title: Vorarlberg

text: The Vorarlberg Institute for Architecture (VAI) and the "Vorarlberg Tourist Board" collaborated for the development of the so-called architecture trails. Each trail has a different theme: "New impressions", "Art and culture", "Timber and loam", "Old and new", "Revitalised villages" and "Architecture and landscape". These tours take visitors to both urban and rural regions in order to illustrate architectural variety in Vorarlberg by select examples. These examples are characterized by a functional mix, spatial versatility, formal radicalism, ecological far-sightedness and social integration.


title: Vorarlberg

text: The White Ring is a ski race in the Ski Arlberg ski area. In 2009, the Guinness World Records confirmed that the White Ring is the longest ski area in the world at 22 km. It consists of 5 runs, 6 lifts and a cross-country trail.


title: Vorarlberg

text: In the season 2012/13, the first SBX World Cup Montafon was held as part of the FIS Snowboard World Cup. The World Cup takes place annually in December in the Montafon valley. The races are held in the Silvretta Montafon ski area, starting a little below the Hochjoch summit and finishing near the cable car's mountain station. The difference in altitude between start and finish is around 200 m.


title: Vorarlberg

text: The first Open Faces Freeride Contest took place in 2017. The most previous contest was held from 24–27 February 2022 in the Silvretta Montafon ski area. The contest was the first 4-star qualifier of the season 2022. The length of the freeride slope is 450 m, its vertical drop is 350 m and it has a steepness of up to 60°.


title: Vorarlberg

text: The Hypo-Meeting is an athlectics competition which is held annually in May/June in the Mösle stadium in Götzis. It is organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and sponsored by the Hypo Vorarlberg Bank, thus its name. The first Hypo-Meetings have been organised as contests for men starting in 1975. The women's contests have been added in 1981.


title: Vorarlberg

text: The Montafon-Arlberg Marathon is a mountain marathon with 1,500 meters in altitude in the middle of the European protected area Verwall.


title: Vorarlberg

text: In 2007, Dornbirn hosted the 13th World Gymnaestrada event, in which about 21,000 gymnasts from 56 federations participated. In 2019, Dornbirn hosted the event again, see 16th World Gymnaestrada.


title: Prebiotic (nutrition)

text: Prebiotics are compounds in food that induce the growth or activity of beneficial microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi. The most common example is in the gastrointestinal tract, where prebiotics can alter the composition of organisms in the gut microbiome.


title: Prebiotic (nutrition)

text: Dietary prebiotics are typically nondigestible fiber compounds that pass undigested through the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract and stimulate the growth or activity of advantageous bacteria in the colon by acting as substrates for them. They were first identified and named by Marcel Roberfroid in 1995. Depending on the jurisdiction, they may have regulatory scrutiny as food additives for the health claims made for marketing purposes. Common prebiotics used in food manufacturing include beta-glucan from oats and inulin from chicory root.


title: Prebiotic (nutrition)

text: The definition of prebiotics and the food ingredients that can fall under this classification, has evolved since its first definition in 1995. In its earliest definition, the term prebiotics was used to refer to non-digestible food ingredients that were beneficial to the host through their selective stimulation of specific bacteria within the colon. Further research has suggested that selective stimulation has not been scientifically demonstrated. As a result of research suggesting that prebiotics could impact microorganisms outside of the colon, in 2016 the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) produced the following definition of prebiotics: a substrate that is selectively used by a host microorganism to produce a health benefit. In 2021, The Global Prebiotic Association (GPA) defined a prebiotic as a product or ingredient that is utilized in the microbiota producing a health or performance benefit.


title: Prebiotic (nutrition)

text: Thus, consumption of prebiotics may facilitate the health of the host. Based on the previous classifications, plant-derived carbohydrate compounds called oligosaccharides as well as resistant starch are the main source of prebiotics that have been identified. Specifically, fructans and galactans are two oligosaccharide sources which have been found to stimulate the activity and growth of beneficial bacterial colonies in the gut. Fructans are a category of carbohydrate consisting of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and inulins, while galactans consist of galactooligosaccharides. Resistant starch has been shown to shift the intestinal bacteria, as well as improve biomarkers for numerous health conditions. Other dietary fibers also fit the definition of prebiotics, such as pectin, beta-glucans, and xylooligosaccharides.


title: Prebiotic (nutrition)

text: The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the regulatory agency for product labeling, differentiates between "prebiotic" and "dietary fiber", stating that "a cause and effect relationship has not been established between the consumption of the food constituents which are the subject of the health claims and a beneficial physiological effect related to increasing numbers of gastrointestinal microbiota". Consequently, under EFSA rules individual ingredients cannot be labeled as prebiotics, but only as dietary fiber and with no implication of health benefits.


title: Prebiotic (nutrition)

text: When the prebiotic concept was first introduced in 1995, the primary focus was on the effects that prebiotics confer on "Bifidobacteria" and "Lactobacillus." With improved mechanistic techniques in recent years, the current prebiotic targets have expanded to a wider range of microbes, including "Roseburia" spp., "Eubacterium" spp., "Akkermansia" spp., "Christensenella" spp., "Propionibacterium" spp. and "Faecalibacterium" spp. These bacteria have been highlighted as key probiotics and beneficial gut bacteria as they may have several beneficial effects on the host in terms of improving digestion (including but not limited to enhancing mineral absorption) and the effectiveness and intrinsic strength of the immune system. Both "Bifidobacteria" and "Lactobacillus" have been shown to have differing prebiotic specificity and to selectively ferment prebiotic fiber based on the enzymes characteristic of the bacterial population. Thus, "Lactobacilli" prefer inulin and fructooligosaccharides, while "Bifidobacteria" display specificity for inulin, fructooligosaccharides, xylooligosaccharides and galactooligosaccharides. Studies have also shown that prebiotics, besides stimulating the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, can also inhibit the growth of detrimental and potentially pathogenic microbes in the gut, such as clostridia.


title: Prebiotic (nutrition)

text: Fermentation is the main mechanism of action by which prebiotics are used by beneficial bacteria in the colon. Both "Bifidobacteria" and "Lactobacillus" are bacterial populations which use saccharolytic metabolism to break down substrates. The bifidobacterial genome contains many genes that encode for carbohydrate-modifying enzymes as well as genes that encode for carbohydrate uptake proteins. The presence of these genes indicates that "Bifidobacteria" contain specific metabolic pathways specialized for the fermentation and metabolism of plant-derived oligosaccharides, or prebiotics. These pathways in "Bifidobacteria" ultimately produce short chain fatty acids, which have diverse physiological roles in body functions.


title: Prebiotic (nutrition)

text: Prebiotic sources must be proven to confer a benefit to the host in order to be classified as a prebiotic. Fermentable carbohydrates derived from fructans and xylans are one well documented example of prebiotics. Resistant starch from starchy foods are also well documented prebiotics and have historically been the highest source of prebiotics in the diet, as 4-10% of starch in mixed diets has been shown to reach the large intestine. One study reported that individuals consuming a traditional diet in Africa consumed 38 grams of resistant starch/day.


title: Prebiotic (nutrition)

text: An endogenous source of prebiotics in humans is human breast milk, which contains oligosaccharides structurally similar to galactooligosaccharides, referred to as human milk oligosaccharides. human milk oligosaccharides were found to increase the "Bifidobacteria" bacterial population in breastfed infants, and to strengthen the infant immune system. Furthermore, human milk oligosaccharides help establish a healthy intestinal microbiota composition in newborns.


title: Prebiotic (nutrition)

text: Indigestible carbohydrate compounds classified as prebiotics are a type of fermentable fiber, and thus can be classified as dietary fiber. However, not all dietary fiber can be classified as a prebiotic source. In addition to the food sources highlighted in the following table, raw oats, unrefined barley, yacón, and whole grain breakfast cereals are also classified as prebiotic fiber sources. The predominant type of prebiotic fiber may vary according to the food. For instance, oats and barley have high amounts of beta-glucans, fruit and berries contain pectins, seeds contain gums, onions and Jerusalem artichokes are rich in inulin and oligofructose, and bananas and legumes contain resistant starch.


title: Prebiotic (nutrition)

text: While there is no broad consensus on an ideal daily serving of prebiotics, recommendations typically range from for general digestive health support, to or more for those with active digestive disorders. Given an average serving, below are the amounts of prebiotic foods required to achieve a daily serving of prebiotic fiber:


title: Prebiotic (nutrition)

text: Preliminary research has demonstrated potential effects on calcium and other mineral absorption, immune system effectiveness, bowel acidity, reduction of colorectal cancer risk, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis), hypertension and defecation frequency. Prebiotics may be effective in decreasing the number of infectious episodes needing antibiotics and the total number of infections in children aged 0–24 months.


title: Prebiotic (nutrition)

text: While research demonstrates that prebiotics lead to increased production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), more research is required to establish a direct causal connection. Prebiotics may be beneficial to inflammatory bowel disease or Crohn's disease through production of SCFA as nourishment for colonic walls, and mitigation of ulcerative colitis symptoms.


