title: Alexander Borodin

text: Borodin was born in Saint Petersburg as an illegitimate son of a 62-year-old Georgian nobleman, Luka Stepanovich Gedevanishvili, and a married 25-year-old Russian woman, Evdokia Konstantinovna Antonova. Due to the circumstances of Alexander's birth, the nobleman had him registered as the son of one of his Russian serfs, Porfiry Borodin, hence the composer's Russian last name. As a result of this registration, both Alexander and his nominal Russian father Porfiry were officially serfs of Alexander's biological father Luka. The Georgian father emancipated Alexander from serfdom when he was 7 years old and provided housing and money for him and his mother. Despite this, Alexander was never publicly recognized by his mother, who was referred to by young Borodin as his "aunt".


title: Alexander Borodin

text: Despite his status as a commoner, Borodin was well provided for by his Georgian father and grew up in a large four-storey house, which was gifted to Alexander and his "aunt" by the nobleman. Although his registration prevented enrollment in a proper gymnasium, Borodin received good education in all of the subjects through private tutors at home. During 1850 he enrolled in the Medical–Surgical Academy in Saint Petersburg, which was later the workplace of Ivan Pavlov, and pursued a career in chemistry. On graduation he spent a year as surgeon in a military hospital, followed by three years of advanced scientific study in western Europe.


title: Alexander Borodin

text: During 1862, Borodin returned to Saint Petersburg to begin a professorship of chemistry at the Imperial Medical-Surgical Academy and spent the remainder of his scientific career in research, lecturing and overseeing the education of others. Eventually, he established medical courses for women in 1872.


title: Alexander Borodin

text: He began taking lessons in composition from Mily Balakirev during 1862. He married Ekaterina Protopopova, a pianist, during 1863, with whom he adopted several daughters. Music remained a secondary vocation for Borodin besides his main career as a chemist and physician. He suffered poor health, having overcome cholera and several minor heart failures. He died suddenly during a ball at the Academy, and was interred in Tikhvin Cemetery at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery in Saint Petersburg.


title: Alexander Borodin

text: In his profession Borodin gained great respect, being particularly noted for his work on aldehydes. Between 1859 and 1862 Borodin had a postdoctoral position at Heidelberg University. He worked in the laboratory of Emil Erlenmeyer working on benzene derivatives. He also spent time in Pisa, working on halocarbons. One experiment published during 1862 described the first nucleophilic displacement of chlorine by fluorine in benzoyl chloride. The radical halodecarboxylation of aliphatic carboxylic acids was first demonstrated by Borodin during 1861 by his synthesis of methyl bromide from silver acetate. It was Heinz Hunsdiecker and his wife Cläre, however, who developed Borodin's work into a general method, for which they were granted a US patent during 1939, and which they published in the journal "Chemische Berichte" during 1942. The method is generally known as either the Hunsdiecker reaction or the Hunsdiecker–Borodin reaction.


title: Alexander Borodin

text: During 1862, Borodin returned to the Medical–Surgical Academy (now known as the S. M. Kirov Military Medical Academy), and accepted a professorship of chemistry. He worked on self-condensation of small aldehydes in a process now known as the aldol reaction, the discovery of which is jointly credited to Borodin and Charles Adolphe Wurtz. Borodin investigated the condensation of valerian aldehyde and oenanth aldehyde, which was reported by von Richter during 1869. During 1873, he described his work to the Russian Chemical Society and noted similarities with compounds recently reported by Wurtz.


title: Alexander Borodin

text: He published his last full article during 1875 on reactions of amides and his last publication concerned a method for the identification of urea in animal urine.


title: Alexander Borodin

text: His successor as chemistry professor of the Medical-Surgical academy was his son-in-law and fellow chemist, Aleksandr Dianin.


title: Alexander Borodin

text: Borodin met Mily Balakirev during 1862. While under Balakirev's tutelage in composition he began his Symphony No. 1 in E-flat major; it was first performed during 1869, with Balakirev conducting. During that same year Borodin started on his Symphony No. 2 in B minor, which was not particularly successful at its premiere during 1877 under Eduard Nápravník, but with some minor re-orchestration received a successful performance during 1879 by the Free Music School under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's direction. During 1880 he composed the popular symphonic poem "In the Steppes of Central Asia". Two years later he began composing a third symphony, but left it unfinished at his death; two movements of it were later completed and orchestrated by Alexander Glazunov.


title: Alexander Borodin

text: During 1868, Borodin became distracted from initial work on the second symphony by preoccupation with the opera "Prince Igor", which is considered by some to be his most significant work and one of the most important historical Russian operas. It contains the "Polovtsian Dances", often performed as a stand-alone concert work forming what is probably Borodin's best-known composition. Borodin left the opera (and a few other works) incomplete at his death.


title: Alexander Borodin

text: "Prince Igor" was completed posthumously by Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov. It is set in the 12th century, when the Russians, commanded by Prince Igor of Seversk, determined to conquer the barbarous Polovtsians by travelling eastward across the Steppes. The Polovtsians were apparently a nomadic tribe originally of Turkic origin who habitually attacked southern Russia. A full solar eclipse early during the first act foreshadows an ominous outcome to the invasion. Prince Igor's troops are defeated. The story tells of the capture of Prince Igor, and his son, Vladimir, of Russia by Polovtsian chief Khan Konchak, who entertains his prisoners lavishly and orders his slaves to perform the famous 'Polovtsian Dances', which provide a thrilling climax to the second act. The second half of the opera finds Prince Igor returning to his homeland, but rather than finding himself in disgrace, he is welcomed home by the townspeople and by his wife, Yaroslavna. Although for a while rarely performed in its entirety outside of Russia, this opera has received two notable new productions recently, one at the Bolshoi State Opera and Ballet Company in Russia during 2013, and one at the Metropolitan Opera Company of New York City during 2014.


title: Alexander Borodin

text: No other member of the Balakirev circle identified himself so much with absolute music as did Borodin in his two string quartets, in addition to his many earlier chamber compositions. As a cellist, he was an enthusiastic chamber music player, an interest that increased during his chemical studies in Heidelberg between 1859 and 1861. This early period yielded, among other chamber works, a string sextet and a piano quintet. Borodin based the thematic structure and instrumental texture of his pieces on those of Felix Mendelssohn.


title: Alexander Borodin

text: During 1875 Borodin started his First String Quartet, much to the displeasure of Mussorgsky and Vladimir Stasov; the other members of The Five were known to be hostile to chamber music. The First Quartet demonstrates mastery of the string quartet form. Borodin's Second Quartet, written in 1881, displays strong lyricism, as in the third movement's popular "Nocturne." While the First Quartet is richer in changes of mood, the Second Quartet has a more uniform atmosphere and expression.


title: Alexander Borodin

text: Borodin's fame outside the Russian Empire was made possible during his lifetime by Franz Liszt, who arranged a performance of the Symphony No. 1 in Germany during 1880, and by the Comtesse de Mercy-Argenteau in Belgium and France. His music is noted for its strong lyricism and rich harmonies. Along with some influences from Western composers, as a member of The Five his music has also a Russian style. His passionate music and unusual harmonies proved to have a lasting influence on the younger French composers Debussy and Ravel (in homage, the latter composed during 1913 a piano piece entitled "À la manière de Borodine").


title: Alexander Borodin

text: The evocative characteristics of Borodin's music—specifically "In the Steppes of Central Asia", his Symphony No. 2, "Prince Igor" — made possible the adaptation of his compositions in the 1953 musical "Kismet", by Robert Wright and George Forrest, notably in the songs "Stranger in Paradise", "And This Is My Beloved" and "Baubles, Bangles, & Beads". In 1954, Borodin was posthumously awarded a Tony Award for this show.


title: Syrian Salvation Government

text: The Syrian Salvation Government () is a de facto alternative government of the Syrian opposition in Idlib Governorate, formed in early November 2017. There followed weeks of conflict between the Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) and the Syrian Interim Government (SIG), with reports of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) unilaterally disbanding several SIG-supported local councils across northwestern Syria. The SSG is led by a prime minister (currently Ali Keda, since 18 November 2019) who is elected by a legislative body named the General Shura Council, which is headed by a president (currently Mustafa al-Mousa, since 24 April 2020).


title: Syrian Salvation Government

text: Since 2014, large parts of Idlib Governorate, including Idlib City, in Northwest Syria have been largely in the military control of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front which would later go on to form Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) along with five other groups, who have been at war with other rebel fighters, including the Free Syrian Army, and with the Syrian opposition more generally. HTS does not recognise the authority of the official opposition leadership, the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, or its recognised government, the Syrian Interim Government. However, HTS generally removed itself from the day to day governance of territories it held, leading to a form of dual power in which civil administration was carried out by co-operatively-run local councils. Throughout 2017, HTS had been engaged in particularly intense armed conflict with rival rebel groups - see Idlib Governorate clashes (January–March 2017) and Idlib Governorate clashes (July 2017).


title: Syrian Salvation Government

text: The General Syrian Conference, held in Idlib in September 2017, was a continuation of the Civil Administration Initiative in opposition-controlled areas, held at the end of August 2017 in Idlib. At its conclusion on 11 September 2017, the Conference formed a constituent body named the General Shura Council, headed by president Bassam al-Sahyouni, and appointed a prime minister. The Syrian Interim Government rejected the outcome of the conference; its president, Jawad Abu Hatab, called it “a declaration of the “Idlibstan” project. The Syrian Democratic Forces in Qamishli and Afrin also rejected it. Conference participants agreed upon “Islamic law as the only source of legislation", "the need to preserve the identity of the Syrian Muslim people”, “the overthrow of the illegal regime with all its symbols and pillars and holding it accountable for its committed crimes, as well as liberating the Syrian territory from all the occupying forces, extending security and spreading justice in the liberated areas”.


title: Syrian Salvation Government

text: The move was seen as part of an attempt by Tahrir al-Sham to impose its control on the region. Riad al-Asaad's attendance at the conference was controversial. Riad al-Asaad said that “Tahrir al-Sham has previously declared that it will be dissolve itself, which is an external and internal demand”, and that HTS “did not attend the conference and we did not communicate with them after it ended, either”. However, the Hawar Kilis Operations Room, part of the Syrian National Army, condemned Riad al-Asaad and accused him of conspiring with Al-Qaida.


title: Syrian Salvation Government

text: In early November 2017, the General Conference formed the Syrian Salvation Government. There followed weeks of conflict between the new government and the Syrian Interim Government (SIG), with reports of HTS unilaterally disbanding several SIG-supported local councils across northwestern Syria.


