Typhoon Shanshan (2024)

# Typhoon Shanshan (2024)

## Abstract

Typhoon Shanshan was a powerful tropical cyclone that moved through Japan in August 2024. The tenth named storm and fourth typhoon of the annual typhoon season, Shanshan was first noted near the Mariana Islands on August 20, with deep convection beginning to consolidate. The following day, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) upgraded it to a tropical storm and named it Shanshan. Early the next day, both the JMA and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) classified it as a minimal typhoon. Shanshan turned west-northwestward and stalled near Kikaijima, reaching its peak intensity with ten-minute sustained winds of 175 km/h (110 mph) and a central pressure of 935 hPa (27.61 inHg). It then peaked at Category 4-equivalent intensity on the Saffir–Simpson scale on August 27, with one-minute sustained winds of 215 km/h (130 mph). As the typhoon moved through the Ryukyu Islands, it further decayed, becoming cooler and less defined. Shanshan turned northward between two mid-level subtropical ridges and made landfall near Satsumasendai in Kagoshima Prefecture around 8 a.m. local time on August 29. It then turned eastward along the northern edge of a subtropical high and quickly crossed the Seto Inland Sea before making landfall over the northern tip of Shikoku on August 30. Shanshan's convection has slightly increased over the past six hours as its circulation moved back over open water and began progressing east-southeastward due to interaction with a mid-latitude trough. It then moved inland over Japan and dissipated on September 1.

After Tropical Storm Maria and Typhoon Ampil impacted Japan, Shanshan arrived a few days later. In preparation for Shanshan, storm warnings were issued for 14 communities in the Satsuma and Ōsumi areas of Kagoshima Prefecture, and on August 28, the JMA issued special weather warnings for Kagoshima Prefecture. This was the first emergency warning issued for Kagoshima Prefecture since Typhoon Nanmadol in 2022. As Shanshan brushed the islands of Amami Ōshima and Kikaijima, maximum sustained wind gusts near 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) were recorded at Kikai Airport on the latter island. The JMA began issuing landslide and rockslide warnings in Kagoshima, Miyazaki, and Shizuoka prefectures. As Shanshan moved ashore in Kyushu, a wind gust of 85 miles per hour (137 km/h) was recorded in Makurazaki, Kagoshima. Meanwhile, heavy rainfall from Shanshan affected the South Korean island of Jeju. In all, the typhoon killed at least eight people, injured 127 others, and damaged hundreds of structures throughout Japan. Aon reported that early assessments of the damage from Shanshan indicate that total economic and insured losses could reach US$100 million.

## Meteorological history

The origins of Typhoon Shanshan can be traced back to August 20, when the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported that a low-pressure area had formed near the Mariana Islands. At midnight on August 21, both the JMA and the United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) upgraded the tropical depression, with the latter designating the system as 11W due to deep convection beginning to consolidate into a central dense overcast. Shortly after, the depression intensified into a tropical storm and was named Shanshan by the JMA due to low vertical wind shear, warm sea surface temperatures, and high ocean heat content. However, Shanshan's movement was nearly stationary due to the weak steering flow. Around 12:00 UTC on August 22, the JMA upgraded it to a severe tropical storm, citing Dvorak technique —a method of determining a tropical cyclone's intensity based on satellite appearance. A ragged eye-like feature appeared on satellite imagery on August 23, and early the next day, both the JMA and the JTWC upgraded it to a minimal typhoon.

Shanshan began developing poleward outflow into the west-northwest edge of a tropical upper tropospheric trough cell and then turned northward due to the interaction with an upper vortex. Despite its medium size, it quickly organized and developed a pinhole eye on satellite imagery, with deep convection wrapping around an obscured low-level circulation center. However, due to moderate wind shear, Shanshan became partially exposed and poorly organized; nonetheless, on August 26, deep convection began to increase rapidly, with Shanshan developing a compact eye that was obscured by cirrus cloud. Shanshan then turned west-northwestward along the southwestern periphery of a mid-level subtropical high. The typhoon displayed a symmetrical structure with a clear eye measuring 12.7 miles (20.4 km) in diameter, which later became cloud-filled and was encircled by symmetric deep convection. Shanshan underwent an eyewall replacement cycle, in which the inner eyewall deteriorated while being encased by a clearly defined outer eyewall. Shanshan completed its eyewall replacement cycle on August 27 and began rapidly intensifying again, featuring a symmetric eye with a diameter of 29–35 miles (46–56 km) while stalling near Kikaijima, surrounded by cold cloud tops at −94 °F (−70 °C). The JMA reported that Shanshan reached its peak intensity at 15:00 UTC with 10-minute sustained winds of 175 km/h (110 mph) and a central pressure of 935 hPa (27.61 inHg), before eventually peaking at Category 4-equivalent intensity on the Saffir-Simpson scale with 1-minute sustained winds of 215 km/h (130 mph). A study by Imperial College London suggests that Shanshan's extreme winds and heavy precipitation were strengthened by climate change.

After reaching its peak intensity, the typhoon's structure further decayed on August 28, becoming cooler and less defined, which coincided with a warming of the eyewall cloud tops as it moved through the Ryukyu Islands. Shanshan then turned northward between two mid-level subtropical ridges and made landfall near Satsumasendai in Kagoshima Prefecture around 8 a.m. local time on August 29. This made Shanshan the strongest typhoon to strike Japan in decades and one of the most powerful storms to make landfall since 1960. After the system made landfall, satellite imagery and radar loops showed the rapid erosion and disintegration of convective tops and feeder bands. Owing to its interaction with rugged terrain, Shanshan weakened to a minimal tropical storm. It then turned eastward along the northern periphery of a subtropical high, quickly crossed the Seto Inland Sea, and made landfall over the northern tip of Shikoku on August 30. By that time, its convection had diminished, and the low-level circulation center had become disorganized; however, convection slightly increased after six hours as Shanshan's circulation moved back over open water and began moving east-southeastward due to the interaction with a mid-latitude trough. Around 09:00 UTC on August 31, the JTWC issued its final warning on the system as it had become an exposed circulation center surrounded by stratocumulus clouds. On September 1, Shanshan re-intensified into a weak tropical depression with 25 km/h (16 mph) winds and a well-defined circulation in the eastern semicircle, leading the JTWC to resume advisories as it drifted poleward along the northwestern edge of a low to mid-level subtropical ridge. However, the JTWC discontinued warnings on the system as it moved inland over Japan. The JMA continued to monitor the system until it dissipated at 18:00 UTC that day.

## Preparations

In advance of Shanshan, storm warnings were issued for 14 communities in the Satsuma and Ōsumi areas of Kagoshima Prefecture. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued special weather warnings for Kagoshima Prefecture at 13:00 on August 28. This was the first emergency warning issued for Kagoshima Prefecture since Typhoon Nanmadol in 2022. An emergency storm warning and an emergency high tide warning were also issued for the entirety of Kagoshima Prefecture with the exception of the Amami Islands. A Level 5 emergency warning—the highest level of warning—was issued for Mishima, affecting 369 residents. Across parts of Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures, Level 4 evacuation notices were posted, which included 27 cities in Kagoshima Prefecture and the city of Miyazaki.

Evacuation orders were issued for 996,299 people in Miyazaki Prefecture and 982,273 people in Kagoshima Prefecture. Level 4 evacuation alerts were also issued for portions of Aichi Prefecture and Shizuoka Prefecture; a total of 342,666 people in Shizuoka Prefecture were given evacuation orders. The threat of mudslides caused the JMA to began issuing landslide and rockslide warnings in Kagoshima, Miyazaki, and Shizuoka prefectures. The Tokaido Shinkansen route was closed between Tokyo Station and Shin-Ōsaka Station, as well as between Hamamatsu Station and Toyohashi Station, due to rainfall amounts exceeding the regulatory limits for operation. The entire Kyushu Shinkansen route closed on August 29. Japan Airlines cancelled 402 domestic flights and ten international flights between August 28 and August 30. All Nippon Airways also cancelled 210 domestic flights for the same timeframe. Over 18,400 airline passengers were affected by these cancellations. In South Korea, a strong wind and heavy rain advisory were issued for the island of Jeju. Expressways and toll stations were briefly closed at some locations, though services were restored. Commuters were advised to be aware of traffic disruptions.

The Japan Post suspended postal and delivery services in Kyushu. Classes were cancelled at schools in Fukuoka, Kagoshima, and Yamaguchi prefectures. The Super GT announced that the second Suzuka round would be postponed to December 7–8. Multiple factories ceased operations for the duration of the typhoon, affecting companies such as Toyota which closed 14 plants, Nissan which closed a facility in Kyushu, Honda which closed a facility in Kumamoto, and Mazda which announced a potential closure of factories in Hiroshima and Hōfu. Department stores and other commercial facilities in Kagoshima and Aira were closed. Supermarkets also planned to close early across Kyushu. Overall, 5,210,258 people were ordered to evacuate across 12 prefectures.

## Impact

### Kyushu and Ryukyu Islands

As Shanshan brushed the islands of Amami Ōshima and Kikaijima at Category 4-equivalent intensity, maximum sustained wind gusts near 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) were measured at Kikai Airport on the latter island. This was the strongest wind speed observed on Kikaijima in the month of August. One person was injured in Amami after strong winds knocked him down while he was riding a motorcycle. In Yakushima, where maximum gusts of 105 miles per hour (169 km/h) were recorded in the evening of August 28, a 3,000-year-old Yakusugi cedar tree named the Yayoi-sugi (弥生杉) was blown down. As Shanshan moved ashore in Kyushu, a wind gust of 85 miles per hour (137 km/h) was recorded in Makurazaki, Kagoshima. Due to the typhoon's slow movement, a linear precipitation zone developed over Kagoshima, Miyazaki, and Oita prefectures, resulting in prolonged torrential rainfall across the region. Overall, one person died and 29 others were injured in Kagoshima, four of them seriously, and 53 buildings were damaged in the prefecture. Strong winds in Miyazaki Prefecture caused 39 injuries and damaged 886 houses, including 160 in the city of Miyazaki. A metal sign at a clothing store was downed onto a vehicle, though no injuries occurred. Heavy rainfall in Oita Prefecture resulted in the overflowing of the Miyakawa River in Yufu, which prompted the issuance of a Level 5 emergency warning, affecting 2,311 residents. In Fukuoka Prefecture, two people died, 22 others were injured, one house was completely destroyed and six structures were damaged by the typhoon. One death and five injuries were reported in Saga Prefecture. There were also nine injuries in Nagasaki Prefecture, six in Kumamoto Prefecture and two in Ōita Prefecture. More than 260,000 residences in Kyushu lost access to electricity due to the storm.

