title: John Reardon

text: In 2019, Reardon first appeared on the Canadian hit series "Hudson & Rex" as recently-divorced Charlie Hudson, a detective for St. John's Police Department. His sidekick and fellow member of the SJPD is a K-9 dog named Rex who had lost his human partner in a case they were working. Charlie was the only one at the scene that was able to get Rex to step away from his partner's body, and the two formed an unbreakable bond as they began to work cases together. He has revealed his take on the pair's chemistry and why Charlie and Rex get along so well, "Charlie, he’s looking for some companionship since he’s on his own. Rex fills that void for him and they work really well together." Reardon has reprised his role as Charlie for an additional three seasons after the first season was a huge success. Following the finale of season 4, the hit show has since been renewed for season 5, set to premier in Fall 2022.


title: John Reardon

text: In 2008, Reardon married actress Meghan Ory. They had previously worked together on the miniseries "Merlin's Apprentice". Their first child was born in 2018, and their second in 2019.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: Jerry Michael Reinsdorf (born February 25, 1936) is the owner of the NBA's Chicago Bulls and MLB's Chicago White Sox. He started his professional life as a tax attorney with the Internal Revenue Service. He has been the owner of the White Sox and Bulls for over 35 years. As of November 2021, his net worth was estimated at US$1.7 billion.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: He made his initial fortune in real estate, taking advantage of the "Frank Lyon Co. v. United States" decision by the United States Supreme Court which allowed economic owners of realty to sell property and lease it back, while transferring the tax deduction for depreciation to the title owner.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: As the owner and chairman of the Chicago Bulls since 1985, he oversaw the franchise turning into a lucrative business that won six NBA Championships in the 1990s (1991–1993 and 1996–1998). He is controversial for his involvement (along with Jerry Krause) in breaking up the championship team by not hiring back Phil Jackson. He signed Michael Jordan as a baseball player during his sabbatical from basketball. He also moved the Bulls from Chicago Stadium to the United Center.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: Since purchasing the White Sox in 1981, the franchise made the playoffs in 1983 for the first time since 1959, and won the World Series in 2005 for the first time since 1917, and is the only time during tenure as owner that the White Sox have won a playoff series. Reinsdorf moved the White Sox from Comiskey Park to New Comiskey Park in 1991 (now known as Guaranteed Rate Field). In both sporting endeavors, he has developed a reputation as an anti-labor union hardliner. Since the early 1990s, he has been considered one of the most, if not the most, influential basketball owners. He has been influential in instituting the salary cap and revenue sharing.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: On April 4, 2016, Reinsdorf was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: Reinsdorf was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, and he was the son of a sewing machine salesman. Reinsdorf was in the stands the day Jackie Robinson debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers, “breaking the color barrier” as the first black player permitted by white ownership.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: Reinsdorf earned a bachelor's degree from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. where he became a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi. He subsequently moved to Chicago in 1957. Reinsdorf became a CPA and lawyer as well as a registered mortgage underwriter and a certified review appraiser. He leveraged a full scholarship offer from the University of Chicago Law School into a scholarship from the Northwestern University School of Law.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: Reinsdorf's first job after graduating from Northwestern in 1960 was a tax delinquency case of Bill Veeck who at the time owned the White Sox. In 1964, he went into private practice. He developed a specialty in real estate partnership tax shelters. He sold his business interests in the real estate partnership in 1973 and formed Balcor, which raised US$650 million to invest in buildings under construction. He sold Balcor in 1982 for $102 million to Shearson Lehman Brothers, the investment banking and brokerage arm of American Express. However, he continued to be President of the company for several years thereafter.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: In 1981 he was wealthy enough to purchase the White Sox for $19 million. The purchase was brokered by American National Bank who arranged for a limited partnership. He followed previous eccentric White Sox owners Charles Comiskey, who was known as a miser, and Veeck, who was known as a prankster who gutted the team by trading away promising prospects. Soon after buying the White Sox, he signed Greg Luzinski and Carlton Fisk. He also tripled the team promotional budget and increased the number of team scouts from 12 to 20. By the 1983 Major League Baseball season the White Sox made the playoffs with the best record in the Major Leagues. The team initially signed a television deal with the newly founded Sportsvision under the new leadership of Chairman Reinsdorf and Vice Chairman Eddie Einhorn, but that arrangement quickly fizzled. Einhorn continued as Vice Chairman of the White Sox until his death in 2016.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: In 1985, following in the footsteps of Einhorn who had purchased the United States Football League's Chicago Blitz franchise in 1984, he purchased the Chicago Bulls as part of a syndicate for US$16 million and quickly turned the team from one that averaged 6,365 fans per game at the 17,339-seat Chicago Stadium in 1985 into one with an 8,000-person season ticket waiting list. He did so by drafting Horace Grant and Scottie Pippen, and trading for Bill Cartwright to join John Paxson and Michael Jordan under the tutelage of head coach Doug Collins. In 1989, the team signed Phil Jackson as the final piece of the championship puzzle. From November 20, 1987 through Jordan's 1999 retirement, the Bulls sold out every game.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: In the months prior to the purchase, Milwaukee businessman Marvin Fishman had been awarded a $16.2 million judgment against the Bulls. Fishman had been illegally blocked from purchasing the team in 1972. Reinsdorf purchased the team from an ownership group that included Lamar Hunt, George Steinbrenner, Walter Shorenstein, Jonathan Kovler, Lester Crown, Philip Klutznick, and the estate of Arthur Wirtz, and he held a $9.2 million controlling interest in the team. Reinsdorf's share of 56.8% of the team was purchased from Klutznick, Steinbrenner, Shorenstein and the estate of Wirtz. His purchase ended an era in which the Bulls were managed by committee with decisions by conference call, verdicts by vote. Reinsdorf acquired his majority interests on March 11, 1985 and Kovler sold his 7% stake in the team on January 29, 1986, bringing Reinsdorf's interest to 63%. The following week Reinsdorf ousted Rod Thorn as general manager and replaced him with Jerry Krause.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: The White Sox have won American League regular season Division Championships in 1983, 1993, 2000, 2005, 2008 and 2021 under Reinsdorf and they won the 2005 World Series. In addition, they were in first place of the central division at the conclusion of the strike-shortened 1994 Major League Baseball season. The World Series victory made him only the third owner in the history of North American sports to win a championship in two different sports. The baseball championship boosted the value of the franchise to over $300 million. When Reinsdorf signed Jordan after Jordan's announcement that he wanted to play baseball, many thought Jordan's drawing power provided an ulterior motive. Reinsdorf, however, had tried to convince Jordan not to give up basketball, but he did not attempt to make Jordan the highest paid player in the game like some feel he should have.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: As a basketball owner, he has been described by "Time" as a "cheapskate", a reference they also use for his baseball persona. As of 1995, the time when Scottie Pippen was eager to either be traded or be rid of Krause, he had never renegotiated a contract. As a baseball owner, he has had a reputation as one of the most militant, anti-union, hard-line owners. "Newsweek" described him as "one of the hardest heads in the 1994 baseball strike". In the baseball offseason between the 1992 and 1993 seasons, he completely abstained from the free agent market. Reinsdorf was one of the last holdouts to the 1996 labor agreement that instituted the salary cap while retaining arbitration rights for the players. His 1996 signing of Albert Belle made news because of his widely publicized general opposition to spiraling player salaries. The $55 million signing was a turning point in the decision by the baseball owners to agree to revenue sharing. The signing also made Reinsdorf the employer of the highest paid Major League Baseball player and highest paid professional basketball player (Jordan) at the same time. Reinsdorf had just re-signed Jordan after the 1995–96 NBA season. However, Jordan had been underpaid most of his career, and Reinsdorf, who did not feel he could justify the $30 million salary from a business standpoint, immediately realized he was going to soon feel buyer's remorse. Even his most successful baseball team was not highly paid: when the White Sox won the 2005 World Series, Reinsdorf had the 13th highest payroll of the 30 Major League Baseball teams.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: After Reinsdorf purchased the team in 1981, the White Sox experienced erosion of fan and media support. He complained about old Comiskey Park with its foibles such as numerous obstructed view seats and threatened to move the White Sox. Among his threats was moving the team to Itasca or Addison, Illinois in DuPage County. Reinsdorf, through his real estate business, purchased in Addison. Chicago Mayor Harold Washington lobbied the Illinois legislature, and subsequently then-Illinois Governor James R. Thompson promoted a package of incentives to retain the team in Chicago. The state floated bonds to build New Comiskey Park and let Reinsdorf keep all parking and concession revenues, as well as the $5 million per year from 89 skyboxes. Reinsdorf and Chicago Blackhawks owner William Wirtz contributed $175 million to fund the construction of the largest arena in the United States. When the United Center opened in 1994 all of the skyboxes were leased for up to eight years. As per the collective bargaining agreement, Reinsdorf was allowed to exclude 60% of luxury suite revenue from "basketball-related income" and thus it is not part of the revenue sharing income.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: Reinsdorf is a powerful baseball owner who in 1988 stopped the sale of the Texas Rangers and later influenced the sale of the Seattle Mariners. Edward Gaylord and Gaylord Entertainment Company had first attempted to buy the Rangers in 1985. Reinsdorf was also said to be largely responsible for the ousting of Fay Vincent as the Commissioner of Baseball in 1992. He had previously undermined Vincent by employing Richard Ravitch as the league's labor negotiator at a salary higher than Vincent's. By the early 1990s, Reinsdorf and acting Baseball commissioner (as well as Milwaukee Brewers owner) Bud Selig had assumed baseball's mantle of power from Atlanta Braves owner, Ted Turner, and New York Yankees owner, George Steinbrenner, who had in turn taken over the sport from Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers owner, Walter O'Malley, St. Louis Cardinals owner, Gussie Busch, and Oakland Athletics owner, Charlie O. Finley.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: In the 1980s, Reinsdorf, Bud Selig and the American League President colluded to dissuade the Philadelphia Phillies from signing Lance Parrish who was a Detroit Tigers free agent. During the strike, Reinsdorf, who was an anti-union hard-liner, was so pessimistic that he did not expect baseball to resume until the 1996 Major League Baseball season. In the early 1990s he was able to get new stadiums (United Center and New Comiskey Park) for his teams.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: Some fans and columnists have accused Reinsdorf of breaking up the championship Bulls team after their third straight title and sixth in eight years, claiming the Bulls could have competed for more titles with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and good support from the rest of the team that in the eight-year span included Dennis Rodman, Horace Grant, Toni Kukoč, Ron Harper, B. J. Armstrong, and coach Phil Jackson. Some accounts claim that because Jackson feuded with both Reinsdorf and Krause and because both Jordan and Pippen were linked to Jackson, the team was broken up. "Forbes" describes the scenario as an example of owner greed. Many note that Phil Jackson's decision not to return as coach and Jordan's retirement during the 1998–99 NBA season lockout impacted the decisions of several players on whether to return to Chicago. While Reinsdorf had held out hope that he could convince Jackson and Jordan to return and thus had introduced Tim Floyd as President of Chicago Bulls Basketball Operations instead of head coach, according to film footage from documentary series "The Last Dance", Krause had made it clear to Jackson that he was not wanted back.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: Reinsdorf was one of two bidders for the Phoenix Coyotes that would commit to not relocating the team. On July 29, 2009 Reinsdorf and his group were approved for ownership of the Coyotes for $148 million. In August 2009, it was reported that Jerry Reinsdorf & Ice Edge LLC had dropped its bid for the Coyotes, leaving only Balsillie and the NHL as bidders for the team. The NHL bid ultimately prevailed, however the league stated it wished to re-sell the franchise as soon as possible. On March 24, 2010, it was reported that Reinsdorf was once again a possible buyer for the Phoenix Coyotes. Reinsdorf had been working out an arrangement to make the deal more feasible with the municipality of Glendale, Arizona. As late as August 2011, negotiations between Reinsdorf and the City of Glendale were still in process for the purchase of the Coyotes. However, in 2013, the Coyotes were sold to IceArizona, a group of investors that did not include Reinsdorf.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: Reinsdorf is largely responsible for the revenue sharing of the internet rights of Major League Baseball in which all teams have shared equally since Major League Baseball Advanced Media (known as BAM) was established in 2000. Reinsdorf also endeavored to sell the naming rights to the New Comiskey Park to U.S. Cellular in a $68 million 20-year deal that funded a 7-year $85 million overhaul of the stadium that ended prior to the 2008 Major League Baseball season. The overhaul included the removal of top rows of the upper deck, replacement of the baby blue seats with traditionally-colored green ones and dozens of other upgrades. Prior to the seven-year overhaul, the 2001 White Sox barely broke even financially with a $700,000 operating profit on revenues of $101.33 million.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: Reinsdorf won a major revenue sharing legal battle with other NBA owners over the Chicago Bulls broadcasts on WGN-TV. The 55 game schedule on the superstation for an audience of 35 million competed with the NBA broadcasts, but Reinsdorf was permitted to maintain the contract. As recently as 2004, the Bulls continued to be the NBAs most profitable team, earning $49 million in operating income and having an estimated valuation of $356 million.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: Reinsdorf feels that if Major League Baseball Players Association chief Donald Fehr had not opposed steroid testing, baseball would have taken a stand against steroid use much sooner. He feels that in the end this delayed action will cost some players election into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: Reinsdorf has been involved in Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley's initiative to improve standardized test scores in the 559 Chicago Public Schools. He has been involved in other extensive charitable work including those of CharitaBulls and White Sox Charities. His philanthropy and community development have been notable in the Near West Side community area near the United Center. Twice the White Sox Charities has donated $1 million to the Chicago Park District with particular attention to funding baseball and softball fields.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: He has been a member of the board of directors of Shearson Lehman Brothers, Inc., the Northwestern University Law School Alumni Association, LaSalle Bank, EQ Office and numerous other corporations and charities. He currently serves as a Life Trustee of Northwestern University.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: Throughout the years Reinsdorf has been active in the affairs of baseball, serving on the Executive Council and Ownership, Long Range Planning, Restructuring, Expansion, Equal Opportunity, Strategic Planning, Legislative and Labor Policy Committees of Major League Baseball, he also serves on the Boards of MLB Advanced Media and MLB Enterprises.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: In 2013, Reinsdorf partnered with Mark Sullivan, Noah Kroloff, Dennis Burke, David Aguilar, and John Kaites to found Global Security and Innovative Strategies.


