title: 2010 Copiapó mining accident

text: While still trapped in the mine, the 33 miners chose to collectively contract with a single author to write an official history so that none of the 33 could individually profit from the experiences of others. The miners chose Héctor Tobar, a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer at the "Los Angeles Times". Tobar had exclusive access to the miners and in October 2014 published an official account titled "Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free". Tobar described the previous books published on the topic as "quick and dirty" with "almost no cooperation from the miners." These books include "Trapped: How the World Rescued 33 Miners from 2,000 Feet Below the Chilean Desert" (August 2011) by Marc Aronson; "Buried Alive!: How 33 Miners Survived 69 Days Deep Under the Chilean Desert" (2012) by Elaine Scott; "33 Men: Inside the Miraculous Survival and Dramatic Rescue of the Chilean Miners" (October 2011) by Jonathan Franklin.


title: 2010 Copiapó mining accident

text: A film titled "The 33" based on the events of the disaster is directed by Patricia Riggen and written by Mikko Alanne and Jose Rivera. Mike Medavoy, producer of "Apocalypse Now", worked with the miners, their families, and those involved to put the film together. The movie stars Antonio Banderas as Mario "Super Mario" Sepulveda, the public face of video reports sent from underground about the miners' conditions. The actual Sepulveda expressed his enthusiasm and approval towards Banderas playing the role. Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro stars as Laurence Golborne, the Chilean Minister of Mining at the time, and American actor Bob Gunton stars as Sebastián Piñera, the President of Chile at the time. The film's plot mostly focuses on the disaster and its aftermath, during which rescue teams attempt to save the trapped miners over the course of three months. According to an interview with Patricia Riggen in 2015, the miners have never been compensated monetarily for their ordeal, and many of them suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.


title: Cain's Jawbone

text: Cain's Jawbone is a murder mystery puzzle written by Edward Powys Mathers under the pseudonym "Torquemada". The puzzle was first published in 1930 as part of "The Torquemada Puzzle Book". Crowdfunding publisher Unbound published a new stand-alone edition of the puzzle in 2019 in collaboration with the charity The Laurence Sterne Trust. Both editions, when published, were accompanied by a competition which offered a cash prize to the first reader to solve the puzzle. "Cain's Jawbone" has been described as "one of the hardest and most beguiling word puzzles ever published."


title: Cain's Jawbone

text: The phrase "Cain's Jawbone" refers to the first ever murder weapon as described in the Bible story of Cain and Abel.


title: Cain's Jawbone

text: The puzzle consists of a 100-page prose narrative with its pages arranged in the wrong order. The first edition is part of a hardback book. The second edition is a boxed set of page-cards. To solve the puzzle, the reader must determine the correct order of the pages and also the names of the murderers and victims within the story. The story's text includes a large number of quotations, references, puns, Spoonerisms and other word games. The pages can be arranged in (factorial of 100) possible combinations, but there is only one correct order. The solution to the puzzle has never been made public.


title: Cain's Jawbone

text: When the puzzle was first published in 1934, a prize of £15 was offered "to the first reader who could re-order the pages and provide an account of the 6 persons murdered in "Cain's Jawbone" and the full names of their murderers." Two people, Mr S. Sydney-Turner and Mr W. S. Kennedy, solved the puzzle in 1935 and won £25 each.


title: Cain's Jawbone

text: The publishers of the 2019 edition ran the competition a second time, saying: "The prize of £1,000 (roughly how much £15 was worth in 1934) will be given to the first reader to provide the names of the murderers and the murdered, the correct order of the pages and a short explanation of how the solution was obtained. The competition will run for one year from the date of publication." In November 2020 it was announced that comedian and crossword compiler John Finnemore had correctly solved the puzzle, doing so over a period of six months during the COVID-19 lockdown. Finnemore said: "The first time I had a look at it I quickly thought 'Oh this is just way beyond me.' The only way I'd even have a shot at it was if I were for some bizarre reason trapped in my own home for months on end, with nowhere to go and no-one to see. Unfortunately, the universe heard me".


title: Camden Town

text: Camden Town (), often shortened to Camden, is a district of northwest London, England, north of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Camden, and identified in the London Plan as one of 34 major centres in Greater London.


title: Camden Town

text: Laid out as a residential district from 1791 and originally part of the manor of Kentish Town and the parish of St Pancras, Camden Town became an important location during the early development of the railways, which reinforced its position on the London canal network. The area's industrial economic base has been replaced by service industries such as retail, tourism and entertainment. The area now hosts street markets and music venues that are strongly associated with alternative culture.


title: Camden Town

text: Camden Town is named after Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden. His earldom was styled after his estate, Camden Place near Chislehurst in Kent (now in the London Borough of Bromley), formerly owned by historian William Camden. The name, which appears on the Ordnance Survey map of 1822, was later applied to the early-20th-century Camden Town Group of artists and the London Borough of Camden, created in 1965.


title: Camden Town

text: The emergence of the industrial revolution in the 19th century meant Camden was the  North Western Railway's terminal stop in 1837. It was where goods were transported off the tracks and onto the roads of London by 250 000 workhorses. The whole area was adapted to a transportation function: The Roundhouse (1846), Camden Lock and The Stables were examples of this.


title: Camden Town

text: Camden Town stands on land that was once the manor of Kentish Town. Sir Charles Pratt, a radical 18th-century lawyer and politician, acquired the manor through marriage. In 1791, he started granting leases for houses to be built in the manor. In 1816, the Regent's Canal was built through the area. Up to at least the mid-20th century, Camden Town was considered an "unfashionable" locality. The Camden Markets, which started in 1973 and have grown since then, attract many visitors. A 1993 bomb blast injured 18 people on Camden High Street. On 9 February 2008, Camden Canal market suffered a major fire, but there were no injuries. It later reopened as Camden Lock Village, until closed in 2015 for redevelopment.


title: Camden Town

text: Camden Town was contained within the Metropolitan Borough of St Pancras between 1900 and 1965, when it became part of the new London Borough of Camden, of which it is the namesake and administrative centre.


title: Camden Town

text: Camden Town is contained in the following political constituencies for different purposes, listed with some incumbents :


title: Camden Town

text: Camden Town is on relatively flat ground at above sea level, north-northwest of Charing Cross. To the north are the hills of Hampstead and Highgate. The culverted, subterranean River Fleet flows from its source on Hampstead Heath through Camden Town south to the River Thames. The Regent's Canal runs through the north of Camden Town.


title: Camden Town

text: At the end of the 20th century, entertainment-related businesses began moving into the area, and a Holiday Inn was built abutting the canal. A number of retail and food chain outlets replaced independent shops, driven out by high rents and redevelopment. Restaurants with a variety of culinary traditions thrived, many of them near the markets, on Camden High Street and its side streets, Parkway, Chalk Farm Road, and Bayham Street. The plan to redevelop the historic Stables Market led to a steel and glass extension, built on the edges of the site in 2006, and increased the market's capacity.


title: Camden Town

text: Camden is well known for its markets. These date from 1974 or later, except for Inverness Street market, for over a century a small food market serving the local community, though by 2013 all foodstuff and produce stalls had gone and only touristy stalls remained. Camden Lock Market proper started in a former timber yard in 1973, and is now surrounded by five more markets: Buck Street market, Stables market, Camden Lock Village, and an indoor market in the Electric Ballroom. The markets are a major tourist attraction at weekends, selling goods of all types, including fashion, lifestyle, books, food, junk/antiques and more bizarre items; they and the surrounding shops are popular with young people, in particular, those searching for "alternative" clothing. While originally open on Sundays only, market activity later extended throughout the week, though concentrating on weekends.


title: Camden Town

text: Camden Town tube station is near the markets and other attractions. and tube stations are also within walking distance. Camden Town station is a key interchange station for the Bank and Charing Cross branches of the southbound Northern line, and the Edgware and High Barnet branches of the northbound Northern Line.


title: Camden Town

text: The station was not designed to cope with the volume of traffic it handled after the area increased in popularity with the introduction of the markets. The narrow platforms became dangerously overcrowded, particularly on Sunday afternoons. London Underground made many proposals to upgrade the station. In 2004 a proposal requiring the compulsory purchase and demolition of 'the Triangle'—land bordered by Kentish Town Road, Buck Street and Camden High Street—was rejected by Camden Council after opposition from local people; of 229 letters, only two supported the scheme. It was later planned to redevelop the station entirely between 2020 and 2024/5, with less demolition than proposed previously, but the redevelopment was postponed in December 2018 by TfL "until we have the funds we need", unchanged .


title: Camden Town

text: Early in the 21st century the station closed to outbound passengers on Sunday afternoons for safety reasons; this was temporarily extended to the weekday evening rush hour in 2018 during escalator renovation. Mornington Crescent, Chalk Farm, and Kentish Town stations, within walking distance, remained open. From January 2019 access was allowed on Sundays, but only by a very long spiral staircase instead of escalators. During the Covid-19 pandemic from 2020, access to the very much reduced number of passengers was no longer restricted.


title: Camden Town

text: is a London Overground station at the corner of Royal College Street and Camden Road. It is on the line from Richmond in the West to Stratford station in the East. The nearest National Rail station is station on the Thameslink route on the Midland Main Line. St Pancras and Euston terminals are both within 20 minutes' walk of Camden Town.


title: Camden Town

text: The area is a major hub for London Buses. The following routes serve Camden Town: 24 (24 hour), 27, 29, 31, 46, 88 (24 hour), 134 (24 hour), 168, 214 (24 hour), 253, 274 and Night Bus Routes N5, N20, N27, N28, N29, N31, N253 and N279.


title: Camden Town

text: Parts of the A503 (Camden Road) and A400 (Camden High Street and Camden Street) are designated as red routes on which vehicles may not stop for any reason, managed by Transport for London (TfL) rather than the borough. Black taxis ply for hire in the area and there are minicab offices.


title: Camden Town

text: During the COVID-19 pandemic, from about March 2020 roadworks were carried out to make many side roads more suitable for cycling and reduce vehicle traffic. This led to traffic jams described as "gridlock", and opposition.


title: Camden Town

text: Transport for London and Camden Council both provide and maintain cycling infrastructure in Camden Town. Segregated cycle tracks run alongside Royal College Street to the east of Camden Town, past Camden Road railway station. Cycling provision changes from time to time—in particular, cycling provisions were added during the Covid pandemic that started in 2020. Current provision information is on the TfL Web site. The CycleStreets mobile app finds suitable routes throughout the UK, including Camden Town.


