title: Jonquel Jones

text: In 2016, Jones was acquired by the Connecticut Sun after having her draft rights traded by the Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for Chelsea Gray and two draft picks. In her rookie season, Jones was the backup center for the Sun. She averaged 6.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg and 1.1 bpg in 34 games with 6 starts.


title: Jonquel Jones

text: In 2017, Jones became the starting center for the Sun and had a breakout second season. After an 0–4 start, Jones led the Sun to their first win of the season, scoring 23 points along with 21 rebounds in a 97–79 win over the Chicago Sky, making her the 13th player in league history to record a 20-point, 20-rebound performance. On July 8, Jones scored a team-high 22 points and 9 rebounds as the Sun completed the biggest comeback in franchise history, defeating the Washington Mystics 96–92 after overcoming a 22-point deficit. Jones was selected to the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game, her first career All-Star Game appearance. She finished the season averaging a double-double in points and rebounds and also averaged career-highs in scoring, rebounding, and blocks. She broke the single season record for rebounds with 403, breaking Tina Charles previous record of 398 (the record would be broken again by Sylvia Fowles in 2018). Jones was selected to the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game and received the WNBA Most Improved Player Award. Her breakout performance, along with teammates Jasmine Thomas and Alyssa Thomas emerging as All-Stars, led the Sun to the playoffs as the fourth-seeded team. They received a bye to the second-round elimination game, where Jones scored 19 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in an 88–83 loss to the number 5-seeded Phoenix Mercury.


title: Jonquel Jones

text: In 2018, Jones would have a reduced role on the team despite her success from last season. She started in 16 of the 34 games played but would still effective for the Sun both in the starting lineup and off the bench. By the end of the season, Jones won the WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year award. The Sun made it back to the playoffs as the number 4 seed with a 21–13 record, receiving a bye to the second round. However the Sun would lose yet again to the Phoenix Mercury in the second round elimination game by a final score of 96–86.


title: Jonquel Jones

text: In 2019, Jones would redeem her starting Center role for the whole season. She would lead the league in rebounds once again and averaged a career-high in blocks, steals and minutes by the end of the season. Jones was also voted into the 2019 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her second all-star appearance and would also make WNBA Second Team. The Sun were a championship contender in the league, finishing with a 23–11 record and the number 2 seed, receiving a double bye to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, the Sun swept the Los Angeles Sparks 3–0 to advance to the WNBA Finals, making it the franchise's first finals appearance since 2005. The WNBA Finals series was a hard-fought battle, but the Sun fell to the Washington Mystics in five games.


title: Jonquel Jones

text: In June 2020, Jones announced that she would forgo the WNBA season due to concerns from the coronavirus.


title: Jonquel Jones

text: In 2021 Jones returned to the WNBA and had led the Sun to the best record in the league and was averaging a career high in every major statistic before reporting to the FIBA Women's Eurobasket to represent the Bosnian women's national basketball team. When she returned the Sun went back to being the top team in the league and closed out the season with a 14 game winning streak leading to a record of 26–6 and the best record in the league , Jones averaged a career high in points assist with averages of 19.4 points 11.2 rebounds 2.8 assist 1.3 steals 1.3 blocks and was named the 2021 WNBA MVP nearly unanimously, Jones also made WNBA All-Defensive First Team and nearly won DPOY as well. With winning MVP Jones became the first player in WNBA History to win MVP , Sixth Women of the Year and WNBA Most Improved Player Award.


title: Jonquel Jones

text: During the 2016–17 off-season, Jones signed with Asan Woori Bank Wibee of the Women's Korean Basketball League and won a championship with the team. In October 2017, Jones signed with Shanxi Flame of the Women's Chinese Basketball Association for the 2017–18 off-season.


title: Jonquel Jones

text: In August 2018, Jones signed with UMMC Ekaterinburg of the Russian League. After the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, she left the Russian team.


title: Jonquel Jones

text: In 2022, She joined the Turkish team Çukurova Basketbol which participates in the Women's Basketball Super League.


title: Jonquel Jones

text: She made her debut for the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the first round of EuroBasket Women 2021 qualification on 14 November 2019 against Russia. She claimed a mammoth double-double of 29 points and 16 rebounds on what proved to be an agonizing night for Russia coach Alexander Kovalev as he lost his first game at the helm in his hometown of Orenburg.


title: Jonquel Jones

text: In a quarter-final loss against France in the EuroBasket Women 2021, she set an all time record for most rebounds in a single EuroBasket game. She finished the game with 29 points and 24 rebounds, beating the previous record of 21 rebounds shared by three players. She was named to the FIBA EuroBasket Women All-Tournament Team.


title: Seshachalam Hills

text: Seshachalam Hills are hilly ranges part of the Eastern Ghats in southern Andhra Pradesh state, in southeastern India. The Seshachalam hill ranges are predominantly present in Tirupati district of the Rayalaseema region in Andhra Pradesh, India.


title: Seshachalam Hills

text: The ranges were formed during the Precambrian supereon (3.8 billion to 539 million years ago). Minerals contained in these hills include sandstone and shale interbedded with limestone. The ranges are bounded by the Rayalaseema uplands to the west and northwest, and the Nandyal Valley to the north.


title: Seshachalam Hills

text: Tirupati, a major Hindu pilgrimage town is located in the hills. The hills contain seven peaks namely, Anjanadri, Garudadri, Narayanadri, Neeladri, Seshadri, Venkatadri and Vrishabhadri, the highest at about 600 m (2,000 ft) above sea level. The seven peaks are said to represent the seven hoods of Lord Adisesha, the king of serpents in Hindu mythology. The Srivenkateshwara National Park is also located in these ranges. The famous Natural Arch, Tirumala Hills is also a part of Seshachalam Hills, which dates back to the period in between Middle and Upper Proterozoic Eon.


title: Seshachalam Hills

text: The Seshachalam hill ranges running to North West to South East, over to a length about 80 km and width ranged from 32 to 40 km in the two Rayalaseema region districts, Tirupati and Kadapa. These ranges have typical gorges and gaps due to faulting and stream erosion resulting in to discontinuous ranges. The altitude of Seshachalam hill ranges varies from 168 to 1187 m above MSL. The highest hill peak is Tellaralla penta (1187 m) and most of the other hill peaks are above 900 m MSL.


title: Parliamentary procedure

text: Parliamentary procedure is the accepted rules, ethics, and customs governing meetings of an assembly or organization. Its object is to allow orderly deliberation upon questions of interest to the organization and thus to arrive at the sense or the will of the majority of the assembly upon these questions. Self-governing organizations follow parliamentary procedure to debate and reach group decisions, usually by vote, with the least possible friction.


title: Parliamentary procedure

text: In the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and other English-speaking countries, parliamentary procedure is often called "chairmanship", "chairing", the "law of meetings", "procedure at meetings", the "conduct of meetings", or the "standing orders". In the United States, it is referred to as "parliamentary law", "parliamentary practice", "legislative procedure", "rules of order", or "Robert's rules of order".


title: Parliamentary procedure

text: Rules of order consist of rules written by the body itself (often referred to as bylaws), usually supplemented by a published parliamentary authority adopted by the body. Typically, national, state or provincial and other full-scale legislative assemblies have extensive internally written rules of order, whereas non-legislative bodies write and adopt a limited set of specific rules as the need arises.


title: Parliamentary procedure

text: The term "parliamentary procedure" gets its name from its use in the parliamentary system of government.


title: Parliamentary procedure

text: In the 16th and 17th century, the parliaments of England began adopting rules of order. In the 1560s Sir Thomas Smyth began the process of writing down accepted procedures and published a book about them for the House of Commons in 1583. Early rules included:


title: Parliamentary procedure

text: The Westminster parliamentary procedures are followed in several Commonwealth countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, and South Africa.


title: Parliamentary procedure

text: In Canada, for example, the House of Commons uses "House of Commons Procedure and Practice" as its primary procedural authority. Others include Arthur Beauchesne's "Parliamentary Rules and Forms of the House of Commons of Canada", Sir John George Bourinot's "Parliamentary Procedure and Practice in the Dominion of Canada", and Erskine May's "The Law, Privileges, Proceedings and Usage of Parliament" from Britain.


title: Parliamentary procedure

text: The rules of the United States Congress were developed from parliamentary procedures used in Britain. Many nations' legislatures follow American parliamentary procedures, including Indonesia, the Philippines, Mexico and South Korea.


title: Parliamentary procedure

text: The procedures of the Diet of Japan moved away from the British parliamentary model, when in Occupied Japan, there were efforts to align Japanese parliamentary procedures with American congressional practices. In Japan, informal negotiations are more important than formal procedures.


title: Parliamentary procedure

text: In Italy, written rules govern the Houses of the Parliament. The Constitutional Court judges the limits beyond which these regulations cannot go, exceeding the parliamentary or political function (judgement n. 120 of 2014) and on their bad application when a law is passed.


title: Parliamentary procedure

text: Parliamentary procedure is based on the principles of allowing the majority to make decisions effectively and efficiently (majority rule), while ensuring fairness towards the minority and giving each member or delegate the right to voice an opinion.


title: Parliamentary procedure

text: Voting determines the will of the assembly. While each assembly may create their own set of rules, these sets tend to be more alike than different. A common practice is to adopt a standard reference book on parliamentary procedure and modify it through special rules of order that supersede the adopted authority.


title: Parliamentary procedure

text: A parliamentary structure conducts business through motions, which cause actions. Members bring business before the assembly by introducing main motions. "Members use subsidiary motions to alter a main motion, or delay or hasten its consideration." Parliamentary procedure also allows for rules in regards to nomination, voting, debate, disciplinary action, appeals, and the drafting of organization charters, constitutions, and bylaws.


title: Parliamentary procedure

text: Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised aspires to be a comprehensive guide: "New editions have marked the growth of parliamentary procedure as cases occurring in assemblies have pointed to a need for further rules or additional interpretations to go by." Robert's Rules of Order The Modern Edition, and The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure aspire to be concise. "This book is a basic reference book but does not claim to be comprehensive. For most organization and for most meetings, it will prove very adequate." "Alice Sturgis believed that confusing or unnecessary motions and terminology should be eliminated. Her goal was to make the process simpler, fairer, and easier to understand, and The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure did just that ..."


