title: Murphy's sign

text: Classically, Murphy's sign is tested for during an abdominal examination in supine position; it is performed by asking the patient to breathe out and then gently placing the hand below the costal margin on the right side at the mid-clavicular line (the approximate location of the gallbladder). The patient is then instructed to breathe in. Normally, during inspiration, the abdominal contents are pushed downward as the diaphragm moves down (and lungs expand). If the patient stops breathing in (as the gallbladder is tender and, in moving downward, comes in contact with the examiner's fingers) and winces with a "catch" in breath, the test is considered positive. In order for the test to be considered positive, the same maneuver must not elicit pain when performed on the left side.


title: Murphy's sign

text: Murphy's sign has a high sensitivity and negative predictive value, although the specificity is not high. However, in the elderly the sensitivity is markedly lower; a negative Murphy's sign in an elderly person is not useful for ruling out cholecystitis if other tests and the clinical history suggest the diagnosis.


title: Murphy's sign

text: The sign is named after American physician John Benjamin Murphy (1857–1916), a Chicago surgeon from the 1880s to the early 1900s, who first described the hypersensitivity to deep palpation in the subcostal area when a patient with gallbladder disease takes a deep breath.


title: Jabuticaba

text: Jabuticaba is the edible fruit of the jabuticabeira (Plinia cauliflora) or Brazilian grapetree. The purplish-black, white-pulped fruit grows directly on the trunk of the tree. It is eaten raw or used to make jellies, jams, juice or wine. The tree, of the family Myrtaceae, is native to the states of Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Goiás and São Paulo in Brazil. Related species in the genus "Myrciaria", often referred to by the same common names, are native to Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Peru and Bolivia.


title: Jabuticaba

text: The name jabuticaba, derived from the Tupi word "jaboti/jabuti" (tortoise) + "caba" (place), meaning "the place where tortoises are found". The name has also been interpreted to mean 'like turtle fat', referring to the fruit's white pulp.


title: Jabuticaba

text: The Guarani name is "yvapurũ": "yva" means fruit and the onomatopoeic word "purũ", from "pururũ", describes the crunching sound the fruit produces when bitten.


title: Jabuticaba

text: The tree is a slow-growing evergreen that can reach a height of 15 meters if not pruned. The leaves are salmon-pink when young, turning green as they mature.


title: Jabuticaba

text: The tree prefers moist, rich, lightly acidic soil. It is widely adaptable, however, and grows satisfactorily even on alkaline beach-sand type soils, so long as it is tended and irrigated. Its flowers are white and grow directly from its trunk in a cauliflorous habit. In its native habitat jaboticabeiras may flower and fruit 5-6 times throughout the year. Jabuticabeira are tropical to subtropical plants and can tolerate mild, brief frosts, not below 26 °F (-3 °C).


title: Jabuticaba

text: The tree has a compact, fibrous root system, that makes it suitable for growing in pots or transplanting.


title: Jabuticaba

text: The fruit is a thick-skinned berry and typically measures 3–4 cm in diameter. The fruit resembles a slip-skin grape. It has a thick, purple, astringent skin that encases a sweet, white or rosy pink gelatinous flesh. Embedded within the flesh are one to four large seeds, which vary in shape depending on the species. Jabuticaba seeds are recalcitrant and they become unviable within 10 days when stored at room temperature.


title: Jabuticaba

text: In Brazil, the fruit of several related species, including "Myrciaria tenella" and "Plinia peruviana", share the same common name.


title: Jabuticaba

text: Jabuticaba has been cultivated in Brazil since pre-Columbian times. Today it is commercial crop in the center and south of the country.


title: Jabuticaba

text: Commercial cultivation of the fruit in the northern hemisphere is more restricted by slow growth and the short shelf-life of fruit than by temperature requirements. Grafted plants may bear fruit in five years, while seed-grown trees may take 10 to 20 years to bear fruit.


title: Jabuticaba

text: Jabuticabeiras are fairly adaptable to various kinds of growing conditions, tolerating sand or rich topsoil. They are intolerant of salty soils or salt spray. They are tolerant of mild drought, though fruit production may be reduced, and irrigation will be required in extended or severe droughts.


title: Jabuticaba

text: Jabuticabeiras are vulnerable to the rust, "Austropuccinia psidii". particularly when the tree flowers during heavy rain. Other important diseases that affect jabuticabeiras are canker ("Colletotrichum gloeosporioides"), dieback ("Rosellinia"), and fruit rot ("Botrytis cinerea").


title: Jabuticaba

text: Common in Brazilian markets, jabuticabas are largely eaten fresh. Fruit may begin to ferment 3 to 4 days after harvest, so it is often used to make jams, tarts, strong wines, and liqueurs. Due to the short shelf-life, fresh jabuticaba is rare in markets outside areas of cultivation.


title: Jabuticaba

text: The fruit has been compared to Muscadine grapes, and in Japan the flavor of jabuticaba has been described as similar to that of Kyoho grapes.


title: Jabuticaba

text: Their slow growth and small size when immature make jabuticabeiras popular as bonsai or container ornamental plants in temperate regions. It is a widely used bonsai species in Taiwan and parts of the Caribbean.


title: Jabuticaba

text: In Brazilian politics, and less commonly in everyday speech, "jabuticaba" is a slang that describes a political or legal setting that is considered absurd, unusual, or needlessly complex, among others, that could only exist in a country like Brazil. It is a reference to the popular wisdom that jabuticaba trees can only grow in Brazil.


title: Jabuticaba

text: There are a number of similar species of plant in the family Myrtaceae that produce fruit that is known by the common name Jabuticaba.


title: The War of the Worlds (British TV series)

text: The War of the Worlds is a 2019 three-part British television drama miniseries, produced by Mammoth Screen for the BBC, and co-produced with Creasun Media and Red Square. The series is an Edwardian period adaptation of H.G. Wells' 1898 science fiction novel of the same name, and is the first British television adaptation of Wells' Martian invasion novel. "The War of the Worlds" premiered in other countries before its UK broadcast on the BBC between 17 November and 1 December 2019.


text: Set in Edwardian England, the story follows journalist George (played by Rafe Spall) and his partner Amy (Eleanor Tomlinson), who works as an assistant to local scientist Ogilvy (Robert Carlyle). They start a life together in the town of Woking, in defiance of the norms of British society, due, as the viewer soon learns, to George already being married to a wife who is not willing to grant a divorce. They suddenly must face the escalating terror of an invasion of Britain, and possibly the whole of planet Earth, from Mars, while also fighting for their lives against an unstoppable enemy beyond humanity's comprehension.


text: "The War of the Worlds" was first announced in December 2015, with the BBC confirming production of the series in May 2017. The series was produced by Mammoth Screen for the BBC, co-produced with Creasun Media, in association with Red Square.


text: Writer Peter Harness expanded the role of the narrator's wife, stating "I think the clearest choice that I made from the start of this project was to give the male character a wife who had strength of character in her own right [...] It was very important to me to make the female character three-dimensional".


text: The three-part series was directed by Craig Viveiros, produced by Betsan Morris Evans, executive produced by Damien Timmer, Preethi Mavahalli, Peter Harness, and Viveiros from Mammoth Screen, Tommy Bulfin from the BBC, Minglu Ma from Creasun and Jamie Brown from Red Square.


text: The interpretation makes use of time-shifting forwards and backwards in the timeline in order to "throw in a clever touch of time-shifting into the narrative to upend audience expectations".


text: Filming began in April 2018 in Liverpool. Locations include St George's Plateau, Eldon Grove, Vauxhall (where an abandoned building was used as a London location), Sir Thomas Street, Dale Street, Ainsdale Woods, Delamere Forest, the village of Great Budworth in Cheshire, the Palm House at Sefton Park, and Croxteth Hall. Filming and post-production were completed by May 2019.


text: The first footage from the BBC drama appeared in July 2018, followed by trailers in January 2019, with the first, longer trailer for the drama being released in September 2019.


text: The programme was released in the UK in three weekly episodes. Originally set to premiere in the UK during Christmas 2018, "The War of the Worlds" actually premiered in Canada on T+E between 6 and 20 October 2019. It was also broadcast in two parts instead of three on New Zealand's TVNZ 1 between 13 and 20 October 2019. Mammoth Screen announced in September 2019 that the programme was expected to be released in the UK in late 2019; the first episode had its UK premiere on 17 November 2019.


text: ITV Studios Global Entertainment is responsible for the international distribution of "The War of the Worlds" miniseries. It has been sold to major European countries and African territories.


text: "The War of the Worlds" has received mixed reviews from critics. The series holds a 67% approval rating at the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 21 critic reviews. The site's consensus reads, "Respectful, if not exactly riveting, Craig Viveiros' reimagined "The War of the Worlds"s wandering narrative undermines its strong performances".


text: "The Guardian" gave the drama four stars, deeming it a "solid and reliable" drama, but criticized the plot's pacing, stating it had a "lack of urgency". "The Independent" gave it three stars but complained about its attempts to speak to contemporary political issues, stating, "The real war here is not between humans and aliens, but between a classic tale and the perceived liberal expectations of audiences in 2019". "The Telegraph" gave the first episode two stars and criticized it for appearing low budget and the performances by Tomlinson and Spall. "The Irish Independent" was unfavorable to the first episode and called it a "massive disappointment". "The Telegraph" was more negative towards the second episode, giving it one star. "The Independent" was also more negative towards the third episode, giving it two stars. James Delingpole in "The Spectator" responded negatively to the series, calling it “incredibly sad”.


title: Vindu Dara Singh

text: Vindu Dara Singh (born Virender Singh Randhawa; 6 May 1964) is an Indian film which does Hindi and Punjabi television actor. He is the winner of the third season of "Bigg Boss". Before this, In 1996 he played the role of Lord Hanuman in "Jai Veer Hanuman" television series on Sony TV.


title: Vindu Dara Singh

text: Vindu made his acting debut in the 1994 Hindi film "Karan". Then he acted in 1996 Punjabi film, "Rab Dian Rakhan" which was directed by his father. Since then, he has acted in many films, mostly in supporting roles.


