title: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator

text: Initially ICDs were implanted via thoracotomy with defibrillator patches applied to the epicardium or pericardium. The device was attached via subcutaneous and transvenous leads to the device contained in a subcutaneous abdominal wall pocket. The device itself acts as an electrode. Most ICDs nowadays are implanted transvenously with the devices placed in the left pectoral region similar to pacemakers. Intravascular spring or coil electrodes are used to defibrillate. The devices have become smaller and less invasive as the technology advances. Current ICDs weigh only 70 grams and are about 12.9 mm thick.


title: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator

text: A recent study by Birnie and colleagues at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute has demonstrated that ICDs are underused in both the United States and Canada. An accompanying editorial by Dr. Chris Simpson of Queen's University explores some of the economic, geographic, social and political reasons for this.


title: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator

text: The development of the ICD was pioneered at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore by a team including Michel Mirowski, Morton Mower, Alois Langer and William Staewen. Mirowski teamed up with Mower and Staewen and together they commenced their research in 1969 but it was 11 years before they treated their first patient.


title: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator

text: The work was commenced against much skepticism even by leading experts in the field of arrhythmias and sudden death. There was doubt that their ideas would ever become a clinical reality. In 1972 Bernard Lown, the inventor of the external defibrillator, and Paul Axelrod stated in the journal "Circulation" – "The very rare patient who has frequent bouts of ventricular fibrillation is best treated in a coronary care unit and is better served by an effective anti-arrhythmic program or surgical correction of inadequate coronary blood flow or ventricular malfunction. In fact, the implanted defibrillator system represents an imperfect solution in search of a plausible and practical application."


title: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator

text: The problems to be overcome were the design of a system which would allow detection of ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia. Despite the lack of financial backing and grants, they persisted and the first device was implanted in February 1980 at Johns Hopkins Hospital by Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr.


title: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator

text: The first devices required the chest to be cut open and a mesh electrode sewn onto the heart; the pulse generator was placed in the abdomen.


title: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator

text: ICDs constantly monitor the rate and rhythm of the heart and can deliver therapies, by way of an electrical shock, when the heart rate exceeds a preset number. More modern devices have software designed to attempt a discrimination between ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia (VT), and may try to pace the heart faster than its intrinsic rate in the case of VT, to try to break the tachycardia before it progresses to ventricular fibrillation. This is known as overdrive pacing, or anti-tachycardia pacing (ATP). ATP is only effective if the underlying rhythm is ventricular tachycardia, and is never effective if the rhythm is ventricular fibrillation.


title: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator

text: Many modern ICDs use a combination of various methods to determine if a fast rhythm is normal, supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia, or ventricular fibrillation.


title: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator

text: "Rate discrimination" evaluates the rate of the lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles) and compares it to the rate in the upper chambers of the heart (the atria). If the rate in the atria is faster than or equal to the rate in the ventricles, then the rhythm is most likely not ventricular in origin, and is usually more benign. If this is the case, the ICD does not provide any therapy, or withholds it for a programmable length of time.


title: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator

text: "Rhythm discrimination" will see how regular a ventricular tachycardia is. Generally, ventricular tachycardia is regular. If the rhythm is irregular, it is usually due to conduction of an irregular rhythm that originates in the atria, such as atrial fibrillation. In the picture, an example of torsades de pointes can be seen; this represents a form of irregular ventricular tachycardia. In this case, the ICD will rely on rate, not regularity, to make the correct diagnosis.


title: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator

text: "Morphology discrimination" checks the morphology of every ventricular beat and compares it to what the ICD knows is the morphology of normally conducted ventricular impulse for the patient. This normal ventricular impulse is often an average of a multiple of normal beats of the patient acquired in the recent past and known as a template.


title: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator

text: The integration of these various parameters is very complex, and clinically, the occurrence of inappropriate therapy is still occasionally seen and a challenge for future software advancements.


title: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator

text: People who have an implanted cardioverter-defibrillator can live full lives. Usually the ICD does not improve the quality of life of the patient, although it may provide a strong degree of reassurance. As with a pacemaker, however, living with an ICD does impose some restrictions on the person's lifestyle.


title: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator

text: A patient who had an ICD fitted in 2016 following cardiac arrest described the ICD as being "half the size of your mobile phone and a little bit thicker, in my chest and has two wires attached to it ... screwed into the bottom of your heart. ... I opted to have it fitted under my pectoral muscle, so you can't see it but you can see the wires in my chest - if you wanted to. Some have them on top of the pectoral muscle, so you can see it."


title: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator

text: Almost all forms of physical activities can be performed by patients with an ICD. All forms of sports that do not pose a risk of damaging the ICD or because of the underlying cardiomyopathy can be undertaken by the patient. Special care should be taken not to put excessive strain on the shoulder, arm and torso area where the ICD is implanted. Doing so may damage the ICD or the leads going from the ICD generator to the patient's heart. Particularly to be avoided are exercises that cause the clavicle to be pulled down towards the ribs, such as lifting weights with the arm, on the ICD site, while standing.


title: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator

text: ICD patients are prohibited from professional or commercial driving. A driving abstinence for private drivers is recommended following ICD implantation, but the timeframe is variable depending on the country (between 3 and 6 months for secondary prevention and 1–4 weeks for primary prevention). Following an appropriate ICD-therapy, a driving ban is recommended for 3–6 months depending on the country. After inappropriate ICD-therapy delivered for non-ventricular arrhythmias or due to the device malfunction, driving restrictions usually apply until the cause of the inappropriate therapy has been eliminated.


title: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator

text: Equipment using large magnets or generating magnetic fields, or any similar environment, must be avoided by patients with an ICD.


title: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator

text: As with other metallic objects, an ICD is normally a contraindication to the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, several ICD manufacturers have recently introduced MR-Conditional ICDs, which allow the use of MRI under specified safe operating conditions.


title: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator

text: Implantable cardioverter defibrillators have demonstrated clear life-saving benefits, while concerns about patient acceptance and psychological adjustment to the ICD have been the focus of much research. Researchers, including those from the field of cardiac psychology, have concluded that the quality of life (QoL) of ICD patients is at least equal to, or better than, that of those taking anti-arrhythmic medications. The largest study of examined 2,521 patients with stable heart failure in the SCD-HeFT trial. Results indicated that there were no differences between ICD-treated and medication-treated groups at 30 months in patient-reported QoL. Psychological adjustment following ICD implantation has also been well studied. In rare cases, the ICD can become infected and is usually bacterial in origin but other organisms such as certain fungi have occasionally been implicated. This is more likely to occur in people with diabetes, heart failure, kidney failure, or a suppressed immune system.


title: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator

text: Anxiety is a common psychological side effect, with approximately 13–38% of ICD patients reporting clinically significant anxiety. The primary etiological factors contributing to anxiety in ICD patients have not been determined, however. Depressive symptoms are also common, but the incidence of these problems has been shown to be similar to those observed in other cardiac patient groups, with approximately 24–41% of patients with ICDs experiencing depressive symptoms. Problems in psychosocial adjustment to ICDs, including the experience of anxiety, among spouses or other romantic partners are also prevalent. This phenomenon may be related, at least in part, to shared shock anxiety and avoidance of physical and sexual contact.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Montclair () is a township in Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a wealthy and diverse commuter town and suburb of New York City within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township's population was 40,921, reflecting an increase of 3,234 (+8.5%) from the 37,687 counted in the 2010 Census. As of 2010, it was the 60th-most-populous municipality in New Jersey.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Montclair was first formed as a township on April 15, 1868, from portions of Bloomfield Township, so that a second railroad could be built to Montclair. After a referendum held on February 21, 1894, Montclair was reincorporated as a town, effective February 24, 1894. It derives its name from the French "mont clair", meaning "clear mountain" or "bright mountain."


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: In 1980, after multiple protests filed by Montclair officials regarding inequities built into the federal revenue-sharing system, Montclair passed a referendum changing its name to the "Township of Montclair," becoming the third of more than a dozen Essex County municipalities to reclassify themselves as townships to take advantage of federal revenue sharing policies that allocated townships a greater share of government aid to municipalities on a per capita basis.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Montclair, which opened the state's first marijuana dispensary in December 2012, joins Bellmawr, Cranbury, Egg Harbor Township and Woodbridge Township as one of the five municipalities (of 565 in the state) in New Jersey that have authorized the sale of medical cannabis.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 6.25 square miles (16.17 km), including 6.24 square miles (16.16 km) of land and 0.01 square miles (0.02 km) of water (0.11%).


