text: On 9 December, Iraq and the U.S.-led coalition announced that the coalition's combat mission had concluded, formally transitioning remaining U.S. forces in the country to an advisory, assistance, and training role. Coalition commander Maj. Gen. John Brennan stated "Many brave men and women gave their lives to ensure Daesh never returns, and as we complete our combat role, we will remain here to advise, assist and enable," adding "Daesh is down, but not out." Around 2,500 U.S. troops remained in Iraq at the time of the announcement, and soldiers had not engaged in combat missions since early 2020. CENTCOM commander Gen. "Frank" McKenzie confirmed that U.S. troops would remain in Iraq to assist Iraqi security forces, including providing air support and military aid.


title: Jiajing Emperor

text: The Jiajing Emperor (; 16September 150723January 1567) was the 12th Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1521 to 1567. Born Zhu Houcong, he was the former Zhengde Emperor's cousin. His father, Zhu Youyuan (1476–1519), Prince of Xing, was the fourth son of the Chenghua Emperor (reigned from 1464 to 1487) and the eldest son of three sons born to the emperor's concubine, Lady Shao. The Jiajing Emperor's era name, "Jiajing", means "admirable tranquility".


title: Jiajing Emperor

text: Born as heir apparent of a vassal prince, Zhu Houcong was not brought up to succeed to the throne. However, the throne became vacant in 1521 after the sudden death of the Hongzhi Emperor's son, the Zhengde Emperor, who did not leave an heir. Prior to the Zhengde Emperor's death, the line of succession was as follows:


title: Jiajing Emperor

text: The 13-year-old Zhu Houcong, then heir presumptive, succeeded to the throne, and so relocated from his father's princedom (near present-day Zhongxiang, Hubei) to the capital, Beijing. As the Jiajing Emperor, Zhu Houcong had his parents posthumously elevated to an "honorary" imperial rank, and had an imperial-style Xianling Mausoleum built for them near Zhongxiang.


title: Jiajing Emperor

text: Custom dictated that an emperor who was not an immediate descendant of the previous one should be adopted by the previous one, to maintain an unbroken line. Such a posthumous adoption of Zhu Houcong by the Hongzhi Emperor was proposed, but he resisted, preferring instead to have his father declared emperor posthumously. This conflict is known as the "Great Rites Controversy." The Jiajing Emperor prevailed and hundreds of his opponents were banished, flogged in the imperial court (), or executed. Among the banished was the poet Yang Shen.


title: Jiajing Emperor

text: The Jiajing Emperor was known to be intelligent and efficient; whilst later he went on strike, and choose not to attend any state meetings, he did not neglect the paperwork and other governmental matters. The Jiajing Emperor was also known to be a cruel and self-aggrandizing emperor and he also chose to reside outside of the Forbidden City in Beijing so he could live in isolation. Ignoring state affairs, the Jiajing Emperor relied on Zhang Cong and Yan Song to handle affairs of state. In time, Yan Song and his son Yan Shifan – who gained power only as a result of his father's political influence – came to dominate the whole government even being called the "First and Second Prime Minister". Ministers such as Hai Rui and Yang Jisheng challenged and even chastised Yan Song and his son but were thoroughly ignored by the emperor. Hai Rui and many ministers were eventually dismissed or executed. The Jiajing Emperor also abandoned the practice of seeing his ministers altogether from 1539 onwards, and for a period of almost 25 years refused to give official audiences, choosing instead to relay his wishes through eunuchs and officials. Only Yan Song, a few handful of eunuchs and Daoist priests ever saw the emperor. This eventually led to corruption at all levels of the Ming government. However, the Jiajing Emperor was intelligent and managed to control the court.


title: Jiajing Emperor

text: The Ming dynasty had enjoyed a long period of peace, but in 1542 the Mongol leader Altan Khan began to harass China along the northern border. In 1550, he even reached the suburbs of Beijing. Eventually the Ming government appeased him by granting special trading rights. The Ming government also had to deal with wokou pirates attacking the southeastern coastline.


title: Jiajing Emperor

text: Due to the Jiajing Emperor's cruelty and promiscuous lifestyle, his concubines and palace maids plotted to assassinate him in October 1542 by strangling him while he slept. His pursuit of eternal life led him to believe that one of the elixirs of extending his life was to force virgin palace maids to collect menstrual blood for his consumption. These arduous tasks were performed non-stop even when the palace maids were taken ill and any unwilling participants were executed on the Emperor's whim. A group of palace maids who had had enough of the emperor's cruelty decided to band together to murder him in an event known as the Palace plot of Renyin year (). The lead palace maid tried to strangle the emperor with ribbons from her hair while the others held down the emperor's arms and legs but made a fatal mistake by tying a knot around the emperor's neck which would not tighten. Meanwhile, some of the young palace maids involved began to panic and one (Zhang Jinlian) ran to the empress. The plot was exposed and on the orders of the empress and some officials, all of the palace maids involved, including the emperor's favourite concubine (Consort Duan) and another concubine (Consort Ning, née Wang), were ordered to be executed by slow slicing and their families were killed. The Jiajing Emperor later determined that Consort Duan had been innocent, and dictated that their daughter, Luzheng, be raised by Imperial Noble Consort Shen.


title: Jiajing Emperor

text: The Jiajing Emperor was a devoted follower of Taoism and attempted to suppress Buddhism. After the assassination attempt in 1542, the emperor moved out of the imperial palace, and lived with a small, thin, 13-year-old girl who was able to satisfy his sexual appetite (Lady Shan). The Jiajing Emperor began to pay excessive attention to his Taoist pursuits while ignoring his imperial duties. He built three Taoist temples: Temple of the Sun, Temple of the Earth and Temple of the Moon, and extended the Temple of Heaven by adding the "Earthly Mount". Over the years, the emperor's devotion to Taoism was to become a heavy financial burden for the Ming government and create dissent across the country.


title: Jiajing Emperor

text: Particularly during his later years, the Jiajing Emperor was known for spending a great deal of time on alchemy in hopes of finding medicines to prolong his life. He would forcibly recruit young women in their early teens and engage in sexual activities in the hope of empowering himself, along with the consumption of potent elixirs. He employed Taoist priests to collect rare minerals from all over the country to create elixirs, including elixirs containing mercury, which inevitably posed health problems at high doses.


title: Jiajing Emperor

text: After 45 years on the throne (the second longest reign in the Ming dynasty), the Jiajing Emperor died in 1567 – possibly due to mercury overdose from Chinese alchemical elixir poisoning – and was succeeded by his son, the Longqing Emperor. Though his long rule gave the dynasty an era of stability, the Jiajing Emperor's neglect of his official duties resulted in the decline of the dynasty at the end of the 16th century. His style of governance, or the lack thereof, would be emulated by his grandson later in the century.


title: Jiajing Emperor

text: The time when the Jiajing Emperor was buried was very close to the time of completion of the manuscript copy of the lost Yongle Encyclopedia. The Jiajing Emperor died in December 1566, but was buried three months later, in March 1567. One possibility is that they were waiting for the manuscript to be completed.


title: Jiajing Emperor

text: The Jiajing Emperor was portrayed in contemporary court portrait paintings, as well as in other works of art. For example, in this panoramic painting below, the Jiajing Emperor can be seen in the right half riding a black steed and wearing a plumed helmet. He is distinguished from his entourage of bodyguards as an abnormally tall figure.


title: Counting On

text: Counting On (formerly Jill & Jessa: Counting On) is an American reality television show that aired on the cable channel TLC from 2015-2020. A spin-off show of "19 Kids and Counting", it features the Duggar family: Jessa Seewald, Jinger Vuolo, Joy-Anna Forsyth, and fifteen of their sixteen siblings, as well as their parents Jim Bob and Michelle. The show was created in the wake of the Josh Duggar molestation controversy and subsequent cancellation of "19 Kids and Counting".


title: Counting On

text: The show follows the lives of the older Duggar offspring, with the early episodes focusing specifically on Jill Dillard and Jessa Seewald. After its first season, the show expanded to include the rest of the Duggar siblings and their respective families. The series was cancelled in 2021, due to Josh Duggar's arrest.


title: Anxious People

text: Anxious People (original title in ) is a novel by Swedish writer Fredrik Backman published by Månpocket in 2019. The novel was published in English in 2021.


title: Anxious People

text: It was adapted into a Netflix television series of the same name, which premiered on 29 December 2021.


title: Anxious People

text: Ten years ago, a man lost all his savings due to a financial crash. He visited a financial banker named Zara and asked for advice, but she flatly said it was his fault for giving the bank his money. The man wrote a letter to her before taking his own life by jumping off the bridge.


title: Anxious People

text: In the present day, a woman tries to rob a bank to get enough money to pay for rent, so her ex-husband won't take her children away. Unfortunately, it is a cashless bank, so she panics and runs to a nearby apartment building to avoid being caught by the police. The bank robber enters an apartment viewing, and the people inside see her pistol and assume that it is a robbery. The bank robber hesitantly accepts that she is taking the people hostage as she tried to maintain order.


title: Anxious People

text: The hostages are apartment renovators Anna-Lena and Roger, expecting mothers Julia and Ro, an elderly Estelle, and bank owner Zara. They find a man named Lennart wearing a bunny suit inside the bathroom. Anna-Lena admits that she hired Lennart to cause a commotion to lower the bidding price of other prospective buyers, in order to make Roger believe that he negotiated the price himself. They split up in silence, as Roger had taken pride in his negotiation skills.


title: Anxious People

text: Ro follows Roger and admits to him that the reason she nitpicks every apartment her wife Julia brings her to is because she fears she isn't ready to be a parent. Roger assures her that she'll be a good mother and encourages her to buy the apartment. Anna-Lena tells Julia that she fears Roger hates her for deceiving him, but Julia promises her that all couples show their love to their spouses in unconventional ways. A standoffish Zara looks at the bridge from the apartment's balcony and complains about human greed and economic systems to Lennart. When all the hostages regroup, Roger tells Julia that Ro is excited and nervous to be a mother, and Julia tells Roger that he is enough and that Anna-Lena still loves him.