### Elsewhere

In Aichi Prefecture, the city of Gamagōri observed record breaking rainfall amounts as Shanshan neared Japan on August 26 and 27, resulting in a mudslide that killed three people and injured two others. Across the prefecture, 29 structures were damaged. Shanshan caused flooding which damaged 545 buildings in Shizuoka Prefecture, 100 in Gifu Prefecture, 72 in Kanagawa Prefecture, 27 in Iwate Prefecture, 26 in Saitama Prefecture, 25 in Tottori Prefecture and three more in Hokkaido. Two people were injured in Mie Prefecture. One person died after a roof collapsed in Tokushima Prefecture. Heavy rainfall affected the South Korean island of Jeju, reaching a maximum total of 154.5 millimetres (6.08 in) near Hallasan.


Austin Thunder

# Austin Thunder

## Abstract

The Austin Thunder was an American soccer club based in Austin, Texas that was a member of the Lone Star Soccer Alliance.

## History

In 1987, Nigel Bowman and Jeff Brown founded The Austin Thunder, the first semi-professional soccer team in Austin, as part of the Lone Star Soccer Alliance, initially playing at House Park. The Thunder ended their first season with a 3–3 record, finishing third in the Lone Star Soccer Alliance.

Lone Star Soccer Alliance announced that the 1998 season would have five teams in an eight-game season format. For the second season in a row, The Austin Thunder finished in third place in the Lone Star Soccer Alliance.

In the 1989 season, Nigel Bowman continued to encourage soccer in Austin by developing new talent for the team. Working to improve the players understanding of the game, in addition to their physical talents. These changes lead the team to their first championship game, where they played FC Dallas, who had 35 straight wins over the last three seasons. The Thunder were able to beat FC Dallas 3–2 in the final, claiming their only LSSA championship. Three players made the all-star team that year. Richard Johnson at defense, Nigel Bowman at midfield, and Derek Missimo at forward.

LSSA added two more teams for the 1990 season and split the league into two divisions. The Thunder played in the South Division and was aligned the Houston Dynamos, Houston Alianza, and San Antonio Alamo. Bringing back nine players from their 1989 championship team allowed the Thunder to reach the playoffs for a second year in a row. In a repeat of the 1989 finals, the Thunder met FC Dallas in the semi-finals, losing 1–0.

1991 was another successful season for the Austin Thunder, with the team winning the South division and earning a spot in the LSSA championship against long time powerhouse FC Dallas. In a rematch of the 1989 finals, the Austin Thunder fell to FC Dallas in the seventh round of a penalty shoot-out, after playing 120 minutes to a 3–3 tie. For the 1991 LSSA all-star game, Nigel Bowman was selected to co-coach the South's team.

The Austin Thunder started the 1992 season with a friendly against Queen's Park F.C., a professional team from Scottish Football League Second Division. The Austin Thunder's 1992 season was both their last season in the LSSA and last season as a semi-professional team. As of 2024, they continue to play amateur soccer in the Austin Men's Soccer Association.

## Austin Thunder Ladies

Austin Thunder also had a girls program that was a finalist in the Division One Texas State Cup in 1989. Playing in youth tournaments, the Austin Thunder Ladies won the 1991 South Texas State Cup. The Thunder Ladies team's success continued and in 1991 they were invited to England for the Watford International Women's Tournament. After losing their first game to Sheffield Wednesday, the Thunder Ladies beat Manchester women's select, North West to earn a place in the finals. The Austin Thunder Ladies beat Sheffield Wednesday 3–2 in the finals to capture the Watford International Women's Tournament.

## Honors

- Lone Star Soccer Alliance Champions: 1989 Runners up: 1991

- Champions: 1989

- Runners up: 1991

- South Texas State Cup Champions: 1987

- Champions: 1987


Circa Survive

# Circa Survive

## Abstract

Circa Survive is an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that formed in 2004. Founded by singer Anthony Green and guitarist Colin Frangicetto, the band consists of former members from This Day Forward and Taken.

Circa Survive quickly made a name for themselves in the indie music scene in little over two years with their 2005 debut album, Juturna, and second album, On Letting Go, released in 2007. Both albums were released on Equal Vision Records. Their third album, Blue Sky Noise, was released via Atlantic Records in 2010. After parting ways with Atlantic Records, the band's fourth album, Violent Waves, was released independently in 2012. Their fifth album, Descensus, was released by Sumerian Records in 2014, and their sixth, The Amulet, with Hopeless Records in October 2017. The band would follow with two EPs on Rise Records: A Dream About Love in October 2021, and A Dream About Death in February 2022. The band would then announce an indefinite hiatus in October 2022.

## History

### Formation and The Inuit Sessions (2004 – 2005)

Vocalist Anthony Green left the band Saosin, in 2004, later noting "the big thing was that I was just scared. I was scared of committing". Green met up with Colin Frangicetto, a friend with whom he had "jammed" during his stay, and they decided to begin recording and recruiting. Thus, Circa Survive was born.

Frangicetto and Green, with full support from Equal Vision Records, then recruited Brendan Ekstrom. Ekstrom had been Frangicetto's bandmate in This Day Forward, which had recently disbanded. Both Ekstrom and Frangicetto had toured with Taken during their This Day Forward days, and procured Nick Beard, the previous bass guitarist of Taken, as Circa Survive's next member. The band met Stephen Clifford through Vadim Taver of the band Marigold (and also from This Day Forward); "Steve jammed with us for a week and from there it was on," said Frangicetto.

Circa Survive's first release was the EP, The Inuit Sessions, on March 18, 2005. It contained four tracks: "Act Appalled", "Handshakes at Sunrise", "The Great Golden Baby", and "Suspending Disbelief".

### Juturna (2005 – 2006)

Juturna, Circa Survive's first album, was released on April 19, 2005, in the United States and on January 31, 2006, in Japan on Equal Vision Records. It had been initially announced via the band's MySpace page in November 2004. Details as to its sound remained vague, although the band stated they would keep their fans posted via their website, MySpace page, PureVolume page, and YouTube page. Shortly before its official release, the album was posted on their MySpace page in its entirety. Juturna peaked at No. 183 on the Billboard 200. The album was produced by Brian McTernan at Salad Days Studios in Baltimore.

The band drew inspiration for the album from House of Leaves and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. During an online Q&A session on April 20, 2010, Brendan dismissed the claim that Juturna was a concept album based on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but did say that there is an underlying concept. That concept is speculated by fans to be vaguely about human memories. "Oh, Hello" exemplifies this with its lyrics. The decision to call the album's bonus track that appears after "Meet Me In Montauk" and the silence that follows it at 8:56, "House of Leaves" was more or less a joint one by the band and their fans. Various members of the band have stated that they have read at least some portion of the book over the years since its 2000 release.

The album's sound is characterized by its prominent utilization of effects-laden, dual guitar melodies over polyrhythmic percussion. The guitarists' approach to songwriting takes on characteristics of jazz and shoegaze music. The album has since gone on to be considered massively influential to the post-hardcore community. Members of the band have recently recognized King Crimson, Björk, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor as influences on the album's sound.

### On Letting Go (2007 – 2008)

On Letting Go is Circa Survive's second album. Released on May 29, 2007, by Equal Vision Records, the album entered the U.S. Billboard 200 at #24, selling about 24,000 copies in its first week. Up to July 11, 2007, it had sold 51,357 copies in the U.S. alone.

As with previous albums, Esao Andrews designed the artwork and Brian McTernan produced the album. The band's sound did not radically change with this release. It was still polished and refined, with guitars and drums much tighter (but still meandering when needed to) and bass more prominent. Lyrically, the band "...evokes an era when hazy lyricism and reckless introspection were prerequisites for legitimacy and timelessness."

In spring 2008, Circa Survive released an On Letting Go B-side, "1,000 Witnesses", to fans through the charity Invisible Children in an effort to raise money for the cause. In June 2008, they also released the B-side "The Most Dangerous Commercials" as a charity download to help support the relocation of local music shop Siren Records, in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

### Blue Sky Noise and Appendage (2008 – 2010)

After supporting Thrice and Pelican for their spring 2008 tour, Circa Survive returned to Philadelphia to write for the then-untitled third album. A short leg of shows in the Eastern U.S. occurred in late 2008 and four shows were played in Southern California in February 2009. After that, the band did not tour again until the tentatively planned headlining tour for their forthcoming third album. Anthony Green's growth as a guitarist played a major role on Blue Sky Noise, which the band framed as an entirely "new chapter".

On August 3, Circa Survive stated that they had begun recording their third album in Toronto and had chosen David Bottrill as producer. They also stated, "After completing our contract with Equal Vision we embarked on a long search to find our next home. We met with lots of labels and decided that Atlantic Records is the best place for us to continue our growth as a band and to help us release our music around the world."

On Twitter, they stated that they would be recording 16 songs, but that they would not all be on the album. However, they said they would release them all somehow. They posted eight video updates showing some song teases. Studio recording was completed at the end of October 2009 and mixing was completed on February 1, 2010, by Rich Costey.

On February 16, 2010, they announced their new album would be titled Blue Sky Noise, and would be released on April 20, 2010. The album could be pre-purchased, and those who did so received a digital copy of the album a week early, and the first single, "Get Out", instantly. The album entered the Billboard 200 at No. 11, the band's highest position.

On October 18, 2010, Myspace Transmissions released a live EP of the band playing five tracks from Blue Sky Noise as well as a cover of the Nirvana song, "Scentless Apprentice".

Circa Survive's second EP, Appendage, was released on November 30, 2010. It contains five tracks: "Sleep Underground" (Demo), "Stare Like You'll Stay", "Everyway", "Backmask" and "Lazarus".

