title: Iberian language

text: Joseba Lakarra (2010) has rejected both hypotheses: loan or genetic relationship. Lakarra’s arguments focus almost exclusively on the field of Basque historical grammar, but also arguments, following de Hoz (1993) hypothesis, that the hypothesis of the borrowing has already turned out implausible due to the limited and remote extension of the territory where Iberian was spoken as first language in South-East Spain.


title: Iberian language

text: Javier de Hoz (2011, pp. 196–198) considers plausible the internal contextual and combinatorial arguments that would support the hypothesis that these Iberian elements could be interpreted as numerals. In fact, concerning the specific values, he considers valid the proposed equivalences between Iberian with 'one' and between Iberian with 'half', according to the marks of value found in coins, while he considers that the rest of the proposed equivalences are a working hypothesis. Regarding the equivalence between the possible Iberian numerals and the Basque numerals, he agrees with Lakarra (2010) that the shape of the documented Iberian forms does not fit the expected Proto-Basque forms. Finally, he considers that the greatest difficulty in accepting this hypothesis is, paradoxically, its extent and systematic nature, because if it was correct, it would result in a close relationship between Iberian and Basque, which should allow the identification of other relationships between Iberian and Basque subsystems, as clearly as this one, relationships that no investigator using reasonable linguistic arguments has been able to identify.


title: Iberian language

text: Eduardo Orduña (2011) insists that the Iberian elements proposed as numerals are not only similar to the Basque numerals, but also combine as numerals and appear in contexts where numerals are expected. He observes Lakarra (2010) not dispute these arguments [neither does de Hoz (2010)]. As regards the de Hoz hypothesis about considering the Iberian language as a lingua franca, Orduña remarks its hypothetical character, although Lakarra presents that hypothesis as an established fact. The problems of this hypothesis have been collected by Ferrer (2013) in a later work. Regarding the phonetic difficulties indicated by Lakarra, Orduña argues that its proposals are compatible with the Proto-Basque reconstructed of Michelena, which is for chronology and security the reconstruction that an iberist has to consider, while the hypothesis of internal Basque reconstruction of Lakarra has a vague chronology and a much lower degree of security. Finally, contrary to his first opinion in favor of the loan, concludes that the most economical hypothesis to explain the similarities between the Iberian numeral system and the Basque numeral system is the genetic relationship.


title: Iberian language

text: Francisco Villar (2014, 259) notes that the similarities between Iberian numerals and Basque numerals are of the same order as those documented among Indo-European languages and consequently argues that the only sustainable hypothesis at this point is the genetic relationship between Iberian and Basque. Villar also believes that if the reconstruction of Proto-Basque proposed by Lakarra (2010) is incompatible with the evidence derived from the numerals, the reconstruction must be corrected, as like all reconstructions, is hypothetical and perfectible.


title: Russian tortoise

text: The Russian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii), also commonly known as the Afghan tortoise, the Central Asian tortoise, Horsfield's tortoise, four-clawed tortoise, and the (Russian) steppe tortoise, is a threatened species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is endemic to Central Asia. Human activities in its native habitat contribute to its threatened status.


title: Russian tortoise

text: Both the specific name, "horsfieldii", and the common name "Horsfield's tortoise" are in honor of the American naturalist Thomas Horsfield.


title: Russian tortoise

text: This species is traditionally placed in "Testudo". Due to distinctly different morphological characteristics, the monotypic genus "Agrionemys" was proposed for it in 1966, and was accepted for several decades, although not unanimously. DNA sequence analysis generally concurred, but not too robustly so. However, in 2021, it was again reclassified in "Testudo" by the Turtle Taxonomy Working Group and the Reptile Database, with "Agrionemys" being relegated to a distinct subgenus that "T. horsfieldii" belonged to. The Turtle Taxonomy Working Group lists five separate subspecies of Russian tortoise, but they are not widely accepted by taxonomists:


title: Russian tortoise

text: The Russian tortoise is a small tortoise species, with a size range of . Females grow slightly larger () to accommodate more eggs. Males average .


title: Russian tortoise

text: Russian tortoises are sexually dimorphic. Males tend to have longer tails generally tucked to the side, and longer claws; females have a short, fat tail, with shorter claws than the males. The male has a slit-shaped vent (cloaca) near the tip of its tail; the female has an asterisk-shaped vent (cloaca).


title: Russian tortoise

text: Russian tortoises have four toes. Coloration varies, but the shell is usually a ruddy brown or black, fading to yellow between the scutes, and the body is straw-yellow and brown depending on the subspecies.


title: Russian tortoise

text: The male Russian tortoise courts a female through head bobbing, circling, and biting her forelegs. When she submits, he mounts her from behind, making high-pitched squeaking noises during mating.


title: Russian tortoise

text: Russian tortoises are popular pets. They can be kept indoors or outdoors, but outdoor tortoise enclosures generally require less equipment and upkeep, and are preferable if the keeper lives in an appropriate climate. Indoor enclosures should measure 8’L x 4’W x 2.5’H, or otherwise offer 32 square feet of floor space. Indoors, specialized equipment is required to maintain moderate temperatures and moderate humidity, with UVB light available in an appropriate strength.


title: Russian tortoise

text: In captivity, Russian tortoises’ diet typically consists of lamb's lettuce, plantains and various other dark leafy greens. The diet should be as varied as possible to reduce the risk of imbalanced nutrition. Water is important for all species; the tortoise, being an arid species, will typically get water from their food, but they still need a constant supply. Young Russian tortoises should be soaked 1-2x/weekly in lukewarm water no deeper than their elbows to keep hydrated. Tortoises typically empty their bowels in water to hide their scent; this is an instinct, and it also helps keep their enclosure cleaner.


title: Russian tortoise

text: In September 1968 two Russian tortoises flew to the Moon, circled it, and returned safely to Earth on the Soviet Zond 5 mission. Accompanied by mealworms, plants, and other lifeforms, they were the first Earth creatures to travel to the Moon.


title: Laurasiatheria

text: Laurasiatheria ("laurasian beasts") is a superorder of placental mammals that groups together true insectivores (eulipotyphlans), bats (chiropterans), carnivorans, pangolins (pholidotes), even-toed ungulates (artiodactyls), odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls), and all their extinct relatives. From systematics and phylogenetic perspectives, it is subdivided into order Eulipotyphla and clade Scrotifera. It is a sister group to Euarchontoglires with which it forms the magnorder Boreoeutheria. Laurasiatheria was discovered on the basis of the similar gene sequences shared by the mammals belonging to it; no anatomical features have yet been found that unite the group. The Laurasiatheria clade is based on DNA sequence analyses and retrotransposon presence/absence data. The superorder originated on the northern supercontinent of Laurasia, after it split from Gondwana when Pangaea broke up. Its last common ancestor is supposed to have diversified ca. 76 to 90 million years ago.


title: Laurasiatheria

text: The name of this superorder derives from the theory that this group of mammals originated on the supercontinent of Laurasia. In contrast, extinct primitive mammals called Gondwanatheria existed in the supercontinent of Gondwana.


title: Laurasiatheria

text: Uncertainty still exists regarding the phylogenetic tree for extant laurasiatherians, primarily due to disagreement about the placement of orders Chiroptera and Perissodactyla. Based on morphological grounds, bats (order Chiroptera) had long been classified in the superorder Archonta (e.g. along with primates, treeshrews and the gliding colugos) until genetic research instead showed their kinship with the other laurasiatheres. The studies conflicted in terms of the exact placement of Chiroptera, however, with it being linked most closely to groups such as order Eulipotyphla in the clade Insectiphillia. Two 2013 studies retrieve that bats, carnivorans and euungulates form a clade Scrotifera, indicating that Eulipotyphla might be the sister group to all other Laurasiatheria taxa.


title: Laurasiatheria

text: Laurasiatheria is also posited to include several extinct orders and superorders. At least some of these are considered wastebasket taxa, historically lumping together several lineages based on superficial attributes and assumed relations to modern mammals. In some cases, these orders have turned out to either be paraphyletic assemblages, or to be composed of mammals now understood not to be laurasiatheres at all.


title: Laurasiatheria

text: The phylogenetic relationships of superorder Laurasiatheria are shown in the following cladogram, reconstructed from mitochondrial and nuclear DNA and protein characters, as well as the fossil record.


title: James Bourne

text: James Elliot Bourne (born 13 September 1983) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is known as the co-founder of pop punk bands Busted and Son of Dork, and he also created his own electronic project: Future Boy. From 2013 to 2015 he was a member of McBusted, which consisted of himself, Busted bandmate Matt Willis, and McFly.


title: James Bourne

text: Bourne was born in Rochford, Essex to Peter and Maria Bourne and moved to Southend-on-Sea at age ten months. He has a sister named Melissa and two brothers named Nick and Chris. Bourne attended the independent fee-paying Thorpe Hall School in Southend-on-Sea. Bourne plays electric guitar, piano, drums and bass guitar. Bourne claims that he is still good friends with Matt Willis and on good terms with Charlie Simpson and have since reformed, releasing two new albums. He also has a good relationship with the band members of McFly.


title: James Bourne

text: Bourne owns an American skating and apparel company called SicPuppy, named after a band he was once a member of. Bourne paid over £16,000 for his own record company, Sicpuppy Records, which, in 2007, gave unsigned UK bands a chance to play on the Sic Tour 2007 in Shepherd's Bush Empire. The event was hosted by David Gest and Matt Willis.


title: James Bourne

text: At the age of 17, Bourne dropped out of the South East Essex College course in Music Technology to pursue his music career. He met Matt Willis at a gig and they started writing songs together at Bourne's house in Southend. Willis and Bourne placed an ad for a third band member in "NME" magazine. They held auditions and after listening to a few songs the two had written together, Charlie Simpson joined the band. After signing to Universal in 2002, Busted released their first single, "What I Go To School For", from their self-titled debut album in September that year, which quickly became No. 3 in the UK charts. "Year 3000" soon followed and became a hit as well reaching No. 2 in the charts, their third single "You Said No" was a No. 1 hit.