title: Anxious People

text: The bank robber apologizes for keeping them hostage and says she will free them and turn herself in. However, the hostages argue that she simply made a mistake to protect her children, and that they all agree to lie in their witness statements to protect her. Estelle reveals that the apartment they're current in is actually her apartment, and that she posed as one of the buyers to sell it to someone who deserved it. She gives the bank robber the key to a neighboring apartment to hide in when the police arrive. The bank robber thanks the hostages for being kind to her.


title: Anxious People

text: Jim is the first policer to reach the apartment. The bank robber turns herself in and tells Jim the whole truth of why she robbed the bank. Jim feels sympathy for her and agrees to let her off scot-free. The bank robber releases the hostages and hides in a neighboring apartment. His son Jack interviews the hostages and is frustrated when they play dumb. A series of coincidences lead Jack to believe that the bank robber is still hiding in the apartment, or left pretending to be real estate agent. Jim tells the truth to his son, and they reconcile.


title: Anxious People

text: In the end, the bank robber moves in with Estelle in her apartment, and her children are hers every other week. Julia and Ro move into a neighboring apartment and have a baby boy. Anna-Lena and Roger take up a new hobby. Zara starts a relationship with Lennart and works up the courage to read the letter from the man who jumped off the bridge ten years ago. It reads "It wasn't your fault." and she finally lets go of her guilt.


title: Anxious People

text: According to the review aggregator website Book Marks, "Anxious People" received positive reviews from critics, with four reviews listed as "positive" and four listed as "rave." The Washington Post said that "Backman again captures the messy essence of being human." USA Today described the novel as "about how kindness and compassion count so much in surviving each day – a lesson for our times."


title: Twenty Years After

text: Twenty Years After () is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, first serialized from January to August 1845. A book of "The d'Artagnan Romances", it is a sequel to "The Three Musketeers" (1844) and precedes the 1847–1850 novel "The Vicomte de Bragelonne" (which includes the sub-plot "Man in the Iron Mask").


title: Twenty Years After

text: The novel follows events in France during the Fronde, during the childhood reign of Louis XIV, and in England near the end of the English Civil War, leading up to the victory of Oliver Cromwell and the execution of King Charles I. Through the words of the main characters, particularly Athos, Dumas comes out on the side of the monarchy in general, or at least the text often praises the "idea" of benevolent royalty. His musketeers are valiant and just in their efforts to protect young Louis XIV and the doomed Charles I from their attackers.


title: Twenty Years After

text: The action begins during the regency of Queen Anne of Austria (term 1643–1651), with Cardinal Mazarin as First Minister. D'Artagnan, who seemed to have a promising career ahead of him at the end of "The Three Musketeers", has for twenty years remained a lieutenant, and seems unlikely to progress despite his ambition and the debt the queen owes him. He is summoned by Mazarin, who requires an escort; the French people detest Mazarin, and are on the brink of rebellion (La Fronde). D'Artagnan is sent to the Bastille to retrieve a prisoner, who turns out to be his former adversary, the Comte de Rochefort.


title: Twenty Years After

text: After renewing his acquaintance with d'Artagnan and making a promise to aid his advancement, Rochefort is brought to his audience with Mazarin, where he learns that the cause for his imprisonment was his refusal to serve Mazarin at an earlier stage. He does, however, remember his promise, and though he offers his own service to Mazarin, he refuses to watch over the Duc de Beaufort, who is imprisoned at the time, and soon learns that, in consequence, he is to be returned to the Bastille, though this does not deter him from speaking highly of the achievements of d'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers.


title: Twenty Years After

text: Having determined that d'Artagnan is the man he seeks, Mazarin enters the chambers of the Queen to let her know that he has enlisted the man who had served her so well twenty years earlier. The Queen, feeling guilty for having forgotten d'Artagnan's service, gives Mazarin a diamond ring to return to d'Artagnan, one which she had previously given him that d'Artagnan sold. The avaricious Mazarin merely uses the diamond to show d'Artagnan that he is once again to enter the Queen's service. He commissions d'Artagnan to go in search of his friends.


title: Twenty Years After

text: D'Artagnan is at a loss; he has completely lost touch with his friends, who have resumed their real names. Athos, the Comte de la Fère, had returned to his estate near Blois; Porthos, Monsieur du Vallon, had married a lawyer's widow; and Aramis became a priest, the Abbé d'Herblay. Fortune intervenes when Planchet, his old servant, enters d'Artagnan's chambers, attempting to escape arrest for aiding the escape of Rochefort. Through Planchet, he locates Bazin, Aramis' old servant, now beadle at Notre Dame. Though Bazin is unwilling to help, d'Artagnan is able to find out, through an altar boy, that Bazin makes frequent visits to Noisy. D'Artagnan and Planchet go there, where they are set upon by a group who think them Frondeurs while outside the house of Madame de Longueville. When this group is satisfied that d'Artagnan is not the man they seek, Aramis surprises Planchet by dropping onto his horse from the tree in which he had been hiding.


title: Twenty Years After

text: D'Artagnan finds that the former musketeer, who had thought of little other than being a priest, is now a priest who thinks of little other than being a soldier. Aramis is not willing to enter into Mazarin's service, however. D'Artagnan leaves but waits in hiding, suspecting that Aramis is both the Frondeur who had been sought earlier and the lover of Madame de Longueville. His suspicions are confirmed.


title: Twenty Years After

text: The visit to Aramis was not fruitless, as it yielded the address of Porthos. When d'Artagnan arrives at Porthos' estate he finds Mousqueton, who is overjoyed to meet d'Artagnan and Planchet. He finds that Porthos, despite his wealth and life spent in pursuit of amusement, is not happy. Porthos desires to become a baron, and with this bait d'Artagnan lures him into Mazarin's service.


title: Twenty Years After

text: D'Artagnan then continues his search for Athos, whom he finds almost completely changed, to be an example to his ward, Raoul. Though Athos will not be enlisted into Mazarin's service, and indeed reveals that his sympathies lie against Mazarin, the two arrange to meet again in Paris; Athos wishes to bring Raoul there to help him to become a gentleman, and also to separate him from Louise de la Vallière, with whom Raoul is obsessively in love. In Paris, Athos visits Madame de Chevreuse, the former mistress of Aramis, with whom, under the name Marie Michon, Aramis had much communication in "The Three Musketeers". Athos reveals, discreetly, that Raoul is the son born of a chance encounter that Athos had with her, and through her gets a letter of recommendation for Raoul to join the army.


title: Twenty Years After

text: The scene then changes, to focus on the Duc de Beaufort, Mazarin's prisoner at Vincennes, who finds a new jailer, Athos' servant, the silent Grimaud. Grimaud instantly makes himself disagreeable to the Duc, as part of an escape plot. Using messages passed to Rochefort using tennis balls, they arrange to have a meal on Whitsuntide, to which La Ramée, second in command of the prison, is invited. The escape is successful, but d'Artagnan and Porthos are in pursuit.


title: Twenty Years After

text: After a race against time, and having defeated several adversaries along the way, Porthos and d'Artagnan find themselves in the dark, surrounded, with swords crossed against adversaries equal to them, who are revealed to be Athos and Aramis. The four arrange to meet in Paris at the Place Royale; both parties, now finding themselves enemies, enter fearing a duel, but they reconcile and renew their vows of friendship.


title: Twenty Years After

text: As this is going on, Raoul is travelling to join the army. Along the road he sees a gentleman of around the same age, and tries to make haste to join him. The other gentleman reaches the ferry before him, but has fallen into the river. Raoul, who is used to fording rivers, saves the gentleman, the Comte de Guiche, and the two become friends. Further along the road, the debt is repaid when the Comte saves Raoul when they are attacked by Spanish soldiers. After the fight, they find a man close to death who requests the last rites. They help him to a nearby inn and find a traveling monk. This monk is unpleasant to them and does not seem inclined to perform this service, so they force him to go to the inn. Once there, the monk hears the confession. The dying man reveals that he was the executioner of Béthune and confesses his part in the execution of Milady de Winter. The monk reveals himself as her son, John Francis de Winter, who calls himself Mordaunt after Charles I stripped him of all his titles. Mordaunt stabs the executioner.


title: Twenty Years After

text: Grimaud, who is to join Raoul, comes upon the inn just as this is taking place, though too late to prevent it, or to detain the monk. After hearing what happened from the dying man, making his excuses to Raoul, he departs to warn Athos about the son of Milady. After his departure, Raoul and Guiche are forced to retreat when the Spanish come upon the town. After joining the army of the Prince de Condé, Raoul provides assistance in interrogating the prisoner brought by Guiche and him, when the prisoner feigns to misunderstand them in several languages. Once they have learned the location of the Spanish army, they set out for battle, Raoul accompanying the Prince.


title: Twenty Years After

text: Meanwhile, d´Artagnan and Porthos help Queen Anne of Austria, the young Louis XIV and Mazarin escape Paris after its citizens finally start a rebellion by using children's slings ("frondes") to hurl stones at the windows of Mazarin's associates. The champion of the French populace and parliament, Pierre Broussel, is arrested, but then released when it becomes clear that his imprisonment has only served to stir the crowd up worse. D´Artagnan meets the young king and watches over him as some Frondeurs - including Planchet, under a false name - who wanted to make sure that the king and queen were not about to escape, enter the king's bedroom demanding to see him. Immediately after this, he contrives for all of the royal household to escape from Paris anyway, bluffing his way past Planchet at the gates (the two men retain their friendship despite their differing allegiances in this conflict). After that, Mazarin sends d'Artagnan and Porthos to England with a message for Cromwell and orders them to stay there for some time under Cromwell's command. At the same time, Queen Henrietta of England meets the Musketeers' old English friend, Lord de Winter - a Royalist come to ask for French assistance for King Charles I of England, her husband, in the English Civil War and sends Athos and Aramis to England as well. So once again the two pairs of Musketeers find themselves on opposite sides: but Athos and Aramis, on the occasion of departing, are recognised by Mordaunt, who has been following Lord de Winter in the hope of finding his friends.