title: Camden Town

text: The Regent's Canal towpath is a shared-use path maintained by the Canal and River Trust. The towpath links Camden Town to Angel and King's Cross to the east, and Regent's Park and Maida Vale in the west.


title: Camden Town

text: The London-wide Santander Cycles cycle hire scheme operates in Camden Town. There are several docking stations, including at Camden Road railway station (Bonny Street) and Camden Town tube station (Greenland Road).


title: Camden Town

text: Cycle counters on Royal College Street to the north of Camden Road railway station recorded over 375,000 journeys between August 2017 and July 2018.


title: Camden Town

text: Regent's Canal runs through the north end of Camden Town. Canal boat trips along the canal from Camden Lock are popular, particularly in summer. Many of the handrails by the bridges show deep marks worn by the towropes by which horses pulled canal barges until the 1950s, and it is still possible to see ramps on the canal bank designed to assist horses that fell in the canal after being startled by the noise of a train. Camden Lock is a regularly used traditional manually operated double canal lock operating between widely separated levels. A large complex of weekend street markets operates around the Lock. The towpath is a pedestrian and cycle route which runs continuously from Little Venice through Camden Lock to the Islington Tunnel. A regular waterbus service operates along the Regent's Canal from Camden Lock. Boats depart every hour during the summer, heading westward around Regent's Park, calling at London Zoo and on towards Maida Vale. Sightseeing narrow-boat trips run from Camden Lock to Little Venice.


title: Camden Town

text: To the north of Camden Town station and running along the canal is a modern pop art complex designed by Terry Farrell as the studios of the former TV-am, now used by MTV but retaining TV-am's eggcup sculptures along the roof line. Associated Press Television News has its head office in a former gin warehouse near Camden Lock called "The Interchange".


title: Camden Town

text: The "Camden New Journal" is a free, independent weekly newspaper that covers the London Borough of Camden.


title: Fredo Santana

text: Derrick Coleman (July 4, 1990 – January 19, 2018), known professionally as Fredo Santana, was an American rapper. The older cousin of Chicago rapper Chief Keef, Santana began recording music in 2011, releasing a series of mixtapes throughout 2012 and 2013.


title: Fredo Santana

text: His debut studio album, "Trappin Ain't Dead", was released in 2013 via Savage Squad and peaked at number 45 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Santana's second studio album, "Fredo Krueger 2", a sequel to his 2013 mixtape "Fredo Krueger", was released in 2017.


title: Fredo Santana

text: Fredo's first mixtape, "It's a Scary Site", was released on September 20, 2012. It featured production by TM88, Young Chop, 12Hunna, Leek E Leek, J-Hill, C-Sick, and Paris Bueller as well as guest appearances from Chief Keef, Lil Reese, King L, Gino Marley, Frenchie, Lil Herb, Lil Bibby, and Lil Durk. Santana's second mixtape, "Fredo Kruger", was released on February 28, 2013, and featured production by 808 Mafia, Young Chop and Mike Will Made It, as well as guest appearances from Migos, Juelz Santana, Soulja Boy, Young Scooter, Fat Trel, Alley Boy, Lil Durk and Lil Reese among others. It would later be released for retail sale via iTunes on May 7, 2013.


title: Fredo Santana

text: On September 24, 2013, Fredo Santana made a cameo appearance in Drake's music video for "Hold On, We're Going Home", in which he portrayed a bad guy kidnapping Drake's "girlfriend".


title: Fredo Santana

text: His debut album, "Trappin Ain't Dead", was released on November 20, 2013. The album featured guest appearances by Kendrick Lamar, Chief Keef, Peewee Longway and other members of Glory Boyz Entertainment. "It's a Scary Site 2" was released on December 20, 2013.


title: Fredo Santana

text: On February 27, 2014, Santana announced that he and Keef were going to release a collaboration album "Blood Thicker Than Water", which never came to fruition. On July 9, 2014, he revealed the track list for his upcoming album "Walking Legend".


title: Fredo Santana

text: Santana was a heavy user of drugs, at one point being addicted to Xanax and lean. Santana attributed his heavy drug use to trauma experienced during his childhood, admitting he had post-traumatic stress disorder and turned to drugs as a coping mechanism.


title: Fredo Santana

text: Santana was hospitalized in March 2017 after having a seizure, which he blamed on a heavy workload and his poor sleep schedule. After the seizures persisted, Santana was diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy in May 2017 and prescribed Keppra to treat it. Despite the medicine, Santana continued to have seizures, usually multiple in a row.


title: Fredo Santana

text: Santana was hospitalized once again in October 2017 after friend and fellow rapper Gino Marley found Santana mid-seizure on the floor of his house with blood coming from his mouth. He was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with both liver and kidney failure, with the main factors being his addiction to Xanax and lean. Santana expressed interest in going to rehab while in hospital.


title: Fredo Santana

text: On the evening of January 19, 2018, at around 11:30 p.m. local time, Santana's girlfriend discovered him unresponsive at their home in Reseda, Los Angeles. Shortly after, Santana was pronounced dead. He had a fatal seizure, and an autopsy revealed he had developed cardiovascular disease in addition to the previous conditions he had.


title: Mother 3

text: Like previous entries, "Mother 3" focuses on exploring the game world from a top-down perspective and engaging in turn-based combat with enemies. Its development spanned twelve years and four consoles, beginning in 1994 for the Super Famicom and then transitioning to the Nintendo 64 and its 64DD add-on. It was initially canceled in 2000, but development was restarted in 2003 for the Game Boy Advance.


title: Mother 3

text: "Mother 3" was never localized or released outside Japan, due to its release near the end of the Advance's lifespan and the company focusing on the Nintendo DS. However, it was a critical and commercial success in the years that followed and has generated a cult following, in which it received critical praise for its character development, stylized graphics, music, story, and more mature and dramatic tone than its previous installments, but was criticized for its lack of innovation in the role-playing genre.


title: Mother 3

text: An unofficial English fan translation was released by the Starmen.net internet community in 2008, and received over 100,000 downloads within a week. "Mother 3" was re-released for the Wii U Virtual Console in Japan in 2016.


title: Mother 3

text: "Mother 3" is a single-player role playing video game similar to previous games in the "Mother" series. The player controls a party of playable characters who explore the game's two-dimensional fictional world, primarily shown from a top-down perspective. While navigating the overworld, the player may converse with non-player characters, obtain items, or encounter enemies. Winning battles against enemies awards experience points to the party, which is required for leveling up. Leveling up a character permanently enhances its individual attributes such as maximum hit points (HP), power points (PP), offense, and defense. Weapons, armor, or accessories can be equipped on a character to increase certain attributes. The player can restore their characters' HP and PP or heal various status ailments by visiting hot springs which are abundant in the game world, and the player can save the game by talking to frogs. Currency is introduced in the later half of the game as Dragon Points (DP), earned by winning battles and used to purchase items. The player can deposit or withdraw DP from frogs.


title: Mother 3

text: "Mother 3" retains the turn-based battle system featured in "EarthBound." When the player comes into contact with an enemy in the overworld, the game transitions to a battle screen. Battles are viewed from a presumed first-person perspective, showing the enemies against a distorted, animated background. The player can assign each character in their party to perform an action, such as attacking an enemy or using items to restore HP or PP. Some characters can utilize psychic-based abilities referred to as PSI, which includes stronger attacks and healing abilities, and require PP to execute. Like "EarthBound", combat uses a "rolling health" system: when one of the player's characters is injured, its HP will gradually "roll" down, similar to an odometer, rather than immediately decremented. This allows a mortally wounded character to perform actions like attacking or healing themselves, as long as the player acts quickly enough. If a character loses all HP, it will become unconscious and cannot participate unless revived by another character. The player loses a battle if all characters become unconscious; the player will then be given the option to continue play from the nearest save point, but with half the DP on their person.


title: Mother 3

text: Combat in "Mother 3" includes a unique musical combo system not seen in previous "Mother" games. When one of the player's characters directly attacks an enemy with a weapon, they can repeatedly attack the enemy by pressing the button in time with the beat of the background music, with each enemy possessing a musical theme with different rhythms. Using this system, the player can attack the enemy up to sixteen times in a row. When the correct beat is not apparent, the player can put the enemy to sleep to isolate the beat from the music.


title: Mother 3

text: "Mother 3" is set in the fictional Nowhere Islands, an unknown length of time after the events of "Mother 2". The game begins with twins Lucas and Claus and their mother Hinawa preparing to return home to Tazmily Village after visiting Hinawa's father, who lives in the northern reaches of the Islands. Before they can return, Tazmily Village is attacked by a mysterious military force known as the Pigmask Army, who bomb the nearby forest and start a forest fire. Hinawa's husband, Flint, is alerted to the fire and sets out to rescue his family. He finds Lucas and Claus, but discovers that Hinawa was killed defending them from a hostile Drago, a normally peaceful lizard-like creature. Later, Claus leaves the village to take revenge on the Drago; Flint attempts to follow him and discovers and defeats the Drago, which has been turned into a cyborg, but fails to find Claus.


title: Mother 3

text: In response to the Pigmasks' invasion, neophyte thief Duster is sent by his father and teacher Wess to the abandoned Osohe Castle to retrieve the mysterious Egg of Light. While there he meets the spirited young Princess Kumatora, but both he and the Egg are caught in a trap and vanish. At the same time a mysterious peddler known as Yokuba, who works with the Pigmasks, sells television-like devices known as Happy Boxes to the townspeople, with the unwilling help of a monkey named Salsa who he abuses. Yokuba introduces the villagers to the concept of currency, giving some money to one of them and then framing Duster for the theft of it. Salsa escapes from Yokuba's control with the help of Kumatora, Lucas, and Wess.


title: Mother 3

text: Three years later, Tazmily Village has been taken over by the Pigmask Army, who have modernized it with railways, Happy Boxes, and other modern technology. Lucas hears rumours that Duster, who has been missing since leaving for Osohe Castle, is working as a bassist at the nearby Club Titiboo, and sets off with his dog Boney. While travelling there, he learns psychic powers from a superpowered, benevolent, androgynous creature known as a Magypsy. At the club, he finds Kumatora working as a waitress, as well as Duster, who has lost his memory. They join and recover the Egg and restore Duster's memory, but while attempting to board a flying Pigmask airship, a mysterious Masked Man shakes them off and sends them flying to the ground, separating them.