title: James Bourne

text: By the end of the band's career, they had managed eight top 10 singles and four number ones – "You Said No", "Crashed the Wedding", "Who's David?" and "Thunderbirds Are Go". Despite their success, Busted split on 14 January 2005 after just three years, following Simpson's decision to leave the band to concentrate on his side project Fightstar.


title: James Bourne

text: On 10 November 2015 Busted announced their return as a band, featuring Simpson again. They also announced a 2016 nationwide tour, Pigs Can Fly Tour 2016. Their third album, "Night Driver", was released on 25 November 2016. Their fourth studio album titled "Half Way There" was also released in 2019. At the latter end of that year, Bourne announced a new solo project – officially announcing Busted to be on their first hiatus since the split.


title: James Bourne

text: After Busted split in January 2005, Bourne formed a new pop rock band named Son of Dork. They released their first single, "Ticket Outta Loserville" in November 2005 followed by their debut album, "Welcome to Loserville", two weeks later. Their second single Eddie's Song reached No 10 in the UK charts. They also contributed to the soundtrack of British Comedy film "Alien Autopsy".


title: James Bourne

text: The band split in 2007 after Bourne had to dedicate his energy to an ongoing lawsuit for the rights to the Busted songs. He has, however, been open for a reunion though stated he would only bring back the members who wanted to come back. Bourne did reunite with bassist Steven Rushton and guitarist Chris Leonard to perform Man in the Mirror with Welsh Comedy Duo Lilygreen & Maguire.


title: James Bourne

text: Following the split of Son of Dork, Bourne pursued a musical career as a solo artist under the name Future Boy. In June 2009, Bourne announced that he had begun recording his debut solo album; "not a rock album. It is 100% electronic." Volume 1 was produced and mixed by Tommy Henriksen and Bourne at Henriksen's Anarchy Studio's in Nashville and Los Angeles. Side A of "Volume 1" was released on 3 May 2010; the album was released via his official website and not a record label. Side B would be released on 3 June. Side B featured a further five songs, including a ballad with his then girlfriend Gabriela Arciero. As part of Valentine's Day, Future Boy posted a new track on Facebook called "Dangerous"; the song didn't make the final cut for "Volume 1".


title: James Bourne

text: Although "Volume 2" was officially announced in February 2011 for a 3 May 2012 release as a Facebook video game "Space Travellers", the album has yet to surface due to technical difficulties and other commitments. Bourne confirmed in 2020 that the second album was 'mixed and mastered' but he would not be releasing it due to his commitment to his solo career.


title: James Bourne

text: In 2012, Bourne did his debut solo acoustic tour across the UK. Dates included London, Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle, Islingon and Birmingham, with Matt Willis and wife, Emma Willis, as well as family members coming to support him. His set consisted of a mixture of songs from Busted, Future Boy and Son of Dork. He went on to do a brief tour in Spain.


title: James Bourne

text: On 31 December 2019, Bourne announced a new solo project but reassured Busted fans that the band was not splitting up, tweeting "After twenty amazing years making music, I am stepping into 2020 on a brand new solo adventure. Busted will always be my band. But, I’ve dreamed for years about releasing my own album so here we go." His first album "Safe Journey Home" was self


title: James Bourne

text: released in late 2020 on his own Bad Apple label. Bourne announced a follow-up album, "Sugar Beach", on his Twitter for a Summer 2021 release.


title: James Bourne

text: In 2013, Bourne supported for McFly, which was later referred to by the newly formed McBusted as the starting point for ideas of McFly and Busted joining together as a contribution to the McFly tour, which then later sparked ideas of their own McBusted tour. McBusted released their self-titled debut album on 1 December 2014, with a large portion of the tracks written/co-written by Bourne. Some tracks on the album were from some of Bourne's previous musical projects like "What Happened To Your Band" that was originally written for Son of Dork and "Beautiful Girls Are The Loneliest" which was intended for his solo project. McBusted went on a 21 date tour in 2015 and performed songs from their new album as well as previous McFly and Busted hits.


title: James Bourne

text: In early 2013, Bourne formed a band with his brother Chris Bourne called the Bourne Insanity. They independently released their first single "Mohawk" on 16 April, written solely by Chris. In late 2013, Bourne announced via Twitter that he had posted "secret" music under a different name on iTunes. The band was later revealed to be "88", which was Bourne and fellow musician Eric Bazilian. 88 released their first single, "Angels Walk Beside You", on 5 December 2013, and on 8 February 2014 they released their second single "Miss the Girl".


title: James Bourne

text: Bourne wrote the majority of Busted's two albums with Matt Willis, Charlie Simpson and Tom Fletcher (McFly). Busted's style of music can also be identified in songs with his next band Son of Dork's poppier tracks. He explains that his solo writing process is very similar to the creative process of Busted, though things move "20% faster" when he writes on his own.


title: James Bourne

text: Bourne has co-writing credits on the first four McFly albums – "Room on the 3rd Floor", "Wonderland", "Motion in the Ocean" and "", contributing to the majority of the tracks on the former.


title: James Bourne

text: He takes a lot of writing credits for artists such as Melanie C for whom he wrote "Immune" for her fourth studio album "This Time". Other artists include MC Lars, with whom he wrote the song "Twenty-three" on the "This Gigantic Robot Kills" album, and Pat Monahan, with whom he co-wrote "Great Escape" on the album "Last of Seven". Bourne has recently been writing with his girlfriend's band The Lunabelles and JC Chasez as well as unknown artists as a part of Metrophonic. He has also helped write songs for the British drama "Britannia High". He also wrote Eoghan Quigg's debut solo single "28,000 Friends", which was originally performed by Bourne at The Living Room, New York on 11 October 2007. He also co-wrote the Saturdays song, "Forever Is Over", which was released on 2 October and reached number two in the charts. Bourne has also written for Gabriella Cilmi.


title: James Bourne

text: In November 2009, Bourne collaborated with Leon G. Thomas III to write the song "Please Don't Change Your Mind".


title: James Bourne

text: In 2014, Bourne was writing songs for supergroup McBusted, The Vamps and 5 Seconds of Summer. This includes the song "Daylight" by 5 Seconds of Summer which was cowritten with his brother Chris Bourne. Despite his prolific credits, Bourne says he much prefers writing for himself because he can be "more in tune" with his own songs.


title: James Bourne

text: In February 2009, Youth Music Theatre UK commissioned Bourne, along with his friend Elliot Davis, to write a musical based on the Son of Dork album "Welcome to Loserville", "Loserville: The Musical". The tickets for the 20 August premiere went up for sale on 7 May. The slogan used for the musical is "I guess it really pays to be a slacker...", and is centred around 17-year-old Michael Dork, who is called a nerd, geek and slacker by others. Bourne tweeted that the musical would be hitting London's West End in 2011; however, it eventually opened on 1 October 2012 at the Garrick Theatre. From 18 June 2012 to 14 July 2012 the musical ran in Leeds at the West Yorkshire Playhouse.


title: James Bourne

text: The show opened at the Garrick Theatre on 17 October 2012, following previews from 1 October officially beginning its tour on the West End. The production was originally set to run until 2 March 2013, but closed early on 5 January 2013. The production included past Son of Dork band member Danny Hall on drums.


title: James Bourne

text: In 2011, Youth Music Theatre once again commissioned Bourne and Davis to write a new, original musical called "Out There". First presented as a workshop presentation in a small theatre west of London, the musical is set in the fictional town of Hope, Texas, and follows the story of Logan Carter, who is on the run from his home town near Detroit after committing a minor felony. Hope is a dead-end, one-horse town (even the horse has died) and its inhabitants are searching for ways to rescue the town from obscurity and financial ruin. Meanwhile, a few miles away in the desert, an old man is building something weird in his outhouse.


title: James Bourne

text: In July 2012, the original Youth Music Theatre cast and crew reunited to put on several performances at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, London, with new songs added. Prior to this, a funding page was set up to allow them to perform and although they didn't reach their $15,000 goal they still went ahead with the shows.


title: James Bourne

text: The musical is available to have amateur and professional performances in schools and the stage through the Josef Weinbeger LTD.


title: James Bourne

text: In 2013, Bourne announced another musical he had been working on, "Murder at the Gates". This time, the musical sees Bourne working with "Spring Awakening" writer Steven Sater, who has penned with book & lyrics for this musical whereas Bourne worked solely on the music score. The musical had a trial run performance of three shows in New York under NYU in September 2013 using NYU students. "Murder at the Gates" is set in a posh gated community in a manor where a costume birthday party is being held for a murder mystery play but the play becomes her life.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: Non-uniform rational basis spline (NURBS) is a mathematical model using basis splines (B-splines) that is commonly used in computer graphics for representing curves and surfaces. It offers great flexibility and precision for handling both analytic (defined by common mathematical formulae) and modeled shapes. It is a type of curve modeling, as opposed to polygonal modeling or digital sculpting. NURBS curves are commonly used in computer-aided design (CAD), manufacturing (CAM), and engineering (CAE). They are part of numerous industry-wide standards, such as IGES, STEP, ACIS, and PHIGS. Tools for creating and editing NURBS surfaces are found in various 3D graphics and animation software packages.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: They can be efficiently handled by computer programs yet allow for easy human interaction. NURBS surfaces are functions of two parameters mapping to a surface in three-dimensional space. The shape of the surface is determined by control points. In a compact form, NURBS surfaces can represent simple geometrical shapes. For complex organic shapes, T-splines and subdivision surfaces are more suitable because they halve the number of control points in comparison with the NURBS surfaces.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: In general, editing NURBS curves and surfaces is intuitive and predictable. Control points are always either connected directly to the curve or surface, or else act as if they were connected by a rubber band. Depending on the type of user interface, the editing of NURBS curves and surfaces can be via their control points (similar to Bézier curves) or via higher level tools such as "spline modeling" and "hierarchical editing".


