Career.

Early career.

Gary D. started out playing as a DJ at the age of 16 in 1980. In his first years, he mostly played Black Music. It wasn't until 1988 when Gary D. started to get more involved with electronic such as, Techno and House, which in the same year he released his first single "Ecstasy" under alias "Acid Syndrome". As a DJ, Gary D. performed quite often at a club called 'Unit Club' from 1988 up until its closure in 1994. He later moved to another club called 'Tunnel', which hosted most of the German and International events like, Mayday, Love Parade, and Energy.

As a trance producer and DJ.

In 1991, Gary D. released his first trance EP, "Identity E.P." with five singles on it, which was released on Container Records, the label on which he released many singles before switching to Tunnel & Bonzai Records. Under Bonzai, Gary released two well known Hard Trance anthems, "Kinetic Pressure" and "Overload".  In late 1995, he and two others from PIAS Recordings Germany came up with an idea to create a trance compilation, which came out to be "D.Trance", which grew into a big success. Gary D. released more than 40 D.Trance compilations as of 2009. Gary added a third disc, which compiled all the tracks from the first discs into one mix. From 1996 to 2016, he also released five solo albums. In 2000, he created "D. Techno" a harder style compilation.

Shift to hardstyle.

In 2001, Gary took a different direction with his career, and started to release more techno, and adopted hardstyle kind of music to his DJ sets. From 2003-2005 he played in many gigs in the Netherlands and played in large venues with up to 25,000 people.

Death.

He died from pulmonary embolism.

Gerald Malke (5 December 1963 – 1 September 2016), known professionally as Gary D, was a German trance/hardstyle producer and DJ, known for the trance compilations "D.Trance".

Gary D., de son vrai nom Gerald Malke, né le et mort le, est un producteur et disc jockey de musique électronique allemand. Il est principalement orienté techno, trance, et hardstyle. En 1996, il termine avec un total de cinq albums studio distribués. Il se popularise notamment grâce à la parution de la célèbre série de compilations musicales ".


Legality of same-sex sexual activity.

Male homosexual practice was decriminalized in 1951. Lesbians were not mentioned or acknowledged in the Greek Criminal Code. Article 347 of the Penal Code outlawed male prostitution and provided for a higher age of consent of 17 for male homosexual acts. However, this provision was abolished by Article 68 of the "Law 3456 of 2015" (), effectively resulting in equalization of the age of consent and the legalization of male prostitution, subject to existing laws on the regulation of prostitution.  The age of consent in Greece is 15, as specified by Article 339, as well as Articles 337, 348B of the Greek Penal Code. In 2015, along with the legalization of same-sex civil unions, Article 347, which provided a further prohibition of seducing a male under 17 if the actor is a male adult, was repealed, therefore equalising the age of consent for homosexual acts.  There are also several other prohibitions regarding positions of authority and acts of lewdness, as specified by Articles 342 and 343. Furthermore, there is a close-in-age exemption of 3 years age difference for indecent acts between persons younger than 15.

Recognition of same-sex relationships.

The Greek Constitution provides no definition of marriage. However, it does stipulate that, like motherhood and childhood, it must be under the protection of the State.  The former New Democracy-led Government of Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis was opposed to same-sex marriage. While it had introduced legislation that offered several rights to unmarried couples, this explicitly excluded same-sex couples.  The National Human Rights Committee proposed a registry that would cover both same-sex couples and unmarried heterosexual ones and the Greek group OLKE announced its intention to sue Greek municipalities that refused to marry same-sex couples.  The Greek Government under George Papandreou, leader of Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), was preparing legislation for same-sex registered partnerships, which, however, never took place, as LGBT groups believed that they were going to be insufficient.  In November 2013, the European Court of Human Rights ruled in favour of the plaintiffs in the case "Valianatos and Others vs. Greece" and condemned the exemption of same-sex couples from the option of civil unions; the restriction of civil unions solely to opposite-sex couples was thus deemed non-convincing and the state was obliged to give a 5,000 euro compensation to each one of the plaintiffs.  Although there was no official recognition of same-sex couples at that time, a 1982 law that legalized civil marriage between "persons", without specifying gender, acted as a test-case for same-sex marriage. On 3 June 2008, the Mayor of Tilos, Anastasios Aliferis, married two same-sex couples, two lesbians and two gay men, citing the legal loophole. He was heavily criticized by clergymen of the Church of Greece, which in the past had also opposed the introduction of civil marriage. Justice Minister Sotirios Hatzigakis declared the Tilos marriages "invalid" and Supreme Court prosecutor Georgios Sanidas warned Mayor Aliferis of the legal repercussions of his "breach of duty", but he said he had "no intention of annulling the marriages". In May 2009, the marriage was officially annulled by the authorities.  Ιn December 2015, the Hellenic Parliament reintroduced a law draft that would expand civil unions to same-sex couples. Reactions varied from positive to negative, with many members of the Greek Church condemning the proposition. Most notably, Archbishop Ieronymos called homosexuality "a diversion from life", metropolitan Anthimos declared that "Not even animals have such dispositions", metropolitan Seraphim said "Pawns of the international Zionism! The masculofeminine is being created!" whereas metropolitan Amvrosios stated "Spit on them! They're disgraceful! They're nature's abominations!" The latter, paired with Amvrosios' initiative to have the bells of the churches in his metropolis ring mournfully, stirred up much controversy, the result of which was a kiss-in protest by two LGBT activists dressed up in clergy clothes in front of the building of the Athens metropolis.  Finally, on 23 December, the draft concerning the enriched and improved civil union legislation was passed (193 to 56) with a significant absence of 51 MPs, making Greece the 26th European country to adopt same-sex recognition laws. The largest groups to oppose the civil union bill were the Communist Party of Greece, Golden Dawn and the Greek Orthodox Church. Simultaneously, the anachronistic article 347, criminalizing acts of "unnatural lewdness" between men was abolished, equalizing the age of consent for sex between men (now standing at 15 years of age both for heterosexual and homosexual sexual intercourse). Furthermore, Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, while debating the law in Hellenic Parliament, issued an apology to the LGBT community for the years of discrimination they had faced. Civil marriage between same-sex individuals is still not permitted. Same-sex couples are not allowed to adopt children as well.  In December 2016, the Hellenic Parliament passed a bill expanding the rights of same-sex couples and ensuring equal protection in workplaces regardless of gender, religion or sexual orientation. Nevertheless, joint adoption, IVF access for lesbians and same-sex marriage have not yet been legalised.

Same-sex marriage.

Same-sex marriage is not currently legal in Greece, even though some government officials are in favour of it and have proposed legalization. In 2018, the European Court of Justice ruled that married same-sex couples have the same residency rights as married opposite-sex couples under EU law, even if same-sex marriage is not legal in that particular EU member state. The ruling affects all EU countries, which are obliged to abide by it, including Greece.

Child adoption and foster care.

On 17 April 2018, a bill, titled the "Child Adoption Law" () aimed at overhauling and simplifying the country's child adoption legislation, which has been criticized in the past as being overly bureaucratic and ineffective and for its extremely slow procedures, was submitted to the Greek Parliament. The bill, and specifically Article 8, also grants same-sex couples the right to foster children. In a debate at a parliamentary committee, the bill's Article 8 was supported by the vast majority of the country's agencies, organizations, and experts, with the exception of the conservative Orthodox Church of Greece, which voiced its opposition to it. The bill as a whole, including Article 8, was voted "on principle" by the committee on early May 2018, with the support of Syriza, the Independent Greeks and The River. New Democracy (ND), Democratic Alignment (DISI) and the Union of Centrists (EK) abstained, whereas Golden Dawn voted against it, It was due for final ratification by Parliament. MPs from every political party of the Greek political spectrum expressed their support for Article 8 of the law, which concerns foster care for same-sex couples, with ND and DISI softening their initial hardline position towards it and announcing that any of their MPs are free to support the bill once it arrives at the parliamentary session for final ratification.  Eventually, the bill, including its Article 8, was ratified by the Greek Parliament on 9 May 2018, with 161 MPs voting in support and 103 against, making Greece the newest EU country, after Portugal in 2016, to legalize foster care for same-sex couples and the first country in Southeastern Europe to do so.

Discrimination and hate speech.

Since 2005, discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace has been prohibited.  While there has been considerable legal progress, conservative social mores still hold some influence and the Orthodox Church has often denounced homosexuality as a sin and "defect of human nature."  Greek law protects gender identity. According to "Law 3896 of 2010" (), discrimination on the basis of gender identity is considered equal to discrimination on the basis of sex and thus all laws regarding the latter also cover the former.  In September 2014, the "Law Against Racism and Xenophobia" () was amended. The changes stipulated that hate speech and violence against LGBT individuals or groups would be punished with imprisonment for 3 months to 3 years and a fine of 5,000 to 20,000 euros. If the actions have led to a crime, the penalty is increased by 6 months more imprisonment and an additional fine of 15,000 to 30,000 euros. If the final imprisonment exceeds 1 year, then the convict loses his/her political rights for 1 to 5 years. If the offender is a public worker, then they are punished with six months to three years imprisonment and a fine of 10,000 to 25,000 euros; if a crime is committed, they are punished with a fine of 25,000 to 50,000 euros. If the offender was committing the above representing an organisation or company, they are also fined. Entities in the public domain are, however, excluded from this last rule. This has led to criticism since the churches are also legal entities of the public domain, thereby excluding them from any consequences after the conviction of a priest of theirs. Furthermore, public prosecutors are given the freedom to move against the offenders even without a lawsuit from the victims, and if the victims file a lawsuit, they are allowed to do it free of charge, in contrast to the common practice.  Since 24 December 2015, Greece prohibits discrimination and hate crimes based on sex characteristics, which are among the strongest laws on the subject in Europe. On 2 December 2016, further anti-discrimination protections on the basis of sexual orientation, gender and religion in the workplace were passed by the Hellenic Parliament in a 201-21 vote with 5 abstaining and 73 absent. "PinkNews" described the law as one of the most rigid prohibitions of hate speech and hate crime in Europe.