title: Jerry Reinsdorf

text: In 1956, he married Martyl Rifkin (March 4, 1936 - June 28, 2021). She was born in Denver, Colorado, the daughter of Milton and Vivette Rifkin (nee Ravel). Their union resulted in four children and eight grandchildren.


title: Raja Gemini

text: Sutan Ibrahim Karim Amrullah ; (born June 14, 1974), often shortened to Sutan Amrull, is an American drag performer and make-up artist who also uses the stage name Raja Gemini or simply Raja. He is best known for winning the third season of "RuPaul's Drag Race" and remains the only Asian American to win the show. Amrullah later returned to compete on the seventh season of "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars", an all-winners season. Outside of drag, Amrullah is also known for his makeup artistry on the reality television show "America's Next Top Model" (cycles four through twelve). Amrullah's clients include Tyra Banks, Dita von Teese, Pamela Anderson, Paulina Porizkova, Iman, Iggy Azalea, RuPaul, and Twiggy. Since 2009, Amrullah has been make-up artist to singer Adam Lambert for print media, live U.S. appearances, and Lambert's international 2010 Glam Nation Tour.


title: Raja Gemini

text: Amrullah was born in Baldwin Park, California. He is of Dutch and Indonesian descent. His late father, Abdul Wadud Karim Amrullah, was the younger brother of Indonesian ʿālim and philosopher Hamka. At the age of three, his family moved to the island of Bali in Indonesia, his parents' native country, where he stayed for six years before returning to the U.S.


title: Raja Gemini

text: At sixteen years of age, Amrullah got into the drag scene by attending L.A. nightclubs with friends. He was part of a sector of drag that was inspired by the goth and punk subcultures. The first few years of his drag career in the early '90s were spent as a club kid named Crayola.


title: Raja Gemini

text: Amrullah attended California State University, Fullerton as an art student, focusing on art direction and illustration, for two years, then decided to pursue a career in makeup artistry and female impersonation.


title: Raja Gemini

text: He was a contestant on the third season of "RuPaul's Drag Race" as Raja. He was a member of the "Heathers" clique, which took its name from the popular cult film "Heathers". In the final episode, after a lip-sync battle with Manila Luzon, Raja was declared the winner of the show's third season and crowned "America's Next Drag Superstar". As part of his duties as the third-season winner of "Drag Race", Amrullah toured the U.S. and Canada on "Logo's Drag Race Tour" in 2011. Raja is the first and only Asian American winner of "RuPaul's Drag Race".


title: Raja Gemini

text: In 2014 Raja joined the Drag Race Battle of the Seasons tour where he performed a lip-sync duet with Manila Luzon to the Babymetal song "Gimme Chocolate!!"


title: Raja Gemini

text: In April 2022, Raja was announced as one of the eight returning winners that would be competing in seventh season of "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars", the first ever all-winners season of "Drag Race". He won the title of "Queen of She Done Already Done Had Herses" and a prize of $50,000.


title: Raja Gemini

text: In May 2011, Amrullah released his first single as Raja, titled "Diamond Crowned Queen." The single debuted at number fifty on the "Billboard" Hot Dance Club Songs, before peaking at number thirty-five. On August 21, 2012, his second single "Sublime" was released. Her third single, "Zubi Zubi Zubi" (roughly translating to "Dance Dance Dance"), was released June 1, 2013.


title: Raja Gemini

text: Since 2014, he has presented the weekly WOWPresents YouTube series "RuPaul's Drag Race Fashion Photo RuView" with fellow "Drag Race" alumna Raven.


title: Raja Gemini

text: In February 2017, he starred as an intergalactic creature in the music video for Blondie's single "Fun". He also appeared in the "Make Love Not Walls" Diesel campaign directed by David LaChapelle and in a campaign for Urban Decay alongside fellow "Drag Race" alumni Alaska, Jiggly Caliente, and Katya.


title: Raja Gemini

text: Amrullah has created and performed live drag shows as Raja in Provincetown, Massachusetts, such as "Gawdess" (2017), "Masque" (2018), and "Lush Life" (2019).


title: Raja Gemini

text: Amrullah guest starred as himself in "The Simpsons" episode "Werking Mom," which aired on November 18, 2018.


title: Raja Gemini

text: On December 14, 2017, Amrullah married Ryan Turner at a small ceremony City Hall in Norwalk, California.


title: UBS Arena

text: UBS Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York directly adjacent to the New York City limits. Opened in 2021, it is the home of the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL), replacing Nassau Coliseum. The arena officially seats 17,250 patrons for NHL games and up to 19,000 for concerts and other select events. Fans and sports writers have affectionately nicknamed the arena "The Stable" due to the arena being located at Belmont Park, a famous thoroughbred horse racing venue.


title: UBS Arena

text: The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum was the second-oldest facility in the NHL behind only the twice renovated Madison Square Garden. It was also the second-smallest arena in the league, only larger than the Winnipeg Jets' MTS Centre. Various attempts had been made to pursue a renovation or replacement of the aging facility, including the Lighthouse Project—a 2004 proposal to renovate the Coliseum and build a larger sport, entertainment, and residential district around it (including a minor league ballpark, and a 60-story high-rise from which the proposal derived its name). While a version of the Lighthouse Project was approved by Nassau County, the town of Hempstead never granted a change in zoning that was required for its construction, and the project was reported to have been cancelled.


title: UBS Arena

text: In May 2010, Jeff Wilpon, then COO of the New York Mets of Major League Baseball, had discussions with then-Islanders owner Charles Wang about constructing a new arena for the Islanders in the Willets Point neighborhood of Queens, adjacent to the Mets' ballpark, Citi Field. Wilpon also discussed the possibility of buying the Islanders.


title: UBS Arena

text: On July 12, 2010, Hempstead supervisor Kate Murray announced an "alternate zone" created for the Coliseum property, downsizing the original Lighthouse Project to half its proposed size and making the project, according to then-Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano and the developers, "economically unviable for both the developer and owner of the site". From that point, the Lighthouse Project would no longer be pursued by Wang, Mangano and the developers.


title: UBS Arena

text: In June 2010, "FanHouse" reported that Jeff and Fred Wilpon, the owner of the Mets at the time, had begun working with real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle (who also worked on the renovation of Madison Square Garden) on a feasibility study of a new Islanders arena in Queens. However, a source from "Newsday" indicated that the "FanHouse" report was not true. There were also reports that businessman Nelson Peltz wanted to buy the Islanders and move them to Barclays Center in Brooklyn.


title: UBS Arena

text: In August 2011, Nassau County voters voted against a referendum that would have granted a $400 million public bond to construct a $350 million arena and $50 million minor league ballpark. The plan was presented by Wang as a last-ditch effort to keep the Islanders in Nassau County. In October 2012, the Islanders announced that they would re-locate to Barclays Center in Brooklyn once their lease of the Coliseum expires after the 2014–15 season. Meanwhile, a group led by Bruce Ratner (who had developed Barclays Center) secured an $89 million bid to renovate the Coliseum, aiming to host a minor hockey team as its main tenant, and have six Islanders games played there per-season.