title: Mother 3

text: Lucas and Boney land in a haystack back in Tazmily, and learn from the Magypsies that beneath the Islands is a massive dragon. The Magypsies' purpose is to guard seven Needles that were placed in the dragon to control its power; whoever pulls most of the Needles will be able to use the dragon's incredible power to completely reshape the world. Because of this, the Masked Man is trying to find and pull the Needles. Lucas and Boney reunite with Duster and Kumatora and race to pull the Needles before the Masked Man, but only manage to pull three before him, with the Masked Man pulling another three.


title: Mother 3

text: The seventh and final Needle is located beneath New Pork City, the capital of the Pigmasks. Lucas and company travel there and meet Leder, another villager, who reveals that the inhabitants of Tazmily Village are the last survivors of a global apocalypse, who travelled to the Nowhere Islands as they were protected by the dragon's power. To prevent a second apocalypse from reoccurring, the survivors sealed their previous memories in the Egg of Light; Leder was given the role of revealing the truth if the situation called for it. He also reveals that the leader of the Pigmasks is Porky Minch, who after the events of "Mother 2" travelled in time to the Nowhere Islands and began building an empire there, kidnapping inhabitants from other time periods (including Dr. Andonuts from "Mother 2") to populate it, as well as transforming the local wildlife into twisted new forms (including the Drago that killed Hinawa).


title: Mother 3

text: Lucas and company set out to confront Porky and pull the last needle. While fighting their way to him, they discover that Yokuba was the Magypsy responsible for protecting the seventh Needle, who turned traitor and started working for the Pigmasks. The heroes confront Porky deep beneath New Pork City, but he seals himself inside an "Absolutely Safe Capsule" built by Dr. Andonuts; however, Andonuts then reveals that the Absolutely Safe Capsule cannot be exited. And despite his many warnings, Porky used the machine in ignorance. Rendering the outside world absolutely safe by permanently sealing Porky within it.


title: Mother 3

text: Lucas reaches the seventh needle and confronts the Masked Man, who is revealed to be a brainwashed Claus. During the battle between Claus and Lucas, Claus's memory of his mother restores his humanity and he commits suicide. Lucas pulls the final Needle, awakening the Dragon and destroying the Nowhere Islands.


title: Mother 3

text: In an epilogue set in pitch darkness, the game's cast reveals that they have survived and wish the player farewell. After the credits, the "Mother 3" logo is shown restored to being made completely of wood.


title: Mother 3

text: Development of "Mother 3" began in 1994 for the Super Famicom with Shigeru Miyamoto and Satoru Iwata as producers. The team mostly consisted of members involved in the development of the previous "Mother" game, "EarthBound." Inspired by "Super Mario 64", the team transitioned from the Super Famicom to the Nintendo 64, believing that they could also creatively flourish by making a 3D world without technical restrictions. However, their early specifications exceeded the capabilities and memory limits of Nintendo 64; halfway through development the team scaled back its large scope and changed the platform to the 64DD, a Nintendo 64 expansion peripheral that was later released only in Japan in 1999. "Mother 3" was expected to be a 64DD launch game, but development shifted back to the Nintendo 64 after the 64DD's commercial failure.


title: Mother 3

text: Nintendo showcased a demo of "Mother 3" at the 1999 Nintendo Space World trade show. It was expected to be released in North America under the title "EarthBound 64," on a 256-megabit cartridge, similar to "". "IGN" reacted favorably to the demo and compared the multi-character narrative to the Japan-only Super Famicom RPG "Live A Live", and "Famitsu" readers ranked the game as one of their top ten most anticipated towards the end of 1999.


title: Mother 3

text: Shigesato Itoi announced in late August 2000 that "Mother 3" had been cancelled following a number of delays. Iwata and Miyamoto clarified in an interview that resources had been moved to the development of the GameCube, the next Nintendo console. Itoi stated that an additional two years would have been required to finish the game, which was 30% complete at the time of cancellation. Iwata stated retrospectively that the focus on 3D graphics made the project overcomplex. Miyamoto also stated that the "Mother" franchise had not been abandoned and that he was still interested in bringing the game to fruition.


title: Mother 3

text: In 2003, in a Japanese commercial for the compilation game "Mother 1+2", Nintendo announced that it had restarted the development of "Mother 3" for the portable Game Boy Advance console. Itoi had believed that restarting the project was impossible but changed his mind following encouragement from the "Mother" fanbase. Nintendo subsidiary Brownie Brown developed the game, with input from Itoi. While the graphics were changed from 3D to 2D, the story was not altered. "Mother 3" was about 60% complete by July 2004, and was released on April 20, 2006 in Japan.


title: Mother 3

text: Itoi thought of the concept behind "Mother 3" towards the end of "Mother 2" production, a "detective story where the city was the main character". He thought of a hack, small-time, womanizing private investigator who would become engrossed in a big murder case, and the story would unfold from a young female clerk at a flower shop who would slowly recall parts of a story consequential to the plot. Thus, the city would appear to grow. This idea of a "single place changing over time" was central to "Mother 3". Unlike previous RPGs, which he saw as "road movies" with little reason to revisit, he wanted the player to see the town gossip grow dynamically. It was enough of a departure from the series that the development team questioned whether fans would consider it part of the series. Itoi intended the game to have 12 chapters with various game mechanics and rotating player-characters. He conceptualized the development as moving 3D puppets before realizing the degree of programming required. As development wore on, Itoi reduced the scope of the chapters until seven or nine were left. The "uncomfortable beauty" of chimera—multiple creatures fused into one—was central to the game and the idea behind the metallic and wooden "Mother 3" logo. Itoi served less of a manager role and more as a team member and scriptwriter than in previous "Mother" development cycles. He saw himself as simultaneously making the game he wanted to play and setting traps for the player, and as making a game Nintendo could not.


title: Mother 3

text: Itoi chose to use the pixelated style of "Mother 2" for the Game Boy Advance "Mother 3" because he was uninterested in computer graphics trends. The series' games were written in the hiragana alphabet instead of in kanji (Chinese characters) so as to remain accessible to young children. Itoi described the game world as governed by a "might equals right ... macho" power struggle. The antagonist, Porky, was designed as a "symbol of humankind", complementing Itoi's view of evil on a fungible morality spectrum with "pranks" and "crimes" at its extremes. Itoi compared the way in which the characters realize their psychic powers with menstruation and added that human physiology was "one of his themes". Players sweat when learning an ability based on Itoi's belief of how physical struggle facilitates growth. He also included characters like the Magypsies and Duster (who has a bad leg) to show the value of having friends with different qualities.


title: Mother 3

text: Another of his themes was the duality of the seriousness and lightheartedness of games, which is why he added a serious death scene to the first chapter. Itoi's Nintendo 64 version of the scenario was darker, "dirtier", and more upsetting, though the final version changed little in concept. Itoi attributed the change in tone to his own growth and the character composition of the new development team. Itoi later reflected on the ending's lesson on the virtue of helping bad people. Itoi felt that the ending's renewal theme reflected his worldview of appreciating our time on Earth in light of the planet's inevitable end. Much of the rest of the script was written after-hours at a local hotel where they would continue their work.


title: Mother 3

text: Shogo Sakai, a video game composer at HAL Laboratory whose previous works include music for "Kirby Air Ride" and "Super Smash Bros. Melee", composed "Mother 3" soundtrack. Shigesato Itoi stated that Sakai was chosen for the role given his deep understanding of the game's story and the "EarthBound" series in general, in addition to the fact that "EarthBound" composers Keiichi Suzuki and Hirokazu Tanaka were both unavailable. Sakai worked to make the music feel similar to previous entries in the series. The "Mother 3" soundtrack was released on compact disc on November 2, 2006. Kyle Miller of "RPGFan" wrote that the game retained the quirkiness of the previous soundtracks in the series despite the change in composers. He found the second half of the album, which included reinterpreted "classics" from the series, to be its strongest.


title: Mother 3

text: "Love Theme", the main theme of "Mother 3", was composed late in the game's development; earlier in development Itoi intended to use the "Pigmask Army" theme as the main theme of the game. During the creation of an important scene in the game, however, Sakai was asked to create a song that would have a greater impact than the Pigmask theme; upon its creation, it was chosen to be used as the main theme instead of the "Pigmask Army" song. Itoi claims that, given how quickly Sakai composed the song, that he had been "waiting for the order" to make a song like "Love Theme". Itoi requested that "Love Theme" be playable on a piano with only one finger, as the "Eight Melodies" theme from "Mother" had gained popularity and been played in elementary schools due to its simplicity. The "OK desu ka?" that plays after the player chooses the character's name was recorded without Itoi's knowledge by Hirokazu Tanaka more than a decade before the release of "Mother 3".


title: Mother 3

text: "Mother 3" was released in Japan on April 20, 2006, where it became a bestseller. Prior to its release, the game was in the "top five most wanted games" of "Famitsu" and at the top of the Japanese preordered game charts. At one point leading up to its release, the game's "Love Theme" would play as music on hold for the Japan Post. A limited edition Deluxe Box Set was produced with a special edition Game Boy Micro and Franklin Badge pin. The game was marketed in Japan with a television commercial that has Japanese actress Kō Shibasaki on the verge of tears as she explains her feelings about "Mother 3". Itoi has said that her performance was unscripted. The game was released for the Japanese Virtual Console on the Wii U in December 2015. "Game Informer" editor Imran Khan alleges that Nintendo planned an English localization but canceled it due to fears that the central theme of bereavement, as well as instances of drug use and animal cruelty, would generate controversy. Former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé later said in an interview with "Bloomberg News" that the lack of localization was because it "just didn't make business sense" to make one for a game released very late in the handheld's lifespan. He also said that he was in talks with Iwata to possibly release it on the North American Wii U eShop prior to Iwata's passing.


title: Mother 3

text: "Mother 3" did not receive an official release outside Japan. On October 17, 2008, Starmen.net released a fan translation patch that, when applied on a copy of the "Mother 3" ROM image, translates all the game's text into English. Reid Young, co-founder of Starmen.net, stated that when they realized Nintendo was not going to localize "Mother 3", they decided to undertake the task, for themselves and for fans of the game. The translation team consisted of around a dozen individuals, including project lead Clyde "Tomato" Mandelin, a professional Japanese-to-English translator. The project took two years and thousands of work-hours to complete; it was estimated that the theoretical freelance cost of the translation was $30,000.


