title: Dholavira

text: Dholavira () is an archaeological site at Khadirbet in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District, in the state of Gujarat in western India, which has taken its name from a modern-day village south of it. This village is from Radhanpur. Also known locally as "Kotada timba", the site contains ruins of a city of the ancient Indus Valley civilization. Earthquakes have repeatedly affected Dholavira, including a particularly severe one around 2600 BC.


title: Dholavira

text: Dholavira's location is on the Tropic of Cancer. It is one of the five largest Harappan sites and the most prominent of archaeological sites in India belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization. It is also considered as having been the grandest of cities of its time. It is located on "Khadir bet" island in the Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary in the Great Rann of Kutch. The quadrangular city lay between two seasonal streams, the Mansar in the north and Manhar in the south. The site was thought to be occupied from c.2650 BCE, declining slowly after about 2100 BCE, and to have been briefly abandoned then reoccupied until c.1450 BCE; however, recent research suggests the beginning of occupation around 3500 BCE (pre-Harappan) and continuity until around 1800 BCE (early part of Late Harappan period).


title: Dholavira

text: The site was initially discovered by a resident of Dholavira village, Shambhudan Gadhvi, in early 1960s who made efforts to bring government attention to the location. The site was "officially" discovered in 1967-68 by J. P. Joshi, of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), and is the fifth largest of eight major Harappan sites. It has been under excavation since 1990 by the ASI, which opined that "Dholavira has indeed added new dimensions to personality of Indus Valley Civilisation." The other major Harappan sites discovered so far are Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Ganeriwala, Rakhigarhi, Kalibangan, Rupnagar and Lothal.


title: Dholavira

text: It was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name "Dholavira: a Harappan City" on 27 July 2021.


title: Dholavira

text: Ravindra Singh Bisht, the director of the Dholavira excavations, has defined the following seven stages of occupation at the site:


title: Dholavira

text: Recent C14 datings and stylistic comparisons with Amri II-B period pottery shows the first two phases should be termed Pre-Harappan Dholaviran Culture and re-dated as follows: Stage I (c. 3500-3200 BCE), and Stage II (c. 3200-2600 BCE).


title: Dholavira

text: Excavation was initiated in 1989 by the ASI under the direction of Bisht, and there were 13 field excavations between 1990 and 2005. The excavation brought to light the urban planning and architecture, and unearthed large numbers of antiquities such as, animal bones, gold, silver, terracotta ornaments, pottery and bronze vessels. Archaeologists believe that Dholavira was an important centre of trade between settlements in south Gujarat, Sindh and Punjab and Western Asia.


title: Dholavira

text: Estimated to be older than the port-city of Lothal, the city of Dholavira has a rectangular shape and organization, and is spread over . The area measures in length, and in width. Unlike Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, the city was constructed to a pre-existing geometrical plan consisting of three divisions – the citadel, the middle town, and the lower town. The acropolis and the middle town had been furnished with their own defence-work, gateways, built-up areas, street system, wells, and large open spaces. The acropolis is the most thoroughly fortified and complex area in the city, of which it appropriates the major portion of the southwestern zone. The towering "castle" stands is defended by double ramparts. Next to this stands a place called the 'bailey' where important officials lived. The city within the general fortifications accounts for . There are extensive structure-bearing areas which are outside yet integral to the fortified settlement. Beyond the walls, another settlement has been found. The most striking feature of the city is that all of its buildings, at least in their present state of preservation, are built of stone, whereas most other Harappan sites, including Harappa itself and Mohenjo-daro, are almost exclusively built of brick. Dholavira is flanked by two storm water channels; the Mansar in the north, and the Manhar in the south. In the town square, there is a area high above the ground, called the "Citadel<nowiki>"</nowiki>.


title: Dholavira

text: Bisht, who retired as the Joint Director-General of the ASI, said, "The kind of efficient system of Harappans of Dholavira, developed for conservation, harvesting and storage of water speaks eloquently about their advanced hydraulic engineering, given the state of technology in the third millennium BCE." One of the unique features of Dholavira is the sophisticated water conservation system of channels and reservoirs, the earliest found anywhere in the world, built completely of stone. The city had massive reservoirs, three of which are exposed. They were used for storing fresh water brought by rains or to store water diverted from two nearby rivulets. This clearly came in response to the desert climate and conditions of Kutch, where several years may pass without rainfall. A seasonal stream which runs in a north–south direction near the site was dammed at several points to collect water. In 1998, another reservoir was discovered in the site.


title: Dholavira

text: The inhabitants of Dholavira created sixteen or more reservoirs of varying size during Stage III. Some of these took advantage of the slope of the ground within the large settlement, a drop of from northeast to northwest. Other reservoirs were excavated, some into living rock. Recent work has revealed two large reservoirs, one to the east of the castle and one to its south, near the Annexe.


title: Dholavira

text: The reservoirs are cut through stone vertically, and are about deep and long. They skirt the city, while the citadel and bath are centrally located on raised ground. There is also a large well with a stone-cut trough connecting it to a drain meant for conducting water to a storage tank. The bathing tank had steps descending inwards.


title: Dholavira

text: In October 2014, excavation began on a rectangular stepwell which measured long, wide, and deep, making it three times bigger than the Great Bath of Mohenjedaro.


title: Dholavira

text: Some of the seals found at Dholavira, belonging to Stage III, contained animal only figures, without any type of script. It is suggested that these type of seals represent early conventions of Indus seal making.


title: Dholavira

text: A huge circular structure on the site is believed to be a grave or memorial, although it contained no skeletons or other human remains. The structure consists of ten radial mud-brick walls built in the shape of a spoked wheel. A soft sandstone sculpture of a male with phallus erectus but head and feet below ankle truncated was found in the passageway of the eastern gate. Many funerary structures have been found (although all but one were devoid of skeletons), as well as pottery pieces, terra cotta seals, bangles, rings, beads, and intaglio engravings.


title: Dholavira

text: Seven hemispherical constructions were found at Dholavira, of which two were excavated in detail, which were constructed over large rock cut chambers. Having a circular plan, these were big hemispherical elevated mud brick constructions. One of the excavated structures was designed in the form of a spoked wheel. The other was also designed in same fashion, but as a wheel without spokes. Although they contained burial goods of pottery, no skeletons were found except for one grave, where a skeleton and a copper mirror were found. A necklace of steatite beads strung to a copper wire with hooks at both ends, a gold bangle, gold and other beads were also found in one of the hemispherical structures.


title: Dholavira

text: The Archaeological Survey of India, which conducted the excavation, opines that these “hemispherical structures remind one of early Buddhist stupas.” and that "the kind of design that is of spoked wheel and unspoked wheel also remind one of the Sararata-chakra-citi and sapradhi-rata-chakra-citi mentioned in the Satapatha Brahmana and Sulba-sutras".


title: Dholavira

text: Painted Indus black-on-red-ware pottery, square stamp seals, seals without Indus script, a huge signboard measuring about in length, containing ten letters of Indus script. One poorly preserved seated male figure made of stone has also been found, comparable to high quality two stone sculptures found at Harappa. Large black-slipped jars with pointed base were also found at this site. A giant bronze hammer, a big chisel, a bronze hand-held mirror, a gold wire, gold ear stud, gold globules with holes, copper celts and bangles, shell bangles, phallus-like symbols of stone, square seals with Indus inscription and signs, a circular seal, humped animals, pottery with painted motifs, goblets, dish-on-stand, perforated jars, Terracotta tumblers in good shape, architectural members made of ballast stones, grinding stones, mortars, etc., were also found at this site. Stone weights of different measures were also found.


title: Dholavira

text: It is suggested that a coastal route existed linking Lothal and Dholavira to Sutkagan Dor on the Makran coast.


title: Dholavira

text: The Harappans spoke an unknown language and their script has not yet been deciphered. It is believed to have had about 400 basic signs, with many variations. The signs may have stood both for words and for syllables. The direction of the writing was generally from right-to-left. Most of the inscriptions are found on seals (mostly made out of stone) and sealings (pieces of clay on which the seal was pressed down to leave its impression). Some inscriptions are also found on copper tablets, bronze implements, and small objects made of terracotta, stone and faience. The seals may have been used in trade and also for official administrative work. A lot of inscribed material was found at Mohenjo-daro and other Indus Valley Civilisation sites.


title: Dholavira

text: The most significant discoveries at Dholavira was made in one of the side rooms of the northern gateway of the city, and is generally known as the Dholavira Signboard. The Harappans had arranged and set pieces of the mineral gypsum to form ten large symbols or letters on a big wooden board. At some point, the board fell flat on its face. The wood decayed, but the arrangement of the letters survived. The letters of the signboard are comparable to large bricks that were used in nearby walls. Each sign is about high and the board on which letters were inscribed was about long. The inscription is one of the longest in the Indus script, with one of the symbols appearing four times, and this and its large size and public nature make it a key piece of evidence cited by scholars arguing that the Indus script represents full literacy. A four sign inscription with large letters on sandstone is also found at this site, considered first of such inscription on sandstone at any of Harappan sites.


title: Pain au chocolat

text: Pain au chocolat (, literally "chocolate bread"), also known as chocolatine () in the south-west part of France and in Canada, or couque au chocolat in Belgium, is a type of Viennoiserie pastry consisting of a cuboid-shaped piece of yeast-leavened laminated dough, similar in texture to a puff pastry, with one or two pieces of dark chocolate in the center.


title: Pain au chocolat

text: Pain au chocolat is made of the same layered doughs as a croissant. Often sold still hot or warm from the oven, they are commonly sold alongside croissants in French bakeries and supermarkets.


title: Pain au chocolat

text: They are often sold in packages at supermarkets and convenience stores, or made fresh in pastry shops.


title: Pain au chocolat

text: Legend has it that Marie-Antoinette introduced the croissant to France, but croissants and chocolatines are a relatively modern invention. The word croissant, which refers to a pastry shaped like a half-moon or "crescent", made its entry in the French dictionary in 1863. The type of pastry, called "viennoiserie" in French, was introduced in the early 19th century, when August Zang, an Austrian officer, and Ernest Schwarzer, an Austrian aristocrat, founded a Viennese bakery in Paris located at 92, rue de Richelieu.


title: Pain au chocolat

text: Originally, croissants and pains au chocolat were made from a brioche base but later evolved to incorporate a buttery flaky dough ("pâte feuilletée").