Gender identity and expression.

Since October 2017, to change one's legal gender in Greece, the legal requirements are a forced divorce (if married, due to the ban on same-sex marriage) and a court order.  On 10 October 2017, the Greek Parliament passed, by a comfortable majority, the "Legal Gender Recognition Law" (), which grants transgender people in Greece the right to change their legal gender freely by abolishing any conditions and requirements, such as undergoing any medical interventions, sex reassignment surgeries or sterilisation procedures to have their gender legally recognized on their IDs. The bill grants this right to anyone aged 17 and older. However, even underaged children between the age of 15 and 17 have access to the legal gender recognition process, but under certain conditions, such as obtaining a certificate from a medical council. The bill was opposed by the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, the Communist Party of Greece, Golden Dawn and New Democracy.  The "Legal Gender Recognition Law" followed a 20 July 2016 decision of the County Court of Athens, which ruled that a person who wants to change their legal gender on Registry Office files is no longer obliged to already have undergone sex reassignment surgery. This decision was applied by the Court on a case-by-case basis.  In February 2018, the Marousi County Court ruled in favor of Jason-Antigone Dane's request to have their male birth name, Jason, changed on Registry Office files to a gender-neutral one by adding the female name Antigone next to it. However, while the court did rule in favor of the person's request for displaying a gender-neutral name on their ID, it decided against having their legal gender entry changed from male to third gender, citing the "lack of a relevant institutional framework for individuals not classified in a distinct case of a non-dual gender identity (third gender entry)" in Greece, although the 2017 "Legal Gender Recognition Law" does state that "the person [hence every person] has the right to the recognition of his or her gender identity as an element of his or her personality". The plaintiff's lawyer announced that they will appeal part of the ruling to a higher court (the part concerning the third gender marker on IDs).  In June 2018, a Greek court ruled that foreign transgender people, including refugees and immigrants, also have the right to the recognition of their gender identity, marking the first time that this right is extended beyond the definition of the 2017 "Legal Gender Recognition Law", which restricted this right to Greek citizens only.

Sex education in schools.

On 23 December 2016, the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs announced that, starting from 2017, a thematic week would be taking place every second semester of the school year. The thematic week seeks to inform students and their parents about, among others, issues such as sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, homophobia and transphobia. The Ministry will also consider enhancement of the thematic week in the future.

Military service.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals are allowed to serve openly in the Hellenic Armed Forces.

Social conditions.

Gay culture.

Athens has a large number of LGBT associations and a developing gay village in the Gazi, Athens neighborhood. A pride parade event, the "Athens Pride" and an international Gay and Lesbian film festival, the "Outview", are held annually.  There is also a large gay scene in Thessaloniki with gay/lesbian bars/clubs and several friendly mixed venues, and several LGBT organisations. In June 2012, the city got its own annual pride event (Thessaloniki Pride). One of the most notable events in Thessaloniki, concerning LGBT rights, is the attempt to raise a 20m long banner, urging people to boycott the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, on the city's most famous landmark, the White Tower. The attempt was quickly stopped by the local police, but the event was advertised in online media.  Greece is one of Europe's most popular LGBT tourist destinations, particularly its largest cities Athens and Thessalonica as well as several of its islands. The gay scene of Mykonos is well-known, with many establishments catering for the LGBT community. Lesbos also is famous internationally for its lesbian scene in Eressos.

Pride parades.

The first attempt to organize a pride parade in Greece was made by AKOE (; Liberation Movement of Homosexuals of Greece) on 28 June 1980 in Athens, defining it as a political event. It was repeated two years later at the Zappeion Mansion. Numerous similar events took place over the following years, and in different locations. In 1992, 1994 and 1995, the events were held at Strefi Hill, whereas in 1996 and 1998 they were organized at the Pedion tou Areos. In 1998, it took place in an enclosed area. In Thessaloniki, the first corresponding event was organized by OPOTH (; Gay Friendly Group of Thessaloniki) in the 1990s.  Since then, LGBT events have been held in other cities, including in Heraklion, Patras, Santorini, Corfu and Mykonos. Thessaloniki was selected in 2017 to host EuroPride 2020.

Athens Pride.

The Athens Pride is an annual LGBT pride parade and festival held every June in the centre of Athens. It has been held 14 times:

Thessaloniki Pride.

Thessaloniki staged its annual pride event for the first time in 22–23 June 2012, following Mayor Boutaris's promise to back a public LGBT event in the city. The first Thessaloniki Pride festival enjoyed massive popular support from the city, its periphery and the region, which was a heavy blow for the city's metropolitan Anthimos, who had called believers to react.  One year later, in one of his announcements just a few days before the pride event of 2013, he stated that, the Holy Metropolis of Thessaloniki would once again have to tolerate the sad and unacceptable festival of the homosexuals who want to "celebrate their sickness in a carnival sort of way". He also asked parents to keep their children and themselves away from "such pointless and unnatural celebrations". However, many families were present and the two-day festival ended in a festive atmosphere with many parties, galleries and celebrations all around the city. The 2nd Thessaloniki Pride was dedicated to freedom of any kind, including the freedom of gender expression.  In 2014, Thessaloniki was the European Youth Capital and the 3rd Thessaloniki Pride was included to its official programme. Accordingly, it was dedicated to LGBT youth and their families. By general assessment the 2014 pride event was a major success, with the participation of 10,000 people in the parade, along with the Mayor Yiannis Boutaris and a block of diplomats. Some described it as best LGBT pride festival that Thessaloniki has ever had.  That year, vigil masses took place along with gatherings of believers, where priests made an outcry over the "desecration of holy Thessaloniki", the "imposition of Islam and homosexuality by the New World Order, the gay pride events which are part of a Western conspiracy, the "appointment of homosexual male and female bishops and protested over the victory of Conchita Wurst at the Eurovision Song Contest. Metropolitan Anthimos once again made similar comments about it in an interview, deeming it as "disgraceful", "challenging", "a perversion of the human existence", adding that the Church orders to "Not give what is holy to dogs". He also claimed that the use of the term "festival" for the event is erroneous.  The festival has been held six times:

Crete Pride.

The first pride parade in Crete was held on 26–27 June 2015 in Heraklion, becoming the island's first "Festival for Gender and Sexuality Liberation Visibility".

Patras Pride.

The first pride parade in Patras, the third biggest city in Greece, was held in 2016.

Homophobia.

Discrimination by religious authorities.

Responding to government proposals in 2008 to introduce legal rights for cohabiting couples, Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens, the leader of the autocephalous Orthodox Church of Greece, suggested that "There is a need to change with the time". It is unclear, however, whether this view applied to same-sex couples, particularly as the Church has previously opposed gay rights in general and civil union laws in particular.  Following government talks in November 2013 regarding the legalisation of civil unions for homosexual couples, the Metropolitan of Piraeus Seraphim voiced vehement opposition against it, threatening that he can and will excommunicate any MPs who should vote for it. Moreover, he added that the bill "legalises the corruption of the human existence and physiology and cements the psychopathological diversion that is homosexuality". Additionally, he mentioned that such movements constitute "significant offenses of public decency" by sending out messages of "perverted sexual behaviours" to young people that "torpedo the foundations of family and society".  In August 2014, during discussions about the long-awaited vote for an anti-racism bill, several Metropolitans voiced their opposition to it due to certain articles pertinent to the criminalization of hate speech against, among others, homosexuals, with increased penalties for civil servants (members of the clergy included) who engage in it during their duties. The Metropolitan of Piraeus Seraphim accused the Greek PM, Antonis Samaras, of "selling his soul for a few extra months in office", criticized the draft law for "the introduction of other sexual orientations and other gender identities", the fact that the "psychopathological aversion and the inelegant mimicking of the other sex" would be protected by Greek law and compared homosexuality with paedophilia and bestiality.  The Metropolitan of Gortyna Ieremias, citing Bible passages, called homosexuals "dogs", protested the fact that, under the new bill, "several prophets and Saints would be regarded as racists", characterized it as a "horrible and deplorable" law while adding a homophobic word play. At the same time, the Metropolitan of Konitsa Andreas rejected the bill under the claim that it aims to "cover the perversion that is homosexuality". The religious reaction eventually resulted in Antonis Samaras accepting the church's objections and not including articles relative to the protection of homosexuals in the bill. Moreover, the PM reassured the religious leaders who disapproved of the bill that, "as long as he is in office, there's no way the parliament will expand civil unions to same-sex couples".  In September 2014, provisions on the criminalization of hate speech towards LGBT individuals were approved. The criminalization of LGBT-oriented hate speech led to the furious reaction of Metropolitan Seraphim who called the law "an oppresion of the Greek Justice system" and "the cancellation of the freedom of speech" as imposed by "the nationalistic system and the New World Order instructors".

Discrimination by media and public bodies.

Several issues have been raised about the Greek media and their frequently discriminatory attitude towards LGBT individuals such as through the use of censorship, something partly attributed to the regulation authority, or Greek National Council for Radio and Television (NCRTV). Below is a list of some homophobic/transphobic incidents by the Greek media and other companies and bodies:

Far-right homophobic violence.

The Neo-Nazi far-right party Golden Dawn has made a very infamous statement when addressing gay men and women, saying that "after the immigrants, you're next".. There are also allegations that members of the Greek police force were cooperating with Golden Dawn members and it may explain why several transgender women have been arrested during Thessaloniki Pride for no reason by the police, brutally attacked and illegally detained on the grounds of "keeping the city clean". Colour Youth, a non-governmental organisation, reported 101 incidents of homophobic and transphobic violence for 2009-2015, with 75 of them in 2015. Five of the attacks caused serious bodily harm, while the majority concerned verbal attacks.