title: Syrian Salvation Government

text: On 12 December 2017, the Syrian Salvation Government issued a warning that called for the Syrian Interim Government to evacuate their offices from opposition-controlled areas in 72 hours. There were reports that some SIG-run local councils had already been closed, and replaced by SSG-loyal alternatives, but others said they would not vacate their offices.


title: Syrian Salvation Government

text: On 6 January 2018, the Salvation Government declared control over the SIG-initiated Free Aleppo University, and closed several faculties in al-Dana and Sarmada, north of Idlib, where almost 4,000 students study. This resulted in protests by students and lecturers of the university against the group.On 11 March 2018, Russian planes reportedly fired a missile on the SSG Ministry of Justice east of Idlib city.


title: Syrian Salvation Government

text: On 15 August 2018, the SSG's Founding Body accepted the oral resignation of Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sheikh after the kidnapping of a prominent health director. Although the director was ransomed for $US100,000, al-Sheikh had promised to resign if the Ministry of Interior failed to apprehend the captors within 24 hours. On 18 August 2018, the Founding Body instructed Fawaz Hilal to form a new government with the deputy prime minister, Mohammed Jamal Shahoud, leading in the interim. The SSG's Constitution Drafting Assembly appointed Fawaz Hilal as prime minister, alongside nine cabinet ministers, on 10 December 2018. Hilal and much of his cabinet maintained close ties with Tahrir al-Sham.


title: Syrian Salvation Government

text: On 29 January 2019, a female suicide bomber accused by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham of being linked to ISIL attacked the headquarters of the Salvation Government. After fighting guards outside the facility for several minutes, she blew herself up, wounding a number of people. Two days later ISIL denied they were responsible for the attack, using their media outlet Amaq News Agency.


title: Syrian Salvation Government

text: During a government offensive on Idlib in May 2019, Hilal called upon Turkey to support the opposition.


title: Syrian Salvation Government

text: Tax increases, rising commodity prices and accusations that the SSG was establishing monopolies on key goods such as fuel led to protests between October and November 2019, with demonstrators chanting slogans against the SSG and Abu Mohammad al-Julani. After residents of Kafr Takharim refused to pay a new tax on olive oil and expelled SSG officials, Tahrir al-Sham fighters besieged and bombed the town, killing 5. Hilal and his cabinet resigned shortly afterwards, leading to the General Shura Council asking Ali Keda, Deputy Minister of the Interior for Administrative Affairs and Public Relations, to form a new government. On 18 November 2019, Keda was elected prime minister by the Council, winning 65% of the vote. However, some activists said the reshuffle was merely "changing faces".


title: Syrian Salvation Government

text: On 23 March 2020, the SSG created an emergency committee to coordinate its response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Syria. Measures taken by the SSG to prevent the spread of COVID-19 included suspending Friday prayers, shutting down schools and markets and opening quarantine centres in Jisr al-Shughur, Sarmada and Kafr Karmin. However, these efforts were undermined by hardliners from Tahrir al-Sham and al-Qaeda's Syrian branch, the Guardians of Religion Organization, who continued to pray and hold sermons in mosques without social distancing. As of 26 March 2020, the SSG possessed limited resources to deal with a large outbreak of COVID-19, with only 107 ventilators and 243 intensive care unit beds at its disposal.


title: Syrian Salvation Government

text: On 7 April 2020, Bassam al-Sahyouni, president of the General Shura Council, resigned. Sources told "Enab Baladi" that his resignation was in response to attempts by HTS to interfere in the Council's activities. On 24 April 2020, the Council elected Mustafa al-Mousa, a pharmacist who previously headed its health committee, as his successor.


title: Syrian Salvation Government

text: In May 2020, rapid depreciation of the Syrian pound triggered by the US Government's Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act prompted the SSG to replace it with the Turkish lira in its administered territories.


title: Syrian Salvation Government

text: On 1 December 2020, Ali Keda was re-elected as prime minister for another term by the General Shura Council, receiving 81% of the vote. The appointment was criticized by opposition activists, who likened it to elections in territories controlled by the Syrian government.


title: Syrian Salvation Government

text: Mohammed al-Sheikh was initially appointed as prime minister, alongside 11 ministers for Interior, Justice, Endowment, Higher Education, Education, Health, Agriculture, Economy, Social Affairs and Displaced, Housing and Reconstruction and Local Administration and Services. Al-Sheikh, in a press conference held at the Bab al-Hawa Border Crossing also announced the formation of four commissions: Inspection Authority, Prisoners and Missing Persons Affairs, Planning and Statistics Authority, and the Commission of Trade Unions. The founder of the Free Syrian Army, Col. Riad al-Asaad, was appointed as deputy prime minister for military affairs. After the appointment of Fawaz Hilal as prime minister in December 2018, the Ministry of Economy was merged with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Housing and Reconstruction was merged with the Ministry of Local Administration and Services.


title: Jallikattu (2019 film)

text: Jallikattu is a 2019 Indian Malayalam-language independent action thriller film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery with a screenplay by S. Hareesh and R. Jayakumar, based on the short story "Maoist" by Hareesh. The film stars Antony Varghese, Chemban Vinod Jose, Sabumon Abdusamad and Santhy Balachandran. The plot follows a bull that escapes from a slaughterhouse in a hilly remote village and the entire village men gathering to hunt down the animal.


title: Jallikattu (2019 film)

text: "Jallikattu" was premiered on 6 September 2019 at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and received widespread critical acclaim. The film was showcased at the 24th Busan International Film Festival under the section 'A Window on Asian Cinema'. It was released in the home state Kerala on 4 October 2019. Lijo Jose Pellissery received the Silver Peacock-Best Director trophy at the 50th International Film Festival of India. It was selected as the Indian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. It was third Malayalam film after "Guru" and "Adaminte Makan Abu" to be chosen as India's official entry to the Oscars. It was included in The Hindu's top 25 Malayalam films of the decade and is widely regarded as one of the defining movies of the New Wave Movement.


title: Jallikattu (2019 film)

text: Kalan Varkey is a butcher in a small, rural village in Kerala, who along with his assistant Antony, meet before dawn each day to slaughter a buffalo and prepare its meat for sale in the market. One morning, a buffalo slips its bindings before Varkey can kill it, escaping into the hilly forest. Soon after, a large haystack is set ablaze, and the entire village wakes up to put out the fire. The men of the village, hearing of the buffalo's escape and believing that it was responsible, begin an urgent hunt for the animal.


title: Jallikattu (2019 film)

text: As the day progresses, the villagers repeatedly try, but fail to corner the buffalo and kill it. Crops at the rubber plantation are trampled, a drinks vendor's cart is smashed, along with the village's bank and convenience store is both destroyed. The villagers begin to turn on Varkey, blaming him for the vandalism caused by the bull. Meanwhile, the police turn up but refuse to help, as killing cattle is illegal - instead, they focus on merely warning people to stay inside until the buffalo is caught. The frustrated villagers instead call Kuttachan, a renowned local poacher with his own hunting rifle, for help. Antony is unhappy to see Kuttachan back in the village; in a flashback it is revealed that, before Antony married his wife Sophie, the two men had been rivals over her. Antony had won by informing the police that Kuttachan was stealing sandalwood from the local church, leading to his arrest. As Kuttachan prepares for the hunt by chopping up a metal bucket handle into pieces of buckshot, they start a mass argument among the villagers over which man deserves to land the killing blow on the buffalo.


title: Jallikattu (2019 film)

text: Elsewhere in the village, the disruption - both from the buffalo's rampage and the hunt - spreads further, causing other personal issues to come to the surface. Law and order begins to break down, with some of the men setting off fireworks and committing random acts of vandalism. Kuriachan, a wealthy man who had been planning an elaborate feast of different buffalo dishes for his daughter's wedding party, ventures out to try and find some chicken instead; a group of workers seize him, stripping him and bring him to the hunt as a trophy. Meanwhile, Kuriachan's daughter tries to avoid the arranged marriage by running away - but a neighbour catches and punishes her. Several of the men, enraged and frustrated, beat their wives or drink heavily, while some women find men openly leering at them through windows as they sleep.


title: Jallikattu (2019 film)

text: After night falls, the buffalo is found lying at the bottom of a well; Antony immediately decided to take the credit, claiming that chasing the buffalo down into the well had been his plan all along. Kuttachan wants to shoot the buffalo there and then, but Antony demands that they bring it back to the surface first so he and Varkey can still butcher it properly and sell the meat. By contrast, Varkey is indifferent, and he takes a nap under a nearby tree as the other men argue and plan. The men construct a scaffold, and lower Antony down so he can attach ropes around the buffalo's legs and neck. However, it begins raining heavily; the ropes slip off as soon as the buffalo reaches the top, and as it thrashes around one of the villagers is thrown down the well and killed. The buffalo escapes again into the forest. Kuttachan and the other villagers blame Antony for the man's death. Meanwhile, another group of men, furious that a cop is still refusing to help, set his car on fire.


title: Jallikattu (2019 film)

text: By this point the villagers are desperate and frantic. In-fighting leads to them splintering into smaller groups, each with its own plan - and with each man desperate to be the one to finally kill the bull. As the men string up ropes, chains, and nets around the perimeter of the village, forcing the buffalo into a smaller and smaller area, the situation becomes increasingly chaotic and confused. Antony and Kuttachan stumble across each other in a clearing in the dark forest, and begin fighting; Kuttachan is about to kill Antony, but the buffalo suddenly emerges from the undergrowth and disrupts the fight. Kuttachan catches the buffalo by its horns and asks Antony to hold its legs. But Antony uses this opportunity to stab Kuttachan multiple times and fatally wounds him. The buffalo escapes. Antony and the villagers chase the buffalo towards the river and across a bridge, where the animal becomes stuck in deep mud.


title: Jallikattu (2019 film)

text: Antony stabs the buffalo, and screams that he was the one who deserves the credit for killing it. This kicks off a desperate pile-on, as dozens of men, holding lit torches and bearing crude weapons, jump on top of each other, stabbing both the animal and each other as they form a huge, writhing mass of human bodies. The final shot is of a group of prehistoric men, wearing loincloths and carrying spears, racing each other through the dark while hunting a buffalo.


title: Jallikattu (2019 film)

text: The official trailer of the film was unveiled by Friday Film House on 28 September 2019. "Jallikattu" was premiered at Toronto International Film Festival 2019. It was theatrically released on 4 October 2019 in Kerala.