title: Gray Davis

text: Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis Jr. (born December 26, 1942) is an American attorney and former politician who served as the 37th governor of California from 1999 to 2003. In 2003, only a few months into his second term, Davis was recalled and removed from office. He is the second state governor in U.S. history to have been recalled.


title: Gray Davis

text: A member of the Democratic Party, Davis holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from Stanford University and a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School. He was awarded a Bronze Star for his service as a captain in the Vietnam War. Prior to serving as governor, Davis was chief of staff to Governor Jerry Brown (1975–81), a California State Assemblyman (1983–87), California State Controller (1987–95) and the 44th lieutenant governor of California (1995–99).


title: Gray Davis

text: During his time as governor, Davis made education his top priority and California spent eight billion dollars more than was required under Proposition 98 during his first term. In California, under Davis, standardized test scores increased for five straight years. Davis signed the nation's first state law requiring automakers to limit auto emissions. Davis supported laws to ban assault weapons and is also credited with improving relations between California and Mexico. Davis began his tenure as governor with strong approval ratings, but they declined as voters blamed him for the California electricity crisis, the California budget crisis that followed the bursting of the dot-com bubble, and the car tax.


title: Gray Davis

text: On October 7, 2003, Davis was recalled. In the recall election, 55.4% of voters supported his removal. He was succeeded in office on November 17, 2003, by actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who won the recall replacement election. After being recalled, Davis worked as a lecturer at the UCLA School of Public Affairs and as an attorney at Loeb & Loeb.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis was born in the Bronx, New York City the son of Doris (Meyer) Morell and Joseph Graham Davis. Davis was the oldest of five children: Three boys and two girls. Davis's father, an advertising manager at Time Inc. and an alcoholic, was the son of businessman William Rhodes Davis. Davis's upper-middle-class family was led by his demanding mother, who gave him the nickname "Gray". Davis moved to California with his family in 1954.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis graduated from a North Hollywood military academy, the Harvard School for Boys (now part of Harvard-Westlake School). His diverse educational experiences at public, private and Catholic schools allowed him an opportunity to compare all three systems as a lawmaker.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis's strong academic accomplishments earned him acceptance to Stanford University. He played on the Stanford golf team with a two handicap. After Davis entered Stanford University, his father left the family, forcing Davis to join the ROTC to stay in school; his arrangement with ROTC included a promise to enter the Army after completing his education. In 1964, he graduated with distinction from Stanford, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in history. He then returned to New York City to attend Columbia Law School, graduating with his J.D. degree in 1967.


title: Gray Davis

text: After completing law school in 1967, Davis entered active duty in the United States Army, serving in the Vietnam War during its height until 1969. Davis saw time on the battlefield during his time in Vietnam. Davis returned home as a captain with a Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service. Friends who knew him at the time said Davis—like many war veterans—came back a changed man, interested in politics and more intense, according to the Sacramento Bee. He returned from Vietnam more "serious and directed." Davis was surprised to discover that many of those serving in Vietnam were Latinos, African Americans and southern whites with very few from schools like Stanford and Columbia; Davis believed that the burden of the war should be felt equally and he resolved early on to go about changing America so that would change. Davis is a life member of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis volunteered for John V. Tunney's campaign for the United States Senate in 1970. He started a statewide neighborhood crime watch program while serving as chairman of the California Council on Criminal Justice. His initial political experience included working to help Tom Bradley win election as Los Angeles's first black mayor in 1973. The historical significance of Bradley's victory further inspired Davis to pursue a career in politics. Davis ran for state treasurer in 1974 but lost when the more popular Jesse Unruh filed to run on the deadline.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis served as executive secretary and chief of staff to Governor Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown Jr. from 1975 to 1981. Davis was not as liberal as Brown, and some said he offset Brown's style by projecting a more intense, controlled personality. Davis has stated that while Brown was campaigning for president in 1980, Davis ran the state in Brown's absence.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis served as the Assemblyman from the 43rd district, representing parts of Los Angeles County including West Los Angeles and Beverly Hills from 1983 to 1987. Davis championed a popular campaign to help find missing children by placing their pictures on milk cartons and grocery bags. Davis's Republican opponent in the race, William Campbell, criticized Davis as "...the man special interests love most." Among other allegations raised by Campbell were disclosures that Davis had received campaign contributions from Eugene LaPietra, a candidate for the West Hollywood City Council who was convicted on federal pornography charges. LaPietra served as Davis’ finance chairman. Davis cut all ties with La Pietra following a "Los Angeles Times" report on his pornography convictions.


title: Gray Davis

text: In 1986, Davis ran against six other contenders in the race for State Controller; several of those candidates, including Democrat John Garamendi and Republican Bill Campbell, were arguably better known at the time. Davis won the election and served as State Controller for eight years until 1995. As California's chief fiscal officer, he saved taxpayers more than half a billion dollars by cracking down on Medi-Cal fraud, rooting out government waste and inefficiency and exposing the misuse of public funds. He was the first controller to withhold paychecks from all state elected officials, including himself, until the governor and the Legislature passed an overdue budget. He also found and returned more than $1.8 billion in unclaimed property to California citizens, including forgotten bank accounts, insurance settlements and stocks.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis ran against San Francisco mayor Dianne Feinstein for the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate in the 1992 special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by Pete Wilson who was elected Governor of California in 1990. The race is often cited as an example of Davis's history of negative campaign tactics. The Davis campaign featured an ad that compared Feinstein to the incarcerated hotelier Leona Helmsley. Some experts consider that ad to be the most negative in state history. The ad backfired with Davis losing to Feinstein by a significant margin for the nomination although this loss did not stop Davis from using negative campaign ads in the future, including in his race for lieutenant governor. Davis blamed his campaign managers for the defeat and vowed not to let major decisions in future campaigns be decided by his campaign staff. In 2003, when Feinstein urged voters to vote no during the recall election, she was constantly reminded through questions, video and the media about the 1992 primary.


title: Gray Davis

text: Many Democrats came to believe that Davis's political career was over after his defeat in his run for the Senate, but Davis created a new campaign team. He won a landslide victory in his race for lieutenant governor in 1994, receiving more votes than any other Democratic candidate in America. Davis ran as a moderate candidate against Republican Cathie Wright. Davis used ads to depict Wright as a Republican who was too conservative for California. Davis had a large advantage in campaign funds.


title: Gray Davis

text: As lieutenant governor until 1999, Gray Davis focused on efforts on the California economy and worked to encourage new industries to locate and expand in the state. He also worked to keep college education affordable for California's middle-class families and oversaw the largest student-fee reduction in California history. As the state's second-highest officeholder, he served as President of the State Senate, Chair of the Commission for Economic Development, Chair of the State Lands Commission, Regent of the University of California and Trustee of the California State University.


title: Gray Davis

text: In the June primary election, Davis surprised political observers by handily defeating two better funded Democratic opponents: multimillionaire airline executive Al Checchi and Congresswoman Jane Harman, wife of multimillionaire Sidney Harman. Davis's campaign slogan during the primary was "Experience Money Can't Buy." Early primary polls showed Davis in third for the Democratic nomination. Davis surprised many political insiders with his landslide come-from-behind victory. Davis even finished ahead of the unopposed Republican nominee in California's first blanket gubernatorial primary.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis won the 1998 general election for governor with 57.9% of the vote, defeating Republican Dan Lungren who had 38.4%. Davis aimed to portray himself as a moderate centrist Democrat and to label Lungren a Republican too conservative for California and out of touch with its views on issues like guns and abortion. After his victory, Davis declared that he would work to end the "divisive politics" of his predecessor Pete Wilson. In his campaign, Davis emphasized the need to improve California's public schools, which voters had cited as their top concern in this election.


title: Gray Davis

text: In 1998, Davis was elected the Golden State's first Democratic governor in 16 years. "The San Jose Mercury News" called him "perhaps the best-trained governor-in-waiting California has ever produced." In March 1999, Davis enjoyed a 58% approval rating and just 12% disapproval. His numbers peaked in February 2000 with 62% approval and 20% disapproval, coinciding with the peak of the dot-com boom in California. Davis held his strong poll numbers into January 2001.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis's first official act as governor was to call a special session of the state legislature to address his plan for all California children to be able to read by age 9.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis used California's growing budget surplus to increase education spending. He signed legislation that provided for a new statewide accountability program and for the Academic Performance Index and supported the high school exit exam. He signed legislation that authorized the largest expansion of the Cal Grant program. Under the Davis administration, California began recognizing students for outstanding academic achievement in math and sciences on the new Golden State Exams. Davis's Governors Scholarship program provided $1,000 scholarships to those students who scored in the top 1% in two subject areas on the state's annual statewide standardized test.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis signed into law legislation that began the Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) program that guaranteed admission to a University of California institution to students that finished in the top 4% of their high school class. Public schools received $8 billion over the minimum required by Proposition 98 during Davis's first term. Davis increased spending on recruiting more and better-qualified teachers. He campaigned to lower the approval threshold for local school bonds from two-thirds to 55 percent in a statewide proposition that passed. Davis earmarked $3 billion over four years for new textbooks and, between 1999 and 2004, increased state per-pupil spending from $5,756 to $6,922.


title: Gray Davis

text: In 2001, Gov. Gray Davis signed Senate Bill 19, which establishes nutritional standards for food at elementary schools and bans the sale of carbonated beverages in elementary and middle schools.


title: Gray Davis

text: Another early act of Davis's was the reversal of his predecessor Republican Governor Pete Wilson's alteration of California's eight-hour overtime pay rule for wage earners.


