title: Mad Max (film)

text: The musical score for "Mad Max" was composed and conducted by Australian composer Brian May (not to be confused with the guitarist of the English rock band Queen). Miller wanted a Gothic, Bernard Herrmann–type score and hired May after hearing his work for "Patrick" (1978). May said: "With the little budget that we had we went ahead and did it, and spent a lot of time on it. George was marvelous to work with; he had a lot of ideas about what he wanted although he wasn’t a musician."


title: Mad Max (film)

text: "Mad Max" was first released in Australia through Roadshow Film Distributors (now Village Roadshow Pictures) in 1979. It was sold overseas for $1.8 million—American International Pictures (AIP) acquired the distribution rights for the United States (it would be one of the last films released by AIP before the company was folded into Filmways), while Warner Bros. handled the rest of the world. The film was banned in New Zealand and Sweden, in the former because the scene in which Goose is burned alive inside his vehicle unintentionally mirrored an incident with a real gang shortly before the film's release. In 1983, after the success of the sequel, "Mad Max" was shown in New Zealand with an R18 certificate. The ban in Sweden was removed in 2005, and the film has since been shown on television and sold on home media there.


title: Mad Max (film)

text: When "Mad Max" was released in the United States in 1980, the original Australian dialogue was redubbed by American voice actors, and much of the Australian slang and terminology was replaced (examples: "Oi!" became "Hey!", "See looks!" became "See what I see?", "windscreen" became "windshield", "very toey" became "super hot", and "proby"—probationary officer—became "rookie"). AIP also altered the operator's duty call on Jim Goose's bike in the beginning of the film (it ended with "Come on, Goose, where are you?"). The only exceptions to the dubbing were the singer in the Sugartown Cabaret (played by Robina Chaffey), Charlie (played by John Ley) when he speaks through the mechanical voice box, and Goose (Steve Bisley) when he sings while driving the truck before being ambushed. Since Mel Gibson was not well known to American audiences at the time, trailers and television spots in the United States emphasised the film's action content. The original Australian dialogue track was finally released in North America in 2000 in a limited theatrical reissue by MGM (the film's rights holders at the time), and the film has since been released in the U.S. on DVD with the American and Australian soundtracks included on separate audio tracks. In 2021, North American rights to "Mad Max" reverted to Warner Bros., so WB now fully owns all four films in the "Mad Max" series everywhere except for Australia and New Zealand.


title: Mad Max (film)

text: The film was released on DVD on 1 January 2002 and re-released on DVD on 15 September 2015. It was released on Blu-ray on 5 October 2010 and re-released on Blu-ray on 15 September 2015 by 20th Century Fox. Kino Lorber (on behalf of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, under license to MGM Home Entertainment) released the film on 4K Blu-ray Disc on 24 November 2020. On 16 November 2021 (by which time North American rights to the film had reverted to WB), it was reissued in 4K along with the three other films in the series as part of the "Mad Max Anthology" 4K set from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.


title: Mad Max (film)

text: "Mad Max" grossed A$5,355,490 at the box office in Australia and over US$100 million worldwide. Given its small production budget, it was the most profitable film ever made at the time and held the Guinness World Record for the highest box-office-to-budget ratio of any motion picture until the release of "The Blair Witch Project" (1999).


title: Mad Max (film)

text: Upon its release, the film polarized critics. In a 1979 review, the Australian social commentator and film producer Phillip Adams condemned "Mad Max", saying that it had "all the emotional uplift of "Mein Kampf" and would be "a special favourite of rapists, sadists, child murderers and incipient Mansons". After its United States release, Tom Buckley of "The New York Times" called the film "ugly and incoherent", and Stephen King, writing in "Danse Macabre", called it a "turkey". However, "Variety" magazine praised the directorial debut by Miller.


title: Mad Max (film)

text: The film was awarded three Australian Film Institute Awards in 1979 (for editing, musical score, and sound), and was given a special award for stunt work; it was also nominated for Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor (Hugh Keays-Byrne). At the Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival, the film won the Special Jury Award.


title: Mad Max (film)

text: On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 91% approval rating based on 64 reviews, with an average score of 7.8/10; the site's "critics consensus" reads: "Staging the improbable car stunts and crashes to perfection, director George Miller succeeds completely in bringing the violent, post-apocalyptic world of "Mad Max" to visceral life." The film has been included in "best films of all time" lists from "The New York Times" and "The Guardian".


title: Candace Parker

text: Candace Nicole Parker (born April 19, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was selected as the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks.


title: Candace Parker

text: A versatile player, Parker mainly plays the forward and center positions. In high school, Parker won the 2003 and 2004 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year awards, becoming just the second junior and the only woman to receive the award twice. As a college player for Tennessee, she led the team to two consecutive national championships (2007, 2008), was named the Final Four's most outstanding player in both occasions, and was a two-time consensus national player of the year. As a redshirt freshman, she became the first woman to dunk in an NCAA tournament game and the first woman to dunk twice in a college game. After being selected in the WNBA Draft, Parker signed long-term endorsement deals with Adidas and Gatorade.


title: Candace Parker

text: In 2016, Parker helped the Sparks to win their first WNBA Finals title since 2002. In 2021, she helped the Sky win their first title. Parker has won two WNBA Most Valuable Player Awards (2008, 2013), a WNBA Finals MVP Award (2016), a WNBA All-Star Game MVP Award (2013), two Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012), and the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award (2008). She has been selected to six All-WNBA teams and five All-Star teams, and was the first player to win the Rookie of the Year and the Most Valuable Player awards in the same season. Parker became the second player to dunk in a WNBA game on June 22, 2008.


title: Candace Parker

text: Since 2018, Parker has been an analyst and commentator for Turner Sports, providing coverage for NBA games on TNT and NBA TV and for the NCAA men's basketball tournament.


title: Candace Parker

text: Parker was born on April 19, 1986 in St. Louis, Missouri. She has two older brothers, including former NBA basketball player Anthony Parker.


title: Candace Parker

text: Parker and her family moved to Naperville, Illinois at the age of two, where she spent her childhood. Her family loved basketball and she began playing at an early age. Her father played basketball at the University of Iowa in the 1970s. The Parker family were also Chicago Bulls fans. Candace was worried about playing basketball, fearing she would not live up to the level of play her father and brother demonstrated, so she focused on playing soccer. It wasn't until the eighth grade that her family convinced her to play basketball. Her father helped coach and critique her. Parker said of the experience, "He did things to make me mad, to challenge me, because I was so much more athletic and had so much more knowledge of the game than everyone else that sometimes I just coasted. If me and my dad went to a park and he didn't think I was practicing hard enough, he'd just get in the car and leave. And I'd have to run home. I mean run home. Once I figured that out, I'd always try to go to close-by parks."


title: Candace Parker

text: During her youth in the Chicago area, Parker grew up adoring the Chicago Bulls and was a Michael Jordan fan. Her all-time favorite player is Ron Harper, of whom she had a picture hanging in her bedroom.


title: Candace Parker

text: Like her older brother Anthony Parker, she attended Naperville Central High School in Naperville, Illinois. Parker led her high school basketball team to Class AA state titles in 2003 and 2004, and compiled a school-record 2,768 points (22.9 points per game) and 1,592 rebounds (13.2 rebounds per game) while starting 119 of the 121 games in which she played.


title: Candace Parker

text: She is the only two-time award winner of the "USA Today" High School Player of the Year, winning the award in 2003 and 2004. Parker also won the Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award and Gatorade Female Basketball Player of the Year Award in 2003 and 2004. In 2004, she was named Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year, WBCA All-American and McDonald's All-American. She participated in the 2004 WCBA All-America Game where she scored nine points. She was also a consensus pick as player of the year in Illinois in 2002, 2003, and 2004, and was a four-year member of the All-State first team.


title: Candace Parker

text: On December 27, 2001, Parker dunked for the first time in competition as a 15-year-old sophomore at Naperville Central High School. This is believed to be the first slam dunk by a female athlete in Illinois. On March 29, 2004, Parker won the slam dunk contest at McDonald's All-American Game, becoming the first woman to win the event and beating the likes of Josh Smith and J. R. Smith.


title: Candace Parker

text: On November 11, 2003, during her senior year, Parker announced her commitment to Tennessee on ESPNEWS, becoming the first women's player to announce the oral commitment live on the network.


title: Candace Parker

text: In August 2004, Parker led the undefeated USA Junior World Championship team to a gold medal with 16.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. While training, Parker had a relapse of knee pain and was required to undergo surgery both the lateral meniscus and the lateral articular cartilage in her left knee.


title: Candace Parker

text: She wears the number 3 on her jersey to honor former NBA player Allen Iverson who encouraged her during her high school career.


title: Candace Parker

text: Parker entered the University of Tennessee in the fall of 2004. On February 17, 2005, Tennessee announced Parker would redshirt her first season due to a knee injury she had suffered in a summer league game.


title: Candace Parker

text: Parker started for the Tennessee Lady Vols during the 2005–06 season. She was listed on the roster as a forward, center, and guard. On March 19, 2006, in an NCAA tournament first-round game against Army, she became the first woman to dunk in an NCAA tournament game, then became the first woman to dunk twice in an NCAA tournament game. She was the SEC Rookie of the Year (Coaches and AP) and helped the Lady Vols win the 2006 SEC tournament championship. With 17 seconds remaining in the SEC tournament championship game against LSU, Parker hit the game-winning shot. She was named tournament MVP and was named to the 2006 Kodak All-America team, making her one of the few to ever receive the award as a freshman. However, in the NCAA tournament regional finals against North Carolina, Parker got in early foul trouble and was out of the game for much of the first half. Tennessee ultimately lost the game.


title: Candace Parker

text: Parker was the only college player named to the USA squad for the 2006 FIBA World Championship for Women in Brazil. The USA squad finished in third place.


title: Candace Parker

text: In a January 28, 2007 away game against Alabama, in her sophomore season, Parker became the fastest player in Lady Vols history to score 1,000 career points. She achieved the record in 56 games, beating Chamique Holdsclaw's mark of 57 games and Tamika Catchings's of 58 games. On March 1, at the SEC tournament in Duluth, Georgia, Parker was named the 2007 SEC Player of the Year. On April 3, she led the Lady Vols to their first National Championship since 1998, beating Rutgers 59–46. Parker finished the game with 17 points and earned the tournament's Most Outstanding Player honor.


