title: Century of Progress

text: The major archive for the Century of Progress International Exposition, including the official records from the event and the papers of Lenox Lohr, general manager of the fair, are housed in Special Collections at the University of Illinois, Chicago. A collection of materials including images is held by the Ryerson & Burnham Libraries at the Art Institute of Chicago. The Century of Progress Collection includes photographs, guidebooks, brochures, maps, architectural drawings, and souvenir items. Specific collections with material include the Chicago Architects Oral History Project; the Daniel H. Burnham Jr. and Hubert Burnham Papers; Edward H. Bennett Collection; Voorhees, Gmelin, and Walker photographs.


title: Brad Thor

text: Bradley George Thor Jr. (born August 21, 1969) is an American thriller novelist. He is the author of "The Lions of Lucerne", "The First Commandment", "The Last Patriot", and other novels. His latest novel in the Harvath series, "Rising Tiger", was released in July 2022. Thor's novels have been published in countries around the world. He also contributed a short story entitled "The Athens Solution" to the James Patterson-edited anthology, "Thriller". Thor also makes frequent appearances on Fox News and The Blaze.


title: Brad Thor

text: "The Last Patriot" was nominated for "Best Thriller of the Year" by the International Thriller Writers Association. His novel "Blowback" was voted by National Public Radio listeners as one of the "100 Best Ever" Killer Thrillers.


title: Brad Thor

text: Thor is a graduate of the Sacred Heart Schools, the Francis W. Parker School (Chicago), and the University of Southern California ("cum laude"), where he studied creative writing under author T.C. Boyle.


title: Brad Thor

text: Thor is a member of The Heritage Foundation and has spoken at their national headquarters on the need for robust missile defense.


title: Brad Thor

text: Thor is a regular contributor to the Glenn Beck television program and has appeared on other Fox News Channel shows, as well as on CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, and PBS to discuss terrorism and parallels between his novels and real threats facing the world today.


title: Brad Thor

text: In May 2016, he made speculative comments on the Glenn Beck radio show about Donald Trump that appeared to offer conditional support for violence against him if Trump were elected and did something that he felt endangered the country. Thor denied the comments were a call for assassination.


title: Brad Thor

text: Thor announced his candidacy for President of the United States in the 2020 election but on July 5, 2018, Thor decided against running and left the Republican Party, becoming an independent, citing frustration with the Republican-controlled Congress and President Donald Trump.


title: Edge sorting

text: Edge sorting is a technique used in advantage gambling where a player determines whether a face-down playing card is likely to be low or high at casino table games by observing, learning, and exploiting subtle unintentional differences on the backs of the cards being dealt.


title: Edge sorting

text: Applied by poker player Phil Ivey and subsequently challenged in court by the casino in which he did so, the England and Wales High Court and Court of Appeal and the UK Supreme Court ruled that the technique, which requires the player to trick the dealer into rotating specific, high-value cards, is cheating in civil law, and that a casino was justified in refusing payment of winnings. This ruling would not be applicable if the player simply took advantage of an observed error or anomaly in the deck for which he was not responsible.


title: Edge sorting

text: Many packs of cards produced by manufacturers have unintentional, almost indistinguishable edge irregularities. Typically the backs of every card in such a pack are identical, but the two long edges of each card are distinguishable from one another: the back pattern of one card is not symmetrical to another that has been rotated 180° (half a full turn).


title: Edge sorting

text: During the course of a game, the player asks the dealer to rotate high-value face-up cards, saying for example that they feel it will bring them luck. The dealer, indulging superstition, does not realize he or she is unwittingly orienting the cards such that valuable high cards are oriented one way in the deck and low cards the other way round. The unintentional card edge irregularity thus makes the high or low value of face-down cards apparent to an observer aware of how the dealer has been tricked into orienting them. This orientation will remain so long as the cards are not "washed," shuffled in a way that rotates them. Thus, the player must also request that the dealer shuffle the cards with an automatic shuffler, which does not change the orientation as a manual shuffle might. The dealer is not obliged to comply with any of these requests, but will usually do so if thought to be the result of gambler superstition or mistrust.


title: Edge sorting

text: Over the course of a game being played this way, low cards will tend to be oriented one way, high cards the other. Once a significant proportion of cards have been rotated, any player who knows this can gain a statistical edge more than outweighing house edge by using the knowledge whether the card to be turned is likely to be low or high.


title: Edge sorting

text: In 2012, poker player Phil Ivey and partner Cheung Yin Sun won US$9.6 million playing baccarat at the Borgata casino. In April 2014, the Borgata filed a lawsuit against Ivey and Cheung for their winnings. In 2016, a Federal Judge ruled that Ivey and Cheung Yin Sun must repay US$10 million to the Borgata. U.S. District Judge Noel Hillman ruled that they did not commit fraud but did breach their contract with the casino. He found that they did not abide by a New Jersey Casino Controls Act provision that prohibited marking cards. Although they did not mark the cards, they used tiny imperfections in the cards to gain an advantage.


title: Edge sorting

text: Later in 2012, he was reported to have won £7.7 million (approx. $11 million) playing punto banco, a version of baccarat, at Crockfords casino in London. Crockfords refunded his £1 million stake and agreed to send him his winnings but ultimately refused payment. Ivey sued them for payment but lost in the High Court of England and Wales; it was judged that the edge sorting was "cheating for the purpose of civil law". It was accepted that Ivey and others genuinely considered that edge sorting was not cheating, and deemed immaterial that the casino could easily have protected itself. The judgment observed that Ivey had gained an advantage by actively using a croupier as his innocent agent rather than taking advantage of an error or anomaly on the casino's part. Ivey appealed against the judgement but was unsuccessful.


title: Edge sorting

text: He further appealed to the UK Supreme Court (see "Ivey v Genting Casinos") which also decided in favour of the casino. All five justices upheld the decision of the court of appeal, "which dismissed his case on the basis that dishonesty was not a necessary element of 'cheating'."


title: Dutch (film)

text: Dutch (released as Driving Me Crazy outside the US) is a 1991 American road comedy-drama film directed by Peter Faiman (his second and last theatrical film, after ""Crocodile" Dundee") and written by John Hughes. The film stars Ed O'Neill (in the title role) and Ethan Embry, co-starring JoBeth Williams, Christopher McDonald, Ari Meyers, and E. G. Daily. The original music score was composed by Alan Silvestri.


title: Dutch (film)

text: The film was poorly received critically and was a box office bomb, although it gained a minor cult following after its home video release. O'Neill and Embry would later reunite as Joe Friday and Frank Smith in the 2003 version of the television series "Dragnet".


title: Dutch (film)

text: Dutch Dooley attends a ritzy party with his girlfriend, Natalie Standish. He stands out terribly among the upper-class aristocrats – wearing a cheap suit and making boorish comments. Natalie's relaxed, less rigid personality also does not fit with the rest of the patrons. Dutch also meets Natalie's snobbish, wealthy ex-husband Reed, who tells Natalie that he will have to break his Thanksgiving plans with their son Doyle for an unexpected business trip to London, and that Natalie will have to tell Doyle.


title: Dutch (film)

text: Natalie calls Doyle at his private school in Georgia and invites him home for Thanksgiving, but Doyle refuses the offer, solely blaming his mother for the divorce. Despite this, Dutch sees an opportunity to get to know Doyle and further his relationship with Natalie, so he offers to go to Georgia and bring Doyle back to Chicago for the holidays.


title: Dutch (film)

text: Upon arriving in Georgia, Dutch finds Doyle to be much like his father: snobbish, selfish and elitist. He welcomes Dutch by throwing a book at his face, hitting him with a golf club, kicking him and shooting him in the groin with a BB gun, for which Dutch promises revenge. Dutch ultimately hogties Doyle to a hockey stick and carries him to the car to start on the drive back home.


title: Dutch (film)

text: The pair endures several mishaps, including an impromptu fireworks show that sees Dutch's coat destroyed. Later, after Doyle throws a lit cigar in Dutch's lap, Dutch throws Doyle out of the car and makes him walk to the next motel by himself. Doyle gets even by parking Dutch's car in the middle of the highway, where it is hit and totaled by a truck. They hitch a ride with two prostitutes who steal their luggage and Dutch's wallet, leaving them stranded.


title: Dutch (film)

text: Doyle calls his father, whom he discovers has lied about his trip to London; he instead spent the holidays with a girlfriend. Stunned by his father's betrayal, and wounded by Dutch's accusation that he "hates his mother", Doyle begins to regret his callous attitude. Dutch initially gives up and wants to call Natalie for assistance, but Doyle refuses and insists on getting home on their own. They sneak a ride on the back of a semi-truck and are assaulted by security guards at a trailer drop yard; Doyle brandishes his BB gun and feigns insanity, pretending that voices in his head are telling him to kill the guards, which frightens them enough to allow their escape.


title: Dutch (film)

text: The two enter a restaurant, where they meet a married couple who takes them to a homeless shelter in Hammond, Indiana for the night. At the shelter, Doyle grows fond of a young girl and her family. While getting to know them, he finally realizes that he has been neglecting his mother and indeed wants to be with her for the holidays. It is also eventually revealed that Dutch is a successful contractor and, while not as ostentatious, he is just as wealthy as Reed and his snobbish crowd.


title: Dutch (film)

text: On Thanksgiving day, the family drives Dutch and Doyle to Natalie's home, where Reed is waiting. Doyle reunites with his mother and reveals to Reed that he knows the truth about his trip to London. When Doyle decides to stay with his mother instead of Reed for Thanksgiving, Reed evicts Natalie from the house, which he owns. Dutch follows Reed outside as he departs and hits Reed in the forehead with his pinky ring. He then demands that Reed show more respect to Natalie and become a better father to Doyle, to which a dazed Reed agrees.


title: Dutch (film)

text: As Natalie, Dutch and Doyle sit down to begin their Thanksgiving feast, Dutch asks Doyle to retrieve Dutch's coat, as it contains a very special gift for Natalie. As Doyle walks away, Dutch pulls the BB gun Doyle originally shot him with and finally gets his revenge by shooting him in the groin.


title: Dutch (film)

text: "Dutch" received poor reviews from critics. It holds a 17% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 23 reviews, with an average rating of 3.7/10. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale. Critic Roger Ebert, in his one-and-a-half star review of the film, thought that "Dutch"'s screenwriter Hughes was following his own formula, repeating some of his other films, such as "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" (1987), and cited O'Neill's character as behaving "in defiance of common sense."


title: Dutch (film)

text: The film opened at #10 at the box office and grossed $1,867,201. The film would end with a domestic gross of $4,603,929. It was a box office bomb, grossing less than $5 million domestically against its $17 million budget.


title: Dutch (film)

text: The film was released on DVD on March 22, 2005, and also was released on Blu-ray on January 17, 2012.


title: Schedule H

text: Schedule H is a class of prescription drugs in India appearing as an appendix to the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 introduced in 1945. These are drugs which cannot be purchased over the counter without the prescription of a qualified doctor. The manufacture and sales of all drugs are covered under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Rules. It is revised at times based on the advice of the Drugs Technical Advisory Board, part of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The most recent schedule H (2006) lists 536 drugs from abacavir to zuclopenthixol.


title: Schedule H

text: However, enforcement of Schedule H laws in India is lax, compared to the more restrictive Schedule X, for which a mandatory documentation trail must be maintained.


title: Schedule H

text: List of Schedule H drugs in India according to Drug and Cosmetics Act ( Amendment) Rules. Published on 2020.


title: The Braxtons

text: The Braxtons are an American musical quintet consisting of singer Toni Braxton and her younger sisters, Traci Braxton, Towanda Braxton, Trina Braxton, and Tamar Braxton. Despite being commercially unsuccessful, the group's first single, "Good Life", led to oldest sister Toni's solo career. All five members reunited in 2011 to star in the WE tv reality television series "Braxton Family Values" alongside their mother, Evelyn Braxton.


title: The Braxtons

text: The Braxtons' parents are Rev. Michael Braxton Sr. (born June 26, 1947) and Evelyn Braxton (born January 14, 1948). Their first child, Toni Michele Braxton was born on October 7, 1967. Michael Conrad Braxton Jr., the only son, was born on November 17, 1968, then Traci Renee Braxton was born on April 2, 1971. Traci died on March 12, 2022. Towanda Chloe Braxton was born on September 18, 1973. The Braxtons' fifth child Trina Evette Braxton, was born on December 3, 1974. The youngest sibling, Tamar Estine Braxton, was born on March 17, 1977. They are originally from Severn, Maryland.


title: The Braxtons

text: The sisters began to harmonize together when a then five-year-old Tamar demanded, "somebody get me some toilet paper!" Each sister and brother Michael soon after went in the bathroom and began singing the "Toilet Paper Song". The Braxtons credit this incident as their first song-writing experience and the first time that they harmonized as a group. Growing up, they sang in the choir at several churches and toured the East Coast with their religious parents singing at various events.


title: The Braxtons

text: Toni, Traci, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar Braxton signed their first record deal with Arista Records in 1989. In 1990, they released their first single, "Good Life". It would be their only single as a quintet. "Good Life" was not a hit, peaking at No. 79 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart. At the time of the single's release, the members' age differences created a problem with marketing. Subsequently, the Braxtons were dropped from Arista Records.


title: The Braxtons

text: In 1991, during a showcase with Antonio "L.A." Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, who were in the process of forming LaFace Records, Toni Braxton, minus her four sisters, was chosen and signed as the label's first female solo artist. At the time, the remaining members were told that LaFace was not looking for another girl group since it had just signed TLC.


title: The Braxtons

text: After Toni's departure from the group in 1991, the remaining Braxtons members became backup singers for Toni's first U.S. tour, music videos, and promotional appearances. Traci, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar were featured in the music video for Toni Braxton's third single, "Seven Whole Days", from her debut album.


title: The Braxtons

text: In 1993, LaFace Records A&R Vice President, Bryant Reid, signed the Braxtons to LaFace. However, the group never released an album or single for the record label. When Reid moved on to work for Atlantic Records, he convinced executives at LaFace to allow him take the group to Atlantic also. They signed with Atlantic the following year, with a three-album deal.


title: The Braxtons

text: It was reported in "Vibe" magazine that in 1995, Traci Braxton had left the group to pursue a career as a youth counselor. However, it was not confirmed until 2004 when Towanda Braxton appeared in season 2 of the reality show "Starting Over", that Traci was not allowed to sign with Atlantic because of her pregnancy at the time.


title: The Braxtons

text: In June 1996, Tamar, Trina, and Towanda returned with a new album entitled "So Many Ways", which shared the same title as its lead single. Released on August 13, 1996, the album peaked at No. 26 on the "Billboard" R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. It became their first and only LP. Atlantic Records A&R VP, Bryant Reid, served as the album's executive producer. At the time of its release, Reid told "Billboard Magazine", "I had a vision for them then that was about young sophistication with sex appeal." "So Many Ways" included production from Jermaine Dupri and Daryl Simmons along with Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Sean "Sep" Hall. The album also included a cover of Diana Ross's hit "The Boss" and Klymaxx's song "I'd Still Say Yes".


title: The Braxtons

text: The Braxtons released a music video in order to promote "So Many Ways". It was directed by Cameron Casey and featured upcoming actor Mekhi Phifer. The trio also performed a remixed version of "So Many Ways" with rapper Jay-Z on September 9, 1996, at the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. The single was also used as the opening track for the soundtrack to the comedy film "High School High". "So Many Ways" went on to peak at No. 83 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart in 1996, No. 22 on the Billboard R&B Charts and number 32 on the UK Singles Chart in January 1997.


title: The Braxtons

text: The album's second single, "Only Love", was released on January 25, 1997, and peaked at number 52 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart. A music video for this song was also released. A Masters at Work remix version of the Braxtons third single "The Boss" reached number 1 on "Billboard" Dance/Club Play Chart in early 1997. "Slow Flow" was the final single released from So Many Ways. It peaked at No. 26 on the UK Charts in July 1997, becoming their highest-charting single in the UK.


title: The Braxtons

text: The Braxtons also served as the opening act for Toni Braxton on the European Leg of her Secrets Tour in 1997.


title: The Braxtons

text: The Braxtons decided to part ways as a group after lead singer Tamar Braxton left to pursue a solo career with DreamWorks Records in 1999. However, the members continued to sing and act in various other projects. There was a lot of drama surrounding the situation, which is part of the reason why Towanda went on Starting Over. She had caught wind of Tamar's signing of a contract through industry insiders rather than Tamar herself. This notably caused tension between the group, due to them planning on doing a second album, with the inclusion of Traci, that time around.


title: The Braxtons

text: Trina appeared in the 2004 Tyler Perry play "Meet the Browns" as Tracy Stevens. She was also part of the play "Rise", written by Salt from Salt-n-Pepa and Christopher "Play" Martin from the rap group Kid 'n Play and starred in an off-Broadway production of "Dreamgirls" as Deena Jones. In 2004, Trina Braxton appeared in "The Walk" with Eva Pigford and Vanessa Bell. Additionally, she co-starred in two independent films, including "Jail Party", and was host for the unbroadcast "Urban Idol" for UPN. She also made a cameo in Tyler Perry's "I Can Do Bad All By Myself" as a member of a band performing with singer Mary J. Blige's character. In 2009, Trina joined the wedding band "Simply Irresistible" as a lead vocalist. In 2012, Trina left the band to pursue a solo music career, releasing her debut solo single "Party or Go Home" in March 2012.


title: The Braxtons

text: Trina and Tamar performed as background singers and dancers for the entire duration of Toni's Libra Tour in 2006. They also performed in "Toni Braxton: Revealed" at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino until R&B singer Sparkle and Towanda Braxton replaced them.


title: The Braxtons

text: Towanda Braxton appeared in season 2 of the reality show "Starting Over". She performed and recorded a solo song, "Here I Am", for the show and conducted a radio interview on the "Wendy Williams Experience" about her time on "Starting Over." Towanda is also a member of Zeta Phi Beta sorority and pledged at Bowie State University in 1995. In September 2005, "People" magazine's website reported that Towanda was pregnant.


title: The Braxtons

text: Tamar Braxton released her debut solo album "Tamar" in 2000. She also made a cameo in the music video for "He Wasn't Man Enough". She appeared for a short time as Sasha in the stage play version of "Madea Goes to Jail" in 2005 alongside Tyler Perry and Cassi Davis. Tamar co-wrote several songs and sang background vocals for several of Toni's albums including "Snowflakes", "More Than a Woman", "Libra", and "Pulse". In 2012, Tamar released the single "Love and War", followed by two albums in 2013: a studio album entitled "Love and War", followed by a Christmas album entitled "Winter Loversland".


title: The Braxtons

text: In 2010, the Braxtons, including Traci Braxton, appeared in sister Toni Braxton's music video for her dance single "Make My Heart".


title: The Braxtons

text: In January 2011, WE tv confirmed that it had signed Toni Braxton and her sisters, Traci, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar for a reality series, entitled "Braxton Family Values", to be marketed as one of the network's flagship shows. The show looks at the relationship between Toni, her mom, and her sisters along with the interpersonal relationships of each family member. After only four episodes, the series had renewed for a second season. There would be 13 more one-hour episodes of "Braxton Family Values" on WE tv in 2012, up from 10 during the debut season – which was later upped to a 26 episode second season, including the Reunion Show.


title: The Braxtons

text: As of the second-season finale of "Braxton Family Values", it is still unclear whether or not the EP that the Braxtons were working on will be released. During the show's reunion, Toni Braxton stated that she thought the Braxtons should "feature on [her] record" instead of her completely rejoining the group for a full EP.


title: The Braxtons

text: The Braxtons posed for the June 2011 "VIBE magazine" summer swimwear issue. They also presented the "Best Gospel Artist" award to Mary Mary at the 2011 BET Awards.


title: The Braxtons

text: In mid-2011, Traci, Tamar, Towanda and Trina performed their song "The Boss" at WEtv Women's Luncheon in New York City. The performance was documented on Season 2 Episode 8 of Braxton Family Values.


title: The Braxtons

text: In July 2014, a sneak peek of the fourth season of "Braxton Family Values" was uploaded via YouTube on WE tv's user account of the Braxton sisters discussing doing a gospel record together. In the same time, Toni, Tamar and Trina guest starred on their sister Traci's music video "Last Call".


title: The Braxtons

text: In October 2015, the group including Toni, Tamar, Traci, Trina and Towanda, released an album titled "Braxton Family Christmas" as five members. The album was released on October 30 and pre-order on October 16. "Braxton Family Christmas" debuted at number 27 on the US "Billboard" R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, number 10 on the US R&B Chart and number 12 on US Top Holiday Albums on November 21, 2015. The album charted at number 1 on the US Heatseekers Albums on December 12, 2015.


title: Miss Universe 2013

text: Miss Universe 2013 was the 62nd Miss Universe pageant, held at the Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, Moscow, Russia on November 9, 2013.


title: Miss Universe 2013

text: At the end of the event, Olivia Culpo of the United States crowned Gabriela Isler of Venezuela as Miss Universe 2013. It is Venezuela's seventh victory, the second-most in the pageant's history.


title: Miss Universe 2013

text: Contestants from 86 countries and territories competed in this year's pageant. The pageant was hosted by Thomas Roberts and Mel B, with Jeannie Mai as backstage correspondent. Russian singer Emin Agalarov, American pop rock band Panic! at the Disco, and American singer-songwriter Steven Tyler performed in this year's pageant.


title: Miss Universe 2013

text: In May 2013, the Miss Universe Organization was in talks to host the 2013 edition of the competition in Russia after Emin Agalarov, son of Aras Agalarov and vice-president of Crocus Group, filmed his latest music video in Los Angeles with Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo as his co-star. Paula Shugart, top executive of Miss Universe at that time, raised the idea of hosting the 2013 edition of the pageant in Russia. Agalarov promptly agreed to pay $20 million in exchange for Trump bringing the 2013 Miss Universe competition to Russia. After four weeks of Emin Agalarov's video shoot with Culpo, Trump agreed that the pageant will be held in Moscow at the Crocus City complex, which is owned by the Agalarov family.


title: Miss Universe 2013

text: On June 16, 2013, during the Miss USA 2013 pageant in Las Vegas, Donald Trump, owner of the Miss Universe Organization, and Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo announced that the Miss Universe 2013 pageant will take place in Moscow, Russia on November 9, 2013. The announcement came after Rob Goldstone, music manager of Russian singer Emin Agalarov, posted on Facebook saying: "Fun meeting with Donald Trump." After the announcement, president of the Crocus Group Aras Agalarov, and his son Emin Agalarov joined Trump on stage to sign the official contract.


title: Miss Universe 2013

text: Years after the event, the owner at the time, Donald Trump, is involved in an ongoing controversy related to the pageant in Russia<ref name="Crowley_5/15/2016"></ref> and activities alleged in the Steele dossier.


title: Miss Universe 2013

text: On August 15, 2013, Andy Cohen, who is openly gay, declined to co-host the pageant, due to the country's recent adoption of anti-gay laws. An Internet petition was also started for the Miss Universe Organization to relocate the pageant from Moscow due to these laws as well as human rights concerns. MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts, also openly gay, took on hosting duties. While he condemned Russia for its anti-gay law, he stated his belief that his presence in Russia would make for a more effective statement against Russian homophobia than boycotting.


title: Miss Universe 2013

text: Contestants from 86 countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant. Nine of these delegates were appointees to their national titles and another was crowned after the organization discovered that there was an error in the placements of the finalists.


title: Miss Universe 2013

text: Hinarani de Longeaux, the first runner-up of Miss France 2013, was appointed to represent France after Marine Lorphelin, Miss France 2013, placed first runner-up at Miss World 2013 and was ineligible to compete for Miss Universe 2013. Ana Vrcelj, the second runner-up of Miss Serbia 2012, replaced Aleksandra Doknić as Miss Universe Serbia 2013 after Doknić replaced Nikolina Bojić as Miss Serbia 2012 because she was married.


title: Miss Universe 2013

text: Denise Garrido originally was crowned as Miss Universe Canada 2013. However, Garrido was stripped of the crown after a few hours when the organization discovered that there was a "typo" when the judges' handwritten scores were transferred into a computer program that determines the results. The official winner was Riza Santos, who was previously placed as first runner-up, while Garrido placed as third runner-up.


title: Miss Universe 2013

text: The 2013 edition saw the debut of Azerbaijan, and the returns of Austria, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, Slovenia, and Turks and Caicos Islands. Myanmar last competed in 1961 as Burma, which makes the country's first time to compete after more than five decades of withdrawing from Miss Universe, Austria last competed in 2004, while the others last competed in 2011. Albania, the Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Georgia, Ireland, Kosovo, Montenegro, Saint Lucia, and Uruguay withdrew. Mirjeta Shala of Kosovo withdrew because her visa was denied by Russia as it does not recognize Kosovo as an independent country. The withdrawal of Shala subsequently resulted to the withdrawal of Miss Universe Albania Fioralba Dizdari from the pageant due to political reasons. Janet Kerdikoshvili of Georgia withdrew due to unexpected health problems. However, both Kerdikoshvili and Shala competed in the pageant two years later. Nikoleta Jovanović of Montenegro withdrew as she did not meet the minimum age requirements, while Micaela Orsi of Uruguay withdrew because her visa application was denied by the Russian Embassy and due to some disagreements from her national director. The Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Ireland, and Saint Lucia withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate.


title: Miss Universe 2013

text: After 2 years, the final scores returned. However, instead of being televised, the judge's results were shown through the "You Be The Judge" app. Here, the public could participate online and evaluate each of the participants, where viewers could vote for one candidate to advance into the semi-finals. At the end of the competitions, viewers were able to get an exclusive look at the official 2013 MISS UNIVERSE finals judges’ scores.


title: Miss Universe 2013

text: Same with 2011, 15 semifinalists were chosen through the preliminary competition— composed of the swimsuit and evening gown competitions and closed-door interviews. The internet voting is still being implemented, with fans being able to vote for another delegate to advance into the semifinals, making the number of semifinalists 16. The top 16 competed in the swimsuit competition and were narrowed down to the top 10 afterward. The top 10 competed in the evening gown competition and were narrowed down to the top 5 afterward. The top 5 competed in the question and answer round and the final look.


title: Lower.com Field

text: Lower.com Field is a soccer-specific stadium in Columbus, Ohio, United States. It serves primarily as the home stadium of the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer, replacing the club's previous home, Historic Crew Stadium. The new stadium cost $314 million and is located at the center of the mixed-use Astor Park development adjacent to the Arena District and downtown. It seats 20,371 spectators and includes 30 suites and 1,900 club seats.


title: Lower.com Field

text: Construction on the new stadium was originally scheduled to begin in the summer of 2019; groundbreaking was later rescheduled to October 10, 2019. Once the new stadium is complete, Historic Crew Stadium will be redeveloped into the training center of Columbus Crew, as well as a community sports park.


title: Lower.com Field

text: On June 15, 2021, the Crew announced that Columbus-based online real estate company Lower.com had purchased the naming rights to the stadium; per team policy, terms were not disclosed.


title: Lower.com Field

text: The first game in Lower.com Field was on July 3, 2021, and resulted in a 2–2 draw between the Crew and the New England Revolution. Parts of the stadium were still under construction at the time. The first goal in stadium history was scored by Tajon Buchanan of New England; Columbus' first goal was scored by Gyasi Zardes during the same match. On July 17, 2021, the Crew earned their first win at Lower.com Field with a 2–1 victory over New York City FC.


title: Lower.com Field

text: The stadium is owned by the Confluence Community Authority (CCA), a special district governed by the City of Columbus and Franklin County. The Crew have a 30-year lease with the CCA with an annual rent of $10 and an option to purchase the stadium outright in 2047 for 30 percent of its market value.


title: Theodore Sturgeon

text: Theodore Sturgeon (; born Edward Hamilton Waldo, February 26, 1918 – May 8, 1985) was an American fiction author of primarily fantasy, science fiction and horror, as well as a critic. He wrote approximately 400 reviews and more than 120 short stories, 11 novels and several scripts for "".


title: Theodore Sturgeon

text: Sturgeon's science fiction novel "More Than Human" (1953) won the 1954 International Fantasy Award (for SF and fantasy) as the year's best novel, and the Science Fiction Writers of America ranked "Baby Is Three" number five among the "Greatest Science Fiction Novellas of All Time" to 1964. Ranked by votes for all of their pre-1965 novellas, Sturgeon was second among authors, behind Robert Heinlein.


title: Theodore Sturgeon

text: An overview of his work by science fiction critic Sam Moskowitz can be found in the collective biography "Seekers of Tomorrow".


title: Theodore Sturgeon

text: The Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame inducted Sturgeon in 2000, its fifth class of two dead and two living writers.


title: Theodore Sturgeon

text: Sturgeon was born Edward Hamilton Waldo in Staten Island, New York, in 1918. His name was legally changed to Theodore Sturgeon at age eleven after his mother's divorce and remarriage to William Dicky ("Argyll") Sturgeon.


title: Theodore Sturgeon

text: He sold his first story in 1938 to the McClure Syndicate, which bought much of his early work. At first he wrote mainly short stories, primarily for genre magazines such as "Astounding" and "Unknown", but also for general-interest publications such as "Argosy Magazine". He used the pen name "E. Waldo Hunter" when two of his stories ran in the same issue of "Astounding". A few of his early stories were signed "Theodore H. Sturgeon."


title: Theodore Sturgeon

text: Sturgeon ghost-wrote one Ellery Queen mystery novel, "The Player on the Other Side" (Random House, 1963). This novel was praised by critic H. R. F. Keating: "[I] had almost finished writing "Crime and Mystery: the 100 Best Books", in which I had included "The Player on the Other Side" ... placing the book squarely in the Queen canon" when he learned that it had been written by Sturgeon. Similarly, William DeAndrea, author and winner of Mystery Writers of America awards, selecting his ten favorite mystery novels for the magazine "Armchair Detective", picked "The Player on the Other Side" as one of them. He said: "This book changed my life ... and made a raving mystery fan (and therefore ultimately a mystery writer) out of me. ... The book must be 'one of the most skilful pastiches in the history of literature. An amazing piece of work, whomever did it'."


title: Theodore Sturgeon

text: Disliking arguments with John W. Campbell over editorial decisions, after 1950 Sturgeon only published one story in "Astounding". Sturgeon wrote the screenplays for the "" episodes "Shore Leave" (1966) and "Amok Time" (1967, written up and published as a Bantam Books "Star Trek Fotonovel" in 1978). The latter featured the first appearance of pon farr, the Vulcan mating ritual, the sentence "Live long and prosper" and the Vulcan hand symbol. Sturgeon also wrote several "" scripts that were never produced. One of these first introduced the Prime Directive.


title: Theodore Sturgeon

text: He also wrote an episode of the Saturday morning show "Land of the Lost", "The Pylon Express", in 1975. Two of Sturgeon's stories were adapted for "The New Twilight Zone". One, "A Saucer of Loneliness", was broadcast in 1986 and was dedicated to his memory. Another short story, "Yesterday was Monday", was the inspiration for "The New Twilight Zone" episode "A Matter of Minutes". His 1944 novella "Killdozer!" was the inspiration for the 1974 made-for-TV movie, Marvel comic book, and alternative rock band of the same name, as well as becoming the colloquial name for Marvin Heemeyer's 2004 bulldozer rage incident.


title: Theodore Sturgeon

text: Sturgeon published the "first stories in science fiction which dealt with homosexuality, 'The World Well Lost' [June 1953] and 'Affair With a Green Monkey' [May 1957]", and sometimes put gay subtext in his work, such as the back-rub scene in "Shore Leave", or in his Western story, "Scars".


title: Theodore Sturgeon

text: Though not as well known to the general public as contemporaries like Isaac Asimov or Ray Bradbury, Sturgeon is well known among readers of mid-20th-century science fiction anthologies. At the height of his popularity in the 1950s he was the most anthologized English-language author alive. Three Sturgeon stories were adapted for the 1950s NBC radio anthology X Minus One: "A Saucer of Loneliness" (broadcast twice}, "The Stars Are The Styx" and "Mr. Costello, Hero".


title: Theodore Sturgeon

text: Carl Sagan described "To Here and the Easel" as "a stunning portrait of personality disassociation as perceived from the inside", and further said that many of Sturgeon's works were among the "rare few science‐fiction novels [that] combine a standard science‐fiction theme with a deep human sensitivity". John Clute wrote in "The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction": "His influence upon writers like Harlan Ellison and Samuel R. Delany was seminal, and in his life and work he was a powerful and generally liberating influence in post-WWII US sf". He won comparatively few genre awards. (One was the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement from the 1985 World Fantasy Convention.)


title: Theodore Sturgeon

text: Sturgeon's original novels were all published between 1950 and 1961, and the bulk of his short story work dated from the 1940s and 1950s. Though he continued to write through 1983, his work rate dipped noticeably in the later years of his life; a 1971 story collection entitled "Sturgeon Is Alive And Well..." addressed Sturgeon's seeming withdrawal from the public eye in a tongue-in-cheek manner. Sturgeon lived for several years in Springfield, Oregon. He died on May 8, 1985, of lung fibrosis, at Sacred Heart General Hospital in the neighboring city of Eugene.


title: Theodore Sturgeon

text: He was a member of the all-male literary banqueting club the Trap Door Spiders, which served as the basis of Isaac Asimov's fictional group of mystery solvers the Black Widowers. Sturgeon was the inspiration for the recurrent character of Kilgore Trout in the novels of Kurt Vonnegut.


title: Theodore Sturgeon

text: This was originally known as "Sturgeon's Revelation"; Sturgeon has said that "Sturgeon's Law" was originally


title: Theodore Sturgeon

text: However, the former statement is now widely referred to as Sturgeon's Law. He is also known for his dedication to a credo of critical thinking that challenged all normative assumptions: "Ask the next question." He represented this credo by the symbol of a Q with an arrow through it, an example of which he wore around his neck and used as part of his signature in the last 15 years of his life.


title: Theodore Sturgeon

text: Theodore's birth father, Edward Waldo, was a color and dye manufacturer of middling success. With his second wife, Anne, he had one daughter, Joan. Theodore's mother, Christine Hamilton Dicker (Waldo) Sturgeon, was a well-educated writer, watercolorist, and poet who published journalism, poetry, and fiction under the name Felix Sturgeon. His stepfather, William Dickie Sturgeon (sometimes known as Argyll), was a mathematics teacher at a prep school and then Romance Languages Professor at Drexel Institute [later Drexel Institute of Technology] in Philadelphia. Sturgeon's account of his stepfather is included in a posthumous memoir. Sturgeon's sibling, Peter Sturgeon, wrote technical material for the pharmaceutical industry and the WHO, and founded the American branch of Mensa.


title: Theodore Sturgeon

text: Sturgeon held a wide variety of jobs during his lifetime. As an adolescent, he wanted to be a circus acrobat; an episode of rheumatic fever prevented him from pursuing this. From 1935 (aged 17) to 1938, he was a sailor in the merchant marine, and elements of that experience found their way into several stories. He sold refrigerators door to door. He managed a hotel in Jamaica around 1940–1941, worked in several construction and infrastructure jobs (driving a bulldozer in Puerto Rico, operating a gas station and truck lubrication center, work at a drydock) for the US Army in the early war years, and by 1944 was an advertising copywriter. In addition to freelance fiction and television writing, in New York City he opened his own literary agency (which was eventually transferred to Scott Meredith), worked for "Fortune" magazine and other Time Inc. properties on circulation, and edited various publications. Sturgeon had somewhat irregular output, frequently suffering from writer's block.


title: Theodore Sturgeon

text: Sturgeon was married three times, had two long-term committed relationships outside of marriage, divorced once, and fathered a total of seven children.


title: Theodore Sturgeon

text: Sturgeon was a lifelong pipe smoker. His death from lung fibrosis may have been caused by exposure to asbestos during his merchant marine years.


title: Theodore Sturgeon

text: Sturgeon, under his own name, was hired to write novelizations of the following movies based on their scripts (links go to articles about the movies):


title: Theodore Sturgeon

text: Sturgeon published numerous short story collections during his lifetime, many drawing on his most prolific writing years of the 1940s and 1950s.


title: Theodore Sturgeon

text: Note that some reprints of these titles (especially paperback editions) may cut one or two stories from the line-up. Statistics herein refer to the original editions only.


title: Theodore Sturgeon

text: The following table includes sixteen volumes (one of them collecting western stories). These are considered "original" collections of Sturgeon material, in that they compiled previously uncollected stories. However, some volumes did contain a few reprinted stories: this list includes books that collected only previously uncollected material, as well as those volumes that collected "mostly" new material, but also contained up to three stories (representing no more than half the book) that were previously published in a Sturgeon collection.


title: Theodore Sturgeon

text: North Atlantic Books released the chronologically assembled "The Complete Short Stories of Theodore Sturgeon", edited by Paul Williams. The series consisted of 13 volumes published between 1994 and 2010. Introductions were provided by Harlan Ellison, Samuel R. Delany, Kurt Vonnegut, Gene Wolfe, Connie Willis, Jonathan Lethem, and others. Extensive story notes were provided by Paul Williams and, in the last two volumes, Sturgeon's daughter Noël.


title: Limited series (comics)

text: In the field of comic books, a limited series is a comics series with a predetermined number of issues. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is finite and determined before production, and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues. The term is often used interchangeably with miniseries (mini-series) and maxiseries (maxi-series), usually depending on the length and number of issues. In Dark Horse Comics' definition of a limited series, "this term primarily applies to a connected series of individual comic books. A limited series refers to a comic book series with a clear beginning, middle and end". Dark Horse Comics and DC Comics refer to limited series of two to eleven issues as miniseries and series of twelve issues or more as maxiseries, but other publishers alternate terms.


title: Limited series (comics)

text: A limited series can "vary widely in length, but often run from three to ten issues. They can usually be distinguished from ongoing series by having both the current issue number and total issue number on the cover and/or in the indicia". The limited series has a single story to tell. It follows the standard plot set-up of beginning, middle and end. Usually, all plot points are covered by the end of the series. There have been limited series done in an anthology format, but only a few of these have been produced.


title: Limited series (comics)

text: Limited series are often done by a single creative team, but in cases where there are changes, it is usually the writer who remains constant throughout the run, while the artist(s) may change. The number of issues is usually determined by some combination of the writer's plotting and editorial mandate.


title: Limited series (comics)

text: In 1979, in the process of recovering from the DC Implosion, publisher DC Comics experimented with a new format in the "World of Krypton" "miniseries", as DC termed such short-run works. The new format allowed the company to tell stories that may not have fit into an ongoing series and to showcase characters in a short story without the risk and obligations of an ongoing monthly. In 1980, DC followed "World of Krypton" with the three-issue series "The Untold Legend of the Batman", by Len Wein, John Byrne, and Jim Aparo. DC produced three more limited series in 1981, featuring another Krypton series, the Legion of Super-Heroes, and the Green Lantern Corps.


title: Limited series (comics)

text: With the success of the miniseries format, DC followed by experimenting with longer stories and concepts outside their universe of superheroes. Debuting in 1982, "Camelot 3000" was the first limited series to run to 12 issues. DC coined the term "maxiseries" as a promotional description for this.


title: Limited series (comics)

text: It did not take long for other publishers to begin using the limited series format. In 1982, Marvel Comics published its first limited series, "Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions", followed shortly thereafter by miniseries' featuring the X-Men's Wolverine and the Avengers' Hercules, and then "The Vision and the Scarlet Witch". At first, Marvel used the limited series format to feature popular characters from team titles and put them in solo adventures. "Contest of Champions" brought forth the idea of a major event affecting the Marvel Universe; crossovers were introduced in limited series form before the concept of multi-title crossovers was even conceived. This would be taken further with the 12-issue "Secret Wars" saga in 1984 and by DC's saga "Crisis on Infinite Earths" in 1985-1986.


title: Kim Pan-gon

text: Kim Pan-gon (; ; born May 1, 1969 in Jinju, South Korea) is a South Korean football manager who is currently the head coach of Malaysia national football team.


title: Kim Pan-gon

text: He previously served as the technical director of the Korea Football Association, the head coach of the Hong Kong national football team, the head coach of the Hong Kong U-23 team, the head coach of South China, Gyeongnam FC (tactical consultant), Busan I'Park, and Buler Rangers.


title: Kim Pan-gon

text: He led the Hong Kong U-23 team to win gold medal in the Football event at the 2009 East Asian Games football tournament after beating South Korea, North Korea and Japan.


title: Kim Pan-gon

text: He has obtained the AFC Professional Football Coaching Diploma, the highest football coaching qualification in Asia.


title: Kim Pan-gon

text: Kim Pan-gon was born into a family of peasants in Jinju, a small town in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. He was the youngest of five children and his family used to set up stalls to sell food 5 kilometers outside of Jinju every Friday. Kim Pan-gon loved football, but the junior high school he attended did not have a school team. In order to play football in high school, he enrolled in Changshin High School in Masan, which is 1 hour's drive from his hometown of Jinju, and Honam University, a famous non-traditional football school he attended in college.


title: Kim Pan-gon

text: Kim Pan-gon played for K League clubs Ulsan Hyundai and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors before arriving Hong Kong to play for Instant-Dict in 2000. In 1995, he suffered a serious injury of a shin bone fracture. He underwent 4 major surgeries, but in the end wept without even realizing his dream on the field. He moved to Double Flower after Instant-Dict pulled out. He had to give up his career as a player when he turned 30 due to health problems. In 2003, he became player-manager at Buler Rangers and retired as a player at the end of the season.


title: Kim Pan-gon

text: As the playing manager for two years from 2002 to 2004, he served as the Hong Kong Rangers, the weakest team in the Hong Kong League at the time, and took the first place with 7 wins and 2 draws in the first half of the 2002-03 season.


title: Kim Pan-gon

text: Kim returned to South Korea in 2004 and earned his Professional Coaching License of Asian Football Confederation (AFC), at the time only 5 people in South Korea held the same qualification. Since 2005, he has been appointed as the head coach of Busan I'Park , assisting coach Ian Porterfield. In 2006, Kim became acting coach. He won over the team that had been unbeaten in their 21st match after manager Ian Porterfield's sudden resignation in April 2006. After leading a streak of four consecutive victories, he returned as a coach when Andre Egli arrived. However, Egli abruptly announced his resignation while attending field training in the United States in June, and became the acting coach again. Coach Kim, who became the head coach after Egli, threw the baton after 17 days in office, and has only acted as an acting coach three times in the last one year and four months. During the period when Kim served as an interim coach, the position of Busan in the league rose at an alarming rate. Korean called him "Pan-gon Magic" but because the team never appointed him as head coach, he returned to Hong Kong in 2008.


title: Kim Pan-gon

text: After a few years working in the Korean League, he became the manager of Hong Kong First Division League giant South China from 2008. He led the team to the semi-final of the 2009 AFC Cup, but lost to Kuwait SC.


title: Kim Pan-gon

text: On 11 December 2010, after a 3-4 defeat by Kitchee, Kim Pan-gon resigned from the post of South China team manager, citing health reasons that required him to recuperate back in South Korea.


title: Kim Pan-gon

text: While managing South China, he was also the coach of the Hong Kong and Hong Kong U-23 from August 2009 to March 2010, during which time he led the senior team to the finals group of the 2010 East Asian Football Championship. He also led Hong Kong U-23 to win gold medal in the Football event at the 2009 East Asian Games football tournament after beating South Korea, North Korea and Japan.


title: Kim Pan-gon

text: On 26 November 2010, Kim was transferred position from manager to physical fitness consultant of South China, and he will return to South Korea later to serve as a tactical consultant for K-League team Gyeongnam FC. Kim told the media that due to minor heart and liver problems, it is not suitable for him to be the manager and head coach of South China. It is convenient to stay in South Korea for medical treatment. Earlier, he was invited by FC Gyeongnam to be the head coach, but Kim only agreed to serve as a tactical consultant, and his family would continue to stay in Hong Kong. However, due to the health of his wife living in Hong Kong, he returned to Hong Kong after one season.


title: Kim Pan-gon

text: Kim Pan-gon suddenly appeared in Hong Kong on 5 October 2011, he claimed to the media that his health has recovered and he has applied last week to the Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) to be the new Hong Kong national football team coach. He also confirmed that his contract with Gyeongnam FC still has one year to run, but he will be released if he is appointed by the HKFA.


title: Kim Pan-gon

text: Kim Pan-gon was appointed National Academy coach by the HKFA on 22 December 2011. He was wholly responsible for the identification, development and coaching of all players aged 18 and below. He took up the position of acting head coach of Hong Kong national football team in November 2012 following the resignation of former head coach Ernie Merrick.


title: Kim Pan-gon

text: Following the team's impressive performance under Kim, the Hong Kong Football Association confirmed Kim as the permanent head coach of the Hong Kong national football team on 28 May 2013. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the HKFA.


title: Kim Pan-gon

text: According to Kim, most of the Hong Kong players do not have an environment where they can comfortably focus on football, where most of the players are semi-pro. Kim took this into consideration and used the short time as efficiently as possible. The focus was on physical strength and organization. Hong Kong players worked together through strengthening training for about two to three days a week.


title: Kim Pan-gon

text: On December 2015, HKFA announced that they will renew the contract with Hong Kong team head coach Kim Jong-kun until June 2018.


title: Kim Pan-gon

text: The 2015 World Cup qualifiers, Hong Kong's two 0-0 draws with China, not only attracted new fans to support the Hong Kong team, but also made Kim Pan-goon's popularity high. However, in the past two years, the situation has quickly declined. Kim Pan-goon's team missed the Asian Cup qualifying round and selected too many foreign players, but the Hong Kong team did not see outstanding results, which also caused him to be criticized.


title: Kim Pan-gon

text: During the game against North Korea, some fans held up the "Kim Out" slogan and asked Kim to resign as the coach of the Hong Kong team due to his bad performance in the last round of 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification. "Kim Out" slogan flooded the social media too, criticising Kim's conservative tactics and failed to play offensive football, making it difficult for the Hong Kong team to win. Hong Kong fans also criticised that after Kim took the office, the number of naturalised player in the team increased greatly, making it difficult for local teenagers to find opportunities to fight for the place. Some naturalised player of the Hong Kong team are indeed very old like defender Festus Baise and attacking midfielder Itaparica, who are both over 37 years old. Kim replied to the fans regarding the influx of naturalised player on an interview in December 2019, saying "Hong Kong is an international city, everyone wants to be a Hong Konger, and everyone wants to fight for the citizens of Hong Kong. Why aren't they [naturalised player] welcomed?".


title: Kim Pan-gon

text: In December 2017, Kim resigned as the head coach of Hong Kong to become technical director of the Korean Football Association.


title: Kim Pan-gon

text: On 26 December 2017, Kim was appointed by the Korea Football Association to be the technical director of the South Korea national team supervisory committee. He is responsible for hiring coaches for the South Korea national team and its U-23 squad. He is playing a role in promoting the development of football by appointing, evaluating, and supporting the national team coach selection, management, and long-term roadmap.


title: Kim Pan-gon

text: On 21 January 2022, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) announced that they had hired Kim Pan-gon as the new national team head coach. He resigned as the technical director of the Korean Football Association and took a flight to Malaysia in mid-February with four coaching staff, comprising analysis and fitness officers, assistant coaches, and technical trainers. Kim was offered a two-year contract that run until 2024 and would be extended if FAM is satisfied with the performance of the national squad in the future.


title: Kim Pan-gon

text: On 15 June 2022, he managed to help Harimau Malaya team qualify for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup after 42 years since the last time the Malaysian national football team qualified for the prestigious tournament with merit.


title: Kim Pan-gon

text: He resides in Hong Kong with his wife, son and daughter. He successfully obtained a Hong Kong identity card after living in Hong Kong for 7 years.


title: Recursive descent parser

text: In computer science, a recursive descent parser is a kind of top-down parser built from a set of mutually recursive procedures (or a non-recursive equivalent) where each such procedure implements one of the nonterminals of the grammar. Thus the structure of the resulting program closely mirrors that of the grammar it recognizes.


title: Recursive descent parser

text: A "predictive parser" is a recursive descent parser that does not require backtracking. Predictive parsing is possible only for the class of LL("k") grammars, which are the context-free grammars for which there exists some positive integer "k" that allows a recursive descent parser to decide which production to use by examining only the next "k" tokens of input. The LL("k") grammars therefore exclude all ambiguous grammars, as well as all grammars that contain left recursion. Any context-free grammar can be transformed into an equivalent grammar that has no left recursion, but removal of left recursion does not always yield an LL("k") grammar. A predictive parser runs in linear time.


title: Recursive descent parser

text: Recursive descent with backtracking is a technique that determines which production to use by trying each production in turn. Recursive descent with backtracking is not limited to LL("k") grammars, but is not guaranteed to terminate unless the grammar is LL("k"). Even when they terminate, parsers that use recursive descent with backtracking may require exponential time.


title: Recursive descent parser

text: Although predictive parsers are widely used, and are frequently chosen if writing a parser by hand, programmers often prefer to use a table-based parser produced by a parser generator, either for an LL("k") language or using an alternative parser, such as LALR or LR. This is particularly the case if a grammar is not in LL("k") form, as transforming the grammar to LL to make it suitable for predictive parsing is involved. Predictive parsers can also be automatically generated, using tools like ANTLR.


title: Recursive descent parser

text: Predictive parsers can be depicted using transition diagrams for each non-terminal symbol where the edges between the initial and the final states are labelled by the symbols (terminals and non-terminals) of the right side of the production rule.


title: Recursive descent parser

text: The following EBNF-like grammar (for Niklaus Wirth's PL/0 programming language, from "Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs") is in LL(1) form:


title: Recursive descent parser

text: Terminals are expressed in quotes. Each nonterminal is defined by a rule in the grammar, except for "ident" and "number", which are assumed to be implicitly defined.


title: Recursive descent parser

text: What follows is an implementation of a recursive descent parser for the above language in C. The parser reads in source code, and exits with an error message if the code fails to parse, exiting silently if the code parses correctly.


title: Recursive descent parser

text: Notice how closely the predictive parser below mirrors the grammar above. There is a procedure for each nonterminal in the grammar. Parsing descends in a top-down manner until the final nonterminal has been processed. The program fragment depends on a global variable, "sym", which contains the current symbol from the input, and the function "nextsym", which updates "sym" when called.


title: BraveStarr

text: BraveStarr is an American space Western animated series that aired 65 episodes from September 1987 to February 1988 in syndication. The show was created a year after Mattel had released a line of action figures. "BraveStarr" was the last animated series produced by Filmation and Group W Productions before Filmation shut down in 1989. Reruns of the show aired on Qubo Night Owl from 2010 to 2013, and on the Retro Television Network from 2010 to 2015.


title: BraveStarr

text: The idea for BraveStarr began with Tex Hex, his chief adversary. Tex Hex was created by Filmation's staff artists in 1984, during the development of Filmation's "Ghostbusters". Lou Scheimer found the character fascinating and pulled Tex Hex from the Ghostbusters cast. He asked Arthur Nadel, Filmation's Vice President for Creative Affairs, and art director John Grusd to develop a science fiction Western around the character. As the concepts took shape, staff writer Bob Forward fleshed out the writer's guide and eventually co-wrote the feature film script for "" with writer Steve Hayes.


title: BraveStarr

text: The episodes combine elements of science fiction and western genres. It is set in the 23rd century on a multi-cultural desert planet called New Texas.


title: BraveStarr

text: As on other "Filmation" series ("He-Man and the Masters of the Universe", "", "Shazam!", "The Secret of Isis", and the animated "Ghostbusters"), a moral lesson is told at the end of each episode. One notable episode is "The Price", in which a boy buys a drug called "Spin", becomes addicted to it, and dies of an overdose.


title: BraveStarr

text: The setting in most episodes is New Texas: a planetary system orbiting three suns, 600 parsecs (1957 light-years) from Earth. Much of the food and water supply is imported. The majority of land is desert or prairie but there is one wetland area, which is the home of "apecats". Water is also found in cactus-like 'Aqua-Pod' plants. The chief export is Kerium, a red mineral used as a fuel source, and often therefore the prize of conflicts among characters. Implications exist that New Texas was colonized for Kerium, but will remain inhabited even after the mines are exhausted. The native civilization of New Texas are the Prairie People, who operate most of the Kerium mines.


title: BraveStarr

text: Two episodes are set on Earth, where the city of London resembles a modernized Victorian England, including a time-traveling Sherlock Holmes.


title: BraveStarr

text: In 1986, a year before the TV series premiered, Mattel released an action figure line based on the Filmation cartoon series. These figures were large for the time at nearly 8" tall and came in a windowed box with artwork similar to that of their "Masters of the Universe" contemporaries. Each figure had a unique action feature and was packaged with one or more Kerium nuggets. Marshal BraveStarr and Tex Hex were also packaged with a Laser Fire Backpack which shot infrared beams and had "space-age" sound effects. Such backpacks were individually available – blue for heroes and black for villains. Other figures available were Handlebar, Sandstorm, Thirty/Thirty, Skuzz, Fuzz, Col. Borobot and Thunderstick. The Neutra-Laser weapon, which worked with the infrared technology, and Fort Kerium playset also made their way to toy shelves. A second series of figures was designed but never produced. This included Dingo Dan, Judge J. B., Long Arm John, Rampage, and the Starr Hawk vehicle.


title: BraveStarr

text: Various other forms of "BraveStarr" merchandise made their way to the market including a Colorforms Adventure Set, View-Master reels, Ladybird storybook, pillow case, sticker album, and water gun, among others. A comic book series, "BraveStarr in 3-D", also began under Blackthorne Publishing in January 1987.


title: BraveStarr

text: A "BraveStarr" video game was released for Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, and ZX Spectrum in 1987. It is a side-scrolling shooter game.


title: BraveStarr

text: "BraveStarr" made its way to VHS in compilations such as "Filmation All-Star Theatre" and "Sampler Collection". Individual episodes of the series found their way to shelves as late as 1989.


title: BraveStarr

text: BCI Eclipse Entertainment (under its Ink & Paint classic animation entertainment label) (under license from Entertainment Rights) released the entire series on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time in 2007/2008. Each episode on BCI Ink & Paint's DVD releases of "BraveStarr" was uncut, digitally remastered and fully restored for optimum audio and video quality and presented in its original broadcast presentation and story continuity order. The series was released in 2 volume sets, with the first volume featuring several bonus features. , these releases have been discontinued and are out of print as BCI Eclipse ceased operations.


title: BraveStarr

text: On December 10, 2010, Mill Creek Entertainment announced that it had acquired the rights from Classic Media to re-release the series on DVD in North America. They subsequently released a complete series set as well as two single volume releases on May 10, 2011.


title: Protoplanetary disk

text: A protoplanetary disk is a rotating circumstellar disc of dense gas and dust surrounding a young newly formed star, a T Tauri star, or Herbig Ae/Be star. The protoplanetary disk may also be considered an accretion disk for the star itself, because gases or other material may be falling from the inner edge of the disk onto the surface of the star. This process should not be confused with the accretion process thought to build up the planets themselves. Externally illuminated photo-evaporating protoplanetary disks are called proplyds.


title: Protoplanetary disk

text: Protostars form from molecular clouds consisting primarily of molecular hydrogen. When a portion of a molecular cloud reaches a critical size, mass, or density, it begins to collapse under its own gravity. As this collapsing cloud, called a solar nebula, becomes denser, random gas motions originally present in the cloud average out in favor of the direction of the nebula's net angular momentum. Conservation of angular momentum causes the rotation to increase as the nebula radius decreases. This rotation causes the cloud to flatten out—much like forming a flat pizza out of dough—and take the form of a disk. This occurs because centripetal acceleration from the orbital motion resists the gravitational pull of the star only in the radial direction, but the cloud remains free to collapse in the axial direction. The outcome is the formation of a thin disc supported by gas pressure in the axial direction. The initial collapse takes about 100,000 years. After that time the star reaches a surface temperature similar to that of a main sequence star of the same mass and becomes visible.


title: Protoplanetary disk

text: It is now a T Tauri star. Accretion of gas onto the star continues for another 10 million years, before the disk disappears, perhaps being blown away by the young star's stellar wind, or perhaps simply ceasing to emit radiation after accretion has ended. The oldest protoplanetary disk yet discovered is 25 million years old.


title: Protoplanetary disk

text: Protoplanetary disks around T Tauri stars differ from the disks surrounding the primary components of close binary systems with respect to their size and temperature. Protoplanetary disks have radii up to 1000 AU, and only their innermost parts reach temperatures above 1000 K. They are very often accompanied by jets.


title: Protoplanetary disk

text: Protoplanetary disks have been observed around several young stars in our galaxy. Observations by the Hubble Space Telescope have shown proplyds and planetary disks to be forming within the Orion Nebula.


title: Protoplanetary disk

text: Protoplanetary disks are thought to be thin structures, with a typical vertical height much smaller than the radius, and a typical mass much smaller than the central young star.


title: Protoplanetary disk

text: The mass of a typical proto-planetary disk is dominated by its gas, however, the presence of dust grains has a major role in its evolution. Dust grains shield the mid-plane of the disk from energetic radiation from outer space that creates a dead zone in which the magnetorotational instability (MRI) no longer operates.


title: Protoplanetary disk

text: It is believed that these disks consist of a turbulent envelope of plasma, also called the active zone, that encases an extensive region of quiescent gas called the dead zone. The dead zone located at the mid-plane can slow down the flow of matter through the disk which prohibits achieving a steady state.


title: Protoplanetary disk

text: The nebular hypothesis of solar system formation describes how protoplanetary disks are thought to evolve into planetary systems. Electrostatic and gravitational interactions may cause the dust and ice grains in the disk to accrete into planetesimals. This process competes against the stellar wind, which drives the gas out of the system, and gravity (accretion) and internal stresses (viscosity), which pulls material into the central T Tauri star. Planetesimals constitute the building blocks of both terrestrial and giant planets.


title: Protoplanetary disk

text: Some of the moons of Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus are believed to have formed from smaller, circumplanetary analogs of the protoplanetary disks. The formation of planets and moons in geometrically thin, gas- and dust-rich disks is the reason why the planets are arranged in an ecliptic plane. Tens of millions of years after the formation of the Solar System, the inner few AU of the Solar System likely contained dozens of moon- to Mars-sized bodies that were accreting and consolidating into the terrestrial planets that we now see. The Earth's moon likely formed after a Mars-sized protoplanet obliquely impacted the proto-Earth ~30 million years after the formation of the Solar System.


title: Protoplanetary disk

text: Gas-poor disks of circumstellar dust have been found around many nearby stars—most of which have ages in the range of ~10 million years (e.g. Beta Pictoris, 51 Ophiuchi) to billions of years (e.g. Tau Ceti). These systems are usually referred to as "debris disks". Given the older ages of these stars, and the short lifetimes of micrometer-sized dust grains around stars due to Poynting Robertson drag, collisions, and radiation pressure (typically hundreds to thousands of years), it is thought that this dust is from the collisions of planetesimals (e.g. asteroids, comets). Hence the debris disks around these examples (e.g. Vega, Alphecca, Fomalhaut, etc.) are not truly "protoplanetary", but represent a later stage of disk evolution where extrasolar analogs of the asteroid belt and Kuiper belt are home to dust-generating collisions between planetesimals.


title: Protoplanetary disk

text: Based on recent computer model studies, the complex organic molecules necessary for life may have formed in the protoplanetary disk of dust grains surrounding the Sun before the formation of the Earth. According to the computer studies, this same process may also occur around other stars that acquire planets. (Also see Extraterrestrial organic molecules).


title: Batten disease

text: Batten disease is a fatal disease of the nervous system that typically begins in childhood. Onset of symptoms is usually between 5 and 10 years of age. Often, it is autosomal recessive. It is the common name for a group of disorders called the neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs).


title: Batten disease

text: Although Batten disease is usually regarded as the juvenile form of NCL (or "type 3"), some physicians use the term Batten disease to describe all forms of NCL. Historically, the NCLs were classified by age of disease onset as infantile NCL (INCL), late infantile NCL (LINCL), juvenile NCL (JNCL) or adult NCL (ANCL). At least 20 genes have been identified in association with Batten disease, but juvenile NCL, the most prevalent form of Batten disease, has been linked to mutations in the "CLN3" gene. It was first described in 1903.


title: Batten disease

text: Early signs and symptoms of the disorder usually appear around ages 2–10, with gradual onset of vision problems or seizures. Early signs may be subtle personality and behavioral changes, slow learning or regression, repetitive speech or echolalia, clumsiness or stumbling. Slowing head growth in the infantile form, poor circulation in lower extremities (legs and feet), decreased body fat and muscle mass, curvature of the spine, hyperventilation and/or breath-holding spells, teeth grinding and constipation may occur.


title: Batten disease

text: Over time, affected children experience mental impairment, worsening seizures and progressive loss of sight, speech and motor skills. Batten disease is a terminal disease; life expectancy varies depending on the type or variation.


title: Batten disease

text: Females with juvenile Batten disease show first symptoms a year later than males, but on average die a year sooner.


title: Batten disease

text: NCLs are a family of diseases that are inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. Collectively referred to as Batten disease, NCLs are responsible for most paediatric neurodegenerative diseases. The specific type of NCL is characterized by the age of symptomatic onset and genetic mutation involved. Currently, mutations in ten genes are believed to lead to the development of Batten disease; 'the incidence is as high as one in 12,500 live births'.


title: Batten disease

text: The "CLN3" gene is located on the short arm of chromosome 16 at gene position 12.1 (16p12.1), and mutations within this gene are the major cause of juvenile NCL. More specifically, 73% of Batten disease cases are due to a 1.02-kb deletion within this gene, "CLN3", which causes a frameshift which produces a truncated mutant gene product of only 181 amino acids in length when compared to the wild-type gene product of 438 amino acids in length. Normal-functioning "CLN3" encodes for a hydrophobic transmembrane protein that is mainly localized to the lysosome; however, the 181 amino acid mutant gene product was instead found to primarily localize to the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus. The precise function of the "CLN3" gene product remains unknown.


title: Batten disease

text: Batten disease is rare; misdiagnosis may lead to increased medical expenses, family stress, and the chance of using incorrect forms of treatment, which may exacerbate the patient's condition. Nevertheless, Batten disease can be diagnosed if properly detected. Vision impairment is the most common observable symptom of the disease. Partial or complete loss of vision often develops in patients who have childhood forms of Batten disease, while it is usually preserved in those with adult-onset Batten disease. Children or adults suspected of having Batten disease should initially see an optometrist or ophthalmologist. A fundus eye examination that aids in the detection of common vision impairment abnormalities, such as granularity of the retinal pigment epithelium in the central macula will be performed. Though it is also seen in a variety of other diseases, a loss of ocular cells is a warning sign of Batten disease. If Batten disease is the suspected diagnosis, a variety of tests is conducted to help accurately confirm the diagnosis, including:


title: Batten disease

text: Batten disease is a terminal illness; the FDA has approved Brineura (cerliponase alfa) as a treatment for a specific form of Batten disease. Brineura is the first FDA-approved treatment to slow loss of walking ability (ambulation) in symptomatic pediatric patients 3 years of age and older with late infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis type 2 (CLN2), also known as tripeptidyl peptidase-1 (TPP1) deficiency. Palliative treatment is symptomatic and supportive. One drug, an antisense oligonucleotide, milasen, described in The New England Journal of Medicine, is believed to be the first "custom" treatment for a genetic disease. It is named after Mila Makovec, the only patient who may ever take it.


title: Batten disease

text: Batten disease is named after the British pediatrician Frederick Batten, who first described it in 1903. Also known as Spielmeyer-Vogt-Sjögren-Batten disease, it is the most common form of a group of disorders called neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL). Although Batten disease is usually regarded as the juvenile form of NCL, some physicians use the term Batten disease to describe all forms of NCL.


title: Batten disease

text: In June 1987, a phase-I clinical trial was launched at Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University to study a gene therapy method for treatment of the signs and symptoms of LINCL. The experimental drug works by delivering a gene transfer vector called AAV2CUhCLN2 to the brain. Although the trial is not matched, randomized, or blinded and lacked a contemporaneous placebo/sham control group, assessment of the primary outcome variable suggests a slowing of progression of LINCL in the treated children.


title: Batten disease

text: Researchers believe the neurological deficits common in JNCL could be due to overactive AMPA receptors in the cerebellum. To test this hypothesis, researchers administered AMPA antagonist drugs into affected mice. The motor skills of the affected mice showed significant improvement after the antagonist treatment, which supported the hypothesis that the neurological deficits in JNCL are due to overactive AMPA receptors. This research could eventually help to alleviate neurological deficits of JNCL in humans.


title: Batten disease

text: In November 2006, after receiving FDA clearance, neurosurgeon Nathan Selden, pediatrician Bob Steiner, and colleagues at Doernbecher Children's Hospital at Oregon Health and Science University began a clinical study in which purified neural stem cells were injected into the brain of Daniel Kerner, a six-year-old child with Batten disease, who had lost the ability to walk and talk. This patient was the first of six to receive the injection of a stem cell product from StemCells Inc., a Palo Alto biotech company. These are believed to be the first-ever transplants of fetal stem cells into the human brain. By early December, the child had recovered well enough to return home, and some signs of speech returning were reported. The main goal of phase-I clinical trials, however, was to investigate the safety of transplantation. Overall, the phase-I data demonstrated that high doses of human neural stem cells, delivered by a direct transplantation procedure into multiple sites within the brain, followed by 12 months of immunosuppression, were well tolerated by all six patients enrolled in the trial. The patients' medical, neurological, and neuropsychological conditions, following transplantation, appeared consistent with the normal course of the disease.


title: Batten disease

text: In 2010, Cherie and Jim Flores donated $2 million, the biggest gift in Batten disease research history, and the Beyond Batten Disease Foundation contributed $500,000 to establish laboratories for Italian researchers Drs. Ballabio, Sardiello and their colleagues at the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute of Texas Children's Hospital.[14]


title: Batten disease

text: During 2011, the first controlled clinical trials began with the University of Rochester for a treatment for Batten Disease.[15] The trial included 30 patients who were experiencing signs of the disease in the hope of slowing its progress.


title: Batten disease

text: In November 2013, Weill Medical College of Cornell University began recruiting participants for a safety study of a gene transfer vector,[16] described as a non-randomised safety and efficacy trial.


title: Batten disease

text: As part of a trial began by University of Rochester in March 2014. Mycophenolate mofetil is being tested to determine its efficacy and safety using a gene transfer vector.


title: Batten disease

text: In complex diseases such as Batten, therapies that address multiple aspects of the disease at the same time have the potential for higher impact than those focusing on one aspect."The use of several treatment strategies might offer additional benefits to patients with neurodegenerative disease, but the benefits of this approach must be weighed carefully against the additional adverse effects that combined treatments might bring," the researchers wrote. The medical team also noted that "over the past two decades, scientists and clinicians within the Batten disease community have worked to ensure that tools are in place to enable progress towards effective treatments at an unprecedented pace. "Recent progress in Batten disease research offers hope that efficient and targeted therapies will be available soon, the researchers said, noting that the "Batten disease research community is becoming a model of how effective, efficient rare disease research can be accomplished by working together."


title: Neverwinter (video game)

text: Neverwinter is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Cryptic Studios for Microsoft Windows in 2013, Xbox One in 2015, and PlayStation 4 in 2016. Based on the fictional "Forgotten Realms" city of Neverwinter from "Dungeons & Dragons", "Neverwinter" is a standalone game and not part of the previous "Neverwinter Nights" series.


title: Neverwinter (video game)

text: Players can choose one of eight "Dungeons & Dragons" character classes and form groups of up to five player characters (PCs). "Neverwinter" was originally based on a modified version of the "Dungeons & Dragons" 4th edition rules set. This includes the use of healing powers and "action points", the latter of which is implemented through a system referred to as "dailies", allowing a player to perform a special ability by accumulating enough action points through combat. A player-created content system codenamed "Foundry" allows players to create their own stories and quests.


title: Neverwinter (video game)

text: On October 5, 2011, it was announced that the gameplay of "Neverwinter" would be re-structured into a free-to-play MMORPG with extra items and other advantages available for purchase for a fee.


title: Neverwinter (video game)

text: In August 2014, the "Tyranny of Dragons" module was used to bridge the narrative gap between the game and the then recently released 5th Edition "Dungeons & Dragons". Many of the subsequent modules would have ties to 5th Edition "Dungeons & Dragons" storylines, such as "Elemental Evil", "Storm King's Thunder", "Tomb of Annihilation", "Ravenloft" and "Undermountain". In April 2019, all eight classes received varying levels of balance and adjustments and each class was renamed to align with 5th Edition "Dungeons & Dragons".


title: Neverwinter (video game)

text: The setting of "Neverwinter" takes place in a time when the eponymous city is plunged into chaos after the disappearance of the last Lord of Neverwinter. In the aftermath of the Spellplague and a Primordial Fire Elemental's almost destroying Neverwinter, as seen in the novel "Gauntlgrym", the remaining citizens form factions and struggle for dominance over the populace as the dead begin to rise and attack "the city they once called home." The player is investigating the Sect Crown of Neverwinter and trying to figure out what the skeletons and another mysterious group are looking for. The included locations are based on the novels "Gauntlgrym", "Neverwinter", and "Charon's Claw". Players are also able to create whole new locations that may or may not conform to the lore on which the rest of the game is based. This content is clearly distinguished so as not to confuse users, and they are informed whether they are playing user-generated or official content.


title: Neverwinter (video game)

text: Briefly assuming her pre-lich appearance, the Lich Queen Valindra attacks the soldiers of New Neverwinter, as new grounds are being built outside of the original city, which is being repaired. Valindra's actions spark the Battle of the Bridge, in which Barrabus the Gray (formerly known as Artemis Entreri) and Drizzt Do'Urden are rumored to be present by gossipers at a pub in the shattered town of Luskan. Each soldier tells his own story of the battle until one soldier reveals that Valindra's attack was going badly until the blue dragon, Fulminorax, a leader in the country of Thay, helped her escape. The soldier finishes by asking the people where they will be and what they will be doing when the dragon attacks again.


title: Neverwinter (video game)

text: After their ship was sunk by a dracolich, adventurers help a nearby militia of Neverwinter against Valindra. While not confronting her directly on the Sleeping Dragon Bridge, the heroes fight a Harbinger, a huge humanoid undead, then go to Protector's Enclave to tell a Sergeant about what happened. For their valor, the adventurers become the Heroes of the Sleeping Bridge. Learning that the Nashers took advantage of Valindra's attack, the heroes track them to the Blacklake District. There they fight a chosen of Ghaunadaur and Nasher leader Karzov. With the Nasher Rebellion ended, the Heroes head to the Cloak Tower and defeat Vansi Bloodscar, an orcish commander from the Kingdom of Many-Arrows.


