title: Islamic marital practices

text: Muslim communities in the Philippines include the Tausug and T'boli tribe, a group of people in Jolo, Sulu who practice matrimonial activities based on their own ethnic legislation and the laws of Islam. Their customary and legal matrimony is composed of negotiated arranged marriage ("pagpangasawa"), marriage through the “game of abduction” ("pagsaggau"), and elopement ("pagdakup"). Furthermore, although Tausug men may acquire two wives, bigamous or plural marriages are rare.


title: Islamic marital practices

text: Tausug matrimonial customs generally include the negotiation and proclamation of the bridewealth (the "ungsud") which is a composition of the “valuables for the offspring” or "dalaham pagapusan" (in the form of money or an animal that cannot be slaughtered for the marital feast); the "valuables dropped in the ocean" or "dalaham hug a tawid", which are intended for the father of the bride; the "basingan" which is a payment – in the form of antique gold or silver Spanish or American coins – for the transference of kingship rights toward the "usba" or “male side”; the “payment to the treasury” ("sikawin baytal-mal", a payment to officers of the law and wedding officiants); the wedding musicians and performers; wedding feast costs; and the guiding proverb that says a lad should marry by the time he has already personally farmed for a period of three years. This is the reason why young Tausug males and females typically marry a few years after they reached the stage of puberty.


title: Islamic marital practices

text: Regular arranged Islamic marriages through negotiation are typically according to parental wishes, although sometimes the son will also suggest a woman of his choice. This is the ideal, esteemed, and considered “most proper” in the legal point of view of Tausug culture, despite of being a time-consuming and costly practice for the groom. If the parents disagree with their son's choice of a woman to marry, he might decide to resort to a marriage by abducting the woman of his choice, run away, run amuck, or choose to become an outlaw. In relation to this type of marriage, another trait that is considered ideal in Tausug marriage is to wed sons and daughters with first or second cousins, due to the absence of difficulty in negotiating and simplification of land inheritance discussions. However, there is also another way of arranging a Tausug marriage, which is through the establishment of "maglillah pa maas sing babai" or by “surrendering to the lady’s parents”, wherein the lad proclaims his intention while at the house of the parents of the woman of his choice; he will not depart until he receives permission to marry. In other circumstances, the lad offers a sum of money to the parents of the lass; a refusal by the father and mother of the woman would mean paying a fine or doubling the price offered by the negotiating man.


title: Islamic marital practices

text: “Abduction-game marriages” are characteristically in accord with the grooms’ requests, and are performed either by force or “legal fiction”. This strategy of marrying a woman is actually a “courtship game” that expresses a Tausug man's masculinity and bravery. Although the woman has the right to refuse marrying her “abductor”, reluctance and refusal does not always endure because the man will resort to seducing the “abductee”. In the case of marriages done through the game of abduction, the bridewealth offered is a gesticulation to appease the woman's parents.


title: Islamic marital practices

text: Elopements are normally based on the brides’ desires, which may, at times, are made to resemble a “bride kidnapping” situation (i.e. a marriage through the game of abduction) in order to prevent dishonoring the woman who wished to be eloped. One way of eloping is known to the Tausugs as "muuy magbana" or the "homecoming to get hold of a husband", wherein a Tausug woman offers herself to the man of her choice or to the parents of the man who she wants to become her spouse. Elopement is also a strategy used by female Tausugs in order to be able to enter into a second marriage, or done by an older unwed lady by seducing a man who is younger than her.


title: Islamic marital practices

text: During the engagement period, the man may render service to his bride's parents in the form of performing household chores. After the period of engagement has lapsed, the marital-union ceremony is observed by feastings, delivery of the whole bridewealth, slaughtering of a carabao or a cow, playing gongs and native xylophones, reciting prayers in the Arabic and Tausug languages, symbolic touching by the groom of his bride's forehead, and the couple's emotionless sitting-together ritual. In some instances when a groom is marrying a young bride, the engagement period may last longer until the Tausug lass has reached the right age to marry; or the matrimonial ceremony may proceed – a wedding the Tausug termed as “to marry in a handkerchief” or "kawin ha saputangan" – because the newly-wed man can live after marriage at the home of his parents-in-law but cannot have marital sex with his wife until she reaches the legal age.


title: Islamic marital practices

text: Generally, wedding ceremonies in the United Arab Emirates traditionally involves scheduling the wedding date, preparation for the bride and groom, and carousing with dancing and singing which takes place one week or less prior to the wedding night. Bridal preparation is done by women by anointing the body of the bride with oil, application of perfumes to the bride's hair, use of creams, feeding the bride with special dishes, washing the bride's hair with amber and jasmine extracts, use of the Arabian "Kohl" or Arabian eye liner, and decorating the hands and feet with henna (a ritual known as the "Laylat Al Henna" or “henna night” or "night of henna", and performed a few days before being wed; during this evening, other members of the bride's family and guests also place henna over their own hands). The Emirati bride stays at her dwelling for forty days until the marriage night, only to be visited by her family. Later, the groom offers her items that she will use to create the "Addahbia", a dowry which is composed of jewelry, perfumes, and silk, among others.


title: Islamic marital practices

text: In Dubai, one of the seven emirates of the UAE, the traditional Bedouin wedding is a ceremonial that echoes the earliest Arab concept of matrimony, which emphasizes that marital union is not simply a joining of a man and a woman but the coming together of two families. Traditionally lasting for seven days, Bedouin marriage preparations and celebration starts with the marriage proposal known as the "Al Khoutha", a meeting of the groom's father and bride's father; the purpose of the groom's father is to ask the hand of the bride from the bride's father for marriage; and involves the customary drinking of minty Arab tea. After this, the negotiating families proceed with the "Al Akhd", a marriage contract agreement. The bride goes through the ritual of a “bridal shower” known as "Laylat Al Henna", the henna tattooing of the bride's hands and feet, a service signifying attractiveness, fortune, and healthiness. The "Al Aadaa" follows, a groom-teasing rite done by the friends of the bride wherein they ask compensation after embellishing the bride with henna. The ceremonial also involves a family procession towards the bride's home, a re-enactment of a war dance known as "Al Ardha", and the "Zaahbaah" or the displaying of the bride's garments and the gifts she received from her groom's family. In the earliest versions of Bedouin wedding ceremonies, the groom and the bride goes and stays within a tent made of camel hair, and that the bride is not to be viewed in public during the nuptial proceedings. The wedding concludes with the "Tarwaah", when the bride rides a camel towards her new home to live with her husband. After a week, the bride will have a reunion with her own family. Customarily, the groom will not be able to join his bride until the formal wedding procedure ended. The only place where they will finally see each other is at their post-wedding dwelling.


title: Islamic marital practices

text: Established Bedouin wedding customs also entail the use of hand-embroidered costumes, the dowry, and the bridewealth. Islamic law dictates that the jewelry received by the bride becomes her personal property.


title: Nick Sagan

text: Nicholas Julian Zapata Sagan (born September 16, 1970) is an American novelist and screenwriter. He is the author of the science fiction novels "Idlewild", "Edenborn", and "Everfree", and has also written scripts for episodes of "" and "". He is the son of astronomer Carl Sagan and artist and writer Linda Salzman.


title: Nick Sagan

text: At age six, Sagan's greeting, "Hello from the children of planet Earth," was recorded and placed aboard NASA's Voyager Golden Record. Launched with a selection of terrestrial greetings, sights, sounds and music, the "Voyager 1" and "Voyager 2" spacecraft are now the most distant man-made objects in the universe, with "Voyager 1" having left the Solar System on August 25, 2012, being the first to do so. Sagan went to the Mirman School as a child and received his bachelor's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.


title: Nick Sagan

text: Sagan has been writing for Hollywood since 1992, crafting screenplays, teleplays, animation episodes and computer games. He has two older brothers; his brother Dorion is a science writer. He has worked for a variety of studios and production companies, including Paramount, Warner Brothers, New Line, Universal, Disney, actor/producer Tom Cruise, and directors David Fincher and Martin Scorsese.


title: Nick Sagan

text: Sagan co-wrote the award-winning computer adventure game, "Zork Nemesis: The Forbidden Lands". His film credits include adaptations of novels by Orson Scott Card, Ursula K. Le Guin, Pierre Ouellette and Charles Pellegrino. His television credits include two episodes of "" and five episodes of "", where he worked as a story editor.


title: Nick Sagan

text: At the turn of the millennium, astronaut Sally Ride recruited him to work for SPACE.com as Executive Producer of Entertainment & Games. During his tenure at SPACE.com, the inspiration for a series of novels came to Sagan, and he sold the Idlewild Trilogy to Penguin Putnam in 2002.


title: Nick Sagan

text: "Idlewild" received a starred review from Kirkus, a Book Sense 76 pick, and selection from both Borders and Barnes & Noble as one of the best science fiction/fantasy novels of the year. Neil Gaiman called it "absolutely fun, like a roller-coaster ride of fusion fiction" and "the kind of book you simply don't want to stop reading."


title: Nick Sagan

text: "Edenborn" continues the story from "Idlewild" (however it can also be read as a standalone). "SFX Magazine" gave "Edenborn" a perfect five star review, declaring it "one of the best post-apocalyptic novels you will ever read." SF Crowsnest hailed Sagan as "an adrenaline shot straight into the heart of science fiction," while SF Site called the novel "elegant SF, dark and haunting, with characters who linger in memory long after the last page is turned."


title: Nick Sagan

text: The series' third instalment, "Everfree", was praised by "Sci Fi Weekly" as being "startlingly original" and "undeniably satisfying and triumphant." Kirkus remarked that "Sagan's mind-blowing post-apocalyptic trilogy comes to a satisfying, terrifying conclusion." They went on to hail the book as "a powerful plea for sensible human cooperation delivered via a knockout story."


title: Nick Sagan

text: Sagan taught screenwriting at Cornell University in the spring of 2007. He currently teaches screenwriting at Ithaca College. Both institutions are in Ithaca, New York.


title: Hndrxx

text: Hndrxx (pronounced "Hendrix") is the sixth studio album by American rapper Future. It was released on February 24, 2017, through A1 Recordings, Freebandz, and Epic Records. It followed the release of Future's eponymously-titled fifth album by one week, and features guest appearances from Rihanna, The Weeknd, Chris Brown, and Nicki Minaj.