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Montclair is on the east side of the First Mountain of the Watchung Mountains. Some higher locations in the township provide excellent views of the surrounding area and of the New York City skyline about away.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Named localities in the township include Church Street, Frog Hollow, South End, Upper Montclair and Watchung Plaza.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Montclair is split between two ZIP Codes. The central and southern parts of the township are designated 07042. Upper Montclair lies north of Watchung Avenue and has a separate ZIP code, 07043. Because the ZIP codes do not exactly match municipal boundaries, a few homes near the borders with neighboring towns fall into the ZIP codes for those communities. A few homes in some adjoining municipalities use one of the two ZIP codes assigned to Montclair, as does HackensackUMC Mountainside (07042, formerly known as Mountainside Hospital), whose campus straddles the border with Glen Ridge. Small areas in the southeast of the township fall into the Glen Ridge ZIP code 07028.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Several streams flow eastward through Montclair: Toney's Brook in the center, Nishuane Brook in the southeast, the Wigwam Brook in the southwest, Pearl Brook in the northwest, and Yantacaw Brook in the northeast—all in the Passaic River watershed. Yantacaw and Toney's brooks are dammed in parks to create ponds. Wigwam, Nishuane, and Toney's brooks flow into the Second River, and the others flow into the Third River. Montclair lies just north of the northernmost extent of the Rahway River watershed.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Montclair borders the municipalities of Bloomfield, Cedar Grove, Glen Ridge, Orange, Verona and West Orange in Essex County; and Clifton and Little Falls in Passaic County.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: The southern border of Montclair is a straight line between Eagle Rock, on the ridge of the First Watchung Mountain, and the point where Orange Road begins at the foot of Ridgewood Avenue. The eastern border is roughly a straight line between that point and a point just southwest of where Broad Street crosses the Third River. The western border runs roughly along the ridge of the First Watchung Mountain between Eagle Rock and the Essex County/Passaic County border. The northern border is the border between those two counties.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Montclair has a temperate climate, with warm-to-hot, humid summers and cool to cold winters, as is characteristic of the Köppen climate classification humid continental climate. January tends to be the coldest month, with average high temperatures in the upper 30s Fahrenheit and lows averaging 21. July, the warmest month, features high temperatures in the mid-80s and lows in the 70s, with an average high of 86 degrees. From April to June and from September to early November, Montclair experiences temperatures from the lower 60s to the lower 70s.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Montclair gets approximately of rain per year, above the United States average of . Snowfall is common from December to early March, and totals about annually. The number of days each year in Montclair with any measurable precipitation is 90; the area has an average of 202 sunny days.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Montclair is one or two degrees warmer than the neighboring municipalities of Verona and Cedar Grove because of the mountain between them, which sometimes blocks winds and clouds, including warmer air from the ocean to the east.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: The township has long celebrated its diversity, a feature that has attracted many to the community. The African American population has been stable at around 30% for decades, although it fell from 32% in the 2000 Census to 27% in 2010.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Montclair has attracted many New Yorkers. Many residents work for major media organizations in New York City, including "The New York Times" and "Newsweek". A March 11, 2007, posting in the blog Gawker.com listed some of those who work in the media and live in Montclair. Many residents are commuters to New York City and the Metro Area.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $95,696 (with a margin of error of +/− $5,396) and the median family income was $126,983 (+/− $8,950). Males had a median income of $83,589 (+/− $5,955) versus $66,063 (+/− $3,616) for females. The per capita income for the township was $53,572 (+/− $2,671). About 4.6% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: As of the 2000 United States census, 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families resided in the township. The population density was 6,184 people per square mile (2,389/km). There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464 per square mile (951.8/km). The racial makeup of the CDP was 59.77% White, 32.06% African American, 3.15% Asian, 0.19% Native American, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.77% from other races, and 3.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.12% of the population.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Of the 15,020 households in Montclair, 34.3% included children under the age of 18, 47.2% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. Individuals living alone accounted for 29.3% of all households, and in 8.6% of households, that individual was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.16.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Like most stable, mature communities, Montclair had many people in each age group, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.7 males.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: The median income for a household in the township was $74,894, and the median income for a family was $96,252. Males had a median income of $64,151 versus $43,520 for females. The per capita income for the township was $44,870. About 3.9% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: In 1971, the actors Louis Zorich and his wife, the later Oscar winning actress, Olympia Dukakis, founded a theatre group which included Remi Barclay, Jason Bosseau, Margery Fierst, Gerald Fierst and many others. Some of the acting artistic and administrative participants were permanent, semi-permanent. Performances were peppered by visits and occasional celebrity artists. Naming themselves Whole Theatre, they based themselves in Montclair. Located from Midtown Manhattan via the Lincoln Tunnel under the Hudson River, the "Whole Theatre" productions were readily available to New York City and New Jersey audiences.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: In the two decades in which Whole Theatre flourished, they presented a long list of performances in a wide variety of genres. Productions included the "Rose Tattoo", "Mother Courage", "Rabelais: a Dramatic Game" (1985), and "America at Full Moon" (1986).


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: They enjoyed the support of the local community and the theatre community of New York and New Jersey generally. For example, in 1975–1976 the company acknowledged over 120 substantial donors in their program as well as funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: In 1989, Olympia Dukakis was named as the company’s Artistic Director. Her two co-directors were Remi Barclay and Gerald Fierst, who were jointly responsible for Education and Outreach.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: In 2018 Brooke Lea Foster of "The New York Times" stated that it was one of several "least suburban of suburbs, each one celebrated by buyers there for its culture and hip factor, as much as the housing stock and sophisticated post-city life."


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Montclair hosts many art institutions and theaters, and despite its relatively small size, has many art venues. It has its own art museum, the Montclair Art Museum, and several small galleries.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Montclair also hosts one cinema, the Claridge Cinema on Bloomfield Avenue which shows different types of movies from documentaries to small scale indie films. The township hosted its first annual film festival in 2012 to provide a platform for filmmakers from New Jersey, the US and the world.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Live theaters include The Montclair Operetta Company, the Wellmont Theater, Montclair State University's Kasser Theater, Montclair State University's theater in Life Hall, and the Studio Playhouse. On Bloomfield Avenue there is a public stage used for concerts and other events. Dotted around Montclair there are also many art galleries, though most are centered in the Bloomfield Avenue Downtown Area. Concerts are held at the [Wellmont Theater and at several churches and auditoriums sponsored by Outpost in the Burbs, a community-based organization. In 2017, The Montclair Orchestra was formed as a semi-professional orchestra, composed of both professionals and students from top colleges.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Montclair was the setting for some of the stories in the HBO television series "The Sopranos", and many Montclair streets, locations and businesses were featured in the show, such as Bloomfield Avenue.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Montclair Public Library is one of the oldest public libraries in New Jersey, with the largest collection of materials in northern New Jersey. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Montclair City Council became increasing aggressive towards library funding, cutting to the exact limits dictated by New Jersey law. Following a forensic audit, in which no irregularities were found, its Director, Peter Coyl, announced his departure.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Herman Hupfeld, composer of the song "As Time Goes By", was born in Montclair, attended Montclair High School, and lived his life here. The song was voted No. 2 on the AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs special, commemorating the best songs in film, (only surpassed by "Over the Rainbow"). In 1935, Hupfeld built his home at 259 Park Street in Upper Montclair with the royalties from his songs. After "As time goes By" was featured in the 1942 film "Casablanca" his financial position improved even more. He is buried in the Montclair Cemetery. The house is now owned by former Whole Theatre Director and civil celebrant Gerald Fierst. The top floor of the house has a grand living room space where soirees were held in the late 1930s attended by such luminaries as Bing Crosby and Mae West.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Montclair is home to many parks and nature reserves. Parks in Montclair are both county and municipal. Additional open space includes the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, and many school-owned sports fields, viz., Montclair State University's Sprague Field. In total Montclair has of township park land spread over 18 parks and of county park land consisting of five parks.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Municipal parks include Mountainside Park, the township's largest at , which offers extensive tennis and recreation facilities, and includes the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, a living museum donated by the family of Frank Presby that is maintained by volunteers and dedicated to the iris. Covering nearly of wetlands and uplands along the Third River, the Alonzo F. Bonsal Wildlife Preserve offers hiking trails and other passive recreation. Yantacaw Brook Park, covering , surrounds a pond that is fed by Yantacaw Brook and that in turn feeds into the Third River on its way towards the Passaic River.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: The township has 18 public tennis courts, four skating rinks (two of which are indoor), and three public swimming pools: the Mountainside pool, the Nishuane pool, and the Essex pool.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: In 2007, township residents advocated for construction of a public skatepark. Community members revitalized the effort in 2010 and lobbied the Parks and Recreation Committee for support. The township council passed a resolution expressing approval of the project but allocated no funds for it. In the spring of 2020, an impromptu skatepark was created by community members on two of the unused tennis courts at Rand Park on North Fullerton Avenue during the COVID-19 pandemic. In July 2020, the township held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially recognize this space as a temporary skatepark. The township's playground insurance covers skateboarding, allowing it to allocate funds to the park. The township has paid for signage using its playground fund. All skating equipment (ramps, rails, etc.) at Rand Park has been provided by community members with no financial support from the township. At the beginning of the season, much of this equipment consisted of local materials such as picnic tables and garbage cans. By July 2020, all skating equipment present at Rand Park consisted of objects built specifically for skateboarding. On July 13, 2021, a resolution was unanimously passed by the Township Council to make the space at Rand Park a permanent skatepark. This resolution does not allocate any funds for the skatepark. Montclair Councilor-at-Large Peter Yacobellis thinks a skatepark will increase property values and improve quality of life for Montclair residents and believes the township can afford it. Commenting on how much it would cost the township, Yacobellis said "it's not much to have a kickass skate park in Montclair, in the region." Some locals see the park as a negative community influence, one of whom complained that local tennis enthusiasts were not consulted in the decision to convert the courts to a skatepark. Complaints of that nature have been dismissed by the township thus far, most likely due to the fact that Montclair has 16 other tennis courts, but no other skateparks.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Since July 1, 1988, Montclair has been governed under the Council-Manager plan 13 form of municipal government under the Faulkner Act, whose originator, Bayard H. Faulkner, was a former mayor of Montclair. The township is one of 42 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government. The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the Township Council, who are elected to concurrent four-year terms on a non-partisan basis in elections held as part of the May municipal elections. The mayor is elected directly by the voters. The Township Council is comprised of six members, of which two council seats are elected from the township at-large and one council seat is elected from each of four wards. A deputy mayor is selected by the six council members from their members, and this position is largely ceremonial. Though the Mayor has no executive powers, the mayor presides over council meetings and has both a voice and vote in its proceedings. The Mayor appoints members to many local governing groups, most notably the board of education.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: , the Mayor of Montclair is Sean M. Spiller. Members of the Montclair Township Council are Deputy Mayor William L. Hurlock (First Ward), Lori Price Abrams (Third Ward), David Cummings (Fourth Ward), Robert J. Russo (At-Large), Robin Schlager (Second Ward) and Peter Yacobellis (At-Large), all of whom serve terms of office that end on June 30, 2024.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: In elections held on May 12, 2020, Sean M. Spiller was elected as mayor, defeating Renée Baskerville. Peter Yacobellis and incumbent Robert Russo won the two at-large seats, defeating the three other candidates—James Cotter, Carmel Loughman, and Roger Terry. Incumbent Robin Schlager won the Second Ward, defeating Christina M. Thomas; Lori Price Abrams defeated Marguerite Joralemon in the Third Ward; incumbent Bill Hurlock won the First Ward seat, defeating John Hearn; and David Cummings, who ran unopposed, won in the Fourth Ward.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Montclair is split between the 10th and 11th Congressional Districts and is part of New Jersey's 34th state legislative district. Prior to the 2010 Census, Montclair had been part of the and the 10th Congressional District, a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections. The split that took effect in 2013 drew the southern section of the township (26,730 residents) into the 10th District, while the northern portion (11,299 residents) moved to the 11th District.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 27,289 registered voters in Montclair, of which 14,782 (54.2%) were registered as Democrats, 2,581 (9.5%) were registered as Republicans and 9,903 (36.3%) were registered as unaffiliated. There were 23 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: In the 2016 presidential election, Democrat Hillary Clinton received 85.8% of the vote (18,048 votes), ahead of Republican Donald Trump with 11.0% (2,318 votes), and other candidates with 3.1% (661 votes), among the 21,382 ballots cast by the township's 31,610 registered voters (355 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 67.6%. In the 2012 presidential election, Barack Obama received 83.0% of the vote (15,811 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 15.9% (3,034 votes), and other candidates with 1.1% (201 votes), among the 19,576 ballots cast by the township's 29,463 registered voters (530 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 66.4%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 83.0% of the vote (17,396 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 15.7% (3,294 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (132 votes), among the 20,951 ballots cast by the township's 27,476 registered voters, for a turnout of 76.3%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 78.8% of the vote (15,597 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush with 20.2% (3,995 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (157 votes), among the 19,804 ballots cast by the township's 25,762 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 76.9.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Democrat Barbara Buono received 70.5% of the vote (7,613 cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 28.3% (3,057 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (131 votes), among the 10,941 ballots cast by the township's 29,768 registered voters (140 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 36.8%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 73.9% of the vote (10,139 ballots cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 18.7% (2,573 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 5.8% (801 votes) and other candidates with 0.8% (104 votes), among the 13,723 ballots cast by the township's 26,843 registered voters, yielding a 51.1% turnout.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Montclair is considered a commuter suburb of New York City. NJ Transit and DeCamp Bus Lines are the providers of public transportation. The average Montclair commute is 38 minutes each way. Twenty-four percent of commuters take mass transit, while 59% drive alone. Twelve times more Montclair commuters take mass transit than the national average.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: , the township had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality and by Essex County Road Dept.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: There is a taxi stand near Bloomfield Avenue in eastern Montclair, in front of Lackawanna Plaza, formerly the Montclair train station.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: NJ Transit buses 11, 28, 29, 34, 97, 191 and 705 run through Montclair, most going along the main street, Bloomfield Avenue. The NJ transit bus routes are:


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: All of these routes except #97, #191, and #705 were trolley lines originally, operated by the Public Service Railway. A trolley garage existed on Bloomfield Avenue. In the 1930s and 1950s the trolleys were destroyed and replaced with buses.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: DeCamp Bus Lines routes 33 and 66 run through Montclair to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City, carrying primarily commuters.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: The township of Montclair operates a jitney in the evening from the Bay Street train station to the southern end of Montclair.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Running through Montclair is the Montclair-Boonton Line, serving New York Penn Station via Hoboken Terminal to the east, and Hackettstown to the west. Seven NJ Transit Rail stations serve Montclair: Bay Street, Walnut Street, Watchung Avenue, Upper Montclair, Mountain Avenue, and Montclair Heights in Montclair, and Montclair State University station in the Great Notch area of Little Falls. Only Bay Street station has weekend train service.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Montclair has a long history of railroads. The first railroad to Montclair was built in 1856 by the Newark and Bloomfield Railroad. It terminated at a station in Downtown Montclair. First the Morris and Essex Railroad, then the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad leased the line.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: In 1868, the Montclair Railway built another line through Montclair, which caused disputes leading to Montclair's separation from Bloomfield. Shortly afterward it was taken over by the New York and Greenwood Lake Railway, a subsidiary of the Erie Railroad. A third railroad to Morristown was planned in 1860 and construction began, but the Panic of 1873 ended the project. In 1912 the Lackawanna Railroad built a large terminal at the end of their line. The Erie and Lackawanna Railroads later merged, forming the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad, which operated both lines for many decades. They were next operated by Conrail for approximately one year, after which NJ Transit took over passenger operations and Conrail continued freight operations. Meanwhile, the 1912 terminal was closed in 1981 and converted into shops. This station was replaced by the Bay Street station. In 2002, the two railway lines were connected with the construction of the Montclair Connection.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Montclair is noted for its historic architecture. It is home to six historic districts listed on the Register of Historic Places of both the state and country as a whole, 92 individually listed landmarks, and two locally designated commercial districts. Works by significant architects include designs by Van Vleck and Goldsmith, Charles Follen McKim, McKim, Mead, and White, Henry Hudson Holly, Charles A. Platt, Alexander Jackson Davis, Dudley Van Antwerp, Effingham R. North, Montrose Morris, and Frances Nelson, among others.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: In 2018, Bobbi Brown, founder and ex-CCO of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, and her husband, realtor Steven Plofker opened The George, a 32-room boutique hotel on North Mountain Avenue that was originally a private home constructed in 1902.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Montclair has also housed many hotels, such as the defunct Hotel Montclair. In 2013, plans were announced to bring a new hotel to Montclair, featuring 100 rooms and a liquor license.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: The Montclair Public Schools serve students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district consists of seven elementary schools, three middle schools and one high school. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of 11 schools, had an enrollment of 6,767 students and 564.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.0:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Montclair is home to Montclair State University, which was founded in 1908 as the New Jersey State Normal School at Montclair.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark supervises the operation of Immaculate Conception High School (coed) and Lacordaire Academy (for girls)at the high school level and Lacordaire Academy Lower Division and St. Cassian School for grades Pre-K–8. In 2016, St. Cassian School was one of ten schools in New Jersey, and one of four private schools in the state, recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education, a recognition celebrating excellence in academics.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Montclair is also home to a host of private and parochial schools, including Montclair Kimberley Academy, Montclair Community Pre-K, Montclair Cooperative School, Virginia Harkness Sawtelle Learning, Maria Montessori Early Learning, Montclair Cooperative School, Trinity Academy and Deron School II.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: Montclair has three local newspapers, the "Montclair Dispatch", the "Montclair Times" and as of 2017, "The Montclair Local". In addition, there is a radio station at 90.3 FM on the campus of Montclair State University, WMSC. The township has a municipal public service television channel, Channel 34, where township council and school board meetings are broadcast. Montclair High School has its own paper "the Mountaineer", and Montclair State University has its own student-run paper, the "Montclarion". WNJN - one of four stations of state-wide PBS member station NJTV - is also located there.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: In the 1948 biographical novel "Cheaper by the Dozen", the principal characters Frank Bunker Gilbreth Sr. and Lillian Moller Gilbreth live in Montclair, as the authors did in real life.


title: Montclair, New Jersey

text: The Mercury Montclair was an automobile marque of Ford produced in the 1950s and 1960s. The Phaeton model was a significant prize in "Ed Sullivan's $425,000 Mercury Contest", an eight-week promotion that awarded a total of 80 vehicles and hundreds of other prizes.


title: Martin D. Ginsburg

text: Martin David Ginsburg (June 10, 1932 – June 27, 2010) was an American lawyer who specialized in tax law and was the husband of American lawyer and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He taught law at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. and was of counsel in the Washington, D.C. office of the American law firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson.


title: Martin D. Ginsburg

text: Ginsburg was born in Brooklyn, New York to Evelyn (née Bayer) and Morris Ginsburg, a department store executive. He grew up in Rockville Centre, Long Island, where he attended South Side High School. His family was Jewish. Ginsburg earned a B.A. from Cornell University in 1953 and a J.D. ("magna cum laude") from Harvard Law School in 1958. He was a star on Cornell's golf team. After finishing a year at law school, Ginsburg married Joan Ruth Bader in 1954, after her graduation from Cornell. That same year, Ginsburg, an ROTC officer in the Army Reserve, was called up for active duty and stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Ginsburg had an undergraduate training in chemistry. In 1956, he returned to law school, and his wife also entered Harvard Law School. During his third year at Harvard, Ginsburg endured two operations and radiation therapy to treat testicular cancer.


title: Martin D. Ginsburg

text: After graduating from law school in 1958, Ginsburg joined the firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges. He was subsequently admitted to the bar in New York in 1959 and in the District of Columbia in 1980.