title: Twenty Years After

text: Milady's son, Mordaunt, now twenty-three, sets about avenging his mother's death. He seeks not only Lord de Winter, but the other four unknown conspirators who took part in his mother's clandestine "trial" and execution. He murders his uncle, Lord de Winter, who was Milady's brother-in-law, during the same battle in which King Charles I is captured. Athos and Aramis are captured by d'Artagnan and Porthos who are fighting alongside Mordaunt and Cromwell's troops. As soon as they can have a conversation, Athos talks d'Artagnan and Porthos into helping save Charles I. D'Artagnan and Porthos free their friends and start making plans in order to try to save the king.


title: Twenty Years After

text: In the end, all their plans fail and Mordaunt turns to regicide, executing King Charles I after d'Artagnan and the three former Musketeers have kidnapped the real executioner in order to prevent this. D'Artagnan and his friends later confront Mordaunt at Cromwell's London residence, but in the course of a duel with d'Artagnan he escapes through a secret passage.


title: Twenty Years After

text: The Frenchmen and their servants leave England by ship, but Mordaunt gets aboard and blows it up. Unfortunately for him, the Musketeers' servants had earlier discovered the explosives on board, roused their masters, and contrived to steal the only lifeboat before the ship can blow up, leaving Mordaunt aboard. Mordaunt escapes the blast, and pleads with the Musketeers to let him into their boat. With the exception of Athos, they contemptuously reject his appeals. Athos insists on saving him, but as he helps him into the boat, Mordaunt deliberately drags him under the water where they struggle and Mordaunt is killed.


title: Twenty Years After

text: Athos rejoins the others, stating: "I had a son. I wanted to live." This seems to confirm what d'Artagnan has long suspected, that the reason Athos's ward, whom he adopted after he was abandoned by his mother, bears such a resemblance to him is because he is Athos's natural son. Athos further states that "It was not me who killed him. It was fate."


title: Twenty Years After

text: Once back in France, the four friends go separate ways. D'Artagnan and Porthos head to Paris through a different route from Athos and Aramis, knowing that Mazarin will not forgive their disobedience. Aramis and Athos reach Paris only to find out that their friends have not. After looking for D'Artagnan and Porthos, they learn the duo has been imprisoned by Mazarin in Rueil. Athos tries to persuade Queen Anne to free his friends, but is imprisoned as well.


title: Twenty Years After

text: After this, d'Artagnan manages to escape with Porthos and capture Mazarin. Mazarin is taken to one of Porthos's castles and he makes some concessions to the four friends in exchange for his freedom. These include making Porthos a baron and making d'Artagnan a captain of Musketeers. Athos asks for nothing: Aramis asks for concessions towards himself and his friends in the Fronde. These concessions are later accepted by Queen Anne, who finally realizes she has been rather ungrateful to d'Artagnan and his friends.


title: Twenty Years After

text: At the end of the novel, the first Fronde comes to an end and Mazarin, Queen Anne, and Louis XIV enter Paris. A riot takes place during which d'Artagnan accidentally kills Rochefort and Porthos kills Bonacieux (who in the earlier novel was d'Artagnan's landlord and an agent of Richelieu and is now a beggar and Frondist). At the end the four friends once again go their separate ways. D'Artagnan stays in Paris with Mazarin and Queen Anne; Athos returns to la Fère; Aramis returns to his abbey in Noisy le Sec; and Porthos returns to his castle to enjoy his baronage.


title: Twenty Years After

text: In 1967 the BBC aired a 16 episode television adaptation titled "The Further Adventures of the Three Musketeers." It was released on DVD in 2016.


title: Twenty Years After

text: The 1989 film "The Return of the Musketeers" is loosely based on "Twenty Years After"; it was filmed 15 years after the films "The Three Musketeers" (1973) and "The Four Musketeers" (1974), with the same director and main cast.


title: Twenty Years After

text: The 1992 Russian musical film "Musketeers Twenty Years After" is a direct adaptation of "Twenty Years After"; it was filmed 14 years after the 1978 musical miniseries "D'Artagnan and Three Musketeers", with the same director and main cast.


title: Twenty Years After

text: The 1994 fantasy novel "Five Hundred Years After" by Steven Brust, the second book in the Khaavren Romances series, is loosely inspired by "Twenty Years After".


title: OpenShot

text: OpenShot Video Editor is a free and open-source video editor for Windows, macOS, Linux, and ChromeOS. The project started in August 2008 by Jonathan Thomas, with the objective of providing a stable, free, and friendly to use video editor.


title: OpenShot

text: The program supports Windows, macOS, and Linux ever since version 2.1.0 (released in 2016). OpenShot added support for ChromeOS in version 2.6.0 (released in 2021). There is an unofficial portable version beginning in 2020.


title: OpenShot

text: OpenShot is written in Python, PyQt5, C++ and offers a Python API. OpenShot's core video editing functionality is implemented in a C++ library, libopenshot. The core audio editing is based on the JUCE library.


title: OpenShot

text: OpenShot supports commonly used video compression formats that are supported by FFmpeg, including WebM (VP9), AVCHD (libx264), HEVC (libx265), and audio codecs such as mp3 (libmp3lame) and aac (libfaac). The program can render MPEG4, ogv, Blu-ray, and DVD video, and Full HD videos for uploading to Internet video web sites.


title: We the Kingdom

text: We the Kingdom is an American contemporary Christian music band signed to the Capitol Christian Music Group. The band consists of multiple generations of relatives: Andrew Bergthold, Ed Cash, Franni Rae Cash, Martin Cash, and Scott Cash. The band's name comes after the idea that "the kingdom of God is here among us".


title: We the Kingdom

text: The band released its first singles, "Dancing on the Waves" and the breakout hit single "Holy Water", followed by their debut EP, "Live at the Wheelhouse", in 2019. This garnered the band four nominations at the 51st GMA Dove Awards, ultimately winning the Dove Award for New Artist of the Year. In 2020, the band released their debut album, "Holy Water" which contained the previously released singles "Dancing on the Waves" and "Holy Water" as well as "Don't Tread on Me", "God So Loved" and "Child of Love". The band earned two Grammy Award nominations at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, with "Holy Water" for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album, and the title track being nominated for the Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song. In 2021, the band won the GMA Dove Award for Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year for "Holy Water" (2020), and earnt a nomination for the Worship Recorded Song of the Year for "God So Loved" at the 52nd GMA Dove Awards.


title: We the Kingdom

text: On August 16, 2019, We the Kingdom released their debut single, "Dancing on the Waves". In September 2019, the band released their second single, "Holy Water". "Holy Water" went on to become the band breakthrough hit single, peaking at No. 2 on the Hot Christian Songs chart. The band released their debut EP, "Live at the Wheelhouse", in October 2019. "Live at the Wheelhouse" reached No. 3 on the Top Christian Albums Chart.


title: We the Kingdom

text: On April 24, 2020, "Don't Tread on Me" was released as the third single from the album. "Don't Tread on Me" peaked at No. 40 on the Hot Christian Songs chart. On May 29, 2020, We the Kingdom was released "God So Loved". "God So Loved" peaked at No. 4 on the Hot Christian Songs chart. On July 3, 2020, We the Kingdom announced that their debut studio album, "Holy Water", will be released on August 7, while releasing "Child of Love" as the first promotional single from the album. "No Doubt About It" was released as the second promotional single from "Holy Water" on July 24, 2020. We the Kingdom released "Holy Water" on August 7, 2020. The album debuted at No. 4 on the Top Christian Albums Chart. On October 30, 2020, the band released "Light of the World (Sing Hallelujah)" as a standalone single. "Light Of The World (Sing Hallelujah)" peaked at No. 29 on the Hot Christian Songs chart.


title: We the Kingdom

text: At the 51st GMA Dove Awards in October 2020, We the Kingdom was nominated for four awards, these being New Artist of the Year, Song of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year for "Holy Water", and Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year for "Live at the Wheelhouse", with the band only winning the New Artist of the Year award. "Billboard" named We the Kingdom the Top New Christian Artist of 2020.


title: We the Kingdom

text: On January 29, 2021, the band released "Child of Love" featuring Bear Rinehart of Needtobreathe as the fifth single from "Holy Water" (2020). "Child of Love" peaked at No. 5 on the Hot Christian Songs chart. At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards in March 2021, We the Kingdom received two nominations, with "Holy Water" being nominated for the Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song, and "Holy Water" for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album.


title: We the Kingdom

text: We the Kingdom received three nominations for the 2021 GMA Dove Awards for Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year, Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year for "Holy Water", and Worship Recorded Song of the Year for "God So Loved", the band winning the GMA Dove Awards for Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year for "Holy Water".


title: Two by Twos

text: Two by Twos is one of the names used to denote an international, home-based new religious movement that has its origins in Ireland at the end of the 19th century. Among members, the church is typically referred to as "The Truth" or "The Way". Those outside the church refer to it as "Two by Twos", "The Black Stockings", "No-name Church", "Cooneyites", "Workers and Friends" or "Christians Anonymous." Church ministers are itinerant and work in groups of two, hence the name "Two by Twos". The church's registered names include "Christian Conventions" in the United States, "Assemblies of Christians" in Canada, "The Testimony of Jesus" in the United Kingdom, "Kristna i Sverige" in Sweden, and "United Christian Conventions" in Australia. These organization names are used only for registration purposes and are not used by members.


title: Two by Twos

text: The church was founded in 1897 in Ireland by William Irvine, an evangelist with the interdenominational Faith Mission. Irvine began independently preaching a return to the method of itinerant ministry he claimed was set forth in Matthew 10. Church growth was rapid, spreading outside Ireland. Irvine eventually began preaching a new order in which the hierarchy that had developed within the church would have no placement. This teaching became controversial within the church and led to his expulsion by church overseers around 1914. One of the church's most prominent evangelists, Edward Cooney, was expelled a decade after Irvine. The church then became much less visible to outsiders for the next half-century. Publication of several articles and books, increased news coverage, and the appearance of the Internet have since opened the church to wider scrutiny.


