Wii Remote

The Wii Remote, also known colloquially as the Wiimote, is the primary game controller for Nintendo's Wii home video game console. An essential capability of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing, using accelerometer and optical sensor technology. It is expandable by adding attachments. The attachment bundled with the Wii console is the Nunchuk, which complements the Wii Remote by providing functions similar to those in gamepad controllers. Some other attachments include the Classic Controller, Wii Zapper, and the Wii Wheel, originally used for the racing game "Mario Kart Wii".
The controller was revealed at both E3 2005 and E3 2006 and the Tokyo Game Show on September 14, 2005, with the name "Wii Remote" announced April 27, 2006. It received much attention due to its unique features, not supported by other gaming controllers.
The Wii's successor console, the Wii U, supports the Wii Remote and its peripherals in games where use of the features of the Wii U GamePad is not mandated. The Wii Remote was eventually succeeded by the more advanced Joy-Con controllers of the Nintendo Switch.
History.
Development of a motion-enabled controller began when development of the Wii console started in 2001. In that year, Nintendo licensed a number of motion-sensing patents from Gyration Inc., a company that produces wireless motion-sensing computer mice. Gyration had previously pitched their idea and patents of a motion controller to Sony and Microsoft, who both declined. Nintendo then commissioned Gyration to create a one-handed controller for it, which eventually became the "Gyropod", a more traditional gamepad which allowed its right half to break away for motion-control. At this point, Gyration brought in a separate design firm, Bridge Design, to help pitch its concept to Nintendo. Under requirement to "roughly preserve the existing Game Cube button layout", it experimented with different forms "through sketches, models and interviewing various hardcore gamers". By "late 2004, early 2005", however, Nintendo had come up with the Wii Remote's less traditional "wand shape", and the design of the Nunchuk attachment. Nintendo had also decided upon using a motion sensor, infrared pointer, and the layout of the buttons, and by the end of 2005 the controller was ready for mass production.
During development of the Wii Remote, video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto brought in mobile phones and controllers for automotive navigation systems for inspiration, eventually producing a prototype that resembled a cell phone. Another design featured both an analog stick and a touchscreen, but Nintendo rejected the idea of a touchscreen on the controller, "since the portable console and living-room console would have been exactly the same". Coincidentally, this idea would later be implemented on the Wii U's GamePad controller, as well as the Nintendo Switch.
Sources also indicate that the Wii Remote was originally in development as a controller for the Nintendo GameCube, rather than the Wii. Video game developer Factor 5 stated that during development of launch title "", it had an early prototype of a motion-sensing controller. Video game journalist Matt Casamassina, from gaming website IGN, stated that he believed that Nintendo had planned to release the Wii Remote for the GameCube, noting that "Nintendo said that it hoped that GCN could enjoy a longer life cycle with the addition of top-secret peripherals that would forever enhance the gameplay experience." He suggested that Nintendo may have wanted to release the Wii Remote with a new system, instead of onto the GameCube, as "[the] Revolution addresses one of the GameCube's biggest drawbacks, which is that it was/is perceived as a toy." Images of the GameCube prototype of the Wii Remote, including the Nunchuk, were found online in October 2018 when one of the prototypes was made available through an online auction.
Counterfeit units.
As the Wii gained in popularity, reports surfaced of counterfeit Wii Remotes entering circulation. Although these devices may provide the same functionality as official Wii Remotes, the build quality is typically inferior and components such as the rumble pack and speaker are noticeably different. It is also unclear if current and future accessories will operate correctly with counterfeit units due to the differences in internal components.
Design.
The Wii Remote assumes a one-handed remote control-based design instead of the traditional gamepad controllers of previous gaming consoles. This was done to make motion sensitivity more intuitive, as a remote design is fitted perfectly for pointing, and in part to help the console appeal to a broader audience that includes non-gamers. The body of the Wii Remote is long, wide, and thick. The Wii Remote model number is RVL-003, a reference to the project codename "Revolution". The controller communicates wirelessly with the console via short-range Bluetooth radio, with which it is possible to operate up to four controllers at a distance of up to 10 meters (30 ft) from the console. The Wii Remote communicates with the Sensor Bar by infrared, providing pointing functionality over a distance of up to five meters (16 ft) from Wii Remote to Sensor Bar. The controller can be used in either hand; it can also be turned horizontally and used like a Famicom/NES controller, or in some cases (including "Excite Truck", "Sonic and the Secret Rings", "Mario Kart Wii", and "Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing") a steering wheel. It is also possible to play a single-player game with a Wii Remote in each hand, as in the "Shooting Range" game contained in "Wii Play".
At E3 2006, a few minor changes were made to the controller from the design presented at the Game Developer's Conference. The controller was made slightly longer, and a speaker was added to the face beneath the center row of buttons. The button became more curved resembling a trigger. The "Start" and "Select" buttons were changed to plus and minus , and the and buttons were changed to and to differentiate them from the and buttons, while also evoking the keypad of typical television remotes. Also, the symbol on the button was changed from a blue dot to a shape resembling a home/house, the shape of was made circular rather than rectangular, and the blue LEDs indicating player number are now labeled using 1 to 4 small raised dots instead of numbers 1 to 4, resembling the dots used to mark the four controller ports of the GameCube console. The Nintendo logo at the bottom of the controller face was replaced with the Wii logo. Also, the expansion port was redesigned, with expansion plugs featuring a smaller snap-on design. The Wii Remote's capability of turning the main console's power on or off remotely with a power button, further reinforcing the impression that it looks like a television remote, is a very unique feature that no other game controller has implemented.
The blue LEDs also indicate the battery's state: on pressing any button (other than the power button) while the controller is not being used to play games, four LEDs flash to indicate full battery, three for 75%, two for 50%, and one for 25% life remaining.
Similarities have been noted between the Wii Remote and an early Dreamcast controller prototype.
In the "Red Steel" trailer shown at E3 2006, the Wii Remote had a smaller circular shaped image sensor instead of the larger opaque IR filters shown on other versions. In the initial teaser video that revealed the controller at Tokyo Game Show 2005, the 1 and 2 buttons were labeled X and Y.
Strap.
The Wii Remote has a wrist strap attached to the bottom to prevent it from flying away during game action if not held securely. The wrist strap is tied with a cow hitch knot. Every Wii game contains safety warnings concerning wrist strap use during its startup sequence and also at or near the beginning of its instruction booklet (even if the game does not use motion controls). The latter is a word-for-word reproduction of a standard wrist strap warning notice established by Nintendo. The wrist strap is also used to restrain the Nunchuk's connector by its hook, safely slowing any sudden movement of the Nunchuk's cord if the connector is forcibly disconnected. In spite of widespread wrist strap safety notices, there are certain Wii games, in whole or part, that are played by moving the Wii Remote in such a way that would be hindered by a wrist strap, such as "Let's Tap", most House Party games in "Wii Party" and the Treasure Twirl game in "Wii Play Motion". In such games or game modes, on-screen prompts, as well as instruction booklet text, will specifically state that they must be played without the wrist strap.
Video game web site IGN reported that the strap tends to break under heavy use, which would potentially send the Wii Remote flying. "" also sometimes requires the Wii Remote to be dropped, which would cause problems in the event of a strap failure. In response, Nintendo has posted guidelines on proper use of the strap and the Wii Remote. On December 8, 2006, units with thicker straps began to appear in some areas of the world. On December 15, 2006, Nintendo denied reports of a Wii wrist strap recall. While Nintendo denied claims that three million straps had been recalled, it replaced broken wrist straps free of charge. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission became involved in the "replacement program". The old diameter strap is replaced by a larger, diameter version. Nintendo's online "Wrist Strap Replacement Request Form" allows owners to receive up to four free straps when a Wii serial number and shipping details are provided.
On August 3, 2007, a new wrist strap was found to be supplied, with a lock clip instead of a movable slide to prevent the strap from working loose during prolonged play; the lock clip strap became the standard form.
In 2012 with the launch of the Wii U, the wrist strap was once again updated to allow users to push the sync button through the new jackets and battery covers.
Jacket.
Nintendo announced a free accessory for the Wii Remote, the Wii Remote Jacket, on October 1, 2007. The removable silicone sleeve wraps around the Wii Remote to provide a better grip, and cushioning to protect the Wii Remote if dropped. Nintendo started including the jacket with the controller on October 15, 2007. The safety jacket included with every Wii Remote is usually translucent. However, for black Wii Remotes and red Wii Remote Plus controllers, the safety jacket would be of the same color.
The original Wii MotionPlus accessory also comes with a built-in safety jacket that is unsafe to remove, according to Nintendo.
Colours.
At the E3 2006 trade show, Nintendo displayed white, black, and blue controllers; press images released for the event featured white, red, silver, lime green, and black versions. The Wii console and controllers launched in only white versions, with Shigeru Miyamoto commenting that new hues would be provided when supplies became available.