title: Jallikattu (2019 film)

text: "Jallikattu" was released on streaming service Amazon Prime Video on 4 February 2020. A Telugu dubbed version with same title was released on Aha.


title: Jallikattu (2019 film)

text: Reviewing the movie for Onmanorama, Sajesh Mohan wrote: "After Ee. Ma. Yau, Lijo Jose Pellissery has again opted to saunter through the innate nature of humans in an off-kilter manner." According to the reviewer, 'the movie's technical brilliance is something that Mollywood can flaunt for a long time to come.'


title: Jallikattu (2019 film)

text: Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion South wrote "In other words, Jallikattu wants to transform local colour and local history into something universal and primal — and even if the bigger point becomes repetitive after a while, the film is always rewarding. The screenplay is essentially a series of vignettes, and some of them are screamingly funny".


title: Archimedean spiral

text: The Archimedean spiral (also known as the arithmetic spiral) is a spiral named after the 3rd-century BC Greek mathematician Archimedes. It is the locus corresponding to the locations over time of a point moving away from a fixed point with a constant speed along a line that rotates with constant angular velocity. Equivalently, in polar coordinates it can be described by the equation


title: Archimedean spiral

text: with real numbers and . Changing the parameter moves the centerpoint of the spiral outward from the origin (positive toward and negative toward ) essentially through a rotation of the spiral, while controls the distance between loops.


title: Archimedean spiral

text: From the above equation, it can thus be stated: position of particle from point of start is proportional to angle as time elapses.


title: Archimedean spiral

text: Archimedes described such a spiral in his book "On Spirals". Conon of Samos was a friend of his and Pappus states that this spiral was discovered by Conon.


title: Archimedean spiral

text: Suppose a point object moves in the Cartesian system with a constant velocity directed parallel to the -axis, with respect to the -plane. Let at time , the object was at an arbitrary point . If the plane rotates with a constant angular velocity about the -axis, then the velocity of the point with respect to -axis may be written as:


title: Archimedean spiral

text: Here is the modulus of the position vector of the particle at any time , is the velocity component along the -axis and is the component along the -axis. The figure shown alongside explains this.


title: Archimedean spiral

text: The above equations can be integrated by applying integration by parts, leading to the following parametric equations:


title: Archimedean spiral

text: Squaring the two equations and then adding (and some small alterations) results in the Cartesian equation


title: Archimedean spiral

text: The Archimedean spiral has the property that any ray from the origin intersects successive turnings of the spiral in points with a constant separation distance (equal to if is measured in radians), hence the name "arithmetic spiral". In contrast to this, in a logarithmic spiral these distances, as well as the distances of the intersection points measured from the origin, form a geometric progression.


title: Archimedean spiral

text: The Archimedean spiral has two arms, one for and one for . The two arms are smoothly connected at the origin. Only one arm is shown on the accompanying graph. Taking the mirror image of this arm across the -axis will yield the other arm.


title: Archimedean spiral

text: For large a point moves with well-approximated uniform acceleration along the Archimedean spiral while the spiral corresponds to the locations over time of a point moving away from a fixed point with a constant speed along a line which rotates with constant angular velocity (see contribution from Mikhail Gaichenkov).


title: Archimedean spiral

text: The normal Archimedean spiral occurs when . Other spirals falling into this group include the hyperbolic spiral (), Fermat's spiral (), and the lituus ().


title: Archimedean spiral

text: One method of squaring the circle, due to Archimedes, makes use of an Archimedean spiral. Archimedes also showed how the spiral can be used to trisect an angle. Both approaches relax the traditional limitations on the use of straightedge and compass in ancient Greek geometric proofs.


title: Archimedean spiral

text: The Archimedean spiral has a variety of real-world applications. Scroll compressors, used for compressing gases, have rotors that can be made from two interleaved Archimedean spirals, involutes of a circle of the same size that almost resemble Archimedean spirals, or hybrid curves.


title: Archimedean spiral

text: Archimedean spirals can be found in spiral antenna, which can be operated over a wide range of frequencies.


title: Archimedean spiral

text: The coils of watch balance springs and the grooves of very early gramophone records form Archimedean spirals, making the grooves evenly spaced (although variable track spacing was later introduced to maximize the amount of music that could be cut onto a record).


title: Archimedean spiral

text: Asking for a patient to draw an Archimedean spiral is a way of quantifying human tremor; this information helps in diagnosing neurological diseases.


title: Archimedean spiral

text: Archimedean spirals are also used in digital light processing (DLP) projection systems to minimize the "rainbow effect", making it look as if multiple colors are displayed at the same time, when in reality red, green, and blue are being cycled extremely quickly. Additionally, Archimedean spirals are used in food microbiology to quantify bacterial concentration through a spiral platter.


title: Archimedean spiral

text: They are also used to model the pattern that occurs in a roll of paper or tape of constant thickness wrapped around a cylinder.


title: Archimedean spiral

text: Many dynamic spirals (such as the Parker spiral of the solar wind, or the pattern made by a Catherine's wheel) are Archimedean. For instance, the star LL Pegasi shows an approximate Archimedean spiral in the dust clouds surrounding it, thought to be ejected matter from the star that has been shepherded into a spiral by another companion star as part of a double star system.


title: Cricket Wireless

text: Cricket Wireless is an American prepaid wireless service provider, owned by AT&T. It provides wireless services to ten million subscribers in the United States. Cricket Wireless was founded in March 1999 by Leap Wireless International. AT&T acquired Leap Wireless International in March 2014, and later merged Cricket Wireless operations with Aio Wireless. Cricket Wireless competes primarily against T-Mobile's Metro, Dish's Boost Mobile and Verizon's Visible in the prepaid wireless segment.


title: Cricket Wireless

text: Cricket Wireless was founded in March 1999 by Leap Wireless International. AT&T acquired Leap Wireless International in March 2014 and merged Cricket Wireless with Aio Wireless. Before AT&T's acquisition, the company had 4.5 million subscribers.


title: Cricket Wireless

text: Cricket's first market was Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 1999 and through much of its early growth became known as a network focused on small, rural markets.


title: Cricket Wireless

text: In September 2007, MetroPCS, Cricket Wireless's competing carrier at the time, announced a $5.3 billion bid to merge with Leap Wireless. Leap informally rejected the bid less than two weeks later. MetroPCS officially withdrew the bid less than two months later. In December 2007, Cricket acquired Hargray Communications Group's wireless telecommunications business.


title: Cricket Wireless

text: In September 2008, Cricket and MetroPCS entered into a ten-year roaming agreement covering both companies' existing and future markets. The companies also entered into a spectrum exchange agreement covering licenses in certain markets. In November 2008, they launched "Premium Extended Coverage", a roaming partnership with 14 wireless companies. In August 2010, Cricket and Sprint signed a five-year wholesale agreement (MVNO) which allowed Cricket to utilize Sprint's nationwide 3G EVDO network in the United States.


title: Cricket Wireless

text: In late 2010 at CES 2011, Cricket unveiled Muve Music, the carriers own music streaming service alongside the $199 Samsung Suede SCH-r710 which was the first phone to support Muve Music and included a 4GB SD Card to store music on. Muve Music was initially included in its own $55 plan but was later expanded to all plans as a $5 add-on before being included in all plans free-of-charge. The music service was deemed by Cricket as a major success and credited with helping drive up at least 100,000 new subscribers in the course of a few months. Muve Music originally required an SD Card with a capacity of at least 4GBs to download music, the ability to do so without an SD Card was introduced in version 4.0 of Muve Music but required an internal storage capacity of at least 4GBs. Muve Music 4.0 was officially unveiled on the Samsung Galaxy S III, Samsung Galaxy S4 and Samsung Galaxy Discover while the Samsung Galaxy Admire would ship with version 3.5 but was upgradeable to version 4.0. At its peak, the service was the biggest music streaming service in regards to paying customers with a customer base of 2.3 million users and was hinted in making appearances in international markets such as in Brazil. The fate of the service was put in doubt after the acquisition of Crickets parent company, Leap Wireless, by AT&T and was rumored to be merged with AT&Ts own Beats Music service or possibly left as-is. AT&T expressed a lack of interest in maintaining the service and discontinued it in May 2014. AT&T made Muve Music inaccessible to any new phone purchased after the merger but allowed legacy handsets bought before the merger to access the service. The service was acquired by Deezer for $100 million and formally shut down on February 7, 2015. Deezer offered all Cricket customers a discounted $6 plan which was made available on January 31, 2015. Cricket offers a variety of phones including most of the latest iPhone and Android models.


title: Cricket Wireless

text: In July 2013, AT&T agreed to buy Cricket Wireless' parent for $1.2 billion. The FCC approved the acquisition between AT&T and Leap Wireless in March 2014. In doing so, AT&T merged its own Aio Wireless prepaid brand into Cricket to form the "New Cricket". Cricket Wireless began a gradual shutdown of its CDMA network in March 2015 before a total shutdown in September 2015 and moved all users over to AT&Ts GSM network. All users were required to buy new devices in order to be able to maintain connectivity to the new Cricket network. Cricket Wireless, alongside AT&T, shut down its 2G networks on December 31, 2016. Customers with legacy handsets were also required to upgrade their devices to use on newer networks.


title: Cricket Wireless

text: Cricket Wireless deployed its 5G network nationwide on August 21, 2020. Shortly afterward, Cricket announced the shutdown of its 3G network starting in February 2022.


title: Cricket Wireless

text: Prior to its acquisition by AT&T, Cricket's CDMA network used its home network and roaming agreements with Sprint, among other CDMA carriers. However, Cricket's CDMA network was shut down and the spectrum was reframed for use on AT&T's HSPA+ and LTE networks. Following the acquisition by AT&T, Cricket Wireless released devices that use AT&T's 3G, 4G, and 4G LTE networks.


title: Cricket Wireless

text: Cricket Wireless noted on its old website that CDMA service would be terminated as early as September 2015. Most devices prior to the merger would not be compatible on the GSM network except the iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, and iPhone 5s. Compatible iPhone devices would only require a new SIM card.


title: Cricket Wireless

text: In May 2015, Cricket Wireless was sued for selling CDMA phones that would not work after the merger with AT&T. The lawsuit alleged that Cricket knew at the time of the merger with AT&T that any devices sold would soon need to be replaced because AT&T's network did not support CDMA devices and yet continued to do so. The lawsuit further stated that "AT&T and Cricket had decided to discontinue the CDMA network and require Cricket customers to use AT&T's GSM cellular network" yet continued to sell the devices, and due to Cricket's policy of not unlocking cellphones at that time, "the cellphones became useless and worthless." The court ruled in favor of the plaintiff and Cricket was forced to either unlock the locked cell phones, provide 1 month of free service on the 1GB plan for former customers and waive the activation fee, or provide current customers with one extra gigabyte of data for four months.