title: Parliamentary procedure

text: Some parliamentary guides, in order from most to least best selling according to Amazon's "Best Seller's Rank", as viewed on Amazon's web site March 9, 2022:


title: Parliamentary procedure

text: A common text in use in the UK, particularly within trade unions, is Lord Citrine's "ABC of Chairmanship".


title: Parliamentary procedure

text: In English-speaking Canada, popular authorities include Kerr & King's "Procedures for Meeting and Organizations". The Conservative Party of Canada uses "Wainberg's Society meetings including rules of order" to run its internal affairs.


title: Parliamentary procedure

text: In French-speaking Canada, commonly used rules of order for ordinary societies include Victor Morin's "Procédures des assemblées délibérantes" (commonly known as the "Code Morin") and the "Code CSN".


title: Parliamentary procedure

text: Legislative assemblies in all countries, because of their nature, tend to have a specialized set of rules that differ from parliamentary procedure used by clubs and organizations.


title: Parliamentary procedure

text: In the United Kingdom, Thomas Erskine May's "" (often referred to simply as "Erskine May") is the accepted authority on the powers and procedures of the Westminster parliament. There are also the Standing Orders for each House.


title: Parliamentary procedure

text: Of the 99 state legislative chambers in the United States (two for each state except Nebraska, which has a unicameral legislature), "Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure" governs parliamentary procedures in 70; "Jefferson's Manual" governs 13, and "Robert's Rules of Order" governs four. The United States Senate follows the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, while the United States House of Representatives follows "Jefferson's Manual".


title: Parliamentary procedure

text: "Mason's Manual", originally written by constitutional scholar and former California Senate staff member Paul Mason in 1935, and since his death revised and published by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), governs legislative procedures in instances where the state constitution, state statutes, and the chamber's rules are silent.


title: Parliamentary procedure

text: According to the NCSL, one of the many reasons that most state legislatures use "Mason's Manual" instead of "Robert's Rules of Order" is that "Robert's Rules" applies best to private organizations and civic groups that do not meet in daily public sessions. "Mason's Manual", however, is geared specifically toward state legislative bodies.


title: Parliamentary procedure

text: In the United States, individuals who are proficient in parliamentary procedure are called parliamentarians (in other English-speaking countries with parliamentary forms of government, "parliamentarian" refers to a member of Parliament).


title: Parliamentary procedure

text: Several organizations offer certification programs for parliamentarians, including the National Association of Parliamentarians and American Institute of Parliamentarians. Agriculture teachers who coach teams in the parliamentary procedure contest of the National FFA Organization (formerly Future Farmers of America) can earn the title Accredited Parliamentarian (AP). Parliamentarians perform an important role in many meetings, including counseling organizations on parliamentary law, holding elections, or writing amendments to the constitution and bylaws of an organization.


title: Joey + Rory

text: Before the duo's foundation, Rory Lee Feek worked as a songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee, and continued to work as a songwriter as a member of Joey + Rory. Songs he wrote for other artists include Clay Walker's Top Five hit "The Chain of Love", Blake Shelton's Number One hit "Some Beach", Easton Corbin's "A Little More Country Than That", Blaine Larsen's 2005 hit, "How Do You Get That Lonely", and Jimmy Wayne's 2008 single "I Will". Rory also founded the independent label Giantslayer Records in 2004, on which Joey recorded a solo album entitled "Strong Enough to Cry" in 2005. This album was released in CD format and digital download in 2006. Rory also recorded a solo album on Giantslayer Records, titled "My Ol' Man", which he made available only as a download.


title: Joey + Rory

text: Joey + Rory performed on the CMT competition "Can You Duet" in 2008, in which they were third-place finalists. Shortly after the competition, they were signed to the independent label Sugar Hill Records. They returned to the "Can You Duet" stage to perform "Cheater, Cheater" on "Original Song Night" for the series' second season, which aired on July 25, 2009.


title: Joey + Rory

text: The duo's debut album, "The Life of a Song", was released on October 28, 2008, on Sugar Hill Records. The album debuted at No. 10 on the "Billboard" Top Country Albums chart, and No. 61 on the all-genre "Billboard" 200. Its lead-off single, "Cheater, Cheater", was originally recorded by the duo Bomshel. Kristy Osmonson, one-half of that duo, co-wrote the song with the Feeks and Wynn Varble. Bomshel's version was released as a single in early 2008, although it did not chart. Joey + Rory's version was released in September 2008, featuring a music video that included a cameo from Naomi Judd, who had been a judge on "Can You Duet". Joey + Rory's version peaked at No. 30 on the country music charts in early 2009. The duo has also appeared in television commercials for the online retailer Overstock.com in late 2008. In February 2009, the duo was nominated for the Academy of Country Music Awards Top Vocal Duo. Although a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird" was originally to have been released as the second single, it was withdrawn after two weeks, and replaced in March 2009 with "Play the Song", which failed to chart. The album's third single, "To Say Goodbye", was released to radio on July 27, 2009, debuting at number 54 as Billboard Magazine's "Hot Shot Debut" on the "Hot Country Songs" chart.


title: Joey + Rory

text: Joey + Rory released their first holiday single, the Carl Jackson-produced "It's Christmas Time," on November 16, 2009, to country radio and November 24, 2009, to digital retailers. The single was released in partnership with "CMT One Country", which donated a portion of proceeds from the single to various charities (including The Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee). Additionally, Rory Feek, along with Tim Johnson, created the Song Trust, under which an album of Christmas songs performed by children, titled "Merry Kidsmas", was released.


title: Joey + Rory

text: Joey + Rory announced on October 15, 2009, that they were in the studio working on the follow-up album to "The Life of a Song". The album, titled "Album Number Two", was announced in January 2010 and released on September 14, 2010. The lead-off single, "This Song's for You", was released to radio in July 2010; originally "That's Important to Me" had been chosen, but the single choice was changed. The music video for "This Song's for You" was directed by Darren Doane and was released in August 2010. "That's Important to Me" was released as the album's second single in October 2010. It debuted at number 58 on the Hot Country Songs chart for the week ending February 12, 2011.


title: Joey + Rory

text: On March 16, 2010, it was announced that the duo were the winners of the 2010 Academy of Country Music Award for Top New Vocal Duo, and would compete alongside Luke Bryan and Gloriana for the Top New Artist award. Joey + Rory performed new songs from their upcoming album, were interviewed, and received their award on the GAC special "ACM Top New Artists" on April 1, 2010.


title: Joey + Rory

text: On August 29, 2011, Joey + Rory released a new single, titled "Headache," to country radio, though it failed to chart and was not included on an album. Joey + Rory released their first Christmas album, "A Farmhouse Christmas", on October 11, 2011.


title: Joey + Rory

text: Joey + Rory's third studio album, "His and Hers", was released on July 31, 2012. "When I'm Gone" and "Josephine" served as the album's first two singles and were simultaneously released to radio before the album, though neither charted. In late 2015, due to a spike in sales for "When I'm Gone" after the video was featured in some press about Joey + Rory, it managed to enter the "Billboard" Hot Country Songs chart at number 21.


title: Joey + Rory

text: Joey + Rory announced on the red carpet of the ACM Awards that the duo had recorded their first album of gospel music. Joey Feek told "Billboard" that "It's kind of an inspirational album, of old gospel songs that I grew up singing and listening to my mom sing... It’s an album I’ve wanted to do for a long, long time." The album, "Inspired: Songs of Faith & Family", was released on July 16, 2013, via Gaither Music Group. It debuted at number 166 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 3,000, while also peaking at number 31 on the Top Country Albums chart and at number 6 on the Top Christian Albums chart.


title: Joey + Rory

text: After the release of their Gospel album, Joey + Rory announced that they would be releasing their fifth studio album, "Made to Last", in late 2013 via their own Farmhouse Recordings record label (their first self-released project). "Made to Last" was released on October 8, 2013, and debuted at No. 44 on the Top Country Albums chart. Their sixth studio album, "Country Classics: A Tapestry of Our Musical Heritage", was released exclusively to Cracker Barrel in May 2014, with a wide release following on October 14, 2014. Their second project on Gaither Music Group, the record consists of cover versions of classic country songs.


title: Joey + Rory

text: "Hymns That Are Important to Us", the duo's seventh and final studio album, was released on February 12, 2016, via Gaither Music Group. The set, which was a "dream project" for Joey Feek, consists of twelve covers of Christian hymns, plus a reprise of "When I'm Gone," which was first featured on the duo's "His and Hers" album in 2012. Some proceeds of the album's deluxe edition will go towards the Loeys-Dietz Syndrome Foundation, a charity selected by Joey Feek in honor of her daughter's friend who has Loeys-Dietz syndrome. "Hymns That Are Important to Us" debuted at the top of the "Billboard" Top Country Albums and Top Christian Albums charts, with first week sales of 68,000 copies, making it their highest-charting release and the duo's best sales week ever.


title: Joey + Rory

text: Rory Feek wrote and produced a film, "Josephine", which was set in the American Civil War and included the couple's song of the same name. . It was shot at the Nathan Bedford Forrest Boyhood Home, the childhood home of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest owned by the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Chapel Hill, Tennessee. The film later debuted at the Nashville Film Festival in summer 2016.


title: Joey + Rory

text: Joey was diagnosed with cervical cancer in late 2015 and died of the disease in March 2016, effectively disbanding Joey + Rory.


title: Cultured pearl

text: Cultured pearls are formed within a cultured pearl sac with human intervention in the interior of productive living molluscs in a variety of conditions depending upon the mollusc and the goals. Just as the same as natural pearls, cultured pearls can be cultivated in seawater or freshwater bodies. Nowadays, over 95% of the pearls available on the market would be cultured pearls.


title: Cultured pearl

text: A pearl is formed when the mantle tissue is injured by a parasite, an attack of a fish, or another event that damages the external fragile rim of the shell of a mollusk shell bivalve or gastropod. In response, the mantle tissue of the mollusk secretes nacre into the pearl sac, a cyst that forms during the healing process. Chemically speaking, this is calcium carbonate and a fibrous protein called conchiolin. As the nacre builds up in layers of minute aragonite tablets, it fills the growing pearl sac and eventually forms a pearl.


title: Cultured pearl

text: Natural pearls are initiated in nature more or less by chance, but cultured pearls are human-initiated, formed by inserting a tissue graft from a donor mollusk, upon which a pearl sac forms, and the inner side precipitates calcium carbonate, in the form of nacre or "mother-of-pearl".