On June 4, 2009, Nintendo revealed that it would release black versions of the Wii, Wii Remote, Nunchuk, and Classic Controller PRO in Japan on August 1, 2009. Each black Wii Remote includes a matching solid-black Wii Remote Jacket. In addition, Club Nintendo in Japan held a contest between June 25, 2009 and August 31, 2009 wherein members who purchased and registered a copy of Wii Sports Resort would be entered into a draw to win one of 5,000 blue controller sets. Each set included a Wii Remote, Wii MotionPlus, and Nunchuk, all in a sky blue color referred to as Mizuiro and distinct from other blue Wii Remotes.
For North America, Nintendo announced on September 1, 2009 that black versions of the Wii Remote, Wii MotionPlus, and Nunchuk would be released during the holiday season. On November 16, 2009, the black Wii Remote and Wii MotionPlus was released as a bundle, and the black Nunchuk was released as a standalone purchase.
Blue and pink Wii Remotes were released in Japan on December 3, 2009. In North America, the blue and pink Wii Remotes were released February 14, 2010 in a bundle with a standard white Wii MotionPlus.
In Australia, the black, blue and pink versions of the Wii Remotes were released on February 25, 2010. In addition, the black Nunchuk and black Wii MotionPlus were also released on that day as well.
When Nintendo released the Wii Remote Plus in late 2010, which featured built-in Wii MotionPlus technology, it would initially be available in the same four standard Wii Remote colors, plus a special red variant that was included in red Wii consoles manufactured to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the "Mario" series. In the years that followed, Nintendo released more Wii Remote Plus color schemes based on its first-party game franchises.
Home Menu.
Accessed with the Wii Remote's Home button, the Home Menu displays information about the controller(s) currently being used, and allows the user to configure certain options. At the bottom of the menu screen, the battery life of all connected controllers is displayed. Below that is a bar labeled Wii Remote Settings. Selecting it brings users to an options screen where they can control the audio output volume, rumble settings, and reconnect the controllers, for example to connect Wii Remotes through one-time synchronization. Depending on when the Home Menu is accessed, a different number of buttons are displayed.
Wii Menu: No matter when the menu is accessed, the Wii Menu button will always be present. Selecting this will exit a game or a Wii Menu channel and return the player to the Wii Menu, where users can choose another channel. When playing certain Virtual Console titles, with the exception of the Nintendo 64 and Neo Geo, this will also create a suspend point.
Reset: In applications and games (both retail and downloadable), the Reset button is available. This performs a soft reset of that particular application, for example returning a game to its title screen or the loading screen of a Wii Menu channel, the same as what would happen if the player were to press the console's physical reset button.
Operations Guide: On Wii Menu channels, including the News Channel, Forecast Channel, Internet Channel, Everybody Votes Channel, certain WiiWare titles and Virtual Console titles, the Operations Guide button appeared on the Home Menu. The guide accessed acts as an instruction manual for the game being played.
The Home Menu can be compared to the Xbox 360's in-game menu (accessed by pressing the "Xbox" button), or the PlayStation 3's mid-game XMB. It may be accessed under most circumstances during Wii operation, which pauses the on-screen action. Otherwise, a "home" symbol with a no symbol on it appears onscreen. It is also inaccessible during Nintendo GameCube play, as the Wii Remote cannot control Nintendo GameCube software.
Features.
Sensing.
The Wii Remote has the ability to sense acceleration along three axes through the use of Analog Devices MEMS-based three-dimensional accelerometers.
The Wii Remote also has a PixArt optical sensor that allows it to determine where it is pointing. Unlike a light gun that senses light from a television screen, the Wii Remote senses light from the console's Sensor Bar (RVL-014), which allows consistent usage not influenced by the screen used. The Sensor Bar is about long and has ten infrared LEDs, five at each end of the bar. The LEDs furthest from the center are pointed slightly outwards, the LEDs closest to the center are pointed slightly inwards, while the rest are pointed straight forward. The Sensor Bar's cable is in length. The bar may be placed above or below the television, centered horizontally, in line with the front of the television or the front of the surface the television is placed on. The Remote should be pointed approximately towards the Sensor Bar; precise pointing is not necessary so long as it is within the limited viewing angle of the Wii Remote.
Use of the Sensor Bar allows the Wii Remote to be used as an accurate pointing device up to 5 meters (approx. 16 ft) away from the bar. The Wii Remote's image sensor is used to locate the Sensor Bar's points of light in the Wii Remote's field of view. The light emitted from each end of the Sensor Bar is focused onto the image sensor which sees the light as two bright dots separated by a distance "mi" on the image sensor. The second distance "m" between the two clusters of light emitters in the Sensor Bar is a fixed distance. From these two distances m and mi, the Wii CPU calculates the distance between the Wii Remote and the Sensor Bar using triangulation. Rotation of the Wii Remote with respect to the ground can also be calculated from the relative angle of the two dots of light on the image sensor. Games can be programmed to sense whether the image sensor is covered, which is demonstrated in a Microgame of "", where if the player does not uncover the sensor the champagne bottle that the remote represents will not open.
The Sensor Bar is required when the Wii Remote is controlling up-down, left-right motion of a cursor or reticle on the TV screen to point to menu options or objects such as enemies in first-person shooters. Some Wii games that depend on infrared pointing, such as "The Conduit", allow the player to calibrate the Wii Remote's pointer in-game. Because the Sensor Bar allows the Wii Remote to calculate the distance between the Wii Remote and the Sensor Bar, the Wii Remote can also control slow forward-backward motion of an object in a 3-dimensional game. Rapid forward-backward motion, such as punching in a boxing game, is controlled by the acceleration sensors. Using these acceleration sensors (acting as tilt sensors), the Wii Remote can also control rotation of a cursor or other objects.
The use of an infrared sensor to detect position can cause some detection problems in the presence of other infrared sources, such as incandescent light bulbs or candles. This can be alleviated by using fluorescent or LED lights, which emit little to no infrared light, around the Wii. Innovative users have used other sources of IR light, such as a pair of flashlights or a pair of candles, as Sensor Bar substitutes. The Wii Remote picks up traces of heat from the sensor, then transmits it to the Wii console to control the pointer on your screen. Such substitutes for the Sensor Bar illustrate the fact that a pair of non-moving lights provide continuous calibration of the direction that the Wii Remote is pointing and its physical location relative to the light sources. There is no way to calibrate the position of the cursor relative to where the user is pointing the controller without the two stable reference sources of light provided by the Sensor Bar or substitutes. Third-party wireless sensor bars have also been released, which have been popular with users of Wii emulators since the official Sensor Bar utilizes a proprietary connector to connect to the Wii console.
The position and motion tracking of the Wii Remote allows the player to mimic actual game actions, such as swinging a sword or aiming a gun, instead of simply pressing buttons. An early marketing video showed actors miming actions such as fishing, cooking, drumming, conducting a musical ensemble, shooting a gun, sword fighting, and performing dental surgery.
The LEDs can be seen by some digital cameras, phone cameras, and other devices with a wider visible spectrum than the human eye.
Controller feedback.
The Wii Remote provides basic audio and rumble (vibration) functionality, but the Nunchuk does not. At the 2006 E3 press conference, it was revealed that the Wii Remote has its own independent speaker on the face of the unit. This was demonstrated by a developer as he strung and shot a bow in '. The sound from both the Wii Remote and television was altered as the bow shot to give the impression of the arrow traveling away from the player. In addition to reproducing certain in-game sound effects that reflect the on-screen action, the Wii Remote speaker can also function as a voice receiver through which non-player characters can speak to the player with long-distance telecommunication, featured in games like "Red Steel", ' and "GoldenEye 007". Some party games and hotseat multiplayer games also utilize the speaker to indicate changes between player turns. The volume can be changed or muted with the "Home" button and selecting the corresponding controller icon at the bottom of the screen; if the speaker is muted, any sounds intended to be emitted from the speaker will come from the television in most cases. The rumble feature can also be switched on or off using the Home Menu.
Memory.
The Wii Remote contains a 16 KiB EEPROM chip of which a section of 6 kilobytes can be read and written to by the host. Part of this memory is available to store up to ten Mii avatars, which can be transported to use with another Wii console (but it can be used to upload Miis to the Mii Parade and keep it on the console (by copying Mii to remote, moving Mii to parade from console, and then moving from remote to the console)). 4,000 bytes are available for game use before the Mii data. "Pokémon Battle Revolution" and "Super Swing Golf" also use this memory. This function is also used in "Super Smash Bros. Brawl", allowing the user to save controller configuration data to the Wii Remote. Monster Hunter Tri also uses this function by allowing players to save their profiles to the Wii Remote. Pokémon Rumble uses this section to store Pokémon. uses this to store the player's penguin avatar.
Power source.
The Wii Remote uses two AA size alkaline batteries as a power source, which can power a Wii Remote for 60 hours using only the accelerometer functionality and 25 hours using both accelerometer and pointer functionality. In May 2013, Nintendo announced a rechargeable battery and dock accessory, and various third-party manufacturers market charging solutions for the controller (see Wii Remote Chargers). Nintendo's industrial designer Lance Barr said that the Wii Remote's expansion port is unsuitable for internal battery charging. The only type of (externally charged) rechargeable battery supported is nickel-metal hydride (NiMH). A 3300µF capacitor provides a temporary source of power during quick movements of the Wii Remote when connection to the batteries may be temporarily interrupted. If the Wii Remote is not used for more than 5 minutes, such as when the player is using a GameCube controller, it will shut off, and can be re-activated by pressing any button (this was also the case when using a now discontinued video-on-demand service). Games are able to determine and react to the current battery life of Wii Remotes, with certain games using unique, extra-diegetic methods of alerting the player to low battery life.