title: Martin D. Ginsburg

text: Ginsburg taught at New York University Law School as an adjunct faculty member from 1967 to 1979. He was a visiting professor at Stanford Law School (1977–1978), Harvard Law School (1985–1986), the University of Chicago Law School (1989–1990), and New York University School of Law (1992–1993). He was a tenured professor at Columbia Law School (Charles Keller Beekman Professor of Law) from 1979 to 1980, and at Georgetown Law Center from 1980 until his death in 2010.


title: Martin D. Ginsburg

text: In 1971, Ginsburg's firm represented Ross Perot in a business matter, and the two men became close friends. After President Jimmy Carter nominated his wife to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1980, Ginsburg reached out to Perot and other influential friends to assure her Senate confirmation. In 1984, Ginsburg resolved complex tax questions that threatened General Motors's acquisition of Perot's Electronic Data Systems. In 1986, Perot endowed the Martin Ginsburg chair in taxation at Georgetown, although Ginsburg himself never held this seat.


title: Martin D. Ginsburg

text: Shortly after graduating from Cornell in 1954, Ginsburg married Ruth Bader on June 23. Ruth said she and Martin decided whatever profession they pursued, they would pursue it together. The couple chose law, and both studied at Harvard Law School.


title: Martin D. Ginsburg

text: They are the parents of Jane Carol Ginsburg (born 1955), and James Steven Ginsburg (born 1965). Martin often told people how he did not make Law Review at Harvard, and Ruth did, sharing how he was proud of her successes, even when they were above his own. However, as he was also very successful in his career as a tax attorney, the couple enjoyed supporting one another and maintaining balance. Ginsburg was quoted as saying, "We had nearly two whole years far from school, far from career pressures and far from relatives, to learn about each other and begin to build a life." They thrived in their own domains. As his lighthearted self, Martin liked to say he was very lucky to have gotten in on an incredible journey by marrying Ruth, on her pathway to the Supreme Court.


title: Martin D. Ginsburg

text: Martin David Ginsburg died from cancer on June 27, 2010 at the age of 78. As a US Army Reserve ROTC officer, he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Following her death from pancreatic cancer in 2020, Ruth Ginsburg was laid to rest in Arlington next to her husband.


title: Martin D. Ginsburg

text: In the 2018 film "On the Basis of Sex", a biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Marty is portrayed by Armie Hammer, with Ruth played by Felicity Jones.


title: Terrence Mann

text: Terrence Mann (born July 1, 1951) is an American theatre, film and television actor. He is best known for his appearances on the Broadway stage, which include Chester Lyman in "Barnum", Rum Tum Tugger in "Cats", Javert in "Les Miserables", Beast in "Beauty and the Beast", Chauvelin in "The Scarlet Pimpernel", Charles in "Pippin", Mal Beineke in "The Addams Family", and The Man in the Yellow Suit in "Tuck Everlasting".


title: Terrence Mann

text: He has received three Tony Award nominations, an Emmy Award nomination, and an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. He is a distinguished professor of musical theatre at Western Carolina University, and is an artistic director of the Carolina Arts Festival and the North Carolina Theatre. His film credits include "Critters", "A Chorus Line", "Big Top Pee-wee" and "Solarbabies". He also starred as the villain Whispers in the Netflix series "Sense8" from 2015 to 2018.


title: Terrence Mann

text: Mann was born in Ashland, Kentucky, the eldest of three sons to Helen and Charles Mann. Mann's mother was a concert pianist, and his father sang in a barbershop quartet. Music was part of his growing up, so singing came naturally to him. But it was the multiple pleasures of the stage that drew him to the world of theater.


title: Terrence Mann

text: In an interview with the "Hartford Courant", Mann said: "When I was doing the junior class play — it was called 'In Deadly Earnest' — at the end of a scene, the script said, 'They kiss.' It was then that I honestly thought, 'I'm going to be in the theater!' I was fascinated with having words put in my mouth and that someone would say something back to me that would get us to a moment where we ended up in a kiss. I remember when my school counselor asked me what I wanted to do, I said without hesitation, 'Go into the theater!'"


title: Terrence Mann

text: Mann grew up in Largo, Florida and he is a 1969 graduate of Largo High School. His first professional job came during his college years in Jacksonville University. For $35 a week, he was offered the job of performing in the annual outdoor theater spectacular "The Lost Colony," during summers on the Outer banks of Manteo, North Carolina. It was here he met Joe Layton, who later was instrumental in getting him his first Broadway show.


title: Terrence Mann

text: Mann later attended the North Carolina School of the Arts, where his mentor was Malcolm Morrison, former dean at The Hartt School at the University of Hartford. For many years Mann was a regular at Morrison's North Carolina Shakespeare Festival.


title: Terrence Mann

text: Mann made his Broadway debut in 1980 in "Barnum" at the St. James Theatre, in the supporting role of Chester Lyman. He made his true break-through performance in the original Broadway cast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Cats" in 1982, in which he met and starred alongside his future wife, Charlotte d'Amboise. He created the memorable lead role of the "playful" cat Rum Tum Tugger. In 1985, Mann played assistant choreographer Larry in Richard Attenborough's film version of "A Chorus Line".


title: Terrence Mann

text: In 1987, he played the role of Inspector Javert in the original Broadway cast of "Les Misérables". His portrayal of Javert earned him his first Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role, a role which he would later reprise near the end of the musical's run at the Imperial Theatre in 2003. Mann returned to the role once more in June 2015, directing and starring as Javert in a staged concert of the show at the Connecticut Repertory Theatre, Storrs, Connecticut.


title: Terrence Mann

text: Mann earned his second Tony Award nomination for Actor in a Musical in 1994 for his portrayal of the Beast in Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" at the Palace Theater and reprised his role in the Los Angeles production in 1995 along with many of the original broadway cast members. In 1997, Mann created the role of Chauvelin in the Frank Wildhorn musical "The Scarlet Pimpernel" on Broadway.


title: Terrence Mann

text: He has also starred in other musicals on Broadway including: "Rags" (1986), "Jerome Robbins' Broadway" (1989), "Getting Away with Murder" (1996) and the 2000 Broadway revival of "The Rocky Horror Show" (in which he played Frank-N-Furter, replacing Tom Hewitt in the role), in addition to the (then) Off-Broadway musical "Assassins" (1990) as Czolgosz.


title: Terrence Mann

text: He appeared in the first four "Critters" films as an alien bounty hunter named Ug. He starred in the television soap opera "All My Children" as Earl Boyd in 1997. Mann played "Old Tom" in Paul Green's outdoor drama "The Lost Colony" in North Carolina, and later returned to his theatrical roots to direct the show for 2 seasons.


title: Terrence Mann

text: He starred in the Broadway musical "Lennon", which opened in August 2005 and closed after 49 performances. He then appeared in the world premiere of "The Studio" written and directed by his brother-in-law Christopher d'Amboise, at South Coast Repertory, Costa Mesa, California in March 2006.


title: Terrence Mann

text: Mann has made guest appearances on "The Equalizer", "Gargoyles" (voice of Oberon), "The Tick" (voice), and "Law & Order". He was also a leading character on "The Dresden Files" as Hrothbert "Bob" of Bainbridge, a cursed ghost. He portrayed oceanographer Bob Ballard in the "30 Rock" episode "TGS Hates Women".


title: Terrence Mann

text: He appeared in the 2008 films "A Circle on the Cross" as James Monroe Good, "Eavesdrop" as August, and the 2009 film "The Mandala Maker" as Museum Chief Curator. Other films completed include a small role in "Jazz in the Diamond District" and as Lt. Fox in "Red Hook".


title: Terrence Mann

text: In November 2009, he originated the role of Mal Beineke opposite Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth in the Chicago tryout of a musical adaptation of "The Addams Family". The show, along with Mann, transferred to Broadway, and opened in March 2010.


title: Terrence Mann

text: Mann played King Charles in the American Repertory Theatre (Boston) production of "Pippin", from December 2012 to January 2013 a role he first played in the 2004 World AIDS Day Concert. He reprised that role in the Broadway revival for which he received a 2013 Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He performed alongside his wife, Charlotte d'Amboise, who performed as Fastrada, the King's devious second wife.


title: Terrence Mann

text: In 2015, he took over the role of Charles Frohman in the Broadway musical "Finding Neverland", replacing Anthony Warlow, who left the show on September 27. He was to remain in the role until Kelsey Grammer's return in January 2016.