title: Vindu Dara Singh

text: He has also acted in TV serials, including the role of Hanuman in the TV serial "Jai Veer Hanuman", much like his father did in Ramayan. He has also starred as a supervillain in TV serials on Star Plus, including Zaal in "Ssshhhh...Koi Hai" (2003) and Char Sau Chalis in "Karma" (2004). Vindu has also played an important role in the serial "Black" on 9X where he has played the character of Rajiv, a medium who can establish connections with spirits. Vindu Dara Singh has made appearance in television shows like "Master Chef 2", "", "Nach Baliye", "Comedy Circus", "All Most Famous", and "Maa Exchange". Singh also paired in a Pepsi commercial with Ranbir Kapoor.


title: Vindu Dara Singh

text: He was the winner of the third season of the reality TV show "Bigg Boss" in 2009 and was also announced the most stylish and bold contestant to win the Chevrolet Cruze, a feat that had never occurred before, winning both the cash prize and car, and defeating Pravesh Rana and Poonam Dhillon. He was given the title ('man with a golden heart') by his housemates.


title: Vindu Dara Singh

text: Vindu Dara Singh has also worked in many successful films like "Garv", "Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya", "Partner", "Khushboo", "Team - The Force", "Kisse Pyaar Karoon", "Kambakkht Ishq", "Maruti", "Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Son of Sardaar, Jatt James Bond, The Lion of Punjab, Housefull," and "Housefull 2."


title: Vindu Dara Singh

text: Vindu's father was the wrestler-turned-actor Dara Singh. He married actress Farha Naaz, with whom he had a son born in year 2001. The couple divorced in year 2002. Vindu married model Dina Umarova in year 2006, with whom he has a daughter born in year 2009.


title: Vindu Dara Singh

text: In May 2013, he was arrested for having links to bookies and involvement in the 2013 spot-fixing scandal.


title: Music programs of South Korea

text: South Korea's largest broadcasting companies each have their own show, which are broadcast on different channels. SBS has "Inkigayo", KBS has "Music Bank", MBC has "Show! Music Core" (also known simply as "Music Core"), Mnet has "M Countdown", MBC M has "Show Champion" and SBS MTV has "The Show".


title: Music programs of South Korea

text: Artists commonly pre-record performances and appear live on the show for interviews and the ending of the show, where the week's winning artist is announced. For all music shows, artists accumulate points from the previous week for them to be nominated for first place in the next.


title: Music programs of South Korea

text: They also use music programs to promote. 'Debut stage' is the term used for artists who perform on the shows for the first time, usually serving as their first live performance when they debut as an artist. On the other hand, a 'comeback stage' is the term used for the first performance of the artist on the shows with their new songs and the start of a new promotional cycle, after the end of their debut cycle.


title: Music programs of South Korea

text: Fans are also allowed to attend pre-recordings and live shows to support the artists for free if they apply for tickets on each of the show's websites, with the condition that they don't record or take photos during the recording. Fans who disobey these rules will be banned from the show, along with fellow fans who came to support the group.


title: Music programs of South Korea

text: During an interview with 'Music Core' CP Park Hyun Suk on July 1, 2014, he was reported to have told "Munhwa Ilbo", "We will not allow people who are not equipped with the basics as a singer to perform on stage. Even if one's individual part is short, that is fine. The singers who perform on stage must sing." He argues that this is to discourage groups who record almost 100% of their music for the shows, to determine the truly talented idol groups.


title: Music programs of South Korea

text: A crucial element of each music program in South Korea is that every program has a voting system. Each program has different ways to count the votes and decide the winning artist of the week, so the possibilities of an artist winning is different for every program. "Billboard" reasoned that it's so that the music show scene "doesn't feel static", wherein the result would be the same for each show. While most programs prioritize digital sales, they differ in other areas such as SNS points, physical sales, broadcast points, live votes, etc. For instance, for some time, "Music Bank's" "K-Chart" included the song's physical sales in their computation, while SBS' "Inkigayo"'s chart did not. Because an artist must accumulate points during the first week of promotions, they are not eligible to win on music shows in first week and may only be included in the music charts since and include the second week.


title: Music programs of South Korea

text: Paul Han, who is a co-owner of the English-language K-pop blog Allkpop claims that it is gratifying for dedicated fans of these artists to watch these music shows when their favorite artists win because of the presence of an actual trophy and an encore stage. Han said that "It's just much more satisfactory to receive a big trophy with all of your peers around. In a way, it's sort of like a mini-music award show every week, and only one can be the winner".


title: Music programs of South Korea

text: In 2012, Psy's "Gangnam Style" won on "Music Bank" for a record ten consecutive weeks, surpassing the previous record of nine consecutive wins by Girls' Generation's "Gee" in 2009.


title: Music programs of South Korea

text: In September 2015, Girls' Generation became the first artist in South Korea to accumulate a total of 100 wins on music shows.


title: Music programs of South Korea

text: BTS currently holds the record for most awarded song with "Dynamite", released in August 2020. The song won the first-place award for a total of 32 times. The group also holds the record for the most first-place wins in a year as they won a total of 50 times, and won on "Show! Music Core" for a record 16 consecutive weeks (10 with Dynamite and 6 with Life Goes On) in 2020.


title: Music programs of South Korea

text: According to Caitlin Kelley of "Billboard", South Korean music shows have incorporated international participation through social networking sites such as YouTube, which has been integrated into their voting system with the views of an artist's music video. She also credits these music shows for their participation in the globalization of K-pop. Every music program has its own regularly updated YouTube account, which allows persons outside of South Korea the opportunity to view the artists' performance, thereby offering a larger exposure of K-pop acts to other parts of the world. In a 2018 interview with "Billboard", Dr. Suk-Young Kim, a professor at the University of California, claimed that "YouTube is how you circulate yourself internationally" but outside of the website, South Korean music had already reached overseas fans directly by "bringing those music chart shows overseas and creating a live concert out of them", citing "Music Bank" which has gone on world tours since 2011 as an example. Kim also mentioned KCON, a music festival organized by "M Countdown", as a means to showcase "every element of Hallyu encompassing pop music, TV dramas, movies, fashion, food, and beauty".


title: Internet Research Agency

text: The Internet Research Agency (IRA; ), also known as "Glavset" () and known in Russian Internet slang as the Trolls from Olgino (), is a Russian company engaged in online propaganda and influence operations on behalf of Russian business and political interests. It is linked to Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin and based in Saint Petersburg, Russia.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: The January 2017 report issued by the United States Intelligence Community – "Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections" – described the agency as a troll farm: "The likely financier of the so-called Internet Research Agency of professional trolls located in Saint Petersburg is a close ally of [Vladimir] Putin with ties to Russian intelligence," commenting that "they previously were devoted to supporting Russian actions in Ukraine—[and] started to advocate for President-elect Trump as early as December 2015."


title: Internet Research Agency

text: The agency has employed fake accounts registered on major social networking sites, discussion boards, online newspaper sites, and video hosting services to promote the Kremlin's interests in domestic and foreign policy including Ukraine and the Middle East as well as attempting to influence the 2016 United States presidential election. More than 1,000 employees reportedly worked in a single building of the agency in 2015.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: The extent to which the agency has tried to influence public opinion using social media became better known after a June 2014 "BuzzFeed News" article greatly expanded on government documents published by hackers earlier that year. The Internet Research Agency gained more attention by June 2015, when one of its offices was reported as having data from fake accounts used for biased Internet trolling. Subsequently, there were news reports of individuals receiving monetary compensation for performing these tasks.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: On 16 February 2018, a United States grand jury indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities, including the Internet Research Agency, on charges of violating criminal laws with the intent to interfere "with U.S. elections and political processes", according to the Justice Department. In July 2020, President Trump revealed that he approved a cyberattack against the organization in 2018 that disrupted or shut down its operations.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: The company was founded in mid-2013. In 2013, "Novaya Gazeta" newspaper reported that Internet Research Agency Ltd's office was in Olgino, a historic district of Saint Petersburg.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: The terms "Trolls from Olgino" and "Olgino's trolls" (, "Ольгинские тролли") have become general terms denoting trolls who spread pro-Russian propaganda, not only necessarily those based at the office in Olgino.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: Information of the work being conducted at the Agency comes in part from interviews with former employees.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: Russian newspaper "Vedomosti" links the approved-by-Russian-authorities strategy of public consciousness manipulation through new media to Vyacheslav Volodin, first deputy of the Vladimir Putin Presidential Administration of Russia.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: Journalists have written that Alexey Soskovets, who had participated in the Russian youth political community, was directly connected to the office in Olgino, and that his company, North-Western Service Agency, won 17 or 18 (according to different sources) contracts for organizing celebrations, forums and sport competitions for authorities of Saint Petersburg and that Soskovets' company was the only participant in half of those bids. In mid-2013 the agency won a tender for providing freight services for participants of Seliger camp.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: In 2014, according to Russian media, Internet Research Ltd. () was founded in March 2014, joined IRA's activity. The newspaper "Novaya Gazeta" reported that this company is a successor of Internet Research Agency Ltd. Internet Research Ltd. is considered to be linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the holding company Concord Management and Consulting. The "Trolls of Olgino" are considered to be his project. As of October 2014, the company belonged to Mikhail Bystrov, who had been the head of the police station at Moscow district of Saint Petersburg.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: Russian media point out that according to documents, published by hackers from Anonymous International, Concord Management is directly involved with trolling administration through the agency. Researchers cite e-mail correspondence, in which Concord Management gives instructions to trolls and receives reports on accomplished work. According to journalists, Concord Management organized banquets in the Kremlin and also cooperated with Voentorg and the Russian Ministry of Defence.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: Despite links to Alexei Soskovets, Nadejda Orlova, deputy head of the Committee for Youth Policy in Saint Petersburg, disputed a connection between her institution and the trolling offices.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: Finnish journalist Jessikka Aro, who reported extensively on the pro-Russian trolling activities in Finland, was targeted by an organized campaign of hate, disinformation and harassment.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: As reported by "Novaya Gazeta", in the end of August 2013, the following message appeared in social networks: "Internet operators wanted! Job at chic office in Olgino!!! (st. Staraya Derevnia), salary 25960 per month (USD$780 as of 2013). Task: posting comments at profile sites in the Internet, writing thematic posts, blogs, social networks. Reports via screenshots. Individual schedule [...] Payment every week, 1180 per shift (from 8.00 to 16.00, from 10.30 to 18.30, from 14.00 to 22.00). PAYMENTS EVERY WEEK AND FREE MEALS!!! Official job placement or according to contract (at will). Tuition possible."