title: Gray Davis

text: In 1999, the CalPERS board proposed a benefits expansion that would allow public employees to retire at age 55 and collect more than half their highest salary for life(pension spiking) . CalPERS predicted the benefits would require no increase in the State's contributions by projecting an average annual return of 8.25% over the next decade. When Board member Phil Angelides' aide questioned whether the stock market could grow that long, Board Chairman William Crist, a former union president, replied that they "could make all sorts of different assumptions and make predictions, but that's really more than I think we can expect our staff to do." CalPERS' chief actuary, objected, finding that it would be "fairly catastrophic" if the fund only grew at 4.4%. The benefits expansion bill, SB 400, passed with unanimous backing by California State Assembly Democrats and was signed into law by Governor Gray Davis. CalPERS then produced a video promoting the legislation with Chairman Crist promising greater benefits "without imposing any additional cost on the taxpayers" and the California State Employees Association president praising it as "the biggest thing since sliced bread". The next year the dot-com bubble burst, and CalPERS did not grow, instead losing value in the stock market downturn of 2002. In 2001–2002, CalPERS provided technical assistance for the Sarbanes-Oxley Act because it had sustained financial losses from the Enron and WorldCom bankruptcies. After the Great Recession, in 2009 CalPERS investments lost 24%, dropping $67 billion in value. Chairman Crist retired from the board and it was later revealed he had accepted more than $800,000 from a firm to ensure hundreds of millions of investment from CalPERS. This CalPERS mess was one of the factors that made Gray Davis get recalled. Governor Jerry Brown worked on trying to fix this retirement system for years, but CalPERS is still underfunded in 2022 and could end up costing state tax payers hundreds of billions in bailouts.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis recognized the domestic partnerships registry in 1999 and, in 2001, gave same-sex partners a few of the rights enjoyed by opposite-sex spouses such as making health care decisions for an incapacitated partner, acting as a conservator and inheriting property. He also signed a bill to prevent disqualification from a jury based on sexual orientation. Additionally, he signed a bill allowing employees to use family leave to care for a domestic partner, though he did not make good on a campaign promise to convene a task force on civil unions.


title: Gray Davis

text: He signed laws in 1999 banning assault weapons by characteristic rather than brand name, as well as limiting handgun purchases to one a month, requiring trigger locks with all sales of new firearms and reducing the sale of cheap handguns. Davis's ban included a ban on .50 caliber firearms and so-called "Saturday Night Specials." In 2001, Davis signed a bill requiring gun buyers to pass a safety test.


title: Gray Davis

text: A supporter of the death penalty and tougher sentencing laws, Davis blocked nearly all parole recommendations by the parole board.


title: Gray Davis

text: Early in 1999, Davis sought to improve relations with Mexico. Davis believed that California under Pete Wilson had left millions of dollars of potential trade revenues "on the table." Davis said he wanted California to have relations with Mexico that were more like Texas under then-Governor George W. Bush. Controversy over the California-Mexico border and California Proposition 187 had strained the relationship between the two parties. Davis met with Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo to improve relations with California's southern neighbor and major trading partner within Davis's first 30 days in office. Davis later met with President Vicente Fox and participated in his inauguration. The Governor met with Mexican presidents eight times. Under the Davis administration, California and Baja California signed a "Memorandum of Understanding" expanding cooperation in several policy areas. Under Davis, Mexico became California's leading export market for the first time in history and California's trade with Mexico surpassed all of Mexico's trade with Latin America, Europe and Asia combined. Because of the growth in the California economy, Davis opened and expanded trade offices around the world, including in Mexico. But most of these offices were eliminated in the 2003 California budget due to difficult fiscal times.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis significantly expanded the number of low-income children with state-subsidized health coverage. He signed laws to allow patients to get a second opinion if their HMO denies treatment and, in limited cases, the right to sue. Davis signed legislation that provided HMO patients a bill of rights, including help-line to resolve disputes and independent medical review of claims. Under Davis, staff-to-patient ratios in nursing homes improved. However, Davis reneged on a campaign promise to expand low-cost healthcare to parents of needy children due to budget constraints.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis allowed non-disabled low-income people with HIV to be treated under Medi-Cal. He signed a law allowing people participating in needle exchange programs to be immune from criminal prosecution. He also increased state spending on AIDS prevention.


title: Gray Davis

text: Under Governor Davis, California's anti-tobacco campaign became one of the largest and most effective in the nation. R. J. Reynolds and Lorillard Tobacco sued over California's antismoking campaign but their lawsuit was dismissed in July 2003. Davis also authorized a new hard-hitting anti-smoking ad that graphically depicts the damage caused by secondhand smoke.


title: Gray Davis

text: In September 2002, Governor Davis signed bills to ensure age verification was obtained for cigarettes and other tobacco products sold over the Internet or through the mail, ensured that all state taxes are being fully paid on tobacco purchases and increased the penalty for possessing or purchasing untaxed cigarettes. He also signed legislation to expand smoke-free zones around public buildings.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis approved legislation creating a telemarketing do-not-call list in 2003. Under Davis, benefits for injured and unemployed workers increased. The minimum wage increased by $1 to $6.75. Davis backed higher research and development tax credits. He pushed for elimination of the minimum franchise tax paid by new businesses during the first two years of operation.


title: Gray Davis

text: While Davis's record is generally considered pro-environmental due to increases in spending for land acquisition, maintenance of the state's park system, signing legislation that attempts to cut greenhouse gas emissions by having automakers produce more efficient vehicles, cutting fees to state parks and opposing offshore drilling, he was criticized for not backing tougher restrictions on timber companies as some environmentalists desired. Under the Davis administration, California purchased for urban parks.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis signed the first state law in the US in July 2002 to require automakers to limit auto emissions. The law required the California Air Resources Board to obtain the "maximum feasible" cuts in greenhouse gases emitted by all non-commercial vehicles in 2009 and beyond. Automakers claimed the law would lead smaller and more expensive cars to be sold in California.


title: Gray Davis

text: On March 25, 1999, Davis issued an executive order calling for the removal of MTBE (a toxic gasoline additive) from gasoline sold in the state. In 2001, in order for gas prices to remain reasonable in California while removing MTBE, Davis asked President George W. Bush to order the EPA to grant California a waiver on the federal minimum oxygen requirement. Without a waiver, California would have to import a much larger amount of ethanol per year and gas prices were projected to increase drastically. Bush did not grant the waiver and in 2002, Davis issued an executive order reversing his earlier executive order.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis's actions when it came to regulating business suggested that Davis was a more moderate governor. He worked to kill a comprehensive bill opposed by banks and insurance companies to protect consumers' personal financial information. "What you saw in the campaign was what you got," said UC Berkeley professor Bruce Cain. "He's tried to negotiate a course between the different interest groups and keep Democrats on a more centrist, business-oriented track".


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis approved $5.3 billion over five years for more than 150 transit and highway projects. One of those projects was construction on the new eastern section of the Bay Bridge. During 1999 and 2000, California spent millions on onetime projects like buying new rail cars and track improvements.


title: Gray Davis

text: Soon after taking office, Davis was able to fast-track the first power plant construction in twelve years in April 1999, although the plant did not come on line before the electricity crisis.


title: Gray Davis

text: According to the subsequent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's investigation and report, numerous energy trading companies, many based in Texas, such as Enron Corporation, illegally restricted their supply to the point where the spikes in power usage would cause blackouts. Rolling blackouts affecting 97,000 customers hit the San Francisco Bay area on June 14, 2000, and San Diego Gas & Electric Company filed a complaint alleging market manipulation by some energy producers in August 2000. On December 7, 2000, suffering from low supply and idled power plants, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), which manages the California power grid, declared the first statewide Stage 3 power alert, meaning power reserves were below 3 percent. Rolling blackouts were avoided when the state halted two large state and federal water pumps to conserve electricity.


title: Gray Davis

text: On January 17, 2001, Davis declared a state of emergency in response to the electricity crisis. Speculators, led by Enron Corporation, were collectively making large profits while the state teetered on the edge for weeks and finally suffered rolling blackouts on January 17 and 18. Davis stepped in to buy power at highly unfavorable terms on the open market, since the California power companies were technically bankrupt and had no buying power. California agreed to pay $43 billion for power over the next 20 years. Newspaper publishers sued Davis to force him to make public the details of the energy deal.


title: Gray Davis

text: During the electricity crisis, the Davis administration implemented a power conservation program that included television ads and financial incentives to reduce energy consumption. These efforts, the fear of rolling blackouts and the increased cost of electricity resulted in a 14.1% reduction in electricity usage from June 2000 to June 2001.


title: Gray Davis

text: Gray Davis critics often charge that he did not respond properly to the crisis, while his defenders attribute the crisis solely to the corporate accounting scandals and say that Davis did all he could. Some critics on the left, such as Arianna Huffington, alleged that Davis was lulled to inaction by campaign contributions from energy producers. Some of Davis's energy advisers were formerly employed by the same energy speculators who made millions from the crisis. In addition, the Democratic-controlled legislature would sometimes push Davis to act decisively by taking over power plants which were known to have been gamed and place them back under control of the utilities. Some conservatives argued that Davis signed overpriced energy contracts, employed incompetent negotiators and refused to allow electricity prices to rise for residences statewide much as they had in San Diego, which they argue could have given Davis more leverage against the energy traders and encouraged more conservation. The electricity crisis is considered one of the major factors that led to Davis's recall.


title: Gray Davis

text: In a speech at UCLA on August 19, 2003, Davis apologized for being slow to act during the energy crisis, but then forcefully attacked the Houston-based energy suppliers: "I inherited the energy deregulation scheme which put us all at the mercy of the big energy producers. We got no help from the Federal government. In fact, when I was fighting Enron and the other energy companies, these same companies were sitting down with Vice President Cheney to draft a national energy strategy."


title: Gray Davis

text: When the Enron verdicts were rendered years later, convicting Enron and other companies of market manipulation, Davis responded with the following quote:


title: Gray Davis

text: On November 13, 2003, shortly before leaving office, Davis officially brought the energy crisis to an end by issuing a proclamation ending the state of emergency he declared on January 17, 2001. The state of emergency allowed the state to buy electricity for the financially strapped utility companies. The emergency authority allowed Davis to order the California Energy Commission to streamline the application process for new power plants. During that time, California issued licenses to 38 new power plants, amounting to 14,365 megawatts of electricity production when completed.


title: Gray Davis

text: In 2006, the "Los Angeles Times" published an article that credited Davis's signing of the long-term projects for preventing future blackouts and providing California a cheap supply of energy with the increasing costs of energy.


title: Gray Davis

text: In March 2003, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's long-awaited report on the so-called "energy crisis" was released. That report substantially vindicated Davis, laying the blame for the energy disruption and raiding of California's treasury on deliberate tactics employed by some 25 energy trading companies, most of which were based in Texas. Of the latter, the most notable was Enron, a number of whose principals were subsequently criminally prosecuted for their roles.