title: Cricket Wireless

text: A similar lawsuit was filed by the Attorney General of Maryland in June 2020 for violating the state's consumer protection act.


title: Cricket Wireless

text: In October 2014, Cricket Wireless (and its parent company, AT&T) came under scrutiny for intercepting and modifying its customers' email traffic to downgrade and prevent encryption of the conversation and its metadata. An engineer at a digital security and privacy firm, Golden Frog, first noticed the issue in September 2013 via his Aio Wireless connection (later acquired by Cricket). Upon further investigation by the privacy firm in June 2014, Golden Frog determined that Cricket masked the STARTTLS command in email server responses, thereby "putting its customers at serious risk by inhibiting their ability to protect online communications." In October, a "Washington Post" investigation revealed that "Cricket did not address repeated questions about the issue and did not alert customers, many of whom rely on Cricket as their sole Internet service, that they would not be able to protect their e-mails from prying eyes. AT&T, which absorbed Cricket when it acquired Leap Wireless that spring, did not respond to a request for comment." The EFF also published a technical analysis condemning ISPs like Cricket for tampering with customer internet traffic.


title: Naai Sekar

text: Naai Sekar () is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language science fantasy comedy film written and directed by debutant Kishore Rajkumar and produced by Kalpathi S. Aghoram under the banner AGS Entertainment. The film stars Sathish and Pavithra Lakshmi (in her debut) with a supporting cast including George Maryan, Ganesh, Livingston, Ilavarasu and Sriman. A Labrador dog also played in a prominent role and the film revolves around the story of a man who gets his soul swapped with the dog. The film soundtrack featured three songs with a song composed by Anirudh Ravichander.


title: Naai Sekar

text: Sekar is an IT employee who does not like his job much. His neighbour Rajarajan is a scientist who is hellbent on proving that it is possible to alter the DNA of humans and animals, thereby making humans have characteristics of animals. While the result of his experiment goes unexpected, one day a dog named Padayappa bites Sekar and that ends up in their characteristics getting swapped. The rest of the movie is about what happens next and how the two get back to their original selves.


title: Naai Sekar

text: The production company AGS Entertainment announced a new project with Sathish (in his debut lead role) and announced the title as "Naai Sekar" in September 2021. Pavithra Lakshmi who was contested earlier in "Cooku with Comali" TV show, was cast in the film as the female lead. The voice over for the dog was given by Shiva.


title: Naai Sekar

text: Actor Vadivelu also planned his next film title as "Naai Sekar" with director Suraj which was bankrolled by Lyca Productions and the film was a spin-off of his character 'Naai Sekar' in the "Thalai Nagaram" (2006). But the title was already registered by AGS Entertainment. After a lot of discussions, the AGS Entertainment still kept the film as "Naai Sekar". So the makers of Vadivelu's film had to go for an alteration in the title and finalised "Naai Sekar Returns" as their new title.


title: Naai Sekar

text: The soundtrack featured three songs with 'Edakku Modakku' song composed and sung by Anirudh Ravichander. The lyric was written by Sivakarthikeyan and choreography was done by Sandy for 'Edakku Modakku' song. The other two songs were composed by Ajesh and the original background score was composed by Ms Jones Rupert.


title: Naai Sekar

text: The teaser of the film was released on 1 January 2022. The makers are planning to release the film on 13 January 2022 on the occasion of Pongal holidays.


title: Naai Sekar

text: Times of India rated 3 out of 5 stating Kishore Rajkumar's Naai Sekar has a great premise for a fun film, especially a kids-centric one. The brilliance of this idea is its simplicity – what if a man bitten by a dog starts behaving like one, while the begins to show human qualities? .Pinkvilla rated 2.5 out of 5 stating Naai sekar is not an out and out entertainer. It is more of a time pass comedy, while there was a chance that it could have been a lot better. Also, the fact is that audiences are fed up watching Manobala and Swaminathan playing the same managers again and again. What a dog can do, it has been shown very well. But it has to be done in the best possible way.


title: Naai Sekar

text: Behindwoods rated 2.5 out of 5 Overall, the film tags itself a fantasy comedy and we wish it had done more justice to the comedy part, especially with someone like Sathish in front of the camera. While a lot of jokes don't land the way intended, this film might end up as the kids' favourite out of all releases for Pongal, mainly because of the fantasy element. Barring the unique role switch between the dog and the human, and a few funny scenes, Naai Sekar could have been a lot better.


title: Northstar engine series

text: The Northstar engine is a family of high-performance 90° V engines produced by General Motors between 1993 and 2011. Regarded as GM's most technically complex engine, the original double overhead cam, four valve per cylinder, aluminum block/aluminum head V8 design was developed by Oldsmobile R&D, but is most associated with Cadillac's Northstar series.


title: Northstar engine series

text: Displacing in its basic form, the direct family line transitioned to longitudinal and supercharged versions. Variants were used at Oldsmobile (as the Aurora L47 V8 and "Shortstar" LX5 V6), as well as in several top-end 2000s Pontiacs and Buicks.


title: Northstar engine series

text: The related Northstar System was Cadillac's trademarked name for a package of performance features introduced in mid-1992 that coupled the 4T80E transmission, a 100,000 mile service interval, road sensing suspension, variable power steering, and 4-wheel disc brakes to the Division's high-output and high-torque Northstar engines.


title: Northstar engine series

text: GM ceased production of the Northstar in 2011. The final cars to receive it, the Cadillac DTS, Buick Lucerne, and Cadillac STS, rolled off the line in 2011. It was replaced by the GM LS small-block OHV engine, used in newer Cadillac V8 models like the CTS-V, marking a step back to a simpler, more reliable pushrod engine design. These LS V8 engines were the only V8 engines used by Cadillac for the next eight years, until the clean sheet Blackwing V8 was introduced in 2018 in the 2019 Cadillac CT6-V. A Cadillac-exclusive, it was discontinued after just two years in early 2020.


title: Northstar engine series

text: GM initiated what ultimately became the Northstar's design at Oldsmobile R&D some time in 1984 in anticipation of the advanced dual overhead cam V8 engines to be introduced by European and Japanese competitors later in the decade. At that time, Cadillac was using the aluminum "HT" Overhead Valve (OHV) V8 which GM pushed hastily into production because the CAFE standards for 1982 would preempt using 1981's V8-6-4. At the time it was GM's corporate policy not to pass the gas guzzler tax on to the consumer.


title: Northstar engine series

text: Cadillac was developing new models which they hoped would compete against the best luxury cars from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Asian rivals like Lexus, Acura, and Infiniti. GM developed a laundry list of items to be included in the Allanté and updated Eldorado and Seville STS, including sophisticated steering, braking, and suspension technologies, and an engine exclusive to "Cadillac" the Division's dealers were clamoring for. This group of features became known as the "Northstar System". Central to it was a high-tech V8 with the performance and sophistication to compete with an ever-expanding list of imported challengers.


title: Northstar engine series

text: Capable of producing out of its displacement, the Northstar featured a cast aluminum 90° V8 block with bore spacing split into unitary upper and lower halves. The lower crankcase assembly supported the crankshaft without conventional main bearing caps. An oil manifold plate with an integrated silicone gasket forms the oil gallery under this. A typical oil change used of oil.


title: Northstar engine series

text: GM specified cast-iron cylinder liners and the cast aluminum pistons included valve clearance. Northstar is an interference engine: the valves will strike the pistons if they lose timing. It has bronze piston pin bushings and free-floating piston pins. GM used cast aluminum cylinder heads featuring 4 valves per cylinder. The heads used dual overhead cams driven through the "maintenance-free" cam-drive chain case. The cams act directly on hydraulic lifters on the ends of the valves and are fed with a lubrication passage drilled through the cylinder head lengthwise. The intake valves are inclined at 25°, while the exhaust valves are canted to 7° with center-mounted platinum-tipped spark plugs. The cam covers are magnesium for light weight and sound damping.


title: Northstar engine series

text: Sequential fuel injection was delivered via eight thermoplastic tubes. Ignition was distributorless, with a waste spark setup. The powertrain control module (PCM) controlled spark and fuel injection timing as well as the shift points for the new four-speed, transverse GM 4T80 transmission. All engines of this family share the same Northstar bellhousing pattern.


title: Northstar engine series

text: One notable feature advertised at the time was the "limp home" fail-safe mode, which allowed the engine to continue running for a limited time without any coolant. Supplying fuel to only one cylinder bank in turn, the engine would "air cool" the inactive bank. This technique, combined with its all-aluminum construction and large oil capacity, allows the engine to maintain safe temperatures, allowing a Northstar-equipped car to be driven with no coolant for about without damage. Another unusual feature of some heavily electronic-laden Northstar-equipped cars such as the Seville, DeVille, and Eldorado is a liquid-cooled alternator. Although this was intended to prolong alternator life, GM reverted to a traditional air-cooled setup for 2001 to eliminate potential leak points and extraneous tubing.


title: Northstar engine series

text: Later developments included direct coil-on-plug ignition, roller lifters, and variable valve timing, which can vary intake by up to 40° and the exhaust by up to 50°. VVT was devised for the longitudinal LH2 version, and has not, to date, been used on the transverse front wheel drive engines due to packaging considerations.


title: Northstar engine series

text: The engine was introduced in mid-1992 in the 1993 Cadillac Allanté; in 1996 the Northstar became the standard engine on all Cadillacs except the Fleetwood, but is now phased out of all Cadillac models. The Northstar engine was used on all Northstar equipped Cadillacs while the Deville Concours, Eldorado ETC, Seville STS, and in 2000 the Deville DTS, were fitted with the version. The original Northstar Allanté also introduced the "Northstar System" which included traction control, adaptive suspension, and antilock brakes. Early Northstar required premium grade gasoline to run safely.


title: Northstar engine series

text: The Northstar was sold exclusively by that name by Cadillac for over a decade before being introduced in the 2004-2005 Pontiac Bonneville and 2006 Buick Lucerne. However, the "L47" V8 Northstar variant was used in the Oldsmobile Aurora and the 3.5L "LX5" V6 in the Oldsmobile Intrigue. The LH2 engine variant received a forged steel crankshaft in October 2003. The LD8 and L37 variants received a forged crankshaft for the 2006 model year. Cadillac had planned to introduce a V12 Northstar this decade, likely for use in the Escalade, but economics and new CAFE standards killed the idea.


