title: Alamut Castle

text: What little we know about the Imamate at Alamut is narrated to us by one of the greatest detractors of the Ismailis, Juwayni. A Sunni Muslim scholar, Juwayni was serving Mongol patrons. While he then could not openly celebrate the Mongol victories over other Muslim rulers, the Mongol victory over the Nizari Ismailis, who Juwayni considered heretics and “as vile as dogs” became the focus of his work about Mongol invasions.


title: Alamut Castle

text: According to the Ismaili version of the events, in the year following the death of the Imam-Caliph al-Mustansir, a "qadi" (judge) by the name of Abul Hasan Sa'idi travelled from Egypt to Alamut, taking with him Imam Nizar’s youngest son, who was known as al-Hadi. Imam Hadi apparently lived in concealment in the Alamut valley, under the protection of Hassan-i Sabbah, then the chief "da’i" of the Nizari Ismaili state. Following him were Imam Muhtadi and Imam Qahir, also living in concealment from the general population, but in touch with the highest-ranking members of the Ismaili hierarchy (hudūd). These living and visible proofs of the existence of the concealed Imams are known in Ismaili doctrine as "hujjat" (proof). The period of the Imam’s concealment was marked by central direction from the chief "da’i" at the Alamut fortress across the Nizari Ismaili state. With the emergence of Imam Hasan ‘ala dhikri al-salam however, the period of concealment "(saṭr)" was now complete.


title: Alamut Castle

text: Succeeding Hasan 'ala dhikri al-salam in 1166, was the Imam Nūr al-Dīn Muhammad II, who, like his father and the imams of the pre-Alamut period, openly declared himself to his followers. Under the forty-year rule of the Imam Nur al-Din Muhammad, the doctrine of Imamate was further developed and, consistent with the tradition of Shi'i Islam, the figure of the Imam was accorded greater importance.


title: Alamut Castle

text: Within Persia, the Nizaris of the qiyama period largely disregarded their former political endeavours and became considerably isolated from the surrounding Sunni world. The death of Muhammad II however, ushered in a new era for the Nizaris, under the direction of the next Imam Jalal al-din Hasan. Imam Jalal al-Din Hasan invited Sunni scholars and jurists from across Khurasan and Iraq to visit Alamut, and even invited them to inspect the library and remove any books they found to be objectionable. During his lifetime, the Imam Jalal al-Din Hasan maintained friendly relations with the `Abbasid Caliph al-Nasir. An alliance with the caliph of Baghdad meant greater resources for the self-defence of not only the Nizari Ismaili state, but also the broader Muslim world.


title: Alamut Castle

text: After his death in 1221, Imam Jalal al-Din Hasan was succeeded by his son ‘Ala al-Din Muhammad. Ascending to the throne at only nine years of age, Imam 'Ala al-Din Muhammad continued his father's policy of maintaining close relations with the Abbasid caliph. Under the leadership of Imam 'Ala al-Din Muhammad, the need for an Imam to constantly guide the community according to the demands of the times was emphasized. Intellectual life and scholarship flourished under the rule of Imam 'Ala al-Din Muhammad. The Nizari libraries were invigorated with scholars from across Asia, fleeing from the invading Mongols. Among these intellectuals, some, including Naṣīr al-Din Tusi, were responsible for important contributions to Ismaili thought towards the end of the Alamut period. Having written on the topics of astronomy, philosophy, and theology, Tusi's notable contributions to Ismaili thought include "Rawdat al-Taslim" (Paradise of Submission), which he composed with Hasan-i Mahmud Katib, and "Sayr va Suluk" (The Journey), his spiritual autobiography. Following his two major ethical works, al-Tusi studied under the patronage of the Ismaili Imam at the Alamut library until it capitulated to the Mongols in 1256.


title: Alamut Castle

text: By the time of Imam 'Ala al-Din Muhammad's murder in 1255, the Mongols had already attacked a number of the Ismaili strongholds in Quhistan. Imam 'Ala al-Din Muhammad was succeeded by his eldest son Imam Rukn al-Din Khurshah who engaged in a long series of negotiations with invading Mongols, and under whose leadership, the Alamut castle was surrendered to the Mongols.


title: Alamut Castle

text: The expansion of Mongol power across Western Asia depended upon the conquest of the Islamic lands, the complete seizure of which would be impossible without dismantling the ardent Nizari Ismaili state. Consisting of over fifty strongholds unified under the central power of the Imam, the Nizaris represented a significant obstruction to the Mongol undertaking. The task of successively destroying these castles was assigned to Hulegu, under the direction of his brother, the Great Khan Möngke. Only after their destruction could the invading Mongols proceed to remove the Abbasid caliph from Baghdad and advance their conquest westward.


title: Alamut Castle

text: Before Hulegu set forth toward Persia, the threat to the Muslim world posed by the swelling Mongol force was perceived by the Ismaili Imam ‘Ala al-Din Muhammad, who in 1238 joined the Abbasid caliph, al-Mustansir, in appealing to the European monarchs of England and France to coalesce in a "Christian-Muslim Alliance" against the Mongols.(No credible source) Although the European rulers did not accept this proposal, the Ismaili Imam partnered again with the Sunni caliph in 1246 AD when the two journeyed to the enthronement of the Great Khan Güyük in Mongolia.No credible source exists for the Abbasid caliph journey to the Mongol court and it is not claimed in the aforementioned book either. Their joint expressions of peace were not acknowledged by the Mongol lord and shortly after in 1252 AD, the Mongols arrived in Quhistan.


title: Alamut Castle

text: The first Mongol attack on the Ismailis came in April 1253 AD, when many of the Quhistani fortresses were lost to the Christian Mongol general Ket-Buqa. By May, the Mongol troops had proceeded to the fortress of Girdkuh where Ismaili forces held ground for several months. In December, a cholera outbreak within the castle weakened the Ismaili defences. Reinforcements quickly arrived from the neighbouring Alamut fortress and thwarted the attacking Mongols, killing several hundred of Ket-Buqa's troops. The castle was saved but the subsequent Mongol assaults on the towns of Tun and Tus resulted in massacres. Across Khurasan the Mongols imposed tyrannical laws and were responsible for the mass displacement of the province's population.


title: Alamut Castle

text: After the massacres at Tun in 1256 AD, Hulegu became directly involved in the Mongol campaign to eliminate the Ismaili centres of power. From a lavish tent erected for him at Tus, Hulegu summoned the Ismaili governor at Quhistan, Nasir al-Din Muhtasham and demanded the surrender of all fortresses in his province. Nasir al-Din explained that submission could only come at the Imam's orders and that he, as governor, was powerless to seek the Ismailis' compliance.


title: Alamut Castle

text: Meanwhile, Imam ‘Ala al-Din Mohammad, who had been murdered, was succeeded by his son Rukn al-Din Khurshah in 1255 AD. In 1256 AD, Rukn al-Din commenced a series of gestures demonstrating his submission to the Mongols. In a show of his compliance and at the demand of Hulegu, Rukn al-Din began the dismantling process at Alamut, Maymundiz and Lamasar, removing towers and battlements. However, as winter approached, Hulegu took these gestures to be a means of delaying his seizure of the castles and on November 8, 1256, the Mongol troops quickly encircled the Maymundiz fortress and residence of the Imam. After four days of preliminary bombardment with significant casualties for both sides, the Mongols assembled their mangonels around the castle in preparation for a direct siege. There was still no snow on the ground and the attacks proceeded, forcing Rukn al-Din to declare his surrender in exchange for his and his family's safe passage. A "yarligh" (decree) was drafted and taken to the Imam by Juwayni. After another bombardment, Rukn al-Din descended from Maymundiz on 19 November.


title: Alamut Castle

text: In the hands of Hulegu, Rukn al-Din was forced to send the message of surrender to all the castles in the Alamut valley. At the Alamut fortress, the Mongol Prince Balaghai led his troops to the base of the castle, calling for the surrender of the commander of Alamut, Muqaddam al-Din. It was decreed that should he surrender and pledge his allegiance to the Great Khan within one day, the lives of those at Alamut would be spared. Maymundiz was reluctant and wondered if the Imam's message of surrender was an actually act of duress. In obedience to the Imam, Muqaddam and his men descended from the fortress, and the Mongol army entered Alamut and began its demolition.


title: Alamut Castle

text: Compared with Maymundiz, the Alamut fortress was far better fortified and could have long withstood the assaults of the Mongol army. However, the castle was relatively small in size and was easily surrounded by the Mongols. Still, the most significant factor in determining the defeat of the Ismailis at Alamut was the command by the Imam for the surrender of the castles in the valley. Many of the other fortresses had already complied, therefore not only would Muqaddam's resistance have resulted in a direct battle for the castle, but the explicit violation of the instructions of the Imam, which would impact significantly on the Ismaili commander's oath of total obedience to the Imam.


title: Alamut Castle

text: The conquest of the Ismaili castles was critical to the Mongol's political and territorial expansion westward. However, it was depicted by Juwayni as a "matter of divine punishment upon the heretics [at] the nest of Satan". Juwayni's depiction of the fall of the Nizari Ismaili state reveals the religious leanings of the anti-Ismaili historian. When Rukn al-Din arrived in Mongolia with promises to persuade the prevailing Ismaili fortresses to surrender, the Great Khan Mongke no longer believed the Imam to be of use. En route back to his homeland, Rukn al-Din was put to death. In his description of this, Juwayni concludes that the Imam's murder cleansed "the world which had been polluted by their evil". Subsequently, in Quhistan, the Ismailis were called by thousands to attend large gatherings, where they were massacred. While some escaped to neighbouring regions, the Ismailis who perished in the massacres following the capture of the Ismaili garrisons numbered nearly 100,000.


title: Alamut Castle

text: According to Ata-Malik Juvayni during the assault on the Alamut fort, "Khitayan" built siege weapons resembling crossbows were used. "Khitayan" meant Chinese and it was a type of arcuballista, deployed in 1256 under Hulagu's command. Stones were knocked off the castle and the bolts "burnt" a great number of the Assassins. They could fire a distance around 2,500 paces. The device was described as an "ox's bow". Pitch which was lit on fire was applied to the bolts of the weapon before firing. Another historian thinks that instead gunpowder might have been strapped onto the bolts which caused the burns during the battle recorded by Juvayini.


