The Flock (film)

# The Flock (film)

## Abstract

The Flock is a 2007 American thriller film directed by Andrew Lau, the co-director of the Infernal Affairs trilogy. The film, which marks his first English-language film, stars Richard Gere and Claire Danes.

## Plot

A hyper-vigilant agent of the Department of Public Safety Erroll Babbage checks on registered sex offenders. Burnt out after a long career, he has become frustrated with the system of sex offender monitoring. With little faith in humanity left he takes on one last job to find a missing girl.

He is three weeks away from taking early retirement and his final job is to train his young female replacement Allison Lowry. After being left a newspaper with his characteristic headline circling, he is convinced the case of kidnapping is connected to a paroled sex offender he's monitoring and he takes it upon himself to find the victim at all costs.

Errol is eventually forced to leave the department early due to his relentless interrogation of sexual offenders and occasional vigilante actions against them. His efforts center on Viola, a woman who has a history of being abused but is known to have a connection to another culprit that Errol suspects to have taken the girl. Together with his partner they figure out that Viola has become an abuser herself and is the ringleader in a kidnapping and torture syndicate. They track her down to a deserted scrap heap where they find the latest kidnapped girl as well as corpses of previous victims. The movie ends with Viola being brought to book after Errol considers killing her. Errol and Allison realize that in fighting the monsters involved in sexual offenses, they must not become monsters themselves.

## Cast

- Richard Gere as Agent Errol Babbage

- Claire Danes as Allison Lowry

- Avril Lavigne as Beatrice Bell

- KaDee Strickland as Viola

- Paul McGowen as Det. Grant P. Stockdale

- Matt Schulze as Custis

- Carmen Serano as Colette

- Kristina Sisco as Harriet Wells

- Ray Wise as Robert Still

- French Stewart as Haynes Ownsby

- Russell Sams as Edmund Grooms

## Production

In August 2005, it was announced Richard Gere would star in The Flock, the English-language debut of Andrew Lau with producer Philippe Martinez fully financing the film's entire $35 million budget. After production had wrapped, The Flock had its release held up due to disagreements over the final cut.

## Release

The film was released theatrically in several countries throughout the world in late 2007 and early 2008. In the United States, it premiered April 11, 2008, at the Palm Beach International Film Festival, before being released on DVD on May 20, 2008, by Genius Products.


2013 in Greece

# 2013 in Greece

## Abstract


Pia Lindström

# Pia Lindström

## Abstract

Friedel Pia Lindström (born 20 September 1938) is a Swedish television journalist, and the first child of actress Ingrid Bergman.

## Life and career

Lindström is the only child born to Ingrid Bergman and her first husband, Swedish neurosurgeon Petter Lindström. She was greatly affected when her mother left her father for Italian director Roberto Rossellini. Petter Lindström sued for desertion and waged a custody battle with Bergman for their daughter, and Pia did not reunite with her mother until 1957. Her half-brother, Roberto Ingmar Rossellini, was born on 7 February 1950, and her mother married Roberto Rossellini on 24 May 1950. On 18 June 1952, Lindström's twin half-sisters Isabella Rossellini and Isotta Rossellini were born.

Lindström began her broadcasting career as a reporter at KGO-TV in San Francisco in 1966 and in 1971 went to WCBS-TV in New York City.

From 1973 to 1997, she was a news anchorwoman and also a theater and arts critic for WNBC-TV in New York City, and made television appearances and did some acting (in mostly Italian films) before she became a news correspondent. Her Italian films include Marriage Italian Style (1964), The Possessed (1965) and The Queens (1966). She received two Emmy Awards for news coverage and on-screen performance, as well as the Associated Press Broadcaster's Award. She is now retired.

## Personal life

Married three times, Lindström has two sons, Justin and Nicholas Daly, from her second marriage, to Joseph Daly. They married on December 28, 1971. She is currently married to attorney Jack H. Carley.


2015 in Greece

# 2015 in Greece

## Abstract

The following lists events that happened during 2015 in Greece.

## Events

### January

- January 3 – Former Prime Minister George Papandreou announces the formation of a new party, Movement of Democratic Socialists, threatening to push the long-dominant PASOK under the election threshold.

- January 5 – A Libyan warplane bombs a Greek-operated oil tanker anchored offshore the city of Derna, killing two sailors, one Greek and one Romanian. The Greek government condemned what it called an "unprovoked and cowardly" attack and demanded an investigation and punishment for those responsible.

- January 17 – Greek anti-terror police arrest four people in Athens in alleged relation to the January 15 failed terrorist plot to kill police officers in Belgium.

- January 25 – A legislative election takes place to elect all 300 members to the Hellenic Parliament in accordance with the constitution. The formerly ruling Greek conservatives concede the election. Preliminary results indicate that SYRIZA will fall just short of an absolute majority. Eventually SYRIZA takes 36.34% of the votes.

- January 27 – The First Cabinet of Alexis Tsipras is sworn in (two-party coalition of SYRIZA and ANEL).

### February

- February 11 – The Greek Coast Guard rescues all 22 crewmen from a Cyprus -flagged vessel Good Faith that ran aground on the Greek island of Andros during a storm in the Aegean Sea.

- February 18 – The Hellenic Parliament elects Prokopis Pavlopoulos as the new President of Greece.

### June

- June 11 – NERIT shuts down and is replaced by its predecessor, ERT

### July

- July 5 – A referendum on whether Greece should accept the bailout conditions proposed by the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank is held. The bailout conditions are rejected with a majority of 61.31%.

### August

- August 20 – The prime minister Alexis Tsipras resigns.

- August 27 – Vassiliki Thanou is sworn as caretaker prime minister to lead the country until the end of the snap elections scheduled for 20 September.

### September

- September 20 – Legislative elections take place and Syriza led by Alexis Tsipras takes the most votes.

- September 21 – Alexis Tsipras is sworn in as Prime Minister of Greece for second time.

- September 23 – The Second Cabinet of Alexis Tsipras is sworn in (re-formation of the coalition of Syriza and ANEL).

### November

- November 17 – The 6.5 M Lefkada earthquake shook the area with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (Very strong), killing two and injuring four.


Seiko Group

# Seiko Group

## Abstract

Seiko Group (セイコー・グループ, Seikō Gurūpu) was a Japanese corporate group consisting of three core companies Seiko Holdings Corp. (Seiko; f/k/a K. Hattori & Co., Hattori Seiko), Seiko Instruments Inc. (SII; f/k/a Daini Seikosha, Seiko Instruments & Electronics) and Seiko Epson Corp (Epson; f/k/a Suwa Seikosha). The three companies were linked by a common thread of timepiece technology. Epson has established its own brand image and rarely uses 'Seiko'.

As of October 1, 2009, Seiko Instruments was merged into Seiko Holdings and became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Seiko Holdings.

As of October 1, 2022, Seiko Holdings Corporation renamed Seiko Group Corporation.

Currently, the original K.Hattori & Co., Ltd. (服部時計店) is called " Seiko Group Corporation" and holds the Seiko companies including Seiko Watch, Seiko Time Creation, Seiko Instruments, Ginza Wako, etc. Although Seiko Group Corporation and the key members of the Hattori family hold approximately 10% of the outstanding shares of Seiko Epson, Epson is neither a subsidiary nor an affiliate of Seiko Group Corp. Epson is managed and operated completely independently from Seiko Group and the Hattori family.

Seiko Watch Corp., a subsidiary of Seiko Group Corp., markets SEIKO watches while its subsidiaries Morioka Seiko Instruments, Tono Seiki, Ninohe Tokei Kogyo and foreign subsidiaries manufacture their mechanical and quartz movements. Seiko Watch delegates the manufacture of some of its high-end quartz and spring drive watches (Seiko Astron, Grand Seiko, Credor, etc) to the Wearable Products Operations Division of Epson. Seiko Instruments (SII) transferred its watch business to Seiko Watch Corp. in 2020 and no longer produces SEIKO watches while it supplies watch parts such as quartz crystal resonators and micro batteries to the watch productions.

Time Module (TMI), a member of the Seiko Group, was established in 1987 with funding from Seiko Watch Company, Seiko Instruments Inc., and Seiko Epson Corp. to manufacture watch movements.