title: Prebiotic (nutrition)

text: The sudden addition of substantial quantities of prebiotics to the diet may result in an increase in fermentation, leading to increased gas production, bloating or bowel movement. Production of SCFA and fermentation quality are reduced during long-term diets of low fiber intake. Until bacterial flora are gradually established to rehabilitate or restore intestinal bacteria, nutrient absorption may be impaired and colonic transit time temporarily increased with a rapid addition of higher prebiotic intake.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a mine train roller coaster located at Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Park in Paris. In Tokyo and Paris, the attraction is named Big Thunder Mountain. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is also the name of the fictional rail line the roller coaster depicts.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: Although the details of the backstory vary from park to park, all follow the same general story arc. Sometime in the late 1800s, gold was discovered on Big Thunder Mountain in the American Southwest. Overnight, a small mining town became a thriving one (Rainbow Ridge in Disneyland; Tumbleweed in Florida; Thunder Mesa in Disneyland Paris). Mining was prosperous, and an extensive line of mine trains was set up to transport the ore. Unknown to the settlers, the mountain was a sacred spot to local Native Americans and was cursed.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: Before long, the settlers' desecration of the mountain caused a great tragedy, which, depending on the park, is usually depicted to be an earthquake (Disneyland and Disneyland Paris), a tsunami (Tokyo Disneyland), a flash flood (Walt Disney World), which befell the mines and town, and the town was abandoned. Some time later, the locomotives were found to be racing around the mountain on their own, without engineers or a crew. The Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was founded in the old mining camp to allow wanderers to take rides on the possessed trains.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: The detailed backstory, while present in park literature and training materials, is not communicated to park guests directly. The station buildings on all four versions of the ride are themed to appearance of a mining company office from the mid to late 19th century. In the Disneyland park, there is music and laughing in one of the saloons of Rainbow Ridge, and a typewriter is heard from a newspaper office. The mountains themselves are themed to the red rock formations of the American Southwest. The rock work designs in the Disneyland version are based on the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. In the Florida, Tokyo and Paris versions of the ride, the rockwork designs are based on the rising buttes that are located in Arizona and Utah's Monument Valley. Special care was taken by the Imagineers to make it appear that the rocks were there originally, and the track was built around the rocks, unlike a number of earlier mine rides, which were built the other way around (by sculpting the rocks around the tracks). There is also a dinosaur skeleton that the train passes by in all versions of the ride except the Paris version. A cracked eggshell is nearby, and there is a pleasant lake with water that is shot up while the train passes on the warmer days. Sound effects of a typical locomotive operation are piped into the surrounding scenery to add realism to guests viewing the ride from observation platforms, including the steam whistle sounding, even though there is no whistle displayed on the locomotives.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was designed by Imagineer Tony Baxter and ride design engineer Bill Watkins. The concept came from Baxter's work on fellow Imagineer Marc Davis's concept for the Western River Expedition, a western-themed pavilion at the Magic Kingdom, designed to look like an enormous plateau and contain many rides, including a runaway mine train roller coaster. However, because the pavilion as a whole was deemed too expensive in light of the construction and 1973 opening of Pirates of the Caribbean, Baxter proposed severing the mine train and building it as a separate attraction.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: The Big Thunder Mountain Railroad project was put on hold again in 1974 as resources and personnel were being diverted to work on constructing Space Mountain in Tomorrowland, but this delay may have ultimately produced a smoother ride as the use of computers in attraction design was just beginning when the project was resumed. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was one of the first Disney rides to utilize computer-aided design. Four of Disney's parks feature the attraction. It first opened at Disneyland in 1979, and then a larger version debuted at Magic Kingdom in Florida in 1980. Tokyo Disneyland's version opened in 1987. Disneyland Paris opened with its version in 1992, of which its layout and structure is primarily based on the Florida version of the ride. The Disneyland Paris installation is also the only Big Thunder Mountain to have been an opening-day attraction at its park.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: In August 2018, the Paris location would get a single rider line. Guests would take the normal line and a cast member would direct them either towards the single rider entrance or the normal pathway at the level of the panel located a little before the covered line. Less than two years later, a single rider line was also added to the Tokyo location in January 2020.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: At Disneyland, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was built on the land the Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland used to occupy. Several tributes to the former attraction are present in the Disneyland version. A scaled-down Western town sits adjacent to the queuing lines and tracks near the station. A Western saloon, hotel, assayer's office and mercantile appear among the buildings. This is the village of Rainbow Ridge, which used to overlook the loading platform of the sedate Mine Train through Nature's Wonderland. Many of the animal animatronics throughout the attraction are animatronic animals from the previous attraction. Other allusions to the Mine Train through Nature's Wonderland include the Rainbow Caverns (glowing pools of water by the first lift hill) and precariously balanced rocks in the third lift hill tunnel.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: The name of the ride itself, "Big Thunder", was originally the name of a large waterfall the old mine train passed on its tour. "Little Thunder" was located nearby.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: At the Magic Kingdom and at Disneyland, the ride is known by its full name of "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad". The Tokyo and Paris versions would drop the word "Railroad" in favor of the name "Big Thunder Mountain", though the full name is still present on the trains. Tokyo Disneyland's Big Thunder, which is almost identical to the Magic Kingdom's, opened in 1987, five years after the park opened. At Magic Kingdom and Disneyland, the name of the ride is sometimes shortened to "Big Thunder Mountain", "Big Thunder", "Thunder Mountain Railroad" or "Thunder Mountain".


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: In the October 2016 "Journal of the American Osteopathic Association", a paper entitled "Validation of a Functional Pyelocalyceal Renal Model for the Evaluation of Renal Calculi Passage While Riding a Roller Coaster" was published. The paper's author, Dr. Wartinger, found that patients of his had passed kidney stones after riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Walt Disney World on vacation, including one who passed three stones on three separate occasions. The doctor then tested this result, with the permission of Disney, with a 3D model of a kidney by riding the ride over 20 times. The study found nearly 70% of the time, the kidney stone was passed, with results varying depending on which row they were in. The study also found that the Space Mountain and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith failed to cause this result.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: While the design of the Walt Disney World version of this roller coaster was done first, Disneyland's version was the first one to open. The track layout was mirrored, placing the attraction to the right of Rivers of America, if viewed from the central hub. (In Walt Disney World, the attraction is located to the left of Rivers of America.) To better fit with the adjacent Fantasyland areas of the theme park, the original Walt Disney World design had to be replaced with something more appropriate for Disneyland. The Florida, Tokyo and Paris versions of the ride use sharp-edged mountains and the vibrant colors of Monument Valley, Arizona, while Disneyland's version was developed with more rounded features and muted colors resembling the Bryce Canyon hoodoos in Utah.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: Upon entering the attraction, the queue winds through a narrow rock wall and passing by the tracks. The surrounding walls were originally created from 100 tons of gold ore from Rosamond.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: Leaving the outdoor station, trains enter a bat-infested tunnel, make a right hand turn, then a left hand turn before climbing the first lift hill, which takes trains through a cavern full of stalactites. Leaving the lift hill, the train drops away to the right, then levels out and makes a left hand turn. The track then crosses under the second lift hill drop before making a right hand turn. The sounds of coyotes can be heard howling at the train as it dives into a cave. At the end of the tunnel, the train hits a trim brake, exits the tunnel, and climbs the second lift hill. At the top of the lift, an animatronic goat bleats at passing guests as the train drops away to the right, crosses under the lift hill, and rises up into a downward spiraling clockwise helix. Leaving the helix, the train shoots through a small canyon, then drops down into a mining camp, where it hits another trim brake. The train then makes a left hand turn, enters another tunnel, and climbs the third lift hill. As the train climbs the lift, the tunnel is dynamited, and artificial smoke is blasted in guests' faces as the train crests the lift and exits the tunnel. The train then drops to the right, towards the river, then makes a right hand turn and passes through a short tunnel. After crossing over the drop, the trains make a left hand turn as they pass through the ribcage of a T-rex skeleton, hit a trim brake, then make a right hand turn into the final brakes. The train then travels by the buildings of Rainbow Ridge as it returns to the station.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: California's version of the ride is the only version of the ride to feature an outdoor station. All of the other versions feature an indoor station.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: On January 7, 2013, the ride was closed for an extensive refurbishment that included a new track, trains, scenery, and new effects on the third lift hill. The attraction reopened on March 17, 2014. The new track was fabricated by Dynamic Structures, the company that had previously rehauled the coaster track in Space Mountain.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: The track layout of the Magic Kingdom's version is a nearly identical mirrored layout of the Disneyland attraction.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: Riders board the trains in an enclosed loading station on a hillside. Leaving the station, trains make a left hand turn into a bat-infested tunnel, make a slight right turn, and climb the first lift hill. At the top of the lift hill, trains pass under a waterfall and drop to the left. This is followed by a right hand turn, after which the track crosses under the second lift hill and drop. After crossing under the second lift hill drop, the track goes through a 270 degree clockwise spiral and passes through a short tunnel. Trains emerge from the tunnel and pass through the flooded town of Tumbleweed, running parallel to the Walt Disney World Railroad. The train passes over a decaying trestle (where the track is slightly banked from side to side), before entering Davy Jones Mine, where it hits a trim brake. Trains then make a left hand turn and climb the second lift hill.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: At the top of the second lift hill, trains drop to the left and cross under the lift hill, before rising into a 540 degree downhill counterclockwise helix, passing over a broken trestle. Leaving the helix, trains shoot up across a small hill, make a slight right turn, then drop through another tunnel and hit a trim brake. The trains then make a right hand turn into a tunnel and climb the third lift hill. As the train climbs the lift, an earthquake hits and makes the train cars sway from side to side (the effect achieved by slightly banking the track). Leaving the lift, trains emerge from the tunnel, crest a small rise, and drop to the left towards the Rivers of America. After traveling along a short section of straight track, the ride then makes a left hand turn through a short tunnel and crosses a short bridge. The train then makes a right hand turn, and passes through the ribcage of a T-Rex skeleton as it hits the final trim brake, makes a left hand turn past some geysers and hot springs, and rises into the final brakes. The train then makes a left turn back into the station.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: The Florida version was allocated more space in the park, and so the Monument Valley-inspired ride structure assumes 2.5 acres, 25 percent larger than the Disneyland version. Due to the ride being surrounded by the Rivers of America on the east and Walt Disney World Railroad on the west, the maintenance facility for the trains is on the opposite side of the Railroad's track from the ride, with a swing bridge being used where the transfer track crosses the Railroad, just past the Frontierland station.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: Big Thunder Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland is similar to the Florida ride, but there are some differences in the ride layout. Instead of Tumbleweed, the track makes a left turn and dives into a cave, mirroring the California version of the ride. More significantly, the final segment of the ride is different. Instead of crossing back over the drop from the third lift hill, the track makes a 180 degree turn to the right before dropping out of a tunnel, through the Boneyard/geyser scene, into a short tunnel. The track then makes a right hand turn into the final brakes. The trains pass in front of the station building, and then turn back into the loading area.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: While primarily based on the Florida version, Paris's version is unique as it is situated on an island in the middle of the Rivers of the Far West, where Tom Sawyer's Island would normally sit. It is also the only version of the ride to be an opening day attraction and the largest installment at any Disney park. The Paris version underwent a year long refurbishment from November 2015 to December 2016. As part of the renovation, the brakes were overhauled, some of the scenery was repainted, and a few elements from the California version were added (rainbow pools of water on the first lift hill cave, new sound effects for the mine elevator on the second lift hill, new mapping effects for the blasting scene on the third lift hill). Interactive games were also installed in the queue.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: Guests board the trains at a station on the mainland. Unlike the other versions, the trains on this version are painted to look weathered and aged. Immediately upon leaving the station, trains dive into a tunnel that transports them under the Rivers of the Far West to the island where the ride is located. The train makes a right hand turn, and makes a quick steep rise before starting up the first lift hill. As trains climb out of the darkness of the underwater tunnel, stalactites and stalagmites can be seen growing next to the track, along with several rainbow colored pools of water. The sounds of bats swooping up above can also be heard. During warmer months, a waterfall parts around the track at the top of the hill. Trains pop out of the tunnel, leave the lift hill, and drop around a left hand turn, pass through a small cave, then make a swooping right turn. If the trains are being dispatched timely, when the train goes through this curve, it will appear to make a near miss with a train in the 540 degree helix.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: After this turn, the trains pass under the second lift hill and its drop, making a slight hop, before making a left hand turn onto a trestle. The train runs along the Rivers of the Far West, across the water from Phantom Manor, then makes a slight right hand turn, and suddenly falls through a washed out section of the trestle, hitting a magnetic trim brake. The trestle drop also contains an on-ride camera. After dropping down to the water level (with water jets on the sides of the track simulating a splashdown), the trains go around a left turn and hit the base of the second lift hill.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: As trains start up the lift hill, two tied down donkeys can be seen to the right side of the track, braying at passing trains, with an empty watering pail in front of them. A goat can be seen pulling on a shirt hanging on a clothesline to the riders' left, as the trains pass a parked steamroller and mine elevator, and travel under a water tower.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: At the top of the lift, it is possible for guests to catch a glimpse of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Walt Disney Studios Paris on the horizon before the trains drop around a left turn and cross back under the lift hill. Coming out of the drop, the track goes over another rise, hitting a magnetic trim brake, and passes a sign warning of a broken trestle mounted to the water tower post. Cresting the hill, trains cross over the broken trestle and spiral down through a 540-degree counter-clockwise helix.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: Exiting the helix, the trains pass through a short cave and go over a quick airtime hill as they shoot down a canyon. As the trains drop through the tunnel and pass over a trim brake, a loud gust of wind is heard. Trains then make a right hand turn on another trestle, enter a tunnel with signs warning of blasting over the portal, and climb the third lift hill.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: As the train starts up the third hill, the tunnel is dynamited, and artificial smoke is blasted in guests' faces as the train crests the lift and exits the tunnel. The train crests a small hill, then drops to the left onto a straightaway alongside the river, speeding up as it enters the return tunnel. The train encounters a swarm of bats in the tunnel as it makes another sharp counter-clockwise turnaround and goes down a steep drop to cross under the water. The trains continue to accelerate through the dark until it pops out of the exit portal on the mainland. An additional chain lift is located here to assist the train in leaving the tunnel. The train then coasts past the station, through the loading dock, and then makes a left turn to reenter the station.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: The sounds of Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad trains were recorded and used as sound effects for the mine cart chase sequence in Steven Spielberg and George Lucas' 1984 film, "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom". Disneyland would later get its own "Indiana Jones" attraction in 1995, and the Walt Disney Company would go on to acquire the "Indiana Jones" franchise with its purchase of Lucasfilm in 2012.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: In August 2022, it was announced that film adaptation of the ride was in development. Amber Templemore-Finlayson and Katie Ellwood, collectively known as "Bert & Bertie", will serve as co-directors after the pair impressed studio executives with their pitched approach to the property. The script is being co-written by Michele and Kieran Mulroney. The project will be a joint-venture production between LuckyChap Entertainment, and Scott Free Productions.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: In January 2013, ABC ordered a pilot based on the ride titled "Big Thunder Mountain", but the idea was scrapped sometime after.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: In the "Modern Family" episode "Disneyland", Phil (Ty Burrell) and his son Luke (Nolan Gould) ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad together during a family trip to Disneyland in Anaheim. Phil, who self-proclaims to be king of the roller coasters, begins to feel even more queasy when riding Big Thunder, after he and Luke had exited Indiana Jones Adventure prior.