title: UBS Arena

text: As Barclays Center was designed primarily as a basketball arena, its hockey configuration was criticized by fans for having seats with obstructed views, while its ice quality was criticized as substandard by players.


title: UBS Arena

text: In December 2017, New York Arena Partners—a joint venture between the Islanders, Oak View Group, and Sterling Equities, won a bid to construct a new, 18,000-seat arena and mixed-use district at Belmont Park, beating a competing proposal by New York City FC for a new soccer stadium. The new arena was projected to be completed in time for the 2021–22 NHL season. In the meantime, the Islanders began to gradually play more home games at the Coliseum in the 2018–19 season.


title: UBS Arena

text: On September 23, 2019, the groundbreaking for the arena was held. It was attended by New York state governor Andrew Cuomo, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, and officials, alumni, and current players from the Islanders. In February 2020, it was announced that beginning with the 2020 playoffs, the Islanders would temporarily return to the Coliseum for all home games before moving to the Belmont Park arena for the 2021–22 season.


title: UBS Arena

text: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York, all non-essential construction projects in the state of New York were ordered to suspend operations beginning March 27, 2020. Construction was allowed to resume on May 27, 2020; team officials expected construction to finish in time for the Islanders to begin to play in October 2021, despite the two-month pause.


title: UBS Arena

text: In July 2020, UBS was announced as the naming rights sponsor of the new arena under a 20-year deal, naming the facility UBS Arena.


title: UBS Arena

text: The Islanders were to begin playing home games at UBS Arena for the 2021–22 season. To allow additional time for construction to complete, the Islanders' preseason home games were played at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut, home of their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders. The team then played 13 consecutive road games to start the regular season. UBS Arena formally opened on November 19, 2021, with a private fundraising event featuring rock band Chicago. On November 20, the Islanders played their first game at UBS Arena, a 5-2 loss to the Calgary Flames. Brad Richardson scored the arena's first goal while Brock Nelson scored the first Islanders goal.


title: UBS Arena

text: The Islanders started 0–5–2 at UBS Arena. Their first home win at the venue came on December 11, 2021, in a 4–2 win against the New Jersey Devils.


title: UBS Arena

text: The $1.5 billion project and surrounding redevelopment are expected to generate approximately $25 billion in economic activity, including major infrastructure improvements, 10,000 construction jobs, and 3,000 permanent jobs. The project hopes to provide a significant boost to the regional economy at a time when economic activity has slowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It aims to stimulate the New York economy and the local community, with the goal of filling 30 percent of UBS Arena's permanent jobs with workers who live in the surrounding area. Thirty percent of contracting dollars for construction will be earmarked for state-certified minority and female-owned businesses, and 6 percent will be earmarked for service-disabled veteran-owned businesses. There are plans for an additional $100 million investment in transit and infrastructure enhancements, including Elmont station, the first newly constructed Long Island Rail Road station in almost 50 years.


title: UBS Arena

text: The first college basketball game at UBS Arena was played on December 3, 2021, between the nearby St. John's Red Storm and the Kansas Jayhawks as part of the annual Big East–Big 12 Battle. The Jayhawks won the game 95–75. The Iona Gaels also hosted the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens on December 21, 2021.


title: UBS Arena

text: The November 29, 2021 episode of WWE's "Monday Night Raw" took place at the arena. The December 8, 2021 episode of All Elite Wrestling's "Dynamite" took place at UBS Arena, as well as the taping for that week's episode of "AEW Rampage", which aired on December 10.


title: Alka-Seltzer

text: Alka-Seltzer is an effervescent antacid and pain reliever first marketed by the Dr. Miles Medicine Company of Elkhart, Indiana, United States. Alka-Seltzer contains three active ingredients: aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) (ASA), sodium bicarbonate, and anhydrous citric acid. The aspirin is a pain reliever and anti-inflammatory, the sodium bicarbonate is an antacid, and the citric acid reacts with the sodium bicarbonate and water to form effervescence.


title: Alka-Seltzer

text: It was developed by head chemist Maurice Treneer. Alka-Seltzer is marketed for relief of minor aches, pains, inflammation, fever, headache, heartburn, stomachache, indigestion, acid reflux and hangovers, while neutralizing excess stomach acid. It was launched in 1931.


title: Alka-Seltzer

text: Its sister product, Alka-Seltzer Plus, treats cold and flu symptoms. A wide variety of formulae, many using acetaminophen (paracetamol) instead of aspirin, are available under the sister brand.


title: Alka-Seltzer

text: Alka-Seltzer is a combination of sodium bicarbonate, aspirin, and anhydrous citric acid, used for the relief of heartburn, acid indigestion, and stomach aches.


title: Alka-Seltzer

text: Alka-Seltzer is sold in foil packets, each containing two tablets. Prior to 1984, it was also available stacked in glass tubes. It is available in many different flavors.


title: Alka-Seltzer

text: It was once marketed as a cure-all; at one time, its ads even suggested taking it for "the blahs". Subsequent promotion has taken into consideration that aspirin is a drug that is not tolerated by everyone, and the product is no longer advertised in this fashion.


title: Alka-Seltzer

text: Though important to the overall effect of the medication, the aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is not required to produce the effervescent action of Alka-Seltzer; the effervescence is produced by the baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and citric acid reacting to form sodium citrate and carbon dioxide gas.


title: Alka-Seltzer

text: The product has been extensively advertised since its launch in the United States. It was originally marketed by Mikey Wiseman, a company scientist of Dr. Miles Medicine Company, who also helped direct its development.


title: Alka-Seltzer

text: Print advertising was used immediately, and in 1932 the radio show "Alka-Seltzer Comedy Star of Hollywood" began, with National Barn Dance following in 1933, along with many more. The radio sponsorships continued into the 1950s, with the "Alka-Seltzer Time" show airing from 1949 to 1957.


title: Alka-Seltzer

text: In 1951, the "Speedy" character was introduced. The character was conceived by creative director George Pal of the Wade Advertising agency and designed by illustrator Wally Wood. Originally named Sparky, the name was changed to Speedy by sales manager Perry L. Shupert to align with that year's promotional theme, "Speedy Relief." Speedy appeared in over 200 TV commercials between 1954 and 1964. His body was one Alka-Seltzer tablet, while he wore another as a hat.


title: Alka-Seltzer

text: Buster Keaton appeared along with the animated Speedy Alka-Seltzer figure in a series of 1950s commercials based on the product slogan, "Relief is just a swallow away." Speedy Alka-Seltzer was voiced by Dick Beals. Speedy was revived for a "Plop, plop, fizz, fizz" song spot in 1976.


title: Alka-Seltzer

text: In his 1976 revival Beals proclaimed Alka-Seltzer's virtues and sang the "Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is" song in his iconic high, squeaky voice. In the early 1960s, a commercial showing two tablets dropping into a glass of water instead of the usual one caused sales to double.


title: Alka-Seltzer

text: Alka-Seltzer TV ads from the 1960s and 1970s in the US were among the most popular of the 20th century, ranking number 13, according to "Advertising Age". To increase sales in a relatively flat business, Bayer revived several of the vintage spots.


title: Alka-Seltzer

text: Paul Margulies (father of actress Julianna Margulies) created the famous "Plop, plop, fizz, fizz" ad campaign when he worked as a Madison Avenue ad executive. The ubiquitous jingle was composed by Tom Dawes—a former member of The Cyrkle. The slogan was altered to "Plink, plink, fizz" in the United Kingdom.


title: Alka-Seltzer

text: During the race for space in the early 1960s before the moon landing, there was a commercial with Speedy in a space suit and a jingle with the lyrics "On Man's first trip through space, I only hope that I'm aboard, securely strapped in place. They'll track our ship with radar and telescopes and soon, imagine seeing Speedy Alka-Seltzer on the moon!"


title: Alka-Seltzer

text: George Raft starred in the 1969 Alka-Seltzer commercial "The Unfinished Lunch". It consisted of Raft incarcerated in a prison lunchroom. He takes a bite of the prison food and recoils. Suddenly he bangs his cup on the steel table. It ripples throughout the room. He starts intoning "Alka-Seltzer, Alka-Seltzer..." Soon, the other hundreds of inmates do the same. (The commercial became so popular that several weeks later, Raft appeared as a guest on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson". Raft told Carson that it took more than 7 hours to tape the 30-second commercial. Raft was enraged by the end of the day, thus making his inmate portrayal that much more convincing for the final editing. The film crew gave Raft his crumpled tin cup, which he showed to Carson and the audience.


title: Alka-Seltzer

text: An animated mid-1960s commercial, animated by R. O. Blechman, shows a man and his own stomach sitting opposite each other in chairs, having an argument moderated by their therapist in a voiceover. The stomach (voiced by Gene Wilder) accuses the man of purposely trying to irritate it. The man accuses his stomach of complaining too much about the foods he likes. The therapist suggests Alka-Seltzer, and further suggests that the two must take care of each other. The closing words are of the stomach saying to the man: "Well, I'll try — if you will."


title: Alka-Seltzer

text: Alka-Seltzer had a series of commercials during the mid-1960s that used a song called "No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In)". A different version was recorded by The T-Bones and was released as a single, which became a hit in 1966. The ads featured only the midsections (no faces) of people of all shapes and sizes. A clip of the ad can be seen briefly in the 1988 motion picture "The In Crowd", immediately before the movie's first live broadcast of the fictitious "Perry Parker's Dance Party."


title: Alka-Seltzer

text: In an Alka-Seltzer commercial from 1969, an actor (played by Jack Somack) in a commercial for the fictional product "Magdalini's Meatballs" has to eat a meatball and then say "Mamma mia, that's-a spicy meat-a ball-a!" in an ersatz Italian accent. Take after take is ruined by some comedic trial or another (comedian Ronny Graham dropping the clapperboard). By the commercial's end, Jack has eaten so many meatballs that it's "Alka-Seltzer to the rescue." With his stomach settled, Jack does a perfect take, except that the oven door falls off. The director (off-camera) sighs and says, "OK, let's break for lunch."