title: Northstar engine series

text: Most Northstar engines produce , with power reaching as high as in the supercharged LC3. The engines were revised for 2000 with coil-on-plug ignition and roller follower valvegear for improved fuel economy and reduced emissions. Though power output did not change, this update made premium fuel merely recommended, rather than required.


title: Northstar engine series

text: All but the supercharged Northstars displaced with a bore and stroke. For better head gasket sealing between cylinders, the supercharged version is de-bored to for a total displacement of . The block is believed to be capable of expansion up to 5.4 L, though no such engine has been produced.


title: Northstar engine series

text: The "Northstar System" was Cadillac's trademarked name for a package of automobile performance features introduced in mid-1992 on the 1993 Cadillac Allanté and later on the 1993 Seville and Eldorado.


title: Northstar engine series

text: Later versions of the Northstar engine included the 4.6L and LH2 which began in 2004, and supercharged 4.4L LC3 created for the STS-V which are detailed below.


title: Northstar engine series

text: The L37 (VIN "9") was the original Northstar. It is tuned for responsiveness and power, while the later LD8 is designed for more sedate use. The L37 code had been used on all high-output transverse Northstars, even as the exact engine specifications evolved. The compression ratio for the L37 is 10.3:1 for engines built prior to 2000, and 10.0:1 afterwards.


title: Northstar engine series

text: The original L37 was specified at , but 1993 production examples were rated at . The engine topped out at from 1996 through 2004 on the STS, DTS and ETC models, making these some of the most powerful domestic front wheel drive cars ever built. For 2005 the high output Northstar became Northstar NHP, and was downrated to under the new SAE certified horsepower rating system. In 2006, the updated DTS "Performance Package" model got a slight bump to .


title: Northstar engine series

text: The LD8 (VIN "Y") is a transverse V8 for front-wheel drive cars. Introduced in 1994, it is designed to provide more torque than the high-revving L37. The LD8 code had been used on all torque-tuned transverse Northstars, even as the exact engine specifications evolved. Compression ratio is 10.3:1 for engines built prior to model year 2000, and 10.0:1 for those built afterwards. The 1998 revision is quieter than previous Northstar engines, due to hydraulic engine mounts, and performs better due to a tuned intake system.


title: Northstar engine series

text: The Northstar was designed originally for transverse front-wheel drive applications. It was modified substantially in 2004 for longitudinal rear- and all-wheel drive use in the STS, SRX, and XLR, as well as receiving continuously variable valve timing on both intake and exhaust sides. The RWD (LH2) Northstar produces and . The addition of variable valve timing enables most of the increase in power from the L37 and LD8 Northstars.


title: Northstar engine series

text: A supercharged Northstar was used in the 2006 Cadillac STS-V and Cadillac XLR-V. The bore was reduced for increased strength and improved head gasket sealing. Variable valve timing is used on both the intake and exhaust sides. The STS-V engine produces at 6400 rpm and at 3900 rpm with 9.0:1 compression and the XLR-V engine produces at 6400 rpm and at 3900 rpm.


title: Northstar engine series

text: The L47 Aurora engine was a special V8 designed for the Oldsmobile Aurora, based on the Northstar engine, used during the 1995-1999 and 2001-2003 model years. It is a DOHC V8 which produced and of torque. The bore and stroke was . The L47 had a 10.3:1 compression ratio and used premium fuel.


title: Northstar engine series

text: Although most of the Northstar's features, including the coolant loss system, remained intact, the decreased bore increased weight unacceptably. To reduce it, Oldsmobile used a one-piece glass-filled thermoplastic intake manifold and simplified AC Rochester sequential fuel injection. A new die-cast structural aluminum oil pan incorporated baffling to reduce oil starvation in hard driving. A starter interlock prevented the starter from engaging if the quiet L47 was already running.


title: Northstar engine series

text: An early version or prototype of this engine was used in the 2nd generation Oldsmobile Aerotech. A highly modified version of this engine was used by General Motors racing division initially for IMSA sports car competition in an Oldsmobile Aurora GTS-1 and Riley&Scott LMP prototypes in 1995, Indy Racing League competition starting in 1997, then was later used in the Cadillac Northstar LMP program in 2000. Both engines retained the 4.0 L displacement, but the Northstar LMP version was twin-turbocharged. The Aurora was also used in the Shelby Series 1 car.


title: Northstar engine series

text: The Aurora engine was introduced in 1994 for the 1995 model year, and General Motors has not used this engine since the retirement of Oldsmobile in 2004.


title: Northstar engine series

text: The LX5 is a DOHC V6 from Oldsmobile, introduced in 1999 with the Intrigue. It was produced by the "Premium" engine group at GM and was thus called the Premium V6, or PV6, while it was being developed. It is based on the L47 Aurora V8, which is itself based on the Northstar engine, so engineers called it the Short North, though Oldsmobile fans have taken to calling it the Shortstar.


title: Northstar engine series

text: Although it has a 90° V-angle like the Northstar, the engine block was engineered from scratch, so bore centers are different. It has chain-driven dual overhead cams and four valves per cylinder, but is an even-firing design with a split-pin crankshaft similar to the Buick 3800 engine. The LX5 displaced and produced at 5,600 rpm and at 4,400 rpm. Bore and stroke is . It was also one of GM's first engines to use coil-on-plug ignition. Compression ratio is 9.3:1.


title: Northstar engine series

text: The cost of building this engine was high, and it was not used in many vehicles. It was said at the time that a family of premium V6s would follow, with displacements ranging from 3.3 L to 3.7 L, but only the LX5 was ever produced before GM discontinued the Shortstar in favor of their current flagship V6, the High Feature engine, in 2004.


title: Northstar engine series

text: The LX5 was entirely different from any other V6 in the GM inventory - the only other DOHC V6 engines ever offered by GM included the Chevrolet Twin Dual Cam produced from 1991-1997, which was made by modifying the traditional Chevy 60-degree OHV block V6 for the dual overhead cams rather than building a DOHC engine from the ground up, and the Cadillac/Holden HFV6 available from 2004 to the present day. These three designs are completely unrelated and leave two gaps in 1998 and 2003 where no DOHC V6 was available from GM (except for the 54 degree Opel V6 used most notably in the first generation Cadillac CTS at launch as well as the Saturn L Series and Catera). This contrasts starkly with competitors practices of evolving engineering over multiple, continuously improving designs. As with the Aurora V8, production stopped with the demise of Oldsmobile.


title: Ghassanids

text: The Ghassanids (, also Banu Ghassān (, ), also called the Jafnids, were an Arab tribe which founded a kingdom. They emigrated from southern Arabia in the early 3rd century to the Levant region. Some merged with Hellenized Christian communities, converting to Christianity in the first few centuries AD, while others may have already been Christians before emigrating north to escape religious persecution.


title: Ghassanids

text: After settling in the Levant, the Ghassanids became a client state to the Byzantine Empire and fought alongside them against the Persian Sassanids and their Arab vassals, the Lakhmids. The lands of the Ghassanids also acted as a buffer zone protecting lands that had been annexed by the Romans against raids by Bedouin tribes.


title: Ghassanids

text: Few Ghassanids became Muslim following the Muslim conquest of the Levant; most Ghassanids remained Christian and joined Melkite and Syriac communities within what is now Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon.


title: Ghassanids

text: According to traditional historians, the Ghassanids were part of the al-Azd tribe, and they emigrated from the southern parts of the Arabian Peninsula and eventually settled in the Roman "limes". The tradition of Ghassanid migration finds support in the "Geography" of Claudius Ptolemy, which locates a tribe called the Kassanitai south of the Kinaidokolpitai and the river Baitios (probably the "wādī" Baysh). These are probably the people called Casani in Pliny the Elder, Gasandoi in Diodorus Siculus and Kasandreis in Photios (relying on older sources).


title: Ghassanids

text: The date of the migration to the Levant is unclear, but they are believed to have arrived in the region of Syria between 250 and 300 AD and later waves of migration circa 400 AD. Their earliest appearance in records is dated to 473 AD, when their chief Amorkesos signed a treaty with the Eastern Roman Empire acknowledging their status as foederati controlling parts of Palestine. He apparently became Chalcedonian at this time. By the year 510, the Ghassanids were no longer Miaphysite, but Chalcedonian. They became the leading tribe among the Arab foederati, such as Banu Amela and Banu Judham.


title: Ghassanids

text: The "Assanite Saracen" chief Podosaces that fought alongside the Sasanians during Julian's campaign in 363 might have been a Ghassanid.


title: Ghassanids

text: After originally settling in the Levant, the Ghassanids became a client state to the Eastern Roman Empire.


title: Ghassanids

text: The Romans found a powerful ally in the Ghassanids who acted as a buffer zone against the Lakhmids. In addition, as kings of their own people, they were also phylarchs, native rulers of client frontier states. The capital was at Jabiyah in the Golan Heights. Geographically, it occupied much of the eastern Levant, and its authority extended via tribal alliances with other Azdi tribes all the way to the northern Hijaz as far south as Yathrib (Medina).


title: Ghassanids

text: The Ghassanids fought alongside the Byzantine Empire against the Persian Sassanids and Arab Lakhmids. The lands of the Ghassanids also continually acted as a buffer zone, protecting Byzantine lands against raids by Bedouin tribes. Among their Arab allies were the Banu Judham and Banu Amela.


title: Ghassanids

text: The Eastern Roman Empire was focused more on the East and a long war with the Persians was always their main concern. The Ghassanids maintained their rule as the guardian of trade routes, policed Lakhmid tribes and was a source of troops for the imperial army. The Ghassanid king al-Harith ibn Jabalah (reigned 529–569) supported the Byzantines against Sassanid Persia and was given in 529 by the emperor Justinian I, the highest imperial title that was ever bestowed upon a foreign ruler; also the status of patricians. In addition to that, al-Harith ibn Jabalah was given the rule over all the Arab allies of the Byzantine Empire. Al-Harith was a Miaphysite Christian; he helped to revive the Syrian Miaphysite (Jacobite) Church and supported Miaphysite development despite Orthodox Byzantium regarding it as heretical. Later Byzantine mistrust and persecution of such religious unorthodoxy brought down his successors, al-Mundhir (reigned 569–582) and Nu'man.