title: Alamut Castle

text: It was assumed that with the initial siege of the Alamut Castle in 1256 the Nizari Ismaili presence in the area would have been obliterated. Though the damage was extensive, Nizari forces were able to recapture the Castle in 1275, under the leadership of a son of Imam Rukn al-Din Khurshah, and a descent of the Khwarezmshahs, suggesting that the Mongol invasion did not completely wipe out the Nizari forces in that area. However, under the direction of the son of Hulagu Khan, Mongol forces recapture Alamut in 1282, marking the end of Nizari Ismaili rule in this region.


title: Alamut Castle

text: That noted, Mulla Shaykh Ali Gilani reported Ismaili activity in this region until the end of the sixteenth region, suggesting that Ismailis remained in the area, surviving the massacres, though the Imams opted to move their headquarters to Anjudan.


title: Alamut Castle

text: Evidence of another wave of destruction in the Safavid period has been found by archaeological studies in 2004 led by Hamideh Chubak. Further evidence suggests another Afghan attack on the castle.


title: Alamut Castle

text: The natural geographical features of the valley surrounding Alamut largely secured the castle's defence. Positioned atop a narrow rock base approximately 180 m above ground level, the fortress could not be taken by direct military force. To the east, the Alamut valley is bordered by a mountainous range called Alamkuh "(The Throne of Solomon)" between which the Alamut River flows. The valley's western entrance is a narrow one, shielded by cliffs over 350 m high. Known as the Shirkuh, the gorge sits at the intersection of three rivers: the Taliqan, Shahrud and Alamut River. For much of the year, the raging waters of the river made this entrance nearly inaccessible. Qazvin, the closest town to the valley by land can only be reached by an underdeveloped mule track upon which an enemy's presence could easily be detected given the dust clouds arising from their passage.


title: Alamut Castle

text: The military approach of the Nizari Ismaili state was largely a defensive one, with strategically chosen sites that appeared to avoid confrontation wherever possible without the loss of life. But the defining characteristic of the Nizari Ismaili state was that it was scattered geographically throughout Persia and Syria. The Alamut castle therefore was only one of a nexus of strongholds throughout the regions where Ismailis could retreat to safety if necessary. West of Alamut in the Shahrud Valley, the major fortress of Lamasar served as just one example of such a retreat. In the context of their political uprising, the various spaces of Ismaili military presence took on the name "dar al-hijra" (place of refuge). The notion of the "dar al-hijra" originates from the time of the Prophet Muhammad, who fled with his supporters from intense persecution to safe haven in Yathrib. In this way, the Fatimids found their "dar al-hijra" in North Africa. Likewise during the revolt against the Seljuqs, several fortresses served as spaces of refuge for the Ismailis.


title: Alamut Castle

text: In pursuit of their religious and political goals, the Ismailis adopted various military strategies popular in the Middle Ages. One such method was that of assassination, the selective elimination of prominent rival figures. The murders of political adversaries were usually carried out in public spaces, creating resounding intimidation for other possible enemies. Throughout history, many groups have resorted to assassination as a means of achieving political ends. In the Ismaili context, these assignments were performed by "fidā’īs" (devotees) of the Ismaili mission. They were unique in that civilians were never targeted. The assassinations were against those whose elimination would most greatly reduce aggression against the Ismailis and, in particular, against those who had perpetrated massacres against the community. A single assassination was usually employed in favour of widespread bloodshed resultant from factional combat. The first instance of assassination in the effort to establish an Nizari Ismaili state in Persia is widely considered to be the murder of Seljuq vizier, Nizam al-Mulk. Carried out by a man dressed as a Sufi whose identity remains unclear, the vizier's murder in a Seljuq court is distinctive of exactly the type of visibility for which missions of the fida’is have been significantly exaggerated. While the Seljuqs and Crusaders both employed assassination as a military means of disposing of factional enemies, during the Alamut period almost any murder of political significance in the Islamic lands was attributed to the Ismailis, whence they came to be known as the "Assassins".


title: Alamut Castle

text: During the medieval period, Western scholarship on the Ismailis contributed to the popular view of the community as a radical sect of assassins, believed to be trained for the precise murder of their adversaries. By the 14th century AD, European scholarship on the topic had not advanced much beyond the work and tales from the Crusaders. The origins of the word forgotten, across Europe the term "assassin"' had taken the meaning of "professional murderer". In 1603 the first Western publication on the topic of the Assassins was authored by a court official for King Henry IV and was mainly based on the narratives of Marco Polo (1254–1324) from his visits to the Near East. While he assembled the accounts of many Western travelers, the author failed to explain the etymology of the term Assassin.


title: Alamut Castle

text: The infamous Assassins were finally linked by orientalists scholar Silvestre de Sacy (d.1838) to the Arabic "hashish" using their variant names "assassini" and assissini in the 19th century. Citing the example of one of the first written applications of the Arabic term "hashishi" to the Ismailis by historian Abu Shams (d.1267), de Sacy demonstrated its connection to the name given to the Ismailis throughout Western scholarship. Ironically, the first known usage of the term "hashishi" has been traced back to 1122 AD, when the Fatimid Caliph al-Amir employed it in derogatory reference to the Syrian Nizaris. Without accusing the group of utilizing the hashish drug, the caliph used the term in a pejorative manner. This label was quickly applied by anti-Ismaili historians to the Ismailis of Syria and Persia. Used figuratively, the term "hashish" i connoted meanings such as outcasts or rabble. The spread of the term was further facilitated through military encounters between the Nizaris and the Crusaders, whose chroniclers adopted the term and disseminated it across Europe.


title: Alamut Castle

text: The legends of the Assassins had much to do with the training and instruction of Nizari "fida’is", famed for their public missions during which they often gave their lives to eliminate adversaries. Misinformation from the Crusader accounts and the works of anti-Ismaili historians have contributed to the tales of "fida’is" being fed with hashish as part of their training. Whether "fida’is" were actually trained or dispatched by Nizari leaders is unconfirmed, but scholars including Wladimir Ivanow purport that the assassination of key figures including Seljuq vizier Nizam al-Mulk likely provided encouraging impetus to others in the community who sought to secure the Nizaris from political aggression. In fact, the Seljuqs and Crusaders both employed assassination as a military means of disposing of factional enemies. Yet during the Alamut period almost any murder of political significance in the Islamic lands became attributed to the Ismailis. So inflated had this association grown, that in the work of Orientalist scholars such as Bernard Lewis the Ismailis were virtually equated to the politically active "fida’is". Thus the Nizari Ismaili community was regarded as a radical and heretical sect known as the Assassins. Originally, a "local and popular term" first applied to the Ismailis of Syria, the label was orally transmitted to Western historians and thus found itself in their histories of the Nizaris.


title: Alamut Castle

text: The tales of the "fida’is"’ training collected from anti-Ismaili historians and orientalists writers were confounded and compiled in Marco Polo’s account, in which he described a "secret garden of paradise". After being drugged, the Ismaili devotees were said be taken to a paradise-like garden filled with attractive young maidens and beautiful plants in which these "fida’is" would awaken. Here, they were told by an "old" man that they were witnessing their place in Paradise and that should they wish to return to this garden permanently, they must serve the Nizari cause. So went the tale of the "Old Man in the Mountain", assembled by Marco Polo and accepted by Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall (1774–1856), a prominent orientalist writer responsible for much of the spread of this legend. Until the 1930s, Hammer-Purgstall's retelling of the Assassin legends served across Europe as the standard account of the Nizaris.


title: Alamut Castle

text: Modern works on the Nizaris have elucidated the history of the Nizaris and in doing so, showed that much of the earlier popular history was inaccurate. In 1933, under the direction of the Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah, Aga Khan III (1877–1957), the Islamic Research Association was developed. Prominent historian Wladimir Ivanow, was central to both this institution and the 1946 Ismaili Society of Bombay. Cataloguing a number of Ismaili texts, Ivanow provided the ground for great strides in modern Ismaili scholarship.


title: Alamut Castle

text: In 2005, the archaeologist Peter Willey published evidence suggesting that the Assassin histories of earlier scholars were simply repeating inaccurate folklore. Drawing on its established esoteric doctrine, Willey asserts that the Ismaili understanding of Paradise is a deeply symbolic one. While the Qur'anic description of Heaven includes natural imagery, Willey argues that no Nizari "fida’i" would seriously believe that he was witnessing Paradise simply by awakening in a beauteous garden. The Nizaris' symbolic interpretation of the Qur'anic description of Paradise serves as evidence against the possibility of such an exotic garden having been used as motivation for the devotees to carry out suicidal missions. Furthermore, Willey points out that Juwayni, the courtier of the Great Khan Mongke, surveyed the Alamut castle just before the Mongol invasion. In Juwayni's reports about of the fortress, there are elaborate descriptions of sophisticated storage facilities and of the famous Alamut library. However, even this anti-Ismaili observer makes no mention of the folkloric gardens on the Alamut grounds. Having destroyed a number of texts of the library's collection, deemed by Juwayni to be heretical, it would be expected that he would have paid significant attention to the Nizari gardens, particularly if they were the site of drug use and temptation. Given that Juwayni makes no mention of all about such gardens, Willey concludes that there is no sound evidence that the gardens are anything more than legends. A reference collection of material excavated at Alamut Castle by Willey is in the British Museum.


title: Richard Tyson

text: Richard Tyson is an American actor. He is best known as Kaz in "Hardball" (1989–1990) as well as his film roles in "Three O'Clock High" (1987), "Two Moon Junction" (1988), "Kindergarten Cop" (1990), "Bound to Vengeance" (2015), and "Playing with Dolls" (2015).


title: Richard Tyson

text: Tyson was born in Mobile, Alabama. His brother John was the district attorney of Mobile County, and was later the Democratic Party nominee for attorney general of Alabama in June 2006.


title: Richard Tyson

text: Tyson starred in "Three O'Clock High", "Kindergarten Cop" and three films directed by the Farrelly brothers. He starred in the television series "Hardball". His roles in the 2000s included "The Fear Chamber", "Richard III", "Flight of the Living Dead", "No Bad Days" and the western "Shoot First and Pray You Live". He starred in the horror film "Big Bad Wolf" in which he is accused by his stepson of being a cruel and vicious werewolf.


title: Richard Tyson

text: Tyson played a former football star who owned the eponymous town in "Jake's Corner". He guest starred in "", "Boomtown" and "Martial Law". His other film appearances include "The Visitation", "Liar's Poker" and "Black Hawk Down". Tyson played Genghis Khan in the unfinished film of the same name, which was originally scheduled for release sometime in 1992.