title: Alka-Seltzer

text: A 1970 commercial shows a newlywed couple in the bedroom after the woman (played by Alice Playten) has finished serving her husband (played by Terry Kiser) a giant dumpling; the implication is that her cooking skills are severely lacking, despite her husband's lament, "I can't believe I ate that whole thing!", the commercial's catchphrase. She lies on the bed in delusional triumph. She offers her beleaguered husband a heart-shaped meatloaf; he disappears to take some Alka-Seltzer. When she hears the fizzy noise coming from the bathroom, he quickly covers the glass of dissolving Alka-Seltzer as she wonders aloud if it is raining. Just when he has recovered his well-being, he hears her misreading recipes for dinner the next night: "Marshmallowed meatballs," "medium salad snails," and "pouched (actually poached) oysters". He returns to the bathroom for more Alka-Seltzer. The catchphrase, Howie Cohen told the "Los Angeles Times", was inspired when he ate too much of the food at a London commercial shoot because "I am a nice Jewish kid from the Bronx, so I ate everything," and when he told his wife "I can't believe I ate the whole thing", she said, "There's your next Alka-Seltzer commercial."


title: Alka-Seltzer

text: A 1971 commercial featured another catch-phrase from Cohen (along with Bob Pasqualina), "Try it, you'll like it!" It was remade with Kathy Griffin in 2006. In 1972, an actor (Milt Moss) spent the commercial moaning, "I can't believe I ate that who-o-o-o-o-ole thing," while his wife (Lynn Whinic) made sarcastic comments and finally advised him to take some Alka-Seltzer. In 2005, this ad was also remade, featuring Peter Boyle and Doris Roberts from the 1996–2005 TV sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond".


title: Alka-Seltzer

text: Sammy Davis, Jr. recorded two versions of the "Plop Plop Fizz Fizz" jingle in 1978, one of which (the "big band" version) was featured on a television commercial. Both the big band and rock versions had additional lyrics (with at least one verse unique to each song) written by Tom Dawes, former lead singer of The Cyrkle who wrote the original jingle.


title: Alka-Seltzer

text: In 2009, the brand was featured in television commercials supporting the United States Ski Team that included alpine skier Lindsey Vonn and Nordic combined skier Bill Demong. Miniature figures of the Speedy mascot were shown with each. Alka-Seltzer products are sold in nighttime and daytime, or non drowsy, formulas. The non-drowsy claims have recently been questioned.


title: Alka-Seltzer

text: In December 2010, Alka-Seltzer began a series of new commercials featuring Speedy, using a CGI character, created by Animation Director David Hulin, to recreate the stop-motion puppetry of the 1950s and 1960s, with Speedy voiced by Debi Derryberry.


title: Neeru Bajwa

text: Neeru Bajwa (born 26 August 1975) is a Canadian actress, director and producer who has mainly worked in Punjabi and Hindi films. She started her career in 1998 with Dev Anand's Bollywood film "Main Solah Baras Ki" and then moved on to working in Hindi soap operas and Punjabi-language films.


title: Neeru Bajwa

text: Bajwa started her career in Indian soap operas in 2005 with "Hari Mirchi Lal Mirchi" on DD1 before moving on to "Astitva...Ek Prem Kahani" on Zee TV followed by "Jeet" on Star Plus and then "Guns and Roses" on STAR One.


title: Neeru Bajwa

text: In January 2013, Bajwa appeared in the multi-starer Punjabi film "Saadi Love Story", produced by Jimmy Sheirgill productions, directed by Dheeraj Rattan and starring Diljit Dosanjh, Amrinder Gill, and Surveen Chawla. She paired up opposite Diljit Dosanjh again in the film "Jatt and Juliet 2" which broke all the previous opening day collection records for Punjabi cinema. In August 2013, her film, "Naughty Jatts" was released in which she featured along with Binnu Dhillon, Arya Babbar and Roshan Prince. The film got mixed reviews from critics.


title: Neeru Bajwa

text: Bajwa debuted as a director in 2017 with the Punjabi film "Sargi", which stars her sister Rubina Bajwa in the leading role alongside Jassi Gill and Babbal Rai. She also owns a production company called "Neeru Bajwa Entertainment". In November 2019, Bajwa starrer and produced film "Beautiful Billo" went on floors, in which she will be sharing the screen with her sister Rubina Bajwa. Since April 2021, Bajwa is hosting a Punjabi show "Jazba".


title: Neeru Bajwa

text: Born to Jaswant Bajwa and Surinder Bajwa in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, Bajwa has two sistersRubina, an actress; Sabrina, a cloth designer and a brother Suhail. In her documentary film "Bollywood Bound", Bajwa admits to being a high school drop out who had little interest in studies and was always inspired by the glamour of Bollywood, so she moved to Mumbai to fulfill her dreams.


title: Neeru Bajwa

text: Bajwa married Harry Jawandha on 8 February 2015. The couple had their first child, a girl, in August 2015. In 2020, Bajwa gave birth to twins, both girls.


title: Bobby Troup

text: Robert William Troup Jr. (October 18, 1918 – February 7, 1999) was an American actor, jazz pianist, singer, and songwriter. He wrote the song "Route 66" and acted in the role of Dr. Joe Early with his wife Julie London in the television program "Emergency!" in the 1970s.


title: Bobby Troup

text: Robert William Troup Jr. was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. His father Robert William Troup worked for the family business J. H. Troup Music House and founded its Lancaster, Pennsylvania branch store. He graduated from The Hill School, a preparatory school in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, in 1937. He went on to graduate Phi Beta Kappa from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in economics. He was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (ΣΑΕ) fraternity (Penn Theta Chapter) and the Mask and Wig Club.


title: Bobby Troup

text: His earliest musical success came in 1941 with the song "Daddy" written for a Mask and Wig production. Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra recorded "Daddy", which was number one for eight weeks on the "Billboard" chart and the number five record of 1941; other musicians who recorded it include Glenn Miller, Bing Crosby, Kay Kyser, and The Andrews Sisters. "Daddy" can be heard in the 1941 film "Two Latins from Manhattan". The song is also performed by the title character in Tex Avery's cartoon short "Red Hot Riding Hood" (1943).


title: Bobby Troup

text: After graduating from college in 1941, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps but did not receive orders until January 1942. After completing officer training, he was assigned as one of two dozen white officers to direct recruit training at Montford Point, the recruit depot for the first black Marines. In 1943 he became recreation officer and helped build a recreation hall, basketball court, and outdoor boxing ring. A friend installed a miniature golf course. At Montford Point, he also organized the first African-American band of U.S. Marines. During this time he composed "Take Me Away from Jacksonville", which was to become an anthem of sorts for the Marines at Montford Point and other areas of Camp Lejeune.


title: Bobby Troup

text: In February 1942, Troup's song "Snootie Little Cutie" was recorded by Frank Sinatra and Connie Haines with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and the Pied Pipers.


title: Bobby Troup

text: In 1946, Nat King Cole had a hit with Troup's most popular song, "Route 66". The song was also recorded by Chuck Berry (1961), The Rolling Stones (1964) and Depeche Mode (1987). Troup's hipster interpretation of the fairy tale "The Three Bears" was first recorded by the Page Cavanaugh Trio in 1946 and later by Leon McAuliffe, and Ray Ellington.


title: Bobby Troup

text: Troup's recordings in the 1950s and 1960s were not commercially successful. He recorded for Liberty and Capitol. He wrote the title song (sung by Little Richard) for the 1950s rock and roll film "The Girl Can't Help It". An instrumental version of his song "The Meaning of the Blues" appeared on the Miles Davis album "Miles Ahead".


title: Bobby Troup

text: Around 1969, Troup collaborated with entertainer Tommy Leonetti, writing the lyrics for Leonetti's song "My City of Sydney".


title: Bobby Troup

text: While he relied on songwriting royalties, Troup worked as an actor, appearing in "Bop Girl Goes Calypso" (1957), "The High Cost of Loving" (1958), "The Five Pennies" (1959), and playing musician Tommy Dorsey in the film "The Gene Krupa Story" (1959). He appeared as himself in the short-lived NBC television series "Acapulco". He made three guest appearances on "Perry Mason", and on two appearances, "The Case of the Jaded Joker" in 1959 and "The Case of the Missing Melody" in 1961, he showed his musical talents. In 1969 and 1970, he appeared as "Bobby" in two episodes of "Mannix", where he was a lounge piano player who helped Mannix unravel cases. Troup tried his luck at bowling on two episodes of "Celebrity Bowling" (1973-1975). He again appeared as a piano player in a cameo on "The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries" in 1978.


title: Bobby Troup

text: He appeared as disgruntled staff sergeant Gorman in Robert Altman's 1970 film "M*A*S*H." He is the last actor named by the camp PA announcer in the end credits, and he has the last line of the film: “God-damned Army!”


title: Bobby Troup

text: In 1972, Jack Webb, who had hired Troup for a 1967 episode of the television series "Dragnet", cast him as Dr. Joe Early in the television series "Emergency!" with Julie London as nurse Dixie McCall. Both Troup and London guest starred as "Emergency" personnel on an episode of "Adam-12". In 1979, Troup played the part of Sam Gill in the TV miniseries "The Rebels".


title: Bobby Troup

text: Troup married Cynthia Hare in May 1942. They had two daughters, Cynnie Troup (born 1943) and Ronne Troup (born 1945); both had careers in entertainment. The marriage ended in divorce in 1955. He met singer Julie London at the Celebrity Room where he was singing. He encouraged her to pursue her singing career, and in 1955 he produced her million-selling hit record "Cry Me a River". London, previously married to actor Jack Webb (1947 to 1953), married Troup in 1959. They had one daughter, Kelly Troup (died 2002), and twin sons, Jody (died 2010) and Reese Troup.


title: Bobby Troup

text: On February 7, 1999, Troup died unexpectedly of a heart attack in the Los Angeles suburb of Sherman Oaks.


title: Northern Alliance

text: The Northern Alliance, officially known as the United Islamic National Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan ( "Jabha-yi Muttahid-i Islāmi-yi Millī barāyi Nijāt-i Afghānistān"), was a military alliance of groups that operated between late 1996 to 2001 after the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban) took over Kabul. The United Front was originally assembled by key leaders of the Islamic State of Afghanistan, particularly president Burhanuddin Rabbani and former Defense Minister Ahmad Shah Massoud. Initially it included mostly Tajiks but by 2000, leaders of other ethnic groups had joined the Northern Alliance. This included Karim Khalili, Abdul Rashid Dostum, Abdullah Abdullah, Mohammad Mohaqiq, Abdul Qadir, Asif Mohseni, Amrullah Saleh and others.


title: Northern Alliance

text: The Northern Alliance fought a defensive war against the Taliban regime. They received support from India, Iran, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, United States and Uzbekistan, while the Taliban were extensively backed by the Pakistan Army and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence. By 2001, the Northern Alliance controlled less than 10% of the country, cornered in the north-east and based in Badakhshan province. The US invaded Afghanistan, providing support to Northern Alliance troops on the ground in a two-month war against the Taliban, which they won in December 2001. With the Taliban forced from control of the country, the Northern Alliance was dissolved as members and parties supported the new Afghan Interim Administration, with some members later becoming part of the Karzai administration.