title: Gray Davis

text: During the economic boom years of the Davis administration, the California budget expanded to cover Davis's new programs. California's low national K-12 education rankings and Davis's campaign pledge to help education, along with the large majority that elected Davis to his first term and his early popularity, suggest that a majority of Californians supported increases in education spending during the early part of his first term when California was in budget surplus. Polls also showed that increased spending in education was supported by the California voters. Under the Davis administration, taxes were cut by over $5.1 billion that included a $3.5 billion cut in sales tax and a reduction in the vehicle licensing fees. The cut in sales taxes was mandated due to a 1991 law that required sales taxes to be reduced a quarter percent when budget reserves exceed 4 percent of the state general fund for two straight fiscal years which they did in 1999 and 2000. Davis also vetoed $5.1 billion in appropriations during that span.


title: Gray Davis

text: While California's economy was expanding, California was producing record budget surpluses under Davis even after his tax cuts and new spending. According to the California Department of Finance, California, had a 10% surplus at the end of 1999 and California was projected to have a 4% surplus at the end fiscal year 2000. These surplus monies were left in the treasury. Davis claimed to be cautious with state finances.


title: Gray Davis

text: The dot-com boom that had been fueling California's record tax revenues went bust. California was home to a large number of high tech firms and was largely dependent on state income taxes. State revenues fell while ongoing spending commitments created deficits. Restoring the vehicle licensing fees to pre tax cut levels to close the budget gap and stabilize the state's credit rating became unpopular. The beginning shortfall for the 2002-2003 state budget was $23.6 billion. Davis announced that the 2003-2004 budget shortfall would be $34.6 billion while the Legislative Analyst projected a $21.1.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis, a moderate, had some disagreements with the more liberal Democratic-controlled Legislature. Democrat John L. Burton, the leader of the California State Senate, was Davis's chief antagonist.


title: Gray Davis

text: In May 2001, in the middle of the California electricity crisis, his numbers declined to 42% approval and 49% disapproval. By December 2001, Davis's approval ratings spiked up to 51%. His numbers declined back to the May 2001 level and remained about the same over the next year. In April 2003, Davis had a 24% approval rating and 65% disapproval rating. The leading causes of Davis's steep decline in popularity (and eventual recall) were the California electricity crisis, which involved a sharp increase in electricity rates and a series of blackouts in 2001, as well as voter discontent with an increase in state car registration taxes.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis had tried to maintain a middle-of-the-road approach, but ultimately alienated many of the state's liberals who viewed him as too conservative and many conservatives who viewed him as too liberal. Many were upset that in trying to balance the budget, Davis cut spending for schools while increasing spending for prisons. Some critics attributed the proposal to the California Correctional Peace Officers Associations donations to Davis's re-election campaign.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis began fundraising for his 2002 reelection campaign early in his governorship. Davis raised $13.2 million in 1999 and $14.2 million in 2000, both unprecedented sums at the time so early in an elected term. Davis's 1999 and 2000 contributions included contributions from Pacific Gas & Electric and Edison International. Davis also received large contributions from labor groups, environmental groups and individuals.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis's fundraising efforts attracted much attention. University of California Berkeley's Institute of Government Studies claimed that Davis's fundraising skills were "second to none in the political arena" while Senator John McCain called Davis's 2001 goal of $26 million "disgraceful." One article in the San Francisco Chronicle claimed that Davis was raising $34,000 a day. Although Davis's fundraising pace was criticized by his many detractors, Arnold Schwarzenegger would later collect contributions at a quicker rate during the early years of his governorship. Arnoldwatch.org, a project of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, which is a nonpartisan organization that is critical of both Democrats and Republicans, called Davis a "pay to play" politician and a "sellout".


title: Gray Davis

text: During the 2002 election campaign, Davis took the unusual step of taking out campaign ads during the Republican primaries against Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan. Davis claimed that Riordan had attacked his record and that his campaign was defending his record. Polls showed that, as a moderate, Riordan would be a more formidable challenger in the general election than a conservative candidate. Polls even showed that Riordan would defeat Davis. Davis attacked Riordian with negative ads in the primary. The ads questioned Riordan's pro-choice stance by questioning Riordan's support of pro-life politicians and judges. The ads pointed out Riordan's position of wanting a moratorium on the death penalty as being to the left of Gray Davis, who strongly supported it.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis's negative ads against Riordan and a variety of other equally important factors explained on the 2002 election page, led to Riordan's defeat in the Republican primary by the more staunchly conservative candidate Bill Simon. In the first 10 weeks of 2002, Davis spent $10 million on ads: $3 million on positive ads boasting of his record, $7 million on negative ads against Riordan.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis was re-elected in the November 2002 general election following a long and bitter campaign against Simon, marked by accusations of ethical lapses on both sides and widespread voter apathy. Simon was also hurt by a financial fraud scandal that tarnished Simon's reputation. Davis's campaign touted California's improving test scores, environmental protection, health insurance coverage for children and lower prescription drug costs for seniors. Davis's campaign featured several negative ads that highlighted Simon's financial fraud scandal. The 2002 gubernatorial race was the most expensive in California state history with over $100 million spent. Davis's campaign was better financed; Davis had over $26 million more in campaign reserves than Simon in August 2002. Davis gained re-election with 47.4% of the vote to Simon's 42.4%. However, the Simon-Davis race led in the lowest turnout percentage in modern gubernatorial history, allowing a lower than normal number of signatures required for a recall. Davis won the election, but the majority of voters disliked Davis and did not approve of his job performance.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis's second term, which lasted only ten months, was dominated by the recall election. He was widely criticized for responding to the budget crisis by reversing a decade of fee reductions on motor vehicles, a decision which his opponents repeatedly referenced. Not long after Davis signed a law allowing the Department of Motor Vehicles to grant driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants, he was challenged to a recall election. Davis had also signed legislation requiring employers to pay for medical insurance for workers and legislation granting domestic partners many of the same rights as married people, and vetoed legislation that would have given undocumented immigrants free tuition for community college. Some political observers saw these efforts as an attempt to reinforce support from Hispanics, labor union members and liberal Democrats. Ultimately, Davis did not have as much support from Hispanics and union members in the recall election as he did in his 2002 re-election.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis was governor during the southern California fires of 2003, more commonly known as the Cedar Fire. Davis declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles County, San Bernardino County, San Diego County and Ventura County in October 2003 and deployed the National Guard to help with disaster relief. By mid-November, the greater South Los Angeles area had been declared a disaster area. This enabled federal funding to help repair flooding and weather-related damage, including the destruction of thousands of acres of vegetation. The Cedar Fire was the last major event during Davis's tenure as governor. Both Davis and governor-elect Schwarzenegger worked to help with disaster relief. Schwarzenegger went to Washington, D.C., and met Vice President Dick Cheney to lobby the federal government for more disaster relief funds.


title: Gray Davis

text: In July 2003, a sufficient number of citizen signatures were collected for a recall election. The initial drive for the recall was fueled by funds from the personal fortune of U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, a Republican who originally hoped to replace Davis himself. The 2003 California recall special election was the goal of the "Dump Davis" campaign and constituted the first gubernatorial recall in Californian history and only the second in U.S. history. Later, the unsuccessful recall of Scott Walker of Wisconsin in 2012 would be the third and the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election of Gavin Newsom would be the fourth in September 2021.


title: Gray Davis

text: Early in the runup to the recall election, Davis called the recall election an "insult" to the eight million voters who had voted in the 2002 gubernatorial election. The Davis campaign tried to run against the recall Yes/No vote instead of against the candidates that were trying to replace him. Davis tried to depict the recall as a $66 million waste of money that could allow a candidate with a very small percentage of the vote to become Governor—potentially someone who was very liberal or conservative as there are no primaries in a recall election. Davis tried to run "outside the recall circus" and to make himself appear gubernatorial and hard at work for California, and who had made improvements to education and healthcare. Early August polls showed that over 50% supported the recall.


title: Gray Davis

text: In September 2003, Davis conceded that he had lost touch with the voters and added that he was holding numerous townhall meetings in an effort to address the problem. Poll numbers in September showed a 3% drop in the number of California voters who were planning to vote yes on the recall. According to some analysts and campaign aides, Davis's town hall meetings and conversations with voters were softening his image. Many political insiders remarked that Davis had made several comebacks and that he should not be counted out of the race despite poll numbers that showed over 50% planning to vote yes on the recall.


title: Gray Davis

text: During the recall, Davis blamed some of the state's problems on his predecessor, Pete Wilson. Davis claimed that he would have rather raised taxes on the upper tax brackets instead of restoring vehicle registration fees and college student tuition.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis called the recall a right-wing effort to rewrite history after having lost the election during the previous year. In a 19-minute campaign address that was broadcast statewide, Davis called the recall effort a "right-wing power grab" by Republicans. He blamed Republicans in the legislature and in Washington for many of the state's problems, while accepting some responsibility for those problems.


title: Gray Davis

text: On October 7, 2003, Davis was recalled. The recall was supported by 55.4% of voters. Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected to replace Davis as governor. The Bay Area and Los Angeles County were the only regions in California to vote "no" on the recall. Davis is the second governor in the history of the United States to have been recalled; the first was Lynn Frazier of North Dakota in 1921.


title: Gray Davis

text: On the night of the recall, Davis conceded defeat and thanked California for having elected him in five statewide elections. Davis mentioned what he defined as the accomplishments of his administration such as improvements in education, environmental protection, and health insurance for children. Davis said he would help Schwarzenegger in the transition and he later urged his staff to do the same. His last day in office was November 17, 2003.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis has done several media interviews about his legacy. He appeared prominently in the documentary "".


title: Gray Davis

text: The debate about his legacy and role in the energy woes that proved to be his downfall remains. In a CNN interview on August 5, 2005, Davis expressed that he felt vindicated because of the revelation that Enron manipulated the California energy market and because of Schwarzenegger's then-low approval ratings. He also indicated that he had no interest in running for governor again, although he had been urged to run by some Democrats.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis was a guest lecturer at UCLA's School of Public Policy in 2006 alongside former Republican State Senator Jim Brulte. He wrote an introduction for a journalist's book on the Amber Alert system for missing children, a cause he championed.