title: Hndrxx

text: "Hndrxx" was supported by four singles: "Selfish", "Pie", "Incredible", and "You da Baddest". The album received positive critical reviews and charted at number one, making Future the first artist to release two "Billboard" 200 chart topping albums in consecutive weeks. It was included on lists of 2017's best albums by various publications, including "Complex", "Pitchfork", "Fact", and "Entertainment Weekly".


title: Hndrxx

text: Online music magazine "Hits Daily Double" announced on February 22, 2017, that Future was set to release another album a week after the eponymously titled album "Future" (2017), set to include more "rhythmic-leaning and radio-friendly" tracks. The release was first announced by Future during a Q&A on social media on February 21, 2017, along with him tweeting the pre-order link for "Hndrxx". The album is also eponymously named after Future's alter ego, Future Hendrix.


title: Hndrxx

text: "Selfish", featuring Barbadian singer Rihanna, was released as the album's lead single on February 28, 2017, the song was produced by Detail, Kuk Harrell, Major Seven, and Mantra. It peaked at number 37 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100.


title: Hndrxx

text: "Pie", featuring American singer Chris Brown, was released as the second single on June 25, 2017, the song was produced by D. A. Doman and Detail. It peaked at number 48 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.<ref name="Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs"></ref>


title: Hndrxx

text: The album's third single, "Incredible", was released to rhythmic contemporary radio on July 25, 2017, the song was produced by Dre Moon. It peaked at number 48 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.


title: Hndrxx

text: "You da Baddest", featuring Trinidadian-American rapper Nicki Minaj, was released as the album's fourth single on July 28, 2017, the song was produced by Detail and Go Grizz. It peaked at number 38 on the "Billboard" Hot 100.


title: Hndrxx

text: "Hndrxx" was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 78, based on eight reviews. Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.1 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.


title: Hndrxx

text: Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic said, "Released just a week after his self-titled fifth effort, Future's "HNDRXX" provided an introspective and confessional complement to the more extroverted "Future"". Ural Garrett of "HipHopDX" said, ""HNDRXX" provides a view into a modern rock star indulging in a side of himself that's more thoughtful and dare one say, honest". Rebecca Haithcoat of "Pitchfork" said, "Over a well-played hand of wistful, bright-eyed and reflective beats, "HNDRXX" strikes a near-perfect balance between a man still licking his wounds and a man emerging from a long, dark night". Preezy of "XXL" said, ""HNDRXX" is a reminder that no matter how hard he tries to shun his reputation as a hitmaker, Future remains one of the most reliable acts in mainstream music, his reluctance aside".


title: Hndrxx

text: Michael Madden of "Consequence" said, "While his most definitive project remains 2015's "Dirty Sprite 2" for its balance of Future's innate melodic sense and especially effective trap records, "HNDRXX" comes in as a close second". Kristian Brito of "The Quietus" said, "It's the slickest, spaciest project he's released since "Honest" (which was always underrated), and sits far left of the trap "rigor mortis" of the self-titled record". Mosi Reeves of "Rolling Stone" said, "Like its predecessor, it's an hour-plus data dump of quotidian creativity with a slight thematic focus, not a tightly sequenced tour de force. But Future wouldn't be Future if he wasn't unburdening himself, no matter how messy and polarizing the results might be. And for the most part, he's at his most appealing here".


title: Hndrxx

text: "Hndrxx" debuted at number one on the US "Billboard" 200 with 121,000 album-equivalent units, of which 48,000 were pure album sales. It replaced Future's own self-titled album from the previous week at number one, making him the first artist in the history of the "Billboard" 200 to have two albums debut at number one in successive weeks. As of July 5, 2017, the album has moved 435,000 album-equivalent units.


title: Kathleen Hicks

text: Kathleen Holland Hicks (born September 25, 1970) is an American government official who has served as the United States deputy secretary of defense since February 9, 2021. She is the first Senate-confirmed woman in this role. Hicks previously served as the principal deputy under secretary of defense for policy during the Obama administration. By 2020 Hicks was an American academic and national security advisor working as a senior vice president and director of the international security program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. She is the highest ranking woman currently serving in the United States Department of Defense.


title: Kathleen Hicks

text: Hicks completed a B.A in history and politics at Mount Holyoke College in 1991, where she graduated with magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa honors. In 1993, she earned a M.P.A. in national security studies at University of Maryland, College Park. Hicks completed a Ph.D. in political science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2010. Her dissertation was titled "Change Agents: Who Leads and Why in the Execution of US National Security Policy". Charles Stewart III was Hicks' doctoral advisor.


title: Kathleen Hicks

text: From 1993 to 2006, Hicks was a career civil servant in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, rising from Presidential Management Intern to the Senior Executive Service. She was a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) from 2006 to 2009, leading a variety of national security research projects.


title: Kathleen Hicks

text: During the Obama administration in 2009, Hicks was appointed deputy undersecretary of defense for strategy, plans and forces in 2009. In 2012, Hicks was the principal deputy under secretary of defense for policy during the Obama administration. In that role, she was a liaison for the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review and oversaw the 2012 Defense Strategic Guidance. Hicks was a presidentially appointed commissioner for the National Commission on the Future of the Army. She is a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the boards of advisors for the Truman National Security Project and SoldierStrong.


title: Kathleen Hicks

text: Hicks formerly served as a senior vice president, Henry A. Kissinger Chair, and director of the international security program at CSIS. She concurrently served as the Donald Marron scholar at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. In October 2020, she also served on the CSIS-LSHTM High-Level Panel on Vaccine Confidence and Misinformation amid the COVID-19 pandemic, co-chaired by Heidi Larson and J. Stephen Morrison.


title: Kathleen Hicks

text: On December 30, 2020, Hicks was announced as U.S. president-elect Joe Biden's nominee for United States deputy secretary of defense. She appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on February 2, 2021. She was confirmed by voice vote by the full Senate on February 8, 2021 and sworn into office on February 9, 2021.


title: Justice Democrats

text: Justice Democrats is an American progressive political action committee founded on January 23, 2017, by former leaders from the Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign Saikat Chakrabarti and Zack Exley, as well as political commentators Kyle Kulinski and Cenk Uygur of "The Young Turks". The organization formed as a result of the 2016 United States presidential election and aspires "to elect a new type of Democratic majority in Congress" that will "create a thriving economy and democracy that works for the people, not big money interests". The group advocates for campaign finance reform (reducing the role of money in politics) and endorses only candidates who pledge to refuse donations from corporate PACs and lobbyists.


title: Justice Democrats

text: Kulinski and Uygur are no longer part of the group but remain active supporters. Alexandra Rojas became executive director of the organization in May 2018.


title: Justice Democrats

text: During the 2018 elections, Justice Democrats ran 79 progressive candidates against Democrats, Republicans and Independents in local, state, and federal elections. The seven Justice Democrats candidates who won their electoral congressional races in 2018 were Raúl Grijalva, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib.


title: Justice Democrats

text: The group endorsed considerably fewer candidates in 2020 than it did in 2018, a move its communications director defended as a strategy to focus the group's resources on the most promising candidates. Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, and Marie Newman were elected to the US House of Representatives in 2020.


title: Justice Democrats

text: In 2022, Greg Casar and Summer Lee were elected to the House, while Newman lost her reelection in the Democratic primaries.


title: Justice Democrats

text: After the 2016 presidential election resulted in a victory for Donald Trump, many progressives pointed to the perceived loyalty of politicians to large donors as a major contributing factor to Hillary Clinton's loss to Trump. These critics contend that a campaign finance model similar to that of Bernie Sanders, whose 2016 presidential campaign was funded by small individual donations, will increase public trust in politicians through increased accountability to their constituents.


title: Justice Democrats

text: On January 23, 2017, Cenk Uygur and Kyle Kulinski founded Justice Democrats with ten others, including former staffers from the Sanders campaign such as its Director of Organizing Technology, Saikat Chakrabarti, and MoveOn.org fundraiser Zack Exley. According to the organization, it seeks to create a left-wing populist movement to support alternative Democratic candidates beginning with the 2018 midterm elections, in order to either defeat the incumbent Democrats or make them more accountable to their constituents. It requires its candidates to take a pledge to refuse financial contributions from billionaires and corporations. In addition, it hoped to rebuild the Democratic Party on a national level and defeat Trump in the 2020 presidential election.


title: Justice Democrats

text: On March 20, 2017, Justice Democrats reported that they had received 8,300 nominations and raised $1 million. Also in March 2017, it teamed up with Brand New Congress, a PAC established by former Sanders campaign supporters, to further their goals. By November 1, 2017, they had merged with fellow progressive group AllOfUs.


title: Justice Democrats

text: On May 9, 2017, Representative Ro Khanna of California's 17th congressional district announced that he had become a Justice Democrat, the first sitting member of Congress to join the organization. Over the following year, Raúl Grijalva of Arizona's 3rd congressional district and Pramila Jayapal of Washington's 7th congressional district also joined, bringing the number of sitting representatives in Justice Democrats to three. Khanna and Jayapal were first elected to the House in 2016 while Grijalva has been an incumbent since 2002.


title: Justice Democrats

text: During the 2018 elections, Justice Democrats ran 79 progressive candidates against Democrats, Republicans and Independents in local, state, and federal elections. 26 of them advanced past the primary stage. All Justice Democrat candidates running for office were endorsed by "The Young Turks", who provided them with a media platform on their interview show "Rebel HQ". The seven Justice Democrats candidates who won their electoral congressional races in 2018 were Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and the three sitting members. All seven won districts already held by Democrats.


title: Justice Democrats

text: In 2020, Justice Democrat Marie Newman defeated incumbent Representative Dan Lipinski in the 2020 primary for Illinois's 3rd congressional district. Jamaal Bowman defeated incumbent Representative Eliot Engel in New York's 16th congressional district's primary. Bowman was also endorsed by Justice Democrats. Another Justice Democrat-endorsed candidate won in Missouri's 1st congressional district, when Cori Bush defeated Representative Lacy Clay.