title: Northern Alliance

text: Amidst the Fall of Kabul in 2021, former Northern Alliance leaders and other anti-Taliban figures regrouped as the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan.


title: Northern Alliance

text: The United Front was formed in late 1996 against the Taliban government by opposition factions. Since early 1999, Ahmad Shah Massoud was the only main leader able to defend his territory against the Taliban, and as such remained as the main de facto political and military leader of the United Front recognized by members of all the different ethnic groups. Massoud decided on the main political line and the general military strategy of the alliance. A part of the United Front military factions, such as Junbish-i Milli or Hezb-e Wahdat, however, did not fall under the direct control of Massoud but remained under their respective regional or ethnic leaders.


title: Northern Alliance

text: Military commanders of the United Front were either independent or belonged to one of the following political parties:


title: Northern Alliance

text: The two main political candidates in the 2009 Afghan presidential election both worked for the United Front:


title: Northern Alliance

text: Initially, the city of Mazar-i-Sharif under Dostum's control served as one of the Northern Alliance's headquarters, until the city was overrun in 1997. Under Massoud's control, Taloqan in Takhar Province, north of Panjshir, was the group's headquarters until September 5, 2000, when the city was taken by the Taliban and led to its base moving to Badakhshan Province. Massoud also maintained a private residence in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. It was there where Massoud would meet international diplomatic staff who supported the Northern Alliance.


title: Northern Alliance

text: After the fall of the Soviet-backed communist Najibullah government in 1992, the Afghan political parties agreed on a peace and power-sharing agreement (the Peshawar Accords). The accords created the Islamic State of Afghanistan and appointed an interim government for a transitional period to be followed by general elections. According to Human Rights Watch:


title: Northern Alliance

text: Gulbuddin Hekmatyar received operational, financial and military support from Pakistan. Afghanistan expert Amin Saikal concludes in "Modern Afghanistan: A History of Struggle and Survival":


title: Northern Alliance

text: In addition, Saudi Arabia and Iran, as competitors for regional hegemony, supported Afghan militias hostile towards each other. According to Human Rights Watch, Iran was backing the Shia Hazara Hezb-e Wahdat forces of Abdul Ali Mazari in order to "maximize Wahdat's military power and influence". Saudi Arabia supported the Wahhabite Abdul Rasul Sayyaf and his Ittehad-e Islami faction. A publication by the George Washington University describes:


title: Northern Alliance

text: Due to the sudden initiation of the war, working government departments, police units or a system of justice and accountability for the newly created Islamic State of Afghanistan did not have time to form. Atrocities were committed by individuals of the different armed factions while Kabul descended into lawlessness and chaos as described in reports by Human Rights Watch and the Afghanistan Justice Project. Because of the chaos, some leaders increasingly had only nominal control over their (sub-)commanders. Human Rights Watch writes:


title: Northern Alliance

text: Meanwhile, southern Afghanistan was under the control of local leaders not affiliated with the central government in Kabul. In 1994, the Taliban – a movement originating from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam–run religious schools for Afghan refugees in Pakistan – also developed in Afghanistan as a politico-religious force. In November 1994 they took control of the southern city of Kandahar and subsequently expanded their control into several provinces in southern and central Afghanistan not under the central government's control.


title: Northern Alliance

text: In late 1994, most of the militia factions which had been fighting in the battle for control of Kabul were defeated militarily by forces of the Islamic State's Minister of Defense Ahmad Shah Massoud. Bombardment of the capital came to a halt. The Islamic State government took steps to restore law and order. Courts started to work again. Massoud tried to initiate a nationwide political process with the goal of national consolidation and democratic elections, also inviting the Taliban to join the process but they refused as they opposed a democratic system.


title: Northern Alliance

text: The Taliban started shelling Kabul in early 1995 but were defeated by forces of the Islamic State government under Ahmad Shah Massoud. Amnesty International, referring to the Taliban offensive, wrote in a 1995 report:


title: Northern Alliance

text: The Taliban's early victories in 1994 were followed by a series of defeats that resulted in heavy losses which led analysts to believe the Taliban movement had run its course. At that point Pakistan and Saudi Arabia drastically increased their support to the Taliban. Many analysts like Amin Saikal describe the Taliban as developing into a proxy force for Pakistan's regional interests.


title: Northern Alliance

text: On September 26, 1996, as the Taliban with military support by Pakistan and financial support by Saudi Arabia, prepared for another major offensive against the capital Kabul, Massoud ordered a full retreat from the city. The Taliban seized Kabul on September 27, 1996, and established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.


title: Northern Alliance

text: Ahmad Shah Massoud and Abdul Rashid Dostum, former enemies, created the United Front (Northern Alliance) against the Taliban that were preparing offensives against the remaining areas under the control of Massoud and those under the control of Dostum. The United Front included beside the dominantly Tajik forces of Massoud and the Uzbek forces of Dostum, Hazara troops led by Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq and Pashtun forces under the leadership of commanders such as Abdul Haq and Haji Abdul Qadir. Notable politicians and diplomats of the United Front included Abdul Rahim Ghafoorzai, Abdullah Abdullah and Masood Khalili. From the Taliban conquest of Kabul in September 1996 until November 2001 the United Front controlled roughly 30% of Afghanistan's population in provinces such as Badakhshan, Kapisa, Takhar and parts of Parwan, Kunar, Nuristan, Laghman, Samangan, Kunduz, Ghōr and Bamyan.


title: Northern Alliance

text: Throughout the 1990s, Iran was the primary state sponsor of the Northern Alliance, along with India and Russia. By contrast, the Taliban were supported by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Because of Indian influence in the Alliance, Pakistan feared a Northern Alliance victory would result in Pakistan's encirclement by India and the Northern Alliance. During the 1990s, Turkey also supported the Northern Alliance. Israel was initially not critical of the Taliban, as both governments opposed Iran, and the Mossad reached out to the Taliban. However, later, under pressure from United States and Turkey, Israel instead began reaching out to the Northern Alliance, even though it remained suspicious of the Alliance's pro-Iran position.


title: Northern Alliance

text: Due to the presence of overwhelming support for India among Karzai's Afghan government officials, Pakistan looked to neutralise this threat by cultivating the Taliban in 2001. The assistance provided by India was extensive, including uniforms, ordnance, mortars, small armaments, refurbished Kalashnikovs, combat and winter clothes, as well as funds. In 2001 alone, according to several international sources, 28,000–30,000 Afghans, who took refuge in Pakistan during Afghan jihad, 14,000–15,000 Afghan Taliban and 2,000–3,000 Al Qaeda militants were fighting against anti-Taliban forces in Afghanistan as a roughly 45,000 strong military force. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf – then as Chief of Army Staff – was responsible for sending thousands of Pakistanis to fight alongside the Taliban and Bin Laden against the forces of Ahmad Shah Massoud. Of the estimated 28,000 Afghan refugees returned from Pakistan fighting in Afghanistan, 8,000 were militants recruited in madrassas filling regular Taliban ranks. A 1998 document by the U.S. State Department confirms that "20–40 percent of [regular] Taliban soldiers are returned Afghans from Pakistani refugee camps".


title: Northern Alliance

text: After Taliban captured Kabul, Iran's assistance to the Northern Alliance increased dramatically. Iran established an "airbridge" between Mashhad and the Afghan airbases of Bagram and Kulyab to ferry large quantities of arms to the Northern Alliance. For example, it was reported that on one day alone in 1997, 13 Iranian flights arrived at Bagram. In another instance, Iran was believed to have been found sending 700 tons of arms via Tajikistan.


title: Northern Alliance

text: On August 1, 1997 the Taliban launched an attack on Sheberghan, the main military base of Abdul Rashid Dostum. Dostum has said the reason the attack was successful was due to 1500 Pakistani commandos taking part and that the Pakistani air force also gave support.


title: Northern Alliance

text: In October to November of 1998, the Northern Alliance used Iranian and Russian arms to recapture territory from the Taliban near the Uzbekistan and Tajikistan border.


title: Northern Alliance

text: In 1998, Iran accused Pakistan of sending its air force to bomb Mazar-i-Sharif in support of Taliban forces and directly accused Pakistani troops for "war crimes at Bamiyan". The same year Russia said that Pakistan was responsible for the military expansion of the Taliban in northern Afghanistan by sending large numbers of Pakistani troops, some of whom had subsequently been taken as prisoners by the anti-Taliban United Front.


title: Northern Alliance

text: In 2000, the UN Security Council imposed an arms embargo against military support to the Taliban, with UN officials explicitly singling out Pakistan. The UN secretary-general implicitly criticized Pakistan for its military support and the Security Council stated it was "deeply distress[ed] over reports of involvement in the fighting, on the Taliban side, of thousands of non-Afghan nationals". In July 2001, several countries including the United States, accused Pakistan of being "in violation of U.N. sanctions because of its military aid to the Taliban".


title: Northern Alliance

text: In 2000, British Intelligence reported that the ISI was taking an active role in several Al Qaeda training camps. The ISI helped with the construction of training camps for both the Taliban and Al Qaeda. From 1996 to 2001 the Al Qaeda of Osama Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri became a state within the Taliban state. Bin Laden sent Arab and Central Asian Al-Qaeda militants to join the fight against the United Front among them his Brigade 055.


title: Northern Alliance

text: With the fall of Kabul to anti-Taliban forces in November 2001, ISI forces worked with and helped Taliban militias who were in full retreat. In November 2001, Taliban, Al-Qaeda combatants and ISI operatives were safely evacuated from Kunduz on Pakistan Air Force cargo aircraft to Pakistan Air Force bases in Chitral and Gilgit in Pakistan's Northern Areas in what has been dubbed the "Airlift of Evil".


title: Northern Alliance

text: The role of the Pakistani military has been described by international observers as well as by the anti-Taliban leader Ahmad Shah Massoud as a "creeping invasion". The "creeping invasion" proved unable to defeat the severely outnumbered anti-Taliban forces.


title: Northern Alliance

text: According to a 55-page report by the United Nations, the Taliban, while trying to consolidate control over northern and western Afghanistan, committed systematic massacres against civilians. UN officials stated that there had been "15 massacres" between 1996 and 2001. They also said, that "[t]hese have been highly systematic and they all lead back to the [Taliban] Ministry of Defense or to Mullah Omar himself". Al Qaeda's so-called 055 Brigade was also responsible for mass-killings of Afghan civilians.<ref name="Ahmed Rashid/The Telegraph"></ref> The report by the United Nations quotes eyewitnesses in many villages describing Arab fighters "carrying long knives used for slitting throats and skinning people".