Public opinion.

A survey among Greek MPs, conducted in 2003 and presented by the Hellenic Homosexual Community (EOK), raised the issue of recognising taxation, inheritance and other legal rights to same-sex couples. The results of the survey showed that 41% of parliamentarians surveyed favored granting such rights, while 55% were against it. Among PASOK MPs, 55% were favorable, compared to just 27% of New Democracy MPs. The party with the highest MP favorable responses was Synaspismos (67%), while the majority of Communist Party MPs abstained. MPs favorable responses were higher among women, younger and Athenian MPs.  A 2006 study among Greek students in Heraklion, Crete surveyed their attitudes towards male homosexuality. Two scales were used and translated into Greek along with several questions that formed a self-completed questionnaire. The main findings showed that there were differences among the different schools in terms of homophobic expression and that "the main predictors influencing homophobia score were: willingness to defend and protect gay rights, conversations with gay individuals, religiosity, politicization and having gay friends".  A Eurobarometer survey published in December 2006 showed that 15% of Greeks surveyed supported same-sex marriage and 11% recognised same-sex couple's right to adopt. These figures were considerably below the 25-member European Union average of 44% and 32% respectively, and placed Greece in the lowest ranks of the European Union along with Romania, Latvia, Poland, Cyprus, Malta, Lithuania, Slovakia and Bulgaria.  A Eurobarometer survey published in January 2007 ("Discrimination in the European Union") showed that 77% of Greeks believed that being gay or lesbian in their country "tends to be a disadvantage", while the European Union average was 55%. 68% of Greeks agreed that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation was "widespread" in Greece (EU: 50%), and 37% that it was more widespread in than 5 years before (EU: 31%). 84% of Greeks also reported not having any gay or lesbian friends or acquaintances (EU: 65%).  A Kapa Research (major Greek polling firm) survey on behalf of the Greek Institute of Psychological & Sexual Health, published in the Greek newspaper "Ta Nea" on 20 September 2010, showed that 64% of Greeks agreed with the legalization of same-sex partnerships and 24% disagreed; as for the legalization of same-sex marriage, 39% of Greeks agreed and 52% disagreed.  In June 2013, the Pew Research Center released data where they conducted surveys of respondents in some 40 countries on the question of whether the respondents believed their society should or should not accept homosexuality. Pew Research questioners scientifically asked respondents in Greece this question and found that amongst those asked, a majority 53% of those Greek respondents believed their society should accept homosexuality, while 40% of the respondents believed that society should not accept homosexuality. Amongst those Greeks surveyed between the ages of 18 and 29 years of age support for society accepting homosexuality was at a higher 66% than the overall 53%. For those respondents aged 30 to 49 support was too at a higher 62%, but a lower 40% for those respondents 50 years and older.  On 11 April 2015, the newspaper "To Vima" published a survey conducted by Kapa Research, which showed that 39% of respondents supported same-sex marriage and 51% were against it. In the same survey, 66% of respondents agreed with the statement that homosexuality should be accepted by society, while 28% believed that homosexuality should not be accepted by society.  On 12 May 2015, Greece had its first survey ever showing majority support for same-sex marriage at 56%, while 35% opposed it. The survey was based on 1,431 respondents and was conducted by Focus Bari. A very high percentage of respondents (76%) agreed that homosexuality should be accepted by society and 70% agreed that civil partnerships should be extended to same-sex couples. However, respondents remained sceptical about adoption by same-sex couples with only 30% supporting it, while 56% opposed it. Only 14% believed that homosexuality is a mental disorder and 54% stated that stricter laws should exist to punish homophobic crimes (hate speech in particular).  In December 2015, a poll, conducted by the University of Macedonia during the week before the civil unions bill became law, found that 56% of the public agreed with the law, while 29% strongly opposed it.  A survey by Pew found that the Greek respondents (having been polled in 2015-2016) gave the most cultural liberal responses regarding LGBT rights among Orthodox Christians from various countries, except for respondents from the United States. Specifically, 50% of practicing Greek Orthodox Christian respondents said that homosexuality should be accepted by society, while 45% disagreed. Regarding legalizing same-sex marriage, 25% of Greek Orthodox Christians were in favor, and 72% were opposed.  A poll conducted by DiaNeosis in December 2016 showed that 50% of Greeks supported same-sex marriage and 26% were in favor of adoption by same-sex couples. The poll found a large age gap with 68% of those aged 17–24 and 63% of those aged 25–39 being supporters of same-sex marriage, in contrast to only 30% of those aged over 65. Adoption by same-sex couples was supported by 49% among those aged 17–24, but only 11% of those over 65 shared the same view.  The 2019 Eurobarometer found that 39% of Greeks thought same-sex marriage should be allowed throughout Europe, 56% were against. The same poll found that 64% of respondents agreed with the statement: "Gay, lesbian and bisexual people should have the same rights as heterosexual people", whereas 32% disagreed. Those figures marked an increase of 6% and 2%, respectively, compared to the 2015 Eurobarometer survey.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in Greece have evolved significantly over the last years, establishing it as one of the most liberal countries in Southeast Europe. Discrimination is not as common anymore, although LGBT people in Greece still face social challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Despite this, Greek public opinion on homosexuality is generally regarded as culturally liberal, with same-sex unions being legally recognised since 2015.

Les personnes lesbiennes, gaies, bisexuelles et transgenres (LGBT) en Grèce peuvent faire face à des difficultés juridiques que n'ont pas les habitants non-LGBT.


History.

The China Development Bank (CDB) was established in March 1994 to provide development-oriented financing for high-priority government projects. It is under the direct jurisdiction of the State Council and the People's Central Government. At present, it has 35 branches across the country and one representative office. The bank provides financing for national projects such as infrastructure development, basic industries, energy, and transportation.  The main objective as a state financial institution is to support the macroeconomic policies of the central government and to support national economic development and strategic structural changes in the economy.  In the last decade, CDB has issued 1.6 trillion yuan in loans to more than 4,000 projects involving infrastructure, communications, transportation, and basic industries. The investments are spread along the Yellow River, and both south and north of the Yangtze River. CDB has been increasingly focusing on developing the western and northwestern provinces in China. This could help reduce the growing economic disparity in the western provinces, and it has the potential to revitalize the old industrial bases of northeast China.  Since 1997, CDB has reduced bad debts, returning to profitability under Governor Chen Yuan, the eldest son of Chen Yun. Chen was formerly the executive deputy governor of the PRC's central bank, The People's Bank of China. International financial standards and better practices were introduced under his leadership.  CDB plays a major role in alleviating infrastructure and energy bottlenecks in the Chinese economy. In 2003, CDB made loan arrangements for, or evaluated and underwrote, a total of 460 national debt projects and issued 246.8 billion yuan in loans. This accounted for 41% of its total investment. CDB's loans to the "bottleneck" investments that the government prioritizes amounted to 91% of its total loan count. It also issued a total of 357.5 billion yuan in loans to western areas and more than 174.2 billion yuan to old industrial bases in Northeast China. These loans substantially increased the economic growth and structural readjustments of the Chinese economy.  At the end of 2004, the bank's total credit assets were RMB 1,378.6 billion, with a current principal and interest recovery ratio of 99.77%, after 20 consecutive quarters of world-class performance. The bank's non-performing loan ratio stood at 1.21%, a decrease of 0.13 percentage points year over year. The coverage ratio of its risk reserves against non-performing loans was 285%, and its capital adequacy ratio reached 10.51%. During 2004, the bank made a profit of about US$2 billion.  In 2005 and 2006, CDB successfully issued two pilot Asset-Backed Securities (ABS) products in the domestic China market. Along with other ABS products issued by China Construction Bank, CDB has created a foundation for a promising debt capital and structured finance market.  At the end of 2010, CDB held US$687.8 billion in loans, more than twice the amount of the World Bank.  As of December 2018, outstanding loans to 11 provincial-level regions along the belt amounted to 3.85 trillion yuan (about 575 billion U.S. dollars), according to the CDB. New yuan loans to these regions reached 304.5 billion yuan last year, accounting for 48 percent of the bank's total new yuan loans. The funds mainly went to major projects in the fields of ecological protection and restoration, infrastructure connectivity, and industrial transformation and upgrading. The CDB will continue to support ecological protection and green development of the Yangtze River in 2019, said CDB Chairman Zhao Huan. China issued a development plan for the Yangtze River Economic Belt in September 2016 and a guideline for green development of the belt in 2017. The Yangtze River Economic Belt consists of nine provinces and two municipalities that cover roughly one-fifth of China's land. It has a population of 600 million and generates more than 40 percent of the country's GDP.

Organizational structure.

The Governors of the bank report to a Board of Supervisors, who are accountable to the central government. There are four vice governors and two assistant governors. At the end of 2004, CDB had about 3,500 employees. About 1,000 of CDB's employees work at the Beijing Headquarters, with the rest in 35 mainland branches; including a representative office in Tibet and a branch in Hong Kong. The bank does not take private savings, so it does not have local branches like many other major banks.

The China Development Bank (CDB) () is a development bank in the People's Republic of China (PRC), led by a cabinet minister at the Governor level, under the direct jurisdiction of the State Council. As one of three policy banks in China, it is responsible for raising funds for large-scale infrastructure projects, including the Three Gorges Dam and the Shanghai Pudong International Airport. Established by the Policy Banks Law of 1994, the bank is described as the engine that powers the national government's economic development policies.