title: Gray Davis

text: On April 23, 2007, Davis was appointed to the Board of Directors of animation company DiC Entertainment as a non-executive.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis's moderate record made it difficult for him to appeal to the core constituency of the Democratic Party. During the recall, Davis failed to gain the full support he needed from his more liberal Democratic base. He had a reputation of being beholden to supporters yet unable to satisfy them. Davis's leadership and compromise-building skills have also been questioned. He was also hurt by redistricting in 2000 that made most districts safe for the incumbent party, limiting some legislators' need and willingness to compromise.


title: Gray Davis

text: When Davis was inaugurated as governor of California, he said, "I'm a governor, not a judge". Davis vowed to uphold all of the laws of the state, even the ones with which he personally disagreed. Davis defended Proposition 187 initially, but when it was declared unconstitutional by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, he did not appeal the decision.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis's personality was often described as aloof and his political style cautious and calculated instead of charismatic. His personality forced him to depend more on political skills, such as fundraising, to win elections. Davis's tendency to micromanage his administration made it difficult for people to present opposing views and even drove some out of service.


title: Gray Davis

text: As Davis left office in 2003, the "San Francisco Chronicle" published an editorial discussing his legacy. The newspaper claimed that he lacked vision, allowed the legislature and its policies to define his tenure and had a "robotic governing style" that focused on fundraising instead of personal relationships. The "Chronicle" commented that Davis was often on the right side of the issues but that being on the right side of the issues alienated the electorate. Davis lacked charisma and seemed to be more passionate about winning campaigns than governing. Davis never showed emotion to the voters. He spent much of his campaign time talking about his accomplishments instead of providing voters with a vision.


title: Gray Davis

text: Davis met his wife-to-be, Sharon Ryer, while on an airplane tending to official business in 1978. Davis and Ryer married in 1983, with California Supreme Court Justice Rose Bird officiating.


title: Volvulus

text: A volvulus is when a loop of intestine twists around itself and the mesentery that supports it, resulting in a bowel obstruction. Symptoms include abdominal pain, abdominal bloating, vomiting, constipation, and bloody stool. Onset of symptoms may be rapid or more gradual. The mesentery may become so tightly twisted that blood flow to part of the intestine is cut off, resulting in ischemic bowel. In this situation there may be fever or significant pain when the abdomen is touched.


title: Volvulus

text: Risk factors include a birth defect known as intestinal malrotation, an enlarged colon, Hirschsprung disease, pregnancy, and abdominal adhesions. Long term constipation and a high fiber diet may also increase the risk. The most commonly affected part of the intestines in adults is the sigmoid colon with the cecum being second most affected. In children the small intestine is more often involved. The stomach can also be affected. Diagnosis is typically with medical imaging such as plain X-rays, a GI series, or CT scan.


title: Volvulus

text: Initial treatment for sigmoid volvulus may occasionally occur via sigmoidoscopy or with a barium enema. Due to the high risk of recurrence, a bowel resection within the next two days is generally recommended. If the bowel is severely twisted or the blood supply is cut off, immediate surgery is required. In a cecal volvulus, often part of the bowel needs to be surgically removed. If the cecum is still healthy, it may occasionally be returned to a normal position and sutured in place.


title: Volvulus

text: Cases of volvulus were described in ancient Egypt as early as 1550 BC. It occurs most frequently in Africa, the Middle East, and India. Rates of volvulus in the United States are about 2–3 per 100,000 people per year. Sigmoid and cecal volvulus typically occurs between the ages of 30 and 70. Outcomes are related to whether or not the bowel tissue has died. The term volvulus is from the Latin "volvere"; which means "to roll".


title: Volvulus

text: Depending on the location of the volvulus, symptoms may vary. For example, in patients with cecal volvulus, the predominant symptoms may be those of small bowel obstruction (nausea, vomiting and lack of stool or flatus), because the obstructing point is close to the ileocecal valve and small intestine. In patients with sigmoid volvulus, although abdominal pain may be present, symptoms of constipation may be more prominent.


title: Volvulus

text: Volvulus causes severe pain and progressive injury to the intestinal wall, with accumulation of gas and fluid in the portion of the bowel obstructed. Ultimately, this can result in necrosis of the affected intestinal wall, acidosis, and death. This is known as a closed-loop obstruction because there exists an isolated ("closed") loop of bowel. Acute volvulus often requires immediate surgical intervention to untwist the affected segment of bowel and possibly resect any unsalvageable portion.


title: Volvulus

text: Volvulus occurs most frequently in middle-aged and elderly men. Volvulus can also arise as a rare complication in persons with redundant colon, a normal anatomic variation resulting in extra colonic loops.


title: Volvulus

text: Sigmoid volvulus is the most-common form of volvulus of the gastrointestinal tract. and is responsible for 8% of all intestinal obstructions. Sigmoid volvulus is particularly common in elderly persons and constipated patients. Patients experience abdominal pain, distension, and absolute constipation.


title: Volvulus

text: Cecal volvulus is slightly less common than sigmoid volvulus and is associated with symptoms of abdominal pain and small bowel obstruction.


title: Volvulus

text: Volvulus can also occur in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy due to smooth muscle dysfunction.


title: Volvulus

text: Gastric volvulus causes nausea, vomiting, and pain in the upper abdomen. The Borchardt triad is a group of symptoms that help doctors to identify gastric volvulus. The symptoms are intractable retching, pain in the upper abdomen and inability to pass nasogastric tube into the stomach.


title: Volvulus

text: Midgut volvulus occurs in people (usually babies) that are predisposed because of congenital intestinal malrotation. Segmental volvulus occurs in people of any age, usually with a predisposition because of abnormal intestinal contents (e.g. meconium ileus) or adhesions. Volvulus of the cecum, transverse colon, or sigmoid colon occurs, usually in adults, with only minor predisposing factors such as redundant (excess, inadequately supported) intestinal tissue and constipation.


title: Volvulus

text: After taking a thorough history, the diagnosis of colonic volvulus is usually easily included in the differential diagnosis. Abdominal plain x-rays are commonly confirmatory for a volvulus, especially if a "bent inner tube" sign or a "coffee bean" sign are seen. These refer to the shape of the air-filled closed loop of colon which forms the volvulus. Should the diagnosis be in doubt, a barium enema may be used to demonstrate a "bird's beak" at the point where the segment of proximal bowel and distal bowel rotate to form the volvulus.


title: Volvulus

text: This area shows an acute and sharp tapering and looks like a bird's beak. If a perforation is suspected, barium should not be used due to its potentially lethal effects when distributed throughout the free intraperitoneal cavity. Gastrografin, which is safer, can be substituted for barium.


title: Volvulus

text: The differential diagnosis includes the much more common constricting or obstructing carcinoma. In approximately 80 percent of colonic obstructions, invasive carcinoma is found to be the cause of the obstruction. This is usually easily diagnosed with endoscopic biopsies.


title: Volvulus

text: Diverticulitis is a common condition with different presentations. Although diverticulitis may be the source of a colonic obstruction, it more commonly causes an ileus, which appears to be a colonic obstruction.


title: Volvulus

text: Endoscopic means can be used to secure a diagnosis although this may cause a perforation of the inflamed diverticular area. CT scanning is the more common method to diagnose diverticulitis. The scan will show mesenteric stranding in the involved segment of edematous colon which is usually in the sigmoid region. Micro perforations with free air may be seen.


title: Volvulus

text: Ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease may cause colonic obstruction. The obstruction may be acute or chronic after years of uncontrolled disease leads to the formation of strictures and fistulas. The medical history is helpful in that most cases of inflammatory bowel disease are well known to both patient and doctor.


title: Volvulus

text: Other rare syndromes, including Ogilvie's syndrome, chronic constipation and impaction may cause a pseudo obstruction.


title: Volvulus

text: Treatment for sigmoid volvulus may include sigmoidoscopy. If the mucosa of the sigmoid looks normal and pink, a rectal tube for decompression may be placed, and any fluid, electrolyte, cardiac, kidney or pulmonary abnormalities should be corrected. The affected person should then be taken to the operating room for surgical repair. If surgery is not performed, there is a high rate of recurrence.


title: Volvulus

text: For people with signs of sepsis or an abdominal catastrophe, immediate surgery and resection are advised.


title: Volvulus

text: In a cecal volvulus, the cecum may be returned to a normal position and sutured in place, a procedure known as cecopexy. If identified early, before presumed intestinal wall ischemia has resulted in tissue breakdown and necrosis, the cecal volvulus can be detorsed laparoscopically. It has been associated to several diseases, including Huntington's disease.


title: Helen (2019 film)

text: Helen is a 2019 Indian Malayalam-language survival thriller film directed by Mathukutty Xavier (in his directorial debut) and produced by Vineeth Sreenivasan under the companies Habit of Life and Big Bang Entertainments. The film stars Anna Ben in the title role, while Lal, Noble Babu Thomas, Aju Varghese, Rony David and Binu Pappu appears in supporting roles. It was written by Alfred Kurian Joseph, Noble Babu Thomas and Mathukutty Xavier. Its soundtrack was composed by Shaan Rahman.


title: Helen (2019 film)

text: "Helen" was released on 15 November 2019. The film won two National Film Awards – Best Debut Film of a Director and Best Make-up Artist (Ranjith Ambady) – and Ben won the Kerala State Film Award – Special Jury Award. It was remade into Tamil as "Anbirkiniyal" (2021), and in Hindi by the same director as "Mili" (2022).


title: Helen (2019 film)

text: Helen is a B.Sc Nursing graduate and attends IELTS coaching classes intended for a job abroad. She works part-time at a restaurant named The Chicken Hub, inside a plush mall. She lives with her father, Paul, an insurance agent. He does not like her going abroad. Paul is a conservative Christian and has disagreement with Helen associating with non-Christian friends. Unbeknownst to Paul, Helen has a Muslim boyfriend, Azhar, who is in search of a job.


title: Helen (2019 film)

text: One night, while Azhar is riding Helen to her home, they are stopped by police who penalise him for not wearing a helmet and drunken driving, they both are brought to the police station. Paul is summoned to the station. Paul is in dismay of seeing his daughter and does not talk to her despite her several attempts of creating conversation.


title: Helen (2019 film)

text: The next night after work at the Chicken Hub, Helen's manager Jayashankar unknowingly locks her in the freezer room. At -18 °C, Helen has to survive in the freezing cold and tries everything to keep herself alive. She tries to block the exhaust fan but ended up dislocating her leg. She starts to get frostbite and bleeding through her nose.