title: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

text: In October 2014, Marvel Comics announced a five-issue series based on the attraction, which eventually debuted in early 2015. Part of Marvel's "Disney Kingdoms" line, the series elaborated on the story behind the attraction and featured input from Walt Disney Imagineering, including numerous nods to elements of the ride.


title: Uyanış: Büyük Selçuklu

text: Uyanış: Büyük Selçuklu (, ) is a Turkish historical drama television series, written by Serdar Özönalan, directed by Sedat İnci and produced by Emre Konuk. It focuses on the life of Malik-Shah I, and his son, Ahmad Sanjar. It tells the story of the Seljuk Empire's structure, political events and how it became an Islamic state. In the series Turkish actor Buğra Gülsoy portrays Sultan Malik-Shah, and Ekin Koç portrays Sanjar. The television series premiered on 28 September 2020 and ended on 31 May 2021.


title: Uyanış: Büyük Selçuklu

text: The series was filmed on the TRT International Film Studios at various locations including Sakarya, Istanbul and Kocaeli. Turkish musician Gökhan Kırdar composed the opening theme while Kazakh musicians composed other music using instruments from the Turkic world. The television series went through a 13-month preparation time in which details were meticulously planned, although "The Great Seljuks: Guardians of Justice" includes a few historical inaccuracies. In 2021, the production company Akli Film was accused of mistreating its set workers. The television series has been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey.


title: Uyanış: Büyük Selçuklu

text: The show has been well received in Turkey, being called a "record-breaking television series", and has been compared with other series. "The Great Seljuks: Guardians of Justice" gained popularity in Turkey because of the casting of famous actors, and it has become popular in countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan. The show won the Anatolia Media Awards in 2020, while Konuk won the Crystal Globe Awards in the same year. A prequel series, "", focusing on the life of Alp Arslan, was released on 8 November 2021.


title: Uyanış: Büyük Selçuklu

text: The show depicts the rise of the Seljuks under Sultan Malik-Shah I and his son Ahmad Sanjar, later Sultan of the Seljuk Empire. It focuses on their struggles and battles against Hassan-i Sabbah, leader of the Order of Assassins (dubbed the "Batinis"), the Byzantine Empire and fellow rival states that seek to weaken the Seljuks. Sencer has seen Turna Hatun, daughter of an Emir, who refuses to give her to him in marriage, but finally relents. Melikshah is married to Terken and Zubeyde. Terken is heavily pregnant with her son, and Elcin Hatun has come to the palace. She is jealous of Elcin, lest she may marry Melikshah and give him a son, therefore he will lose attention in Terken. When she tries to prove that and is not good and goes to where Melikshah is. She is urging the driver to go faster and faster but then the horses skid and drop the carriage. Terken is taken back rub the palace when her daughter and ordered to stay in bed till her baby is born. She gets up trying to go after Elcin in her dream. While she is running after what she sees, her water breaks and she goes in labour. She gives birth to a son who dies after birth.


title: Uyanış: Büyük Selçuklu

text: The series has attracted attention with its actors, costumes, historical locations and story. "The Great Seljuks: Guardians of Justice" is written by Serdar Özönalan, directed by Sedat İnci and produced by Emre Konuk. After three years of scenario work, every detail was meticulously prepared over 13 months. 350 décor employees, 100 carpenters and a team of 60 people took part on two separate backlots, in which many locations in the series were built. 5000 accessories and costumes, of which 3500 pieces belong to the period, were manufactured in special costume workshops. "The Great Seljuks: Guardians of Justice" is the most costly television series produced in Turkey after "". Two cities are built on three backlots and the enormous budget also includes construction fees and the actors' fees. It is produced by Akli Film, a production company new to the Turkish television industry who has been working with TRT for three years. The production company says that it has a guaranteed contract with TRT for at least 33 episodes or one season. If the series continues, it is expected to have five or six seasons.


title: Uyanış: Büyük Selçuklu

text: The series includes many popular Turkish actors including Buğra Gülsoy, one of the lead actors, who was noted to have celebrated his birthday on set with his family. After Barış Arduç met with the producer of "The Great Seljuks: Guardians of Justice", he was expected to join the cast. When Hatice Şendil, who portrays the role of Terken Hatun, was asked if Arduç would be joining the cast in the season finale, she said, "I don't know, but I think he will be [joining the cast]". Arduç is still rumoured to appear in the series in the role of Berkyaruk. The cast of another popular Turkish television series "Çukur" have been said by Turkish media to be leaving the series "one by one" to join "The Great Seljuks: Guardians of Justice". The television series also cast an Albanian actor Nik Xhelilaj to play the role of Yorgos. Buğra Gülsoy, and other members of the cast were interviewed about what they thought of the show. Gülsoy said, "I think that the new generation has started to investigate the Seljuk period again thanks to the series." It was also rumoured that Kenan İmirzalıoğlu, who is interested in history, would join the series' cast however, he responded to these theories in an announcement saying that he wouldn't be joining. Birsen Altuntaş reported in May 2021 that Sevda Erginci and İsmail Ege Şaşmaz would leave the series after the first season, but Abdul Süsler would join the series in the final episodes in the role of "Kıpçak Bey".