title: Candace Parker

text: On February 21, 2008, Parker announced that she would forgo her final season of eligibility at Tennessee in order to focus on the 2008 Olympics and pursue a professional career in basketball. On April 8, 2008, despite having suffered a dislocated shoulder in the regional final, Parker led the Lady Vols to their second straight NCAA women's title, the eighth championship for Tennessee and the last for legendary coach Pat Summitt. She was also named the Most Outstanding Player for the second consecutive NCAA tournament, joining Cheryl Miller, Chamique Holdsclaw, and Diana Taurasi as the only female players to have done so.


title: Candace Parker

text: She graduated with her incoming class in May 2008. A sports management major who had a 3.35 grade-point average as of December 2007, she was named University Division I Academic All-American of the Year in women's basketball for 2008 by the College Sports Information Directors of America. While at Tennessee, she compiled a record of 100 wins and 10 losses and averaged 19.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.9 steals, and 2.4 blocks per game.


title: Candace Parker

text: Parker was selected as the first pick in the 2008 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks on April 9, 2008, one day after winning the NCAA title. She played alongside Olympic teammates Lisa Leslie and DeLisha Milton-Jones. Shannon Bobbitt, Parker's teammate at Tennessee, joined the Sparks after being drafted in the second round.


title: Candace Parker

text: On May 17, 2008, in her debut game against the Phoenix Mercury, she had 34 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. Her 34 points broke the record for a rookie in a debut game, previously held by Cynthia Cooper with 25 points in her debut game in 1997. It is a record that still stands to this day.


title: Candace Parker

text: On June 22, 2008, she became the second woman in WNBA history—after her teammate Lisa Leslie—to dunk during a regulation WNBA game, against the Indiana Fever. The dunk was on the same basket as Lisa Leslie's. On June 24, 2008, she became the first player to dunk twice in their WNBA career, during a regulation game against the Seattle Storm.


title: Candace Parker

text: On July 9, 2008, Parker scored a career-high 40 points, along with 16 rebounds and 6 assists, in an 82–74 overtime win against the Houston Comets.


title: Candace Parker

text: In August 2008, the WNBA suspended play for a couple of weeks to allow their players to join the national teams at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Parker was selected to go, and the US team cruised with eight straight victories to win the gold medal. Parker averaged 9.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, and scored 14 points in the final game.


title: Candace Parker

text: On October 3, 2008, Parker became the first WNBA player to win both the Rookie of the Year and the Most Valuable Player awards in the same season, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Wes Unseld as the only professional American basketball players to win both ROY and MVP trophies in the same season.


title: Candace Parker

text: Parker missed the first eight games of the 2009 WNBA season after giving birth to her daughter, Lailaa Nicole Williams. By this time, the Sparks acquired Tina Thompson and Betty Lennox to help carry the team during Parker's absence. On June 30, Parker returned to practice with her teammates for the first time. She played her first game back from maternity leave on July 5, 2009. Parker was named to the All-WNBA second team and All-Defensive second team despite missing almost a full month, due to her maternity leave. She had averaged a career-low in scoring but led the league in rebounding by the end of the season. Parker helped the Sparks get to the Western Conference Finals, but lost in three games to the eventual champions, the Phoenix Mercury. In the playoffs, Parker averaged 18 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.


title: Candace Parker

text: In 2010, Parker played only 10 games and was sidelined for the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury, she would also miss the playoffs. In 2011, Parker played her first six games. During the seventh game, with 5:56 left in the third quarter, Parker went down after grabbing a defensive rebound and making brief contact with Quanitra Hollingsworth. After getting an MRI on June 27, she found out she had a torn meniscus in her right knee. She had been voted as an All-Star during the season, but the injury would cause her to miss the 2011 WNBA All-Star Game. Six weeks later, she returned and played the remainder of the season, but the Sparks were eliminated from playoff contention with a disappointing 15–19 record.


title: Candace Parker

text: In 2012, Parker had re-signed with the Sparks to a multi-year deal once her rookie contract expired. She had played the full season and helped her team to a 24–10 record, making the playoffs as the second seed in the west. In the first round, they beat the San Antonio Stars two games to none. In the Western Conference Finals, against the Minnesota Lynx, the Sparks lost two games to none, while Parker scored 33 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and had 4 blocks in a must-win game two, which they lost, 80–79, therefore ending their season. Parker was very emotional following the loss, hugging her mother Sara with tears.


title: Candace Parker

text: On July 27, 2013, in her sixth season, Parker played in her first All-Star game. She scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a come from behind win for the West and was named WNBA All-Star MVP. The Sparks finished with the same record (24–10) as the year earlier, again earning the second seed in the Western Conference. On September 19, Parker was named the 2013 WNBA Most Valuable Player. Parker became the fifth player to earn multiple WNBA MVP awards, joining Lisa Leslie (3), Sheryl Swoopes (3), Lauren Jackson (3) and Cynthia Cooper (2). The Sparks faced the Phoenix Mercury in the Western Conference Semifinals. In game one, at Staples Center, the Sparks lost, forcing them to win in game two, at Phoenix to stay in the series. In game two, Parker scored 31 points and had 11 rebounds to lead the Sparks to a win, bringing the series back to L.A. for a game three. In a nailbiter, the Sparks lost on a last second jumper by Phoenix rookie Brittney Griner, ending the Sparks' season by one point for the second straight year.


title: Candace Parker

text: In January 2014, Williams Group Holdings abruptly announced they would relinquish their ownership of the Sparks. For a brief time, the Sparks future in Los Angeles was in some jeopardy. Despite major uncertainty, a month later the team was purchased by an investment group including Magic Johnson, with promises of bringing a championship to Los Angeles. The team went into the All-Star break with an unexpected 10–13 record. Immediately after the break, head coach Carol Ross was let go and General Manager and former player, Penny Toler, assumed the position of coach for the remainder of the season. Parker led her team to finish with a 16–18 record and clinched the number 4 seed to head to the playoffs for the 14th time in franchise history and 6th time for Parker. Despite enormous effort from her in the series, they lost 72–75 in Game 1 and 93–68 in Game 2 to the eventual champions the Phoenix Mercury, marking the second consecutive year the Mercury knocked the Sparks out of the playoffs in the semi-final round. Parker averaged 19.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game in the regular season.


title: Candace Parker

text: In 2016, Parker re-signed with the Sparks as an unrestricted free agent. During the season, Parker averaged 15.3 points per game, becoming the team's second option next to Nneka Ogwumike who led the team in scoring and won the MVP award. However, in late June, Parker's college coach and mentor, Pat Summitt, died at the age of 64 from Alzheimer's disease. That night, against the Dallas Wings, Parker had an incredible performance in the second half, finishing the game with 31 points, and had her season high of rebounding with 13, guiding her team to a victory. In an emotional post-game interview, she dedicated the season to Summitt. With a supporting cast of Nneka Ogwumike and Kristi Toliver, the Sparks were a championship contender in the league, finishing 26–8. With the WNBA's new playoff format in effect, the Sparks were the number 2 seed in the league with a double-bye to the semi-finals (the last round before the WNBA Finals) facing the Chicago Sky. The Sparks defeated the Sky 3–1 in the series, advancing to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2003.


title: Candace Parker

text: In the WNBA Finals, it was only the second time in league history where two teams from the same conference faced each other in the Finals due to the new playoff format, as the Sparks faced the championship-defending Minnesota Lynx. This finals series proved to be the best the WNBA had ever seen, with Parker being at the forefront of the Sparks' success. For Game 3, in Los Angeles, Parker put up her best performance of the finals thus far, contributing 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists to help the Sparks take a 2–1 series lead, with a dominant 92–75 win. This put Parker one win away from her first title, as the Sparks already had one victory in their hands. However, the Lynx upset the Sparks on their home court in Game 4 with an 85–79 win, forcing a winner-take-all Game 5. The Sparks would end up winning the decisive Game 5 on the road, that ended with a game winning close range shot by Parker's teammate, Nneka Ogwumike, who put the Sparks ahead 77–76 with 3.1 seconds remaining after grabbing an offensive rebound. The Sparks claimed their first championship since 2002. After the game, an emotional Parker uttered the words "this is for Pat," implying that the championship win was in honor of Pat Summitt. Parker won her first championship and won Finals MVP. In Game 5 of the series, Parker had scored a game-high 28 points along with 12 rebounds. Also in 2016, Parker was named in the WNBA Top 20@20, a list of the league's best 20 players ever in celebration of the WNBA's twentieth anniversary.


title: Candace Parker

text: In February 2017, Parker signed a multi-year contract extension with the Sparks. During the 2017 season, Parker was voted into the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her fourth all-star nomination. On July 28, 2017, Parker became the sixth player in league history to record a triple-double in an 85–73 win over the San Antonio Stars as she scored 11 points, tied her career-high of 17 rebounds along with a career-high 11 assists. She would finish the season averaging 16.9 points per game, as the Sparks repeated the same regular season success as last year as the number 2 seed in the league with a 26–8 record, receiving a double-bye to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, the Sparks defeated the Phoenix Mercury in a 3-game sweep. The series ended on a game-winning layup by Parker with 2.9 seconds left in Game 3, putting the Sparks up 89–87 as they advanced to the WNBA Finals for the second season in a row, setting up a rematch with the Minnesota Lynx. In Game 3 of the 2017 WNBA Finals, Parker set the record for most steals in a Finals game with 5 steals along with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks in a 75–64 win, putting the Sparks up 2–1 in the series. However, the Sparks would lose the next two games, failing to win back-to-back championships as they lost to the Lynx in five games.


title: Candace Parker

text: On July 10, 2018, Parker made history with a stat line of 21 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 blocks in a 77–75 overtime victory against the Seattle Storm, making her the first player in WNBA history to achieve such a stat line. On July 15, 2018, Parker scored a season-high 34 points along with 11 rebounds and 9 assists in a 99–78 victory over the Las Vegas Aces. On July 19, 2018, Parker was voted into the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her fifth all-star nomination. Parker finished off the season, averaging 17.9 ppg and the Sparks finished as the number 6 seed with a 19–15 record. In the first round elimination game, they faced the rival Minnesota Lynx, in which they won 75–68 to advance to the second round. In the second round elimination game, the Sparks lost 96–64 to the Washington Mystics, ending their run of two consecutive finals appearances.