title: Two by Twos

text: The church does not explicitly publish any doctrinal statements, claiming these must be orally imparted by its ministers, referred to as "workers". Doctrine of the church teaches that salvation is available only by accepting the preaching of its homeless, unsalaried ministry workers and by attending the group's home meetings. The orthodox Christian Trinitarian doctrine is rejected, and members deny having a church name. Baptism by immersion as performed by one of the church's workers is required for full participation. Some in the church claim it is a direct continuation of the 1st-century Christian church. Others in the church believe that a restoration of some sort may have occurred in the late 19th century.


title: Two by Twos

text: Members hold regular weekly worship gatherings in local homes on Sunday and midweek. The church also holds annual regional conventions and public Gospel meetings. The church claims no official headquarters or official publications. Its hymnbook and various other materials for internal use are produced by outside publishers and printing firms. Printed invitations and advertisements for its open gospel meetings are the only written materials which those outside the church are likely to encounter.


title: Two by Twos

text: In 1896, William Irvine was sent from Scotland to southern Ireland as a missionary by John George Govan's Faith Mission, an interdenominational organization with roots in the Holiness movement. Because his mission was successful, he was promoted to superintendent of Faith Mission in southern Ireland.


title: Two by Twos

text: Within a few months of his arrival in Ireland, Irvine was already disillusioned with the Faith Mission. There was friction over its Holiness teachings, and Irvine saw its organization as a violation of his concept of a faith-based ministry. Above all, Irvine was increasingly intolerant of the Faith Mission's cooperation with the other churches and clergy in the various communities of southern Ireland, regarding converts who joined churches as "lost among the clergy". In 1897, he began preaching independently, proclaiming that true ministers must have no home and take no salary. He became convinced that he had received this as a special revelation he referred to as his "Alpha message". Opposed to all other established churches, he held that the manner in which the disciples had been sent out in chapter 10 of the "Gospel of Matthew" was a permanent commandment which must still be observed. The passage reads in part:


title: Two by Twos

text: In October 1897, Irvine was invited by Nenagh businessman John "Jack" Carroll to preach in the Carrolls' hometown of Rathmolyon. There he held a series of mission meetings in which all established churches were rejected, and Irvine's new doctrine and method of ministry were set forth. It was in Rathmolyon that he recruited the first adherents to his new message. Aside from condemning all other churches, Irvine's doctrine included the rejection of church buildings, damnation of all followers of churches outside the new fellowship, rejection of paid ministry, rejection of collections during services and collection boxes, and the requirement that those seeking to join the ministry "sell all".


title: Two by Twos

text: Irvine's preaching during this latest mission influenced others who began to leave their respective churches and join Irvine to form an initial core of followers. Some of these early adherents would become important members of the new church, including John Long, the Carroll family, John Kelly, Edward Cooney—an influential evangelist from the Church of Ireland—and George Walker (an employee of the Cooney family's fabric business), all of whom eventually "sold all" and joined the new movement as itinerant preachers. Although other movements, such as the Plymouth Brethren and Elim have had strong Irish connections, the church founded by Irvine is the only religion known to have had its origin and early development in Ireland.


title: Two by Twos

text: Unlike later secretiveness, initially, the church was in the public eye, with questions about it being raised in the British Parliament beginning in 1900.


title: Two by Twos

text: Inspired by speakers such as Irvine and Cooney, membership growth was rapid. Rather than adding members to established denominations, as was the practice of the Faith Mission outreach, churches began noticing their congregations thinning after exposure to the Two by Two missions. Clerics soon began regarding the Two by Two preachers as "inimical to the membership of the church". After receiving reports from Ireland, the Faith Mission in 1900 formally disassociated itself from Irvine and any of its workers found to be participating in the new Two by Two movement.


title: Two by Twos

text: The attention of Belfast newspapers was initially drawn to the Two by Twos church because of its open-air baptismal rites. At that time, the baptisms took place in public settings such as streams, lakes or the sea, even in cold weather. Regarded as a novelty, the outdoor "dippings" and accompanying sermons attracted large crowds. Further attention was given during the staging of large marches through boroughs and public preaching in town squares and on street corners.


title: Two by Twos

text: Workers, including Edward Cooney and George Walker, publicly preached that all members of other churches were damned. They singled out prominent individuals, and even entire communities, for condemnation. At times, missions were sited close to the meeting places of other denominations, which were denounced using "extreme language". Consequences of these inflammatory remarks ranged from heckling and street violence to the break-up of families, all of which brought further attention to the church. Newspapers in Ireland, Britain and North America followed the disturbances that arose over the church's activities and message. Some hosted debates in their editorial columns. One member of Parliament offered to join the Two by Twos if they would cease criticizing other religious bodies.


title: Two by Twos

text: As the ranks of its ministry increased, the church's outreach expanded. Large gatherings were held in Dublin, Glasgow and Belfast during 1899. Annual conventions, modeled after the evangelical Keswick Conventions in England, began to be held regularly in Ireland starting in 1903. Later that year, William Irvine, accompanied by Irvine Weir and George Walker, took his message to North America. Missions to continental Europe, Australia and Asia followed.


title: Two by Twos

text: By 1904, the requirement to "sell all" was no longer mentioned in sermons. A two-tiered system was instituted that made a distinction between homeless itinerant missionaries (called "workers") and those who were now allowed to retain homes and jobs (called "friends" or "saints"). Weekly home meetings began to be held and presided over by "elders", who were typically the householder. During the next few years, this change became universal. The church continued to grow rapidly and held regular annual conventions lasting several weeks at a time. Irvine traveled widely during this period, attending conventions and preaching worldwide, and began sending workers from the British Isles to follow up and expand interest in various areas.


title: Two by Twos

text: Beginning in 1906, unwelcome attention came in the form of leaflets and billboard notices. W. D. Wilson, an English farmer whose unmarried children had left home and joined the Two by Twos, began publishing articles stating girls were being recruited by the church for immoral purposes. In response, Edward Cooney brought a widely publicized suit for libel that was resolved by a settlement between the parties by the end of 1913.


title: Two by Twos

text: A hierarchy was instituted by Irvine, and his most trusted associates in various regions were designated as "overseers" or "head workers". Each worker was assigned a particular geographical sphere and then coordinated the efforts of the ministry within his area. Among the overseers were William and Jack Carroll, George Walker and Willie Gill. Irvine continued to have the ultimate say over worker conduct and finances, and his activities within their fields became regarded as "interference". Except for such annual conventions as he was able to attend across the globe, communications and instructions from Irvine passed through the overseers.


title: Two by Twos

text: William Irvine's progressive revelation continued to evolve over this time, and eschatological themes began to appear in sermons. By 1914, he had begun to preach that the Age of Grace, during which his "Alpha Gospel" had been proclaimed, was coming to a close. As his message turned towards indicating a new era, which held no place for the ministry and hierarchy that had rapidly grown up around the "Alpha Gospel", resentment arose on the part of overseers who saw him as a threat to their positions.


title: Two by Twos

text: Australian overseer John Hardie was the first to break with Irvine and excluded him from speaking at the South Australia convention in late 1913. As 1914 progressed, he was excluded from speaking in a growing number of regions, as more overseers broke away from him. Rumors circulated about Irvine's comfortable lifestyle and supposed weakness for women, though nothing concrete was ever exposed. It was put about that Irvine "had lost the Lord's anointing" in an effort to explain his ouster. He was shunned and his name was no longer mentioned, making him a nonperson in the church he founded. There were many excommunications of Irvine loyalists in various fields during the following years, and by 1919, the split was final, with Irvine moving to Jerusalem and transmitting his "Omega Message" to his core followers from there. Lacking any organizational means of making his case before the membership, Irvine's ouster occurred quietly. Most members continued following the overseers, and few outside the leadership knew the details behind Irvine's disappearance from the scene, as no public mention of the split seems to have been made. Mention of Irvine's name was forbidden, and a new explanation of the group's history was introduced from which Irvine's role was erased.


title: Two by Twos

text: Although the threat posed by Irvine to the church's organization had been dealt with, the prominent worker Edward Cooney refused to place his evangelistic efforts under the control of the overseers. Cooney himself adhered to the earlier, unfettered style of itinerant ministry, moving about wherever he felt he was needed. He rejected the appointment of head workers to geographic regions and criticized their lifestyles. He also preached against the "Living Witness" doctrine (i.e., that salvation entails hearing the gospel preached directly by a worker and seeing the gospel made alive in the sacrificial lives of the ministry), the bank accounts controlled by the overseers, use of halls for meetings, conventions, the hierarchy that had developed and the ministry and the registrations under official names. For a time, his message urging a return to the original principles of Matthew 10 gained a following, even among some Australian overseers.


title: Two by Twos

text: A second division occurred in 1928 when Edward Cooney was expelled for criticizing the hierarchy and other elements that had arisen within the church, which he saw as serious deviations from the church's original message. The overseers seized upon a failed attempt at performing a faith healing as a pretext to excommunicate him. Cooney's loyal supporters joined him, including some of the early workers, and they stayed faithful to what they perceived to be the original tenets. The term "Cooneyite" today chiefly refers to the group which separated (or were excommunicated) along with Cooney and who continue as an independent group. Prior to the schism, onlookers had labeled the entire movement as "Cooneyites" due to Edward Cooney's prominence in the early growth of the church. There are areas where this older usage continues.


title: Two by Twos

text: These schisms were not widely publicized, and few were aware that they had occurred. Most supporters of Irvine, and later Cooney, were either coaxed into abandoning those loyalties or put out of the fellowship. Among these were the early workers May Carroll, Irvine Weir (one of the first workers in North America, who was excommunicated for continued contact with Cooney and for his objection to registration of the church under names) and Tom Elliot (who had conducted baptisms of the first workers and was nicknamed "Tom the Baptist").


title: Two by Twos

text: The emergence of the Two by Twos caused severe splits within local Protestant churches in Ireland at a time of increasing demands for Irish independence, largely driven by the Catholic majority community. Because of animosity, the Two by Twos did not form a united front with other Protestant communities. Although the church was noted for extreme anti-Catholic views, it played a very minor role during the struggle for Irish independence. One exception was the involvement of the Pearson family in the still-controversial Coolacrease incident.