title: Internet Research Agency

text: As reported by media and former employees, the office in Olgino, Primorskiy district, St. Peterburg had existed and had been functioning since September 2013. It was situated in a white cottage, 15 minutes by an underground railway from Staraya Derevnia station, opposite Olgino railway station. Workplaces for troll-employees were placed in basement rooms.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: According to Russian online newspaper , several months before October 2014 the office moved from Olgino to a four-story building at 55 Savushkina Street, Primorskiy district, St. Peterburg. As reported by journalists, the building is officially an uncompleted construction and stayed as such as of March 2015.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: A "New York Times" investigative reporter was told that the Internet Research Agency had shortened its name to "Internet Research," and as of June 2015 had been asked to leave the 55 Savushkina Street location "a couple of months ago" because "it was giving the entire building a bad reputation." A possibly related organization, "FAN" or Federal News Agency, was located in the building. "The New York Times" article describes various experiences reported by former employees of the Internet Research Agency at the Savushkina Street location. It also describes several disruptive hoaxes in the US and Europe, such as the Columbian Chemicals Plant explosion hoax, that may be attributable to the Internet Research Agency or similar Russian-based organizations.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: Reported by the Russian online newspaper in December 2017, the office moved from the four-story building at 55 Savushkina Street to Lakhta on four floors at , 4 building 3 () near () in the Lakhta-2 business center () on 1 February 2018. Beginning in February 2018, they are also known as the "Lakhta Trolls" ().


title: Internet Research Agency

text: "Novaya Gazeta" reported that, according to Alexey Soskovets, head of the office in Olgino, North-Western Service Agency was hiring employees for similar projects in Moscow and other cities in 2013.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: More than 1,000 paid bloggers and commenters reportedly worked only in a single building at Savushkina Street in 2015. Many other employees work remotely. According to "BuzzFeed News", more than 600 people were generally employed in the trolls' office earlier, in June 2014. Each commentator has a daily quota of 100 comments.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: Trolls take shifts writing mainly in blogs on LiveJournal and Vkontakte, about subjects along the propaganda lines assigned. Included among the employees are artists who draw political cartoons. They work for 12 hours every other two days. A blogger's quota is ten posts per shift, each post at least 750 characters. A commenter's norm is 126 comments and two posts per account. Each blogger is in charge of three accounts.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: Employees at the Olgino office earned 25,000 Russian rubles per month; those at the Savushkina Street office earned approximately 40,000 Russian rubles. In May 2014, Fontanka.ru described schemes for plundering the federal budget, intended to go toward the trolling organization. In 2017 another whistleblower said that with bonuses and long working hours the salary can reach 80,000 rubles.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: According to a 2018 "Kommersant" article, Yaroslov Ignatovsky (; born 1983, Leningrad) heads Politgen () and is a political strategist that has coordinated the trolls' efforts for Prigozhin.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: According to the testimonies of the investigative journalists and former employees of the offices, the main topics for posts included:


title: Internet Research Agency

text: The IRA has also leveraged trolls to erode trust in American political and media institutions and showcase certain politicians as incompetent. Journalists have written that themes of trolling were consistent with those of other Russian propaganda outlets in topics and timing. Technical points used by trolls were taken mainly from content disseminated by RT (formerly


title: Internet Research Agency

text: A 2015 BBC News investigation identified the Olgino factory as the most likely producer of a September 2015 "Saiga 410K review" video where an actor posing as U.S. soldier shoots at a book that turns out to be a Quran, which sparked outrage. BBC News found among other irregularities that the soldier's uniform is not used by the U.S. military and is easily purchased in Russia, and that the actor filmed was most likely a bartender from Saint Petersburg related to a troll factory employee.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: The citizen-journalism site "Bellingcat" identified the team from Olgino as the real authors of a video attributed to the Azov Battalion in which masked soldiers threaten the Netherlands for organizing the referendum on the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: In the beginning of April 2014 there began an organized online campaign to shift public opinion in the Western world in a way that would be useful for Russian authorities regarding the Russian military intervention in Ukraine in 2014. Hacked and leaked documents from that time contain instructions for commenters posting at the websites of Fox News, "The Huffington Post", "TheBlaze", "Politico", and WorldNetDaily. The requirement for the working hours for the trolls is also mentioned: 50 comments under news articles per day. Each blogger has to manage six accounts on Facebook, post at least three posts every day, and participate twice in the group discussions. Other employees have to manage 10 accounts on Twitter, publishing 50 tweets every day. Journalists concluded that Igor Osadchiy was a probable leader of the project, and the campaign itself was run by Internet Research Agency Ltd. Osadchiy denied his connection to the agency.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: In the beginning of 2016, Ukraine's state-owned news agency Ukrinform claimed to expose a system of bots in social networks, which called for violence against the Ukrainian government and for starting "The Third Maidan". They reported that the organizer of this system is the former anti-Ukrainian combatant Sergiy Zhuk from Donbass. He allegedly performed his Internet activity from Vnukovo District in Moscow.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: In March 2014, the Polish edition of "Newsweek" expressed suspicion that Russia was employing people to "bombard" its website with pro-Russian comments on Ukraine-related articles. Poland's governmental computer emergency response team later confirmed that pro-Russia commentary had flooded Polish Internet portals at the start of the Ukrainian crisis. German-language media websites were also flooded with pro-Russia comments in the spring of 2014.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: In late May 2014, the hacker group Anonymous International began publishing documents received from hacked emails of Internet Research Agency managers.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: In May–June 2014, Internet trolls invaded news media sites and massively posted pro-Russian comments in broken English.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: In March 2015 a service enabling censorship of sources of anti-Ukrainian propaganda in social networks inside Ukraine was launched.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: The United States Justice Department announced the indictment on 16 February 2018, of the Internet Research Agency while also naming more than a dozen individual suspects who allegedly worked there as part of the special counsel's investigation into criminal interference with the 2016 election.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: According to a 2019 report by Oxford researchers including sociologist Philip N. Howard, social media played a major role in political polarization in the United States, due to computational propaganda – "the use of automation, algorithms, and big-data analytics to manipulate public life"—such as the spread of fake news and conspiracy theories. The researchers highlighted the role of the Russian Internet Research Agency in attempts to undermine democracy in the US and exacerbate existing political divisions. The most prominent methods of misinformation were "organic posting, not advertisements", and influence operation activity increased after the 2016 and was not limited to the 2016 election. Examples of efforts included "campaigning for African American voters to boycott elections or follow the wrong voting procedures in 2016", "encouraging extreme right-wing voters to be more confrontational", and "spreading sensationalist, conspiratorial, and other forms of junk political news and misinformation to voters across the political spectrum."


title: Internet Research Agency

text: Russian bloggers Anton Nosik, Rustem Adagamov, and Dmitriy Aleshkovskiy have said that paid Internet-trolls don't change public opinion. Their usage is just a way to steal budget money. The political scientist Thomas Rid has said that the IRA was the least effective of all Russia's interference campaigns in the 2016 U.S. election, despite its outsized press coverage, and that it made no measurable impact on American voters.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: Leonid Volkov, a politician working for Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, suggests that the point of sponsoring paid Internet trolling is to make the Internet so distasteful that ordinary people are not willing to participate. The Columbian Chemicals Plant explosion hoax on 11 September 2014, was the work of Internet Research Agency.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: Based on the documents published by Anonymous International, Concord Management and Consulting was linked to the funding of several media outlets in Ukraine and Russia, including Kharkiv News Agency, "News of Neva", "Newspaper About Newspapers", "Business Dialog", and "Journalist Truth".


title: Internet Research Agency

text: The Columbian Chemicals Plant explosion hoax of 11 September 2014, which claim an explosion at a chemical plant in Centerville, St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, has been attributed in June 2015, by "The New York Times Magazine", as "a highly coordinated disinformation campaign" and that the "virtual assault" was the work of the Internet Research Agency.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: Three months later, the same accounts posted false messages on Twitter about an Ebola outbreak in Atlanta under the keyword #EbolaInAtlanta, quickly relayed and picked up by users living in the city. A video was then posted on YouTube, showing a medical team treating an alleged Ebola victim at Atlanta Airport. On the same day, a different group launched a rumor on Twitter under the keyword #shockingmurderinatlanta, reporting the death of a disarmed black woman shot by police. Again, a blurry and poorly filmed video is broadcast to support the rumor.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: Between July 2014 and September 2017, the IRA used bots and trolls on Twitter to sow discord about the safety of vaccines. The campaign used sophisticated Twitter bots to amplify highly polarizing pro-vaccine and anti-vaccine messages containing the hashtag #VaccinateUS. In November 2017, "The Guardian" cited a University of Edinburgh study which found that hundreds of IRA accounts were also trying to influence UK politics by tweeting about Brexit.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: In September 2017 Facebook said that ads had been "geographically targeted". Facebook revealed that during the 2016 United States presidential election, IRA had purchased advertisements on the website for US$100,000, 25% of which were geographically targeted to the U.S. Facebook's chief security officer said that the ads "appeared to focus on amplifying divisive social and political messages across the ideological spectrum".


title: Internet Research Agency

text: According to a 17 October 2017 "BuzzFeed News" report, IRA duped American activists into taking real action via protests and self-defense training in what would seem to be a further attempt to exploit racial grievances.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: On 16 February 2018, the Internet Research Agency, along with 13 Russian individuals and two other Russian organizations, was indicted following an investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller with charges stemming from "impairing, obstructing, and defeating the lawful functions of government."