title: Candace Parker

text: In May 2019, Parker suffered a hamstring injury during the Sparks' first preseason game and was ruled out 3–5 weeks. Parker made her season debut on June 18, 2019, she scored 3 points on 1-of-9 shooting from the field in an 81–52 loss to the Washington Mystics. On August 4, 2019, Parker scored a season-high 21 points in an 83–75 victory over the Seattle Storm. On September 3, 2019, Parker tied her season-high of 21 points in a 70–60 victory over the Atlanta Dream. The Sparks ended up finishing as the number 3 seed with a 22–12 record, receiving a bye to the second round. In the second round elimination game, the Sparks defeated the defending champions Seattle Storm 92–69. However, in the semi-finals, the Sparks were eliminated in a three-game sweep by the Connecticut Sun.


title: Candace Parker

text: In the 2020 season, which was shortened and took place in a "bubble" at IMG Academy due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Parker started all 22 games for the Sparks. She posted a 51% field goal percentage, her best since 2011, and averaged 14.7 points per game. She led the league in rebounding (9.7 per game) and recorded a league-leading 10 double-double performances. The Sparks earned the third-seed and a first-round bye in the playoffs, but lost a single-elimination game to the seventh-seeded Connecticut Sun in the second round. Parker was named Defensive Player of the Year for the first time in her career. However, she was controversially left off the first and second WNBA All-Defensive Teams. The discrepancy arose because media members vote on the Defensive Player of the Year Award while coaches vote on the All-Defensive Teams.


title: Candace Parker

text: In 2021, Parker became an unrestricted free agent. She chose to leave the Sparks after 13 seasons, signing a 2-year deal with the Chicago Sky. The move to the Sky gave her the opportunity to play a little closer to home and compete for another championship. Parker stated "Chicago is where my family raised me; where I first learned the game of basketball; and where I first fell in love with this orange ball...I am excited to continue the next chapter of my career where it all began. To my new teammates, my new organization, and my new fans: I’m home."


title: Candace Parker

text: During the season, Parker was named to The W25, consisting of the 25 players considered by a panel of media and pioneering women's basketball figures to have been the best and most influential in the league's 25 seasons. The regular season ended with Parker and the Sky earning the #6 seed in that season's playoffs. They won two single elimination games, followed by an upset of the Connecticut Sun in the semifinals, before beating the Phoenix Mercury to win the 2021 WNBA Finals.


title: Candace Parker

text: Parker, was a member of the USA Women's U18 team which won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. The event was held in August 2004, when the USA team defeated Puerto Rico to win the championship. Parker was the leading scorer for the team, averaging 16.6 points per game.


title: Candace Parker

text: Parker was invited to the USA Basketball Women's National Team training camp in the fall of 2009. The team selected to play for the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Olympics is usually chosen from these players. At the conclusion of the training camp, the team traveled to Ekaterinburg, Russia, where they competed in the 2009 UMMC Ekaterinburg International Invitational.


title: Candace Parker

text: Parker played for Team USA at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She led the team in rebounds and blocks throughout the Olympics, helping them win another gold medal, defeating France 86–50 in the gold medal game.


title: Candace Parker

text: Despite her performance in the previous Olympics and participation in the national team training into the summer of 2016, Parker was not selected to play for Team USA in the 2016 Summer Olympics. USA Basketball extended an invitation to Parker for the 2017–2020 national team training camp, but she declined, in light of her exclusion from the team for the Rio games.


title: Candace Parker

text: During each WNBA off-season from 2010 to 2015, Parker played for UMMC Ekaterinburg of the Russian League, winning five consecutive championships with the team. Parker played with teammate, Kristi Toliver in her final off-season with the team. During the 2015-16 WNBA off-season, Parker signed with the Guangdong Dolphins in January 2016, to replace Yelena Leuchanka during the WCBA playoffs. In February 2017, Parker signed a 2-month contract with Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Super League. In December 2017, Parker signed with the Xinjiang Magic Deer of the Chinese League for the 2017–18 WNBA off-season.


title: Candace Parker

text: In 2018, Parker began serving as an analyst and commentator for "NBA on TNT" broadcasts of Tuesday games during the 2018–19 NBA season. She also served as an analyst for the 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game. In 2019, she signed a multi-year extension with Turner Sports to be an analyst and commentator for "NBA on TNT", NBA TV, and NCAA Tournament coverage on CBS Sports.


title: Candace Parker

text: On November 13, 2008, Parker married Shelden Williams, who played college basketball at Duke University and also played in the NBA. The couple has a daughter born in 2009. In 2013, the couple purchased a home in Encino, Los Angeles, for $3.56 million. In November 2016, the couple split up after eight years of marriage when Williams filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences".


title: Candace Parker

text: In October 2020, Parker and her daughter became part of the ownership group of Angel City FC, a Los Angeles–based team that started play in the National Women's Soccer League in 2022.


title: Candace Parker

text: On December 14, 2021, Parker announced that she had married Anna Petrakova in 2019 and that they were expecting a baby.


title: Candace Parker

text: Parker has a dog named Prada. She previously had a St. Bernard mix named Fendi, whom she appeared with in an anti-fur ad for PETA.


title: Rajput

text: Rajput (from Sanskrit "raja-putra" 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Rajput covers various patrilineal clans historically associated with warriorhood: several clans claim Rajput status, although not all claims are universally accepted. According to modern scholars, almost all Rajput clans originated from peasant or pastoral communities.


title: Rajput

text: Over time, the Rajputs emerged as a social class comprising people from a variety of ethnic and geographical backgrounds. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the membership of this class became largely hereditary, although new claims to Rajput status continued to be made in the later centuries. Several Rajput-ruled kingdoms played a significant role in many regions of central and northern India from seventh century onwards.


title: Rajput

text: The Rajput population and the former Rajput states are found in northern, western, central and eastern India as well as southern and eastern Pakistan. These areas include Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Eastern Punjab, Western Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Sindh.


title: Rajput

text: The origin of the Rajputs has been a much-debated topic among historians. Historian Satish Chandra states: "Modern historians are more or less agreed that the Rajputs consisted of miscellaneous groups including Shudra and tribals. Some were Brahmans who took to warfare, and some were from Tribes- indigenous or foreign". Thus, the Rajput community formation was a result of political factors that influenced caste mobility, called Sanskritization by some scholars and Rajputization by others. Modern scholars agree that nearly all Rajputs clans originated from peasant or pastoral communities.


title: Rajput

text: Alf Hiltebeitel discusses three theories by Raj era and early writers for Rajput origin and gives the reasons as to why these theories are dismissed by modern research. British colonial-era writers characterised Rajputs as descendants of the foreign invaders such as the Scythians or the Hunas, and believed that the Agnikula myth was invented to conceal their foreign origin. According to this theory, the Rajputs originated when these invaders were assimilated into the Kshatriya category during the 6th or 7th century, following the collapse of the Gupta Empire. While many of these colonial writers propagated this foreign-origin theory in order to legitimise the colonial rule, the theory was also supported by some Indian scholars, such as D. R. Bhandarkar. The second theory was promulgated by the Vaidya who believed in the Aryan invasion theory and that the entire 9th-10th century Indian populace was composed of only one race - the Aryans who had not yet mixed with the Shudras or Dravidians. Nationalist historians Vaidya and R.B. Singh write that the Rajputs had originated from the Vedic Aryan Kshatriyas of the epics - Ramayana and Mahabharata. Vaidya bases this theory on certain attributes - such as bravery and "physical strength" of Draupadi and Kausalya and the bravery of the Rajputs. However, Hiltebeitel says that such "affinities do not point to an unbroken continuity between an ancient epic period" in the Vedic period (3500 BCE - 3000 BCE according to Vaidya) and the "great Rajput tradition" that started in sixteenth-century Rajasthan instead "raise the question of similarities between the epics' allusions to Vedic Vratya warbands and earlier medieval low status Rajput clans". Hiltebeitel concludes that such attempts to trace Rajputs from epic and Vedic sources are "unconvincing" and cites Nancy MacLean and B.D. Chattopadhyaya to label Vaidya's historiography on Rajputs as "often hopeless". A third group of historians, which includes Jai Narayan Asopa, theorised that the Rajputs were Brahmins who became rulers. However, such "one track arguments" and "contrived evidence" such as shape of the head, cultural stereotypes, etc. are dismissed by Hiltebeitel who refers to such claims and Asopa's epic references as "far-fetched" or "unintelligible".


title: Rajput

text: Recent research suggests that the Rajputs came from a variety of ethnic and geographical backgrounds and various Varnas. Tanuja Kothiyal states: "In the colonial ethnographic accounts rather than referring to Rajputs as having emerged from other communities, Bhils, Mers, Minas, Gujars, Jats, Raikas, all lay a claim to a Rajput past from where they claim to have 'fallen'. Historical processes, however, suggest just the opposite".


title: Rajput

text: The root word ""rajaputra"" (literally "son of a king") first appears as a designation for royal officials in the 11th century Sanskrit inscriptions. According to some scholars, it was reserved for the immediate relatives of a king; others believe that it was used by a larger group of high-ranking men. The derivative word "rajput" meant 'horse soldier', 'trooper', 'headman of a village' or 'subordinate chief' before the 15th century. Individuals with whom the word "rajput" was associated before the 15th century were considered "varna–samkara" ("mixed caste origin") and inferior to Kshatriya. Over time, the term "Rajput" came to denote a hereditary political status, which was not necessarily very high: the term could denote a wide range of rank-holders, from an actual son of a king to the lowest-ranked landholder.


title: Rajput

text: According to scholars, in medieval times "the political units of India were probably ruled most often by men of very low birth" and this "may be equally applicable for many clans of 'Rajputs' in northern India". Burton Stein explains that this process of allowing rulers, frequently of low social origin, a "clean" rank via social mobility in the Hindu Varna system serves as one of the explanations of the longevity of the unique Indian civilisation.