Wii Remote Plus.
In September 2010, rumors were circulating of a Wii Remote with Wii MotionPlus already built in after the box art for the upcoming "FlingSmash" revealed it to be bundled with "Wii Remote Plus". Nintendo initially declined to comment, but later announced the device on September 29, 2010, confirming it to be a Wii Remote with MotionPlus built in, allowing players to use peripherals like the Wii Zapper and Wii Wheel and comfortably use the Wii Remote horizontally without having to remove the Wii MotionPlus attachment from the Wii Remote. Wii Remote Plus competed with Microsoft Corporation's Kinect and Sony Computer Entertainment's PlayStation Move with PlayStation Eye motion controllers, respectively. Nintendo later announced that the remote would be available in white, black, blue and pink. It was released in Australia on October 28, 2010, in Europe on November 5, 2010, in North America on November 7, 2010 and in Japan on November 11, 2010.
Other colors.
In addition to being available in the four standard Wii Remote colors, specially colored Wii Remote Plus controllers themed after Nintendo's first-party game franchises were also released in the years that followed, with one golden "Legend of Zelda" Wii Remote Plus and several others based on "Mario" characters. A red Wii Remote Plus, initially designed to celebrate the "Mario" series' 25th anniversary, was included in red Wii bundles released for the occasion along with a matching Nunchuk and console, "Wii Sports" and "New Super Mario Bros. Wii". The red Wii Remote Plus would also be bundled with European copies of "", which is replaced with a black one in other regions. A red Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk of matching color is also included with every Wii Mini.
At E3 2011, it was revealed that a gold Wii Remote Plus with the Hylian Crest superimposed over its speaker would be released alongside "". It was available as part of a bundle with "Skyward Sword" for a limited time. A matching gold Nunchuk was also available to earn for Club Nintendo members for a limited time.
In 2012, the Wii Remote Plus was reissued, and branded for the Wii U, the Wii's successor. Another sync button on the battery cover was added, allowing users to sync without removing the battery cover. A year later, Nintendo began releasing Wii Remote Plus controllers that are themed after "Mario" characters, starting with Mario and Luigi on November 1, 2013, to accompany the release of the Wii U Deluxe set. A few months later, Nintendo released a Princess Peach-themed Wii Remote Plus, on April 24, 2014. A year later, Nintendo also released Wii Remote Plus controllers themed after Bowser, a Toad and Yoshi in the fall of 2015 to accompany the releases of "Super Mario Maker" and "Yoshi's Woolly World", exclusively available at GameStop.
Expansions.
The Wii Remote has an expansion port at the bottom which allows various functional attachments to be added. The connector, and any accessories that attach to it, use a 400 kHz I²C protocol. This expandability is similar to that available with the port on the Nintendo 64 controller. There is a female connector on Wii remotes, to which expansions with a male connector can be connected.
The multiple kinds of controllers that can connect to the Wii Remote make it into a more versatile controller, opening up new Wii controller configurations and likewise multiple control schemes. Various racing games such as "Mario Kart Wii" and a few "Need for Speed" video games, as well as some fighting games like "Super Smash Bros. Brawl", ' and the ' trilogy take advantage of the versatility the expansion port confers to offer multiple control schemes to suit different kinds of players.
Nunchuk.
The Nunchuk (model number RVL-004) is the first attachment Nintendo revealed for the Wii Remote at the 2005 Tokyo Game Show. It connects to the Wii Remote via a cord 1 to 1.2 m (3.5 to 4 feet) long. Its appearance when attached resembles the nunchaku weapon, hence the name. It also resembles the middle handle of the Nintendo 64 controller. Like the controllers of the Wii's two predecessors, the Nunchuk has an analog stick whose movement is restricted by an octagonal area. The Nunchuk also has two trigger buttons (a last-minute modification changed the two triggers to one trigger and a button, as described below). It works in tandem with the main controller in many games. Like the Wii Remote, the Nunchuk also provides a three-axis accelerometer from STMicroelectronics for motion-sensing and tilting, but lacks any feedback features. The presence of a motion sensor in the Nunchuk allows the Wii controller to recognize gestures from both of the player's hands independently, a feature that is leveraged to implement boxing controls for "Wii Sports" or dual wield combat in some hack and slash games, such as "". Despite having fewer buttons, the Nunchuk can also be used as a controller itself, a feature that is leveraged by "Opoona", "Bust-A-Move Bash!" and "SpeedZone". This allows two players to share a single Wii controller, enabling the multiplayer modes of "Bash!" and "SpeedZone" to support five to eight players across the maximum four Wii controllers that can be synced to a single console.
One Nunchuk comes bundled with the Wii console. Additional Wii Remote units are sold separately without the Nunchuk. The two shoulder buttons, formerly named Z1 and Z2 respectively, have been reshaped and renamed from the Game Developers Conference on. The circular top shoulder button, now called C, is much smaller than the lower rectangular shoulder button, now called Z.
The body of the Nunchuk is long, wide, and thick. The connection port also has a larger size.
The Nunchuk can be connected to any microcontroller capable of I²C (e.g., Arduino's Atmel AVR), where the accelerometer, joystick and buttons data may be accessed. Todbot has created the Wiichuck, an adapter to facilitate connecting the Nunchuk to an Arduino board.
In 2008, wireless Nunchuks became available from third party providers, not requiring the cord that links the Wii Remote with the Wii Nunchuk.
The Nunchuk is generally available in white and black. Cyan-colored Nunchuks were available in Japan as a prize for a contest used to promote "Wii Sports Resort". Red Nunchuks are bundled with the red "Mario" anniversary Wii console and Wii Mini. A gold Nunchuk was offered to Nintendo Club members for a limited time to complement "Skyward Sword"'s gold Wii Remote Plus.
Classic Controller.
There are two versions of the Classic Controller, the original Classic Controller and the Classic Controller Pro.
At the 2006 Electronic Entertainment Expo Nintendo introduced the Classic Controller, which plugs into the Wii Remote via a cord in a similar fashion to the Nunchuk. Unlike most accessories, the Classic Controller largely usurps the Remote's functionality, with the Remote's buttons duplicated on the Controller. The Remote is used primarily as a wireless transmitter for the Controller and where applicable retains its pointing-device functionality. It can also still be used as a valid, active controller by another player in multiplayer modes of games like "Bust-A-Move Bash!" and "SpeedZone".
The Classic Controller is reminiscent of the controller for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, being the same size and having the , , , and buttons and directional pad in the same location. It also contains two analog sticks and two extra shoulder buttons used to replicate additional components found on the Nintendo GameCube controller. The controller is primarily used for Virtual Console titles, with several titles requiring either the Classic or GameCube controller to play, being optimized for the Classic Controller. Dozens of Wii titles are also compatible with the controller to allow for a more traditional control scheme.
Wii MotionPlus.
The Wii MotionPlus is an expansion device that allows the Wii Remote to more accurately capture complex motion. Incorporated with a custom version of the Wii Remote Jacket, the Wii MotionPlus affixes directly to the Wii Remote expansion port, extending the length of the controller body by approximately . The Wii MotionPlus uses a tuning fork gyroscope which supplements the accelerometer and Sensor Bar capabilities of the Wii Remote, enabling controller motions to be rendered identically on the screen in real time, according to Nintendo. It is sold separately, and also included in bundles with some MotionPlus compatible games such as Nintendo's "Wii Sports Resort" and Ubisoft's "Red Steel 2". Black Wii Remotes bundled with the MotionPlus add-on were released in Europe in November 2009.
Wii Vitality Sensor.
The Wii Vitality Sensor was a cancelled peripheral; a fingertip pulse oximeter sensor that connected through the Wii Remote. According to Nintendo, the device "will initially sense the user's pulse and a number of other signals being transmitted by their bodies, and will then provide information to the users about the body’s inner world." The Wii Vitality Sensor was announced by President and CEO Satoru Iwata at Nintendo's E3 2009 media briefing on June 2, 2009. No specific applications were revealed for the device, but when presenting the device Iwata suggested that video games may soon be used for relaxation. According to Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, more details concerning the Wii Vitality Sensor were to be revealed during E3 2010, although in the event the device was not mentioned. Reggie told GameTrailers, "(E3) was not the kind of environment for a game based on relaxation", and said that they were saving news on the device for another time and place. At E3 2010, Ubisoft introduced their own pulse oximeter sensor, "Innergy". At E3 2011, Nintendo announced more about the Wii Vitality Sensor. Shigeru Miyamoto said that the Wii Vitality Sensor has a difficult time performing consistently across a variety of situations but still may be released.
On July 5, 2013, Satoru Iwata disclosed that the Wii Vitality Sensor project had been cancelled due to its lack of widespread compatibility, with Nintendo finding that the device failed to work with approximately 10% of people it was tested on. noting that the device "was of narrower application than we had originally thought." Iwata also mentioned the possibility of returning to the project in the future, when the technology allows for at least a 99.9% success rate.
Accessories.
Wii Zapper.
The Wii Zapper is a gun-shaped shell accessory for the Wii Remote. As shown in the image, the shell holds both the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, and contains a trigger that actuates the Wii Remote's B button; all other buttons are still accessible while the remote and Nunchuk are in the shell. The name is a reference to the NES Zapper light gun for the Nintendo Entertainment System. According to an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto, the idea of a Zapper-type expansion formed when the Wii Remote was first created. He expressed that "What we found is that the reason we wanted to have a Zapper is when you hold a Wii Remote, it can be difficult for some people to keep a steady hand. And holding your arm out like that can get your arm somewhat tired." The Zapper is useful for most games primarily involving firearms, such as light gun shooters, first-person shooters, and third-person shooters.