title: Internet Research Agency

text: On 23 March 2018, "The Daily Beast" revealed new details about IRA gathered from leaked internal documents, which showed that IRA used Reddit and Tumblr as part of its influence campaign. On the same day, Tumblr announced that they had banned 84 accounts linked to IRA, saying that they had spread misinformation through conventional postings rather than advertisements.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: In October 2018 the US Justice Department filed charges against Russian accountant Elena Khusyaynova for working with the IRA to influence not only the 2016 elections but also the upcoming 2018 midterm elections.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: On 4 April 2016, a rally in Buffalo, New York, protested the death of India Cummings, a black woman who had recently died in police custody. IRA's "Blacktivist" Facebook account actively promoted the event and reached out directly to local activists on Facebook Messenger asking them to circulate petitions and print. "Blacktivist" supplied the petitions and poster artwork.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: On 16 April 2016, a rally protesting the death of Freddie Gray attracted large crowds in Baltimore. IRA's "Blacktivist" Facebook group promoted and organized the event, including reaching out to local activists.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: On 23 April 2016, a small group of white-power demonstrators held a rally they called "Rock Stone Mountain" at Stone Mountain Park near Stone Mountain, Georgia. They were confronted by a large group of anti-racist counterprotestors, and some violent clashes ensued. The protest was heavily promoted by IRA accounts on Tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook, and the IRA website blackmatters.com. The IRA used its Blacktivist Facebook account to reach out, to no avail, to activist and academic Barbara Williams Emerson, the daughter of Hosea Williams, to help promote the protests. Afterward, RT blamed anti-racists for violence and promoted two videos shot at the event.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: On 2 May 2016, a second rally was held in Buffalo, New York, protesting the death of India Cummings. Like the 4 April rally, the event was heavily promoted by IRA's "Blacktivist" Facebook account, including attempted outreach to local activists.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: On 21 May 2016, two competing rallies were held in Houston to alternately protest against and defend the recently opened Library of Islamic Knowledge at the Islamic Da'wah Center. The "Stop Islamization of Texas" rally was organized by the Facebook group "Heart of Texas". The posting for the event encouraged participants to bring guns. A spokesman for the group conversed with the Houston Press via email but declined to give a name. The other rally, "Save Islamic Knowledge", was organized by another Facebook group called "United Muslims of America" for the same time and location. Both Facebook groups were later revealed to be IRA accounts.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: On 25 May 2016, the Westboro Baptist Church held its annual protest of Lawrence High School graduation ceremonies in Lawrence, Kansas. The "LGBT United" Facebook group organized a counter protest to confront the Westboro Baptist Church protest, including by placing an ad on Facebook and contacting local people. About a dozen counter showed up. Lawrence High School students did not participate in the counter protest because they were skeptical of the counter protest organizers. "LGBT United" was an IRA account that appears to have been created specifically for this event.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: "LGBT United" organized a candlelight vigil on 25 June 2016, for the Pulse nightclub shooting victims in Orlando, Florida.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: IRA's "Don't Shoot" Facebook group and affiliated "Don't Shoot Us" website tried to organize a protest outside St. Paul, Minnesota police headquarters on 10 July 2016, in response to the 6 July fatal police shooting of Philando Castile. Some local activists became suspicious of the motives behind the event because St. Paul police were not involved in the shooting. Castille had been shot by a St. Anthony police officer in nearby Falcon Heights. Local activists contacted "Don't Shoot." After being pressed on who they were and who supported them, "Don't Shoot" agreed to move the protest to St. Anthony police headquarters. The concerned local activists investigated further and urged not to participate after deciding "Don't Shoot" was a "total troll job." "Don't Shoot" organizers eventually relinquished control of the event to local organizers, who subsequently declined to accept any money offered by "Don't Shoot" to cover expenses.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: A Black Lives Matter protest rally was held in Dallas on 10 July 2016. A "Blue Lives Matter" counter protest was held across the street. The "Blue Lives Matter" protest was organized by the "Heart of Texas" Facebook group controlled by IRA.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: The Blacktivist Facebook group organized a rally in Chicago to honor Sandra Bland on 16 July 2016, the first anniversary of her death. The rally was held in front of the Chicago Police Department's Homan Square facility. They passed around petitions calling for a Civilian Police Accountability Council ordinance.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: 17 "Florida Goes Trump" rallies were held across Florida on 25 August 2016. The rallies were organized by IRA using their "Being Patriotic" Facebook group and "march_for_trump" Twitter account.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: The "SecuredBorders" Facebook group organized the "Citizens before refugees" protest rally on 27 August 2016, at the City Council Chambers in Twin Falls, Idaho. Only a small number of people showed up for the three-hour event, most likely because it was Saturday and the Chambers were closed. "SecureBorders" was an IRA account.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: The "Safe Space for Muslim Neighborhood" rally was held outside the White House on 3 September 2016. At least 57 people attended the event organized by the IRA's "United Muslims of America" Facebook group.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: "BlackMattersUS", an IRA website, recruited activists to participate in protests on the days immediately following 20 September 2016, police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte, North Carolina. The IRA paid for expenses such as microphones and speakers.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: The "Miners for Trump" rallies held in Pennsylvania on 2 October 2016, were organized by IRA's "Being Patriotic" Facebook group.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: The IRA ran its most popular ad on Facebook on 19 October 2016. The ad was for the IRA's Back the Badge Facebook group and showed a badge with the words "Back the Badge" in front of police lights under the caption "Community of people who support our brave Police Officers."


title: Internet Research Agency

text: A large rally was held in Charlotte, North Carolina, on 22 October 2016, protesting the police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott. BlackMattersUS recruited unwitting local activists to organize the rally. BlackMattersUS provided one activist with a bank card to pay for rally expenses.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: Anti-Hillary Clinton "Texit" rallies were held across Texas on 5 November 2016. The "Heart of Texas" Facebook group organized the rallies around the theme of Texas seceding from the United States if Hillary Clinton is elected. The group contacted the Texas Nationalist Movement, a secessionist organization, to help with organizing efforts, but they declined to help. Small rallies were held in Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, and other cities. No one attended the Lubbock rally.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: A Trump protest called "Trump is NOT my President" attracted 5,000 to 10,000 in Manhattan on 12 November 2016. Marched from Union Square to Trump Tower. The protest was organized by BlackMattersUS.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: The IRA's "United Muslims of America" Facebook group organized the "Make peace, not war!" protest on 3 June 2017, outside Trump Tower in New York City. It is unclear whether anyone attended this protest or instead attended the "March for Truth" affiliated protest held on the same day.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: In May 2015, a trolling company employee Lyudmila Savchuk in Saint Petersburg sued her employer for labor violations, seeking to disclose its activities. Ivan Pavlov from human rights defending initiative Team 29 represented Savchuk, and the defendant "troll-factory" agreed to pay Savchuk her withheld salaries and to restore her job.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: Savchuk later described extreme psychological pressure at the work place, with jokes circulating among employees that "one can remain sane in the factory for two months maximum", as result of constant switching between different personalities that the workers are expected to design and maintain during work time.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: On 16 February 2018, 13 individuals were indicted by the Washington, D.C. grand jury for alleged illegal interference in the 2016 presidential elections, during which they strongly supported the candidacy of Donald Trump, according to special counsel Robert Mueller's office. IRA, Concord Management and Concord Catering were also indicted. It was alleged that IRA was controlled by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a wealthy associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: The indicted individuals are Dzheykhun Nasimi Ogly Aslanov, Anna Vladislavovna Bogacheva, Maria Anatolyevna Bovda, Robert Sergeyevich Bovda, Mikhail Leonidovich Burchik, Mikhail Ivanovich Bystrov, Irina Viktorovna Kaverzina, Aleksandra Yuryevna Krylova, Vadim Vladimirovich Podkopaev, Sergey Pavlovich Polozov, Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin, Gleb Igorevitch Vasilchenko, and Vladimir Venkov. All of the defendants are charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, 3 are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, and 5 defendants are charged with aggravated identity theft. None of the defendants are in custody.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: On 15 March, President Trump imposed financial sanctions under the "Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act" on the 13 Russian and organizations indicted by Mueller, preventing them from entering the United States to answer the charges should they wish to.


title: Internet Research Agency

text: In October 2018 Russian accountant Elena Khusyaynova was charged with interferеnce in the 2016 and 2018 US elections. She is alleged to have been working with the IRA. She was said to have managed a $16 million budget.


title: Rafer Alston

text: Rafer Jamel Alston (born July 24, 1976), also known as Skip to my Lou or Skip 2 My Lou, is an American retired professional basketball player. Alston first gained basketball fame playing in the AND1 Mixtape Tour in 1999 before making the National Basketball Association (NBA). While in the NBA from 1999 to 2010, he played for six teams including the 2008–09 Orlando Magic team that made the NBA Finals.


title: Rafer Alston

text: Alston grew up in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New York City, and was a standout streetball basketball player, known for his untraditional ballhandling moves that made him adept at outmaneuvering defenders. He was the inspiration in many ways for the AND1 Mixtape Tour—a low-quality, jerky 1999 videotape of Alston's extreme playground moves, featuring helter-skelter crossover and other fast dribble moves faking out defenders, attracted a great deal of attention among players and basketball fans. His trademark skipping dribble when bringing the ball down the court earned him the nickname, Skip to My Lou.


title: Rafer Alston

text: He also played under well-known high school coach Ron Naclerio at Benjamin Cardozo High School in Queens, New York. Naclerio is credited with circulating the Alston tape and getting it in the hands of AND1 staff.


title: Rafer Alston

text: Alston played college basketball for three seasons: one each at Ventura College (1994–95), Fresno City College (1996–97), and then for Jerry Tarkanian at Fresno State (1997–98). Alston was red-shirted at Fresno City College for the 1995–96 season.


title: Rafer Alston

text: Alston struggled early in his NBA career, but successfully transitioned from streetball to the professional game. He played off the bench for most of the time he was with the Milwaukee Bucks.


title: Rafer Alston

text: Alston was traded to the Toronto Raptors in 2003. He played in 47 games, averaged about 21 minutes per game, and averaged 7.8 points per game.