## Companies

- Seiko Group Corporation (Seiko), headquartered in Tokyo Seiko Watch Corporation (marketing watches) Seiko Clock Inc. (development, manufacturing, sales and repair of clocks) Seiko Sports Life Co., Ltd. (golf clubs, stopwatches, etc.) Seiko Time Systems Inc. (system clocks, etc.) Seiko Service Center Co., Ltd. (repair and after service for watches) Seiko Business Services Inc. (general affairs & human resources) Seiko Precision Inc. (electronic/micromechatronics devices, printers, information equipment, system clocks and production equipment, etc.) Seiko NPC Corporation (semiconductors) Seiko Jewelry Co., Ltd. (jewelry) Seiko Optical Products Co., Ltd. (eyeglasses - lenses & frames) Ohara Inc. (specialty optical glass; Seiko owns 32.2% TYO: 5218) Wako Co., Ltd. (upscale specialty retailer) Cronos Inc. (upscale specialty retailer) etc.

- Seiko Watch Corporation (marketing watches)

- Seiko Clock Inc. (development, manufacturing, sales and repair of clocks)

- Seiko Sports Life Co., Ltd. (golf clubs, stopwatches, etc.)

- Seiko Time Systems Inc. (system clocks, etc.)

- Seiko Service Center Co., Ltd. (repair and after service for watches)

- Seiko Business Services Inc. (general affairs & human resources)

- Seiko Precision Inc. (electronic/micromechatronics devices, printers, information equipment, system clocks and production equipment, etc.)

- Seiko NPC Corporation (semiconductors)

- Seiko Jewelry Co., Ltd. (jewelry)

- Seiko Optical Products Co., Ltd. (eyeglasses - lenses & frames)

- Ohara Inc. (specialty optical glass; Seiko owns 32.2% TYO: 5218)

- Wako Co., Ltd. (upscale specialty retailer)

- Cronos Inc. (upscale specialty retailer)

- etc.

- Seiko Instruments Inc. (SII), a subsidiary of Seiko Group Corporation, headquartered in Chiba SII NanoTechnology Inc. Morioka Seiko Instruments Inc. SII Network Systems Inc. SII Mobile Communications Inc. SII Data Service Corp. SII Printek Inc. SII Microtechno Inc. SII Micro Parts Ltd. SII Micro Precision Inc. Epolead Services Inc. Seiko I Infotech Inc. Seiko I Techno Research Co., Ltd. Seiko EG&G Co., Ltd. City Service Co., Ltd. SII Crystal Technologies, Ltd. etc.

- SII NanoTechnology Inc.

- Morioka Seiko Instruments Inc.

- SII Network Systems Inc.

- SII Mobile Communications Inc.

- SII Data Service Corp.

- SII Printek Inc.

- SII Microtechno Inc.

- SII Micro Parts Ltd.

- SII Micro Precision Inc.

- Epolead Services Inc.

- Seiko I Infotech Inc.

- Seiko I Techno Research Co., Ltd.

- Seiko EG&G Co., Ltd.

- City Service Co., Ltd.

- SII Crystal Technologies, Ltd.

- etc.

- Seiko Epson Corporation (Epson), headquartered in Suwa, Nagano Epson Sales, Japan Corporation Miyazaki Epson Corporation Epson Direct Corporation Epson Service Corporation Epson Atmix Corporation Epson Software Development Laboratory Inc. Yasu Semiconductor Corporation Seiko Epson Contact Lens Corporation Seiko Lens Service Center Corporation Epson Imaging Devices Corporation Orient Watch Trume Watch etc.

- Epson Sales, Japan Corporation

- Miyazaki Epson Corporation

- Epson Direct Corporation

- Epson Service Corporation

- Epson Atmix Corporation

- Epson Software Development Laboratory Inc.

- Yasu Semiconductor Corporation

- Seiko Epson Contact Lens Corporation

- Seiko Lens Service Center Corporation

- Epson Imaging Devices Corporation

- Orient Watch

- Trume Watch

- etc.


Louis Munteanu

# Louis Munteanu

## Abstract

Louis Munteanu (Romanian pronunciation:; born 16 June 2002) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga I club CFR Cluj.

Munteanu made his senior debut for Viitorul Constanța in 2019, aged 17, and the next year was transferred to Italian side Fiorentina. In 2022, he returned to his boyhood club, which had merged with Farul Constanța, and contributed to winning the national title during his first loan spell back. Two years later, Munteanu signed with CFR Cluj, also in the Liga I.

Internationally, Munteanu represented Romania under-21 in the 2023 UEFA European Championship. In October that year, he registered his full debut in a goalless draw with Belarus in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.

## Club career

### Viitorul Constanța

Munteanu made his professional debut for Viitorul Constanța on 27 October 2019, in a 2–3 away Liga I loss to Dinamo București. Five days later, he scored his first goal in a 3–0 home success over Chindia Târgoviște. Munteanu amassed three goals from 19 appearances during his first season as a senior, all in the league championship.

### Fiorentina

On 26 September 2020, Munteanu was transferred to Italian club Fiorentina for a rumoured fee of €2 million. During his initial two years with the Primavera side, he appeared in 40 matches and scored 13 goals.

#### First loan to Farul Constanța

On 15 August 2022, Munteanu rejoined the Romanian league by signing for Farul Constanța on loan until the end of the season. Before moving to Farul, he was close to being loaned to Rapid București, but the deal fell through because Fiorentina declined to include a permanent transfer clause. On the 28th that month, he scored his first two goals in a 3–1 away victory over defending champions CFR Cluj.

On 6 May 2023, Munteanu netted his second double of the campaign in a 7–2 home thrashing of Rapid București. Fifteen days later, he scored the winner in a 3–2 home success over league contenders FCSB, securing the national title for Farul with one match remaining. On 28 May, Munteanu ended his spell with ten goals in 29 matches by scoring twice in a 2–1 away victory at CFR Cluj, also missing a penalty.

#### Second loan to Farul Constanța

On 18 August 2023, Munteanu was sent on another year -long loan to Farul. He made his debut in European competitions six days later, coming on for Adrian Mazilu in a 2–1 home win over HJK in the UEFA Europa Conference League play-off round. On 27 August, he scored both goals in a 2–0 home win against Universitatea Craiova.

Munteanu surpassed his previous season's statistics by netting 12 goals in 34 Liga I appearances, and was voted Farul Player of the Year by the fans.

### CFR Cluj

On 31 July 2024, amid interest from fellow league clubs FCSB and Rapid București, CFR Cluj officially announced the transfer of Munteanu on a four-year contract. CFR Cluj owner Neluțu Varga admitted that the transfer fee was "around €2 million", contrasting some reports that indicated it might be as high as €2.8 million, and also stated that Fiorentina retained 50% participation rights in a co-ownership deal.

Munteanu registered his debut on 4 August 2024, starting in a 2–3 home Liga I loss to rivals Universitatea Cluj. One week later, he scored his first two goals in a 3–0 win over newly-promoted Unirea Slobozia.

## International career

On 15 June 2023, Munteanu was selected in the Romania under-21 squad for the 2023 UEFA European Championship. He started in all three group games, as his side failed to score any goals and finished in last place.

On 12 October that year, Munteanu made his full debut for Romania by coming on as a 77th-minute substitute for Denis Drăguș in a goalless draw with Belarus in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.

## Personal life

On 16 October 2020, Munteanu tested positive for COVID-19.

## Career statistics

### International

## Honours

Farul Constanța

- Liga I: 2022–23


A Little Wisdom

# A Little Wisdom

## Abstract

A Little Wisdom is a 2017 Canadian documentary film, directed by Yuqi Kang. The film depicts a group of young boys at a Buddhist monastery school in Lumbini, Nepal, centring in particular on Hopakuli, a four-year-old boy who was left at the monastery with his brother Chorten by their impoverished single mother following their father's death.

The film premiered in 2017 at the 22nd Busan International Film Festival. It had its American premiere at SXSW, and its Canadian premiere at the 2018 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.


2018 in Greece

# 2018 in Greece

## Abstract

Events in the year 2018 in Greece.

## Events

- 12 June - The government announces an agreement with the Republic of Macedonia over the Macedonia naming dispute.