title: Terrence Mann

text: He married his "Pippin" co-star and wife Charlotte d'Amboise on January 20, 1996. The couple has two daughters, Josephine and Shelby.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: The Philippines is an archipelago that comprises 7,641 islands with a total land area of . It is the world's fifth largest island country. The eleven largest islands contain 95% of the total land area. The largest of these islands is Luzon at about . The next largest island is Mindanao at about . The archipelago is around from the Asian mainland and is located between Taiwan and Borneo.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: The Philippine archipelago is divided into three Island groups: Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. The Luzon islands include Luzon itself, Palawan, Mindoro, Marinduque, Masbate, Romblon, Catanduanes, Batanes, and Polillo. The Visayas is the group of islands in the central Philippines, the largest of which are: Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, Samar, Siquijor, Biliran, and Guimaras. The Mindanao islands include Mindanao itself, Dinagat, Siargao, Camiguin, Samal, plus the Sulu Archipelago, composed primarily of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: The Philippines lies between 4°23' and 21° North (N) latitude and between 116° and 127° East (E) longitude.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: The Philippine archipelago lies in Southeast Asia, and numbers some 7,641 islands. The Philippines occupies an area that stretches for from about the fifth to the twentieth parallels north latitude. The total land area is , with cadastral survey data suggesting it may be larger. This makes it the fifth largest island country in the world. Only approximately 1,000 of its islands are populated, and fewer than one-half of these are larger than . Eleven islands make up 95 percent of the Philippine landmass, and two of these — Luzon and Mindanao — measure and , respectively. They, together with the cluster of islands in Visayas in between them, represent the three principal regions of the archipelago that are identified by the three stars on the Philippine flag. The Philippines is broken up in many islands by the sea. This gives it the fifth longest coastline of in the world. The Exclusive economic zone of the Philippines covers , from its shores. It is located between 116° 40', and 126° 34' E longitude and 4° 40' and 21° 10' N latitude and is bordered by the Philippine Sea to the east, the South China Sea to the west, and the Celebes Sea to the south. The island of Borneo is located a few hundred kilometers southwest and Taiwan is located directly to the north. The Moluccas and Sulawesi are located to the south-southwest and Palau is located to the east of the islands.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: Off the coast of eastern Mindanao is the Philippine Trench, which descends to a depth of . The Philippines is part of a western Pacific arc system characterized by active volcanoes. Among the most notable peaks are Mount Mayon near Legazpi City, Taal Volcano south of Manila, and Mount Apo in Mindanao. All of the Philippine islands are prone to earthquakes. The northern Luzon highlands, or Cordillera Central, rise to between and , and, together with the Sierra Madre in the northeastern portion of Luzon and the mountains of Mindanao, boast rain forests that provide refuge for numerous upland tribal groups. The rain forests also offer prime habitat for more than 500 species of birds, including the Philippine eagle (or monkey-eating eagle), some 1,100 species of orchids, and some 8,500 species of flowering plants.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: The longest river is the Cagayan River in northern Luzon, measuring about . Manila Bay, upon the shore of which the capital city of Manila lies, is connected to Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the Philippines, by the Pasig River. Subic Bay, the Davao Gulf, and the Moro Gulf are other important bays. The San Juanico Strait separates the islands of Samar and Leyte but it is traversed by the San Juanico Bridge. The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River, which runs underground through a karst landscape before reaching the ocean, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: Other extensive river systems are the Pulangi River, which flows into the Mindanao River (Rio Grande de Mindanao); the Agusan, in Mindanao which flows north into the Mindanao Sea; and the Pampanga, which flows south from east Central Luzon into Manila Bay. Several rivers have been harnessed for hydroelectric power.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: A global remote sensing analysis suggested in 2018 that there were of tidal flats in the Philippines and is therefore ranked as the 15th country in terms of how much tidal flat occurs there.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: To protect the country's biological resources, the government has taken a first step of preparing a Biodiversity Action Plan to address conservation of threatened species.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: Most of the islands used to be covered by tropical rainforests. However, illegal logging has reduced forest cover to less than 10% of the total land area.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: The Philippine Archipelago is geologically part of the Philippine Mobile Belt located between the Philippine Sea Plate, the South China Sea Basin of the Eurasian Plate, and the Sunda Plate. The Philippine Trench (also called the Mindanao Trench) is a submarine trench in length found directly east of the Philippine Mobile Belt and is the result of a collision of tectonic plates. The Philippine Sea Plate is subducting under the Philippine Mobile Belt at the rate of about per year. The Philippine Fault System consists of a series of seismic faults that produce several earthquakes per year, most of which are not felt. The Galathea Depth in the Philippine Trench is the deepest point in the country and the third deepest in the world. The trench is located in the Philippine Sea.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: The islands are composed of volcanic, coral, principal rock formations. Eight major types of forests are distributed throughout the Philippines; dipterocarp, beach forest, pine forest, molave forest, lower montane forest, upper montane or mossy forest, mangroves, and ultrabasic forest. The highest mountain is Mount Apo. It measures up to above sea level and is located on the island of Mindanao. The second highest point can be found on Luzon at Mount Pulag, a peak above sea level.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: Situated on the western fringes of the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity. The Benham Plateau to the east in the Philippine Sea is an undersea region active in tectonic subduction. Around 20 earthquakes are registered daily, though most are too weak to be felt. The last major earthquake was the 1990 Luzon earthquake. There are many active volcanoes such as the Mayon Volcano, Mount Pinatubo, and Taal Volcano. The eruption of Mount Pinatubo in June 1991 produced the second largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century. The Philippines is the world's second-biggest geothermal energy producer behind the United States, with 18% of the country's electricity needs being met by geothermal power.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: Mount Pinatubo is notorious for its destructive eruption on June 15, 1991. Taal Volcano, one of the Decade Volcanoes, had a eruption on January 12, 2020. Mount Mayon is renowned for having an almost perfect cone, but has a violent history of 47 eruptions since 1616 and its eruption on June 23, 1897, rained fire for seven days.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: Significant mineral deposits exist as a result of the country's complex geologic structure and high level of seismic activity. These deposites are considered highly valuable. The country is thought to have the second-largest gold deposits after South Africa, along with a large amount of copper deposits. Palladium, originally discovered in South America, was found to have the world's largest deposits in the Philippines too. Romblon island is a source of high-quality marble. Other minerals include chromite, nickel, and zinc. Despite this, a lack of law enforcement, poor management, opposition due to the presence of indigenous communities, and past instances of environmental damages and disasters, have resulted in these mineral resources remaining largely untapped.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: The Batanes and Babuyan Islands are situated on the northernmost extremity of the Philippines at Luzon Strait facing Taiwan. It contains the northernmost point of land, the islet of Y'Ami in the Batanes Islands, separated from Taiwan by the Bashi Channel (c. wide).


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: This region stretches from Mairaira Point in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte in the north to Cochinos Point in Mariveles, Bataan in the south. The terrain ranges from coastal plains to rugged mountains bordered by the South China Sea in the west and the Cordillera Central and Zambales mountain ranges in the east. Western Luzon is known for its beaches, surf spots and historic towns.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: Nestled between the Cordilleras in the east and the Sierra Madre mountain ranges in the west is the Cagayan Valley, also the name of the administrative region which it covers. Through its center runs the country's longest river, the Cagayan, flowing in a northward direction before emptying its waters in the Luzon Strait at the town of Aparri.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: The Cordilleras and Caraballos, together with the Sierra Madre Range, form the main mountain system in Northern Luzon.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: The Cordilleras consists of two, sometimes three, mountain ranges that are found in northwestern central Luzon. The first, called "Caraballo del Sur", forms the nucleus of the system and has its highest peaks in the border between the provinces of Abra, Ilocos Norte and Cagayan. "Caraballo Occidentalles", is further divided into two ranges, the Cordillera Norte and Cordillera Central. They line the central portions of the Cordillera Administrative Region.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: The Caraballos ("Caraballo de Baler") start where the Sierra Madre and the Cordilleras meet. They are found south of Cagayan Valley, northeast of the Central Luzon Plains.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: Lying in the eastern portion of Luzon is the longest mountain range in the Philippines, the Sierra Madre, stretching from Quezon province in the south to Cagayan in the north. 80 percent of the mountain range is tropical rainforest, which is diminishing from rampant illegal logging activity. The range serves as the eastern wall of Luzon Island that protects inhabitants from tropical cyclones usually coming from the Pacific Ocean.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: The largest plain of the nation is situated in the Central Luzon region and produces most of the national rice supply, earning itself the nickname ""Rice Bowl of the Philippines"". The plains encompass the provinces of Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Pangasinan.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: South of the Central Luzon plains lies the largest inland freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, the Laguna de Bay. To the east of the lake is a plain that stretches westward to the Manila Bay. Large rivers from bays and mountain springs traverse the plain. In the northern part of the region, that is, Manila and Rizal, most of the plain had been converted into cities and towns, and are thus industrialized. Lying east of the lake is the southern terminus of the Sierra Madre mountain range at northern Quezon province.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: To the southwest of the Laguna de Bay is the nation's third largest lake, the Taal, bordered to the north by the Tagaytay Ridge, a ridge stretching from southern Cavite to northern Batangas provinces.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: Southeast of Laguna de Bay lies the Bicol Peninsula, connected to mainland Luzon by the isthmus of Tayabas. The predominantly flat landscape features several solitary peaks, usually active volcanoes, which include Iriga, Mayon and Bulusan.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: The peninsula has an irregular coastline that features large bays and gulfs, which include the Lamon Bay, San Miguel Bay, Lagonoy Gulf, and Albay Gulf to the north, and the Tayabas Bay, Ragay Gulf and Sorsogon Bay to the south.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: Mindoro's coastal plains are characterized by rice and corn fields, rivers, beaches, and extensive open space areas. Most of the population is concentrated on the northern and eastern coast of this island where the city of Calapan and Puerto Galera are located.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: The Mindoro mountain range begins with Mount Halcon and is further divided into three. The northwest ends at Calavite Point and is a landmark for ships. The east originates from Lake Naujan and the west follows the Mindoro Strait.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: The Kalayaan Islands are located to the west of Palawan. "Kalayaan" is a Filipino word meaning "freedom".