title: Mother 3

text: The project included translating, writing, and revising about 1,000 pages of the game script in addition to extensive ROM hacking and testing to ensure that the game properly displays the translated text. The translation included minor deviations from the original, such as localization of place names and puns. The few dramatic changes included renaming some characters and locations. For example, the character "Yokuba", loosely derived from , was renamed "Fassad", loosely derived from the French word "façade" and, incidentally, the Arabic word "fasād" (فساد, "corruption"). The ROM hacking entailed assembly-level changes to the game code to support features such as variable width fonts.


title: Mother 3

text: The team reported that "the highest levels" of Nintendo of America knew about their project, though they did not intervene. The localization team planned to end the project if Nintendo were to make an announcement about the future of the game, or if they were asked to cease development of the translation. They acknowledged that the legality of the localization was unclear since the final translation required use of an emulator or a flash cartridge. The localization patch was downloaded over 100,000 times in the first week following its release. Along with the translation, the team announced the "Mother 3 Handbook", an English player's guide for the game that had been in development since June 2008. "Wired" reported the full-color, 200-page player's guide to be akin to a professional strategy guide, with quality "on par with ... Prima Games and BradyGames". "The Verge" cited the two-year fan translation of "Mother 3" as proof of the fan base's dedication, and Jenni Lada of "TechnologyTell" called it "undoubtedly one of the best known fan translations in existence", with active retranslations into other languages.


title: Mother 3

text: "Mother 3" received critical acclaim, it sold around 200,000 copies in its first week of sales in Japan and despite not having an English localization, critics imported it for reception and gave it mostly positive reviews. It was one of Japan's top 20 bestselling games for the first half of 2006, and received a "Platinum Hall of Fame" score of 35/40 from Japanese reviewer "Weekly Famitsu". It ended the year with over 368,000 copies sold, the 36th highest of the year in Japan. Jenni Lada of "TechnologyTell" called it the "perfect" Game Boy Advance role-playing game. Reviewers praised its story (even though the game was only available in Japanese) and graphics, and lamented its 1990s role-playing game mechanics. Critics also complimented its music.


title: Mother 3

text: "Famitsu" reviewers noted the level of detail from the game's direction, accessibility and wit of the story, unconventional art style, and conventional game mechanics. They considered the timed battles to be both useful and difficult. "Eurogamer" Simon Parkin detailed the 12-year development, the series' legacy as both "one of Japan's most beloved" and the video game cognoscenti's "sacred cow", and the endurance of its fan community. He was impressed by the quality of the fan translation and described Itoi as a "storyteller" who chose the Japanese role-playing game medium to tell his story. Parkin noted how the "excellent" script unfurled from a "straightforward tale" into "breadth and depth of quality that few titles many times its budget achieve" with "affecting scenes" and "unexpected impact". He compared the chapter approach with the method of "Dragon Quest IV". Parkin wrote that the script allowed for the somewhat "heavy-handed" juxtaposition of "nature and technology, feudalism and capitalism, individuals and community", and that what he first considers a name customization "trick" becomes useful later in the game. "NGC Magazine" Mark Green wrote that the game felt like "Mother 2.5" in its look and feel, which he did not consider negative, albeit somewhat antiquated. Lada of "TechnologyTell" said "Mother 3" was surprisingly "darker" than its forebears.


title: Mother 3

text: "Eurogamer" Parkin wrote that the "childlike" and "unusually Western" graphics were similar to "EarthBound" in "flat pastel textures devoid of shading" as juxtaposed with background art that "fizzes with life and character". He described the cutscenes' animations as "bespoke", rare for 16-bit role-playing games, and of greater dramatic impact. "RPGamer" Jordan Jackson wrote that the visuals are typical of the series and fit the game's mood, and the website's Mike Moehnke criticized the inventory limits carried over from the previous game. Green of "NGC" said the game mechanics were "depressingly basic" against more advanced role-playing games. "Eurogamer" Parkin felt that the role-playing game elements were less interesting and added that "Mother 3" had few standout selling points other than its attention to detail and "only systemic innovation": the rhythm-based battle system. "Kotaku" Richard Eisenbeis praised the system, and "GameSpot" Greg Kasavin compared it with that of the "Mario & Luigi" series. Jackson wrote that the music was "just as catchy as previous games" despite being "almost completely new". Moehnke agreed, calling it "nothing less than stunning". He noted overtones of Wagner and Chuck Berry. Jackson said that the game was somewhat easier than the rest of the series and somewhat shorter, at about 30 hours in length. Both "RPGamer" reviewers noted that "Mother 3" has few penalties for death. Jackson reflected that while the game is humorous and grows in enjoyment, it has some somber moments as well. Eisenbeis of "Kotaku" cited "the importance of mothers" as a key theme about which the game revolves, which he preferred to the mid-game "slapstick insanity" and final plot twist. Parkin wrote that the game was filled with "memorable moments", including a character who criticizes the player "for not giggling at puns", frogs with progressively silly costumes that save the game, a "reconstructed mecha caribou" battle, a bad haiku, and the "campfire scene", and that while the game's simpleness could have leaned towards "raw stupidity", instead it was "elegant in its simplicity".


title: Mother 3

text: Multiple critics wrote that "Mother 3" was one of the best role-playing games for the Game Boy Advance. "GamePro" Jeremy Signor listed it among his "best unreleased Japanese role-playing games" for its script and attention to detail. Tim Rogers posited that "Mother 3" was "the closest games have yet come to literature."


title: Mother 3

text: Nintendo has been heavily criticized for "Mother 3" lack of an international release. IGN referred to the "Mother" series as "neglected" in regards to "EarthBound" being the only game to be released outside Japan across the decades until 2015. Bob Mackey of "1UP.com" wrote of "Mother 3" that "no other game in the history of time garnered such a rabid demand for translation," and Chris Plante of "UGO Networks" wrote that the lack of an official "Mother 3" English localization was one of 2008's "worst heartbreaks". Frank Caron of "Ars Technica" said that the fan translation's "massive undertaking ... stands as a massive success" and that "one cannot even begin to fathom why Nintendo wouldn't see fit to release the game in the West".


title: Mother 3

text: Although acclaimed, "Mother" series writer and creator Shigesato Itoi has stated that he does not have any plans to create a fourth installment in the series.


title: Mother 3

text: The "Super Smash Bros." series features the characters Ness and Lucas as playable fighters, as well as minor characters as collectibles, items, or stage hazards.


title: Mother 3

text: During Nintendo's digital event at E3 2014, Nintendo made a humorous reference to "Mother 3"s lack of a localization by presenting a stop-motion animation created by "Robot Chicken". The short features a fan in attendance talking to then-Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé. After the fan says "Come on, Reggie, give us "Mother 3"!", Fils-Aimé responds by saying "How about this instead?" and then proceeds to eat a Fire Flower from the "Super Mario" series in order to throw a fireball at the fan.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: The Massacre of Glencoe () took place in Glen Coe in the Highlands of Scotland on 13 February 1692. An estimated 30 members and associates of Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by Scottish government forces, allegedly for failing to pledge allegiance to the new monarchs, William III and Mary II.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: Although the Jacobite rising of 1689 was no longer a serious threat by May 1690, unrest continued in the remote Highlands which consumed military resources the government needed for the Nine Years' War in Flanders. In late 1690, the Scottish government agreed to pay the Jacobite clan chiefs a total of £12,000 in return for swearing an oath of loyalty to William and Mary; however, disagreements over how to divide the money meant by December 1691 none of them had taken the oath.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: Under pressure from William, Secretary of State Lord Stair decided to make an example as a warning of the consequences for further delay. The Glencoe MacDonalds were not the only ones who failed to meet the deadline, as the Keppoch MacDonalds did not swear until early February. The precise reasons why they were selected for punishment are still debated, but appear to have been a combination of internal clan politics and a reputation for lawlessness that made them an easy target.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: While there are many examples of similar events in earlier Scottish history, by 1692 such incidents were increasingly rare and the brutality of the massacre shocked contemporaries. It became a significant element in the persistence of Jacobitism in the Highlands during the first half of the 18th century, and remains a powerful symbol for a variety of reasons.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: Historians argue the late-17th-century Scottish Highlands were more peaceful than often suggested, in part because chiefs could be fined for crimes committed by their clansmen. The exception was the area known as Lochaber, identified as a refuge for cattle raiders and thieves by government officials, other chiefs and Gaelic poets. Four Lochaber clans were consistently named in such accounts; the Glencoe and Keppoch MacDonalds, the MacGregors and the Camerons.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: Levies from all four served in the Independent Companies used to suppress the Conventicles in 1678–80, and took part in the devastating Atholl raid that followed Argyll's Rising in 1685. Primarily directed against areas in Cowal and Kintyre settled by Lowland migrants, it destabilised large parts of the central and southern Highlands. As a result, the government had to use military force to restore order; before James VII and II was deposed by the November 1688 Glorious Revolution, he outlawed the Keppoch MacDonalds for attacking his troops.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: When James landed in Ireland to regain his kingdoms in March 1689, the Camerons and Keppoch MacDonalds joined a small force recruited by Viscount Dundee for a supporting campaign in Scotland. Dundee and 600 Highlanders died in the victory at Killiecrankie on 27 July; although organised Jacobite resistance ended after Cromdale in May 1690, much of the Highlands remained out of government hands. Policing it used resources needed for the Nine Years' War in Flanders, while close links between Western Scotland and Ulster meant unrest in one country often spilled into the other. As peace in the Highlands required control of Lochaber, the region had far wider strategic importance than it appears.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: After Killiecrankie, the Scottish government tried to negotiate a settlement with the Jacobite chiefs, terms varying based on events in Ireland and Scotland. In March 1690, Secretary of State Lord Stair offered them a total of £12,000 in return for swearing an Oath of allegiance to William. The chiefs accepted his offer in the June 1691 Declaration of Achallader, with the Earl of Breadalbane signing for the government. Crucially, it did not specify how the money was to be divided and disputes over this delayed the oath, with Breadalbane arguing part of it was owed him as compensation for damage done to his estates by the Glencoe MacDonalds.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: The Battle of Aughrim on 12 July ended Jacobite chances of victory in the Williamite War in Ireland, and any immediate prospects of a Stuart restoration. On 26 August, the Scottish government issued a Royal Proclamation that offered a pardon to anyone taking the Oath prior to 1 January 1692, with severe reprisals for those who did not. Two days later, secret articles began circulating which canceled the Achallader agreement in the event of a Jacobite invasion and allegedly signed by all the attendees. These included Breadalbane, who claimed they had been manufactured by the MacDonald chief Glengarry. From this point on, Stair's letters focused on enforcement, reflecting his belief that forged or not, none of the signatories intended to keep their word.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: In early October, the chiefs asked James for permission to take the oath unless he could mount an invasion before the deadline, a condition they knew was impossible. A document granting his approval was sent from the exile court in Saint-Germain on 12 December and received by Glengarry on the 23rd. He delayed sharing it with his colleagues until 28 December for reasons that remain unclear, although one suggestion is that it was driven by a power struggle within the MacDonald clan between Episcopalian elements like Glencoe and the Catholic minority, led by Glengarry. As a result, it was not until 30 December that MacIain of Glencoe left for Fort William to take the oath from its governor, Lieutenant Colonel John Hill. Since he was not authorised to accept it, Hill sent MacIain to Inverary with a letter for Sir Colin Campbell, the local magistrate. He administered the oath on 6 January, after which MacIain returned home.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: Although Glengarry did not swear until 4 February, while others did so by proxy, only MacIain was excluded from the indemnity issued by the Scottish Privy Council. Stair's letter of 2 December to Breadalbane shows the decision to make an example was taken well before the deadline for the oath, originally as a much bigger operation; ""...the clan Donell must be rooted out and Lochiel. Leave the McLeans to Argyll..."" In January, he wrote three letters in quick succession to Sir Thomas Livingstone, military commander in Scotland; on 7th, the intention was to ""...destroy entirely the country of Lochaber, Locheal's lands, Kippochs, Glengarrie and Glenco...;" on 9th "...their chieftains all being papists, it is well the vengeance falls there; for my part, I regret the MacDonalds had not divided and...Kippoch and Glenco are safe." The last on 11 January states; "...my lord Argile tells me Glenco hath not taken the oaths at which I rejoice...""