title: Rafer Alston

text: Following his tenure with the Raptors, Alston emerged as a starter for the Miami Heat in 2004. He did not disappoint, averaging 12 points and 4 assists on a young Miami team, led by rookie guard Dwyane Wade, that made it to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals of the NBA Playoffs. During that season, in a March 26 game against the Dallas Mavericks, he hit a game-winning shot in overtime with 0.5 seconds left over the outstretched arms of Shawn Bradley to catapult Miami to a 119–118 victory.


title: Rafer Alston

text: Alston would sign a multi-year deal with the Toronto Raptors in the summer of 2004. In the 2004–2005 season, he played nearly all games that season (80), averaged about 34 minutes per game, and had his best point per game average (14.2) in his career.


title: Rafer Alston

text: Alston was traded to the Houston Rockets for guard Mike James on October 4, 2005. Although Alston frequently was criticized for his attitude while in Toronto, it is believed that Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy conferred with his brother, Miami Heat coach Stan Van Gundy, who coached Alston during the 2003–04 NBA season, about Alston's work ethic and attitude. Jeff Van Gundy's reputation for toughness and his ability to get the most out of players previously considered "trouble-makers" or "temperamental" (e.g., Latrell Sprewell) led to optimism on the part of the Rockets' staff. In the 2006–07 season, as the Rockets starting point guard, Alston averaged 13.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He finished the season ninth in steals among all NBA players, fourth in three-pointers made, and 23rd in assists.


title: Rafer Alston

text: On November 12, 2008, Alston was suspended for two games without pay for his role in a fight after a non-call foul with Matt Barnes and Steve Nash.


title: Rafer Alston

text: Alston was traded to the Orlando Magic in a three-way deal on February 19, 2009, and replaced the injured Jameer Nelson in the team's starting lineup. On April 30, 2009, Alston helped the Orlando Magic defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 4–2 in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Orlando then defeated the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers to advance to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games, after Alston was replaced in the starting lineup by returning star Jameer Nelson. The move was a somewhat controversial decision by Stan Van Gundy, because Alston had led the team to the playoffs. Alston averaged 10.6 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.2 rebounds in the Finals. In the 2009 playoffs, Alston started every game he played in.


title: Rafer Alston

text: On June 25, 2009, he was traded to the New Jersey Nets along with Tony Battie and Courtney Lee in exchange for Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson. He had his first triple-double as a member of the New Jersey Nets in 2009–2010. On January 5, 2010, he was released by the Nets in hopes of letting him play for a contender.


title: Rafer Alston

text: On January 7, 2010, he cleared waivers and signed with the Miami Heat for the second time. After starting 25 games for Heat, Miami replaced Alston with Carlos Arroyo as starting Point Guard. In a press release, Miami stated that Alston "made contact with the team via text message...has made himself otherwise unavailable to the team" and he was immediately suspended on March 6, 2010 for missing practice and a game. On March 13, 2010, Miami upgraded his suspension for the remainder of the season. Thus, Alston's final NBA game was played on March 2, 2010, in a 110 - 106 win over the Golden State Warriors. In Alston's final game, although he was the Heat's starting point guard, he only played for 7 minutes and the only stat he recorded was 1 rebound.


title: Rafer Alston

text: On January 26, 2011, Alston signed with the Zhejiang Lions in the CBA for the remainder of the season. In late February, it was reported that he had left the team to attend a friend's funeral, and the team, believing he was unlikely to return because he had been injured and refused to see a doctor, told him to not return. Alston played 8 games for the Lions and averaged 19.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists.


title: Rafer Alston

text: In 2012, Alston signed with the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA D-League. This would be his last run as a professional basketball player.


title: Rafer Alston

text: On Sunday morning, August 5, 2007, Alston was arrested in downtown Houston on misdemeanor charges of assault and public intoxication. The charges brought against Alston for the incident were dropped on February 29, 2008.[5]


title: Rafer Alston

text: He was arrested yet again early Tuesday morning, August 28, 2007, in New York for allegedly slashing a man on the neck during a nightclub altercation. Neither the club owner, police, nor security tapes have provided any evidence of the incident occurring.


title: Upper class

text: Upper class in modern societies is the social class composed of people who hold the highest social status, usually are the wealthiest members of class society, and wield the greatest political power. According to this view, the upper class is generally distinguished by immense wealth which is passed on from generation to generation. Prior to the 20th century, the emphasis was on "aristocracy", which emphasized generations of inherited noble status, not just recent wealth.


title: Upper class

text: Because the upper classes of a society may no longer rule the society in which they are living, they are often referred to as the old upper classes, and they are often culturally distinct from the newly rich middle classes that tend to dominate public life in modern social democracies. According to the latter view held by the traditional upper classes, no amount of individual wealth or fame would make a person from an undistinguished background into a member of the upper class as one must be born into a family of that class and raised in a particular manner to understand and share upper class values, traditions, and cultural norms. The term is often used in conjunction with terms like upper-middle class, middle class, and working class as part of a model of social stratification.


title: Upper class

text: Historically in some cultures, members of an upper class often did not have to work for a living, as they were supported by earned or inherited investments (often real estate), although members of the upper class may have had less actual money than merchants. Upper-class status commonly derived from the social position of one's family and not from one's own achievements or wealth. Much of the population that composed the upper class consisted of aristocrats, ruling families, titled people, and religious hierarchs. These people were usually born into their status and historically there was not much movement across class boundaries.


title: Upper class

text: In many countries, the term "upper class" was intimately associated with hereditary land ownership. Political power was often in the hands of the landowners in many pre-industrial societies despite there being no legal barriers to land ownership for other social classes. Upper-class landowners in Europe were often also members of the titled nobility, though not necessarily: the prevalence of titles of nobility varied widely from country to country. Some upper classes were almost entirely untitled, for example, the Szlachta of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.


title: Upper class

text: In the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (before and after its independence from the United Kingdom in 1922), the "upper class" traditionally comprised the landed gentry and the aristocracy of noble families with hereditary titles. The vast majority of post-medieval aristocratic families originated in the merchant class and were ennobled between the 14th and 19th centuries while intermarrying with the old nobility and gentry. Since the Second World War, the term has come to encompass rich and powerful members of the managerial and professional classes as well.


title: Upper class

text: In the United States, the upper class, as distinguished from the rich, is often considered to consist of those families that have for many generations enjoyed top social status based on their leadership in society -- also referred to as old money. In this respect, the US differs little from countries such as the UK where membership of the 'upper class' is also dependent on other factors. In the United Kingdom, it has been said that class is relative to where you have come from, similar to the United States where class is more defined by "who" as opposed to "how much"; that is, in the UK and the US people are born into the upper class. The American upper class is estimated to constitute less than 1% of the population. By self-identification, according to this 2001–2012 Gallup Poll data, 98% of Americans identify with the 5 other class terms used, 48–50% identifying as "middle class".


title: Upper class

text: The main distinguishing feature of the upper class is its ability to derive enormous incomes from wealth through techniques such as money management and investing, rather than engaging in wage-labor salaried employment, although most upper-class individuals today will still hold some sort of employment, which differs from historical norms. Successful entrepreneurs, CEOs, politicians, investment bankers, venture capitalists, heirs to fortunes, celebrities, and a few number of professionals, are considered members of this class by contemporary sociologists, such as James Henslin or Dennis Gilbert. There may be prestige differences between different upper-class households. An A-list actor, for example, might not be accorded as much prestige as a former U.S. President, yet all members of this class are so influential and wealthy as to be considered members of the upper class. At the pinnacle of U.S wealth, 2004 saw a dramatic increase in the numbers of billionaires. According to "Forbes Magazine", there are now 374 U.S. billionaires. The growth in billionaires took a dramatic leap since the early 1980s, when the average net worth of the individuals on the Forbes 400 list was $400 million. Today, the average net worth is $2.8 billion.


title: Upper class

text: Since the 1970s income inequality in the United States has been increasing, with the top 1% (largely because of the top 0.1%) experiencing significantly larger gains in income than the rest of society. Alan Greenspan, former chair of the Federal Reserve, sees it as a problem for society, calling it a "very disturbing trend".


title: Upper class

text: According to the book "Who Rules America?" by William Domhoff, the distribution of wealth in America is the primary highlight of the influence of the upper class. The top 1% of Americans own around 34% of the wealth in the U.S. while the bottom 80% own only approximately 16% of the wealth. This large disparity displays the unequal distribution of wealth in America in absolute terms.


title: Upper class

text: In 1998, Bob Herbert of "The New York Times" referred to modern American plutocrats as "The Donor Class" (list of top donors) and defined the class, for the first time, as "a tiny group – just one-quarter of 1 percent of the population – and it is not representative of the rest of the nation. But its money buys plenty of access".


title: Poi (food)

text: Traditional poi is produced by mashing cooked starch on a wooden pounding board, with a carved pestle made from basalt, calcite, coral or wood. Modern methods use an industrial food processor to produce large quantities for retail distribution. Water is added to the starch during mashing, and again just before eating, to achieve the desired consistency, which can range from highly viscous to liquid. In Hawaii, this is classified as either "one-finger", "two-finger", or "three-finger", alluding to how many fingers are required to scoop it up (the thicker the poi, the fewer fingers required to scoop a sufficient mouthful).


title: Poi (food)

text: Poi can be eaten immediately, when fresh and sweet, or left to ferment and become sour, developing a smell reminiscent of plain yoghurt. A layer of water on top can prevent fermenting poi from developing a crust.


title: Poi (food)

text: Poi is thought to have originated in the Marquesas Islands, created some time after initial settlement from Polynesian explorers. While mashing food does occur in other parts of the Pacific, the method involved was more rudimentary. In Western Polynesia, the cooked starch was mashed in a wooden bowl using a makeshift pounder out of either the stem of a coconut leaf or a hard unripe breadfruit with several wooden pegs stuck into it. The origins of poi coincided with the development of basalt pounders in the Marquesas, which soon spread elsewhere in Eastern Polynesia, with the exception of New Zealand and Easter Island.


title: Poi (food)

text: Poi was considered such an important and sacred aspect of daily Hawaiian life that Hawaiians believed that the spirit of Hāloa, the legendary ancestor of the Hawaiian people, was present when a bowl of poi was uncovered for consumption at the family dinner table. Accordingly, all conflict among family members was required to come to an immediate halt.


