title: Northwestern Wildcats football

text: In 2015, Wildcats began the season without receiving a single vote in the AP poll. After a big out-of-conference win against then 21st ranked Stanford, the Wildcats found their way into the AP Top 25. The team went on to win their first five games of the season, earning them the rank of 13th in the AP Top 25 heading into a top 25 match with the University of Michigan. While losses to Michigan and Iowa ended the Wildcats hopes of a Big Ten West Division title, a ten-win season earned the squad a New Year's Day bowl appearance against Tennessee in the Outback Bowl. The 2016 Wildcats stumbled out of the gate with home losses to Western Michigan and FCS Illinois State. After opening Big Ten play with a loss to Nebraska, the Cats fell to 1–3. Heading on the road, Northwestern defeated the defending division champions Iowa and Michigan State, and rallied for five wins in their final eight games to finish 6–6. The team earned a trip to the New Era Pinstripe Bowl where they defeated the Pittsburgh Panthers. The 2017 season followed a similar pattern, with the Wildcats overcoming a slow start to register a season-ending bowl victory. Back-to-back losses to Wisconsin and Penn State to start Big Ten play left the Cats at 2–3 overall, but the squad closed the season on an eight-game winning streak, capped by a win over the Kentucky Wildcats in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl. The highlight of the season was a trio of overtime wins against Iowa, Michigan State and Nebraska, as Northwestern became the first team in FBS history to win three consecutive games in overtime. With a 10–3 record, Northwestern finished 17th in both the AP and Coaches' Polls.


title: Northwestern Wildcats football

text: In 2018, Northwestern captured the Big Ten West division title for the first time in school history, finishing with an 8–1 mark in conference play. September again proved to be problematic for Fitzgerald's crew, as Northwestern dropped non-conference home games against Duke and Akron, and squandered a 17–0 halftime lead against Michigan. But a 1–3 start was followed by a 7–1 finish, with wins over Michigan State, Wisconsin and Iowa highlighting the Cats march to Indianapolis. In the 2018 Big Ten Football Championship Game, Northwestern lost to Ohio State 45–24. Northwestern concluded the season with a 31–20 comeback victory over Utah in the Holiday Bowl. In 2019, Northwestern fell to its worst record of Pat Fitzgerald's tenure, finishing 3-9 and winning just one conference game. Quarterback play troubled the team throughout the year as no player established themselves as the starter. Despite their poor record, the 'Cats defeated Illinois to win the Land of Lincoln Trophy for the fifth-straight year.


title: Northwestern Wildcats football

text: Prior to the 2020 season, former Indiana starting quarterback Peyton Ramsey joined NU as a graduate transfer, solving 2019's quarterback troubles. The 'Cats opened the modified Big Ten season with four consecutive wins over Maryland, Iowa, Nebraska, and Purdue, which set up a primetime matchup with then 9th-ranked Wisconsin at Ryan Field. After winning the game 17–7, the team debuted at #8 in the College Football Playoff rankings, their highest-ever ranking. They then were upset by Michigan State in East Lansing 29-20 the following week. Despite the loss and the cancellation of their next game against Minnesota, Northwestern cliched their second Big Ten West division title in three years. They closed the regular season with their sixth consecutive win over Illinois and advanced to meet Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game. The 'Cats led at halftime but ultimately fell to the Buckeyes 22–10. After a successful regular season, Northwestern travelled to Orlando to play Auburn in the Citrus Bowl, where they won 35-19 and sent retiring defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz out with his 400th career win, ending a 51-year coaching career, including 13 seasons at NU. The 'Cats finished the year ranked #10 in the AP poll, their highest final ranking since 1995.


title: Northwestern Wildcats football

text: Northwestern played Nebraska on August 27th to start the 2022 season in Dublin, Ireland, the team's first ever international game.


title: Northwestern Wildcats football

text: Northwestern is a charter member of the Big Ten Conference and has competed in the league since the conference's establishment in 1896. The Wildcats have won eight Big Ten titles, six shared and two outright.


title: Northwestern Wildcats football

text: The Big Ten Conference split its conference members into 2 divisions starting in the 2011 season, with the addition of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Northwestern won their first division title in school history in 2018.


title: Northwestern Wildcats football

text: The Wildcats have appeared in 16 bowl games, posting a record of 6–10. They had 9 consecutive bowl losses which tied them with Notre Dame for the longest bowl losing streak of all time, which they ended in the 2013 Gator Bowl.


title: Northwestern Wildcats football

text: There have been 29 head coaches since the inaugural team in 1882, with Pat Fitzgerald being the current head coach.


title: Northwestern Wildcats football

text: The Illinois Fighting Illini are the Wildcats' most natural rival. The series dates back to 1892 and the two schools have played annually since 1927, with the Illini holding a 55–49–5 overall advantage. In April 2010, a deal was reached for the annual rivalry game to be played at Wrigley Field on November 20, 2010.


title: Northwestern Wildcats football

text: Since 2009, the schools have competed for the Land of Lincoln Trophy. From 1947 through 2008, the teams competed for the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk Trophy, since retired as part of a ruling by the NCAA requiring Illinois to purge Native American imagery from their athletics. The origins of the trophy derived from a wooden cigar store Indian named Sweet Sioux, which was stolen and replaced by a tomahawk. The Sweet Sioux Tomahawk permanently remains in Evanston.


title: Northwestern Wildcats football

text: The NU-Illinois rivalry was protected during the 2011-2013 Big Ten divisional alignment into the Legends and Leaders divisions, while Illinois was in the Leaders division and Northwestern was in the Legends division. The two schools continued to meet as a protected crossover on an annual basis, similar to Michigan-Ohio State. With the start of the 2014 season, the conference realigned the divisions geographically into West and East to accommodate the entry of Maryland and Rutgers, so the NU-Illinois rivalry became a regular divisional matchup instead of a crossover.


title: Northwestern Wildcats football

text: Starting in the 1920s, Northwestern and Notre Dame played for a Shillelagh until the mid-1970s. The trophy game was created at the behest of Knute Rockne, who wanted a rivalry in the Chicago area to help build Notre Dame's fan base in the area. NU and ND stopped playing regularly after the 1970s, though the rivalry was renewed from 1992 to 1995. When NU stunned Notre Dame as a 28-point underdog in 1995, the "Chicago Sun-Times" billed it as the "Upset of the Century.". Notre Dame leads the series 38–9–2. The two schools renewed their rivalry in 2014 in the first of a two-game series with Northwestern traveling to South Bend and upsetting Notre Dame 43–40 in overtime. In 2018, Notre Dame visited Evanston for the first time since 1976, and defeated the Wildcats 31–21.


title: Northwestern Wildcats football

text: From 1897 to 1926 Northwestern forged an intense rivalry with the University of Chicago during the early years of the program. Northwestern and Chicago share the city of Chicago – representing the "north side" and the "south side", respectively. They were the only two private institutions in the Big Ten before Chicago left the conference and are both considered elite universities with especially strong academic and professional rivalries in economics, business, medicine, and law.


title: Northwestern Wildcats football

text: NU earned the nickname "Wildcats" from a reporter covering the 1924 NU-Chicago game. The final game of the series, a 38-7 NU win in 1926, helped transfer the Chicago football focus from the Maroons to the Wildcats, where it remained until the Chicago Bears gained popularity in the mid-1950s Chicago dropped football in 1939 and withdrew from the Big Ten in 1946.


title: Northwestern Wildcats football

text: Northwestern and Michigan first played each other in 1892. In 2021, the two universities announced the creation of a new rivalry trophy to be awarded to the game's winner, the George Jewett Trophy. The trophy honors George Jewett, the first African-American player in Big Ten Conference history, who played for both schools. The game is the first FBS rivalry game named for an African-American player. Michigan holds a 58–15-2 advantage in the all-time series through the 2020 season.


title: Northwestern Wildcats football

text: In 1928, Northwestern added a unique sleeve-stripe pattern to its jerseys: a narrow stripe, over a wide center stripe, over a narrow stripe. The jersey was considered one of the first modern football uniforms, and was soon replicated across football. The sleeve striping was such a fixture of the program that the pattern eventually became known as "Northwestern stripes." Northwestern stripes have not always appeared on NU football jerseys, though the team's current uniforms sport the pattern. The endzones at Ryan Field also sport the pattern.


title: Northwestern Wildcats football

text: Even before the Wildcats became the official school nickname for NU, a caged live bear cub named Furpaw was the team's mascot. In 1923, however, the team had a bad season and decided the mascot was bad luck. During the following season, the nickname Wildcats was officially adopted by the university after the team's defense was described as a "wall of Purple wildcats" by "Chicago Sun-Times" writer Wallace Abbey. Previously, the team was either known as the Purple or the Fighting Methodists. In 1933, the NU athletic department and an ad agency, created the first image of Willie the Wildcat, though he did not come to life until 1947 when Alpha Delta fraternity members dressed up as the mascot.


title: Northwestern Wildcats football

text: Since 1992, when Barnett decided to move the team's preseason practices off-campus, NU has conducted Camp Kenosha, its preseason camp on the campus of University of Wisconsin–Parkside in Kenosha, Wisconsin.


title: Northwestern Wildcats football

text: Starting with the 1995 season, the clockface of the Rebecca Crown Tower on the NU campus would change from white to purple following an NU win. Since the 1997 season, if the Wildcats win their final game of the season, the clock will remain purple for the entire off-season. In the past few years, the tradition has been expanded to honor championships in other NU varsity sports including lacrosse and tennis.


title: Northwestern Wildcats football

text: The students and the Northwestern University Wildcat Marching Band generally sit in one section near the goal line. The cheerleaders and marching band lead the students with certain cheers, such as "Go U, NU", and "Let's go 'Cats!" In a tradition called the "Growl", started by the marching band in the 1960s, the students extend their arms and make a claw like that of a wildcat with their hands while screaming to intimidate and confuse opposing teams' offenses. Northwestern students also sing the fight song after scoring. The "Alma Mater" (the traditional school song, different from the fight song, "Go U Northwestern") is usually sung at the end of the game and played by the marching band at halftime


title: Northwestern Wildcats football

text: Cheerleaders, along with Willie the Wildcat and the marching band's "SpiriTeam", perform push-ups after every touchdown, equal to Northwestern's cumulative score. While many mascots do push-ups after touchdowns, the unique aspect at NU is that the student section will follow suit, usually hoisting selected fellow students up into the air while in the stands, counting out the number of NU points on the scoreboard.


