title: Hasan al-Basri

text: As scholars have noted, very few of Hasan's original writings survive, with his proverbs and maxims on various subjects having been transmitted primarily through oral tradition by his numerous disciples. While fragments of his famed sermons do survive in the works of later authors, the only complete manuscripts that bear his name are apocryphal works such as the "Risālat al-qadar ilā ʿAbd al-Malik" ("Epistle to ʿAbd al-Malik against the Predestinarians"), a pseudopigraphical text from the ninth or early-tenth century, and another letter "of an ascetic and hortatory character" addressed to Umar II (d. 720), which is likewise deemed spurious.


title: Hasan al-Basri

text: Traditionally, Hasan has been commemorated as an outstanding figure by all the Sunni schools of thought, and was frequently designated as one of the well respected of the early Islamic community in later writings by such important Sunni thinkers as Abu Talib al-Makki (d. 996), Abu Nu`aym (d. 1038), Ali Hujwiri (d. 1077), Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 1201), and Attar of Nishapur (d. 1221). In his famed "Ḳūt al-ḳulūb", the most important work of Basran Sunni mysticism, Abu Talib al-Makki says of Hasan: "Ḥasan is our Imām in this doctrine which we represent. We walk in his footsteps and we follow his ways and from his lamp we have our light" ("wa ’l-Ḥasanu raḥimahu ’llāhu imāmunā fī hād̲h̲a ’l-ʿilmi ’llad̲h̲ī natakallamu bih , at̲h̲arahu naḳfū wa sabīlahū natbaʿu wa min mis̲h̲kātihi nastaḍīʾ").


title: Hasan al-Basri

text: Hasan was born in Medina in 642 CE. His mother, Khayra, is said to have been a maidservant of one of the prophet Muhammad's wives, Umm Salama (d. 683), while his father, Peroz, was a Persian slave who originally hailed from southern Iraq. According to tradition, Hasan grew up in Medina for the vast portion of his early life, prior to his family's move to Basra after the Battle of Siffin. According to some scholars, it is "primarily this association with Medina and his acquaintance there with many of the notable Companions and wives of Muḥammad that elevated [Hasan's] importance as an authoritative figure in Muslim religious and historical genealogy."


title: Hasan al-Basri

text: The various extant biographies relate that Hasan was once nursed by Umm Salama, and that his mother took him after his birth to the caliph Umar (d. 644), who is related to have blessed him with the prayer: "O God! Please do make him wise in the faith and beloved to all people." As he grew, Hasan began to be widely admired for his uncompromising faithfulness to the example of Muhammad. The various early sources on Hasan's life relate that he frequently studied at the feet of Ali (d. 661) during this period, who is said to have taught Hasan while the latter was still "an adolescent." As there is evidence that the metaphysical idea of the "abdal" – forty major saints whose number, according to traditional Sunni mystical belief, is believed to remain constant till the Day of Judgment, with each group of forty being replaced by another upon their earthly death – was prevalent at the time, there are traditions which relate that some of Hasan's contemporaries did indeed identify him as one of the "abdal" of that period.


title: Hasan al-Basri

text: As a young man, Hasan took part in the campaigns of conquest in eastern Iran (ca. 663) and worked as a jewel-merchant, prior to forsaking the business and military life for that of a pure ascetic and scholar. It was during this latter period that he openly began to criticize the policies of the governors in Iraq, even stirring up the authorities to such a degree that he actually had to flee for the safety of his life under the reign of Ḥaj̲j̲āj, whose anger Hasan had roused due to his forthright condemnation of Ḥaj̲j̲āj's founding of Wāsiṭ in 705. One of Hasan's closest companions from this period was his fellow ascetic and mystic Farqad as-Sabakhi (d. 729), an Armenian Christian convert to Islam. Together with figures like as-Sabakhi and Rabia Basri (d. 801), Hasan began to publicly denounce the accumulation of riches by the wealthy; and it is said that he personally despised wealth to such a degree that he even "rejected a suitor for his daughter's hand who was famous for his wealth simply because of his riches." It was during this period, moreover, that Hasan is said to have taken numerous disciples in mysticism, such as Habib al-Ajami (d. ca. 8th century), whose relationship with Hasan is documented in various hagiographies. Hasan died in Basra in 728, being eighty-six years old. According to a tradition quoted by the medieval traditionist Qushayri (d. 1074), "on the night of al-Hasan al-Basri’s death ... [a local man] saw in a dream that the Gates of Heaven were opened and a crier announced: 'Verily, al-Hasan al-Basri is coming to God Most High, Who is pleased with him.'"


title: Hasan al-Basri

text: As one scholar has explained, the essence of Hasan's message was "otherworldliness, abstinence, poverty, and reverential fear of God, although he also spoke of the knowledge and love of God, which he contrasted with love and knowledge of the world."


title: Hasan al-Basri

text: Although none of Hasan's own complete writings on mysticism survive, it is recognized that he "instructed several generations of students in both the religious sciences and what was soon to become known as Sufism." As such, he has been referred to as both "the great patriarch" of Sufism and "the patriarch of Muslim mysticism" by Western scholars. Indeed, it may very well be that Hasan never actually wrote any complete works on the subject, as none of his works in other disciplines survive either; rather, what is far more probable, as scholars have noted, is that he passed down his teachings orally. From the fragments of his sermons available to us in later Islamic works, it is clear that one of the primary aspects of Hasan's mysticism was his strong support for asceticism and otherworldliness. This characteristic is highlighted in some of his most famous epigrams, such as: "Exist in this world as if you had never set foot here, and in the next world as if you had never left it." Another of his most ubiquitous sayings is: "He that knoweth God loveth Him, and he that knoweth the world abstaineth from it," which, according to one scholar, represents the "very quintessence of Sufism" in Basra at the time. In another of his famous maxims, Hasan stated: "The [visionary] onlooker thinketh that they are sick, but no sickness hath smitten that folk. Or, if thou wilt, they are smitten: overwhelmingly smitten by remembrance of the Hereafter," which, according to one scholar, "mentions the possibility of seeing clearly the next life whilst still in this and describes the lasting imprint of this foretaste." As scholars have noted, Hasan spoke of "such visionaries objectively" despite it being clear that he knew himself to be one of them. In the words of one scholar, Hasan's famous mystical extortions "still echo in Persian, Turkish, and Pashto mystical verses" many centuries later.


title: Hasan al-Basri

text: Hasan has been described as "an outstanding intermediary figure" in Sufi history, for although "he grew up in the apostolic age [the age of the "ṣaḥābah"]," the nature of the mystical body in early Islam had changed "by the time of his own death at the age of 86," by which point "the mystics of Islam had become a distinct class." According to traditional Sunni mystical works, Hasan learnt a great deal of his inward knowledge from Ali, which is why "many of the Sufi orders trace their spiritual descent back to 'Ali, and thus to the Prophet" through Hasan.


title: Hasan al-Basri

text: Hasan is said to have advocated the use of prayer beads (Arabic: "misbaḥah"; Persian, Turkish, and Urdu: "tasbīḥ") during the remembrance of God. It is related by al-Suyuti (d. 1505) that Hasan said, with regard to the use of prayer beads, "Something we have used at the beginning of the road we are not desirous to leave at the end. I love to remember God with my heart, my hand, and my tongue." On this, al-Suyuti commented: "And how should it be otherwise, when the dhikr-beads remind one of God Most High, and a person seldom sees dhikr-beads except he remembers God, which is among the greatest of its benefits." As a result of the example of early teachers like Hasan, the use of prayer beads is very common in mainstream Sunni and Shia Islam; the practice is, however, often opposed by some proponents of Salafism and Wahhabism for being a heretical innovation in the religion.


title: Hasan al-Basri

text: Islamic hagiography contains numerous widespread traditions and anecdotes relating to Hasan. One of the most famous of these is the story of his conversion, which "relates that the great ascetic began his adult life as a successful jewel-merchant." The hagiographic scholar John Renard summarizes the narrative thus: "Hasan once visited the Byzantine Emperor's court, and the vizier invited him to travel with him into the desert. There Hasan saw a lavish tent, to which came in succession a large army, four hundred scholars, elders, and four hundred beautiful servant maids. The vizier explained that each year since the Emperor's handsome young son had died of an illness, these throngs of Byzantine subjects had come to pay respects to the dead prince. After all these categories of royal subjects had entered and departed, the Emperor and his chief minister would go into the tent and explain to the deceased boy, in turn, how it grieved them that neither their might, nor learning, nor wisdom, nor wealth and beauty, nor authority had been sufficient to prolong his promising life. The striking scene persuaded Hasan of the need to be ever mindful of his mortality, and he was transformed from a prosperous businessman into a veritable archetype of the world-renouncing ascetic."


title: Hasan al-Basri

text: Some hagiographic sources even indicate that Hasan actually met the prophet Muhammad as an infant. The tradition relates that Muhammad, who "visited Umm Salama's house while the baby was there," "prayed for little Hasan and again bestowed blessings." On another occasion, the child Hasan is said to have drunk some water from Muhammad's water jug. When Muhammad learned that Hasan had drunk the water, he is said to have "declared that the boy would receive knowledge from him in proportion to the water he had imbibed."


title: Hasan al-Basri

text: According to various historical sources, it is said that Hasan was admired by his contemporaries for his handsome appearance. In this connection, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (d. 1350) relates an older tradition, which states: "A group of women went out on the day of Eid and went about looking at people. They were asked: 'Who is the most handsome person you have seen today?' They replied: 'It is a teacher wearing a black turban.' They meant al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī." As for his personality, it is related that Hasan was a frequent weeper, being known by those around him "for the abundance of tears he shed out of compunction for his sins." One particular tradition relates that he wept so much praying on his rooftop one day that his abundant tears began to run off "through the downspouts upon a passerby, who inquired whether the water was clean." Hasan immediately called out to the man below, telling him "it was not, for these were sinner's tears." As such, "he advised the passerby to wash himself forthwith." In a similar vein, Qushayri related of Hasan: "One would never see al-Hasan al-Basri without thinking that he had just been afflicted with a terrible tragedy." With regard to these traditions, one scholar noted that it is evident that Hasan "was deeply steeped in the sadness and fear so typical of ascetics of all religions."