title: Rajput

text: Gradually, the term Rajput came to denote a social class, which was formed when the various tribal and nomadic groups became landed aristocrats, and transformed into the ruling class. These groups assumed the title "Rajput" as part of their claim to higher social positions and ranks. The early medieval literature suggests that this newly formed Rajput class comprised people from multiple castes. Thus, the Rajput identity is not the result of a shared ancestry. Rather, it emerged when different social groups of medieval India sought to legitimise their newly acquired political power by claiming Kshatriya status. These groups started identifying as Rajput at different times, in different ways. Thus, modern scholars summarise that Rajputs were a "group of open status" since the eighth century, mostly illiterate warriors who claimed to be reincarnates of ancient Indian Kshatriyas – a claim that had no historical basis. Moreover, this unfounded Kshatriya status claim showed a sharp contrast to the classical varna of Kshatriyas as depicted in Hindu literature in which Kshatriyas are depicted as an educated and urbanite clan. Historian Thomas R. Metcalf mentions the opinion of Indian scholar K. M. Panikkar who also considers the famous Rajput dynasties of medieval India to have come from non-Kshatriya castes.


title: Rajput

text: During the era of the Mughal empire, hypergamous marriage "marrying up", combined with service in the state army was another way a tribal family could "become" Rajput. This process required a change in dress, diet, worship, and other traditions, ending widow remarriage, for example. Such a marriage between someone from a tribal family, and a member of an acknowledged - but possibly poor - Rajput family, would ultimately enable the non-Rajput family to rise to Rajput status. This marriage pattern supports the fact that Rajput was an "open caste category", available to those who served the Mughals.


title: Rajput

text: Rajput formation continued in the colonial era. Even in the 19th century, anyone from the "village landlord" to the "newly wealthy lower caste Shudra" could employ Brahmins to retrospectively fabricate a genealogy and within a couple of generations they would gain acceptance as Hindu Rajputs. This process would get mirrored by communities in north India. This process of origin of the Rajput community resulted in hypergamy as well as female infanticide that was common in Hindu Rajput clans. Scholars refer to this as "Rajputization", which, like Sanskritization, was a mode for upward mobility, but it differed from Sanskritization in other attributes, like the method of worship, lifestyle, diet, social interaction, rules for women, and marriage, etc. German historian Hermann Kulke has coined the term "Secondary Rajputization" for describing the process of members of a tribe trying to re-associate themselves with the former chief of their tribe who had already transformed himself into a Rajput via Rajputization and thus become Rajputs themselves.


title: Rajput

text: Scholarly opinions differ on when the term Rajput acquired hereditary connotations and came to denote a clan-based community. Historian Brajadulal Chattopadhyaya, based on his analysis of inscriptions (primarily from Rajasthan), believed that by the 12th century, the term ""rajaputra"" was associated with fortified settlements, kin-based landholding, and other features that later became indicative of the Rajput status. According to Chattopadhyaya, the title acquired "an element of heredity" from c. 1300. A later study by of 11th–14th century inscriptions from western and central India, by Michael B. Bednar, concludes that the designations such as ""rajaputra"", ""thakkura"" and ""rauta"" were not necessarily hereditary during this period.


title: Rajput

text: Rajputs were involved in nomadic pastoralism, animal husbandry and cattle trade until much later than popularly believed. The 17th century chronicles of Muhnot Nainsi i.e. "Munhata Nainsi ri Khyat" and "Marwar ra Paraganan ri Vigat" discuss disputes between Rajputs pertaining to cattle raids. In addition, Folk deities of the Rajputs - Pabuji, Mallinath, Gogaji and Ramdeo were considered protectors of cattle herding communities. They also imply struggle among Rajputs for domination over cattle and pasturelands. The emergence of Rajput community was the result of a gradual change from mobile pastoral and tribal groups into landed sedentary ones. This necessitated control over mobile resources for agrarian expansion which in turn necessitated kinship structures, martial and marital alliances.


title: Rajput

text: During its formative stages, the Rajput class was quite assimilative and absorbed people from a wide range of lineages. However, by the late 16th century, it had become genealogically rigid, based on the ideas of blood purity. The membership of the Rajput class was now largely inherited rather than acquired through military achievements. A major factor behind this development was the consolidation of the Mughal Empire, whose rulers had great interest in genealogy. As the various Rajput chiefs became Mughal feduatories, they no longer engaged in major conflicts with each other. This decreased the possibility of achieving prestige through military action, and made hereditary prestige more important.


title: Rajput

text: The word "Rajput" thus acquired its present-day meaning in the 16th century. During 16th and 17th centuries, the Rajput rulers and their bards ("charans") sought to legitimise the Rajput socio-political status on the basis of descent and kinship. They fabricated genealogies linking the Rajput families to the ancient dynasties, and associated them with myths of origins that established their Kshatriya status. This led to the emergence of what Indologist Dirk Kolff calls the "Rajput Great Tradition", which accepted only hereditary claims to the Rajput identity, and fostered a notion of eliteness and exclusivity. The legendary epic poem "Prithviraj Raso", which depicts warriors from several different Rajput clans as associates of Prithviraj Chauhan, fostered a sense of unity among these clans. The text thus contributed to the consolidation of the Rajput identity by offering these clans a shared history.


title: Rajput

text: However, there are historical indications of the group calling themselves Rajputs by sixth century AD which settled in Indo-Gangetic Plain. Historian J.N Asopa in his research quoted various reference to the term Rajput in various inscriptions and contemporaneous texts of 11th-13th century A.D.


title: Rajput

text: Thus, the other scholarly opinion asserted that the term Rajput began to be more commonly used from twelfth century onwards and the Rajput caste established itself well before the thirteenth century. The reference to the clan structure of Rajputs in contemporary historical works like "Rajatarangini" by Kalhana along with other epigraphic evidences indicates their existence as a community by twelfth century.


title: Rajput

text: Despite these developments, migrant soldiers made new claims to the Rajput status until as late as the 19th century. In the 19th century, the colonial administrators of India re-imagined the Rajputs as similar to the Anglo-Saxon knights. They compiled the Rajput genealogies in the process of settling land disputes, surveying castes and tribes, and writing history. These genealogies became the basis of distinguishing between the "genuine" and the "spurious" Rajput clans.


title: Rajput

text: The Rajput kingdoms were disparate: loyalty to a clan was more important than allegiance to the wider Rajput social grouping, meaning that one clan would fight another. This and the internecine jostling for position that took place when a clan leader (raja) died meant that Rajput politics were fluid and prevented the formation of a coherent Rajput empire.


title: Rajput

text: The term "Rajput" has been used as an anachronistic designation for leading martial lineages of 11th and 12th centuries that confronted the Ghaznavid and Ghurid invaders, although the Rajput identity for a lineage did not exist at this time, these lineages were classified as aristocratic Rajput clans in the later times.


title: Rajput

text: However, other scholarly opinion staged emergence of Rajput clans as early as seventh century AD. when they start to make themselves lords of various localities and dominate region in current day Northern India. These dynasties were Pratiharas of Kannauj, the Chahamanas (of Shakambhari, Nadol and Jalor), the Tomaras of Delhi, the Chaulukyas, the Paramaras, the Gahadavalas, Chandela, Sisodias , Guhilas etc.


title: Rajput

text: The Rajput ruled kingdoms repelled early invasions of Arab commanders after Muhammad ibn Qasim conquered Sindh and executed last Hindu king of the region Raja Dahir. Rajput family of Mewar under Bappa Rawal and later under Khoman fought off invasions by Arab generals and restricted them only until the border of Rajasthan but failed to recapture Sindh. By the first quarter of 11th century, Turkic conqueror Mahmud Ghaznavi launched several successful military expeditions in the territories of Rajputs, defeating them everytime and by 1025 A.D, he demolished and looted the famous Somnath Temple and its Rajput ruler Bhimdev Solanki fled his capital. Rajput rulers at Gwalior and Kalinjar were able to hold off assaults by Maḥmūd, although the two cities did pay him heavy tribute. By last quarter of 12th century, Muhammad of Ghor defeated and executed the last of Ghaznavid rulers and captured their region along with plundering Ghazna, the capital of Ghaznavids. After capturing the northwest frontier, he invaded Rajput domain. In 1191, Prithviraj Chauhan of Ajmer led a coalition of Rajput kings and defeated Ghurid forces near Taraori. However, Muizzuddin returned a year later with an army of mounted archers and crushed Rajput forces on the same battlefield of Taraori, Prithviraj fled the battlefield but was caught near Sirsa and was executed by Ghurids. Following the battle, the Delhi Sultanate became prominent in the Delhi region.


title: Rajput

text: The Rajputs fought against Sultans of Delhi from Rajasthan and other adjoining areas. By first quarter of 14th century, Alauddin Khalji sacked key Rajput fortresses of Chittor (1303), Ranthambor (1301) and other Rajput ruled kingdoms like Siwana, Jalore. However, Rajputs resurgence took place under Rana Hammir who defeated Tughlaq army of Muhammad bin Tughluq in Singoli in 1336 CE and recaptured Rajasthan from Turkish rule. In the 15th century, the Muslim sultans of Malwa and Gujarat put a joint effort to overcome the Mewar ruler Rana Kumbha but both the sultans were defeated. Kumbha's grandson renowned Rana Sanga inherited a troubling kingdom after death of his brothers but through his capable rule turned traditional kingdom of Mewar into one of the greatest power in northern India during the early 16th century. Sanga defeated Sultans of Gujarat, Malwa and Delhi several times in various battles and expanded his kingdom. Sanga led a grand alliance of Rajput rulers and defeated the Mughal forces of Babur in early combat but was defeated at Khanua through Mughal's use of Gunpowder which was unknown in Northern India at the time. His fierce rival Babur in his autobiography acknowledged him as the greatest Hindu king of that time along with Krishnadevaraya. After a few years Maldev Rathore of Marwar rose in power and became lord of practically all of western India from Kutch to Punjab.


title: Rajput

text: Legendary accounts state that from 1200 CE, many Rajput groups moved eastwards towards the Eastern Gangetic plains forming their own chieftaincies. These minor Rajput kingdoms were dotted all over the Gangetic plains in modern-day Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. During this process, petty clashes occurred with the local population and in some cases, alliances were formed. Among these Rajput chieftaincies were the Bhojpur zamindars and the taluks of Awadh.


title: Rajput

text: The immigration of Rajput clan chiefs into these parts of the Gangetic plains also contributed the agricultural appropriation of previously forested areas, especially in South Bihar. Some have linked this eastwards expansion with the onset of Ghurid invasion in the West.


title: Rajput

text: From as early as the 16th century, Purbiya Rajput soldiers from the eastern regions of Bihar and Awadh, were recruited as mercenaries for Rajputs in the west, particularly in the Malwa region.