title: Giardia

text: Giardia ( or ) is a genus of anaerobic flagellated protozoan parasites of the phylum Metamonada that colonise and reproduce in the small intestines of several vertebrates, causing the disease giardiasis. Their life cycle alternates between a swimming trophozoite and an infective, resistant cyst. "Giardia" were first described by the Dutch microscopist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek in 1681. The genus is named after French zoologist Alfred Mathieu Giard.


title: Giardia

text: Like other diplomonads, "Giardia" have two nuclei, each with four associated flagella, and were thought to lack both mitochondria and Golgi apparatuses. However, they are now known to possess a complex endomembrane system as well as mitochondrial remnants, called mitosomes, through mitochondrial reduction.


title: Giardia

text: About 40 species have been described from different animals, but many of them are probably synonyms. Currently, five to six morphologically distinct species are recognised. "Giardia lamblia" (="G. intestinalis", ="G. duodenalis") infect humans and other mammals, "G. muris" is found from other mammals, "G. ardeae" and "G. psittaci" from birds, "G. agilis" from amphibians and "G. microti" from voles. Other described (but not certainly valid), species include:


title: Giardia

text: Many different species of "Giardia" exist, so to differentiate between species, very specific PCR (Polymerase Chain Reactions) have been developed to detect specific "Giardia" spp. Gene probe-based detection is also used to differentiate between species of "Giardia". A more common and less time-consuming means of identifying different species of "Giardia" includes microscopy and immunofluorescence techniques.


title: Giardia

text: Genetic and biochemical studies have revealed the heterogeneity of "Giardia lamblia", which contains probably at least eight lineages or cryptic species.


title: Giardia

text: A "Giardia" isolate (WB) was the first diplomonad to have its genome sequenced. Its 11.7 million basepair genome is compact in structure and content with simplified basic cellular machineries and metabolism. Currently the genomes of several other "Giardia" isolates and diplomonads (the fish pathogens "Spironucleus vortens" and "S. salmonicida") are being sequenced.


title: Giardia

text: A second isolate (the B assemblage) from humans has been sequenced along with a species from a pig (the E assemblage). There are ~5000 genes in the genome. The E assemblage is more closely related to the A assemblage than is the B. A number of chromosomal rearrangements are present.


title: Giardia

text: "Giardia" lives in the intestines of infected humans or other animals, individuals of which become infected by ingesting or coming into contact with contaminated foods, soil, or water tainted by the feces of an infected carrier.


title: Giardia

text: The symptoms of "Giardia", which may begin to appear 2 days after infection, can include mild to violent diarrhoea, excess gas, stomach or abdominal cramps, upset stomach, and nausea. Resulting dehydration and nutritional loss may need immediate treatment. A typical infection can be slight, resolve without treatment, and last between 2–6 weeks, although it can sometimes last longer and/or be more severe. Coexistence with the parasite is possible (symptoms fade), but an infected individual can remain a carrier and transmit it to others. Medication containing tinidazole or metronidazole decreases symptoms and time to resolution. Albendazole is also used, and has an anthelmintic (anti-worm) property as well, ideal for certain compounded issues when a general vermicidal agent is preferred.


title: Giardia

text: "Giardia" causes a disease called giardiasis, which causes the villi of the small intestine to atrophy and flatten, resulting in malabsorption in the intestine. Lactose intolerance can persist after the eradication of "Giardia" from the digestive tract.


title: Giardia

text: As of 2008 cysts are commonly detected in surface water in Russia. Water treatment plants in Moscow are occasionally contaminated with the parasites and in many cities in Russia – including Saint Petersburg – the reputation of municipal water is so bad that residents preemptively boil drinking water.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: Jem, also known as Jem and the Holograms, is an American animated musical television series that ran from 1985 to 1988. The series is about record company owner Jerrica Benton, her singer alter-ego Jem, and the adventures of Jem and her band the Holograms.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: The series was a joint collaboration by Hasbro, Sunbow Productions and Marvel Productions, the same team responsible for "" and "Transformers". The creator of the series, Christy Marx, had also been a staff writer for the aforementioned programs. The animation for most of the episodes was provided by Japanese animation studio Toei Animation with some provided by South Korean studio AKOM.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: The series revolves around Jerrica Benton, the owner and manager of Starlight Music, and her alter-ego Jem, lead singer of the rock group the Holograms. Jerrica adopts the persona of Jem with the help of a holographic computer, known as Synergy, which was built by Jerrica's father to be "the ultimate audio-visual entertainment synthesizer" and is bequeathed to her after his death. Jerrica is able to command Synergy to project the hologram of Jem over herself by means of the remote micro-projectors in her earrings, thus disguising her features and clothing, enabling her to assume the Jem persona. Jem, through the use of her earrings, is also able to project holograms around her and uses this ability throughout the series to avoid danger and provide special effects for the performances of her group.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: The Holograms consists of Kimber Benton, Jerrica's younger sister, keyboardist, and main songwriter for the band; Aja Leith, Asian-American guitarist; Shana Elmsford, African-American, who plays the synth drums. Aja and Shana are also childhood friends, and adopted foster sisters of Jerrica and Kimber, having lived with the Benton family since they were young. Shana briefly leaves the group to pursue a career in fashion, at which point a new Latina character, Carmen "Raya" Alonso, is introduced as her replacement. The Holograms are aware of Jem's secret identity and the existence of Synergy when the series begins, while Raya is made aware unintentionally shortly before joining the group. Upon her return to the Holograms, Shana becomes the band's bassist.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: Episodes of the series frequently revolve around Jerrica's efforts to keep her two identities separate, protect Synergy from those who might exploit the holographic technology, and support the twelve foster children known as the Starlight Girls who live with her and the Holograms. The Misfits frequently attempt to upstage Jem and the Holograms' endeavors, often nearly resulting in physical harm to members of the group. This rivalry is encouraged and manipulated by their manager and central villain in the series, Eric Raymond, the former half-owner of Starlight Music who runs Misfits Music (later Stinger Sound) while working under Pizzazz's father, Harvey Gabor.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: During the series, Eric Raymond constantly plots to become owner of Starlight Music and get revenge on Jem and the Holograms for having cost him control of the company. Jerrica also deals with a complex and emotionally draining faux-love triangle involving her alter identity, Jem, and Rio Pacheco, Jerrica's longtime boyfriend. Rio romantically pursues both women, not knowing they are one and the same. Later in the series, Jem is also romantically sought after by Riot, who becomes infatuated with her – adding further complications to her relationships.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: In the final episode of the series, the Misfits and Jem declare a truce when Ba Nee, one of the most troubled foster girls in Starlight House, is claimed by her long-lost father. Her father is found by Jem and the Holograms with the help of Riot's father. Riot's relationship with his father is mended with the help of Jem.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: Hasbro hired advertising agency Griffin-Bacal Advertising, the founders of Sunbow Productions, to create the 65-episode animation series. Griffin-Bacal (Sunbow), as well as Marvel Productions, had previously created the successful "G.I. Joe" series for Hasbro. "G.I. Joe" writer Christy Marx was hired to create the series based on the line of dolls and the original concept, which consisted of the two girl bands, Synergy, the boyfriend Rio, and the Rockin' Roadster. Marx created the full character biographies and relationships, including the love triangle aspect between Rio and Jerrica Benton/Jem, Starlight Music and Starlight House, the Starlight Girls, the villain Eric Raymond and various secondary characters. Later, Marx was asked to develop new characters as they were introduced.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: Marx wrote 23 of the 65 episodes. Other writers for the series included Cary Bates, Greg Weisman, Paul Dini, Buzz Dixon, Ellen Guon, Steve Mitchell, Michael Reaves, David Wise, Marv Wolfman, Mary Skrenes, Beth Bornstein, Roger Slifer, Richard Merwin, Sandy Fries, Cheri Wilkerson, Misty Stewart-Taggart, George Arthur Bloom, Jina Bacarr, Barbara Petty, Chris Pelzer, Michael Charles Hill, Eric Early, Clare Noto, Carla Conway and Evelyn A. R. Gabai.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: The executive producers were Joe Bacal, Jay Bacal, Tom Griffin and Margaret Loesch. The story editor was Roger Slifer and Christy Marx featuring industry veteran Wally Burr as the series' voice director. The series' directors and supervising animators included many veterans of the DePatie-Freleng cartoon studio including Gerry Chiniquy, John Gibbs, Norm McCabe, Warren Batchelder and Tom Ray.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: Samantha Newark provided the speaking voices of Jem and Jerrica. Despite having toured as a child singer in Africa, she did not do the singing for Jem. The voiceover cast never auditioned for the music side of the series and vice versa. The music for Jem was all cast and recorded in New York and Atlanta and the voiceover actors were cast and recorded in Burbank, California. They matched the speaking voices of the cast to the singing voices. Britta Phillips, who had never before worked professionally as a singer, was cast as the singing voice of Jem after obtaining an audition through her father who worked on jingles in New York. The initial take from the audition was used as the first opening theme song, "Truly Outrageous". The remaining Holograms speaking voices were provided by Cathianne Blore (Kimber Benton/Aja Leith), Cindy McGee (Shana Elmsford), and Linda Dangcil (Carmen 'Raya' Alonso).