### Violent Waves (2012 – 2014)

On April 16, 2012, Circa Survive began recording their fourth record, " Violent Waves ". On June 25, 2012, Circa launched the Violent Waves Pre-Order webpage, officially announcing the album's title and release date, August 28, 2012, along with a new song titled "Suitcase". The band also confirmed that the album would be self-released.

On March 3, 2014, it was announced via Pitchfork that Circa Survive would be releasing a 7-inch vinyl record split with the band Sunny Day Real Estate for Record Store Day 2014 (April 19). The split features "Lipton Witch" by Sunny Day Real Estate - their first new song in 14 years - and "Bad Heart" by Circa Survive, a b-side that was recorded after the release of 2012's "Violent Waves" album.

### Descensus (2014 – 2016)

In mid April 2014, Circa Survive once again entered Studio 4 in Conshohocken, PA to record their fifth album with producer/engineer Will Yip. They recorded 11 songs during the sessions and concluded recording by the end of May. On May 19, 2014, during a Saosin interview at Skate and Surf, Anthony Green stated that Circa Survive "have a new record coming out, hopefully in the fall, I mean I fucking shouldn't even say that, probably". On April 19, 2014, the band released a split EP release with Sunny Day Real Estate titled Sunny Day Real Estate / Circa Survive Split 7".

On August 15, 2014, the band announced their signing to Sumerian Records for the release of the fifth album and also a reissue of their fourth album Violent Waves. In an Alternative Press interview published in August 2014, Green said, "Well, the next Circa record is done. We’re in the final process of getting the final mixes right now." "It’s definitely the most aggressive Circa record we’ve ever made. It’s the first record of ours I’ve been able to listen to front to back without having that song that I’m like, 'Yeah, I could’ve done better here.' Every song has this moment in it that makes me feel ridiculous. I feel like I just outdid myself. I feel like we did better than we did before."

The album, entitled Descensus was released on November 24, 2014. The album art was once again made by Esao Andrews.On October 27, 2014, the band released the first single and music video from Descensus titled "Schema". The second single "Only the Sun" was shown on November 5, 2014. Its video features visuals used in the tour for the album with Title Fight, Tera Melos and Pianos Become the Teeth.

In January 2017 the band began a tour to celebrate ten years of 'On Letting Go' with support from MewithoutYou and Turnover.

### The Amulet (2017 – 2021)

On July 10, 2017, the band announced their next LP The Amulet. Alongside the announcement they released a single titled "Lustration" with accompanying music video. The album was released on September 22, 2017, through Hopeless Records. On August 10, 2017, the band released its second music video single "Rites of Investiture". On August 30, 2017, they released their third and title track single "The Amulet". Shortly before the LP's release on September 14, 2017, the band released its final music video single "Premonition of the Hex".

The band announced a co-headlining tour with Thrice, accompanied by Balance and Composure and Chon, across North America beginning in San Jose on November 2.

In October 2018, the band released two songs called "Dark Pools" and "Indras Net" for the upcoming deluxe edition of "The Amulet" on November 2, 2018. As well as a video for the song "Flesh and Bone".

### Two Dreams and hiatus (2021 – 2022)

On June 4, 2021, the band teased a new single during the credits of the Live Sky Noise livestream. On October 8, the band would release the single as Imposter Syndrome and announced an EP coming later that month.

On October 22, 2021, the band released A Dream About Love, followed by A Dream About Death on February 4, 2022. These EPs represent a slight departure from the band's established sound, embracing a more electronic approach.

On August 30, 2022, the band announced that their members would be transitioning away from Circa Survive as their full-time job, leading to speculation on the band’s future. Green would clarify on his Twitter page that the group had not disbanded. However, on October 18, 2022, the band confirmed they were taking an indefinite hiatus.

A statement from the band was shared:

Many of you have asked where things stand with us and to be totally transparent, our future is currently uncertain. For the time being, we're considering Circa on an indefinite hiatus. We want to thank you for all your love and support, especially over the last few years which were the hardest we have ever had to endure. Extra special thanks to the creatures.

On October 19, 2022, Circa Survive announced they would combine both "Dream" EPs and re-release them as the band's seventh studio album titled Two Dreams due out December 16, 2022. The album release will be accompanied by live session videos.

## Influences

According to lead singer Anthony Green, Circa Survive have been influenced by Deftones, Thrice, Paul Simon, dredg, and Björk. Green cites Nirvana as a major influence, with Circa Survive frequently performing covers of Nirvana songs. Green stated that one of his favorite albums is Mapping an Invisible World by Days Away.

Throughout their musical career, but particularly with respect to their first album Juturna, the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind has been a large influence on Circa Survive. The album's hidden track is based on the Mark Z. Danielewski novel House of Leaves, lending it an unofficial title. Lyrically, their third album Blue Sky Noise is based on Green's struggles with mental illness, with many of the lyrics written during his voluntary three-week stay in a mental health facility.

## Band members

Current members

- Anthony Green - lead vocals

- Colin Frangicetto - rhythm guitar, backing vocals

- Brendan Ekstrom - lead guitar

- Nick Beard - bass, backing vocals

- Steve Clifford - drums, percussion

Session/touring members

- Keith Goodwin - keyboards (2021-2022)

## Touring and performing

Circa Survive has toured on several occasions, including national tours within the United States. They toured in winter 2005 with My Chemical Romance and Thrice. That summer they co-headlined a tour. Circa Survive has also opened for Mutemath, Mae and Dredg on each of their headlining tours. Circa Survive played The Bamboozle festival in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2011 in New Jersey. They also played a few dates on The Vans Warped Tour in 2005. In early 2006, they embarked on a tour of Europe with Coheed and Cambria and Thrice, after having previously completed a tour in September 2005 with Motion City Soundtrack. They also toured with Saves The Day, Moneen and Pistolita. In summer 2006, they embarked on their first headlining tour, The Twilight Army Tour, with The Receiving End of Sirens, Days Away, Portugal. The Man, YouInSeries and Keating. Then in fall 2006, they went on tour with Thursday, Rise Against and Billy Talent. The band also played on the Rockstar Alternative Press Tour headlining with Cute Is What We Aim For, and with supporting act As Tall As Lions.

In April 2007, Circa Survive played at the Coachella arts and music festival in Indio, California. In summer 2007, the band played the entire Vans Warped Tour alongside bands such as Coheed and Cambria, The Used, Anberlin and Bad Religion. Circa Survive opened for My Chemical Romance's 2007 shows in Worcester and Australian and New Zealand shows as well. Circa Survive opened as the main support for Thirty Seconds to Mars September 14, 2007, at the Brixton Academy. Circa Survive completed touring with Ours, Fear Before, with Dear and the Headlights and The Dear Hunter in November, 2007. On New Year's Eve 2007 they had a coming home show with Thursday and The Gaslight Anthem played at The Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey. The band is in the Kerrang! 2008 Tour with Madina Lake, Coheed and Cambria and Fightstar. It was announced on January 24, 2008, that Circa Survive would be going on a spring 2008 tour with Thrice and Pelican.

Circa Survive has been known to incorporate other visual elements to performances. Anthony Green frequently wore dresses to outdoor music festivals, most notably The Bamboozle in 2006 and The Vans Warped Tour in 2007. The band's on Letting Go tour included a silent film projected above the band.

In 2010, after mixing for Blue Sky Noise was completed in February, Circa Survive began performing shows in the midwest United States in March, often accompanied by Good Old War and The Christmas Lights. The band performed at the annual SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, from March 18 to 24. They also performed in Anaheim at the Hoodwink Festival on March 26 and at The Bamboozle on March 27. One month later, following the release of Blue Sky Noise on April 20, Circa Survive embarked on an extended tour with Coheed and Cambria and Torche, beginning in Charlotte, North Carolina, on April 22 and ending on May 29 in Atlantic City. On June 19, 2010, Circa Survive performed at Santa Monica Beach at the Pac Sun Beach Ballyhoo event, which was shut down early due to overcrowding before the band could perform their last two songs. After an eleven-day U.S. west coast tour in late July, Circa Survive embarked on a September European tour with Middle Class Rut, beginning in Hamburg, Germany, on September 6 and ending in Nottingham, England, on September 18. Their show in London on September 15 was streamed live over the Internet and attracted more than 43,000 viewers online.

They then went on their U.S. Blue Sky Noise tour with Animals as Leaders, Dredg and Codeseven. The tour began on October 15, 2010, in Hartford, Connecticut, and concluded on December 13 in Bakersfield, California. They begin touring with Anberlin and Foxy Shazam in January 2011. On February 17, 2011, Circa Survive performed with Timeout Jimmy at the Rutgers Student Center at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. They also opened for Linkin Park during the A Thousand Suns Tour for their shows in Dallas and Houston, Texas.

Circa Survive toured with My Chemical Romance as their opening act along with Architects. Both bands opened for My Chemical Romance for the North American leg of The World Contamination Tour.

Circa Survive went on their Violent Waves tour, which began on September 13, 2012, in New Haven, Connecticut, and ended on October 27, 2012, in Sayreville, New Jersey. Balance and Composure, O'Brother, and Touché Amoré went along as their opening acts. They had 33 shows for this tour. After 6, they played in Atlanta, Georgia for the Nervous Energies Session. They then continued the Violent Waves tour. They had 2 Record Release shows for the new album, both in August.

In April 2013, Circa Survive toured Malaysia, Singapore and the Pulp Summer Slam XIII "Til Death Do Us Part" rock festival in Manila, Philippines, on April 27, 2013. The Manila concert featured Circa Survive along with Dragonforce, Amoral, Cannibal Corpse, Coheed and Cambria, As I Lay Dying, A Skylit Drive and 4 local Filipino bands. On April 26, 2013, Circa Survive attended a press conference with Dragonforce and Amoral to promote the Manila rock festival.

Circa Survive announced that they would be co-headlining with Minus the Bear, along with opening act Now, Now, in the "Waves Overhead" tour. This tour began March 6, 2013, and ended March 30, 2013.

On October 16, 2013, Circa Survive announced a special end-of-the-year show on Saturday, December 28, 2013, at the Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles. The band will be "playing an extended set of favorites from all of our albums, along with a few rarities and special guests" and will be filming the show for release in 2014. The show was released on DVD included with the Violent Waves reissue released by Sumerian Records on September 9, 2014.