title: Rajput

text: After the mid-16th century, many Rajput rulers formed close relationships with the Mughal emperors and served them in different capacities. It was due to the support of the Rajputs that Akbar was able to lay the foundations of the Mughal empire in India. Some Rajput nobles gave away their daughters in marriage to Mughal emperors and princes for political motives. For example, Akbar accomplished 40 marriages for himself, his sons and grandsons, out of which 17 were Rajput-Mughal alliances. Akbar's successors as Mughal emperors, his son Jahangir and grandson Shah Jahan had Rajput mothers. Although Rajput rulers provided the brides to the Mughals, neither Akbar nor his successors provided brides to the Rajput rulers. For example, Akbar got this sisters and daughters married to Timurids and prominent Muslims from central and west Asia. Historian Michael Fisher states that the bards and poets patronised by the Rajput rulers who served Akbar raised Akbar to a "semi-divine" status and gives an example of Akbar being projected as a "divine master" in the "Hindu cosmic order". The writer also finds correlation between the increasing numbers of Hindu Rajput wives in Akbar's household and Hindu Rajputs as well as non-Rajput Hindus in his administration to the religious and political policy followed by him towards non-Muslims which included ending the prohibition on the construction of new temples of non -Muslim faiths like Hindu, Jain etc. In 1564 AD, Akbar had also stopped collection of "jaziya" from non-Muslims, a tax considered as discriminatory by several non-Muslims which also consisted of his Hindu Rajput officials. The ruling Sisodia Rajput family of Mewar made it a point of honour not to engage in matrimonial relationships with Mughals and thus claimed to stand apart from those Rajput clans who did so.Once Mewar had submitted and alliance of Rajputs reached a measure of stability, matrimonial between leading Rajput states and Mughals became rare.


title: Rajput

text: One of the most conspicuous event of Shah Jahan's period was rebellion of Bundela rajputs, which was crushed by prince Aurangzeb with iron hand.


title: Rajput

text: Akbar's diplomatic policy regarding the Rajputs was later damaged by the intolerant rules introduced by his great-grandson Aurangzeb. A prominent example of these rules included the re-imposition of Jaziya, which had been abolished by Akbar. However, despite imposition of Jaziya Aurangzeb's army had a high proportion of Rajput officers in the upper ranks of the imperial army and they were all exempted from paying Jaziya. The Rajputs then revolted against the Mughal empire. Aurangzeb's conflicts with the Rajputs, which commenced in the early 1680s, henceforth became a contributing factor towards the downfall of the Mughal empire.Eugenia Vanina quotes the Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, who criticized the Rajput rulers of the Himalayan regions near Punjab for marrying their womenfolk to the Muslim rulers.


title: Rajput

text: Historian Lynn Zastoupil states that the Mughal Emperors manipulated the appointment of the successor of the Rajput rulers. In the early 18th century, when the Mughal power declined, Rajput states enjoyed a brief period of independence. But soon the Maratha Empire (or confederacy) started collecting tribute from and harassing some Rajput states. Some Rajput states, in the 1780s appealed to the British East India Company for assistance against the Marathas but their requests for assistance were denied at the time.


title: Rajput

text: By 1765, Awadh had become ally of the British East India Company and the increase in demand for revenue led to a continuous tussle in between the Nawab of Awadh and Rajput leadership bringing political instability in the region.


title: Rajput

text: In one 18th century example given by Pinch, Rajputs of Awadh countered the upward mobility of some of the peasant castes, who by virtue of their economic prosperity sought higher status by wearing "Janeu", a sacred thread or claimed "Kshatriya" status. The records indicates that during the tenure of Asaf-ud-Daula in Awadh, when a section of Awadhiya Kurmi were about to be bestowed with the title of "Raja", the Rajput constituency of Asaf's court caused stiff opposition to the move despite the fact that the Rajputs themselves were newcomers to the court and were peasant-soldiers a few year before. Rajputs of Awadh along with Brahmins also formed the major groups who gained during Asaf's regime.


title: Rajput

text: In the late eighteenth century, despite the request from two Rajput rulers for British support, the British East India company initially refused to support the Rajput states in Rajputana region as they had the policy of non-interference and considered the Rajput states to be weak. In the early nineteenth century, British administrator Warren Hastings realised how alliance with the Rajputs had benefited the Mughals and believed that a similar alliance may give the East India company political advantage in India. In his journal, in January 1815, he noted that Rajput states - Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur had been "devastated" by the Scindia, Holkars, Pindari, Ameer Khan and Muhammad Shah Khan and that the Rajput rulers made multiple petitions to him requesting British protection. Moreover, the Rajput rulers had argued that "British had replaced the Mughal Empire as the supreme power of India and therefore had the responsibility to protect weaker states from aggressive ones". Charles Metcalfe agreed with this reasoning. One by one, many Rajput states in Rajputana came under British protection and became their allies - Kota, Udaipur, Bundi, Kishangarh, Bikaner, Jaipur, Pratapgarh, Banswara, Dungarpur, Jaisalmer by 1817-18 and Sirohi by 1823. The British promised to protect the Rajput states from their adversaries and not interfere in internal affairs in exchange for tribute. However, David Ochterlony, who was in charge of the Rajput states broke the promise to not interfere as in his view interferences would save the states from "ruin". In 1820, the British removed him from his position and replaced him with Charles Metcalfe. For several decades, "non-interference" in internal affairs remained the official policy. However, according to the historian Lynn Zastoupil, the "British never found it possible or desirable to completely withdraw from interference in Rajput affairs".


title: Rajput

text: The medieval bardic chronicles ("kavya" and "masnavi") glorified the Rajput past, presenting warriorhood and honour as Rajput ideals. This later became the basis of the British reconstruction of the Rajput history and the nationalist interpretations of Rajputs' struggles with the Muslim invaders. James Tod, a British colonial official, was impressed by the military qualities of the Rajputs but is today considered to have been unusually enamoured of them.


title: Rajput

text: Although the group venerate him to this day, he is viewed by many historians since the late nineteenth century as being a not particularly reliable commentator. Jason Freitag, his only significant biographer, has said that Tod is "manifestly biased".


title: Rajput

text: As per the historian Thomas R. Metcalf, Rajput Taluqdars in Oudh provided a large numbers of leaders to the revolt of 1857 in that region. Kunwar Singh, a Rajput Zamindar was an important leader in Bihar region in the Indian Rebellion of 1857.


title: Rajput

text: Historian Robert Stern points out that in Rajputana, although there were some revolts in the soldiers commanded by British officers the "Rajpur durbar muskeeters and feudal cavalrymen" did not participate in the 1857 revolt at all. But Crispin Bates is of the opinion that Rajput officers had soft corner for the rebels of 1857 fleeing Delhi who were entering into interior areas of then Rajasthan region. He gives examples of rebels who easily found safe havens in villages of Chittor without arrests.


title: Rajput

text: In reference to the role of the Rajput soldiers serving under the British banner, Captain A. H. Bingley wrote:


title: Rajput

text: The Rajput practices of female infanticide and "sati" (widow immolation) were other matters of concern to the British. It was believed that the Rajputs were the primary adherents to these practices, which the British Raj considered savage and which provided the initial impetus for British ethnographic studies of the subcontinent that eventually manifested itself as a much wider exercise in social engineering.


title: Rajput

text: During the British rule their love for pork, i.e. wild boar, was also well known and the British identified them as a group based on this.


title: Rajput

text: Some unrelated communities tried to change their status to Rajput during the Colonial era. William Rowe, discusses an example of a Shudra caste - the Noniyas (caste of salt makers)- from Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. A large section of this caste that had "become" "Chauhan Rajputs" over three generations in the British Raj era. The more wealthy or advanced Noniyas started by forming the "Sri Rajput Pacharni Sabha" (Rajput Advancement Society) in 1898 and emulating the Rajput lifestyle. They also started wearing of Sacred thread. Rowe states that at a historic meeting of the caste in 1936, every child in this Noniya section "knew" about their "Rajput heritage". Similarly, Donald Attwood and Baviskar give and example of a caste of shepherds who were formerly Shudras changed their status to Rajput in the Raj era and started wearing the Sacred thread. They are now known as Sagar Rajputs. The scholars consider this example as a case among thousands.


title: Rajput

text: On India's independence in 1947, the princely states, including those of the Rajput, were given three options: join either India or Pakistan, or remain independent. Rajput rulers of the 22 princely states of Rajputana acceded to newly independent India, amalgamated into the new state of Rajasthan in 1949–1950. Initially the maharajas were granted funding from the Privy purse in exchange for their acquiescence, but a series of land reforms over the following decades weakened their power, and their privy purse was cut off during Indira Gandhi's administration under the 1971 Constitution 26th Amendment Act. The estates, treasures, and practices of the old Rajput rulers now form a key part of Rajasthan's tourist trade and cultural memory.


title: Rajput

text: The Rajput Dogra ruler of Kashmir and Jammu acceded to India in 1947, while retaining his title until the monarchy was abolished in 1971 by the 26th amendment to the Constitution of India.


title: Rajput

text: Before the zamindari abolition, the Rajputs in Oudh formed the major Taluqdars and had controlled over 50 percent of the land in the most districts of the region. Historian Thomas R. Metcalf explains that in the province of Uttar Pradesh, majority of the Taluqdars with moderate to large estates were composed of Rajput caste. He also mentions that Rajputs were only next to Brahmins in the ritual hierarchy and also gave the secular elite of the state. According to him, the community controlled most of the best agricultural land in the region and this also helped the Rajput Taluqdars who were usually the head of the local Rajput clan to gather support over non-Rajput rival in the electoral politics of the state.


title: Rajput

text: There have been several cases of "Sati" (burning a widow alive) in Rajasthan from 1943 to 1987. According to an Indian scholar, there are 28 cases since 1947. Although the widows were from several different communities, Rajput widows accounted for 19 cases in Rajasthan. The most famous of these cases is of a Rajput woman named Roop Kanwar. 40,000 Rajputs gathered on the street of Jaipur in October 1987 for supporting her Sati. A pamphlet circulated on that day attacked independent and westernised women who opposed a woman's duty of worshipping her husband as demonstrated by the practice of Sati. This incident again affirmed the low status of women in the Rajput community and the leaders of this pro-sati movement gained in political terms.