title: Northwestern Wildcats football

text: Before the 4th quarter of Northwestern football games a video screen plays the song "Put Your Hands Up in the Air" by Danzel, preceded by an announcement by a local celebrity. Celebrity announcers have included Pat Fitzgerald, Brian Urlacher, Mike Ditka, and Patrick Kane. The tradition was discontinued after the 2015 season but was reinstated in 2017.


title: Northwestern Wildcats football

text: presented to the top FBS football program for graduation rate: 1998, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017


title: Northwestern Wildcats football

text: Northwestern has a unique media policy in which its student radio station, WNUR, broadcasts games with Northwestern students as announcers. Commercial broadcasts are handled by WGN (AM), with longtime Wildcat radio announcer Dave Eanet handling play-by-play and Ted Albrecht as color commentator.


title: Simran (film)

text: Simran is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language heist drama film directed by Hansal Mehta in a screenplay written by Apurva Asrani. Loosely based on the real- life story of Sandeep Kaur, the film stars Kangana Ranaut as Praful Patel, a divorcee, who loses her savings in a gambling bout. She takes a loan in order to repair the damage but when she is unable to repay it, she finds herself drawn into a life of crime. Hiten Kumar, Kishori Shahane and Sohum Shah are featured in supporting roles.


title: Simran (film)

text: "Simran" was released worldwide on 15 September 2017. The film was met with generally positive reviews from the film critics; Ranaut's performance was widely praised, though the film drew some mixed reviews and criticism for its screenplay and execution. Critics like Baradwaj Rangan and Stutee Ghosh listed Ranaut as the Best Actress of the year 2017 for her performance in "Simran". It became a commercial failure grossing 27.25 crore globally against the budget of 28 crore. The film was deemed a box office disappointment owing to Ranaut's star power. For her performance, Ranaut received a nomination for the Screen Award for Best Actress.


title: Simran (film)

text: Praful Patel (Kangana Ranaut) is a young divorcee who lives with her parents and works in the housekeeping department in one of the five-star hotels of Atlanta, Georgia, USA.


title: Simran (film)

text: She shares a bitter relationship with her dad who is always blaming her for her mistakes in the past, instead of giving her moral support; so now, Praful wants to move out and buy her own house.


title: Simran (film)

text: She has applied for a loan and her loan gets pre-approved. In the meantime, Praful decides to go with her cousin on a trip to Las Vegas (her cousin pays for all tickets and accommodations).


title: Simran (film)

text: In Las Vegas, she plays baccarat for the first time and wins big in her first few rounds. She quickly gets addicted to the game. The next day, she returns to the casino but ends up losing not only the money she won the previous day but a large chunk of her savings also.


title: Simran (film)

text: Praful then returns to Atlanta after a week, only to find out that her bank application to the bank has been rejected as her credit rating is very low. Praful seeks her father's help but he insists that she should meet a young man named Sameer (Sohum Shah) who has been selected as her suitor.


title: Simran (film)

text: After meeting with the suitor, she has mixed feelings about marriage and agrees to get engaged. However, her addiction to gambling takes a toll on her and Praful gives her last shot to gambling and goes back to Vegas.


title: Simran (film)

text: Unfortunately, she ultimately loses all her savings so a private money lender spots Praful (who is now drunk) in the casino and offers her money. The drunk Praful – not in her right senses- takes $32,000 from the moneylender and in exchange gives him her driving license.


title: Simran (film)

text: Praful loses all that borrowed money (along with her hard-earned savings) and has to return penniless to her home.


title: Simran (film)

text: Praful tries to explain to her father her bad situation and needing his financial help, but in fear of retaliation and hostility, she is reluctant. Her parents want her to begin her wedding preparations and plans with Sameer, who by now gets impressed by her personality.


title: Simran (film)

text: At a relative's wedding, Praful and Sameer meet again and dance, and get to know each other. However, Praful is threatened by the loan sharks to pay within 10 days or face death, so she is disturbed and anxious, unable to concentrate on her wedding plans.


title: Simran (film)

text: Therefore, Praful develops the habit of stealing whereby first she disguises herself (wearing oversized sunglasses and a hood) and approaches a cashier at a gas station shop. She collects only $10,000 so she has to go and rob a bank (which she learns how to on YouTube), with a disguise, and hands a note written with red lipstick that says money should be given to her otherwise she will blow the whole bank as she is strapped to a bomb.


title: Simran (film)

text: Praful's second robbery gets foiled by a bank manager who bumps into her when she tries to rob the bank similarly. When the manager asks her name, Praful tells her name 'Simran', the name of a popular character from an Indian blockbuster film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge which her mother ultimately watches often.


title: Simran (film)

text: Although Praful's plan to rob the bank gets foiled, she manages to escape and similarly robs another bank.


title: Simran (film)

text: Praful Patel has now become a most wanted criminal with the name 'Simran – The Lipstick Bandit'. Despite robbing 3 to 4 banks successfully, Praful is still short of collecting fifty thousand dollars.


title: Simran (film)

text: Meanwhile, Praful develops a liking towards Sameer, and confides in him her bad habits of gambling and stealing which he does not take seriously, thinking it is some kind of a joke. Trouble comes back when loan sharks attack Praful in her hotel for the money and Praful's ex-boyfriend Mike – the general manager of the hotel steals the money from her locker room and refuses to give the money back to her until and unless she submits to his sexual advances/desires.


title: Simran (film)

text: Praful ultimately hits him and gets suspended from the hotel, after which she tells the loan sharks that her money has been stolen. By now, these loan sharks know that Praful is actually 'Simran – The Lipstick Bandit', so they ask her to rob one more bank and this time with a bigger amount—for which they offer her a gun to finish the job.


title: Simran (film)

text: Devastated and dejected, Praful calls off her relationship with Sameer and asks him to leave and by telling him the truth. Enraged by this, Praful's father slaps her and asks her to leave his house.


title: Simran (film)

text: Praful leaves her home and stays with her best friend Salma (Esha Tewari) for a night. The next day Praful attacks the same bank that rejected her bank loan and flees the place after stealing the money.


title: Simran (film)

text: Sameer is still in love with Praful and to help her, he transfers a huge amount of fifty thousand dollars in her bank account.


title: Simran (film)

text: Praful, before leaving the city of Atlanta, calls him at a lonely place and tells him that he should find another girl, as he is a nice man and he deserves someone better; not someone like her.


title: Simran (film)

text: Sameer refuses and asks her to surrender to the police and end this dirty game once and for all; after which Praful's dad calls her and asks for forgiveness. Praful is happy at this and returns home but the police cars have surrounded her and are following her car to arrest her.


title: Simran (film)

text: Praful drives off because she did not want to get arrested in her neighbourhood, which is full of Indians, and her parents would be very ashamed of her there. The ultimate chase begins as Praful's car is found empty by the police. Praful had taken a taxi and was almost near the airport, but then she decides to surrender on a lonely highway. She asks the taxi to stop at the curbside and then she calls 9–1–1 and surrenders herself.


title: Simran (film)

text: After her arrest, there is a trial whereby the judge adjudicates Praful to be imprisoned for 10 months, but she is released after 3–4 months due to good behaviour. Her ex-boyfriend Mike is also imprisoned for stealing her money and also for his sexual advance.


title: Simran (film)

text: During a meeting session in prison, Praful tells her father that she wants to invest all his money into the stock market. Enraged by this, Praful's father becomes angry and grabs her neck angrily, venting his frustration that all his hard-earned money will blow up in smoke due to her crazy intentions.


title: Simran (film)

text: The film ends with titles suggesting that Praful has been released from jail and she has sold the rights of her movie to be made to a Bollywood producer for fifty thousand dollars.


title: Simran (film)

text: The official announcement of the film was announced in the second quarter of 2015. The title of the film was said to be "Simran".


title: Simran (film)

text: The principal photography of the film commenced sometime in May 2016. The film is shot in Atlanta, United States. Production began in March 2016 and principal photography commenced in October 2016 at Atlanta, United States.


title: Simran (film)

text: The film opened to disastrous response from the audience, with occupancy being around 12 percent. During the first week, the film collected "almost 150 million." , the film earned 27.62 crore worldwide on budget 170 million.


title: Simran (film)

text: Upon release, "Simran" was met with generally positive reviews from the film critics as well as audience; Ranaut's performance was widely praised, though the film drew some mixed reviews and criticism for its screenplay and execution. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 70% based on 10 reviews and an average rating of 5.6/10.


title: Simran (film)

text: On the Indian film review aggregator website The Review Monk, "Simran" received an average score of 5.5/10 based on 22 reviews and 62% critics being in the favor.


title: Simran (film)

text: Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN gave Simran 3 out of 5 stars, arguing that "There's ample meat in the story, yet the writing itself is weak. But it's a testament to Kangana's a full-liquified performance that Simran works despite these complaints."


title: Simran (film)

text: Shubra Gupta of "The Indian Express" praised Ranaut's performance but criticized the storyline saying "With her plain unvarnished face, and mobile features, she comes across as a real, solid, complex woman, someone you can reach out and touch. It's a pity her own story lets her down." She gave the film 3 out of 5 stars. According to Meena Iyer of "The Times of India", who gave Simran 3.5 out of 5 stars, "The only one who is having a good time here is Kangana. Whether she's docile or daring, the actress goes about her screen business with a flourish; getting her mannerisms pat." Anupama Chopra of Film Companion gave 2.5 out of 5 stars insisting that "the writing is the weakest part of the film." She described Ranaut's work as "Kangana's lack of vanity onscreen is among her many strengths. She isn't afraid to look unattractive or behave badly."


title: Simran (film)

text: From Rediff.com, Vaihayasi Pande Daniel gave Simran 3 out of 5 stars "Simran is a light-hearted, time-pass film not attempting to explore any higher themes." Pointing to some contrivances Kunal Gupta of "Mumbai Mirror" gave 2.5 out of 5 stars slating the film's casual tone as distracting and desensitizing during the crime scenes. Umesh Punwani from Koimoi declared "Simran is all about Kangana Ranaut, 5 minutes into the film and you know this is going to be special. Where Hansal Mehta's last film Aligarh was a dark sky, Simran is a shining cloud in his sky." He rated the film 3 out of 5 stars.


title: Simran (film)

text: Anita Iyer of "Khaleej Times" gave 3 out of 5 stars saying, "Hansal Mehta, known for his critically acclaimed films like 'Shahid' and 'Citylights', handles the subject with care and doesn't glorify the character."