Wii Wheel.
The Wii Wheel accessory is designed for use in driving games: it is a steering wheel-shaped shell that a Wii Remote can be placed inside, enhancing driving games that allow for steering control by tilting the Wii Remote left and right. The Wii Wheel was first shipped alongside "Mario Kart Wii" and features prominently on the game's packaging.
Third-party accessories.
Since the release of the Wii console, many aesthetic, ergonomic, and functional accessories have been developed for the Wii Remote by third parties.
Third-party development.
Since the release of the Wii console, people have been exploring different new ways in which to use the Wii Remote. Many third-party applications are currently in development through Wii homebrew. One popular Windows program called GlovePIE allows the Wii Remote to be used on a personal computer to emulate a keyboard, mouse or joystick. Connecting the Wii Remote to a personal computer is done via a Bluetooth connection. The Bluetooth program BlueSoleil has been proven to successfully connect a Wii Remote to a PC. Still another program (like GlovePIE) is needed to utilize the Wii Remote's protocol and to use the data it offers.
The Wii Remote Bluetooth protocol can be implemented on other devices including cell phones, which often have poor usability with games. Two students have demonstrated this concept by creating driver software that has the capability to connect the Wii Remote to a Symbian smartphone. The idea behind this driver is that a mobile phone with a TV-out port can replace the game console.
Programmer Johnny Lee posted video demos and sample code at his website related to the use of the Wii Remote for finger tracking, low-cost multipoint interactive whiteboards, and head tracking for desktop VR displays. He demonstrated several such applications at a TED conference. The WiimoteProject forum became the discussion, support and sharing site for Lee's Wii Remote projects and other newer developments.
Studies have been conducted to use the Wii Remote as a practice method to fine-tune surgeons' hand motions. Utilizing DarwiinRemote, researchers at the University of Memphis adapted the Wii Remote for data collection in cognitive psychology experiments. Autodesk released a plugin that allows the Wii Remote to control orientation of 3D models in "Autodesk Design Review".
The pairing of a Wiimote does not allow a passcode.
Reception.
Overall reception to the Wii Remote has changed over time. The control styles provided by the controller were met with praise at its first public exhibition at E3. Since then, comments have been noted by the press on its functionality. Matt Wales of IGN UK highlighted the aiming and precision of "Red Steel" and stated "Taking down swathes of enemies with nothing more than a twitch of the wrist proves immensely satisfying and, more importantly, incredibly involving." Nintendo Power listed the Wii Remote as an innovative controller, citing it as innovative for several firsts, including the first use of motion control, the first built-in speaker, and the first Infrared Pointer. This is incorrect, however; the first video game controller to make use of motion sensitivity was Le Stick for the Atari 2600 and Commodore 64, manufactured by Datasoft Inc, and released in 1981.
Other publications have noted specific complaints regarding control. GameSpot expressed that some motions in ' failed to transmit or meet expectation during gameplay. Similar observations were made on other titles made available during the Wii launch period. ComputerAndVideoGames.com reported that "Most prominent is the first batch of games, many of which do a better job at exposing the obstacles of full motion control, rather than the benefits... '...is near unplayable, "Far Cry" got it all wrong, and the motion control in "" just feels tacked on."
The overall situation was described by Joystiq thus: "Over the months since launch, the unpredictable Wii Remote has led to a maddening dichotomy. Some games are too easy, while others are too hard – for all the wrong reasons...Gamers who crave a deeper challenge have to settle for battling incomprehensible controls." Critics felt that fault was largely attributed to the developers' lack of experience with the Wii Remote. Jeremy Parish of the magazine "Electronic Gaming Monthly" compared the initial phase of control implementation to that of the Nintendo DS. Matt Casamassina of IGN also presumed that the first generation of Wii games were of an experimental stage and that potential for refinement had yet to be exploited.
Later-released titles have seen mixed reactions in terms of control. Of "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07" from Electronic Arts, Matthew Kato of "Game Informer" stated that the controller "has a hard time detecting your backswing. Thus, it’s harder to control. There were even times the game putted for me by accident." A "GamePro" review for "" said that the title "is an encouraging sign that developers are finally starting to work out the kinks and quirks of the Wii Remote."
First- and second-party titles have produced more favorable utilization of the Wii Remote's unique capabilities. ', in particular, was nearly universally praised for its unique control scheme, which is seen as being unrivaled by any other console game. "Corruption" utilizes the Nunchuk for strafing and the infrared pointing capability of the Wii Remote for turning and special "gestures", which are used to select visors. Other Nintendo titles take a more minimalist approach, using mostly the pointer and buttons only, as with ', or use the controller in a sideways configuration to resemble a Nintendo Entertainment System controller while de-emphasizing more advanced capabilities, as seen in "Super Paper Mario".
The Wii Remote and Nunchuk combined to sell over 8.5 million units in the United States, and took the top two spots in video game accessories sales in 2006. In the U.S., the Nunchuk was the best-selling video game hardware for January 2008, with 375,000 units sold, in a month where the Wii was the best-selling console with 274,000 units sold.
According to Nintendo's Shinya Takahashi, player feedback for the Wii Remote, particularly on reducing its form-factor, led into the development of the Nintendo Switch, a console small enough and with smaller controllers to also be a portable unit.
Legal issues.
The Wii Remote has come under a number of lawsuits from several different companies.
Interlink Electronics filed a patent-infringement lawsuit against Nintendo in December 2006 over the pointing functionality of the Wii Remote, claiming "loss of reasonable royalties, reduced sales and/or lost profits as a result of the infringing activities" of Nintendo. No further court documentation on this case exists as of September 2017, suggesting that either the two companies settled prior to any court action, or Interlink had dropped the case.
On August 19, 2008 Hillcrest Laboratories Inc. filed a complaint against Nintendo with the U.S International Trade Commission, alleging that the Wii Remote infringed on three of its patents. A fourth Hillcrest patent (for graphical interfaces displayed on television screens) was also allegedly violated. Hillcrest sought a ban on Wii consoles imported to the U.S. On August 24, 2009 Nintendo and Hillcrest reached a settlement, although the terms were not publicly disclosed.
In September 2011, ThinkOptics Inc. filed a lawsuit against Nintendo in United States District Court of the Eastern District of Texas over their controller, the Wavit Remote, claiming that the Wii violated its patent for a "handheld vision based absolute pointing system", a "Handheld Device for Handheld Vision Based Absolute Pointing System", and a "Handheld Vision Based Absolute Pointing System", which make up the basis for the Wavit Remote. They also said that the Wii U infringes on their patents as well and claims that Nintendo was aware of the fact that the Wii allegedly violates ThinkOptics' patents. The lawsuit sought an injunction against violating products, royalties, attorney’s fees, and damages for lost profits. The lawsuit was dismissed by ThinkOptics in August 2014.
Starting in December 2012, iLife Technologies sued several large companies over patent infringement over a set of patents they held related to "systems and methods for evaluating movement of a body relative to an environment", principally aimed at the medical field; Nintendo was sued by iLife in December 2013 for the Wii Remote's infringement on their patents, with the lawsuit seeking $144 million in damages, based on a $4 fine for the 36 million Wii and Wii U units it had sold to date. A jury trial was heard in August 2017, and the jury ruled in favor of iLife Technologies and Nintendo was forced to pay in damages.: While Nintendo attempted to appeal this ruling, the United States Court of Appeals upheld the jury's decision in December 2017. However, in January 2020, a federal court overturned the judgement and ruled that iLife's patent was too broad.
Wrist strap issues.
The wrist strap of the Wii Remote has also been an issue.
In mid-December 2006, the law firm Green Welling LLP filed a class action lawsuit against Nintendo for its "defective wrist straps". A few days later, Nintendo issued a product recall for the wrist straps and issued a new version of the strap with an improved securing mechanism for the wrist, leading to the lawsuit to be dropped sometime thereafter.
A second class-action lawsuit was filed by a mother in Colorado in December 2008, claiming the updated wrist straps were still ineffective. This suit was dismissed by September 2010, finding for Nintendo that the wrist straps were not knowingly faulty under Colorado consumer protection laws.
Trademark issues.
In 2000, the term "Weemote" was trademarked by Miami based TV remote manufacturer Fobis Technologies and was later used as the name of their remote designed for young children. While spelled differently, the term "Weemote" is phonetically identical to "Wiimote", the unofficial term for the Wii Remote. Sales of the Weemote, which totaled less than one million as of 2008 had fallen due to confusion with the Wiimote. Fobis Technologies claims this to be trademark infringement, however Nintendo does not actually use the term "Wiimote" in official promotional materials; but many retailers that sell the Wii Remote do use the term. Fobis sent out up to 100 cease and desist letters to retailers and have made offers to Nintendo for them to purchase the trademark. Nintendo declined the offer, stating that it "does not use and does not plan to use the Weemote trademark".
The trademark application for the Wii Remote was initially rejected by the United States Patent and Trademark Office after the trademark was filed in March 2008. The USPTO claimed that the word "remote" is commonly used, and therefore should not be trademarked. The USPTO said they would accept Nintendo's trademark filing if the company disclaims exclusive rights to the word "remote" in the term and if the word “Wii” would always precede the word “remote” in marketing and manuals. The USPTO accepted the “Wii Remote” trademark in July 2012.