title: Poi (food)

text: Although many of the world's people consume taro, only Hawaiians make poi. Hawaiians traditionally cook the starchy, potato-like heart of the taro corm for hours in an underground oven called an "imu", which is also used to cook other types of food such as pork, carrots, and sweet potatoes.


title: Poi (food)

text: Poi has a paste-like texture and a delicate flavor when freshly prepared in the traditional manner, with a pale purple color that naturally comes from the taro corm. It has a smooth, creamy texture. The flavor changes distinctly once the poi has been made: fresh poi is sweet and edible; each day thereafter the poi loses sweetness and turns sour due to a natural fermentation that involves lactobacillus bacteria, yeast, and Geotrichum fungi. Therefore, some people find fermented poi more palatable if it is mixed with milk or sugar or both. The speed of this fermentation process depends upon the bacteria level present in the poi, but the souring process can be slowed by storing poi in a cool, dark location. To prepare commercial poi that has been stored in a refrigerator, it is squeezed out of the bag into a bowl (sometimes adding water), and a thin layer of water is put over the part exposed to air to keep a crust from forming on top. New commercial preparations of poi require refrigeration, but stay fresh longer and taste sweeter.


title: Poi (food)

text: Sour poi is still edible but may be less palatable, and is usually served with salted fish or Hawaiian lomi salmon on the side (as in the lyrics "my fish and poi"). Sourness can be prevented by freezing or dehydrating fresh poi, although the resulting poi after defrosting or rehydrating tends to taste bland when compared to the fresh product. Sour poi has an additional use as a cooking ingredient with a sour flavor (similar to buttermilk), usually in breads and rolls.


title: Poi (food)

text: Poi has been used specifically as a milk substitute for babies, or as a baby food. It is supposed to be easy to digest. It contains no gluten, making it safe to eat for people who have celiac disease or a gluten intolerance.


title: Grey heron

text: The grey heron (Ardea cinerea) is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more northern parts migrate southwards in autumn. A bird of wetland areas, it can be seen around lakes, rivers, ponds, marshes and on the sea coast. It feeds mostly on aquatic creatures which it catches after standing stationary beside or in the water or stalking its prey through the shallows.


title: Grey heron

text: Standing up to tall, adults weigh from . They have a white head and neck with a broad black stripe that extends from the eye to the black crest. The body and wings are grey above and the underparts are greyish-white, with some black on the flanks. The long, sharply pointed beak is pinkish-yellow and the legs are brown.


title: Grey heron

text: The birds breed colonially in spring in "heronries", usually building their nests high in trees. A clutch of usually three to five bluish-green eggs is laid. Both birds incubate the eggs for around 25 days, and then both feed the chicks, which fledge when 7-8 weeks old. Many juveniles do not survive their first winter, but if they do, they can expect to live for about 5 years.


title: Grey heron

text: In Ancient Rome, the heron was a bird of divination. Roast heron was once a specially prized dish; when George Neville became Archbishop of York in 1465, 400 herons were served to the guests.


title: Grey heron

text: Herons are a fairly ancient lineage and first appeared in the fossil record in the Paleogene period; very few fossil herons have been found, though. By seven million years ago (the late Miocene), birds closely resembling modern forms and attributable to modern genera had appeared.


title: Grey heron

text: Herons are members of the family Ardeidae, and the majority of extant species are in the subfamily Ardeinae and known as true or typical herons. This subfamily includes the herons and egrets, the green herons, the pond herons, the night herons, and a few other species. The grey heron belongs in this subfamily.


title: Grey heron

text: The grey heron was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his "Systema Naturae". He placed it with the cattle egret and the great egret in the genus "Ardea" and coined the binomial name "Ardea cinerea". The scientific name comes the Latin "ardea" meaning "heron" and "cinereus" meaning "ash-grey" or "ash-coloured".


title: Grey heron

text: It is closely related and similar to the North American great blue heron ("Ardea herodias"), which differs in being larger, and having chestnut-brown flanks and thighs, and to the cocoi heron ("Ardea cocoi") from South America with which it forms a superspecies. Some authorities believe that the subspecies "A. c. monicae" should be considered a separate species. It has been known to hybridise with the great egret ("Ardea alba"), the little egret ("Egretta garzetta"), the great blue heron and the purple heron ("Ardea purpurea"). The Australian white-faced heron is often incorrectly called a grey heron. In Ireland, the grey heron is often colloquially called a "crane".


title: Grey heron

text: The grey heron is a large bird, standing up to tall and measuring long with a wingspan. The body weight can range from . The plumage is largely ashy-grey above, and greyish-white below with some black on the flanks. Adults have the head and neck white with a broad black supercilium that terminates in the slender, dangling crest, and bluish-black streaks on the front of the neck. The scapular feathers are elongated and the feathers at the base of the neck are also somewhat elongated. Immature birds lack the dark stripe on the head and are generally duller in appearance than adults, with a grey head and neck, and a small, dark grey crest. The pinkish-yellow beak is long, straight and powerful, and is brighter in colour in breeding adults. The iris is yellow and the legs are brown and very long.


title: Grey heron

text: The main call is a loud croaking "fraaank", but a variety of guttural and raucous noises is heard at the breeding colony. The male uses an advertisement call to encourage a female to join him at the nest, and both sexes use various greeting calls after a pair bond has been established. A loud, harsh "schaah" is used by the male in driving other birds from the vicinity of the nest and a soft "gogogo" expresses anxiety, as when a predator is nearby or a human walks past the colony. The chicks utter loud chattering or ticking noises.


title: Grey heron

text: The grey heron has an extensive range throughout most of the Palearctic realm. The range of the nominate subspecies "A. c. cinerea" extends to 70° N in Norway and 66°N in Sweden, but otherwise its northerly limit is around 60°N across the rest of Europe and Asia eastwards as far as the Ural Mountains. To the south, its range extends to northern Spain, France, central Italy, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Iraq, Iran, India, The Maldives and Myanmar (Burma). It is also present in Africa south of the Sahara Desert, the Canary Islands, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and many of the Mediterranean Islands. It is replaced by "A. c. jouyi" in eastern Siberia, Mongolia, eastern China, Hainan, Japan, and Taiwan. In Madagascar and the Aldabra Islands, the subspecies "A. c. firasa" is found, while the subspecies "A. c. monicae" is restricted to Mauritania and offshore islands.


title: Grey heron

text: Over much of its range, the grey heron is resident, but birds from the more northerly parts of Europe migrate southwards, some remaining in Central and Southern Europe, others travelling on to Africa south of the Sahara Desert.


title: Grey heron

text: The grey heron is also known to be vagrant in the Caribbean, Bermuda, Iceland, Greenland, the Aleutian Islands, and Newfoundland, with a few confirmed sightings in other parts of North America including Nova Scotia and Nantucket.


title: Grey heron

text: Within its range, the grey heron can be found anywhere with suitable watery habitat that can supply its food. The water body needs to be either shallow enough, or have a shelving margin in it, which it can wade. Although most common in the lowlands, it also occurs in mountain tarns, lakes, reservoirs, large and small rivers, marshes, ponds, ditches, flooded areas, coastal lagoons, estuaries, and the sea shore. It sometimes forages away from water in pasture, and it has been recorded in desert areas, hunting for beetles and lizards. Breeding colonies are usually near feeding areas, but exceptionally may be up to away, and birds sometimes forage as much as from the nesting site.


title: Grey heron

text: The grey heron has a slow flight, with its long neck retracted (S-shaped). This is characteristic of herons and bitterns, and distinguishes them from storks, cranes, and spoonbills, which extend their necks. It flies with slow wing-beats and sometimes glides for short distances. It sometimes soars, circling to considerable heights, but not as often as the stork. In spring, and occasionally in autumn, birds may soar high above the heronry and chase each other, undertake aerial manoeuvres or swoop down towards the ground. The birds often perch in trees, but spend much time on the ground, striding about or standing still for long periods with an upright stance, often on a single leg.


title: Grey heron

text: Grey herons are apex predator in the aquatic ecosystems. Fish, amphibians, small mammals, crustaceans, and insects are taken in shallow water with the heron's long bill. It has also been observed catching and killing juvenile birds such as ducklings, and occasionally takes birds up to the size of a water rail and white-throated rail. It may stand motionless in the shallows, or on a rock or sandbank beside the water, waiting for prey to come within striking distance. Alternatively, it moves slowly and stealthily through the water with its body less upright than when at rest and its neck curved in an "S". It is able to straighten its neck and strike with its bill very quickly.


title: Grey heron

text: Small fish are swallowed head first, and larger prey and eels are carried to the shore where they are subdued by being beaten on the ground or stabbed by the bill. They are then swallowed, or have hunks of flesh torn off. For prey such as small mammals and birds or ducklings, the prey is held by the neck and either drowned, suffocated, having its neck snapped with the heron's beak or by being bludgeoned against the ground or a nearby rock, before being swallowed whole. The bird regurgitates pellets of indigestible material such as fur, bones and the chitinous remains of insects. The main periods of hunting are around dawn and dusk, but it is also active at other times of day. At night it roosts in trees or on cliffs, where it tends to be gregarious.


title: Grey heron

text: This species breeds in colonies known as heronries, usually in high trees close to lakes, the seashore, or other wetlands. Other sites are sometimes chosen, and these include low trees and bushes, bramble patches, reed beds, heather clumps and cliff ledges. The same nest is used year after year until blown down; it starts as a small platform of sticks but expands into a bulky nest as more material is added in subsequent years. It may be lined with smaller twigs, strands of root or dead grasses, and in reed beds, it is built from dead reeds. The male usually collects the material, while the female constructs the nest. Breeding activities take place between February and June. When a bird arrives at the nest, a greeting ceremony occurs in which each partner raises and lowers its wings and plumes. In continental Europe, and elsewhere, nesting colonies sometimes include nests of the purple heron and other heron species.