title: Simran (film)

text: Criticizing the screenplay Rohit Bhatnagar from "Deccan Chronicle" gave 2.5 out of 5 stars claiming, "The film is surely enjoyable till the interval but suddenly dips down in the second half...with its abrupt ending." But, he praised the performance saying "Inarguably, Kangana Ranaut is the saving grace of this sinking ship." On "Firstpost", Anna M. M. Vetticad gave Simran 3 out of 5 stars praising the direction, saying, "Director Hansal Mehta must be lauded for his conviction, his confidence in the written material at hand and the clarity he has about how he wishes to tell Praful's tale—steering clear of seamy, overtly grim territory and driving home the weirdness of it all." He termed Kangana as the heartbeat of the film. Stutee Ghosh of Quint gave 4 out of 5 stars. She also praised the performances but criticized the 'underwhelming' climax.


title: Simran (film)

text: Praising Ranaut's performance and Mehta's direction Subhash K. Jha gave 3.5 out of 5 stars expressing "Kangana looks so much at home in her character, we feel she must have been Praful Patel in an earlier life." He further added, "Hansal Mehta never sentimentalizes Simran's anti-social behaviour." Writing for "The Wire" Nehmat Kaur also praised lead performances and direction but criticized the 'stretched' screenplay. Regarding the setting of the film "Filmfare" wrote with a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars "This comedy is well-written and executed. Sometimes, Simran is a little too American, but that's a guilty pleasure worth having." Appreciating the cinematography and music, "The Statesman" rated 3.5 out of 5 stars writing "Cinematographer Anuj Dhawan, captures Atlanta in all its hues and the pulsating Vegas in all its glory. The music by Sachin-Jigar is apt and adds charm to the situations. 'Meet' and 'Pinjra Tod Ke' are melodious and soulful."


title: Simran (film)

text: Namrata Joshi of "The Hindu" expressed "Simran offers the possibility of an interesting study—of ambitions, dreams and the incredible lure of money and how it affects individuals and relationships." She criticized the screenplay and wished it to be less chaotic. Mohar Basu of "Mid-Day" rated 3 (out of 5) stars concluding "The quirky perspective at finding laughs in troubled times is a refreshing way of viewing problems. And then there's Kangana, making badass look simple, human and so full of heart." Ananya Bhattacharya for "India Today" rated 2.5 out of 5 stars concluding "At the end of the film, the only thing you exit the theatre with is Kangana's effortless performance."


title: Simran (film)

text: The music of the film have been composed by Sachin–Jigar while the lyrics have been penned by Priya Saraiya and Vayu. The first song titled as "Lagdi Hai Thaai" which is sung by Guru Randhawa and Jonita Gandhi was released on 11 August 2017. The second single to be released was "Pinjra Tod Ke" voiced by Sunidhi Chauhan was released on 18 August 2017. The soundtrack consists of 8 songs and was released by T-Series on 25 August 2017.


title: Chi-Chi (Dragon Ball)

text: Chi-Chi, sometimes written as Chi Chi, is a fictional character from the "Dragon Ball" media franchise. Created by Akira Toriyama, she first appears in Chapter #11 of the "Dragon Ball" manga entitled "...And into the Fire!". Typically portrayed as the fiery wife of series protagonist Son Goku and the overprotective mother of Son Gohan and Son Goten, Chi-Chi is considered to be one of the most prominent female characters in the franchise, and is featured consistently in merchandise and in cosplay by the "Dragon Ball" fandom.


title: Chi-Chi (Dragon Ball)

text: Chi-Chi is known by different names in other language localizations of the "Dragon Ball" anime adaptation. For example, she is known as "Kika" in Portuguese dub, and in Latin-American Spanish dub as "Milk". Lisa Nguyen from "TheGamer" suggested that her name was changed for Latin American localizations because the word "chi chi" is used as vulgar slang for female bodily fluids or genitalia in the region. Her original swimsuit style costume was based on a costume earlier manga character from the same creator called Pola from "Pola & Roid." Toriyama had jokingly expressed slight disdain for the character in a 2003 interview by saying:


title: Chi-Chi (Dragon Ball)

text: Chi-Chi is voiced by Mayumi Shō in the Japanese version of the series up until "Dragon Ball Z" episode 88, from which point she is voiced by Naoko Watanabe. In the Funimation English dub, she is voiced by Laura Bailey as a child and Cynthia Cranz as an adult. In the Ocean dub, she was voiced by Andrea Libman as a child and by Laara Sadiq and Lisa Ann Beley respectively as an adult.


title: Chi-Chi (Dragon Ball)

text: Chi-Chi is portrayed by American actress Jamie Chung in the American live-action film "Dragonball Evolution"; her voice was dubbed over by Ami Koshimizu in the Japanese version of the film. An important scene in the film involves Chi-Chi fighting a duplicate of herself, the development of which Chung described as a "technical, meticulous process" which took three days to film. Chung worked extensively with her stunt double for the scene, which involved mimicking each other's movements in conjunction with the use of CGI body replacement technology, or engaging with an imaginary version of herself.


title: Chi-Chi (Dragon Ball)

text: Chi-Chi first appears as an unnamed child running away from a dinosaur, which she later decapitates with a blade attachment on her helmet. After an awkward encounter with Yamcha, she later meets Goku, who offered her to ride with him on his flying nimbus cloud. When Goku ignorantly patted Chi-Chi's crotch with his foot to determine her gender, she instinctively reacted by smacking Goku, but then became bashful and believed that Goku liked her. Chi-Chi and Goku's interactions would continually display Goku's naivety about love and emotions; Chi-Chi tells Goku that when she becomes older, he will be the person to take her hand in marriage, to which he agrees, thinking that "marriage" was a kind of food. She would meet Goku again at the beginning of the Red Ribbon Army Saga, when he would visit her to search for one of the Dragon Balls, which at the time was being sought by both Emperor Pilaf and Colonel Silver of the Red Ribbon Army.


title: Chi-Chi (Dragon Ball)

text: Years later, Chi-Chi resurfaced as a competitor at the 23rd Tenka'ichi Budôkai martial arts tournament and kept her identity concealed. Chi-Chi is angry that Goku had never come back to keep his promise to marry her, which he had completely forgotten about. They eventually faced each other in a tournament match; after winning the match, Goku is shocked to realize that his opponent was in fact Chi-Chi, who had grown up as he had. Being a good-natured man, Goku decides to keep his promise of settling down with Chi-Chi, and publicly announces that he will marry her. In the anime-only filler conclusion to the "Dragon Ball" TV series, they would go on several adventures to retrieve a magical fan in order to put out the fire on Chi-Chi's mountain home to save her father. By the end of the original "Dragon Ball" series, she and Goku are married.


title: Chi-Chi (Dragon Ball)

text: Chi-Chi's role in the succeeding "Dragon Ball Z" series revolves around her status as Goku's wife and mother to their son, Son Gohan, and later, Son Goten. She demonstrates behavior typical of a Kyōiku mama, and is adamant that her children, Gohan in particular, prioritize academic pursuits and stays away from Goku's lifestyle of fighting and constant conflict. She often becomes frustrated whenever Gohan is encouraged to hone his fighting skills or is drawn to a fight, so much that often Chi-Chi is willing to go to battle herself to defend her son. Under her influence, Gohan worked hard to develop a career path as an academic scholar. She is widowed after Goku sacrifices his life to stop Cell from destroying the world, and would go on to raise Gohan and Goten, the latter being born shortly after the events of the Cell Saga arc, as a single mother.


title: Chi-Chi (Dragon Ball)

text: During the Buu Saga arc, Chi-Chi's parenting style is depicted as not being as strict with Goten and a now teenaged Gohan, though she is still very protective of her children. She initially disapproved Gohan training Videl, misunderstanding that the two were dating. However, her mind changes drastically when she learns that Videl lives with a rich family, encouraging Gohan to marry her. Along with the family members and associates of the Dragon Team, she was relocated to Kami's Lookout after Majin Buu was unleashed and went on a rampage throughout the world. When she learned of Gohan's apparent death at the hands of Buu, Chi-Chi takes the news badly. She confronts Buu when he arrives at Kami's hideout, scolding and slapping the creature out of anger for the lives he has taken; Buu retaliates by turning her into an egg and crushing her. Chi Chi and everyone else who had died at Buu's hand are wished back to life at the end of the storyline, and is happily reunited with her husband, who has been brought back to life in order to defeat Buu. By the end of "Dragon Ball Z", Chi-Chi becomes a grandmother to Pan and mother-in-law to Videl, who ended up marrying Gohan.


title: Chi-Chi (Dragon Ball)

text: Chi-Chi appears in multiple "Dragon Ball" films which carry the "Dragon Ball Z" branding, often in minor supporting roles which provide comic relief.


title: Chi-Chi (Dragon Ball)

text: Chi-Chi's appearances in the "Dragon Ball Super" series continue to be defined by her relationships with her husband and sons. She often reminds Goku that he has a responsibility to provide for his family as a husband and a father, and continually nags him about getting a job and earning more money. While she still tries to keep everyone in her family away from physical violence, she appears to accept that fighting is in a Saiyan's nature.


title: Chi-Chi (Dragon Ball)

text: Chi-Chi plays a minor role in the "Dragon Ball GT" series. She mostly associates with Bulma and Videl, while also supporting her family in times of crisis. Goku is turned into a child at the beginning of the series, which frustrates her, but she still cares for him deeply. Chi-Chi, along with nearly the entire population on Earth, is later possessed by Baby, but later cured with the sacred water. She is last seen with Goku, when he says goodbye to everyone and departs the mortal world with Shenron.


title: Chi-Chi (Dragon Ball)

text: Chi-Chi usually appears as a non-playable character in cut scenes or referenced in dialogue for most "Dragon Ball" video games. She is a support-type character for Goku and Gohan in "". Chi-Chi is a playable character in 2006's "Super Dragon Ball Z"; her appearance is derived from her time as a competitor at the 23rd Tenka'ichi Budôkai martial arts tournament. The child version of Chi-Chi is playable in "", while both adult and youth versions are playable in "". She appears as an enemy character in "Dragon Ball: Shenron no Nazo", "Dragon Ball Z: Super Gokuden: Kakusei-Hen", "Dragon Ball Z: Goku Hishōden" and "". In "", Chi-Chi appears as one of several cooks that can cook meals for the playable characters using various recipes and ingredients acquired through gameplay.


title: Chi-Chi (Dragon Ball)

text: In the live-action film "Dragonball Evolution", Chi-Chi and Goku (played by Justin Chatwin) are high-school classmates; she encounters him and Bulma (played by Emmy Rossum) as their quest for the Dragon Balls intertwines with the competitive martial arts world she is active in. At one point, Mai (played by Eriko Tamura) morphs into an evil duplicate of Chi Chi, resulting in a fight scene between her and the real Chi-Chi.