title: Samuel Paparo

text: Samuel John Paparo Jr. (born 1964) is a United States Navy four-star admiral serving as the 64th commander of the United States Pacific Fleet, succeeding Admiral John C. Aquilino on May 5, 2021. He previously served as commander of the United States Naval Forces Central Command, United States Fifth Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces. In previous command tours, Paparo commanded Carrier Strike Group 10 from July 2017 to March 2018 and Carrier Air Wing 7 from August 2011 to December 2012.


title: Samuel Paparo

text: A native of Morton, Pennsylvania, Paparo is the son of a former enlisted Marine and the grandson of a World War II enlisted sailor. As a youth, Paparo attended Cardinal O'Hara High School. He was commissioned in 1987 via the NROTC program at Villanova University. He earned an M.A. degree in International Studies from Old Dominion University and an M.S. degree in Systems Analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School. He also graduated from the Air Command and Staff College, the Air War College, the Naval War College and the Joint and Combined Warfighting School.


title: Basutoland

text: Basutoland was a British Crown colony that existed from 1884 to 1966 in present-day Lesotho. Though the Basotho (then known as Basuto) and their territory had been under British control starting in 1868 (and ruled by Cape Colony from 1871), the Cape Colony was unpopular and unable to control the territory. As a result, Basutoland was brought under direct authority of Queen Victoria, via the High Commissioner, and run by an Executive Council presided over by a series of British Resident Commissioners.


title: Basutoland

text: It was divided into seven administrative districts: Berea, Leribe, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mafeteng, Qacha's Nek and Quthing.


title: Basutoland

text: Basutoland gained its independence from the United Kingdom on 4 October 1966 and was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho.


title: Basutoland

text: Between 1856 and 1868 the Basotho engaged in conflict with the Orange Free State. Their king, Moshoeshoe I, sought British protection. On 29 August 1865, he wrote to Sir Philip Wodehouse, the Governor of Cape Colony:


title: Basutoland

text: Eventually, in January 1868, the Governor received a document dated 9 December 1867, signed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies, authorizing the annexation of Basutoland to the Colony of Natal (not to the Cape as Wodehouse had wished). On 12 March 1868, a proclamation declared the Basotho to be British subjects and Basutoland to be British territory. It was not in fact annexed to Natal, as Natal attempted unsuccessfully to condition its acceptance on Basotho land being made available for European settlement; so for some time Basutoland remained under the direct authority of Wodehouse as British High Commissioner for South Africa.


title: Basutoland

text: Three years later, Basutoland was annexed to the Cape Colony by Act No. 12 of 1871 of the Parliament of the Cape of Good Hope, confirmed by an Order in Council of 3 November 1871. The rule of the Cape Colony then proved unpopular with the people, leading to the Basuto Gun War of 1880–1881.


title: Basutoland

text: By an Order in Council dated 2 February 1884, which came into force on 18 March 1884, royal assent was given to a Cape bill repealing the Act of 1871. Basutoland was thus brought under the direct authority of the Queen, with legislative and executive powers again vested in the High Commissioner.


title: Basutoland

text: Moshoeshoe had been succeeded as paramount chief by his son, Letsie I, and he in turn was succeeded in 1891 by Lerotholi Letsie I. These chieftains acted in concert with the British representative in the country, to whom was given the title of resident commissioner. The first commissioner was Sir Marshal James Clarke. The period of warfare over, the Basotho turned their attention more and more to agricultural pursuits and Christian missionaries entered the territory. Trade increased, and in 1891 Basutoland was admitted to the customs union, which already existed between Orange Free State, Cape Colony and British Bechuanaland. When Alfred Milner visited Basutoland in 1898, on his way to Bloemfontein, he was received by 15,000 mounted Basotho. The chiefs also attended a large meeting at Maseru. On the outbreak of the Boer War in 1899, these same chiefs proclaimed loyalty to the British Crown. They remained passive throughout the War and the neutrality of the country was respected by both armies. One chief alone sought to take advantage of the situation by disloyal action, and his offence was met by a year's imprisonment.


title: Basutoland

text: In pursuance of the policy of encouraging the self-governing powers of the Basotho, a national council was instituted and held its first sitting in July 1903. In August 1905 the paramount chief Lerotholi died. In early life he had distinguished himself in the wars with the Boers, and in 1880 he took an active part in the revolt against the Cape government. Since 1884 he had been a loyal supporter of the imperial authorities, and carried a reputation for high diplomatic gifts. On the 19th of September following Lerotholi's death, the national council, with the concurrence of the imperial government, elected his son Letsie II as paramount chief. The completion in October 1905 of a railway connecting Maseru with the South African railway system proved a great boon to the community. During the Bambatha Rebellion in 1906 the Basotho remained perfectly quiet.


title: Basutoland

text: Basutoland's Executive Council members were the resident commissioner, who presided, three "ex-officio" members and four council members from the Basutoland National Council, appointed by the resident commissioner, one by the Paramount Chief and three nominated by the Council itself, selected by secret ballot.


title: Basutoland

text: The legislative council, known as the Basutoland National Council, consisted of a non-voting President appointed by the Resident Commissioner, four official members (ex officio), twenty-two Chiefs, forty elected members elected by District Councils, and fourteen nominated members appointed by the Resident Commissioner on the nomination of the Paramount Chief. The Resident Commissioner had the right to address the council.


title: Basutoland

text: The Commissioner had authority to make laws by Proclamation on certain subjects, such as external affairs, defence and the public service. These matters were excluded from the powers of the National Council, but the Commissioner was required to lay a draft of any Proclamation before the council and to consider their observations. The Constitution made special provision regarding particular objections made by the council.


title: Basutoland

text: There was a College of Chiefs of Basutoland whose function related to matters pertaining to the offices of the Paramount Chief, Chief and Headman. Their decisions and recommendations were submitted for acceptance to the Paramount Chief. They were subject to review by the High Court.


title: Basutoland

text: The Constitution vested a number of functions in the Paramount Chief. In exercising these, he was required in most cases to consult either with the Executive Council or with the Resident Commissioner, a Council member of the Executive and a member of the Basotho Nation appointed by himself.


title: Basutoland

text: Land in Basutoland was vested by the Constitution in the Paramount Chief in trust for the Basotho Nation, subject to lawfully acquired rights.


title: Basutoland

text: Considering the extensive area of uninhabitable mountain land it contained, the territory supported a mediocre population. The inhabitants increased from 128,206 in 1875, to 348,848 in 1904. Women outnumbered men by about 20,000, which was, however, about the number of adult men away from the country at any given period. The majority lived in the district between the Maloti Mountains and the Caledon River. The great bulk of the people were Basotho, but there were some thousands of Barolong and other natives. The White inhabitants in 1904 numbered 895. Maseru, the seat of government, had in 1904 a population of about 1,000 including some 100 Europeans.


title: Basutoland

text: The Chief Justice was the Chief Justice of the High Commission Territories (Basutoland, Bechuanaland Protectorate and Swaziland). From 1951 the Chief Justices were:


title: Big Red Machine

text: The Big Red Machine is a nickname for the Cincinnati Reds baseball team that dominated the National League from 1970 to 1979 and is widely recognized as being among the best in baseball history. The team won six National League West Division titles, four National League pennants, and two World Series titles. Between 1970 and 1979 the team averaged over 95 wins a season, with a total record of 953 wins and 657 losses.


title: Big Red Machine

text: The core of that Reds team had the best record in the Major Leagues in 1981, but did not make the postseason because of Bowie Kuhn's split-season playoff format due to the player's strike.


title: Big Red Machine

text: The nickname was introduced in a July 4, 1969 article by Bob Hertzel in "The Cincinnati Enquirer", but gained prominence in reference to the 1970 team, which won 70 of its first 100 games (a feat accomplished only a few times in MLB history) and posted a regular season record of 102–60 and won the National League pennant. Rookie and future-Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson headed the Big Red Machine, which at its peak featured Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Tony Pérez, and was supported by Dave Concepción, George Foster, César Gerónimo and Ken Griffey, Sr. The Cincinnati Reds of the 1970s garnered more World Series appearances than any other team during that decade, and compiled an overall record of 953 wins and 657 losses. They are the only National League team since the 1921 and 1922 New York Giants to win back-to-back World Championships. Among NL teams, only the 1996 Atlanta Braves and the 2009 Philadelphia Phillies have returned to the Fall Classic with a chance to repeat as World Champions in years since, both falling to the New York Yankees of the "Core Four" era. The 2010–2014 San Francisco Giants did win three World Championships in five years, at least sparking the debate of whether they could be considered a National League dynasty, but they did not reach the postseason in consecutive years during this span.


title: Big Red Machine

text: The eight players most frequently referenced as members of the Big Red Machine include baseball's all-time hit leader in Rose; three Hall of Fame players in Bench, Pérez and Morgan, six National League MVP selections, four National League home run season leaders, and three NL Batting Champions. Between them, these eight players collectively won 25 Gold Glove awards and made 63 All-Star Game appearances. The starting lineup of Bench, Rose, Morgan, Pérez, Concepción, Foster, Griffey, and Gerónimo (collectively referred to as the "Great Eight") played 88 games together during the 1975 and 1976 seasons, losing only 19.


title: Big Red Machine

text: Dan Driessen took over at first base for Tony Perez in 1977. Although some of the original players departed the team, some extended the Big Red Machine nickname for two more years until the departures of Anderson and Rose following the 1978 season. The Reds turned around to finish in second place in 1977 and 1978. Ray Knight replaced Pete Rose at third base for Cincinnati in 1979 and the rest of the Reds starting lineup still included six of the great eight: Bench, Morgan, Foster, Concepcion, Griffey and Geronimo. The Cincinnati Reds won another division title in 1979, but lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NLCS.


title: Big Red Machine

text: The Big Red Machine had one last great run in 1981 when they finished the strike season with the best record in baseball. Only three of the great eight remained in the starting lineup: Foster, Griffey and Concepcion. Bench had an injury plagued season and was moved from catcher to third base. Tom Seaver had a win–loss record of 14–2 and an ERA of 2.54 while starting only 23 games in the Reds' strike-shortened 108-game regular season. Despite that, the Reds finished second in the National League West in both halves of the season, making them ineligible to compete in the postseason despite having the best overall record in baseball.