title: Uyanış: Büyük Selçuklu

text: The actors received horse riding and sword training by the action director of the Kazakh Nomad Stunts team, who choreographed Hollywood movies for a month. The actors, who worked on fitness, continuity and coordination, went through a challenging training program in this process. Janbi Ceylan, who portrays Aydoğdu, was also responsible for the horse-training of the cast.


title: Uyanış: Büyük Selçuklu

text: According to the producer , the series is filmed on the TRT International Film Set" It was specifically filmed at various locations including Sakarya, Istanbul and Kocaeli. "The Great Seljuks: Guardians of Justice" came to the screen with the longest battle scene and production details in Turkish television history. A total of 400 actors, excluding the main ones, 100 of them on horseback, took part in the battle scene. Preparation took 60 days, and the shooting took eight days. The actors received horse riding and sword training by the action director of the Kazakh Nomad Stunts team, who choreographed Hollywood movies for a month. The actors who worked on fitness, continuity and coordination went through a challenging training program during this process.


title: Uyanış: Büyük Selçuklu

text: For the battle scene in the first episode, 45 stuntmen and 120 supporting actors were given tough action and choreography training by Nomad Stunts for 15 days at the shooting location. During the shootings, ambulances, medical teams and veterinarians were present in case of any negative situation. The horse trainers provided by the Nomad Stunt team travelled around various cities of Anatolia, and only 15 horses among 150 horses, which were available for training, were included in the project. Horses were trained for a period of one month. Archery training was provided to the cast by a different company. In 2021, around 260 set workers left their jobs accusing Akli Film of leaving them with difficult working conditions, lack of payment, lack of hygiene and being subject to mobbing. Although the production company promised to solve the issues experienced by the set-décor workers, Turkish media said they took no action. Organisations later took notice criticising Akli Film and asking them to listen to their demands as soon as possible. In a statement, Konuk said that Azerbaijani Culture Minister Anar Karimov visited the set. According to journalist Birsen Altuntaş, the first season of the series will end with 36 episodes, while other sources say that the same journalist said that there will be 33 episodes.


title: Uyanış: Büyük Selçuklu

text: Much to fans' disappointment, TRT 1 suspended filming of the show for five days which delayed the release of for a week after a COVID-19 outbreak at the set. TRT officials said the film "" would be broadcast instead on TRT 1 for the first time. The statement released was;As a result of regular tests of our series' cast and crew, COVID-19 cases were detected on the set of "The Great Seljuks: Guardians of Justice". The health of our quarantined set workers is good and closely monitored. The news was shared with our cast and all our set staff and it was decided to suspend filming of our series for 5 days. Due to this mandatory break, the new episode of "The Great Seljuks: Guardians of Justice" will not be broadcast on Monday 22 March 2021. On the same day and time, the film "Pocket Hercules: Naim Süleymanoğlu", for the first time on TV, will be on TRT 1 screens. We would like to thank our viewers in advance for their understanding and support. It is announced with respect for the public."There were rumours that the season was ending however, the episode later premiered on 29 March 2021. It was later announced after a few days that filming "Selçuklu Demek" was delayed when Ekin Koç, who portrays the role of Ahmed Sencer, tested positive for the disease. Hatice Şendil, who portrays Terken Hatun, praised the COVID-19 precautions made by "The Great Seljuks: Guardians of Justice". Because of the rise of COVID-19 cases in Turkey, the production of the 29th episode was also delayed.


title: Uyanış: Büyük Selçuklu

text: While the compositions for the series were prepared to reflect the atmosphere of the scenes, the music was played with the instruments used in the Turkic world. Musicians who performed using Central Asian instruments such as the dombra, kyl kyyak, komuz, and sybyzgy were featured in the works supported by master musicians in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Kazakh composer Ercan Arkabay, who starred in the "" series, also said that he will be doing something for "The Great Seljuks: Guardians of Justice". The album of first season music was released on 30 October 2020. In a statement, Gökhan Kırdar, one of the composers, stated that he was happy that he was involved in a great project that would reflect the period in which a unique civilization was built. The eulogy performed by the disciples of Gazzâlî was sung by Turkish musician Mehmet Öncel. Ermek Kazıbekov, a member of the team of Kyrgyz youth dubbing the series in their native language, said that he was impressed by the fact that traditional Kyrgyz instruments were used in the series. There are 71 tracks. The first track is by Gökhan Kırdar, nine tracks are by Hassak, a world-famous Kazakh band that were there to add "colour" to the songs, and the rest are by Batuhan Fırat. This is a list of selected songs:


title: Uyanış: Büyük Selçuklu

text: While the compositions of the series were prepared according to the atmosphere of the stages, the music was played with the instruments used in the Turkic world. Musicians who performed using Central Asian instruments such as dombra, bristle, komuz, and sibizgi were featured in the works supported by master musicians in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The album was released on 30 October 2020.


title: Uyanış: Büyük Selçuklu

text: Emre Konuk confirmed he had to do a lot of research on the historical figures presented in the series. However, the TV series has a few historical inaccuracies. One is that the Seljuk state has been shown to be run by a nomadic tribe and that the Seljuks began to shed blood from the first episode when they actually were a people of peace. Turkish media has accepted that "The Great Seljuks: Guardians of Justice" is not a documentary but a historical TV series meaning and can include many fictionalised features.


title: Uyanış: Büyük Selçuklu

text: Like other Turkish TV series revolving around history, "The Great Seljuks: Guardians of Justice" has been popular in Bangladesh and Pakistan. It was also well received in Kyrgyzstan. A group of Kyrgyz youth decided to dub the series in their native language.


title: Uyanış: Büyük Selçuklu

text: The 13th episode attracted great attention with a particular scene and the 23rd episode of the "record-breaking TV series" was eagerly awaited by Turkish fans. The series, whose first episode reached the top of the ratings in Turkey, was so well-received it was the only Turkish TV series to be included in the daily hits section of newspaper "The Wit". Arab journalist Mohammed Abu Rumman compared it with other Turkish television series including "", "Kurtlar Vadisi", "" and "", which became popular globally. As mentioned, the television series has been well received in Bangladesh. Speaking to "Anadolu Ajansi", a Bengali professor stated that the Turkish television series revolved around history, including "The Great Seljuks: Guardians of Justice" should be watched by people of all ages. Muharrem Kesik says that "The Great Seljuks: Guardians of Justice", which contains many historical inaccuracies, is not a documentary but a historical TV series meaning that it can include many fictionalised features.


title: Singapore Premier League

text: The Singapore Premier League, commonly abbreviated as SPL, officially known as the AIA Singapore Premier League for sponsorship reasons, is a men's professional football league sanctioned by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), which represents the sport's highest level in the Singapore football league system.


title: Singapore Premier League

text: The competition was founded as the S. League on 14 April 1996 after the FAS announced its intention to promote and expand the growing local football community by having a top level domestic league. As of 2022, the league comprises eight clubs, consisting of three rounds in which each team plays every other team once. Seasons run from late March to October, with teams playing 21 matches each, totalling 147 matches in the season.


title: Singapore Premier League

text: Successful SPL clubs gain qualification into Asian continental club competitions, including the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup. SPL currently does not practice promotion and relegation. Since the league's inception in 1996, 7 clubs have been crowned champions. Warriors FC have been the most successful club with 9 titles, followed by Tampines Rovers (5), Albirex Niigata Singapore FC (5), Lion City Sailors (3), Geylang International (2), DPMM FC (2) and Étoile FC (1). The current champions are Albirex Niigata, the Japanese satellite team, having won their fifth S-League title in the 2022 season.


title: Singapore Premier League

text: Singapore had been represented in the Malaysia Cup through the Singapore Lions since 1921. The Lions were one of the most successful teams in the competition, having won it 24 times from 1921 to 1994. Following a dispute over gate receipts between the FAS and FAM after winning the league and cup double in 1994, the Lions withdrew from the Malaysian competitions.


title: Singapore Premier League

text: Subsequently, the Football Association of Singapore decided to build a professional league system. However, as it was estimated to take about a year to put in place the structure of a professional league, the Singapore Lions were given match practice in what was then the top level of domestic football, the semi-professional FAS Premier League. This team won the last FAS Premier League title, finishing the season unbeaten.


title: Singapore Premier League

text: The S.League was founded in 1996. The FAS invited applications for clubs to compete in the newly formed league. Eight successful applications were made. Two clubs from the Premier League – powerhouse Geylang International (renamed Geylang United; 6 consecutive Premier League titles) and Balestier United (renamed Balestier Central – joined six from the amateur National Football League – Police, Singapore Armed Forces, Tampines Rovers, Tiong Bahru United, Wellington (renamed Woodlands Wellington) and Sembawang Rangers (merger of Gibraltar Crescent and Sembawang SC) – for the inaugural edition of the S.League. The season was split into the two series. Tiger Beer Series winners Geylang United defeated Pioneer Series winners Singapore Armed Forces 2–1 in the end of season championship playoff to be crowned the 1st S.League champions. The 30,000 crowd at the playoff remains the record attendance in the S.League.


title: Singapore Premier League

text: Police FC renamed themselves as Home United for the 1997 season to reflect their representation of not only the Singapore Police Force, but also other HomeTeam Departments of the Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs such as the SCDF and the ICA. NFL side Jurong Town FC, who renamed themselves Jurong FC, joined the competition taking the number of participating clubs to 9. The league switched from its previous format to a round-robin competition. Singapore Armed Forces won their first title.


title: Singapore Premier League

text: Gombak United and Marine Castle United joined the S.League in 1998, further taking the number of clubs to 11. Tiong Bahru United renamed themselves to Tanjong Pagar United at the start of the season. Singapore Armed Forces won their second consecutive title.


title: Singapore Premier League

text: Clementi Khalsa joined the S.League in 1999 as a representative of the Sikh community in Singapore. The league took on 12 teams for the next five years. Home United won their first title.


title: Singapore Premier League

text: During the 2000s, the FAS decided to invite foreign clubs to the league to increase league competitiveness. Sinchi FC, a side composed of Chinese players became the first foreign club to participate in 2003. Shi Jiayi and Qiu Li went on to become naturalised Singapore players.