title: Chi-Chi (Dragon Ball)

text: Chi-Chi is a somewhat divisive character who is disliked by a section of the "Dragon Ball" franchise's audience. Some commentators believed that the character had potential based on her early appearances as she was originally depicted as a tough but angry female fighter, but she was later developed as a stereotypical housewife, overprotective mother, and nagging woman archetype instead. Megan Peters from "Comicbook.com" described Chi-Chi as "misunderstood", while Monique Jones from Syfy identified the cause of the character's negative reception to Toriyama's lack of interest in the proper character development of certain DBZ women of the franchise, and argued that she deserved to be better written. She has been cited as a responsible adult and empowered female character who introduces a sense of maturity to her family dynamics and to the franchise, despite also being criticized for fighting only to keep both her husband and son out of failing normal lives, rather than allying herself with her family to help fight the threats of the world.


title: Chi-Chi (Dragon Ball)

text: Her original appearance as a child wearing a revealing two piece swimsuit costume has been scrutinized by commentators for not being age appropriate.


title: R. K. Shekhar

text: Rajagopala Kulashekharan or R. K. Shekhar (21 June 1933 – 09 September 1976) was an Indian music composer who worked mainly for Malayalam movies. He composed music for 52 films (23 in Malayalam with 127 songs), and was the music conductor for more than 100 films. He is the father of music composers and singers A. R. Rahman and A. R. Reihana. His grandsons G. V. Prakash Kumar and A. R. Ameen are also involved in music production.


title: R. K. Shekhar

text: His debut song as a music director was "Chotta Muthal Chudala Vare" ("from cradle to grave"), which was a big hit in Kerala. This was composed for the film "Pazhassi Raja" (1964).


title: R. K. Shekhar

text: He was born to a Tamil Agamudaya Mudhaliyar family in Tiruvallur to K. Rajagopalan or Rajagopalan Bhagavathar, a harikathai exponent. His entry into film music was opened through his extraordinary performances on harmonium for theatre plays. He started his career in the film industry as an assistant to music director M. B. Sreenivasan. Later on he conducted and arranged music for famous Malayalam music directors M. K. Arjunan and V. Dakshinamoorthy. He was so fascinated by the tunes created by these legends, that he would work very hard single-handedly to create the BGM of the songs they tuned to match their purity and standard, thus making the songs evergreen and on par. Their association lasted till his death.


title: R. K. Shekhar

text: His career as an independent music composer started with the 1964 film "Pazhassi Raja", of which the philosophical song "Chotta Muthal Chudala Vare" became a big hit. After his next work in "Aisha", he turned back to arranging and conducting for other composers.


title: R. K. Shekhar

text: After a gap of 7 years, he returned to music composing through the film "Anaathashilpangal" in 1971. Apart from arranging the hits like "Ninmaniarayile" and "Neela Nishidhini" C.I.D. Nazir 1971 for director P. Venu, he composed music for his next film Taxi Car in 1972. Then he went on to compose music for about 20 films. Due to the failure of these films in the box office, his songs went unnoticed and he lacked to get more opportunities for composing. His close friend in the industry was composer M. K. Arjunan. Starting from Arjunan master's first film, Shekhar assisted him in all his films till his death. Continuous hard work made Shekhar's health condition worse. In all these days, Arjunan master was the caretaker of him and his family.


title: R. K. Shekhar

text: He composed tunes for his last film " Chottanikkara Amma" when he was in bed for treatment and he died leaving the project incomplete. Later on, M.K. Arjunan completed the project by arranging and recording the songs that Shekhar composed.


title: R. K. Shekhar

text: R. K. Shekhar was married to Kasthuri Shekhar (later Kareema Begum; d. 2020). Their marriage took place in the most prominent Hindu shrine in India, the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple located in Tirupati. Shekhar and Kasthuri had four children, A. R. Reihana, Allah Rakha Rahman (born A. S. Dileep Kumar), Fathima Rafiq and Ishrath Qadri. Shekhar died on 9th September 1976 at the young age of 43. His grandchildren include Reihana's son G.V. Prakash Kumar and Rahman's son A. R. Ameen.


title: R. K. Shekhar

text: The family fell on hard times after Shekhar's death and came under the guidance of Sufi peer Karimullah Shah Qadri, later converting to Islam with Rahman's name being suggested by a Hindu astrologer.


title: Watto

text: Watto is a fictional character in the "Star Wars" franchise, featured in the films "The Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones". He is computer-generated and is voiced by voice actor Andy Secombe. He is a mean-tempered, greedy Toydarian, and owner of a second-hand goods store in Mos Espa on the planet Tatooine. Among Watto's belongings are the slaves Shmi Skywalker and his son, Anakin. He acquires them after winning a podracing bet with Gardulla the Hutt, and he puts them both to work in his store. Anakin demonstrates an incredible aptitude for equipment repair, and Watto decides to profit from it by having the boy fix various broken equipment in the store. He eventually loses Anakin in a podracing bet with Qui-Gon Jinn when he bets on a competitor, Sebulba, who is defeated by Anakin.


title: Watto

text: George Lucas was specific with the concept art team about what features he envisioned for Watto. Design director Doug Chiang described the character's design as "this conglomeration of odd things that really didn't fit, but that in the end gave him a very unique and powerful personality". Lucas dismissed concepts including a pudgy parrot by Terryl Whitlatch (though Whitlatch recalls one of her designs influencing the direction for the character) and a four-armed beast with a cigar by Iain Craig. Chiang repurposed the head from one of his early Neimoidian designs, featuring a hooked trunk and crooked teeth, and added hummingbird wings, meeting Lucas's approval. Additionally, Chiang gave Watto a vest and a tool belt, only asking for webbed feet and pants. Modeling supervisor Geoff Campell was skeptical of having a chubby alien with wings, so it was imagined that the Toydarians are filled with gas, with the wings propelling them instead of supporting their weight. Animation supervisor Rob Coleman realized that the alien's teeth would need some modification, as the craggy teeth made lip-syncing difficult. To solve the problem, Coleman broke off one of Watto's incisors, giving him a "corner-of-the-mouth" vernacular. His expressions were based on video footage of voice actor Andy Secombe, photographs of Coleman imitating the character, and modeler Steve Alpin saying Watto's lines to a mirror. Alec Guinness performing as Fagin in "Oliver Twist" was used as an influence in the character's development. The sound of his wings flapping is a looped recording of sound designer Ben Burtt opening and closing an umbrella.


title: Watto

text: Watto first appears in "", the first title chronologically in the "Star Wars" series. He has both an ability for haggling and a resistance to the "Jedi mind trick", a technique used to persuade people. He is both a junk dealer and slave owner on the planet Tatooine, possessing both Shmi Skywalker and her son Anakin. When challenged to a bet for Anakin's freedom by Qui-Gon Jinn, Watto agrees. After Anakin beats Sebulba (whom Watto bets on), a competing racer that he challenged throughout the race he participated in, he was let go. However, Watto (who believes Qui-Gon cheated on him) considers calling off the bet, but gives in when Qui-Gon threatens to have him talk things over with the Hutt Clan. Watto makes a final appearance in the sequel "Episode II – Attack of the Clones", which takes place 10 years after the original film, the now-adult Anakin returns to Tatooine to find his mother. Searching Mos Espa, he finds Watto sitting outside the shop at a small stall. They reunite on somewhat amicable terms and Watto tells Anakin that he sold Shmi some years ago to a moisture farmer named Cliegg Lars, who freed and married her. Watto then takes Anakin and Padmé to look through his records to find her.


title: Watto

text: Watto makes multiple further appearances in the "Star Wars" Expanded Universe; one such appearance details his time on his home planet before he came to Tatooine during a war. It also tells how he sustained his broken tusk and disabled leg. He later learns his business savvy from the Jawas, native to the planet Tatooine. In the non-canonical "Star Wars" comic book "Star Wars: Visionaries", Watto is shown to have been killed by Darth Maul (whose appearance here predates the canonical revelation of his survival of the events of "The Phantom Menace") during Maul's process of tracking down his nemesis Obi-Wan Kenobi, to gain vengeance for his defeat during the Battle of Naboo.


title: Watto

text: There has been an uncommon amount of Watto merchandise made over the years since 1999. In 2019, the Watto Funko Pop was first realized at the 2019 Galactic Con as an Exclusive. Watto has also been produced as a Lego figure and featured in the Lego "Star Wars" video games, in addition to numerous other appearances in the form of collectibles and other merchandising.


title: Watto

text: Editors for IGN ranked Watto 78th in their list of Top 100 "Star Wars" characters. They wrote that he was "one of the most confusing scientific anomalies" due to "the idea that a creature so potbellied is able to stay afloat for so long". They added that he was "no prince" for his unscrupulous deals.


title: Watto

text: In the book "The Holy Family and Its Legacy", author Albrecht Koschorke discusses the presence of "The Holy Family" in "The Phantom Menace", stating that while there was no "solicitous guardian watching over the mother and the holy child," Watto acts in a similar position as a "man who possesses patriarchal powers without being the father."


title: Watto

text: It has been suggested that the character is offensive because of his perceived similarities to a stereotypical Jew, having a large hooked nose, beady eyes, unkempt facial hair, speaking in a gravelly voice, and being portrayed as greedy and covetous. J. Hoberman of "The Village Voice" called him "the most blatant ethnic stereotype" due to his hooked nose. Bruce Gottlieb of Slate magazine criticized him as well, comparing his character to the antisemitic notion that the Jewish race is "behind the slave trade". Patricia J. Williams of "The Nation" stated that Watto was also described as a stereotype of Arabs, but that he was "more comprehensively anti-Semitic—both anti-Arab and anti-Jew." She added that Watto reminded her of an "anti-Semitic caricature published in Vienna at the turn of the 20th century." Jane Prettyman of the "" noted that after leaving the theater, she heard two young boys describe him as "that weird little Jew guy with wings". Prettyman described his depiction as "not at all subtle", and said that "it can be counted on to flush out already-formed Jew-haters among young audiences and give them permission to continue their hatred out loud." Looking back on the character on the twentieth anniversary of the film, essayist Aaron Freedman both acknowledges the stereotypical aspects of the character while admitting that as a boy he empathized with Watto as "the only representation we Jews get in the "Star Wars" franchise," suggesting that the portrayal of Watto as struggling to survive in a society shaped by forces beyond his control echoed that of both Jews throughout history and the Shakespearean character Shylock.