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: Parliament passed a Decree of Forfeiture in 1690, depriving Glengarry of his lands, but he continued to hold Invergarry Castle, whose garrison included the senior Jacobite officers Alexander Cannon and Thomas Buchan. This suggests the Episcopalian Glencoe MacDonalds only replaced the Catholic Glengarry as the target on 11 January; MacIain's son John MacDonald told the 1695 Commission the soldiers came to Glencoe from the north '...Glengarry's house being reduced.'


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: The targeting of the Glencoe MacDonalds was driven by a variety of factors and motives. After two years of negotiations, Stair was under pressure to ensure the deal stuck, while Argyll was competing for political influence with his kinsman Breadalbane, who also found it expedient to concur with the plan. Glengarry was later pardoned and his lands returned, while maintaining his reputation at the Jacobite court by being the last to swear and ensuring Cannon and Buchan received safe conduct to France in March 1692.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: In late January 1692, two companies or approximately 120 men from the Earl of Argyll's Regiment of Foot arrived in Glencoe from Invergarry. Their commander was Robert Campbell of Glenlyon, an impoverished local landowner whose niece was married to one of MacIain's sons. Campbell carried orders for 'free quarter', an established alternative to paying taxes in what was a largely non-cash society. The Glencoe MacDonalds had themselves been similarly billeted on the Campbells when serving with the Highland levies used to police Argyll in 1678.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: Highland regiments were formed by first appointing Captains, each responsible for recruiting sixty men from his own estates. Muster rolls for the regiment from October 1691 show the vast majority came from areas in Argyll devastated by the 1685 and 1686 Atholl. On 12 February, Hill ordered Lieutenant Colonel James Hamilton to take 400 men and block the northern exits from Glencoe at Kinlochleven. Meanwhile, another 400 men under Major Duncanson would join Glenlyon's detachment and sweep northwards up the glen, killing anyone they found, removing property and burning houses.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: On the evening of 12 February, Glenlyon received written orders from Duncanson carried by another Argyll officer, Captain Thomas Drummond; their tone shows doubts as to his ability or willingness to carry them out.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: ""See that this be putt in execution without feud or favour, else you may expect to be dealt with as one not true to King nor Government, nor a man fitt to carry Commissione in the Kings service."" As Captain of the Argylls' Grenadier company, Drummond was senior to Glenlyon; his presence appears to have been to ensure the orders were enforced, since witnesses gave evidence he shot two people who asked Glenlyon for mercy.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: In his letters of 30 January to Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton and Colonel Hill, Stair expresses concern the MacDonalds would escape if warned, and emphasises the need for secrecy. This correlates with evidence from James Campbell, one of Glenlyon's company, stating they had no knowledge of the plan until the morning of 13 February. MacIain was killed but his two sons escaped and the 1695 Commission was given various figures for the number of casualties; the often quoted figure of 38 is based on hearsay evidence from Hamilton's men, while the MacDonalds themselves claimed 'the number they knew to be slaine were about 25.' Modern research estimates deaths resulting from the Massacre as 'around 30', while claims others died of exposure have not been substantiated.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: Casualties would have been higher but whether by accident or design, Hamilton and Duncanson arrived after the killings had finished. Duncanson was two hours late, only joining Glenlyon at the southern end at 7:00 am, after which they advanced up the glen burning houses and removing livestock. Hamilton was not in position at Kinlochleven until 11:00; his detachment included two lieutenants, Francis Farquhar and Gilbert Kennedy who often appear in anecdotes claiming they 'broke their swords rather than carry out their orders.' This differs from their testimony to the Commission and is unlikely, since they arrived hours after the killings, which were carried out at the opposite end of the glen.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: In May, fears of a French invasion meant the Argylls were posted to Brentford in England, then Flanders, where they served until the end of the Nine Years' War in 1697 when the regiment was disbanded. No action taken against those involved; Glenlyon died of disease in Bruges in August 1696, Duncanson was killed in Spain in May 1705 while Drummond survived to take part in another famous Scottish disaster, the Darien scheme.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: On 12 April 1692, the "Paris Gazette" published a copy of Glenlyon's orders, allegedly found in an Edinburgh coffee house and then taken to France. Despite criticism of the government, there was little sympathy for the MacDonalds; the military commander in Scotland, Viscount Teviot wrote 'it's not that anyone thinks the thieving tribe did not deserve to be destroyed but that it should have been done by those quartered amongst them makes a great noise.' The impetus behind an inquiry was political; as a former member of James' administration, who then became a supporter of the new regime, Stair was unpopular with both sides.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: In the debate that followed, Colonel Hill claimed most Highlanders were peaceful, and even in Lochaber, He argued lawlessness was deliberately encouraged by leaders like Glengarry, while 'the midle sort of Gentrey and Commons...never got anything but hurt' from it. The 1693 Highland Judicial Commission tried to encourage use of the law to resolve issues like cattle-theft, but it was undermined by the clan chiefs, as it reduced control over their tenants.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: The issue appeared to be settled until given fresh impetus in May 1695 when the English Licensing of the Press Act 1662 expired. It led to an explosion in the number of political pamphlets published in London, among them "Gallienus Redivivus, or Murther will out, &c. Being a true Account of the De Witting of Glencoe, Gaffney". Written by Jacobite-activist Charles Leslie, the main focus was William's alleged complicity in the 1672 death of Johan de Witt, with Glencoe and other crimes included as secondary charges.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: A Commission was set up to determine whether there was a case to answer under 'Slaughter under trust', a 1587 act intended to reduce endemic feuding. The law applied specifically to murder committed in 'cold-blood', for example when articles of surrender had been agreed, or hospitality accepted. It was first used in 1588 against Lachlan Mor Maclean, whose objections to his mother's second marriage led him to murder his new stepfather, John MacDonald, and 18 members of the wedding party. It was subject to interpretation; James MacDonald, who locked his parents inside their house before setting fire to it in 1597, and the killing of prisoners after the 1647 Battle of Dunaverty, were deemed to have been committed in "hot blood" and excluded.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: As both a capital offence and treason, it was an awkward weapon with which to attack Stair, since William himself signed the orders and the intent was widely known in government circles. The Commission therefore focused on whether participants exceeded orders, not their legality; it concluded Stair and Hamilton had a case to answer but left the decision to William. While Stair was dismissed as Secretary of State, he returned to government in 1700 and was made an earl by the last Stuart monarch, Queen Anne. An application by the survivors for compensation was ignored; they rebuilt their houses, and participated in the 1715 and 1745 Jacobite risings. An archaeological survey in 2019 showed Glencoe was occupied until the Highland Clearances of the mid-18th century.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: The brutality of the Massacre shocked Scottish society and became a Jacobite symbol of post-1688 oppression; in 1745, Prince Charles ordered Leslie's pamphlet and the 1695 Parliamentary minutes reprinted in the Edinburgh "Caledonian Mercury". It then largely disappeared from public view until 1850 when it was referenced by Whig historian Thomas Macaulay in "History". He sought to exonerate William from every charge made by Leslie and is responsible for the suggestion that the Massacre was part of a feud between the MacDonalds and Clan Campbell.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: Victorian Scotland developed values that were pro-Union and pro-Empire, while also being uniquely Scottish. Historical divisions meant this was largely expressed through a shared cultural identity, while the study of Scottish history itself virtually disappeared from universities. Glencoe became part of a focus on 'the emotional trappings of the Scottish past...bonnie Scotland of the bens and glens and misty shieling, the Jacobites, Mary, Queen of Scots, tartan mania and the raising of historical statuary.'