title: Ghassanids

text: The Ghassanids, who had successfully opposed the Persian allied Lakhmids of al-Hirah (Southern modern-day Iraq), prospered economically and engaged in much religious and public building; they also patronized the arts and at one time entertained the Arabian poets Nabighah adh-Dhubyani and Hassan ibn Thabit at their courts.


title: Ghassanids

text: The Ghassanids remained a Byzantine vassal state until its rulers were overthrown by the Muslims in the 7th century, following the Battle of Yarmuk in 636 AD. At the time of the Muslim conquest the Ghassanids were no longer united by the same Christian faiths: some of them accepted union with the Byzantine Chalcedonian church; others remained faithful to Miaphysitism and a significant number of them maintained their Christian religious identity and decided to side with the Muslim armies to emphasize their loyalty to their Arabic roots and in recognition of the wider context of a rising Arab Empire under the veil of Islam. It is worth noting that a significant percentage of the Muslim armies in the Battle of Mu'tah (معركة مؤتة) were Christian Arabs. Several of those Christian Arab tribes in today's modern Jordan who sided with the Muslim armies were recognized by exempting them from paying jizya (جزية). Jizya is a form of tax paid by non-Muslims – Muslims paid another form of tax called Zakah (زكاة). Later those who remained Christian joined Melkite Syriac communities. The remnants of the Ghassanids were dispersed throughout Asia Minor.


title: Ghassanids

text: There are different opinions why Jabalah and his followers didn't convert to Islam. Some opinions go along the general idea that the Ghassanids were not interested yet in giving up their status as the lords and nobility of Syria. Below is quoted the story of Jabalah's return to the land of the Byzantines as told by 9th-century historian al-Baladhuri.


title: Ghassanids

text: Jabalah ibn-al-Aiham sided with the Ansar (Azdi Muslims from Medina) saying, "You are our brethren and the sons of our fathers" and professed Islam. After the arrival of 'Umar ibn-al-Khattab in Syria, year 17 (636AD), Jabalah had a dispute with one of the Muzainah and knocked out his eye. 'Umar ordered that he be punished, upon which Jabalah said, "Is his eye like mine? Never, by Allah, shall I abide in a town where I am under authority." He then apostatized and went to the land of the Greeks (the Byzantines). This Jabalah was the king of Ghassan and the successor of al-Harith ibn-abi-Shimr (or Chemor).


title: Ghassanids

text: After the fall of the first kingdom of Ghassan, King Jabalah ibn-al-Aiham established a Government-in-exile in Byzantium. Ghassanid influence on the empire lasted centuries; the climax of this presence was the elevation of one of his descendants, Nikephoros I (ruled 802-811) to the throne and his establishment of a short-lived dynasty that can be described as the Nikephorian or Phocid Dynasty in the 9th century. But Nikephoros was not only a mere Ghassanid descendant, he claimed the headship of the Ghassanid Dynasty using the eponym of King Jafna, the founder of the Dynasty, rather than merely express himself descendant of King Jabalah.


title: Ghassanids

text: Medieval Arabic authors used the term Jafnids for the Ghassanids, a term modern scholars prefer at least for the ruling stratum of Ghassanid society. Earlier kings are traditional, actual dates highly uncertain.


title: Ghassanids

text: The Ghassanids reached their peak under al-Harith V and al-Mundhir III. Both were militarily successful allies of the Byzantines, especially against their enemies the Lakhmids, and secured Byzantium's southern flank and its political and commercial interests in Arabia proper. On the other hand, the Ghassanids remained fervently dedicated to Miaphysitism, which brought about their break with Byzantium and Mundhir's own downfall and exile, which was followed after 586 by the dissolution of the Ghassanid federation. The Ghassanids' patronage of the Miaphysite Syrian Church was crucial for its survival and revival, and even its spread, through missionary activities, south into Arabia. According to the historian Warwick Ball, the Ghassanids' promotion of a simpler and more rigidly monotheistic form of Christianity in a specifically Arab context can be said to have anticipated Islam. Ghassanid rule also brought a period of considerable prosperity for the Arabs on the eastern fringes of Syria, as evidenced by a spread of urbanization and the sponsorship of several churches, monasteries and other buildings. The surviving descriptions of the Ghassanid courts impart an image of luxury and an active cultural life, with patronage of the arts, music and especially Arab-language poetry. In the words of Ball, "the Ghassanid courts were the most important centres for Arabic poetry before the rise of the Caliphal courts under Islam", and their court culture, including their penchant for desert palaces like Qasr ibn Wardan, provided the model for the Umayyad caliphs and their court.


title: Ghassanids

text: After the fall of the first kingdom in the 7th century, several dynasties, both Christian and Muslim, ruled claiming to be a continuation of the House of Ghassan. Besides the Phocid or Nikephorian Dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, other rulers claimed to be the heirs of the Royal Ghassanids. The Rasulid Sultans ruled from the 13th until the 15th century in Yemen, while the Burji Mamluk Sultans did likewise in Egypt from the 14th to the 16th centuries. The last rulers to bear the titles of Royal Ghassanid successors were the Christian Sheikhs Al-Chemor in Mount Lebanon ruling the small sovereign sheikhdoms of Akoura (from 1211 until 1641) and Zgharta-Zwaiya (from 1643 until 1747). from Lebanon. HIRH Prince Gharios El Chemor of Ghassan Al-Nu’Man VIII as of 2022 is internationally recognized as the head of the Ghassanid dynasty including the UN in 2016 and in 2019 was recognized as such by the government of Lebanon by Presidential decree 5,800/2019.


title: Angels of Death (video game)

text: Two manga adaptations, one based on the game and one on the prequel, written by Makoto Sanada and with art by Kudan Nazuka, began serialization in Media Factory's "shōjo" manga magazine "Monthly Comic Gene" in 2015 and Kadokawa Pixiv in 2016, respectively. The first manga has been collected in seven "tankōbon" volumes and has over 1 million volumes in print while the prequel has been collected in two volumes. Following the adaptations, a 4-koma manga series titled "Satsuten!" and the three-volume novel series are published with art by negiyan and written by Kina Chiren.


title: Angels of Death (video game)

text: The series is licensed in North America by Yen Press, who published the first volume on November 14, 2017. A 16-episode anime television series adaptation by J.C.Staff began airing from July 6, 2018.


title: Angels of Death (video game)

text: 13-year-old Rachel "Ray" Gardner is taken to a hospital for counseling after witnessing murder. However she wakes up to find herself on the basement Floor B7 instead with no memories apart from her name and the reason she came to the hospital. A series of mysterious broadcasts and scribbled messages on the wall set the scene as a game where each participant is designated a floor of their own, and anyone who trespasses on another participant's floor has the chance to be killed. Ray, ignorant of the details, is almost killed by serial killer Isaac "Zack" Foster, the owner of Floor B6, and captured by Daniel "Danny" Dickens, the owner of Floor B5 and the doctor who examined her. Danny, who has a maniacal obsession with eyes, desires Rachel's blue, once-blank eyes. During this time, Ray recovers her memory during the night when the murder occurred, just as Zack kills Danny for her, but spares Ray after losing interest in her lack of emotions. As Zack has killed someone that was not on his floor, the broadcast designates him as a "sacrifice" along with Ray, where they can freely be killed by any floor master. The two, now in the same situation, form an alliance where Zack can use her intelligence to escape, and upon doing so will fulfill Ray's desire to be killed by him.


title: Angels of Death (video game)

text: Ray and Zack continue to go to the upper floors to find a way out, defeating the two other floor masters, Edward "Eddie" Mason at B4, a young boy with an unhealthy obsession with graves, and Catherine "Cathy" Ward at B3, a sadomasochistic former jail guard, in the process. When Zack gets injured during the fight against Cathy, Ray encounters a reverend, Abraham Gray, at B2 who reveals himself to be the one who designed the game in order to figure out the definition of "religious faith" in people's hearts, appointing the various floor masters as "angels" that are not afraid to kill without hesitation. Although Gray lets Ray return to B5 to get medicine, she must pass through a trial to determine her identity before she can proceed to the next floor. Meanwhile, back on B2, Zack discovers that Danny is still alive, the latter having faked his death. Ray is forced to confront her selfishness in the trial but survives through it to save Zack, convincing herself that he is her God.


title: Angels of Death (video game)

text: When the duo arrives at B1 though, they come to a house filled with fake flowers and the stitched corpses of a couple, driving Ray hysterical and desperate for Zack to kill her immediately. Danny then tricks Zack into leaving Ray alone in the room and locking it up, forcing Zack to search the floor in order to discover the truth about Ray. With help from Gray, Zack discovers that Ray suffered in the midst of her parents' terrible relationship, and subsequently both were killed, with her father killing her mother, and Ray shooting her father. After this, she stitched their corpses together to form her new "perfect family". While counseling her at the hospital, Danny took an interest in her blank blue eyes and used his authority as an "angel" to bring her to B1, making her the final floor master. However, after discovering a bible, Ray suddenly found herself unable to cope with the realization and guilt of what she had done, believing that no one would accept her after what she did, so she developed suicidal ideations and erased her memory, causing Danny to send her to B7 with the hopes that she would return to her "original self". As Zack finds out the truth, Ray, coming to the realization that Zack won't become the God she desires, shoots Danny and attempts to kill Zack by leading him around the traps of her floor, but he helps her to come to terms with her actions and both renew their oath.


title: Angels of Death (video game)

text: Just as they reach the exit, Danny activates the self-destruct sequence of the building and critically shoots Ray. However, before he can kill Ray and Zack, Gray, having completed his experiment, appears and kills Danny, allowing Zack and Ray to escape just as the building burns down. The police then promptly arrive and Zack lets himself be arrested to save Ray's life as paramedics took her away. After recovering, Ray is taken to a Rehabilitation Center due to her apparent delirium and attachment to Zack. An unspecified amount of time has passed, presumably weeks to a few months after the incident, Zack is sentenced to death.


title: Angels of Death (video game)

text: One night, as Ray prepares to spend the night without sleeping, however, Zack somehow escaped prison and breach the Rehabilitation Center to pick up Ray. Realizing that Zack is still intent on keeping the promise between them, Ray once again implores Zack to kill her as they escape. By the time Ray's caretaker and the police break through the door, Ray and Zack have disappeared, leaving only Zack's knife behind beneath the windowsill.