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: Panay is the third largest island in the Philippines, behind Mindanao and Luzon. Negros is home to the Canlaon Volcano, one of the active volcanoes in the Philippines. Cebu is a long and narrow island and is the 126th largest island in the world. Other islands nearby are: Guimaras, Boracay, Camotes Islands, Bantayan Island, Mactan and Olangapo Islands and Bohol.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: The eastern coast of Mindanao features a long mountain range, the Eastern Pacific Cordillera, which stretches from Bilar Point at Surigao in the north to Cape San Agustin at Davao in the south. Forming its northern portion are the Diwata Mountains (also spelled "Diuata"), separated from the south by low passes situated at the middle. To the east of the range are narrow strips of lowland that feature several inlets and bays, the most prominent of which include the Lianga and Bislig bays.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: To the west of the Pacific Cordillera lies an extensive lowland, the Davao-Agusan Trough. Its northern portion includes the Agusan Valley which forms the lower river basin of the Agusan River. The river flows in a northward direction and empties into the Butuan Bay. Draining the southern portion of the lowland are several other rivers, which include the Tagum, flowing southward to the Davao Gulf.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: Situated west of the Davao-Agusan Trough is a complex series of mountain ranges called the Central Mindanao Highlands (also known as the "Central Cordillera"). From these mountains form the headwaters of several rivers which include the Rio Grande de Mindanao, Pulangi, Maridagao and Tagoloan rivers. Several tall mountains, such as Mount Apo, the country's highest are found within the range.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: The north-central portion of Mindanao is dominated by an extensive highland region, the Bukidnon-Lanao Plateau, which includes the Kitanglad and Kalatungan mountain ranges. Within the plateau lies the country's second largest lake, Lake Lanao situated at an elevation of 2,296 feet, drained by the Agus River flowing northward to its river mouth at Iligan Bay.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: South of the Bukidnon-Lanao Plateau lies a large depression, the Cotabato Basin, which forms the lower river basin of the country's second largest river system, the Rio Grande de Cagayan (also known as the "Mindanao River"). Surrounded by three mountain ranges, the basin's only opening to the sea is to the northwest at Illana Bay, where the Mindanao River empties into the ocean.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: Situated south and west of the Cotabato Basin are a moderately high mountain range, the Tiruray Highlands, which block off the Basin from the southern coastline. South of the highlands are narrow strips of coastlines.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: At the northwestern tip of Mindanao is the generally mountainous Zamboanga Peninsula. The chain of mountain ranges in this region is called "Zamboanga Cordilleras", with the highest elevation at Mount Dapi, which is high.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: The southern coastline is irregular, featuring two smaller peninsulas, the Sibuguey and Baganian, extending southward to the Moro Gulf.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: To the north of the Diwata Mountains at northeast Mindanao lie Siargao island and the Dinagat group of islands.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: Southwest of the Zamboanga Peninsula is the Sulu Archipelago, a chain of islands which comprise the smaller archipelago provinces of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: The Philippines is divided into a hierarchy of local government units (LGUs) with the 81 provinces and 38 independent cities as the primary unit. Provinces are further subdivided into component cities and municipalities, both of which consist of barangays, the smallest local government unit.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: There are 17 regions comprising the Philippines. Each region, with the exception of the National Capital Region, is further subdivided into component provinces. The National Capital Region is divided into four special districts.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: Most government offices establish regional offices in a city to serve the constituent provinces. Such cities are designated as "regional centers". The regions themselves do not possess a separate local government, with the exception of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: Forming the regions, with the exception of the National Capital, are the 81 provinces. Each province has a capital city or municipality.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: The Philippines has a tropical maritime climate that is usually hot and humid. There are three seasons: "tag-init" or "tag-araw", the hot dry season or summer from March to May; "tag-ulan", the rainy season from June to November; and "tag-lamig", the cool dry season from December to February. The southwest monsoon (from May to October) is known as the Habagat, and the dry winds of the northeast monsoon (from November to April), the Amihan. Temperatures usually range from to although it can get cooler or hotter depending on the season. The coolest month is January; the warmest is May. Some locations have no dry season (meaning, all months have an average rainfall of above ) and certain higher-altitude areas can have a subtropical climate. Manila and most of the lowland areas are hot and dusty from March to May. Even at this time, however, temperatures rarely rise above . Mean annual sea-level temperatures rarely fall below . Annual rainfall measures as much as in the mountainous east coast section of the country, but less than in some of the sheltered valleys.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: The average yearly temperature is around . In considering temperature, location in terms of latitude and longitude is not a significant factor. Whether in the extreme north, south, east, or west of the country, temperatures at sea level tend to be in the same range. Altitude usually has more of an impact. The average annual temperature of Baguio at an elevation of above sea level is , making it a popular destination during hot summers. Annual rainfall measures as much as in the mountainous east coast section but less than in some of the sheltered valleys. Monsoon rains, although hard and drenching, are not normally associated with high winds and waves. But the Philippines sit astride the typhoon belt, and it suffers an annual onslaught of dangerous storms from July through October. These are especially hazardous for northern and eastern Luzon and the Bicol and Eastern Visayas regions, but Manila gets devastated periodically as well.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: In the last decade, the Philippines has been hit severely by natural disasters. In 2005 alone, Central Luzon was hit by both a drought, which sharply curtailed hydroelectric power, and by a typhoon that flooded practically all of low-lying Manila's streets. Still more damaging was the 1990 earthquake that devastated a wide area in Luzon, including Baguio and other northern areas. The city of Cebu and nearby areas were struck by a typhoon that killed more than a hundred people, sank vessels, destroyed part of the sugar crop, and cut off water and electricity for several days. The Philippines is prone to about six to nine storms which make landfall each year, on average. The 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption also damaged much of Central Luzon, the lahar burying towns and farmland, and the ashes affecting global temperatures.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: Sitting astride the typhoon belt, the islands experience 15-20 typhoons annually from July to October, with around nineteen typhoons entering the Philippine area of responsibility in a typical year and eight or nine making landfall. Historically typhoons were sometimes referred to as "baguios". The wettest recorded typhoon to hit the Philippines dropped in Baguio from July 14 to 18, 1911. The Philippines is highly exposed to climate change and is among the world's ten countries that are most vulnerable to climate change risks.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: Building construction is undertaken with natural disasters in mind. Most rural housing has consisted of nipa huts that are easily damaged but are inexpensive and easy to replace. Most urban buildings are steel and concrete structures designed (not always successfully) to resist both typhoons and earthquakes. Damage is still significant, however, and many people are displaced each year by typhoons, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. In 1987 alone the Department of Social Welfare and Development helped 2.4 million victims of natural disasters.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: Unless otherwise indicated, the information below is taken from CIA Factbook information for the Philippines.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: The Philippines sit astride typhoon belt and are usually affected by 15 and struck by five to six cyclonic storms per year; landslides; active volcanoes; destructive earthquakes; tsunamis.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: In political geography, an enclave is a territory or part of a territory lying wholly within the boundaries of another, and an exclave is one which is politically attached to a larger piece but not actually contiguous with it. Many entities are both enclaves and exclaves, but the two are not synonymous.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: A quadripoint is a point on the Earth that touches four distinct regions. Such points are often called "four corners", from the corners of the four regions meeting there.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: Four distinct geographic divisions converging at a single point is not uncommon in the Philippines, and there are other points of convergence between five or more divisions that can be found.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: The island province of Marinduque prides itself as being the geographic center of the Philippines. The Marinduque governor has stated that their claim to be the Geographical Center of the Philippines has received notice and support from the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA). The Luzon Datum of 1911 in Marinduque is used as point number one for all map makers in the country.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: The boundaries of the Philippine archipelago are described in Article III of the Treaty of Paris (1898), as comprising an irregular polygon. A box enclosing that polygon would have corners at 20°N 116°E, 20°N 127°E, 4.75°N 127°E, 4.75°N 116°E. The center of this box would lie at 121.5 E, 12.375 N. That point lies roughly in the center of the Tablas Strait between the islands of Tablas and Mindoro.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: "Republic Act No. 9522", "An Act to Define the Baselines of the Territorial Sea of the Philippines", describes an irregular polygon which fits within a box with its center at 121°44'47.45"E 12°46'6.1252"N, a point also roughly in the center of the Tablas Strait.


title: Geography of the Philippines

text: The center of a box enclosing these points would be located at 12°46’6.13"N, 120°26’36.46"E. That point is located in the Mindoro Strait, about NNE of Apo Island, in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro.


title: Prudence Murdoch

text: Prudence "Prue" Murdoch MacLeod (formerly Odey; born 1958) is an Australian-British non-executive director in the media industry. Murdoch is the eldest child and daughter of Australian-born American billionaire media proprietor Rupert Murdoch. She has held several directorial roles in her father's News Corporation, and is currently a board member of Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News Corporation.


title: Prudence Murdoch

text: Prudence Murdoch was born in August 1958 in Adelaide, South Australia. She is the eldest child and first daughter of Australian-born American media mogul Rupert Murdoch, and his first wife, Australian model Patricia Booker.


title: Prudence Murdoch

text: She was raised in Adelaide until 1968, one year after her parents' divorce, when she moved to London with her father and stepmother Anna Torv after his purchase of the tabloid newspaper publishing company, "News of the World". She received her secondary education at a state school in London, and at the Dalton School in Manhattan after her family relocated to New York City. Murdoch subsequently returned to London where she worked briefly as a tabloid researcher and journalist for "News of the World".


title: Prudence Murdoch

text: Murdoch is described, in relation to her inheritance, as "the only one of [Rupert Murdoch's] children not directly competing for his business affections". After her parents' divorce, Murdoch's mother married a Swiss national and began to lead a life of partying, often neglecting Murdoch. In addition to a poor relationship with her own mother, Murdoch also had a poor relationship with her ex-stepmother, Anna Torv.


title: Prudence Murdoch

text: In 1985, Murdoch married Crispin Odey, an English financier who would go on to become the highest-earning hedge fund manager in London. The pair were married only briefly, separating and divorcing within 15 months of their marriage. They had no children.