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: Before computers, designs were drawn by hand on paper with various drafting tools. Rulers were used for straight lines, compasses for circles, and protractors for angles. But many shapes, such as the freeform curve of a ship's bow, could not be drawn with these tools. Although such curves could be drawn freehand at the drafting board, shipbuilders often needed a life-size version which could not be done by hand. Such large drawings were done with the help of flexible strips of wood, called splines. The splines were held in place at a number of predetermined points, called "ducks"; between the ducks, the elasticity of the spline material caused the strip to take the shape that minimized the energy of bending, thus creating the smoothest possible shape that fit the constraints. The shape could be adjusted by moving the ducks.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: In 1946, mathematicians started studying the spline shape, and derived the piecewise polynomial formula known as the spline curve or spline function. I. J. Schoenberg gave the spline function its name after its resemblance to the mechanical spline used by draftsmen.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: As computers were introduced into the design process, the physical properties of such splines were investigated so that they could be modelled with mathematical precision and reproduced where needed. Pioneering work was done in France by Renault engineer Pierre Bézier, and Citroën's physicist and mathematician Paul de Casteljau. They worked nearly parallel to each other, but because Bézier published the results of his work, Bézier curves were named after him, while de Casteljau's name is only associated with related algorithms.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: At first NURBS were only used in the proprietary CAD packages of car companies. Later they became part of standard computer graphics packages.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: Real-time, interactive rendering of NURBS curves and surfaces was first made commercially available on Silicon Graphics workstations in 1989. In 1993, the first interactive NURBS modeller for PCs, called NöRBS, was developed by CAS Berlin, a small startup company cooperating with the Technical University of Berlin.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: A surface under construction, e.g. the hull of a motor yacht, is usually composed of several NURBS surfaces known as NURBS patches (or just "patches"). These surface patches should be fitted together in such a way that the boundaries are invisible. This is mathematically expressed by the concept of geometric continuity.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: Higher-level tools exist that benefit from the ability of NURBS to create and establish geometric continuity of different levels:


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: Geometric continuity mainly refers to the shape of the resulting surface; since NURBS surfaces are functions, it is also possible to discuss the derivatives of the surface with respect to the parameters. This is known as parametric continuity. Parametric continuity of a given degree implies geometric continuity of that degree.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: First- and second-level parametric continuity (C and C¹) are for practical purposes identical to positional and tangential (G and G¹) continuity. Third-level parametric continuity (C²), however, differs from curvature continuity in that its parameterization is also continuous. In practice, C² continuity is easier to achieve if uniform B-splines are used.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: The definition of C continuity requires that the "n"th derivative of adjacent curves/surfaces (formula_1) are equal at a joint. Note that the (partial) derivatives of curves and surfaces are vectors that have a direction and a magnitude; both should be equal.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: Highlights and reflections can reveal the perfect smoothing, which is otherwise practically impossible to achieve without NURBS surfaces that have at least G² continuity. This same principle is used as one of the surface evaluation methods whereby a ray-traced or reflection-mapped image of a surface with white stripes reflecting on it will show even the smallest deviations on a surface or set of surfaces. This method is derived from car prototyping wherein surface quality is inspected by checking the quality of reflections of a neon-light ceiling on the car surface. This method is also known as "Zebra analysis".


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: A NURBS curve is defined by its order, a set of weighted control points, and a knot vector. NURBS curves and surfaces are generalizations of both B-splines and Bézier curves and surfaces, the primary difference being the weighting of the control points, which makes NURBS curves "rational". ("Non-rational", aka "simple", B-splines are a special case/subset of rational B-splines, where each control point is a regular non-homogenous coordinate [no 'w'] rather than a homogeneous coordinate. That is equivalent to having weight "1" at each control point; "Rational" B-splines use the 'w' of each control point as a weight.)


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: By using a two-dimensional grid of control points, NURBS surfaces including planar patches and sections of spheres can be created. These are parametrized with two variables (typically called "s" and "t" or "u" and "v"). This can be extended to arbitrary dimensions to create NURBS mapping formula_2.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: Here, NURBS is mostly discussed in one dimension (curves); it can be generalized to two (surfaces) or even more dimensions.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: The "order" of a NURBS curve defines the number of nearby control points that influence any given point on the curve. The curve is represented mathematically by a polynomial of degree one less than the order of the curve. Hence, second-order curves (which are represented by linear polynomials) are called linear curves, third-order curves are called quadratic curves, and fourth-order curves are called cubic curves. The number of control points must be greater than or equal to the order of the curve.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: In practice, cubic curves are the ones most commonly used. Fifth- and sixth-order curves are sometimes useful, especially for obtaining continuous higher order derivatives, but curves of higher orders are practically never used because they lead to internal numerical problems and tend to require disproportionately large calculation times.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: The control points determine the shape of the curve. Typically, each point of the curve is computed by taking a weighted sum of a number of control points. The weight of each point varies according to the governing parameter. For a curve of degree d, the weight of any control point is only nonzero in d+1 intervals of the parameter space. Within those intervals, the weight changes according to a polynomial function ("basis functions") of degree d. At the boundaries of the intervals, the basis functions go smoothly to zero, the smoothness being determined by the degree of the polynomial.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: As an example, the basis function of degree one is a triangle function. It rises from zero to one, then falls to zero again. While it rises, the basis function of the previous control point falls. In that way, the curve interpolates between the two points, and the resulting curve is a polygon, which is continuous, but not differentiable at the interval boundaries, or knots. Higher degree polynomials have correspondingly more continuous derivatives. Note that within the interval the polynomial nature of the basis functions and the linearity of the construction make the curve perfectly smooth, so it is only at the knots that discontinuity can arise.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: In many applications the fact that a single control point only influences those intervals where it is active is a highly desirable property, known as local support. In modeling, it allows the changing of one part of a surface while keeping other parts unchanged.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: Adding more control points allows better approximation to a given curve, although only a certain class of curves can be represented exactly with a finite number of control points. NURBS curves also feature a scalar weight for each control point. This allows for more control over the shape of the curve without unduly raising the number of control points. In particular, it adds conic sections like circles and ellipses to the set of curves that can be represented exactly. The term "rational" in NURBS refers to these weights.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: The control points can have any dimensionality. One-dimensional points just define a scalar function of the parameter. These are typically used in image processing programs to tune the brightness and color curves. Three-dimensional control points are used abundantly in 3D modeling, where they are used in the everyday meaning of the word 'point', a location in 3D space.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: Multi-dimensional points might be used to control sets of time-driven values, e.g. the different positional and rotational settings of a robot arm. NURBS surfaces are just an application of this. Each control 'point' is actually a full vector of control points, defining a curve. These curves share their degree and the number of control points, and span one dimension of the parameter space. By interpolating these control vectors over the other dimension of the parameter space, a continuous set of curves is obtained, defining the surface.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: The knot vector is a sequence of parameter values that determines where and how the control points affect the NURBS curve. The number of knots is always equal to the number of control points plus curve degree plus one (i.e. number of control points plus curve order). The knot vector divides the parametric space in the intervals mentioned before, usually referred to as "knot spans". Each time the parameter value enters a new knot span, a new control point becomes active, while an old control point is discarded.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: It follows that the values in the knot vector should be in nondecreasing order, so (0, 0, 1, 2, 3, 3) is valid while (0, 0, 2, 1, 3, 3) is not.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: Consecutive knots can have the same value. This then defines a knot span of zero length, which implies that two control points are activated at the same time (and of course two control points become deactivated). This has impact on continuity of the resulting curve or its higher derivatives; for instance, it allows the creation of corners in an otherwise smooth NURBS curve.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: A number of coinciding knots is sometimes referred to as a knot with a certain multiplicity. Knots with multiplicity two or three are known as double or triple knots.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: The multiplicity of a knot is limited to the degree of the curve; since a higher multiplicity would split the curve into disjoint parts and it would leave control points unused. For first-degree NURBS, each knot is paired with a control point.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: The knot vector usually starts with a knot that has multiplicity equal to the order. This makes sense, since this activates the control points that have influence on the first knot span. Similarly, the knot vector usually ends with a knot of that multiplicity.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: The values of the knots control the mapping between the input parameter and the corresponding NURBS value. For example, if a NURBS describes a path through space over time, the knots control the time that the function proceeds past the control points. For the purposes of representing shapes, however, only the ratios of the difference between the knot values matter; in that case, the knot vectors (0, 0, 1, 2, 3, 3) and (0, 0, 2, 4, 6, 6) produce the same curve. The positions of the knot values influences the mapping of parameter space to curve space. Rendering a NURBS curve is usually done by stepping with a fixed stride through the parameter range. By changing the knot span lengths, more sample points can be used in regions where the curvature is high. Another use is in situations where the parameter value has some physical significance, for instance if the parameter is time and the curve describes the motion of a robot arm. The knot span lengths then translate into velocity and acceleration, which are essential to get right to prevent damage to the robot arm or its environment. This flexibility in the mapping is what the phrase "non uniform" in NURBS refers to.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: Necessary only for internal calculations, knots are usually not helpful to the users of modeling software. Therefore, many modeling applications do not make the knots editable or even visible. It's usually possible to establish reasonable knot vectors by looking at the variation in the control points. More recent versions of NURBS software (e.g., Autodesk Maya and Rhinoceros 3D) allow for interactive editing of knot positions, but this is significantly less intuitive than the editing of control points.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: The B-spline basis functions used in the construction of NURBS curves are usually denoted as formula_3, in which formula_4 corresponds to the formula_4