On January 6, 2015, it was announced that Circa Survive would perform on Day 3 (April 12 & 19) of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, California.

On January 29, 2015, the band announced they would be touring in the Spring of 2015 with Balance and Composure again and Chon.

On October 11, 2016, the band announced their On Letting Go Ten Year Anniversary Tour with MewithoutYou and Turnover. On this tour, the band's setlist was composed of the songs from On Letting Go, in the same order as they are presented on the album, interspersed with B-sides and unreleased songs from the writing process.

## Discography

- Juturna (2005)

- On Letting Go (2007)

- Blue Sky Noise (2010)

- Violent Waves (2012)

- Descensus (2014)

- The Amulet (2017)

- Two Dreams (2022)

## Music videos

- "Act Appalled" (live montage) (2005) from Juturna

- "Act Appalled" (2006) from Juturna

- "In Fear And Faith" (live montage) (2006) from Juturna

- "The Difference Between Medicine and Poison Is in the Dose" (2007) from On Letting Go

- "Get Out" (Live Montage) (2010) from Blue Sky Noise

- "Imaginary Enemy" (2010) from Blue Sky Noise

- "Suitcase" (2012) from Violent Waves

- "Sharp Practice" (2012) from Violent Waves

- "Schema" (2014) from Descensus

- "Only the Sun" (2014) from "Descensus"

- "Child Of The Desert" (2015) from Descensus

- "Lustration" (2017) from The Amulet

- "Rites of Investiture" (2017) from The Amulet

- "The Amulet" (2017) from The Amulet

- "Premonition of the Hex" (2017) from The Amulet

- "Flesh and Bone" (2018) from The Amulet

- "Imposter Syndrome" (2021) from A Dream About Love EP

- "Electric Moose" (2022) from A Dream About Death EP

## Equipment

### Guitar Rig & Signal Flow

- Brendan Ekstrom plays Melancon hand made guitars which are located near New Orleans U.S.A.

- A detailed gear diagram of Brendan Ekstrom's 2011 Circa Survive guitar rig is well-documented.


ZingZillas

# ZingZillas

## Abstract

ZingZillas is a British television programme created by Barry Quinn, Stephen Cannon and Alan Robinson, aimed at young children, broadcast on the BBC pre-school channel CBeebies, which ran from 5 April 2010 to 11 June 2012.

## Overview

ZingZillas is a music show aimed at children ages 6 and under.It is set on a ape-shaped tropical island where everyone joins in to create music magic. They use musical influences from all over the globe from rock to soul, jazz to samba, big band to orchestra.

A yellow submarine is sometimes seen in the sea near the island. One episode contains what appears to be a view from the submarine through its periscope. In a recently started five-minute version called Zingzillas Zingbop, the submarine goes very near the viewpoint, showing children inside the submarine through its portholes; those children later take part in the programme's singing and dancing session, as if (in the world of the story) the submarine is the usual transport for guests to and from the island.

The main characters are adolescent primates: Zak, Tang, Panzee and Drum. They are mentored by music guru DJ Loose and they create their unique ZingZilla sound just in time for their daily performance which is called 'The Big Zing'. A coconut clock has 4 coconuts. one of them rolls down to the tube and Granite and Gravel count down the time to the island's fireworks eruption that signals the start of the Big Zing and breaks each programme into four parts.

At the end of every episode of season 1 to 2 the ZingZillas talk about how the day has gone and one or all of the ZingZillas say goodnight to Todd and he says goodnight to them back.

In every episode from series 3, they wake up and ask Todd for an idea for the day's song. This segement is called ZingJam which is a pun on paper jam. the Zingboppers Moaning Stones Beach Byrds and finally the zingzillas shout "ZingJam" in the tune of the theme song and one of the Zingzillas pushes the button and activates the TV.Todd uses his ideas machine but it always breaks down, or other things happen. They are visited by a different musical guest. The ZingZillas always discover their musical guests in a 'glade' in the jungle and they take inspiration from these guests, incorporating them and their sounds into The Big Zing, where they wear a cool cape, a feather boa, a groovy hat and wings saying "Cool cape! Feather boa! Groovy hat! Wings! It's time for The Big Zing!" and at the end of each episode DJ Losse signs off by saying "That's it from ZingZilla Island for today Come and see us all again very soon".

Clip shows are featured in this show. and of course there's DJ Loose's radio show. first appearing in season 2

Original music for the series has been composed by Banks & Wag.

On Monday, 30 August 2010, "Do You Didgeridoo ?" was released on an EP, alongside the "ZingZillas Theme Tune" and "Bhangra Beat", reaching #1 in the iTunes Children's Chart.

On Monday 4 October 2010, "ZingZillas: The Album" was released on CD and as a digital download, reaching #1 in the iTunes Children's Chart on the first day. The recording features guest tracks by musical luminaries who have appeared on the show including cellist Julian Lloyd Webber flautist James Galway and jazz vocalist Cleo Laine.

On 28 February 2011, CBeebies began broadcasting a 20 part series of five-minute spinoff programmes entitled "Zingzillas Zingbop" which is hosted by DJ Loose, where a small group of children (known as Zingboppers) go to Zingzilla Island and are taught to dance to a Zingzillas song. The Zingboppers then participate in the final Zingbop. Every Zingbop performed is of course "the best Zingbop ever".

On 11 June 2012, ZingZillas aired its last-ever episode "Picnic Day" before ceasing operations for good.

## Characters

Each ZingZilla has their own personality:

- Zak (lead vocals/harmonica) is a 7-year-old gorilla who is the lead singer. Zak is the oldest ZingZilla and has a positive attitude. He is serious, confident and likes taking risks. He is played by Jeremiah Krage and Jack Andrews and voiced by Michael Offei.

- Tang (lead guitar/backing vocals) is a 6-year-old orangutan who plays guitars (acoustic & electric) and backing vocals. He thinks creatively and is never afraid of asking for help whenever there's a problem. He is played by Nick Kellington and voiced by Gary Jordan.

- Panzee (bass/keyboard/backing vocals) is a 5-year-old chimpanzee who plays bass, keyboards and backing vocals and loves to dress up. She is sensitive, fun and always ready to try something new. She is played by Victoria Bovingdon and voiced by Sarah-Jane Honeywell.

- Drum (drums/backing vocals) is a 4-year-old monkey who plays drums, percussion and backing vocals. She is the youngest ZingZilla. She loves exploring sounds and enjoys making rhythms and noise. She is very sensitive to the mood of music. She is played by Rachelle Beinart, Cecily Fay and Amy Collins and voiced by Penni Tovey.

### Other characters

- Todd is a middle-aged mandrill and the 'father figure' of the ZingZillas. He is helpful, inventive, accident-prone and loveable. He is played and voiced by Aiden Cook.

- Auntie Dot is a relation of Todd. She is voiced by Penni Tovey.

- DJ Loose is the island's sloth. He plays the ZingZillas music made by real people in the glade. His Catchphrase used to start the big zing is "It's that time of the day when we like to say, it's Big Zing time! So take it away". He is the last character to speak in the series and he's puppeteered and voiced by Mark Jefferis and Josh Elwell.

- The Beach Byrds (Maxine (blue), Patti (purple) and Laverne (pink)) are tropical birds who work in the coconut hut and say everything tunefully. They also sing the disaster song (in Good To Be Me the ZingZillas sing it)

- The Moaning Stones are similar to the standing moai heads on Easter Island. Although four are shown, only the middle pair called Mr. Granite and Mr. Gravel talk and count coconuts in the coconut clock. Their catchphrase during season 3 and 4 are "Oh, look out, everybody. It's coconut number one. Only three more to go to The Big Zing." "Ooh, here it comes. It's coconut number two! Only two more to go to The Big Zing." "Here we go again. It's coconut number three. Only one more to go to The Big Zing." and "Ooh, and only just in time because it's the last coconut!".

## Episodes & guest performers

### Series overview

## DVD releases

### Welcome to the Island

This DVD contains five episodes (note that it's not the first five of the series, although there's a lot of overlap):

- Didgeridoo Hullabaloo (Series 1, Episode 1)

- Operatic Todd (Series 1, Episode 6)

- Rock Guitar (Series 1, Episode 3)

- Auntie Dot’s Dash (Series 1, Episode 4)

- A Great Place to Live (Series 1, Episode 11)

Extras: Musical instrument game and character profile.

### World Music Tour

This DVD contains five episodes:

- Bhangra Beats (Series 1, Episode 8)

- Welcome Beach Byrds (Series 1, Episode 14)

- Keep Your Castanets (Series 1, Episode 17)

- Disappearing Drum (Series 1, Episode 16)

- Bam-Boo! (Series 2, Episode 3)

Extras: Interactive game


Nectarios Triantis

# Nectarios Triantis

## Abstract

Nectarios Triantis (born 11 May 2003) is an Australian professional football player who plays as a defensive midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Hibernian.

Triantis has represented Australia at under 20's level at the 2023 U20's Asian Cup.

## Early life

Triantis was born in Sydney, New South Wales to Poppy Triantis, with seven brothers and three sisters, and is of Greek descent. His father, Con Triantis, passed away from a fire in Eastwood when he was eight. He has three older brothers, Chris and Peter, both of whom were professional soccer players in the A-League. Triantis began his soccer career at Sydney Olympic, initially as a winger and attacking midfielder, in their junior age groups.

## Club career

### Western Sydney Wanderers

In July 2021, Western Sydney Wanderers signed Triantis to a scholarship contract. Triantis made one A-League Men appearance for the Wanderers, coming on as a late substitute in a loss to Newcastle Jets in February 2022. On 1 July 2022, the Wanderers confirmed that Triantis was one of four players departing the club following the 2021–22 season.

### Central Coast Mariners

Triantis joined Central Coast Mariners ' A-League Men squad on a three-year contract in July 2022.

Triantis started for the Mariners in their 6–1 win over Melbourne City in the 2023 A-League Men Grand Final.

### Sunderland

On 21 June 2023, Triantis signed for English club Sunderland on a four-year contract for an initial fee of around £300,000.

After playing in three first-team games for Sunderland during the 2023 – 24 season, Triantis was loaned to Scottish Premiership club Hibernian on 1 February 2024.