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: After the study of Scottish history re-emerged in the 1950s, Leslie's perspectives continued to shape views of William's reign as particularly disastrous for Scotland. The massacre was only one in a series of incidents deemed as such, including the Darien scheme, the famine of the late 1690s, and the Union of 1707. It is still commemorated in an annual ceremony by the Clan Donald Society; initiated in 1930, this is held at the Upper Carnoch memorial, a tapering Celtic cross installed in 1883 at the eastern end of Glencoe village. Another memorial includes the Henderson Stone, a granite boulder south of Carnach; originally known as the 'Soldier's Stone', in the late 19th century, it was renamed "Clach Eanruig", or 'Henry's Stone', after the man reputed to be piper to MacIain.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: Glencoe was a popular topic with 19th-century poets, the best-known work being Sir Walter Scott's "Massacre of Glencoe". It was used as a subject by Thomas Campbell and George Gilfillan, whose main claim to modern literary fame is his sponsorship of William McGonagall, allegedly the worst poet in British history. Other poetic references include Letitia Elizabeth Landon's "Glencoe" (1823), T. S. Eliot's "Rannoch, by Glencoe" and "Two Poems from Glencoe" by Douglas Stewart.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: Examples in literature include "The Masks of Purpose" by Eric Linklater, and the novels "Fire Bringer" by David Clement-Davies, "Corrag" (known as "Witch Light" in paperback) by Susan Fletcher and "Lady of the Glen" by Jennifer Roberson. William Croft Dickinson references Glencoe in his 1963 short story "The Return of the Native". "A Song of Ice and Fire" author, George R. R. Martin, cites the Glencoe Massacre as one of two historical influences on the infamous "Red Wedding" in his 2000 book "A Storm of Swords".


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: In the television series "Mad Men", it is implied that the Campbell–MacDonald feud is still active as of 1969, when Pete Campbell's daughter is rejected from an elite New York preschool headed by a MacDonald.


title: Massacre of Glencoe

text: After the Massacre, the Glencoe MacDonalds rebuilt their homes; a military survey undertaken between 1747 and 1755 shows seven separate settlements along the glen, each containing between six and eleven buildings. In 2018, a team of archaeologists organised by the National Trust for Scotland began surveying several areas related to the massacre, with plans to produce detailed studies of their findings. Work in the summer of 2019 focused on the settlement of Achadh Triachatain, or Achtriachtan, at the extreme end of the glen; home to an estimated 50 people, excavations show it was rebuilt after 1692 and still occupied in the mid-18th century. No artefacts relating to the massacre have as yet been found.


title: Ed Wynn

text: Isaiah Edwin Leopold (November 9, 1886 – June 19, 1966), better known as Ed Wynn, was an American actor and comedian. He was noted for his "Perfect Fool" comedy character, his pioneering radio show of the 1930s, and his later career as a dramatic actor.


title: Ed Wynn

text: Wynn was born Isaiah Edwin Leopold in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to a Jewish family. His father, Joseph, a milliner, was born in Bohemia. His mother, Minnie Greenberg, of Romanian and Turkish ancestry, came from Istanbul. Wynn attended Central High School in Philadelphia until age 15. He ran away from home in his teens, worked as a hat salesman and as a utility boy, and eventually adapted his middle name "Edwin" into his new stage name, "Ed Wynn", to save his family the embarrassment of having a lowly comedian as a relative.


title: Ed Wynn

text: Wynn began his career in vaudeville in 1903 and was a star of the "Ziegfeld Follies" starting in 1914. During "The Follies of 1915", W. C. Fields allegedly caught Wynn mugging for the audience under the table during Fields's "Pool Room" routine and knocked Wynn unconscious with his cue. Wynn wrote, directed, and produced many Broadway shows in the subsequent decades, and was known for his silly costumes and props as well as for the giggly, wavering voice he developed for the 1921 musical revue "The Perfect Fool". Wynn became a very active member of The Lambs Club in 1919.


title: Ed Wynn

text: In the early 1930s, Wynn hosted the popular radio show "The Fire Chief", heard in North America on Tuesday nights, sponsored by Texaco gasoline. Like many former vaudeville performers who turned to radio in the same decade, the stage-trained Wynn insisted on playing for a live studio audience, doing each program as an actual stage show, using visual bits to augment his written material, and in his case, wearing a colorful costume with a red fireman's helmet. He usually bounced his gags off announcer/straight man Graham McNamee; Wynn's customary opening, "Tonight, Graham, the show's gonna be different," became one of the most familiar tag-lines of its time; a sample joke: "Graham, my uncle just bought a new second-handed car... he calls it Baby! I don't know, it won't go anyplace without a rattle!"


title: Ed Wynn

text: Wynn reprised his Fire Chief radio character in two movies, "Follow the Leader" (1930) and "The Chief" (1933). Near the height of his radio fame (1933) he founded his own short-lived radio network the Amalgamated Broadcasting System, which lasted only five weeks, nearly destroying the comedian. According to radio historian Elizabeth McLeod, the failed venture left Wynn deep in debt, divorced and finally, suffering a nervous breakdown.


title: Ed Wynn

text: Wynn was offered the title role The Wizard in MGM's 1939 screen adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz", but turned it down, as did his Ziegfeld contemporary W. C. Fields. The part went to Frank Morgan.


title: Ed Wynn

text: Ed Wynn first appeared on television on July 7, 1936, in a brief, ad-libbed spot with Graham McNamee during an NBC experimental television broadcast. In the 1949–50 season, Wynn hosted one of the first network, comedy-variety television shows, on CBS, and won both a Peabody Award and an Emmy Award in 1949. Buster Keaton, Carmen Miranda, Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Hattie McDaniel and The Three Stooges all made guest appearances with Wynn. This was the first CBS variety television show to originate from Los Angeles, which was seen live on the west coast, but filmed via kinescope for distribution in the Midwest and East, as the national coaxial cable had yet to be completed. Wynn was also a rotating host of NBC's "Four Star Revue" from 1950 through 1952.


title: Ed Wynn

text: After the end of Wynn's third television series, "The Ed Wynn Show" (a short-lived situation comedy on NBC's 1958–59 schedule), his son, actor Keenan Wynn, encouraged him to make a career change rather than retire. The comedian reluctantly began a career as a dramatic actor in television and movies. Father and son appeared in three productions, the first of which was the 1956 "Playhouse 90" broadcast of Rod Serling's play "Requiem for a Heavyweight". Ed was terrified of straight acting and kept goofing his lines in rehearsal. When the producers wanted to fire him, star Jack Palance said he would quit if they fired Ed. (However, unbeknownst to Wynn, supporting player Ned Glass was his secret understudy in case something "did" happen before air time.) On live broadcast night, Wynn surprised everyone with his pitch-perfect performance, and his quick ad libs to cover his mistakes. A dramatization of what happened during the production was later staged as an April 1960 "Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse" episode, "The Man in the Funny Suit", starring both senior and junior Wynns, with key figures involved in the original production also portraying themselves (including Rod Serling and director Ralph Nelson). Ed and his son also worked together in the Jose Ferrer film "The Great Man", with Ed again proving his unexpected skills in drama.


title: Ed Wynn

text: "Requiem" established Wynn as a serious dramatic actor who could easily hold his own with the best. His performance in "The Diary of Anne Frank" (1959) received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.


title: Ed Wynn

text: Also in 1959, Wynn appeared on Serling's TV series "The Twilight Zone" in "One for the Angels". Serling, a longtime admirer, had written that episode especially for him, and Wynn later in 1963 starred in the episode "Ninety Years Without Slumbering". For the rest of his life, Wynn skillfully moved between comic and dramatic roles. He appeared in feature films and anthology television, endearing himself to new generations of fans.


title: Ed Wynn

text: Wynn was caricatured in the Merrie Melodies cartoon shorts "Shuffle Off to Buffalo" (1933), "I've Got to Sing a Torch Song" (1933), and as a pot of jam in the Betty Boop short "Betty in Blunderland" (1934).


title: Ed Wynn

text: He appeared as the Fairy Godfather in Jerry Lewis's "Cinderfella". His performance as Paul Beaseley in the 1958 film "The Great Man" earned him nominations for a Golden Globe Award for "Best Supporting Actor" and a BAFTA Award for "Best Foreign Actor". The following year he received his first (and only) nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Mr. Dussell in "The Diary of Anne Frank" (1959). Six years later he appeared in the Bible epic "The Greatest Story Ever Told".


title: Ed Wynn

text: Wynn provided the voice of the Mad Hatter in Walt Disney's film "Alice in Wonderland" (1951) and played The Toymaker alongside Annette Funicello and Tommy Sands in the Christmas operetta film "Babes in Toyland" released in 1961.


title: Ed Wynn

text: In Walt Disney's "Mary Poppins" (1964), he played eccentric Uncle Albert floating around just beneath the ceiling in uncontrollable mirth, singing "I Love to Laugh".


title: Ed Wynn

text: Re-teaming with the Disney team the following year—in "That Darn Cat!" (1965), featuring Dean Jones and Hayley Mills—Wynn filled out the character of Mr. Hofstedder, the watch jeweler with his bumbling charm. He also had brief roles in "The Absent Minded Professor" (as the fire chief, in a scene alongside his son Keenan Wynn, who played the film's antagonist) and "Son of Flubber" (as county agricultural agent A.J. Allen). His final performance, as Rufus in Walt Disney's "The Gnome-Mobile", was released a few months after his death.


title: Ed Wynn

text: In addition to Disney films, Wynn was also an actor in the Disneyland production "The Golden Horseshoe Revue".


title: Ed Wynn

text: Wynn was married three times: He first married actress Hilda Keenan on September 5, 1914, they eventually divorced on May 13, 1937, after twenty-three years of marriage. Together, they had a son, actor Keenan Wynn. He later married his second wife Frieda Mierse a month later on June 25, 1937, but would later divorce her only two years later on December 12, 1939. He married his third and final wife Dorothy Elizabeth Nesbitt on July 31, 1946, she later filed for divorced from Wynn on February 1, 1955, and was finalized on March 1, 1955.


title: Ed Wynn

text: Wynn died on June 19, 1966, in Beverly Hills, California, of esophageal cancer, at the age of 79. He is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale.


title: Ed Wynn

text: Red Skelton, who was discovered by Wynn, stated: "His death is the first time he ever made anyone sad."