title: Justice Democrats

text: On December 22, 2017, it was announced that Uygur had resigned from the organization, after the revelation of previously deleted but archived controversial blog posts he had written. The next day, Kulinski announced that he had stepped down from the organization as he disagreed with staff members who pressed for Uygur's dismissal. He said his decision came as a result of a personal dilemma as he saw the posts in question upon rereading them as satirical. Kulinski noted that the decision to ask for Uygur's resignation came from Justice Democrat staff, not the candidates, and asked his supporters to continue backing the organization's candidates.


title: Justice Democrats

text: In mid-November 2019, Uygur filed to run for Congress in California's 25th district, a seat recently vacated by the resignation of Katie Hill. Uygur stated he would not run as a member of the Justice Democrats.


title: Justice Democrats

text: According to Justice Democrats, its highest priority is to effectively eliminate the role of money and conflicts of interests in politics. As such, any candidate running with Justice Democrats must pledge to refuse donations from corporate PACs and lobbyists. Declining money from corporate PACs and supporting Medicare for All have both been described as litmus tests for the organization. Justice Democrats supports publicly funded elections, banning Super PACs, and banning private donations to politicians and campaigns. It also advocates for the reinstatement of provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and a ban on gerrymandering for partisan gain. Several members have voiced support for a constitutional amendment to remove money from American politics.


title: Justice Democrats

text: To accompany its launch, Kulinski and Uygur published the following set of progressive founding principles for the coalition. Adjustments have been made since 2017, resulting in a slightly different platform appearing on the Justice Democrats webpage at a given time.


title: Justice Democrats

text: Justice Democrats officially endorsed 79 candidates in the 2018 election cycle, seven of whom won general elections (three were incumbents). The four first-time officeholders in the U.S. House make up "The Squad".


title: Justice Democrats

text: Justice Democrats endorsed 17 candidates in the Democratic primaries for president, Senate and House. Twelve House candidates made it to the general election (7 incumbents, 5 newcomers). All the incumbents and three newcomers won.


title: Justice Democrats

text: In July 2017, several progressive organizations, including Our Revolution, Democratic Socialists of America, National Nurses United, Working Families Party, and Brand New Congress, announced a push to encourage House Democrats to sign on to a #PeoplesPlatform, which consists of supporting "eight bills currently in the House of Representatives that will address the concerns of everyday Americans." These eight bills and the topics they address are:


title: Bob Woodruff

text: Robert Warren Woodruff (born August 18, 1961) is an American television journalist. Since 1996, he has served as a reporter for ABC News. Woodruff co-anchored ABC World News Tonight in 2006 alongside ABC News journalist Elizabeth Vargas. He was severely injured by an IED explosion during a reporting trip to Iraq that January, and slowly recovered over an extended period before returning to air.


title: Bob Woodruff

text: Woodruff was born on August 18, 1961, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, the son of Frances Ann (Dawson) and Robert Norman Woodruff Jr., real estate agents.


title: Bob Woodruff

text: Woodruff graduated from the private Cranbrook Kingswood school in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, in 1979. He earned a B.A. in 1983 from Colgate University, Hamilton, New York, where he played lacrosse—finishing his career with 184 points, second all-time at Colgate. Woodruff earned a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1987, and he is an alumnus of Theta Chi Fraternity.


title: Bob Woodruff

text: After graduating from law school, Woodruff worked as a bankruptcy associate at Shearman & Sterling, LLC., in New York City. In 1989, while Woodruff was teaching law in Beijing, China, CBS News hired him as an on-screen interpreter during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Shortly thereafter, he left the law practice and became a full-time correspondent, initially working for several local stations.


title: Bob Woodruff

text: Woodruff began working for ABC News in 1996. He succeeded Peter Jennings as a co-anchor of "ABC World News Tonight" in December 2005, along with Elizabeth Vargas. In January 2006, Woodruff was critically wounded by a roadside bomb in Iraq.


title: Bob Woodruff

text: On January 29, 2006, Woodruff and Canadian cameraman Doug Vogt were seriously injured in an explosion from an improvised explosive device near Taji, Iraq, about north of Baghdad. Woodruff had traveled with an ABC News team to Israel to report on the aftermath of the 2006 Palestinian elections, and then via Amman to Baghdad, so that he could meet with troops before President George W. Bush's State of the Union address for 2006.


title: Bob Woodruff

text: At the time of the attack, they were embedded with the U.S. 4th Infantry Division, traveling in an Iraqi MT-LB. Woodruff and Vogt were standing with their heads above a hatch, apparently filming a stand-up. Both men were wearing body armor and protective helmets at the time. Woodruff sustained shrapnel wounds; Vogt was struck by shrapnel in the head, and suffered a broken shoulder. Both men underwent surgery for head injuries with a joint Army and Air Force neurosurgical team at the U.S. Air Force hospital south of Balad, located in Camp Anaconda, and were reported to be in stable condition. Tom Brokaw reported on the "Today" show that Woodruff had a portion of his skull removed during surgery to reduce the damage from brain swelling.


title: Bob Woodruff

text: Woodruff and Vogt were evacuated to the U.S. Army's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany overnight on Sunday, January 29. On ABC "World News Tonight" that evening, anchor Elizabeth Vargas discussed the dangers of reporting in a combat zone. After leaving Germany, Woodruff was treated for several weeks at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland.


title: Bob Woodruff

text: Woodruff was kept in a medically induced coma for 36 days to assist his recovery, and ABC News temporarily assigned "Good Morning America" anchors Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer to alternate duties on the evening newscast as co-anchors with Vargas. Vogt meanwhile was reported to be awake, mobile, and recovering.


title: Bob Woodruff

text: As of March 7, 2006, Woodruff's brother reported that the ABC anchor was beginning to walk, recognize friends and family, and speak in several languages. However, he struggled with expressive aphasia for more than a year after the injury. Woodruff was transferred on March 16, 2006, to a medical facility closer to his Westchester County, New York, home, a sign of "continued progress in all respects", ABC News President, David Westin, said in an e-mail to staffers.


title: Bob Woodruff

text: Westin's email noted that Woodruff was able to get around, talk to and joke with his family, but that "months of further recuperation" were still required.


title: Bob Woodruff

text: On April 6, 2006, ABC News released photos of Woodruff recovering at home, along with a letter thanking everyone for their support and kindness during his ongoing recovery. Woodruff especially thanked the soldiers, doctors, and nurses who had saved his life. On December 29, 2006, Woodruff's wife, Lee, an editor at "Family Fun Magazine" appeared on "Good Morning America" to discuss family activities to celebrate the New Year. During the report, anchor Kate Snow asked Lee about her husband's condition. Lee said that Bob was doing well and was currently filming a television documentary about his experiences. She also revealed that he had been back to Iraq since the incident to visit the soldiers with whom he was traveling at the time of his injury.


title: Bob Woodruff

text: ABC's "World News Tonight" remained second in the Nielsen Media Research rankings, though it had lost some ground to NBC's then first-place "Nightly News", anchored by Brian Williams before his ouster. Bob Schieffer on "CBS Evening News" also closed the gap with ABC after Woodruff's injury. On May 23, 2006, Vargas announced her resignation from "WNT", citing her doctors' recommendation to cut back her schedule considerably due to her upcoming maternity leave, and her wish to spend more time with her new baby. Gibson was then named sole anchor of the show, effective May 29, 2006.


title: Bob Woodruff

text: On February 27, 2007, Woodruff appeared on "Good Morning America", "ABC World News with Charles Gibson", and "The Oprah Winfrey Show", in advance of a documentary that aired on ABC later that evening. Despite having made great progress in his recovery, during the GMA interview with Diane Sawyer, Woodruff had some difficulty remembering words and details, such as the name of the Vietnam War and the word "injury". The hour-long documentary, "To Iraq and Back: Bob Woodruff Reports‚" explored the consequences of traumatic brain injury and highlighted the difficulties brain injured veterans face finding treatment—a subject that had first appeared in "Discover" magazine several weeks earlier, and was elaborated on by "Washington Post" reporters in the exposé "Painting Over the Problems at Walter Reed's Building 18".


title: Bob Woodruff

text: Woodruff resumed his contributions to "ABC World News with Charles Gibson" the following day, February 28, with the first in a series of follow-up reports centering on the problems that wounded American soldiers are encountering in their treatment and recovery, particularly at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Starting March 7, he was scheduled to begin reporting for "Nightline" "at regular intervals".


title: Bob Woodruff

text: On July 12, 2008, Woodruff began hosting a new weekly ABC News–produced newscast, "Focus Earth with Bob Woodruff", on the Planet Green television channel. On "Focus Earth", Woodruff covered the environmental news of the week, looking at subjects ranging from climate impact, environmental policy, political debate, and world events, as well as how climate change affects religious and cultural views and issues.


title: Bob Woodruff

text: In 2014, Woodruff worked with ESPN and ABC Sports as a reporter and host for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, normally alongside ESPN Brazil senior writer Rubens Pozzi.


title: Bob Woodruff

text: In 2020, he started a National Geographic show, "Rogue Trip", with his son Mack. The show premiered on Disney+.


title: Bob Woodruff

text: The Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) is a nonprofit that supports post-9/11 impacted service members, veterans, and their families after they return home.


title: Bob Woodruff

text: In 2014, Woodruff was awarded the third highest honor within the Department of the Army Civilian Awards, the Outstanding Civilian Service Award, for substantial contributions to the U.S. Army community through his work with the Woodruff Foundation.


title: Bob Woodruff

text: Woodruff married Lee McConaughy in 1988, and they have four children, Macklin Robert (Mack), Cathryn, and twins Claire and Nora.


title: Gossip (band)

text: Gossip (or The Gossip) was an American indie rock band formed in Searcy, Arkansas, originally active from 1999 until 2016. For most of their career, the band consisted of singer Beth Ditto, multi-instrumentalist Brace Paine, and drummer Hannah Blilie. After releasing several recordings, the band broke through with their 2006 studio album, "Standing in the Way of Control". A follow-up, "Music for Men", was released in 2009. The band played a mix of post-punk revival, indie rock, and dance-rock. Their last album, "A Joyful Noise", was released in May 2012.


title: Gossip (band)

text: Gossip was formed in 1999 in Olympia, Washington, by vocalist Beth Ditto, guitarist Nathan "Brace Paine" Howdeshell, and drummer Kathy Mendonça.