title: Cultured pearl

text: The most popular and effective method for creating cultured pearls are made from the shells of freshwater river mussels harvested in the Midwestern U.S., from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Shells with the common names "Washboard", "Maple Leaf", "Ebony", "Pimpleback", and "Three Ridge" are popular for use in pearl culture due to their compatibility with the host animal, and the nacre they are to be covered by. These high-quality and sought-after shells are first sliced into strips and then into cubes. The edges and corners are ground down until they are a roughly spherical and then milled to become perfectly round, and brought to a highly polished finish.


title: Cultured pearl

text: One of the first recorded histories of cultured pearls was found in the ancient China during the Sung Dynasty. The cultivation method was the same as the Mabe-pearl (half pearl) that we know of today. Instead of using the shells or saibo as the core, they used a mold to create a buddhist figure (another photo) made from lead. The mold was then inserted into the freshwater mussel shell, Hyriopsis cumingii.


title: Cultured pearl

text: In 1637, Mr. Song Yingxing compiled a Chinese encyclopedia called Tiangong Kaiwu (). Chapter 18 of this collection mentioned about the pearls and the formation theory. Along the line of history and with the help of the Silk Road, Tiangong Kaiwu arrived in Europe and was translated. Scientists who were fascinated by the mysteries of pearls began their quest to find out how pearls are formed.


title: Cultured pearl

text: From the 16th to the 18th century, the western world advanced in pearl research as new technologies, such as microscopes, developed. Scientists began more sophisticated research on pearl formation, developing new theories one after another. "Disease Causation Theory (Guillaume Rondeletius, 1507 - 1566), Egg Causation Theory (Chauveton, 1578), Sand Grain Causation Theory (Sir R. Redding, 1674), Parasite Causation Theory (D. E. von Baer, 1830)," and the "Pearl Sac Theory" "(William Saville Kent, 1893)" were all theories that tried to explain the pearls' formation.


title: Cultured pearl

text: Mikimoto Kōkichi was able to use Nishikawa's technology. After the patent was granted in 1916, the technology was immediately commercially applied to" akoya" pearl oysters in Japan in 1916. Mise's brother was the first to produce a commercial crop of pearls in the "akoya" oyster. Mitsubishi's Baron Iwasaki immediately applied the technology to the South Sea pearl oyster in 1917 in the Philippines, and later in Buton and Palau. Mitsubishi was the first to produce a cultured South Sea pearl – although the first small commercial crop of pearls was not successfully produced until 1928.


title: Cultured pearl

text: The original Japanese cultured pearls, known as "akoya "pearls, are produced by a species of small pearl oyster, "Pinctada fucata", which is no bigger than 6 to 8 cm in size, hence "akoya" pearls larger than 10 mm in diameter are extremely rare and highly priced. Today, a hybrid mollusk is used in both Japan and China in the production of "akoya" pearls. Furthermore, other "Pinctada" and "Pteria" species are also used for producing cultured pearls today.


title: Cultured pearl

text: The development of cultured pearls took much of the chance, risk, and guesswork out of the pearl industry, allowing it to become stable and predictable, and fostering its rapid growth over the past 100 years. Today, more than 99% of all pearls sold worldwide are cultured pearls. Colored pearls, which occur due to local chemicals inside the shell, much in the way of rubies or sapphires, can be made by inserting colored minerals into the mussel shell, e.g., cobalt chloride to create a pinkish color.


title: Cultured pearl

text: Cultured pearls can often be distinguished from natural pearls through the use of X-rays, which reveals the inner nucleus of the pearl.


title: Cultured pearl

text: The cultured pearls on the market today can be divided into two categories. The first category covers the beaded cultured pearls, including Akoya, South Sea, Tahiti, and the large, modern freshwater pearl, the Edison pearl. These pearls are gonad-grown, and usually one pearl is grown at a time. This limits the number of pearls at a harvest period. The pearls are usually harvested after one year for "akoya", 2–4 years for Tahitian and South Sea, and 2–7 years for Edison. This perliculture process was first developed by British biologist William Saville-Kent, who passed the information along to Tatsuhei Mise and Tokichi Nishikawa from Japan.


title: Cultured pearl

text: The second category includes the nonbeaded freshwater cultured pearls, like the Biwa or Chinese pearls. As they grow in the mantle, where on each wing up to 25 grafts can be implanted, these pearls are much more frequent and saturate the market completely. An impressive improvement in quality has taken place in the last 10 years, when the formerly rice grain-shaped pebbles are compared with the near round pearls of today. In the last two years, large, near perfectly round, bead-nucleated pearls up to 15 mm in diameter with metallic luster have been produced.


title: Cultured pearl

text: The nucleus bead in a beaded cultured pearl is generally a polished sphere made from freshwater mussel shell. Along with a small piece of mantle tissue from another mollusk (donor shell) to serve as a catalyst for the pearl sac, it is surgically implanted into the gonad (reproductive organ) of a saltwater mollusk. In freshwater perliculture, only the piece of tissue is used in most cases, and is inserted into the fleshy mantle of the host bivalve. South Sea and Tahitian pearl oysters, as "Pinctada maxima" and "Pinctada margaritifera", respectively, which survive the subsequent surgery to remove the finished pearl, are often implanted with a new, larger bead as part of the same procedure, and then returned to the water for another 2–3 years of growth. An experimental process using a radio-frequency identification nucleus allows the provenance of cultured pearls to be tracked.


title: Cultured pearl

text: A pearl nucleus or a bead for cultured pearl is a sphere (usually) or other shape (occasionally) formed only by cutting and polishing a nacreous shell used to accommodate the nacre secreted from a graft of mantle tissue, that eventually forms the centre of a beaded cultured pearl. While the material can be of anything that does not negatively affect the health of a pearl oyster, the modern age pearl cultivators normally use freshwater bivalves that either come from the US Mississippi River or China's freshwater bodies located in Hunan and Jiangxi Provinces.


title: Novarupta

text: Novarupta (meaning "newly erupted" in Latin) is a volcano that was formed in 1912, located on the Alaska Peninsula on a slope of Trident Volcano in Katmai National Park and Preserve, about southwest of Anchorage. Formed during the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century, Novarupta released 30 times the volume of magma of the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.


title: Novarupta

text: The 1912 eruption that formed Novarupta was the largest to occur during the 20th century. It began on June 6, 1912, and culminated in a series of violent eruptions. Rated a 6 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index, the 60-hour-long eruption expelled of ash, thirty times as much as the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. The erupted magma of rhyolite, dacite, and andesite resulted in more than of air fall tuff and approximately of pyroclastic ash-flow tuff. During the 20th century, only the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines and the 1902 eruption of Santa María in Guatemala were of comparable magnitude; Mount Pinatubo ejected of tephra, and Santa María just slightly less.


title: Novarupta

text: At least two larger eruptions occurred in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) during the 19th century: the 1815 eruption of Tambora ( of tephra) and the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa (


title: Novarupta

text: The Novarupta eruption occurred about from the peak of Mount Katmai Volcano and below the post-eruption Mount Katmai summit. During the eruption a large quantity of magma erupted from beneath the Mount Katmai area, resulting in the formation of a wide, funnel-shaped vent and the collapse of Mount Katmai's summit, creating a deep, caldera.


title: Novarupta

text: The eruption ended with the extrusion of a lava dome of rhyolite that plugged the vent. The high and wide dome it created forms what is now referred to as Novarupta.


title: Novarupta

text: Despite the magnitude of the eruption, no deaths directly resulted. Eyewitness accounts from people located downwind in the path of a thick ash cloud described the gradual lowering of visibility to next to nothing. Ash threatened to contaminate drinking water and destroyed food resources, but the Alaska Natives were aided in their survival by traditional knowledge passed down through generations from previous eruptions. However, the Native villages experiencing the heaviest ash falls were abandoned and the inhabitants relocated.


title: Novarupta

text: Pyroclastic flows from the eruption formed the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, named by botanist Robert F. Griggs, who explored the volcano's aftermath for the National Geographic Society in 1916.


title: Novarupta

text: The eruption that formed the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is one of the few in recorded history to have produced welded tuff, producing numerous fumaroles that persisted for 15 years.


title: Novarupta

text: Established as a National Park & Preserve in 1980, Katmai is located on the Alaska Peninsula, across from Kodiak Island, with headquarters in nearby King Salmon, about southwest of Anchorage. The area was originally designated a National Monument in 1918 to protect the area around the 1912 eruption of Novarupta and the , deep, pyroclastic flow of the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.


title: Will Butler

text: William Pierce Butler (born October 6, 1982) is an American multi-instrumentalist and composer who is best known as a former member of the indie rock band Arcade Fire. He plays synthesizer, bass, guitar and percussion. He is known for his spontaneity and antics during performances. He is the younger brother of Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler. In 2014, Will Butler was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score for his work on the original score of the 2013 film "Her".


title: Will Butler

text: Born in Truckee, California, United States, and raised in The Woodlands, Texas, Will is the son of Liza Rey, a classical musician, and Edwin Farnham Butler II, a geologist. His maternal grandfather was guitarist Alvino Rey. He graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 2001, where he lived in Abbot Hall, and subsequently attended Northwestern University, majoring in Poetry and Slavic studies. During this time, he worked as a DJ for the WNUR Rock Show, where he also hired Nathan Amundson of Rivulets to be a substitute DJ at WNUR-FM. He also served as the poetry editor of Northwestern's literary magazine, Helicon. An excerpt of a poem from his senior thesis is quoted in Brian Bouldrey's book, "Honorable Bandit: A Walk Across Corsica." While at Northwestern, Butler lived in Chicago, Illinois. He moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada in the mid-2000s to join his brother Win Butler and band Arcade Fire.


title: Will Butler

text: In January 2014, Butler and Owen Pallett were nominated for Best Original Score at the 86th Academy Awards for their original score of "Her".


title: Will Butler

text: Butler was a student at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government where he pursued a Mid-Career Master in Public Administration.


title: Will Butler

text: In March 2022, Butler announced he had left Arcade Fire at the end of the previous year, stating "there was no acute reason beyond that I've changed--and the band has changed--over the last almost 20 years. Time for new things." The band's album We, released on May 6, 2022, will be Butler's last performance with Arcade Fire on a studio album.