title: Big Red Machine

text: The Big Red Machine's archrival were the Los Angeles Dodgers. The two teams often competed for the NL West division title and finished either first or second in every year from 1970 through 1979 with the one exception being 1971. Reds manager Sparky Anderson once said, "I don't think there's a rivalry like ours in either league. The Giants are supposed to be the Dodgers' natural rivals, but I don't think the feeling is there anymore. It's not there the way it is with us and the Dodgers." The rivalry ended when division realignment moved the Reds to the NL Central. However, they did face one another in the 1995 NLDS, with the Reds sweeping the Dodgers in three games.


title: Big Red Machine

text: The Big Red Machine was also part of the rivalry with the two Pennsylvania teams. All of the Reds' four pennants in the 1970s came against these teams (Pittsburgh Pirates in 1970, 1972, and 1975, and Philadelphia Phillies in 1976). In 1979, Pete Rose added to the notion of the Big Red Machine being part of the rivalry when he signed with the Phillies and helped them win their first World Series championship in .


title: Big Red Machine

text: The clubhouse of the Big Red Machine was full of young kids who would go on to play in the Major Leagues. The most successful was Ken Griffey Sr.'s son Ken Griffey Jr., who went on to have a Hall of Fame career. Furthermore, Ed Sprague Sr.'s son Ed Sprague Jr., Charlie Leibrandt's son Brandon Leibrandt, Pedro Borbon's son Pedro Borbón Jr., Ed Crosby's son Bobby Crosby, Pete Rose's son Pete Rose Jr., Clyde Mashore's sons Damon Mashore and Justin Mashore, Hal McRae's son Brian McRae, Julian Javier's son Stan Javier, and Tony Perez's son Eduardo Perez as well as Bill Plummer's grandson Conner Menez, and Lee May's grandson Jacob May, all played in MLB. Additionally, Paul Blair's son Paul Blair III, Bobby Tolan's son Robbie Tolan, Lee May's son Lee May Jr., Tommy Helms' son Tommy Helms Jr., Rich Hinton's son Robert Hinton, Darrel Chaney's son Keith Chaney and grandson Chase Chaney, Andy Kosco's son Bryn Kosco, Ken Griffey Sr.'s son Craig Griffey, and Tony Perez's son Victor Perez, all played minor league baseball.


The 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).


title: 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season

text: The regular season began on August 27, 2014 and ended on December 13, 2014. The postseason concluded on January 12, 2015 with the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.


text: The 2014 season marked a major change to the postseason with the introduction of the College Football Playoff, a four-team knockout tournament to determine the national champion of Division I FBS. The College Football Playoff system replaced the Bowl Championship Series, which had been in use since 1998.


text: Ohio State beat Oregon to claim the first ever FBS (formerly Division I-A) national title awarded using a playoff system. Following the game, Ohio State was named the No. 1 team in the AP Poll and Coaches' Poll for the season, making the Buckeyes consensus national champions among the major polls.


text: A rule meant to slow down the hurry-up offense by preventing teams from snapping the ball within the first ten seconds of the 40-second play clock to allow for defensive substitutions, or be penalized five yards for delay of game (except within the final 2:00 of each half or when the play clock is set to 25 seconds) was tabled by the Rules Committee and not voted on.


text: Appalachian State, Georgia Southern and Old Dominion moved from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to FBS. 2014 was expected to be the final season for UAB football, who dropped their program at the conclusion of the season due to financial reasons. The UAB football program later restarted in 2017.


text: Rankings reflect the AP Poll. Rankings for Week 9 and beyond will list College Football Playoff Rankings first and AP Poll second. Teams that fail to be a top 10 team for one poll or the other will be noted.


text: <nowiki>*</nowiki> On July 22, 2016, Georgia Southern announced that it had been ordered by the NCAA to vacate two wins from the 2013 season and one win from the 2014 season as punishment for fielding academically ineligible student athletes during those games. The ruling does not affect Georgia Southern's 2014 Sun Belt Conference Football Championship.


text: Starting with the 2014–15 postseason, six College Football Playoff (CFP) bowl games will host two semifinal playoff games on a rotating basis. For this season, the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl will host the semifinal games, with the winners advancing to the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.


text: † – Appalachian State (7–5), Georgia Southern (9–3, Sun Belt champions), and Old Dominion (6–6) were conditionally eligible based on win–loss record. However, under FCS-to-FBS transition rules, they are not eligible because enough teams qualified under normal circumstances.


text: ‡ – Idaho was ineligible for postseason play due to an insufficient Academic Progress Rate. However, the Vandals would not have been eligible without the ban, as they finished with a 1-10 record.


text: Unlike the BCS, the Coaches' Poll is not contractually obligated to name the CFP champion as its No. 1 team.


text: This is restricted to coaching changes taking place on or after May 1, 2014. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2014, see 2013 NCAA Division I FBS end-of-season coaching changes.


text: ^Does not include viewers from ESPN Megacast which also included channels ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, ESPN Classic, and ESPN Deportes. 34.1 Million viewers for all channels combined.


title: Australian green tree frog

text: The Australian green tree frog ("Ranoidea caerulea"), also known as simply green tree frog in Australia, White's tree frog, or dumpy tree frog, is a species of tree frog native to Australia and New Guinea, with introduced populations in the United States and New Zealand, though the latter is believed to have died out. It is morphologically similar to some other members of its genus, particularly the magnificent tree frog ("R. splendida") and the white-lipped tree frog ("R. infrafrenata").


title: Australian green tree frog

text: Larger than most Australian frogs, the Australian green tree frog reaches 10 cm (4 in) or more in length. Its average lifespan in captivity, about 16 years, is long compared with most frogs. Docile and well suited to living near human dwellings, Australian green tree frogs are often found on window sills or inside houses, eating insects drawn by the light. The green tree frog screams when it is in danger to scare off its foe, and squeaks when it is touched.


title: Australian green tree frog

text: Due to its appearance and behavioural traits, the green tree frog is a popular exotic pet throughout the world. The skin secretions of the frog have antibacterial and antiviral properties that may prove useful in pharmaceutical preparations and which have rendered it relatively immune to the population declines being experienced by many species of amphibian. It is a common species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being "least concern".


title: Australian green tree frog

text: The Australian green tree frog is a member of the family Hylidae and is placed in the subfamily Pelodryadinae, which is endemic to Australia and New Guinea and includes over 100 species in the genera "Ranoidea" and "Nyctimystes". The common name of the species, "White's tree frog", is in honour of John White's first description in 1790. The green tree frog was the first Australian frog to be scientifically described; the original specimen found its way into the collection of Sir Joseph Banks, but was destroyed when the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons in London was bombed in World War II.


title: Australian green tree frog

text: The species was originally called the "blue frog" ("Rana caerulea") despite its green colour. The specimens White sent to England were damaged by the preservative and appeared blue. The colour of the frog is caused by blue and green pigments covered in a yellow layer; the preservative destroyed the yellow layer and left the frog with a blue appearance. The specific epithet, "caerulea", which is Latin for blue, has remained. This frog is sometimes referred to as "Pelodryas caerulea" in the scientific literature. In Australia, the frog is also known more simply as the "green tree frog", but that name is often given to the most common green arboreal species in a region, such as the American green tree frog ("Hyla cinerea").


title: Australian green tree frog

text: A 2020 study showed that "Litoria caerulea" is actually a species complex that includes recently identified species such as "Litoria mira", which is endemic to New Guinea.


title: Australian green tree frog

text: The green tree frog is a plump, rather large tree frog, and can grow up to in length, with fully grown females being slightly larger than males. A distinctive fatty ridge is seen over the eye, and the parotoid gland is moderately large. The iris is golden and has a horizontally slit pupil, and the tympanum (a skin membrane similar to an eardrum) is visible just behind the eye. The limbs are short and robust, and large adhesive discs are at the end of the digits which provide grip while climbing. The fingers are about one-third webbed, and the toes nearly three-quarters webbed. The dorsal colour depends on the temperature and nature of the environment, ranging from brownish- or greyish-green to bright emerald green. The frog occasionally has small, irregularly shaped white spots on its back. Males have a greyish, wrinkled vocal sac under the throat, while the throat of females is white. The ventral surface in both sexes is creamy-white and rough in texture.


title: Australian green tree frog

text: This frog is similar in appearance to the magnificent tree frog ("R. splendida"), which inhabits only north-western Australia. Older members of that species have very large parotoid glands, which cover the entire top of their heads and droop over their tympana. The parotoid gland of the green tree frog is much smaller, and it also lacks the yellow speckling on the back and the yellow markings on the hand, groin, and thigh. It can be distinguished from the white-lipped tree frog(giant tree frog "N. infrafrenatus") by the distinct white stripe that species has along the edge of the lower jaw and extending to the shoulder, which is not present in the green tree frog.


title: Australian green tree frog

text: The tadpoles' appearance changes throughout their development. When newly hatched, they are long and when fully developed, . They are initially mottled with brown, and increase in pigmentation (to either green or brown) during development. Their undersides are initially dark, but later become lighter in hue. The eggs are brown and are wrapped in a clear jelly; they are in diameter.


title: Australian green tree frog

text: The call is a low, slow "", repeated many times. For most of the year, the frogs call from high positions, such as trees and gutters, but during the breeding season, they descend to near the ponds and pools, where they breed. Like many frogs, green tree frogs call not only to attract a mate, but also to advertise their location outside the mating season. They are particularly vocal after rain, but the reasons for this are unclear. They emit a stress call when they are in danger, such as when being attacked by a predator or when a person steps on the log in which one is concealed.


title: Australian green tree frog

text: The green tree frog is native to northern and eastern regions of Australia and to the lowlands of New Guinea. Distribution is limited mostly to areas with warm, wet tropical climates. Its range spans from Irian Jaya to Port Moresby, and is most abundant on Daru Island. The IUCN suggests "scattered locations" in both New Guinea and Indonesia. In Australia, its range extends from the Kimberley region of Western Australia through the Northern Territory and Queensland to north and central New South Wales and the extreme northeasterly part of South Australia. Its total extent of land occupancy is around .


title: Australian green tree frog

text: The species has been introduced to both the United States and New Zealand. In the United States, it is restricted to two regions within Florida, where it was possibly introduced through the pet trade. Only small populations have been found there, and whether they have caused any ecological damage as an invasive species is unknown. In New Zealand, several individuals were liberated in various locations in 1897 and 1899, and a further accidental introduction was made in the 1940s. No sightings have been reported of this species since the 1950s.