La Banque de Développement de Chine (en anglais, "China Development Bank" ou "CDB") est une banque publique chinoise spécialisé dans le financement des infrastructures, dans le cadre du soutien à la politique monétaire du pays. Elle est créée en 1994. Son siège social est basée à Pékin. Elle est sous la tutelle du Conseil des affaires de l'État de la République populaire de Chine.


History.

The stadium was opened on 21 April 2014 with the final of the 2014 Puskás Cup.  On 26 April 2014, the first Hungarian League match was played at the stadium between Puskás Akadémia and Videoton. The match ended with 3–1 away win.  On 30 June 2016 the first UEFA Europa League will be played between Videoton FC and FC Zaria Bălți at the stadium. Since Videoton's stadium, Sóstói Stadion, was demolished in the spring of 2016, the Székesfehérvár-based club will play their matches at the Pancho Aréna.  The Pancho Aréna was listed among the top three most beautiful stadiums of the world according to stadiumdb.com. "The wood-lined curved interior to the stand gives spectators the feeling that they are attending a Sunday church service, not a football match. The 3,500 seater stadium opened in 2014 and was the brainchild of local architect Imre Makovecz".  On 26 March 2018, the first international match was played at the stadium when Bulgaria hosted Kazakhstan in a friendly match. The match ended with a 2–1 win for Bulgaria.

Controversy.

Many allegations of corruption have surfaced regarding the stadium, as Hungary's current prime minister, Viktor Orbán (known for his passion for football) spent much of his childhood in the village, and Pancho Arena was built just meters away from his Felcsút estate. Although the stadium was not built directly from government funds, companies that provided the lion's share of the funding won several high-value public procurement procedures during Orbán's prime ministership. In addition, Orbán's government passed laws granting benefits to companies supporting sport investments. Allegations were fuelled by the fact that the stadium seats 3,500 people, while the total population of the village is under 1,700.

Attendances.

Puskás Akadémia only played three matches at the Pancho Aréna during the 2013–14 season. This table includes only domestic league matches.

Pancho Aréna is a stadium in Felcsút, Hungary. It is used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Puskás Akadémia FC. Between 2015 and 2018 the stadium was the home also for the three-time champions MOL Vidi FC due to the reconstruction of Sóstói Stadion.

La Pancho Aréna est un stade de football situé à Felcsút, en Hongrie. Le club du Puskás Akadémia FC y joue à domicile. Avec une capacité maximale de, c'est l'un des plus petits stades du championnat de Hongrie.


23 June 1942.

In June 1942, "Oberleutnant" (highest lieutenant officer rank) Armin Faber was "Gruppen-Adjutant" (performing administrative and personnel paperwork duties as well as flight duties) to the commander of the III fighter "Gruppe" of "Jagdgeschwader 2" (JG 2, Second Fighter Wing) based in Morlaix in Brittany. On 23 June, he was given special permission to fly a combat mission with 7th "Staffel" (squadron); a unit that flew Focke-Wulf 190 (Fw 190) fighters.  The Fw 190 had only recently arrived with front line units at this time and its superior performance had caused the Allies so many problems that they were considering mounting a commando raid on a French airfield to capture one for evaluation.  7th "Staffel" (squadron) was scrambled to intercept a force of six Boston light bombers returning from a bombing mission; the Bostons were escorted by three Czechoslovak-manned RAF squadrons, 310 Squadron, 312 Squadron and 313 Squadron commanded by Alois Vašátko. All the Bostons returned safely while a fight developed over the English Channel with the escorting Spitfires, which resulted in the loss of two Fw 190s and seven Spitfires, including that of Alois Vašátko, who was killed when he collided with an Fw 190 (the German pilot bailed out and was captured).  During the combat, Faber became disoriented and separated from the other German aircraft. He was attacked by Sergeant of 310 Squadron. In his efforts to shake off the Spitfire, Faber flew north over Exeter in Devon. After much high-speed manoeuvring, Faber, with only one cannon working, pulled an Immelmann turn into the sun and shot down his pursuer in a head-on attack.  Trejtnar bailed out safely, although he had a shrapnel wound in his arm and sustained a broken leg on landing; his Spitfire crashed near the village of Black Dog, Devon. Meanwhile, the disorientated Faber now mistook the Bristol Channel for the English Channel and flew north instead of south. Thinking South Wales was France, he turned towards the nearest airfield - RAF Pembrey. Observers on the ground could not believe their eyes as Faber waggled his wings in a victory celebration, lowered the Focke-Wulf's undercarriage and landed.  The Pembrey Duty Pilot, Sergeant Jeffreys, identified the aircraft as German while it was landing and he ordered his men to signal it to park in the dispersal area. As the Fw 190 slowed, he jumped onto its wing and took Faber prisoner with a flare gun; as Pembrey was a training station, Jeffreys had no other weapon to hand. Faber was "so despondent that he attempted suicide" unsuccessfully.  Faber was later driven to RAF Fairwood Common for interrogation under the escort of Group Captain David Atcherley (twin brother of Richard Atcherley). Atcherley, fearful of an escape attempt, aimed his revolver at Faber for the entire journey. At one point the car hit a pothole, causing the weapon to fire; the shot only narrowly missed Faber.  As a prisoner of war, Faber was sent to Canada where he attempted to escape from the prisoner camp. He was repatriated just before the end of the war due to ill health.

Focke-Wulf 190A-3.

Faber's plane was a Fw 190A-3 with the "Werknummer" 313. It was the only Fw 190 fighter to be captured intact by the Allies during the war. All other captured Fw 190s were either of the long-range bomber or fighter-bomber types.  Group Captain Hugh Wilson, the pilot mainly responsible for test flying captured enemy aircraft, was asked to fly "313" from RAF Pembrey to RAF Farnborough under the guarantee not to crash. This was an impossible guarantee to give, so the aircraft was dismantled and transported via lorry instead.  At Farnborough, the Fw 190 was repainted in RAF colours and given the RAF serial number "MP499" and a 'P' for prototype. Testing and evaluation commenced on 3 July 1942 at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) at RAF Farnborough. Roughly nine flying hours were recorded, providing the Allies with extremely valuable intelligence.  After 10 days it was transferred to the Air Fighting Development Unit at RAF Duxford for tactical assessment, where it was flown in mock combat trials against the new Spitfire Mk.IX, providing the RAF with methods to best fight the Fw 190A with their new fighter. The Fw 190 was then transferred to No. 1426 (Enemy Aircraft) Flight. The Fw 190 was flown 29 times between 3 July 1942 and 29 January 1943. It was then partially dismantled and tests done on engine performance at Farnborough. It was "struck off charge" on 18 September 1943 and scrapped.

Surviving relics.

The Shoreham Aircraft Museum displays the armoured-glass windscreen of Faber's Fw 190, together with part of its control panel. The museum also holds some wreckage fragments of František Trejtnar's Spitfire. In 1991, Armin Faber visited the museum and presented it with his officer's dagger and pilot's badge. The quick release buckle of the parachute František Trejtnar used that day is owned by an aviation-themed cafe at The Moravian Museum in Brno, in the Czech Republic.

Oberleutnant Armin Faber was a German "Luftwaffe" pilot in World War II who mistook the Bristol Channel for the English Channel and landed his Focke-Wulf 190 (Fw 190) intact at RAF Pembrey in South Wales. His plane was the first Fw 190 to be captured by the Allies and was tested to reveal any weaknesses that could be exploited.

L’Oberleutnant Armin Faber était un pilote de la Luftwaffe pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale qui confondit le canal de Bristol avec la Manche et posa son Focke-Wulf Fw 190 intact sur la dans le sud du Pays de Galles. Son avion fut le premier Fw-190 à être capturé par les Alliés et fut testé pour en révéler les faiblesses qui pourraient être exploitées.


Biography.

Biography and early television.

Of French-Irish origin, Alison Wheeler was born on July 22, 1986, in Enghien-les-Bains in Val-d'Oise. After graduating with a Baccalauréat diploma in humanities at Notre-Dame-de-Bury High School, (Margency), she took comedy classes at Cours Florent and Studio Pygmalion. She also studied at the university Paris-Sorbonne IV.  After having participated in several television series and co-hosted the show "Kawai" on Filles TV alongside Louise Bourgoin, Wheeler won a role in the Saphia Azzeddine's adaption of Azzeddizine's novel "Mon père est femme de ménage". Her performance as the big sister who dreams of becoming a musical star earned her a nomination for the 2012 Césars as "most promising actress". She continued on to earn a small role in the biopic "My Way", by Florent Emilio Siri, also released in 2012.  During the same year, Wheeler established her internet presence: first on the site MadmoiZelle.com and later through the internet cooperative Studio Bagel, which she joined in season 2, and which provided her with a wider audience. When Studio Bagel was acquired by the television channel Canal+, Wheeler became one of television's most prominent faces. She took part in the show "Le Dézapping du Before", broadcast during "le Before du Grand Journal", on the programme "Carte de Presque" and occasionally on the "Grand Journal"'s JT de l'invité on Canal+. However, Wheeler's most recognizable work began on September 9th, 2014, as a presenter for the "Grand Journal" weather on Canal + with Monsieur Poulpe. She left "Le Grand Journal" in spring of 2015 to focus on cinema.

Transition to cinema and musical parodies.

After a few small roles in popular comedies - "Fonzy", by Isabelle Doval and "À toute épreuve" by Antoine Blossier - Wheeler acted in the dramedy "Memories", by Jean-Paul Rouve, released in 2014.  However, Wheeler's new focus on cinema did signal a total depart from news media, and in October 2015 she founded the column ("Journal intime fictif") in the Antoine de Caunes's weekly show "L'émission d'Antoine", broadcast on Canal+. On May 23, 2016, she launched her first video on her YouTube channel, "La chanteuse de salle de bain". The next fall Wheeler joined the Nagui show "La Bande originale" on France Inter as a comedic commentator, with her column "La Drôle d'humeur d'Alison Wheeler", where she is recognized for her imitations and musical parodies. This garnered her a widespread audience and landed her further cinematic roles, first for the Patrick Mille comedy "Going to Brazil", and then as Déborah François's co-star in the romantic comedy "Loue-moi!", directed by Coline Assous and Virginie Schwartz. Both films received poor public reception and were deemed flops in 2017, despite significant media coverage for the first.  The same year, the actress won the role Mademoiselle Jeanne in "", an adaptation of the eponymous cartoon by Pierre-François Martin-Laval.