title: Singapore Premier League

text: Sporting Afrique, a club made up of African players, and Super Reds, a side comprising South Korean players, became the third and fourth foreign clubs to join the competition in 2006 and 2007 respectively. Sporting Afrique were refused entry into the 2007 S.League due to off-field controversies and poor performance. In 2010, Super Reds were denied a place after three seasons following attempts to convert into a team of local players.


title: Singapore Premier League

text: Chinese Super League clubs Liaoning FC (2007), Dalian Shide FC (2008) and Beijing Guoan FC (2010) entered their feeder clubs in the S.League. All three clubs each lasted one season before being pulled out of the league due to poor performances and disciplinary issues. Bruneian club DPMM FC joined the S.League in 2009 before being pulled from the league as a result of a FIFA ban. They re-entered the league from 2012. They were the first club to base themselves outside of Singapore. In 2010, French club Étoile FC became the first foreign side to win the S.League. Etoile pulled out of the S.League prior to the 2012 season to focus on grassroots football and youth development.


title: Singapore Premier League

text: In 2012, Malaysia national youth sides Harimau Muda A and Harimau Muda B joined the S.League following an agreement between the Football Association of Singapore and the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) to send their representative sides into their respective domestic competitions. Singaporean side LionsXII returned to the Malaysian competitions in 2012. Echoing the former Singapore FA, the LionsXII quickly became a successful force in the Malaysian league system during its short stint, winning the league title in 2013 as well as the FA Cup in 2015.


title: Singapore Premier League

text: However, on 25 November 2015, the FAM decided not to extend their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the FAS. This automatically disqualified LionsXII from further entering any football tournament in Malaysia. Similarly, Malaysia's squad Harimau Muda did not participate in the Singapore League from then onwards.


title: Singapore Premier League

text: J.League club Albirex Niigata entered their feeder club Albirex Niigata Singapore in the 2004 S.League. The club proved to be one of the most established foreign sides in the S.League, drawing on the support of Japanese people living in the country as well as even some local fans. They still play in the Singapore Premier League as of 2022, and are the only active as well as being the longest foreign club in the league.


title: Singapore Premier League

text: The league took on a number of changes for the 2015 season to increase its competitiveness. The number of clubs was reduced from 12 to 10, with the withdrawal of Tanjong Pagar United due to financial problems, and the merger of Woodlands Wellington and Hougang United. The league returned to a three-round format used from 2001 to 2011. The foreign player quota remained at five per club, but incentives were given to those who signed an under-21 player. The passing time for the mandatory 2.4 km fitness test was lowered from 10 mins to 9 mins 45 s. A new rule on age restrictions – a maximum of five players aged 30 and above and a minimum of three under-25 players for clubs with a 22-man squad, a maximum of four players aged 30 and above and a minimum of two under-25 players for clubs with a 20-man squad – was later reversed.


title: Singapore Premier League

text: The league was rebranded as the Singapore Premier League on 21 March 2018. Further revamps were also made to see a greater emphasis on local youth players in a bid to strengthen the national side; this, in effect, has resulted in a number of senior as well as local and foreign stars being purchased by overseas clubs.


title: Singapore Premier League

text: Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then goal difference, and then goals scored.


title: Singapore Premier League

text: At the end of each season, the club with the most points is crowned league champion. If the points, goal difference, goals scored, and head-to-head results between teams are equal, head-to-head records between the teams are used, followed by a better fair play record.


title: Singapore Premier League

text: There is no relegation or promotion system in the league. Clubs enter the Singapore Premier League by invitation of the Football Association of Singapore.


title: Singapore Premier League

text: A total of 25 clubs have played in the league from its inception in 1996 up to and including the 2014 season. The following 8 clubs are competing in the league during the 2021 season. There is one non-Singaporean club that currently competes in the Singapore Premier League – Albirex Niigata (S) – a satellite team of the Japanese club of the same name.


title: Singapore Premier League

text: Balestier Khalsa, Geylang International, Lion City Sailors FC and Tampines Rovers are clubs that have played in all 26 seasons of the Singapore Premier League as of 2022.


title: Singapore Premier League

text: The league's winners qualify for the AFC Champions League, while Singapore Cup winners qualify for the AFC Cup playoff spot. In the event of the same club winning both the S.League and Singapore Cup, the runners-up of the league takes up the AFC Cup qualification spot. Foreign clubs are ineligible to represent the Football Association of Singapore in AFC continental competitions. The qualification spot is given to the next best-placed local club in the league if a foreign club wins any of the two competitions.


title: Singapore Premier League

text: The league has seen five clubs win the title since its inception. Warriors FC (formerly Singapore Armed Forces FC) hold the most titles at nine. In 2010, Étoile FC became the first foreign side to win the competition.


title: Singapore Premier League

text: The all-time Singapore Premier League table is a cumulative record of all match results, points and goals of every team that has played in the league since its inception in 1996. The table that follows is accurate as of the end of the 2014 season. Teams in bold are part of the 2019 season.


title: Ridouan Taghi

text: Ridouan Taghi (born 20 December 1977) is a Moroccan-Dutch criminal who became a prime suspect in at least ten murders related to organised crime, drug trafficking and leading a criminal organisation.


title: Ridouan Taghi

text: Until his late 2019 arrest in Dubai, Taghi was the most wanted criminal in the Netherlands with a record-breaking reward of €100,000. As of 2022 he is held at Nieuw Vosseveld, a maximum security prison in Vught and the main suspect in the Marengo trial.


title: Ridouan Taghi

text: Taghi was born in 1977 in the north of Morocco. In 1980 he moved to Vianen in the Netherlands with his parents, his older brother and two sisters. While in the Netherlands, another six sisters and one boy was born.


title: Ridouan Taghi

text: Begin 1990s he joined the youth gang "Bad Boys". The "Bad Boys" were active in the Amsterdamsestraatweg in Utrecht and the mall "City Plaza" in Nieuwegein. In 1992, Taghi was first sentenced for among other things burglaries and possession of weapons. At age 17, Taghi quit his vwo-education in Nieuwegein.


title: Ridouan Taghi

text: For a long time after 2000 Taghi did not come into contact with police. For a while he ran a grillroom in the Amsterdamsestraatweg in Utrecht. In 2009, he deregistered from the Dutch population administration.


title: Ridouan Taghi

text: Despite earlier convictions, Taghi remained out of the police's sight. The first time again was in 2013, when the Spanish police linked him to the assassination of Mohammed Abdellaoui the same year. At that time, he was also seen as a major cocaine dealer. Starting in 2013, the "Team Criminal Intelligence" and "Financial Intelligence Unit" from the Dutch police received tips about Taghi.


title: Ridouan Taghi

text: Tipping point was when in June 2015 Ebrahim Buzhu reported Taghi and his suspected right hand man Saïd Razzouki to the Dutch police. Buzhu claimed he was on Taghi's hitlist after he helped abducting a coffeeshop owner in 2009, with whom Taghi was friends. Buzhu was found dead near Cadiz in January 2022.


title: Ridouan Taghi

text: On 20 January 2014, there was an attempt to kill criminal Samir Jabli in Amersfoort, but this failed. Instead, a student was killed. On 1 December 2014 another attempt was successful and killed Jabli. Witness Nabil B. has alleged that Taghi was involved in this murder, but the Prosecution left it out of the trial due to lack of evidence. In August 2021, "de Telegraaf" reported that the police found Taghi's DNA on bullets used in Jabli's assassination.


title: Ridouan Taghi

text: According to the Prosecution, Taghi ordered the assassination of spyshop employee Ronald Bakker in September 2015 in Huizen. Bakker was ordered by the police to hand over information about his clients, which included Taghi's organisation. The Prosecution assumed this is why Taghi ordered the assassination.


title: Ridouan Taghi

text: Abderrahim Belhadj was killed on 9 May 2016. According to the Prosecution, Taghi ordered this because Belhadj had stolen two blocks of cocaine.


title: Ridouan Taghi

text: On 22 June 2016, criminal Samir Erraghib was assassinated in IJsselstein. According to the Prosecution, Taghi ordered this assassination because Erraghib had talked about him to the police.


title: Ridouan Taghi

text: According to the Prosecution, Taghi and Razzouki went looking for Buzhu after he had delivered incriminating statements to the police. When they could not find Buzhu, they targeted a friend of Buzhu, Ranko Scekic. Scekic was killed on 22 June 2016, a few days before he was scheduled to be heard as a witness in a criminal case against Taghi's organisation.


title: Ridouan Taghi

text: In June 2016, former criminal turned crimeblogger Martin Kok published on his website "Vlinderscrime" about two henchmen of Taghi. According to the Prosecution, this made him a target of Taghi. The first attempt was in July 2016, when they had placed a bomb under his car. This failed, because Kok found the bomb before detonation. Kok continued publishing, including a piece on 12 September the same year about Taghi, Richard R. and Naoufal F.. This led to another attempt in Amsterdam-Zuid on 8 December 2016. This attempt failed again, because the weapon faltered without Kok noticing the shooter. The same night Kok was assassinated in Laren.


title: Ridouan Taghi

text: On 12 January 2017, an attempted assassination of Khalid H. took place, which was ordered by Taghi according to the Prosecution. This attempt failed and instead got flatmate Hakim Changachi killed. Two days later, there was another attempt, but Khalid H. managed to escape. One person involved with the attempt that got Changachi killed, was Nabil B., a friend of Changachi's family. This got Nabil B. into trouble with the family and the Taghi group. This led to Nabil B. turning himself over to the police and eventually becoming a crown witness in the Marengo trial against Taghi and his group.


title: Ridouan Taghi

text: According to the Prosecution, Taghi had ordered three assassinations in 2017 through the motorclub ; Justin Jap Tjong on 31 January 2017, Farid Souhali on 17 April 2017 and Jaïr Wessels on 7 July 2017.