title: Northern Alliance

text: After longstanding battles especially for the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, Abdul Rashid Dostum and his Junbish-i Milli forces alongside allied Hezb-e Wahdat forces were defeated by the Taliban and their allies in 1998. Dostum subsequently went into exile. Ahmad Shah Massoud remained the only major anti-Taliban leader inside the country who was able to defend vast parts of his territory against the Pakistani Army, the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, not once leaving Afghanistan except for diplomatic purposes.


title: Northern Alliance

text: The Taliban repeatedly offered Massoud money and a position of power to make him stop his resistance. Massoud declined. He explained in one interview:


title: Northern Alliance

text: The Taliban say: "Come and accept the post of prime minister and be with us", and they would keep the highest office in the country, the presidentship. But for what price?! The difference between us concerns mainly our way of thinking about the very principles of the society and the state. We can not accept their conditions of compromise, or else we would have to give up the principles of modern democracy. We are fundamentally against the system called "the Emirate of Afghanistan".


title: Northern Alliance

text: There should be an Afghanistan where every Afghan finds himself or herself happy. And I think that can only be assured by democracy based on consensus.


title: Northern Alliance

text: Massoud wanted to convince the Taliban to join a political process leading towards democratic elections in a foreseeable future. He also stated:


title: Northern Alliance

text: The Taliban are not a force to be considered invincible. They are distanced from the people now. They are weaker than in the past. There is only the assistance given by Pakistan, Osama bin Laden and other extremist groups that keep the Taliban on their feet. With a halt to that assistance, it is extremely difficult to survive.


title: Northern Alliance

text: In early 2001 the United Front employed a new strategy of local military pressure and global political appeals. Resentment was increasingly gathering against Taliban rule from the bottom of Afghan society including the Pashtun areas. In total, estimates range up to one million people fleeing the Taliban. Many civilians fled to the area of Ahmad Shah Massoud. National Geographic concluded in its documentary ""Inside the Taliban"": "The only thing standing in the way of future Taliban massacres is Ahmad Shah Massoud". In the areas under his control Massoud set up democratic institutions and signed the Women's Rights Declaration. At the same time he was very wary not to revive the failed Kabul government of the early 1990s. Already in 1999 the United Front leadership ordered the training of police forces specifically to keep order and protect the civilian population in case the United Front would be successful. In early 2001 Ahmad Shah Massoud addressed the European Parliament in Brussels asking the international community to provide humanitarian help to the people of Afghanistan. He stated that the Taliban and Al Qaeda had introduced "a very wrong perception of Islam" and that without the support of Pakistan and Bin Laden the Taliban would not be able to sustain their military campaign for up to a year. On this visit to Europe he also warned that his intelligence had gathered information about a large-scale attack on U.S. soil being imminent.


title: Northern Alliance

text: On September 9, 2001, two Arab suicide attackers, allegedly belonging to Al Qaeda, posing as journalists, detonated a bomb hidden in a video camera while interviewing Ahmed Shah Massoud in the Takhar province of Afghanistan. Commander Massoud died in a helicopter that was taking him to a hospital. He was buried in his home village of Bazarak in the Panjshir Valley. The funeral, although taking place in a rather rural area, was attended by hundreds of thousands of mourning people.


title: Northern Alliance

text: The assassination of Massoud is considered to have a strong connection to the attacks in the U.S. two days later, which killed nearly 3,000 people and which appeared to be the terrorist attack that Massoud had warned against in his speech to the European Parliament several months earlier. John P. O'Neill was a counter-terrorism expert and the Assistant Director of the FBI until late 2001. He retired from the FBI and was offered the position of director of security at the World Trade Center (WTC). He took the job at the WTC two weeks before 9/11. On September 10, 2001, John O'Neill told two of his friends,


title: Northern Alliance

text: We're due. And we're due for something big. ... Some things have happened in Afghanistan [referring to the assassination of Massoud]. I don't like the way things are lining up in Afghanistan. ... I sense a shift, and I think things are going to happen. ... soon.


title: Northern Alliance

text: After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, United Front troops ousted the Taliban from power in Kabul with American air support in Operation Enduring Freedom, using intelligence reports offered by Iran during the Six plus Two Group meetings at the United Nations Headquarters. In November and December 2001 the United Front gained control of much of the country and played a crucial role in establishing the post-Taliban interim government of Hamid Karzai in late 2001.


title: Northern Alliance

text: After the September 11 attacks in the United States in 2001, the United Front succeeded in retaking Kabul from the Taliban with air support from US-led forces during Operation Enduring Freedom. Despite fears of a return to the chaos similar to that of the 1992–1996 civil war, all the Afghan leaders met in Germany to create a new government. Hamid Karzai was chosen to lead the country and most key positions were given to Tajik members of the Northern Alliance. This created a major international issue. While Pakistan has always favored Afghanistan's major ethnic group, the Pashtun, India saw an opportunity for increasing its regional power by jumping on board with the support of the Northern Alliance in the early days of the war. With both nations seeking to increase or maintain their regional power through opposing factions on the ground, the conflict in Afghanistan has increasingly been seen by observers as a proxy-war between these powers.


title: Northern Alliance

text: From 2002 to 2004 Afghanistan witnessed relative calm. By 2006, however, with the support of Pakistan, a Taliban insurgency was increasingly gaining strength. In 2010, Afghan President Karzai decided that the only way to end the Taliban insurgency is to call for peace. This process became accepted and supported by all international partners of Afghanistan, except by several key figures of the Northern Alliance such as Abdullah Abdullah, Ahmad Zia Massoud, Mohammad Mohaqiq, and others. The opposition, by then splintered into several parties, warned that Karzai's appeasement policy could come at the cost of Afghanistan's political and economic development, and the progress made in areas such as education and women's rights. As the opposition leaders were excluded from secret talks with the Taliban by NATO and the Karzai administration and Karzai's political rhetoric was increasingly adjusted to Taliban demands, United Front leaders, in late 2011, regrouped to oppose a return of the Taliban to Afghanistan.


title: Northern Alliance

text: Between 1996 and 2001, the Northern Alliance blocked the Taliban and al-Qaeda from gaining control of the entirety of Afghanistan. Many internally displaced persons found shelter in areas controlled by Ahmad Shah Massoud. After the September 2001 attacks in the United States, U.S. air raids followed by ground troops of the United Front ousted the Taliban from power in Kabul. Between November and December 2001, the United Front gained control of most major Afghan cities. Had it not been for the United Front, the U.S. would have needed to deploy large number of ground troops, as was done in the Iraq War.


title: Northern Alliance

text: The United Front was influential in the transitional Afghan Government of Hamid Karzai from 2001 until 2004. Notably, Mohammed Fahim became the Vice President and Defense Minister, Yunus Qanuni became the Minister of Education and Security Advisor and Abdullah Abdullah became the Foreign Minister. Most foreign observers expected this dominance to continue and for Fahim or Qanuni to be selected as Karzai's Vice President in the 2004 elections. However, Karzai instead selected Ahmad Zia Massoud, younger brother of the former United Front leader Ahmad Shah Massoud. Karzai easily won the 2004 Presidential election with 55.4% of the vote, followed by three former leaders of the Northern Alliance, Quanuni (16.3%), Mohaqiq (11.7%) and Dostum (10%).


title: Northern Alliance

text: Some of the military strength of the UIF has now been absorbed into the military of Afghanistan, while many of the remaining soldiers were disarmed through a nationwide disarmament program. The existence and strength of the Afghan National Army has significantly reduced the threat of the former UIF elements attempting to use military action against the new NATO-backed Afghan government. Most of the country's senior military personnel are former members of the UIF, including Defense Minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi.


title: Northern Alliance

text: Some members of the alliance are now part of the United National Front (Afghanistan) which is led by Rabbani and includes some former leaders of the UIF such as Yunus Qanuni, Mohammed Fahim, and Abdul Rashid Dostum. The United National Front has positioned itself as a "loyal" opposition to Hamid Karzai. Others like Abdul Rasul Sayyaf claim to be loyal to Hamid Karzai while, however, following their own agenda.


title: Northern Alliance

text: Abdullah Abdullah, a doctor of medicine and one of Ahmad Shah Massoud's closest friends, ran as an independent candidate in the 2009 Afghan presidential election and came in second place. On November 1, 2009, Abdullah, however, quit the runoff election because of widespread allegations of election fraud. Some of his followers wanted to take to the streets but Abdullah called for calm. Massoud Khalili, another of Ahmad Shah Massoud's close friends, became ambassador to India and subsequently to Turkey, while the younger brother of Massoud, Ahmad Wali Massoud, serves as ambassador to the United Kingdom. Massoud's ex-commander Bismillah Khan Mohammadi was chief-of-staff of the Afghan National Army, then as Minister of the Interior followed by Minister of Defense. One of Massoud's close intelligence agents, Amrullah Saleh, became director of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) in 2004 but had to resign in 2010.


title: Northern Alliance

text: The National Front of Afghanistan, which was created by Ahmad Zia Massoud, Abdul Rashid Dostum and Mohammad Mohaqiq in late 2011 to oppose peace talks with Taliban, is generally considered as a reformation of the military wing of the United Front. Meanwhile, much of the political wing has reunited under the National Coalition of Afghanistan led by Abdullah Abdullah.


title: Northern Alliance

text: Former head of the National Directorate of Security (NDS), Amrullah Saleh, created a new movement, Basej-i Milli, with support among the youth. It mobilized about 10,000 people in an anti-Taliban demonstration in the capital Kabul in May 2011. Former Northern Alliance strongman Mohammed Fahim, Vice President of Afghanistan, remained in an alliance with Hamid Karzai until Fahim's death in 2014.


title: Northern Alliance

text: Following a takeover of Kabul and much of Afghanistan by the Taliban in 2021, the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, led by Ahmad Massoud, son of late Afghan politician Ahmad Shah Massoud, and Vice President Amrullah Saleh started gathering strength in the Panjshir Valley. The flag of the ‘Northern Alliance’ or the United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan was hoisted for the first time since 2001 in the Panjshir Valley, signalling their return.


title: Northern Alliance

text: The human rights situation during combat was heavily dependent on the specific commander and his troops. The situation for different leaders and their troops of the United Front thus shows sharp contrasts. Also, the quality of life of the Afghan population was heavily dependent on the specific leader that was directly controlling the area in which they lived. Sharp contrasts could also be witnessed regarding life and structures in those areas.