Alison Wheeler (born 22 July 1986) is a French humorist and actress. Wheeler initially earned recognition as a member of the French cooperative Studio Bagel, a website that was later acquired by the television channel Canal+. She has an established cinematic career and is known for creating and performing musical parodies on France Inter. She currently works as a weekly humorist for the French Talk show “Quotidien”, on the private tv channel TMC.

Alison Wheeler, née le à Enghien-les-Bains, est une humoriste et comédienne française. Révélée par le collectif Studio Bagel au début des années 2010, elle officie comme humoriste sur Canal+ (2013-2015), France Inter (2016-2018) puis TMC (depuis 2018).


Club career.

Hertha BSC.

Mukhtar began playing football at a very early age, initially for FC Stern Marienfelde. He was recruited into the youth academy of then-Bundesliga club Hertha BSC at the age of only seven. Rising through Hertha's ranks, he captained the club's U-17 squad to a Championship title in 2012. The following season, he joined Hertha's reserves, and was surprisingly called to the first team when Israeli international Ben Sahar missed a match for Yom Kippur. In the final minute of the match against Dynamo Dresden, Mukhtar came on as a substitute for Ronny, making him the second youngest professional debutant in Hertha's history.

Benfica.

On 15 January 2015, Mukhtar signed for Portuguese champions Benfica until 2020. The transfer fee is believed to be €500,000 and Hertha BSC will allegedly participate in a potential resale. On 10 April 2015, Mukhtar debuted for the reserve team and scored a goal in a home draw against Chaves (2–2) in Segunda Liga. On 23 May, he played his first match for the first team, as a substitute in a home win against Marítimo (4–1) in their last league match of the season.  On 28 August 2015, he joined Austrian Red Bull Salzburg on a season-long loan deal. Salzburg were also granted a subsequent transfer option. For the following season he was again loaned, this time to Danish club Brøndby IF. On 24 July 2016, he made his Danish Superliga debut by replacing Andrew Hjulsager for the final fifteen minutes of a 2–0 away win over Silkeborg IF. On 21 August, he scored his first goal for Brøndby in a 7–0 away rout over AGF.

Brøndby.

On 17 April 2017, Brøndby exercised their option to sign Mukhtar permanently from Benfica. Mukthar penned a four-year contract with Brøndby which tied him to the club until the summer 2021.  On 22 April 2018, Mukhtar was awarded the Superliga Player of the Season, with him being named on the Superligaen Team of the Year by newspaper B.T.. On 10 May 2018, Mukhtar played as Brøndby beat Silkeborg IF 3–1 in the Danish Cup final.

Nashville SC.

On 27 August 2019, Mukhtar became the first designated player in Nashville SC franchise history. Although the transfer became official in August 2019, he remained at Brøndby IF until 1 January 2020.

International career.

A German youth international, Mukhtar scored the only and winning goal for Germany in the 2014 UEFA European Under-19 Championship final against Portugal. On 1 June 2015, Mukhtar bagged a hat-trick for Germany's under-20 in an 8–1 win against Fiji in his first match at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Personal life.

Mukhtar was born in Berlin, Germany, to a German mother (Ursula) and a Sudanese father.

Hany Abubakr Mukhtar (born 21 March 1995) is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Nashville SC in Major League Soccer.

Hany Mukhtar est un footballeur allemand né le à Berlin. Il évolue au poste de milieu de terrain au Brøndby IF.


Development.

Concept.

The season follows the adventures of Finn the Human, a human boy, and his best friend Jake, a dog with magical powers to change shape, grow, and shrink at will. Finn and Jake live in the post-apocalyptic Land of Ooo, wherein they interact with the other major characters, including: Princess Bubblegum, The Ice King, Marceline the Vampire Queen, Lumpy Space Princess, BMO, and Flame Princess. Common storylines revolve around Finn and Jake discovering strange creatures, dealing with the antagonistic but misunderstood Ice King, and battling monsters in order to help others. This season's main story arc, however, deals with Finn discovering the true identity of his human father, and his subsequent attempts to reconnect with him. The season ends with Princess Bubblegum being deposed by the King of Ooo (voiced by Andy Daly), and Finn fighting the primordial cosmic space demon Orgalorg (the actual identity of Gunter the penguin).

Production.

On January 28, 2013, during the middle of the show's fifth season, Cartoon Network officially announced that the show had been renewed for a sixth season. In July 2013, storyboard artist Jesse Moynihan revealed that production for the sixth season had begun. This season's episodes were produced in a process similar to those of the previous seasons' episodes. Each episode was outlined in two-to-three pages that contained the necessary plot information. These outlines were then handed to storyboard artists, who created full storyboards. Design and coloring were done in Burbank, California, and animation was handled overseas in South Korea by Rough Draft Korea and Saerom Animation. While almost all of the animation for the show is done through these studios, two episodes were written and animated entirely by guest animators. The first, "Food Chain", was helmed by noted Japanese animator Masaaki Yuasa, and was entirely animated by Yuasa's own studio. The second, "Water Park Prank", was directed by David Ferguson.  The season was storyboarded and written by Andy Ristaino, Cole Sanchez, Tom Herpich, Steve Wolfhard, Seo Kim, Somvilay Xayaphone, Graham Falk, Derek Ballard, Moynihan, Yuasa, Adam Muto, Kent Osborne, Lyle Partridge, Bert Youn, Madeleine Flores, Jillian Tamaki, Sam Alden, Sloane Leong, Brandon Graham, and David Ferguson. "The Prince Who Wanted Everything" marked the return of Youn—a storyboarder during the show's first, third, and fourth seasons—to the series. He had left after the first season for mandatory military service in his native South Korea, and returned during the third season. He once again left the series after the conclusion of its fourth season to focus his attention on Studio Spiyo in Seoul, South Korea. However, Youn returned to work on "The Prince Who Wanted Everything", although it was a "one-off gig", and he subsequently took a job working on "Over the Garden Wall". The sixth season of "Adventure Time" also marked the final season that both Andy Ristaino and Cole Sanchez worked as storyboard artists. Ristaino revealed in a podcast that, once the season was finished, he was "burnt out". He did, however, return as a background designer for the seventh season. Sanchez, on the other hand, left the series to become a supervising director on "Long Live the Royals". He eventually returned to the series as a supervising director for its eighth season.  This was the last season of "Adventure Time" to feature Nick Jennings as the series' art director; he had originally been brought on at the start of the first season at the behest of Cartoon Network, and had served as the sole art director for five and a half seasons. Following the show's sixth season, he left to work on the 2016 reboot of the "Powerpuff Girls". He was replaced by Sandra Lee—also known as Sandra Calleros—who had previously been the series' background paint supervisor. Both Jennings and Lee were credited as art co-directors starting with the thirty-third episode, "Jermaine".

Cast.