title: Ridouan Taghi

text: Since the beginning of 2016, Taghi was in a conflict with criminal Mustapha F.. In november 2017, there was an attempt to assassinate F. in Marrakesh. However, this attempt failed and instead a son of a Moroccan judge was killed. Two shooters and a brother of Taghi have been sentenced for this murder. Additionally, in October 2021 a nephew of Taghi was arrested for his involvement.


title: Ridouan Taghi

text: On 23 March 2019, the Dutch Prosecution announced that Nabil B. had testified against Taghi and his group. Five days later, two attempts to assassinate B's brother Reduan failed. However, a day later, on 29 March 2019, Reduan B. was killed. Taghi has not been charged for this murder, but Reduan B.'s death has been linked to the announcement of Nabil B.'s testimony.


title: Ridouan Taghi

text: In September 2019 the lawyer of Nabil B., Derk Wiersum, was killed at his home. This was seen as a further escalation and an "attack on the rule of law". Taghi has not been charged with this murder, but media and Prosecution assume Taghi is behind the assassination. The two main perpetrators of the murder are also suspected of two murders in Suriname in 2019. The two victims were part of Mustapha F.'s group and the Dutch Prosecution thus believes these murders were also ordered by Taghi's group. Furthermore, two nephews of Taghi are suspected of being involved in Wiersums assassination.


title: Ridouan Taghi

text: In July 2021, Peter R. de Vries was killed in Amsterdam. He was a crime reporter, and was a confidant of Nabil B. in the Marengo trial. Back in 2019, the Dutch Prosecution had informed De Vries that he was on Taghi's hit list. Taghi denied this in 2019 and Taghi, who was at that time in prision, has denied any involvement in the murder. Arrested suspects have however been linked to the group around Taghi. And a witness has testified that Taghi had given the assignment to kill De Vries back in April 2019.


title: Ridouan Taghi

text: Documents produced by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) of the United States, and sent to the Dutch police, exposed what appeared to be a large drug network headed by Ridouan Taghi, Raffaele Imperiale (Camorra's drugs and arms dealer), Daniel Kinahan (Irish reputed gang boss) and Edin Gačanin (Bosnian drug trafficker). The DEA regards this as one of the largest drug cartels in the world, with virtually a monopoly over Peruvian cocaine, controlling around a third of the total European cocaine trade. According to the DEA documents, the drugs are all shipped to ports in the Netherlands.


title: Ridouan Taghi

text: Taghi managed to evade capture by constantly altering his appearance and using false passports and visas. He was arrested in Dubai on 16 December 2019. As the Netherlands does not have an extradition treaty with the United Arab Emirates, Taghi was deported three days after his arrest; based on him being declared a "persona non grata" by the government, as he had entered the UAE under a false identity.


title: Ridouan Taghi

text: In July 2019, the Marengo trial against seventeen suspects, with Taghi as main suspects, started. Taghi's lawyer in this case is . The Marengo trial is held in the high-security courtroom, De Bunker.


title: Ridouan Taghi

text: Despite strict measures, Taghi managed to stay in contact with the outside world. On 15 December 2020, the Federal Bureau of Investigation notified the Dutch police that Taghi had been able to communicate physically and electronically with the outside world through one or more bribed prison guards. In December 2020, Taghi's nephew and lawyer Youssef Taghi applied for access to Taghi in his prison. This was first rejected, because there was an investigation into abuse of attorney–client privilege between Youssef and another nephew of Taghi. When in March 2021 the investigation concluded that no abuse was found, Youssef was allowed in. In February 2021, the Dutch police started an investigation into ways in which Taghi was able to communicate with the outside world. On 23 July 2021, after the murder of De Vries, the police received permission from the judge to place listening devices when Youssef and Ridouan Taghi are meeting in the prison, followed by cameras in September. This investigation showed that Youssef communicated conveyed messages between Ridouan Taghi and his family. Among other things, they discussed breakout attempts and the molesting of an ex-brother-in-law of Ridouan Taghi. On 8 October 2021, Youssef was arrested while visiting Taghi in prison for membership of a criminal organisation, planning a breakout attempt and involvement in drug trafficking and money laundering.


title: Ridouan Taghi

text: At the EBI, Taghi met Mohammed Bouyeri, with whom he developed a close bond. Concerns about this relationship was cause for Bouyeri's transfer to another prison. Taghi and Bouyeri continued writing each other letters, mostly consisting of Quran verses. Gökmen Tanis, perpetrator of the Utrecht tram shooting, also sent at least one letter to Taghi. Some of the letters have been rejected by the prison, because they feared that the Quran verses contained hidden messages.


title: Giant trevally

text: The giant trevally ("Caranx ignobilis"), also known as the lowly trevally, barrier trevally, ronin jack, giant kingfish or ulua, is a species of large marine fish classified in the jack family, Carangidae. The giant trevally is distributed throughout the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region, with a range stretching from South Africa in the west to Hawaii in the east, including Japan in the north and Australia in the south. Two were documented in the eastern tropical Pacific in the 2010s (one captured off Panama and another sighted at the Galápagos), but it remains to be seen if the species will become established there.


title: Giant trevally

text: The giant trevally is distinguished by its steep head profile, strong tail scutes, and a variety of other more detailed anatomical features. It is normally a silvery colour with occasional dark spots, but males may be black once they mature. It is the largest fish in the genus "Caranx", growing to a maximum known size of 170 cm (67 in) and a weight of 80 kg (176 lbs). The giant trevally inhabits a wide range of marine environments, from estuaries, shallow bays and lagoons as a juvenile to deeper reefs, offshore atolls and large embayments as an adult. Juveniles of the species are known to live in waters of very low salinity such as coastal lakes and upper reaches of rivers, and tend to prefer turbid waters.


title: Giant trevally

text: The giant trevally is an apex predator in most of its habitats, and is known to hunt individually and in schools. The species predominantly takes various fish as prey, although crustaceans, cephalopods and molluscs make up a considerable part of their diets in some regions. Novel hunting strategies including shadowing monk seals to pick off escaping prey, using sharks to ambush prey, and leaping to catch birds have been observed in this species.


title: Giant trevally

text: The giant trevally reproduces in the warmer months, with peaks differing by region. Spawning occurs at specific stages of the lunar cycle, when large schools congregate to spawn over reefs and bays, with reproductive behaviour observed in the wild. The fish grows relatively fast, reaching sexual maturity at a length of around 60 cm at three years of age.


title: Giant trevally

text: The giant trevally is both an important species to commercial fisheries and a recognised gamefish, with the species taken by nets and lines by professionals and by bait and lures by anglers. Catch statistics in the Asian region show hauls of 4,000–10,000 tonnes, while around 10,000 lbs of the species is taken in Hawaii each year. The species is considered poor to excellent table fare by different authors, although ciguatera poisoning is common from eating the fish. Dwindling numbers around the main Hawaiian Islands have also led to several proposals to reduce the catch of fish in this region.


title: Giant trevally

text: The giant trevally is classified within the genus "Caranx", one of a number of groups known as the jacks or trevallies. "Caranx" itself is part of the larger jack and horse mackerel family Carangidae, which in turn is part of the order Carangiformes.


title: Giant trevally

text: The giant trevally was first scientifically described by the Swedish naturalist Peter Forsskål in 1775 based on specimens taken from the Red Sea off both Yemen and Saudi Arabia, with one of these designated to be the holotype. He named the species "Scomber ignobilis", with the specific epithet Latin for "unknown", "obscure" or "ignoble". It was assigned to the mackerel genus "Scomber", where many carangids were placed before they were classified as a separate family. This later revision in classification saw the species moved to the genus "Caranx", where it has remained. Even after its initial description, the giant trevally (and the bigeye trevally) were often confused with the Atlantic crevalle jack, "Caranx hippos", due to their superficial similarity, which led to some authors claiming the crevalle jack had a circumtropical distribution. After Forsskål's initial description and naming, the species was independently renamed three times as "Caranx lessonii", "Caranx ekala" and "Carangus hippoides", all of which are now considered invalid junior synonyms. The latter of these names once again highlighted the similarity with the crevalle jack, with the epithet "hippoides" essentially meaning "like "Carangus hippos"", which was the crevalle jack's Latin name at that time. Despite the resemblance with the crevalle jack, the two species have never been phylogenetically compared, either morphologically or genetically, to determine their relationship.


title: Giant trevally

text: "C. ignobilis" is most commonly referred to as the giant trevally (or giant kingfish) due to its large maximum size, with this often abbreviated to simply GT by many anglers. Other names occasionally used include lowly trevally, barrier trevally, yellowfin jack (not to be confused with "Hemicaranx leucurus"), Forsskål's Indo-Pacific jack fish and Goyan fish. In Hawaii, the species is almost exclusively referred to as "ulua", often in conjunction with the prefixes black, white, or giant. Due to its wide distribution, many other names for the species in different languages are also used. In the Philippines, the species is referred to as "talakitok". Some success has been achieved in raising giant trevally commercially in small fish farms there, typically to an age of seven months.


title: Giant trevally

text: The giant trevally is the largest member of the genus "Caranx", and the fifth-largest member of the family Carangidae (exceeded by the yellowtail amberjack, greater amberjack, leerfish and rainbow runner), with a recorded maximum length of and a weight of . Specimens of 50 kg and above are not uncommon in sportfishing. The Hallaniyat Islands in Southern Oman are the most prolific places for these large fish, with fish of 100lbs being caught almost daily. Unfortunately in recent times, the fishery has dwindled with commercial pressure and fish that size are becoming ever rarer throughout the islands.