title: Grey heron

text: Courtship involves the male calling from his chosen nesting site. On the arrival of the female, both birds participate in a stretching ceremony, in which each bird extends its neck vertically before bringing it backwards and downwards with the bill remaining vertical, simultaneously flexing its legs, before returning to its normal stance. The snapping ceremony is another behaviour where the neck is extended forward, the head is lowered to the level of the feet, and the mandibles are vigorously snapped together. This may be repeated 20-40 times. When the pairing is settled, the birds may caress each other by attending to the other bird's plumage. The male may then offer the female a stick, which she incorporates into the nest. At this, the male becomes excited, further preening the female and copulation takes place.


title: Grey heron

text: The clutch of eggs usually numbers three to five, though as few as two and as many as seven eggs have been recorded. The eggs have a matt surface and are greenish-blue, averaging . The eggs are normally laid at two-day intervals and incubation usually starts after the first or second egg has been laid. Both birds take part in incubation and the period lasts about 25 days. Both parents bring food for the young. At first, the chicks seize the adult's bill from the side and extract regurgitated food from it. Later, the adult disgorges the food at the nest and the chicks squabble for possession. They fledge at 7-8 weeks. Usually, a single brood is raised each year, but two broods have been recorded.


title: Grey heron

text: The oldest recorded bird lived for 23 years, but the average life expectancy in the wild is about 5 years. Only about a third of juveniles survive into their second year, many falling victim to predation.


title: Grey heron

text: Grey herons have the ability to live in cities where habitats and nesting space are available. In the Netherlands, it has established itself over the past decades in great numbers in urban environments. In cities such as Amsterdam, they are ever present and well adapted to modern city life. They hunt as usual, but also visit street markets and snackbars. Some individuals make use of people feeding them at their homes or share the catch of recreational fishermen. Similar behaviour on a smaller scale has been reported in Ireland. Garden ponds stocked with ornamental fish are attractive to herons, and may provide young birds with a learning opportunity on how to catch easy prey.


title: Grey heron

text: Herons have been observed visiting water enclosures in zoos, such as spaces for penguins, otters, pelicans, and seals, and taking food meant for the animals on display.


title: Grey heron

text: Being large birds with powerful beaks, grey herons have few predators as adults, but the eggs and young are more vulnerable. The adult birds do not usually leave the nest unattended, but may be lured away by marauding crows or kites. A dead grey heron found in the Pyrenees is thought to have been killed by an otter. The bird may have been weakened by harsh winter weather causing scarcity of its prey.


title: Grey heron

text: A study suggested that Central European grey herons host 29 species of parasitic worms. The dominant species consisted of "Apharyngostrigea cornu" (67% prevalence), "Posthodiplostomum cuticola" (41% prevalence), "Echinochasmus beleocephalus" (39% prevalence), "Uroproctepisthmium bursicola" (36% prevalence), "Neogryporhynchus cheilancristrotus" (31% prevalence), "Desmidocercella numidica" (29% prevalence), and "Bilharziella polonica" (5% prevalence). Juvenile grey herons were shown to host fewer species, but the intensity of infection was higher in the juveniles than in the adult herons. Of the digenean flatworms found in Central European grey herons, 52% of the species likely infected their definitive hosts outside Central Europe itself, in the premigratory, migratory, or wintering quarters, despite the fact that a substantial proportion of grey herons does not migrate to the south.


title: Grey heron

text: In Ancient Egypt, the bird deity Bennu, associated with the sun, creation, and rebirth, was depicted as a heron in New Kingdom artwork.


title: Grey heron

text: In Ancient Rome, the heron was a bird of divination that gave an augury (sign of a coming event) by its call, like the raven, stork, and owl.


title: Grey heron

text: Roast heron was once a specially prized dish in Britain for special occasions such as state banquets. For the appointment of George Neville as Archbishop of York in 1465, 400 herons were served to the guests. Young birds were still being shot and eaten in Romney Marsh in 1896. Two grey herons feature in a stained-glass window of the church in Selborne, Hampshire.


title: Grey heron

text: The English surnames Earnshaw, Hernshaw, Herne, and Heron all derive from the heron, the suffix -shaw meaning a wood, referring to a place where herons nested.


title: Tom Mix

text: Thomas Edwin Mix (born Thomas Hezikiah Mix; January 6, 1880 – October 12, 1940) was an American film actor and the star of many early Western films between 1909 and 1935. He appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were silent films. He was Hollywood's first Western star and helped define the genre as it emerged in the early days of the cinema.


title: Tom Mix

text: Thomas Hezikiah Mix was born January 6, 1880, in Mix Run, Pennsylvania, approximately north of State College, to Edwin Elias Mix and Elizabeth Heistand. He grew up in nearby DuBois, where his father, a stable master for a wealthy lumber merchant, taught him to ride and love horses. He spent time working on a local farm owned by John DuBois, a lumber businessman.


title: Tom Mix

text: In April 1898, during the Spanish–American War, Mix enlisted in the Army under the name Thomas E. (Edwin) Mix. His unit never went overseas, and Mix later failed to return for duty after an extended furlough when he married Grace I. Allin on July 18, 1902. Mix was listed as AWOL on November 4, 1902, but was never court-martialed. His marriage to Allin was annulled after one year. In 1905, Mix married Kitty Jewel Perinne, and this marriage also ended within a year. He next married Olive Stokes on January 10, 1909, in Medora, North Dakota. On July 13, 1912, Olive gave birth to their daughter Ruth.


title: Tom Mix

text: In 1905, Mix rode in President Theodore Roosevelt's inaugural parade with a group of 50 horsemen led by Seth Bullock, which included several former Rough Riders. Years later, Hollywood publicists muddled this event to imply that Mix had been a Rough Rider himself.


title: Tom Mix

text: Mix went to Oklahoma and lived in Guthrie, working as a bartender and other odd jobs. He was briefly night marshal of Dewey, in 1911. He worked at the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch, one of the largest ranching businesses in the United States, covering , hence its name. The ranch had its own touring Wild West show in which Mix appeared. He stood out as a skilled horseman and expert shot, winning national riding and roping contests at Prescott, Arizona, in 1909, and Canon City, Colorado, in 1910.


title: Tom Mix

text: Mix began his film career as a supporting cast member with the Selig Polyscope Company. His first appearance was in a short film, "The Cowboy Millionaire", released on October 21, 1909. In 1910, he appeared as himself in a short documentary film, "Ranch Life in the Great Southwest", in which he displayed his skills as a cattle wrangler. Shot in Dewey, Oklahoma with Selig studio cameramen, the film was a success, and Mix became an early motion picture star.


title: Tom Mix

text: Mix performed in more than 100 films for Selig, many of which were filmed in Las Vegas, New Mexico. While with Selig he co-starred in several films with Victoria Forde, and they fell in love. He divorced Olive Stokes in 1917. By then, Selig Polyscope had encountered severe financial difficulties, and Mix and Forde both subsequently signed with Fox Film Corporation, which had leased the Edendale studio. They married in 1918 and had a daughter, Thomasina (Tommie) Mix, in February 1922.


title: Tom Mix

text: Mix made more than 160 cowboy films throughout the 1920s. These featured action-oriented scripts contrasted with the documentary style of his work with Selig. Heroes and villains were sharply defined and a clean-cut cowboy always saved the day. Millions of American children grew up watching his films on Saturday afternoons. His horse, "Tony the Wonder Horse", also became a celebrity. Mix did his own stunts and was frequently injured.


title: Tom Mix

text: In 1913, Mix moved his family to a ranch he purchased in Prescott named Bar Circle A Ranch. Some of his movies were filmed in his Prescott home. During this time, Mix had success in the local Prescott Frontier Days rodeo, which claims to be the "world's oldest rodeo". In 1920, he took first prize in a bull-riding contest. The Bar Circle A Ranch has been developed into a planned community called Yavapai Hills, where there is a street named Bar Circle A Road.


title: Tom Mix

text: Mix's salary at Fox reached $7,500 a week. Gossip columnist Louella Parsons wrote that he had his initials in electric lights on the top of his house. His performances were realistic with action stunts, horseback riding, attention-grabbing cowboy costumes, and showmanship. At the Edendale lot, Mix built a shooting set called Mixville. Loaded with western props and furnishings, it has been described as a "complete frontier town, with a dusty street, hitching rails, a saloon, jail, bank, doctor's office, surveyor's office, and the simple frame houses typical of the early Western era". Near the back of the lot an Indian village of lodges was ringed by miniature plaster mountains. The set also included a simulated desert, a large corral, and (to facilitate interior shots) a ranch house with no roof.


title: Tom Mix

text: Mix threatened to move to Argentina to make films or to join the circus, but eventually he signed with FBO, which he then left for Universal after salary disputes with FBO studio head Joseph P. Kennedy. He called Kennedy a "tight-assed, money-crazy son of a bitch".


title: Tom Mix

text: Mix became friends with Wyatt Earp, who lived in Los Angeles and occasionally visited Hollywood western movie sets. He was a pallbearer at Earp's funeral in January 1929. The newspapers reported that Mix cried during his friend's service.


title: Tom Mix

text: Mix appeared with the Sells-Floto Circus in 1929, 1930, and 1931 at a reported weekly salary of $20,000 (). He and Forde divorced in 1931. Meanwhile, the Great Depression (along with the actor's free-spending ways and many wives) reportedly had wiped out most of his savings. In 1932, he married his fifth wife, Mabel Hubbell Ward. Universal Pictures approached him that year with an offer to perform in "talkies," which included script and cast approval. He acted in nine films for Universal, but because of injuries he received while filming, he was reluctant to do any more. Mix then appeared with the Sam B. Dill circus, which he reportedly bought two years later (1935).


title: Tom Mix

text: Mix's last screen appearance was a 15-episode sound Mascot Pictures serial, "The Miracle Rider" (1935); he received $40,000 for the four weeks of filming. Outdoor action sequences for the production were filmed primarily on the Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, California, on the outskirts of Los Angeles. The site was known for its huge sandstone boulders, and one of them later became known as Tom Mix Rock when it was discovered it had been used in "The Miracle Rider". In one episode, Mix was filmed descending from the top of the rock, with boot holes carved into it to assist him in making the descent. The rock and the boot holes, although unmarked, is in the Garden of the Gods park in Chatsworth.


title: Tom Mix

text: Also in 1935, Texas governor James V. Allred named Mix an honorary Texas Ranger. Mix returned to circus performing, now with his eldest daughter Ruth, who appeared in some of his films. In 1938, he went to Europe on a promotional trip, leaving Ruth behind to manage the circus. Without him, however, the circus soon failed, and he later excluded her from his will. Mix had reportedly made over $6 million (equivalent to $ million in ) during his 26-year film career.


title: Tom Mix

text: In 1933, Ralston Purina obtained his permission to produce the radio series "Tom Mix Ralston Straight Shooters", which, but for one year during World War II, was popular throughout most of the 1930s through the early 1950s, well after Mix's death. Mix never appeared on these broadcasts (his voice, damaged by a bullet to the throat and repeated broken noses, was not fit for radio) and was instead played by radio actors: Artells Dickson (early 1930s), Jack Holden (from 1937), Russell Thorsen (early 1940s) and Joe "Curley" Bradley (from 1944). Others in the supporting cast included George Gobel, Harold Peary and Willard Waterman.


title: Tom Mix

text: The Ralston company offered ads during the radio program for listeners to send in for a series of 12 special Ralston–Tom Mix comic books available only by writing the Ralston Company by mail.


title: Tom Mix

text: Most of Mix's radio work has been lost over the years; recordings of only approximately 30 scattered episodes, and no complete story arcs, survive.


title: Tom Mix

text: On October 12, 1940, after visiting Pima County Sheriff Ed Echols in Tucson, Arizona, Mix headed north towards Phoenix on U.S. Highway 80 (now Arizona State Route 79) About eighteen miles (29 km) south of Florence, Mix came upon construction barriers at a bridge washed away by a flash flood. Unable to stop in time, his car swerved twice, then overturned in a gully. A large aluminum suitcase containing money, traveler's checks, and jewels, situated on the package shelf behind his head, hurtled forward and struck him, breaking his neck. He was 60 years old.


title: Tom Mix

text: His funeral took place at the Little Church of the Flowers in Glendale, California, on October 16, 1940, and was attended by thousands of people. He is buried in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery.


title: Tom Mix

text: A small stone memorial marks the site of his death on State Route 79, and the nearby gully is known as "Tom Mix Wash". The marker bears the inscription: "In memory of Tom Mix, whose spirit left his body on this spot and whose characterization and portrayals in life served to better fix memories of the old West in the minds of living men."


title: Tom Mix

text: Tom Mix was the acknowledged "King of Cowboys" when Ronald Reagan and John Wayne were young, and the influence of his screen persona can be seen in their approach to portraying cowboys. When an injury caused football player Marion Morrison (later known as John Wayne) to drop out of the University of Southern California, Mix helped him find work moving props in the back lot of Fox Studios. That was the beginning of Wayne's Hollywood career.


title: Tom Mix

text: Mix made 291 movies throughout his career. As of 2007, only about 10% of these were known to be available for viewing, though it is unclear how many are now considered lost films. The 1937 Fox vault fire lost most of the archive of his films made with Fox.


title: Tom Mix

text: For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Mix has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1708 Vine Street. His cowboy boot prints, palm prints and the hoof prints of his horse, Tony, are at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard. In 1958 Mix was inducted posthumously into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In 1959, a "Monument to the Stars" was erected on Beverly Drive (where it intersects Olympic Boulevard and becomes Beverwil) in Beverly Hills. The memorial consists of a bronze-green spiral of sprocketed "camera film" above a multi-sided tower, embossed with full-length likenesses of early stars who appeared in famous silent movies. Those memorialized include Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Will Rogers, Conrad Nagel, Rudolph Valentino, Fred Niblo, Harold Lloyd, and Mix. There is also a Tom Mix museum in Dewey, Oklahoma. Additionally, from 1986 to 2002 there existed another museum in his birthplace of Mix Run, Pennsylvania. Between 1980 and 2004, 21 Tom Mix festivals were held during the month of September, most of them in DuBois, Pennsylvania.


title: Tom Mix

text: Tom Mix was often portrayed in comic books, primarily during the heyday of Western-themed comics, the 1940s and 1950s.


title: Tom Mix

text: The Ralston Purina Company, a sponsor of the radio series, produced nine issues of "Tom Mix Comics" in 1940–1941, and three issues of "Tom Mix Commandos Comics" in 1942. The 36-page comics were available by mail order, for two boxtops of any Ralston cereal.


title: Tom Mix

text: Comics featuring Tom Mix were also published in Sweden, Germany, Canada, Australia, and Great Britain, including L. Miller & Son's "Tom Mix Western Comics", which ran 85 issues from 1948 to 1951.


title: Kagemusha

text: The film won the Palme d'Or at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival (tied with "All That Jazz"). It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and received other honours. In 2009 the film was voted at No. 59 on the list of "The Greatest Japanese Films of All Time" by Japanese film magazine Kinema Junpo.


title: Kagemusha

text: During the Sengoku period, Takeda Shingen, "daimyō" of the Takeda clan, meets a thief his brother Nobukado spared from crucifixion due to the thief's uncanny resemblance to Shingen; the brothers agree that he would prove useful as a double, and they decide to use the thief as a "kagemusha", a political decoy. Later, while the Takeda army lays siege to a castle belonging to Tokugawa Ieyasu, Shingen is shot while observing the battlefield. He then orders his forces to withdraw and commands his generals to keep his death a secret for three years before succumbing to his wound. Meanwhile, Shingen's rivals Oda Nobunaga, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Uesugi Kenshin each contemplate the consequences of Shingen's withdrawal, unaware of his death.


title: Kagemusha

text: Nobukado presents the thief to Shingen's generals, proposing to have him impersonate Shingen full-time. Although the thief is unaware of Shingen's death initially, he eventually finds Shingen's preserved corpse in a large jar, having believed it to contain treasure. The generals then decide they cannot trust the thief and release him. Later, the jar is dropped into Lake Suwa, which spies working for the Tokugawa and Oda forces witness. Suspecting that Shingen has died, the spies go to report their observation, but the thief, having overheard the spies, returns to the Takeda forces and offers to work as a "kagemusha". The Takeda clan preserves the deception by announcing that they were simply making an offering of sake to the god of the lake, and the spies are ultimately convinced by the thief's performance.


title: Kagemusha

text: Returning home, the "kagemusha" successfully fools Shingen's retinue by imitating the late warlord's gestures and learning more about him. When the "kagemusha" must preside over a clan meeting, he is instructed by Nobukado to remain silent until Nobukado brings the generals to a consensus, whereupon the "kagemusha" will simply agree with the generals' plan and dismiss the council. However, Shingen's son Katsuyori is incensed by his father's decree of the three year subterfuge, which delays his inheritance and leadership of the clan. Katsuyori thus decides to test the "kagemusha" in front of the council, as the majority of the attendants are still unaware of Shingen's death. He directly asks the "kagemusha" what course of action should be taken, but the "kagemusha" is able to answer convincingly in Shingen's own manner, which further impresses the generals.


title: Kagemusha

text: Soon, in 1573, Nobunaga mobilizes his forces to attack Azai Nagamasa, continuing his campaign in central Honshu to maintain his control of Kyoto against the growing opposition. When the Tokugawa and Oda forces launch an attack against the Takeda, Katsuyori begins a counter-offensive against the advice of his generals. The "kagemusha" is then forced to lead reinforcements in the Battle of Takatenjin, and helps inspire the troops to victory. In a fit of overconfidence however, the "kagemusha" attempts to ride Shingen's notoriously temperamental horse, and falls off. When those who rush to help him see that he does not have Shingen's battle scars, he is revealed as an impostor, and is driven out in disgrace, allowing Katsuyori to take over the clan. Sensing weakness in the Takeda clan leadership, the Oda and Tokugawa forces are emboldened to begin a full-scale offensive into the Takeda homeland.


title: Kagemusha

text: Now in full control of the Takeda army, Katsuyori leads a counter-offensive against Nobunaga in Nagashino. Although courageous in their assault, several waves of Takeda cavalry and infantry are cut down by volleys of gunfire from Oda arquebusiers deployed behind wooden stockades, effectively eliminating the Takeda army. The "kagemusha", who has followed the Takeda army, desperately takes up a spear and charges toward the Oda lines before being shot himself. Mortally wounded, the "kagemusha" attempts to retrieve the "fūrinkazan" banner, which had fallen into a river, but succumbs to his wounds in the water where his body is carried away by the current.


title: Kagemusha

text: George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola are credited at the end of the film as executive producers in the international version. This is because they persuaded 20th Century Fox to make up a shortfall in the film's budget when the original producers, Toho Studios, could not afford to complete the film. In return, 20th Century Fox received the international distribution rights to the film. Coppola and Kurosawa appeared together in Suntory whisky commercials to raise money for the production.


title: Kagemusha

text: Kurosawa originally cast the actor Shintaro Katsu in the title role. Katsu left the production, however, before the first day of shooting was over; in an interview for the Criterion Collection DVD, executive producer Coppola states that Katsu angered Kurosawa by arriving with his own camera crew to record Kurosawa's filmmaking methods. It is unclear whether Katsu was fired or left of his own accord, but he was replaced by Tatsuya Nakadai, a well-known actor who had appeared in a number of Kurosawa's previous films. Nakadai played both the "kagemusha" and the lord whom he impersonated.


title: Kagemusha

text: Kurosawa wrote a part in "Kagemusha" for his longtime regular actor Takashi Shimura, and "Kagemusha" was the last Kurosawa film in which Shimura appeared. However, the scene in which he plays a servant who accompanies a western doctor to a meeting with Shingen was cut from the foreign release of the film. The Criterion Collection DVD release of the film restored this scene as well as approximately another eighteen minutes in the film.


title: Kagemusha

text: According to Lucas, Kurosawa used 5,000 extras for the final battle sequence, filming for a whole day, then he cut it down to 90 seconds in the final release. Many special effects, and a number of scenes that filled holes in the story, landed on the "cutting-room floor".