title: Two by Twos

text: In the mid-1920s, a magazine article entitled "The Cooneyites or Go-Preachers" disturbed the leadership, who made efforts to have it withdrawn, particularly when material from the article was added to the widely distributed reference "Heresies Exposed". During this period, the church modified its evangelical outreach. The public preaching of its early days was replaced with low-key "gospel meetings", which were attended only by members and invitees. The church began to assert that it had a 1st-century origin. It asserted that it had no organization or name and disclaimed any unique doctrines. The church shunned publicity, making the church very difficult for outsiders to follow.


title: Two by Twos

text: The North American church saw a struggle for influence between overseers George Walker in the east and Jack Carroll. In 1928, an agreement was forged between the senior overseers that limited workers operating outside of their appointed geographical spheres, known as "fields": workers traveling into an area controlled by another overseer had to first submit their revelation to, and obtain permission from, the local overseer. The exact boundaries between fields was worked out over time, and there were areas where workers under the control of more than one overseer operated, causing conflict.


title: Two by Twos

text: During the First World War, the church obtained exemption from military service in Britain under the name "The Testimony of Jesus". However, there were problems with recognition of this name outside the British Isles, and exemption was refused in many other areas. In New Zealand during World War I, members of the church could not prove their conscientious objector status, and formed the largest segment of those imprisoned for refusal to serve. Members and ministers also had difficulty establishing their conscientious objector status in the United States during the First World War. With the start of the Second World War, formal names were adopted and used in registering the church with various national governments. These names continued to be used for official business, and stationery bearing those names was printed for the use of overseers. Most members were not aware of these names. Some who dissented after learning of the practice were expelled by the workers.


title: Two by Twos

text: After the death of Australian overseer William Carroll in 1953, an attempt was made to reintegrate the repudiated adherents of William Irvine and Edward Cooney. Rather than producing further unity, the attempt produced conflicts over the church's history which was exposed, the existence of legal names, disagreements over the hierarchy which had developed and other controversies. Many excommunications took place in the subsequent effort to enforce harmony.


title: Two by Twos

text: The earliest workers and overseers were succeeded by a new generation of leaders. In Europe, William Irvine died in 1947, Edward Cooney died in 1960, and John Long (expelled in 1907) died in 1962. British overseer Willie Gill died in 1951. In the South Pacific, New Zealand overseer Wilson McClung died in 1944, and Australian overseer John Hardie died in 1961. In North America, both Jack Carroll, the Western overseer, and Irvine Weir died in 1957 while Eastern overseer George Walker died in 1981.


title: Two by Twos

text: Its policy of not revealing its name, finances, doctrine or history, and avoidance of publicity largely kept the church from public notice. A few authors of popular literature have noted the church, even using it as background for various works.


title: Two by Twos

text: Divisions, both doctrinal and organizational, within the group have formed throughout its history and continue as ongoing challenges.


title: Two by Twos

text: Until the mid 1980s, notes regarding the Two by Twos had appeared infrequently in religious journals and sociological works, with some writers assuming that the church had greatly declined, with nothing published regarding it. In 1982, the publication of "The Secret Sect" was followed by press reports and public statements by former members. Other books and news coverage dealing with the sect appeared in the following decades and increased awareness of the church and its practices. With the exposure of regional differences and the appearance of dissent, a loosening of a few strict standards demanded of members has been observed in some areas. A marked decline in membership has occurred over recent decades, coinciding with availability of information on the Internet and elsewhere.


title: Two by Twos

text: Apart from their hymnals, officially published documentation or statements from the church are scarce, which makes it difficult to speak in depth about its beliefs. Some former members and critics of the church have made statements about its beliefs, although these points have rarely been publicly responded to by any authorities within the church.


title: Two by Twos

text: All the church's teachings are expressed orally, and the church does not publish doctrine or statements of faith. Workers hold that all church teachings are based solely on the Bible. A catchphrase frequently used to describe the church is: "The church in the home, and the ministry without a home". Church members and 'workers' will publicly declare that the church does not own any buildings. This is not strictly true: in fact, church members own rural or semi-rural properties on which convention meetings are held and these properties incorporate buildings that are dedicated to worship, housing workers, and church gatherings including conventions and 'special meetings'. The concept of church buildings is still seen as inconsistent with biblical Christianity and was strongly denounced by early workers. Its ministers do not own homes or draw a salary. The church has upheld these practices since its inception. Notwithstanding this tradition, buildings specially constructed or repurposed for the use of the church do exist, including convention buildings, meeting halls, tents, caravans, and portable halls. Rural properties are largely held and maintained on behalf of the church by certain members, however in recent years, a Northern Irish investment vehicle has been used to purchase English convention property. A dedicated church building was constructed in Canada early on, but eventually was rejected by Irvine.


title: Two by Twos

text: The King James Bible is the only book used in English language services. The Bible itself is held as insufficient for salvation unless its words be made "alive" through preaching of its ministers.


title: Two by Twos

text: The extemporaneous preaching of the ministry is considered to be guided by God and must be heard directly. Great weight is given to the thoughts of workers, especially more senior workers. Salvation is achieved through willingness to uphold the church's standards, by faithfully following in "the way", and by personal worthiness. Doctrines such as predestination, original sin, justification by faith alone, and redemption as the sole basis of salvation are rejected. The church is exclusive — all other churches, religions and ministries are held to be false and salvation is only obtainable through the Two by Two ministry and meetings.


title: Two by Twos

text: Salvation is deemed to require self-sacrifice in following the example and commandments of Jesus and suffering is revered. Members are encouraged to attend meetings and to speak at them. Although the church has roots in the Holiness movement and has inherited some of its features, charismatic elements are suppressed. Other standards include modest dress, not wearing jewelry, long hair for women and short hair for men, not getting piercings, not dying hair, not getting a tattoo, and avoiding activities deemed to be worldly or frivolous (such as smoking, drinking alcohol, watching television, and viewing motion pictures). Standards and practices vary geographically: for example, in some areas fermented wine is used in Sunday meetings, in other areas grape juice is used; in some areas people who have divorced and remarried are not allowed to participate in meetings, in others they may. The use of television, social media sites and other mass media is discouraged in some areas, based on the stance of the local workers and overseers. Some external standards in dress and conduct have been loosened in recent years in response to criticisms.


title: Two by Twos

text: The church has rejected the doctrine of the Trinity since its inception. Though members believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, they hold a unitarian view of Christ. The Holy Spirit is held as an attitude or force from God. Jesus is God's son, a fully human figure who came to earth to establish a way of ministry and salvation, but not God himself. Great stress is laid upon the "example life" of Jesus, as a pattern for the ministry.


title: Two by Twos

text: Baptism by one of the church's ministers is considered a necessary step for salavation and full participation, including re-baptism of persons baptized by other churches. Candidates approved by the local workers are baptized by immersion.


title: Two by Twos

text: The church represents itself as nondenominational and without a name. Those outside the church often use descriptive terms such as "Two by Twos" (from their method of sending out ministers in pairs), "No-name Church", "Cooneyites", "Workers and Friends", "Christian fellowship", "disciples of Jesus", "Friends", "Go-preachers", "People on the Way", "Tramp Preachers", among other titles. The new movement was originally called "Tramp Preachers" or "Tramp Pilgrims" by observers. During the early years, they called themselves by the name "Go-Preachers". By 1904, the terms "Cooneyism" and "Cooneyite" had been coined in those areas in which Edward Cooney established churches and where he was a vocal promoter. The term "Two by Twos" was in use in Canada by the early 1920s and in the United States by the 1930s. In Germany, bynames for the church have included "Die Namenlosen" (the Nameless), "Wahre Christen" (True Christians), "Jünger Jesu" (Disciples of Jesus) and "Freunde" (Friends). In France, they have been known as "Les Anonymes" (the Anonymous, or No-names).


title: Two by Twos

text: Though overseers and head workers use registered names when necessary to conduct official business, most members do not associate a formal name with the church. Instead, they refer to the church as "The Truth", "The Way", "The Jesus Way" or "The Lowly Way". Few members are aware that the church has taken official names used for church business, including seeking military exemptions. Registered names vary from nation to nation. In the United States, the name used is "Christian Conventions", in Canada "Assemblies of Christians" is used, in Britain it is "the Testimony of Jesus", in Sweden the registered name is "Kristna I Sverige", and "United Christian Conventions" has been used in Australia and other nations (Australian members previously adopted the name "Testimony of Jesus" during World War I, and registered as "Christian Assemblies" during World War II). The sect was also incorporated in Victoria Australia as a charity from 1929 until 2019 and held property in trust. Australia also In 1995, controversy arose in Alberta, Canada, when part of the church incorporated as the "Alberta Society of Christian Assemblies". The entity was dissolved in 1996 after its existence became generally known.


title: Two by Twos

text: Many church members hold to a long-standing view that the church has no earthly founder, and that only they represent the "true Christian Church", originating directly with Christ during the 1st century AD. Some members have more recently made statements which diverge from that view and hint either at a beginning during the closing years of the 19th century or at a notable resurgence or restoration around that time.


title: Two by Twos

text: The following are terms used by the church with the definitions giving the sense commonly intended and understood by members.


title: Two by Twos

text: The church holds that faith and salvation may only be obtained by hearing the preaching of its ministers (typically called "workers"), and by observing their sacrificial lives. During the early years, this requirement was referred to as the "Living Witness Doctrine," though that term is no longer used. The minister must be heard and observed in person, rather than by broadcasts, recordings, books or tracts, or other indirect communication. The church's ministerial structure is based on Jesus' instructions to his apostles found in Matthew (with similar passages in and in ). The church's view is that, following these Biblical examples, its ministers have no permanent dwelling places, minister in pairs, sell all and go out with only minimal worldly possessions, and rely only upon hospitality and generosity. Most ministers receive their support and income directly from lay members, and have no fixed address except for mail collection.