Project Primary Edu

Project Primary Edu is a charity fundraiser that is working to improve Sarkari Primary School in Mor Karima, Ludhiana, Punjab, India.
Sarkari Primary School.
Sarkari Primary School is the government school for children ages four to ten who live in village Mor Karima. Only 10% of the children who enroll at Sarkari continue to pursue an education beyond tenth grade level.
Needs of Sarkari Primary School.
Like many government funded schools in India, Sarkari lacks many basic necessities. Sarkari does not have desks, chairs, school supplies, or a source of clean water for the students.
Goals of the Fundraiser and Means of Fundraising.
Project Primary Edu seeks to generate $5,000 so as to purchase basic school supplies for the students of Sarkari. Beat and Boom, LLC is the vessel for Project Primary Edu. Beat and Boom has published a mobile phone application for iPhone and Android, also called Beat and Boom; 100% of the proceeds from sales of the apps are given to the project.


Associazione per il Software Libero

The Associazione per il Software Libero (AsSoLi) is an Italian non-profit association with the primary goal of spreading free software in Italy.
Between 2001 and 2006 AsSoLi was the official Italian associate of the Free Software Foundation Europe.


Tim Tully

Timothy Paul Tully (born 1954) is an American neurobiologist who is the chief scientific officer and executive vice president for research & development at the San Diego-based biotechnology company Dart Neuroscience. He is known for his research on the role of genetics in human memory. With the support of billionaire Ken Dart, he is also attempting to create a pharmaceutical drug that would give its takers a photographic memory, which has been dubbed "Viagra for the brain" by the media.
Education and career.
Born in Washington, Illinois, Tully attended the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, from which he received his B.S. in 1976 and his Ph.D. in 1981. At the University of Illinois, he studied under Jerry Hirsch, and helped to prepare Hirsch for his debates on race and intelligence with William Shockley. He then did postdoctoral research at Princeton University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before joining the faculty of Brandeis University as an assistant professor in 1987. He began working at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) in 1991 as an associate professor, where he was subsequently named Professor in 1995 and Head of the Division of Neurogenetics in 2006. In 1997, he and James Watson founded Helicon Therapeutics, Inc., with the aim of creating a pharmaceutical drug to enhance human memory. Tully served as its acting Chief Science Officer until it merged with Dart Neuroscience in 2012. In 2007, he resigned his position at CSHL to become Chief Science Officer at Dart Neuroscience.
Research.
Tully is known for his research identifying genes that affect memory in the fruit fly species "Drosophila melanogaster". In 1995, Tully and his CSHL colleague Jerry Yin made headlines when they genetically engineered a "Drosophila" fly that displayed the equivalent of a photographic memory. They did so by breeding flies with a mutated form of the CREB gene to produce many more activator proteins than it normally would, thereby allowing the flies to store more long-term memories. Through his company Helicon, Tully subsequently began working to develop a drug to raise levels of the CREB protein, in the hope that it would improve memory in humans. In 2004, Tully and his CSHL colleagues developed HT-0712, a drug that aims to improve memory in people with dementia. At the time, Tully suggested that it could also be used by healthy people to help them remember how to play a new musical instrument or speak a new language.


Cuffs (Iowa State University)

Cuffs is a student group at Iowa State University that was formed in 2000 to discuss issues related to bondage, discipline, domination and sadomasochism.
The group made national headlines when in 2003, then-Cuffs president Harlan (Duane) Long requested $94 in funding from the student government in order to print fliers. Many people complained that student funds shouldn't be used for such a "deviant" group. However, the funding request was eventually approved by a vote of 21–9.
Cuffs again was the subject of national attention when the group was disciplined by ISU for allegedly committing assault during a BDSM-related demonstration at one of their meetings (on November 10, 2003). Cuffs unsuccessfully appealed the disciplinary ruling to the Iowa Board of Regents, which refused to hear the case. The end result of the disciplinary action was that Cuffs was prohibited from performing any type of demonstrations at future meetings.
As of the 2018–2019 academic year, Cuffs is still an active student organization at Iowa State University.


Choice model simulation

Although the concept choice models is widely understood and practiced these days, it is often difficult to acquire hands-on knowledge in simulating choice models. While many stat packages provide useful tools to simulate, researchers attempting to test and simulate new choice models with data often encounter problems from as simple as scaling parameter to misspecification. This article goes beyond simply defining discrete choice models. Rather, it aims at providing a comprehensive overview of how to simulate such models in computer.
Defining choice set.
When a researcher has some consumer choice data in his/her hand and tries to construct a choice model and simulate it against the data, he/she needs to first define a choice set. A Choice Set in discrete choice models is defined to be finite, exhaustive, and mutually exclusive.
For instance, consider households' choice of how many laptops to own. The researcher can define the choice set depending on the nature of the data and the interpretation they wish to draw, as long as it satisfies three properties mentioned above. Some examples of choice sets that meet the categories are the following:
Defining consumer utility.
Suppose a student is trying to decide which pub he/she should go for a beer after his/her last final exam. Suppose there are two pubs in the town of the college: an Irish pub and an American pub. The researcher wishes to predict which pub he/she will choose based on the price (P) of beer and the distance (D) to each pub, assuming they are known to the researcher. Then, the consumer utilities for choosing the Irish pub and the American pub can be defined:
where formula_3 captures unobserved variables that affect consumer utilities.
Defining choice probabilities.
Once the consumer utilities have been specified, the researcher can derive choice probabilities. Namely, the probability of the student choosing the Irish pub over the American pub is
Denoting the observed portion of the utility function as V,
In the end, discrete choice modeling comes down to specifying the distribution of formula_3 (or formula_7) and solving the integral over the range of formula_3 to calculate formula_9. Extending this to more general situations with
The choice probability of consumer "n" choosing "j" can be written as
for all "i" other than "j"
Identification.
1. What's irrelevant
From equation (4), it's obvious that formula_11 does not change as long as the inequality in the probability argument on the right side stays the same. In other words, adding or multiplying by a constant to all formula_12 does not change the choice probably, thus no change in interpretation.
2. Alternative-specific constants
Unlike adding a constant to all the utilities, adding alternative-specific constants does alter the choice probabilities. Suppose alternative-specific constants "C""i" and "C""a"
are added to (1) and (2):
Then, depending on the value of the estimated alternative-specific constants, the choice probability may change. Also, if we write the choice probability in the format of (3),
only the difference between formula_16 affects the choice probability (i.e. our estimation can only identify the difference). So it's convenient to normalize all the alternative-specific constants to one of the alternatives. If we normalize to formula_17, then we estimate the following model:
When there are more than 2 choices in the choice set, we can pick any choice i and normalize the alternative-specific constants to that choice by subtracting formula_20 from all other alternative-specific constants.
3. Sociodemographic variables
In deciding between the Irish pub and the American pub, if the researcher has access to additional sociodemographic variables such as income, they can enter the consumer utility equation in various ways. Denote the student's income as "Y". If the researcher believes that the income affects the utility linearly, then
If the researcher believes that the sociodemographic variable interacts with other variable such as price, then the utility can be written as
General models.
As mentioned earlier, calculation and justification of choice probabilities rely on the properties of the error (i.e. the unobservables) distribution function the researcher specifies. Here is the quick overview of frequently used models that each differs in specification
1. Logit:
2. GEV (Generalized extreme value distribution)
3. Probit
4. Mixed logit


TEB Family Academy

TEB Family Academy (Turkish: TEB Aile Akademisi) is a social responsibility project, carried out by Türk Ekonomi Bankası (TEB) in order to raise financial literacy level of Turkish people. It was launched in October 2012.
History.
The project was launched by Türk Ekonomi Bankası (TEB) in October 2012 with the purpose of "raising financial literacy level of Turkish people". With this aim, a series of free trainings started to be provided to the individuals in TEB branches. By the demand of companies or organizations, volunteer TEB trainers could provide free trainings in large groups. In January 2013, a protocol was signed between Türk Ekonomi Bankası and Ministry of Family and Social Policy. With this protocol, the project became the official partner of "Family Education Programme" (Turkish: Aile Eğitim Programı) of the ministry and TEB started to give financial literacy education in every event that's organized within the ministry's project. TEB became the first corporate member of Financial Literacy and Inclusion Association (Turkish: Finansal Okuryazarlık ve Erişim Derneği, abb. FO-DER) at the same year, and on May 22, 2013, in cooperation with FODER, TEB organized 1st Financial Literacy and Inclusion Summit in alignment with TEB Family Academy’s objectives. On November 5, 2013 in Boğaziçi University, the first financial literacy and inclusion index of Turkey which was conducted through partnership with Boğaziçi University was announced. According to the study, financial literacy index of the country was 59.8, and financial inclusion index was 43.15.
In May 2014, TEB Children's Theatre (Turkish: TEB Çocuk Tiyatrosu) was founded. Through TEB Children's Theater's very first play "Rüzgar'ın Kumbarası" ("Rüzgar's Piggy Box") TEB started to teach children financial literacy through a free musical. 2nd Financial Literacy and Inclusion Summit that was organized on October 27, 2014 in Boğaziçi University. During the summit, it was announced that a project named "Social and Financial Education with Art" (Turkish: Sanat Yoluyla Sosyal ve Finansal Eğitim) has been established in cooperation with Ministry of National Education and UNICEF, and with this project, financial literacy class has been added to curriculum 11 million secondary school students in Turkey.
On June 13, 2015, TEB Family Academy Festival (Turkish: TEB Aile Akademisi Panayırı) was organized in Antalya with the purpose of giving financial literacy education to people through an interactive family setting. In October 2015, the protocol about project "I Can Manage My Budget" (Turkish: Bütçemi Yönetebiliyorum) that was signed between TEB and Lifetime Learning General Management of the Ministry of National Education. Through the project, TEB will give free financial literacy education in Public Education Centers in 81 provinces of Turkey. Ümit Leblebici, General Manager of Türk Ekonomi Bankası, announced that by the end of 2015, financial literacy education were given over 200,000 people since the establishment of the project.