title: Northern Alliance

text: Ahmad Shah Massoud controlled the Panjshir area, some other parts of Parwan and Thakhar province. Some parts of Badakshan were under his influence while others were controlled by Burhanuddin Rabbani. Badakshan was the home region of Rabbani.


title: Northern Alliance

text: Massoud created institutions which were structured into several committees: political, health, education and economic. In the area of Massoud women and girls were allowed to work and to go to school, and in at least two known instances Massoud personally intervened against cases of forced marriage. Women also did not have to wear the Afghan burqa. While it was Massoud's stated conviction that men and women are equal and should enjoy the same rights, he also had to deal with Afghan traditions which he said would need a generation or more to overcome. In his opinion that could only be achieved through education.


title: Northern Alliance

text: Hundreds of thousands of Afghans fled from the Taliban to the areas controlled by Massoud. There was a huge humanitarian problem as there was not enough to eat for both the existing population and the internally displaced Afghans. In 2001, Massoud and a French journalist described the bitter situation of the displaced people and asked for humanitarian help.


title: Northern Alliance

text: Until the conquest of Balkh by the Taliban in 1998, Abdul Rashid Dostum controlled the following provinces: Samangan, Balkh, Jowzjan, Faryab, and Baghlan provinces. According to Human Rights Watch many of the violations of international humanitarian law committed by the United Front forces date from 1996–1998 when Dostum controlled most of the north.


title: Northern Alliance

text: According to Human Rights Watch in 1997, some 3,000 captured Taliban soldiers were summarily executed in and around Mazar-i Sharif by Dostum's Junbish-i Milli forces under the command of Abdul Malik Pahlawan. The killings followed Malik's withdrawal from a brief alliance with the Taliban and the capture of the Taliban forces who were trapped in the city. With the U.S. War on Terror, troops loyal to Dostum also returned to combat. In December 2001, during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, between 250 and 3,000 (depending on sources) Taliban prisoners were shot and/or suffocated to death in metal truck containers. The prisoners were killed while being transferred from Kunduz to Sheberghan. This became known as the Dasht-i-Leili massacre In 2009, Dostum denied the accusations.


title: Northern Alliance

text: Dostum belonged to those commanders making their own, often draconian, laws. Human Rights Watch has released documents alleging widespread crimes targeted against the civilian population. Human Rights Watch asked to actively discourage and refuse support in any way to any group or coalition that includes commanders with a record of serious violations of international humanitarian law standards, specifically naming Abdul Rashid Dostum; Muhammad Mohaqiq, a senior commander of the Hezb-e Wahdat; Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, leader of the erstwhile Ittehad-e Islami; and Abdul Malik Pahlawan, a former senior Junbish-i Milli commander.


title: Robert Young (actor)

text: Robert George Young (February 22, 1907 – July 21, 1998) was an American film, television and radio actor best known for his leading roles as Jim Anderson, the father character, in "Father Knows Best" (CBS, then NBC, then CBS again) and the physician Marcus Welby in "Marcus Welby, M.D." (ABC).


title: Robert Young (actor)

text: Born in Chicago, Young was the son of an Irish immigrant father, Thomas E. Young, and an American mother, Margaret Fyfe. While Young was a child, the family moved to various locations within the U.S., including Seattle as well as Los Angeles, where Young was a student at Abraham Lincoln High School. After graduation, he studied and performed at the Pasadena Playhouse while working odd jobs and appearing in bit parts in silent films. While touring with a stock company producing "The Ship", Young was discovered by a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer talent scout who signed the fledgling actor to a contract. Young made his sound-film debut for Fox Film Corporation in the 1931 Charlie Chan film "Black Camel", starring Warner Oland.


title: Robert Young (actor)

text: Young appeared in over 100 films between 1928 and 1952. In spite of having a "tier B" status, he co-starred with some of the studio's most illustrious actresses, such as Katharine Hepburn, Margaret Sullavan, Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Helen Hayes, Luise Rainer, Hedy Lamarr, Helen Twelvetrees and (unrelated) Loretta Young. Yet most of his assignments consisted of short B movies, also known as "programmers", which required brief two- to three-week shooting schedules. Actors who were relegated to such hectic routines appeared, as Young did, in some six to eight movies per year.


title: Robert Young (actor)

text: As an MGM contract player, Young was obligated to accept any film assigned to him or risk being placed on suspension—and many actors who were placed on suspension were prohibited from earning a salary from any endeavor at all, even those unrelated to the film industry. In 1936, MGM summarily loaned Young to Gaumont British in the U.K. for two films; the first, "Secret Agent", was directed by Alfred Hitchcock, while the other, "It's Love Again", co-starred Jessie Matthews. While in England, he was convinced that MGM intended to terminate his contract, but he was mistaken.


title: Robert Young (actor)

text: He unexpectedly received one of his most rewarding roles late in his MGM career, in "H.M. Pulham, Esq." (1941), which also benefited from one of Hedy Lamarr's most effective performances. He once remarked that he was assigned only those roles which Robert Montgomery and other A-list actors had rejected.


title: Robert Young (actor)

text: After his contract expired with MGM, Young starred in light comedies and dramas for studios such as 20th Century Fox, United Artists, and RKO Radio Pictures. From 1943, Young had more challenging roles in films like "Claudia", "The Enchanted Cottage", "They Won't Believe Me", "The Second Woman", and "Crossfire". His portrayals of unsympathetic characters in several of these later films—which had seldom been the case in his MGM pictures—were applauded by numerous critics. In 1949, he returned to MGM briefly to appear in "That Forsyte Woman" with Errol Flynn and Greer Garson. He played the second lead in "Secret of the Incas" (1954) starring Charlton Heston, the film upon which "Raiders of the Lost Ark" was subsequently loosely based. Despite the picture's superior quality while being shot on location at Machu Picchu, it was the last feature film in which he appeared. Young's career had begun an incremental and almost imperceptible decline, despite a propitious beginning as a freelance actor without the nurturing of a major studio. He had continued starring as a leading man in the late 1940s and early 1950s, but only in mediocre films, and occasionally playing supporting roles in important films. Then, he subsequently disappeared from the silver screen—only to reappear, successfully, several years later on a much smaller one.


title: Robert Young (actor)

text: Today, Young is most remembered as the affable insurance salesman in the long-running popular sitcom "Father Knows Best" (1949–1954 on radio, 1954–1960 on television), for which he and his co-star Jane Wyatt won several Emmy Awards. Elinor Donahue ("Betty"), Billy Gray ("Bud"), and Lauren Chapin ("Kathy") played the Anderson children in the television version.


title: Robert Young (actor)

text: Young then created, produced, and starred with Ford Rainey and Constance Moore in the nostalgic CBS comedy series "Window on Main Street" (1961–1962).


title: Robert Young (actor)

text: Young's final television series was "Marcus Welby, M.D." (1969–1976), co-starring a young James Brolin. This show earned an Emmy for Young, for best leading actor in a drama series.


title: Robert Young (actor)

text: The popular phrase "I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV" from a commercial for Vicks 44 cough medicine has been erroneously attributed to Young due to his "Marcus Welby, MD" fame. It was actually spoken by actor Chris Robinson and then by Peter Bergman during the 1980s.


title: Robert Young (actor)

text: Young was married to Betty Henderson for 61 years from 1933 until her death in 1994. They had four daughters: Carol Proffitt, Barbara Beebe, Kathy Young, and Betty Lou Gleason. They also had six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.


title: Robert Young (actor)

text: Despite his trademark portrayal of happy, well-adjusted characters, Young's bitterness toward Hollywood casting practices never diminished, and he suffered from depression and alcoholism, culminating in a suicide attempt in January 1991. Later, he spoke candidly about his personal problems in an effort to encourage others to seek help. The Robert Young Community Mental Health Center is named after Young in honor of his work toward passage of the 708 Illinois Tax Referendum, which established a property tax to support mental health programs in his home state. The center started in Rock Island, Illinois, and now has sites in both Iowa and Illinois, as part of the Quad-City metropolitan area.


title: Robert Young (actor)

text: He has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; the stars are in the categories of film (located at 6933 Hollywood Blvd.), television (6358 Hollywood Blvd.), and radio (1660 Vine Street).


title: T28 Super Heavy Tank

text: The T28 Super Heavy Tank was an American heavily armored tank/self-propelled gun designed for the United States Army during World War II. It was originally designed to break through German defenses of the Siegfried Line, and was later considered as a possible participant in the planned invasion of the Japanese mainland.


title: T28 Super Heavy Tank

text: The near 100-ton vehicle was initially designated a heavy tank. It was re-designated as the 105 mm Gun Motor Carriage T95 in 1945, and then renamed in 1946 as the Super Heavy Tank T28.


title: T28 Super Heavy Tank

text: Initially named Heavy Tank T28 when construction was authorized in 1944, the design did not fit in the usual categories of vehicles leading to reclassification. As it did not have its armament in a revolving turret, Ordnance requested a name change to 105 mm Gun Motor Carriage T95, the change becoming official in March 1945. However, due to its heavy armor and armament—while self-propelled guns in United States service were lightly armored—it was renamed Super Heavy Tank T28 in June 1946 by OCM 37058.


title: T28 Super Heavy Tank

text: The T28/T95 was designed to be used for attacking the heavy defenses expected of the Siegfried Line along the western borders of Germany. The 105mm T5E1 gun selected was known to have very good performance against concrete and "expected to be extremely effective at reducing heavy fortifications". By the time the vehicle passed trials, the German Siegfried Line had already been infiltrated and overwhelmed by the Allied forces, so the designers decided to send the T28/T95 tanks to fight on the Japanese mainland later in the war. Japan surrendered before the tank was transported overseas.


title: T28 Super Heavy Tank

text: The need for an assault tank was first identified in 1943, Ordnance proposing that 25 vehicles could be ready for operations. A conference in March 1944 between Ordnance Department and Army Ground Forces resulted in agreement to build five. The Pacific Car and Foundry Company were supplied with the design in March 1945, completed final design and had the first hull welded by August. By the time the first tank was completed and ready for combat, the war was over. The plan for five was reduced to two.


title: T28 Super Heavy Tank

text: As it did not have a turret, but a fixed casemate mount instead for its main armament (as German "Jagdpanzers" and Soviet "Samokhodnaya Ustanovka"-designation combat vehicles did), and the 105 mm gun fitted could only elevate from 19.5° to −5° and traverse from 10° right to 11° left of the centerline, the T28/T95 more closely resembled an assault gun, and was redesignated as "T95 Gun Motor Carriage" in 1945, but in June 1946, the vehicle was redesignated again as "Super Heavy Tank T28".