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: control point, and formula_6 corresponds with the degree of the basis function. The parameter dependence is frequently left out, so we can write formula_7.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: The degree-0 functions formula_9 are piecewise constant functions. They are one on the corresponding knot span and zero everywhere else.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: Effectively, formula_7 is a linear interpolation of formula_11 and formula_12. The latter two functions are non-zero for


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: formula_17 rises linearly from zero to one on the interval where formula_11 is non-zero, while formula_19 falls from one to zero on the interval where formula_12 is non-zero. As mentioned before, formula_21 is a triangular function, nonzero over two knot spans rising from zero to one on the first, and falling to zero on the second knot span. Higher order basis functions are non-zero over corresponding more knot spans and have correspondingly higher degree. If formula_22 is the parameter, and formula_23 is the formula_4 knot, we can write the functions formula_25 and formula_26 as


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: The functions formula_25 and formula_26 are positive when the corresponding lower order basis functions are non-zero. By induction on n it follows that the basis functions are non-negative for all values of formula_6 and formula_22. This makes the computation of the basis functions numerically stable.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: Again by induction, it can be proved that the sum of the basis functions for a particular value of the parameter is unity. This is known as the partition of unity property of the basis functions.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: One knot span is considerably shorter than the others. On that knot span, the peak in the quadratic basis function is more distinct, reaching almost one. Conversely, the adjoining basis functions fall to zero more quickly. In the geometrical interpretation, this means that the curve approaches the corresponding control point closely. In case of a double knot, the length of the knot span becomes zero and the peak reaches one exactly. The basis function is no longer differentiable at that point. The curve will have a sharp corner if the neighbour control points are not collinear.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: Using the definitions of the basis functions formula_7 from the previous paragraph, a NURBS curve takes the following form:


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: In this, formula_35 is the number of control points formula_36 and formula_37 are the corresponding weights. The denominator is a normalizing factor that evaluates to one if all weights are one. This can be seen from the partition of unity property of the basis functions. It is customary to write this as


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: A NURBS surface is obtained as the tensor product of two NURBS curves, thus using two independent parameters formula_22 and formula_41 (with indices formula_4 and formula_43 respectively):


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: A number of transformations can be applied to a NURBS object. For instance, if some curve is defined using a certain degree and N control points, the same curve can be expressed using the same degree and N+1 control points. In the process a number of control points change position and a knot is inserted in the knot vector.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: These manipulations are used extensively during interactive design. When adding a control point, the shape of the curve should stay the same, forming the starting point for further adjustments. A number of these operations are discussed below.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: As the term suggests, knot insertion inserts a knot into the knot vector. If the degree of the curve is formula_6, then formula_14 control points are replaced by formula_6 new ones. The shape of the curve stays the same.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: A knot can be inserted multiple times, up to the maximum multiplicity of the knot. This is sometimes referred to as knot refinement and can be achieved by an algorithm that is more efficient than repeated knot insertion.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: Knot removal is the reverse of knot insertion. Its purpose is to remove knots and the associated control points in order to get a more compact representation. Obviously, this is not always possible while retaining the exact shape of the curve. In practice, a tolerance in the accuracy is used to determine whether a knot can be removed. The process is used to clean up after an interactive session in which control points may have been added manually, or after importing


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: a curve from a different representation, where a straightforward conversion process leads to redundant control points.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: A NURBS curve of a particular degree can always be represented by a NURBS curve of higher degree. This is frequently used when combining separate NURBS curves,


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: e.g., when creating a NURBS surface interpolating between a set of NURBS curves or when unifying adjacent curves. In the process, the different curves should be brought to the same degree, usually the maximum degree of the set of curves. The process is known as degree elevation.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: The most important property in differential geometry is the curvature formula_49. It describes the local properties (edges, corners, etc.) and relations between the first and second derivative, and thus, the precise curve shape. Having determined the derivatives it is easy to compute formula_50. The circle is composed of four quarter circles, tied together with double knots. Although double knots in a third order NURBS curve would normally result in loss of continuity in the first derivative, the control points are positioned in such a way that the first derivative is continuous. In fact, the curve is infinitely differentiable everywhere, as it must be if it exactly represents a circle.


title: Non-uniform rational B-spline

text: The curve represents a circle exactly, but it is not exactly parametrized in the circle's arc length. This means, for example, that the point at formula_51 does not lie at formula_52 (except for the start, middle and end point of each quarter circle, since the representation is symmetrical). This would be impossible, since the "x" coordinate of the circle would provide an exact rational polynomial expression for formula_53, which is impossible. The circle does make one full revolution as its parameter formula_51 goes from 0 to formula_55, but this is only because the knot vector was arbitrarily chosen as multiples of formula_56.


title: Yusuf (surah)

text: Yusuf (, ; Arabic synonym of "Joseph") is the 12th chapter (Surah) of the Quran and has 111 Ayahs (verses). It is preceded by sūrah Hud and followed by Ar-Ra’d (The thunder).


title: Yusuf (surah)

text: Regarding the timing and contextual background of the believed revelation ("asbāb al-nuzūl"), it was revealed toward the end of the Meccan period, which means it is believed to have been revealed in Mecca, instead of later in Medina. It is said to have been revealed in a single sitting and is unique in this respect. The text narrates the story of Yusuf (Joseph), son of Jacob, who is a prophet in Islam, and recounts his life and mission.


title: Yusuf (surah)

text: Unlike the accounts of other Islamic prophets, different elements and aspects of which are related in different surahs, the life-history of Yusuf, is narrated in this surah only, in full and in chronological order. This surah, which also tells of the truth, according to Muslims, contained in dreams, presents many principles of how to serve Islam by relating the life-history of a prophet, who became the most renowned and respected figure in the country to which he had been sold as a slave.


title: Yusuf (surah)

text: The surah was first translated into Latin by Thomas van Erpe in 1617 and later in the 17th century published synoptically in Arabic and Latin as part of the Lutheran efforts at translating the Qur'an.


title: Yusuf (surah)

text: The story Prophet Yūsuf. Yūsuf is one of the sons of Ya'qub who has the talent of interpreting dreams. One day Yūsuf has a dream and he narrates his dream to his father, who immediately knows that Yūsuf will be a prophet. His father tells him not to tell his brothers to avoid any harm. However, because of Ya'qub's loving treatment towards Yūsuf, Yūsuf's brothers felt jealous. They wanted to get rid of Yūsuf, so their father could love them instead of Yūsuf. Their initial plan was to kill Yūsuf, but later they decided to throw him in a well. They lied to their father and told him that a wolf had killed him. Later, a caravan rescued Yūsuf from the well, who then sold him to a 'Al-Aziz in Egypt. The 'Al-Aziz took Yūsuf in and was hoping to either put him to work or adopt him as a son. Later, the man's wife tries to seduce Yūsuf, but he resists. The woman seeing his resistance accuses Yūsuf of wanting to harm her and demands that he should either be punished severely or sent to jail.


title: Yusuf (surah)

text: A witness, after Yūsuf defends his innocence, testifies "if his shirt is torn from the front, then she has told the truth, and he is of the liars but if his shirt is torn from the back, then she has lied, and he is of the truthful." The shirt was indeed torn from the back. Soon after this accident, the women of the city talk of how the wife is seeking to seduce Yūsuf. The wife of 'Al-Aziz invites them to a banquet, gives each of them a knife, and then tells Yūsuf to come out. The women cut their hands in astonishment. 'She said, "That is the one about whom you blamed me. And I certainly sought to seduce him, but he firmly refused; and if he will not do what I order him, he will surely be imprisoned and will be of those debased." Yūsuf prefers prison to what they call him so he prayed to God. Yūsuf is sent to prison.


title: Yusuf (surah)

text: In the prison, Yūsuf met two other men and interprets one of the prisoner's dreams. The prisoner is then released and Yūsuf asked the prisoner to mention his talent to the king. One day, the King had a dream and the prisoner who had been released mention Yūsuf. He interprets the King's dream, which is about Egypt having a seven-year drought. To reward him, the King requests his release from jail and the King also investigates his case. The wife who tried to seduce Yūsuf testifies that he was innocent, and the truth unveils. Yūsuf is given authority in Egypt.


title: Yusuf (surah)

text: During the seven-year drought, Yūsuf's brothers visit Egypt to get food for their family. Upon seeing his brothers, Yūsuf recognizes them though they did not recognize him. Yūsuf, in a high position of authority, requests that the next time they come, they bring their youngest brother Benjamin with them. When the brothers returned with their youngest brother, Yūsuf takes him aside and tells him his identity. Yūsuf plots a theft case where his youngest brother is found guilty of theft when he is truly innocent and is detained from his family, so he could stay with him. Later, when the father and brothers face poverty they come back to Yūsuf and Yūsuf then helps them and reveals his identity asking them to come and live with him.


title: Yusuf (surah)

text: There is no confirmed time when Surah Yūsuf was supposedly revealed, but it is estimated to be either in the 10th or 11th year of dawah. In other words, it is known to have been revealed 2 or 3 years before the hijrah (Migration) from Makkah to Madina which is close to the end of the Makkan era and Makkan journey. This Sura was revealed after a year the scholars of seerah call 'am al huzun' (the year of Sorrow or Despair). This year was a sad and depressing time for the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He was going through several hardships and three of those are the most significant. The first one is his uncle Abu Talib's death. Abu Talib was the only father figure he had left and one of the people who protected him from the harms of society. The second tragedy would come with his beloved first wife, Khadijah's death. She was the first to believe in his message and she was his comfort. The two deaths were a significant loss to him as they were the people in his life that motivated and protected him through his journey. Later on in Makkah after his uncle's death, the pagans made him face excessive hardships while he tried to call the people to Islam. Expecting a better reply from the city of Ta'if, Muhammad departs Makkah. However, to his disappointment, the people of Ta'if did not welcome him, gave him a hard time and chased him out of the city by throwing rocks at him. He was injured, bleeding and left with nothing but disappointment from the people of Ta'if. This sura was meant to uplift his spirits and comfort him in his time of rejection.