title: Two by Twos

text: The option of entering the ministry is theoretically open to every baptized member, although it has been many decades since married people were accepted into the ministry. Female workers operate in the same manner as male workers. However, they cannot rise to the position of overseer, do not lead meetings when a male worker is present, and occupy a lower rank than male workers.


title: Two by Twos

text: Workers do not engage in any formal religious training. Overseers pair new workers with senior companions until they are deemed ready to move beyond a junior position. The workers are assigned new companions annually. Workers organize and assign members to the home meetings, appoint elders, and decide controversies among members. Workers are not registered marriage celebrants, so members are married by secular functionaries (such as a justice of the peace). However, workers will give sermons and prayers at members' weddings if requested, and they officiate at the funerals of members.


title: Two by Twos

text: In April 2019 the Australian current affairs television show 60 Minutes interviewed child sex abuse victims of Australian ministers.


title: Two by Twos

text: Members claim the church does not have a formal organization. Members do not participate in, and many are unaware of, the church's governance. Although in the early years of the church, a headquarters was maintained in Belfast, no official headquarters currently exist and the church remains largely unincorporated. Both expenditures and funds collected remain secret from the membership and no accounting is made public. Funds are handled through stewardships, trusts, and cash transactions.


title: Two by Twos

text: No materials are published by the church for outside circulation other than invitations to open Gospel meetings. Printed materials are published for circulation among the members and include sermon notes, convention notes, Bible study lists, convention lists, and worker lists. In recent years, contact details of members, including phone numbers and home addresses, have been compiled into booklets. These booklets are very secretive and available for workers' use only. Some members of the group refuse to provide their details for these booklets, in the name of privacy. Some members of the group see the internal dissemination of worker letters as continuing the practice of the early Church and the epistolary work of the original apostles.


title: Two by Twos

text: The church is controlled by a small group of senior male overseers with each having oversight of a specific geographic region. Under each senior overseer are male head workers who have oversight of a single state, province or similar area, depending on the country. These head workers handle the two-by-two pairing and field assignments of workers for that area. Each pair of workers has charge over several local meetings with the senior worker of the two having authority over his junior. Local meetings are hosted in the homes of elders who report to the workers. Correspondence such as reporting, finances, and instructions are often communicated according to the set hierarchy. The administration of the church and its annual process of assigning of workers to fields are rarely discussed among the membership.


title: Two by Twos

text: The church's first hymnal, "The Go-Preacher's Hymn Book", had been compiled by 1909, and contained 125 hymns. The English-language hymn book currently used is "Hymns Old and New" and was first published in 1913 with several subsequent editions and translations. It contains 412 hymns, many of which were written or adapted by workers and other members of the church and is organized into "gospel" and "fellowship" hymns. A smaller, second hymnal, also titled "Hymns Old and New", consists of the first 170 songs found in the full hymnal. Another version of the hymn book contains words without musical notation and is used primarily by children and those who cannot read music. Hymn books in other languages, such as "Himnos" in Spanish, contain many hymns translated from English and sung to the same tunes, as well as original non-English hymns.


title: Actinidia polygama

text: Actinidia polygama (also known as ', silver vine, ', and cat powder) is a species of kiwifruit in the Actinidiaceae family. It grows in the mountainous areas of Korea, Japan and China at elevations between .


title: Actinidia polygama

text: Silver vine can reach up to high at maturity. It is a deciduous climber and tolerates temperatures down to . The petiole leaves are silver and white in color and long and wide. These colorful markings make the plant identifiable from afar, until the flowering season when the leaves turn completely green.


title: Actinidia polygama

text: The flowering season lasts from late June to early July, in which the plant bears white flowers about in diameter. The longevity of an individual flower is 2–3 days, when the plant also starts to develop small, yellow to yellow-red, egg-shaped, fleshy, and multiseeded fruits, which mature from September to October. The fruit is about wide and long. The inside of the fruit resembles the common kiwifruit, but it is orange in color rather than green.


title: Actinidia polygama

text: The silver vine plant requires moist, well-drained soil, and partial shade to full sun. This fast-growing vine makes for good cover on a fence or trellis. It is becoming increasingly popular as an edible fruit crop.


title: Actinidia polygama

text: Silver vine has been used for its medicinal benefits for centuries, as a preventive health aid, it is still commonly used as an alternative therapy for hypertension, arthritic pain, and was investigated for potential to induce apoptosis in "in vitro" promyelocytic leukemia. In traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine, it has been used for a wide range of health problems, including:


title: Actinidia polygama

text: In Korean Buddhism, silver vine was soaked in traditional Korean sauces and used for diuresis, alleviation of pain, hypertension, genital troubles , and bronchitis.


title: Actinidia polygama

text: It is said that "In the ancient times, weary travelers regain energy to continue their journey after eating the fruit of silver vine."


title: Actinidia polygama

text: Silver vine leaves also have a high content of flavonoids, terpenoids, saponins, beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E.


title: Actinidia polygama

text: The fruit in the "acorn" shape can be salted and eaten raw, fried in oil, added to rice, or mixed with sesame seeds and mayonnaise to top salads. The fruit may also be fermented to make "Matatabi sake" and "miso"; fermented into a fruit wine; or extracted for juice. The leaves, buds, and stems can also be ground into a powder or cut, steamed, and steeped to make tea. Adding mint or sugar can give variations in the tea.


title: Actinidia polygama

text: Grinding the leaves and stems into a coarser grind than needed for the tea makes "Matatabi" grass, which is used as bath salts. The vine is used as material for folk crafts, and the sap is collected to make lotions.


title: Actinidia polygama

text: Silver vine has long been known to elicit euphoric response in cats. The reaction to silver vine is similar to the catnip response, but appears to be more intense. Silver vine is an alternative to catnip, and many cats that don't react to catnip will respond positively to silver vine powder made from dried fruit galls. Typical behaviors include rolling, chin and cheek rubbing, drooling, and licking. The effect usually lasts between 5 and 30 minutes, but cats are typically unresponsive to the plant for one or more hours.


title: Actinidia polygama

text: A study published in January 2021 suggests that felines are specifically attracted to the iridoids nepetalactol and nepetalactone, present in silver vine and catnip, respectively. The compounds were found to repel mosquitos, and it is hypothesized that rubbing against the plants provides the cats with a chemical coat that protects them against mosquito bites.


title: Ricky (2016 film)

text: Ricky is a 2016 Indian Kannada-language crime thriller film written and directed by Rishab Shetty in his directorial debut, and produced by S. V. Babu. It stars Rakshit Shetty and Haripriya in the lead roles. The supporting cast features Achyuth Kumar and Ravi Kale. The film deals with the prevalence of naxalism in India, with a love story in the backdrop.


title: Ricky (2016 film)

text: Richard "Ricky" (Rakshit Shetty) is engaged to his childhood friend Radha (Haripriya). He leaves to the north for a year for his job and promises her to return as soon as possible. However, when he returns, he cannot find her as she along with her family have disappeared. He searches for her and finds out that she has now become a Naxalite named Seetha. He discovers that she had turned into a Naxalite to avenge the wrongful destruction of her home by the Government and her parents' death. The complications start to affect them both and lead them to dangerous situations.


title: Ricky (2016 film)

text: Rishab Shetty, who had earlier starred in Rakshit Shetty's 2014 film "Ulidavaru Kandanthe", turned director for the first time with "Ricky". Shetty had conceived the story in 2009 inspired from an incident that occurred in Kundapur near his hometown Kerady in Karnataka,


title: Ricky (2016 film)

text: as an aspiring film director. He said, "I was born and brought in Kerady, a place near Kundapura, which is surrounded with mountains. It was a Naxal-affected area and I used to hear several stories from people around me, which formed the backdrop of the story" and added, "I have also explored an incident about Special Economic Zones, which I picked up from a programme by the central government".


title: Ricky (2016 film)

text: Shetty had initially wanted Diganth to play the lead role. However, on watching Rakshit Shetty's 2010 "Tughlaq", he decided to have him play the role. He planned to signing Hariprriya after being impressed by her performance in the 2014 film "Ugramm". It was revealed in February 2014 that Kishore and Achyuth Kumar were signed to play supporting roles. Ravi Kale was then was cast to play a pivotal role as well.


title: Ricky (2016 film)

text: It was revealed by the official Twitter handle of the film that shooting commenced on 1 September 2014, also revealing the first look poster of the film. Filming began in Karkala, Udupi district. Majority of the filming took place in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada. Rakshit Shetty confirmed that 90 percent of the filming was completed by 12 October, in a span of 42 days, with a song sequence to be shot in Gujarat. The director revealed that songs and fight sequences were to be shot in Bengaluru. A house worth 1 million was constructed in the area for filming in Kalavaru village at the Western Ghats region, to resemble the house of an agriculturist that was demolished previously, after orders from a court.


title: Ricky (2016 film)

text: Setting to complete filming in a total of 99 days, a total of 46 days was done in the deep forests of Karkala, in the Udupi district of Karnataka. Additionally, filming took place for four days in Bangalore, nine days in Melkote, and 12 days in areas surrounding the Dal Lake of Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. Filming completed in June 2015 after a total of 69 days.


title: Ricky (2016 film)

text: Arjun Janya composed the film's background and scored for its soundtrack. Lyrics for the soundtrack was penned by K. Kalyan, Kaviraj and Jayant Kaikini. The soundtrack album consists of five tracks. It was released on 31 December 2015 in Bangalore.


title: Ricky (2016 film)

text: The film was given a "U/A" (Parental Guidance) certificate by the Regional Censor Board in early January 2016. Including a "couple of changes", the makers were asked to mute seven dialogues. Immediately afterwards, the makers, initially on having planned to release the film theatrically on 22 January, decided to release it on 29 January, citing "theatre problems", with many other films releasing on 22 January. However, as initially planned, it was released on 22 January.


title: Chanhassen, Minnesota

text: Chanhassen is a city about southwest of Minneapolis in Carver County and partially in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The southwest edge of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul suburbs, there is a mix of residential neighborhoods and rural landscapes. The population was 22,952 at the 2010 census.