title: Prudence Murdoch

text: In 1989, Murdoch married Alasdair MacLeod, an Eton-educated businessman who began working for his father-in-law, despite his wife's disapproval of him working in the family business. They have three children: James (b. London, 1991), Angus (b. London, 1993) and Clementine (b. London, 1996), who all were educated and now reside in Sydney.


title: Rabbit Hole (2010 film)

text: Rabbit Hole is a 2010 American drama film directed by John Cameron Mitchell and written by David Lindsay-Abaire, based on his 2006 play of the same name. The film stars Nicole Kidman (who also co-produced) and Aaron Eckhart as a grieving couple coping with the death of their four-year-old son. It also stars Dianne Wiest, Tammy Blanchard, Miles Teller (in his feature film debut), Giancarlo Esposito, Jon Tenney, and Sandra Oh.


title: Rabbit Hole (2010 film)

text: "Rabbit Hole" had its world premiere at the 35th Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2010. The film received a limited theatrical release in the United States on December 17, 2010, before a wide release on January 28, 2011, by Lionsgate Films. Kidman's performance was critically acclaimed and earned her nominations for an Academy Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, among other accolades.


title: Rabbit Hole (2010 film)

text: Rebecca "Becca" Corbett and Howard "Howie" Corbett's four-year-old son Danny is killed in a car accident after he runs out into the street after his dog. Eight months on, Becca wants to give away Danny's clothes, remove Danny's things, and sell their house. Howie is angry at Becca's elimination of anything that reminds them of their child. Becca assumes Howie wants to have another child, but she refuses.


title: Rabbit Hole (2010 film)

text: Becca's mother, Nat, has also lost a son, Arthur (Becca's brother), who died of a drug overdose in his 30s. Becca states the two deaths are different situations, and thus not comparable. Becca's sister Izzy is pregnant, and Becca keeps giving Izzy passive-aggressive advice about becoming a mother, which Izzy resents.


title: Rabbit Hole (2010 film)

text: Becca and Howie attend group therapy, where Becca is irritated by some of the other members – particularly by one couple who attribute their own child's death to "God's will". Becca stops going to group, while Howie continues to attend the meetings without Becca. Meanwhile, long-time member Gabby starts coming to group alone, telling Howie that her husband also refuses to come to group therapy. One night before group he sees her high in her car, and asks to join her. They both start smoking pot in her car before the group therapy meetings. Eventually, they ditch meetings in favour of going to do things like bowling, where they almost begin an affair. However, Howie pulls away, stating that he is in love with his wife.


title: Rabbit Hole (2010 film)

text: Meanwhile, Becca starts meeting with Jason, the teenage driver of the car that hit Danny. She discovers he feels guilty and tells him she does not blame him for the accident. Jason tells her about a comic book he is writing called "Rabbit Hole", which is about parallel universes. She asks to see it, and he tells her that she can see it when he is finished.


title: Rabbit Hole (2010 film)

text: Becca and Howie put their house on the market. The day of the open house, Howie decides to stay at the home for it. During the open house, he is in Danny's bedroom with an interested couple, who ask about his son. He tells them that his son died and they react awkwardly. After the open house, Jason brings his finished comic book to Becca and walks in unannounced through the door, which is still open from the open house. As Jason gives Becca the book, Howie realises who he is and gets angry. Becca tells Howie she has been meeting Jason. Howie is angered by this and demands that Jason leave immediately. Jason complies.


title: Rabbit Hole (2010 film)

text: Becca and Jason meet again, and talk about the content of the comic book – parallel lives. She realises that at this moment, she is living her "sad" self. There are many other versions of her that exist in other ways, and are not consumed by grief. Howie and Becca begin to have new activities, such as bowling and playing games, and they start to accept their son's death. Becca also comes to realize that her grief is like her own mother's, in that it will never stop.


title: Rabbit Hole (2010 film)

text: Howie and Becca decide to have a garden lunch. The scene begins with Howie telling Becca how the lunch would take place, subtly and incrementally interacting with a small group of trusted friends while life begins to feel normal again. Simultaneously, the screen fades into the lunch as Howie continues to speak in the background. The film ends with Becca and Howie sitting in their garden alone, after all their guests have left, staring into space. Becca reaches out to Howie and touches his hand. They hold hands affectionately as they continue to sit and stare into space.


title: Rabbit Hole (2010 film)

text: "Rabbit Hole" was filmed primarily in the Bayside neighborhood of the borough of Queens, New York City. The $3.2 million production had a 28-day shoot.


title: Rabbit Hole (2010 film)

text: Due to a scheduling conflict, Kidman declined a role in Woody Allen's "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger", in favor of this film. In a 2014 interview on "The Howard Stern Show", Eckhart said that he researched his role by pretending in a support group to have lost a child.


title: Rabbit Hole (2010 film)

text: Owen Pallett was initially scheduled to compose the score, but then Abel Korzeniowski was announced. Ultimately, the position went to Anton Sanko.


title: Rabbit Hole (2010 film)

text: "Rabbit Hole" premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival in September 2010, then played at three other film festivals (Mill Valley Film Festival in October, and both Denver Film Festival, and Rome Film Festival in November). The film opened in Canada and the United States on December 17, 2010 in a limited release in 5 theaters and grossed $53,778 averaging $10,756 per theater and ranking 38th at the box office. The widest release domestically for the film was 131 theaters and it ended up earning $2,229,058 in the U.S. and $2,914,096 internationally for a total of $5,143,154.


title: Rabbit Hole (2010 film)

text: "Rabbit Hole" received positive reviews and has a rating of 87% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 201 reviews with an average score of 7.60/10. The consensus states "It's often painful to watch, but Rabbit Hole's finely written script and convincing performances make it worth the effort." The film also has a score of 76 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 39 reviews.


title: Rabbit Hole (2010 film)

text: Festival and other advance showings of the film garnered good reviews, particularly for Kidman and Wiest. The film received a standing ovation at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. Kirk Honeycutt of "The Hollywood Reporter" said, "Kidman grabs the central focus of the story as the more distraught of the two. The performance is riveting because she essentially plays the entire film at two levels, the surface everyday life and then what is turning over and over again in her mind." Peter Debruge of "Variety" found it "a refreshingly positive-minded take on cinema's ultimate downer: overcoming the death of a child", and called it "[a]adroitly expanded" from the stage play, "with Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart delivering expert, understated performances". Roger Ebert gave it 3.5 stars out of 4, calling it "... entertaining and surprisingly amusing, under the circumstances. The film is in a better state of mind than its characters. Its humor comes, as the best humor does, from an acute observation of human nature. We have known people something like this. We smile in recognition. Apart from anything else, "Rabbit Hole" is a technical challenge. It is simple enough to cover the events in the story, not so simple to modulate them for humor and even warmth. I knew what the movie would be about, but I was impressed by how it was about it."


title: Rabbit Hole (2010 film)

text: The play has a cast of five roles, while a few other characters such as Gabby are only mentioned in dialogue. In contrast, the film has a cast of over a dozen actors. While the entire play takes place in the home of Becca and Howie, the film has a variety of locations. Past incidents, such as Becca's bad experience in the grief support group, are referred to in the play's dialogue but are depicted on screen in the film. The videos that Howie obsesses over are actually seen in the film, though not in the play. The two subplots of Howie's relationship with a woman from the grief support group and Becca's relationship with Jason, the driver of the car that hit Danny, have both been expanded. The film also adds new characters who do not appear in the play: sister Izzy's boyfriend and Howie's best friend.


title: Rabbit Hole (2010 film)

text: Jason is an aspiring science fiction writer in the play, but an aspiring comic book artist in the film.


title: Rabbit Hole (2010 film)

text: In the opinion of critic Jim Lane, the film is more focused on the husband and wife and less of an ensemble piece. Lane writes


title: Rabbit Hole (2010 film)

text: On stage, Rabbit Hole is a tightly focused five-character drama punctuated with sharp, surprising flashes of aching humor. In the movie, however, supporting roles are trimmed into near irrelevance, elbowed into the background by the spotlight focused on Becca and Howie—or, more bluntly, on Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart.


title: Rabbit Hole (2010 film)

text: Here’s what David Lindsay-Abaire seems not to understand about his own play: It’s like an atom in which the five characters are electrons revolving around the missing nucleus that was Danny... Without their nucleus, these electrons wobble and flail in their orbits, by turns clutching at and repelling one another... In the movie, Rabbit Hole’s symmetrical stage design is torn between the age-old pitfall of “opening up” a play and the Hollywood urge to focus on Kidman and Eckhart (who are, after all, the stars)...The movie orbits Becca and Howie instead of the lost Danny.


title: Rabbit Hole (2010 film)

text: The director of a 2010 stage production of "Rabbit Hole", Robert A. Norman, declared, "The 2010 movie version starring Nicole Kidman lacked the humor and hopefulness of the stage script. Our production will have plenty of both of those things." However, Abaire, who wrote both the stage play and screenplay, believes, "For the film, we cut so much that worked in the play that I worried we had cut all the laughs. But there were all these other laughs I didn't know were there."


title: Shmita

text: The sabbath year (shmita; , literally "release"), also called the sabbatical year or "shǝvi'it" (, literally "seventh"), or "Sabbath of The Land", is the seventh year of the seven-year agricultural cycle mandated by the Torah in the Land of Israel and is observed in Judaism.


