annual Big Bite! Northern Food Festival, held every October or November.


title: Sisig

text: The Angeles City Tourism Office organized a festival on April 29, 2017. The revival of the festival was in line with the Philippine Department of Tourism's Flavors of the Philippines campaign. Now called "Sisig Fiesta", the festivities were held at Valdes Street, Angeles (also known as "Crossing" since it was a former railroad track), where Aling Lucing reinvented the dish. The newly revived Sisig Fiesta was a one-day event that featured a line up of "sisig" sampler banquet, "sisig" and BBQ stalls, cooking demonstrations with celebrity chefs, and a showcase of Angeleño culinary talent through competitions.


title: Cheryl Baker

text: Rita Maria Stroud ("née" Crudgington; born 8 March 1954), known professionally as Cheryl Baker, is an English singer and television presenter. She was a member of 1980s pop group Bucks Fizz, who won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and now performs under The Fizz. The group had 20 singles reach the UK top 60 between 1981 and 1988, including three number one hits with "Making Your Mind Up" (1981), "The Land of Make Believe" (1981) and "My Camera Never Lies" (1982). Baker left the group in 1993. She had previously represented the UK at the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest as a member of the band Co-Co.


title: Cheryl Baker

text: In 2004, she began performing alongside Shelley Preston and fellow original Bucks Fizz member Mike Nolan as The Original Bucks Fizz. Preston was replaced by original Bucks Fizz member Jay Aston in 2009. Due to a legal dispute in 2011, the group renamed themselves Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston, formerly of Bucks Fizz. In 2017 they re-branded themselves as "The Fizz" and are working on new material.


title: Cheryl Baker

text: Cheryl Baker was born as Rita Maria Crudgington on 8 March 1954 in Bethnal Green, London. After leaving school and a series of secretarial jobs in the shipping industry, she began her professional singing career with the band Co-Co. The group entered "" in 1976 with the song "Wake Up". They came second, being beaten by (eventual Eurovision winners) Brotherhood of Man by two points.


title: Cheryl Baker

text: The group continued to perform together and in 1978, they entered "A Song for Europe" again with "The Bad Old Days". This time they won and went on to perform for the UK in Paris. The song managed 11th place – the lowest placing by a UK entry up to that point. The song became a hit single, reaching 13 in the UK Singles Chart. On the back of this, the group released their first (and only) album as well as further singles. None of these found any success.


title: Cheryl Baker

text: In 1980, the group tried for Eurovision one more time. Now under a new name, The Main Event, their song "Gonna Do My Best" came last in "A Song for Europe" and soon afterwards, the group disbanded.


title: Cheryl Baker

text: A few months later, Baker was contacted by Nichola Martin, who was setting up a new group under the name Bucks Fizz, with a view to entering a song "Making Your Mind Up" into the "Song For Europe" in 1981. Joined by Mike Nolan, Bobby G and Jay Aston, Baker performed the song at the contest and won. On 4 April 1981, Baker represented the UK again at the "Eurovision Song Contest". The song went on to win by a margin of four points and Bucks Fizz were catapulted into overnight stardom.


title: Cheryl Baker

text: By winning the contest, Baker became only the third singer to represent the UK twice, following in the footsteps of Ronnie Carroll and Cliff Richard. This feat, however, was matched once again the following year, by Sally Ann Triplett. When Bucks Fizz went on to win the "1981 Eurovision Song Contest" with the song "Making Your Mind Up", Baker thus became one of the few artists to take part in Eurovision to win at their second attempt. According to "The Eurovision Song Contest – The Official History" by John Kennedy O'Connor, Baker also made the second single biggest improvement by any Eurovision competitor in the contest, moving up from eleventh in 1978 to 1st in 1981.


title: Cheryl Baker

text: "Making Your Mind Up" became a No.1 hit in many countries, including the UK and began a run of success for the group for the next five years. Baker along with the group toured the world and gained many hit singles and albums, including two more British No.1s; "The Land of Make Believe" and "My Camera Never Lies". Bucks Fizz became established as one of the biggest groups of the 1980s.