title: Jem (TV series)

text: The Misfits' speaking voices were provided by Patricia Alice Albrecht (Phyllis "Pizzazz" Gabor), Samantha Paris/Bobbie Block (Roxanne "Roxy" Pellegrini), Susan Blu (Mary "Stormer" Phillips), and Louise Dorsey (Sheila "Jetta" Burns), the daughter of Engelbert Humperdinck. Ellen Bernfeld provided the singing voice of Pizzazz.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: The Stingers' speaking voices were provided by Townsend Coleman (Rory "Riot" Llewelyn), Ellen Gerstell (Phoebe "Rapture" Ashe), and Kath Soucie (Ingrid "Minx" Kruger). Gordon Grody, a vocal coach who later worked with Lady Gaga, provided the singing voice for Riot.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: Other notable cast members included Charlie Adler, who had already had a lengthy voice-over career, as the central villain Eric Raymond. He also provided the voices of both of Eric's major henchmen Zipper and Techrat. Vicki Sue Robinson, famous for the 1970s discothèque-oriented hit "Turn the Beat Around", provided the singing voices of both Rapture and Minx. Ari Gold, pop singer and songwriter, gave the singing voice of Ba Nee.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: The inclusion of music videos in "Jem" was a result of the success and popularity of MTV (Music Television) at the time, which began airing four years prior. The placement of the songs throughout each episode was done to complement the story and the use of music videos in the show was considered "radical" for the time. The show contains a total of 187 music videos with 151 unique songs.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: The series' format called for three fully produced songs for the featured music videos in each episode. Anne Bryant composed the music. Lyrics for the show's featured songs were written by Barry Harman. The theme song "JEMTruly, Truly, Truly Outrageous" was the opening and closing theme for the show until late 1987, when Bryant's second theme, "JEM GIRLS" became the series' opening theme for the majority of episodes and "JEMTruly, Truly, Truly Outrageous" was kept as the show's permanent closing theme. Music videos featured an "in-your-face" style that was directed at the viewer or the more traditional style. The music videos paralleled the style of rock videos found on MTV at the time featuring fast editing, a quick pace, and special effects.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: Ellen Bernfeld, performing as Pizzazz, Britta Phillips, performing as Jem, and Gordon Grody, performing as Riot, the lead singer of the Stingers, along with Diva Gray, Florence Warner and Angela Capelli were the voices of the pop, funk and punk electronica productions, supported by Britta Phillips's father, pianist Peter Phillips, and by guitarist Steve Bill, bassist Tom Barney and set drummer and electronic drum programmer Tom Oldakowski. Anne Bryant, who chose the singers and musicians, created a pure young pop sound for Jem and the Holograms supported by acoustic instruments. The sound for the Misfits was crafted as strictly electronic other than the addition of guitars and an occasional sax solo when the character of Jetta was introduced into the Misfits. This was done to create an identifiable punk electronica style in stark contrast to their rival singing groups. In season three, Bryant introduced the slower, smooth, sexy/funky groove for the third group that entered the show, the Stingers.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: No official "Jem" soundtrack was ever released; however, many of the songs from the first season were released on cassette with dolls or play-sets.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: "Jem" was the #1 Nielsen rated syndicated cartoon series in November 1986, and in 1987, it was the third most watched children's program in syndication with 2.5 million viewers weekly. "Jem" has aired in multiple countries including Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, West Germany, Netherlands, United States, Italy and France. The show was nominated for the Young Artist Award twice, once in 1986 for "Exceptional Young Actresses in Animation: Series, Specials, or Film Features" for Samantha Newark's performance, then in 1988 for "Best Animation Series".


title: Jem (TV series)

text: The long-standing popularity of Mattel's Barbie franchise led to a competition between Hasbro's "Jem" product line and Barbie and the Rockers, a similar product line by Mattel. This resulted in reduced sales for both products. Hasbro discontinued the "Jem" toyline at the end of 1987 after it failed to meet sales expectations but, despite this, the series continued production and aired until 1988. "Jem" was partially released on DVD in multiple countries, with a complete set available for the first time in 2011. The same year, "Jem" began airing on The Hub in the United States, causing a significant increase in the ratings for the channel. It also aired on Teletoon Retro in Canada.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: Christy Marx has long expressed a desire to make a modern-day revival of the animated series, but stated in a 2004 interview that there are a great deal of complications concerning the rights to the "Jem" properties.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: After almost 20 years, since last airing in the United States in 1993 on the USA Network (in re-runs), "Jem" returned to syndication. The series aired reruns on The Hub Network/Discovery Family from May 31, 2011, to November 15, 2015.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: On July 25, 2011, Teletoon Retro, a Canadian channel dedicated to cartoons, announced that "Jem" would be part of its fall 2011 lineup. On April 5, 2012, Hasbro announced that "Jem", along with several other Hasbro franchises, will be available on Netflix.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: On September 8, 2011, Hasbro issued a press release announcing its attendance at the 2011 New York Comic Con convention, which ran from October 13 to October 16. The press release stated that Hasbro would be showing new and upcoming products from its toy lines at its booth, including "Jem and the Holograms".


title: Jem (TV series)

text: On June 27, 2012, Integrity Toys, Inc. announced their plans to release a brand-new series of collectible fashion dolls based on the TV series. The special edition Hollywood Jem doll became available at the Hasbro Toy Shop booth during Comic-Con International in San Diego at an approximate retail price of $135. The Jem doll sold out on day two of the convention.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: On October 5, 2012, the four (then-upcoming) dolls in the new Integrity Toys limited edition collectible line were presented with pictures: Classic Jem, Jerrica Benton, Synergy and Rio Pacheco. The suggested retail price is US$119 and they began shipping in late November 2012; pre-orders were accepted via Integrity Toys' network of authorized dealers. As of October 2016, Integrity Toys has produced over forty different dolls based on the classic show.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: In 2011, Hasbro released a one-off comic book titled "Unit:E" as an exclusive at the New York Comic-Con; this was created by "HasLab" as a potential multi-brand crossover platform. The plot depicted Synergy, now an alien artificial intelligence, assisting the descendant of Acroyear and a Biotron from "Micronauts" in searching for heroes to help him combat Baron Karza. She shows them characters from "G.I. Joe", "Transformers", "Battleship Galaxies", "Stretch Armstrong", "Action Man", "M.A.S.K." and "Candy Land" among others. Jerrica herself is shown as not having taken up the Jem identity yet, but will eventually compose the "Music of the Spheres" (presumably with Synergy's aid). The comic was never followed up.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: The "Jem" comic book was released by IDW in March 2015: written by Kelly Thompson, art by Sophie Campbell and colors by M. Victoria Robado. The comic book offers a modern re-imagining of the series with new character designs and different situations, such as the Holograms and the Misfits being unsigned bands at the start with Eric Raymond being hired as the Misfits' manager during the second story arc. In addition, Kimber and Stormer begin a romantic relationship. As of Issue #16, which is Campbell's final issue as regular artist, The Stingers have been introduced to the series with Raya featured as a fourth member of the band. The title's current status within the new Hasbro Comic Book Universe (consisting of several new or relaunched titles, using the IDW "Transformers" comics as the backbone for a cohesive universe) has been somewhat erratic; IDW writers have generally indicated that, while characters from "Jem" will not show up in crossovers (including the "Revolution" mini-series that launched the universe), they do exist and will receive occasional references. The series ended on June 14, 2017, with issue #26, but a six-issue miniseries--"Jem & the Holograms: Infinite #1 and Jem & the Holograms: Misfits Infinite #1" was released later in the month.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: A one-shot "Jem and the Holograms: IDW 20/20" was published in January 2019 as part of "IDW 20/20" which celebrated the 20th anniversary of IDW Publishing. The comic takes place 20 years after the final issue of the ongoing comic.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: After the success of "G.I. Joe" and "Transformers" films, Hasbro began considering a live-action film adaptation or a new incarnation of the animated series with Universal Pictures, with which Hasbro had signed a six-film contract in 2010.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: On March 20, 2014, a live-action motion picture adaptation of "Jem and the Holograms" was announced, to be directed by Jon M. Chu. Filming on the production began in April 2014. On April 24, it was announced that Aubrey Peeples had been cast as Jem, with Stefanie Scott as Kimber, Hayley Kiyoko as Aja and Aurora Perrineau as Shana. On April 30, 2014, actor Ryan Guzman was cast as Rio. On May 20, Juliette Lewis and Molly Ringwald joined the film. The film was theatrically released on October 23, 2015; it received generally negative reviews from critics and fans, with criticism targeted at the angsty teen drama, strayed too far from the source material as well as original series fan content being manipulated into reaction to the in-film characters. It was a box office bomb, grossing less than half its $5 million budget, and was removed from theaters by Universal after two weeks. "SF Weekly" criticized the fan backlash as entitlement.


title: Jem (TV series)

text: Hasbro Studios with Legacy Recordings released its first non-soundtrack album, "Truly Outrageous: A Tribute to Starlight Records" on August 7, 2015. The record was part of the promotion of the "Jem" film. The album consisted of original songs that only had the titles and sometimes a few lyrics in common with the Jem TV series songs. This release was digital only.


title: Molecular mass

text: The molecular mass ("m") is the mass of a given molecule: it is measured in daltons (Da or u). Different molecules of the same compound may have different molecular masses because they contain different isotopes of an element. The related quantity relative molecular mass, as defined by IUPAC, is the ratio of the mass of a molecule to the unified atomic mass unit (also known as the dalton) and is unitless. The molecular mass and relative molecular mass are distinct from but related to the molar mass. The molar mass is defined as the mass of a given substance divided by the amount of a substance and is expressed in g/mol. That makes the molar mass an average of many particles or molecules, and the molecular mass the mass of one specific particle or molecule. The molar mass is usually the more appropriate figure when dealing with macroscopic (weigh-able) quantities of a substance.


title: Molecular mass

text: The definition of molecular weight is most authoritatively synonymous with relative molecular mass; however, in common practice, it is highly variable. When the molecular weight is used with the units Da or u, it is frequently as a weighted average similar to the molar mass but with different units. In molecular biology, the mass of macromolecules is referred to as their molecular weight and is expressed in kDa, although the numerical value is often approximate and representative of an average.


title: Molecular mass

text: The terms molecular mass, molecular weight, and molar mass are often used interchangeably in areas of science where distinguishing between them is unhelpful. In other areas of science, the distinction is crucial. The molecular mass is more commonly used when referring to the mass of a single or specific well-defined molecule and less commonly than molecular weight when referring to a weighted average of a sample. Prior to the 2019 redefinition of SI base units quantities expressed in daltons (Da or u) were by definition numerically equivalent to otherwise identical quantities expressed in the units g/mol and were thus strictly numerically interchangeable. After the 20 May 2019 redefinition of units, this relationship is only nearly equivalent.


title: Molecular mass

text: The molecular mass of small to medium size molecules, measured by mass spectrometry, can be used to determine the composition of elements in the molecule. The molecular masses of macromolecules, such as proteins, can also be determined by mass spectrometry; however, methods based on viscosity and light-scattering are also used to determine molecular mass when crystallographic or mass spectrometric data are not available.