- 15 June - At Lake Prespa the agreement with Macedonia to rename the country "North Macedonia" is signed by the Prime ministers of both states.

- 23–26 July - A series of wildfires in Attica lead to the death of dozens of people (100 confirmed deaths as of December). Alexis Tsipras declares three days of national mourning.

- 13 October - At least 11 people die after their vehicle and a lorry collide head-on in Thessaloniki, Greece.

## Deaths

- 21 May – Vasilis Triantafillidis, comedian (b. 1940)


Paerātā railway station

# Paerātā railway station

## Abstract

Paerātā railway station is a railway station under construction in Auckland, New Zealand. It is due to open in 2025 as part of the Auckland railway electrification project. It will serve the Paerata area, linking with the new Paerata Rise housing development. The station will be located on the existing North Island Main Trunk railway line, adjacent to the planned eastern extent of the development.

Between 1875 and 1972, it was a flag station, 28 mi (45 km) south of Auckland, on the North Island Main Trunk in New Zealand, serving the Paerata settlement.

The original station was opened on 20 May 1875. It was closed to passengers on 24 July 1972, and to all traffic on 1 October 1982. A crossing loop was retained.

In 1981, Paerata junction to the Waiuku Branch was re-designed and resignalled, with a new connection towards Pukekohe.

## History

The rural community of Paerata was served by Paerata railway station from 1875 until 1972. This station was located one kilometre to the south of the modern station.

The line from Ōtāhuhu reached Paerata in 1873. and opened to Mercer on 20 May 1875. A building was erected in 1874 for £30. By 1884, when Paerata first appeared in timetables, there was a shelter shed and a passing loop for 22 wagons. By 1896, there was also a passenger platform with a cart approach and a 28 wagon loop. Sheep yards and a loading bank followed and, from 1906, a Post Office was run by station staff, which moved to Messent's store in 1923. In preparation for the Waiuku Branch, the loop was extended in 1913 to 70 wagons, two cottages and a goods shed were built in 1914 and the station became an island platform in 1917. The gradient on the Karaka bank, between Runciman and Paerata, was eased from 1 in 40 to 1 in 100 between 1914 and 1916. The work included large cuttings and embankments. A cutting about 1 mi (1.6 km) north of Paerata suffered from 5 slips in the next decade. One of the slips in 1916 was temporarily bypassed by relaying track on the old alignment. A new passing loop was also added at Karaka, 4.74 km (2.95 mi) north of Paerata. Paerata became a junction station from 10 December 1917, when the first section of the Waiuku Branch opened as far as Patumahoe. The initial service on the branch in 1922 was only a train each way on Tuesdays and Fridays. Automatic signalling replaced token blocks in 1926. In 1928, 35 wagons were derailed between Pukekohe and Paerata.

Duplication of line between Papakura and Paerata was completed by 3 December 1939 and to Pukekohe in 1941. From 1923 until at least 1943, the dairy factory had a private siding.

On 24 July 1972, Paerata closed to all traffic, except in wagon lots. The stockyards were removed and the goods shed moved to Ōtāhuhu Rail Weld Depot in 1973. In 1978, the goods shed loop was sold to Glenbrook Vintage Railway. The station closed to all traffic on 17 July 1977. By 1982, the station building had been demolished.

New train stations for Drury West and Paerata are included in a July 2017 proposal for Auckland infrastructure spending of $600 million to support new housing announced by the government. They will be built and owned by a new Crown Infrastructure Partners body, as the Auckland Council has reached its borrowing limit. The new station will be just east of Paerata Rise, about 1 km (0.62 mi) north of the original station.

As part of the New Zealand Upgrade Programme, Jacinda Ardern's government announced $371 million in funding towards the electrification of track from Papakura to Pukekohe, and a separate $247 million towards the construction of two new stations in Drury Central and Drury West. This was later expanded to include a third station at Paerata.

Planning consent was granted for the Drury Central and Paerata stations in February 2022, with further work being undertaken to gain approval for the Drury West station.

The new stations have attracted criticism from public transport advocates, who say that they are too designed for auto-dependency.

In May 2022, KiwiRail and Auckland Transport announced proposed names for the three stations, replacing the placeholder names of Paerata, Drury West, and Drury Central. These names were gifted by mana whenua, in order to restore the original te reo Māori names of the area. The placeholder name of Paerata was replaced by Paeraataa, reflecting the preference of Waikato Tainui for using double vowels instead of macrons to indicate vowel length. The name derives from a conflation of 'pae', a Māori word meaning 'a ridge or resting place', and 'raataa', referring to a rātā tree.

In August 2022, the New Zealand Geographic Board returned its verdict on the name, rejecting the use of double vowels as preferred by the Mana Whenua Forum, and instead recommending the name 'Paerātā', in line with national and te reo Māori orthographic standards. The iwi involved expressed strong dislike of the decision, saying that standardisation of the written form is a loss of their identity and homogenisation of culture, and that they want their children to not be penalised in schools and to learn written te reo Māori in their regional form. The public consultations on the name change ran until early November that year. The Board's recommended name was approved by the Land Information Minister Damien O'Connor in March 2023.


Otto le Roi

# Otto le Roi

## Abstract

Otto le Roi (28 November 1878 – 11 October 1916) was a German naturalist of French ancestry. He worked at the Koenig Museum specializing mainly on birds but also took an interest in the Odonata, amphibia, and molluscs. He was killed on the Carpathian Front.

Le Roi was born in Zweibrücken and was of French ancestry with ancestors who had served French kings. After a humanist education at the Apostle Gymnasium in Cologne, he went to the University of Bonn and studied pharmacy. He passed the state examination in 1904 but decided to follow his interest in zoology and received a doctorate in 1906 for studies on cirripedia. He then joined the newly formed Koenig Museum. He went on several collecting expeditions including in 1907 and 1908 to Spitzbergen. He assisted Koenig in writing the Avifauna Spitzbergensis. In 1910 and 1912 he visited the Nile valley. In 1915 he joined the 11th Jäger Battalion in Marburg as a volunteer and in 1916 he was killed by artillery shelling while serving on a machine gun platoon on the Carpathian Front.

A mollusc Limicolaria leroii described by C. R. Boettger & Haas, 1913 was named after him but it is now a junior synonym of Limicolaria cailliaudi. A moth Eoophyla leroii, the neuropteran Berotta leroiana, the stonefly Neoperla leroiana and the grasshopper Aulocaroides leroii are named after him.


The Freebie

# The Freebie

## Abstract

The Freebie is a 2010 American independent film directed by Katie Aselton that had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. The plot centers on a married couple who, frustrated by the lack of sex in their relationship, allow each other a one-night stand. The film is largely improvised.

## Plot

Darren and Annie have a comfortable relationship built on love, trust and communication, enjoying each other's company and still laughing at each other's jokes. However, their sex life has become dormant. When a dinner party conversation with friends leads to an honest discussion about the state of their love life, they begin to flirt with an idea for a way to spice their marriage up. They each agree to one night of freedom, no strings attached, no questions asked.

## Cast

- Dax Shepard as Darren

- Katie Aselton as Annie

- Frankie Shaw as Coffee girl

- Ross Partridge as Bartender

- Sean Nelson as John

- Bellamy Young as Jessica

- Joshua Leonard as Dinner Party Guest

- Marguerite Phillips as Emily

- Ken Kennedy as Ken

- Scott Pitts as Scott

- Lenora Pitts as Lea

## Production

The script had originated as a detailed 6-page outline, with the rest of the dialogue being improvised. For some scenes, Aselton would let the camera roll for as long as 30 minutes, and then would choose which dialogue made it into the final cut. Dax Shepard signed on to play Darren after another actor exited the project.

## Release

The film had its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival in the inaugural NEXT section. It was acquired by Phase 4 Films and went on to screen at SXSW. It was given a limited theatrical release on September 17, 2010.

## Reception

The Freebie holds a 55% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 5.6/10 from 29 critics. On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 54 out of 100, based on eight critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Todd McCarthy of Variety gave the film a positive review, writing: "From a performance P.O.V., Aselton and Shepard hold the screen well and are most watchable, and Aselton does a fluid directing job within the limited challenge she set for herself production-wise. Benjamin Kasulke’s HD lensing is bright and sharp, while Nat Sanders’ editing is very crisp."

Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote, "This minimalist indie with a title appropriate for a Judd Apatow comedy, is a smart seriocomic playlet with some emotionally harsh moments, although it refrains from plumbing its subject in agonizing depth." The San Francisco Chronicle ' s Mick LaSalle also gave a positive review, commenting "Aselton gets a lot said in 78 minutes. I think the main thing she says is something never overtly spoken, that life is essentially a lonely experience - even when we're surrounded by activity, and even if we never shut up."

Andrew Schenker of Slant gave the film a negative review and a 1.5/10 rating, writing: "Never are Aselton's failings more evident than in a pair of dinner party scenes, one of which opens the film, and which involve the central couple and their friends in a discussion of the nature of romance."


Multiple sub-Nyquist sampling encoding

# Multiple sub-Nyquist sampling encoding

## Abstract

MUSE (Multiple sub-Nyquist Sampling Encoding), commercially known as Hi-Vision (a contraction of HI gh-definition tele VISION) was a Japanese analog high-definition television system, with design efforts going back to 1979.

It used dot-interlacing and digital video compression to deliver 1125 line, 60 field-per-second (1125i60) signals to the home. The system was standardized as ITU -R recommendation BO.786 and specified by SMPTE 260M, using a colorimetry matrix specified by SMPTE 240M. As with other analog systems, not all lines carry visible information. On MUSE there are 1035 active interlaced lines, therefore this system is sometimes also mentioned as 1035i. It employed 2-dimensional filtering, dot-interlacing, motion-vector compensation and line-sequential color encoding with time compression to "fold" an original 20 MHz bandwidth source signal into just 8.1 MHz.

Japan began broadcasting wideband analog HDTV signals in December 1988, initially with an aspect ratio of 2:1. The Sony HDVS high-definition video system was used to create content for the MUSE system, but didn't record MUSE signals. By the time of its commercial launch in 1991, digital HDTV was already under development in the United States. Hi-Vision was mainly broadcast by NHK through their BShi satellite TV channel, although other channels such as WOWOW, TV Asahi, Fuji Television, TBS Television, Nippon Television, and TV Tokyo also broadcast in MUSE.

On May 20, 1994, Panasonic released the first MUSE LaserDisc player. There were also a number of players available from other brands like Pioneer and Sony.

Hi-Vision continued broadcasting in analog until 2007.

## History

MUSE was developed by NHK Science & Technology Research Laboratories in the 1980s as a compression system for Hi-Vision HDTV signals.

- Japanese broadcast engineers immediately rejected conventional vestigial sideband broadcasting.

- It was decided early on that MUSE would be a satellite broadcast format as Japan economically supports satellite broadcasting. MUSE was transmitted at a frequency of 21 GHz or 12 GHz.

- Japanese broadcast engineers had been studying the various HDTV broadcast types for some time. It was initially thought that SHF, EHF or optic fiber would have to be used to transmit HDTV due to the high bandwidth of the signal, and HLO-PAL would be used for terrestrial broadcast. HLO-PAL is a conventionally constructed composite signal (based on Y {\displaystyle Y} for luminance and C {\displaystyle C} for chroma like NTSC and PAL) and uses a phase alternating by line with half-line offset carrier encoding of the wideband/narrowband chroma components. Only the very lowest part of the wideband chroma component overlapped the high-frequency chroma. The narrowband chroma was completely separated from luminance. PAF, or phase alternating by field (like the first NTSC color system trial) was also experimented with, and it gave much better decoding results, but NHK abandoned all composite encoding systems. Because of the use of satellite transmission, Frequency modulation (FM) should be used with power-limitation problem. FM incurs triangular noise, so if a sub-carrierred composite signal is used with FM, demodulated chroma signal has more noise than luminance. Because of this, they looked at other options, and decided to use Y / C {\displaystyle Y/C} component emission for satellite. At one point, it seemed that FCFE (Frame Conversion Fineness Enhanced), I/P conversion compression system, would be chosen, but MUSE was ultimately picked.

- Separate transmission of Y {\displaystyle Y} and C {\displaystyle C} components was explored. The MUSE format which is transmitted today, uses separated component signalling. The improvement in picture quality was so great, that the original test systems were recalled.

- One more power saving tweak was made: lack of visual response to low frequency noise allows significant reduction in transponder power if the higher video frequencies are emphasised prior to modulation at the transmitter and de-emphasized at the receiver.

## Technical specifications

MUSE's "1125 lines" are an analog measurement, which includes non-video scan lines taking place while a CRT 's electron beam returns to the top of the screen to begin scanning the next field. Only 1035 lines have picture information. Digital signals count only the lines (rows of pixels) that have actual detail, so NTSC's 525 lines become 486i (rounded to 480 to be MPEG compatible), PAL's 625 lines become 576i, and MUSE would be 1035i. To convert the bandwidth of Hi-Vision MUSE into "conventional" lines-of-horizontal resolution (as is used in the NTSC world), multiply 29.9 lines per MHz of bandwidth. (NTSC and PAL/SECAM are 79.9 lines per MHz) - this calculation of 29.9 lines works for all current HD systems including Blu-ray and HD-DVD. So, for MUSE, during a still picture, the lines of resolution would be: 598-lines of luminance resolution per-picture-height. The chroma resolution is: 209-lines. The horizontal luminance measurement approximately matches the vertical resolution of a 1080 interlaced image when the Kell factor and interlace factor are taken into account. 1125 lines was selected as a compromise between the resolution in lines of NTSC and PAL and then doubling this number.

MUSE employs time-compression integration (TCI) which is another term for time-division multiplexing, which is used to carry luminance, chrominance, PCM audio and sync signals on one carrier signal/in one carrier frequency. However, TCI achieves multiplexing by compression of the contents in the time dimension, in other words transmitting frames of video that are divided into regions with chrominance compressed into the left of the frame and luminance compressed into the right of the frame, which must then be expanded and layered to create a visible image. This makes it different from NTSC which carries luminance, audio and chrominance simultaneously in several carrier frequencies. Hi-Vision signals are component video signals with 3 channels: they were RGB initially, and later YP P.

Key features of the MUSE system:

- Scanlines (total/active): 1,125/1,035

- Pixels per line (fully interpolated): 1122 (still image)/748 (moving)

- Reference clock periods: 1920 per active line

- Interlaced ratio: 2:1

- Aspect ratio 16:9

- Refresh rate: 59.94 or 60 frames per second

- Sampling frequency for broadcast: 16.2 MHz

- Vector motion compensation: horizontal ± 16 samples (32.4 MHz clock) / frame, a vertical line ± 3 / Field

- Audio: "DANCE" discrete 2- or 4-channel digital audio system: 48 kHz/16 bit (2 channel stereo: 2 front channels)/32 kHz/12 bit (4 channel surround: 3 front channels + 1 back channel)

- DPCM Audio compression format: DPCM quasi-instantaneous companding

- Required bandwidth: 27 MHz

### Colorimetry

The MUSE luminance signal Y {\displaystyle Y} encodes Y M {\displaystyle YM}, specified as the following mix of the original RGB color channels:

The chrominance C {\displaystyle C} signal encodes B − Y M {\displaystyle B-YM} and R − Y M {\displaystyle R-YM} difference signals. By using these three signals (Y M {\displaystyle YM}, B − Y M {\displaystyle B-YM} and R − Y M {\displaystyle R-YM}), a MUSE receiver can retrieve the original RGB color components using the following matrix:

The system used a colorimetry matrix specified by SMPTE 240M (with coefficients corresponding to the SMPTE RP 145 primaries, also known as SMPTE-C, in use at the time the standard was created). The chromaticity of the primary colors and white point are:

The luma (E Y {\displaystyle EY}) function is specified as:

The blue color difference (E P B {\displaystyle EPB}) is amplitude-scaled (E B − E Y {\displaystyle EB-EY}), according to:

The red color difference (E P R {\displaystyle EPR}) is amplitude-scaled (E R − E Y {\displaystyle ER-EY}), according to:

### Signal and Transmission

MUSE is a 1125 line system (1035 visible), and is not pulse and sync compatible with the digital 1080 line system used by modern HDTV. Originally, it was a 1125 line, interlaced, 60 Hz, system with a 5:3 (1.66:1) aspect ratio and an optimal viewing distance of roughly 3.3H. In 1989 this was changed to a 16:9 aspect ratio.