title: Watto

text: "Crazy Watto" is a two-minute-long fan film that made its debut on the Internet in 2000. The film is a spoof of used car deal ads shown on television, featuring Watto. He offers up for sale familiar objects such as an X-wing. The film played at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival, and is a popular fan film at many science fiction conventions. The film was originally hosted by TheForce.Net, but is now part of The Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards on AtomFilms.


title: Watto

text: Actor Griffin Newman portrays a version of the character as the co-host on "The George Lucas Talk Show", where he is the cantankerous, somewhat prankish sidekick to Connor Ratliff’s George Lucas. Newman has performed the character onstage and over numerous streaming performances, often clad in a tight blue rubber costume.


title: USS Seawolf (SSN-21)

text: USS "Seawolf" (SSN-21), is a nuclear-powered fast attack submarine and the lead ship of her class. She is the fourth submarine of the United States Navy named for the seawolf, a solitary fish with strong, prominent teeth that give it a savage look.


title: USS Seawolf (SSN-21)

text: The contract to build "Seawolf" was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics on 9 January 1989 and her keel was laid down on 25 October 1989. She was launched on 24 June 1995, sponsored by Mrs. Margaret Dalton, and commissioned on 19 July 1997. The 7-year 9-month time period from keel laying to commissioning is the longest for a submarine in the U.S. Navy.


title: USS Seawolf (SSN-21)

text: Adding support personnel as well as ship's crew, there are 140 personnel assigned or attached to "Seawolf".


title: USS Seawolf (SSN-21)

text: "Seawolf" is featured in a 1998 episode of the documentary "Super Structures of the World: Seawolf". The program followed her construction and sea trials.


title: USS Seawolf (SSN-21)

text: On 22 July 2007, "Seawolf" transferred from her previous homeport of Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut, to Naval Base Kitsap, Washington.


title: USS Seawolf (SSN-21)

text: In July 2020 "Seawolf" deployed into the Arctic area of responsibility. She conducted special operations and pulled into multiple European ports. Port calls included HMNB Clyde in Faslane Scotland, and Gibraltar, and briefly in Tromsø, Norway. "Seawolf"s deployment was the first US Navy deployment during the coronavirus pandemic.


title: Inuktitut syllabics

text: Inuktitut syllabics (, or , ) is an abugida-type writing system used in Canada by the Inuktitut-speaking Inuit of the territory of Nunavut and the Nunavik and Nunatsiavut regions of Quebec and Labrador, respectively. In 1976, the Language Commission of the Inuit Cultural Institute made it the co-official script for the Inuit languages, along with the Latin script.


title: Inuktitut syllabics

text: The name ' derives from the root , meaning "mouth". The alternative, Latin-based writing system is named (), and it derives from , a word describing the markings or the grain in rocks. ' meaning "new writing system" is to be seen in contrast to (), the "old syllabics" used before the reforms of 1976.


title: Inuktitut syllabics

text: The first efforts to write Inuktitut came from Moravian missionaries in Greenland and Labrador in the mid-19th century using Latin script. The first book printed in Inuktitut using Cree script was an 8-page pamphlet known as "Selections from the Gospels in the dialect of the Inuit of Little Whale River" (, "Jesus' words"), printed by John Horden in 1855–56 at Moose Factory for Edwin Arthur Watkins to use among the Inuit at Fort George. In November 1865, Horden and Watkins met in London under Henry Venn's direction to adapt Cree syllabics to the Inuktitut language. In the 1870s, Edmund Peck, another Anglican missionary, started printing according to that standard. Other missionaries, and later linguists in the employ of the Canadian and American governments, adapted the Latin alphabet to the dialects of the Mackenzie River delta, the western Arctic islands and Alaska.


title: Inuktitut syllabics

text: Inuktitut is one variation on Canadian Aboriginal syllabics, and can be digitally encoded using the Unicode standard. The Unicode block for Inuktitut characters is called Unified Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics.


title: Inuktitut syllabics

text: The consonant in the syllable can be g, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, ng, ł, or absent, and the vowel can be a, i, u, ai (now only in Nunavik), or absent.


title: Inuktitut syllabics

text: The Inuktitut script () is commonly presented as a syllabary. The dots on the letters in the table mark long vowels; in the Latin transcription, the vowel is doubled.


title: Inuktitut syllabics

text: The Makivik Corporation expanded the official version of the script to restore the "ai-pai-tai" column. The common diphthong "ai" has generally been represented by combining the "a" form with a stand-alone letter ᐃ "i." This fourth-vowel variant had been removed so that Inuktitut could be typed and printed using IBM Selectric balls in the 1970s. The reinstatement was justified on the grounds that modern printing and typesetting equipment no longer suffers the restrictions of earlier typewriting machinery. The "ai-pai-tai" column is used only in Nunavik.


title: Elaine Ng

text: Elaine Ng Yi-lei (born 23 September 1972), sometimes credited as Elaine Wu, is a Hong Kong actress. She was the winner of Miss Asia in 1990.


title: Elaine Ng

text: She announced that she was pregnant in 1999, and disclosed the affair with Jackie Chan after public speculation. Soon afterwards, Chan admitted he had "only committed a fault that many men in the world commit". She gave birth to a daughter, Etta Ng Chok Lam, on 18 January 1999. Ng raised her daughter without Chan's involvement, and later disowned her daughter after her daughter came out as a lesbian at 17.


title: Anti-tank dog

text: Anti-tank dogs ( "sobaki-istrebiteli tankov" or "protivotankovye sobaki"; or "Hundeminen", "dog-mines") were dogs taught to carry explosives to tanks, armored vehicles and other military targets. They were intensively trained by the Soviet and Russian military forces between 1930 and 1946, and used from 1941 to 1943, against German tanks in World War II. Initially dogs were trained to leave a timer-detonated bomb and retreat, but this routine was replaced by an impact-detonation procedure which killed the dog in the process. The U.S. military started training anti-tank dogs in 1943 in the same way the Russians used them, but this training exposed several problems and the program was discontinued.


title: Anti-tank dog

text: In 1924, the Revolutionary Military Council of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics approved the use of dogs for military purposes, which included a wide range of tasks such as rescue, delivery of first aid, communication, tracking mines and people, assisting in combat, transporting food, medicine and injured soldiers on sleds, and destruction of enemy targets. The idea of using dogs as mobile mines was developed in the 1930s, together with the dog-fitting mine design. A specialized dog training school was founded in the Moscow Oblast. Twelve regional schools were opened soon after, three of which trained anti-tank dogs.


title: Anti-tank dog

text: The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army had no dedicated dog trainers in the 1930s, so they resorted to using hunters, police, and even circus trainers. Several leading animal scientists were also involved, in order to help organize a wide-scale training program. German Shepherd Dogs were favored for the program for their physical abilities and ease of training, but other breeds were used as well. In 1935, anti-tank dog units were officially included in the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army.


title: Anti-tank dog

text: The original idea was for a dog to carry a bomb strapped to its body, and reach a specific static target. The dog would then release the bomb by pulling with its teeth a self-releasing belt and return to the operator. The bomb could then be detonated either by a timer or remote control, though the latter was too rare and expensive at the time to be used. A group of dogs practiced this for six months, but the reports show that no dogs could master the task. They performed generally well on a single target but became confused after the target or location was changed and often returned to the operator with the bomb unreleased, which in a live situation would have killed both the dog and the operator.


title: Anti-tank dog

text: Continual failures brought about a simplification. The bomb was fastened on the dog and detonated upon contact with the target, killing the dog. Whereas in the first program, the dog was trained to locate a specific target, this task was simplified to find any enemy tank. Dogs were trained by being kept hungry and their food was placed under tanks. The tanks were at first left standing still, then they had their engines running, which was further combined with sporadic blank-shot gunfire and other battle-related distractions. This routine aimed to teach the dogs to run under the tanks in battlefield situations.


title: Anti-tank dog

text: Each dog was fitted with a mine carried in two canvas pouches adjusted individually to each dog. The mine had a safety pin which was removed right before the deployment; each mine carried no markings and was not supposed to be disarmed. A wooden lever extended out of a pouch to about in height. When the dog dived under the tank, the lever struck the bottom of the tank and detonated the charge. Because the underparts of the chassis were the most vulnerable area of these vehicles, it was hoped the explosion would disable the vehicle.


title: Anti-tank dog

text: The use of anti-tank dogs was escalated during 1941 and 1942, when every effort was made by the Red Army to stop the German advance at the Eastern Front of World War II. In that period, dog training schools were mostly focused on producing anti-tank dogs. About 40,000 dogs were deployed for various tasks in the Red Army.


title: Anti-tank dog

text: The first group of anti-tank dogs arrived at the frontline at the end of the summer of 1941 and included 30 dogs and 40 trainers. Their deployment revealed some serious problems. In order to save fuel and ammunition, dogs had been trained on tanks which stood still and did not fire their guns. In the field, the dogs refused to dive under moving tanks. Some persistent dogs ran near the tanks, waiting for them to stop but were shot in the process. Gunfire from the tanks scared away many of the dogs. They would run back to the trenches and often detonated the charge upon jumping in, killing Soviet soldiers. To prevent this, the returning dogs had to be shot, often by their controllers and this made the trainers unwilling to work with new dogs. Some went so far as to say that the army did not stop with sacrificing people to the war and went on to slaughter dogs too; those who openly criticized the program were persecuted by "special departments" (military counterintelligence). Out of the first group of 30 dogs, only four managed to detonate their bombs near the German tanks, inflicting an unknown amount of damage. Six exploded upon returning to the Soviet trenches, killing and injuring soldiers. Three dogs were shot by German troops and taken away without attempts by the Soviets to prevent this, which provided examples of the detonation mechanism to the Germans. A captured German officer later reported that they learned of the anti-tank dog design from the dead animals, and considered the program desperate and inefficient. A German propaganda campaign sought to discredit the Red Army, saying that Soviet soldiers refuse to fight and send dogs instead.


title: Anti-tank dog

text: Another serious training mistake was revealed later; the Soviets used their own diesel engine tanks to train the dogs rather than German tanks which had gasoline engines. As the dogs relied on their acute sense of smell, the dogs sought out familiar Soviet tanks instead of strange-smelling German tanks.


title: Anti-tank dog

text: The efficacy of using anti-tank dogs in World War II remains uncertain. There are claims by the Soviet sources that around 300 German tanks were damaged by Soviet anti-tank dogs. This claim was considered propaganda by many Russian historians who believed it was meant to justify the dog training program. There are, however, documented claims of individual successes of the program, with the number of damaged tanks usually being within a dozen. For example, at the front of the 160th Infantry Division near Hlukhiv, six dogs had damaged five German tanks; near the airport of Stalingrad, anti-tank dogs destroyed 13 tanks. At the Battle of Kursk, 16 dogs disabled 12 German tanks which had broken through the Soviet lines of defence near Tamarovka, Bykovo.