title: Shmita

text: During "shmita", the land is left to lie fallow and all agricultural activity, including plowing, planting, pruning and harvesting, is forbidden by "halakha" (Jewish law). Other cultivation techniques (such as watering, fertilizing, weeding, spraying, trimming and mowing) may be performed as a preventive measure only, not to improve the growth of trees or other plants. Additionally, any fruits or herbs which grow of their own accord and where no watch is kept over them are deemed "hefker" (ownerless) and may be picked by anyone. A variety of laws also apply to the sale, consumption and disposal of "shmita" produce. All debts, except those of foreigners, were to be remitted.


title: Shmita

text: Chapter 25 of the Book of Leviticus promises bountiful harvests to those who observe the "shmita", and describes its observance as a test of religious faith.


title: Shmita

text: The most recent Shmita year was 2021–2022 or Anno mundi 5782 in Hebrew calendar. The next Shmita cycle will be in 2028-2029, year 5789 in Hebrew calendar.


title: Shmita

text: It is still discussed among scholars of the Ancient Near East whether or not there is clear evidence for a seven-year cycle in Ugaritic texts. It is also debated how the biblical seventh fallow year would fit in with, for example Assyrian practice of a four-year cycle and crop rotation, and whether the one year in seven was an extra fallow year. suggests that the land may have been farmed only 3 years in seven. Elie Borowski (1987) takes the fallow year as one year in seven.


title: Shmita

text: A sabbath year ("shmita") is mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible by name or by its pattern of six years of activity and one of rest:


title: Shmita

text: The 2 Kings passage (and its parallel in Isaiah 37:30) refers to a sabbath ("shmita") year followed by a jubilee ("yovel") year. The text says that in the first year the people were to eat "what grows of itself", which is expressed by one word in the Hebrew, "saphiah" (ספיח). In Leviticus 25:5, the reaping of the "saphiah" is forbidden for a Sabbath year, explained by rabbinic commentary to mean the prohibition of reaping in the ordinary way (with, for example, a sickle), but permitted to be plucked in a limited way by one's own hands for one's immediate needs during the Sabbath year.


title: Shmita

text: There is an alternative explanation used to rectify what appears to be a discrepancy in the two biblical sources, taken from Adam Clarke's 1837 Bible commentary. The Assyrian siege had lasted until after planting time in the fall of 701 BCE, and although the Assyrians left immediately after the prophecy was given (2 Kings 19:35), they had consumed the harvest of that year before they left, leaving only the "saphiah" to be gleaned from the fields. In the next year, the people were to eat "what springs from that", Hebrew "sahish" (סחיש). Since this word occurs only here and in the parallel passage in Isaiah 37:30, where it is spelled שחיס, there is some uncertainty about its exact meaning. If it is the same as the "shabbat ha-arets" (שבת הארץ) that was permitted to be eaten in a Sabbath year in Leviticus 25:6, then there is a ready explanation why there was no harvest: the second year, i.e. the year starting in the fall of 700 BCE, was a Sabbath year, after which normal sowing and reaping resumed in the third year, as stated in the text.


title: Shmita

text: Another interpretation obviates all of the speculation about the Sabbath year entirely, translating the verse as: "And this shall be the sign for you, this year you shall eat what grows by itself, and the next year, what grows from the tree stumps, and in the third year, sow and reap, and plant vineyards and eat their fruit." According to the Judaica Press commentary, it was Sennacherib's invasion that prevented the people of Judah from sowing in the first year and Isaiah was promising that enough plants would grow to feed the population for the rest of the first year and the second year. Therefore, Isaiah was truly providing a sign to Hezekiah that God would save the city of Jerusalem, as explicitly stated, and not an injunction concerning the Sabbath ("shmita") or jubilee ("yovel") years, which are not mentioned at all in the passage.


title: Shmita

text: Various attempts have been made to reconstruct when Sabbatical years actually fell using clues in the biblical text and events clearly dated in fixed historically understood calendars. This is important because the system of Shmita and Jubilee years provides a useful check in deciding between competing reconstructions of the histories of the First Temple period and earlier and the history of the Second Temple period and later. There are explicit mentions of a Sabbatical year found in Josephus, 1 Maccabees, and in various legal contracts from the time of Simon bar Kokhba. In contrast, no direct statements that a certain year was a Sabbatical year have survived from First Temple times and earlier.


title: Shmita

text: The Jewish method of calculating the recurring Sabbatical year (Shmita) has been greatly misunderstood by modern chroniclers of history, owing to their unfamiliarity with Jewish practice, which has led to many speculations and inconsistencies in computations. According to Maimonides ("Mishne Torah", "Hil. Shmita ve-Yovel" 10:7), during the Second Temple period, the seven-year cycle which repeated itself every seven years was actually dependent upon the fixation of the Jubilee, or the fiftieth year, which year temporarily broke off the counting of the seven-year cycle. Moreover, the laws governing the Jubilee (e.g. release of Hebrew bondmen, and the return of leased property to its original owners, etc.) were never applied all throughout the Second Temple period, but the Jubilee was being used during the period of the Second Temple in order to fix and sanctify thereby the Sabbatical year. A Sabbatical year could not be fixed without the year of the Jubilee, since the Jubilee serves to break-off the 7 x 7-year cycle, before resuming its count once again in the 51st year. While the 49th year is also a Sabbatical year, the fiftieth year is not the 1st year in a new seven-year cycle, but rather is the Jubilee. Its number is not incorporated into the seven-year cycle. Rather, the new seven-year cycle begins afresh in the 51st year, and in this manner is the cycle repeated. After the Temple's destruction, the people began a new practice to number each seventh year as a Sabbatical year, without the necessity of adding a fiftieth year.


title: Shmita

text: The rabbis of the Talmud and later times interpreted the Shmita laws in various ways to ease the burden they created for farmers and the agricultural industry. The "heter mechira" (leniency of sale), developed for the Shmita year of 1888–1889, permitted Jewish farmers to sell their land to non-Jews so that they could continue to work the land as usual during Shmita. This temporary solution to the impoverishment of the Jewish settlement in those days was later adopted by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel as a permanent edict, generating ongoing controversy between Zionist and Haredi leaders to this day. There is a major debate among halakhic authorities as to what is the nature of the obligation of the Sabbatical year nowadays. Some say it is still biblically binding, as it has always been. Others hold that it is rabbinically binding, since the Shmita only biblically applies when the Jubilee year is in effect, but the Sages of the Talmud legislated the observance of the Shmita anyway as a reminder of the biblical statute. And yet others hold that the Shmita has become purely voluntary. An analysis by respected posek and former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef in his responsa "Yabi'a Omer" (Vol. 10), accorded with the middle option, that the biblical obligation holds only when a majority of the Jewish people is living in the biblical Land of Israel and hence the Shmita nowadays is a rabbinic obligation in nature. This approach potentially admits for some leniencies which would not be possible if the Shemitah were biblical in origin, including the aforementioned sale of the land of Israel. Haredi authorities, on the other hand, generally follow the view of the Chazon Ish, that the Shmita continues to be a biblical obligation.


title: Shmita

text: Rabbi Joshua Falk, author of "Sefer Me'irat Einayim" on "Choshen Mishpat", holds that Shmita nowadays is only a rabbinic obligation, and, subsequently, the biblical promise of bounty for those who observe the Shmita (Leviticus 25:20–22) only applies when the biblical obligation is in effect, and hence that the biblical promise of bounty is not in effect today. However, the Chazon Ish, who holds that the biblical obligation of Shmita observance remains in effect today, holds that the biblical promise of bounty follows it and Divine bounty is promised to Jews living in the Land of Israel today, just as it was promised in ancient times. However, he holds that Jews should generally not demand miracles from Heaven and hence that one should not rely on this promise for one's sustenance, but should instead make appropriate arrangements and rely on permissible leniencies.


title: Shmita

text: According to the laws of shmita, land owned by Jews in the Land of Israel is left unfarmed. The law does not apply to land in the Diaspora. Any naturally growing produce was not to be formally harvested, but could have been eaten by its owners, as well as left to be taken by poor people, passing strangers, and beasts of the field. While naturally growing produce such as grapes growing on existing vines can be harvested, it cannot be sold or used for commercial purposes; it must be given away or consumed. Personal debts are considered forgiven at sunset on 29 Elul. Since this aspect of shmita is not dependent on the land, it applies to Jews both in Israel and elsewhere.


title: Shmita

text: As produce grown on land in Israel owned by Jewish farmers cannot be sold or consumed, fruits and vegetables sold in a shmita year may be derived from five sources:


title: Shmita

text: There is a requirement that "shevi'it" produce be consumed for personal use and cannot be sold or put in trash. For this reason, there are various special rules regarding the religious use of products that are normally made from agricultural produce. Some authorities hold that Hanukkah candles cannot be made from "shevi'it" oils because the light of Hanukkah candles is not supposed to be used for personal use, while Shabbat candles can be because their light can be used for personal use. For similar reasons, some authorities hold that if the Havdalah ceremony is performed using wine made from "shevi'it" grapes, the cup should be drunk completely and the candle should not be dipped into the wine to extinguish the flame as is normally done.


title: Shmita

text: The "otzar beit din" system is structured in such a way that "biur" remains the responsibility of members of individual households and hence warehoused produce does not have to be moved to a public place or reclaimed at the "biur" time. Households only have to perform "biur" on produce they receive before the "biur" time, not on produce they receive after it.


title: Shmita

text: Because the Orthodox rules of Kashrut have strictures requiring certain products, such as wine, to be produced by Jews, the leniency of selling one's land to non-Jews is unavailable for these products, since these strictures would render the wine non-Kosher. Accordingly, wine made from grapes grown in the land of Israel during the Shmita year is subject to the full strictures of Shmita. New vines cannot be planted. Although grapes from existing vines can be harvested, they and their products cannot be sold.