title: Molecular mass

text: Molecular masses are calculated from the atomic masses of each nuclide present in the molecule, while relative molecular masses are calculated from the standard atomic weights of each element. The standard atomic weight takes into account the isotopic distribution of the element in a given sample (usually assumed to be "normal"). For example, water has a relative molecular mass of 18.0153(3), but individual water molecules have molecular masses which range between 18.010 564 6863(15) Da (HO) and 22.027 7364(9) Da (HO).


title: Molecular mass

text: Atomic and molecular masses are usually reported in daltons which is defined relative to the mass of the isotope C (carbon 12). Relative atomic and molecular mass values as defined are dimensionless. However, the "unit" Dalton is still used in common practice. For example, the relative molecular mass and molecular mass of methane, whose molecular formula is CH, are calculated respectively as follows:


title: Molecular mass

text: The uncertainty in molecular mass reflects variance (error) in measurement not the natural variance in isotopic abundances across the globe. In high-resolution mass spectrometry the mass isotopomers CH and CH are observed as distinct molecules, with molecular masses of approximately 16.031 Da and 17.035 Da, respectively. The intensity of the mass-spectrometry peaks is proportional to the isotopic abundances in the molecular species. C H H can also be observed with molecular mass of 17 Da.


title: Molecular mass

text: In mass spectrometry, the molecular mass of a small molecule is usually reported as the monoisotopic mass, that is, the mass of the molecule containing only the most common isotope of each element. Note that this also differs subtly from the molecular mass in that the choice of isotopes is defined and thus is a single specific molecular mass of the many possibilities. The masses used to compute the monoisotopic molecular mass are found on a table of isotopic masses and are not found on a typical periodic table. The average molecular mass is often used for larger molecules since molecules with many atoms are unlikely to be composed exclusively of the most abundant isotope of each element. A theoretical average molecular mass can be calculated using the standard atomic weights found on a typical periodic table, since there is likely to be a statistical distribution of atoms representing the isotopes throughout the molecule. The average molecular mass of a sample, however, usually differs substantially from this since a single sample average is not the same as the average of many geographically distributed samples.


title: Molecular mass

text: Mass photometry (MP) is a rapid, in-solution, label-free method of obtaining the molecular mass of proteins, lipids, sugars & nucleic acids at the single-molecule level. The technique is based on interferometric scattered light microscopy. Contrast from scattered light by a single binding event at the interface between the protein solution and glass slide is detected and is linearly proportional to the mass of the molecule. This technique is also capable of measuring sample homogeneity, detecting protein oligomerisation state, characterisation of complex macromolecular assemblies (ribosomes, GroEL, AAV) and protein interactions such as protein-protein interactions. Mass photometry can measure molecular mass to an accurate degree over a wide range of molecular masses (40kDa – 5MDa).


title: Molecular mass

text: To a first approximation, the basis for determination of molecular mass according to Mark–Houwink relations is the fact that the intrinsic viscosity of solutions (or suspensions) of macromolecules depends on volumetric proportion of the dispersed particles in a particular solvent. Specifically, the hydrodynamic size as related to molecular mass depends on a conversion factor, describing the shape of a particular molecule. This allows the apparent molecular mass to be described from a range of techniques sensitive to hydrodynamic effects, including DLS, SEC (also known as GPC when the eluent is an organic solvent), viscometry, and diffusion ordered nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (DOSY). The apparent hydrodynamic size can then be used to approximate molecular mass using a series of macromolecule-specific standards. As this requires calibration, it's frequently described as a "relative" molecular mass determination method.


title: Molecular mass

text: It is also possible to determine absolute molecular mass directly from light scattering, traditionally using the Zimm method. This can be accomplished either via classical static light scattering or via multi-angle light scattering detectors. Molecular masses determined by this method do not require calibration, hence the term "absolute". The only external measurement required is refractive index increment, which describes the change in refractive index with concentration.


title: The Way, Way Back

text: The Way, Way Back is a 2013 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash in their directorial debuts. It stars Liam James as Duncan, an introverted 14-year-old who goes on summer vacation to Wareham, Massachusetts with his mother and her overbearing boyfriend. It also stars Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, AnnaSophia Robb, Sam Rockwell, and Maya Rudolph, with Rob Corddry, Amanda Peet, Faxon, and Rash in supporting roles.


title: The Way, Way Back

text: Faxon and Rash conceived the film in the early 2000s; however, it spent several years in development hell before funding could be secured. Eventually, Fox Searchlight Pictures (the same studio which distributed other independent films such as "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Juno") agreed to distribute the film. Filming lasted several months during summer 2012. It premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, and had a wider release on July 5, 2013, where it received positive reviews and was a box office success, grossing $26.9 million against its $5 million budget.


title: The Way, Way Back

text: Introverted 14-year-old Duncan from Albany, New York, reluctantly goes on summer vacation to a beach house in a small seaside town near Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with his mother, Pam; her wealthy boyfriend, Trent; and Trent's arrogant daughter, Steph. Trent emotionally belittles Duncan, frequently making comments and gestures that are condescending and rude to him. Steph follows suit in attitude towards him and is spoiled by Trent. On the way to the beach house, Trent asks Duncan to rate himself on a scale of one to ten; Duncan rates himself a six while Trent tells him he thinks Duncan is a three. They arrive at the beach house and are greeted by the neighbors: the gregarious, hard-drinking Betty, her children Susanna and Peter, and married couple Kip and Joan. Later that evening, Duncan and Susanna have an awkward conversation from their adjacent porches.


title: The Way, Way Back

text: Duncan discovers a small girl's bicycle in the garage of the beach house and uses it to begin exploring the town. At a pizza restaurant, he runs into the staff of Water Wizz, the local water park. He meets Owen, who is playing "Pac-Man", and eventually Owen takes Duncan under his wing and shows him around the park. Duncan meets the park's colorful, rag-tag group of employees: Caitlin, Lewis, and Roddy. Several youths at the water park speak reverently of a legendary pass in the tube slide, wondering how it could have been done. Owen hires Duncan for odd jobs at Water Wizz.


title: The Way, Way Back

text: Outside the park, Duncan is continually neglected by his mother, Pam, who indulges in drinking, staying out at night, and smoking marijuana with other adult vacationers. At a Fourth of July cookout, Susanna sees that he is upset about this and invites him to go hunting for ghost crabs with her and Peter, where she talks about her absent father and helps Duncan open up. Later that night, Duncan witnesses Trent and Joan kissing by the side of the house, but does not reveal what he saw.


title: The Way, Way Back

text: Pam begins to suspect Trent and Joan are having an affair, but Trent convinces her nothing is going on. Later, Duncan confronts Pam in front of friends and neighbors and tells her to face up to Trent's affair and get rid of him. Trent interjects, and Duncan insults and shoves him; Trent indignantly tells Duncan his divorced father does not want him. Duncan stalks away. Susanna follows him and comforts Duncan out on the beach. Duncan attempts to kiss Susanna, but she moves away, which makes him become even more upset. Accompanied by Peter, Duncan sneaks away to Water Wizz where Owen is throwing a going-away party for Lewis.


title: The Way, Way Back

text: After spending all night with his friends at Water Wizz, Duncan is still at the park the next morning, refusing to leave. When Owen confronts him, Duncan opens up about his relationship with Trent and how the water park is the only place where he feels happy and accepted. Owen sympathizes with Duncan, recalling his upbringing where he was forced to abide to strict rules and patterns. He advises Duncan to disregard Trent's criticisms and go his own way.


title: The Way, Way Back

text: When Duncan returns to the beach house, Pam tells him they are leaving with Trent and Steph. Betty and her kids arrive to say their goodbyes. Susanna finally kisses Duncan. When Trent stops for gas on their way out of town, Duncan jumps out of the station wagon and runs to Water Wizz, followed by his mother, then Trent and Steph. Duncan tells Owen and the other employees that he has to leave and tells Owen to follow him. He takes Owen to the Devil's Peak slide, and Duncan becomes the first person to ever pass someone in the water slide while the rest of the park watches. After finally introducing Owen to his mother, Duncan says goodbye to everyone at the park. Owen tells Pam of Duncan’s good nature, and introduces himself to Trent as "a good friend of the three". Trent then attempts to bypass Owen in order to bring Duncan back to the car, but Owen blocks him and Trent retreats. Duncan hugs and thanks Owen "for everything." Trent, Steph, Pam and Duncan regroup in the car, where Pam finally stands up for herself as they head out of town. Pam climbs to the “way way back” of the car where Duncan is sitting, and they share a smile as Trent's protests are heard in the background.


title: The Way, Way Back

text: The film had its premiere screening at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. It was one of the most financially successful films to come out of the festival that year, outperforming well-known entries and Oscar-nominated films from the previous year. It was released on July 5, 2013 in 19 theaters and surpassed box office expectations, averaging an impressive $30,263 per screen and grossing $525,000 for the weekend. On July 15, 2013, it was added to an additional 60 theaters and grossed $1,110,000. It ended up earning $21,506,546 in North America and $4,968,374 elsewhere, for a total of $26,474,920.


title: The Way, Way Back

text: "The Way, Way Back" received positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes it has a rating of 83% based on 185 reviews, with an average score of 7.30/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Despite its familiar themes, "The Way Way Back" makes use of its talented cast, finely tuned script, and an abundance of charm to deliver a funny and satisfying coming-of-age story". On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100 based on 41 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".


title: The Way, Way Back

text: Inkoo Kang of "The Village Voice" called the film "a crowd-pleasing summer treat, predictable in its sweetness but satisfying all the same". BBC Radio 5 Live film critic Mark Kermode praised the performances of Sam Rockwell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney and Maya Rudolph and similarly reasoned that whilst "it's not world-changing, or earth-shattering" the film is "really sweet and funny". David Gritten of "The Daily Telegraph" also praised the scene-stealing performances of Janney and Rockwell, concluding that despite a flood of similar coming-of-age films released in 2013 the film "feels warm, funny—and even fresh". Catherine Shoard of "The Guardian" gave the film a positive review, concluding that "for all the longueurs, there are still enough moments of near brilliance to sustain you through the trip". Betsy Sharkey of the "Los Angeles Times" commended the film's quirky dialogue and cast performances, calling the film "witty, heartwarming, hopeful, sentimental, searing and relatable".


title: The Way, Way Back

text: Sam Rockwell's performance was met with critical praise, with many critics agreeing that his performance was deserving of an Academy Award nomination. MaryAnn Johanson of "Flick Filosopher" said that Rockwell "makes the biggest splash with a sizzling supporting performance. Not only is he naturally funny, but he has the great ability to make every sharp line of dialogue sound freshly improvised."