title: Cheryl Baker

text: On 11 December 1984, Baker was involved in a serious crash in Newcastle upon Tyne, while on tour with the group, when the tour bus crashed into a lorry. She was injured and rushed to hospital. Although she broke three vertebrae in her spine, she made a speedy recovery. Colleague Mike Nolan, however, suffered serious head injuries, prompting Baker to help establish the 'HeadFirst' charity which supports crash victims, specifically those with head injuries. Baker continues to raise money for the charity.


title: Cheryl Baker

text: In the mid-1980s, while still with the group, Baker embarked on a career in television presenting. She joined "Record Breakers" as a co-host alongside the long-serving Roy Castle in 1987, continuing alongside new hosts after Castle's death in 1994, finally leaving the show in 1997 after 10 years.


title: Cheryl Baker

text: She continued her singing and television careers in tandem, although always maintained that singing was her first love. Bucks Fizz scored their final hit in 1988, and in the same year, Baker began presenting her own TV show "Eggs 'n' Baker". This went on to run for five years.


title: Cheryl Baker

text: During this time, she also released two solo singles "If Paradise Is Half as Nice" in 1987 and "Sensuality" in 1992, although neither of these found chart success.


title: Cheryl Baker

text: Still touring with the group, Baker finally quit Bucks Fizz in December 1993 to concentrate on raising a family. After leaving Bucks Fizz, Baker carried on presenting "Record Breakers" as well as other television work. In 1997 she became the subject of the TV Biography show "This Is Your Life". Into the 2000s, Baker made many guest appearances on television. She has also participated in a number of reality television shows, such as "Drop the Celebrity" (which she won), "24-Hour Quiz" (which she also won) and "I'm Famous and Frightened!".


title: Cheryl Baker

text: For the "Eurovision Song Contest 2005", she read out the points from the United Kingdom. In the EBU's 50th anniversary celebration of the show "Congratulations", she introduced the song "Waterloo" by ABBA. Later on during the same programme, she sang Bucks Fizz's winning song "Making Your Mind Up" live with Mike Nolan and Shelley Preston.


title: Cheryl Baker

text: In 2006, Baker played the role of Vi Moore in the London production of "Footloose", the musical based on the 1984 motion picture of the same name, at the Novello Theatre. In 2009 she directed a youth production of "Footloose" in Sevenoaks, playing to sell out audiences. In 2007 she played the part of Ida in the musical "Honk!" and in 2008 she was seen in the role of Mrs Mayor in a touring production of "Seussical the Musical". The tour visited many towns in the South East of England.


title: Cheryl Baker

text: In June 2011, she reached the final of the ITV series "Popstar to Operastar", where she was beaten into second place by Joe McElderry. In 2011, Baker appeared in an episode of "All Star Family Fortunes". On 5 January 2013, Baker appeared on "Celebrity Mastermind". She also appeared on "" on 23 May 2015 with Dana Rosemary Scallon as her partner.


title: Cheryl Baker

text: On 31 October 2017, Baker was confirmed as the second celebrity to take part in the tenth series of "Dancing on Ice". She was eliminated on 4 February 2018.


title: Cheryl Baker

text: Since 2004, Baker has been performing selected gigs with Nolan and Preston under the name The Original Bucks Fizz and alongside the other original members, Bobby G and Jay Aston, appeared in the video for Comic Relief's 2007 single, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)". A Bucks Fizz CD with a bonus DVD, "The Very Best of Bucks Fizz" was released on 14 May 2007. A new CD of rare material "The Lost Masters 2 – The Final Cut" was released on 19 May 2008. In April 2009, Preston announced she was leaving The Original Bucks Fizz and has now been replaced by other original member Aston. This would be the first time Baker had performed with Aston since 1985.


title: Cheryl Baker

text: Baker still raises money for HeadFirst and regularly makes personal appearances on behalf of the charity, such as on "Celebrity Cash in the Attic" in July 2008. She has also campaigned on behalf of IVF treatment and cleaner NHS hospitals.


title: Cheryl Baker

text: In 2008, Baker became an Ambassador of Festival4Stars talent competition after she judged a national final. On 28 April 2009, she appeared on "Loose Women" to speak about the competition. During 2009 Baker toured with the musical "Menopause".