title: Will Butler

text: Despite leaving Arcade Fire, Butler does not expect to leave the music scene and has "a few other projects percolating."


title: Will Butler

text: On March 3, 2015, Butler's debut solo album "Policy" was released under Merge Records, accompanied by an international tour alongside Arcade Fire drummer Jeremy Gara. According to Butler, "Policy" is intended to reflect his omnivorous musical taste.


title: Will Butler

text: Butler wrote five songs for "The Guardian", based on news headlines, with each song created and shared a day apart. They were mixed properly and released on "Policy Deluxe" in May 2015.


title: Will Butler

text: Butler's song "Sun Comes Up" from the 2016 solo album "Friday Night" caught the ear of DJ B-Roc of The Knocks, and subsequently the Knocks-produced remix of the song was released alongside a video directed by Butler, filmed in part on the New York City subway system.


title: Will Butler

text: Butler has written original songs for the new David Adjmi play "Stereophonic", scheduled to premiere on Broadway in 2021.


title: Škoda Yeti

text: The Škoda Yeti (codenamed "Typ" 5L) is a subcompact crossover SUV produced by the Czech car manufacturer Škoda Auto and introduced at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, as the carmaker's first entry into the SUV market. In 2009, the Yeti was awarded Family Car of the Year by "Top Gear Magazine".


title: Škoda Yeti

text: At the Geneva Motor Show in 2005, Škoda unveiled a concept car in the compact SUV category, named the Yeti and using a single vertical windscreen wiper moving horizontally across the whole of the glass or horizontally divided hatch, the lower part of which was split into an inner and outer section so that two bicycles could be secured to the lowered outer section — features that did not see production.


title: Škoda Yeti

text: Four years later, Škoda premiered the production version of the Yeti at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. with compact dimensions (length: 4,223 mm / 166.26 in; width: 1,793 mm / 70.60 in; wheelbase: 2,579 mm / 101.54 in), the Yeti offered an interior configuration marketed as "VarioFlex" with tilt, recline and tumble seating from its Škoda Roomster predecessor. There are three separate seats with adjustable backrest inclination covering a range of 13.5°.


title: Škoda Yeti

text: The Yeti's outer seats can slide backwards and forwards; after the middle seat has been removed, the outer seats can be moved 80 mm (3.15 in) towards the centre, thus creating increased room for two rear passengers — with the possibility of folding the backrest and folding the entire seat forward. Once the seats have been folded over and forward, they can be removed.


title: Škoda Yeti

text: Compared to the Roomster: the cushion of the middle seat has been repositioned so that it is 70 mm (2.76 in) rearward compared to the outer cushions (in the Roomster it is level); the cushion of the middle seat is approximately 35 mm longer than the cushion in the Roomster; after the middle seat is removed, the outer seats can be moved towards the centre by 80 mm (in the Roomster by 110 mm / 4.33 in).


title: Škoda Yeti

text: The front passenger seat can be folded forward into a horizontal position to allow the transportation of long objects. Its luggage capacity, aided by the 'VarioFlex' rear seats, ranges from 405 litres (14.3 cu ft), up to 1,760 litres (62.2 cu ft) when the rear seats are removed.


title: Škoda Yeti

text: The powertrain offerings in the Yeti included a range of internal combustion engines, all of which are four cylinder (I4) four-stroke turbocharged and EU5 emissions standard compliant. Petrol engines are all fuel injected and diesel engines are all common rail (CR) Turbocharged Direct Injection (TDI) with diesel particulate filter (DPF).


title: Škoda Yeti

text: Most engines were offered with six speed manual transmissions. A five speed manual was reserved for front wheel drive only cars with the 81 kW TDI engine. The Volkswagen Group seven speed Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG) was option exclusively for the 1.2 TSI, while the six speed Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG) was available for the 103 kW (140 PS) two litre common rail diesel engine.


title: Škoda Yeti

text: The four-wheel drive variants utilised the fourth generation Haldex Traction multi plate clutch to transmit the drive to the rear wheels, and all drive layouts include fully independent multi link rear suspension first seen on the Volkswagen Golf Mk5 to complement the fully independent front suspension. The all wheel drive Yeti cars featured Off Road button to switch all assistance systems to a special off-road setting, e.g. the accelerator responded less sensitively.


title: Škoda Yeti

text: A set of Off-Road functions included also a hill descent control, that used sensitive braking to maintain a constant speed descending steep slopes, regardless of whether the vehicle was in any of the gears from one to three, reverse, or neutral.


title: Škoda Yeti

text: The Škoda Yeti was awarded a five star safety rating by the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP). It scored 92% for adult occupant protection in the frontal and side crash tests, 78% for child occupant protection and 46% in the pedestrian safety test.[8] It also scored 71% for default Safety Assist equipment, as the range came with driver/passenger seatbelt reminders as standard.


title: Škoda Yeti

text: It also included Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Hydraulic Brake Assist (HBA), Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR) – which is currently standard equipment on most variants throughout Europe and optional on others. Protection against whiplash injury in the rear impact (whiplash) test was also good.


title: Škoda Yeti

text: The Yeti could be ordered with up to 9 airbags (dual front, front side torso, rear side torso, side curtain, and driver's knee airbag).


title: Škoda Yeti

text: In most of Europe, the Yeti was available with three different trim levels: Experience, Ambition and Track (or Active in some markets). However, in the United Kingdom, it was available in five trim levels, E, S, SE, SE Plus and Elegance. In India, it was available in "Active", "Ambition" (also called "Ambiente") and "Elegance" trims.


title: Škoda Yeti

text: An extensive list of standard and extras was available, incl. bi xenon headlamps with AFS, front/rear proximity sensors, automatic park assist system, tyre pressure monitoring system, navigation system with large 6.5” colour touch screen display and 30 GB hard drive, electrically adjustable seat and mirrors, rain sensor, front heated seats and a large tilt/slide two piece panoramic sunroof.


title: Škoda Yeti

text: In May 2017 Škoda Australia advised that a software update had been released by VW for DSG transmissions to reduce wear in the dual clutch assemblies. This is achieved by automatically disengaging the clutch without warning when the clutch temperature reaches 200°C. This design change also introduces a variable delayed throttle response and shuddering in first gear as "normal operation".


title: Škoda Yeti

text: A revamped version of the Yeti had its official exhibition premiere at the Frankfurt International Motor Show in September 2013. Following the facelift, Škoda's compact SUV was available in two design versions shorter by just 1 mm in comparison to the original model: sleek Yeti and rugged Yeti Outdoor.


title: Škoda Yeti

text: The main difference could be found in shape of front/rear bumper; the Outdoor version had parts exposed to potential damage from terrain (lower parts of bumpers, sills) finished in black, while the ‘urban‘ Yeti has them painted in body colour. They varied also in the offer of wheel designs and upholstery. Both versions could be ordered in top of the range trim Laurin & Klement, the ‘urban‘ Yeti also in ‘Monte Carlo‘ sports design version.


title: Škoda Yeti

text: The technology had also been updated. Four wheel drive was powered by the fifth generation Haldex electro hydraulically controlled multi plate coupling located at the rear axle in the same housing as the final drive and rear differential. The operating principle was much the same as the fourth generation used in the pre facelift previous model.


title: Škoda Yeti

text: There had been a technical change in the way oil pressure was regulated in the clutch, i.e. FWD switching. Oil pressure on the clutch plates was, after the facelift, regulated by a centrifugal valve integrated in the electric axial six piston oil pump. Compared to the previous generation, the Haldex 5 system was 1.4 kg lighter (ca. 6.6 kg without oil) and simpler as it didn't contain an oil pressure accumulator.


title: Škoda Yeti

text: The drivetrain line up featured some new combinations: seven speed DSG with the 1.6 TDI engine (currently with five speed manual for the GreenLine only), front wheel drive with the 103 kW two litre diesel and six speed manual (currently as all wheel drive only) and six speed DSG with the 125 kW two litre diesel and all-wheel drive (so far six speed manual only).


title: Škoda Yeti

text: As for the equipment, the facelifted Yeti became the first Škoda car to offer rear view parking camera. It is automatically activated when reverse gear is engaged: it displays the space behind the car and indicates the driving line, based on the vehicle width. List of features was extended by – among others – keyless system for locking/unlocking doors and starting engine (KESSY), and rechargeable LED torch in boot.


title: Škoda Yeti

text: A special version of the Yeti was offered in China. The car has 60 mm longer wheelbase and spare wheel can be mounted on a fifth door.


title: Škoda Yeti

text: Škoda Auto created two concepts, the Yeti I (a blue SUV) shown at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show and the Yeti II (an orange convertible with a combination of hardtop and canvas), shown at the 2005 Frankfurt Motor Show.


title: Škoda Yeti

text: In 2014, Škoda Auto presented the "Yeti Xtreme" at the Wörthersee annual meeting in Austria, with the concept having a matte dark gray body color with yellow elements such as the rims and roof.


title: Škoda Yeti

text: In October 2022, Škoda Auto issued a press release about the Yeti, also showing its concepts. Among them is the Yeti Pickup, a never-before-seen and never-made-to-production prototype built in 2012-2013, with the rear end including the axle and suspension from the third-generation Volkswagen Caddy Max.


title: Škoda Yeti

text: The German magazine "Auto Bild" first presented a graphical rendering of the presumed new model. The news was confirmed by the Skoda chairman Bernhard Maier. It would reportedly take inspiration from the Kodiaq, being larger and more expensive than the current model, and was based on Volkswsagen's MQB platform, the same as the SEAT Arona.