title: Australian green tree frog

text: Depending on their location, green tree frogs occupy various habitats. They prefer moist forests but are not strictly limited to tropical rainforests. They are often found in the canopy of trees near water bodies, but also occupy terrestrial habitats well away from water. They favour old stands of "Eucalyptus", where the trees have hollows in which water collects. They are common along inland waterways and can survive in swamps (among the reeds) or in grasslands in cooler climates.


title: Australian green tree frog

text: Green tree frogs are little troubled by the presence of humans and often live in close association with them. They sometimes stray inside houses and are found in such places as sinks and toilets. They can also be found on outside windowsills at night, eating insects attracted to the light, and they may gather under outdoor lighting for the same reason. They sometimes occupy tanks (cisterns), downpipes (downspouts), and gutters, as these have high humidity and are usually cooler than the external environment. They may be drawn to the downpipes and tanks during the mating season because the fixtures amplify their calls. Green tree frogs seem to have homing abilities, being able to return to locations from which they were caught from a considerable distance after being displaced.


title: Australian green tree frog

text: Australian green tree frogs are very docile and unafraid of humans. They are nocturnal and come out in early evenings to call (in spring and summer) and hunt for food. During the day, they find cool, dark, and moist areas, such as tree holes or rock crevices, in which to sleep. They are not a rainforest species, but make use of the rain that falls almost daily and collects on leaves and in crevices, to keep themselves moist. Their skin exudes a waxy coating that helps prevent evaporation. In dry periods, they avoid desiccation by concealing themselves in a cool spot, perhaps by burrowing, and enveloping themselves in a cocoon made of shed skin and mucus.


title: Australian green tree frog

text: The diet of the green tree frog consists mainly of insects such as moths, cockroaches, and locusts. They also eat spiders and can include smaller frogs and even small mammals (including bats) among their prey. Frog teeth are not suited to cutting up prey, so the food item must be small enough to fit inside its mouth. Many frogs flick out their sticky tongues at prey and the victim sticks to the tip and is drawn back into the mouth and consumed. A green tree frog uses this technique for smaller prey; for larger items, however, it pounces, then pushes the prey into its mouth with its hands.


title: Australian green tree frog

text: The frog has a few native predators, among them snakes and birds. Since the European settlement of Australia, non-native predators have been introduced, primarily dogs and cats. The species has an average life expectancy in captivity of 16 years, but some have been known to live over 20 years.


title: Australian green tree frog

text: Breeding occurs between November and February. During the mating season, the males call from slightly elevated positions close to the still-water sources in which they choose to breed. Clumps of between 200 and 2000 eggs are laid which initially float, but sink within 24 hours. The development of the tadpoles takes about six weeks, after which they undergo metamorphosis and leave the water as juvenile frogs.


title: Australian green tree frog

text: The green tree frog is one of the most popular pet frogs throughout the world. Its docile nature and long life expectancy make it an attractive choice for exotic pet owners. It is also one of the easier frogs to maintain; its diet is broad and it has a strong resistance to disease. One problem commonly associated with keeping this species as a pet is overfeeding; green tree frogs tend to become obese if overfed. In the wild, exertion of energy is required for a frog to capture its prey. However, in captivity, they are usually given live feed in a confined space. This lessens the activity needed for feeding, resulting in weight gain. An overweight member of the species deposits fat layers over the top of the head and body, giving it a "dumpy" appearance, thus the name "dumpy tree frog".


title: Australian green tree frog

text: The rover fireflies of the genus "Photinus" (including the common eastern firefly of North America) are poisonous to these frogs, and an incident has been reported in which a firefly was fed to a green tree frog, which subsequently died.


title: Australian green tree frog

text: Australian law gives protected status to the green tree frog—along with all Australian fauna—under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the green tree frog's conservation status as being of "least concern", given its broad range, its large total population, and its tolerance of a variety of habitat types. The population trend seems to be stable, and any decline in numbers is not likely to be at a fast enough rate to justify listing it in a more threatened category.


title: Australian green tree frog

text: In suburban areas, this frog is threatened by pollution and by predation by domestic animals. Also, some of the frogs have been found to be infected with the chytrid fungus which causes the fatal amphibian disease chytridiomycosis. The frog's status in New Guinea is poorly studied, but in 2002, some 75,000 individuals were exported from Indonesia as part of the pet trade, and this may impact populations in some locations. The frog is present in a number of protected areas in New Guinea, and it has been successfully bred in some Australian zoos. Overall, the main threat to this species is the potential for a widespread disease epidemic.


title: Australian green tree frog

text: Although frogs have lungs, they absorb oxygen through their skin; for this to occur efficiently, the skin must be moist. A disadvantage of moist skin is that pathogens such as molds and bacteria can thrive on it, increasing the chance of infection. To counteract this, frogs secrete peptides that destroy these pathogens. The secretion from the paratoid gland of the green tree frog contains 25 caerins, a group of peptides with antibacterial and antiviral properties. The caerins produced by frogs of this species from different geographical localities have subtle but reproducible differences. The secretions also contain caeruleins, which have the same physiological effects as CCK-8, a digestive hormone and hunger suppressant. These caeruleins now have a number of clinical applications. Several peptides from the skin secretions of the green tree frog have been found to destroy HIV without harming healthy T cells.


title: Australian green tree frog

text: The fungus "Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis", the causal agent of chytridiomycosis, is causing declines in many species of amphibians, but the secretions produced by the green tree frog and certain other Australian species of frog ("Litoria chloris" and "Litoria genimaculata") are protective against this fungus. The peptides inhibit the growth of the fungus "in vitro" and these frog species are believed not to be in decline.


title: Australian green tree frog

text: Green tree frogs are sometimes used as model animals in research. The structure of their toe pads was used to investigate the microstructure and properties of the epithelium that allows the animals to adhere to wet surfaces.


title: Severomorsk

text: Severomorsk (), known as Vayenga () until April 18, 1951, is a closed town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. Severomorsk is the main administrative base of the Russian Northern Fleet. The town is located on the coast of the Barents Sea along the Kola Bay northeast of Murmansk, the administrative centre of the oblast, to which it is connected by railway and a motorway.


title: Severomorsk

text: The first settlement on the site of the modern city arose between 1896 and 1897. It was named Vayenga (), after the river, the name of which itself comes from the Sami "vayongg", meaning "doe" or "reindeer". In 1917, only thirteen people lived in the settlement, who engaged in hunting, fishing and animal husbandry.


title: Severomorsk

text: In 1926, the Murmansk office of logging was founded, one of the artels of which was sent to Vayenga. A barracks, a dormitory, and a banya were built, and a telephone line was laid through the village. In 1933, the bay was chosen as one of the bases for the newly created Northern Fleet. From 1934 and until the beginning of World War II, wooden and brick buildings, as well as military installations, were built in the settlement, and the Vayenga-1 naval airfield was built in the neighbouring bay. From August 1941, all construction was suspended. The airfield was used by the British; namely No. 151 Wing RAF to protect the Arctic Convoys before their fighters were later handed over to the Soviet Naval Aviation.


title: Severomorsk

text: After the end of the war, construction was resumed. Vayenga, taking into account the existing arrangement, was chosen as one of the main bases of the Northern Fleet. On September 1, 1947, staff and management of the Northern Fleet were relocated from Polyarny to Vayenga. Also in 1947, the first secondary school in the city was opened. The population of Vayenga was then 3,884. In 1948, Vayenga's village Soviet of deputies of workers was opened.


title: Severomorsk

text: On April 18, 1951, Vayenga received town status and was renamed to Severomorsk, from the Russian "sever" (север), meaning "north", and "more" (море), meaning "sea". By the 1960s, the city was already thoroughly equipped. The city had its own bakery, sausage factory, and soft drink bottling plant, and a swimming pool was being built. On November 26, 1996, by the decree of the President of Russia, the city of Severomorsk, as a major naval base, was converted into a closed city. Settlements that have been merged into it include Safonovo, Roslyakovo, Safonovo-1, Severomorsk-3, and Shchukozero.


title: Severomorsk

text: Severomorsk is located on the Kola Peninsula in the Arctic Circle, in the permafrost zone, on the rocky east coast of the Kola Bay of the Barents Sea.


title: Severomorsk

text: Severomorsk has a cold sea climate, with relatively mild winters and cool summers. The average temperature in January is -8 °C and 12 °C in July. The average precipitation is around 800 mm per year.


title: Severomorsk

text: On January 1, 2015, out of 1114 Russian cities and towns, Severomorsk was ranked the 329th most populous.


title: Severomorsk

text: According to the results of the Russian Census of 2010, the population of Severomorsk was 50,060. 26,503 (52.9%) of those were male, and 23,557 (47.1%) were female.


title: Severomorsk

text: The representative bodies of the local self-government are the City Council of Deputies. The mayor of Severomorsk is Alexander Abramov.


title: Severomorsk

text: Since 1991, the executive power has been headed by Vitaly Voloshin. In the spring of 2011, he was approved to the post of the Head of Administration of Severomorsk. Since April 16, 2013, the position is occupied by Irina Norina.


title: Severomorsk

text: Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is, together with the urban-type settlement of Safonovo and two rural localities, incorporated as the closed administrative-territorial formation of Severomorsk—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts. As a municipal division, the closed administrative-territorial formation of Severomorsk is incorporated as Severomorsk Urban Okrug.


title: Severomorsk

text: Most of Severomorsk's industry is related to food, particularly the Severmorsk Dairy Plant, and the Toni Bottling Plant. There are also construction and shipyard companies, and a developed infrastructure of housing and communal and consumer services, as well as trade.


title: Severomorsk

text: The town is the main administrative base of the Russian Northern Fleet. Severomorsk has the largest dry dock on the Kola Peninsula.


title: Severomorsk

text: On May 13, 1984, on the outskirts of Severomorsk, there was a major fire at a stockpile of naval missiles that resulted in numerous large explosions on May 17. The incident killed 200–300 people and destroyed at least one-third of the Northern Fleet's stockpile of surface-to-air missiles.


title: Powerplay (cricket)

text: Unlike Test cricket, the fielders are spread out to save runs in limited overs cricket. The powerplay rule (Restrictions on the placement of fielders), along with a number of other factors, has contributed to the big scores (300+) in modern One Day Internationals.