title: Cheryl Baker

text: In 2011, Baker undertook a mini tour of the UK with The Original Bucks Fizz, including a concert at the London Palladium on 11 July 2011. In 2012, The Original Bucks Fizz released the album "Fame & Fortune?".


title: Cheryl Baker

text: Since 2016, Baker has been performing with fellow Bucks Fizz members Jay Aston and Mike Nolan (singer) under The Fizz. They perform sell out shows and have released several well-received albums.


title: Cheryl Baker

text: Baker has three brothers, Eddie, Colin and Gary, and a sister, Sheila. She married bass player Steve Stroud in Lewisham, London, on 25 January 1992. Their twin daughters, Kyla Olivia and Natalie Maria, were born in Westminster, London, on 20 June 1994. She lives in Ightham, Kent.


title: Cheryl Baker

text: In 2006 she spoke out about her experiencing the menopause and resulting hair loss. She has also spoken of her weight fluctuations over the years. During 2010 and 2011 she took part in a diet and advertising campaign for Jenny Craig Inc., where after nine months had lost two-and-a-half stone. In association with this she ran and completed the London Marathon for the charity Head First.


title: Fused quartz

text: Fused quartz, fused silica or quartz glass is a glass consisting of almost pure silica (silicon dioxide, SiO) in amorphous (non-crystalline) form. This differs from all other commercial glasses in which other ingredients are added which change the glasses' optical and physical properties, such as lowering the melt temperature. Fused quartz, therefore, has high working and melting temperatures, making it less desirable for most common applications.


title: Fused quartz

text: The terms fused quartz and fused silica are used interchangeably, but can refer to different manufacturing techniques, as noted below, resulting in different trace impurities. However fused quartz, being in the glassy state, has quite different physical properties compared to crystalline quartz. Due to its physical properties it finds specialty uses in semiconductor fabrication and laboratory equipment, for instance.


title: Fused quartz

text: Compared to other common glasses, the optical transmission of pure silica extends well into the ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths, so is used to make lenses and other optics for these wavelengths. Depending on manufacturing processes, impurities will restrict the optical transmission, resulting in commercial grades of fused quartz optimized for use in the infrared, or (then more often referred to as fused silica) in the ultraviolet. The low coefficient of thermal expansion of fused quartz makes it a useful material for precision mirror substrates.


title: Fused quartz

text: Fused quartz is produced by fusing (melting) high-purity silica sand, which consists of quartz crystals. There are four basic types of commercial silica glass:


title: Fused quartz

text: Quartz contains only silicon and oxygen, although commercial quartz glass often contains impurities. Two dominant impurities are aluminium and titanium which affect the optical transmission at ultraviolet wavelengths. If water is present in the manufacturing process, hydroxyl (OH) groups may become embedded which reduces transmission in the infrared.


title: Fused quartz

text: Melting is effected at approximately 2200 °C (4000 °F) using either an electrically heated furnace (electrically fused) or a gas/oxygen-fuelled furnace (flame-fused). Fused silica can be made from almost any silicon-rich chemical precursor, usually using a continuous process which involves flame oxidation of volatile silicon compounds to silicon dioxide, and thermal fusion of the resulting dust (although alternative processes are used). This results in a transparent glass with an ultra-high purity and improved optical transmission in the deep ultraviolet. One common method involves adding silicon tetrachloride to a hydrogen–oxygen flame.


title: Fused quartz

text: Fused quartz is normally transparent. The material can, however, become translucent if small air bubbles are allowed to be trapped within. The water content (and therefore infrared transmission) of fused quartz is determined by the manufacturing process. Flame-fused material always has a higher water content due to the combination of the hydrocarbons and oxygen fuelling the furnace, forming hydroxyl [OH] groups within the material. An IR grade material typically has an [OH] content below 10 ppm.


title: Fused quartz

text: Many optical applications of fused quartz exploit its wide transparency range, which can extend well into the ultraviolet and into the near-mid infrared. Fused quartz is the key starting material for optical fiber, used for telecommunications.