title: Škoda Yeti

text: The successor to the Yeti was officially announced as the Karoq, and was announced publicly at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2017. It was released in late 2017.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: Kevin Andrew Pillar () (born January 4, 1989) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers. Pillar was an All-American center fielder in college. He set the NCAA Division II record with a 54-game hitting streak in 2010, and established his school's all-time record with a career batting average of .367. Pillar was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 32nd round (979th overall) of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: In 2011, he batted .347, winning the Appalachian League batting title and leading the organization in batting average in his first minor league season, and was named an Appalachian League All-Star. In 2012 Pillar batted .323, while stealing 51 bases (second-most in the organization), and was named the Midwest League MVP, a mid-season and a post-season All-Star, the best hitting prospect in the league by "Baseball America", and a Topps Class A All-Star and MiLB.com Organization All-Star. In 2013, he led the organization in hits for the second consecutive year, and "Baseball America" designated him the "Best Hitter for Average" among the Blue Jays' prospects. He made his major league debut for the Blue Jays in August 2013. In 2014, he led the International League in doubles while batting .323, and was named an IL post-season All-Star. In his minor league career through 2016, he batted .324.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: In 2015, Pillar was named the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year for center field, and in 2016 he was awarded the Fielding Bible Award for the center field position. Pillar committed to play for Team Israel in the 2023 World Baseball Classic in Miami in March 2023.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: Pillar was born in the Los Angeles district of West Hills, California, to Mike and Wendy Pillar. He grew up a Los Angeles Dodgers fan. Pillar is Jewish and had a Bar Mitzvah; his mother is Jewish, whereas his father is Christian. Through the 2021 season, his 92 stolen bases placed him 5th on the career all-time list of Jewish major leaguers, directly behind Brad Ausmus and ahead of Gabe Kapler. His nickname is K.P.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: In high school at Chaminade College Prep, Pillar moved from the infield to the outfield in his junior year for the baseball team. He batted just under .400 for his high school career, with a high of .463 in his senior year. He also played on offense, defense, and special teams with the football team, as well as point guard on the basketball team, and earned first-team all-league honors in each sport.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: Pillar attended California State University, Dominguez Hills, in Carson, California. There, he majored and graduated with a degree in mathematics and business, and played center field for the Toros baseball team, for which he was an All-American. As a freshman in 2008 he hit .379, the fifth-highest average in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (he was also third in the league with 20 doubles, and fifth in the league with 17 steals), and was named to the All-CCAA 2nd team. As a sophomore in 2009 he batted .329 and was again named a 2nd-Team All-CCAA selection, while stealing 18 bases in 19 attempts.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: In 2010, as a junior he set an NCAA Division II record at the school, with a 54-game hitting streak, five games more than the prior record. During Pillar's streak he came to the plate eight times needing a hit in his final at bat, and got one. Batting .379 for the season, he was also named a Rawlings/ABCA National Gold Glove Award winner, ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic 1st-team All-District, an Honorable Mention All-American by NCBWA, 1st-team Daktronics/NCAA, NCBWA and Rawlings/ABCA All-West Region, and 1st-team All-CCAA selection, giving him three All-CCAA honors in three years. In his senior year, he batted .369 with a 1.000 fielding percentage.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: Pillar was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 32nd round (979th overall) of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft. His signing bonus of $1,000 was so little, after taxes, that he needed to ask his mom for some additional money so that he could have enough to buy an iPhone. When he was promoted to the majors two years later, Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos said: "Clearly ... and I say that respectfully, we got him wrong. Just because, if he has a chance to get to the big leagues, you don't wait for the [32nd] round to select him."


title: Kevin Pillar

text: Pillar played for the Bluefield Blue Jays in 2011, and batted .347 over 60 games, winning the Appalachian League batting title and leading the organization in batting average. He was also 4th in the league in hits (82), and 6th in slugging percentage (.534). He was named an Appalachian League All Star. He holds the team's all-time records for batting average, on-base percentage (.377), and slugging percentage. He was then called up to play for the Vancouver Canadians in its playoff run, and batted .391 to help the team win the Northwest League title.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: Pillar began the 2012 minor league season with the Single-A Lansing Lugnuts of the Midwest League, where he recorded a .322 batting average (3rd in the league) with a .390 on base percentage (4th in the league), and stole 35 bases (5th in the league; while being caught 6 times) in 86 games. He was then promoted to the Advanced-A Dunedin Blue Jays, where he batted .323 and stole 16 bases (while being caught 3 times) in 42 games. His total of 51 steals in 2012 was the second-most in the Blue Jays organization, and 10th-most in the minor leagues. Considered an excellent defensive player, he played all three outfield positions. He was named the 2012 Midwest League Most Valuable Player, after also garnering mid-season and post-season All Star honors, and being named the best hitting prospect in the Midwest League by "Baseball America". He was also named a Topps Class A All Star and an MiLB.com Organization All Star. He then played for the Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League, batting a team-leading .371.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: Pillar was promoted to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats before the start of the 2013 minor league season. He played 71 games for the team, and made 12 outfield assists. He was considered one of the most consistent hitters and defenders in the Eastern League, "with great instincts, a powerful and accurate throwing arm," and showed speed on the base paths. Richie Hebner, his hitting coach, said: "He is the best player in the league. He does everything well." He batted .313 (3rd in the league) with 5 home runs and 30 RBIs, and was leading the Eastern League with 95 hits, before he was promoted to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. Through his first 11 games, Pillar batted .391 and had more doubles (8) than singles (7). During his time in Buffalo he had more extra-base hits (27) than any other player in AAA over that timespan. In 123 games between New Hampshire and Buffalo, he had 39 doubles and 155 hits which, at the time of his August 2013 promotion, were the second- and third-highest totals, respectively, in the minor leagues. Buffalo manager Marty Brown said: "I am impressed with how he has swung the bat, for sure. But he also always seems to be in the right place at the right time defensively. He's a very heads-up baserunner."


title: Kevin Pillar

text: Pillar was ranked the 16th-best prospect in the Blue Jays organization by MLB.com in July 2013. Pillar had not previously ranked in the top 20 on MLB.com's rankings. "Baseball America" ranked him as the team's 12th-best prospect. In 2013, his 155 hits in the minors led the organization for the second consecutive year. In December 2013, "Baseball America" designated him the "Best Hitter for Average" among the Blue Jays' prospects.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: In 2014 with the Bisons he batted .323 (3rd in the league) in 100 games (missing 35 games during his two call-ups to the majors), leading the International League in doubles (39; second-most in the Bisons' modern era to Jhonny Peralta's 44 in 2004), 3rd in extra-base hits (52), and 5th in slugging percentage (.509) and stolen bases (27), with 10 home runs and 59 RBIs. Pillar had both a 21-game hitting streak (the longest in the league for the season) and an 18-game hitting streak, making him the first player in Buffalo's modern era to put together two hitting streaks of 18 games or more. He was named International Player of the Week twice (on May 5 and August 6), an International League post-season All-Star, and the 2014 Buffalo Bisons MVP.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: In his minor league career through 2016, Pillar batted .324 with a slugging percentage of .479 and an OPS of .846 in 413 games.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: Pillar was called up to the Blue Jays for the first time in his career on August 14, 2013, after center fielder Colby Rasmus was placed on the 15-day disabled list and utility player Emilio Bonifacio was traded to the Kansas City Royals. He was the first member of Toronto's 2011 draft to reach the majors, and as of April 2015, was the lowest selection of his major league draft class to get to the majors. General manager Alex Anthopoulos stated that, at the time of his call-up, he considered Pillar a "legit center option".