title: Ed Wynn

text: Wynn's distinctive voice continues to be emulated by countless actors and comedians. It was deliberately emulated by Alan Tudyk for character Turbo/King Candy in Disney's animated film "Wreck-It Ralph", by Daws Butler for the character of Wally Gator, by Paul Frees for the characters of Captain Peter "Wrongway" Peachfuzz on "Rocky and Bullwinkle" and Fred the lion from the Super Chicken segment of "George of the Jungle", by Howard Morris for the character of Mayor McCheese in the McDonaldland ad commercials, by Cam Clarke for character Multo in "The Zula Patrol", by Joey D'Auria for the character Mr. Scatterbrain on "The Mr. Men Show", by Meshach Taylor for the character Cecil in "", by Mark Hamill for the character Fergle O'Reilly in "Dexter's Laboratory", by Kevin Michael Richardson for the character Uncle Pockets in "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends," by Dallas McKennon as Professor Kapp in the "Gumby" franchise, by Jeff Bennett for characters Choose Goose in "Adventure Time" and Ranger Jinx in "Mixels", by Mark Silverman for the plush doll Herbie in "Malcolm in the Middle", and by Walker Edmiston for the character Dr. Blinky in "H.R. Pufnstuf".


title: Airsoft

text: Airsoft is a team game in which participants eliminate opposing players by tagging them out of play with spherical plastic projectiles shot with mock air weapons(usually powered by an electronic motor) called airsoft guns.


title: Airsoft

text: Although similar to paintball in concept and gameplay, airsoft pellets do not leave visible markings on their target and hits are not always apparent. Though the pellets leave bruises or welts on exposed skin (and so protective gear is recommended), the game relies heavily on an honor system in which players who have been hit are expected to call themselves out.


title: Airsoft

text: The airsoft guns used are mostly magazine-fed, with some having manual/battery-powered spring-piston pump power plants similar to Nerf Blasters, or pneumatically powered by replaceable compressed gas (e.g. propane ("green gas"), 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane or ) canisters. Many airsoft guns also have mounting platforms compatible with genuine firearm accessories, and most cosmetically resemble real firearms. This makes them popular for military simulation and historical reenactments. There are also professional gun safety and weapon manipulation training conducted with airsoft in some fields, such as law enforcement training, due to better safety and lower cost. The United States Coast Guard, for instance, officially adopted airsoft for training in 2018.


title: Airsoft

text: Airsoft gameplay varies in style and composition, but often ranges from action shooting to short organized live action role-playing (LARP) scenarios, close quarters battle skirmishes, military simulations (MilSim) or historical reenactments. It is played in indoor courses or outdoor fields. Combat situations on the field may involve the use of genuine military tactics to achieve objectives set in each game. Participants may attempt to emulate the tactical equipment and accessories used by modern military and police organizations. A game is normally kept safe by trained professionals acting as supervisors and marshals.


title: Airsoft

text: Before gameplay, an airsoft gun's muzzle velocity is usually checked through a chronograph and usually measured in feet per second (FPS) or Joules, a measurement of kinetic energy. Some countries have a set velocity or muzzle energy restriction; guns shooting over the legal velocity can be confiscated. Some playing fields further restrict minimum engagement distances, requiring players to yell "Bang Bang!" or another phrase instead of shooting other players at close distances. This is done to prevent possible injuries from short range, high energy pellets.


title: Airsoft

text: In certain countries use of lasers of any kind is illegal, including airsoft gun scopes with integrated lasers.


title: Airsoft

text: Airsoft originated from Japan in the early 1970s, when photographer Ichiro Nagata, an avid shooting enthusiast himself, thought about making model guns that shoot real projectiles that could not kill. These "guns" were trademarked as soft air guns, tailoring to the needs of shooting enthusiasts while conforming to Firearm and Sword Possession Control Law Japan's strict gun control. The name "soft air" referred to the compressed Freon-silicone oil mixture (later replaced by a propane-silicone oil mixture known as "Green Gas") that was used as a propellant gas, which was significantly weaker than the cannistered used in proper airguns (pellet guns and BB guns). Originally designed for target shooting, the plastic balls these "soft air guns" use can be shot at humans without causing injury due to the low muzzle energy. After Tokyo Marui introduced its revolutionary electric motor-gear box design, which allows sustainable rapid-fire using rechargeable batteries, soft air guns became popular for casual wargames, which the Japanese call . Asahi Firearms was a model company from Japan who operated in the 1980s and 90s and was one of the early pioneers of the airsoft hobby.


title: Airsoft

text: Airsoft guns spread to the United Kingdom in the late 1980s and early 1990s via a company called LS, and were sold in separate pieces and had to be assembled before they were capable of shooting. These then became available to the rest of Europe and North America and rapidly gained popularity worldwide. Since the mid-1980s, airsoft has been adapted with a purely recreational application in mind, and the sport is enjoyed by all ages. Airsoft replicas are produced globally, with the majority being manufactured in East Asia. Many law enforcement agencies and military units within the United States now use airsoft for force-on-force training drills.


title: Airsoft

text: The guns used in airsoft are typically classified as imitation firearms. They have a mechanism for shooting projectiles 6 mm or 8 mm in diameter.


title: Airsoft

text: Airsoft guns are classified according to their operating principle, which can be spring-loaded, electric (battery-powered Automatic Electric Guns, Airsoft Electric Guns or "AEGs"), or gas-powered (if these have a blowback feature they are known as "GBBs"). Some companies produce full replicas of counterpart grenade launchers which fire a projectile spray of pellets by use of a high-powered spring mechanism or a compressed gas propellant (i.e. green gas, propane, compressed air, or CO). There is also a type of airsoft gun that is powered by a single (HPA) high-pressure air tank and a battery pack to power the internal FCU "Fire Control Unit" computer board. These guns are often known for their high and adjustable ROF or "rate of fire" and durability. These HPA replicas are most often referred to as "PolarStars", although this refers to a popular brand of HPA engines and accessories.


title: Airsoft

text: A typical airsoft gun is noticeably lighter than its "real steel" counterpart due to the use of aluminum alloy and plastic materials, though some have added weights in them for a more realistic feel. Japan has specific rules about producing airsoft guns with metal parts, while newer guns, especially those made in Taiwan and Mainland China, have both internal and external parts that are metallic. Smoke caps, as well as noise amplifiers, are available for certain airsoft guns to add realism.


title: Airsoft

text: Gas handgun magazines usually contain 10 to 30 pellets in a standard-capacity magazine; however, some are high-capacity magazines and can hold 50 rounds or more. In the case of AEG rifles, magazines come in either real-capacity (equivalent to the 30-round capacity of its real steel counterpart), low-capacity (10-50 rounds), mid-capacity (75-160 rounds), or high-capacity (190+ rounds). These magazines have spring followers like in BB guns. The high-cap magazines often have a ratchet wheel that can be wound up periodically to force pellets up from the holding chamber of the magazine to the feeding chute. Due to loose pellets in the reservoir, they often make a rattling noise when running or walking. Some airsoft guns have a battery-powered box or drum magazine that holds thousands of pellets, but these are usually only used and allowed on LMGs (light machine gun) type replicas.


title: Airsoft

text: It is common for owners to "tech" (modify) their guns. The majority of gearboxes are made to Tokyo Marui specifications and have aftermarket upgrade parts available commercially. Some gearboxes are proprietary in design. It is also possible to perform DIY modifications.


title: Airsoft

text: The "hop-up" system, which is installed in most stock airsoft rifles and pistols, is used to increase effective ranges by putting backspin on the pellets. The Magnus effect causes the pellets to experience more lift as they are shot, counteracting against gravity. A small rubber nub protrudes into the top of the barrel through a small hole, and it catches the top of the pellet as it moves past. Adjusting the hop-up makes the nub more or less protrude into the barrel, so that backspin is increased or reduced. Ideally, the hop-up should be adjusted so that the pellets fly as far as possible in a straight line without curving upward too far or dropping too quickly. Hop-Up does decrease the muzzle velocity (a gun firing with the hop fully unwound can drop to as low as ). Ease and location of adjustment vary by gun design; some equipment provides a control that can be adjusted quickly during gameplay, while others may require partial disassembly. For example, a common location for Hop-Up adjustment is where the ejection port would be on a real firearm, which allows the machine to be covered while still allowing quick access to adjust the Hop-Up.


title: Airsoft

text: Some players customize their airsoft guns, either to improve performance or for purely aesthetic reasons. Additions include scopes, fore-grips, and flashlights, red dot sights being the most commonly used. Red dot sights are used to help aim, fore-grips are used to get a better grip on the airsoft gun, and flashlights (whether mounted or held in another hand) are used to illuminate dark areas and/or to blind opponents.


title: Airsoft

text: Even though in certain countries lasers are illegal, they are popular attachments in the U.S. and Europe. Laser sights are more for their appearance than any practical effect, largely because they must be weak enough not to carry a risk of damaging another player's eyesight, which rules out using any laser powerful enough to produce a visible dot on the target in sunlight (although lasers can be useful for night games).


title: Airsoft

text: Also available are "mock suppressors/silencers". These resemble the actual firearm accessory that dampens sound. Since Airsoft does not use combustibles for propulsion these usually serve no function. Although there are models that function to "light up" a glow-in-the-dark BB using UV light similar to a tracer round.


title: Airsoft

text: Most airsoft guns fire round plastic pellets, usually white, but black "invisible" or phosphorescent are common as well. The pellets mostly range from 0.12 to 0.48 g. However, the most popular weights for AEGs (automatic electric guns) and GBB* (Gas Blow-Back guns) are 0.20 g and 0.25 g (*These weights are generally specified for pistols whose muzzle velocity ranges from approximately to ). Mid to high-end AEGs use 0.20–0.30 g pellets, while heavier rounds (0.30–0.43 g) are typically used in long-range and sniper applications since they are more stable in flight and less easily deflected by wind.


title: Airsoft

text: Pellets are usually bought in bags or bottles of 2,000 to 5,000, but other sizes are available, such as a 250,000 round (65 kg) package of tournament grade pellets. Biodegradable pellets are a fraction more expensive than non-bio counterparts, but many fields require them. Pellets are typically 6 mm in diameter, though 8 mm pellets do exist. Pellets vary by diameter depending on the brand (e.g. Matrix pellets are 5.95 mm in diameter and let less air slip past it during travel through the barrel, whereas Crosman pellets are 5.93 mm in diameter and allow more air to slip past during travel through the barrel and allow for less velocity). Pellets are used for the majority of play, although foam balls may be used to represent M203 grenade launcher shells.


title: Airsoft

text: Due to the low muzzle energy (less than even for high-power models) and poor sectional density, the pain an airsoft pellet causes on skin impact is about the same as getting pinched. As a reference value, a standard 0.20 gram 6 mm pellet, which is the most common size and weight, traveling at has of kinetic energy. Calculating the Joules and energy generated by airsoft guns is important because of phenomena like "joule creep" where the FPS remains the same while the energy of the airsoft BB leaving the airsoft gun barrel increases.