Forgotten Australians

Forgotten Australians is a contested term applied by some to the estimated 500,000 children and child migrants who experienced care in institutions or outside a home setting in Australia during the 20th century. The Australian Senate used the term specifically when reporting on its 2003–2004 "Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care".
Children ended up in out-of-home care for a variety of reasons, mainly relating to poverty and family breakdown at a time when there was little support for families in crisis. Residential institutions run by government and non-government organisations were the standard form of out-of-home care during the first half of the 20th century. Children in institutions were sometimes placed in foster homes for short periods, weekends or during holiday periods. There was a move towards smaller group care from the 1950s and a move away from institutional care to kinship and foster care from the 1970s.
Some Australian state governments have funded redress schemes for adults who were abused in care. In 2009 an official Australian government apology was made to people who had grown up in the institutional system, including former child migrants to Australia. The apology was made by then Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
Many of these children suffered from neglect and were abused physically, emotionally or sexually while in care. Survivors to this day still suffer the effects of the child abuse. The trauma experienced in care has affected care leavers negatively throughout their adult lives. Their partners and children have also felt the impact, which can then flow through to future generations.
Who are the forgotten Australians?
The people sometimes called Forgotten Australians are the survivors of government policies that resulted in at least 500,000 children growing up in 'out-of-home' care in Australia in the 20th Century. Forgotten Australians are also known as 'Care Leavers'. Other terms for people who spent time in out-of-home care include 'homies', 'state wards' or 'wardies'.
The majority of children in care were not orphans. Many had either one or both parents still living, or other living relatives. Children spent varying amounts of time in institutions and foster care and the majority entered care at a young age. Many spent their entire childhood and youth in an orphanage or children's home.
The Australian Senate used the figure of half-a-million when reporting on its 2003–04 'Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care'. The Senate's 2004 report on the inquiry began by saying that 'Upwards of, and possibly more than 500,000 Australians experienced care ... during the last century'. The 500,000 includes 450,000-plus Australian-born, non-indigenous children, 30,000–50,000 Indigenous children from the Stolen Generations, and 7,000 Former Child Migrants from Britain, Ireland and Malta.
Following a 1995 Senate inquiry into the removal of Indigenous children from their families, non-Indigenous people who had experienced out-of-home care as children called themselves the 'forgotten Australians' and lobbied for similar recognition. When a Senate inquiry into child migration to Australia was being conducted in 2000–2001, the recently established Care Leavers Australia Network (CLAN) made a submission to that inquiry to raise awareness that a third and much larger group of children who had experienced care were being forgotten. A third Senate inquiry was conducted in 2003–04. The Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care 'directed its inquiries primarily to those affected children who were not covered by the 2001 report "Lost Innocents: Righting the Record", inquiring into child migrants, and the 1997 report, "Bringing them Home", inquiring into Aboriginal children'. The Senate reported on the inquiry in 2004, using the term 'forgotten Australians' in the report title and stating:
... children were for many reasons hidden in institutions and forgotten by society when they were placed in care and again when they were released into the 'outside' world. ... These people who spent part or all of their childhood in an institution, children's home or out-of-home care background have been the forgotten Australians.
The term "Forgotten Australians" is controversial. It sometimes refers to all Australian children, including Indigenous children and former child migrants to Australia who spent part or all of their childhoods in care during the 20th Century, particularly between 1920 and 1970. Not all Australians accept the term "Forgotten Australians" because of its connotations of passivity and because the label was supplied by the Senate Committee without consultation. Certainly many Indigenous people and Child Migrants prefer other more descriptive terminology.
Why children were placed in out-of-home care.
Many of the reasons children were placed in care related to poverty and family breakdown. Until social change came about in Australia in the 1970s, there was almost no community or government support for families in crisis or financial need so most children whose families could not care for them were placed in some form of out-of-home care.
Family breakdown as a result of divorce, desertion, death, illness, domestic violence, drunkenness or the trauma of war led to children being taken into care or being placed in care by their own families. Few women who had been widowed, deserted or divorced could afford to raise children. Work opportunities were fewer for women than men, and women were paid less than the male wage for the same work. Lone mothers and fathers found it difficult to work to support children as there was little affordable childcare available. The social stigma of giving birth outside marriage placed enormous pressure on women to give their children up for adoption. Some chose to place their children in a home so that they could at least have some contact with them.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were removed from their families as part of the assimilation policies of the time, and British and Maltese child migrants brought to Australian under child migration schemes spent their childhoods in institutions. Children could be made state wards by being charged with 'being neglected, of no fixed abode, [or] likely to lapse into a life of crime or vice', if authorities considered they came from homes where there was violence or alcohol abuse or if there was no-one to properly take care of them. Children with physical or mental disabilities were also commonly placed in institutions, as were children who were deemed to be 'uncontrollable'.
Types of care.
Institutional care.
Since the early days of the British colony in Australia placing 'at risk' children into orphanages and children's homes was normal policy. During the first half of the 20th century, residential institutions were still the standard form of out-of-home care.
Institutions were run by state governments, charities, welfare and religious organisations or private individuals. They included orphanages and children's homes, as well as industrial or training schools. There were at least 800 of these institutions operating between the 1920s and the 1980s. They varied in size from large institutions housing several hundred children to 'cottages' within the grounds of an institution where smaller groups of children were cared for by 'cottage parents'.
Orphanages and children's homes in Australia 'from the 1920s to 1980s were under-resourced, poorly supervised and lacked government scrutiny'.
By the 1950s, concerns about the level of care children were receiving in institutions led to the closing down of some larger orphanages and children's homes and a move towards group care in smaller cottage and foster homes. The child protection sector became increasingly professional and accountable following changes to child protection policy during the 1970s and 1980s and there was a move away from institutionalised care towards kinship and foster care.
Foster care.
Foster care in Australia began in the 19th century as a form of boarding out to give children in institutions an experience of 'normal' family life.
Care leavers reported to the Senate Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care that they had been placed in foster homes for short periods, weekends or during holiday periods. Foster care placements do not appear to have been made in a coordinated way, but 'with expediency rather than child welfare being a primary consideration'. Many reported being placed with people with limited experience of children or with older couples. Some considered they had only been fostered as a form of cheap labour to help out on farms and as domestic servants. Sexual abuse by foster parents, their children or other relatives was also reported.
Treatment.
Children's experience of out-of-home care varied. However, even those who made positive comments to the 2003–04 Senate Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care reported a 'lack of love, affection and nurturing'.
The Senate inquiry documented details of abuse and neglect of children in institutions:
The Committee received hundreds of graphic and disturbing accounts about the treatment and care experienced by children in out-of-home care ... Their stories outlined a litany of emotional, physical and sexual abuse, and often criminal physical and sexual assault ... neglect, humiliation and deprivation of food, education and healthcare.
Details of the mistreatment and abuse that emerged in submissions to the Senate inquiry include:
Long-term impacts.
Care leavers lives have been shaped in many different ways by their time in out-of-home care. The long-term impacts are generally 'negative and destructive'.
Common experiences.
Common feelings reported by care leavers include feelings of abandonment and loss because of separation from parents and siblings; a sense of isolation; feelings of guilt and self-blame; lack of confidence and low self-esteem.
Forgotten Australians reported to the Senate Inquiry that as adults they had suffered depression, social anxieties, phobias, recurring nightmares, anger, shame, and were fearful and distrustful of others leading to an inability to form and maintain relationships. Many detailed drug and alcohol dependence, homelessness, unemployment and imprisonment.
Loss of identity.
The most common outcome of a childhood spent in out-of-home care reported to the Senate inquiry was a loss of identity.
Many children in care were untruthfully told that their parents were dead or had abandoned them. It was common policy to prevent parents from visiting. Parents were often told their children had been moved to other institutions or had been adopted, or that visiting rights had been withdrawn as punishment for misbehaviour. In later life, some people discovered letters on government and institution files showing that their parents had tried to make contact, or have them returned home.
Siblings taken into care together were often separated and contact between siblings was discouraged. Boys and girls were usually separated in institutions so brothers and sisters rarely had close contact. Family ties were cut when one sibling ended up in care while others remained at home with their parents or were sent elsewhere. The result is that many people never knew they had siblings or only found out much later in life. Children's names were often changed and poor and incomplete records kept of children in care. This makes it difficult for older care leavers to find out why and how they ended up in care, and to trace parents, siblings or other living relatives.
Poor education outcomes.
Education for children in institutions was often of a poor standard and by the age of 15 most children had left school. Many children left institutions with low levels of literacy and numeracy that may have affected their ability to find work or meant they could only get low paying jobs. It also affected their ability to further their education.
Impact on partners and children.
Most care leavers left the care system without any preparation for adulthood or parenthood. Many have carried the trauma of neglect and abuse into their adult lives and relationships but have found it difficult to tell anyone about their experiences, even partners and children.
Some reported finding it difficult to sustain relationships and many have had several partners or only transient relationships. Many care leavers found they were unable to be good parents or have chosen not to have children.
Apologies.
National apology.
On Monday 16 November 2009, the Australian Parliament, through then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and then Leader of the Opposition Malcolm Turnbull, formally acknowledged and apologised for the harsh treatment and ongoing trauma of Forgotten Australians and former child migrants. The apology was streamed live and broadcast on national television.
Over 900 Forgotten Australians and former child migrants were present in the Great Hall of Parliament House in Canberra to hear the apology.
Other apologies.
State governments and past providers of institutional and other out-of-home care have formally apologised to care leavers who suffered or witnessed abuse or neglect while in care.
In 2009, the University of Melbourne apologised for their involvement in the unethical use of orphans as test subjects of experimental medication and drugs.
Major reports.
The Queensland Government commissioned an inquiry which was tabled in parliament in June 1999.
 The inquiry was conducted by Leneen Forde and is known as the 'Forde Inquiry'. It investigated abuse of tens of thousands of individuals in 159 institutions from 1911 to 1999.
The Senate Community Affairs Committee commissioned a national report on children in institutional care in 2003, specifically excluding child migrants ('Home Children') and Aboriginal children, who were the subject of previous reports. The Forgotten Australians inquiry considered the plight of more than 500,000 children in care in the 20th century and 'generated the largest volume of highly personal, emotive and significant evidence of any Senate inquiry'.
The South Australian Government's 'Children In State Care Commission Of Inquiry' considered the more serious 'allegations of sexual abuse and death from criminal conduct' from 1910 to 2004. The resulting report (the 'Mullighan Report') noted that 792 people made allegations of abuse by 1,733 perpetrators and that 'Using available records, the inquiry found that 242 people — 124 males and 118 females — were children in State care at the time of the alleged abuse'. The names of 924 children alleged to have died while in state care in South Australia were given to the inquiry. The inquiry found that 391 children had died while in state care.
All the reports considered the nature and severity of abuse and it consequences on the abused. Each report made dozens of recommendations to address the problems caused by past abuse and prevent future abuse of children in care.
Redress schemes.
State government funded redress schemes have made or are planning ex-gratia payments to Forgotten Australians in some states. In Queensland, payments were made in 2009 ranging from $7,000 to $40,000. In Western Australia, payments were expected to range from $10,000 to $80,000 and were to be made in 2010. The maximum payment may be limited because of underfunding. New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia are yet to fund redress schemes. The Victorian Government position is that individual cases will be addressed on their merits. The major problem for adult survivors of childhood abuse is the burden of proof of the abuse in a formal legal setting.
Further reading and viewing.
Forgotten Australians tell their own stories:


Group field theory

Group field theory (GFT) is a quantum field theory in which the base manifold is taken to be a Lie group. It is closely related to background independent quantum gravity approaches such as loop quantum gravity, the spin foam formalism and causal dynamical triangulation. It can be shown that its perturbative expansion can be interpreted as spin foams and simplicial pseudo-manifolds (depending on the representation of the fields). Thus, its partition function defines a non-perturbative sum over all simplicial topologies and geometries, giving a path integral formulation of quantum spacetime.