title: Yusuf (surah)

text: Along with the three crucial events that marked the revelation for Muhammad, scholars have mentioned other incidents that led to the revelation of the sura. The Quraysh wanted to test Muhammad, as they were in disbelief of his knowledge and spiritual capabilities. They did not believe him to be a prophet and planned to trick him by asking a question that only a true prophet would be able to answer. The story of Yūsuf and his brothers, was one that was not heard of, as the people of Makkah held no knowledge of this story. Also translated as Joseph (son of Jacob) it was known to the Christian and Jewish cultures and not heard of by the Quraysh. To recite this story would show true prophecy, but people had no faith that Muhammad would possess this gift. When Muhammad was questioned, he revealed through his revelation all his knowledge about the untold story.


title: Yusuf (surah)

text: Following the hardships faced within the city of Makkah, the story of Yūsuf was later revealed to uplift people's spirits. They questioned, "O Messenger of Allah, why don't you tell us the stories of those before us who also suffered?" This was a time of abrupt chaos as the Muslims were being persecuted and later forced to leave. This is posed as the second conclusion to the revelation.


title: Yusuf (surah)

text: It has been narrated by Ja'far al-Sadiq, a great-grandson of Muhammad, that the individual who recites Surah Yūsuf during every day or every night will be resurrected on the Day of Judgement with beauty resembling the beauty of Yūsuf. He will not fear the Day of Judgement and will be among the best of the believers.


title: Yusuf (surah)

text: Muhammad is reported to have encouraged the teaching of Surah Yūsuf to slaves, claiming that "whenever a Muslim recites it and teaches it to his family and slaves, Allah would ease for him the pangs of death and make it so that no Muslim would envy him"


title: Yusuf (surah)

text: The faiths of the prophets before Muhammad were the same as his. The prophets Ibrahim, Ishaaq, Ya'qūb and Yūsuf invited the people to the same message as Muhammad.


title: Yusuf (surah)

text: Throughout the story of Yūsuf, Allah taught the believers that a person who possesses true Islamic character can master the world with the strength of their character. The example of Yūsuf shows that a person of high and pure character can overcome severe circumstances and be successful.


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: Waqt: The Race Against Time or simply known as Waqt () is a 2005 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film directed and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah. Based on a Gujarati play by Aatish Kapadia, the film stars an ensemble cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra, Shefali Shetty Shah, Rajpal Yadav and Boman Irani. It follows the journey of Ishwar Chandra Thakur (Bachchan), an old rich businessman who unexpectedly turns very strict to his spoiled son Aditya Thakur (Kumar) to teach him life lessons before it is too late.


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: Shah wanted to make a film about a grounded father-son relationship differing from standard Bollywood father-son stories. Impressed after watching Kapadia's play, Shah bought the rights for a film adaptation. Principal photography was done on 14 sets at Filmistan Studio in Mumbai and a song was filmed in Leh, Ladakh. The music was composed by Anu Malik and the lyrics were written by Sameer, with the exception of one song written by Kapadia. After the release of the album, the song "Do Me A Favour, Let's Play Holi" became widely popular. Over the years, the song continues to be one of the most popular Holi songs.


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: Budgeted at 110 million, "Waqt" was released theatrically on 22 April 2005. It became a box office success, grossing over 424.8 million, thus ranking as the 7th highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2005. "Waqt" was nominated at Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actress (Shetty Shah) and Best Comedian (Yadav). In addition, Shetty Shah won the Stardust Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: Ishwarchand Thakur and Sumitra Thakur are a married couple who run a toy factory together. They have a son named Aditya Thakur, who has no interest in responsibility or his direction in life. The situation deteriorates when Aditya elopes with his girlfriend Pooja.


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: When Pooja becomes pregnant, Ishwar and Sumitra decide to make Aditya aware of his responsibilities because he will have to take care of his wife and child. Aditya's parents throw Aditya and Pooja out of their house, and the couple move into in a room in the garden at the back of the house. Aditya begins to hate his father; they do not speak to each other for a long time, during which Aditya becomes aware of his role as a father.


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: Ishwar, who wants to ensure his son is secure and responsible, is suffering from lung cancer. Aditya becomes a responsible man and finds out about his father's illness when he attends Aditya's performance on stage. Aditya steps onto the stage and asks the audience to pray for his father to stay alive until his son's birth. Ishwar survives until the birth; the child is a boy, whom Ishwar names after himself, and he dies. Aditya welcomes children into his father's toy factory and in the presence of his family, including his toddler Ishwar, plays with a lonely, disabled boy. The spirit of Ishwar touches the flowers in Sumitra's hair, reminding her of earlier times.


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: Director Vipul Amrutlal Shah wanted to make a film about a father-son relationship that would be different from "standard Bollywood father-son" stories. Shah wanted to explore nuances of the relationship and touch upon themes about a father-son relationship that is grounded in reality, which had not yet been depicted in Bollywood. After watching Aatish Kapadia's Gujarati play "Awajo Vahala Phari Malishu", Shah liked it and bought its film adaptation rights. Kapadia, who had co-written Shah's 2002 heist thriller "Aankhen" with him, adapted his play for the screen.


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: Shah said of the film's theme; "It is an unusual story of a father and a son. It is very, very real and believable. I can assure you that any father-son duo of any economic strata will be able to identify with the father and son in my film." Shah also said the film is "straight from the heart", and that it "is about the upbringing that a father gives to a kid. And that is the biggest job and challenge in a father's life. So it automatically leads to a lot of emotional conflict within the family."


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: Shah said he felt the film's title suits its theme perfectly, saying ""Waqt" is called "The Race Against Time" because there is a target that both father and son have set out to achieve, and for that they've got limited time. So there really is a race against the clock. If they don't achieve their targets in that time, life will take a very disastrous turn. They each have their own target." The film was produced by Shah under his production company Blockbuster Movie Entertainers and was presented by Manmohan Shetty's company Entertainment One and Kishore Lulla and Sunil Lulla's company Eros International. It was the first major co-production for Eros International.


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: Shah cast the film's six main characters. In late May 2003, he said he had cast Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar, both of whom starred in his previous film "Aankhen", as the father and son characters and that he hoped to cast his wife Shefali Shah as one of the film's two female leads. Shah cast Priyanka Chopra in role of Kumar's wife after seeing her performance in her debut film "" (2003). It is the fourth and final film to date to star the successful pairing of Kumar and Chopra, who appeared together in "Andaaz" (2003), "Mujhse Shaadi Karogi" (2004) and "Aitraaz" (2004).


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: Rajpal Yadav and Boman Irani completed the cast. Shah had planned to cast Bachchan along with his real-life son Abhishek Bachchan but their busy schedules meant they could not commit to the film together. Shah had approached Bachchan with two different scripts and asked him to choose which one he wanted to do with his son. Bachchan chose the script of "Waqt: The Race Against Time", but Shah had to wait one year for them to be available together. Shah abandoned the idea and instead cast Kumar for the role. Shah had also approached Paresh Rawal for a role in the film. Shefali Shah, who is younger than Kumar, was cast to play Kumar's character's mother and as the wife of the much-older Bachchan. The director wanted to cast a female actor who had not been paired opposite Bachchan before and while discussing potential contenders for the role, Bachchan suggested Shefali, who he thought would be perfect for the role. Shah was apprehensive to cast his wife, saying, "I thought people would say I was trying to promote my wife. So I didn't mention her name as a possible co-star to Amitji", but Bachchan asked Shah to at least audition her or have her photographed for the role before making a decision. The director did a photography session with Bachchan, Kumar and his wife, and he later said they looked like a family and after fifteen days, Shefali Shah was officially cast in the film.


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: Bachchan watched "Awajo Vahala Phari Malishu", the play on which the film is based, and was attracted to the setting and situations, and the character's relationships and behavior. He said, "I was attracted to just these facts—how these relationships have been built up; and how the interactions, the situations, are brought up; what the characters do, how they behave; the events that take place; and the eventual solution". Bachchan thought the "interesting screenplay" was "really funny" and "quite emotional", and the film's treatment makes it different from other films. Bachchan described his character as a lenient father who has spoilt his son to a great extent but later turns into a "strict father" to teach his son the valuable life lessons, which creates conflict in their lives. According to Bachchan, his character "doesn't really want to be rude to the son but he has to be, because he feels that unless he's rude the son is not going to learn anything. So his behaviour is made to be harsh and rude, and that's how it transpires."


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: Kumar was drawn to the film because of its story; he said; "When Vipul narrated this story to me, I was very touched by it. In many ways, it is a lot like my own life." Kumar said it was his "most personal film" and that he worked "very honestly" on it. According to Kumar, at one point he was in talks to produce the film with Shah but it could not work out. Chopra said the film has a quality to make people laugh and cry, and described her role as one of a "spoilt brat" and a "supporting wife" who stands by her husband in difficult times, saying "Because she is brought up with every possible luxury that she would want and then suddenly she reaches a point where she has to deal with life and see how difficult it can be".


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: Shefali said the film's strengths are its "simplicity and honesty", and that she found playing a fifty-year-old woman whose life revolves around her child and husband to be challenging. She felt her character is strong and different from the mothers usually portrayed in Bollywood films, saying:


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: She is someone who has come up the hard way in life and understands the importance of whatever her husband has achieved. She wants her son to understand that and stand on his own feet and achieve what her husband has been able to achieve. Her ability to laugh at situations and her sense of humour when her world is falling apart is her strength.