title: Helen (2019 film)

text: Her father starts getting worried that Helen has not reached home. He searches for Helen with the help of his neighbor. They call all her co-workers but they all said they do not know anything. Azhar, who was on his way to Chennai half-heartedly, returns and also joins the investigation.


title: Helen (2019 film)

text: They go to the police station to file a complaint but they are greeted by the SI Ratheesh Kumar, whom they met yesterday. He suspects Azhar. Paul tries to defend him and this causes a feud between the sub-inspector and the search party. He deliberately tries not to help them by not sharing the last tower location of Helen he got from Cyber cell.


title: Helen (2019 film)

text: They get a clue that Helen might have had a problem with the auto drivers in front of the mall. They all reach there to enquire. The auto driver whom they suspected denied the allegation. At this point, they meet a watchman of the mall who says that Helen might not have left the mall because he usually notices her going in and out.


title: Helen (2019 film)

text: They rush to the Chicken Hub and opens the freezer. In the end, after 5 hours, they find Helen. She is taken to the hospital just before she had the last stage of hypothermia. Then Paul enquires with the watchman that how was he sure about the fact that Helen didn't leave the mall. Helen smiles at him every time she comes in and out of the mall. He did not see her go out on the day of her missing.


title: Helen (2019 film)

text: Helen reunites with her father and boyfriend. The doctor says that she is out of danger and she needs physiotherapy later. He continues that its difficult for any common man or woman to survive that cold weather and Helen is a brave girl. When the watchman asks Paul what his daughter's name is, Paul proudly replies, "Helen".


title: Helen (2019 film)

text: According to Mathukutty Xavier, he wanted to make a survival thriller as there were not many Malayalam films made on that genre since the 1992 film "Malootty". The story was inspired from an incident that had taken place abroad. While writing, they had visited meat freezers in Aroor and Alappuzha and met workers who had stuck in freezers for 5–6 hours. Eventually, a girl getting trapped in a meat freezer became its basic thread. Similar incidents reported in newspaper were referred and formed a fictional plot. Characters such as the girl's father and boyfriend were brought in to make it emotionally connected to the audience. Their motive was to target family and youth audience. After completing the script Xavier went to meet Vineeth Sreenivasan for his feedback. On hearing the script halfway through, Vineeth expressed interest in producing the film.


title: Helen (2019 film)

text: On 1 August 2019, Vineeth Sreenivasan announced the film with Anna Ben in the lead role and a title poster was released. It was reported Lal would play Helen's father and Noble Babu Thomas was paired opposite Anna. It was reported to be a woman-centric film, in which Anna plays a girl who works in a fast food joint in Kochi.


title: Helen (2019 film)

text: On 1 November 2019, the first song of the film titled "Pon Thaarame" sung by Vineeth Sreenivasan and Divya S. Menon was released. Composed by Shaan Rahman, its lyrics were written by Vinayak Sasikumar, Vineeth Sreenivasan and Manu Manjith.


title: Helen (2019 film)

text: The film was released on 15 November 2019. Funtastic Films headed by Visakh Subramaniam and Aju Varghese was in charge of the film's distribution.


title: Helen (2019 film)

text: Rating 4 out of 5 stars, Sajin Shrijith of "The New Indian Express" wrote: "It’s one of those rare survival dramas where innovative ideas are strongly backed by nail-biting tension and emotional stakes." He praised Anna Ben's performance: "Anna Ben, who made a terrific debut in "Kumbalangi Nights", proves with "Helen" that she is not a one-hit-wonder." "Sify" rated the movie 4 out of 5 stating: ""Helen" is the kind of movie that start affecting you slowly and shakes up totally by the time the end titles start rolling." Also praising Aju Varghese's performance, the review concluded: "Watch out for a brilliant show from Aju Varghese, who is doing a character that has a different shade from usual." Anna M. M. Vetticad of "Firstpost" awarded 3.5 in a scale of 5 and gave the verdict: ""Helen" is right up there with the best of 2019." Anjana George of "The Times of India" rated it 3.5 out of 5 stars and commented: "A heart rending survival drama." She praised Anend C. Chandran's cinematography and Shaan Rahman's music: "With a lot of close-up shots and colourful visuals, Anend C Chandran's cinematography amps up the movie's pace. Shaan Rahman comes up with some fab music." She also added: ""Helen" is a typical family film from the Vineeth Sreenivasan school of filmmaking which is enjoyable and empathetic. The feel-good movie, though a survival drama, would definitely bring a smile to the faces as the curtains come down." Litty Simon of "Malayala Manorama" said that "... Mathukutty Xavier's Helen played by Anna Ben is all set to make thousands of movie-goers her staunch fans in the coming days." She added: "The storytelling is easygoing and naturalistic. Some thrilling moments in the film make us believe that the director is definitely here to stay." She also praised its editing and cinematography: "Shameer Muhammed's crisp editing and Anand C. Chandran's cinematography helped develop this heart-warming tale of survival."


title: Helen (2019 film)

text: The film was remade in Tamil as "Anbirkiniyal" (2021). It was also remade in Hindi as "Mili" (2022) by the same director. It was also remade into Odia as "Monalisa" (upcoming film) by Ashok Pati. Lohit H. of Friday Films acquired the remake rights for Kannada, which is to be directed by debutants Arunkumar M. and Sabu Aloysius. Lasya Nagaraj was confirmed to play the central character. The film will also have a Telugu remake starring Anupama Parameswaran. Prasad V. Potluri will be producing the film which will be directed by debutant Hanuman Chowdary.


title: Van Heflin

text: Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin Jr. (December 13, 1908 – July 23, 1971) was an American theatre, radio and film actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man. Heflin won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in "Johnny Eager" (1942). He also had memorable roles in Westerns such as "Shane" (1953), "" (1957), and "Gunman's Walk" (1958).


title: Van Heflin

text: Heflin was born in Walters, Oklahoma, the son of Fanny Bleecker (née Shippey) and Dr. Emmett Evan Heflin, a dentist. He was of Irish and French ancestry. Heflin's sister was Daytime Emmy-nominated actress Frances Heflin (who married composer Sol Kaplan). Heflin attended Classen High School in Oklahoma City. One source says Long Beach Polytechnic High School. He also went to the University of Oklahoma, where he received a bachelor's degree in 1932 and was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He earned a master's degree in theater at Yale University. He was a accomplished Seaman prior to his acting career and was in the military service during WWll.


title: Van Heflin

text: Heflin began his acting career on Broadway in the late 1920s. He appeared in "Mr. Moneypenny" (1928), "The Bride of Torozko" (1934), "The Night Remembers" (1934), "Mid-West" (1936), and "End of Summer" (1936). The latter had a decent run and led to him being signed to a film contract by RKO Radio Pictures.


title: Van Heflin

text: Heflin made his film debut in "A Woman Rebels" (1936), opposite Katharine Hepburn, whom he played opposite in the stage version of "The Philadelphia Story". He followed it with "The Outcasts of Poker Flat" (1937), billed third after Preston Foster and Jean Muir, and "Flight from Glory" (1937), a Chester Morris programmer where Heflin played an alcoholic pilot.


title: Van Heflin

text: Heflin was in "Annapolis Salute" (1937), then was given his first lead role in "Saturday's Heroes" (1937), playing a star quarterback.


title: Van Heflin

text: Heflin returned to Broadway for "Western Waters" (1937–38) and "Casey Jones" (1938), the latter for the Group Theatre and directed by Elia Kazan.


title: Van Heflin

text: In Hollywood Heflin had a support role in "Back Door to Heaven" (1939). He returned to Broadway where he played Macaulay Connor opposite Katharine Hepburn, Joseph Cotten and Shirley Booth in "The Philadelphia Story", which ran for 417 performances from 1939–1940. It led to Heflin being offered a choice character part in the Errol Flynn western "Santa Fe Trail" (1940) at Warners, playing a villainous gun seller. The movie was a big hit. It also led to a contract offer from MGM.


title: Van Heflin

text: MGM initially cast Heflin in supporting roles in films such as "The Feminine Touch" (1941) and "H.M. Pulham, Esq." (1941).


title: Van Heflin

text: He had an excellent part as Robert Taylor's doomed best friend in "Johnny Eager" (1942), which won Heflin an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and was a box office success.


title: Van Heflin

text: MGM began to groom Heflin as a leading man in B movies, giving him the star role in "Kid Glove Killer" (1942), directed by Fred Zinnemann, and "Grand Central Murder" (1942). Both were popular.


title: Van Heflin

text: Encouraged, MGM cast him as Kathryn Grayson's love interest in a musical, "Seven Sweethearts" (1942), then was given the star role in an "A" film, as the embattled President Andrew Johnson in "Tennessee Johnson" (1942), playing opposite (and at odds with) Lionel Barrymore who, in the role of Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, failed to have Johnson convicted in an impeachment trial by the slimmest of margins. The film was a box office flop.


title: Van Heflin

text: Heflin was Judy Garland's love interest in "Presenting Lily Mars" (1943), then he enlisted in the army.


title: Van Heflin

text: Heflin served during World War II in the United States Army Air Force as a combat cameraman in the Ninth Air Force in Europe and with the First Motion Picture Unit. He appeared in a training film, "Land and Live in the Jungle" (1944).


title: Van Heflin

text: When Helfin returned to Hollywood, MGM loaned him to Hal Wallis to appear opposite Barbara Stanwyck in "The Strange Love of Martha Ivers" (1946). He was in the all-star musical "Till the Clouds Roll By" (1946) then was loaned to Warner Bros to co star with Joan Crawford in "Possessed" (1947).


title: Van Heflin

text: Back at MGM he co-starred with Lana Turner in "Green Dolphin Street" (1947), a big prestige film for the studio and their biggest hit of 1947. He was reunited with Stanwyck in "B.F.'s Daughter" (1948) and was loaned to Walter Wanger for "Tap Roots" (1948), where he was top billed; both lost money.


title: Van Heflin

text: MGM cast him as Athos in "The Three Musketeers" (1948), a huge success. He was top-billed in Zinnemann's "Act of Violence" (1949), and supported Jennifer Jones in "Madame Bovary" (1949). Both movies were acclaimed but lost money. He then made a third film with Stanwyck, "East Side, West Side" (1950), but he was now billed beneath James Mason. While that production did not lose money, it only netted a small profit for the studio.