## International career

Triantis was selected in the Australian under-20 squad for the 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup in March 2023. The selection was criticised by Nick Montgomery, Triantis' coach at Central Coast Mariners, who claimed that Triantis would be better off playing senior matches for the Mariners in the 2022–23 A-League Men.

## Honours

Central Coast Mariners

- A-League Men Championship: 2022–23

Individual

- PFA A-League Team of the Season: 2022–23


Walt Disney Home Video (VHS)

# Walt Disney Home Video (VHS)

## Abstract

Walt Disney Home Video is a discontinued video line launched to release Disney animated features on home video. This was done by a division of the same name under the parent Walt Disney Telecommunications and Non-Theatrical Company (WDTNT). As an entity, the name Walt Disney Home Video is now known as Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. The scope of this list is mostly limited to Disney's North American live action movie releases. Cartoon collections were concurrently released as Walt Disney Cartoon Classics which include the "Limited Gold Editions". The initial price for early Disney cassettes at the time was "prohibitory expensive" for many, this changed in the mid-1980s when VCRs became affordable.

## History

Disney started out by establishing its own video distribution operation in 1980 as part of Walt Disney Telecommunications and Non-Theatrical Company (WDTNT) with Jim Jimirro as its first president. WDTNT Co. also handled marketing of other miscellaneous ancillary items such as short 8 mm films for home movies. When Disney started with video cassettes, "Home video" was not considered to be a major market by them at the time. Their first releases on videotape were 13 titles that were licensed for rental to Fotomat on March 4, 1980. Disney was unusual among the major studios in offering a program for authorized rentals. Most of the other studios involved in the videocassette market at the time were trying to find ways to stop dealers from renting out their movie tapes. Magnetic Video (with titles from 20th Century Fox and others) ceased doing business with Fotomat after Fotomat began renting Magnetic Video cassettes without authorization.

The switchover from rental to sales was a "thorny" issue that was solved by giving dealers an option on the type of outlet they desired. For those who just wanted to rent video cassettes, a title was given (for US$52) on a 13-week cycle. The dealer could then set the price as many times as they wanted in those 13 weeks before purchasing a new title from Disney. Video cassette rentals were more "functionally" packaged with a heavier box and less elaborately detailed illustrations. For those who wanted to sell video cassettes, a "fairly straightforward" program involved 4 color packaging and a suggested retail price. In order to separate the two mediums, the cassette either featured " FOR RENTAL ONLY/Not intended for Sale " or "FOR SALE ONLY/Not intended for Rental". The 13 titles that had been licensed for rental to Fotomat subsequently became available for purchase.

Throughout their release history, "Walt Disney Home Video" cassettes were promoted by Disney. An early example is the 1981 release of "A Walt Disney Christmas" where a "Free Mickey Mouse Plush Toy" was offered as an incentive. Disney later offered a promotion for Summer 1982 called "Disney's American Summer", where they sold some of their cartoon collections on cassettes for a discounted price. At the time this promotion was done in an effort to make video cassettes more affordable, and boosted the video software involved. Marketing included a 7 foot tall gazebo which was set up in stores and a free mug as an incentive. Towards the end of 1984, Disney did a “Wrapped And Ready to Give” christmas promotion which included 7 newly released titles on video cassette. Later promotions include Disney's 1986 "Wonderland Campaign" as a further attempt to bring prices down.

When the Disney Channel was launched on April 18, 1983 it gave the company an opportunity to air made for TV films such as Tiger Town and Gone Are the Dayes, both of which were released to home video in 1984. During that same year Disney also started releasing their animated feature films under the Walt Disney Classics line starting with Robin Hood. On March 8, 1985 Disney released " Love Leads the Way " which became their first title that went straight to Home Video. The Walt Disney Home Video division was legally incorporated as Buena Vista Home Video on February 13, 1987. This name change however, did not stop some VHS releases under the Walt Disney Home Video line from being released throughout the year.

## North American releases

## Worldwide releases

Disney first offered Dumbo, Mary Poppins, Mi Amigo El Dragon (Pete's Dragon), Su Mas Fiel Amigo (Old Yeller), La Montana Embrujada (Escape to Witch Mountain), Los Tres Caballeros (The Three Caballeros), Mickey's Christmas Carol, and 2 cartoon collections in Spanish on November 30, 1985 In the United Kingdom, titles from the "Walt Disney Home Video" product line such as Mary Poppins, Pete's Dragon and Bedknobs and Broomsticks were not released to video cassette until November 26, 1988. Additional VHS releases in other countries under the "Walt Disney Home Video" are possible, but need further sourcing.

## Rarity

In terms of consignment, Heritage Auctions has placed in their "Vintage VHS Tapes Value Guide" that the most desirable VHS tapes released between 1979 and 1990 are still in their original factory shrink wrap. When VCRs were first released in 1977, they were priced between $1,000 to $1,400 which would roughly equal $4,900 to $6,900 in 2023 USD. As this amount was initially unattainable for most homes fewer people were buying VHS tapes, which in turn meant fewer copies being produced. A "likely sum of money for a video cassette at the time was between $80 and $100 or $400+ in 2023 USD. These higher costs lasted until 1985 when VCRs finally began dropping in price. While this meant more tapes were produced, it did not mean that they became any less of a rarity.

In regard to Disney "Only the earliest of Disney VHS cassettes produced prior to 1985 hold any value to most collectors." Titles such as "Tron" which remains "elusive" for early copies have sold for high amounts in mint condition. Things to look for in general include a sealed tape, a studio logo on the shrink-wrap, and if the latest year listed on the back of the cover is prior to 1986.


# List of 2024 box office number-one films in the United States

## Abstract

This is a list of films that ranked number one at the weekend box office for the year 2024.


# The Voice Kids (Philippine TV series) season 6

## Abstract

The sixth season of The Voice Kids, a reality competition show in the Philippines based on the Dutch TV series of the same title, is broadcast by GMA Network. Hosted by Dingdong Dantes, with Billy Crawford, Julie Anne San Jose, and Stell of SB19 returning as coaches from The Voice Generations; newcomer Pablo, also from SB19, joined as a new coach. It premiered on September 15, 2024, on the network's 7:00 pm Sunday prime time slot, replacing Running Man Philippines.

## Background

Auditions for the show's sixth season ran from March to June 2024, for singers aged 7 to 14 years old, at the GMA Network Center. In July 2024, Dingdong Dantes was announced as a presenter of the show, while Billy Crawford, Julie Anne San Jose, and Stell of SB19 were announced to return as coaches from The Voice Generations. Later that month, Pablo, also from SB19, was also announced as a coach.

## Teams

## Blind auditions

The season will begin with the blind auditions. In each audition, each artist performs their piece in front of the panel of coaches, whose chairs are facing the audience. If a coach is interested in working with the artist, they may opt to press the button to face the artist. An artist is defaulted to a coach when only one coach turns; if multiple coaches turn, the coaches compete for the artist, who will later choose their coach. The team sizes for the season are yet to be announced.

### Episode 1 (September 15)

The broadcast began with the coaches performing " Something Big " by Shawn Mendes.


Scinax x-signatus

# Scinax x-signatus

## Abstract

Scinax x-signatus (common name: Venezuela snouted treefrog or Venezuelan snouted treefrog) is a species of frog in the family Hylidae. It is found in Brazil, the Guyanas (Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname), Venezuela and Colombia. Introduced populations exist on Guadeloupe and two nearby smaller islands, Marie Galante and La Désirade, and on Martinique. It may represent more than one species.

Scinax x-signatus is a very common frog inhabiting tropical savannas, forest edges, and open areas, and is very adaptable to habitat modification. It is considered an invasive species on Guadeloupe, threatening native frogs through competition.

## Reproduction

Breeding takes place in standing water, both permanent and seasonal. Males call from the vegetation above and around ponds.


Sheldon Rankins

# Sheldon Rankins

## Abstract

Sheldon Taylor Rankins (born April 2, 1994) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Louisville and was drafted in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints.

## Early life

Rankins attended Eastside High School in Covington, Georgia. He committed to the University of Louisville to play college football.

## College career

At Louisville, Rankins was mostly a backup during his freshman and sophomore years, recording 22 tackles and four sacks. As a junior, in 2014, Rankins started in all 13 games and had 53 tackles, eight sacks, and two interceptions. As a senior, in 2015, he had 58 tackles, six sacks, and a fumble return touchdown.

## Professional career

### New Orleans Saints

On April 28, 2016, Rankins was drafted as the 12th overall pick by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft. On May 9, the Saints signed him to a four-year, 12.8 million dollar contract. On August 16, 2016, Rankins suffered a broken fibula during practice. The injury required surgery, with up to 6 weeks to recover. On September 6, he was placed on the injured reserve /designated for return list. He was activated on November 5, prior to Week 9. During his rookie year, he played in 9 games and finished with 20 tackles, four sacks, and a forced fumble.

During his second season in 2017, Rankins started all 16 regular season games to help a scoring defense go from ranking 31st to tenth in the league. He recorded 16 solo tackles (26 total), one forced fumble, one interception, and one pass defensed.

In a Week 8 win against the Minnesota Vikings in 2018, for the first time in his NFL career, Rankins made 2 sacks in a single game on quarterback Kirk Cousins. For that game, he shared the top spot for sacks on the team with teammate LB Marcus Davenport. Throughout the 2018 season, Rankins started all 16 games, recording 40 tackles and eight sacks (second-best on the team behind Cameron Jordan.) In the divisional round of the playoffs against the Philadelphia Eagles, Rankins suffered a torn Achilles and was placed on injured reserve on January 15, 2019.

On April 24, 2019, the Saints picked up the fifth-year option on Rankins' contract. He was placed on injured reserve on December 11 with an ankle injury. He finished the season with 10 tackles and two sacks through 10 games.

On November 6, 2020, Rankins was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. He was activated on December 5. In the Wild Card round against the Chicago Bears, he sacked quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. Throughout the season, he played in 12 regular season games and 2 post-season games, recording 2.5 sacks, 23 combined tackles, 11 quarterback hits and 1 pass deflection.

### New York Jets

On March 23, 2021, Rankins signed a two-year, $17 million contract with the New York Jets. That season, he played in 16 regular season games while starting in 3, making 3 sacks, 32 combined tackles, 7 quarterback hits and 2 fumble recoveries.