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: Yadav found his character of a dimwit to be a "good role", saying, "he reacts very slowly. Although he tries hard but his level of intelligence is only that much." Irani called his character a "loud, brazen, shameless, egotistical" man who "keeps reminding [Bachchan's character] that his son is a useless character because he himself has a wonderful daughter"; he found the character easy to portray, saying he "is a reasonably an easy connect because we do have so many people like that around". Vikram Phadnis designed the costumes for the actors.


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: "Waqt: The Race Against Time" was launched on 24 November 2003 at an event held on Juhu Beach, Mumbai. The Muhurat shot was staged at this event, which started with an audio-visual presentation hosted by Chopra and followed by Bachchan, Kumar and Chopra enacting a live performance on the stage. Shah said he was holding an event on a stage on a public beach, which anyone allowed to attend, because he wanted "the common man to witness and be a part of the mahurat of a Hindi film". Media reported the crew planned to start filming in January or February 2004.


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: Principal photography took place at Filmistan Studio in Mumbai. The production designer was Omung Kumar. Fourteen sets were constructed for the film. Santosh Thundiyil and Ashok Mehta handled the cinematography. Mehta, who only filmed at "the location of the Ishar [Bachchan's character] House", was credited as a "guest cinematographer" in the film. Several scenes were shot out of chronological order; the scenes based in one particular set were filmed together to save time. An action scene featuring Kumar being chased by twenty Alsatian dogs was filmed. Initially this scene was supposed to have five dogs but Kumar felt it looked weak and asked for more dogs in the scene to give it more tension.


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: The songs were choreographed by Remo D'Souza. The song "Subah Hogi" was filmed at Pangong Lake and Nimmu, the confluence of the Indus and Zanskar rivers, in Leh, Ladakh. Bachchan, who has featured in a number of Holi songs in his film career, does not appear in the film's Holi number "Do Me A Favour, Let's Play Holi". Shah tried putting Bachchan in the song but decided it did not fit in the script, calling it a "tough decision". Chopra had an accident while filming the Holi song; The set was wet and so was Chopra while filming the Holi dance sequences. After the choreographer called for break, Chopra went to dry off in the trailer and she was electrocuted as she turned the door knob. Her hand stuck to the knob but her hairdresser knocked her away from it. After the incident, Chopra was unconscious and was rushed to the nearby Lilavati hospital. After two hours, she returned to the studio to complete filming the same night. In early December 2004, Shah said he was looking for another 20 days of filming before wrapping the film, followed by three to four months of post-production and an April 2005 release. The film was edited by Shirish Kunder.


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: The soundtrack of "Waqt: The Race Against Time" was composed by Anu Malik and the lyrics were written by Sameer, with an exception of one song, which was written by Aatish Kapadia. The album consists of six original songs and an original instrumental. The song's vocals were sung by Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, Adnan Sami, Sonu Nigam, Sudesh Bhosle, Mahalakshmi Iyer, Sunidhi Chauhan, Malik and Kailash Kher. The soundtrack was released in February 2005 on the record label T-Series.


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: Shah said the production team had decided to include an unusual Holi song titled "Do Me A Favour, Let's Play Holi" with a contemporary sound, starting as a traditional folk song and ending with hip-hop. Shah said, "So in a way it shows the journey from where holi has started and where it has reached today. And to bring in a different feel we decided to start it with an English line. Post the release of the album, the song became widely popular and it remains one of the most popular Bollywood Holi songs.


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: "Bollywood Hungama" said the album is "satisfying", writing "The opening tracks of "Waqt" are good, but subsequent songs, starting from "Chhup Ja" get you all excited about the music. The Holi number and the club track are the pick of the lot, while "Miraksam" would also stay on for a few weeks at least." The review praised "Chhup Ja", calling it a "beautifully composed subtle love song", with great orchestra throughout and excellent singing by Nigam and Chauhan, and praising its "sweetly paced" lyrics by Sameer, which he thought stood out. The reviewer also noted "Do Me A Favour, Let's Play Holi" to be different from "a routine Holi number", calling it an "enjoyable affair" but said the "rap'n'reggae" parts in "Miraksam" made it sound familiar. S. Sahaya Ranjit writing for "India Today" noted the album "showcases a new, improved Anu Malik" with "good melodies" that were "very carefully crafted". Ranjit also wrote, "'Miraksam 'is already a hit - a typical shaadi ka gana with lots of verve and wit. In "Toot Gaya", another facet of Kailash Kher's voice comes to the fore-very soulful." "Planet Bollywood" rated the album 7.5 out of 10, noting the soundtrack has "a handful of chartbusters" and that it is "one of the better albums released" that year. The reviewer called the song "Subah Hogi" "infectious", noting "the perfect blend" of flutes and tabla beats in the background, and Narayan and Yagnik's melodious singing on the track. The reviewer also praised Sameer's lyrics on "Toot Gaya", which he called an "impressive use of words to talk about heartbreak". The reviewer, however, was critical of the song "Apne Jahanke", calling it "boring".


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: Marketing of "Waqt: The Race Against Time" started in November 2003 with the film's launch at Mumbai's Juhu Beach, which was held to attract public attention to the film. Shah said, "I strongly believe that "Waqt" ... has a universal appeal and a father-son bonding that is highly identifiable. So I wanted the common man to be aware of it." In late December 2004, the film's producers launched a line of greeting cards titled the ""Waqt" Collection" in collaboration with Archies. This strategy was intended to showcase the "quiet bond of fathers and sons"; the cards had sections titled "Dear Father" and "Dear Son", and the sections included Bachchan's autograph and Kumar's personalised message, respectively. The two teasers of the film—one trailer and one song promo—were released on 30 January 2005. This was the first time that two teasers for a single Bollywood film had been released on the same day. Taran Adarsh noted the trailers created a "stir" and that it was "creating a lot of buzz in the industry circles". In March 2005, the producers released a brochure that was written by Bachchan, who wrote a story describing the relationship between his character with his son.


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: To promote the film, a contest titled ""Waqt": Dad & I with Akshay" was held with collaboration with the Fame Cinemas chain, offering a bicycle ride with Kumar, movie tickets, merchandise, clothing, autographed music CDs and brochures of the film as prizes. In a collaboration with greeting-card retailer Archies, the film's producers launched a toy called Geri Giraffe, greeting cards, soft toys, stationery and posters that were sold through Archies outlets. Bachchan promoted the film internationally by participating in press interviews in New York. Kumar had bought the rights of the film to pay tribute to his father, and included a photograph of his father before the opening credits of the film, saying the film felt "autobiographical" to him because he shared a similar relationship with his own father. Kumar said:


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: I'm dedicating this film to my father. I've bought the distribution rights, so that I can see my father's photograph there. It's personally a very close film to me. I've worked very honestly in this film. I haven't bought the rights to the film in order to make money, but to pay a respectful tribute to my father.


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: "Waqt: The Race Against Time" was premiered at the Mumbai IMAX theatre on 21 April 2005; the event was attended by the whole cast and crew. The film was distributed by Eros International and was made on a production and marketing budget of 160 million, and was released on 22 April 2005 on 400 screens. The film had a good opening at the box office. It collected over 19 million on its opening day and 57.8 million in its opening weekend at the domestic box office, and collected over 133.5 million on its international opening weekend. The film also had a "solid" opening in the overseas markets such as the United Kingdom and North America. In its first week, the film collected 93.7 million at the domestic box office and over 200 million worldwide. During its box-office run, the film grossed 292 million in India and over 132.5 million overseas for a total worldwide gross of over 424.8 million. The film was a box-office success, becoming the seventh highest-grossing Bollywood film of the year. "Waqt: The Race Against Time" was an even-bigger success in the overseas market, particularly in the United Kingdom, where it was the highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2005.


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: "Waqt: The Race Against Time" was released on DVD on 6 June 2005 across all regions on an NTSC-format disc that was issued by Eros Entertainment. The DVD includes bonus features such as the making of the film, press meet and interviews, and the film's premiere. The video CD version was released at the same time. The film had its television premiere on the Indian subscriber channel Sony Max on 8 January 2006.


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: Taran Adarsh of "Bollywood Hungama" gave "Waqt: The Race Against Time" 3.5 out of 5, calling it a "must-see for every parent and every child" and writing, ""Waqt: The Race Against Time" is a well-made family entertainer that makes you laugh and cry, thanks to the strong emotional quotient in the film. Here's a film that should strike a chord with every family." Adarsh also praised the "first-rate" cinematography that makes the film look "visually rich" and the "opulent" production design. Praising the performances, he wrote:


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: Bachchan proves yet again that he's invincible when it comes to dramatics. The energy and vigor with which he performs every scene and dance make you look at him in complete awe. Kumar ... handles his part with complete understanding of the character and scores in the emotional moments, mainly in the post-interval portions. Shefali Shah ... conveys the pathos convincingly. Also, she matches the Big B at every step. Chopra doesn't get meaty scenes in the enterprise, but she does leave an impact nonetheless. Boman Irani excels and together with Rajpal Yadav brings the house down. Yadav specially is outstanding.