title: Angels of Death (video game)

text: A manga adaptation by Kudan Nazuka and Makoto Sanada began its serialization on the "Monthly Comic Gene" magazine on January 27, 2016 and ended its serialization on September 15, 2020. The prequel of the game, "Episode.0", also by Kudan Nazuka and Makoto Sanada began its serialization on the "MFC Gene Pixiv" series on March 3, 2017. The first volume of a 4-koma manga series titled "Satsuten!" by Makoto Sanada and negiyan was released on February 27, 2017, and was serialized in the "Monthly Comic Gene" magazine; the series ended on March 15, 2021.


title: Angels of Death (video game)

text: A novelization of the game written by Kina Chiren and Makoto Sanada and illustrated by negiyan is published by Kadokawa label, Enterbrain. The novel series consisted of three volumes.


title: Angels of Death (video game)

text: A 16-episode anime television series by J.C.Staff premiered on July 6, 2018. The anime is directed by Kentarō Suzuki with scripts overseen by Yoshinobu Fujioka, music composed by Noisycroak at Lantis and character designs handled by Miki Matsumoto who is also serving as chief animation director. Masaaki Endoh performed the opening theme titled "Vital," while Haruka Chisuga performed the ending theme titled "Pray" under her character name Rachel. The series is also streamed on Crunchyroll with English subtitles, while Funimation produced an English dub for the series and streamed it on their website.


title: Angels of Death (video game)

text: In a review of the game's PC version, Hardcore Gamer rated it a 4 out of 5, while noting the 'wonderfully odd chemistry' between Rachel and Zack. The game's creativity, storyline and gameplay were praised while its brevity, belated character development and low resolution graphics were criticized.


title: Angels of Death (video game)

text: Roundups of the first volume from ANN note that it is short on tension, suspense and horror and somewhat confused in its delivery; its characters seem unnatural and are perhaps more appropriate to a game than to this format; and while the environment art often works well, overall the illustrations do not serve the story.


title: Angels of Death (video game)

text: First impressions from ANN are mixed. Some criticised the pacing to be weak and writing repetitive that lacks scares in horror genre, but praise its episodic structure that strongly pushes the creepiness factor that deliver an intriguing plot. Steve Jones from the same site, on the other hand, gives the anime more positive review. While he found the early episodes to be a campy romp and criticised the slow pacing, he praised the main characters' growth and interaction and the performance of the voice actors. In Tokyo Anime Award Festival 2019, the anime ranked 72.


title: The Force

text: The Force is a metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the "Star Wars" fictional universe. "Force-sensitive" characters use the Force throughout the franchise. Heroes like the Jedi seek to "become one with the Force", matching their personal wills with the will of the Force, while the Sith and other villains exploit the Force and try to bend it toward their destructive desires. The Force has been compared to aspects of several world religions, and the phrase May the Force be with you has become part of the popular-culture vernacular.


title: The Force

text: George Lucas created the concept of the Force to address character and plot developments in "Star Wars" (1977). He also wanted to "awaken a certain kind of spirituality" in young audiences, suggesting a belief in God without endorsing any specific religion. He developed the Force as a nondenominational religious concept, "distill[ed from] the essence of all religions", premised on the existence of God and distinct ideas of good and evil. Lucas said there is a conscious choice between good and bad, and "the world works better if you're on the good side". In 1970s San Francisco, where Lucas lived when he wrote the drafts that became "Star Wars", New Age ideas that incorporated the concept of "qi" and other notions of a mystical life-force were "in the air" and widely embraced.


title: The Force

text: Lucas used the term "the Force" to "echo" its use by cinematographer Roman Kroitor in Arthur Lipsett's "21-87" (1963), in which Kroitor says, "Many people feel that in the contemplation of nature and in communication with other living things, they become aware of some kind of force, or something, behind this apparent mask which we see in front of us, and they call it God". Although Lucas had Kroitor's line in mind specifically, Lucas said the underlying sentiment is universal and that "similar phrases have been used extensively by many different people for the last 13,000 years".


title: The Force

text: The first draft of "Star Wars" makes two references to "the Force of Others" and does not explain the concept: King Kayos utters the blessing "May the Force of Others be with you all", and he later says "I feel the Force also". The power of the Force of Others is kept secret by the Jedi Bendu of the Ashla, an "aristocratic cult" in the second draft. The second draft offers a lengthy explanation of the Force of Others and introduces its Ashla light side and Bogan dark side. The Ashla and Bogan are mentioned 10 and 31 times, respectively, and the Force of Others plays a more prominent role in the story. In this draft, Luke Starkiller's mission is to retrieve the Kyber Crystal, which can intensify either the Ashla or Bogan powers. The film's shorter third draft has no references to the Ashla, but it mentions the Bogan eight times and Luke is still driven to recover the Kyber Crystal.


title: The Force

text: Lucas finished the fourth and near-final draft on January 1, 1976. This version trims "the Force of Others" to "the Force", makes a single reference to the Force's seductive "dark side", distills an explanation of the Force to 28 words, and eliminates the Kyber Crystal. Producer Gary Kurtz, who studied comparative religion in college, had long discussions with Lucas about religion and philosophy throughout the writing process. Kurtz told Lucas he was unhappy with drafts in which the Force was connected with the Kyber Crystal, and he was also dissatisfied with the early Ashla and Bogan concepts.


title: The Force

text: Lucas and screenwriter Leigh Brackett decided that the Force and the Emperor would be the main concerns in "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980). The focus on the Emperor was later shifted to "Return of the Jedi" (1983), and the dark side of the Force was treated as "The Empire Strikes Back"s main villain.


title: The Force

text: "The Phantom Menace" (1999) introduces "midi-chlorians" (or "midichlorians"), microscopic creatures that connect characters to the Force. Lucas later requested a passage about midi-chlorians be retroactively added to notes written in August 1977 expanding on the nature of the Force. Lucas based the concept on symbiogenesis, calling midi-chlorians a "loose depiction" of mitochondria. He further said:


title: The Force

text: In a rough draft of "" (2005), Palpatine says he "used the power of the Force to will the midichlorians to start the cell divisions that created" Anakin Skywalker. This line was removed as the script progressed.


title: The Force

text: Lucas' story treatments for a potential sequel trilogy involved "a microbiotic world" and creatures known as the Whills, beings that "control the universe" and "feed off the Force." He elaborated that individuals function as "vehicles for the Whills to travel around in", and that midi-chlorians "communicate with the Whills [who] in a general sense ... are the Force." After selling Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, Lucas said his biggest concern about the franchise's future was the Force being "muddled into a bunch of gobbledegook".


title: The Force

text: When writing "" (2015) with Lawrence Kasdan, J. J. Abrams respected that Lucas had established midi-chlorians' effect on some characters' ability to use the Force. However, as a child, he interpreted Obi-Wan Kenobi's explanation of the Force in "Star Wars" to mean that any character could use its power, and that the Force was more grounded in spirituality than science. Abrams retained the idea of the Force having a light and a dark side, and some characters' seduction by the dark side helps create conflict for the story. Pablo Hidalgo of the Lucasfilm Story Group gave his "blessing" for writer-director Rian Johnson to introduce a new Force power in "" (2017) "if the story required it and if it felt like it stretches into new territory but doesn’t break the idea of what the Force can do." Johnson observed that every "Star Wars" movie introduces new Force powers to meet that film's story needs.


title: The Force

text: "Star Wars Rebels" producer Dave Filoni cites several influences on how the Force is used in the show. The character Bendu—named in homage to the term Lucas originally associated with the Jedi—does not align with the franchise's normal dark-or-light duality, and this role is an extension of Filoni's conversations with Lucas about the nature of the Force. Filoni credits the prequel films for better developing the concept of the Force, particularly the idea of a balance between the light and dark sides.


title: The Force

text: Obi-Wan Kenobi describes the Force as "an energy field created by all living things" in "Star Wars". In "The Phantom Menace", Qui-Gon says microscopic lifeforms called midi-chlorians, which exist inside all living cells, allow some characters to be Force-sensitive; characters must have a high enough midi-chlorian count to feel and use the Force. Midi-chlorians are sentient, and arguably were the first species to emerge in the "Star Wars" universe. The species was a foundation of all life, as some deemed life impossible without midi-chlorians, and ultimately resided in all living beings, connecting two aspects of the Force. The Living Force (also known as a spirit or life essence) is the energy generated by all living things. Through midi-chlorians, it is fed into the Cosmic Force, which bounds all things and communicates with living sentient beings.


title: The Force

text: In 1981, Lucas compared using the Force to yoga, saying any character can use its power. Dave Filoni said in 2015 that all "Star Wars" characters are "Force intuitive": some characters, like Luke Skywalker, are aware of their connection to the Force, while characters such as Han Solo draw upon the Force unconsciously. Filoni said the most potent Force users are characters whose midi-chlorian count provides a natural affinity for using the Force and who undertake intense training and discipline. "Rogue One" (2016) portrays the Force more as a religion "than simply a way to manipulate objects and people". In the years following the Great Jedi Purge depicted in the prequel trilogy, some characters have lost faith in the Force, and the Galactic Empire hunts down surviving Jedi and other Force-sensitive characters. By the time of the events in "The Force Awakens", some characters think the Jedi and the Force are myths.


title: The Force

text: Some Force-sensitive characters derive special, psychic abilities from it, such as telekinesis, mind control, and extrasensory perception. The Force is sometimes referred to in terms of "dark" and "light" sides, with villains like the Sith drawing on the dark side to act aggressively while the Jedi use the light side for defense and peace. According to Filoni, Lucas believed a character's intentions when using the Force—their "will to be selfless or selfish"—is what distinguishes light and dark sides. The Force is also used by characters who are neither Jedi nor Sith, such as Leia Organa and Kylo Ren. Characters throughout the franchise use their Force powers in myriad ways, including Obi-Wan using a "mind trick" to undermine a stormtrooper's will, Darth Vader choking subordinates without touching them, Qui-Gon Jinn repelling several battle droids at once, Rey lifting a large pile of rocks, and Kylo Ren stopping blaster fire mid-air. Film and television use of the Force is sometimes accompanied by a sound effect, such as a deep rumble associated with aggressive use or a more high-pitched sound associated with benevolent use.


title: The Force

text: Jedi with special training can continue to exist after death, and some interact with the living as "being[s] of light". Obi-Wan's spirit provides Luke with guidance at key moments in the original trilogy, and Yoda appears as a spirit to guide Luke in "The Last Jedi". Voices of past Jedi help Rey at the climax of "," and Luke's and Leia's spirits watch over her at the film's conclusion. In an early draft of "Return of the Jedi", Lucas planned to resurrect Obi-Wan and Yoda at the climax, and some drafts included scenes of the two helping Luke stop the Emperor. The final arc of reveals that Qui-Gon Jinn learned how to transition into the "cosmic Force" from entities who represent various emotions; Yoda hears the deceased Qui-Gon's voice in "" (2002), and he reveals in "Revenge of the Sith" that he has contact with Qui-Gon. A short story by Claudia Gray depicts Obi-Wan learning this technique from Qui-Gon in the years leading up to "Star Wars".