Appeal to advantage

An appeal to advantage is a rhetorical device in which the speaker encourages his or her audience to perform some action by representing that action as being in the audience's best interest.
An appeal to advantage can also be a request from someone in a position of power to someone who is in a socially subordinate position; the request is specifically for the subordinate to perform an act contrary to the subordinate's wishes, such that the subordinate is forced to commit the act in order to satisfy a more significant need. The appeal is specifically most expedient or advantageous to the person in power, but is also presented as forwarding the subordinate's interests in some significant way.


Giacomo Badoer

Giacomo Badoer (c.1575 – c.1620) was a French-born diplomat, of Venetian parentage, and pupil of Galileo Galilei.
Scientific interests.
Badoer studied mathematics with Galileo in Padua in 1598/9. He later supported Galileo in 1607, in a priority dispute with Baldassarre Capra over the invention of a military compass.
Badoer was one of the correspondents of Paolo Sarpi in Venice, who towards the end of 1608 was making enquiries about the invention in the Netherlands of the telescope. Badoer wrote back in spring 1609 from Paris to Sarpi with news of the commercial telescopes then being sold; it is said that Galileo heard of the new product via this route, around July 1609. He mentioned Badoer as his source in "Sidereus Nuncius".
Badoer remained close to Galileo, according to Élie Diodati, writing around 1620, when Badoer was already dead.
Religion and diplomacy.
By upbringing Badoer was a Huguenot; he became a Catholic convert through the Jesuit Pierre Coton, at some point in the period 1599 to 1603, and by this connection became a diplomat in the service of Henry IV of France. One mission was to Cleves in 1609, at the time of the Jülich-Cleves War. Sarpi, who in 1609 wrote to Badoer in confiding terms, broke with him around 1610: he then described Badoer as an atheist, and Francesco Castrino of Sarpi's network wrote obscene poems about him (Badoer was a reputed homosexual).


Chamaeleon (philosopher)

Chamaeleon (or Chameleon; ; c. 350 – c. 275 BC), was a Peripatetic philosopher of Heraclea Pontica. He was one of the immediate disciples of Aristotle. He wrote works on several of the ancient Greek poets, namely:
He also wrote on the Iliad, and on Comedy (περὶ κωμῳδίας). In this last work he treated, among other subjects, of the dances of comedy. This work is quoted by Athenaeus by the title περὶ τῆς ἀρχαίας κωμῳδίας, which is also the title of a work by the Peripatetic philosopher Eumelus. It would seem also that he wrote on Hesiod, for Diogenes Laërtius says, that Chamaeleon accused Heraclides Ponticus of having stolen from him his work concerning Homer and Hesiod. The above works were probably both biographical and critical. He also wrote works entitled περὶ θεῶν, and περὶ σατύρων, and some moral treatises, περι ἡδονῆς (which was also ascribed to Theophrastus), προτρεπικόν, and περι μέθης. Of all his works only a few fragments are preserved by Athenaeus and other ancient writers.


Ariel Award

The Ariel Award () is an award that recognizes the best of Mexican cinema. Given annually, since 1946, by the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AMACC), the award recognizes artistical and technical excellence in the Mexican film industry. The purpose of the Ariel recognition is to stimulate and increase the excellence of Mexican cinema, favor the growth of the industry, and promote the meeting and strengthening of the national film community. It is regarded as the most prestigious award in the Mexican film industry and considered Mexico's equivalent to the Oscars of the United States.
History.
The statuette is in the image of a man and it was designed by the sculptor Ignacio Asúnsolo. The original statuette is currently found inside Churubusco Studios in Mexico City. The name "Ariel" was inspired by a series of short writings called "El Ariel" by Uruguayan writer José Enrique Rodó that inspired generations of young Latin Americans in the first decades of the 20th century.


Marrying Buddha

Marrying Buddha is the second novel by Chinese author Wei Hui and is a sequel to her first published novel, "Shanghai Baby". The English translation was made in 2005.
Plot.
Set four years on from the events of "Shanghai Baby", "Marrying Buddha" continues the story of Coco, a writer from Shanghai, now aged 29. The plot intersperses Coco's adventures in New York City, and later in Madrid, Barcelona and Buenos Aires, with her journey in China from Shanghai to the Buddhist monastery on Mount Putuo (Putuoshan).
In New York, Coco meets a Japanese-Italian documentary filmmaker named Muju and after a short romance moves in with him. Muju is a divorcee with strict ideas about women's roles and behaviour. He prefers his girlfriends, for example, to be competent cooks and willing to demonstrate their expertise for him. Coco, who cannot cook, finds it difficult to adapt to life with Muju. After a few months, Coco meets another man, the all-American Nick. When she travels to Spain without Muju, she resists embarking on an affair with Nick, who coincidentally visits the same cities and stays in the same luxury hotels as Coco. In Buenos Aires, Coco and Muju meet again, but Muju is disappointed with what he feels is Coco's snobbery and arrogant, self-centred behaviour. The two argue, and soon after returning to New York, Coco travels home to Shanghai without knowing whether she and Muju are still lovers.
In Shanghai, after resuming her old, pleasure-filled life, Coco travels to the place of her birth, Mount Putuo, where she spends time with an elder in a Buddhist monastery. Later, Nick pays a surprise visit to Coco in Shanghai, and Coco finally relents and sleeps with him. After he leaves, Muju pays a surprise visit to Coco in Shanghai, and Coco sleeps with him, too. Shortly afterwards, Coco learns she is pregnant, but she does not know who is the father, Muju or Nick.
Details.
"Marrying Buddha" is supposedly a continuation of the Wei Hui's semi-autobiographical story of Nikki/Coco, a young Shanghainese author of erotic literature. The novel is set in various locations, but mainly New York, Shanghai and Mount Putuo, site of Coco's birth and a Buddhist monastery. Although there is some mention of the events and people from "Shanghai Baby"—in "Marrying Buddha", Coco embarks on a tour of Spanish-speaking countries to promote that novel—some key characters and plot points, including the suicide of Coco's then boyfriend Tian Tian are not referred to at all. In addition, new facts that were not mentioned in "Shanghai Baby" emerge: including that shortly before the events of "Shanghai Baby", Coco attempted suicide by slashing her wrists and that she had a boyfriend with Mafia connections.
In New York, Coco is a student at Columbia University, an observer of American life and an avid consumer of American brands and culture. She visits Chinatown, shops at Barneys New York, Barnes & Noble, and Bloomingdales, and is perplexed by the American men she dates. Soon, she meets Muju, a half-Japanese, half-Italian documentary filmmaker. At first, Coco is not impressed: Muju buys her a humidifier as a gift. However, Coco is soon won over by Muju's knowledge of tantric sex practices and Eastern wisdom. After a few months, Coco moves into his apartment. Things do not always run smoothly though: Muju expresses his deep respect for women who can cook delicious meals, just like his ex-wife, who one day turns up and does just that. When Coco tries to cook Chinese food in Muju's kitchen, disaster occurs – she burns the shrimp and a drop of fat jumps out of the frying pan and burns her cheek, temporarily marring her complexion. Muju and Coco fight, and when Coco throws a jar of designer face cream into the toilet, Muju is disappointed by her immaturity. Later, Coco and Muju try out new tricks in the bedroom, and Muju displays his knowledge of Eastern wisdom by refusing to ejaculate and sharing a variety of Japanese traditional sex aids. Coco suggests a threesome, and Muju is impressed when she is not jealous of the American prostitute whom they invite to their bed.
The two are happy, although the relationship is not perfect. It is shadowed by the fact that Muju has some faults that Coco cannot reconcile. For example, he refuses to ever accompany anyone to the airport, he refuses to ejaculate, and he is missing a joint on one of his fingers. Muju is similarly frustrated by Coco's lack of self-control, her inability to cook, and her desire for a baby despite her immaturity.
Whilst out one evening in New York with her visiting Chinese cousin Zhu Sha, Coco meets Nick, a middle-aged but very attractive New Yorker:
He looked very like George Clooney, but even more handsome, slim and stylish, dressed entirely in black Armani. He seemed about forty-five years old...When he spoke I was startled by his magnetic voice. Hearing him talk was like ice-cream to the ears
Initially, Coco refuses to embark on an affair with Nick, rejecting his advances despite her attraction to his magnetic, ice-cream voice. When Coco travels to Madrid to promote her now best-selling novel, she bumps into Nick in a restaurant. Coincidence following coincidence, Nick is also traveling on to Barcelona at the same time as Coco, and is staying in the same hotel. Coco is very attracted to Nick, but manages to reject all his advances. After Barcelona, she leaves for Buenos Aires with only his contact details.
In Buenos Aires, Coco meets up again with Muju. Things seem to be going well, until Muju criticises Coco for her behaviour towards the wait staff in the hotel:
Muju took a sip of tea. "Perhaps you weren't aware of it, but for a second there you demonstrated unnecessary arrogance".
I nearly spat the bread out of my mouth. "I've no idea what you're talking about." My voice trembled and my hands clenched themselves into fists.
Coco is extremely upset at Muju's criticism, and although the two are reconciled in New York, Coco decides to return to Shanghai to start work on her new novel. In Shanghai, she is surprised to learn that Nick is also in the city. Coco is delighted, and the two meet in the Shanghai Ritz-Carlton hotel, where Nick is staying. To impress Coco, Nick buys her a very expensive Ferragamo Christmas tree. Back in his hotel suite, Coco is overwhelmed by this purchase and lets Nick make love to her without contraception. The very next day, Nick flies back to New York.
Shortly afterwards Muju flies to Shanghai to see Coco. The two make love in her apartment, without using contraception. Muju ejaculates for the first time, surprising Coco.
After Muju leaves, Coco discovers that she is pregnant. She decides to keep her baby, although she is not certain which of her two lovers is the father.
The novel is interspersed with the story of Coco's visit to her birthplace on Putuo Island. There, she gains wisdom from her discussions with a Buddhist elder at the monastery in which she was born. It is this wisdom that allows her to cope with her pregnancy.
Western reactions to "Marrying Buddha".
The English translator of "Marrying Buddha", Larissa Heinrich, a lecturer in Chinese Studies and 'Transnational Chinese Media' in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of the University of New South Wales, Australia, said of her translation project that:
"It was an exciting opportunity to translate Marrying Buddha," says Heinrich. "The book is an important cultural artefact, it's at the front line of a new genre of semi-autobiographical popular writing being produced by young Chinese women authors."
Wei Hui's second novel received contrasting reviews. Some reviewers praised the book for its daring, erotic and modern content, considering it to be groundbreaking because it explored subjects taboo in China. Marie Claire magazine praised Wei Hui for being an 'intelligent and passionate spokeswoman for the women of modern China'.
Other reviewers criticized the novel's lack of coherence, its shallow content, the lack of growth of its narrator, and its cliches. In "The Adelaide Review", Gillian Dooley criticized the book for its 'cringefully tacky' moments, and wrote that:
It’s a little difficult to know how to approach this book. Presumably it has been translated into English from the original Chinese, though no translator is acknowledged, and this might account for some passages which read strangely. However, there’s no disguising the vapidity and self-indulgence of Marrying Buddha.