title: The Way, Way Back

text: A.A. Dowd of "The A.V. Club" gave the film a C+, describing it as "generically constructed" and "never as refreshing as it's constantly straining to be".


title: Chennai Metro

text: The Chennai Metro is a rapid transit system serving the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is the 4th longest metro system In india. The system commenced service in 2015 after partially opening the first phase of the project. The network consists of two colour-coded lines covering a length of . The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), a joint venture between Government of India and the Government of Tamil Nadu built and operates the Chennai Metro. The system has a mix of underground and elevated stations and uses standard gauge. The services operate daily between 4:30 and 23:00 with a varying frequency of 5 to 14 minutes.


title: Chennai Metro

text: Chennai had an established Chennai Suburban Railway network that spanned from Beach to Tambaram, which dates back to 1931 and operated on a metre-gauge line. This service is now being continued after conversion to broad gauge line up to Chengalpattu. The suburban network also consists of two more suburban lines, the west bound Dr. M.G.R. Central–Arakkonam suburban service and the north bound Dr. M.G.R. Central–Gummidipoondi. The first phase of Chennai Mass Rapid Transit System, India's first elevated line between Chennai Beach and Thirumayilai opened in 1995 with an extension to Velachery in 2007. Modeled after the Delhi Metro, a similar modern metro rail system was planned for Chennai by Delhi Metro chief E Sreedharan due to his special interest in the Chennai city.


title: Chennai Metro

text: The Blue Line or Line 1 is a operational line which stretches from Chennai International Airport to Wimco Nagar Depot. The line consists of 26 stations out of which 13 stations are underground and 13 stations are elevated.


title: Chennai Metro

text: The Inter Corridor Line is a operational line which stretches from Chennai Central to Chennai International Airport. The line consists of 14 stations out of which 8 stations are underground and 6 stations are elevated.


title: Chennai Metro

text: The Green Line or Line 2 is a operational line which stretches from Chennai Central to St. Thomas Mount. Out of the 18 stations, 9 stations are underground and 9 are elevated.


title: Chennai Metro

text: Purple or Line 3 is under construction line, it stretches from Madhavaram Milk Colony to Siruseri Sipcot 2. The line will consist of 50 stations, out of which 30 are underground and 20 are elevated.


title: Chennai Metro

text: Orange Line or Line 4 is under construction line which stretches from Light House to Poonamallee Bypass. The line will consist of 30 stations, out of which 12 are underground and 18 are elevated.


title: Chennai Metro

text: Red Line or Line 5 part of phase II is under construction line stretches from Madhavaram Milk Colony to Sholinganallur. The line will consist of 48 stations, out of which 6 are underground, 1 at grade and 41 are elevated.


title: Chennai Metro

text: In 2007–08, was sanctioned for preliminary work, which included a Detailed Project Report to be prepared by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. The project was approved by the state cabinet on 7 November 2007 and was to be executed by a Special Purpose Vehicle, the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) covering two lines for 45 km with 24 km being underground. Seven lines were planned by the DMRC for the Chennai Metro network. Planning commission gave in-principle approval for the project on 16 April 2008. On 21 November 2009, a deal was signed with the Japan Banking Corporation for a loan.


title: Chennai Metro

text: In February 2009, Hyderabad-based Soma Enterprise was awarded a contract for the construction of a long viaduct along the Inner Ring Road. The construction started on 10 June 2009 with the piling work for the elevated viaduct between Koyambedu and Ashok Nagar stretch.


title: Chennai Metro

text: In January 2011, Larsen and Toubro was awarded the contract for elevated viaducts and a depot at Koyambedu for . In March 2011, Chennai Metro reached an agreement with the Government of Japan for a loan of for the second phase. In June, tenders for the elevated stations of the first phase were awarded to Consolidated Construction Consortium Limited. In August 2010, the contract for supplying rolling stock was awarded to Alstom at a cost of . In December 2010, DMRC submitted a report for extending Corridor-I from Washemenpet to Wimco Nagar, a distance of at an estimated cost of .


title: Chennai Metro

text: In January 2011, a contract for design and construction of track works was awarded to a joint venture of L&T and Alstom and a contract for supply of lifts and escalators was awarded to a joint venture of Johnson Lifts and SJEC Corporation. In February 2011, contracts were awarded for the construction of underground sections of the first phase. The contract for power supply and overhead electrification was awarded to Siemens for . Contracts for automatic fare collection (AFC), tunnel ventilation and air conditioning were awarded to Nippon Signal, Emirates Trading Agency and Voltas for , and .


title: Chennai Metro

text: In July 2012, the first tunnel boring machine was launched and by October 2012, eleven machines were commissioned to bore tunnels along the underground stretch by three consortiums, namely Afcons-Transtonnelstroy, L&T and SUCG, Gammon India and Mosmetrostroy involved in the construction. On 6 November 2013, the test run along a stretch of track was conducted. On 14 February 2014, the maiden trial run for the metro was conducted between the Koyambedu and Ashok Nagar stations. In August 2014, the metro received the statutory speed certification clearance from the Research Design and Standards Organisation. In January 2015, a report was submitted to the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety for approval. In April 2015, the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety inspected the rolling stock and submitted a report to the Railway Board. On 29 June 2015, commercial operations started between Alandur and Koyambedu stations and almost a year later, on 21 September 2016, commercial operations commenced between Chennai International Airport metro station and Little Mount by the then Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. Commercial operations commenced in the first underground line between Thirumangalam metro station to Nehru Park metro station on 14 May 2017 and the underground stretches – Nehru Park metro station to Chennai Central metro station and Saidapet metro station to AG-DMS metro station were opened a year later on 25 May 2018 by the then Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami. On 10 February 2019, the underground stretch from AG-DMS to Washermanpet of blue line was opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, completing phase 1 of the metro.


title: Chennai Metro

text: The government planned a northern extension of the Blue Line running from Washermanpet metro station to Wimco Nagar. The line runs underground for the first until Tondiarpet after which it becomes elevated along the Thiruvottriyur high road and consists of a total of nine stations.


title: Chennai Metro

text: Construction started in July 2016 after approval by the Central government. The trial runs were conducted successfully in December 2020 and the line opened for passenger traffic on 14 February 2021 by Prime minister Narendra Modi. This increased the length of the whole metro system to .


title: Chennai Metro

text: Tunnels for the Chennai Metro were drilled using Tunnel boring machines (TBMs) brought from Russia and China. In December 2011, two TBMs were shipped to Chennai from China. A total of 12 TBMs were deployed from July 2012, 8 from Germany, 2 from China, and 1 each from the United States and Japan. The first tunnel work commenced in July 2012 from Nehru Park to Egmore for a distance of 948 meters. By December 2017, upon completion of the tunneling work of the Chennai Metro, all the machines were shipped backed to their origin countries. Each TBM weighed 850 tonnes and was able to drill hard surfaces, creating tunnel passages to connect underground stations. The length of the TBMs was about 85 to 90 meters. Tunnels were bored 50 feet below the surface, and each kilometer of tunneling cost 3,000 million. The average length of tunneling was 6 to 8 meters a day.


title: Chennai Metro

text: When the project was initiated in 2007, the estimated cost of the first phase was with a forecasted 5% increase. As of 2014, the cost for the first phase escalated to . The phase 1 extension costed 3,770 crores with 60 percent funded by JICA.


title: Chennai Metro

text: E. Sreedharan, in 2013, stressed on the need of a greater expansion of Chennai metro network by undertaking subsequent phases. In July 2016, the then Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa announced that Chennai Metro Phase 2 would be 104 km long and have 104 stations. In July 2017, in a suo motu statement in the State Legislative Assembly, an extension in Phase II, involving an extension of Line 4 from Lighthouse up to Poonamallee, with the Madhavaram–Sholinganallur and Lighthouse–Poonamallee lines intersecting at Alwarthirunagar was announced, making Phase 2 118.91 km long. The key focus for Phase 2 is to connect the northern (Madhavaram, Thiruvottriyur, Redhills) and southern parts (Siruseri, Sholinganallur) and the east parts of Chennai (Light house, Mylapore) to the western parts of Chennai (Porur, Poonamallee). Tamil Nadu Road Development Corporation (TNRDC) has also proposed an elevated four-lane corridor for the IT corridor from Taramani to Siruseri. CMRL will construct its piers on top of the flyover built by TNRDC.


title: Chennai Metro

text: The lines 3, 4 and 5 are proposed to have underground and elevated routes. The present estimate for the phase 2 stands at 61,000 crore and approval has been received from the state government. Foundation stone for phase 2 was laid on 20 November 2020 by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and construction commenced on 1 June 2021. The construction work for certain sections of the second phase of Chennai Metro Rail project is hit due to delay in the selection of the general consultant (GC) after concerns were raised by more than 50% of bidders on the CMRL shortlisting companies based on their technical qualifications. Addressing an event in Chennai, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday 14 February 2021 said the Centre has set aside 63,000 crore in this year’s Budget for the second phase of Chennai Metro totaling 119 km, which is one of the largest projects sanctioned for any city in one-go. The map and list of stations for all 3 proposed lines to be part of Phase 2 has also been published by CMRL. Phase 2 will have trains with three and six coaches, making a total of 414 coaches.


title: Chennai Metro

text: The stations in phase II will be smaller at compared with in phase I. Phase II will have three depots, namely, Madhavaram (27.8 hectares), SIPCOT (), and Poonamallee ().


title: Chennai Metro

text: The cost for the second phase was estimated at with the project funded by the government and the lending agencies. JICA has sanctioned concessional loan amounts of for the project. Phase 2 is to be funded partially by JICA, AIIB, ADB and NDB. Further the blue line extension from Airport to kilambakkam is estimated at .


title: Chennai Metro

text: The 25 km long Chennai Mass Rapid Transit System is likely to be handed over to CMRL by the Southern Railway. The entire system from Mount–Velachery–Beach will be upgraded as a broad gauge metro with all the facilities of the metro stations which includes tracks, security, ticketing system and the rolling stock (Air conditioned). On 11 May 2022, Southern Railway granted in-principle approval for the Chennai Metro to takeover the MRTS.