title: The Force

text: The Force plays an important role in several "Star Wars" plot lines. Anakin Skywalker's rise as a Jedi, descent into the Sith Lord Darth Vader, and redemption back to the light side of the Force is the main story arc for the first six "Star Wars" films. Yoda's arc in the sixth season of "" depicts him exploring "bigger questions" about the Force and taking various inspirations from the franchise's expanded universe. In "The Force Awakens", Finn's exposure to the Force helps make him question his training. Writer Rian Johnson used the Force to allow Rey and Kylo Ren to communicate in "The Last Jedi", developing the characters' relationship.


title: The Force

text: Chris Taylor called the Force "largely a mystery" in "Star Wars". Taylor ascribes the "more poetic, more spiritual ... and more demonstrative" descriptions of the Force in "The Empire Strikes Back" to Lawrence Kasdan, who co-wrote the film, but says the film does little to expand audiences' understanding of it. In 1997, Lucas said that the more detail he articulated about the Force and how it works, the more it took away from its core meaning. "Kotaku" suggests Rian Johnson depicted more nuance in the Force in "The Last Jedi" than Lucas did in his films. According to Rob Weinert-Kendt, the "Force theme" in John Williams' score represents the power and responsibility of wielding the Force.


title: The Force

text: Paranormal abilities like the Force are a common device in science fiction, and the Force has been compared to the role magic plays in the fantasy genre. The "Star Wars" films illustrate that characters not familiar with the particulars of the Force associate it with mysticism and magic, such as when an Imperial officer alludes to the "sorcerer's ways" of Darth Vader. The depiction of the Force in "Star Wars" has been compared to that of magic in "Harry Potter", with the former being described as more of a "spiritual force". According to "The A.V. Club", "The Last Jedi" depicts the Force "closer to the sorcery of fairy tales and medieval romance than it's ever been."


title: The Force

text: Eric Charles points out that the television films "The Ewok Adventure" (1984) and "" (1985), intended for children, are "fairy tales in a science fiction setting" which feature magic and other fairy tale motifs rather than the Force and science-fiction tropes. These Ewok films have been described as depicting "sorcery" that is distinct from the Force powers depicted in the first six "Star Wars" films. Drawing from the sourcebook he co-authored in 1987, Bill Slavicsek says that "The Ewoks' mystical beliefs contain many references to the Force, though it is never named as such."


title: The Force

text: In his 1977 review of "Star Wars", Vincent Canby of "The New York Times" called the Force "a mixture of what appears to be ESP and early Christian faith." "The Magic of Myth" compares the sharp distinction between the good "light side" and evil "dark side" of the Force to Zoroastrianism, which posits that "good and evil, like light and darkness, are contrary realities". The connectedness between the light and dark sides has been compared to the relationship between yin and yang in Taoism, although the balance between yin and yang lacks the element of evil associated with the dark side. Taylor identifies other similarities between the Force and a Navajo prayer, prana, and qi. It is a common plot device in "jidaigeki" films like "The Hidden Fortress" (1958), which inspired "Star Wars", for samurai who master qi to achieve astonishing feats of swordsmanship. Taylor added that the lack of detail about the Force makes it "a religion for the secular age". According to Jennifer Porter, professor of religious studies at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, "the Force is a metaphor for godhood that resonates and inspires within [people] a deeper commitment to the godhood identified within their traditional faith". According to Christian Pastor Clayton Keenan, "the spirituality of 'Star Wars' has to do with the Force. It's depicted as ... something supernatural within this universe, but it's not the same thing as a personal god that Christians or Jews or Muslims might believe in. It's this impersonal force that is in some ways this neutral, impersonal energy that is out there to be used for good or for evil."


title: The Force

text: At one point, Francis Ford Coppola suggested to George Lucas that they use their combined fortunes to start a religion based on the Force. Practitioners of Jediism pray to and express gratitude to the Force.


title: The Force

text: Scientists are mostly skeptical about a "real world" explanation for the Force. Astrophysicist Jeanne Cavelos says in "The Science of Star Wars" that explaining the Force is particularly difficult because "it does so many different things". Force powers like precognition imply the time travel of information. Cavelos explores the possibility of brain implants or sensors being used to detect users' intent and manipulate energy fields, and compares such discipline to contemporary patients learning to control prosthetics.


title: The Force

text: A scientific explanation of the Force would require new discoveries in physics, such as unknown fields or particles or a fifth force beyond the four fundamental interactions. Flavio Fenton of the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Physics suggests a fifth force would carry two types of charge—one for the light side and one for the dark—and that each would be carried by its own particle. Nepomuk Otte, also from Georgia Tech, cautions that Newton's third law of motion says telekinesis would apply a force back on the Force-wielding character. Fabien Paillusson from the University of Lincoln argues that the Force of the Star Wars universe reflects our own quest for understanding the forces of the world we live in.


title: The Force

text: "National Geographic" compared the Higgs boson's role as "carrier" of the Higgs field to the way Jedi are "carriers" of the Force. A previsualization video highlighting the idea of "kicking someone's ass with the Force" steered LucasArts game designers toward producing "" (2008), which sold six million copies as of July 2009. In 2009, Uncle Milton Industries released a toy, called the Force Trainer, which uses EEG to read users' beta waves to lift a training droid-themed ball with a shaft of air.


title: The Force

text: "The New Republic", Townhall, "The Atlantic", and others have compared various political machinations to the "Jedi mind trick", a Force power used to undermine opponents' perceptions and willpower.


title: The Force

text: Critic Tim Robley compared the Force to the ruby slippers from "The Wizard of Oz" (1939), with both being entities that send the protagonist on a quest. In her 1980 "Washington Post" review of "The Empire Strikes Back", Judith Martin described the Force as "a mishmash of current cultic fashions without any base in ideas. It doesn't seem to be connected with ethics or a code of decent behavior, either." John Simon wrote in his 1977 review of "Star Wars" for "New York" magazine:


title: The Force

text: The introduction of midi-chlorians in "The Phantom Menace" was controversial, with Evan Narcisse of "Time" writing that the concept ruined "Star Wars" for him and a generation of fans because "the mechanisms of the Force became less spiritual and more scientific". Film historian Daniel Dinello called midi-chlorians "anathema to "Star Wars" fanatics who thought they reduced the Force to a kind of viral infection." Referring to "midi-chlorians" became a screenwriting shorthand for over-explaining a concept. Although Chris Taylor suggested fans want less detail, not more, in explaining the Force, the introduction of midi-chlorians provided depth to the franchise and fomented engagement among fans and franchise writers. Religion expert John D. Caputo writes, "In the 'Gospel according to Lucas' a world is conjured up in which the intractable oppositions that have tormented religious thinkers for centuries are reconciled ... The gifts that the Jedi masters enjoy have a perfectly plausible scientific basis, even if its ways are mysterious".


title: The Force

text: Characters' faith in the Force reinforces "Rogue One"s message of hope. "The A.V. Club" said Rian Johnson's depiction of the Force in "The Last Jedi" goes "beyond George Lucas’ original transcendental concept". "Polygon" said Johnson's film "democratize[s] the Force", depicting Force sensitivity in characters from outside a "Force-sensitive lineage" and suggesting that the Force can be used by anyone.


title: The Force

text: Several "Star Wars" characters say "May the Force be with you" (or derivatives of it) and the expression has become a popular catchphrase. In 2005, "May the Force be with you" was chosen as number 8 on the American Film Institute's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes list. May 4 is "Star Wars" Day, taken from the pun "May the Fourth be with you". The expression was intentionally similar to the Christian "dominus vobiscum", "the Lord be with you".


title: The Force

text: President Ronald Reagan in 1985 said "the Force is with us", referring to the United States, to create the Strategic Defense Initiative (itself often nicknamed "Star Wars") to protect against Soviet ballistic missiles. Some weeks earlier, Reagan had compared the Soviet Union to the Galactic Empire. "The Gospel According to Star Wars" says that Reagan's invocation of the Force was actually perverting "Star Wars" "self-dispossessing" (or other-focused) ethos:


title: Eastern diamondback rattlesnake

text: The eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus) is a species of pit viper in the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the heaviest venomous snakes in the Americas and the largest rattlesnake. No subspecies are recognized.


title: Eastern diamondback rattlesnake

text: The eastern diamondback rattlesnake is the largest rattlesnake species and is one of the heaviest known species of venomous snake, with one specimen shot in 1946 measuring in length and weighing . However, other venomous snakes may rival this species in weight such as the much longer but more slender king cobra and the shorter but even bulkier Gaboon viper. Maximum reported lengths for the eastern diamondback rattlesnake are and . However, the stated maximum sizes have been called into question due to a lack of voucher specimens. Males are typically larger than females, which is rare among snakes (females are usually larger than males).


title: Eastern diamondback rattlesnake

text: Specimens over are rare, but well documented. Klauber (1998) included a letter he received from E. Ross Allen in 1953, in which Allen explains how for years he offered a reward of $100, and later $200, for an specimen, dead or alive. The reward was never claimed. He did receive a number of range specimens and some skins, but said such skins can be taken from specimens as short as . A specimen was caught and killed outside a neighborhood in St. Augustine, Florida in September 2009.


title: Eastern diamondback rattlesnake

text: The average size is much less. Specimens are rarely found over 6 feet in length. Lengths of , and are given. One study found an average length of based on 31 males and 43 females. The average body mass is roughly . The average weight of 9 laboratory-kept specimens was , with a range of . Few specimens can exceed , although exceptional specimens can weigh or more.


title: Eastern diamondback rattlesnake

text: The scalation includes 25–31 (usually 29) rows of dorsal scales at midbody, 165–176/170–187 ventral scales in males/females and 27–33/20–26 subcaudal scales in males/females, respectively. On the head, the rostral scale is higher than it is wide and contacts two internasal scales. There are 10–21 scales in the internasal-prefrontal region and 5–11 (usually 7–8) intersupraocular scales. Usually, there are two loreal scales between preoculars and the postnasal. There are 12–17 (usually 14–15) supralabial scales, the first of which is in broad contact with the prenasal, and 15–21 (usually 17–18) sublabial scales.