title: Giant trevally

text: The giant trevally is similar in shape to a number of other large jacks and trevallies, having an ovate, moderately compressed body with the dorsal profile more convex than the ventral profile, particularly anteriorly. The dorsal fin is in two parts, the first consisting of eight spines and the second of one spine followed by 18 to 21 soft rays. The anal fin consists of two anteriorly detached spines followed by one spine and 15 to 17 soft rays. The pelvic fins contain 1 spine and 19 to 21 soft rays. The caudal fin is strongly forked, and the pectoral fins are falcate, being longer than the length of the head. The lateral line has a pronounced and moderately long anterior arch, with the curved section intersecting the straight section below the lobe of the second dorsal fin. The curved section of the lateral line contains 58-64 scales, while the straight section contains none to four scales and 26 to 38 very strong scutes. The chest is devoid of scales with the exception of a small patch of scales in front of the pelvic fins. The upper jaw contains a series of strong outer canines with an inner band of smaller teeth, while the lower jaw contains a single row of conical teeth. The species has 20 to 24 gill rakers in total and 24 vertebrae are present.


title: Giant trevally

text: The eye is covered by a moderately well-developed adipose eyelid, and the posterior extremity of the jaw is vertically under or just past the posterior margin of the pupil. The eye of the giant trevally has a horizontal streak in which ganglion and photoreceptor cell densities are markedly greater than the rest of the eye. This is believed to allow the fish to gain a panoramic view of its surroundings, removing the need to constantly move the eye, which in turn will allow easier of detection of prey or predators in that field of view.


title: Giant trevally

text: At sizes less than 50 cm, the giant trevally is a silvery-grey fish, with the head and upper body slightly darker in both sexes. Fish greater than 50 cm show sexual dimorphism in their colouration, with males having dusky to jet-black bodies, while females are a much lighter coloured silvery-grey. Individuals with darker dorsal colouration often also display striking silvery striations and markings on the upper part of their bodies, particularly their backs. Black dots of a few millimetres in diameter may also be found scattered all over the body, although the coverage of these dots varies between widespread to none at all. All the fins are generally light grey to black, although fish taken from turbid waters often have yellowish fins, with the anal fin being the brightest. The leading edges and tips of the anal and dorsal fins are generally lighter in colour than the main part of the fins. There is no black spot on the operculum. Traces of broad cross-bands on the fish's sides are occasionally seen after death. The fishes have been known to prey and eat on the dead fish.


title: Giant trevally

text: The giant trevally is widely distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of the Bay of Bengal, Indian and Pacific Oceans, ranging along the coasts of three continents and many hundreds of smaller islands and archipelagos. In the Indian Ocean, the species' westernmost range is the coast of continental Africa, being distributed from the southern tip of South Africa north along the east African coastline to the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. Its range extends eastwards along the Asian coastline, including Pakistan, India and into Southeast Asia, the Indonesian Archipelago and northern Australia. The southernmost record from the west coast of Australia comes from Rottnest Island, not far offshore from Perth. Elsewhere in the Indian Ocean, the species has been recorded from hundreds of small island groups, including the Maldives, Seychelles, Madagascar and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.


title: Giant trevally

text: The giant trevally is abundant in the central Indo-Pacific region, found throughout all the archipelagos and offshore islands including Indonesia, Philippines and Solomon Islands. Along continental Asia, the species has been recorded from Malaysia to Vietnam, but not China. Despite this, its offshore range does extend north to Hong Kong, Taiwan and southern Japan. In the south, the species reaches as far south as New South Wales in Australia and even to the northern tip of New Zealand in the southern Pacific. Its distribution continues throughout the western Pacific, including Tonga, Western Samoa and Polynesia, with its easternmost limits known to be the Pitcairn and Hawaiian Islands.


title: Giant trevally

text: The giant trevally inhabits a very wide range of offshore and inshore marine environments, with the species also known to tolerate the low salinity waters of estuaries and rivers. It is a semipelagic fish known to spend time throughout the water column, but is mostly demersal in nature.


title: Giant trevally

text: The species is most common in shallow coastal waters in a number of environments, including coral and rocky reefs and shorefaces, lagoons, embayments, tidal flats and channels. They commonly move between reef patches, often over large expanses of deeper sand and mud bottoms between the reefs. Older individuals tend to move to deeper seaward reefs, bomboras and drop-offs away from the protection of fringing reefs, often to depths greater than 80 m. Large individuals, however, often return to these shallower waters as they patrol their ranges, often to hunt or reproduce. In Hawaii, the juvenile to subadult giant trevally is the most common large carangid in the protected inshore waters, with all other species apparently preferring the outer, less protected reefs. It is also easily attracted to artificial reefs, where studies have found it to be one of the predominant species around these structures in Taiwan.


title: Giant trevally

text: Juvenile to subadult giant trevally are known to enter and inhabit estuaries, the upper reaches of rivers and coastal lakes in several locations, including South Africa, Solomon Islands, Philippines, India, Taiwan, Thailand, northern Australia, and Hawaii. In some of these locations, such as Australia, it is a common and relatively abundant inhabitant, while in others, including South Africa and Hawaii, it is much rarer in estuaries. The species has a wide salinity tolerance, as evident from the ranges from which juvenile and subadult fish in South African estuaries have been recorded; 0.5 to 38 parts per thousand (ppt), with other studies also showing tolerance levels of less than 1 ppt. In these estuaries, the giant trevally is known from both highly turbid, dirty water to clean, high visibility waters, but in most cases, the species prefers the turbid waters. Younger fish apparently actively seek out these turbid waters, and when no estuaries are present, they live in the turbid inshore waters of bays and beaches. These young fish eventually move to inshore reefs as they mature, before again moving to deeper outer reefs.


title: Giant trevally

text: In the Philippines, a population of giant trevally inhabit (and were once common in) the landlocked fresh waters of the formerly saltwater Taal Lake, and are referred to as "maliputo" to distinguish them from the marine variant (locally named "talakitok"). Along with Taal Volcano and Taal Lake, the "maliputo" is prominently featured on the reverse side of the newly redesigned Philippine 50 peso bill.


title: Giant trevally

text: The giant trevally is a solitary fish once it reaches sexual maturity, only schooling for the purposes of reproduction and more rarely for feeding. Juveniles and subadults commonly school, both in marine and estuarine environments. Observations from South African estuaries indicate the schools of smaller juveniles tend not to intermingle with schools of other species, but larger subadults are known to form mixed-species schools with the brassy trevally. Research has been conducted on the movements of larger fish around their habitats, as well as the movement between habitats as the species grows, to understand how marine reserves impact on the species. Adult giant trevally are known to range back and forth up to 9 km along a home range, with some evidence of diel and seasonal shifts in habitat use. In the Hawaiian Islands, giant trevally do not normally move between atolls, but have specific core areas where they spend most their time. Within these core areas, habitat shifts during different times of the day have been recorded, with the fish being most active at dawn and dusk, and usually shifting location near sunrise or sunset. Furthermore, large seasonal migrations appear to occur for the purpose of aggregating for spawning, with this also known from the Solomon Islands. Despite not moving between atolls, they do make periodic atoll-wide journeys of up to 29 km. Long-term studies show juveniles can move up to 70 km away from their protected habitats to outer reefs and atolls. The giant trevally is one of the most important apex predators in its habitats, both as adults on reefs and as juveniles in estuaries. Observations in relatively untouched waters of the northwestern Hawaiian Islands showed the giant trevally was of high ecological importance, constituting 71% of the apex predator biomass, and was the dominant apex predator. This number is considerably less in heavily fished Hawaiian waters. The species is prey to sharks, especially when small. Conversely, adult giant trevallies, either singles or pairs, have been recorded attacking sharks (like blacktip reef shark) by ramming them repeatedly with their head. The shark, sometimes even larger than the trevally, may die from the attack. The reason for this behavior is unclear, but the giant trevally does not attempt to eat the dead shark. Rarely, they have been recorded behaving in the same way towards humans: A spearfisher in Hawaii broke three ribs when rammed by a giant trevally. Large giant trevallies have been recorded as a host of the sharksucker, "Echeneis naucrates", a fish which is normally seen attached to the undersides of sharks.


title: Giant trevally

text: The giant trevally is a powerful predatory fish, from the estuaries it inhabits as a juvenile to the outer reefs and atolls it patrols as an adult. Hunting appears to occur at different times of the day in different areas of its range; off South Africa it is most active during the day, especially at dawn and dusk, while off Zanzibar and Hong Kong, it is nocturnal in its habits. The species' diets have been determined in several countries and habitats; their diets generally vary slightly by locations and age. In all but one study (which was of juveniles), the giant trevally dominantly takes other fishes, with various crustaceans, cephalopods and occasionally molluscs making the remainder of the diet. In Hawaii, the species has a predominantly fish-based diet consisting of Scaridae and Labridae, with crustaceans, including lobsters, and cephalopods (squid and octopus) making up the remaining portion. The large number of reef fishes suggests it spends much of its time foraging over shallow-water reef habitats, but the presence of squid and the schooling carangid "Decapterus macarellus" indicates exploitation of more open-water habitats, as well. Off Africa, the diet is similar, consisting mostly of fish including eels, with minor squid, octopus, mantis shrimp, lobsters and other crustaceans. Younger fish inside Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii showed the only instance where crustaceans were preferred over fish; stomatopods, shrimp and crabs were the most common prey taken at 89% of stomach content by volume, with fish, mostly of the family Blennidae, making up only 7% of the stomach contents. Estuarine fish in both Hawaii and Australia have mostly fish-based diets, with crustaceans such as prawns and amphipods also of importance, and they are known to take more novel prey, such as spiders and insects, in these habitats. Juvenile turtles and dolphins were reported being found within the stomach contents of larger giant trevally. Studies of different size classes of fish have found their diets change with age in some locations, with the changes relating to an increased volume of fish taken.


title: Giant trevally

text: Giant trevally also feed on fledgling sooty terns on Farquhar Atoll snatching them from the water surface and even jumping acrobatically to catch them in the air as seen on the BBC documentary Blue Planet II, episode 1. So far this behaviour has not been observed elsewhere.