For terrestrial MUSE transmission a bandwidth limited FM system was devised. A satellite transmission system uses uncompressed FM.

The pre-compression bandwidth for Y {\displaystyle Y} is 20 MHz, and the pre-compression bandwidth for chrominance is a 7.425 MHz carrier.

The Japanese initially explored the idea of frequency modulation of a conventionally constructed composite signal. This would create a signal similar in structure to the Y / C {\displaystyle Y/C} composite video NTSC signal - with the Y {\displaystyle Y} (luminance) at the lower frequencies and the C {\displaystyle C} (chrominance) above. Approximately 3 kW of power would be required, in order to get 40 dB of signal to noise ratio for a composite FM signal in the 22 GHz band. This was incompatible with satellite broadcast techniques and bandwidth.

To overcome this limitation, it was decided to use a separate transmission of Y {\displaystyle Y} and C {\displaystyle C}. This reduces the effective frequency range and lowers the required power. Approximately 570 W (360 for Y {\displaystyle Y} and 210 for C {\displaystyle C}) would be needed in order to get a 40 dB of signal to noise ratio for a separate Y / C {\displaystyle Y/C} FM signal in the 22 GHz satellite band. This was feasible.

There is one more power saving that appears from the character of the human eye. The lack of visual response to low frequency noise allows significant reduction in transponder power if the higher video frequencies are emphasized prior to modulation at the transmitter and then de-emphasized at the receiver. This method was adopted, with crossover frequencies for the emphasis/de-emphasis at 5.2 MHz for Y {\displaystyle Y} and 1.6 MHz for C {\displaystyle C}. With this in place, the power requirements drop to 260 W of power (190 for Y {\displaystyle Y} and 69 for C {\displaystyle C}).

## Sampling systems and ratios

The subsampling in a video system is usually expressed as a three part ratio. The three terms of the ratio are: the number of brightness (luma) Y {\displaystyle Y} samples, followed by the number of samples of the two color (chroma) components C b {\displaystyle Cb} and C r {\displaystyle Cr}, for each complete sample area. Traditionally the value for brightness is always 4, with the rest of the values scaled accordingly.

A sampling of 4:4:4 indicates that all three components are fully sampled. A sampling of 4:2:0, for example, indicated that the two chroma components are sampled at half the horizontal sample rate of luma - the horizontal chroma resolution is halved. This reduces the bandwidth of an uncompressed video signal by one-third.

MUSE implements a similar system as a means of reducing bandwidth, but instead of static sampling, the actual ratio varies according to the amount of motion on the screen. In practice, MUSE sampling will vary from approximately 4:2:1 to 4:0.5:0.25, depending on the amount of movement. Thus the red-green chroma component C r {\displaystyle Cr} has between one-half and one-eighth the sampling resolution of the luma component Y {\displaystyle Y}, and the blue-yellow chroma C b {\displaystyle Cb} has half the resolution of red-green.

## Audio subsystem

MUSE had a discrete 2- or 4-channel digital audio system called " DANCE ", which stood for Digital Audio Near-instantaneous Compression and Expansion.

It used differential audio transmission (differential pulse-code modulation) that was not psychoacoustics-based like MPEG-1 Layer II. It used a fixed transmission rate of 1350 kbp/s. Like the PAL NICAM stereo system, it used near-instantaneous companding (as opposed to Syllabic-companding like the dbx system uses) and non-linear 13-bit digital encoding at a 32 kHz sample rate.

It could also operate in a 48 kHz 16-bit mode. The DANCE system was well documented in numerous NHK technical papers and in a NHK-published book issued in the USA called Hi-Vision Technology.

The DANCE audio codec was superseded by Dolby AC-3 (a.k.a. Dolby Digital), DTS Coherent Acoustics (a.k.a. DTS Zeta 6x20 or ARTEC), MPEG-1 Layer III (a.k.a. MP3), MPEG-2 Layer I, MPEG-4 AAC and many other audio coders. The methods of this codec are described in the IEEE paper:

## Real world performance issues

MUSE had a four-field dot-interlacing cycle, meaning it took four fields to complete a single MUSE frame. Thus, only stationary images were transmitted at full resolution. However, as MUSE lowers the horizontal and vertical resolution of material that varies greatly from frame to frame, moving images were blurred. Because MUSE used motion-compensation, whole camera pans maintained full resolution, but individual moving elements could be reduced to only a quarter of the full frame resolution. Because the mix between motion and non-motion was encoded on a pixel-by-pixel basis, it wasn't as visible as most would think. Later, NHK came up with backwards compatible methods of MUSE encoding/decoding that greatly increased resolution in moving areas of the image as well as increasing the chroma resolution during motion. This so-called MUSE-III system was used for broadcasts starting in 1995 and a very few of the last Hi-Vision MUSE LaserDiscs used it (A River Runs Through It is one Hi-Vision LD that used it). During early demonstrations of the MUSE system, complaints were common about the decoder's large size, which led to the creation of a miniaturized decoder.

Shadows and multipath still plague this analog frequency modulated transmission mode.

Japan has since switched to a digital HDTV system based on ISDB, but the original MUSE-based BS Satellite channel 9 (NHK BS Hi-vision) was broadcast until September 30, 2007.

## Cultural and geopolitical impacts

- (1940s): The NTSC standard (as a 525 line monochrome system) was imposed by the US occupation forces.

- (1950s-1960s): Unlike Canada (that could have switched to PAL), Japan was stuck with the US TV transmission standard regardless of circumstances.

- (1960s-1970s): By the late 1960s many parts of the modern Japanese electronics industry had gotten their start by fixing the transmission and storage problems inherent with NTSC's design.

- (1970s-1980s): By the 1980s there was spare engineering talent available in Japan that could design a better television system.

MUSE, as the US public came to know it, was initially covered in the magazine Popular Science in the mid-1980s. The US television networks did not provide much coverage of MUSE until the late 1980s, as there were few public demonstrations of the system outside Japan.

Because Japan had its own domestic frequency allocation tables (that were more open to the deployment of MUSE) it became possible for this television system to be transmitted by Ku Band satellite technology by the end of the 1980s.

The US FCC in the late 1980s began to issue directives that would allow MUSE to be tested in the US, providing it could be fit into a 6 MHz System-M channel.

The Europeans (in the form of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU)) were impressed with MUSE, but could never adopt it because it is a 60 Hz TV system, not a 50 Hz system that is standard in Europe and the rest of the world (outside the Americas and Japan).

The EBU development and deployment of B-MAC, D-MAC and much later on HD-MAC were made possible by Hi-Vision's technical success. In many ways MAC transmission systems are better than MUSE because of the total separation of colour from brightness in the time domain within the MAC signal structure.

Like Hi-Vision, HD-MAC could not be transmitted in 8 MHz channels without substantial modification – and a severe loss of quality and frame rate. A 6 MHz version Hi-Vision was experimented with in the US, but it too had severe quality problems so the FCC never fully sanctioned its use as a domestic terrestrial television transmission standard.

The US ATSC working group that had led to the creation of NTSC in the 1950s was reactivated in the early 1990s because of Hi-Vision's success. Many aspects of the DVB standard are based on work done by the ATSC working group, however most of the impact is in support for 60 Hz (as well as 24 Hz for film transmission) and uniform sampling rates and interoperable screen sizes.

## Device support for Hi-Vision

### Hi-Vision LaserDiscs

On May 20, 1994, Panasonic released the first MUSE LaserDisc player. There were a number of MUSE LaserDisc players available in Japan: Pioneer HLD-XØ, HLD-X9, HLD-1000, HLD-V500, HLD-V700; Sony HIL-1000, HIL-C1 and HIL-C2EX; the last two of which have OEM versions made by Panasonic, LX-HD10 and LX-HD20. Players also supported standard NTSC LaserDiscs. Hi-Vision LaserDiscs are extremely rare and expensive.

The HDL-5800 Video Disc Recorder recorded both high definition still images and continuous video onto an optical disc and was part of the early analog wideband Sony HDVS high-definition video system which supported the MUSE system. Capable of recording HD still images and video onto either the WHD-3AL0 or the WHD-33A0 optical disc; WHD-3Al0 for CLV mode (up to 10 minute video or 18,000 still frames per side); WHD-33A0 for CAV mode (up to 3 minute video or 5400 still frames per side). These video discs were used for short video content such as advertisements and product demonstrations.

The HDL-2000 was a full band high definition video disc player.

### Reel to reel VTRs

For recording Hi-Vision signals, Three reel to reel analog VTRs were released, among them are the Sony HDV-1000, the NEC TT 8-1000 and the Toshiba TVR-1000. These analog VTRs had a head drum angular speed of 3600 RPM and are similar to Type C VTRs. They have a bandwidth of 30 Mhz for luma and 7 Mhz for both chroma channels each, with a signal to noise ratio of 41 dB. They accept luma and chroma signals with bandwidths of up to 30 Mhz for both. Signals are recorded onto the tape using FM modulation. Linear tape speed is 483.1 mm/s and writing speed at the heads is 25.9 m/s. The head drum is 134.5 mm wide and has 4 video record heads, 4 video playback heads and 1 erasing head. It could record for 45 minutes on 10.5 inch reels. The video heads are made of Mn-Zn ferrite material, those used for recording have a gap of 0.7 microns and a width of 80 microns and those for playback have a gap of 0.35 microns and a width of 70 microns. It records audio on 3 linear tracks, and control signals on a linear track. Unlike conventional type C videotape recorders, Vertical Blanking Intervals are not recorded on the tape. Helical tracks have groups of 4 signals length-wise with red chrominance, blue chrominance, and two green chrominance signals with luminance information. Two tracks for green chrominance plus luminance are used to increase the bandwidth of these signals that can be recorded on the tape.

In 1987, technical standards for digital recording of Hi-Vision signals were released by NHK, and Sony and Hitachi developed the HDD-1000 and the HV-1200 digital reel to reel VTRs respectively. Audio is recorded digitally similarly to a DASH (Digital Audio Stationary Head) digital audio recorder, but several changes were made to synchronize the audio to the video. These digital VTRs can record 8 channels of digital audio on linear tracks (horizontally along the entire length of the tape). According to the standards, these VTRs operate with a head drum speed of 7200 RPM, have a bit rate of 148.5 Mb/s per video head, a linear tape speed of 805.2 mm/s and a writing speed at the heads of 51.5 m/s, are similar to Type C VTRs, have a head drum 135mm wide, 8 playback, 8 recording and 2 erase heads, with 37 micron wide helical tracks. Bandwidth is 30 Mhz for luma (Y) and 15 Mhz for chroma (P, P). Audio is recorded with a sampling rate of 48 kHz stored at 16 bits per sample in linear tape tracks, sampling rate for luma is 74.25 Mhz and 37.125 Mhz for chroma stored at 8 bits per sample. Signal to noise ratio is 56 dB for chroma and luma. Video fields are divided into 16 helical tracks on the tape. Total video bandwidth is 1.188 gigabits/s. Cue signals are recorded into 3 linear tape tracks. Video is recorded in groups of 4 tracks length-wise within each helical track, to allow for parallelization: high total data rates with relatively low data rates per head, and reduce the linear tape speed. Digital video signals are recorded line by line (1 row of pixels in every frame of video or 1 line of video at a time) with ECC (Error Correcting Code) at the end of each line and in between a number of vertical lines. Reed-Solomon code is used for ECC and each line also has an ID number for trick play such as slow motion and picture search/shuttle.

### Displays

MUSE requires a display capable of handling 30 Mhz of video bandwidth for each of the video channels: Y, P and P. It was displayed on direct view color CRTs and CRT projectors, and plasma displays and Talaria projectors were explored to determine their ability to display MUSE images.

### Cameras

Cameras based on Saticon tubes, Plumbicon tubes, Harpicon tubes and CCD image sensors were used to capture footage using the Hi-Vision format. A prototype based on Vidicon tubes was also created.

### MUSE decoders

A MUSE decoder is required for receiving MUSE broadcasts from satellites, and for viewing content in the MUSE format. The decoder converts MUSE format signals into component video signals.

### Video cassettes

W-VHS allowed home recording of Hi-Vision programmes.

For recording Hi-Vision video, NHK and 10 Japanese companies ("NEC, Matsushita Electric Industrial, Toshiba, Sharp, Sony, Hitachi, Sanyo Electric, JVC, Mitsubishi Electric, Canon") in 1989 released UniHi, a professional videocassette format. Recorders for the format were manufactured by Panasonic, Sony, NEC, and Toshiba. These machines were less expensive than their Type C counterparts. Both studio and portable versions were made. The head drum spins at 5400 RPM and uses tape that is 12.65 mm wide. It has a luminance (Y) bandwidth of 20 MHz and a chrominance (P, P) bandwidth of 7 MHz. The head drum is 76mm wide. It uses two video heads with azimuth recording and records each frame of video into 12 helical tracks; only 6 tracks are necessary for each video field if recording interlaced video. Audio is recorded digitally as a PCM signal, as a section on the helical tracks. Writing speed at the heads is 21.4 m/s. The tape also has 3 linear tracks, one for audio, control and time code each. Signal to noise ratio for luminance is 41 dB and for chrominance it is 47 dB. The tape is wrapped 180° around the head drum. Development began in 1987. It uses metal particle tape. It could record video for 1 hour (63 minutes). Linear tape speed is 120 mm/s. The cassette measures 205mm (width) x 121mm (depth) x 25mm (height). Signals are recorded using time-compression integration, in groups of two signals length-wise on each helical track. Grouping is used to increase the bandwidth that can be recorded on the tape. The cassette is intented to be air-tight with two flaps in the cassette's opening to protect the tape.

This videocassette format was developed in order to reduce the size of HD recording equipment. The Sony version of the UniHi VTR, the HDV-10, had a price of over 90,000 US dollars.


Yvette Van Voorhees

# Yvette Van Voorhees

## Abstract

Yvette Van Voorhees is a former American actress, dancer, cheerleader and beauty queen, best known for her role as a Muse in the 1980 film Xanadu. She also appeared in the Broadway production of Evita during its original run. Before her career in entertainment, Yvette was a successful cheerleader, being part of the inaugural Sea Gals cheerleading squad for the Seattle Seahawks in 1976, and later a Los Angeles Rams cheerleader. As a beauty pageant participant, she held the Miss Washington World title in 1973.

## Early life

Donna Yvette Van Voorhees was born in 1953 and grew up in West Seattle, the daughter of John (d.2007) and Audrey (d.2019) Van Voorhees, long-time West Seattle residents. John, a World War II veteran, had a career in broadcasting and was instrumental in establishing Washington's first FM radio station. Audrey was an artist and a dedicated member of the Order of the Eastern Star. Yvette has a brother, Robert.

Van Voorhees attended West Seattle High School. She participated in various local pageants, and became the West Seattle HiYu Queen's first princess in 1972. She joined the University of Washington and became part of the 14 member varsity yell squad, being selected from over 65 contestants in a two-day competition.

## Career

Having been successful in the West Seattle HiYu pageant, Voorhees entered the Miss Washington World pageant, part of the Miss World competition. Initially, she was the runner-up to Lexie Brockway who herself would go on to be runner-up in the Miss World USA competition to Marjorie Wallace. When Wallace won the Miss World crown in 1973, protocol meant that Lexie Brockway became Miss World USA and in so doing relinquished her Washington crown to Van Voorhees who therefore became Miss Washington World.

Having been a cheerleader at the University of Washington. Voorhees became a cheerleader for the Seattle SuperSonics basketball team. She then went on to try out for the newly created Sea Gals cheerleading squad for the Seattle Seahawks in 1976 and became a member of that inaugural squad of 21 women led by director Holly Lemke. The Sea Gals made their first appearance during the Seahawks' first ever game against the St Louis Cardinals on September 12, 1976. She later became a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Rams when she was based in Los Angeles.

Having moved to Los Angeles, Van Voorhees worked as a dancer at Disneyland's Golden Horseshoe Revue and appeared in various television shows including Benson, It's a Living and Good Morning America. She additionally featured in commercials for Pond's and Datsun and was in the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera 's performance of Guys and Dolls. Her most prominent role was as a featured performer in the film Xanadu, where she played one of the immortal muses, sisters to the muse played by Olivia Newton-John. Van Voorhees did not remain active in the industry long-term.

## Personal life

Van Voorhees married Larry Chambers and resides in Seattle once more.


Supporters' group

# Supporters' group

## Abstract

A supporters' group or supporters' club is an independent fan club or campaign group in sport, mostly association football.

Supporters' groups in continental Europe are generally known as ultras, which derives from the Latin word ultrā, meaning beyond in English, with the implication that their enthusiasm is 'beyond' the normal. In the Anglosphere, these groups are generally known as "supporters' groups". Most groups in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia call themselves "supporters' groups"; however, some do self-identify as ultras, particularly in communities with large Spanish, French, or Italian speaking populations. In Mexico, they are called porras, while in South America they are called either hinchada (plural of hincha, a Spanish word that was first used in Uruguay to refer to a single fan or supporter) or, exclusively in Brazil, torcida (plural of torcedor, which means 'supporter' in Portuguese) and fanaticada (plural of 'fan' in Portuguese). All of these terms are most commonly used to refer to the whole crowd of a team in the stadium and not just the groups within those crowds that lead the chants and display of choreographies and flags.

These groups in particular are barras bravas in Argentina and torcidas organizadas in Brazil (where there are also barras bravas, but are less in comparison). Both (but especially barras bravas) are organised supporters' groups that are not only focused on supporting their team and intimidating rivals, but also on antagonizing opposing fans, or defending (themselves and the rest of their club's supporters) from police repression or attacks by rival groups.

Supporters' groups and ultras are renowned for their fanatical vocal support in large groups, defiance of the authorities, and the display of banners at stadiums, which are used to create an atmosphere to intimidate opposing players and supporters, as well as cheering on their own team.

## Characteristics

Supporters' groups are usually centered around a core group (who tend to have executive control over the whole group), with smaller subgroups organised by location, friendship, or political stance. Supporters' groups tend to use various styles and sizes of banners and flags with the name and symbols of the group. Some supporters' groups sell their own merchandise such as scarves, hats, and jackets. The resulting culture is a mix of several supporting styles such as scarf-waving and chanting. A supporters' group can number from a handful of fans to hundreds, and often claim entire sections of a stadium for themselves.

According to a writer for Spiked, the four core points of the ultra mentality are:

- never stop singing or chanting during a match, no matter the result

- never sit down during a match

- attend as many games as possible (home and away), regardless of cost or distance

- loyalty to the stand in which the group is located

Supporters' groups usually have a representative who liaises with the club owners on a regular basis, mostly regarding tickets, seat allocations, and storage facilities. Some groups sell their own merchandise to raise funds for performing displays. Some clubs provide groups with cheaper tickets, storage rooms for flags, and banners and early access to the stadium before matches in order to prepare displays. These types of favoured relationships are often criticised as an abuse of power. and for displaying banners and flags, which hinder the view of those sitting behind.

### Match day

During matches of significant importance, many supporters' groups choreograph a large overhead display that is displayed just in the section of the stadium where the group is located or the entire stadium. Sometimes, small sheets of plastic or paper are held aloft to form a pattern, or to colour the stadium. Such a display is called a "mosaic" or "card display". Other materials used in certain types of displays include balloons, streamers, huge banners, flares, smoke bombs, and at times, giant dolls. Popular culture icons are often used on banners. Corporate brand logos and catchphrases are also often used. The displays, which can be expensive to make, often take months to prepare. All of the supporter-provided overhead displays, two-poles, banners, etc. are called tifo.

Supporters groups tend to be highly vocal at matches, with each group having several football chants. The melodies are mostly taken from popular songs.

### Hooliganism

Unlike hooligan firms, whose main aim is to fight fans of other clubs, the main focus of supporters' groups is to support their own team. Unlike some hooligans, who try to be inconspicuous when they travel in ways such as not wearing team colours in order to avoid detection by the police, team supporters tend to have a bolder attitude, and are more conspicuous when they travel. They proudly display their scarves and club colours while arriving en masse, which allows the police to keep a close eye on their movements. Although supporters' groups can become violent, the vast majority of matches go ahead with no violent incidents.

## By region

### Oceania

The main supporter group of the Australia national soccer team is Socceroos Active Support (SAS). SAS was founded in January 2015 as an independent group, that uses social media to organise and keep in touch. This replaced the former active support group Terrace Australis, who were founded by the FFA and fans in 2013, during Australia's 2014 World Cup qualification campaign. Its establishment came in the wake of poor off-field action and minimal community engagement. Previously, the emergence of Terrace Australis saw the Green and Gold Army relinquish its role as a hub for active support, which it had claimed since its establishment in 2001.

The main supporter group of the Australia national rugby league team is The Roo Crew.

The supporters of the New Zealand national football team are known as the 'White Noise', a play on the All Whites nickname.

The official South Sydney Rabbitohs supporter group is known as " The Burrow ". Their active supporter group is known as "Gate38" and is made up of young men who were involved in the "scumgate" scandal in 2013. The Rabbitohs also have a large supporter base in Perth, where they rival the Fremantle Dockers in supporter size.

The official New South Wales rugby league team supporter group is known as "Blatchy's Blues".

The official Queensland rugby league team supporter group is known as "Maroon Crusade".

The official Gold Coast Titans supporter group is known as "The Legion".

The official Canberra Raiders supporter group is known as "The Greenhouse".

The Brisbane Broncos have the largest fan base of any NRL club and they have been voted the most popular rugby league team in Australia for several years. A Broncos supporters' group called "The Thoroughbreds", made up of prominent businessmen, made an unsuccessful bid to purchase News Ltd's controlling share of the club in 2007.

The Bulldogs Army is the core support group for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, with the section they sit within known as 'The Kennel'. To be sitting in this section, supporters must become a member of the club itself and register any large flags and/or banners which are brought to the game. At all away games the Bulldogs Army locates themselves in the general admission section. The main aim of the Bulldogs Army is to show support and passion for the Bulldogs.

As the region's traditional local representatives, the Bulldogs predominantly draw on a support base in and around the suburbs of Canterbury and Bankstown in south-western Sydney, although in recent years club administration and home matches have relocated to Sydney Olympic Park. The Bulldogs are the most supported NRL club in regional NSW – over 25% of Bulldog fans are located in regional NSW, over 25% are located outside of NSW and over 10% are located in QLD. The club has one of the highest average attendances in the league: over the 2010 season, it was one of only two clubs to record an average home crowd of more than 20,000.

The multicultural demographics of the suburbs in the club's support base, such as Lakemba, means the club has a large number of supporters from a range of non-Anglo ethnicities. In recent years the club has become particularly identified in the media with the Lebanese and the Greek community, particularly with the club's former star goalkicker Hazem El Masri, being a Lebanese immigrant who migrated from Lebanon as a young child. The Greek community has a huge history of Greeks playing for the club dating back to the 1970s with club legend George Peponis, being a Greek immigrant who migrated from Greece as a very young child who captained the Bulldogs and Australia. El Masri retired at the end of the 2009 season.

The Melbourne Storm 's supporter base grew from almost 500,000 in 2004 to almost 800,000 in 2009, making them the fourth most popular rugby team. The club's supporter group, the "Graveyard Crew", make an Aussie-rules -(AFL) style banner for the team to run through in important matches.

The Sydney Roosters have a strong support base across Australia. Aside from its traditional fan base in Sydney, which is most concentrated in its homeland in the affluent eastern suburbs, the club is also popular in South East Queensland, Canberra and Newcastle. The club has an internet message board for supporters, "The Wall", which has been the official forum since 1999. The club has announced that "The Wall" will be closing as of late January 2012. "The Chookpen" is an unofficial site.

In 2013 the club tallied the fourth-highest home attendance of all National Rugby League clubs (behind the Brisbane Broncos) with an average of 19,368 spectators at the Sydney Football Stadium.

At the club's home ground, the Sydney Football Stadium, the supporters congregate in distinct sections. The "Chook Pen", a designated area in Bay 35, is the preferred location for the most animated fans. Members of the Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust are seated in the Members' Stand on the western side of the ground, and season ticket holders are located just beneath the Members' area, in Bays 12–14.

In 2014, the Roosters had nearly 17,000 paying members, in addition to the 45,550 members of the Roosters' Leagues Club, which is the major benefactor of the football club. The Easts Leagues Club and the Sydney Roosters "operate as one entity" known as the Easts Group. Under this arrangement, the Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club is the 'parent company' of the Easts Group. The Football Club delegates, however, overarching responsibility for both football and leagues club operations to a single general manager who oversees the whole group's performance. The leagues club group provides financial support to the football club, only where necessary, as in recent years the football club's sponsorships and TV revenues are generally covering most Rugby League expenditures.

Port Adelaide Football Club has many supporter groups, with every state or territory containing at least one supporter group. In addition, many country towns within South Australia have their own supporter group, many of which travel to both home and away games.

- Port Adelaide Cheer Squad

- Outer Army

- Alberton Crowd

- Interstate Groups

There are also a number of English supporters' groups located in Australia for premiership teams and championship teams. The Hornets Down Under are an example of a championship supporters' group.

### East Asia

In Japan, supporters' sections are known as oendan and are prominent at baseball games and football matches.

The supporters' group for the South Korea national football team is Bulgeun Angma (lit. 'Red Devils').

### South Asia

The India national football team has a supporters' group called the Blue Pilgrims. They were formed with a motive to support the national team and the U-17 team during the 2017 U17 World Cup held in India.

Mariners' Base Camp and East Bengal Ultras are the ultras fan group of Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal FC respectively, two of the oldest football clubs in Asia. Derbies of the two clubs called as Kolkata Derby often witness record breaking spectator, one such moment was during 1997 Kolkata Derby in the Federation Cup Semi-final, where a recorded crowd of 131,781 turned up for the match while the official capacity of the stadium was 120,000. Fans of the clubs formed in the early 2010's also created ultras fan group, like Manjappada, which supports Kerala Blasters FC, West Block Blues, which supports Bengaluru FC and some more.

|+Active supporters' groups in Bangladesh!scope="col"|Club!scope="col"|Name|-| rowspan="2" | Bashundhara Kings | Bashundhara Kings Ultras

### South America

In South America, barras bravas are the main supporter' groups. Similar to hooligan firms and ultras, the phenomenon originated in Argentina in the 1950s, but it has spread throughout most of the region during the following decades. This gang-like groups coordinate chants (which accompany playing bass drums and, less, trumpets) and display choreographies (like throw balloons, confetti, smoke bombs and firecrackers when their team goes out to the pitch; and wave banners, flags and umbrellas during the whole matches) to encourage their teams and intimidate rivals and referees, seek fights against opposing barras bravas and repel police repression.

They wield enormous power and influence over football in their respective states, especially in Argentina, which is home to some of the largest and strongest organised supporter groups worldwide.

The exception is Brazil, where the clubs have active supporter' groups named torcidas organizadas, who play a similar role to the barras bravas. However, the southern part of Brazil, in the south part of Santa Catarina and in all Rio Grande do Sul, contrary to the rest of the country, the supporter groups are barras bravas.

### Continental Europe

In Europe, there are primarily three types of groups: official supporter groups, ultras, and hooligan firms.

Official supporter groups primary function is to liaise with the club board and protects supporter interest as well as have a say in the running of the clubs, and they usually represent all types of supporters of all ages ranging from fanatical supporters, to disabled supporters, to supporters who rarely frequent games, however they are still an independent body. The oldest of which is Torcida founded in 1950 as supporters of Hajduk Split from Croatia.

Ultras groups are independent of the club; however, they too are frequently supported by the club as they cater to the majority of the most vocal and committed supporters, producing atmosphere and encouraging the players. However, frequent tensions also arise, due to often vocal and pro-active criticism of management or players and the illegality of some their actions, such as graffiti and lighting pyrotechnics during matches. Many ultras groups, to maintain their independence and raise money, run their own shops selling supporter merchandise, most commonly clothing such as supporter scarves, and sometimes in collaboration with the club match tickets.

Hooligan firms are largely restricted to a secretive sub-culture, due to the illegal nature of their activity. As they mostly socialise with other hooligans, they therefore have little contact with other sets of supporters.

In the past, the distinction between ultras and hooligans was blurred, with the majority being considered both. Due to the increase in condemnation and punishment of hooligan activity, the divide has become increasingly visible, however for some groups, especially groups who support smaller teams and therefore have less members, this divide is still very much blurred; some groups have started using the label hooltras.

### Britain and Ireland

Most supporters' groups are not only officially endorsed by the affiliated club, but also recognised on the club's website and hold regular meetings at the stadium.

In England and Wales, nearly all official supporter groups are affiliated with the Football Supporters' Federation. Also In England and Wales only, Supporters Direct are an umbrella organization promoting fan-ownership. For example. Leeds United has a number of supporters groups representing people with protected characteristics which include Punjabi Whites. LGBT fan group inclusion in Leeds United.

There are also numerous hooligan firms in Britain, also known as casuals in itself a style of support and sub-culture, stemming largely from the fact that Britain is the birthplace of the phenomenon of football hooliganism.

In the Republic of Ireland the supporters embrace a mixture of both ultra and casual styles.

### North America

The major supporters' group for the United States men's and women's national teams is The American Outlaws. The major supporters' group in Canada is The Voyageurs.

There are independent supporters' groups for teams in Major League Soccer (MLS), which operates in the United States and Canada, and the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), as well as for many teams of the lower divisions of the United States soccer pyramid. Many of these groups are members of the Independent Supporters Council. MLS holds an annual "Supporters' Summit" to meet with the leadership of most of its supporter groups to discuss issues including security, self-policing, supporter group managed sections, and strategies for league success. Many teams in other leagues, including the National Premier Soccer League, USL Pro, USL Premier Development League, and North American Soccer League (2010) have associated supporters' groups. Supporters' groups can be found for some NCAA soccer programs such as Legion 1818 at Saint Louis University, Englemann Elite at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, or the Red Cedar Rowdies, influenced by Detroit City FC's Northern Guard Supporters, at Michigan State University. In Canada, there are supporters' groups for all Canadian Premier League teams. There are also supporters' groups in cities hoping to get a CanPL team in the future.

Major League Baseball supporters' groups include Dodgers ' Pantone 294 group and Oakland Athletics ' Section 149.

NFL supporters' groups include the Raiders ' Black Hole, Pittsburgh Steelers ' Steel City Mafia, Arizona Cardinals ' Bird Gang, and the New Orleans Saints Big Easy Mafia, which includes international chapters. The Dallas Cowboys, who bill themselves as "America's Team", and other successful teams such as New England Patriots, have supporters' groups around the U.S., and Jacksonville Jaguars ' Bold City Brigade includes a UK chapter as part of its bid to promote Jaguars as London's "home team".

NHL supporters' groups include the New York Islanders ' Blue and Orange Army est2009. The Blue and Orange Army aka BOA, was officially formed in 2009, and is the first true supporters section in the NHL.

In Mexico there are porras, that are older and are not violent like the first ones. Some association football clubs in Mexico also have animation groups, which stage tifo and other choreographed displays. A brawl between groups at Querétaro - Atlas match in 2022 injured 20 fans and resulted in Liga MX banning animation groups from organizing in opponents' stadiums.


West Stanly High School

# West Stanly High School

## Abstract

West Stanly High School is a public high school located at 306 East Red Cross Rd. in Oakboro, North Carolina, United States. The school is part of the Stanly County Schools district. Its official mascot is the Colt.

## History

In 1962, four county high schools—Stanfield, Ridgecrest, Oakboro and Endy—combined to form what is known as West Stanly High School. The class of 1963 was the first graduating class.

### West Stanly Middle School

In the school year 2011 – 12, Stanly County Schools opened West Stanly Middle School. It was formed out of the upper grades of multiple elementary schools in the western area of Stanly County. It is housed in the school building formerly occupied by Running Creek Elementary School, which was dissolved by the middle school's opening. Started as only a 7 – 8 school, WSMS added 6th grade the following school year.

## Notable alumni

- Rod Broadway – American football coach, currently the head football coach at North Carolina A&T State University

- Quan Sturdivant – American football linebacker, currently a free agent.

- B. J. Hill – American football defensive end, currently on the Cincinnati Bengals.