title: Chanhassen, Minnesota

text: The origin of the name comes from the Dakota word "chanhasen" meaning "sugar-maple tree" ("chan", tree; "haza", a tree with sap). The northern metro area Hassan Township carries the latter morpheme of the word to avoid confusion. Chanhassen merged with Chanhassen Township in 1967, bringing the population to 4,200.


title: Chanhassen, Minnesota

text: According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Although the bulk of Chanhassen is in Carver County, a small portion also extends into Hennepin County.


title: Chanhassen, Minnesota

text: According to data from the US Census Bureau the median household income (using data from 2008 to 2012) for Chanhassen was $103,462. For the same time period the per capita income was $46,305. Three percent of the population was living below the poverty line.


title: Chanhassen, Minnesota

text: As of the census of 2010, there were 22,952 people, 8,352 households, and 6,257 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 8,679 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.5% White, 1.1% African American, 0.1% Native American, 3.9% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.3% of the population.


title: Chanhassen, Minnesota

text: There were 8,352 households, of which 42.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.9% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.1% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.23.


title: Chanhassen, Minnesota

text: The median age in the city was 39.3 years. 30.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.3% were from 25 to 44; 32.3% were from 45 to 64; and 7.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.


title: Chanhassen, Minnesota

text: As of the census of 2000, there were 20,321 people, 6,914 households, and 5,524 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 7,013 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.90% White, 0.75% African American, 0.15% Native American, 2.83% Asian, 0.41% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.98% of the population.


title: Chanhassen, Minnesota

text: There were 6,914 households, out of which 51.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.2% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.1% were non-families. 15.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94 and the average family size was 3.33.


title: Chanhassen, Minnesota

text: In the city, the population was spread out, with 34.6% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 37.0% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 4.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.


title: Chanhassen, Minnesota

text: According to the city's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), the top employers in the city are:


title: Chanhassen, Minnesota

text: Chanhassen is home to several attractions that are well-recognized throughout the state and even nationally.


title: Chanhassen, Minnesota

text: Chanhassen Dinner Theatres is the nation's largest professional dinner theatre and the largest privately owned restaurant in the state of Minnesota. Since 1968, more than 200 plays have been produced and played to more than ten million guests.


title: Chanhassen, Minnesota

text: Many youth sports programs are offered through the Chanhassen Athletic Association, including baseball, softball, basketball, and soccer.


title: Chanhassen, Minnesota

text: Chanhassen is also home to the Chanhassen Red Birds amateur baseball team (2018 Class B State Champions).


title: Chanhassen, Minnesota

text: Chanhassen prides itself on providing a comprehensive, multipurpose trail system. The city has built and maintains 70 miles of trails. Many of the city's trails are located in natural resource corridors.


title: Chanhassen, Minnesota

text: The Chanhassen Skate Park was installed in September 1999. The park is located between City Hall and the downtown fire station. It features a wedge, quarter pipe, half pipe, hotbox, doobie roller, spine, and grind rails.


title: Chanhassen, Minnesota

text: Several well-producing lakes in Chanhassen keep the sportsmen busy year-round with fishing during the warm months and ice fishing when the lakes freeze over. Both Lake Minnewashta and Lake Ann contain large and aggressive northern pike for the adept anglers.


title: Chanhassen, Minnesota

text: Chanhassen is located in Minnesota's 3rd congressional district and is represented by Democrat Dean Phillips. President George W. Bush was the first sitting U.S. president to visit Chanhassen. He held a rally on October 9, 2004, at Chanhassen's City Center Park during the United States presidential elections of 2004.


title: Chanhassen, Minnesota

text: Chanhassen is split between two school districts. Most of the city is in District 112 (Eastern Carver County School District), with most Chanhassen students attending Chanhassen High School, Chaska Middle School West, Pioneer Ridge Middle School, Chanhassen Elementary, and Bluff Creek Elementary. Northern sections of Chanhassen are a part of District 276 (Minnetonka School District), with most students attending Minnetonka High School, Minnetonka Middle School East, Minnetonka Middle School West, Clear Springs Elementary, and Scenic Heights Elementary. Also, some students attend public schools in other school districts chosen by their families under Minnesota's open enrollment statute. Chapel Hill Academy and Church of St. Hubertus Catholic School are private primary education institutions located in downtown Chanhassen.


title: Nickelodeon Universe

text: Nickelodeon Universe is the name of two indoor amusement parks located at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota and American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with a third location under construction at the Mall of China in Chongqing, China. The parks consist of attractions and rides based on Nickelodeon’s popular franchises. The amusement parks are owned and operated by the Triple Five Group with licensing rights from Paramount Global, which owns Nickelodeon.


title: Nickelodeon Universe

text: The park was originally known as Knott's Camp Snoopy, and later, simply Camp Snoopy, and was themed around the Charles M. Schulz "Peanuts" comic strip characters. Camp Snoopy themed areas are still located at Cedar Fair Amusement Company's parks. Camp Snoopy was never aggressively themed; the park had a very outdoors and woodsy feel with more subtle references to the "Peanuts" franchise. Much of the original theming in the Camp Snoopy fountain and all around the park was already toned down by the time the rights to the "Peanuts" characters were lost. Theming that was removed from the park prematurely and was never replaced includes various kites near the ceiling, Charlie Brown and Lucy playing baseball above the Sports Grill restaurant (although their baseball remained suspended in the air afterwards), theming in Snoopy fountain, the retheming of Snoopy Boutique, Snoopy Bouncer, the Snoopy Shop and much smaller theming. On April 7, 1998, New Horizon Kids Quest, Inc. opened a Kids Quest hourly child care facility in Knott's Camp Snoopy. It incorporated and served children ages six weeks to twelve years until its removal in 2007. It is now the "Dutchman’s Deck Adventure Course" ropes course, slides and zip line.


title: Nickelodeon Universe

text: In 2005, there were plans to revitalize the Camp Snoopy image and a new logo was introduced in October, called the "roller coaster logo" to replace the "canoe logo". However, this did not last long, as there were even bigger and unexpected changes coming within the next few months.


title: Nickelodeon Universe

text: On January 9, 2006, Mall of America management announced that talks between MOA and Cedar Fair (which owns the national rights to amusement-park branding of the "Peanuts" license) had broken down, primarily over the mall's rights to effectively market its park within and outside the United States, and effective January 19, the park's "Peanuts" branding would end, the park being temporarily renamed The Park at MOA while new branding was being applied. All traces of the "Peanuts" branding was removed, some very sloppily, although the gift shops were allowed to continue selling "Peanuts" merchandise without the Camp Snoopy label. The inflatable Snoopy character was removed and it took several months before it was finally replaced by a generic tree house inflatable. Many other landmarks in the park were either replaced by generic landmarks or not replaced at all.


title: Nickelodeon Universe

text: The park's new licensing deal and name, "Nickelodeon Universe", was announced on July 25, 2007. Construction began on August 27, 2007, work was completed in sections so 80 percent to 90 percent of the park remained accessible at all times. Nickelodeon Universe was completed on March 15, 2008. New rides include SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge, a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter style coaster themed after the Nickelodeon show "SpongeBob SquarePants", the Splat-O-Sphere, a tower drop-ride in the center of the park, the Avatar Airbender, a surf-rider attraction located in the center of the park as well and Brain Surge which is on the side of the park. The shooting gallery beneath the Ripsaw/Orange Streak roller coaster was gutted and was replaced by Rugrats Reptarmobiles. The Mystery Mine Ride was completely demolished to make way for SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge. This site also included an Old Time Photography studio and restrooms. Old Time Photography relocated into the mall (but not within the park) and restrooms did not return in this section of the park. Levy Restaurants partnered with Nickelodeon Universe to include a themed restaurant at the park. The restaurant was called EATS and was located in the former Park at MOA food court. When the partnership ended, the EATS area closed and was replaced with a butterfly display. In 2014, a Hard Rock Cafe opened on the site where EATS once stood.


title: Nickelodeon Universe

text: On March 12, 2008, the "Star Tribune" reported that the price of ride points, daily wristbands and, in particular, annual passes, would take a significant price hike once the park transitioned to Nickelodeon Universe. The price for an annual pass, which had remained $99 per year since the park opened in 1992, would increase to $250, and daily wristbands would be raised from $24.95 to $29.95. They eventually rose to $32.99 in 2014. In 2017, prices rose to where they currently stand, at $35.99 for a daily wristband. In April 2015, the price for the annual pass dropped to $139. In November 2021, Nickelodeon Universe announced the new annual pass program which has 3 different annual passes: Level 1 is Explorer which costs $175 but only valid on the weekdays, which is Monday through Thursday, Level 2 is Adventurer costs $250 but only works on any day of the week & Level 3 is Thrill Seeker costs $350 and it has all access all the time. Some denounced the price increases as being unjustifiably high when compared to other parks, such as local park Valleyfair at $79.95–$99.95. Others defended the pricing as necessary to accommodate the millions of dollars of investment needed to rebrand the park as Nickelodeon Universe.


title: Nickelodeon Universe

text: On March 17, 2020, Nickelodeon Universe closed along with the rest of Mall of America in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the mall re-opened in June, Nickelodeon Universe didn't re-open until August. As a result of restrictions put in place by the Minnesota state government, Nickelodeon Universe was only permitted to re-open to a capacity of 250. Thus, the previous ticketing model—where entry to the park was free and patrons could either pay for rides individually, or unlimited–ride tickets that valid for the entire day—was temporarily suspended. Patrons then had only the option of a ticket that was valid for two hours from when it was first scanned at a ride; persons not riding were required to have a paid ticket to enter the park, albeit at a reduced cost. Capacity restrictions eventually loosened into the spring, resulting in the return of all-day unlimited-ride wristbands and point passes. The park reopened to full capacity on May 28, 2021.