The voice actors for the season include: Jeremy Shada (Finn the Human), John DiMaggio (Jake the Dog), Tom Kenny (The Ice King), Hynden Walch (Princess Bubblegum), and Olivia Olson (Marceline the Vampire Queen). Ward himself provides the voice for several minor characters, including Lumpy Space Princess. Former storyboard artist Niki Yang voices the sentient video game console BMO in English, as well as Jake's girlfriend Lady Rainicorn in Korean. Polly Lou Livingston, a friend of Pendleton Ward's mother, Bettie Ward, plays the voice of the small elephant Tree Trunks. Justin Roiland provides the voice of the Earl of Lemongrab. Jessica DiCicco voices Flame Princess, Finn's former romantic interest. Several episodes also feature The Lich, the series' principal antagonist. The Lich is portrayed by Ron Perlman in his demonic form, and by Ethan Maher as a large baby after the events of the season premiere. Finn's father, Martin, first introduced in "Escape from the Citadel", is voiced by Stephen Root. The "Adventure Time" cast records their lines together as opposed to doing it individually. This is to capture more natural sounding dialogue among the characters. Hynden Walch has described these group session as akin to "doing a play reading—a really, really out there play."  In addition to the regular cast members, episodes feature guest voices from many ranges of professions, including actors, musicians, and artists. The season openers, "Wake Up" and "Escape from the Citadel", feature the return of Kumail Nanjiani as Prismo, M. Emmet Walsh as the Cosmic Owl, and Miguel Ferrer as Death and one of the heads of Grob Gob Glob Grod. Nanjiani would return again in the episodes "Is That You?" and "Hoots"; Walsh would reappear in "Hoots". "James II" features Andy Merrill reprising his role as James. "The A.V. Club" columnist Cameron Esposito lends her voice to Carroll the cloud woman. "Sad Face" features both Andy Milonakis reprising his role as the Never-Ending Pie Throwing Robot (N.E.P.T.R.)., and Brett Gelman as the bug ringleader. Milonakis would also return in "Furniture & Meat". Comedian Melinda Hill reprises her role as Doctor Princess in the episode "Breezy", which also features the vocal talents of Ashly Burch as the titular character. Burch would also voice a blacksmith in "Little Brother", and the Super Porp spokesperson Cheryl in "Dark Purple". "Regular Show" writer and voice actor Minty Lewis voices Erin the caterpillar in "Food Chain". "The Prince Who Wanted Everything" features both Madeleine Martin as Fionna and Roz Ryan as Cake, as well as Peter Serafinowicz, who voices Lumpy Space Prince, the gender-switched version of Lumpy Space Princess. Prolific voice actor Alan Oppenheimer also voices Darren and the Sun in "Something Big", and actress Jill Talley also reprises her role as Maja. "Something Big" also sees the return of Keith Ferguson as Colonel Candy Corn; he would also reprise this role in several other season six episodes. James Urbaniak plays both Leafbeard and the Rat King in "Little Brother", and Thurop Van Orman, a former supervising producer and writer for the series during its second season, also appears in the aforementioned episode, playing the part of Kent. Kristen Schaal and Dan Mintz reprise their roles as Jake Jr. and T.V., respectively, in "Ocarina", and the episode also sees the introduction of Marc Evan Jackson and Paget Brewster as Kim Kil Whan and Viola, respectively. Duncan Trussell, Steve Little, Dana Snyder, and series storyboard artist Cole Sanchez, return in "Thanks for the Crabapples, Giuseppe!", playing the roles of Ron James, Abracadaniel, the Ancient Sleeping Magi of Life Giving, and Little Dude, respectively.  Grey DeLisle returns to voice Breakfast Princess in "Princess Day". Rainn Wilson reprises his role as Rattleballs in "Nemesis", and also voices the new character Peace Master. Billy West voices Goose, Dr. Erik Adamkinson, and the Mayor in "Everything's Jake", and Tress MacNeille appears in the same episode, playing the part of Dr. Erik Adamkinson's father. In "Dentist", Collin Dean reprises his role as Tiffany, Lucy Lawless guest stars as the Queen of the Ants, and Andy Daly plays Lieutenant Gamergate. Daly also reprises his role as the King of Ooo in "Gold Stars" and the first part of the season finale, "Hot Diggity Doom". Brody Stevens voices a character in "The Cooler". "Evergreen" guest stars Pamela Adlon, Alan Tudyk, and Keith David as Gunter, Chatsberry, and Balthus, respectively. "Gold Stars" sees the introduction of Paul Scheer as Toronto, a character who would also appear in "Hot Diggity Doom". "The Mountain" features prolific voice actor Jim Cummings as Matthew. Jackie Buscarino returns as Susan Strong in "Dark Purple". In "The Diary", Dan Mintz voices T.V., Alia Shawkat voices the younger version of Nurse Poundcake, and Clark Duke plays both Justin Rockcandy and Jawbreaker guy. "Walnuts & Rain" sees the introduction of the bear Seven, voiced by Chris Isaak. The episode also features Matt L. Jones, an actor who first appeared in the first season episode "Memories of Boom Boom Mountain" voicing the crying Mountain, lending his voice to King Huge. "Friends Forever" guest stars Tipper Newton as Lamp and Brent Weinbach as Bass Drum. Newton would later reappear in "On the Lam", voicing the alien emperor. Jon Wurster voices the demon Bryce, and Tom Scharpling voices Jermaine in the episode of the same name. "Chips & Ice Cream" guest stars Ron Livingston, Riki Lindhome, and Kate Micucci; the latter two comprise the comedy band Garfunkel and Oates. Lindhome had previously appeared in the season five episode "The Party's Over, Isla de Señorita", playing the Island Lady, and Micucci had previously appeared in the season two episode "Heat Signature", playing Wendy, one of Marceline's ghost friends. Emo Philips reprises his role as Cuber in the episode "Graybles 1000+", and the episode also features musician Janet Klein as Tuber, the sister of Cuber. Kay Lenz voices Gunter's dream manifestation in "Hoots". Lena Dunham returns in "You Forgot Your Floaties", reprising her role as Betty, and Gillian Jacobs appears, voicing the role of M.A.R.G.L.E.S. Matt Gourley and Melissa Villaseñor guest star in "Orgalorg" as alien elders. The catalyst comet in "The Comet" was voiced by Tig Notaro.  Various minor and background characters are voiced by Tom Kenny, Dee Bradley Baker, Maria Bamford, Steve Little, and Kent Osborne.

Broadcast and reception.

Broadcast.

For the first five and a half seasons, the show aired on Monday nights. However starting with "Breezy", the show began to air on different days; following "Breezy", many episodes aired on Thursdays, although the season's seventeenth episode, "Ghost Fly", aired on a Tuesday night as a Halloween special. Following several months without new episodes, four installments—"Everything's Jake", "Is That You", "Jake the Brick", and "Dentist"—aired back-to-back on November 24, 25, 26, and 28, respectively. Likewise, the final six episodes of the season aired during the week of June 1, with the two-part season finale airing on June 5.  In addition, several episodes aired internationally prior to their domestic debut: "Evergreen" was broadcast on November 10 by Cartoon Network in Brazil, "Astral Plane" was uploaded onto Cartoon Network's Brazilian website on December 24, 2014, "The Visitor" first aired on February 3, 2015 on Cartoon Network in South Korea, and both "Friends Forever" and "Jermaine" aired on Cartoon Network in Latin America on April 6, 2015 and April 13, 2015 respectively.

Ratings.

The season debuted on April 21, 2014, with the two-part episode "Wake Up"/"Escape from the Citadel". Together, both episodes were viewed by 3.321 million viewers and scored a 0.7 Nielsen rating in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic. Nielsen ratings are audience measurement systems that determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States, which means that the episodes were seen by 0.7 percent of all households aged 18 to 49 years old were watching television at the time of the episode's airing. This marked a slight decrease in viewers when compared to the previous season premiere "Finn the Human"/"Jake the Dog", which was seen by 3.44 million viewers, but it marked a massive increase of almost one million viewers when compared with the previous season finale, "Billy's Bucket List". The premiere was also the most-watched Cartoon Network telecast at the time of its airing among children aged 2–11 and 9–14, as well as with boys 2–11 and 9–14. It also marked a 153 percent increase in overall demographic ratings when compared to the same time the previous year. The season hit its nadir with the seventeenth episode, "Ghost Fly", which was seen by only 1.3 million viewers and scored a 0.2 percent adult 18–49 Nielsen rating, meaning that it was seen by only 0.2 percent of all 18- to 49-year-olds watching television at the time of the episode's airing. The season concluded with the two-part episode "Hot Diggity Doom"/"The Comet", which, together, were seen by 1.55 million viewers. The episodes scored 0.4 percent adult 18–49 Nielsen rating.

Reviews and accolades.

The season received largely positive critical reviews. Eric Kohn of IndieWire applauded the two-part season opener, "Wake Up" and "Escape from the Citadel", for taking a darker turn in regards to the series' storytelling. Furthermore, he noted that the storyline concerning "Finn's cursed sword arm—an ingredient that has festered in the sidelines for weeks—reaches a beguiling new state." Likewise, Oliver Sava of "The A.V. Club" complimented the episodes for being full of harsh realizations concerning Finn's father and the vulnerability of his body; he ultimately concluded that "the developments of these two episodes dramatically alter the series' status quo to give this season an added boost of momentum from the very beginning." Each episode was also graded by "The A.V. Club" with a different letter grade; the season received two C's, twenty-two B's, and seventeen A's.  "The A.V. Club" named the series the 27th best television series of 2014, noting that, "The ongoing sixth season has ventured into even more dangerous emotional territory: parenthood. Coupled with deep dives into the history of Ooo and the increasing visual confidence of episodes like the surreal, breathtaking 'Food Chain,' "Adventure Time" appears ready to use its considerable heft and years of laying narrative foundations to do some of TV's finest storytelling about grappling with the past and accepting the responsibilities of adulthood." The site selected "Food Chain" and "Breezy" as stand-out episodes from 2014, and it later named the season finale "The Comet" one of the best TV episodes of 2015.  Masaaki Yuasa and Eunyoung Choi were both nominated for an "Outstanding Achievement, Directing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production" Annie Award for their work on "Food Chain". "Food Chain" was later selected for competition at the 2015 Annecy International Animated Film Festival, On April 23, 2015, it was announced that the series had won a Peabody Award for Best Children's Programming. At the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2015, the episode "Jake the Brick" won a Primetime Emmy Award for Short-format Animation, and Tom Herpich won an Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation Emmy for his work on "Walnuts & Rain". At the 2016 Annie Awards, the writing staff for "The Diary" was nominated for an Outstanding Achievement, Writing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production award, and Herpich was nominated for an Outstanding Achievement, Storyboarding in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production award.

Episodes.

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Home media.

Warner Home Video released several DVD compilations that contained episodes from the sixth season. The first of these, entitled "Princess Day", was released on July 29, 2014. The release was notable because it marked the first time that an episode—in this case, the eponymous "Princess Day"—had been released on DVD before it had officially aired on Cartoon Network. Several other DVD compilations, including "Finn the Human", "Frost & Fire", "The Enchiridion", and "Card Wars" were also released that contained episodes from the sixth season. All DVD releases can be purchased on the Cartoon Network Shop, and the individual episodes can be downloaded from both the iTunes Store and Amazon.com.

Full season release.

The full season set was released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 11, 2016.

The sixth season of "Adventure Time", an American animated television series created by Pendleton Ward, premiered on Cartoon Network on April 21, 2014 and concluded on June 5, 2015. The season was produced by Cartoon Network Studios and Frederator Studios. The season follows the adventures of Finn, a human boy, and his best friend and adoptive brother Jake, a dog with magical powers to change shape and size at will. Finn and Jake live in the post-apocalyptic Land of Ooo, where they interact with the other main characters of the show: Princess Bubblegum, The Ice King, Marceline the Vampire Queen, Lumpy Space Princess, BMO, and Flame Princess.