title: Rajput

text: The Rajputs, in states such as Madhya Pradesh are today considered to be a General Caste in India's system of positive discrimination. This means that they have no access to reservations here. But they are classified as an Other Backward Class by the National Commission for Backward Classes in the state of Karnataka. However, some Rajputs, as with other agricultural castes, demand reservations in Government jobs. In 2016, Sikh Rajputs were added under Backward Classes in Punjab but after protest by the community, the government announced that they will be again put under General Category.


title: Rajput

text: Rajput politics refers to the role played by the Rajput community in the electoral politics of India. In states such as Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttrakhand, Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, and Gujarat, the large populations of Rajputs gives them a decisive role.


title: Rajput

text: The term "Rajput" denotes a cluster of castes, clans, and lineages. It is a vaguely-defined term, and there is no universal consensus on which clans make up the Rajput community. In medieval Rajasthan (the historical Rajputana) and its neighbouring areas, the word Rajput came to be restricted to certain specific clans, based on patrilineal descent and intermarriages. On the other hand, the Rajput communities living in the region to the east of Rajasthan had a fluid and inclusive nature. The Rajputs of Rajasthan eventually refused to acknowledge the Rajput identity claimed by their eastern counterparts, such as the Bundelas. The Rajputs claim to be Kshatriyas or descendants of Kshatriyas, but their actual status varies greatly, ranging from princely lineages to common cultivators.


title: Rajput

text: There are several major subdivisions of Rajputs, known as "vansh" or "vamsha", the step below the super-division jāti These "vansh" delineate claimed descent from various sources, and the Rajput are generally considered to be divided into three primary vansh: Suryavanshi denotes descent from the solar deity Surya, Chandravanshi (Somavanshi) from the lunar deity Chandra, and Agnivanshi from the fire deity Agni. The Agnivanshi clans include Parmar, Chaulukya (Solanki), Parihar and Chauhan.


title: Rajput

text: Lesser-noted "vansh" include Udayvanshi, Rajvanshi, and Rishivanshi. The histories of the various "vansh"s were later recorded in documents known as "vamshāavalīis"; André Wink counts these among the "status-legitimizing texts".


title: Rajput

text: Beneath the "vansh" division are smaller and smaller subdivisions: "kul", "shakh" ("branch"), "khamp" or "khanp" ("twig"), and "nak" ("twig tip"). Marriages within a "kul" are generally disallowed (with some flexibility for kul-mates of different "gotra" lineages). The "kul" serves as the primary identity for many of the Rajput clans, and each "kul" is protected by a family goddess, the "kuldevi". Lindsey Harlan notes that in some cases, "shakh"s have become powerful enough to be functionally "kul"s in their own right.


title: Rajput

text: The Bengal army of the East India Company recruited heavily from upper castes such as Brahmins and Rajputs of north-central India particularly from the region of Awadh and Bihar. However, after the revolt of 1857 by the Bengal sepoys, the British Indian army shifted recruitment to the Punjab.


title: Rajput

text: The Rajputs were designated as a Martial Race in the period of the British Raj. This was a designation created by administrators that classified each ethnic group as either "martial" or "non-martial": a "martial race" was typically considered brave and well built for fighting, whilst the remainder were those whom the British believed to be unfit for battle because of their sedentary lifestyles. However, the martial races were also considered politically subservient, intellectually inferior, lacking the initiative or leadership qualities to command large military formations. The British had a policy of recruiting the martial Indians from those who has less access to education as they were easier to control. According to modern historian Jeffrey Greenhunt on military history, "The Martial Race theory had an elegant symmetry. Indians who were intelligent and educated were defined as cowards, while those defined as brave were uneducated and backward". According to Amiya Samanta, the marital race was chosen from people of mercenary spirit (a soldier who fights for any group or country that will pay him/her), as these groups lacked nationalism as a trait.


title: Rajput

text: One of the most revered deities of Rajputs is Karni Mata, whom many Rajput clans worship as family goddess and link their community's existence or survival in dire times. Lord Shiva (who is very popular all across India) and Goddess Durga are popular deities worshipped by the Hindu Rajputs. Lord Shiva's image is found in the shrines in the homes of many of the Rajput families. In Sikh Rajputs, Guru Ram Rai is quite popular. The fierce form of Goddess Durga, called "Sherawali Mata" or "she who rides a lion" is popular among Rajput women.


title: Rajput

text: The Rajputs of Bihar were inventor of martial art form "Pari Khanda", which includes heavy use of Swords and Shields.This exercise was later included in the folk dances of Bihar and Jharkhand like that of Chhau dance. On special occasions, a primary chief would break up a meeting of his vassal chiefs with "khanda nariyal", the distribution of daggers and coconuts. Another affirmation of the Rajput's reverence for his sword was the "Karga Shapna" ("adoration of the sword") ritual, performed during the annual Navaratri festival, after which a Rajput is considered "free to indulge his passion for rapine and revenge".


title: Rajput

text: The Rajput of Rajasthan also offer a sacrifice of water buffalo or goat to their family Goddess (Kuldevta) during Navaratri. The ritual requires slaying of the animal with a single stroke. In the past this ritual was considered a rite of passage for young Rajput men.


title: Rajput

text: The general greeting used by the Rajputs in social gatherings and occasions, '"Jai Mataji"' or its regional variants, stands for "'Victory to the Mother Goddess"'. This phrase also operated as a military solgan or war cry, often painted on the shields and banners of the jagirdars.


title: Rajput

text: Harald Tambs-Lyche states that like other Martial races of South Asia, Rajputs have a reputation for being Hospitable i.e. they welcome and are friendly to guests.


title: Rajput

text: By the late 19th century, there was a shift of focus among Rajputs from politics to a concern with kinship. Many Rajputs of Rajasthan are nostalgic about their past and keenly conscious of their genealogy, emphasising a Rajput ethos that is martial in spirit, with a fierce pride in lineage and tradition.


title: Rajput

text: Female Infanticide was practised by Rajputs of low ritual status trying upward mobility as well as Rajputs of high ritual status. But there were instances where it was not practised and instances where the mother tried to save the infant girl's life. According to the officials in the early Raj era, in Etawah(Uttar Pradesh), the Gahlot, Bamungors and Bais would kill their daughters if they were rich but profit from getting them married if they were poor.


title: Rajput

text: The methods used of killing the female baby were drowning, strangulation, poisoning, "Asphyxia by drawing the umbilical cord over the baby's face to prevent respiration". Other ways were to leave the infant to die without food and if she survived the first few hours after birth, she was given poison. A common way to poison the infant during breastfeeding was by applying a preparation of poisonous plants like Datura, "Madar" or Poppy to the mother's breast.


title: Rajput

text: Social activists in the early nineteenth century tried to stop these practices by quoting Hindu Shastras:


title: Rajput

text: Infanticide has unintended consequences. The Rajput clans of lower ritual status married their daughters to Rajput men of higher ritual status who had lost females due to infanticide. Thus, the Rajputs of lower ritual status had to remain unmarried or resorted to other practices like marrying widows, levirate marriages(marrying brother's widow) as well as marrying low caste women such as Jats and Gujars or nomads. This resulted in widening the gap between Rajputs of low ritual status and Rajputs of high ritual status.


title: Rajput

text: In the late 19th century, to curb the practice, the act VIII of 1870 was introduced. A magistrate suggested:


title: Rajput

text: However, the practical application of the law faced hurdles. It was difficult to prove culpability as in some cases the Rajput men were employed at a distance although the infants could be killed at their connivance. In most cases, Rajput men were imprisoned only for a short time. Between 1888 and 1889, the proportion of girl children rose to 40%. However, the act was abolished in 1912 as punishments were unable to stop infanticide. A historian concludes that "the act, which only scraped the surface of the problem had been unable to civilize or bring about a social change in a cultural world devaluing girl children". In addition to Rajputs, it was observed that Jats and Ahirs also practised infanticide.


title: Rajput

text: "Bridewealth" is discussed in north Indian Rajputs of 19th century India by the University of Toronto historian Malavika Kasturi. She states that Rajputs belonging to social groups where their women worked in the fields received Bridewealth from the groom's family. She adds that evidence shows that the assumption made by officials of the time that female infanticide among clans was a result of poverty and inability to pay dowry is incorrect.


title: Rajput

text: Rajput women could be incorporated into Mughal Harem and this defined the Mughals as overlords over the Rajput clans. The Sisodia clan of Mewar was an exception as they refused to send their women to the Mughal Harem which resulted in siege and mass suicide at Chittor.


title: Rajput

text: Historically, members from the Rajput ruling clans of Rajasthan have also practised polygamy and also took many women they enslaved as concubines from the battles which they won. During numerous armed conflicts in India, women were taken captives, enslaved and even sold, for example, the capture and selling of Marwar's women by Jaipur's forces in the battle between Jaipur state and Jodhpur state in 1807. The enslaved women were referred to by different terms according to the conditions imposed on them, for example, a "domestic slave" was called "davri"; a dancer was called a "patar"; a "senior female slave–retainer in the women's quarters" was called "badaran or vadaran"; a concubine was called "khavasin"; and a woman who was "permitted to wear the veil" like Rajput queens was called a "pardayat".


title: Rajput

text: The term "chakar" was used for a person serving their "superior" and "chakras" contained complete families from specific "occupational groups" like Brahmin women, cooks, nurses, tailors, washer–women. For children born from the "illegitimate union" of Rajputs and their "inferiors", the terms like "goli" and "darogi" were used for females and "gola" and "daroga" were used for males. The "courtly chronicles" say that women who were perceived to be of "higher social rank" were assigned to the "harems of their conquerors with or without marriage". The chronicles from the Rajput courts have recorded that women from Rajput community had also faced such treatment by the Rajputs from the winning side of a battle. There are also a number of records between the late 16th to mid–19th century of the Rajputs immolating the queens, servants, and slaves of a king upon his death. Ramya Sreenivasan also gives and example of a Jain concubine who went from being a servant to a superior concubine called "Paswan"


title: Rajput

text: According to Priyanka Khanna, with Marwar's royal Rajput households, the women who underwent concubinage also included women from the Gujar, Ahir, Jat, Mali, Kayastha, and Darji communities of that region. These castes of Marwar claimed Rajput descent based on the "census data of Marwar, 1861". However, the research by modern scholars on the forms of "slavery and servitude" imposed by ruling clans of Rajasthan's Rajputs between the 16th and early–19th centuries on the captured women faces hurdles because of the "sparse information", "uneven record–keeping", and "biased nature of historical records".