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: "Planet Bollywood" gave the film 8 out of 10, calling it a "perfect family film" with "drama, comedy, good performances and a good social theme", and praised Shah's direction, writing "Vipul Shah’s direction gets his message across about parents giving more responsibility to their children. The story moves much faster once the real drama begins in the second half." Writing for "India Today", film critic Anupama Chopra called the film "unashamedly cheesy and surprisingly moving" and "a good time pass", concluding "Vipul Amrutlal Shah and his writer Aatish Kapadia are not afraid of bringing out the violins and yanking at heart-strings. So the film has genuinely touching scenes and some easy laughs provided by Boman Irani and Rajpal Yadav." "Variety" called the film a "belt-and-braces Bollywood family drama" and wrote "pitched squarely at Indian [audiences], both at home and overseas, who like their entertainment traditional. For Western viewers, [this film] just gets by on its unabashed charm and minor wrinkles to the formula."


title: Waqt: The Race Against Time

text: Indo-Asian News Service critic Subhash K. Jha praised Kapadia's writing and said his "one-liners and quips flow out with constant and instant comic consequences". Jha also wrote the film's "inherent transparency of purpose and sincerity of expression guide the lengthy family saga through a series of carefully nurtured slopes and dips that culminate in a rabble-rousing emotionally cataclysmic climax". Jha said the film did not require so many songs and praised the performances, noting Bachchan's "leonine strides" across the film that create an "atmosphere conducive to pleasurable acting for the entire cast"; Kumar's performance "beyond anything he has done so far"; Shah's expressive eyes that convey "spousal and matriarchal pain that you come home with"; Chopra for creating and leaving "a sinewy impression" despite not being pivotal to the plot; the outstanding characterisation of Yadav and his "deadpan depiction of the exasperatingly daft" domestic servant; and Irani's "ever-bubbling brilliancy" and sarcasm that "brings miles of smiles and acres of chuckles". "Rediff.com" praised the film's humour but said the film has an excessive number of songs, calling some of them an "unnecessary burden" and wrote, ""Waqt" might manage to warm the cockles, it simply doesn't turn up the heat. It leaves you wanting more. Watch "Waqt" if you are a serious AB-Akki fan or have the time to kill."


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: The James Madison Dukes football program represents James Madison University in the sport of American football. The Dukes compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of the Sun Belt Conference (SBC), beginning play within the conference for the 2022 season. The university first fielded a football team in 1972, and the Dukes play at the on-campus Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The Dukes are currently coached by Curt Cignetti.


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: The JMU football team has been the centerpiece of JMU sports since the early 1990s. Under former head coach Mickey Matthews the Dukes continued their rise in national prominence, winning the 2004 FCS National Championship. The Dukes won their second National Championship in 2016 and finished as national runners-up in 2017 and 2019.


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: Notable Dukes include Charles Haley, one of two players to win five Super Bowl rings and is also an inductee of the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame; Scott Norwood, of the Buffalo Bills; Gary Clark, an All-Pro wide receiver for the Washington Commanders; and Arthur Moats, a linebacker for the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers who is known for delivering the sack that led to the end of the record streak of consecutive starts made by Brett Favre in the National Football League (NFL).


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: Just five years after (then) Madison College had become a coeducational institution, the Dukes fielded their first football team. Football was the brainchild of Dr. Ronald Carrier, Madison's president at the time, who was attempting to change the psychology of the campus away from an all-women's teachers college. The first game took place on October 7, 1972 against Shepherd College's junior varsity team at Harrisonburg High School. The team consisted of a few dozen walk-ons and was coached by 30-year-old Challace McMillin.


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: In 1975, the Dukes had their first undefeated season and won the Virginia College Athletic Association title. Two players, Madison Hall of Fame quarterback Les Branich and offensive guard Jeff Adams, played in both the Dukes' only winless season in 1972 and its only undefeated season in 1975.


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: For the 1980 season, Madison made the jump from NCAA Division III to NCAA Division I-AA where they played as an Independent through 1992. After twelve seasons the Dukes would join the Yankee Conference, which would become the Atlantic 10 Conference in 1997, then finally CAA Football, the technically separate football league operated by the all-sports Colonial Athletic Association, in 2007.


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: The Dukes made the NCAA playoffs in former head coach Mickey Matthews' first year with the team and in 2004, the Dukes won the Division I-AA (now FCS) National Championship behind quarterback Justin Rascati and running back Raymond Hines. They were the first and only team to win three games on the road to advance to the National Championship Game. They returned to the playoffs in 2006 but suffered an early exit to the hands of Youngstown State University. The Dukes went to the playoffs again in 2007, traveling to Appalachian State in the first round. While down 27–28, JMU lost the game with a fumble on the ASU 8-yard line in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter. In 2008, they posted a 10–1 season record (the lone loss coming in the season opener to FBS team Duke) and received the top seed in the playoffs behind sensational quarterback Rodney Landers. After defeating Wofford and Villanova (for the second time that season), they were defeated by the Montana Grizzlies in the semi-final round after Landers went down with an ankle injury. In the second week of the 2010 season, JMU beat then #13 FBS ranked Virginia Tech in Blacksburg 21-16


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: A $62 million stadium expansion to Bridgeforth was completed in 2011, adding an upper deck, club seating and 17 private suites. Bridgeforth's official seating capacity is approximately 24,877, and is designed so it may be expanded to seat over 40,000.


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: At the end of the 2013 season, after going 6–6 and missing the FCS playoff for the fourth time in five years, Mickey Matthews was let go as the head football coach after 15 seasons at the helm for the JMU Dukes.


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: On December 21, 2013, Everett Withers, assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator at Ohio State was named as the sixth head coach in the program's history by athletic director, Jeff Bourne. Prior to his work at Ohio State, Withers was interim head coach for North Carolina during the 2011 season after the dismissal of Butch Davis. His first win as interim head coach at North Carolina was against the Mickey Matthews led James Madison Dukes on September 3, 2011. While at JMU Withers compiled a 19-7 overall mark while making playoff appearances in both of his years in Harrisonburg. He also helped JMU receive national attention when ESPN's College GameDay show traveled to Harrisonburg to feature the 2015 Dukes.


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: On January 18, 2016, James Madison named Mike Houston as head coach of the Dukes football program. Houston was formerly head coach of the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears (2011–13) and Citadel Bulldogs (2014-15). Houston was very successful at Lenoir-Rhyne claiming three conference championships and an appearance in the NCAA Division II Football National Championship. At The Citadel, Houston led the Bulldogs to their first SoCon conference championship since 1992. In 2016 Houston defeated 4 FCS top 25 teams on the road as he led the Dukes to the 2016 Colonial Athletic Association football title with a 20–7 win over Villanova University gaining the University's first ever back to back titles. In the 2016 FCS playoff second round, he and the Dukes defeated the University of New Hampshire 55–22. The Dukes then went on to defeat Sam Houston State 65–7 in the NCAA FCS Quarterfinals. In the Semifinals, Mike Houston's Dukes defeated the five-time NCAA Division I FCS champions the North Dakota State University Bison 27–17, giving them the opportunity to face Youngstown State in the National Title Game on January 7, 2017 in Frisco, Texas. JMU won the National Championship in decisive fashion, with a score of 28–14 (Youngstown State scored a meaningless touchdown with seconds left in the game) on a cold, 15 °F afternoon in Frisco, Texas


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: On January 7, 2017 JMU faced the Youngstown State Penguins football for the 2016 FCS National Championship at Toyota Stadium (Texas) in Frisco, Texas. JMU got off to a fast start leading Youngstown 21-0 by the middle of the second quarter. JMU QB Bryan Schor had two quick passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown by JMU RB Khalid Abdullah got the game started quickly for the Dukes. Youngstown State battled back to score just before halftime to make it a 21-7 game at the half. JMU added another touchdown early in the third quarter extending their lead to 28-7. Youngstown State added a touchdown late in the 4th quarter but the game had already been decided. JMU finished off the game winning their second national championship by a final score of 28-14. JMU QB Bryan Schor threw for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns, JMU RB Khalid Abdullah rushed for over 100 yards and 2 touchdowns and JMU DB Jordan Brown finished with 7 tackles to lead the JMU defensive effort.


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: The Dukes started their title defense season on September 2, 2017 with a dominating win against Division 1 FBS members East Carolina, winning by a score of 34-14 to claim a victory over a team from college football's highest division for the second time in three seasons. The Dukes went on to finish with a perfect regular season record, including an 8-0 record in the Colonial Athletic Association- becoming the first team since 1977 to go undefeated in back-to-back CAA campaigns On Sunday November 19, JMU was awarded the #1 seed in the 2017 FCS Playoffs by the Selection Committee. After a First Round Bye, JMU faced the Stony Brook Seawolves in the FCS Second Round, winning by a score of 26-7. In the FCS Quarterfinals, the Dukes faced Big Sky member Weber State. Trailing late in the 4th quarter, JMU eventually won the game on a last second field goal, advancing to the FCS Semifinals to face South Dakota State, from the Missouri Valley Football Conference. In this game, the Dukes, bolstered by 10 takeaways on defense, cruised to an easy 51-16 victory, and earned a return trip to Frisco, TX to defend their 2016 National Championship. In the Title game, the Dukes were plagued by dropped passes and uncharacteristic turnovers, and fell to the North Dakota State Bison by a score of 17-13.


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: In 2017, JMU set program and CAA record winning streaks. Before falling to North Dakota State, the Dukes won their previous 26 games, dating back to the 2016 season, the 2nd longest winning streak in FCS history (NDSU- 33 games).


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: On Tuesday December 12, James Madison University announced Mike Houston had signed a 10 year contract extension to keep him at the school through the 2027 season.


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: The Dukes entered the 2018 season ranked second nationally behind only the defending national champion North Dakota State faced off against NC State to start the 2018 campaign and lost a close game by a score of 24-13. JMU then won its next four games as they held their #2 ranking. The Dukes then had their 19 game home win streak snapped against Elon who was ranked #10 in the country at the time. The Dukes also faced an uncharacteristic loss to New Hampshire later in the season as their record fell to 6-3. JMU won out the rest of the season but failed to win a share of the conference title for the first time since 2014. They earned an at large bid to the NCAA FCS Playoffs and faced Delaware in the First round, winning 20-6. The Dukes then traveled to Colgate in the second round of the playoffs amid rumors of Mike Houstons departure. JMU lost this game on a last second field goal. During the game, starting quarterback for JMU Ben DiNucci threw 5 interceptions and threw for 0 touchdowns as the Dukes lost 20-23. At the end of the season, JMU finished with a 9-4 record.


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: Following the conclusion of the 2018 season, Mike Houston accepted the position of head coach at East Carolina University.