title: Anti-tank dog

text: The German forces knew about the Soviet dogs from 1941 onwards, and so took measures to defend against them. An armored vehicle's top-mounted machine gun proved ineffective due to the relatively small size of the attackers as the dogs were too low to the ground and because of the dogs' speed and the difficulty in spotting them. Consequently, every German soldier received orders to shoot any dog in combat areas.


title: Anti-tank dog

text: After 1942, the use of anti-tank dogs by the Red Army rapidly declined, and training schools were redirected to producing the more needed mine-seeking and delivery dogs. However, training of anti-tank dogs continued after World War II, until June 1996.


title: Anti-tank dog

text: The Imperial Japanese Army received about 25,000 dogs from their ally Germany and organized several dog training schools in Japan, and one in China at Nanjing.


title: Anti-tank dog

text: In 1943, U.S. forces considered using armed dogs against fortifications. The aim was for a dog to run into a bunker carrying a bomb, which would then be detonated by a timer. Dogs in this secret program were trained at Fort Belvoir. The dogs, called "demolition wolves", were taught to run to a bunker, enter it, and sit while waiting for a simulated explosion. Each dog carried a bomb strapped to its body in canvas pouches, as with the Russian method. The program was terminated on 17 December 1943 out of safety concerns. During the training, dogs often returned to the senders without entering the bunker or waiting there for supposed period of time which would have caused friendly casualties in a live fire situation. It was feared that in the actual battle, dogs would return much more often, scared by enemy fire. Attempts to continue the program in 1944 and 1945 failed.


title: Anti-tank dog

text: In 2005, insurgents attempted to use a bomb-equipped dog during the Iraq War. The dog was detonated without inflicting damage. More often, donkeys were used, as they were more reliable. Donkeys are traditionally equipped with sacks and thus could carry a large explosive charge without looking suspicious.


title: Disney Dream

text: The Disney Dream is the third cruise ship operated by Disney Cruise Line, part of The Walt Disney Company. She is the first of the "Dream"-class. She currently sails three-day, four-day, and occasional five-day cruises to the Bahamas. The other four ships in the fleet are the "Disney Magic", "Disney Wonder", "Disney Fantasy", and "Disney Wish".


title: Disney Dream

text: In February 2007, Disney Cruise Line announced that it had commissioned two new ships. The first steel cut, for scrollwork on the ship's hull, was in March 2009, at the Meyer Werft shipyards in Papenburg, Germany. Later that month, the two ships were named, with "Disney Dream" set to enter service first, followed by her sister ship, "Disney Fantasy". The design of "Disney Dream" was unveiled at a press conference in New York City, on October 29, 2009.


title: Disney Dream

text: The keel of "Disney Dream" was laid on August 19, 2009. On June 1, 2010, the final section of the ship, the bow, was put into its place, completing the exterior, with work continuing on the interior of the ship. Float-out took place on October 30, 2010, and "Disney Dream" had her maiden voyage on January 26, 2011.


title: Disney Dream

text: Disney Cruise Line took possession of "Disney Dream" on December 8, 2010. She arrived in Port Canaveral, Florida on January 4, 2011. "Disney Dream" was christened on January 19, 2011, by Jennifer Hudson, who began her career as an entertainer on "Disney Wonder". "Disney Dream"s maiden voyage began on January 26, 2011, calling on Nassau, The Bahamas, and Disney's private island, Castaway Cay.


title: Disney Dream

text: Since the ship's launch, the "Disney Dream" has sailed almost exclusively on three and four-night sailings to Castaway cay and Nassau. It has now announced plans to debut itineraries for European destinations as of summer 2023. This will include the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Norway, Denmark, Greece and Italy. On June 7th, 2022, "Disney Dream" relocated to her new home port in Miami.


title: Disney Dream

text: "Disney Dream" is 40% larger than the two older ships in the Disney Cruise Line family, "Disney Magic" and "Disney Wonder", with a gross tonnage of , a length of and a width of . "Disney Dream" has 1,250 staterooms, carries 2,500 passengers (double occupancy) or a maximum of 4,000 passengers, and a crew of 1,458.


title: Disney Dream

text: With 14 floors, the ship's design has a classic early 20th-century look. Inspired by ocean liners of the golden age of 1930s passenger ships, it has a black hull, white superstructure, twin red chimneys and yellow lifeboats.


title: Disney Dream

text: The ship’s interior includes a combination of art deco design, features from the world of Walt Disney and state-of-the-art technology. The interior cabins are fitted with virtual portholes ("Magical Porthole") that broadcast the view of the outside and animated Disney characters.


title: Disney Dream

text: "Disney Dream"’s Art Deco-style chandelier, located in the atrium, sparkles with thousands of hand-crafted crystal beads and glows with colorful glasswork. Crafted in Brixen, located in Northern Italy, the chandelier is 22 feet diameter at the ceiling plate and comes down 13 feet from the ceiling. It is 24kt gold plated with a total of 88,680 Swarovski crystal beads ranging in size from 6mm to 12mm.


title: Disney Dream

text: Every Disney Cruise Line ship has an atrium lobby statue celebrating a classic Disney character. Admiral Donald is striking a pose on "Disney Dream".


title: Disney Dream

text: Activities aboard "Disney Dream" include: a 9 hole mini-golf course, a walking track, digital sports simulators, a full-sized basketball court that can be converted for use as a soccer pitch, volleyball court, or football/table tennis area. There are also two smaller sport courts and two hangouts for younger children.


title: Disney Dream

text: The ship features the first water coaster at sea, called The AquaDuck, a 765-foot (233-metre) long winding waterslide with a four-deck drop and a course that winds over the edge of the ship and through the ship's forward funnel. The AquaDuck runs the width of the ship and the length between the funnels, almost the size of a U.S. football field. In addition to pools of various sizes, there are also hot tubs for adults & families, some of which have glass in the floor.


title: Disney Dream

text: Among the leading-edge technical effects in the Walt Disney Theatre is an infrared camera with motion tracking, allowing the movement of performers to be blended with projected digital animated effects.


title: Disney Dream

text: Every night of a "Disney Dream" cruise, guests use a different restaurant. This is called "rotational dining". On a Disney ship guests rotate along with their servers which helps keep the relationship between diner and wait staff.


title: Tom Hicks

text: Thomas Ollis Hicks Sr. (born February 7, 1946), is an American private equity investor and sports team owner living in Dallas, Texas. "Forbes" magazine estimated Hicks' wealth at $1 billion in 2009, but it dropped to $700 million in 2010. Hicks co-founded the investment firm, Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst, previously owned 50% of the English football club Liverpool F.C., and is chairman of Hicks Holdings LLC, which owns and operates Hicks Sports Group, the company that formerly owned the Texas Rangers, the Dallas Stars, and the Mesquite Championship Rodeo. In 2010, Hicks was forced to sell the Rangers and Liverpool to satisfy his creditors, and the Stars went into bankruptcy the following year.


title: Tom Hicks

text: The son of a Texas radio station owner, Hicks was born in Port Arthur, Texas, and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School, in Port Arthur, in 1964. Hicks received his bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Texas in 1968, and received his MBA from the University of Southern California in 1970. He is a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon social fraternity.


title: Tom Hicks

text: Hicks became interested in leveraged buyouts as a member of First National Bank of Dallas's venture capital group. Hicks and Robert Haas formed Hicks & Haas in 1984. The next year that firm bought Hicks Communications, a radio outfit run by Hicks' brother Steven – the first of several media companies bought or created by the buyout firm that involved Steven (Capstar, Chancellor, and AMFM).


title: Tom Hicks

text: Hicks & Haas' in the mid-1980s bought several soft drink makers, including Dr Pepper and 7 Up. The firm took Dr Pepper/7 Up public just 18 months after merging the two companies. In all, Hicks & Haas turned $88 million of investor funding into $1.3 billion. The pair went their separate ways in May 1989. He wanted to raise large pools to invest, while Haas preferred to work with investors deal by deal.


title: Tom Hicks

text: In 1989, Hicks co-founded the investment firm, Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst with former Prudential Securities banker John Muse. The firm raised $250 million, with early investments including a life insurance company, Life Partners Group (bought in 1990 and sold in 1996). In 1991, Morgan Stanley's Charles Tate and First Boston's Jack Furst became partners. Hicks was chairman from 1989 to 2004, Hicks Muse raised $12 billion of private equity funds, consummated over $50 billion of leveraged acquisitions, and grew to become one of the largest private investment firms in the country.


title: Tom Hicks

text: But Hicks Muse hit a rough patch by the early 2000s, when investors in Equity Fund IV were burned by a $1.2 billion plunge into telecom investments in 1999. Hicks announced that he would leave the Hicks Muse on March 8, 2004, to spend more time with his family and his sports teams. (Hicks Muse was subsequently renamed HM Capital Partners.) He has remained active in his own ventures. He created Hicks Holdings, a vehicle for his sports and real estate empire, and then started buying companies again in the $10 to $250 million level, including: a Chinese electronics firm, a venture with DirecTV selling bundled TV-telecom services to condos, a landscaping materials company in the Midwest, a pet food firm in Argentina, and Gammaloy – an oil field rental outfit he bought from his wife's family, paying approximately $20 million in the 1990s.


title: Tom Hicks

text: Additionally, he formed Hicks Acquisition Company I, Inc. (HACI). In September 2009, HACI merged into Resolute Energy Corporation (REN), an oil and gas firm. Hicks does not sit on REN's board of directors, but his son, Thomas O. Hicks, Jr., represents HACI on the board.


title: Tom Hicks

text: As of August 13, 2010, the website for Hicks Sports Group appears to have disappeared. As for other websites for Hicks companies, while they are still operating, they appear to be empty of any data and Hicks Sports Marketing now appears to be a Word Press blog site, with the first page advertising Online Gaming.


title: Tom Hicks

text: Hicks was a member of the political action committee for the 2008 presidential election campaign for former Republican Mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani.


title: Tom Hicks

text: Hicks was previously neighbors with former U.S. President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. Each neighbor’s property shared a boundary between Daria Place and Holloway Road, within a gated community of Preston Hollow, Dallas, Texas respectively.


title: Tom Hicks

text: Tom Hicks Elementary School in Frisco, Texas, part of the Lewisville Independent School District, was given its name after Hicks donated the land for the school.