title: Giant trevally

text: Studies in controlled environments on the giant trevally's feeding strategies have found hunting in schools increases their capture efficiency, but is not necessary for an individual's survival. When a school is formed during feeding, one individual will take a leading position, with others trailing behind it. Several individuals will attack the prey school, striking and stunning the prey, with the leading individual generally being more successful. Some individuals act individually and opportunistically within the school if one of the prey fish becomes isolated, with the main advantage of schooling appearing to be the ability to further break up and isolate prey schools. The only time hunting in schools is a disadvantage is when only isolated prey are present, such as close to a reef; here, an individual hunter has a greater probability of capturing it than if a group is present. Another hunting strategy of the giant trevally is to 'escort' monk seals, a behavior which has been observed near the Hawaiian Islands. The trevally swim close by the seal, and when the seal stops to forage, the trevally positions its mouth inches away from the seal. If a prey item is disturbed, the trevally will attempt to steal the prey from the seal, which routinely does occur. The seal does not appear to gain any benefit from this relationship, and it is thought juvenile seals being followed in this way may be outcompeted by the larger fish. A similar strategy has been employed by fish in the presence of large reef sharks, as they use the larger animal as a tool to ambush prey. The opportunistic nature of giant trevally has also been made evident by studies on the mortality rate of undersized or egg-bearing lobsters released from traps at the water's surface of the Hawaiian Islands. The fish are efficient predators of these crustaceans, with individuals often seizing a lobster before it could sink to the seafloor after being released, or attacking before the lobster moves into a defensive position. Some bolder, large individuals are even known to eat the lobster head first when it is in a defensive stance.


title: Giant trevally

text: The giant trevally reaches sexual maturity at 54 to 61 cm in length and three to four years of age, although many authors narrow this down to 60 cm and three years of age. Sex ratio estimates from the Hawaiian Islands suggest the population is slightly skewed toward females, with the male:female ratio being 1:1.39. Spawning occurs during the warmer months in most locations, although the exact dates differ by location. In southern Africa, this occurs between July and March, with a peak between November and March; in the Philippines between December and January, with a lesser peak during June; and in Hawaii between April and November, with a major peak during May to August. Lunar cycles are also known to control the spawning events, with large schools forming in certain locations at specific phases of the moon in Hawaii and the Solomon Islands. Locations for spawning include reefs, the reef channels and offshore banks. Sampling of schools prior to spawning suggests the fish segregate into schools of only one sex, although the details are still unclear. Observations in the natural habitat found spawning occurred during the day immediately after and just before the change of tide when there were no currents. Giant trevally gathered in schools of over 100 individuals, although ripe individuals occurred slightly deeper; around 2–3 m above the seabed in groups of three or four, with one silver female being chased by several black males. Eventually, a pair would sink down to a sandy bottom, where eggs and sperm were released. The fish then diverged and swam away. Each individual appears to spawn more than once in each period, with only part of the gonads ripe in spawners. Fecundity is not known, although females are known to release several thousand eggs on capture during the spawning process. Eggs are described as pelagic and transparent in nature.


title: Giant trevally

text: The giant trevally's early larval stages and their behaviour have been extensively described, with all fins having formed by at least 8 mm in length, with larvae and subjuveniles being silver with six dark vertical bars. Laboratory populations of fish show a significant variability in the length at a certain age, with the average range being around 6.5 mm. Growth rates in larvae between 8.0 and 16.5 mm are on average 0.36 mm per day. The speed at which larvae swim increases with age from 12 cm/s at 8 mm in length to 40 cm/s at 16.5 mm, with size rather than age a better predictor of this parameter. Size is also a better predictor of endurance in larvae than age. These observations suggest the species becomes an effective swimmer (is able to swim against a current) around 7–14 mm. No obvious relationships with age and either swimming depth or trajectory have been found. Larvae appear to also opportunistically feed on small zooplankton while swimming. The larvae actively avoid other large fish, and jellyfish are occasionally used as temporary cover. Larvae have no association with reefs, and appear to prefer to live pelagically. Daily growth is estimated at between 3.82 and 20.87 g/day, with larger fish growing at a more rapid rate. Length at the age of one year is 18 cm, at two years is 35 cm and by three years, the fish is around 50 to 60 cm. The use of von Bertalanffy growth curves fitted to observed otolith data show an individual of around 1 m in length is about eight years old, while a 1.7 m fish would be around 24 years old. The maximum theoretical length of the species predicted by the growth curves is 1.84 m, but the largest reported individual was 1.7 m long. As previously mentioned, as the giant trevally grows, it shifts from turbid inshore waters or estuaries to reefs and lagoons in bays, moving finally to outer reefs and atolls.


title: Giant trevally

text: A hybrid of "C. ignobilis" and "C. melampygus" (bluefin trevally) has been recorded from Hawaii. The specimen was initially thought to be a bluefin trevally of world-record size, but was later rejected when it was discovered to be a hybrid. Initial evidence of hybridisation was morphological characteristics intermediate to the two species; later genetic tests confirmed it was indeed a hybrid. The two species are known to school together, including at spawning time, which was considered to be the reason for hybridisation.


title: Giant trevally

text: The giant trevally has been used by humans since prehistoric times, with the oldest known records of the capture of this species by Hawaiians, whose culture held the fish in high regard. The "ulua", as the fish is known to Hawaiians, was likened to a fine man and strong warrior, which was the cause of a ban on women eating the species in antiquity. The species was often used in Hawaiian religious rites, and took the place of a human sacrifice when none was available. Culturally, the fish was seen as a god, and treated as gamefish which commoners could not hunt. There are many mentions of "ulua" in Hawaiian proverbs, all generally relating to the strength and warrior-like qualities of the fish. The Hawaiians considered the fish to be of excellent quality, with white, firm flesh. Despite this, intrusions of giant trevally into modern-day fishponds used by Hawaiians for rearing fish are unwelcome; being a predator, it eats more than it is worth at market.


title: Giant trevally

text: The giant trevally is of high importance to modern fisheries throughout its range, although quantifying the amounts taken is very difficult due to the lack of fishery statistics kept in most of these countries. Hawaii has the best-kept statistics, where the 1998 catch consisted of 10,194 pounds of giant trevally worth around US$12,000. Historically, the species has been taken in far greater numbers, and has been an important food, market and game fish since the early 1900s. However, their exploitation has seen the landings of the species decrease by over 84% since the turn of the century, declining from 725,000 lb to 10,000 lb in recent catches. FAO statistics of the Asian region record catches between 4,000 and 10,000 tonnes between 1997 and 2007, although this excludes most fisheries which are not monitored or do not discriminate between trevally species. The giant trevally is commercially caught by a number of methods, including hook and line, handlines, gill nets and other types of artisanal traps. The species has also successfully been bred for aquaculture purposes in Taiwan. It is sold at market fresh, frozen, salted, and smoked, and as fishmeal and oil.


title: Giant trevally

text: The giant trevally is considered one of the top gamefish of the Indo-Pacific region, having outstanding strength, speed and endurance once hooked. It can be taken by many methods, including baits of cut or live fish and squid, as well as a wide array of lures. The species is commonly taken on bibbed plugs, minnows, spoons, jigs and poppers, soft plastic lures and saltwater flies. In recent years, the development of both jigging and surface-popping techniques has seen the giant trevally become an extremely popular candidate for catch and release fishing, with many charter operators based around this concept. The species is also popular with spearfishermen throughout its range. The species' edibility has been rated from poor to excellent by different authors, although numerous cases of ciguatera poisoning have been reported from the species. Detailed tests on a large (1 m) specimen taken from Palmyra Island showed the toxicity of the fish's flesh, liver and washed intestinal tract produced no or weakly positive symptoms to laboratory mice, but the digested contents of the intestine were lethal. The authors argued, based on this test, the flesh of giant trevally was safe to consume. However, analysis of case studies in which ciguatera poisoning was reported after eating the fish suggested an accumulative effect occurs with repeated consumption; and tests like the one outlined above are not reliable, as the toxin appears to be distributed haphazardly throughout each fish. Since 1990, giant trevally taken from the main Hawaiian islands have been blocked from sale by auction internationally due to concerns over liability from ciguatera poisoning.


title: Giant trevally

text: A decline in giant trevally numbers around inhabited regions has been well documented in Hawaii, with both catch data as presented above and ecological studies showing this decrease in numbers. A biomass study in the Hawaiian Islands indicates the main Hawaiian Islands are heavily depleted in the species, which in untouched ecosystems comprises 71% of the apex predator biomass. In contrast, it comprises less than 0.03% of the apex biomass in exploited habitats, with only a single fish observed during the course of this research study. Prior to this, a 1993 report suggested the population around the main Hawaiian islands were not stressed, though several biological indicators suggested to the contrary. This was due to the highly size-selective nature of the fishery, which theoretically should prevent a decrease in numbers. Despite this, populations have decreased, and in light of their continued falling abundance in Hawaii, several recommendations, including banning the commercial take of the species, increasing minimum lengths and decreasing bag limits for anglers, as well as reassessment of protected areas for the species, have been proposed by officials. The species (nor any other carangid) has not been assessed by the IUCN.


title: Giant trevally

text: Some recreational fishing groups are also promoting a catch and release practice for the giant trevally, with this becoming an increasingly popular option for charter boat operators, who have also begun to tag giant trevally for scientific purposes. At large sizes, the species is more likely to be ciguatoxic, so if the fish is kept, it must be disposed of or sent to a taxidermist if it is a trophy fish. A catch and release approach has also been adopted by operators outside Hawaii, with Australian operators who target the species by popping and jigging rarely keeping any fish. Careful fish handling techniques have also been implemented by anglers so as not to damage the fish; such techniques include supporting the fish's weight, using barbless single, rather than treble, hooks and restricting the time the fish spends out the water to a minimum.


title: Timothy Ray Brown

text: Timothy Ray Brown (March 11, 1966September 29, 2020) was an American considered to be the first person cured of HIV/AIDS. Brown was called "The Berlin Patient" at the 2008 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, where his cure was first announced, in order to preserve his anonymity. He chose to come forward in 2010. "I didn't want to be the only person cured," he said. "I wanted to do what I could to make [a cure] possible. My first step was releasing my name and image to the public."