title: Kevin Pillar

text: Pillar made his major league debut that night against the Boston Red Sox. He was given uniform number 22. He was 0-for-4 with one strikeout, and made a diving catch in the outfield in the Blue Jays' 4–3 extra innings win. Pillar recorded his first career hit and RBI in a doubleheader against the New York Yankees on August 20. On August 24, Pillar hit his first career home run, a three-run shot off Houston Astros starter Brad Peacock.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: In 2014, after starting the season with the Blue Jays, Pillar was optioned to the Buffalo Bisons on March 22. He was called up to the Blue Jays on May 13, after Jonathan Diaz was optioned to Triple-A. Pillar had reached base safely in a league-high 26 straight games with Buffalo, and posted a triple slash of .305/.344/.461 in 34 games, while leading the league in doubles and leading Triple-A with an 18-game hitting streak.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: On June 9, Pillar hit a walk-off single, scoring Erik Kratz to give the Blue Jays a 5–4 win over the Minnesota Twins. On June 24 he was sent back down to Buffalo for throwing his bat after manager John Gibbons removed him for pinch hitter Anthony Gose. He was recalled on August 26 when Nolan Reimold was designated for assignment.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: In the 2015 offseason, the Blue Jays acquired Michael Saunders from the Seattle Mariners, and Pillar was expected to compete for the fourth outfielder role heading into spring training. However, after Saunders tore his meniscus before the start of spring training Pillar stepped in as the starting left fielder.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: Pillar made several highlight reel catches throughout the season, including scaling the left field wall to rob Tim Beckham of a home run on April 15. Blue Jays fans voted it the play of the year and Pillar called the catch a "life-changing moment" that brought him from obscurity to prominence in Toronto and around the league. On June 2, Pillar recorded his first career two-home run game, and became the first right-handed batter to hit two home runs in one game off of Washington Nationals' ace Max Scherzer. He was named the Blue Jays Player of the Month for June, as voted on by the Toronto Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA), for a month in which he batted .365 (4th in the AL) with 5 stolen bases (tied for 7th in the AL) and 18 RBIs (tied for 10th in the AL). On September 28, Pillar was named the American League Player of the Week for September 21–27. He batted .524 with 2 home runs, 6 RBIs, and 5 stolen bases during that week.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: Pillar played his first full Major League season in 2015 and set several career-highs. He finished the regular season batting .278 with 12 home runs, 56 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases (5th in the AL), as his 86.21 stolen base percentage was 4th-best in the league. Pillar played in all 5 games of the 2015 American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers, and batted .333 with 1 home run and 4 RBIs. Pillar and the Blue Jays then lost the American League Championship Series in 6 games to the Kansas City Royals, who went on to win the World Series.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: On October 29, Pillar was announced as a finalist for the Gold Glove award in center field, along with Kevin Kiermaier and Mike Trout, with the award eventually going to Kiermaier. On November 11, Pillar was named the 2015 Wilson Defensive Player of the Year for center field.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: Pillar opened the season as the Blue Jays' lead-off hitter, but struggled, hitting .188 with no walks through April 16, and was moved down in the order by manager John Gibbons. In early August, Pillar was placed on the disabled list with a left thumb injury incurred while stealing a base; he later underwent offseason surgery to repair a torn thumb ligament. To that point in the season, Pillar had played in 109 of 112 games, and his 2.6 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) was second only to Josh Donaldson on the team. On September 6, Pillar was announced as the Blue Jays' nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: Pillar appeared in 146 games for the Blue Jays in 2016, and hit .266 with seven home runs, 53 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases. On defense, he ranked # 1 among major league center fielders with 21 Defensive Runs Saved and a UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating) of 21.4. He led all MLB center fielders in defensive value according to Fangraphs, and was only surpassed in defensive value by shortstops Brandon Crawford and Francisco Lindor. Pillar struggled with the bat in the postseason, going 3-for-32 at the plate with one home run and two RBIs.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: Pillar was named as a finalist for the Gold Glove Award in center field, along with Jackie Bradley Jr. and Kevin Kiermaier. On October 28, he was awarded the Fielding Bible Award for the center field position.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: On February 8, 2017, Pillar was announced as the cover athlete for the Canadian version of "R.B.I. Baseball 17". During the offseason, Pillar worked to improve his plate discipline, with the goal of becoming the lead-off hitter for the Blue Jays. Early in the season, he split time at the lead-off role with Devon Travis; however, Travis struggled in the role and Pillar became the everyday lead-off hitter in late April. On May 13, Pillar became the American League leader in hits with 47, after a 3-for-4 performance against the Seattle Mariners. The following day, Pillar hit the first walk-off home run of his career, a solo shot off Mariners closer Edwin Díaz to give Toronto a 3–2 victory.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: In the Blue Jays’ 8–4 loss to the Atlanta Braves on May 17, Braves pitcher Jason Motte struck out Pillar with a quick pitch. Pillar then called Motte a homophobic slur, Motte and Braves catcher Kurt Suzuki confronted him, and both dugouts rushed onto the field. Following the game, Pillar publicly apologized to Motte. The next day, the Blue Jays held a press conference at which Pillar apologized again, and the team announced that Pillar would be suspended for two games; he was also fined an undisclosed amount by MLB.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: For the 2017 season, Pillar batted .256/.300/.404 with career-highs in doubles (37) and home runs (16), as he scored 72 runs and stole 15 bases. His .997 fielding percentage as a center fielder was the best in the league, and his eight assists as a center fielder were second-most in the AL. On October 28, he was named a center field Gold Glove award finalist.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: On January 12, 2018, Pillar signed a one-year, $3.25 million contract with the Blue Jays, avoiding salary arbitration. In Toronto's 5–3 victory over the New York Yankees on March 31, Pillar became the first Blue Jay to steal three bases in one inning, when he stole second, third, and home plate in the eighth. It was also the team's first successful straight steal of home since Aaron Hill did so in 2007. On July 1 he made a wall-leaping home-run-robbing catch that was rated the # 2 defensive play of the year on MLB Network's “Top 100 Plays of 2018″. He was placed on the disabled list on July 15 after spraining his right sternoclavicular joint (where his collarbone attaches to his chest wall) on a diving catch.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: Pillar finished the 2018 season leading the team in batting average (.252), doubles (40; a career high), and stolen bases (14), while coming in 10th in the American League in stolen-base percentage (83.25%). He also hit 15 home runs and 59 RBIs. With the team trading pitcher Aaron Loup during the season, Pillar became – at 29 years of age – the longest-tenured active Blue Jay.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: In January 2019, Pillar signed a one-year, $5.8 million contract with the Blue Jays, avoiding arbitration. He played five games for the team in 2019 before being traded. He concluded his Toronto career with a seven-year stolen base percentage of 75.82%, 8th-best all-time of all Blue Jays.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: On April 2, 2019, the Blue Jays traded Pillar to the San Francisco Giants for Alen Hanson, Derek Law, and Juan De Paula. Pillar hit his first career grand slam against the San Diego Padres on April 8. On May 4, Pillar earned an MLB Play of the Week award catching Nick Senzel's would-be home run by scaling the center field wall. Pillar assumed the position of everyday center fielder, as Steven Duggar's continued injury problems forced him into a few stints on the injured list. On August 17, Pillar had a career-high 5 hits against the Arizona Diamondbacks.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: For the 2019 season with the Giants, he batted .264/.293/.442 with 37 doubles (8th in the NL), 21 home runs, 87 RBIs, and 6 sacrifice flies (8th) while stealing 14 bases; his 161 games played for the season were 6th in the majors, while his 6.9 at bats per strikeout were 7th. On defense, he was 3rd in the league in both his range factor/game as an outfielder (2.30) and his fielding percentage as a center fielder (.986). He led the Giants (or tied for the lead) in runs, doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs, and stolen bases.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: In September, Pillar received the Willie Mac Award, given to the team's most inspirational player, as voted on by players, coaches, trainers, and fans. In November, Pillar received one vote for 2019 National League Most Valuable Player. San Francisco opted not to tender Pillar a contract on December 2, 2019, making him a free agent.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: On February 14, 2020, Pillar signed a one-year, $4.25 million contract with the Boston Red Sox. With the Red Sox during the first half of the delayed-start 2020 season, Pillar batted .274 in 117 at bats over 30 games with 20 runs, seven doubles, two triples (3rd in the AL at the time of the trade), four home runs, and 13 RBIs. On defense he played error-less baseball and had two assists from right field (3rd), as he played 24 games in right field, six games in center field, and two games in left field.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: At the trade deadline of the 2020 season, August 31, Boston traded Pillar to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for pitcher Jacob Wallace.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: In 2020 for Colorado, Pillar batted .308/.351/.451 with 2 home runs, 14 runs, and 13 RBIs in 91 at bats, as on defense he played almost exclusively center field.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, between Boston and Colorado combined, Pillar batted .288/.336/.462 with 6 home runs, 34 runs, and 26 RBIs in 206 at bats.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: On February 21, 2021, Pillar signed a one-year contract with the New York Mets with player and club options for 2022. The contract guaranteed Pillar $3.6 million in 2021. The player option is worth $2.9 million with no buyout, and the club option is worth $6.4 million with a $1.4 million buyout.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: On May 17, Pillar was struck in the face by a fastball thrown by Atlanta Braves pitcher Jacob Webb in a game at Truist Park, with the bases loaded, forcing in a run. Pillar immediately suffered severe bleeding, and was removed from the game. Pillar posted on his Twitter account after the incident: "Thanks to everyone that has reached out! Scary moment but I’m doing fine! #RBI #gamewinner". Pillar suffered “multiple nasal fractures,” and was placed on the 10-day injured list. He was activated from the injured list on May 31, and hit a single in his first plate appearance since the injury. Pillar said that he would wear a protective mask in the field and on the bases for several weeks after returning. After initially wearing a clear mask, he switched to a black mask designed using face-scanning software, which improved his vision.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: In 2021 with the Mets he batted .231/.277/.415 with 15 home runs (4th on the Mets) and 47 RBIs in 325 at bats. With runners in scoring position, he batted .300/.352/.588. On defense he played error-less baseball, as he played 57 games in center field, 52 games in left field, 22 games in right field, and pitched in one game (retiring the one batter he faced).


title: Kevin Pillar

text: On March 22, 2022, Pillar signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He began the season with the AAA Oklahoma City Dodgers, batting .315/.412/.622 in 127 at bats. Pillar was called up to the majors on May 28. He had one hit (a double) in 12 at bats for the Dodgers.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: On June 1, 2022, Pillar fractured his left shoulder sliding into third base in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, stayed in the game and scored on a groundout, and was subsequently placed on the injured list. He underwent successful surgery on June 7. He worked his way back post-surgery, and played in six minor league rehab games at the end of September, batting 7-for-22 with a home run and six RBIs. For the 2022 season with Oklahoma City, he batted .315(8th in the Pacific Coast League)/.398/.604(6th) in 149 at bats with 42 runs, 10 home runs, 40 RBIs, 20 walks, and 22 strikeouts, playing primarily center field.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: In July 2022, Pillar committed to play for Team Israel in the 2023 World Baseball Classic in Miami starting March 11–15. He will be playing for Team Israel manager and former All Star Ian Kinsler, and alongside All Star outfielder Joc Pederson, Gold Glove outfielder Harrison Bader, and others.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: In the fall of 2018, Pillar played as an MLB All-Star in the 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series, batting .333 in 12 at bats.


title: Kevin Pillar

text: Pillar married his college sweetheart Amanda Gulyas in October 2014. His wife gave birth to a daughter, Kobie, in October 2017. She was named after NBA star Kobe Bryant, one of Pillar's idols growing up.


title: Fairchild AC-119

text: The Fairchild AC-119G Shadow and AC-119K Stinger were twin-engine piston-powered gunships developed by the United States during the Vietnam War. They replaced the Douglas AC-47 Spooky and operated alongside the early versions of the AC-130 Spectre gunship.


title: Fairchild AC-119

text: By late 1967, the idea of the fixed-wing gunship had been proven so successful, the United States Air Force was having a difficult time keeping up with demand. The newer AC-130s that had been created under Project Gunship II were effective, but were being mostly used for armed reconnaissance and interdiction of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Furthermore, the C-130 airframe was in active service as a transport, vital to the war effort in Southeast Asia. The Air Force desperately needed a new gunship to replace the vulnerable and underpowered AC-47 in the close air support role, as well as supplementing the AC-130 in attacking targets on the Ho Chi Minh Trail.


title: Fairchild AC-119

text: The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar presented an obvious choice, having been phased out of front-line service in favor of the C-123 and C-130, and with the stock of available airframes in U.S. Air Force Reserve being sufficient. In February 1968, under the USAF program Project Gunship III, 26 C-119Gs were converted to AC-119G standard, initially taking on the name "Creep", but later assigned the callsign "Shadow".


title: Fairchild AC-119

text: In addition, Fairchild-Hiller, which was contracted for all the conversions, converted another 26 C-119Gs into AC-119Ks, primarily for the "truck hunter" role over the Ho Chi Minh Trail. These aircraft were called "Stingers" primarily in reference to the two M61 Vulcan 20-mm cannons they carried in addition to the AC-119G's four GAU-2/A miniguns. The AC-119K could be visually distinguished by the addition of two General Electric J85 turbojet engines in underwing pods. The conversions were completed at Fairchild-Hiller's facility in St. Augustine, Florida.


title: Fairchild AC-119

text: Project Gunship III, being a follow-on to the success of the AC-130 series, meant that the AC-119 was a more advanced aircraft in both its iterations than the AC-47. Even the TIC AC-119G featured some of the most up-to-date electronic countermeasures and radar equipment, as well as more basic technology, including an AVQ-8 xenon light, a night observation sight, and an LAU-74/A flare launcher.