title: Rajput

text: The male children of such unions were identified by their father's names and in some cases as 'dhaibhai'(foster-brothers) and incorporated into the household. Examples are given where they helped their step-brothers in war campaigns. The female children of concubines and slaves married Rajput men in exchange for money or they ended up becoming dancing girls. The scarcity of available brides due to female infanticide led to the kidnapping of low caste women who were sold for marriage to the higher clan Rajputs. Since these "sales" were genuinely for the purpose of marriage, they were considered legal. The lower clans also faced scarcity of brides in which case they married women such as those from Gujar and Jat communities. Semi nomadic communities also married their daughters to Rajput bridegrooms for money in some cases.


title: Rajput

text: Of note, the mistreatment or enslavement of women was not unique to Rajputs. Datta notes Bachanan's observation in 18th century northern-India that, other than the Rajputs, Khatris and Kayasthas also "openly kept women slaves of any pure tribe". The offsprings of these women formed one matrimonial group. Similarly, affluent Muslim families in Bihar kept both male and female slaves - called "Nufurs" and "Laundis" respectively.


title: Rajput

text: These Rajput groups(khasa) of Uttarakhand today were formally classified Shudra but had successfully converted to Rajput status during the rule of Chand Rajas (that ended in 1790). Similarly, the Rajputs of Gharwal were originally of low ritual status and did not wear the sacred thread until the 20th century.


title: Rajput

text: The Indian Rajputs fought several times for the Mughals but needed drugs to enhance their spirit. They would take a double dose of opium before fighting. Muslim soldiers would also take opium.


title: Rajput

text: Mughals would give opium to their Rajput soldiers on a regular basis in the 17th century. During the British rule, Opium addiction was considered a serious demoralising vice of the Rajput community.


title: Rajput

text: Arabs brought opium to India in the 9th century. The Indian Council of Medical Research on "Pattern and Process of Drug and alcohol use in India" , states that opium gives a person enhanced physical strength and capacity. Studies of K.K.Ganguly, K. Sharma, and Krishnamachari, on opium usage also mention that the Rajputs would use opium for important ceremonies, relief from emotional distress, for increasing longevity and for enhancing sexual pleasure. Opium was also consumed when Vahīvancā bards would recite poetry and stories about the Rajputs and their ancestors. After the Independence of India, and the political integration of India, educated Rajputs have mainly discontinued both the usage of opium and recitation of bardic poetry.


title: Rajput

text: Alcoholism is considered a problem in the Rajput community of Rajasthan and hence Rajput women do not like their men drinking alcohol. It was reported in a 1983 study of alcoholism in India that it was customary for Rajput men (not all) in northern India to drink in groups. The women would at times be subjected to domestic violence such as beating after these men returned home from drinking.


title: Rajput

text: The term Rajput painting refers to works of art created at the Rajput-ruled courts of Rajasthan, Central India, and the Punjab Hills. The term is also used to describe the style of these paintings, distinct from the Mughal painting style.


title: Rajput

text: According to Ananda Coomaraswamy, Rajput painting symbolised the divide between Muslims and Hindus during Mughal rule. The styles of Mughal and Rajput painting are oppositional in character. He characterised Rajput painting as "popular, universal and mystic".


title: Colossal squid

text: The colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) is part of the family Cranchiidae. It is sometimes called the Antarctic squid or giant cranch squid and is believed to be the largest squid species in terms of mass. It is the only recognized member of the genus Mesonychoteuthis and is known from only a small number of specimens. The species is confirmed to reach a mass of at least , though the largest specimens—known only from beaks found in sperm whale stomachs—may perhaps weigh as much as , making it the largest known invertebrate. Maximum total length has been estimated at . The colossal squid has the largest eyes of any known creature ever to exist.


title: Colossal squid

text: The species has similar anatomy to other members of its family although it is the only member of Cranchiidae to display hooks on its arms and tentacles. It is known to inhabit the circumantarctic Southern Ocean. Although little is known about the behaviour, it is known to use bioluminescence to attract prey. It is presumed to be an ambush predator, and is a major prey of the sperm whale.


title: Colossal squid

text: The first specimens were discovered and described in 1925. In 1981, an adult specimen was discovered, and in 2003 a second specimen was collected. Captured in 2007, the largest colossal squid weighed , and is now on display with a second specimen at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.


title: Colossal squid

text: The colossal squid shares features common to all squids: a mantle for locomotion, one pair of gills, and certain external characteristics like eight arms and two tentacles, a head, and two fins. In general, it is safe to describe the morphology and anatomy of the colossal squid the same way one would describe any other squid. However, there are certain morphological / anatomical characteristics that separate the colossal squid from other squids in its family: The colossal squid is the only squid in its family with hooks, either swivelling or three-pointed, equipped on its arms and tentacles. There are squids in other families that also have hooks, but no other squid in the family Cranchiidae.


title: Colossal squid

text: Unlike most squid species, the colossal squid exhibits abyssal gigantism; it is the heaviest living invertebrate species, reaching weights up to . For comparison, squids typically have a mantle length of about and weigh about .


title: Colossal squid

text: Compared to the giant squid, which also exhibits deep-sea gigantism, the colossal squid is heavier. One evidence is that an analysis of the beaks of other specimens from the stomach of sperm whales have shown proof that it is likely that colossal squids much heavier (up to ) exist. The colossal squid also has the largest eyes documented in the animal kingdom, with an estimated diameter of .


title: Colossal squid

text: The squid's known range extends thousands of kilometres north of Antarctica to southern South America, southern South Africa, and the southern tip of New Zealand, making it primarily an inhabitant of the entire circumantarctic Southern Ocean. Colossal squid are also sighted often near Cooperation Sea and less near Ross Sea because of its predator and competitor, the Antarctic toothfish. The region between the Weddell Sea and the western Kerguelen archipelago has been deemed a “hotspot” based on characteristics of the habitat. The squid's vertical distribution appears to correlate directly with age. Young squid are found between , adolescent squid are found and adult squid are found primarily within the mesopelagic and bathypelagic regions of the open ocean.


title: Colossal squid

text: Little is known about their behaviour, but it is believed to feed on prey such as chaetognatha, large fish such as the Patagonian toothfish, and smaller squid in the deep ocean using bioluminescence. A recent study by Remeslo, Yakushev and Laptikhovsky revealed that Antarctic toothfish make up a significant part of the colossal squid's diet; of the 8,000 toothfish brought aboard trawlers between 2011 and 2014, seventy-one showed clear signs of attack by colossal squid. A study in Prydz Bay region of Antarctica found squid remains in a female colossal squid's stomach, suggesting the possibility of cannibalism within this species. Studies measuring the δN content of the chitinous beaks of cephalopods to determine trophic ecology levels have demonstrated that the colossal squid is a top predator that is positively correlated with its increased size. This new confirmation of the colossal squid's trophic level suggests that it likely preys on large fishes and smaller squids, according to its size, and that its predators include sperm whales and sleeper sharks.


title: Colossal squid

text: The colossal squid is thought to have a very slow metabolic rate, needing only around of prey daily for an adult with a mass of . Estimates of its energy requirements suggest it is a slow-moving ambush predator, using its large eyes primarily for prey-detection rather than engaging in active hunting.


title: Colossal squid

text: Many sperm whales have scars on their backs, believed to be caused by the hooks of colossal squid. Colossal squid are a major prey item for sperm whales in the Antarctic; 14% of the squid beaks found in the stomachs of these sperm whales are those of the colossal squid, which indicates that colossal squid make up 77% of the biomass consumed by these whales. Many other animals also feed on colossal squid, including beaked whales (such as the southern bottlenose whale), pilot whales, southern elephant seals, Patagonian toothfish, southern sleeper sharks ("Somniosus antarcticus"), Antarctic toothfish, and albatrosses (e.g., the wandering and sooty albatrosses). However, beaks from mature adults have only been recovered from large predators (i.e. sperm whales and southern sleeper sharks), while the other predators only eat juveniles or young adults.


title: Colossal squid

text: Little is known about the colossal squid's reproductive cycle although the colossal squid does have two distinct sexes. Many species of squid, however, develop sex-specific organs as they age and develop. The adult female colossal squid has been discovered in much shallower waters which likely implies that females spawn in shallower waters than their normal depth. Additionally, the colossal squid has a high possible fecundity reaching over 4.2 million oocytes which is quite unique compared to other squids in such cold waters. Colossal squid oocytes have been observed at sizes ranging from as large as 3.2x2.1 mm to as small as 1.4x0.5 mm. Sampling of colossal squid ovaries show an average of 2175 eggs per gram. Young squid are thought to spawn near the summer time at surface temperatures of .


title: Colossal squid

text: For pelagic organisms of similar weight to the colossal squid, such as the swordfish, the average eye diameter required for visual detection is 10 cm, but colossal squid's are as large as 27 cm. The allowed increase in visual detection strategies, including reduced diffraction blurring and greater contrast distinction, must be extremely beneficial to the colossal squid to justify the large energetic expenses to grow, move, camouflage, and maintain these eyes. The colossal squid's increased pupil size has been mathematically proven to overcome the visual complications of the pelagic zone (the combination of downwelling daylight, bioluminescence, and light scattering with increasing distance), especially by monitoring larger volumes of water at once and by detecting long-range changes in plankton bioluminescence via the physical disruption of large moving objects (e.g., sperm whales).


title: Colossal squid

text: The colossal squid's eyes glow in the dark via long rectangularly shaped light-producing photophores located next to the lens on the front of both eyeballs. Symbiotic bacteria reside within these photophores and luminesce through chemical reaction.


title: Colossal squid

text: It is hypothesized that the colossal squid's eyes can detect predator movement beyond 120 m, which is the upper limit of the sperm whale's sonar range.


title: Colossal squid

text: Although squid cannot hear sound, they can detect the movement of sound waves via organs called statocysts (similar to the human cochlea). Squid statocysts likely respond to low frequency sounds less than 500 Hz, similar to pelagic fish. Colossal squid are essentially deaf to high frequencies (like whale sonar), so they rely largely on visual detection mechanisms to avoid predation.


title: Colossal squid

text: The colossal squid, species "Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni", was discovered in 1925. This species belongs to the class Cephalopoda and family Cranchiidae.


title: Colossal squid

text: Most of the time, full colossal squid specimens are not collected; as of 2015, only 12 complete colossal squids had ever been recorded with only half of these being full adults.