title: Airsoft

text: Different regions vary in the velocity airsoft guns are allowed to shoot at. In the United States, velocity differs from the type of gameplay field. Close Quarter Battle arenas typically regulate velocity on airsoft guns at around . For outdoor fields, velocity is usually regulated by the type of gun. With a standard pellet, fully automatic Airsoft Electric Guns (AEGs) are often set at less than , semi-automatic DMR-style AEGs at , and bolt-action (manually cocked spring-piston) sniper rifles at .


title: Airsoft

text: The maximum effective range of field-legal airsoft guns is all around with a highly upgraded sniper rifle replica. Most airsoft guns used for field play will have an effective range of around , depending on the intended gameplay role. Most Airsoft guns are capable of shooting from , although it is also possible to purchase upgraded internals that will enable the gun to shoot up to or higher. In California, a common limit for CQB is . In Ireland, Italy and Japan the muzzle energy limit for airsoft guns is 1 joule no matter what the type of gameplay. In the UK, the law allows weapons locked to semi-automatic and bolt-action rifles to fire up to 2.5 joules (at muzzle velocity up to ). Any weapon "which is capable of discharging two or more missiles successively without repeated pressure on the trigger" is limited, by law, at 1.3 joules (velocity up to ). Northern Ireland has a maximum velocity of with 0.20 g pellets, without regard to the type of equipment. In Sweden, the legal limitations of airsoft guns caps the energy limit at 10 joules for manual guns, and 3 joules for semi- and fully automatic guns.


title: Airsoft

text: The ballistics of spring- or electrically powered airsoft guns differ from real firearms in that a longer barrel will not always result in better accuracy. The "sweet spot" for barrel length in a spring/electric powered airsoft gun is around , beyond which added barrel length will not improve accuracy. In any case, barrel quality, velocity consistency, and hopup quality/design are more important factors with regard to accuracy. Added barrel length will result in slightly increased velocity if the cylinder size and compression are appropriate for the barrel length. For example, a gun with a large cylinder and a long barrel will shoot slightly harder than a gun with a small cylinder and a short barrel ("ceteris paribus"). This rule will apply even for barrels longer than , if there is enough cylinder volume and air compression to propel the pellet through the barrel. However, the resulting velocity increase will be hardly noticeable. The only considerable advantage of using a longer inner barrel in an AEG or spring-powered gun is that it generally will make the gun quieter due to the weakened muzzle pop.


title: Airsoft

text: In gas-powered guns, added barrel length (to an appropriate extent) can result in increased velocity and accuracy to a degree. Tighter-bore barrels will increase velocity because there will be less space between the pellet and the barrel for the air to escape through. Most stock airsoft guns have bore barrels, but best performance is usually seen with "tightbore" barrels, which are in diameter. However, the tighter the bore, the more likely the chance of a pellet jam, and subsequently, tightbores need to be cleaned and lubricated regularly. It is generally agreed upon that a high-quality 6.01-6.02 mm barrel will provide the highest muzzle velocity, while a good-quality 6.03 mm or 6.05 mm barrel will provide the best compromise between power, accuracy and ease of maintenance. The actual accuracy difference between tightbore sizes is debatable and usually outweighed by bore consistency. Although, with the newfound popularity with HPA guns, the debate has been opened that barrels with a larger diameter (up to ) could provide a more accurate shot. Due to the higher volume of air surrounding the pellet it negates the chance of the pellet coming into contact with the barrel, throwing the pellet's trajectory off, similar to a musket, in how the bullet slams about before leaving the barrel.


title: Airsoft

text: Airsoft guns are not to be confused with BB guns, which are airguns that shoot metallic spherical pellets. The two often are colloquially confused as synonyms.


title: Airsoft

text: Many manufacturers and retailers suggest treating an airsoft gun like a real gun at all times. This will help alleviate safety issues resulting in an accidental/negligent discharge, or prevent a public panic due to a carelessly displayed airsoft gun being mistaken for a real firearm. Most manufacturers include an orange tip on the muzzle of the airsoft gun for signaling and safety purposes, and most retailers urge consumers not to remove the orange tip as it is used to help distinguish them from a real firearm. The orange tip serves many purposes, one of them being for law enforcement to help discern airsoft guns from real firearms and thus prevent unnecessary excessive forces.


title: Airsoft

text: The minimum safe level of gear required to participate in most games includes a pair of ANSI Z87.1 eye protection, preferably a fully sealed APEL-rated ballistic eyewear. Traditional prescription glasses and sunglasses, or goggles not rated sufficiently for impact-resistance, may shatter and/or be perforated upon being struck when used for airsoft or paintball, causing injury to the eye. Masks, face shields and other types of full-face coverings such as balaclavas are recommended at most airsoft fields.


title: Airsoft

text: Rules such as a maximum muzzle velocity and engagement distance guidelines are used by different groups. Some organizations have created common safety rules and guidelines. Most minimum engagement distances are 10 feet.


title: Airsoft

text: When not actively playing, some fields require "barrel bags", also known as barrel socks, barrel condoms, barrel blockers, or barrel sleeves, to be placed over the muzzle of the gun. The magazine is usually removed as well, and the gun fired to clear the chamber. Most fields also require players to leave their guns set to the safety position when they are not shooting, a practice common when using real firearms. In certain countries, such as the Philippines, additional special rules have been adopted.


title: Airsoft

text: Airsoft is legal in most parts of the world. Some countries have specific restrictions, such as maximum muzzle velocity and "unrealistic" coloring to distinguish them from actual firearms. They are legal throughout the United States, but restrictions do exist in cities like Chicago and Detroit. The states of New Mexico, New York and New Jersey, however, do not allow airsoft guns to be used or handled publicly because of the resemblance to real firearms. They may be used on private property with the consent of the owner. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection FAQ page states that Airsoft guns are considered look-alike firearms which require the special blaze orange marking.


title: Airsoft

text: In the Republic of Ireland Airsoft guns are classified as Realistic Imitation Firearms but not restricted as much as in the United Kingdom. Under the Criminal Justice Act of 2006, Airsoft guns are legal in the Republic. One can buy, sell and import Airsoft guns without notifying relevant law enforcement authorities. They do not need to be painted in fluorescent colors, they do not need to have an orange tip, but they cannot launch the projectile with a kinetic energy exceeding 1 joule. However, carrying an imitation firearm in public is prohibited, and a gun carry case is required, as for real firearms. Airsoft shops are spread over the country, and buyers must be aged 18 or over to purchase an airsoft gun. There is no age limit on Airsoft, as long as a minor has an adult's permission.


title: Airsoft

text: In the United Kingdom, most Airsoft guns are classified as realistic imitation firearms or RIFs. The sale, manufacture, or importation (but not gifting) of these is illegal under the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006. A defence is allowed for selling for specific purposes including airsoft skirmishing.


title: Airsoft

text: The minimum age for buying any imitation firearm in the UK is 18. It is an offense to possess an imitation firearm in a public place without a reasonable excuse, for example traveling to, or from, or being at an airsoft skirmish site.


title: Airsoft

text: Most UK airsoft sites and retailers participate in the United Kingdom Airsoft Retailer Association (UKARA) registration scheme. A player who has participated in at least 3 skirmishes over a period of at least 56 days at the same skirmish site can be registered by that site. Retailers have access to the database to verify that the purchaser can provide them with a defence.


title: Airsoft

text: As an alternative to RIFs, IFs (Imitation Firearms, including 'two tones') are available in the UK. These are RIFs which have been painted a bright color (excluding white/silver/gold) over at least 51% of the item. No specific defence is required for selling an IF, although the minimum age for purchasing remains 18.


title: Airsoft

text: In Canada, there are laws pertaining to airsoft importing. All airsoft guns that are bought in Canada are legal, but when importing it, the gun has to have between 366FPS and 500FPS to pass inspection at customs, otherwise the gun will be shipped back or destroyed.


title: Airsoft

text: Airsoft guns in the United States are sold with a federally mandated orange tip which must be 1/4 inch or longer covering the muzzle of the replica. Manufacturers and importers may cite Title 15 of the Code of Federal Regulations, which stipulates that "no person shall manufacture, enter into commerce, ship, transport, or receive any toy, look-alike, or imitation firearm" without approved markings; these may include an orange tip, orange barrel plug, brightly colored exterior of the whole toy, or transparent construction (part 272.2, formerly part 1150.2). However, section 272.1 (formerly 1150.1) clearly indicates that these restrictions shall not apply to "traditional B-B, paint-ball, or pellet-firing air guns that expel a projectile through the force of compressed air, compressed gas or mechanical spring action, or any combination thereof." This exempts airsoft guns from these requirements, placing them in the same category as BB-guns, pellet, air, and paintball, none of which are conventionally sold or used with an orange tip, and many of which bear as much resemblance to real firearms as airsoft guns do.


title: Airsoft

text: Airsoft technology is used in military training and law enforcement training. Due to airsoft's realism, relatively safe projectiles, and economical ammunition, it is well-suited to war games and force-on-force scenarios to train and improve troop's tactical proficiency via associative learning and stress inoculation. Multiple airsoft inventions were developed originally for military and law enforcement use.


title: Airsoft

text: Marking rounds were invented by Caleb Stubblbine to allow trainees to see where each projectile landed. Much like paintball and simunitions, these marking pellets would break upon impact, marking the target with luminescent liquid. Unlike traditional plastic pellets, marking rounds are heavier to ensure breakage of the shell on impact. The weight can be adjusted by adding heavier liquid. Marking rounds are critical for trainees because they allow the shooter to see exactly where they hit the target. This allows them to extrapolate their mistakes and improve their aim.


title: Airsoft

text: Reusable grenades were improved by Scott Frank to emulate the fragmentation of a real grenade in war games and scenarios. The grenade can be loaded with paint or pellets. It uses a quick release of highly pressurized gas to break the shell and quickly disperse pellets or paint in all directions. Frank's grenade, although not the first, aimed to be as realistic and predictable as an actual grenade. He developed a more accurate timing mechanism and secondary safety mechanisms to prevent accidental discharge. Both marking rounds and reusable grenades gave airsoft the edge it needed to enter into military and law enforcement training grounds.