title: Fairchild AC-119

text: The AC-119K, designed to hit trucks on the Ho Chi Minh Trail, was more advanced. Included in the conversion was the AN/APN-147 Doppler navigation radar, AN/AAD-4 forward looking infrared, AN/APQ-133 side-looking beacon tracking radar and AN/APQ-136 search radar.


title: Fairchild AC-119

text: The armament scheme for both aircraft was simpler than that of the AC-130. The AC-119G had a total of four GAU-2A/A miniguns in SUU-11A/A pods, all on mounts similar to those used on early AC-47s. Like late-model AC-47s, these were soon changed to the purpose-built MXU-470/A minigun modules. The AC-119K, needing a more powerful and longer range "punch" to take out vehicles, featured two M61 20-mm cannons in addition to the four miniguns of the AC-119G.


title: Fairchild AC-119

text: By November 1968, the aircraft had deployed to Vietnam and joined the 14th Special Operations Wing at Nha Trang Air Base. The AC-119Gs were placed in the 71st Special Operations Squadron which was formed from the activated 71st Troop Carrier Squadron, of the Air Force Reserve located at Bakalar Air Force Base in Columbus, Indiana. When the 71 SOS returned to continental USA in 1969, the gunships were taken over by the newly formed 17 SOS.


title: Fairchild AC-119

text: The AC-119Ks were placed in the 18th Special Operations Squadron. With the addition of the two types, the 14 SOW for a time in 1968 was flying eight different aircraft from ten different bases in South Vietnam. The 14 SOW was inactivated in 1971. Limited numbers continued to be operated out of Thailand as late as the fall of 1972, but the AC-119 was phased out shortly after from the US Air Force. The AC-119G and 119K continued to serve with the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) until the Fall of Saigon in 1975. During the Vietnam War, only five AC-119 Gunship IIIs were lost to all causes.


title: Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni

text: Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni are an Indian film producer duo. They founded Arka Media Works, a film production company known for its works in Telugu cinema. Their notable productions include "Vedam" (2010), "Maryada Ramanna" (2010), the "Baahubali" film series (2015–2017), and "Uma Maheswara Ugra Roopasya" (2020). Yarlagadda and Devineni have together garnered two National Film Awards, two state Nandi Awards, three Filmfare South Awards, two SIIMA awards, one Zee Cine Awards Telugu and the Saturn Award.


title: Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni

text: Yarlagadda was born in Gudivada in Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh. He graduated in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Andhra University in 1992. He went on to Texas A&M and graduated in Agricultural Engineering in 1995. For over a year and a half, he worked as an Air Resources Engineer in Greater Los Angeles Area for California Air Resources Board. In 2001 he established Arka Mediaworks with Prasad Devineni.


title: Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni

text: In 2001, Yarlagadda established Arka Mediaworks; Arka means sunrays in Sanskrit. It produces television content in six languages (Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Oriya, Bangla and Marathi). He has worked as line producer for films such as "Morning Raaga", and "Anaganaga O Dheerudu". He was Executive Producer for films such as "Bobby" and "Pandurangadu." Prasad Devineni produced "Pallakilo Pellikoothuru".


title: Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni

text: Yarlagadda and Devineni serve as the board members of Arka Media Works, a film production company. They produced the two part "" (2015) premiered at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, and "" (2017) premiered at the British Film Institute, while becoming the highest grossing Indian multilingual film franchise of all time globally with a cumulative box office earnings of approximately . The first part of the Telugu film has received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film, and got nominated for Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film by the American Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The second part has garnered the Telstra People's Choice Award at the 2017 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. The second part, The Conclusion (2017) received the American Saturn Award for Best International Film, and the Australian Telstra People's Choice Award.


title: Political family

text: A political family (also referred to as political dynasty) is a family in which multiple members are involved in politics — particularly electoral politics. Members may be related by blood or marriage; often several generations or multiple siblings may be involved.


title: Political family

text: A royal family or dynasty in a monarchy is generally considered to not be a "political family," although the later descendants of a royal family have played political roles in a republic (such as the Arslan family of Lebanon). A family dictatorship is a form of dictatorship that operates much like an absolute monarchy, yet occurs in a nominally republican state.


title: Political family

text: In the United States, many political families (having at least two generations serving in political office) have arisen since the country's founding.


title: Political family

text: Several presidential families produced multiple generations of members who devoted at least part of their working lives to public service.


title: Political family

text: Two other presidents were related by blood: James Madison and Zachary Taylor were second cousins. Other presidents were related by marriage: George Washington's nephew, George Steptoe Washington, was Madison's brother-in-law. Dwight Eisenhower's grandson, David Eisenhower, married Julie Nixon, a daughter of Richard Nixon.


title: Political family

text: The following political families are in the United States. For an extensive alphabetical list, see the article List of United States political families.


title: Political family

text: Hoping to prevent political dynasties, the Indonesian parliament, which represents the third largest democracy in the world, passed a law barring anyone holding a major office within five years of a relative.


title: Dance Club Songs

text: Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by "Billboard" magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as the Disco Action Top 30 chart on August 28, 1976, and became the first chart by "Billboard" to document the popularity of dance music. The first number-one song on the chart for the issue dated August 28, 1976, was "You Should Be Dancing" by the Bee Gees, spending five weeks atop the chart and the group's only number-one song on the chart.


title: Dance Club Songs

text: In January 2017, "Billboard" proclaimed Madonna as the most successful artist in the history of the chart, ranking her first in their list of the 100 top all-time dance artists. Madonna holds the record for the most number-one songs with 50. Katy Perry holds the record for having eighteen consecutive number-one songs. Perry's third studio album, "Teenage Dream" (2010), became the first album in the history of the chart to produce at least seven number-one songs by a lead artist between 2010 and 2012, a record it held solely until Rihanna's eighth studio album "Anti" produced eight chart toppers from 2016 to 2017. Rihanna is the only artist to have achieved five number-one songs in a calendar year.


title: Dance Club Songs

text: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the closures of clubs, "Billboard" has temporarily suspended the chart. The most recent number-one song on the Dance Club Songs chart for the issue dated March 28, 2020, is "Love Hangover 2020" by Diana Ross.


title: Dance Club Songs

text: Dance Club Songs has undergone several incarnations since its inception in 1974. Originally a top-10 list of tracks that garnered the largest audience response in New York City discothèques, the chart began on October 26, 1974 under the title "Disco Action". The chart went on to feature playlists from various cities around the country from week to week. "Billboard" continued to run regional and city-specific charts throughout 1975 and 1976 until the issue dated August 28, 1976, when a 30-position "National Disco Action Top 30" premiered. It soon expanded to 40 positions, then in 1979 the chart expanded to 60 positions, then 80, and eventually reached 100 positions from September 1979 until 1981, when it was reduced back to 80.<ref name="Billboard Hot Dance/Disco 1974-2003"></ref>


title: Dance Club Songs

text: During the first half of the 1980s, the chart maintained 80 slots until March 16, 1985, when the Disco charts were splintered and renamed. Two charts appeared: "Hot Dance/Disco Club Play", which ranked club play (50 positions), and "Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales", which ranked 12-inch single (or maxi-single) sales (also 50 positions, later reduced to 10 and discontinued in 2013, since replaced by the Dance/Electronic Digital Songs).


title: Dance Club Songs

text: On January 26, 2013, "Billboard" introduced the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, which tracks the 50 most popular dance and electronic songs as determined by "Billboard" based on digital single sales, streaming, radio airplay across all formats, and club play, with Dance Club Songs serving as the club play component to the multi-metric chart.


title: Dance Club Songs

text: On March 31, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the closures of clubs, "Billboard" temporarily suspended the chart.


title: Dance Club Songs

text: Although the disco chart began reporting popular songs in New York City nightclubs, "Billboard" soon expanded coverage to feature multiple charts each week which highlighted playlists in various cities such as San Francisco, San Diego, Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, Detroit and Houston (among others). During this time, "Billboard" rival publication "Record World" was the first to compile a dance chart which incorporated club play on a national level. Noted "Billboard" statistician Joel Whitburn has since "adopted" "Record World"s chart data from the weeks between March 29, 1975 and August 21, 1976 into "Billboard"s club play history. For the sake of continuity, "Record World"s national chart is incorporated into both Whitburn's "Dance/Disco" publication (via his Record Research company) as well as the 1975 and 1976 number-ones lists.


title: Dance Club Songs

text: With the issue dated August 28, 1976, "Billboard" premiered its own national chart ("National Disco Action Top 30") and their data is used from this date forward.


title: Param Vishisht Seva Medal

text: Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (IAST: ) is a military award of India. It was constituted in 1960 and since then it is awarded in recognition to peace-time service of the most exceptional order and may be awarded posthumously. All ranks of the Indian Armed Forces including Territorial Army, Auxiliary and Reserve Forces, Nursing officers and other members of the Nursing services and other lawfully constituted Armed Forces are eligible for the award.


title: Param Vishisht Seva Medal

text: The Param Vishisht Seva Medal was originally instituted as the "Vishisht Seva Medal, Class I" on 26 January 1960. Five other medals were instituted on the same day: the Sainya Seva Medal, Sena Medal, Nao Sena Medal and the Vayu Sena Medal. It was renamed on January 27, 1961, and the badge signed.


title: Param Vishisht Seva Medal

text: The medal is round in shape, 35 mm in diameter and fitted to a plain horizontal bar with standard fitting. It is made of gold gilt. On its obverse is embossed a five-pointed star and on its reverse is the Indian state emblem and the inscription embossed along the upper rim. The riband is of gold colour with one dark blue stripe down the centre dividing it into two equal parts. If a recipient of the medal is subsequently awarded the medal again, every such further award shall be recognized by a bar to be attached to the riband by which the medal is suspended. For every such bar, a miniature insignia of a pattern approved by the Government shall be added to the riband when worn alone.


title: Praxeology

text: In philosophy, praxeology or praxiology (; ) is the theory of human action, based on the notion that humans engage in purposeful behavior, contrary to reflexive behavior and other unintentional behavior.


title: Praxeology

text: French social philosopher Alfred Espinas gave the term its modern meaning, and praxeology was developed independently by two principal groups: the Austrian school, led by Ludwig von Mises, and the Polish school, led by Tadeusz Kotarbiński.