title: Gossip (band)

text: All three were originally from Searcy, Arkansas; Mendonça moved to Olympia to attend Evergreen State College and Howdeshell and Ditto followed. Howdeshell and Mendonça had been in bands together in Arkansas. Gossip coalesced when the three members were roommates in Olympia.


title: Gossip (band)

text: In 1999, the independent record label K Records released Gossip's first recording, their debut EP "The Gossip", to coincide with the band's tour with Sleater-Kinney.


title: Gossip (band)

text: Gossip played at the first Ladyfest in Olympia in August 2000 and was included in "Time" magazine's article on the festival.


title: Gossip (band)

text: Their next record was the debut studio album "That's Not What I Heard", released by the label Kill Rock Stars on January 23, 2001. They followed it with the EP "Arkansas Heat" on May 7, 2002. "Movement", their second studio album, was released on May 6, 2003. In November 2003, two months after the release of their first live album "Undead in NYC" on September 9, drummer Kathy Mendonça left the band to pursue a career as a midwife. Established punk drummer Hannah Blilie joined to replace her. The band then dropped "The" from their name, continuing as plain "Gossip".


title: Gossip (band)

text: The first release featuring new drummer Hannah Blilie was the band's next album, "Standing in the Way of Control". It was released on January 24, 2006, on Kill Rock Stars and later in 2006 on UK independent label Back Yard Recordings. The record was produced by Ryan Hadlock, owner of Bear Creek Studio, and Fugazi singer/guitarist Guy Picciotto.


title: Gossip (band)

text: The album "Standing in the Way of Control" has earned Gold Record Status in the UK. Gossip's first UK TV appearance was on BBC1's "Friday Night With Jonathan Ross", where they performed the title track "Standing in the Way of Control".


title: Gossip (band)

text: As reported on "Pitchfork" in March 2007, the group signed to Music With a Twist, a subsidiary of Sony Music Label Group, concentrating on LGBT music acts.


title: Gossip (band)

text: During the summer of 2007, Gossip was a part of the multi-artist True Colors Tour 2007, which traveled through 15 cities in the United States and Canada. Hosted by comedian Margaret Cho and headlined by Cyndi Lauper, the tour also included Debbie Harry, Erasure, Rufus Wainwright, The Dresden Dolls, The MisShapes, The Cliks, and special guests. Profits from the tour went to benefit the Human Rights Campaign.


title: Gossip (band)

text: Gossip is based in Portland, Oregon and has played with bands such as Sleater-Kinney, Le Tigre, CSS, Erase Errata, Mika Miko, Panther, Comanechi, and Mates of State. They also opened for Scissor Sisters on three dates of their November 2006 tour.


title: Gossip (band)

text: On June 24, 2007, Gossip closed the Glastonbury Festival, playing the final set on the John Peel stage during which Ditto gave a tribute to the late John Peel. The band also performed the following year, on the Pyramid Stage.


title: Gossip (band)

text: Gossip launched their "Live in Liverpool" album in the UK and the U.S. in April 2008. The album was produced by Rick Rubin and also features a DVD of their live performance. A new studio album called "Music For Men" was released in June 2009. The first single from the album, "Heavy Cross", was especially successful in Germany where it was certified triple gold for selling over 450,000 copies, and was mentioned as the "most successful internationally produced single" of all time in September 2010. In January 2011 the single broke the German record for the longest-selling track in chart history. By January 14, 2011, it had spent 82 consecutive weeks on the German Top 100.


title: Gossip (band)

text: On March 12, 2012, the band's comeback single, "Perfect World", was unveiled on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show. Their fifth studio album, "A Joyful Noise", produced by Xenomania's Brian Higgins, was released in late May. The band's music had evolved and become poppier. Andy Gill, writing in "The Independent", welcomed the result, whereas "Pitchfork" review was more negative. A second single, "Move in the Right Direction", was issued in May. During the summer, the band headlined various festivals.


title: Gossip (band)

text: In an interview with "Pitchfork" in February 2016, Ditto confirmed the split of Gossip. She stated that she intended to focus on her clothing line and music as a solo artist.


title: Gossip (band)

text: In March 2019, Ditto announced the band's return with a show in late July 2019 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of "Music for Men". This later expanded into a world tour. The band played their final show of the tour at Rote Fabrik in Zurich, Switzerland on August 19, 2019. In October 2020, Ditto shared a photo to her Instagram page of herself with Paine and Mendonça in the studio together. , however, no recordings have been shared from this session.


title: Gossip (band)

text: The band's style has been described as "a soul or gospel" voice with "a sort of funky punk soundtrack". Members of Gossip have stated a liking for rock bands like Birthday Party, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Nirvana, and The Raincoats, but also for other genres such as dance and hip hop.


title: Regions of Finland

text: The regions are governed by regional councils that serve as forums of cooperation for the municipalities of each region. The councils are composed of delegates from the municipal councils. The main tasks of regional councils are regional planning, development of enterprises, and education. Between 2004 and 2012 the regional council of Kainuu was elected via popular elections as part of an experimental regional administration.


title: Regions of Finland

text: In 2022 new wellbeing services counties were established as part of a health care and social services reform. The wellbeing services counties follow the regional borders, and are governed by directly elected county councils.


title: Regions of Finland

text: One region, Åland, has a special status and has a much higher degree of autonomy than the others, with its own Parliament and local laws, due to its unique history and the fact that the overwhelming majority of its people are Finland Swedes. The sole language of Åland is Swedish/Finland Swedish, unlike the rest of the country where Finnish and Swedish share official status. It has its own elected head of government who carries the title of Premier and heads the Lantråd, the regional executive. Most powers that would be exercised by the Government of Finland on the mainland are instead exercised by Åland-specific authorities which execute independent policy in most areas. The Åland islanders elect a single representative to the national legislature, while the Government of Finland appoints a Governor to represent the national government on Åland. Åland is a demilitarized zone and Åland islanders are exempt from conscription.


title: Regions of Finland

text: In addition to inter-municipal cooperation, which is the responsibility of regional councils, there are 15 Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (Finnish: "elinkeino-, liikenne- ja ympäristökeskus", abbreviated "ely-keskus"), which is responsible for the local administration of labour, agriculture, fisheries, forestry and entrepreneurial affairs. They are each responsible for one or more of regions of Finland, and include offices of the Ministries of Employment and the Economy, Transport and Communications and Environment. The Finnish Defence Forces regional offices are responsible for the regional defence preparations and for the administration of conscription within the region.


title: Controversies surrounding Grand Theft Auto V

text: "Grand Theft Auto V" is an action-adventure video game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. Upon its release for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2013, the game generated controversies related to its violence and depiction of women. A mission that requires players to use torture equipment in a hostage interrogation polarised reviewers, who noted its political commentary but felt that the torture sequence was in poor taste; the mission also received criticism from politicians and anti-torture charity groups. The game became subject to widespread online debate over its portrayal of women, particularly in the wake of backlash against GameSpot journalist Carolyn Petit after she claimed the game was misogynistic in her review. After her webpage received over 20,000 largely negative comments, many journalists defended her right to an opinion and lamented the gaming community's hostility towards criticism. Television personality Karen Gravano and actress Lindsay Lohan both filed lawsuits against Rockstar in allegation that characters in the game were based on their likenesses. Target Australia pulled the game from sale after a Change.org petition claimed that the game "encourages players to commit sexual violence and kill women", despite the petition being criticised as misleading and portrayals of sexual violence in games already being illegal in Australia.


text: The mission "By the Book" generated controversy from reviewers and commentators for its depiction of torture. In the mission, protagonist Trevor Philips interrogates Ferdinand "Mr. K" Kerimov to extract information about an Azerbaijani individual believed to have links with terrorists and poses a threat to the FIB (the Federal Investigation Bureau, the game's version of the FBI). Trevor uses torture methods such as electrocution, removing teeth using pliers, hitting Mr. K with a monkey wrench, and waterboarding on the restrained man. Once Mr. K provides the FIB with the information, Trevor is asked to kill him, but instead drives him to the airport, providing him an opportunity to escape. On the drive to the airport, Trevor monologues about the ineffectiveness of torture, pointing out Mr. K's readiness to supply the FIB with the information without being tortured, and expressing that torture is used as a power play "to assert ourselves".


text: Reviewers echoed that while the mission served as political commentary on the use of torture by the United States government, its use in the game was in poor taste. "IGN"s Keza MacDonald felt the sequence "pushed the boundaries of taste", and "Polygon"s Chris Plante said, "the script plays it for laughs. I felt nauseated." Carolyn Petit of "GameSpot" felt that placing the torture scene in context with the monologue created a hypocrisy in the mission's function as a commentary device. In an editorial, Tom Bramwell of "Eurogamer" discussed whether the political commentary was overshadowed by the violent content, and compared the mission to the controversy surrounding ""s "No Russian" mission. He said that the close-up camera and quick time events accentuated the sequence's impact beyond the violence depicted in previous "Grand Theft Auto" games. Summarising its function as "flawed", he considered the sequence lacking enough context to justify its violence.


text: Keith Best of Freedom from Torture said that developer Rockstar North "crossed a line" by forcing players into the role of torturer. British Labour Party MP Keith Vaz said he was "astonished" by the mission's violence, and Alison Sherratt of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers said that parents should be aware of children being exposed to the game because of its realistic graphics and violence. Independent journalist Tom Chick defended the torture sequence, and wrote that unlike the "No Russian" mission or the 2012 film "Zero Dark Thirty", the underlying political commentary on torture in "By the Book" necessitated the violent content. When asked about performing the torture sequence, Trevor's actor Steven Ogg said he treated it like "just another day at the office", and was focused more on not making mistakes during filming than the scene's ethics. The torture sequence is censored in Japanese versions of the game.


text: Some reviewers claim that the game's portrayal of women is misogynistic. Chris Plante of "Polygon" felt that the supporting female characters were constructed on stereotypes, and wrote that the game's "treatment of women is a relic from the current generation". Todd Martens of the "Los Angeles Times" considered the satirical portrayals of women uncreative, and added that violent and sexist themes hurt the game experience. "Edge" noted that while "every female in the game exists solely to be sneered, leered or laughed at", it treated its all-male lead characters in a similar vein through their stereotyped tendencies towards violence. Dave Cook of VG247 reinforced the sentiment that the female characters were constructed on stereotypes in an editorial: "They're either there to be rescued, shouted at, fucked, to be seen fucking, put up with, killed, heard prattling away like dullards on their mobile phones or shopping".