title: Van Heflin

text: "The Adventures of Philip Marlowe" was a radio detective drama that aired from June 17, 1947, through September 15, 1951, first heard on NBC in the summer of 1947 starring Van Heflin (June 12, 1947 – September 9, 1947). He also acted on the "Lux Radio Theatre", "Suspense", "Cavalcade of America" and many more radio programs.


title: Van Heflin

text: Heflin began appearing on television on episodes of "Nash Airflyte Theatre" and "Robert Montgomery Presents" (an adaptation of "Arrowsmith").


title: Van Heflin

text: Heflin had the lead role in a Western at Universal, "Tomahawk" (1951) and starred in a thriller directed by Joseph Losey, "The Prowler" (1951).


title: Van Heflin

text: At Universal he made a family comedy with Patricia Neal, "Week-End with Father" (1951), then he was an FBI man in Leo McCarey's anti-Communist "My Son John" (1952).


title: Van Heflin

text: Heflin went to England to star in "South of Algiers" (1953). He appeared in a huge success as the honest farmer in "Shane" (1953) with Alan Ladd.


title: Van Heflin

text: However he followed it up with action films at Universal: "Wings of the Hawk" (1953), and "Tanganyika" (1954). He starred in an independent Western, "The Raid" (1954) and was one of many stars in 20th Century Fox's "Woman's World" (1954).


title: Van Heflin

text: Heflin stayed at Fox to star in "Black Widow" (1954) and he was top billed in Warners' "Battle Cry" (1955) based on Leon Uris's best seller which was a major hit at the box office.


title: Van Heflin

text: After a Western, "Count Three and Pray" (1955), Heflin starred in "Patterns" (1956) based on a TV play by Rod Serling. He also did a "Playhouse 90" written by Serling, "The Dark Side of the Earth", and "The Rank and File"; he also did "The Cruel Day" by Reginald Rose.


title: Van Heflin

text: Heflin returned to Broadway to appear in a double bill of Arthur Miller's "A View From the Bridge" and "A Memory of Two Mondays" which ran for 149 performances under the direction of Martin Ritt.


title: Van Heflin

text: Heflin had an excellent part in "" (1957) with Glenn Ford. He made a Western with Tab Hunter, his old "Battle Cry" co star, "Gunman's Walk" (1958). That was made for Columbia, with whom Heflin signed a contract to make one film a year for five years.


title: Van Heflin

text: Heflin then went to Italy to star in "Tempest" (1959). He was billed after Gary Cooper and Rita Hayworth in "They Came to Cordura" (1959).


title: Van Heflin

text: Heflin went back to Europe for "5 Branded Women" (1960), which he starred in for Martin Ritt, "Under Ten Flags" (1960), and "The Wastrel" (1961). In Hollywood he appeared on "The Dick Powell Theatre".


title: Van Heflin

text: Heflin went to the Philippines to star in a war film "Cry of Battle" (1963). This was playing at the Texas Theatre in Dallas on November 22, 1963. His name and the film title appear on the marquee. It was that theatre where Lee Harvey Oswald was apprehended in the aftermath of President Kennedy's assassination.


title: Van Heflin

text: Heflin had another Broadway hit in the title role of "A Case of Libel" (1963–64) which ran for 242 performances.


title: Van Heflin

text: Heflin appeared in a short but dramatic role as an eyewitness of Jesus' raising of Lazarus from death in the 1965 Bible film, "The Greatest Story Ever Told". After seeing the miracle he ran from Bethany to the walls of Jerusalem and proclaimed to the guards at the top of the wall that Jesus was the Messiah.


title: Van Heflin

text: Heflin returned to MGM for a support part in "Once a Thief" (1965). He was in the remake of "Stagecoach" (1966) and went to Europe to star in "The Man Outside" (1967) and "Every Man for Himself" (1968).


title: Van Heflin

text: In the US he was in the TV movies "A Case of Libel" (1968), and "Certain Honorable Men" (1968) and he had a support part in "The Big Bounce" (1969).


title: Van Heflin

text: Heflin's last feature film was "Airport" (1970). He played "D. O. Guerrero", a failure who schemes to blow himself up on an airliner so that his wife (played by Maureen Stapleton) can collect on a life insurance policy. It was an enormous success.


title: Van Heflin

text: Heflin had a six-month marriage to actress Eleanor Shaw (née Eleanor Scherr, died 2004) in the mid-thirties. In 1942, Heflin married RKO contract player Frances Neal. They had two daughters, actresses Vana O'Brien and Cathleen (Kate) Heflin, and a son, Tracy. The couple divorced in 1967.


title: Van Heflin

text: Heflin was the grandfather of actor Ben O'Brien and actress Eleanor O'Brien. Van Heflin's sister, Fran, nickname 'Fra', regularly appeared as Mona Kane, mother of Erica [Susan Lucci] in the daytime television drama series "All My Children". She played the role from January 5, 1970 until her death in June 1994. He was also the uncle of Marta Heflin and Mady Kaplan, both actresses, and director Jonathan Kaplan. Heflin's brother, Martin, a public relations executive, was married to American theatre producer Julia Heflin.


title: Van Heflin

text: On June 6, 1971, Heflin had a heart attack while swimming in a pool. Medics took him to a hospital, and though he lived for nearly seven weeks, he apparently never regained consciousness. Van Heflin died at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Los Angeles on July 23, 1971 at 6:43 am, aged 62. He had left instructions forbidding a public funeral. Instead, his cremated remains were scattered in the ocean.


title: Van Heflin

text: In 1960, Heflin was honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for his contributions to motion pictures at 6311 Hollywood Boulevard, and for television at 6125 Hollywood Boulevard. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1964.


title: Van Heflin

text: In February 2016, a biography, "Van Heflin A Life in Film", by Derek Sculthorpe, was published by McFarland & Co., Inc., of Jefferson, N.C.


title: Yasmeen Ghauri

text: Ghauri was born in Montreal to a German mother and a Pakistani father. Ghauri, who is Muslim, had a difficult childhood due to being bullied at school by her classmates for her Pakistani heritage.


title: Yasmeen Ghauri

text: When she was 17, Ghauri was discovered while working at a McDonald's restaurant by Montreal hairdresser and artistic director of Platine Coiffure, Edward Zaccaria.


title: Yasmeen Ghauri

text: Despite her parents' disapproval, Ghauri actively pursued a modeling career, debuting in Milan and Paris before moving to New York City in 1990. Here, she was noticed by fashion critics and labels alike. "The New York Times" described her runway walk as a "ball-bearing swivel of her hips". Her appearance prompted part of what is now termed in fashion the "Canadian invasion".


title: Yasmeen Ghauri

text: Ghauri enjoyed fame in the early 1990s after her first major cover with "Elle" in January 1991. She was also seen in Elton John's music video for the song "Sacrifice", in which she starred opposite Chris Isaak. Soon after, she became the face of both Chanel and Jil Sander. By the end of 1990, Ghauri appeared on the cover of French "Elle" in July and December. In September, she graced the catwalk for Gianni Versace's show in Milan and by the next month, she was walking for Chanel, Helmut Lang, Jean Paul Gaultier and Lanvin in Paris. She became the face of Christian Dior and Anne Klein in 1991. In January, she was photographed by Steven Meisel for the cover of Italian "Vogue" and toward the end of the year, she appeared in British and Italian "Vogue" editorials. Photographer Patrick Demarchelier, who photographed her for the Italian issue, called her his favourite subject.


title: Yasmeen Ghauri

text: In 1992, Ghauri landed a contract with Victoria's Secret and became a face of Valentino couture and Versace. According to an NYMag.com online model profile, Ghauri walked the controversial Gianni Versace "Bondage" show in Milan in February 1992. Ghauri became the face of Hermès and Lanvin in 1993 and was photographed by Gilles Bensimon for "Elle". She appeared in the 1995 documentary "Unzipped" by Isaac Mizrahi, and walked the 1996 annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.


title: Yasmeen Ghauri

text: When Ghauri stepped out of the Yves Saint Laurent show in 1997 at the last minute, speculations arose that she was retiring. She did indeed retire to start a family with her husband, lawyer Ralph Bernstein. The couple have two children: daughter Maia and son Victor. The family lives in Bedford, New York.


title: Yasmeen Ghauri

text: Ghauri was the inspiration for the character Jasmine in the comic book series Jonathan Steele. Just like the real person, the comic book character is a former model, born in Montreal to a Pakistani father.


title: Phil Taylor (musician)

text: Philip John Taylor (21 September 1954 – 12 November 2015), better known as "Philthy Animal", was an English drummer. He was a member of the rock band Motörhead from 1975 to 1984 and 1987 to 1992, recording eleven studio albums and four live albums with the band. The Motörhead line-up consisting of Taylor, Lemmy and "Fast" Eddie Clarke is generally regarded as the 'classic' line-up of the band.


title: Phil Taylor (musician)

text: Born on 21 September 1954, in Hasland, Derbyshire, Taylor grew up in Leeds, Yorkshire. He took drum lessons at Leeds College of Music on advice from his father. After meeting Lemmy, who was a fellow speed user, he joined Motörhead and replaced Lucas Fox during the recording of the band's first album "On Parole" in 1975. Lemmy has said that Fox wasn't working out and Taylor "had a car and could give us a lift back down to the studio". Taylor, in turn, introduced Lemmy to guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke, having worked with him while painting a houseboat.


title: Phil Taylor (musician)

text: Shortly after recording the classic "Ace of Spades" album in 1980, Taylor broke his neck after being lifted above the head of a friend in a test of strength, only to be dropped on his head. Taylor continued to play in Motörhead with the aid of a neck brace, as is visible in the music video for "Ace of Spades". As a result, Taylor had a prominent lump located on the back of his neck (affectionately referred to as his "knob"), thought to be a calcium deposit caused by his previous spinal trauma. Tour-disrupting injuries were not unfamiliar to Taylor at the time, as he had previously broken his hand whilst punching a man outside his flat in London. Taylor continued to drum by using gaffer tape to attach his drum stick into his hand until it had sufficiently healed.


title: Phil Taylor (musician)

text: Taylor left Motörhead in 1984. The following year, he made appearances with Waysted, and joined former Motörhead and Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson to form the band Operator. In 1986, he was part of Frankie Miller's touring band.