title: Powerplay (cricket)

text: One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 differ in terms of the number of overs where mandatory powerplay rules apply. The rules below apply only when a match is uninterrupted.


title: Powerplay (cricket)

text: The first six overs of an innings will be a mandatory powerplay, with only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Beginning with the seventh over, no more than five fielders will be allowed outside the 30-yard circle. On 16 December 2022, Sydney Thunder became the first professional T20 side in cricket history to lose all 10 of their wickets inside the powerplay after being bowled out for a T20 world record low score of 15 against Adelaide Strikers in 5.5 overs (35 balls).


title: Powerplay (cricket)

text: The powerplay restrictions are active during the first 25 legal balls of the innings, with only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle.


title: Powerplay (cricket)

text: Fielding restrictions evolved through the 1970s, notably in World Series Cricket, and were first introduced in ODIs in 1980 in Australia. The most common rule was for only two fielders to be allowed outside the circle in the first fifteen overs, then five fielders allowed outside the circle for the remaining overs.


title: Powerplay (cricket)

text: The powerplay nomenclature was introduced by the International Cricket Council in 2005, when the fielding restrictions were split into 3 blocks: the mandatory ten overs at the start of the innings and two further five-over powerplays with the bowling team being able to choose the timing of both. In practice though, both were generally taken as soon as possible, effectively leading to a single block of 20 overs of fielding restrictions. To counter this, in 2008, the batting team was given discretion for the timing of one of the two powerplays.


title: Powerplay (cricket)

text: From 1 October 2011, the ICC brought additional changes to the bowling and batting powerplays. Under the new rules, in a 50-over match, neither powerplay may be taken before the start of the 16th over and both must be completed before the commencement of the 41st over, so overs 11 to 15 and 41 to 50 cannot be powerplay overs. Should either or both teams choose not to exercise their discretion, their powerplay overs will automatically commence at the latest available point in the innings (e.g. in a 50-over innings with one unclaimed powerplay, it will begin at the start of the 36th over).


title: Powerplay (cricket)

text: On 29 October 2012, the ICC made further amendments on powerplays, reducing the number of blocks of powerplays from three to two.


title: Powerplay (cricket)

text: From 1992 to 2012, during non-powerplay overs a total of five fielders were allowed outside the circle. This was changed to four in October 2012. Moreover, from 1992 to 2005, two fielders were required in catching positions in the first fifteen overs. This was reduced to the first ten overs in July 2005.


title: Powerplay (cricket)

text: From 5 July 2015, the ICC further amended the rules, making the whole innings as a composition of 3 powerplays, thus removing the batting powerplay previously introduced. Furthermore, the restriction of two catching fielders on the first powerplay was relaxed.


title: Weverton (footballer, born 1987)

text: Weverton Pereira da Silva (; born 13 December 1987), simply known as Weverton, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Palmeiras and the Brazil national team.


title: Weverton (footballer, born 1987)

text: Born in Rio Branco, Acre, Weverton joined Corinthians' youth setup in 2006, aged 18, after impressing in a match for Juventus-AC. He was promoted to the former's main squad in 2007, but was demoted to fourth-choice after Rafael Santos' promotion. Weverton was subsequently loaned to Remo, Oeste and América de Natal. With the latter he appeared regularly in Série B, sharing minutes with the veteran Rodolpho.


title: Weverton (footballer, born 1987)

text: Weverton was released by "Timão" in January 2010 and shortly after moved to Botafogo-SP. After impressing with the side, he signed for Portuguesa on 12 May. Weverton was an undisputed starter at "Lusa", appearing in all league matches in 2011, as his side were crowned champions.


title: Weverton (footballer, born 1987)

text: In May 2012, he joined Atlético Paranaense, after his previous contract expired. On 15 October 2014, after being named captain for the campaign, Wéverton renewed his contract until 2017.


title: Weverton (footballer, born 1987)

text: In December 2017, Weverton joined Palmeiras on a five-year deal, for a rumoured fee of R$ 2 million. He missed the deciding penalty kick in the 2021 Recopa Sudamericana, resulting in a win for Defensa y Justicia.


title: Weverton (footballer, born 1987)

text: In August 2021, after winning against São Paulo in the quarterfinals of Copa Libertadores, Weverton overcame Marcos as the Palmeiras player with the most victories in the competition, with a total of 28 wins.


title: Weverton (footballer, born 1987)

text: On 31 July 2016, Weverton was called by the Brazilian Olympic team for the 2016 Summer Olympics by manager Rogério Micale to replace Fernando Prass who left the team due to injury. In the gold medal match, Weverton made a key save against Germany's Nils Petersen on the fifth penalty shot, which helped Brazil win their first Olympic football gold.


title: Weverton (footballer, born 1987)

text: After winning gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Weverton was called up by coach Tite to qualification matches against Ecuador and Colombia.


title: Weverton (footballer, born 1987)

text: Weverton made his return, after more than three years, to the Brazil national team on 9 October 2020. On the subject of making his return, Weverton said that "It was a special game for me."


title: Weverton (footballer, born 1987)

text: In June 2021, he was included in Brazil's squad for the 2021 Copa América on home soil. On 23 June, he appeared in Brazil's third group match, a 2–1 win over Colombia.


title: Weverton (footballer, born 1987)

text: On 7 November 2022, Weverton was named in the squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He was brought on as a substitute for Alisson in the 80th minute of Brazil's round of 16 game against South Korea, with Brazil 4–1 up. He did not concede any as Brazil maintained the scoreline.


title: Predestination in Calvinism

text: Predestination is a doctrine in Calvinism dealing with the question of the control that God exercises over the world. In the words of the Westminster Confession of Faith, God "freely and unchangeably ordained whatsoever comes to pass." The second use of the word "predestination" applies this to the salvation, and refers to the belief that God appointed the eternal destiny of some to salvation by grace, while leaving the remainder to receive eternal damnation for all their sins, even their original sin. The former is called "unconditional election", and the latter "reprobation". In Calvinism, some people are predestined and effectually called in due time (regenerated/born again) to faith by God, all others are reprobated.


title: Predestination in Calvinism

text: Predestination of the elect and non-elect was taught by the Jewish Essene sect, Gnosticism, and Manichaeism. In Christianity, the doctrine that God unilaterally predestines some persons to heaven and some to hell originated with Augustine of Hippo during the Pelagian controversy in 412 AD. Pelagius and his followers taught that people are not born with original sin and can choose to be good or evil. The controversy caused Augustine to radically reinterpret the teachings of the apostle Paul, arguing that faith is a free gift from God rather than something humans can choose. Noting that not all will hear or respond to God's offered covenant, Augustine considered that "the more general care of God for the world becomes particularised in God’s care for the elect". He explicitly defended God's justice in sending newborn and stillborn babies to hell if they died without baptism.


title: Predestination in Calvinism

text: Double predestination is the idea that not only does God choose some to be saved, he also creates some people who will be damned.


title: Predestination in Calvinism

text: Some modern Calvinists respond to the ethical dilemma of double predestination by explaining that God's active predestination is only for the elect. God provides grace to the elect causing salvation, but for the damned God withholds salvific grace. Calvinists teach that God remains just and fair in creating persons he predestines to damnation because although God unilaterally works in the elect producing regeneration, God does not actively force the damned to sin. Double predestination may not be the view of any of the Reformed confessions, which speak of God passing over rather than actively reprobating the damned. However, John Calvin refuted such a position, stating "This they do ignorantly and childishly since there could be no election without its opposite reprobation ... whom God passes by he reprobates, and that for no other cause but because he is pleased to exclude them from the inheritance which he predestines to his children."


title: Predestination in Calvinism

text: Scholars have disagreed over whether Heinrich Bullinger accepted the doctrine of double predestination. Frank A. James says that he rejected it, preferring a view called "single predestination" where God elects some to salvation, but does not in any way predestine to reprobation. Cornelis Venema, on the other hand, argues that "Bullinger did not consistently articulate a doctrine of single predestination," and defended double predestination on a few occasions.


title: Predestination in Calvinism

text: John Calvin taught double predestination. He wrote the foundational work on this topic, "Institutes of the Christian Religion" (1539), while living in Strasbourg after his expulsion from Geneva and consulting regularly with the Reformed theologian Martin Bucer. Calvin's belief in the uncompromised "sovereignty of God" spawned his doctrines of providence and predestination.


title: Predestination in Calvinism

text: For the world, without providence it would be "unlivable". For individuals, without predestination "no one would be saved".


title: Predestination in Calvinism

text: Calvin's doctrine of providence is straightforward. "All events whatsoever are governed by the secret counsel of God." Therefore, "nothing happens but what [God] has knowingly and willingly decreed." This excludes "fortune and chance." Calvin applied his doctrine of providence concerning "all events" to individuals and their salvation in his doctrine of predestination.


title: Predestination in Calvinism

text: Calvin opened his exposition of predestination with an "actual fact". The "actual fact" that Calvin observed was that even among those to whom "the covenant of life" is preached, it does not gain the same acceptance. Although, "all are called to repentance and faith", in fact, "the spirit of repentance and faith is not given to all".


title: Predestination in Calvinism

text: Calvin turned to the teachings of Jesus for a theological interpretation of the diversity that some people accept the "covenant of life" and some do not. Pointing to the Parable of the Sower, Calvin observed, "it is no new thing for the seed to fall among thorns or in stony places". In Jesus’ teaching in John 6:65 that "no one can come to me unless it has been granted him by my Father", Calvin found the key to his theological interpretation of the diversity.


title: Predestination in Calvinism

text: For Calvin's biblically-based theology, this diversity reveals the "unsearchable depth of the divine judgment", a judgment "subordinate to God's purpose of eternal election". God offers salvation to some, but not to all. To many this seems a perplexing subject, because they deem it "incongruous that... some should be predestinated to salvation, and others to destruction". However, Calvin asserted that the incongruity can be resolved by proper views concerning "election and predestination".


title: Predestination in Calvinism

text: Thus, Calvin based his theological description of people as "predestinated to life or to death" on biblical authority and "actual fact". Calvin noted that Scripture requires that we "consider this great mystery" of predestination, but he also warned against unrestrained "human curiosity" regarding it. For believers, knowing that "the cause of our salvation did not proceed from us, but from God alone" evokes gratitude.


title: Predestination in Calvinism

text: Calvinists emphasise the "active" nature of God's decree to choose those foreordained to eternal wrath, yet at the same time the "passive" nature of that foreordination.


title: Predestination in Calvinism

text: This is possible because most Calvinists hold to an infralapsarian view of God's decree. In that view, God, before Creation, in his mind, first decreed that the Fall would take place, before decreeing election and reprobation. So God actively chooses whom to condemn, but because he knows they will have a sinful nature, the way he foreordains them is to simply let them be – this is sometimes called "preterition." Therefore, this foreordination to wrath is passive in nature (unlike God's active predestination of his elect where he needs to overcome their sinful nature).


title: Predestination in Calvinism

text: The WCF uses different words for the act of God's election and reprobation: "predestinated" and "foreordained" respectively. This suggests that the two do not operate in the same way. The term "equal ultimacy" is sometimes used of the view that the two decrees are symmetrical: God works equally to keep the elect in heaven and the reprobate out of heaven. This view is sometimes erroneously referred to as "double predestination", on which see above. R. C. Sproul argues against this position on the basis that it implies God "actively intervenes to work sin" in the lives of the reprobate. Robert L. Reymond, however, insists on equal ultimacy of election and reprobation in the divine decree, though he suggests that "we must not speak of an exact identity of divine causality behind both."


title: Predestination in Calvinism

text: Calvinists hold that even if their scheme is characterized as a form of determinism, it is one which insists upon the free agency and moral responsibility of the individual. Additionally, they hold that the will is in bondage to sin and therefore unable to actualize its true freedom. Hence, an individual whose will is enslaved to sin cannot choose to serve God. Since Calvinists further hold that salvation is by grace apart from good works ("sola gratia") and since they view making a choice to trust God as an action or work, they maintain that the act of choosing cannot be the difference between salvation and damnation, as in the Arminian scheme. Rather, God must first free the individual from his enslavement to sin to a greater degree than in Arminianism, and then the regenerated heart naturally chooses the good. This work by God is sometimes called irresistible, in the sense that grace enables a person to freely cooperate, being set free from the desire to do the opposite, so that cooperation is not the cause of salvation but the other way around.


title: Predestination in Calvinism

text: 20th-century Reformed theologian Karl Barth reinterpreted the Reformed doctrine of predestination. For Barth, God elects Christ as rejected and chosen man. Individual people are not the subjects of election, but are elected or rejected by virtue of their being in Christ. Interpreters of Barth such as Shirley Guthrie have called this a "Trinitarian" as opposed to a "speculative" view of predestination. According to Guthrie, God freely loves all people, and his just condemnation of sinners is motivated by love and a desire for reconciliation.


title: Freddie and the Dreamers

text: Freddie and the Dreamers were an English beat band that had a number of hit records between 1963 and 1965. The band's stage act was enlivened by the comic antics of Freddie Garrity, who would bounce around the stage with arms and legs flying.


title: Freddie and the Dreamers

text: The band, formed in March 1962 in West Didsbury, Manchester, consisted of vocalist Freddie Garrity (1936–2006), guitarist Roy Crewdson (born 1941), guitarist/harmonica player Derek Quinn (1942–2020), bassist Peter Birrell, and drummer Bernie Dwyer (1940–2002). Although the band was grouped as part of the Merseybeat sound phenomenon centered around Liverpool, they came from Manchester. Prior to becoming a singer, Garrity had worked as a milkman in Manchester and bassist Birrell was a shoe salesman.


title: Freddie and the Dreamers

text: They had four Top 10 UK hits: a cover of James Ray's hit "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody", which reached number 3 in the UK Singles Chart in mid-1963, "I'm Telling You Now" (number 2 in August), "You Were Made for Me" (number 3 in November) and a cover of The G-Clefs' "I Understand", which hit the number 5 spot in November 1964.


title: Freddie and the Dreamers

text: Their eponymous debut album was released in the United Kingdom in 1963, peaking at number five in the UK Albums Chart and reaching number 19 in the US albums chart on May 22, 1965. It was the only LP by the group to chart in America. Their subsequent four albums in the UK failed to chart.


title: Freddie and the Dreamers

text: On stage the group performed rehearsed, synchronised wacky dance routines. They appeared in four British films: "What a Crazy World" with Joe Brown, "Just for You", "Cuckoo Patrol" with Kenneth Connor and Victor Maddern and "Every Day's A Holiday" (US title "Seaside Swingers") with Mike Sarne, Ron Moody and John Leyton.


title: Freddie and the Dreamers

text: Between 1968 and 1973, Garrity and Birrell appeared in the UK ITV children's show "Little Big Time", a zany music/talent/adventure show with audience participation.


title: Freddie and the Dreamers

text: Garrity and Birrell formed a new version of Freddie and the Dreamers in the mid 1970s, releasing three albums on the Arny's Shack label in 1976, 1978 and 1983, although Birrell had left before the third release.


title: Freddie and the Dreamers

text: In the 1980 "Rolling Stone History of Rock & Roll", writer Lester Bangs paid tribute (of a kind) to the group:


title: Badava Rascal

text: Badava Rascal is a 2021 Indian Kannada-language action comedy film written and directed by Shankar Guru, in his directorial debut and produced by Dhananjay in his first production venture, under "Daali Pictures". Besides Dhananjay, the film stars Amrutha Iyengar, Rangayana Raghu, Nagabhushan and Tara in other pivotal roles. It was also released in Tamil and Telugu on 18 February 2022.


title: Badava Rascal

text: The film's plot is centered around a middle-class man who gets abducted by a gang and forces them to rethink their decisions by narrating his life story which consists of friendship, love, breakup, family sentiments and life lessons. Vasuki Vaibhav scored music for the film, while Preetha Jayaraman served as the director of photography and Niranjan Devaramane as editor.


title: Badava Rascal

text: "Badava Rascal" opened to positive reviews from critics upon theatrical release on 24 December 2021, the eve of Christmas holiday. They highlighted the performances of Dhananjay and Rangayana Raghu, the musical score by Vasuki Vaibhav, while directing criticism at the film's length.


title: Badava Rascal

text: Shankar alias "Badava Rascal" is an MBA graduate who lives life on his own terms. He thrashes some goons who work for a moneylender named Ganapa, when they were wreaking havoc at a roadside eatery, but was knocked out by one of the goons and is taken to their hideout along with his friend Nagalinga alias Naga. However, Ganapa and the gang apologize to Shankar and Naga after they saved the gang from rival gang headed by Ganapa's friend Naveen alias "Down-to-Earth". The rival gang compromises with each other and share their life stories to Shankar. Shankar reveals about himself. He lives happily with his friends and parents Rangegowda, an auto driver and mother Sharadamma, and also falls for Sangeetha, who is the daughter of an MLA candidate Premakumari, who accepts the proposal.


title: Badava Rascal

text: When Shankar and his parents arrive to meet Sangeetha, Sangeetha (who is at her room) insults Shankar and his parents for their lower class status where Shankar angrily leaves the house along with his parents. Shankar gets addicted to drinking due to their breakup. Days pass by, Shankar begins to learn about the value of his parents and becomes a better son to them. The goons are impressed by his life-story. Meanwhile, Ganapa and Down-to-Earth leave the hideout to meet their boss Manki Sudhi, where they learn that Premakumari actually warned Sangeetha to reject Shankar's proposal as she cannot kill him due to Elections. When Sangeetha refuses, Premakumari comes with a plan to pretend to accept the proposal, and barges into Sangeetha's room and cuts her hair. Shakened and fearing for Shankar's life as her mother will not spare him, Sangeetha rejects the proposal.


title: Badava Rascal

text: Ganapa and Down-to-Earth sneak into Sangeetha's house where they hand her a phone and tells her that they will contact Shankar. Shankar gets enraged after learning about the incident. Sangeetha calls Shankar and tells her to take her away from her mother, Shankar agrees and challenges Premakumari that he will marry Sangeetha in her presence. Ganapa, Down-to-Earth along with their gang accompany Shankar to a playground where Premakumari is performing rituals for the construction of a site. A fight erupts between Shankar and Premakumari's newly appointed henchmen in which Shankar emerges victorious and reunites with Sangeetha. Premakumari realizes her mistakes and peacefully leaves. Shankar and Sangeetha finally get married in the presence of their parents and friends.


title: A Madea Christmas (film)

text: A Madea Christmas is a 2013 American Christmas comedy film directed, written, produced by and starring Tyler Perry with the rest of the cast consisting of Kathy Najimy, Chad Michael Murray, Anna Maria Horsford, Tika Sumpter, Eric Lively, JR Lemon, Alicia Witt, Lisa Whelchel, and Larry the Cable Guy. This is the first Christmas-themed film from the writer-director as it tells the story of Madea going to the town of Bucktussle Alabama with her great-niece to spend Christmas with the great-niece's daughter. This is the seventeenth film by Perry, and the eighth film in the "Madea" cinematic universe. It was released in theaters on December 13, 2013.


title: A Madea Christmas (film)

text: "A Madea Christmas" received generally negative reviews from critics and was a box office disappointment in comparison to other "Madea" films, grossing only $53.4 million worldwide against a $25 million budget.


title: A Madea Christmas (film)

text: In Atlanta, Georgia, Mabel "Madea" Simmons (Tyler Perry) has been talked into getting a job at a local store by her great-niece Eileen Murphy (Anna Maria Horsford). Madea gets fired on her first day.


title: A Madea Christmas (film)

text: Meanwhile, Eileen's daughter Lacey Williams (Tika Sumpter), a teacher at a small school in Bucktussle, Alabama, is married to a white man named Conner (Eric Lively) whose plans to grow special corn earned him the ire of corn farmer Tanner McCoy (Chad Michael Murray). The school run by Principal Nancy Porter (Lisa Whelchel) does not have enough money to fund their annual Christmas Jubilee, forcing Lacey to ask her ex-boyfriend Oliver (JR Lemon) to fund the school through his business. While having spoken to Tanner and his wife Amber (Alicia Witt) about the progress of their son Bailey (Noah Urrea) in school, Lacey calls her mother and says she will be unable to come home for Christmas, but Eileen, determined to see her daughter, brings Madea and Oliver with her to visit. Eileen hopes that Lacey and Oliver might still work out as a couple. She does not know that Lacey is married to a white man, which is not what she wanted for Lacey.


title: A Madea Christmas (film)

text: Lacey brings Oliver to a town meeting and asks Madea to look after her class. A girl named Lucy (Caroline Kennedy) steals Madea's purse while Madea tells the class a rather unorthodox version of the story of the first Christmas. When she finds her purse is missing, she loses her temper and ties Lucy to a cross decoration in the classroom much to the dismay of Lacey and Principal Porter.


title: A Madea Christmas (film)

text: Conner's parents Buddy (Larry the Cable Guy) and Kim (Kathy Najimy) arrive at Conner and Lacey's house for Christmas and are told to keep the marriage a secret since Eileen is staying for Christmas as well. Eileen offends Kim by cutting down her father's memory tree. Though she didn’t realize the meaning, Eileen shows no remorse for the act. She is convinced Buddy and Kim are part of the Ku Klux Klan after seeing Buddy with a sheet over his head (though he was merely engaging in foreplay with Kim), and promptly bars the door to the room she and Madea are sharing.


title: A Madea Christmas (film)

text: Lacey finds out that the sponsors called the Sheldon Construction Company are forcing the school to make the Jubilee a holiday theme as opposed to a Christmas theme and that they are responsible for many of the town’s citizens losing their jobs as well as their dam cutting off their lands' access to the river. Angered by these facts, Tanner demands that the Mayor of Bucktussle (Steve Boles) fire Lacey which the Mayor does.


title: A Madea Christmas (film)

text: Lacey’s conflict at home reaches a boiling point when Eileen and Kim argue. Lacey tells the truth about her marriage to Conner and Eileen's true feelings about whites are revealed: her husband left her for a white woman. Eileen had lied to Lacey all those years, saying he was killed by a white man. Hypocritically angered by the lies she has heard, Eileen storms out vainly hoping for a taxi to pick her up.


title: A Madea Christmas (film)

text: Lacey admits to Conner that Tanner caused her to lose her job, setting Conner off. As Eileen walks into town, she sees Tanner in his overturned burning truck and saves his life. Conner walks up to the scene and punches Tanner before demanding Eileen get in his truck. Madea and Connor's parents advise Eileen to accept Lacey's marriage. With Amber with him, Tanner arrives to apologize for everything and to thank Eileen for saving him as he will also speak with the Mayor on rehiring Lacey tomorrow. Connor finally gets Tanner to listen about his corn-growing plans.


title: A Madea Christmas (film)

text: At the Christmas Jubilee with her family, Lacey thanks the Sheldon Construction Company and announces their promises to help Bucktussle (which were not in the original agreement) by letting some water out of their dam, knowing the repercussions the company would face if they were to back out. She reveals to Oliver that she is married to Conner as the school's students led by Bailey start singing.


title: A Madea Christmas (film)

text: The soundtrack for the film was released in stores by Motown Records November 25. This was the first soundtrack to a Tyler Perry film since 2010's "For Colored Girls" and the first Madea soundtrack since 2006's "Madea's Family Reunion" and 2008's "Meet the Browns". It featured Smokey Robinson, Mariah Carey, Brian McKnight, James Brown, KEM, Boyz II Men, Kelly Rowland, Jeremih, Stevie Wonder, Jackson 5, Pearl Bailey, Ashanti, Kevin Ross & MPrynt.


title: A Madea Christmas (film)

text: "A Madea Christmas" received negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds rating, based on reviews, with the consensus: "It boasts a few laughs, but overall, Tyler Perry's "A Madea Christmas" ranks among Perry's least entertaining or substantive works." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 28 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an A− grade.


title: A Madea Christmas (film)

text: Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a grade B− but said that it felt like reruns: "Tyler Perry's movies haven't gotten any worse, but they haven't gotten better either, so they now carry the added disadvantage of overfamiliarity."


title: A Madea Christmas (film)

text: Variety called it "An exceptionally poor piece of holiday cash-in product, rushed and ungainly even by the low standard set by Perry's seven previous Madea films, yet it should be every bit as profitable."


title: A Madea Christmas (film)

text: The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "Bah humbug to this latest screen outing for Tyler Perry's inexplicably popular character" and criticized the clunky narrative and the hackneyed dialogue.


title: A Madea Christmas (film)

text: "A Madea Christmas" was released on Blu-ray and DVD on November 25, 2014. The DVD contains a first look at the opening of the then-upcoming animated feature "Madea's Tough Love".


title: Salida, Colorado

text: The City of Salida ( ; Spanish: , "exit") is the Statutory city that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Chaffee County, Colorado, United States. The population was 5,666 at the 2020 census.


title: Salida, Colorado

text: A post office has been in operation at Salida since 1881. Salida meaning "exit" in Spanish, the community was named on account of its location near where the Arkansas River flows out of the valley and into Bighorn Sheep Canyon, upstream from the Royal Gorge.


title: Salida, Colorado

text: According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , and the Arkansas River, which runs through the town, is the major source of water for local agriculture.


title: Salida, Colorado

text: The Sawatch Range runs north and south and is located roughly west of Salida. The Mosquito Range parallels the Sawatch Range to the east, forming the Upper Arkansas Valley, and the southern terminus of the range, just east of Salida, is known locally as the Arkansas Hills. Methodist Mountain, which is a major feature on Salida's southern horizon, is the northernmost mountain in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. To the north of Salida is the Upper Arkansas Valley and the town of Buena Vista.


title: Salida, Colorado

text: U.S. Route 50 runs along the southern edge of the city and leads east down the Arkansas River to Cañon City; to the west it leads to Poncha Springs and over the Continental Divide to Gunnison. Canon City and Pueblo lie to the east.


title: Salida, Colorado

text: At the 2000 census there were 5,504 people, 2,504 households, and 1,449 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,748 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.66% White, 0.05% African American, 1.44% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.29% from other races, and 2.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.76%.


title: Salida, Colorado

text: Of the 2,504 households 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.1% were non-families. 35.9% of households were one person and 15.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.80.


title: Salida, Colorado

text: The age distribution was 21.4% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.


title: Salida, Colorado

text: The median household income was $28,790 and the median family income was $38,240. Males had a median income of $30,447 versus $20,867 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,252. About 9.2% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.7% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those age 65 or over.


title: Salida, Colorado

text: The city is served by Salida Public Schools. There are two public high schools, Salida High School and Horizons Exploratory Academy; and three middle schools, Salida Middle School, Salida Montessori Charter School, and the Crest Academy. Colorado Mountain College also has a campus in Salida.


title: Salida, Colorado

text: Salida and Chaffee County are served by the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center, located on the north side of Town on Rush Drive.


title: Salida, Colorado

text: Salida is part of Colorado's Bustang network. It is on both the Alamosa-Pueblo and the Gunnison-Denver Outrider lines.


title: Salida, Colorado

text: The Salida Downtown Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. On March 30, 2012, downtown Salida was named one of two inaugural Certified Creative Districts in Colorado. Salida is also home to the Shavano Chapter of the Columbine Poets of Colorado, which is affiliated with the National Federation of State Poetry Societies (NFSPS). The group organizes workshops and festivals and offers poetry contests for both adults and students. On March 30, 2012, Colorado by Colorado Creative Industries, a division of the State’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade, announced that the City of Salida’s historic downtown was selected as one of only two inaugural “Certified Creative Districts” in Colorado.


title: Lower Silesian Voivodeship

text: Lower Silesian Voivodeship, or Lower Silesia Province, in southwestern Poland, is one of the 16 voivodeships (provinces) into which Poland is divided. The voivodeship was created on 1 January 1999 out of the former Wrocław, Legnica, Wałbrzych and Jelenia Góra Voivodeships, following the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998. It covers an area of , and has a total population of 2,899,986.


title: Lower Silesian Voivodeship

text: It is one of the richest provinces in Poland as it has valuable natural resources such as copper, silver, gold, brown coal and rock materials (inter alia granite, basalt, gabbro, diabase, amphibolite, porphyry, gneiss, serpentinite, sandstone, greywacke, limestone, dolomite, bentonite, kaolinite, clay, aggregate), which are exploited by the biggest enterprises. Its well developed and varied industries attract both domestic and foreign investors.


title: Lower Silesian Voivodeship

text: Its capital and largest city is Wrocław, situated on the Oder River. It is one of Poland's largest and most dynamic cities with a rapidly growing international profile, and is regarded as one of the most important commercial, educational and tourist sites in the whole country. Burial sites of some Polish monarchs and consorts are located in Wrocław and Trzebnica. Furthermore, the voivodeship is known for its many castles and palaces and is one of Poland's most visited regions by tourists.


title: Lower Silesian Voivodeship

text: In the past 1,200 years, the region has been part of Great Moravia, the Medieval Kingdom of Poland, the Crown of Bohemia, Habsburg monarchy (Austria), Prussia, the German Empire, and modern Poland after 1945.


title: Lower Silesian Voivodeship

text: Silesian tribes settled the lands at the end of the first millennium after the Migration Period. During the period of Germania Slavica, the region became part of Great Moravia under Svatopluk I of Moravia. Mieszko I brought the various existing Silesian duchies under the rule of the Piast dynasty and they became the Duchy of Silesia. It was again divided into small realms reigned by Silesian branches of Piast princes after the testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth in 1138. With the "Ostsiedlung", the cultural and ethnic Germanic influence grew with an influx of immigrants from the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire, of which Silesia was a direct part until the 1330s when it was subjugated to the Kingdom of Bohemia, then together with it became part of the Habsburg monarchy (1526), then the Kingdom of Prussia (1742/44), and subsequently the German Empire (1871). In 1945, Lower Silesia was made part of Poland as agreed at the post-war Potsdam Conference. As a consequence, Lower Silesia suffered a nearly total loss of its pre-war population between 1945 and 1950. Polish citizens dispossessed by the Soviets were then settled in the now emptied lands.


title: Lower Silesian Voivodeship

text: Lower Silesia was during early medieval era one of Polish cultural centers. The "Book of Henryków" (1273), which contains the earliest known sentence written in the Polish language, as well as a document which contains the oldest printed text in Polish, were both created here. Złotoryja, Poland's first town, was granted municipal privileges according to German Magdeburg rights by Henry the Bearded. Over the centuries, Lower Silesia experienced epochal events such as the Protestant Reformation, the Silesian Wars, industrialisation and the two World Wars.