On November 8, 2022, on a first down in the first quarter, Rankins forced a fumble on Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, of which Allen recovered for a 2-yard gain. In that win for the Jets, he was ruled out for 4–6 weeks after suffering a dislocated elbow. Rankins returned to play on December 4, in a loss to the Vikings. He ended the season starting in 15 games, with 3 sacks, 43 combined tackles, 7 quarterback hits and 1 forced fumble.

### Houston Texans

On March 18, 2023, Rankins signed a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the Houston Texans. He was activated from the physically unable to perform list on July 30. Rankins was named the starting right defensive tackle that season. During the Week 17 victory over the Tennessee Titans, Rankins recovered a fumble by Will Levis and returned it 13 yards for his first NFL touchdown. In 15 starts, he recorded 37 tackles, a forced fumble, and was third on the team with six sacks.

### Cincinnati Bengals

On March 18, 2024, Rankins signed a two-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals.


Kara Dansky

# Kara Dansky

## Abstract

Kara Dansky is an American women's rights activist, public speaker, writer, consultant, and gender critical feminist who advocates for protecting women and girls on the basis of sex in law and throughout society by opposing transgender rights. She is the president of the American chapter of the anti-trans organization, Women's Declaration International. From 2016 to 2020, she served on the board of the anti-trans group, Women's Liberation Front. A supporter of trans-exclusionary radical feminism, she is an advocate for sex-based women's rights.In November 2021, she published "The Abolition of Sex: How the 'Transgender' Agenda Harms Women and Girls". She currently serves as President of the U.S. chapter of Women’s Declaration International (WDI), which seeks to promote the Declaration on Women's Sex-Based Rights. She served on the board of the Women's Liberation Front from 2016 to 2020. Dansky is also an attorney with a Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a Bachelor of Arts from Johns Hopkins University, and an extensive background in criminal justice law and policy.

## Education

Dansky received a BA from Johns Hopkins University and a JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

## Career

Dansky was the executive director of the Stanford Criminal Justice Center.

In 2014, Dansky authored the ACLU study War Comes Home: The Excessive Militarization of American Policing which concluded that the increasing application of military tactics and weapons by American police was unnecessarily putting civilians at risk of injury and death.

From 2016 to 2020, Dansky served on the board of the Women's Liberation Front. She has appeared on Tucker Carlson 's Fox program to discuss her views.

In 2021, Dansky authored the book The Abolition of Sex: How the 'Transgender' Agenda Harms Women and Girls.

In 2023, Dansky published The Reckoning: How the Democrats and the Left Betrayed Women and Girls.

Dansky is the current president of the American chapter of Women's Declaration International.

## Personal life

Dansky is a Shambhala International certified meditation instructor.


Swiss neutrality

# Swiss neutrality

## Abstract

Swiss neutrality is one of the main principles of Switzerland's foreign policy which dictates that Switzerland is not to be involved in armed conflicts between other states. This policy is self-imposed and designed to ensure external security and promote peace.

Switzerland has the oldest policy of military neutrality in the world; it has not participated in a foreign war since its neutrality was established by the Treaty of Paris in 1815, although the country did have a civil war in 1847.

Although the European powers (Austria, France, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Prussia, Russia, Spain and Sweden) agreed at the Congress of Vienna in May 1815 that Switzerland should be neutral, final ratification was delayed until after Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated so that some coalition forces could invade France via Swiss territory.

The country has a history of armed neutrality going back to the Reformation; it has not been in a state of war internationally since 1918 during the brief Swiss-Bavarian war and did not join the United Nations until 2002. It pursues an active foreign policy and is frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world.

On February 28, 2022, Switzerland imposed economic sanctions on Russia and froze a significant amount of assets held by Russian civilians and companies as "punishment" for the invasion of Ukraine. This was described by some as "a sharp deviation from the country's traditional neutrality." According to Swiss president Ignazio Cassis in 2022 during a World Economic Forum speech, the laws of neutrality for Switzerland are based on The Hague agreement principles which include "no participation in wars; international cooperation but no membership in any military alliance; no provision of troops or weapons to warring parties and no granting of transition rights".

## Origins

The beginnings of Swiss neutrality can be dated back to the defeat of the Old Swiss Confederacy at the Battle of Marignano in September 1515 or the peace treaty the Swiss Confederacy signed with France on November 12, 1516. Prior to this, the Swiss Confederacy had an expansionist foreign policy.

The Peace of Westphalia in 1648 was another important step in the development of Switzerland's neutrality. Other countries were disallowed from passing through Swiss territory, and the Confederation became legally independent from the Holy Roman Empire, even though it had been independent from the Empire de facto since 1499.

The 1798 invasion of Switzerland by the French First Republic culminated in the creation of a satellite state called the Helvetic Republic. While the 1798 Swiss constitution and the 1803 Act of Mediation stated that France would protect Swiss independence and neutrality, these promises were not kept. With the latter act, Switzerland signed a defensive alliance treaty with France. During the Restoration, the Swiss Confederation's constitution and the Treaty of Paris's Act on the Neutrality of Switzerland affirmed Swiss neutrality.

The dating of neutrality to 1516 is disputed by modern historians. Prior to 1895, no historian referenced the Battle of Marignano as the beginning of neutrality. The later backdating has to be seen in light of threats by several major powers in 1889 to rescind the neutrality granted to Switzerland in 1815. A publication by Paul Schweizer, titled Geschichte der schweizerischen Neutralität, attempted to show that Swiss neutrality was not granted by other nations, but a decision they took themselves and thus could not be rescinded by others. The later publication of the same name by Edgar Bonjour, published between 1946 and 1975, expanded on this thesis.

## The World Wars

### World War I

During the First World War, Switzerland sustained its policy of neutrality despite sharing land borders with two of the Central Powers (Germany and Austria-Hungary) and two of the Allied Powers (France and Italy). The German-speaking majority in Switzerland generally favoured the Central Powers whilst the French-speaking and Italian-speaking populations favoured the Allied Powers. This sparked internal tensions; however, the country was able to maintain its neutrality.

In 1917, the neutrality of Switzerland was brought into question by the Grimm-Hoffmann Affair. Robert Grimm, a Swiss socialist politician, visited Russia in an attempt to negotiate a separate peace agreement between Russia and Germany, in order to end the war on the Eastern Front in the interests of socialism. Grimm was supported by Arthur Hoffman, a Swiss Federal Councillor who was in charge of the Political Department and headed the Foreign Ministry. However, Hoffman had not consulted his fellow Councillors over this initiative, and when a telegram sent between Grimm and Hoffman was made public, the Allied Powers were outraged.

### Interwar period

The League of Nations formally recognized Swiss neutrality on February 13, 1920. While the policy was not universally admired, it was respected by other countries. As a tribute, the world organization even chose Geneva as its headquarters. It also exempted Switzerland from military obligations. However, the country was forced to adopt the so-called "differential neutrality", which required Switzerland to participate in economic sanctions while preserving its military neutrality, a policy initially welcomed to establish the Swiss solidarity with international efforts to promote a peaceful world order. By March 1938, however, the Swiss government was increasingly becoming averse to this type of neutrality and reverted to absolute neutrality. The shift was not only a case of the Swiss realizing the value of their traditional policies but was also attributed to the deteriorating European economic and political relations in a period preceding World War II.

### World War II

Switzerland found itself completely surrounded by the Axis powers and Axis-controlled territory for most of World War II. Nazi Germany planned an invasion of Switzerland, and Switzerland made preparations for such an occurrence. At one point, Switzerland mobilized 850,000 soldiers. Under the leadership of Henri Guisan, Switzerland developed its National Redoubt plan in case of an invasion. Although there were skirmishes in the air, resulting in heavy losses to the Luftwaffe, it never escalated to a full war.

Although Switzerland was criticized by many for its ambiguous stance during World War II, its neutrality has been appreciated on several occasions by both European and non-European leaders.

Of all the neutrals, Switzerland has the greatest right to distinction... What does it matter whether she has been able to give us the commercial advantages we desire or has given too many to the Germans...? She has been a democratic state, standing for freedom in self-defence... and largely on our side.

Winston Churchill, Letter to Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden in 1944

From 1943 Switzerland stopped American and British aircraft, mainly bombers, overflying Switzerland during the Second World War. On numerous occasions during the war, Allied aircraft trespassed on Swiss airspace; mostly damaged Allied bombers returning from raids over Italy and Germany whose crews preferred internment by the Swiss to becoming prisoners of war. Over a hundred Allied aircraft crews were interned and placed in ski resorts which were left abandoned due to the lack of tourists after the outbreak of war. They were to be held in there until the war had ended. At least 940 American airmen attempted to escape into France after the invasion of Normandy, but Swiss authorities intercepted 183 internees. Over 160 of these airmen were incarcerated in a Swiss prison camp known as Wauwilermoos, which was located near Lucerne and commanded by André Béguin, a pro- Nazi Swiss officer. The American internees remained in Wauwilermoos until November 1944 when the U.S. State Department lodged protests against the Swiss government and eventually secured their release.

Switzerland was surrounded by Axis-controlled territory; this meant that they also suffered from Allied bombings during the war. An example of this would be when Schaffhausen was accidentally bombed by American planes on April 1, 1944; the town was mistaken for Ludwigshafen am Rhein, a German town 284 kilometres away.

These bombing incidents tested the neutrality of Switzerland as it showed the leniency of the Swiss towards Allied airspace violations. The bombings persisted and eventually Switzerland declared a zero-tolerance policy for violation by either Axis or Allied aircraft and authorised attacks on American aircraft.

The Swiss, although somewhat skeptical, reacted by treating these violations of their neutrality as "accidents". The United States was warned that single aircraft would be forced down, and their crews would still be allowed to seek refuge, while bomber formations in violation of airspace would be intercepted. While American politicians and diplomats tried to minimise the political damage caused by these incidents, others took a more hostile view. Some senior commanders argued that as Switzerland was "full of German sympathisers", it deserved to be bombed. General Henry H. Arnold, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Air Forces, even suggested that it was the Germans themselves who were flying captured Allied planes over Switzerland in an attempt to gain a propaganda victory.