title: Phil Taylor (musician)

text: Taylor returned to Motörhead in 1987. He said "I always regretted leaving. Let's just say I took a three-year holiday." He continued playing in the group until 1992. After having been warned three times in the previous two years "to get his act together", he was fired after recording "I Ain't No Nice Guy", because of his poor performance.


title: Phil Taylor (musician)

text: From 2005 to 2008, Taylor played and recorded in a group called The Web of Spider with Whitey Kirst (Iggy Pop) on guitar and Max Noce on bass. In 2007, Taylor briefly worked on a project called Capricorn with former Danzig guitarist Todd Youth, former Monster Magnet guitarist Phil Caivano and former Nashville Pussy bassist Corey Parks. After playing in The Web of Spider, Taylor began work on a project with guitarist Chris Holmes, formerly of the heavy metal band W.A.S.P., and in 2009, Taylor joined American thrash metal band Overkill for a set at the Islington Academy. The set included a cover of the Motörhead song from which Overkill took their name.


title: Phil Taylor (musician)

text: He sporadically played drums for Mick Farren and The Deviants, featuring on "Dr. Crow" (2002), "Sheep in Wolves' Clothing" (2008), and "Portobello Shuffle" (2009).


title: Phil Taylor (musician)

text: Taylor reunited with Lemmy and Clarke on 6 November 2014 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, on stage for Motörhead's classic "Ace of Spades" only to come on to wave to the crowd and leave.


title: Phil Taylor (musician)

text: Taylor died on 12 November 2015 in London at the age of 61 after an illness. Liver failure was cited as a cause.


title: Phil Taylor (musician)

text: Lemmy told "Classic Rock" that he was "devastated" to have lost one of his best friends. He also remembered former Motörhead guitarist Michael "Würzel" Burston, who died in 2011.


title: Phil Taylor (musician)

text: Lemmy died on 28 December 2015, less than seven weeks after Taylor and on 10 January 2018 "Fast Eddie" Clarke also died, leaving none of the classic Overkill/ Bomber/ "Ace of Spades"-era Mötorhead lineup alive.


title: Angus Imrie

text: Angus William Jake Imrie (born 2 August 1994) is a British actor. He is known for playing the character Josh Archer in BBC Radio 4's long-running drama serial "The Archers". In 2014, he won the casting agency Spotlight's Most Promising Actor Award at "The Sunday Times"s National Student Drama Festival. The son of the actors Celia Imrie and Benjamin Whitrow, he made his screen debut in the BBC film drama "Station Jim", at the age of five.


title: Angus Imrie

text: Imrie was born on 2 August 1994 on the Isle of Wight, the son of actors Celia Imrie and Benjamin Whitrow.


title: Angus Imrie

text: Between 2001 and 2012, Imrie was educated at Dulwich College, a boarding and day independent school for boys in the south London suburb of Dulwich, followed by the University of Warwick, where he studied English Literature and Theatre Studies. From 2015 to 2017, he studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) in London.


title: Angus Imrie

text: Imrie has appeared in a range of stage, television and radio productions since he was a child. After his screen debut in the BBC One film drama "Station Jim" at the age of five, he appeared in the ITV drama series "Kingdom" in 2007, and the BBC One mini-series "Restless" in 2012. In the same year, he appeared in the BBC Two drama series "The Hollow Crown", whilst in the following year, he appeared in the BBC One series "Father Brown". Prior to attending LAMDA (2015–2017), he appeared at Shakespeare's Globe in London, playing Bagot in William Shakespeare's play Richard II (1595) and Ned Spiggett in Jessica Swale's play "Nell Gwynn" (2015). He has also appeared in a range of radio productions, including "The Treasure Seekers", Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations" and John Mortimer's "A Voyage Round My Father".


title: Angus Imrie

text: In 2014, Imrie joined the cast of the long-running BBC Radio 4 series "The Archers", based on a rural farming community in the fictional village of Ambridge, to take the role of Josh Archer previously played by child actor Cian Cheesbrough, the teenage son of David and Ruth and one of the main members of the Archer family. In the same year, he played the part of cabin boy Pip in "The White Whale" at Leeds Dock, in which he sang "Amazing Grace" from the top of the set after having fallen into the water.


title: Angus Imrie

text: In 2019, Imrie co-starred in the Joe Cornish–directed "The Kid Who Would Be King" as the young Merlin, with Patrick Stewart portraying Merlin's older self. He also starred in the independent feature "Pond Life" alongside Esmé Creed-Miles; the film was produced by Dominic Dromgoole, who is the former artistic director of the Globe. Since 2021, Imrie has voiced the character Zero, a main character on the Paramount+/Nickelodeon animated series "".


title: Innerspace

text: Innerspace is a 1987 American science fiction comedy film directed by Joe Dante and produced by Michael Finnell. Steven Spielberg served as executive producer. It was inspired by the 1966 science fiction film "Fantastic Voyage". It stars Dennis Quaid, Martin Short and Meg Ryan, with Robert Picardo and Kevin McCarthy, with music composed by Jerry Goldsmith. It earned $25.9 million in worldwide theatrical rentals and won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects, the only film directed by Dante to do so.


title: Innerspace

text: In San Francisco, down-on-his-luck U.S. Navy aviator Lt. Tuck Pendleton resigns his commission and volunteers for a secret miniaturization experiment. He is placed in a submersible pod and both are shrunk to microscopic size. They are transferred into a syringe to be injected into a rabbit, but the lab is attacked by a rival organization, led by scientist Dr. Margaret Canker, that plans to seize the experiment and steal the miniaturization technology.


title: Innerspace

text: Experiment supervisor Ozzie Wexler, knowing their intentions, escapes with the syringe. A chase ensues with one of Canker's henchmen, Mr. Igoe, which ends at a nearby shopping mall. After being shot, Ozzie injects Tuck and the pod into an unsuspecting Jack Putter, a hypochondriac Safeway grocery clerk, the first person he comes into contact with.


title: Innerspace

text: On regaining consciousness, Tuck is unaware of what has happened and believes he has been injected into the rabbit. After attempts to radio the lab are unsuccessful, he navigates the pod to the optic nerve and implants a camera so he is able to see what the "host" sees. Realizing he is inside a human, he makes contact by attaching another device to Jack's inner ear, enabling him to talk to Jack. He explains that the pod has only a few hours' supply of oxygen and needs his help in order to extract him by going back to the lab.


title: Innerspace

text: At the lab, the scientists explain to Tuck and Jack that the other group stole one of two computer chips that are vital to the process. Their mastermind is Victor Scrimshaw. His henchmen include Canker, Igoe, and "The Cowboy".


title: Innerspace

text: Jack contacts Tuck's estranged girlfriend, Lydia Maxwell, a reporter who has had dealings with The Cowboy. They learn that he plans to buy the computer chip from Scrimshaw. After locating and knocking him unconscious, Tuck uses the pod's equipment to control Jack's face muscles, altering his features so he looks like The Cowboy. Lydia and Jack, posing as The Cowboy, meet with Scrimshaw to steal the chip from him. However, as they are about to take possession of it, Jack's nervousness overrides the transformation of his face, exposing the scam. Igoe captures him and Lydia and takes them to their laboratory. While imprisoned, Jack and Lydia share a kiss, which, unknown to them, transfers Tuck into Lydia's body through their saliva. Once taken to the laboratory, the criminals shrink Igoe and inject him into Jack to locate Tuck, kill him, and obtain the other chip that is attached to the pod.


title: Innerspace

text: Once Igoe has been injected, Jack and Lydia escape, steal back the chip, and order everyone, including Scrimshaw and Canker, in the laboratory at gunpoint into the miniaturization device. However, not knowing how to operate it, they only manage to shrink everyone to half the original size. Tuck, now inside Lydia, finds a growing baby and realizes that she is pregnant with his child. By going to her eardrum and playing their song (Sam Cooke's "Cupid"), he is able to alert them what has happened. Jack and Lydia kiss again to transfer him back. They frantically drive back to the lab in order to enlarge him, not realizing that the shrunken Scrimshaw and Canker are hiding in the back seat. While they attempt to subdue Jack and Lydia, Igoe locates Tuck in Jack's esophagus and attacks him. Tuck disables Igoe's craft and the latter is killed after Tuck drops him into Jack's stomach.


title: Innerspace

text: Back at the lab, with only minutes of supplemental oxygen left in the pod, Jack follows Tuck's instructions to eject it from his lungs by making himself sneeze due to his hairspray allergy. Tuck and the pod are successfully enlarged, and he is reunited with Lydia and finally gets to meet Jack in person. At Tuck and Lydia's wedding, held at Wayfarers Chapel, Tuck is seen wearing the chips from the experiment as cufflinks. When they climb into the limousine, it is revealed that The Cowboy is the driver and the shrunken Scrimshaw and Canker are hiding inside a suitcase in the trunk. Now confident and in control of his life, Jack recognizes The Cowboy and jumps into Tuck's vintage 1967 Mustang, pursuing the limousine to rescue the newlyweds.


title: Innerspace

text: The film began as an original script by Chip Proser, who called it "basically a rip off of "Fantastic Voyage". My idea was that the big guy was up and moving around and could react to what was going on inside." The script was optioned by Peter Guber at Warner Bros. in 1984. Guber offered the script to Joe Dante who turned it down. Guber then had the script rewritten by Jeffrey Boam as a comedy. Boam says "The idea was kind of ridiculous, which was a person miniaturized and put into someone else's body. That's all I kept from the original script. They originally thought it might be Michael J. Fox inside Arnold Schwarzenegger's body. I actually kept turning it down, and they were persistent and kept coming back to me."


title: Innerspace

text: According to Dante, Boam "approached it ... from the concept of what would happen if we shrank Dean Martin down and injected him inside Jerry Lewis." Dante says that Steven Spielberg had become involved on the project as an executive producer and he may have been responsible for the comedy. "It was such a goofy idea that there were no limits to it," said Boam. "I felt I could do anything, and so the script I wrote was very loony and far out there but everybody loved it. Dick Donner, Joe Dante, John Carpenter and even Steven Spielberg wanted to do it. So when Steven wanted to do it, Warners thought I was a God and any amount of money it would take to do the movie they would spend. Steve ultimately decided he only wanted to produce so Joe came along and really latched on to the idea."