title: Chennai Metro

text: List of projects that the CMRL holds for future development in Chennai include Chennai Metrolite, Chennai Metro phase 1 southern extension, construction of Central Square, various commercial complexes and multi-storied buildings along CMRL's land, construction of metro depots. Chennai Metro phase 3 as envisaged in the Chennai Comprehensive Mobility Plan, and so forth.


title: Chennai Metro

text: Projects that CMRL holds for future development in Tamil Nadu include Coimbatore Metro, Tiruchirapalli Metro, Madurai Metro, Salem Metro, Tirunelveli Metro and Hosur Metro (Namma Metro Yellow Line Extension)


title: Chennai Metro

text: Chennai Metro runs in standard gauge measuring and the lines are double-tracked. The rail tracks were manufactured in Brazil and the raw material was supplied by Tata Steel. The average speed of operation is and maximum speed is . Chennai Metro operates trains from 4:30 AM to 11:00 PM with a frequency of one train every 4.5 minutes in peak hours and every 15 minutes in lean hours. CMRL plans to increase the frequency to one train every 2.5 minutes once footfalls reach 600,000 passengers a day.


title: Chennai Metro

text: 1. Single journey tokens, which need to be purchased each time for every journey at the ticket counter or in ticket vending machines available at all stations. The rates vary between ₹10 and ₹60 for one journey. Alternatively, single and return journey tickets can be bought through the CMRL app with QR code ticket scanners at stations.


title: Chennai Metro

text: 2. Stored value cards (SVC) are pre-paid, rechargeable, travel cards that can be purchased at any ticket counter against a refundable deposit of ₹50. They can be recharged up to a maximum of ₹2000 at any ticket counter or in automated ticket vending machines available at all stations. Frequent users of Chennai metro can use this card. A discount of 10% is applicable for the users of SVC. Therefore, the rates vary between ₹9 and ₹54 for a single journey.


title: Chennai Metro

text: 3. Trip Cards are for persons traveling between the same two stations regularly. The fares are discounted by 20% and are available in 3 types namely, 10 trips valid for 30 days, 30 trips valid for 90 days, and 60 trips valid for 180 days.


title: Chennai Metro

text: 4. Tourist Cards provide the cardholders unlimited rides on the Chennai Metro for 1 day. It costs ₹150 of which ₹50 is refundable on returning the card. This is ideal for persons visiting the city for a short period of time and planning to travel to their destinations by metro.


title: Chennai Metro

text: CMRL announced that starting from the Diwali day, 27 October 2019, there will be a discount of 50% for all journeys taken on Sundays and public holidays. This discount will be applicable with single journey tokens (₹5 to ₹30) and Stored Value Cards (₹4 to ₹27).


title: Chennai Metro

text: The Chennai metro has a depot at Koyambedu with ballast-less tracks of . It covers an area of and houses 42 trains. The depot houses maintenance workshops, stabling lines, a test track and a washing plant for the trains . It also houses the Operational Control Centre (OCC) where the movement of trains and real-time CCTV footages obtained from the stations and on-board cameras is monitored. The company is building a headquarters building near Nandanam. Maintenance includes preventing corrosion of train surfaces due to bird droppings, the depot has been fitted with ultrasonic bird repellers and bird strobe lights to prevent birds from entering the depot.


title: Chennai Metro

text: An elevated depot at Wimco Nagar covering an area of 3.5 ha, with provision to station 12 trains commenced operations in 2022. The facilities in the depot include three inspections lines, one emergency repair line, and a small plant for washing trains. There are also plans to build a multi-storey commercial building above the depot.


title: Chennai Metro

text: For Phase I, Alstom was awarded the contract to supply 168 coaches to Chennai Metro at a cost of in 2010. Alstom supplied 42 train-sets (metropolis model) composed of four coaches each with each car measuring in length and can accommodate 319 passengers. The trains have a first-class compartment and a women's section with 14 seats in the first-class car and 44 seats in the normal car. The first nine trains were imported from Brazil and the remaining were manufactured at a new facility set up at Sri City, Tada about from Chennai. As a part of phase 1 extension Alstom further supplied 10 trains with 4 coaches each making a total of 52 coaches operating in phase 1 and its extension.The trains are air-conditioned with electrically operated automatic sliding doors and a regenerative braking system. The cars operate on 25 KV AC through an overhead catenary system with a maximum speed of .


title: Chennai Metro

text: The trains are connected to the grid via overhead electric cables and are equipped with regenerative braking with a capacity to recover 30–35% of the energy during braking. The metro will require an average of 70 MW of power daily and the electricity will be supplied by Tamil Nadu Electricity Board. Chennai Metro is also planning to use solar power for five of its stations on the elevated corridor, with a production capacity of 200 KW.


title: Chennai Metro

text: A total of 32 stations have been constructed along the two lines of the Phase 1 with 20 underground stations. Phase 1 extension has a total of 8 stations with 2 underground stations. In the underground sections, a walkway runs along the length with cross passages every for the maintenance and emergency evacuation. The underground stations have an average width of to


title: Chennai Metro

text: and go up to deep from the ground level. However, the length of the stations, both underground and elevated, in Phase 1 extension is only to save space. The elevated stations have three levels, namely, street, concourse and platform with the concourse level at an average height of and platforms for boarding at above the street level. Underground stations have two levels and are air-conditioned. The metro stations are equipped to be disabled and elderly friendly, with automatic fare collection system, announcement system, electronic display boards, escalators and lifts. The stations are equipped with non-slippery flooring with grip-rails, audio announcements and Braille facilities to help visually challenged passengers. Paid parking facilities are available for two wheelers at all but three stations and in select stations for four wheelers. parking charges can be paid for through the stored value cards.


title: Chennai Metro

text: In August 2012, a construction worker was killed and six others were seriously injured due to a crane boom failure near Pachaiyappa's College. On 10 January 2013, a 22-year-old construction worker was killed and three others were injured at a metro rail site on Railway Station Road between Alandur and St Thomas Mount. On 11 January 2014, a crane toppled over, killing a 20-year-old construction worker and seriously injuring one other worker. The accident took place at 6:45 am at the construction site of the Saidapet station. On 17 June 2015, a 30-year-old man was killed on the spot and another motorcyclist injured when an iron rod fell on them at an under construction metro rail station near Officers Training Academy at St. Thomas Mount around 9:00 am.


title: Chennai Metro

text: Chennai Metro is the second most expensive in terms of ticket cost per kilometer in the country after Mumbai. The fares were slashed by up to 20 by the then Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami in February 2021, with the maximum fare capped at 50. In 2019, the Madras High Court questioned the state government on the scientific method it adopted in constructing the tunnels without disturbing the water bodies in the city.


title: Chennai Metro

text: Chennai Metro Mail Limited (CMRL) was awarded the "National Project Excellence Award" on 20 August 2019. This award was conferred by the Project Management Associates (PMA) India, and presented by Amitabh Kant, the CEO of NITI Aayog. The award was for the successful completion and commencement of passenger services for entire Phase-1 project in an extremely challenging condition, through the usage of cutting-edge engineering practices, while keeping public safety as a priority.


title: 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election

text: The 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Alabama.


title: 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election

text: Incumbent Republican Governor Kay Ivey took office on April 10, 2017, upon the resignation of Robert J. Bentley, and was elected to a full term in 2018. She ran for re-election to a second full term. The winner of the 2022 gubernatorial election is scheduled to be sworn in on January 16, 2023.


title: 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election

text: Primary elections in Alabama were held on May 24. Runoff elections for instances where no candidate received 50% plus one vote were scheduled for June 21. A runoff was avoided in the Republican primary, with Ivey winning outright. The Democratic primary advanced to a runoff between Malika Sanders-Fortier and Yolanda Flowers, with Flowers winning the Democratic nomination.


title: 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election

text: This was the first gubernatorial election in Alabama history in which both major party nominees were women. Flowers was also the first Black female gubernatorial nominee in Alabama. This was the first election in known Alabama gubernatorial history where a Republican won Marengo County and Russell County. Kay Ivey won re-election in a landslide during the general election.


title: 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election

text: The first Republican debate forum was held on January 19, 2022, in Ozark. It was hosted by the Coffee County Republican Women organization at the Enterprise Country Club. The debate featured candidates Lynda Blanchard, Tim James, and Dean Odle. Incumbent Governor Kay Ivey was not present, and candidate Lew Burdette phoned in due to being in isolation with COVID-19. Odle detailed his opinion of the governor's mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic, while James talked about a culture war on Alabamians and Blanchard signaled her broad agreement with the other candidates. Each candidate was against opening a statewide lottery but were open to let the voters decide the issue.


title: 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election

text: A second candidate forum was held at the monthly Republican Women of Huntsville luncheon on February 1, 2022 at The Ledges Country Club in Huntsville. Blanchard, Burdette, James, and Odle were in attendance.


title: 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election

text: The third major forum for Republican gubernatorial candidates was held on February 10, 2022, in Fairhope. It was hosted by the Eastern Shore Republican Women organization at the Fairhope Yacht Club, and was moderated by radio show host Jeff Poor. All candidates except for incumbent Governor Kay Ivey, who was holding her own campaign event, and Stacy Lee George, who had a scheduling conflict, were in attendance. The candidates were universal in their opposition towards a recent fuel tax increase, in particular criticizing possible future increases. According to AL.com, Young was nearly removed from the forum after he entered into an argument with a representative of the hosts, concerning a challenge he had submitted regarding Ivey's appearance on the ballot. Young later accused the Eastern Shore Republican Women of not wanting him to "talk bad" about Ivey. The candidates also expressed opposition towards gambling in the state, though Blanchard and Thomas stated that the decision should be left in the hands of voters. Regarding education, James pushed for pay bonuses for principals tied to school performance, while Jones advocated for yoga instruction in schools.


title: 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election

text: Also on February 10, 2022, the Houston County Republican Party group held a GOP candidates forum at the Wiregrass Rehab Center in Dothan. The forum featured Blanchard, James and Odle giving stump speeches, along with candidates for U.S. Senate, AL-02, and the Alabama Supreme Court, among other state and local offices.


title: 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election

text: The Butler County Republican Party organization held a GOP candidates forum on February 28, 2022 at the Wendell Mitchell Conference Center on the campus of Lurleen B. Wallace Community College in Greenville. The forum was attended by candidates Blanchard, Burdette, James, and Odle. It also hosted candidates for U.S. Senate, Secretary of State, and the Alabama Supreme Court.