## 1945–present

Following World War II, Switzerland began taking a more active role in humanitarian activities.

It joined the United Nations after a March 2002 referendum. 10 years after Switzerland joined the UN, in recorded votes in the United Nations General Assembly, Switzerland occupied a middle position, siding from time to time with member states like the United States and Israel, but at other times with countries like China. In the United Nations Human Rights Council Switzerland sided much more with Western countries and against countries like China and Russia.

Switzerland participated in the development of the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers (ICoC), intended as an oversight mechanism of private security providers. In September 2015, a "Federal Act on Private Security Services provided Abroad" was introduced, in order to " Swiss neutrality", as stated in its first article. It requires Switzerland-based private security companies to declare all operations conducted abroad, and to adhere to the ICoC. Moreover, it states that no physical or moral person falling under this law can participate directly—or indirectly through the offer of private security services—in any hostilities abroad. In 2016, the Section of Private Security Services (SPSS), an organ of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in charge of the procedures defined by the new law, has received 300 approval requests.

In 2011, Switzerland registered as a candidate for a seat on the United Nations Security Council in 2023–2024. In a 2015 report requested by parliament, the government stated that a Swiss seat on the Security Council would be "fully compatible with the principles of neutrality and with Switzerland’s neutrality policy". Opponents of the project such as former ambassador Paul Widmer consider that this seat would "put its neutrality at risk".

In 2014 Switzerland did not adopt EU-sanctions against Russia after the annexation of Crimea, but implemented rules that prevented bypassing the sanctions imposed by the European Union.

A 2018 survey found that 95% of Swiss were in favor of maintaining neutrality.

### Sales of Chemical Warfare Equipment to Iraq

Switzerland was involved in Iraqi Invasion of Iran, by providing dual use material and technology that allowed Iraq to target Iranian troops and civilians, leaving more than 100,000 casualties. Switzerland also sold chemical warfare defense equipment to Iran, and later joined a multinational team of specialists dispatched by the UN to Iran to investigate and confirm the casualties.

### Conflicts in the Middle East

The Swiss Armed Forces participated in the U.S.-led War in Afghanistan as observers, in what the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation described as the nation's "first military deployment since 1815". During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the United States was given permission to use Swiss airspace for surveillance missions over Iraq.

Switzerland sent weapons to Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, some of which were involved in the Saudi Arabian–led intervention in Yemen.

### Russian invasion of Ukraine

The Russian invasion of Ukraine sparked debate over the meaning and status of Swiss neutrality. In February 2022, Switzerland adopted sanctions imposed by the European Union against Russia in response to the invasion. While Switzerland follows defined rules to remain neutral in military conflicts, it imposed sanctions for this "serious violation of the most fundamental norms of international law... within the scope of its political room for manoeuvre". According to federal councilor Viola Amherd, Switzerland is only involved in humanitarian missions and will not allow direct shipments of arms to the war zone from or through its territory. Irrespective of the actual laws governing a neutral country, many media outlets still labelled this as a break with 500 years of Swiss neutrality. Russia perceived the sanctions in a similar way, as it rejected Switzerland's offer to mediate the conflict.

In February 2022, Switzerland further adopted the sanctioning of Russia by the European Union and froze many Russian bank accounts. Analysts said the move would affect the Swiss economy.

In March 2022, former Swiss federal councilor Christoph Blocher announced the ballot initiative 'Pro Souveräne Schweiz' (PSS), which would amend "integral neutrality" to the Swiss constitution. If approved, economic sanctions for example against Russia in 2022, would constitute a violation of Swiss neutrality. The initiative scheduled to be launched in fall 2022 is supported by the right-leaning Swiss People's Party (SVP).

In April 2022, the Federal Department of Economic Affairs vetoed Germany 's request to re-export Swiss ammunition to Ukraine on the basis of Swiss neutrality and the mandatory rejection criteria of the war material legislation. The defence ministry of Switzerland, initiated a report in May 2022 analyzing various military options, including increased cooperation and joint military exercises with NATO. However, NATO membership remains unpopular. A poll from March 2022 found that 27% of those surveyed supported Switzerland joining NATO, while 67% were opposed. Another from May 2022 indicated 33% of Swiss supported NATO membership for Switzerland, and 56% supported increased ties with NATO.

In September 2022 the Parliament of Switzerland voted against a revision of its law to impose independent sanctions. Therefore Switzerland can still only adopt sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council, the EU or the OECD.

A referendum on enshrining neutrality into Switzerland's constitution is expected in 2024, after sufficient signatures were collected to certify the initiative.

## Criticism

Swiss neutrality has been questioned at times, notably regarding Switzerland's role during World War II and the ICRC, the looted Nazi gold (and later during Operation Gladio), its economic ties to the apartheid regime in South Africa, and more recently in the Crypto AG espionage case.

Switzerland also supplied weapons to Saudi Arabia during the Saudi-led intervention in the Yemen, contrary to their own standards of selling weapons to countries involved in armed conflict.

Swiss aid to Ukraine after Russia's invasion in February 2022 has led some to questioning whether Switzerland is fully neutral anymore. Some have called for changing the laws of neutrality.


John Ogilby

# John Ogilby

## Abstract

John Ogilby, Ogelby, or Oglivie (17 November 1600 – 4 September 1676) was a Scottish translator, impresario, publisher and cartographer. He was probably at least a half-brother to James Ogilvy, 1st Earl of Airlie, though neither overtly acknowledged this. Ogilby's most-noted works include translations of the works of Virgil and Homer, and his version of the Fables of Aesop.

Ogilby established Ireland's first theatre in Werburgh Street, Dublin, and following the Restoration, that country's first Theatre Royal. Ogilby played a significant part in arrangements for the coronation of King Charles II. Following the Great Fire of 1666, Ogilby's large-scale map of the City of London was founded on precise survey work, and his Britannia is the first road atlas of England and Wales to be based on surveys and measurements, and drawn to scale.

## Life

### Childhood and youth (1600–1618)

John Ogilby's birthplace and parentage are historically uncertain; most early biographies of Ogilby rely on the notes of his assistant John Aubrey that were made for Aubrey's Brief Lives, a collection of biographies of Ogilby and others. The accuracy of Aubrey's account is questionable; Aubrey noted Ogilby was evasive about his origins, saying only he was born "near Edinburgh" in 1600 "of a gentleman's family". Later scholarship has discovered in 1653, Ogilby consulted the noted astrologer Elias Ashmole, and that Ashmole subsequently included Ogilby's horoscope in a personal collection of his horoscopes of notable people. The horoscope required precise data; Ashmole gives the exact location of Ogilby's birth as "Killemeure" (Kirriemuir near Dundee) and the exact date and time as 17 November 1600 at 04:00.

Ogilby believed himself to be at least a half-brother to James Ogilvy, 1st Earl of Airlie, given at birth to John Ogilby (senior), a well-off gentleman's tailor in Edinburgh, to be adopted. He was most likely educated at the Merchant Taylors' grammar school in London. At eleven years old, Ogilby was indentured as an apprentice to John Draper, one of just three licensed dance masters in London. At the time, a dancing master had expertise in "grammar (elocution), rhetoric, logic, philosophy, history, music, mathematics and in other arts": ability to dance in "Old Measures" was considered an essential skill for the upper classes. In 1617, Draper became a barrister at Gray's Inn and released Ogilby, who by then was highly accomplished as a dancer and a teacher, from the apprenticeship, allowing him to set up as a master in his own right and to take part in theatrical performances. A fall while dancing in a masque in February 1619 (aged 18), however, lamed him for life and ended his career as a dancer, though not as a teacher.

### Early adulthood (1619−1633)

Information about John Ogilby's early adulthood is limited. According to Ashmole's horoscope, in 1625, Ogilby suffered from a "double quotidian ague" – a form of malaria – he most probably contracted while fighting in the Low Countries under Colonel Sir Charles Rich. In May 1626, he is recorded as holding the rank of lieutenant in the army of Count Mansfield, subsequently becoming a prisoner of war in Dunkirk from July 1626 to June 1627. From June to November 1627, Ogilby was one of the few survivors of the ill-fated English Siege of Saint-Martin-de-Ré, returning to England as acting Captain of a supply ship.

### Ireland (1633−1646)

In August 1633, Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, the newly appointed Lord Deputy of Ireland, invited Ogilby to Ireland to be dancing tutor to his wife and children, and a member of his troop of guards. While in Dublin, Ogilby established Ireland's first theatre, the Werburgh Street Theatre. In 1637, as a consequence of this enterprise and to discourage competitors, Wentworth appointed Ogilby Master of the Revels for Ireland, with power to permit and forbid performances. The theatre remained open for four years; it had mixed success but it had to be closed as a result of the Irish Rebellion of 1641. With theatre and dancing ruled out, Ogilby spent his time learning Latin and then translating the complete works of Virgil.

### Writer and publisher, marriage (1647−1660)

Ogilby returned to England in January 1647, being shipwrecked on his homeward journey. The manuscript of his Virgil translation, which he had carefully placed in waterproof wrapping, survived the incident and was published in October 1648 with the sponsorship of Royalist gentlefolk and nobility.

In 1650, Ogilby married rich heiress Christian Hunsdon, a widow in her sixties and about 17 years Ogilby's senior. The following year, he published the first edition of his work The fables of Aesop paraphras'd in verse, and adorn'd with sculpture and illustrated with annotations, which was illustrated by Francis Cleyn. Ogilby's version of the text was very successful, running to five editions in the following 15 years.

During the next few years, Ogilby learnt Greek with the intention of creating and publishing a new translation of Homer 's Iliad; he planned it to be a magnificent undertaking with an estimated production cost of £5,000. The venture required sponsorship to pay for the engraved illustrations, each of which would cost about £10, but he secured only 47 sponsors. When the work published in March 1660, it had 600 pages but was substantially less illustrated than Ogilby had planned. With his known Royalist sympathies, Ogilby was a risk to potential patrons who needed to avoid offending the Puritan Commonwealth government.

### Restoration of the monarchy, the Great Fire and Royal Cosmographer (1661–1676)

The Restoration of Charles II brought favour back to Ogilby. In 1661, he was granted the unpaid title "Master of the Royal Imprimerie " (King's Printer). With Charles' coronation scheduled for 23 April 1661 – St. George's Day – the Common Council of the City of London contracted Ogilby to "compose speeches, songs and inscriptions" for the coronation procession from the Tower of London to Whitehall.