La sixième saison de la série d'animation américaine, créée par Pendleton Ward, est originellement diffusée sur la chaîne de télévision aux États-Unis. La série se base sur un court-métrage d'animation produit pour l'émission "" produite par Frederator Studios. Elle est officiellement diffusée à la télévision américaine depuis le.


Club career.

Vitória Setúbal.

Born in Sobreda, Almada, Horta joined Vitória de Setúbal's youth ranks in 2011, signing from S.L. Benfica. On 7 April 2013 he made his first-team – and Primeira Liga – debut, coming on as a second-half substitute for Cristiano in a 1–2 away loss against Rio Ave FC; he finished the campaign with six appearances, all from the bench.  On 9 December 2013, Horta scored his first professional goal, the game's only against Académica de Coimbra. He was a regular starter during his second season, playing 28 matches and scoring seven times.

Málaga.

On 12 July 2014, Horta signed a five-year deal with La Liga side Málaga CF. He made his debut in the competition on 23 August by starting in a 1–0 home win over Athletic Bilbao, and scored his first goal for on 6 January 2015 in a 2–0 defeat of Levante UD in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey also at La Rosaleda Stadium.

Braga.

On 5 July 2016, Horta was loaned to S.C. Braga for one year. Roughly one year later he joined the club permanently, with Juan Carlos moving in the opposite direction. He scored 11 and nine goals in his second and third seasons respectively, helping to consecutive fourth-place finishes.  On 24 October 2019, during a 2–1 away win against Beşiktaş J.K. in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League, Horta netted for the tenth time in European competition, becoming Braga's second all-time scorer after Alan who led all players with 11. The following 25 January, he scored the only goal in the last seconds of the final of the Taça da Liga against FC Porto.

International career.

Horta was part of the Portugal under-20 team at the 2014 Toulon Tournament. He earned his first cap for the full side on 7 September of that year – one week before his 20th birthday – replacing William Carvalho early into the second half of a 0–1 home loss against Albania for the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifiers.

Personal life.

Horta's younger brother, André, is also a footballer. He also represented Vitória Setúbal and Braga.

Honours.

Club.

Braga

International.

Portugal

Ricardo Jorge Luz Horta (born 15 September 1994) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for S.C. Braga and the Portugal national team as a right winger.

Ricardo Jorge da Luz Horta est un footballeur portugais né le à Almada. Il évolue au poste d'ailier au Sporting Braga


Appearances.

Comic book series.

Early storylines (2005–2008).

Michonne is introduced as a mysterious woman armed with a katana. She first appears towing two armless, jawless zombies in shackles and causes no small consternation among the group. She saves Otis from zombies and follows him to the abandoned prison where the group is based. She immediately bonds with Tyreese, recognizing him from his days in the NFL, and shares his passion for weightlifting. They sleep together, precipitating Tyreese's breakup with Carol Peletier; Michonne and Tyreese then become a couple.  Michonne reveals some details of her life before the apocalypse. She was a lawyer who had recently ended her marriage and lost custody of her children. At first, she appears to have suffered some kind of trauma or mental illness, often carrying on conversations with herself or with her deceased boyfriend, as Andrea first notices in the prison. Michonne

Post-prison (2008–2010).

After the events at the prison, she returns to look for the RV survivors and puts Tyreese's reanimated remains to peace. When she finds only footprints, she begins to follow them and stumbles upon Rick and his son, Carl. She saves Carl from a roamer and joins up with Rick and

Alexandria (2010–2012).

When the survivors locate the town of Alexandria, a safe haven from the undead, and think they have finally been given an opportunity to rest, Michonne has a difficult time relinquishing her sword, as seen with her confrontation with Alexandria resident Douglas. Another resident, Olivia, persuades Douglas to allow Michonne to keep her weapon. Michonne settles into her new "home" and even hangs her sword above the mantle. She recalls all of the horrific ways she has used it to survive, and finally proclaims, "I am through with you."  Michonne begins to let her guard down, and Rick asks Douglas if there is a job for her in the community. Since there is no need for lawyers, Douglas recommends making her a constable to uphold the law in Alexandria. Michonne attends a welcome party held by Douglas in honor of Alexandria's new residents, but is quiet and reserved during the festivities. When one of Alexandria's residents, Barbara, tries playing matchmaker between Michonne and a young man named Heath, Michonne wearies of the conversation among the partygoers and attempts to leave. Barbara makes a well-intentioned attempt to dissuade her, but becomes insistent about what

War against Negan (2012–2014).

Michonne and Abraham are clearing roamers away from the Alexandria Safe-Zone perimeter when they are surprised by an unknown man, later revealed to be named Paul Monroe and nicknamed "Jesus". Paul reveals he has traveled from a community nearby and wishes to establish an alliance between them all. Rick lashes out at Paul, knocking him unconscious, and Michonne helps in tying him up. Rick, Michonne, and Abraham set out to scout the area for an impending threat, but realize Paul was telling the truth, and Rick decides

Disappearance and The Walking Dead: Michonne (2014–2016).

After the war, there is a time-skip. Michonne is not seen for a long period

Whisperers arc (2015–2017).

Michonne is first revealed stepping off of a sailboat. She immediately shows her negative feelings toward Ezekiel by asking herself, "Seriously, there was no one else he (Rick) could have sent?" As Rick asks many questions as to why Michonne had left Ezekiel and the Kingdom, she reveals that she abandoned her daughters during the outbreak and that she would never be able to start a new life with all of her regret. The conversation ends with Rick telling her to "get her shit together" and to "go back home."  Rick and Michonne discover the

The Commonwealth (2018).

Michonne eventually ends up at a seemingly-utopian community known as the Commonwealth, where she is reunited with one of her daughters, Elodie, who she thought had died long ago. Given an offer to join the community and go back to

Final issue (2019).

Michonne's last appearance comes in the final issue of the comic series, decades after the tragic murder of Rick. By this point, societies around the world have been restored significantly and walkers are now the oddity rather than the majority. An adult Carl is tried before Michonne, now a High Court judge in the Commonwealth, for the crime of killing walkers Hershel Rhee kept as a travelling show feature, as they are now viewed as property. Michonne determines Carl not guilty, ensuring a peaceful resolution for Carl and his family.

Television series.

Season 2.

Michonne makes her first appearance as a hooded figure near the end of the second-season finale, "Beside the Dying Fire" (though at the time Danai Gurira had not been cast for this role), wherein she saves Andrea from a walker by decapitating it with her katana, which features a triquetra on the inner crossguard.  As in the comics, she

Season 3.

In the episode "Walk with Me", Michonne and Andrea are taken by a group led by Merle Dixon (Michael Rooker) from a nearby town called Woodbury, run by the Governor (David Morrissey). Andrea, having been severely ill after spending eight months on the road, embraces the town's sense of community which Michonne resists, suspicious of The Governor and his leadership. In the episode "Say the Word", Michonne ultimately decides to leave alone after failing to convince Andrea to leave. In the episode "Hounded", Michonne's suspicions of The Governor's true nature prove to be true as Merle and his men go after her under the orders of killing her. However, Michonne kills two of Merle's men and escapes. She then spies Maggie (Lauren

Season 4.

In the season premiere "30 Days Without an Accident", Michonne comes back to the prison from her tireless search for the Governor which has proved unsuccessful. By this point, Michonne seems to have dropped her guard significantly while staying at the prison, as she is shown joking with Rick and Carl. In the episode "Infected", Michonne is about to head back out on her search, but tries to get back in when a walker attack is announced and she injures her ankle. Beth (Emily Kinney) tends to her wounds, and asks her to watch Rick's baby Judith; when Beth leaves the room, Michonne breaks down crying as she cradles the baby. In the episode "Isolation", she volunteers to go with Bob (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.) and Daryl to get antibiotics from a veterinary college to treat a deadly illness that has broken out among the prison population, and Tyreese (Chad Coleman) joins them before they leave. On the car radio they hear a message offering sanctuary at a place called Terminus before the

Season 5.

In the season five premiere "No Sanctuary" Michonne and the others are able to escape Terminus and are reunited with Carol (Melissa McBride), Tyreese and Judith. In the episode "Strangers", as the group continues travelling Michonne offers to take out a nearby walker only to realize her sword was left behind in Terminus and kills it with a gun instead. As they travel they encounter Fr. Gabriel Stokes (Seth Gilliam) whom they distrust but he gives them shelter in his church. Abraham tries to insist they travel to Washington D.C. where they can cure the outbreak, but Michonne insists to him they find supplies first. Later Gabriel leads Rick, Michonne, Bob and Sasha to a store to find supplies where Michonne reveals the sword was not hers to begin with but she found it and confesses to missing Andrea and Hershel but not the sword. In the episode "Four Walls and a Roof", the

Season 6.

Season 6 finds Rick, Michonne and the others struggling to keep the Alexandria members safe while also teaching them how to survive. In the season premiere "First Time Again", the group discovers an enormous herd of roamers trapped inside a quarry not far from Alexandria. They decide to use the herd as a learning opportunity and also eliminate the threat before it becomes a problem later. While trying to draw the herd away from the walls, Michonne, Rick, Morgan and a few others hear a horn sounding from Alexandria. The noise draws the attention of the walkers and the herd begins heading toward the walls. Morgan is sent ahead of the

Season 7.

In the season premiere, "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be", Michonne witnesses the deaths of group members Abraham and Glenn. She is later held at gunpoint, along with the rest of the group, as Negan commands Rick to chop off Carl's left arm to remove the last of Rick's disobedience. Michonne tells Negan that they now understand, but Negan tells her that its Rick who doesn't understand. Thankfully, Negan stops Rick as it was all a test to break his will, which is successful. Sasha then helps get Maggie to the doctor at the Hilltop after Negan and his people leave. Michonne goes with Rick and the others in the RV. In Service, Michonne is shown walking outside Alexandria with a rifle she concealed in the house before the Saviors arrive. She is shown practicing her marksmanship by shooting at a walker with

Season 8.