title: 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election

text: The Athens-Limestone Republican Women Organization held a gubernatorial debate forum at the Valley Event Center on U.S. Highway 72 in Athens on March 7, 2022. Only Blanchard, James and Odle participated; Ivey and the rest of the candidates were absent. James emphasized education reform and criticized gas taxes in the state, while Blanchard targeted illegal immigration and benefits given to non-citizens. Odle centered on COVID-19 related issues, and praised Florida governor Ron DeSantis as a model for governing by rejecting President Joe Biden's decisions.


title: 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election

text: "1819 News", Eagle Forum of Alabama, Thatcher Coalition, and LOCAL Alabama held a joint gubernatorial debate forum featuring Republican candidates Blanchard, Burdette, James, Odle, and Thomas as well as the entire Democratic primary field at the Hoover Library Theatre on March 10, 2022. All candidates were invited, though only those eleven participated.


title: 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election

text: The forum was structured into four segments: one for opening remarks, the second for answering policy questions, followed by a lightning round by writing "yes" or "no" on a small whiteboard, and the last being closing statements. Lindy Blanchard opined about her service to Donald Trump as United States Ambassador to Slovenia as the driver behind her run for governor, while Lew Burdette described Alabama as "the bottom of the list" in almost every quality of life category and the need to limit campaign financing as possible policy solutions. Dean Odle berated Kay Ivey's handling of COVID-19, but also stated the intentions of Klaus Schwab and the World Economic Forum would have an effect on the state level and as a result there was a dire need for electing new leadership. Tim James spoke fondly of Eagle Forum's ardent opposition of the Equal Rights Amendment in 1975 as a reflection of the current state of affairs. Dave Thomas outlined the "professional politicians" and "self-proclaimed elite" once again running for Governor as the catalyst for his entrance into the race.


title: 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election

text: When moderator Allison Sinclair posed the question "If you could choose one song that was the theme song for your life, what would it be?", the candidates had a variety of answers. Lindy Blanchard's answer was "It Is Well With My Soul", and Lew Burdette's was "Amazing Grace". Tim James answered the opening theme from Patton, and Dave Thomas cited the title song from "I'm Not the Devil" by Cody Jinks. Dean Odle's answer was "Crushing Snakes" by Crowder.


title: 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election

text: The Cullman County Republican Women hosted a gubernatorial candidate forum at VFW post 2214 in Cullman on April 12, 2022. "The Cullman Times" noted that while all the candidates agreed on most policy, the candidates each detailed solutions to different issues. Tim James decried the Alabama Legislature for not passing tax cuts after having a surplus of $1.5 billion, and Lindy Blanchard showed up in a Maga hat to show that she was more loyal to Donald Trump than anyone else there. Dave Thomas cited his experience as mayor of Springville and previous campaign battles as giving him a leg up on the competition, and Lew Burdette called for an overhaul of campaign finance laws. In addition to citing Governor Kay Ivey's COVID-19 lockdown of Alabama that violated the United States Constitution, Dean Odle's plan for drafting school choice legislation was described as "perhaps the most autonomous state education policy proposal for Alabama communities".


title: 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election

text: Grassroots conservative group Focus on America will hosted a Republican gubernatorial debate on April 26, 2022, at the Roto Rooter Event Center on Paramount Drive in Huntsville. Six of the candidates showed up; Ivey, George and Young again remained absent.


title: 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election

text: The closest thing to a heated disagreement during the debate came when Dean Odle accused Burdette of “basically giving my speech points” from one of Odle’s first television campaign commercials that described how Florida had seen the national ranking of Sunshine State K-12 schools rapidly rise from 29th to third after they eliminated the Common Core program there. Odle said he overheard Burdette “doing what a politician does” by using the points made by Odle in his commercial while talking to a member of the media inside of the Event Center prior to the debate." Burdette fired back by telling the audience, “I don’t follow Dean Odle, so if he has a commercial that I haven’t seen, I’m sorry that I haven’t seen your commercial. I don’t know if anybody else here has seen his commercial, nor do I follow your campaign particularly closely. We’ve been in a lot of these gubernatorial forums, these are all things that we’ve shared at each one of them, and I don’t even remember, Dean, you sharing that statistic.”


title: 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election

text: With one exception, all the candidates vying for victory in the May 24th Republican Primary checked most of the boxes on issues that concern Alabama conservative voters. The only exception was Montevallo’s Donald Trent Jones who wore John Lennon-style, amber-tinted eyeglasses, a beauty contest style white sash with the Alabama state flag and the word GOVERNOR printed across it, and a black jacket covered with colorful 1960s symbols, such as butterflies, stars, hearts, peace symbols, guitars, and other symbols of the hippie era. Jones introduced himself by proclaiming, “I am your Yoga Governor.” Other than suggesting that Alabama could help stop election day fraud by dipping the fingers of voters in indelible ink so that they couldn’t vote more than once, Jones managed to work his yoga philosophy into almost every one of his question responses and statements. When asked if that was his motivation for running for governor, Jones admitted that his candidacy was only a ploy to promote his not-for-profit yoga enterprise.


title: 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election

text: Four of the Republican candidates for Governor showed up for a Q&A session following the candidate forum being held at the Doster Center in Prattville by the Autauga County Republican Executive Committee.


title: 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election

text: The Mid Alabama Republican Club hosted a gubernatorial debate at its May monthly meeting, which took place at the Vestavia Hills Public Library on May 14 at 9:00 AM. Four of the candidates for governor appeared at this forum.


title: 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election

text: All six of the Democratic candidates for governor were present at the LOCAL Alabama gubernatorial candidate forum on March 10, 2022, at the Hoover Library Theatre in Hoover, facing off against 5 of the Republican candidates.


title: 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election

text: The forum was structured into four segments: one for opening remarks, the second for answering policy questions, followed by a lightning round by writing "yes" or "no" on a small whiteboard, and the last being closing statements. Speaking before a bipartisan audience, Arthur Kennedy cited his service in the United States Army as a calling to run for governor. Chad Martin called for the government to be more proactive in alleviating burdens of Alabama citizens, including those in the education sector. Patricia Salter Jamieson outlined the need for unity between Alabamians of all backgrounds. Malika Sanders-Fortier cited the need for more citizens to be involved in the political process. Yolanda Flowers offered her vision for the state as a "different aspect" than the current leadership. Doug Smith kicked things off by brandishing several large print graphs of the seven economic engines that he believed, if reimplemented, would propel the Alabama economy while going well over his allotted answer time.


title: 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election

text: When moderator Allison Sinclair posed the question "If you could choose one song that was the theme song for your life, what would it be?", the candidates had a variety of answers. Smith's immediate response was "Precious Lord, Take My Hand", while Flowers said hers would be "The Sound of Music". Kennedy's theme song was "I Can Win", while Jamieson cited "Amazing Grace" and Martin said "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Malika Sanders-Fortier decided that her song was "Be Still" by Hillsong Worship.


title: 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election

text: A Democratic candidate forum, featuring office-seekers from gubernatorial, U.S. Senate and AL-04 races in Alabama, was held in Fort Payne on April 7, 2022. This event was more of a meet-and-greet rather than a traditional candidate forum.


title: 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election

text: The Houston County Democratic Party hosted a Democratic candidate forum for gubernatorial, AL-02 and other races in Dothan at the Clarion Inn at meetings on April 21 and 22 of 2022. Yolanda Flowers addressed the group on Thursday evening while the other five candidates spoke the following day.


title: London North Eastern Railway

text: London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is a British train operating company. It is owned by the DfT OLR Holdings for the Department for Transport (DfT). The company's name echoes that of the London and North Eastern Railway, one of the Big Four companies which operated between 1923 and 1948.


title: London North Eastern Railway

text: During June 2018, LNER took over the InterCity East Coast franchise, after the previous privately owned operator Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC) returned it to the government following sustained financial difficulties. The DfT intended for the company to operate the franchise until a new public–private partnership could be established during 2020. However, in July 2019, it was announced that LNER had been given a direct-award to run these services beyond 28 June 2020, up until 2025, making it the longest franchise on the East Coast Main Line since Great North Eastern Railway (GNER). Early on, the integration of Great Northern services into LNER's operation after the expiration of the Thameslink Southern & Great Northern franchise in 2021 was being actively considered as well.


title: London North Eastern Railway

text: LNER provides long-distance inter-city services on the East Coast Main Line; the principal destinations served are Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh. It directly manages 11 stations, while its trains call at 55 stations in total. LNER's initial rolling stock consisted of a fleet of InterCity 125 and InterCity 225 high speed trains that it had inherited from VTEC. During May 2019, the first batch of Class 800 bi-mode high speed multiple units, based on the Hitachi A-train platform, entered service, followed by the very similar Class 801 electric multiple units during September of that year. Branded by LNER as the "Azuma", their introduction has permitted the InterCity 125 sets to be withdrawn from service entirely, along with most of the InterCity 225s. A limited number of InterCity 225 sets have been retained and continue to be regularly operated by LNER.


title: London North Eastern Railway

text: During November 2017, the then Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, announced the early termination of the InterCity East Coast franchise in 2020, three years ahead of schedule; this action had followed persistent losses incurred by Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC), the operator of the route. VTEC had been contracted to pay more than £2 billion in franchise premiums to the British government across the final four years of its contract.


title: London North Eastern Railway

text: In February 2018, the end date of the VTEC franchise was brought forward to mid-2018; the Department for Transport (DfT) had decided to either negotiate with VTEC for it to continue running the franchise on a temporary non-profit basis while a new franchise competition was conducted, or to arrange for VTEC be taken over by the DfT's operator of last resort. On 16 May 2018, it was announced that the latter option was now being pursued and as such, LNER would take over operations from VTEC on 24 June 2018. The DfT also announced that LNER would be the long-term brand applied to the InterCity East Coast franchise. During a speech in May 2018, the Secretary of State for Transport stated that Great Northern services could potentially be integrated into the operation when the Thameslink Southern & Great Northern franchise expires in 2021 as part of the overall strategy for the East Coast franchise.


title: London North Eastern Railway

text: The setting up of LNER is the second occasion that a government-appointed operator of last resort has taken control of the InterCity East Coast franchise; between 2009 and 2015, the franchise had been operated by East Coast. It had taken over operations from National Express East Coast after that operator had defaulted on franchise payments to the government, and thus had its franchise taken away. East Coast had been the prior operator to VTEC being selected to take over the franchise.