A year later, Ogilby was again made Master of the Revels in Ireland, and he started building a new theatre in Smock Alley, Dublin. The libretto of Katherine Philips ' musical play Pompey, which was performed at Smock Alley in 1663, credits Ogilby as the composer of the tunes. His second sojourn in Ireland was short-lived; in July 1664, he returned to plague-stricken London, leaving his step-son to take his place. In 1665, he published a second, revised edition of The Fables of Aesop, which was this time illustrated with prints by Wenceslaus Hollar.

During the Great Fire of London in 1666, Ogilby's house in Shoe Lane, together with its printing works and most of his stock, was destroyed; he estimated he had lost £3,000. After the Great Fire, the Corporation of London appointed Ogilby and his wife's grandson William Morgan as "sworn viewers", members of a group of four trustworthy gentlemen directed by Robert Hooke, to plot disputed property in the city. Ogilby later made what he called "the most accurate Survey of the City of London and Libertyes therof that has ever been done". By 1668, he had a new house in Whitefriars, and was ready to resume his printing and publishing work.

Ogilby's next major venture was a series of atlases of China, Japan, Africa, Asia and America. The first of these was An Embassy from the East India Company of the United Provinces..., first published in 1669 for Ogilby by John Macock and then reprinted in better quality by Ogilby himself in 1673. This book was substantially a translation of Johan Nieuhof 's Dutch publication of the same name with English copies of the Dutch engravings, supplemented by the first English translation of sections of Athanasius Kircher 's China Illustrata, relating various information from the Jesuit China Mission. Ogilby's Africa appeared in 1670 and was followed in rapid succession by Atlas Japanennsis (1670), America (1671), Atlas Chinensis (1671) and Asia (1673). In 1671, in response to his proposal to make a detailed survey and atlas of Great Britain, the King appointed Ogilby Royal Cosmographer. Thus, at about the age of 70 and with the scientific advice of Robert Hooke, Ogilby began work on Britannia, the project for which he is best known among cartographers.

#### Britannia

In 1675, Ogilby issued his atlas, which he titled Britannia, in the form of a strip map for each major route. The work contains 100 strip road maps that are accompanied by a double-sided page of text giving additional advice for the map's use, and notes on the towns shown and the pronunciations of their names. The roads were measured using a surveyor's wheel, which Ogilby called his "way-wiser", and were plotted at one inch to the statute mile – a scale of 1:63,360 – an Ogilby innovation. The maps include details such as the configurations of hills, bridges and ferries, and the relative sizes of towns. Ogilby is noted in cartography for these innovations.

The cost of the survey and the resulting maps is not known but in a prospectus, Ogilby quotes a preiminary estimate made by the "Lords Referees" – advisors to the Privy Council – as £14,000 (equivalent to about £ 2.9 million today). Ogilby worked hard to raise this considerable sum by holding lotteries, and with the help of Robert Hooke, who made multiple petitions to the Crown, the Court of Common Council and Court of Aldermen of the Corporation of London and to noble families. Writing in 1925, geographer Sir Herbert Fordham said:

twice only... has there been such: that of John Ogilby, in 1671-5, and that of John Cary, quite at the end of the following century. In neither case, singularly enough, did the Government take any steps for the publication of the results of the survey, everything being left, in this respect, to private and commercial enterprise.

### Death

Ogilby died in September 1676 and was buried in the vault of St Bride's Church, one of Sir Christopher Wren 's new London churches. In his will, dated 27 February 1675, Ogilby bequeathed his entire estate to "my deare wife Christian Ogilby and to William Morgan, her grandchild". The value of his estate is not recorded but the British Museum has a copy of an announcement by Robert Morden, a factor, of a sale of "undisposed" books and maps from Ogilby's collection with an asserted value of £517.50 (equivalent to about £ 115,000 today).

## Legacy

In the years that followed his death, Ogilby's reputation as a poetic translator suffered from attacks made on him by John Dryden in his satirical work MacFlecknoe, and by Alexander Pope in The Dunciad. Following their lead, Scottish philosopher David Hume used Ogilby's work to illustrate the idea that common sense frequently appeals to a "standard of taste" in aesthetic matters:

Whoever would assert an equality of genius and elegance between Ogilby and Milton, or Bunyan and Addison, would be thought to defend no less an extravagance, than if he had maintained a mole-hill to be as high as Teneriffe, or a pond as extensive as the ocean.

Other writers were even more critical; Ogilby's entry in the Encyclopaedia Londinensis (about 1800) reads:

The chief merit of his Homer consists in a commendable and uniform fidelity to the sense of his author. As a poet, his pretensions to praise of any kind can scarcely be supported: he has neither animation of thought, accuracy of taste, sensibility of feeling, nor ornament of diction.

Such judgements stuck, and it is only since the mid-20th century that Ogilby's work has again been given scholarly attention, particularly his versions of Aesop's Fables. These, according to a short biography published by Theophilus Cibber in 1753, were "generally confessed to have exceeded whatever hath been done before in that kind". They renewed interest in the fable as a literary medium and arguably initiated suggestions of their adaptation to the troubled politics of the time.

## Gallery


Parasol Stars

# Parasol Stars

## Abstract

Parasol Stars: The Story of Bubble Bobble III (パラソルスター) is a video game by Taito released in 1991. It is a sequel to Rainbow Islands and the third game in the Bubble Bobble series.

## Gameplay

Bubby and Bobby (the characters' human names) star once again as the main characters, retaining their human forms from Rainbow Islands, but Parasol Stars is more of a take on Bubble Bobble than it is on Rainbow Islands.

The game takes place on a number of different worlds, each with a distinct theme. Each world features seven rounds, the last one always hosting a boss that must be defeated to progress to the next world. There are eight main worlds, but in order to complete the game properly, the player must open a secret door on the final world by collecting three of the Star items - allowing access to 2 secret worlds, themed around Bubble Bobble and Chack'n Pop that are not initially visible on the main screen. Completing these two lead to the final boss, Chaostikhan (the one responsible for stealing color from the worlds, and supposedly the mastermind behind the previous game's villains) and the true ending. According to an ACE magazine in-depth preview, the Amiga and Atari ST versions also contain a secret "Nightmare" world.

The player is armed with a parasol. While it is normally closed, the player can deploy it in two ways; either open in front of them, or open above the head. The parasol is a multipurpose device, it can block as a shield, stun enemies, capture droplets or hurl enemies. At many points it can be used as a parachute.

The rounds are simple arrangements of platforms. Almost every level has droplets which drip from points in the level. They fall under the influence of gravity and roll along the platforms within the screen. The player can capture these on their parasol and throw them at enemies.

The parasol can hold more than one droplet at once; if five are held, they merge into a large droplet with a special power. There are four different kinds of droplets, with a mostly elemental theme, some of which are carried over from Bubble Bobble.

## Release

Unlike many other games in the series, Parasol Stars was never released to arcades - it was originally developed for the NEC PC Engine, and later converted to a number of other home systems. Parasol Stars was misreported as being the third coin-op in the Bubble Bobble series by many magazines at the time, and there are rumours about prototypes for an arcade version. Taito has officially stated that an arcade game was never produced. Mick West (who was the programmer of the Amiga and Atari ST versions) said that they ported the game directly from the PC Engine by playing it and that he did not know anything about an arcade version.

The game was released in limited quantities in North America for the TurboGrafx-16 by Working Designs. The Amiga, Atari ST, NES, and Game Boy versions were produced by Ocean Software and published exclusively in Europe in 1992. A ZX Spectrum port was planned, but later cancelled. The game was also planned for the Commodore 64, but was cancelled as well. Ocean initially explained that the developer's computer was stolen in a burglary, but it was later revealed that the game was scrapped after the freelance developer's wife destroyed said computer in a drunken rage, along with the backups of the work. The compilation release Bubble Bobble featuring Rainbow Islands for the Sega Saturn, Sony PlayStation, and PC was originally going to include Parasol Stars as well, but was dropped from the lineup mid-development.On July 11, 2024 the game got ported for the Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox one, Xbox series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC.

## Relation to other games

The game's subtitle is The Story of Bubble Bobble III, which was also used as the subtitle for Bubble Memories, released in arcades in 1995. Bubble Memories is a prequel (given the "Memories" part of the name) to the 1994 game Bubble Symphony, which was released as Bubble Bobble 2 in some countries. Nonetheless, Rainbow Islands is indeed the sequel to the original Bubble Bobble, even though said sequel doesn't retain the gameplay from the first. Since Bubble Memories was released years after Parasol Stars, it may be a retcon in which Parasol Stars never happened, whereby after the events of Rainbow Islands, the humans Bubby and Bobby are once again transformed into the bubble dragons Bubblun and Bobblun. However, it's also possible that Parasol Stars could be a side story, or " gaiden " to the series occurring after Rainbow Islands, but before Bubble Memories. The game has also been released as Parasol Stars: Rainbow Islands II, such as on the NES.

## Musical reference

Much like Rainbow Islands used The Wizard of Oz ' s song " Somewhere Over the Rainbow ", also Parasol Stars made a reference to a well known song in its soundtrack. The game's boss fight music is a variation of the 1989 summer hit " Lambada " by the French-Brazilian pop group Kaoma.

## Reception

CU Amiga praised the game, giving it 95% and a "Super Star". Amiga Power was a little less enthusiastic, giving it 88%.

Entertainment Weekly picked the game as the #15 greatest game available in 1991, saying: "This one's even more fun to play than it is to describe: Bubby (or Bobby when two play simultaneously) uses his umbrella to flick bizarre meanies across the screen and turn them into pieces of cake, apples, mushrooms, etc., which he then gobbles up in order to earn points".


2014 in Guinea-Bissau

# 2014 in Guinea-Bissau

## Abstract

Events in the year 2014 in Guinea-Bissau.

## Incumbents

- President: Manuel Serifo Nhamadjo

- Prime Minister: Rui Duarte de Barros

## Events

- 13 April - General election

- 18 May - Second round of the presidential election; won by José Mário Vaz.