title: Fused quartz

text: Because of its strength and high melting point (compared to ordinary glass), fused quartz is used as an envelope for halogen lamps and high-intensity discharge lamps, which must operate at a high envelope temperature to achieve their combination of high brightness and long life. Some high-power vacuum tubes used silica envelopes whose good transmission at infrared wavelengths facilitated radiation cooling of their incandescent anodes.


title: Fused quartz

text: Because of its physical strength, fused quartz was used in deep diving vessels such as the bathysphere and benthoscope and in the windows of crewed spacecraft, including the Space Shuttle and International Space Station.


title: Fused quartz

text: In the semiconductor industry, its combination of strength, thermal stability, and UV transparency makes it an excellent substrate for projection masks for photolithography. Its UV transparency also finds use as windows on EPROMs (erasable programmable read only memory), a type of non-volatile memory chip which is erased by exposure to strong ultraviolet light. EPROMs are recognizable by the transparent fused quartz (although some later models use UV-transparent resin) window which sits on top of the package, through which the silicon chip is visible, and which transmits UV light for erasing.


title: Fused quartz

text: Due to the thermal stability and composition, it is used in 5D optical data storage and in semiconductor fabrication furnaces.


title: Fused quartz

text: Fused quartz has nearly ideal properties for fabricating first surface mirrors such as those used in telescopes. The material behaves in a predictable way and allows the optical fabricator to put a very smooth polish onto the surface and produce the desired figure with fewer testing iterations. In some instances, a high-purity UV grade of fused quartz has been used to make several of the individual uncoated lens elements of special-purpose lenses including the Zeiss 105 mm f/4.3 UV Sonnar, a lens formerly made for the Hasselblad camera, and the Nikon UV-Nikkor 105 mm f/4.5 (presently sold as the Nikon PF10545MF-UV) lens. These lenses are used for UV photography, as the quartz glass can be transparent at much shorter wavelengths than lenses made with more common flint or crown glass formulas.


title: Fused quartz

text: Fused quartz can be metallised and etched for use as a substrate for high-precision microwave circuits, the thermal stability making it a good choice for narrowband filters and similar demanding applications. The lower dielectric constant than alumina allows higher impedance tracks or thinner substrates.


title: Fused quartz

text: Fused quartz as an industrial raw material is used to make various refractory shapes such as crucibles, trays, shrouds, and rollers for many high-temperature thermal processes including steelmaking, investment casting, and glass manufacture. Refractory shapes made from fused quartz have excellent thermal shock resistance and are chemically inert to most elements and compounds, including virtually all acids, regardless of concentration, except hydrofluoric acid, which is very reactive even in fairly low concentrations. Translucent fused-quartz tubes are commonly used to sheathe electric elements in room heaters, industrial furnaces, and other similar applications.


title: Fused quartz

text: Owing to its low mechanical damping at ordinary temperatures, it is used for high-Q resonators, in particular, for wine-glass resonator of hemispherical resonator gyro. For the same reason fused quartz is also the material used for modern glass instruments such as the glass harp and the verrophone, and is also used for new builds of the historical glass harmonica, giving these instruments a greater dynamic range and a clearer sound than with the historically used lead crystal.


title: Fused quartz

text: Quartz glassware is occasionally used in chemistry laboratories when standard borosilicate glass cannot withstand high temperatures or when high UV transmission is required. The cost of production is significantly higher, limiting its use; it is usually found as a single basic element, such as a tube in a furnace, or as a flask, the elements in direct exposure to the heat.


title: Fused quartz

text: The extremely low coefficient of thermal expansion, about (20–320 °C), accounts for its remarkable ability to undergo large, rapid temperature changes without cracking (see thermal shock).


title: Fused quartz

text: Fused quartz is prone to phosphorescence and "solarisation" (purplish discoloration) under intense UV illumination, as is often seen in flashtubes. "UV grade" synthetic fused silica (sold under various tradenames including "HPFS", "Spectrosil", and "Suprasil") has a very low metallic impurity content making it transparent deeper into the ultraviolet. An optic with a thickness of 1 cm has a transmittance around 50% at a wavelength of 170 nm, which drops to only a few percent at 160 nm. However, its infrared transmission is limited by strong water absorptions at 2.2 μm and 2.7 μm.