title: Tom Hicks

text: Hicks moved from the business pages to the sports section in December 1995 when he bought the National Hockey League Dallas Stars for $82 million.


title: Tom Hicks

text: Hicks contracted to purchase the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise from Norman Green in December 1995. During his tenure as owner of the club, Hicks served as the Stars' Chairman of the Board and the club's representative on the NHL Board of Governors. Hicks played an instrumental role in the development and planning of American Airlines Center. Under his ownership, the Stars won seven division titles, two Western Conference crowns, two Presidents' Trophies (as the team with the best regular season record), two consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Finals and the 1999 Stanley Cup Championship. In April 2010, Hicks' company defaulted on $525 million in bank loans backed by the Stars and a 50% interest in the American Airlines Center.


title: Tom Hicks

text: On September 13, 2011, lenders voted to agree to have the Stars file for bankruptcy and sold at auction.


title: Tom Hicks

text: On November 22, 2011, a bankruptcy court judge approved a bid by Vancouver businessman and Kamloops Blazers owner Tom Gaglardi to buy the team for $240 million.


title: Tom Hicks

text: In June 1998, Hicks bought the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball’s American League from an investment group managed by George W. Bush. Under Hicks' ownership, the Rangers won the American League West Division crown in 1998 and 1999, but failed to deliver a World Series. Hicks made headlines across all MLB when he personally negotiated and signed shortstop Alex Rodriguez to the biggest contract in MLB history at that time; a ten-year, $252 million deal at the December 2000 winter meetings. That contract, however, severely limited the Rangers' ability to sign other players, and they would have only two more winning seasons during Hicks' ownership. Years later, Hicks pointed to the blockbuster contract as "one of his biggest regrets".


title: Tom Hicks

text: The Rangers also spent a large amount of money on Chan Ho Park, who signed a $65 million contract with the Rangers following the 2001 season. The Park signing would be a disaster for the Rangers as the new "staff ace" was unable to adjust to the move from pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium to the hitter-friendly American League. After finishing in last place for the division three seasons in a row with Rodriguez, Hicks agreed to trade to the New York Yankees before the 2004 season. As part of the agreement, the Rangers would supplement a portion of his remaining contract. This agreement would continue until Rodriguez opted out of his contract in 2007. On January 23, 2010, it was announced Hicks had agreed to sell the Rangers to a group led by Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan. Hicks would have been a minority share holder in the new ownership group.


title: Tom Hicks

text: Prior to bids being placed by potential buyers, Hicks told the media the Rangers were operating under normal business with no interference from MLB. Regarding the Rangers' inability to sign 2009 first round pick Matt Purke, he said, "We were disappointed that the family insisted on $6 million. The Texas Rangers were not willing to do that. It had nothing to do with MLB restrictions. There is a clear misimpression we didn't sign Matt Purke because MLB wouldn't let us. That's not true. We didn't because of Tom Hicks, Nolan Ryan and Jon Daniels. We were not willing to go to $6 million." After his group had completed the purchase agreement, Ryan told the media the Rangers were unable to offer the first round pick the $6 million signing bonus both parties had verbally agreed upon after the draft because MLB, who were strictly overseeing the Rangers budget by this time, would not approve the amount needed to sign Purke. After the announcement of the pending sale by Hicks Sports Group (HSG), several additional hurdles occurred which had to be remedied before the sale of the team could be finalized. Several of the lenders, who were owed over $500 million, vocally objected to the deal accusing Hicks of rejecting a higher offer by Jim Crane and stated they would not sign off on the deal. Hicks has been sued by three different parties over the land adjacent to the stadium that was sold in a separate transaction as a part of the purchase by Greenberg and Ryan.


title: Tom Hicks

text: On May 24, 2010, HSG filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection/separation of the Texas Rangers from HSG and asked the courts to approve of the sale of the Rangers to the group headed by Greenberg and Ryan. The move was made to expedite the sale and resolve the sale prior to the MLB trade deadline and draft signing deadline. Ironically, Alex Rodriguez was the largest unsecured creditor, owed nearly $25 million in deferred payments despite being traded six years earlier.


title: Tom Hicks

text: Emails presented in court show that after Hicks agreed to an exclusive negotiation period with Greenberg attorneys for HSG were still in discussion with another bidder, Dennis Crane, about a sale price for the team and emailed the creditors on December 31, 2009 saying, "Basically, the response from the MLB was to prohibit us from negotiating with anyone other than Greenberg. Their intent seems to be to lock us into Greenberg even though Crane now has a clearly superior economic deal – and may always have had based on Greenberg's current position. We need help here. Unless the lenders weigh in, we are going to be stuck negotiating a deal that is clearly worse than Crane's."


title: Tom Hicks

text: The bankruptcy court ordered a public auction to be held on August 4, 2010, and the winning bid was submitted by Greenberg/Ryan. Co-lead investors Ray Davis and Bob R. Simpson were named co-chairmen.


title: Tom Hicks

text: In March 2011, Greenberg resigned as chief executive, sold his interest, and Nolan Ryan was named president and chief executive officer. Ryan was subsequently designated the controlling owner of the club by a unanimous vote of the 30 owners of Major League Baseball on May 12, 2011.


title: Tom Hicks

text: In 1999, Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst entered into a partnership with Cruzeiro Esporte Clube and Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, two popular Brazilian football clubs. Club directors and Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst assured the fans that a new stadium was in development, but this never materialized.


title: Tom Hicks

text: In 2003, after legal/financial troubles and partner infighting, Hicks retired from the company and the ownership group eventually left the partnership with Corinthians. There was no new stadium.


title: Tom Hicks

text: On February 1, 2007, it was made known through the English press that he was involved in a consortium with one-time friend and Montreal Canadiens owner George N. Gillett Jr. to purchase English Premier League club Liverpool F.C.; this takeover proposal was believed to be the front-runner after Dubai International Capital (DIC) withdrew their bid. On February 6, 2007, Hicks and Gillett's joint offer for Liverpool was formally accepted, valuing the club at £218.9 million ($432.9M) (£5,000 per share and £44.8M in debt). Liverpool became the third Premier League club to be acquired by American businessmen, the others being Aston Villa and Manchester United. When taking over the club, Hicks and Gillett made a joint declaration: "Liverpool is a fantastic club with a remarkable history and a passionate fanbase. We fully acknowledge and appreciate the unique heritage and rich history of Liverpool and intend to respect this heritage in the future." Hicks stated his foremost priority was gaining silverware, and vowed to build a new stadium for the club at Stanley Park Stadium. The preexisting plans to build the stadium were revised but the stadium never materialized.


title: Tom Hicks

text: Hicks became extremely unpopular among Liverpool fans for his failure to deliver on the promise of a new stadium or on the promise that no debt would be placed onto the club and for his allegedly misleading statements about planned and past investment in players. During Hicks and Gillett's period of ownership, Liverpool became associated with frequent boardroom wranglings as the owners fell out with each other and engaged in public battles with Parry and Benítez. Anger was also directed at the Hicks family when Tom Hicks' son, Thomas O. Hicks, Jr., had to resign from the Liverpool board of directors after sending an abusive e-mail to a Liverpool fan saying, "Blow me fuck face. Go to hell. I'm sick of you."


title: Tom Hicks

text: On January 22, 2008, a majority of Liverpool fans at the game between Liverpool and Aston Villa protested against Gillett and Hicks' running of the club, urging the pair to sell their shares in Liverpool to Dubai International Capital (DIC). Neither owner, nor their representative Foster Gillett, was present at the game. George Gillett was reportedly targeted by DIC to sell his shares. It was reported that he had fallen out with Hicks and he subsequently kept silent over his dealings with the club. On March 7, 2008, it was reported that Gillett had agreed to sell 98% of his Liverpool stock to DIC, but Hicks blocked the sale. In an interview on Prime Time Sports in Canada, Gillett revealed that he and his family had received death threats from angry Liverpool fans: "The fans don't want him [Tom Hicks] to have even one share of my stake in the club, based on what they are sending to me. As a result of that we [my family] have received many phone calls in the middle of the night threatening our lives, death threats. A number came to the office and my son, Foster, and daughter-in-law, Lauren, have received them." On April 16, 2010, the club was put up for sale. Hicks claimed that he believed the club had tripled in value during his tenure, and boasted that he would be looking for a price of four times what he purchased his stake for. He claimed that, "Liverpool will be the most profitable investment I've ever made." On June 16, 2010, Liverpool Walton MP Steve Rotheram tabled a motion in the House of Commons expressing dismay at the continuing ownership of the club. Hicks and Gillett were described as "asset strippers" and the club was being "drained by their greed".


title: Tom Hicks

text: In October 2010, as part of a fans' campaign against the ownership, a video entitled "Dear Mr Hicks" was released virally via YouTube. Produced and directed by Mike Jefferies, it featured celebrity fans of the club giving their reasons why they wanted to see a change of ownership. "The Independent" newspaper praised the video, saying, "True to the city's capacity to create something out of adversity, a wonderfully inventive viral film, Dear Mr Hicks, has been published online to make it clear where he ought to go. The fans' view can be summarised thus: away, and soon."


title: Tom Hicks

text: On October 15, 2010, Hicks lost ownership of Liverpool. Despite numerous attempts to prevent it, the club was sold to New England Sports Ventures (NESV), for a fee believed to be around £300 million, which was far below Hicks' valuation of "between £600M and £1 billion (B)", by the club's board of directors in a 3–2 vote. Hicks is pursuing a (max.) £1 billion suit against NESV and Kop Holdings for damages, claiming that, "This outcome... devalues the club..." and suggesting that he had been the victim of an "epic swindle". From the time the club had been put up for sale, however, it had been widely reported that the fee that Hicks and Gillett were asking for was unlikely to be achieved. The "Wall Street Journal" pointed out that the asking price of £600–800 million took no account of the fact that a new owner would have to spend £375 million building the new stadium which Hicks and Gillett had promised and failed to deliver. The "Daily Telegraph" suggested that Hicks and Gillett were unlikely to achieve their estimated price because everyone knew that there was huge debt at the club and that these debts were due to be called in very shortly, meaning that the bankers would subsequently put the club into administration and then sell off the club at a bargain price anyway. The likelihood of the club being placed in administration increased once, on September 7, 2010, the Royal Bank of Scotland, Hicks's main creditor, placed the Texan's indebtedness in the toxic debt category as he was considered unable to find refinancing or to pay off the debt. In the end, none of the offers made were anywhere close to Hicks and Gillett's valuation and with the threat of administration looming the club was sold for £300 million. This meant that the sale in 2010 fetched £80 million more than Hicks and Gillett had paid for the club in 2007, but because more than £200 million worth of debt had been piled on to the club, resulting in huge interest rates and penalty payments, the outgoing owners ended up losing an estimated £144 million on their investment.