text: Rockstar Games co-founder Sam Houser felt that the development team sometimes overlooked their portrayal of women in "Grand Theft Auto" games, but that the weight towards male characters "fit with the story we wanted to tell". His brother, Dan Houser, Rockstar head writer and vice president for creative, also referred to the criticism in an interview a year earlier: "But is their argument that in a game about gangsters and thugs and street life, there are prostitutes and strippers—that that is inappropriate? I don't think we revel in the mistreatment of women at all. I just think in the world we're representing, in "Grand Theft Auto", that it's appropriate."


text: In her review, Petit of "GameSpot" felt there were misogynistic aspects to the treatment of women as "strippers, prostitutes, long-suffering wives, humourless girlfriends and goofy, new-age feminists", and disputed its satirical intention that many had accepted. Her review was met with backlash as users responded with 20,000 largely negative comments on the webpage and a Change.org petition for her firing. Petit's comments and the backlash against them prompted a wider discussion about the role of women in "Grand Theft Auto V" and the gaming community's hostility towards criticism. Helen Lewis of "The Guardian" noted that Petit's observations were valid, but were stigmatised by gamers who have become "hyper-sensitive to criticism". Tom Hoggins of "The Telegraph" wrote that the misogynistic backlash against Petit was predicated on an audience that has become accustomed to women being "shallow and sidelined" in the game. Public school teacher and journalist Cassie Rodenberg of "The Guardian" wrote that having sex with prostitutes, beating them up, and killing them afterwards to take back the money is allowed in the game itself and encouraged within the "Grand Theft Auto V" community, including chat rooms and YouTube videos.


text: Rob Fahey of GamesIndustry.biz wrote that debate about video games' thematic concerns would become stigmatised if unpleasant gamers opposed criticism, writing, "This isn't just about women—it's robbing every single one of us of the opportunity to have intelligent, interesting discussions about how our medium deals with [...] complex topics [...] It's frustrating, it's stupid, and it's downright boring—and it risks making our games stupid and boring too". Journalist Tom Bissell noted Petit's "defensible position", and wrote that gamers respond to game criticism more aggressively than fans of other entertainment mediums. Over a year after her review's publication, Petit stated in her personal blog that the "average straight male player" would likely oppose sociopolitical criticism of video games because "Grand Theft Auto V"s "so-called satire" would reinforce his own worldview. She stated that the prominence of "straight white men" in online forums marginalises women, different ethnic groups and the LGBT community, and that those who attack the former, along with "social justice warriors" and the notion of similar criticism cannot "put themselves in the shoes of people different from themselves".


text: In December 2014, Target Australia removed the game from sale after customers complained about "depictions of violence against women" and a Change.org petition amassed over 40,000 signatures. In a public statement, Target corporate affairs manager Jim Cooper said that the decision was reached after "extensive community and customer concern about the game". The same week, Kmart Australia also pulled the game from shelves. Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick publicly expressed the company's disappointment that the game had been pulled from the retailers, and affirmed that he "stand[s] behind our products, the people who create them, and the consumers who play them". "IGN"s Luke Reilly called the Change.org petition "misinformed", stating that its complaints about incentives for committing sexual violence in the game are untrue. Sexual violence in games is forbidden by the Australian Classification Board, meaning the game would have been refused classification. "Kotaku" Mark Serrels said that the depiction of women is inherently problematic, and that Target were within their rights to refuse to stock the game and were obligated to respond to the petition's wide support. David Keogh of ABC News's "The Drum" felt that Rockstar depended on controversy and were "burned by the fire they voluntarily decided to play with" since the gaming industry is no longer on the margins of popular culture.


text: In October 2013, rapper Daz Dillinger issued a cease and desist letter to Rockstar Games and Take Two Interactive for allegedly using two of his songs without authorisation. In February 2014, television personality Karen Gravano of the reality television programme "Mob Wives" filed suit against Rockstar Games in allegation that a character in the game is based on her likeness and story and was depicted without her consent. Rockstar filed to dismiss Gravano's lawsuit in April, and stated that the allegations are foreclosed by the First Amendment. In July, actress Lindsay Lohan also filed a lawsuit, claiming elements in the game, including the Lacey Jonas character, were influenced by her image, voice and clothing line without permission. Rockstar responded in court papers that sought a dismissal of the case, saying that the case was frivolous and filed for publicity purposes. In 2016, both lawsuits were dismissed.


title: Satam al-Suqami

text: Satam Muhammed Abdel Rahman al-Suqami (, ) (June 28, 1976 – September 11, 2001) was a Saudi law student and one of five hijackers of American Airlines Flight 11 as part of the September 11 attacks in 2001.


title: Satam al-Suqami

text: Al-Suqami had been a law student until he was recruited into al-Qaeda along with Majed Moqed, another hijacker, and traveled to Afghanistan where he would be chosen to participate in the 9/11 attacks.


title: Satam al-Suqami

text: He arrived in the United States in April 2001. On September 11, 2001, al-Suqami boarded American Airlines Flight 11 and participated in the hijacking of the plane so that it could be crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center as part of the coordinated attacks. He died along with all other people on the flight.


title: Satam al-Suqami

text: A native of the Saudi Arabian city of Riyadh, al-Suqami was a law student at the King Saud University. While there he joined a (possible) former roommate named Majed Moqed in training for Al-Qaida at Khalden, a large training facility near Kabul that was run by Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi. In November 2000, the two flew into Iran from Bahrain together.


title: Satam al-Suqami

text: The FBI says al-Suqami first arrived in the United States on April 23, 2001, with a visa that allowed him to remain in the country until May 21. However, at least five residents of the "Spanish Trace Apartments" claim to recognize the photographs of both al-Suqami and Salem al-Hazmi, the younger brother of 9/11 hijacker Nawaf al-Hazmi, as living in the San Antonio complex earlier in 2001. However, these residents and several others who claim to have known the hijackers, claim that the FBI photographs of al-Suqami and al-Hazmi are reversed. Other reports conflictingly suggested that al-Suqami was staying with Waleed al-Shehri in Hollywood, Florida and rented a black Toyota Corolla from Alamo Rent-A-Car agency.


title: Satam al-Suqami

text: On May 19, al-Suqami and Waleed al-Shehri took a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Freeport, Bahamas where they had reservations at the "Princess Resort". Lacking proper documentation however, they were stopped upon landing, and returned to Florida the same day and rented a red Kia Rio from a Avis Car Rental agency.


title: Satam al-Suqami

text: He was one of nine hijackers to open a SunTrust bank account with a cash deposit around June 2001, and on July 3 he was issued a Florida State Identification Card. Around this time, he also used his Saudi license to gain a Florida drivers' license bearing the same home address as Wail al-Shehri. (A Homing Inn in Boynton Beach). Despite this, the 9/11 Commission claims that al-Suqami was the only hijacker to not have any US identification.


title: Satam al-Suqami

text: During the summer, al-Suqami and brothers Wail and Waleed al-Shehri purchased one month passes to a Boynton Beach gym owned by Jim Woolard. (Mohamed Atta and Marwan al-Shehhi also reportedly trained at a gym owned by Woolard, in Delray Beach.)


title: Satam al-Suqami

text: Known as "Azmi" during the preparations, al-Suqami was called one of the "muscle" hijackers, who were not expected to act as pilots. CIA director George Tenet later said that they "probably were told little more than that they were headed for a suicide mission inside the United States."


title: Satam al-Suqami

text: On September 10, 2001, al-Suqami shared a room at the Milner Hotel in Boston with three of the Flight 175 hijackers, Marwan al-Shehhi, Fayez Banihammad, and Mohand al-Shehri.


title: Satam al-Suqami

text: On the day of the attacks, al-Suqami checked in at the flight desk using his Saudi passport, and boarded American Airlines Flight 11. At Logan International Airport, he was selected by CAPPS, which required his checked bags to undergo extra screening for explosives and involved no extra screening at the passenger security checkpoint.


title: Satam al-Suqami

text: An FAA memo, circulated in February 2002, claimed that al-Suqami shot passenger Daniel M. Lewin (Seat 9B), co-founder of Akamai Technologies and a former member of the Israeli Sayeret Matkal. While based on the frantic phone call received from a stewardess of the flight, the report has been a matter of some controversy, since both the FAA and FBI have strongly denied the presence of firearms or guns smuggled aboard. In 2004, further analysis of flight attendant Betty Ong’s phone call to American Airlines reservations confirmed that al-Suqami slashed the throat of Lewin; however, it is unclear whether Lewin was stabbed as a result of him attempting to intervene in the hijacking, or because Lewin was seated directly in front of al-Suqami, he was stabbed to frighten other passengers and crew into compliance.


title: Satam al-Suqami

text: The passport of al-Suqami was found by a passerby in the vicinity of Vesey Street, before the towers collapsed. (This was mistakenly reported by many news outlets to be Mohamed Atta's passport.) A columnist for the British newspaper "The Guardian" expressed incredulity about the authenticity of this report, questioning whether a paper passport could survive the inferno unsinged when the black boxes of the plane were never found. According to testimony before the 9/11 Commission by lead counsel Susan Ginsburg, his passport had been "manipulated in a fraudulent manner in ways that have been associated with al Qaeda." Passports belonging to Ziad Jarrah and Saeed al-Ghamdi were found at the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93 as well as an airphone.


title: Retarder (mechanical engineering)

text: A retarder is a device used to augment or replace some of the functions of primary friction-based braking systems, usually on heavy vehicles. Retarders serve to slow vehicles, or maintain a steady speed while traveling down a hill, and help prevent the vehicle from "running away" by accelerating down the hill. They are not usually capable of bringing vehicles to a standstill, as their effectiveness diminishes as vehicle speed lowers. They are usually used as an additional "assistance" to slow vehicles, with the final braking done by a conventional friction braking system. As the friction brake will be used less, particularly at higher speeds, their service life is increased, and since in those vehicles the brakes are air-actuated helps to conserve air pressure too.


title: Retarder (mechanical engineering)

text: Friction-based braking systems are susceptible to "brake fade" when used extensively for continuous periods, which can be dangerous if braking performance drops below what is required to stop the vehicle – for instance if a truck or bus is descending a long decline. For this reason, such heavy vehicles are frequently fitted with a supplementary system that is not friction-based.