title: Lower Silesian Voivodeship

text: Although much of the region is relatively low-lying it also includes Sudeten Foreland and part of the Sudetes mountain range running along the Polish/Czech border. Popular ski resorts in Lower Silesian Voivodeship include Karpacz and Szklarska Poręba in the Karkonosze mountains. Other important tourist destinations in the voivodeship include the chief city, Wrocław, as well as the towns of Jelenia Góra and Legnica. The town of Boleslawiec is famed for its pottery.


title: Lower Silesian Voivodeship

text: The voivodeship has the largest number of spa towns in Poland: Cieplice Śląskie-Zdrój, Długopole-Zdrój, Duszniki-Zdrój, Jedlina-Zdrój, Kudowa-Zdrój, Lądek-Zdrój, Polanica-Zdrój, Przerzeczyn-Zdrój, Szczawno-Zdrój, and Świeradów-Zdrój.


title: Lower Silesian Voivodeship

text: Lower Silesian Voivodeship is bordered by Lubusz Voivodeship to the north-west, Greater Poland Voivodeship to the north-east, Opole Voivodeship to the south-east, the Czech Republic (Hradec Králové Region, Liberec Region, Olomouc Region and Pardubice Region) to the south, and Germany (Saxony) to the west.


title: Lower Silesian Voivodeship

text: Wrocław Główny is the largest railway station in Poland (21.2 million passengers annually), offering domestic and international connections of various carriers.


title: Lower Silesian Voivodeship

text: The A4 motorway, A8 motorway, A18 motorway and S3 Expressway, S5 Expressway, S8 Expressway run through the Voivodeship.


title: Lower Silesian Voivodeship

text: Lower Silesian Voivodeship is one of the most visited voivodeships in Poland. It is famous for a large number of castles (99) and palaces (hundreds), inter alia: Książ Castle, Bolków Castle, Czocha Castle, Chojnik Castle, Cisy Castle, Grodno Castle, Grodziec Castle, Gorzanów Castle, Kamieniec Ząbkowicki Palace, Kliczków Castle, Niesytno Castle, Świny Castle. There is also a lot in the Jelenia Góra valley.


title: Lower Silesian Voivodeship

text: The voivodship's most widely visited city is Wrocław with many sights and attractions, inter alia Ostrów Tumski, Market Square, open all year round Aquapark, Wrocław SPA Center and famous Wrocław's dwarfs.


title: Lower Silesian Voivodeship

text: The annual international Chopin Festival is held in the Fryderyk Chopin Theatre in Duszniki-Zdrój, established at the site of the first concert played by the Polish virtuoso pianist outside of the Russian Partition of Poland. Other major attraction of the town is the Museum of Papermaking, established in a 17th-century paper mill.


title: Lower Silesian Voivodeship

text: Śnieżka is one of the first European peaks visited by tourists, it is also the highest peak of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship and the whole of the Sudetes.


title: Lower Silesian Voivodeship

text: Kłodzko Fortress, Fort Srebrna Góra, Wambierzyce, Legnickie Pole, Henryków, Lubiąż Abbey, Krzeszów Abbey, Oleśnica Mała, Vang Stave Church, Churches of Peace, Sokołowsko, Cave Bear, Museum of Gold Mining and Metallurgy in Złoty Stok, Coal Mine in Nowa Ruda, Museum of Industry and Railway in Jaworzyna Śląska, Skull Chapel in Czermna, Mount Ślęża, Table Mountains, Owl Mountains, Karkonosze, Main Sudetes Trail ( from Świeradów Zdrój to Prudnik), Barycz Valley Landscape Park and connected with the history of World War II – complex tunnels Project Riese, a German Gross-Rosen concentration camp, German War Cemetery and Park Peace in the Nadolice Wielkie.


title: Lower Silesian Voivodeship

text: Lower Silesia is one of the richest regions in Poland. The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the province was 41.1 billion € in 2018, accounting for 8.3% of the Polish economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was €23,400 or 78% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 85% of the EU average. Lower Silesia Voivodship is the province with the second highest GDP per capita in Poland.


title: Lower Silesian Voivodeship

text: Since 2005, the voivodeship recorded the highest in the country economic growth rate (around 10% per annum).


title: Lower Silesian Voivodeship

text: Many global companies have their headquarters and plants in Lower Silesia, incl. Amazon, Microsoft, Google, IBM, LG Electronics, Toyota, Volvo, Hewlett-Packard, Nokia Networks, Siemens, Whirlpool Corporation, Qatar Airways.


title: Lower Silesian Voivodeship

text: The southwest part of the Voivodeship is considered part of the so-called Black Triangle, an area of heavily industrialization and environmental damage on the three-way border of Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic.


title: Lower Silesian Voivodeship

text: The voivodeship contains 8 cities and 83 towns. The cities (governed by a city mayor or "prezydent miasta") are listed below in descending order of population (as of 2019):


title: Lower Silesian Voivodeship

text: Lower Silesian Voivodeship is divided into 30 counties (powiats), four of which are city counties. These are further divided into 169 gminas.


title: Lower Silesian Voivodeship

text: Lower Silesia is divided into three districts administracyji province government, the capital of Wrocław (administrative region):


title: Lower Silesian Voivodeship

text: The counties are listed in the following table (ordering within categories is by decreasing population).


title: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football

text: The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football program is a college football team that represents the University of Louisiana at Lafayette at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level as a member of the Sun Belt Conference. Since 1971, the team has played its home games at Cajun Field in Lafayette, Louisiana. Michael Desormeaux has served as Louisiana's head coach since 2021.


title: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football

text: The RCAF (Ragin Cajun Athletic Foundation) is the supporter association that assists with funding for all Ragin Cajun sports..


title: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football

text: The program began play in 1901 when the school was known as Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute. The school's sports teams were known as the Southwestern Louisiana Bulldogs from 1921 until 1973. The school's fight name was formally changed to Ragin' Cajuns in 1974, which had been in use since the 1960s. In 1999, the university took on its current name, at which point its sports teams were referred to as Louisiana–Lafayette. A rebranding in 2017 dropped "Lafayette" from the Cajuns' name.


title: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football

text: Between 2011 and 2014, the Cajuns won four consecutive New Orleans Bowls, representing the most successful stretch in the program's history to date, but later had to vacate two of the victories due to NCAA violations.


title: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football

text: The Cajuns have had several players go to play professionally in the National Football League (NFL), including Jake Delhomme, Charles Tillman, Brian Mitchell, Orlando Thomas, Brandon Stokely, Elijah McGuire, Elijah Mitchell, Kevin Dotson, and Levi Lewis.


title: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football

text: Before 1974, the team's official nickname was the Bulldogs, although the current nickname was in common use with the football team for approximately the decade prior.


title: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football

text: ^ The 2020 championship game was not played due to Coastal Carolina impacted by COVID-19 pandemic For College Football Playoff purposes, Coastal Carolina was viewed as the 2020 Sun Belt Champions. Recognizing that the College Football Playoff committee had no jurisdiction to that magnitude coupled with a desire to prevent the diminishment to the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns football team’s accomplishments in 2020, Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory declared, by executive proclamation, the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns football team as the 2020 sole champions of the Sun Belt Conference in football.


title: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football

text: Since joining the NCAA Division I-A (FBS) in 1978, the Ragin' Cajuns have played in nine bowl games, although two of those games (which were victories) were vacated due to sanctions. Officially, they have a record of 5–2 in bowl games.


title: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football

text: In 1940 McNaspy Stadium was built on the campus of Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now University of Louisiana at Lafayette). It served as the Cajuns home field through the 1970 season and was demolished in 2000. McNaspy Stadium was located at the site where the current computer science building Oliver Hall now stands.


title: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football

text: Cajun Field is a football stadium located in the city of Lafayette, Louisiana, and has served as the home field of the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team since 1970.


title: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football

text: Cajun Field has an official capacity of 41,426 with 2,577 chairback seats, and its nickname is "The Swamp."


title: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football

text: In June of 2021 it was announced that Cajun Field would be undergoing a $75 million renovation, with construction slated to begin summer of 2022. The plans are to demolish the current West Tower, and replace it with a state of the art facility, including amenities such as premium suites, a club level and club seats, loge boxes, and press box. Because of a $15 million donation, the stadium will now be known as “Cajun Field at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium.”


title: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football

text: Although no longer an active rivalry, the first Sabine Shoe trophy was first awarded in 1937 to the winner of the SLI–Lamar football game. The name of the bronze rivalry trophy was derived from the Sabine River that forms the Texas-Louisiana border. USL defeated Lamar in the 1978 edition of the rivalry game, but the Ragin' Cajuns were not awarded the trophy as it had vanished. The Sabine Shoe trophy now sits in at trophy case in the Ragin' Cajun Athletic Complex.


title: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football

text: Another former rivalry. When active the Cajun Crown was the name of the trophy between Louisiana and McNeese State.


title: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football

text: This is another former rivalry. The Cypress Mug was the turned, polished mahogany mug awarded to the winner of the Southwestern–Southeastern football game.


title: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football

text: The Battle on the Bayou is the annual rivalry game between Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns and Louisiana–Monroe. The wooden boot-shaped rivalry trophy was created in 2002 to be awarded to the victors.


title: White cockatoo

text: The white cockatoo (Cacatua alba), also known as the umbrella cockatoo, is a medium-sized all-white cockatoo endemic to tropical rainforest on islands of Indonesia. When surprised, it extends a large and striking head crest, which has a semicircular shape (similar to an umbrella, hence the alternative name). The wings and tail have a pale yellow or lemon color which is exposed when they fly. It is similar to other species of white cockatoo such as yellow-crested cockatoo, sulphur-crested cockatoo, and salmon-crested cockatoo, all of which have yellow, orange or pink crest feathers instead of white.


title: White cockatoo

text: The white cockatoo was first described in 1776 by German zoologist Philipp Ludwig Statius Müller. Its species name "alba" is a feminine form of the Latin adjective "albus" for "white". It lies in the subgenus "Cacatua" within the genus "Cacatua". The term "white cockatoo" has also been applied as a group term to members of the subgenus "Cacatua", the genus "Cacatua" as well as larger groups including Major Mitchell's cockatoo and the galah cockatoo.