title: T28 Super Heavy Tank

text: Two prototypes of the T28 were built. They underwent evaluation at the Aberdeen Proving Ground and Fort Knox facilities until 1947. In 1947, one of the T28s was heavily damaged by an engine fire during trials at Yuma Proving Ground and was broken up and sold for scrap. The T28 never went into service due to the obsolete design, high maintenance costs, and the heavy weight, which prevented it from being transported across seas, but was retained to test the "durability of components on such a heavy vehicle". Work on it ended before completion as the War Department decided to stop the development of vehicles of that sort of weight and the T28 program terminated in October 1947. By that point, the T29 and T30 turreted heavy tank designs had been built. The T29 mounted the same gun as the T28 in a conventional rotating turret. The T30 was developed with a larger-caliber gun and more powerful engine. The T29 program was used to test mechanical components for future tank designs


title: T28 Super Heavy Tank

text: The mechanical superstructure was taken from a T23. The original plan was to build five prototype vehicles, with a production total of 25. Its total weight when fully equipped would have reached 95 short tons (86 tonnes). To lower ground pressure, instead of two tracks, it used four tracks that projected forward of the hull, each 23 inches (584 mm) wide. The outer tracks could be detached within two hours for rail transport: After removal, they could be fixed together to make a unit that could be towed behind the tank. Due to its extreme weight and low engine power, the T28 had extremely limited obstacle-crossing ability and could not cross any of the portable bridges available at the time, and so was considered impractical in the field and not suitable for production.


title: T28 Super Heavy Tank

text: The T28 had no conventional turret, with a casemate style hull instead, giving it a comparatively low profile, as the later examples of the fully enclosed "Jagdpanzer"-family of German tank destroyers, not entirely dissimilar to the 50 short-ton weight German Jagdpanther. Its main armament was a 105 mm T5E1 gun, in a ball-shaped gun mantlet set into the vertical hull front. The traverse was limited to 10° right and 11° left, and elevation from 19.5° to −5°. When traveling, the gun was locked at the maximum elevation. The only other armament was a .50 cal. (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine gun on a ring mount above the commander's hatch for anti-aircraft use. The main gun—65 calibres long—had a muzzle velocity of 3,700 feet per second (1,130 m/s), with a range of up to 12 miles (19 km).


title: T28 Super Heavy Tank

text: The armor was very thick compared to other tanks of the time, up to 12 inches (305 mm) thick on the front. This was considered heavy enough to provide protection from the German 88 mm gun used as tank and anti-tank guns. The lower hull front had 5.25 in (130 mm) of armor, and the sides 2.5 in (64 mm). The suspension system and lower hull were covered with 4-in (100 mm) thick steel skirts. The engine was a gasoline-powered Ford GAF V-8, delivering 500 hp, at 2600 rpm through the Torqmatic transmission; which left the vehicle underpowered, geared down to a top speed of about 8 mph (13 km/h) and greatly limited its obstacle-climbing capability.


title: T28 Super Heavy Tank

text: In 1974, the last prototype was discovered abandoned in a field at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Camouflaged in the middle of some bushes, it is unknown where it spent the intervening 27 years. It is the sole remaining example of these tanks and was exhibited at the Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor in Kentucky. In 2011, it was shipped to its new home at Fort Benning, Georgia. It was placed in the new Patton Park, which is a plot of 30 acres where nine of the tanks being stored at Fort Benning are now displayed. The vehicle was damaged in January 2017 during transit to another facility for external refurbishment when it broke loose from the M1070 HET carrying it. The transporter failed to negotiate a downhill slope and subsequent turn at a safe speed, causing the securing chains to break and allowing the T28 to slide off the trailer. Despite then rolling into a ditch, only minor repairable damage was sustained to two bogies. The outer track units had been removed.


title: Minister of Home Affairs (India)

text: The Minister of Home Affairs (or simply, the Home Minister, short-form HM) is the head of the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India. One of the senior-most officers in the Union Cabinet, the chief responsibility of the Home Minister is the maintenance of India's internal security; the country's large police force comes under its jurisdiction. Occasionally, they are assisted by the Minister of State of Home Affairs and the lower-ranked Deputy Minister of Home Affairs.


title: Minister of Home Affairs (India)

text: Ever since the time of independent India's first Home Minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the office has been seen as second in seniority only to the Prime Minister in the Union Cabinet. Like Patel, several Home Ministers have since held the additional portfolio of Deputy Prime Minister. As of February 2020, three Home Ministers have gone on to become the Prime Minister: Lal Bahadur Shastri, Charan Singh and P. V. Narasimha Rao. L.K. Advani, serving from 19 March 1998 to 22 May 2004, has held the office of the Home Minister for the longest continuous period, as of February 2020.


title: Minister of Home Affairs (India)

text: From 26 May 2014 to 30 May 2019, the Home Minister of India was Rajnath Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party, taking over the reins from Sushilkumar Shinde. On 31 May 2019, following the swearing-in of the Second Modi Ministry Amit Shah assumed the office as its 31st occupant.


title: Khatia Buniatishvili

text: Born in 1987 in Batumi, Georgia, Khatia Buniatishvili began studying piano under her mother at the age of three. She gave her first concert with Tbilisi Chamber Orchestra when she was 6 and appeared internationally at age 10. She studied in Tbilisi with Tengiz Amirejibi and in Vienna with Oleg Maisenberg at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. Her older sister, Gvantsa Buniatishvili, is also a pianist, and they have played together on numerous occasions.


title: Khatia Buniatishvili

text: Buniatishvili signed with Sony Classical as an exclusive artist in 2010. Her 2011 debut album included Liszt’s Sonata in B minor, Liebestraum No. 3, and Mephisto Waltz No. 1.


title: Khatia Buniatishvili

text: Buniatishvili is a regular attendee of the Verbier Festival, and she performed Liszt's Sonata in B minor at the 2011 festival.


title: Khatia Buniatishvili

text: In 2012, Buniatishvili released her second album, "Chopin," which featured solo piano works as well as Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor accompanied by the Orchestre de Paris and Paavo Järvi. "The Guardian" reported "This is playing straight from the heart from one of today's most exciting and technically gifted young pianists."


title: Ringworld

text: Ringworld is a 1970 science fiction novel by Larry Niven, set in his Known Space universe and considered a classic of science fiction literature. "Ringworld" tells the story of Louis Wu and his companions on a mission to the Ringworld, a rotating wheel artificial world, an alien construct in space in diameter. Niven later added three sequel novels and then cowrote, with Edward M. Lerner, four prequels and a final sequel; the five latter novels constitute the Fleet of Worlds series. All the novels in the Ringworld series tie into numerous other books set in Known Space. "Ringworld" won the Nebula Award in 1970, as well as both the Hugo Award and Locus Award in 1971.


title: Ringworld

text: On planet Earth in 2850 AD, Louis Gridley Wu is celebrating his 200th birthday. Despite his age, Louis is in perfect physical condition due to the longevity drug boosterspice. He meets Nessus, a Pierson's puppeteer, who offers him a mysterious job. Intrigued, Louis eventually accepts. Speaker-to-Animals (Speaker), who is a Kzin, and Teela Brown, a young human woman who becomes Louis's lover, also join the crew.


title: Ringworld

text: On the puppeteer home world, they are told that the expedition's goal is to investigate the Ringworld, a gigantic artificial ring, to see if it poses any threat. The Ringworld is about one million miles (1.6 million km) wide and approximately the diameter of Earth's orbit (which makes it about 584.3 million miles or 940.4 million km in circumference), encircling a sunlike star. It rotates to provide artificial gravity 99.2% as strong as Earth's from centrifugal force. The Ringworld has a habitable, flat inner surface (equivalent in area to approximately three million Earths), a breathable atmosphere and a temperature optimal for humans. Night is provided by an inner ring of shadow squares which are connected to each other by thin, ultra-strong wire. When the crew completes their mission, they will be given the starship in which they travelled to the puppeteer home world; it is orders of magnitude faster than any possessed by humans or Kzinti.


title: Ringworld

text: When they reach the vicinity of the Ringworld, they are unable to contact anyone, and their ship, the "Lying Bastard", is disabled by the Ringworld's automated meteoroid-defense system. The severely damaged vessel collides with a strand of shadow-square wire and crash-lands near a huge mountain, "Fist-of-God". As the fusion drive is destroyed, they are unable to launch back into space where they could use the undamaged faster-than-light hyperdrive to return home. They set out to find a way to get the "Lying Bastard" off the Ringworld.


title: Ringworld

text: Using their flycycles (similar to antigravity motorcycles), they try to reach the rim of the ring, where they hope to find some technology that will help them. It will take them months to cross the vast distance. When Teela develops "Plateau trance" (a kind of highway hypnosis), they are forced to land. On the ground, they encounter apparently primitive human natives who live in the crumbling ruins of a once-advanced city and think that the crew are the engineers who created the ring, and whom they revere as gods. The crew is attacked when they commit what the natives consider blasphemy (the misuse of certain technologies).


title: Ringworld

text: They continue their journey, during which Nessus reveals some Puppeteer secrets: they have conducted experiments on both humans (breeding for luck via Birthright Lotteries: all of Teela's ancestors for six generations were born from winning the lottery) and Kzinti (breeding for reduced aggression via the Man-Kzin wars, which the Kzinti always lost). Speaker's outrage forces Nessus to flee and follow them from a safe distance.


title: Ringworld

text: In a floating building over the ruins of a city, they find a map of the Ringworld and videos of its past civilization.


title: Ringworld

text: While flying through a giant storm caused by air escaping through a hole in the Ring floor due to a meteoroid impact, Teela becomes separated from the others. While Louis and Speaker search for her, their flycycles are caught by an automated police trap designed to catch traffic offenders. They are trapped in the basement of a floating police station. Nessus enters the station to try to help them.


title: Ringworld

text: In the station, they meet Halrloprillalar Hotrufan ("Prill"), a former crew member of a trading spaceship that collected plants and animals that couldn't adapt to the Ringworld. When her ship returned to the Ringworld the last time, they found that civilization had collapsed. The crew managed to enter the Ringworld, but some of them were killed and others suffered brain damage when the device that let them pass through the Ringworld floor failed. From her account, they learn that a mold was brought back from one of the original planets of the engineers by a spaceship like Prill's; it broke down the superconductors vital to the Ringworld civilization, dooming it.


title: Ringworld

text: Teela reaches the police station, accompanied by her new lover, a native "hero" called Seeker who helped her survive. Based on an insight gained from studying an ancient Ringworld map, Louis comes up with a plan to get home. Teela chooses to remain on the Ringworld with Seeker. Louis, formerly skeptical about breeding for luck, now wonders if the entire mission was caused by Teela's luck, to unite her with her true love and help her mature.