title: Retarder (mechanical engineering)

text: Retarders are not restricted to road motor vehicles, but may also be used in railway systems. The British prototype Advanced Passenger Train (APT) used hydraulic retarders to allow the high-speed train to stop in the same distance as standard lower speed trains, as a pure friction-based system was not viable.


title: Retarder (mechanical engineering)

text: Diesel engines regulate power output purely by the volume and timing of fuel injected into the combustion chambers. The engine braking generated by creating partial vacuum with a closed throttle at each intake stroke in petrol/gasoline engines does not apply to vehicles equipped with diesel engines, as such engines are quite "free-running". However Clessie L. Cummins, founder of Cummins Engine Company, realized that by opening the cylinder exhaust valves when the piston reached top dead centre, rather than at the end of the power stroke, the accumulated compressed air in the cylinder could be vented before it could act as a "spring" to drive the piston back down again. By doing this, the engine acts as an air compressor, with the energy coming from the transmission used to compress the air, hence slowing the vehicle. The amount of power extracted from the transmission can be up to 90% of the rated power of the engine for certain engines.


title: Retarder (mechanical engineering)

text: In a compression release engine braking system for a turbocharged internal combustion engine, excessive stress associated with opening the exhaust valves of the engine near top dead center of engine compression strokes when the engine is turning at high speed is prevented by reducing the intake manifold pressure from what it otherwise would be at that high speed. This is done by retarding the turbocharger so that its speed is less than it otherwise would be at high engine speed.


title: Retarder (mechanical engineering)

text: This type of retarder is known as compression release engine brake or "Jake brake". A disadvantage of this system is that it becomes very noisy in operation, particularly if the exhaust muffler is faulty; its use is, therefore, banned in some locales.


title: Retarder (mechanical engineering)

text: Exhaust brakes are simpler in operation than an engine brake. Essentially, the exhaust pipe of the vehicle is restricted by a valve. This raises the pressure in the exhaust system, forcing the engine to work harder on the exhaust stroke of its cylinders, so again the engine is acting as an air compressor, with the power required to compress the air being withheld from the exhaust pipe, retarding the vehicle. Turbocharger retarders that restrict the flow of exhaust gas can also help in increasing the exhaust pressure to achieve the same objective.


title: Retarder (mechanical engineering)

text: Hydraulic retarders use the viscous drag forces between dynamic and static vanes in a fluid-filled chamber to achieve retardation. There are several different types which can use standard transmission fluid (gear oil), a separate oil supply, water, or a mix of oil and magnetic retardation. Magnetic retarders are similar to the electric retarder discussed below.


title: Retarder (mechanical engineering)

text: A simple retarder uses vanes attached to a transmission driveshaft between the clutch and roadwheels. They can also be driven separately via gears off a driveshaft. The vanes are enclosed in a static chamber with small clearances to the chamber's walls (which will also be vaned), as in an automatic transmission. When retardation is required, fluid (oil or water) is pumped into the chamber, and the viscous drag induced will slow the vehicle. The working fluid will heat, and is usually circulated through a cooling system. The degree of retardation can be varied by adjusting the fill level of the chamber.


title: Retarder (mechanical engineering)

text: Hydraulic retarders are extremely quiet, often inaudible over the sound of a running engine, and are especially quiet in operation compared to engine brakes.


title: Retarder (mechanical engineering)

text: Electric retarders use electromagnetic induction to provide a retardation force. An electric retardation unit can be placed on an axle, transmission, or driveline and consists of a rotor attached to the axle, transmission, or driveline—and a stator securely attached to the vehicle chassis. There are no contact surfaces between the rotor and stator, and no working fluid. When retardation is required, the electrical windings in the stator receive power from the vehicle battery, producing a magnetic field through which the rotor moves. This induces eddy currents in the rotor, which produces an opposing magnetic field to the stator. The opposing magnetic fields slows the rotor, and hence the axle, transmission or driveshaft to which it is attached. The rotor incorporates internal vanes (like a ventilated brake disk) to provide its own air cooling, so no load is placed on the vehicle's engine cooling system. The operation of the system is extremely quiet.


title: Retarder (mechanical engineering)

text: A hybrid vehicle drivetrain uses electrical retardation to assist the mechanical brakes, while recycling the energy. The electric traction motor acts as a generator to charge the battery. The power stored in the battery is available to help the vehicle accelerate.


title: Retarder (mechanical engineering)

text: Regenerative braking and eddy current braking are separate types of electric braking. Regenerative braking might not be classified as a retarder as it uses no extra physical hardware in addition to the existing rotor/stator pair of the motor. It effectuates braking by using the electric field created by the rotational inertia in the rotor/stator that is delivered into the rotor by the momentum of the vehicle(wheels). Additional circuitry in the controller is used to manage this current flow from the stator windings into the battery, some of which dissipates as heat within the circuitry of the controller.


title: Retarder (mechanical engineering)

text: In contrast, eddy current retarder brakes comprise a distinct and purpose-built static armature and rotor that are explicitly made and added to a vehicle for braking and dissipation of heat and not for motive power; it is a purpose-built system distinct from the motor.


title: Retarder (mechanical engineering)

text: Finally, "dynamic" braking is the complex use of controller braking where the controller can be used either for regenerative braking or by switching the circuit to feed the current to resistors. In this latter way "rheostatic" braking can be achieved. Whereas an eddy brake relies on eddy currents to create magnetic resistance some of which is incidentally dissipated as heat, rheostatic braking relies on controller circuitry resistors which directly dissipate current-borne electric energy as heat. Some dynamic braking vehicles describe the rheostatic braking as "plug" braking. In particular, forklift dynamic braking has been developed to take advantage of combining this type of braking with controllers specialized to quickly reverse vehicle direction.


title: Retarder (mechanical engineering)

text: Dynamic and regenerative braking, when used on electric or diesel-electric railroad locomotives, means that the electric motors which usually are used to drive the road wheels are instead used as generators being driven by the wheels on a downslope. In regenerative braking, the electric current created is typically fed back into the power supply (i.e. overhead catenary, third rail), and can be used by other locomotives or stored for later use. In this way a locomotive will receive current while on level ground or traveling uphill, but acts as a current supply when braking, transforming the kinetic energy created from traveling downhill (or less often, converting forward momentum from travel on level ground) into electricity. In a diesel-electric, rather than being generated remotely and collected from a power source, the power supply is generated directly by the onboard prime mover (engine) and transmitted to the motors; there is presently rarely any way of storing electricity up for later use, so instead, the motors are used as generators, retarding the wheel rotation, and the generated power is routed through resistors mounted on the roof of the locomotive, where it is transformed into heat energy (much like an electric heating element) and dissipated into the atmosphere with large fans. While this has the drawback of not re-utilizing the energy created while traveling downhill, it does create a powerful and safe retarding system that is not prone to brake fade or wearing out like mechanical brakes.


title: Brandon Soo Hoo

text: Brandon Soo Hoo (born November 2, 1995) is an American actor known for playing Tran in the 2008 film "Tropic Thunder" and for his series regular role on the Cartoon Network sketch comedy series "Incredible Crew". Soo Hoo played Scott Fuller on the El Rey Network horror-drama series "", based on the film of the same name.


title: Brandon Soo Hoo

text: Brandon began his acting career at the age of 10, when he was featured in television advertisements for Toys "R" Us, Land Rover, and ExxonMobil. In 2007, he had a minor role on "Sesame Street". Soo Hoo made his feature film debut in Ben Stiller's comedy film "Tropic Thunder" (2008), playing the role of Tran, a young leader of the Flaming Dragon gang; he won a Young Artist Award for his performance. In 2009, he portrayed Young Storm Shadow in the action film "", and was again nominated for a Young Artist Award for his performance.


title: Brandon Soo Hoo

text: Soo Hoo guest starred on the NBC comedy series "My Name is Earl" and the Fox sitcom "'Til Death". In 2010, he had guest starring role on NBC's comedy series "Community". Soo Hoo then had a recurring role as Connor on Nickelodeon's "Supah Ninjas". In 2013, he co-starred as Fly Molo in the science fiction film "Ender's Game", alongside Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, and Asa Butterfield. Soo Hoo was then part of the regular cast of the Cartoon Network sketch comedy series "Incredible Crew", created by Nick Cannon.


title: Brandon Soo Hoo

text: From 2014 to 2016, he starred as Scott Fuller on the El Rey Network horror-drama series "", a television adaptation of Robert Rodriguez's film of the same name. In 2015, he starred as Seth in the film "Everything Before Us". In 2016, he provided the voice of Garfield Logan / Beast Boy in the DC Comics animated direct-to-video film "Justice League vs. Teen Titans".


title: Brandon Soo Hoo

text: In September 2018, he appeared in a Wong Fu Production video Asian Bachelorette 2, a sequel to Asian Bachelorette.


title: René Meulensteen

text: Reinhard Jozef Petrus Meulensteen (born 25 March 1964) is a Dutch former footballer and coach who is currently assistant manager of the Australia national soccer team. He spent the early parts of his career working in the Netherlands before taking up managerial roles with the Qatari youth team, as well as clubs Al-Ittihad and Al-Sadd. He then spent 12 years, split either side of a year stint at Brøndby, with Premier League side Manchester United in various non-managerial capacities. Following his departure from the club in 2013, Meulensteen was in charge for short spells at Anzhi Makhachkala, Fulham and Maccabi Haifa.


title: René Meulensteen

text: In June 2006, he signed a three-year contract with Danish club Brøndby IF to become manager of the club, but resigned after six months.


title: René Meulensteen

text: On 18 January 2007, Meulensteen rejoined Manchester United as technical skills development coach mainly to work with the first team. After the departure in July 2008 of their assistant manager, Carlos Queiroz to Portugal as their national team manager, Meulensteen took over as first team coach, with Mike Phelan being promoted to assistant manager. Both assumed their new roles on 13 August 2008.


title: René Meulensteen

text: During his time as first-team coach, he helped Sir Alex Ferguson secure the Premier League title in 2008–09, 2010–11 and 2012–13; the Community Shield in 2008, 2010, 2011, the League Cup in 2008–09 and 2009–10; the UEFA Champions League in 2007–08 and FIFA Club World Cup in 2008.