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: On December 14, 2018, it was announced that former Elon football head coach Curt Cignetti would be the 8th head coach of James Madisons football program.


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: The Dukes entered the 2019 season with 19 starters returning and a preseason ranking of #1 but not a consensus #1 as NDSU once again entered the season at #1 throughout most FCS polls.


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: <nowiki>#</nowiki>2 James Madison came three yards shy of forcing a potential overtime in the NCAA Division I Championship Game, but a late interception sealed a third consecutive national title for #1 North Dakota State in a 28-20 victory for the Bison on Saturday afternoon at Toyota Stadium. The Bison concluded the 2019 season with a perfect 16-0 record, while the Dukes saw their 14-game win streak end, completing the campaign at 14-2. JMU's 2019 senior class finished their careers with the most wins in school history, with 51 victories, and the Dukes are now 2-2 overall in national-title games. JMU also finished 2019 tied for the most wins in a single season, with 14. This matches the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Since 2016, all three meetings with JMU and NDSU have been decided by 10 points or less, a touchdown game in each of the national-title game matchups.


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: On November 6, 2021, it was announced that the James Madison football program had accepted an invitation to move up to the FBS Subdivision and would join the Sun Belt Conference prior to the 2023 football season. In response to this announcement, the all-sports CAA announced that James Madison would be banned from the conference's championships for the remainder of their time in the conference. This ban did not apply to football because CAA Football had no such provision in its bylaws.


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: Subsequently, James Madison announced they had finalized their departure from the CAA on February 2, 2022, and would join the FBS and the Sun Belt for the 2022-23 season.


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: JMU's arrival in FBS made the Dukes the second program, after UCF, to have played at all four current levels of NCAA football.


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: On October 9, 2022, the Dukes became the first ever first-year FBS program to be ranked in the AP Top 25, ranked 25.


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: On October 26, the JMU Dukes and in-state rival Old Dominion Monarchs announced the official beginning of the "Royal Rivalry". As the Virginia-based schools within the Sun Belt Conference, they will compete for an all-sports trophy that contains a football component and draws its name from the royal inspiration of both schools' mascots.


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: Old Dominion leads the all-time football series between the two schools 2-1, dating back to their days in the CAA. JMU won the most recent meeting 37-3 on November 12, 2022.


title: James Madison Dukes football

text: The Dukes have appeared in the Division I-AA/FCS Playoffs 18 times, most recently in 2021. Their combined record is 24–16. They were Division I-AA/FCS National Champions in 2004 and 2016 and National Runners-Up in 2017 and 2019.


title: Li hing mui

text: Li hing mui (), known as huamei () in Mainland China, is salty dried Chinese plum ("Prunus mume"). It has a strong, distinctive flavor and is often said to be an acquired taste, as it has a combination of sweet, sour, and salty taste. Originally from Guangdong Province, the name "li hing mui" means "traveling plum". "Li hing" is "traveling" and "mui" is "plum" in Cantonese. Li hung mui is called hoshiume (, dried plum) in Japan, where the salty and sour "umeboshi" is also popular.


title: Li hing mui

text: Li hing mui powder is made of ground plum skin that has previously been pickled in a combination of licorice, red food coloring, salt, sugar, and occasionally aspartame and or saccharine. It can be used as a flavoring, usually sprinkled on candy and other fruits, notably pineapples, mangoes, guavas and apples. Li hing mui powder can be found in Hawaii, where local children like to put it on shave ice, sour candy, rock candy, popcorn, fruit, and arare.


title: Li hing mui

text: Recently, people have also been putting li hing powder into their alcoholic drinks—mainly tequila and cocktails. Many bars in Hawaii replace salt with this powder, since this powder is not only salty, but sweet and sour as well. Other people also feel that it gives a tart and tangy twist. Many bars in Hawaii also rim their glasses with li hing powder in addition to putting it in the drink.


title: Li hing mui

text: Besides li hing powder, the whole li hing mui (red plum seed) is added directly to a bottle of tequila, filling the bottle at least half way with the plum seeds. After a few weeks, the li hing plums will impart its reddish color and flavor to the tequila. And when you try to eat one of the plum seeds after you take them out, you'll find that its flavor has gone entirely into the tequila.


title: Li hing mui

text: Note that li hing powder is used on different plum varieties, and it comes in different colors. The "red" powder is popular on fruits and assorted red plum varieties. A "white" powder version is more commonly used on dried/dehydrated plums.


title: Li hing mui

text: Li hing mui was introduced to the Polynesian islands of Hawaii, Tahiti and Samoa in the late 19th century by Chinese labourers working in the plantations. It is typically eaten in powdered form, sprinkled over fruits such as mango or ambarella and other desserts. It is known locally as Crack seed in Hawaii, in the Samoan islands and in French Polynesia.


title: Li hing mui

text: Li hing mui achieved popularity in Hawaii by Yee Sheong, who in early 1900 began importing li hing mui and various other preserved fruits, from China to Hawaii. Yee thus started the li hing mui craze, which flourished with the company he founded, Yick Lung. Li hing mui can be found in Hawaiian and Asian markets.


title: Li hing mui

text: Li hung mui was introduced to Japan from China through Okinawa, and was simply called "Hoshiume" (干し梅, dried plum). Its import, however, was stopped soon, as cyclamate was found being used. As the dried plum using candyleaf was developed in 1981 by such confectionaries as Uema Confectionary in Okinawa, it has become popular among the Japanese. It is now found in the local supermarkets in Japan.


title: Helen Joyce

text: Helen Joyce (born 1969) is an Irish journalist, currently on sabbatical from her role as executive editor for events business at "The Economist" becoming director of advocacy for campaign group "Sex Matters". She studied as a mathematician and worked in academia before switching to journalism. Joyce began working for "The Economist" as education correspondent for its Britain section in 2005 and has since held several senior positions, including finance editor and international editor. She published her book "" in 2021.


title: Helen Joyce

text: She was born in Ireland in 1969, the oldest of nine children of James "Jimmy" and Maureen Joyce. Five of her younger siblings, Ed Joyce, Gus Joyce, Dominick Joyce, Isobel Joyce and Cecelia Joyce, have played international cricket for Ireland, while Ed has also played for the England test side.


title: Helen Joyce

text: Joyce moved to England at age 16 to attend musical theatre college, but dropped out after two years. In 1987, she enrolled at Trinity College Dublin, where she was elected a Scholar in 1989, and received a BA in mathematics in 1991. She next completed Part III of the Mathematical Tripos with distinction at the University of Cambridge, earning a scholarship from the British Council and a PhD place at University College London. She got a PhD in geometric measure theory at University College London (1995) with the dissertation "Packing measures, packing dimensions, and the existence of sets of positive finite measure" under David Preiss. She then took a postdoctoral position in Cardiff, and spent two years at Finland's University of Jyväskylä on a Marie Curie research fellowship funded by the European Union.


title: Helen Joyce

text: Returning to University College London to work on a project run by the geology department, Joyce became interested in what she later described as the "business of telling non-mathematicians about maths."


title: Helen Joyce

text: In 2000 she joined the newly launched Millennium Mathematics Project (MMP) at the University of Cambridge promoting mathematics education in schools and other venues. For two years she worked on an MMP project which enabled mathematicians to interact directly with schools using video. In 2002 she was named editor of the project's online "Plus Magazine", a position she held for three years. In 2004 she also became founding editor for the Royal Statistical Society's quarterly magazine "Significance," with the aim to demonstrate in an entertaining and thought-provoking way the practical use of statistics and to show how they are of benefit to people in all walks of life.


title: Helen Joyce

text: In 2005 Joyce became education correspondent for "The Economist". Four years later she transferred to the newspaper's project exploring how to best present statistics to readers. In August 2010 she moved to São Paulo to become "The Economist"′s Brazil bureau chief, a position she held through 2013. Returning to London she served as "The Economist"′s finance editor and international editor and in March 2020 became its executive editor for events business. In 2022, she took an unpaid sabbatical from "The Economist" and became director of advocacy for "Sex Matters", a campaign group whose executive director is Maya Forstater, and which has been described as an anti-trans group, a human rights organisation, and a women's rights organisation.


title: Helen Joyce

text: GLAAD described Joyce's December 2018 article "The New Patriarchy: How Trans Radicalism Hurts Women, Children—and Trans People Themselves" for Quillette as 'alarming' stating they have "no place in a newsroom". Joyce responded that the organization had been "co-opted by [GLAAD board member] Anthony Watson to continue his unprovoked attacks against me".


title: Helen Joyce

text: In March 2019 "The Daily Dot" reported that Joyce "claimed, among other things, that the trans rights movement is enabling sexual predators... referred to puberty blockers or other treatments that affirm a trans child’s sense of self as 'sickening'... [and] also called these procedures 'child abuse,' 'unethical medicine,' 'mass experimentation,' and a 'global scandal'".


title: Helen Joyce

text: In June 2022 "PinkNews" reported that Joyce had spoken in favour of "reducing or keeping down the number of people who transition" and that "every one of those people is a person who's been damaged" and "every one of those people is basically, you know, a huge problem to a sane world".


title: Helen Joyce

text: In July 2021 Joyce's book "", was published by Oneworld Publications. The book sold well, debuting within a week of its publication at number 7 on "The Sunday Times" list of bestselling general hardbacks and remaining in the top 10 for a second week. It was named as one of the year's best books by "The Times." The book received other positive reviews in the "Evening Standard", "New Statesman", and "The Scotsman".


title: Helen Joyce

text: "The Times" regular columnist David Aaronovitch wrote that "Joyce [examines] a new ideology about gender. This holds that biological sex is as much a 'social construct' as the idea of gender is. One benefit of Joyce's book is its intellectual clarity and its refusal to compromise. So she takes apart this ideology of gender with a cold rigour."