title: Tom Hicks

text: Liverpool fans were delighted to hear that the club had been sold. Steve Horner, from the fans' group Kop Faithful, declared,


title: Tom Hicks

text: "It’s like a huge cloud has been lifted off us... Hicks and Gillett leave with no legacy, apart from one of chaos." The chairman of Liverpool Supporters Club, Richie Pedder, announced to the "Liverpool Echo", "This is the start of a new era. A lot has been taken off the club’s shoulders now. Good riddance to Hicks and Gillett." Former Liverpool player Tommy Smith expressed his joy at the departure of Hicks and Gillett in his regular newspaper column: "But today they are out of our club – and I’m as happy as every one of the Liverpool fans who’ve made it clear they’re so sick of them. All they were ever interested in was making money – not in owning what is for me the greatest football club in the world, investing in it properly and taking good care of it. Good riddance." After selling the club, Hicks admitted that his relationship with the fans had been strained: "Something went wrong with my ability to communicate with the fans. I am saddened by it."


title: Tom Hicks

text: In the two years before Hicks and Gillett took control of the club, Liverpool won the UEFA Champions League in 2005 and the FA Cup in 2006 under manager Rafael Benítez. In the three-and-a-half years in which Hicks and Gillett owned the club, they won not a single trophy, and at the time they left Liverpool, the club were in the relegation zone of the Premier League standings. Hicks denied this claim, declaring that during his reign Liverpool's net spend on player transfers was £150 million (sometimes cited as $150 million). "The Sunday Mirror" calculated that the net spend probably did not exceed £25.1 million and has accused Hicks of "creative accountancy", stating "what is irrefutable is that Hicks has exaggerated the net spend by probably close to six fold".


title: Tom Hicks

text: During Hicks and Gillett's period of ownership, the club struggled to meet the interest payments on the loans taken out as part of the leveraged buy-out. Christian Purslow, managing director of Liverpool since June 2009, publicly stated in September 2010 that the debt was an important burden for the club because it limited investment in players: "The issue is that too much of that profit is being used to service loans put into place when the club was bought." Hicks admitted after the sale that the club's debt was too great but argued that he had not been given sufficient time by his main creditor, the Royal Bank of Scotland, to repay the debt: "It has a little bit too much debt, no question. But we were going to fix that and we were frustrated by others." He has also suggested that the Royal Bank of Scotland prevented him paying back the debt to them: "I can't go into the details but I can confirm the funds were available to pay off Royal Bank of Scotland entirely but between Royal Bank of Scotland, the chairman and the employees that conspired against us, they would not let us."


title: Tom Hicks

text: After more legal trouble with his other sports team, Hicks decided not to pursue his claims of a conspiracy against him. On January 11, 2013, Hicks and Gillett finally decided to drop their case in the English law courts against Sir Martin Broughton, Christian Purslow and Ian Ayre, the three directors on the club's board of directors at the time of the sale of the club to NESV; they also agreed to drop their case against NESV and RBS Bank. The terms of the agreement are confidential, though it is believed that no monies were paid to Hicks or Gillett. Earlier in the week, Hicks and Gillett had lost a Court of Appeal bid to delay a High Court trial so they could have more time to raise the money needed to fund the multi-million pound lawsuit.


title: Tom Hicks

text: In addition to donating the land for aforementioned school in Frisco, Hicks donated a gymnasium to the St. Mark's School of Texas in Dallas. Hicks was also the 1996 co-chair of the Dallas Jewish Coalition for the Homeless "Vogel Alcove" project, and received the 2000 Henry Cohn Humanitarian Award from the Anti-Defamation League.


title: Bizarre Love Triangle

text: "Bizarre Love Triangle" is a song by the English rock band New Order, released as a single in 1986 from their fourth studio album, "Brotherhood" (1986), which reached the top five on the US Hot Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart, and No. 5 on the Australian ARIA Charts (No. 1 on the Victoria state chart) in March 1987.


title: Bizarre Love Triangle

text: It failed to make the top 40 in either the United Kingdom (only reaching No. 56) or the US "Billboard" Hot 100. In the United States, the song reached No. 8 on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart, but failed to chart on the Hot 100 during its original 1986 release. However, a new mix included on "The Best of New Order" was released in 1994 and finally made a brief appearance on the "Billboard" Hot 100 in the No. 98 position in 1995.


title: Bizarre Love Triangle

text: The 12-inch version, remixed by Shep Pettibone, also appears on the compilation "Substance" and a second remix by Stephen Hague features on their "Best Of" album. The original album version appears on the 2005 compilation "Singles", the 7-inch version appears on the 2016 reissue of this compilation. New Order's live versions since 1998 are based on the Shep Pettibone remix.


title: Bizarre Love Triangle

text: The single mix features more electronics than the album version, with the Fairlight CMI music workstation used to provide sounds such as the orchestral hits, and to sequence the song. All instruments except vocals and Peter Hook's melodic bass were sequenced (the song also prominently features synthesised bass and synth choir parts).


title: Bizarre Love Triangle

text: The music video, which was released in November 1986, was directed by American artist Robert Longo. It prominently featured shots of a man and a woman in business suits flying through the air as though propelled by trampolines; this is based directly on Longo's "Men in the Cities" series of lithographs. The video has a black and white cut-scene where Jodi Long and E. Max Frye are arguing about reincarnation, in which Long emphatically declares "I don't believe in reincarnation because I refuse to come back as a bug or as a rabbit!" Frye responds, "You know, you're a real 'up' person," before the song resumes.


title: Bizarre Love Triangle

text: "Bizarre Love Triangle" has been critically acclaimed since its release. In a 30th anniversary retrospective citing the song as one of the greatest of all time, "Billboard" described it as a "synth-pop masterpiece" and "an incandescent jewel of mid-'80s computer love." "NME" praised the song as New Order's "finest pop moment" and credited its simplicity in comparison to previous singles such as "Blue Monday". In 2004, the song was ranked No. 204 in "Rolling Stone"s list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time." In 2013, "Stereogum" ranked the song number two on their list of the 10 greatest New Order songs, and in 2021, "The Guardian" ranked the song number seven on their list of the 30 greatest New Order songs.


title: Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse

text: Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse is a survival horror video game developed by Tecmo, Nintendo SPD and Grasshopper Manufacture. The fourth installment in the "Fatal Frame" series and the first on a Nintendo console, it was released in 2008 by Nintendo for the Wii in Japan. A remaster for eighth and ninth generation consoles and Microsoft Windows published by Koei Tecmo will be released worldwide in 2023.


title: Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse

text: The story, set on the fictional Rougetsu Island, focuses on Ruka Minazuki, one of a group of girls who was held captive on the island for unknown reasons. Years after their rescue, still suffering from amnesia, Ruka and the two surviving girls return to the island to seek out the truth. The game's title stems from a ritual mask key to the story. The gameplay, as with previous entries in the series, revolves around the main character exploring environments and tackling hostile ghosts using the Camera Obscura.


title: Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse

text: The idea for "Mask of the Lunar Eclipse" came to series co-creator Keisuke Kikuchi when he first saw the Wii hardware. Kikuchi and series co-creator Makoto Shibata returned as respective producer and director, while Grasshopper Manufacture's Goichi Suda acted as co-director, co-writer and designer. The gameplay concept was making the player literally feel the fear evoked in the game. The addition of further developers to the project enabled the team to reconsider the standard formula, although it proved to be a chaotic experience. As with previous games, the theme songs were sung by Tsuki Amano. When released, the Wii original became the best-selling entry in the series to that date, and received generally positive reviews from critics.


title: Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse

text: "Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse" is a survival horror video game that has players taking control of four different characters navigating a variety of different environments, including traditional Japanese houses and a Meiji-era sanatorium-turned-hotel, while facing hostile ghosts through photography using the series' recurring Camera Obscura Third-person navigation and first-person control of in-game weapons such as the Camera Obscura are controlled using the Wii Remote and Nuchuck. During exploration, the characters are regularly attacked by hostile spirits, who take away the characters' health through touch.


title: Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse

text: The two central characters can fight off and defeat spirits using the Camera Obscura. Shots taken by the Camera Obscura deal varying amounts of damage based on how close the ghost is, the angle of the shot, and the film used. These factors are taken together to determine how many points the player is awarded for a shot. The most damaging type of shot is the "Fatal Frame", which is achieved if a shot is taken when the ghost is attacking. Points are used as the in-game currency, which can be used at save points to purchase items such as medicine and other items. Blue gems scattered around the environment can be used to upgrade the Camera Obscura, with some upgrades speeding reload time or enabling shots to deal more damage. Types of film range from an unlimited low-quality film that deals little damage to rarer and more powerful film types.


title: Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse

text: In addition to the Camera Obscura, the character can use a flashlight to explore their surroundings, and one character has access to a special Spirit Flashlight, which uses moonlight to pacify spirits. Should a ghost attack, gestures with the Wii Remote can shake them off. The "New Game+" mode unlocks additional costumes and further items and upgrades, many of them dependent on how much the player has scored during the initial playthrough. On higher difficulties, the number of items available is reduced.


title: Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse

text: In 1970, ten years prior to the start of the game, suspected serial killer Yō Haibara kidnapped five girls from their rooms in a sanatorium on Rougetsu, an island south of Honshu. The girls were rescued from a cavern beneath the sanatorium by detective Chōshirō Kirishima, who had been pursuing Haibara, but they had all lost their memories. Two years later, a catastrophe strikes Rougetsu Island which kills off the inhabitants. Eight years later, in the present, two of the rescued girls have died in mysterious circumstances and two of the survivors, Misaki Asō and Madoka Tsukimori, return to discover the truth about their pasts. Despite being warned by her mother not to return to the island, fellow survivor Ruka Minazuki goes there to find Misaki and Madoka. Shortly before Ruka's arrival, Madoka is killed by hostile spirits.


title: Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse

text: Chōshirō, the detective who rescued them, also returns to the island to both find Ruka and continue his pursuit of Haibara. During her exploration, Ruka learns that she and Misaki are suffering from a supernatural disease dubbed Moonlight Syndrome, which affects their memories and identity and is spread by touch and vision. Each character also collects pieces of a mask used in a local ritual dance to guide souls into the afterlife. During the course of the story, it is revealed that Misaki arranged their return to the island so their illness might be cured, and that Chōshirō himself died ten years before, and is now helping the girls guided by the benevolent spirit of Ruka's mother Sayaka.