title: René Meulensteen

text: Manchester United confirmed his departure from the club on 26 June 2013, after incoming manager David Moyes decided to bring in his own coaching team.


title: René Meulensteen

text: On 1 July 2013, Meulensteen signed a contract with FC Anzhi Makhachkala joining Guus Hiddink as an assistant coach. Hiddink left Anzhi after only two games into the 2013–14 Russian Premier League season, allowing Meulensteen to step up to head coach. After 16 days in charge, Meulensteen was sacked and replaced by Gadzhi Gadzhiyev.


title: René Meulensteen

text: Meulensteen returned to England in November 2013 to take up the position of head coach under Martin Jol at Fulham. Less than three weeks later, Jol was sacked by Fulham after five consecutive league defeats, with Meulensteen taking over as manager. His first match as Fulham manager was a 2–1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur on 4 December, where Ashkan Dejagah scored the only goal for Meulensteen's side. Fulham won their first match under Meulensteen days later on 8 December, beating Aston Villa 2–0 with goals from Steve Sidwell and Dimitar Berbatov. On 14 February 2014, Fulham hired Felix Magath to replace Meulensteen as manager, sacking Meulensteen four days later.


title: René Meulensteen

text: On 9 August 2016, Meulensteen was presented as head coach by Maccabi Haifa from Israeli Premier League. His appointment lasted just over six months, and then resigned as head coach on 13 February 2017.


title: René Meulensteen

text: On 14 July 2017, Meulensteen was appointed as head coach of Indian Super League side Kerala Blasters. The club parted ways with Meulensteen after poor start of the season. He resigned as head coach on 2 January 2018.


title: 4 Minutes

text: "4 Minutes" is a song by American singer Madonna from her eleventh studio album "Hard Candy" (2008), featuring vocals by American singer Justin Timberlake and American producer Timbaland. It was released as the lead single from the album on March 17, 2008, by Warner Bros. Records. It marked the first time in Madonna's 25-year career that another artist was featured in her own single. According to Madonna, the song is about saving the environment and "having a good time while we are doing it". She also cited the song as the inspiration for the documentary "I Am Because We Are" (2008).


title: 4 Minutes

text: The song was recorded at Sarm West Studios, in London, while the mixing of the track was finished at The Hit Factory studio, in New York City. Sound engineer Demo Castellon first worked on the vocals and then on the beats, while the synths were composed by Timbaland and Danja. An uptempo dance-pop song with an urban and hip hop style, "4 Minutes" incorporates Timbaland's characteristic bhangra beats and the instrumentation used in the song includes brass, foghorns and cowbells. The lyrics carry a message of social awareness, inspired by Madonna's visit to Africa and the human suffering she witnessed.


title: 4 Minutes

text: "4 Minutes" received positive reviews from music critics, who called it a busy dance track and complimented its music, which was compared to that of a marching band. Some reviewers, however, felt that Madonna sounded like a featured artist on her own song. The song peaked at number three on the US "Billboard" Hot 100, giving Madonna her 37th top-ten single, breaking the record previously held by Elvis Presley, as the artist with most top-ten hits. Internationally, "4 Minutes" topped the charts in 21 countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. "4 Minutes" has sold over three million copies in the United States and a total of five million copies worldwide.


title: 4 Minutes

text: The music video shows Madonna and Timberlake singing and running away from a giant black screen that devours everything in its path. "4 Minutes" was performed by Madonna on the promotional tour for "Hard Candy" and during the rave segment of the 2008–2009 Sticky & Sweet Tour. The song received two Grammy Award nominations for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical at the 2009 ceremony.


title: 4 Minutes

text: Following the release of her tenth studio album, "Confessions on a Dance Floor" (2005), Madonna wanted to record more dance music. When asked by producer Stuart Price what kind of music appealed to her, Madonna replied that she loved the records of singer Justin Timberlake and producer Timbaland, so she collaborated with them. "4 Minutes" was written by all three artists, along with Nate "Danja" Hills, and produced by Timbaland, Timberlake and Danja. The song, initially named "4 Minutes to Save the World", was one of the last to be produced for Madonna's album "Hard Candy". In an interview with MTV News, Madonna said that the concept of the song was developed through discussions with Timberlake. She further explained the meaning of the song:


title: 4 Minutes

text: I don't think it's important to take it too literally. I think the song, more than anything, is about having a sense of urgency; about how we are you know, living on borrowed time essentially and people are becoming much more aware of the environment and how we're destroying the planet. We can't just keep distracting ourselves we do have to educate ourselves and wake up and do something about it. You know at the same time we don't want to be boring and serious and not have fun so it's kind of like well if we're going to save the planet can we have a good time while we are doing it?


title: 4 Minutes

text: Madonna clarified that her age did not have anything to do with the sense of urgency reflected in the track; instead, it was just something that she had in mind for a long time and with "4 Minutes", the sense seeped into her music. Ingrid Sischy from "Interview" magazine said that the song felt like a ballad for the world, containing "the sounds of a great big marching band. It's a giant dance song". Madonna agreed with Sischy and responded that the song was "a funny paradox" and was one of the inspirations behind her documentary "I Am Because We Are" (2008). The documentary dealt with the acute suffering and food shortage afflicting the African nation of Malawi.


title: 4 Minutes

text: The recording sessions for "4 Minutes" took place at Sarm West Studios in West London, on a 72-channel SSL 9080 scratching tool. Paul Tingen from "Sound on Sound" magazine interviewed mixing and recording engineer Demacio "Demo" Castellon, who recalled that he did not attend the first recording sessions because he was working on another project. Over half of the song was already done by the time Castellon arrived, leaving him to do the programming in the intro and the end. At Sarm, Timbaland and Danja used Akai MPC3000 and Ensoniq ASR-10 sampling drum machines, Yamaha Motif workstation and synths to build the backing track for "4 Minutes". Castellon explained that the recording session took longer than expected. In total 46 tracks were used for drums and percussion and 16 stereo tracks for the bass. The whole session included 100 tracks, and further mixing was done on Pro Tools.


title: 4 Minutes

text: In the case of '4 Minutes', Tim had a vision from the beginning of how things should go, especially sonically... When I opened up the session of '4 Minutes', there was so much going on that I knew right away that the hard part would be to make sure that the vocals would cut through and were right in the pocket. Beginning with working on the vocals was the only way to achieve this. After that I formed all the other parts around the vocals. The other challenge was to make sure that everything in the track sounded clear and that you could hear every instrument, every syllable, every breath. Also, I do almost always work linear in time on a track. It's easier, because when you're done, you're done. So I keep working on section after section, until I get to the end of the track and then I know the whole mix is pretty close.


title: 4 Minutes

text: Castellon said that he did not want the SSL's internal automation to interfere with his blending of the music, instead used Pro Tools, with automatic levels. According to him, he "then ran everything through the SSL, on which [he] did EQ, compression and panning." The mixing of the track was made at The Hit Factory studio, in Miami on a 96-channel SSL J-series desk. Considering the quantity of recorded backing tracks, Castellon's challenge was to make sure that the music did not overpower the vocals. He accomplished this by first mixing the vocals, then adding the music and the drums, which was an unusual method for him. Minimal digital plug-ins were employed for the mix as Castellon preferred the sound of outboard gear.


title: 4 Minutes

text: After the mixes were done, Castellon began working on Timbaland's introduction, and continued with Madonna and Timberlake's vocals. On Timbaland's vocals, he utilized the SSL's EQ to reduce "some bottom end", and he set input levels to avoid clipping. For Madonna and Timberlake he used SSL's dynamic range compression, and on Madonna's voice he applied "an eighth-note delay from a [Lexicon] PCM42", a reverb from Eventide H3500 for the verse, and [TC Electronic] TC3000 for the hook." These digital signal processors were employed to give Madonna's vocals a sense of stereophonic space. Castellon applied Waves Audio "Renaissance Compressor" plug-in to control the level of kick drum. He recalled that "there was one particular kick sound there that clashed with the other tracks, so Tim replaced it with another kick that had a very different note and sound." Using a Focusrite D2 equalizer let him "match the sound of that new kick drum to the other kick drum sounds". Once the drums and percussion were added, the recording and mixing of "4 Minutes" was finished.


title: 4 Minutes

text: "4 Minutes" is an uptempo dance-pop song, composed in an urban, hip hop style. It incorporates the effect of a marching band, a clanging beat and instrumentation from a brass that is played in a "scale-like riff", as described by Caryn Ganz from "Rolling Stone". Other musical instruments used are foghorns and cow bells. In "4 Minutes", Madonna and Timberlake sing and trade verses, the rhythm moves towards a hard clanging beat as Madonna sings the lines that the "road to hell is paved with good intentions." Madonna and Timberlake start singing the chorus with Timberlake singing the line of "We've only got four minutes to save the world". The track continues in the same momentum in the second verse and second chorus whence the track ends where every beat ceases except for Timbaland's characteristic bhangra beats, the brass riffs and Madonna singing the words "tick-tock" repeatedly, after which it ends.


title: 4 Minutes

text: According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Publishing, the song is written in the key of G minor and is set in time signature of common time with a tempo of 115 beats per minute. Timbaland's bhangra beats are featured at the start and the end of the song. Madonna and Timberlake's vocal range spans two octaves, from F to Bb. The song has a sequence of D–G–C–F–B–D in the verses and E–D–C–D in the chorus, as its chord progression. The lyrics of "4 Minutes" carry a message of social awareness, inspired by Madonna's visit to Africa and the human suffering she witnessed. Jon Pareles of "The New York Times" stated that "[h]owever, the song sounds as if four minutes is the time taken for a song to be a guaranteed pop hit or the time required for a quickie; in reality it is the only song from "Hard Candy" album which contains a message of social awareness in it." The sound of a clock ticking away emphasizes this message further. Madonna explained in "New York" magazine that the line "The road to hell is paved with good intentions" did not relate to her charity work. Instead it was her question to herself: "Do I understand this opinion that I've adopted or this Zeitgeist that I've allowed myself to be swept up in? Because you could have the best intentions but not have enough information and make huge mistakes." Regarding the line "Sometimes I feel what I need is a you intervention", Madonna explained, "[y]eah, meaning, sometimes I think you need to save me."