title: Praxeology

text: Coinage of the word "praxeology" ("") is often credited to Louis Bourdeau, the French author of a classification of the sciences, which he published in his "Théorie des sciences: Plan de Science intégrale" in 1882:


title: Praxeology

text: However, the term was used at least once previously (with a slight spelling difference), in 1608, by Clemens Timpler in his "Philosophiae practicae systema methodicum":


title: Praxeology

text: The modern definition of the word was first given by Alfred V. Espinas (1844–1922), the French philosopher and sociologist; he was the forerunner of the Polish school of the science of efficient action. The Austrian school of economics was based on a philosophical science of the same kind.


title: Praxeology

text: With a different spelling, the word was used by the English psychologist Charles Arthur Mercier (in 1911), and proposed by Knight Dunlap to John B. Watson as a better name for his behaviorism. Watson rejected it. But the Chinese physiologist of behavior, Zing-Yang Kuo (b. 1898) adopted the term in 1935. It was also used by William McDougall (in 1928 and later).


title: Praxeology

text: Previously the word "praxiology", with the meaning Espinas gave to it, was used by Tadeusz Kotarbiński (in 1923). Several economists, such as the Ukrainian, Eugene Slutsky (1926) used it in his attempt to base economics on a theory of action. It was also used by Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises (1933), Russian Marxist Nikolai Bukharin (1888–1938) during the Second International Congress of History of Science and Technology in London (in 1931), and Polish scholar Oscar Lange (1904–1965) in 1959, and later.


title: Praxeology

text: The Italian philosopher, Carmelo Ottaviano, was using the Italianised version, "prassiologia", in his treatises starting from 1935, but in his own way, as a theory of politics. After the Second World War the use of the term "praxeology" spread widely. After the emigration of Mises to the US his pupil Murray Rothbard defended the praxeological approach. A revival of Espinas's approach in France was revealed in the works of Pierre Massé (1946), the eminent cybernetician, Georges Théodule Guilbaud (1953), the Belgian logician, Leo Apostel (1957), the cybernetician, Anatol Rapoport (1962), Henry Pierron, psychologist and lexicographer (1957), François Perroux, economist (1957), the social psychologist, Robert Daval (1963), the well-known sociologist, Raymond Aron (1963) and the methodologists, Abraham Antoine Moles and Roland Caude (1965).


title: Praxeology

text: Under the influence of Tadeusz Kotarbiński, praxeology flourished in Poland. A special "Centre of Praxeology" ("Zaklad Prakseologiczny") was created under the organizational guidance of the Polish Academy of Sciences, with its own periodical (from 1962), called at first "Materiały Prakseologiczne" ("Praxeological Papers"), and then abbreviated to "Prakseologia". It published hundreds of papers by different authors, and the materials for a special vocabulary edited by Professor Tadeusz Pszczolowski, the leading praxeologist of the younger generation. A sweeping survey of the praxeological approach is to be found in the paper by the French statistician Micheline Petruszewycz, "A propos de la praxéologie".


title: Praxeology

text: Ludwig von Mises was influenced by several theories in forming his work on praxeology, including Immanuel Kant's works, Max Weber's work on methodological individualism, and Carl Menger's development of the subjective theory of value.


title: Praxeology

text: Philosopher of science Mario Bunge published works of systematic philosophy that included contributions to praxeology, and Bunge dismissed von Mises's version of praxeology as "nothing but the principle of maximization of subjective utility—a fancy version of egoism". Bunge, who was also a fierce critic of pseudoscience, warned that when "conceived in extremely general terms and detached from both ethics and science, praxiology has hardly any practical value".


title: Praxeology

text: Austrian economics in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises relies heavily on praxeology in the development of its economic theories. Mises considered economics to be a sub-discipline of praxeology. Austrian School economists, following Mises, use praxeology and deduction, rather than empirical studies, to determine economic principles. According to these theorists, with the action axiom as the starting point, it is possible to draw conclusions about human behavior that are both objective and universal. For example, the notion that humans engage in acts of choice implies that they have preferences, and this must be true for anyone who exhibits intentional behavior.


title: Praxeology

text: Thomas Mayer has argued that, because praxeology rejects positivism and empiricism in the development of theories, it constitutes nothing less than a rejection of the scientific method. For Mayer, this invalidates the methodologies of the Austrian school of economics. Austrians argue that empirical data itself is insufficient to describe economics; that consequently empirical data cannot falsify economic theory; that logical positivism cannot predict or explain human action; and that the methodological requirements of logical positivism are impossible to obtain for economic questions. Ludwig von Mises in particular argued against empiricist approaches to the social sciences in general, because human events are unique and non-repeatable, whereas experiments in the physical sciences are necessarily reproducible.


title: Praxeology

text: However, economist Antony Davies argues that because statistical tests are predicated on the independent development of theory, some form of praxeology is essential for model selection; conversely, praxeology can illustrate surprising philosophical consequences of economic models.


title: Gift

text: A gift or a present is an item given to someone without the expectation of payment or anything in return. An item is not a gift if that item is already owned by the one to whom it is given. Although gift-giving might involve an expectation of reciprocity, a gift is meant to be free. In many countries, the act of mutually exchanging money, goods, etc. may sustain social relations and contribute to social cohesion. Economists have elaborated the economics of gift-giving into the notion of a gift economy. By extension the term "gift" can refer to any item or act of service that makes the other happier or less sad, especially as a favor, including forgiveness and kindness. Gifts are also first and foremost presented on occasions such as birthdays and holidays.


title: Gift

text: In many cultures gifts are traditionally packaged in some way. For example, in Western cultures, gifts are often wrapped in wrapping paper and accompanied by a gift note which may note the occasion, the recipient's name and the giver's name. In Chinese culture, red wrapping connotes luck. Although inexpensive gifts are common among colleagues, associates and acquaintances, expensive or amorous gifts are considered more appropriate among close friends, romantic interests or relatives.


title: Gift

text: Promotional gifts vary from the normal gifts. The recipients of the gifts may be either employee of a company or the clients. Promotional gifts are mainly used for advertising purposes. They are used to promote the brand name and increase its awareness among the people. In promotional gifting procedures, the quality and presentation of the gifts hold more value than the gifts itself since it will act as a gateway to acquire new clients or associates.


title: Gift

text: Giving a gift to someone is not necessarily just an altruistic act. It may be given in the hope that the receiver reciprocates in a particular way. It may take the form of positive reinforcement as a reward for compliance, possibly for an underhand manipulative and abusive purpose.


title: Gift

text: A significant fraction of gifts are unwanted, or the giver pays more for the item than the recipient values it, resulting in a misallocation of economic resources known as a deadweight loss. Unwanted gifts are often "regifted", donated to charity, or thrown away. A gift that actually imposes a burden on the recipient, either due to maintenance or storage or disposal costs, is known as a white elephant.


title: Gift

text: One cause of the mismatch between the giver's and receiver's view is that the giver is focused on the act of giving the gift, while the receiver is more interested in the long-term utilitarian value of the gift. For example, many receivers prefer a future experience instead of an object, or a practical gift that they have requested over a more expensive, showier gift chosen by the giver.


title: Gift

text: One means of reducing the mismatch between the buyer and receivers' tastes is advance coordination, often undertaken in the form of a wedding registry or Christmas list. Wedding registries in particular are often kept at a single store, which can designate the exact items to be purchased (resulting in matching housewares), and to coordinate purchases so the same gift is not purchased by different guests. One study found that wedding guests who departed from the registry typically did so because they wished to signal a closer relationship to the couple by personalizing a gift, and also found that as a result of not abiding by the recipients' preferences, their gifts were appreciated less often.


title: Gift

text: An estimated $3.4 billion was spent on unwanted Christmas gifts in the United States in 2017. The day after Christmas is typically the busiest day for returns in countries with large Christmas gift giving traditions. The total unredeemed value of gift cards purchased in the U.S. each year is estimated to be about a billion dollars.


title: Gift

text: In some cases, people know the preferences of recipients very well, and can give highly valued gifts. Some value in gift-giving comes from assisted preference discovery - people receiving gifts they did not know they would like, or which they did not know were available. Behavioral economists propose that the non-material value of gifts lies in strengthening relationships by signalling the giver was thoughtful, or spent time and effort on the gift.


title: Gift

text: At common law, for a gift to have legal effect, it was required that there be (1) intent by the donor to give a gift, and (2) delivery to the recipient of the item to be given as a gift.


title: Gift

text: In some countries, certain types of gifts above a certain monetary amount are subject to taxation. For the United States, see Gift tax in the United States.


title: Gift

text: In some contexts, gift giving can be construed as bribery. This tends to occur in situations where the gift is given with an implicit or explicit agreement between the giver of the gift and its receiver that some type of service will be rendered (often outside of normal legitimate methods) because of the gift. Some groups, such as government workers, may have strict rules concerning gift giving and receiving so as to avoid the appearance of impropriety.


title: Gift

text: Cross border monetary gifts are subject to taxation in both source and destination countries based on the treaty between the two countries.


title: Gift

text: Lewis Hyde claims in "The Gift" that Christianity considers the Incarnation and subsequent death of Jesus to be the greatest gift to humankind, and that the Jataka contains a tale of the Buddha in his incarnation as the Wise Hare giving the ultimate alms by offering himself up as a meal for Sakka. (Hyde, 1983, 58-60)


title: Gift

text: In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the bread and wine that are consecrated during the Divine Liturgy are referred to as "the Gifts." They are first of all the gifts of the community (both individually and corporately) to God, and then, after the epiklesis, the Gifts of the Body and Blood of Christ to the Church.


title: Jagjit Singh Chohan

text: Jagjit Singh Chohan was the founder of the Khalistan movement that sought to create an independent Sikh state in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan.


title: Jagjit Singh Chohan

text: Jagjit Singh grew up in Tanda in Punjab's Hoshiarpur district, about 180 km from Chandigarh. He was a dentist. Chohan was first elected to the Punjab Assembly from the Tanda as a candidate of the Republican Party of India in 1967. He became Deputy Speaker when the Akali Dal-led coalition Government took office in Punjab. When Lachhman Singh Gill became Chief Minister, Chohan was made Finance Minister. In 1969, he lost the Assembly election.