title: Neverwinter (video game)

text: Sent to help Dorothea Linkletter, the spellscarred wife of Josef Linkletter, the Heroes learn the wizard Rhazzad had sacrificed all the spellscarred victims he hid from Helm's Hold. Learning Rhazzad's masters to be in the Chasm, the heroes defeat the wizard when he turns into a plaguechanged monstrosity. Forced to delay going after Rhazzad's masters, the Heroes are put in contact with the Harpers to fight against Malus and Traven Blackdagger. Learning the Blackdagger brothers to have been turned undead by the Thayan necromancer Kallos Tam, the Heroes defeat the pirates and Valindra's agent. Learning the Red Wizard of Thay Xivros plans to raise Arleos the Unforgiven, the Heroes are unable to stop the resurrection but do put down the monster when it rises. The heroes also learn that in another part of Neverdeath Graveyard, Valindra defeated the Cult of the Dragon over the dracolich Azharzel. The Spellplague victims then become a priority again as the Prophet of Helm's Hold has been revealed to be a succubus called Rohini. With the Ashmadai active in Neverwinter, the Heroes raid the fortress, defeat Rohini and slay her green dragon Chartilifax.


title: Neverwinter (video game)

text: When the Barrow Lords and the Netherese necromancer Idris raised the dead of Ebon Downs, the Heroes of the Sleeping Bridge were dispatched and defeated the undead. When the Uthgardt barbarians under the Netherese began to hunt down the Forsworn, the Heroes decided to put an end to the Netherese menace. Stopping Netheril's plans with Xin'Kar, a piece of the Enclave Xinlenal, the Heroes defeated the Uthgardt chieftain and Netherese forces. Joining forces with Company Yargo, the Heroes then took down another Blackdagger Pirate, the undead Bartholomew Blackdagger. Aiding the Icehammer Dwarves, the Heroes proceeded to slay the Frost Giant Hrimnir and destroy the Winterforge. When the Chasm is threatened by the Order of the Blue Fire, the Heroes finally begin to finish off another loose end: Rhazzad's masters. Heading down the Chasm, the Heroes find A'Drx'l, the Aboleth that was guiding Rhazzad, and slay it.


title: Neverwinter (video game)

text: When Drow slavers from House Xorlarrin began appearing and creating a settlement called New Xorlarrin, the Heroes set out to stop them and put an end to their fledgling designs. In doing so, they learned that the Drow Goddess Lolth was trying to take over magic. While the Xorlarrins retreat, the Heroes defeat the Fire Giant Gommoth and red dragon Karrundax. The Xorlarrins retake the abandoned city of Zesraena and fight the Heroes at the Doors of Delzoun in a losing effort. Learning of the Xorlarrin alliance with Illithids, the Heroes fought the Mind Flayers and their Duergar thralls, eventually entering a structure known as the Iron Heart to defeat Yshiggol.


title: Neverwinter (video game)

text: With their strength grown, the Heroes of the Sleeping Bridge decide to end the destructive conflict between Neverwinter and Thay by targeting Valindra Shadowmantle directly. Entering Castle Never, the Heroes fight through hordes of undead and Valindra's most powerful soldiers. Eventually confronting the Lich Queen directly, they defeat her and her dracolich Ahzarzel.


title: Neverwinter (video game)

text: Atari bought Cryptic Studios in the fall of 2009. In late August 2010, Atari announced "Neverwinter", to be developed by Cryptic Studios, with a release scheduled for late 2011. They revealed that the game would coincide with a multi-media event revolving around the city of Neverwinter, including the release of four books (one already in stores), a co-operative board game and a "Dungeons & Dragons" role-playing game being released to promote the launch of the MMORPG. In May 2011, Atari announced that it would be selling Cryptic Studios, stating that development of "Neverwinter" would continue as normal, but only for the time being.


title: Neverwinter (video game)

text: The game was first publicly displayed at E3 2011, where many details about the game were revealed. The game was originally scheduled to be released as a cross media event coinciding with the release of a series of four books by fantasy author R.A. Salvatore and a tabletop game from Wizards of the Coast. Laura Tommervik (Wizards of the Coast marketing team) explained the approach: "We use Neverwinter as the connective tissue across multiple product categories. The transmedia campaign is an opportunity for fans to experience the brand however they choose to".


title: Neverwinter (video game)

text: Due to Cryptic's acquisition by Perfect World Entertainment, "Neverwinter" was delayed to 2012. Perfect World also bought the rights to publish the game from Atari, coinciding with the conclusion of Atari's lawsuit with Wizards of the Coast on the "Dungeons & Dragons" license. Perfect World announced that "Neverwinter" had shifted from the co-operative multiplayer game that was announced the previous year into a free-to-play MMORPG on October 5, 2011. This further delayed the game to late 2012. Perfect World would later again delay "Neverwinter" into early 2013 to better polish the game.


title: Neverwinter (video game)

text: Prior to releasing major details on the game, Perfect World launched a viral marketing campaign called the Siege of Neverwinter, featuring videos from the game's story. The game was at Penny Arcade Expo (Pax) East 2012, where it was awarded Best of Show by MMORPG.com. In the same month of showing at PAX East, it also appeared at Gamescom, where it showed off its Events feature, and Gen Con Indy, where it let attendees try out early version drow race characters. It was announced in 2012 that the game's campaign would feature sixty levels. The game ran closed beta testing from February 8, 2013 to April 14, 2013. Open beta began on April 30, 2013.


title: Neverwinter (video game)

text: Shannon Appelcline, author of the "Designers & Dragons" series, wrote the ""Neverwinter Campaign Setting" was launched as 4e's first major multimedia release — a marketing approach that Wizards would regularly use in later years. It was closely tied to a series of four novels, a comic book, two different computer games, and even a board game. [...] Two more Neverwinter computer games were appearing thanks to Wizards' 'transmedia' campaign. A new MMORPG simply called "Neverwinter" was to be the center of the Neverwinter rollout. Unfortunately it was delayed for two years due to the resolution of a computer gaming lawsuit and the subsequent sale of the developer, Cryptic Studios. [...] "Neverwinter" (2013) finally appear only after the rest of the launch. It continues to be supported to this day and has participated in some of D&D 5e's multimedia rollouts".


title: Neverwinter (video game)

text: In December 2021, Swedish holding company Embracer Group announced that it would acquire the North American and publishing arms of Perfect World Entertainment from Perfect World Europe through its Gearbox Software subsidiary. Following the acquisition, Perfect World Entertainment was dissolved into Gearbox Publishing and renamed as Gearbox Publishing SF (San Francisco), who is now the current publisher for "Neverwinter", while Cryptic will continue operations as a subsidiary of The Gearbox Entertainment Company.


title: Neverwinter (video game)

text: In 2013, Daniel Tack of "Forbes" wrote: ""Neverwinter" offers experiences for players that normally wouldn't play MMORPGs, and also provides a framework for core genre players. Looking for action and adventure in the world of Forgotten Realms? "Neverwinter" delivers."


title: Neverwinter (video game)

text: Stephanie Carmichael, for "VentureBeat" in 2013, wrote "Adventuring solo is easy, and you can almost ignore all the MMO elements going on in the background. [...] To speak to the MMO side of Neverwinter, adventurers always have plenty to do. You can waste a whole day just completing enough daily quests to earn Astral Diamonds (ADs), one of the main forms of in-game currency. [...] While you won’t have trouble acquiring most types of currencies, the value of Zen (the money you need to purchase all those fancy extras) is extraordinarily high. And you have no easy way to earn it. You either pay real money (about $1 per 100 Zen) or exchange ridiculous amounts of ADs for them. You can’t simply buy it with ADs, either. Players must offer them up for trade on the Astral Diamond Exchange, choosing how many ADs they’re willing to give for however much Zen. Then the players with the Zen decide whether that trade is worthwhile. [...] When it comes to balancing, Neverwinter suffers in two areas: companion level and PvP. [...] It may have its flaws, but Neverwinter is highly enjoyable and accessible to veteran, beginner, and casual players alike".


title: Neverwinter (video game)

text: In 2015, the "Polygon" review reported that ""Neverwinter" on Xbox One manages to map your heroes' abilities effortlessly across the controller, in a scheme that feels great both in and out of combat. Unfortunately, other aspects of the port totally miss the mark; in terms of performance, "Neverwinter" on Xbox One can really take a dive".


title: Neverwinter (video game)

text: In 2015, Boston Blake, for "GameRant", wrote ""Neverwinter" is the first true MMO for Xbox One, and it delivers well on that premise. [...] While the lag spikes and framerate issues aren't frequent enough to stop players from enjoying the game, they are definitely annoying. Thankfully, Cryptic is aware of the issue and is working to correct this soon. [...] The Tyranny of Dragons is where "Neverwinter" really comes alive, as players work together with friends in epic battles against dragons and other massive foes. If players can hold on until they reach level 26, they will be greatly rewarded for their dedication and patience. It's important to remember that "Neverwinter" on Xbox One is completely free to download and play, so the whole game, including Tyranny of Dragons, can be completed without ever spending a penny. In fact, players do not need to purchase any materials or items through microtransactions in order to do well in the game. [...] Despite its PvP shortcomings and current framrate issues, "Neverwinter" proves to be a solid MMO for Xbox One owners. Although it's certainly not a hardcore MMORPG, it's a fantastic starting point for console gamers or those who have little experience in the genre. Those who venture through the game will discover an enjoyable and challenging adventure that keeps their attention, provides plenty of unique experiences, and keeps them coming back for more".


title: Neverwinter (video game)

text: In 2016, Ryan Winslett, for "CinemaBlend", wrote "Five minutes into "Neverwinter" on the PlayStation 4, I found myself talking to elves, slaying orcs with my arcane powers, strolling past a downed Dracolich and coming face to face with the Lich Queen Valindra. [...] For starters, "Neverwinter" is a free-to-play MMO in the purest sense of the term. [...] Unfortunately, heavily populated areas like Protector's Enclave take a noticeable hit in the framerate department. [...] Otherwise, the various regions of the city and the surrounding areas are nicely detailed and offer a lot of variety, and the looting, treasure hunting and occasional mini-games give you plenty of reason to explore off the beaten path along the way. [...] There's loads of content here, but a lot of the fat has been cut from the typical MMO experience to make for a more focused romp through a beloved fantasy world. [...] As is customary with free-to-play games, there are certainly things you can drop a few dollars on along the way. Convenience items, cosmetic items, flashy mounts and the like are up for grabs, as well as expansions to your inventory, bank holdings and character slots. There's even a subscription service for those who want to be a VIP, gaining access to regular rewards and additional perks like a private room at the fanciest tavern in "Neverwinter". But like I noted earlier, all of the actual game content is gratis and, since Neverwinter has proven to be a solid action MMO, you really have nothing to lose by giving it a shot".