title: 4 Minutes

text: Caryn Ganz of "Rolling Stone" called it "a loud, busy, energetic track", and commented that Timberlake did "his best Michael Jackson impression". Freedom du Lac of "The Washington Post" complimented the song for being busy and brassy. She commented: "[P]ropelled by a detonative marching-band beat [...] it's one of the most thrilling things Madonna has done in this decade." "Billboard" music reviewer and editor Chuck Taylor said that "There's an awful lot going on in the busy dance track [...] but the trade-off chorus between Madge and Justin of 'We've only got four minutes to save the world' is hooky enough unto itself to sell the song." He added that the song "qualifies as an event record between superpowers [Madonna and Timberlake] who not only share equal billing, but sound gangbusters together." Chris Williams of "Entertainment Weekly" called it a "flirty duet". Also from "Entertainment Weekly", Chuck Arnold felt that "['4 Minutes'] tries a little too hard — sounding more like a Timberlake-Timbaland joint than a Madonna song", but pointing its "all-star magnetism".


title: 4 Minutes

text: According to Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine, the song is an "advertisement for the rest of the album." Joey Guerra of "Houston Chronicle" compared the track to the work of Nelly Furtado and felt that the composition was "a bid for radio play." Andy Gill of "The Independent" called "4 Minutes" one of "Hard Candy"s saviors. He noted that "the Mardi Gras marching-band bumping rambunctiously along", is one of the album's "most ambitious offerings." Mark Savage of BBC described the sound as "so futuristic it could realistically have been beamed in from the end of the world." Ben Thompson of "The Guardian" said: "It has a hard to escape sense that all concerned are going through the motions [of life] – effortlessly, sometimes brilliantly." Joan Anderman of "The Boston Globe" believed that the song is "chart-topper for its sheer star power as well as instant musical allure, and on the eve of Madonna's 50th birthday [...] '4 Minutes' feels a lot like an icon's can't-miss gift to herself." However, she noticed that the "shift in the power structure [is nowhere] more blatant than on '4 Minutes', where Madonna sounds like a featured guest trying to keep pace with Timbaland's colossal beats and Timberlake's nimble melody."


title: 4 Minutes

text: Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic praised the melodic and rhythmic hook, but was disappointed that Madonna's voice is "drowned out by Timbaland's farting four-note synth – which might not have been so bad if the tracks were fresher and if the whole enterprise didn't feel quite so joylessly mechanical." At the 51st Grammy Awards, "4 Minutes" garnered Madonna, Timberlake and Timbaland a nomination in the Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals category. Dutch musician Junkie XL also earned a nomination in the Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical category for his remix of the song. While ranking Madonna's singles in honor of her 60th birthday, "The Guardian"s Jude Rogers placed "4 Minutes" at number 35, writing that "Timbaland’s synth-brass intro here is fantastic, and the song’s end-of-the-world grandeur still sounds razor-sharp", but stating that it would be "better without Timberlake".


title: 4 Minutes

text: In the United States, "4 Minutes" debuted at number 68 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart for the issue dated April 5, 2008, based solely on airplay. Within a week, the song had jumped 65 places, reaching number three on the chart. This leap was spurred by first-week digital sales of 217,000, enabling the song to enter "Billboard"s Digital chart at number two, behind Mariah Carey's single "Touch My Body". The song became Madonna's first top-ten single since "Hung Up" (2005), and was her 37th Hot 100 top-ten hit, breaking the record previously held by Elvis Presley. "4 Minutes" was also her highest-charting single on the Hot 100 since "Music" reached the top of the chart in 2000. For Timberlake, "4 Minutes" became his ninth top-ten hit. On the Pop 100 chart, the song reached a peak of two. "4 Minutes" was a success on "Billboard"s dance charts, topping both the Hot Dance Club Play and the Hot Dance Airplay charts. Almost five months after its release, "4 Minutes" was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of two million paid digital downloads. "4 Minutes" was the tenth most downloaded song in the United States in 2008 with sales of 2.37 million, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and has sold over 3.1 million copies as of December 2016.


title: 4 Minutes

text: In Canada, Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems (BDS) confirmed that "4 Minutes" debuted at the top of the Canadian Contemporary Hit Radio chart. This marked the first time any song entered at the top of the CHR chart in BDS history. The song debuted at number 27 on the Canadian Hot 100 on March 27, 2008, and topped the chart the next week. By the end of the year, "4 Minutes" was the fifth best selling digital song in Canada with sales of 143,000 copies, and ranked fourth on the year-end tabulation of the Canadian Hot 100.


title: 4 Minutes

text: "4 Minutes" was also a success in Australia and New Zealand. The song debuted at number three on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, and ascended to the number-one position two weeks later, where it stayed for three consecutive weeks. "4 Minutes" was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for the shipment of 70,000 copies. In New Zealand, "4 Minutes" made its debut at number 14 on the New Zealand Singles Chart, and ascended to the top ten, finally peaking at number three. The song has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) for shipment of 7,500 copies.


title: 4 Minutes

text: In the United Kingdom, "4 Minutes" debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number seven. The song became Madonna's 60th UK top-ten single. It debuted on the airplay charts at number 19, with first week tallies of 564 plays and 27.10 million listeners. The song rose to the top of the chart on April 20, 2008 (for the week ending date April 26, 2008), with sales of 40,634 copies, thus giving Madonna her 13th British number-one single and gave both Timberlake and Timbaland their third number one. It remained at the top for four weeks. According to the Official Charts Company, it was the ninth best-selling song of 2008 and has sold 627,000 copies there as of April 2019, being certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). "4 Minutes" was also number one on "Billboard"s European Hot 100 Singles for four weeks. Overall, "4 Minutes" reached number one in 21 countries, and sold over five million copies worldwide.


title: 4 Minutes

text: The music video was directed by French duo Jonas & François and filmed at Black Island Studios in London from January 31 to February 2, 2008. It featured choreography by Jamie King, who worked on Madonna's Confessions, Re-Invention and Drowned World tours as well as her video for the single "Sorry" (2006). Japanese hip hop dancing duo Hamutsun Serve also made an appearance in the video. Before its release, "Rolling Stone" said that in the video Madonna and Timberlake act as if they were "superheroes" while they evade multiple obstacles. In the video, Madonna wore a cream colored corset, glistening black boots and styled her hair in platinum blond waves while Timberlake wore mainly denims and a scarf around his neck. Regarding the idea behind the music video, Madonna said that "it was conceptualistic". She explained that the video was shot like a march past; "It's a movement, and we want to take everybody with us." About the idea of a black screen devouring everything, Madonna said,


title: 4 Minutes

text: None of us did [understand the concept of the black screen]. It was just, you know, it's very conceptual. We basically gave the song to the two French directors [Jonas & François] and they came up with the only concept that I thought was interesting, with this black sort of amorphous graphic line slowly eating up the world. I just liked that as a concept.


title: 4 Minutes

text: The video starts with Timbaland chanting the opening line in front of a giant timer screen that counts down from four minutes. As he sings, a black geometric patterned screen comes from behind and engulfs all of the musical devices present. Madonna and Timberlake enter a house but run away from it after finding the screen there, which starts eating the hands and legs of the inhabitants of the house, thus showing their insides. After a number of shots showing Madonna and Timberlake jumping on and over cars to escape from the screen, they finally move into a supermarket. The screen follows them, consuming the long lines of stalls and the people present there. As the second chorus starts, they arrive in front of the screen where Timbaland is singing. After choreographed dancing, Madonna performs a back arch as the timer reaches zero. The last "tick-tock, tick-tock" sound is heard, Madonna and Timberlake dance again on a long stage; the black screen approaches them from both sides. The video ends with both of them kissing, and the black screen devouring them. Timberlake's bones and ribs, and Madonna's cheeks are seen in the last shot.


title: 4 Minutes

text: Regarding the video, Madonna said it was like "[g]oody goody gum drops", referring to the candy-oriented theme of the album. Virginia Heffernan from "The New York Times" called the video heart-pounding, and compared its momentum with the music video of "Thriller, "In the Air Tonight" and "Shadows of the Night". However, Eric Wilson from the same newspaper commented that the video did not yield a breakout Madonna look compared to her videos from the 1980s. Singer Miley Cyrus created her own version of the video and posted it on her YouTube channel. Madonna responded to it in her own video and said, "All you people out there who are making videos to my new single, '4 Minutes,' keep up the good work, nice job." "4 Minutes" was nominated for an award at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards in the "Best Dancing in a Video" category, but lost to the Pussycat Dolls' single "When I Grow Up". In 2009, the video was included on Madonna's compilation, "".


title: 4 Minutes

text: The song was performed during the Hard Candy Promo Tour and Sticky & Sweet Tour (2008–2009). At the promotional tour, "4 Minutes" was performed as the third song of the setlist. Madonna wore a shiny black outfit with black tails, Adidas track pants and high-heeled, lace-up boots for the performance. Justin Timberlake made an appearance alongside Madonna, at the Roseland Ballroom in New York, to perform the song. As Timbaland appeared on the video screens, the beat of the song started. The four side-stage video screens began to glide across the stage, and swiveled around to reveal Timberlake behind one and Madonna behind the other. They performed the song in a similar choreography from the music video.


title: 4 Minutes

text: During the "4 Minutes" performance on the Sticky & Sweet Tour, Madonna wore a futuristic robotic outfit designed by Heatherette. She coupled it with metallic plates on her shoulder and a wig with long curled hair. Madonna and her dancers emerged from behind backdrops, on which Timbaland and Timberlake appeared, to perform their lines. An apparent duet between Madonna and Timberlake ensues, with Timberlake singing and dancing his part from the screens. He joined Madonna in person, for the show at Los Angeles's Dodger Stadium on November 6, 2008, the same show in which Britney Spears appeared alongside Madonna to perform "Human Nature". They performed "4 Minutes" in similar fashion to the promotional tour choreography. Timbaland sang his part of the song in person on November 26, 2008, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. "4 Minutes" was also used as mashups during the performance of songs like "Vogue" and "Hung Up". On July 27, 2017, Madonna made a special appearance at Leonardo DiCaprio's annual fundraising gala, which took place in Saint-Tropez, France, and performed "4 Minutes" dressed in a green suit with feathers.