title: Colossal squid

text: Commonly, beak remnants of the colossal squid are collected; 55 beaks of colossal squids have been recorded in total. Less commonly (four times), a fin, mantle, arm or tentacle of a colossal squid was collected.


title: Colossal squid

text: The species was first discovered in the form of two arm crowns found in the stomach of a sperm whale in the winter of 1924–1925. This species, then named "Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni" after E. Hamilton who made the initial discovery, was formally described by Guy Coburn Robson in 1925.


title: Colossal squid

text: In 1981, a Soviet Russian trawler in the Ross Sea, off the coast of Antarctica, caught a large squid with a total length of over , which was later identified as an immature female of "M. hamiltoni". In 2003, a complete specimen of a subadult female was found near the surface with a total length of and a mantle length of 2.5 m (8 feet 3 inches). In 2005, the first full living specimen was captured at a depth of while taking a toothfish from a longline off South Georgia Island. Although the mantle was not brought aboard, its length was estimated at over 2.5 m (8 feet 3 inches), and the tentacles measured . The animal is thought to have weighed between .


title: Colossal squid

text: The largest recorded specimen was a female, which are thought to be larger than males, captured in February 2007 by a New Zealand fishing boat in the Ross Sea off of Antarctica. The squid was close to dead when it was captured and subsequently was taken back to New Zealand for scientific study. The specimen was initially estimated to measure about 10 meters in total length and weigh about 450 kg


title: Colossal squid

text: Thawing and dissection of the specimen took place at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. AUT biologist Steve O'Shea, Tsunemi Kubodera, and AUT biologist Kat Bolstad were invited to the museum to aid in the process. Media reports suggested scientists at the museum were considering using a giant microwave to defrost the squid because thawing it at room temperature would take several days and it would likely begin to decompose on the outside while the core remained frozen. However, they later opted for the more conventional approach of thawing the specimen in a bath of salt water. After thawing, it was found that the specimen was 495 kg with a mantle length of 2.5 m and total length of only 4.2 m, probably because the tentacles shrank once the squid was dead.


title: Colossal squid

text: The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa began displaying this specimen in an exhibition that opened on 13 December 2008; however the exhibition was closed in 2018 and was slated to return in 2019. The exhibition is now open again for public viewing at Te Papa.


title: Colossal squid

text: In August 2014, Te Papa received a second colossal squid, captured in early 2014. The specimen was also female, measuring long and weighing approximately .


title: Colossal squid

text: The colossal squid has been assessed as "least concern" on the IUCN Red List. Furthermore, colossal squid are not targeted by fishermen; rather, they are only caught when they attempt to feed on fish caught on hooks. Additionally, due to their habitat, interactions between humans and colossal squid are considered rare.


title: Katie McGrath

text: Katie McGrath () is an Irish actress. In television, she gained recognition for portraying Morgana Pendragon in the BBC One series "Merlin" (2008–2012), Lucy Westenra on the British-American series "Dracula" (2013–2014), Saskia in the TV series "Secret Bridesmaids Business", and Sarah Bennett in the first season of the horror anthology series "Slasher" (2016), and for her role as Lena Luthor on the superhero series "Supergirl" (2016–2021). Her film roles include Lady Thelma Furness in the drama film "W.E." and Jules Daly in the Christmas movie "A Princess for Christmas" (2011), Zara Young in the science fiction adventure film "Jurassic World" (2015), and Elsa in the epic fantasy film "" (2017).


title: Katie McGrath

text: McGrath was raised in Ashford, County Wicklow, by her father, Paul, who works with computers, and mother, Mary, who works for an Irish designer. She has two older brothers, Sean, an online media manager, and Rory, who is a post-production producer. She studied the International Baccalaureate at St. Andrew's College before graduating from Trinity College, Dublin, with a degree in history with a focus on Russian history.


title: Katie McGrath

text: At a young age she applied to the Ballygowan 'Be the Face of MTV' competition. Twenty finalists would be able to attend MTV Lick Party at the Tivoli.


title: Katie McGrath

text: McGrath originally sought to work in fashion journalism and took on a job at "Image" magazine before becoming a wardrobe assistant on the set of "The Tudors". While working on "The Tudors", McGrath was advised to try acting, so she sent photographs to Irish agents. She said:


title: Katie McGrath

text: McGrath was cast in "Damage", an Irish TV-movie in 2007. She also starred in the play "La Marea" at the Dublin Theatre Festival in the same year. She appeared in the feature films "Eden" and "Freakdog" in 2008, before being cast as Morgana Pendragon in "Merlin".


title: Katie McGrath

text: In 2009, McGrath starred in a five-part docudrama for Channel 4 exploring the life of Queen Elizabeth II, "The Queen", in which she played a young Princess Margaret. Emilia Fox portrayed Elizabeth II in the same episode in which McGrath appeared; the two had previously worked together as sisters Morgause and Morgana in "Merlin". In 2010, McGrath was cast in Madonna's directorial debut "W.E.", an Edward VIII biopic. McGrath played Lady Furness, the king's former mistress who introduces him to Wallis Simpson.


title: Katie McGrath

text: In 2011, McGrath appeared with Roger Moore in the comedy-drama film "A Princess for Christmas", a Hallmark Channel Original Movie shot mainly at the picturesque Peleş Castle in Romania. In September 2011, McGrath voice-acted the characters in the Irish animated short film "Tríd an Stoirm" ("Through the Storm"). Later that month, McGrath was cast as Oriane Congost in "Labyrinth".


title: Katie McGrath

text: McGrath was reunited with her "The Tudors" co-star and close friend Jonathan Rhys Meyers in NBC and Sky Living's horror drama TV series "Dracula"; she portrayed Lucy Westenra. In June 2013, McGrath co-starred in episode four of the Channel 4 show "Dates" as a young lesbian on the dating scene alongside Gemma Chan.


title: Katie McGrath

text: In 2015, McGrath had a supporting role as Zara in the film "Jurassic World" and starred in the Crackle original spy-thriller, "The Throwaways".


title: Katie McGrath

text: McGrath portrayed the lead role in the first season of Chiller's original horror series "Slasher", which premiered on 4 March 2016.


title: Katie McGrath

text: In 2016, it was announced that McGrath would play the recurring role of Lena Luthor in the second season of "Supergirl". She debuted in the season two premiere episode titled "The Adventures of Supergirl" and was promoted to a series regular in March 2017 and maintained this role until the show's end in 2021. She appeared as Elsa in Guy Ritchie's fantasy film "", which was released in May 2017.


title: Katie McGrath

text: In 2019, McGrath starred alongside Abbie Cornish and Georgina Haig in Seven Network series "Secret Bridesmaids' Business", about how a bride's wedding turns deadly after one of the bridesmaids invites a stranger into their lives. McGrath starred as Saskia, a bisexual lawyer who is described as an intelligent, loyal woman who is holding a secret.


title: Marcus Junius Brutus

text: Marcus Junius Brutus (; ; 85 BC – 23 October 42 BC), often referred to simply as Brutus, was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. After being adopted by a relative, he used the name Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus, which was retained as his legal name.


title: Marcus Junius Brutus

text: Early in his political career, Brutus opposed Pompey, who was responsible for Brutus' father's death. He also was close to Caesar. However, Caesar's attempts to evade accountability in the law courts put him at greater odds with his opponents in the Roman elite and the senate. Brutus eventually came to oppose Caesar and sided with Pompey against Caesar's forces during the ensuing civil war (49–45 BC). Pompey was defeated at the Battle of Pharsalus in 48, after which Brutus surrendered to Caesar, who granted him amnesty.


title: Marcus Junius Brutus

text: With Caesar's increasingly monarchical and autocratic behaviour after the civil war, several senators who later called themselves "liberatores" (Liberators), plotted to assassinate him. Brutus took a leading role in the assassination, which was carried out successfully on the Ides of March (15 March) of 44 BC. In a settlement between the "liberatores" and the Caesarians, an amnesty was granted to the assassins while Caesar's acts were upheld for two years.


title: Marcus Junius Brutus

text: Popular unrest forced Brutus and his brother-in-law, fellow assassin Gaius Cassius Longinus, to leave Rome in April 44. After a complex political realignment, Octavian – Caesar's adoptive son – made himself consul and, with his colleague, passed a law retroactively making Brutus and the other conspirators murderers. This led to a second civil war, in which Mark Antony and Octavian fought the "liberatores" led by Brutus and Cassius. The Caesarians decisively defeated the outnumbered armies of Brutus and Cassius at the two battles at Philippi in October 42. After the defeat, Brutus committed suicide.


title: Marcus Junius Brutus

text: His name has been condemned for betrayal of his friend and benefactor Caesar, and is perhaps only rivalled in this regard by the name of Judas Iscariot (famously in Dante's "Inferno"). He also has been praised in various narratives, both ancient and modern, as a virtuous and committed republican who fought – however futilely – for freedom and against tyranny.


title: Marcus Junius Brutus

text: Marcus Junius Brutus belonged to the illustrious plebeian gens Junia. Its semi-legendary founder was Lucius Junius Brutus, who played a pivotal role during the overthrow of Tarquinius Superbus, the last Roman king, and was afterward one of the two first consuls of the new Roman Republic in 509 BC, taking the opportunity also to have the people swear an oath never to have a king in Rome.


title: Marcus Junius Brutus

text: Brutus' homonymous father was tribune of the plebs in 83 BC, but he was killed by Pompey in 77 while serving as legate in the rebellion of Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. He had married Servilia of the Servilii Caepiones who was the half-sister of Cato the Younger, and later Julius Caesar's mistress. Some ancient sources refer to the possibility of Caesar being Brutus' real father, despite Caesar being only fifteen years old when Brutus was born. Ancient historians were sceptical of this possibility and "on the whole, scholars have rejected the possibility that Brutus was the love-child of Servilia and Caesar on the grounds of chronology".


title: Marcus Junius Brutus

text: A relative of Brutus, Quintus Servilius Caepio, adopted him posthumously around 59 BC, and Brutus was known officially as Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus, though he hardly used his legal name. In 59, when Caesar was consul, Brutus also was implicated by Lucius Vettius in the Vettius affair as a member of a conspiracy plotting to assassinate Pompey in the forum. Vettius was detained for admitting possession of a weapon within the city, and quickly changed this entire story, dropping Brutus' name from his accusations.