The eighth season of the series focuses on the ongoing war against Negan and the Saviors, with both sides suffering several losses. Having been injured previously, Michonne does not make many appearances initially, but becomes more involved in the second half of the season. In the midseason premiere, "Honor", she and Rick deal with the aftermath of Carl being bitten by a walker. Michonne is forced to say a tearful goodbye as Carl, close to turning, shoots himself to prevent reanimation. In "The Lost and the Plunderers" she and Rick

Season 9.

The ninth season of the series finds Rick's group attempting to build new lives following an end to the conflict against the Saviors, with Negan being kept in the jail inside Alexandria. Despite the loss of Carl, Rick and Michonne have moved forward and have concentrated on building a future for the growing Judith. The couple also decides to start trying to conceive a baby together.  The group has started construction on a bridge that will serve to connect Alexandria, the Kingdom, and Hilltop with the Sanctuary, ensuring that all communities are able to stay in contact ("The Bridge"). Rick and the others have learned that the remaining Saviors who still dwell at the Sanctuary are now starving without Negan to lead them. Maggie initially refuses to help them, but ultimately changes her mind. Michonne even suggests that the communities have common laws that everyone follows, and after getting Maggie's input, she begins drafting a charter. However, at the Hilltop, their leader Gregory (Xander Berkely) makes two unsuccessful attempts on Maggie's life. Taking justice into her own hands, Maggie has Daryl hang Gregory for his betrayal, which shocks Michonne and Rick ("A New Beginning").  Despite staying busy throughout the day by overseeing construction in Alexandria and tending to the overall community, Michonne still feels unfulfilled.

Season 10.

The tenth season has been confirmed to be Michonne's last on the show, with Gurira exiting after a handful of episodes during the first half of the season.  The tenth season of the series focuses on the group's struggle to survive while under the omnipresent watch of Alpha and the Whisperers. In the midseason finale “The World Before”, Michonne meets a man named Virgil (Kevin Carroll), who may hold a vital position in the war against the Whisperers. Michonne agrees to travel with him by boat to an abandoned island to help him find his family, in exchange for weapons the group can use against Alpha. Michonne leaves her children behind with Daryl, Carol, and the others, sailing away on a boat.  Michonne arrives at the naval base with Virgil but finds no weapons, soon realizing

Development.

Her first appearance in the season finale of Season 2

Reception.

Michonne was voted #86 on IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Heroes. Regarding the television portrayal of the character, her scowling expression, reserved nature, and "Magical Negro" qualities have been much-discussed by reviewers. Michonne's uniquely independent nature has been praised, with one website commenting, "A case could be made that no character is as independently strong as Michonne." However, others have criticized Michonne's lack of development on the show, writing that she "was quickly sinking into the "strong black woman" trope. She is constantly assaulted and manhandled with seemingly very little concern shown for her wellbeing."  Noel Murray of "Rolling Stone" ranked Michonne 1st in a list of 30 best "Walking Dead" characters, saying, "She survived on her own for months, figuring out how to thrive in the wilderness under the harshest of circumstances. Yet she's also adapted well to living in a group, and has even started to draw on her pre-apocalypse past as a mother and an academic to start thinking about how best to rebuild society. Savage when she has to be, tender and affectionate with her friends and lovers, both nurturing and deadly as they come, this character (courtesy of Danai Gurira's continually extraordinary performance) represents this series at its best. Michonne hasn't lost touch with her humanity. And she's a thrill to watch on a killing spree."

Michonne ( ), later revealed as Michonne Hawthorne in the comic book series, is a fictional character from the comic book series "The Walking Dead". The character also appears in media adaptations of the series, most notably the television series of the same name, in which she is portrayed by Danai Gurira. Armed with a katana and harboring a mysterious past, Michonne is introduced clothed under a hood and pulling the shackles of two reanimated corpses for protection and camouflage. The two walkers are subsequently revealed to be her zombified boyfriend and his best friend. In both the comic and TV series, she has a prominent role in the conflict between the town of Woodbury led by The Governor, and the Prison group.

Michonne est un personnage principal de la série télévisée "The Walking Dead". Elle est interprétée par Danai Gurira et doublée en version française par Laura Zichy.


Taxonomy.

The first specimens of the Japanese sleeper ray known to science were four fish collected from Japan by German naturalists Philipp Franz von Siebold and Heinrich Burger during the second quarter of the 19th century. The specimens were stuffed and deposited at the National Museum of Natural History in Leiden; three of them were labeled as ""Narcine" spec." and one as ""Narcine timlei"". This material formed the basis for a description authored by Coenraad Jacob Temminck and Hermann Schlegel, which was published in 1850 as part of "Fauna Japonica", a series of monographs on Japanese zoology. Temminck and Schlegel assigned the new species to the subgenus "Astrape" of the genus "Torpedo"; later authors would synonymize "Astrape" with "Narke". In 1947, Marinus Boeseman reexamined the four original specimens and designated the largest, long, as the species lectotype. Other common names for this ray are Japanese electric ray and Japanese spotted torpedo. Some taxonomists believe that the sleeper torpedo ("Crassinarke dormitor") may be conspecific with the Japanese sleeper ray, as their morphology is virtually identical.

Description.

The Japanese sleeper ray has an almost circular pectoral fin disc wider than long. Two large, kidney-shaped electric organs are visible under the skin on either side of the head. The small, protruding eyes are immediately followed by larger spiracles with prominently raised, smooth rims. The nostrils are small and placed close together, and between them is a curtain of skin that overlaps the mouth. The protrusible mouth forms a short, transverse line and is surrounded by a deep groove. There are fewer than 25 tooth rows in each jaw, arranged into bands; the teeth are small with oval bases and pointed crowns. Five pairs of short gill slits are located on the underside of the disc.  The pelvic fins are large and broad with convex margins, and originate beneath the pectoral fins; adult males have stubby claspers that do not extend past the pelvic fin margins. The tail is short and thick, with a fold of skin along either side. There is a single rounded dorsal fin positioned behind the pelvic fins. The large caudal fin is nearly symmetrical above and below the caudal peduncle and has rounded corners. The skin is soft and lacks dermal denticles. The Japanese sleeper ray is reddish to chocolate brown above and paler brown below; some individuals are plain, while others have dark or light spots over their dorsal (rarely also ventral) surfaces. The maximum known length of this species is.

Distribution and habitat.

The Japanese sleeper ray inhabits continental shelf waters in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, from southern Japan and Korea to southeastern China and Taiwan. This common, bottom-dwelling species can be found in sandy areas, often near rocky reefs, both close to and far from shore. Off the Izu Peninsula, it has been reported from in depth.

Biology and ecology.

Fairly inactive in nature, the Japanese sleeper ray spends much of its time lying buried on the sea floor. It can produce an electric shock of 30–80 volts to ward off predators, which include the blotchy swell shark ("Cephaloscyllium umbratile"). Its electric organs are composed of electrocytes, which are specialized cells derived from muscle fibers that are filled with a jelly-like substance. These electrocytes are stacked in vertical columns, with many columns making up each electric organ; this arrangement functions essentially like batteries connected in parallel. The diet of the Japanese sleeper ray includes benthic invertebrates. A parasite of this species is the tapeworm "Anteropora japonica" (Yamaguti, 1934) Subhapradha, 1955.  The Japanese sleeper ray is viviparous, with the developing embryos nourished initially by yolk and later by histotroph ("uterine milk") produced by the mother. Females bear litters of up to five pups in early summer; the newborns measure long and are lighter and more uniform in color than the adults. Sexual maturity is reached at a length between for males, and at around for females.

Human interactions.

The shock from the Japanese sleeper ray is strong but not life-threatening to humans. There is an observation of a ray that reacted to being touched with a camera by rubbing its back against the camera port, suggesting that it may actively defend itself if disturbed. The Japanese sleeper ray adapts poorly to captivity. This and other species of electric rays are used in biomedical research because their electric organs have an abundance of ion channels and acetylcholine receptors, and can serve as a model for the human nervous system.  Though little specific data are available, the Japanese sleeper ray is believed to be caught incidentally in shrimp trawls and other demersal fishing gear throughout its range. It is not utilized economically; however, electric rays tend not to survive being caught and discarded, and shrimp trawling is known to have caused marked population declines in other electric ray species elsewhere. Given the high intensity of fishing activity off East Asia, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed this species as Vulnerable.

The Japanese sleeper ray ("Narke japonica") is a species of electric ray in the family Narkidae. It is common in the inshore and offshore waters of the northwestern Pacific Ocean from southern Japan to southern China. Growing up to long, the Japanese sleeper ray has a nearly circular pectoral fin disc colored reddish to chocolate brown above, sometimes with darker or lighter spots, and lighter brown below. The spiracles behind its small eyes have raised, smooth rims. Its short and muscular tail bears a single dorsal fin positioned aft of the rounded pelvic fins, and terminates in a large caudal fin.

Narke japonica est une espèce de raie électrique de la famille Narkidae présente au nord-ouest de l'océan Pacifique, du Sud du Japon au Sud de la Chine. Ce poisson est commun à la fois près du rivage mais aussi au large. Pouvant atteindre une taille de, "Narke japonica" possède une nageoire pectorale discoïde quasiment circulaire. La partie supérieure du corps de cette espèce oscille entre le rougeâtre et le brun chocolat, des taches sombres ou claires peuvent y être visibles ; la partie inférieure est de teinte plus claire. Derrière les petits yeux de la raie sont situés des stigmates surmontés d'un rebord lisse. Sa petite mais puissante queue s'achevant en une grande nageoire caudale supporte une unique nageoire dorsale, elle-même disposée à l'arrière des nageoires pelviennes arrondies.