title: Nickelodeon Universe

text: In September 2016, the Triple Five Group announced that a second Nickelodeon Universe amusement park would fill the 8-acre indoor amusement park space at American Dream, which will feature two world record-holding roller coasters. TMNT Shellraiser, a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter, would hold the record for the steepest roller coaster drop at 121.5 degrees, and is based on a model seen in Japan. The second coaster, a spinning coaster called the Shredder, consists of four-passenger cars that spin on a vertical axis as it progresses down the coaster's track, and is the world's tallest and longest free spinning coaster, at 1,600 feet.


title: Nickelodeon Universe

text: On March 13, 2020, Triple Five announced that the mall would be closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the opening of retail shops and DreamWorks Water Park would be pushed.


title: Nickelodeon Universe

text: On April 6, 2020, American Dream changed from a mix of 55% entertainment-related tenants and 45% retailers to roughly 70% entertainment and 30% retail. As of April 10, 2020, no retailers had backed out of American Dream. American Dream said it will add eight more rides to the Nickelodeon Universe theme park, building on its early success.


title: Nickelodeon Universe

text: Finally after 4 months, on September 3, 2020, Triple Five announced that on October 1, American Dream would reopen its amusement park, water park, ice rink, and mini-golf arcade, each of which would limit patrons to 25% of capacity.


title: Nickelodeon Universe

text: A third Nickelodeon Universe theme park is currently under construction for the Mall of China (Chongqing, China). Concept artwork that was released during the theme park's announcement on July 26, 2018 showcases rides that are at the American Dream location, as well as a drop-tower ride themed to Jimmy Neutron. Construction was briefly paused in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the theme park was originally slated for a December 2020 opening, its construction status and a new opening timeframe are unknown.


title: Nickelodeon Universe

text: On August 18, 2009, Nickelodeon and Southern Star Amusement announced that a Nickelodeon Universe would be built in New Orleans, Louisiana to replace the former Six Flags New Orleans that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and would open around the end of 2010. It was set to be the first outdoor Nickelodeon Universe theme park, but on November 9, 2009, Nickelodeon announced that it had ended the licensing agreement with Southern Star Amusements.


title: Nickelodeon Universe

text: The two Nickelodeon Universe theme parks in Minnesota and New Jersey were temporarily closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nickelodeon Universe reopened at Mall of America on August 10, 2020, while its park at American Dream reopened on October 1, 2020.


title: Calcium gluconate

text: Calcium gluconate is a mineral supplement and medication. As a medication it is used by injection into a vein to treat low blood calcium, high blood potassium, and magnesium toxicity. Supplementation is generally only required when there is not enough calcium in the diet. Supplementation may be done to treat or prevent osteoporosis or rickets. It can also be taken by mouth but is not recommended for injection into a muscle.


title: Calcium gluconate

text: Side effects when injected include slow heart rate, pain at the site of injection, and low blood pressure. When taken by mouth side effects may include constipation and nausea. Blood calcium levels should be measured when used and extra care should be taken in those with a history of kidney stones. At normal doses, use is regarded as safe in pregnancy and breastfeeding. Calcium gluconate is made by mixing gluconic acid with calcium carbonate or calcium hydroxide.


title: Calcium gluconate

text: Calcium gluconate came into medical use in the 1920s. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. Calcium gluconate is available as a generic medication.


title: Calcium gluconate

text: 10% calcium gluconate solution (given intravenously) is the form of calcium most widely used in the treatment of low blood calcium. This form of calcium is not as well absorbed as calcium lactate, and it only contains 0.93% (930 mg/dL) calcium ion (defined by 1 g weight solute in 100 mL of solution to make 1% solution w/v). Therefore, if the hypocalcemia is acute and severe, calcium chloride is given instead.


title: Calcium gluconate

text: Calcium gluconate is used as a cardioprotective agent in people with high blood potassium levels, with one alternative being the use of calcium chloride. It is recommended when the potassium levels are high (>6.5 mmol/L) or when the electrocardiogram (ECG) shows changes due to high blood potassium.


title: Calcium gluconate

text: Though it does not have an effect on potassium levels in the blood, it reduces the excitability of cardiomyocytes, thereby lowering the likelihood of cardiac arrhythmias.


title: Calcium gluconate

text: It is also used to counteract an overdose of Epsom salts magnesium sulfate, which is often administered to pregnant women in order to prophylactically prevent seizures (as in a patient experiencing preeclampsia). Magnesium sulfate is no longer given to pregnant women who are experiencing premature labor in order to slow or stop their contractions (other tocolytics are now used instead due to better efficacy and side effect profiles). Excess magnesium sulfate results in magnesium sulfate toxicity, which results in both respiratory depression and a loss of deep tendon reflexes (hyporeflexia).


title: Calcium gluconate

text: Gel preparations of calcium gluconate are used to treat hydrofluoric acid burns. The calcium gluconate reacts with hydrofluoric acid to form insoluble, non-toxic calcium fluoride. In addition to a 2.5% calcium gluconate gel being applied directly to the chemical burn, the person may also receive calcium gluconate supplements because the fluoride ion precipitates serum calcium, causing hypocalcemia.


title: Calcium gluconate

text: While intravenous calcium has been used in cardiac arrest, its general use is not recommended. Cases of cardiac arrest in which it is still recommended include high blood potassium, low blood calcium such as may occur following blood transfusions, and calcium channel blocker overdose. There is the potential that general use could worsen outcomes. If calcium is used, calcium chloride is generally the recommended form.


title: Calcium gluconate

text: Calcium gluconate side effects include nausea, constipation, and upset stomach. Rapid intravenous injections of calcium gluconate may cause hypercalcaemia, which can result in vasodilation, cardiac arrhythmias, decreased blood pressure, and bradycardia. Extravasation of calcium gluconate can lead to cellulitis. Intramuscular injections may lead to local necrosis and abscess formation.


title: Calcium gluconate

text: It is also reported that this form of calcium increases renal plasma flow, urine production, sodium excretion, glomerular filtration rate, and prostaglandin E2 and F1-alpha levels.


title: Rony Seikaly

text: Ronald Fred Seikaly (, born May 10, 1965) is a Lebanese-American former professional basketball player. Seikaly was one of the first internationally born players to make an impact on American basketball. He was considered one of the top college players from the Syracuse basketball program, Seikaly's stellar offense and defense placed him among the school's all-time leaders in rebounds, points and blocks, while earning several nationally recognized awards and honors. His number 4 jersey was retired by Syracuse and raised to the rafters of the Carrier Dome.


title: Rony Seikaly

text: Drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) by the Miami Heat with the 9th pick of the 1988 draft and the first ever pick for the Heat, Seikaly developed into one of the best centers in the NBA and the team's top offensive and defensive contributors–winning NBA player of the week twice–and also amassing many of the team's records (of which some are still standing).


title: Rony Seikaly

text: Seikaly earned the 1990 NBA Most Improved Player Award and later played for the Golden State Warriors, Orlando Magic and New Jersey Nets and in Spain with FC Barcelona. He was also part of the United States national basketball team during the 1986 FIBA World Championship, winning gold.


title: Rony Seikaly

text: After his retirement from basketball, Seikaly became a successful real estate developer. He also works in electronic music as a producer/DJ, and hosted a radio show, "Sugar Free Radio", on Sirius/XM.


title: Rony Seikaly

text: Seikaly was born in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1965. In 1975, at the age of 10, he moved from Beirut to the US, where he attended a boarding school in Massachusetts. In 1979, at the age of 14, he moved to Athens, Greece, where he spent the rest of his youth.


title: Rony Seikaly

text: While in Greece, he attended and graduated from the American School, also known as ACS Athens. As a youth, he played basketball, and also excelled in volleyball, association football, and track & field. At age 14, he also began to DJ.


title: Rony Seikaly

text: In 1981, when Seikaly was 16, the Panathinaikos basketball player Takis Koroneos took note of him, after he purchased a pair of large basketball sneakers in Koroneos' athletics store. On the recommendation of Koroneos to the club's management, Seikaly was selected to join Panathinaikos' men's senior team, in order to begin training and practicing with them. In 1982, at age 17, he first played with the team in a tournament in Cyprus.


title: Rony Seikaly

text: He continued to train and practice with Panathinaikos until 1983. However, because he did not have a Greek passport, he was not able to register with the team to play in any games in the Greek Basket League, since no foreign players were allowed to play in the league until 1988.


title: Rony Seikaly

text: In 1983, Seikaly moved from Greece to the United States and began attending Syracuse University in central New York, where he played college basketball. He played center for the Syracuse Orange men's basketball team. He led his Syracuse team to the 1987 NCAA Tournament championship finals against the Indiana Hoosiers during his junior year, after averaging 22 points and 11 rebounds per game throughout the tournament. He was an All-American, and was also named to the John R. Wooden All-American Team. He graduated from Syracuse as the school's all-time leading rebounder, second in school history in blocked shots, and fourth in school history in scoring. At the time, he was only the second player ever to record 1,000 points and rebounds during his tenure at Syracuse. He was named to the Orange's All 20th Century Team, and his number 4 jersey has been retired and raised to the rafters at the Carrier Dome.


title: Rony Seikaly

text: Seikaly was taken by the Miami Heat with the 9th pick in the first round of the 1988 NBA draft. As well as being the franchise's first ever college draft pick, Seikaly became the first player born in Lebanon to compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA).


title: Rony Seikaly

text: The rookie center quickly emerged not only as a pivotal player within the team, but also among the league's top centers. In his second season, he led the Heat in points (16.6), rebounds (10.4) and blocks (1.7) while placing sixth in the league in rebounding. At the conclusion of the season he was awarded with the NBA Most Improved Player Award.


title: Rony Seikaly

text: In the 1990–91 season, Seikaly increased his rebounding average to 11.1 rebounds per game while maintaining his 16 points per game average and then they acquired other young players to serve as scoring options such as Glen Rice and Steve Smith. In the 1991–92 season, Seikaly again averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds (6th in the league) as the Heat, bolstered by his play and Rice's scoring, led the team to 38 wins and the first playoff berth for the franchise. Despite the breakthrough, Miami was no match for the defending champions, the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls, who swept the Heat in three games. For the series against the Bulls, Seikaly averaged 19.1 points with 9.2 rebounds.