Understanding Consciousness

Understanding Consciousness (2000) is a book by Max Velmans, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London, which combines an account of scientific studies of consciousness with a perspective from the philosophy of mind. The book was shortlisted for the British Psychological Society book of the year award in 2001 and 2002. Philip Pullman called it "one of the clearest and most elegant accounts" he had seen of the topic.
Synopsis.
Part 1 reviews the strengths and weaknesses of all currently dominant theories of consciousness, in a form suitable for undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers, focusing mainly on dualism, physicalism, functionalism and consciousness in machines. Part 2 gives a new analysis of consciousness, grounded in its everyday phenomenology, which challenges presuppositions that form the basis of the dualism versus reductionist debate. It also examines the consequences for realism versus idealism, subjectivity, intersubjectivity and objectivity, and the relation of consciousness to brain processing. Part 3 gives a new synthesis, with a novel approach to understanding what consciousness is, and a novel approach to what consciousness does that pays particular attention to the paradoxes surrounding the causal interactions of consciousness with the brain. It also introduces reflexive monism, an alternative to dualism and reductionism that aims to be consistent with the findings of science and with common sense.
Both reductionism and dualism are guilty, Velmans asserts, of not paying enough attention to the "phenomenology" of consciousness, the condition of "being aware of something". Reductionism, for example, attempts to reduce consciousness to being a state of the brain; thus consciousness is nothing more than its neural causes and correlates. This, Velmans says, is guilty of breaking Leibniz's assertion that, in order for A to be identical to B (that is, for consciousness to be a state of the brain), the properties of A must also be the properties of B. Velmans here argues that the subjective, phenomenal experience of consciousness is entirely unlike the neural states of the brain, and thus may not be reduced to them; that is, the phenomenal properties of consciousness are not identifiable with the physical brain states that arguably cause them.


Kurohime (manga)

 is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masanori Katakura. The manga began its run in 2000 and was serialized in "Monthly Shōnen Jump" until 2007. The series was transferred to "Jump Square" website in 2007 and finished in 2011. Shueisha collected its chapters into eighteen "tankōbon" volumes. In North America, Viz Media licensed the series for English release in 2007. Viz stopped the series publication after the release of fourteen volumes.
Plot.
Ten years prior to the story's beginning, Kurohime brought an end to a massive war fought to own and rebuild the Tower of the Gods, which once completed would allow the builder to become a god themselves. Upon completion, Kurohime destroyed the tower and entered the realm of the gods to slaughter them, as they were the ones who started the war in the first place. Through a combination of deception and brutality, the gods captured her and then split Kurohime into two beings, one representing her rage, and the other representing her compassion.
The being representing her rage, in a form of a small girl named 'Himeko', seeks to regain her body and powers, and attempt to take down the gods again; however the curse can only be undone with love. Throughout the course of the manga, Kurohime is able to regain her ability to love through her relationship with Zero, causing her to evolve into different incarnations throughout the various story arcs.
Characters.
Kurohime Punishment Squad.
Shortly after Kurohime and Zero killing the God of Death Darkray, Sword, the only surviving Death Angel of the battle, gathered a crew of powerful magical witch gunslingers, all of whom have a grudge against Kurohime, in order to avenge themselves by killing her, thus forming the .
Spirit Kings.
The four Spirit Kings are the only spirits who has their own free wills by each possessing a soul, while other spirits, also known as demons or devils by humans, do not. They are the life forces of the world, a power which the gods covet. Along with this, when the four spirits imbue their life forces into the Yamato Tachi sword, it can become the god-slaying sword. To these ends, the gods captured the Spirit Kings to prevent the sword's completion, as well as slowly drain them of their life forces for their lust of power. Only Seiryu, the Spirit King of the Wind, was able to elude capture. They assist Kurohime in completing the Ultimate Sword, despite their hatred for humans for polluting the world.
Publication.
"Kurohime" is written and illustrated by Masanori Ookamigumi Katakura. The manga first appeared in "Monthly Shōnen Jump" Extra in 2000 and ran in "Monthly Shōnen Jump" from 2003 until 2007, when the magazine ceased its publication. The series was transferred to "Jump Square" website in 2007 and finished in 2011. Shueisha collected its chapters into eighteen "tankōbon" volumes, published from February 4, 2002 to April 21, 2011.
In North America, Viz Media announced the acquisition of the series in July 2007. The first volume was released on September 4, 2007. Publication of the series stopped after the release of volume 14 on November 3, 2009.
Video game.
A Japan-exclusive video game based on the series was developed and published by Tomy Corporation for the PlayStation 2 on March 30, 2006.


Charity (name)

Charity is an English feminine given name derived from the English word "charity". It was used by the Puritans as a virtue name. An earlier form of the name, Caritas, was an early Christian name in use by Romans.
Charity is also the usual English form of the name of Saint Charity, an early Christian child martyr, who was tortured to death with her sisters Faith and Hope. She is known as Agape in Biblical Greek and as Caritas in Church Latin and her name is translated differently in other languages.
Faith, Hope and Charity, the three theological virtues, are names traditionally given to triplet girls, just as Faith and Hope remain common names for twin girls. One example were the American triplets Faith, Hope and Charity Cardwell, who were born in 1899 in Texas and were recognized in 1994 by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's longest lived triplets.
Charity has never been as popular a name in the United States as Faith or Hope. It ranked in the top 500 names for American girls between 1880 and 1898 and in the top 1,000 between 1880 and 1927, when it disappeared from the top 1,000 names until it reemerged among the top 1,000 names in 1968 at No. 968. It was most popular between 1973 and 1986, when it ranked among the top 300 names in the United States. It has since declined in popularity and was ranked at No. 852 in 2011.
This is a list of people and characters named Charity:


National Funding Scheme

The National Funding Scheme is a charitable organisation (charity number 1149800) in the United Kingdom providing fundraising advice, support and services to UK charities. The charity uses the DONATE® brand name to deliver an integrated giving platform across text, online and contactless donation products.
Established in 2013 and initially for arts organisations, the scheme was broadened to all UK charities in 2015. DONATE's provision of SMS/text giving has increased following the closure of JustGiving's text platform on 31 March 2019.


Hinduism in Israel

Hinduism in Israel refers to the Hindu population in Israel.
Hare Krishnas.
A group of devotees is living in Katzir-Harish. Another Vaishnava community in Israel is in Ariel. It is spearheaded by Jagadish and his wife, Jugala-Priti, and serves a growing community of devotees from Russia who immigrated to Israel to escape the severe economic oppression in the CIS. Jugala-Priti joined the ISKCON center in Tel Aviv, in 1996 guided by Gunavatar and Varshabhanavi.
Hindu festivals in Israel.
Krishna Janmashtami.
Hindus are able to practice freely in the country. This is notably shown by the celebrations of Krishna Janmashtami. Plays are staged revolving around stories of Krishna's childhood, besides singing and dancing. The event is accompanied with a feast of 108 dishes, a number that has come to be identified as pious by the faithful.
The organisers said they were inspired by Kumbh and started the event in Israel three years ago. Many of the visitors at the festival have been to India or are planning to visit. A number of youngsters could be seen taking Yoga classes and attending Hare Krishna lectures. Long queues were to be found outside the Indian ‘dhaba’ serving boiled rice and lentil soup. Middle aged couples, draped in Indian clothes, strolled the beach, young boys and girls drew circles on the soft sand while others surfed the morning sea.
Sai Organisation in Israel.
Sai Organisation was officially established in Israel in 2001.
Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Organisation in Israel.
The center is a branch of Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre International, founded by Swami Vishnudevananda, a direct disciple of Sri Swami Sivananda, of Rishikesh, India.
The center opened in 1971 and since then the center has been the largest and most comprehensive school in Israel for the study and practice of classical yoga in all its branches, including:
Centres.
Since 1971, their activities have expanded significantly and more centers are now operating in the following cities
Thousands of Israelis have been trained as yoga teachers on behalf of the international organization and are working and teaching throughout the country.
Sivananda Yoga Center in Tel Aviv.
The Sivananda Yoga Center in Tel Aviv is no longer a yoga studio.
The school is located in a three-story building designed for: