title: Autobahn (album)

text: "Autobahn" was released in Germany in November 1974 by Philips Records as the third of the group's three-album deal with the label. The album was released in the United States in January 1975, and the group's first album to be released in the US. "Autobahn" charted in the US for 22 weeks on "Billboard"'s "Top LPs and Tapes chart" and peaked at number 5 on 3 May 1975. In the UK, the album was released by Phonogram with a blue-and-white motorway logo rather than Schult's painted cover. The UK cover became the default sleeve on later reissues. "Autobahn" was digitally remastered for released on CD, LP and cassette in 1985. In 2009, Kraftwerk remastered and released eight of their albums, including "Autobahn", as part of a compilation called "The Catalogue".


title: Autobahn (album)

text: A Chicago radio station was the first to play the single release of "Autobahn", which it had received as an import. Jem Records in New Jersey imported a large quantity of the studio album, leading Capitol Records to release both the single and the album in the US. The single cut of "Autobahn" became an international hit song in early 1975; only a small portion of the song was played on top-40 radio. The single version of "Autobahn" is three-and-a-half minutes long; Hütter stated cutting down the track was simple because it was "loosely constructed, so making a short version was easy because you don't have to worry so much about boundaries and continuity". Following the popularity of "Autobahn" in the US, Vertigo Records released Kraftwerk's earlier album "Ralf and Florian" (1973). Philips released "Kometenmelodie 2" as the album's second single.


title: Autobahn (album)

text: At the end of 1974, Kraftwerk had a short tour in West Germany; where the group remained a quartet, retaining Wolfgang Flür and hiring Karl Bartos, who would replace Roeder in the group. Bartos was a 22-year old music student at Robert Schumann Hochschule, Düsseldorf, who was hoping to become a percussionist with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra. Bartos had played percussion at concerts in Germany with works by Karlheinz Stockhausen and Mauricio Kagel. Kraftwerk toured the US for three months, starting in April 1975. The US tour was followed by a seventeen-date tour of the UK in September. Bartos noted poor ticket sales for the British shows, recalling the group played to mostly empty halls in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, London, Bournemouth, Bath, Cardiff, Birmingham, and Liverpool.


title: Autobahn (album)

text: During the tour, the material consisted mostly of music from "Autobahn" and some of their earlier material. The group had difficulties with their initial road crew, who were fired and replaced during the American tour. Issues also arose with the group's equipment; synthesizers had to be turned on in the afternoon to be tuned for the evening, and lighting from rigs was strong enough to put the instruments out of tune. They also experienced problems with the differences in mains voltages between countries.


title: Autobahn (album)

text: According to Kraftwerk biographer Uwe Schütte, on its initial release in Germany, "Autobahn" was generally ignored by the mainstream German music press. The group invited members of the German rock press to drive with them and played "Autobahn" from the car's speakers. Schult recalled the general response from these journalists was an emphatic "So what!" The only major publication that covered the album was the November 1974 issue of German magazine "Sounds", in which reviewer Hans-Joachim Krüger called the album "varied, and above all entertaining jaunt which particularly impresses listeners wearing headphones". In a review of a later Kraftwerk album, a reviewer credited as "N.N." said "Autobahn" is "something like that doesn't even deserve to be released". Flür said of the album's initial critical reception; "In Germany, artists are often not well regarded unless they've scored great achievements abroad" and "Our success in the US finally brought good headlines in the German newspapers".


title: Autobahn (album)

text: In 2013, Jude Rogers of "The Observer" called some English-language responses to the album xenophobic. Rogers cited examples such as Barry Miles' live review of the band that was titled "This is what your fathers fought to save you from", and an interview between Hütter and Lester Bangs in which Bangs asked if Kraftwerk were "the final solution" for music. When the "NME" printed Bangs' interview, a photograph of the group was superimposed over an image of a Nuremberg rally. Among contemporaneous reviews, John Mendelsohn of "Rolling Stone" gave the album a negative review, finding it not as good as the music of Wendy Carlos, who "hasn't been in the Top Ten in months and months". "Village Voice" critic Robert Christgau gave the album a C+ rating, comparing it with the music of Mike Oldfield but said it was made "for unmitigated simpletons, sort of, and yet in my mitigated way I don't entirely disapprove".


title: Autobahn (album)

text: Bill Provick of the "Ottawa Citizen" was initially hesitant about the group, stating he mocked "Autobahn" at first, but upon listening to it and "Ralf and Florian", he called his initial reaction "a bad mistake, a grave injustice and a sad example of the rock snobbery I always bemoan in others". Provick said the album "works on two levels – as pleasing background atmosphere" and "upon closer listening as lovely escape route for the mind", finding "Kraftwerk opting for calm competence rather than spectacular gimmickry – a nice change in the world of electronic music". Gary Deane of "The Leader-Post" said "Autobahn" was Kraftwerk's "most ambitious and coherent [album] to date", and that the track "Autobahn" is repetitive due to its running time but added; "the effect is deliberate and the periodic familiarly of the Autobahn's scenery keeps the work together as a whole. It's really quite fascinating and offers a new dimension to most our musical lives." Van Matre described the title track as "an impression of the sounds and sensory perceptions of the road, at times nerve-wracking, at times as repetitious as the center dividing strip, but chiefly hypnotic"; and called the track "by far the finest and most accessible thing on the album". Van Matre also said the remaining tracks on the album are "more experimental, less catchy – but it makes the whole thing worthwhile". Some critics such as Gerry Baker of "Fort Worth Star-Telegram" and Wayne Robins of "Newsday" included the album in their honorable mentions on their lists of the best albums of 1975.


title: Autobahn (album)

text: In 1985, Simon Witter wrote in the "NME" "Autobahn" is not as strong as Kraftwerk's four subsequent albums but that it has "enormous historical significance". Witter said; "In the glam era of glitter and guitars, Kraftwerk were four besuited squares playing keyboards", and that the group was "Mentally and sonically decades ahead of their contemporaries", noting their unique rhythms, textures and melodies. Simon Reynolds wrote in the "Spin Alternative Record Guide" (1995); "Esoterics will claim they prefer the first three albums: they're excellent, but truthfully "Autobahn" is when Kraftwerk's muzak-of-the-sphere starts to matter". Reynolds said the title track "sounds like a pastoral symphony, even as it hymns the exhilaration of cruising down the freeway".


title: Autobahn (album)

text: David Cavanagh gave the 2009 remaster of "Autobahn" a five-star rating in "Uncut", saying the title track is its main attraction and called the tracks "freckled with warmth: sunny vocal harmonies ("...mit Glitzerstrahl"), a carefree flute solo (Schneider) and clever modulations (denoting gear-changes) to break the tension", Cavanagh called the remastering of the album a fiasco, and said it is worse than the compact discs previously released by EMI. Mat Snow wrote in "Mojo" the album is a "pop landmark" and a "blueprint for their entire enterprise". Tom Ewing of Pitchfork commented positively on the album in their review of "The Catalogue", noting tracks on the album are a showcase for Kraftwerk's "gift for simple, wistful melodies" but said the themes explored on the album were done better on "Trans-Europe Express". Other later album reviews, such as a four-star rating from "The Irish Times" and a three-and-a-half star rating in "The New Rolling Stone Album Guide", were generally positive with no specific details on "Autobahn" Christgau upgraded his initial ranking of C+ for "Autobahn" to a B−.


title: Autobahn (album)

text: Kraftwerk would later sign with EMI to establish the Kling Klang company within. This worldwide licensing deal placed them with Electrola for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, EMI in the United Kingdom, Capitol in the United States and Pathé-Marconi in France. Kraftwerk followed-up "Autobahn" with "Radio-Activity", which was released in 1975. Kraftwerk did not repeat the high sales of "Autobahn" on any subsequent album in the 1970s but were one of the most commercially successful groups in their style, selling well throughout Europe. Hütter and Schneider later dismissed Kraftwerk's earlier music; according to Hütter, "Autobahn" was "really the first", and Schneider called the earlier music "history, archaeology".


title: Autobahn (album)

text: "Autobahn" was Conny Plank's final work with Kraftwerk. At the home studio where he worked on "Autobahn", Plank later worked with groups and artists such as Killing Joke, Clannad, Brian Eno, The Eurythmics and Devo, as well as German groups such as Neu! and DAF.


title: Autobahn (album)

text: In his review of "Sequencer" (1976) by Synergy, critic Michael Hooker noted the increasing interest in synthesizer composition since the release of "Autobahn". Other artists, such as David Bowie, began noting "Autobahn" as an influence. Bowie said; "the preponderance of electronic instruments convinced me that this was an area that I had to investigate a little further". Michael Rother stated "Autobahn" had an impact on his band Harmonia, and led him to starting thinking about adding voices on tracks; he said; "on Harmonia's "Deluxe" you can hear an echo of that". Producer Arthur Baker first heard Kraftwerk's "Autobahn" when working at record store in high school; he would later use the melody of the group's songs for "Planet Rock" for Afrika Bambaataa.


title: Autobahn (album)

text: According to Patrick Codenys of the band Front 242, in the early 1970s most "creative groups, were virtuosos like King Crimson and Yes whose music was based around sophisticated jam sessions. When I bought "Autobahn" I had the feeling that it was changing. For the first time, it was music that was impossible to touch – not being made up with the usual components of rock." Codenys said the music was made by only one person, which helped encourage him to make music on his own. Music critic Simon Frith stated disco heralded the future of music, and said "Autobahn" was the bridge between five minutes of unchanging rhythms of AM radio and the 24-hour concerts by avant-garde musicians like Terry Riley. Author Thomas Jerome Seabrook named the album among the "finest kosmische records."


title: Rusty Stevens

text: Robert "Rusty" Stevens (born 1948) is an American former child actor best remembered for his role as Larry Mondello, Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver's young friend, in the original "Leave It to Beaver" television series. Stevens appeared in 67 of the show's 234 episodes, between 1957 and 1960.


title: Rusty Stevens

text: Stevens was reported to have left the show in 1960 because his family moved from Burbank to Philadelphia. Barbara Billingsley, who played "June Cleaver" on the series, said in a TV Archive interview that Stevens was fired because his overbearing stage mother caused grief for the producers of the series.


title: Rusty Stevens

text: Stevens briefly returned to acting when he reprised his role as Larry Mondello in the 1983 made-for-television reunion movie "Still the Beaver."


title: Monster High (web series)

text: Monster High is an animated web series based on the eponymous then-freshman American fashion doll line created by Mattel, the first adaptation since its launch, which originally aired on YouTube from May 5, 2010, to February 9, 2018.


title: Monster High (web series)

text: The series follows a group of teenage children of famous monsters in media and film as they attend high school. Along with its feature-length direct-to-video films, this series serves as a platform to launch new doll characters. The web series finished its first run in 2015 with Volume 6, and got rebooted with a long-form 11-minute, 12-episode series order titled the "Adventures of the Ghoul Squad". As at July 12, 2018, 189 web series episodes were produced and released – including the reboot series.


title: Monster High (web series)

text: The original Monster High dolls were created by Garrett Sander, with illustrations by Kellee Riley and illustrator Glen Hanson. The characters are inspired by monster movies, sci-fi horror, thriller fiction and various other creatures.


title: Monster High (web series)

text: The 2D animation was produced by WildBrain Entertainment during since the web series launch until 2013 and 6 Point Harness thereafter, though Top Drawn Animation has been continuously hired by both companies for supportive work after it took over from Caboom. Audio dialogue recordings and music for the web series was done by Salami Studios.


title: Monster High (web series)

text: The web series premiered on YouTube on 5 May 2010 and ended in 2015 to make way for the release of the origin story film special, ""Welcome to Monster High"" The web series got rebooted in 2016 with a 12-episode order called the "Adventures of the Ghoul Squad" and aired on YouTube and its sibling outlet, YouTube Kids between 11 August 2017 and 9 February 2018. Episodes were added weekly on Fridays.


title: Monster High (web series)

text: Volume 4 went on hiatus after the fifth episode, "Scream Spirit", due to episodes of Volume 3 & 4 airing in the wrong order. The series restarted on February 20, 2014, with new episodes, closer the release of the movie "Frights, Camera, Action".


title: Monster High (web series)

text: On October 2, a Volume 5 webisode was uploaded onto YouTube. Much like Volume 4, Volume 5 seems to have started before the previous volume has come to its end. Notable changes in Volume 5 so far are an increased running time, and a slight improvement in the animation itself, such as more varied facial expressions, and the exterior of Monster High's main building changing to look more like the school as seen in the movie specials.


title: Monster High (web series)

text: On June 19, 2015, Volume 6 webisodes started to be uploaded onto YouTube. Volume 6 seems to carry on the new changes made in Volume 5, including multiple-part webisodes. Volume 6 is also the final season volume for the Monster High web series.


title: Monster High (web series)

text: On August 11, 2017, Mattel Creations released an 11-minute 12-episode series on YouTube and YouTube Kids titled "Monster High: Adventures of the Ghoul Squad" which followed the second-generation reboot films. The series also debuted on KidsClick in the United States along with "Barbie: Dreamtopia", on September 24, 2018.


title: Tridev

text: Tridev () is a 1989 Indian action thriller film directed by Rajiv Rai. It stars Sunny Deol, Naseeruddin Shah, Jackie Shroff, Madhuri Dixit, Sangeeta Bijlani, Sonam, Anupam Kher and Amrish Puri.


title: Tridev

text: The film was critically and commercially successful at the box office and was third highest-grossing film of 1989 behind "Maine Pyar Kiya" and "Ram Lakhan" and won three Filmfare Awards at the 35th Filmfare Awards in 1990. The film was remade in Telugu as "Nakshatra Poratam", with Suman Talwar, Bhanuchander Prasad and Arun Pandian.


title: Tridev

text: Powerful crime lord Bhujang has an honest politician assassinated on behalf of his arms supplier. Inspector Karan, the son of a respected judge is hired for the case. Divya, his fiancé and the daughter of Commissioner Arvind, has a brother Ravi, the hot-headed black sheep of the family. Bhujang kills Karan's father and Ramesh. Arvind knows Karan's honesty, but transfers him to a village due to pressure. At the new post, Karan meets Jai Singh whose father was killed by dacoit Bhairav, who is in fact Bhujang.


title: Tridev

text: Bhujang invites Ravi to join his gang. As Arvind plans to bring Karan back, Bhujang sends goons and Ravi to kill him. They trap Karan, but he escapes with a knife's help which Ravi gave him. Ravi later meets Natasha, Ramesh's sister who is collecting proofs of Bhujang's crimes. Renuka, an actress who Jai met earlier, hires him as a bodyguard. She's the daughter of a corrupt politician, who works with Bhujang and plans her marriage to his son. Jai meets and recognizes Bhujang as his father's murderer.


title: Tridev

text: Karan and Ravi vow to destroy Bhujang's plans. When he plans to rob a global bank, Ravi informs Karan. Jai takes Renuka to the bank to expose her father's misdeeds too. Foiling the robbery, Karan kills Bhujang's son. He captures Natasha, Renuka, Divya, Arvind and policemen and frames Karan, Ravi and Jai. The three fight and kill Bhujang, after freeing Divya, Natasha, Renuka, Arvind and the policemen. Karan-Divya, Ravi-Natasha and Jai-Renuka finally unite and rejoice.


title: Tridev

text: The music was given by Kalyanji–Anandji, arrangements by Viju Shah and the lyrics by Anand Bakshi. The songs of this album like "Main Teri Mohabbat Main", "Tirchi Topiwale", "Gali Gali Main Phirta Hai", "Gajar Ne Kiya Hai Ishara" and "Rat Bhar Jaam Se" were very popular. "Oye Oye" samples 'Rhythm is Gonna Get You' by Miami Sound Machine and the Tridev theme is directly copied from "One More Chance" by Pet Shop Boys. The song "Oye Oye" was used twice in movies Double Dhamaal and Azhar, the song "Gail Gali Main Phirta Hai" is used in Hindi dubbed version of Kannada-language movie .


title: Tridev

text: In 2022, it was officially announced that a reboot tentatively "Tridev - Doosra Adhyaay" is in making.


title: Venu Thottempudi

text: Venu Thottempudi (born 4 June 1976) is an Indian actor who primarily works in Telugu cinema. He has appeared in several successful Telugu films as a lead actor.


title: Venu Thottempudi

text: After finishing his engineering from Dharwad Engineering College, Venu started pursuing acting as his career. For his first acting job, he was cast as the main lead in a movie directed by Bharathiraja. After a brief period of shooting, the movie was stalled and later cancelled due to production problems. To promote Venu, his friend Venkata Shyamprasad formed S. P. Entertainments. Under this banner, in 1999 Venu started his career with the movie "Swayamvaram", directed by K. Vijaya Bhaskar. Co-starring Laya, the movie was very successful at the box-office and Venu won a Nandi Special Jury Award for the movie. Venu became well known for his dialogue delivery, timing, expressions and clear portrayal of emotions. In 2000, Venu won at the boxoffice once again with "Chiru Navvutho". G. Ramprasad, who earlier worked with B. Gopal as an assistant director, was roped in as the director for this movie. This movie co-starring Shaheen Khan was produced once again by S. P. Entertainments. "Chiru Navvutho" became one of the most successful Telugu movie in the year 2000 and received acclaim for Trivikram Srinivas's writing and Venu's performance as a chef whose marriage gets cancelled due to elopement of the bride.


title: Venu Thottempudi

text: After a couple of successful films, Venu received several offers. Later he appeared in a few unsuccessful films like "Manasu Paddanu Kaani" directed by Veeru and "Veedekkadi Mogudandi?" directed by E. V. V. Satyanarayana. He later bounced back with a couple of hits like "Hanuman Junction" directed by M. Raja and "Pellam Oorelithe" directed by S. V. Krishna Reddy. In 2003, his movie "Kalyana Ramudu", co-starring Prabhu Deva and Nikita Thukral, was directed by G. Ram Prasad. He also starred in "Cheppave Chirugali", directed by noted Tamil director, Vikraman. His next releases were "Sadaa Mee Sevalo" (2005) directed by Neelakanta, "Bahumati" directed by S. V. Krishna Reddy and "Allare Allari" directed by Muppalaneni Siva.


title: Venu Thottempudi

text: In 2007, his movie "Yamagola Malli Modalayindi" co-starring Srikanth, Meera Jasmine and Reemma Sen was released. This movie was successful at the box-office. In 2008, he was seen in a small yet vital role in the movie "Chintakayala Ravi" starring Venkatesh. In 2009 he was seen in "Gopi Gopika Godavari" directed by Vamsy and co-starring Kamalinee Mukherjee. In 2011, Venu was seen in Dileep Polan's "Mayagadu" opposite Charmy Kaur. His next release was titled "Ramachari" and directed by Eshawar. He is paired with Kamalinee Mukherjee in this movie. Venu was also seen in N. T. Rama Rao Jr.'s movie "Dammu", directed by Boyapati Srinu. After 9 years Venu will be Seen in Ravi Teja's movie "Ramarao on Duty", directed by Sarath Mandava.


title: Open-mid back unrounded vowel

text: The open-mid back unrounded vowel or low-mid back unrounded vowel, is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , graphically a rotated lowercase "v" (called a turned V but created as a small-capital without the crossbar), even though some vendors display it as a real turned v. Both the symbol and the sound are commonly referred to as a "wedge", "caret" or "hat". In transcriptions for English, this symbol is commonly used for the near-open central unrounded vowel and in transcriptions for Danish, it is used for the (somewhat mid-centralized) open back rounded vowel.


title: Open-mid back unrounded vowel

text: Before World War II, the of Received Pronunciation was phonetically close to a back vowel , which has since shifted forward towards (a near-open central unrounded vowel). Daniel Jones reported his speech (southern British) as having an advanced back vowel between his central and back ; however, he also reported that other southern speakers had a lower and even more advanced vowel that approached cardinal . In American English varieties, such as in the West, the Midwest, and the urban South, the typical phonetic realization of the phoneme is an open-mid central . Truly backed variants of that are phonetically can occur in Inland Northern American English, Newfoundland English, Philadelphia English, some of African-American English, and (old-fashioned) white Southern American English in coastal plain and Piedmont areas. However, the letter is still commonly used to indicate this phoneme, even in the more common varieties with central variants or . That may be because of both tradition and some other dialects retaining the older pronunciation.


title: Al D'Amato

text: Alfonse Marcello D'Amato (born August 1, 1937) is an American politician born in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York. He served as United States Senator for New York between 1981 and 1999. He subsequently founded a lobbying firm, Park Strategies.


title: Al D'Amato

text: D'Amato, of Italian ancestry, was born in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island, in the small village of Island Park. He is the son of Antoinette (Ciofarri) and Armand D'Amato, an insurance broker. He is a graduate of Chaminade High School, Syracuse University, and Syracuse University College of Law. At Syracuse University, he was a brother at Alpha Chi Rho fraternity.


title: Al D'Amato

text: D'Amato and his second wife Katuria have one son, Alfonso Marcello D'Amato, born in 2008, and a daughter, Luciana Cioffari D'Amato, born in 2009. D'Amato has four adult children from his first marriage. Katuria D'Amato filed for divorce on 3 October 2017.


title: Al D'Amato

text: Alfonse began his career in politics in Island Park. He was involved heavily in the Unity Party of Island Park, the local political party that ran village elections in the small Village of Island Park. He was then appointed the village attorney. Later, as a member of the Nassau County Republican Party, he was appointed Public Administrator of Nassau County, where he was responsible for managing the assets of county residents who died without wills. He was first appointed and then elected Receiver of Taxes of Hempstead, New York. He left this office to become a town supervisor in Hempstead and in 1977 he was elected presiding supervisor. He was also vice chairman of the Nassau County Board of Supervisors from 1977 to 1980.


title: Al D'Amato

text: Although a relatively obscure candidate, he defeated incumbent senator Jacob Javits by 56% to 44% in the 1980 Republican primary election, after Javits' 1979 diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Javits nevertheless pursued the seat on the Liberal Party ticket, splitting the left-wing vote in ordinarily liberal New York with Democratic Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman and leading to D'Amato's 45% plurality victory. He was re-elected in 1986 and 1992, but lost in 1998 to liberal Democratic congressman Chuck Schumer, a future Senate Majority Leader.


title: Al D'Amato

text: D'Amato drew the nickname "Senator Pothole" for his delivery of "constituent services", helping citizens with their individual cases. While some New Yorkers meant the nickname as a pejorative, others saw it as a positive affirmation of his attention to getting things done.


title: Al D'Amato

text: He also holds the record for the second and eighth longest filibusters ever recorded in the United States Senate. He is remembered for his unique and rather comical filibusters. In 1986, in a filibuster against a military bill that lasted 23 1/2 hours, he read the District of Columbia telephone book. In 1992, D'Amato filibustered a bill that would have caused the loss of 750 jobs in upstate New York by singing "South of the Border (Down Mexico Way)".


title: Al D'Amato

text: He is also remembered for presenting a poster of a "Taxasaurus Rex", which he then stabbed with an oversized pencil.


title: Al D'Amato

text: D'Amato voted in favor of the bill establishing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday and the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 (as well as to override President Reagan's veto). D'Amato voted in favor of the nominations of Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court.


title: Al D'Amato

text: He was a member of the President's Commission on Aviation Security and Terrorism (PCAST), which was set up in September 1989 to review and report on aviation security policy in light of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.


title: Al D'Amato

text: While he was in office, he was chair of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, and was a member of the Senate Finance Committee. As a member of the former, he became a leading critic of the Clinton administration regarding the Whitewater scandal, and during 1995 and 1996, he chaired the hearings-heavy Senate Special Whitewater Committee. As a member of the latter, he championed the cause of Holocaust survivors trying to recover relatives' funds from accounts in Swiss banks.


title: Al D'Amato

text: D'Amato was influential in New York Republican politics and was considered the "boss" of the state party during his Senate years. For example, he played a leading role in recruiting George Pataki and in securing him the Republican nomination in the gubernatorial race of 1994.


title: Al D'Amato

text: D'Amato was known for being fairly conservative, a reflection of then-strongly conservative Nassau County and Long Island. He strongly supported the conservative positions of his party on "law and order" issues such as capital punishment and harsh penalties for drug offenses. On some issues, he agreed with the opposition: in 1993, D'Amato was one of only three Republicans to vote in favor of allowing gays to serve openly in the U.S. military. In 1996, he was among the minority of Republicans to vote for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.


title: Al D'Amato

text: In 1998, the LGBTQ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign endorsed D'Amato for re-election over socially liberal Democratic Congressman Chuck Schumer. D'Amato, however, voted for the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996.


title: Al D'Amato

text: On labor issues too, he frequently sided with Democrats. His 54% to 44% loss in 1998 was attributed to a lack of support among moderate voters in New York City, the site of opponent Schumer's U.S. congressional district. His loss was also partially attributed to reports arising from D'Amato's use of the term "putzhead" (a Yiddish vulgarity) to refer to Schumer.


title: Al D'Amato

text: Shortly before leaving office, D'Amato published his book of recollections, "Power, Pasta and Politics". After retiring from politics in 1999, he became a regular columnist for "George" magazine until it ceased publication in 2001. He has also emerged as an analyst for Fox News. A notable on-air incident occurred when D'Amato took offense at comments of GOP strategist Jack Burkman. Saying he agreed with Burkman's suggestion that the Postal Service should be privatized; D'Amato slammed him for characterization of postal workers, that D'Amato said were offensively racist.


title: Al D'Amato

text: D'Amato is chairman of the Poker Players Alliance, a nonprofit organization set up to help protect and fight for the rights of poker players in the United States. Part of their mission is to protect the right of poker players to play online.


title: Al D'Amato

text: He appeared on Howard Stern's Sirius-XM radio show on July 20, 2009, to promote the Poker Players Alliance.


title: Al D'Amato

text: On June 12, 2007, the former three-term Senator from New York endorsed one-time Senate colleague from Tennessee Fred Thompson for the Republican nomination for president in 2008.


title: Al D'Amato

text: In explaining his endorsement of Thompson, former Senator D'Amato called Thompson "a real conservative", not a candidate who adopted conservative positions in preparation for an election. D'Amato added, "Fred Thompson is the kind of candidate our party can unify behind and support wholeheartedly." On January 22, 2008, after poor showings from Thompson, D'Amato threw his support to John McCain for the 2008 presidential election, saying "If you want to win in November, John McCain is the man."


title: Al D'Amato

text: On March 14, 2012, D'Amato endorsed Mitt Romney for president, saying "I am proud to endorse Governor Romney and support his candidacy for the Republican nomination for the Presidency. It is time for Republicans across the country to embrace Governor Romney and make him our nominee. Governor Romney is a successful businessman. He understands how our economy works and has a proven record of creating jobs. We need a man with his experience to take charge and lead our economy or we'll have four more years of the most liberal, tax and spend administration we have ever seen. I urge my fellow Republicans to unite behind Governor Romney and make him our nominee." He and Peter Kalikow appeared with Romney at fundraisers in New York leading up to the election.


title: Al D'Amato

text: On August 26, 2015, D'Amato endorsed Ohio Governor John Kasich, over Jeb Bush and George Pataki. While stating that the Republican Party needs to move past the Bushes, he credited Pataki as a "wonderful guy", but cited Kasich's experience in balancing the budget as a congressman in the 1990s, and now in Ohio. Following Donald Trump's victory in the 2016 general election, D'Amato stated "I am in great spirits. I feel great for the people of our country." He urged Trump to appoint Rudy Giuliani as Attorney General, stating:"I think one great appointment and someone who will follow the law and not bend the law as he or she sees fit as the attorney general is Rudy Giuliani..."


title: Al D'Amato

text: On November 20, 2020, D'Amato was hospitalized with COVID-19. Five days later, he was released from the hospital.


title: Al D'Amato

text: D'Amato had a brief cameo as himself in the movie "The Devil's Advocate" (1997). D'Amato also made a brief cameo appearance as himself in an episode of "Spin City".


title: Pahalgam

text: Pahalgam (), known as Pahalgom (; in Kashmiri) is a town and a notified area committee, near Anantnag city in the Anantnag district of the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is a popular tourist destination and hill station. Its lush green meadows and pristine waters attract thousands of tourists from all over the world each year. It is located from Anantnag on the banks of Lidder River at an altitude of . Pahalgam is the headquarters of one of the eleven tehsils of Anantnag district.


title: Pahalgam

text: Pahalgam is associated with the annual pilgrimage to the shrine Amarnath Yatra. Chandanwari, located from Pahalgam. The town is the starting point of the yatra that takes place every year in the months of July–August, receiving hundreds of thousands of tourists. Because of its religious significance and role as a base camp, the town attracts 70% of visitors to the valley. This flood of tourists overwhelms some of the local infrastructure, especially waste management in the town.


title: Pahalgam

text: Puheyl and Goam, wherein Puheyl means Shepherd and Goam means Village, this over the time became Puheylgoam or Pahalgam. It is because the place acts as a gateway to many meadows & pastures and traditional Bakharwal communities settle in those places from spring season to pre winter to herd their cattle. Hence the name "Valley of Shepherds" which it has been referred to as by various Governmental Bodies to exotify it and turn it into a brawling tourist hub.


title: Pahalgam

text: "According to" Hindu traditions, Pahalgam was originally called Bail Gaon (बैल गाँव) meaning (village of bull (nandi)) where Hindu God Shiva left his bull before entering Amarnath Cave


title: Pahalgam

text: Pahalgam is located at . Pahalgam holds a central position in the Lidder Valley. It has an average elevation of .


title: Pahalgam

text: India census, Pahalgam had a population of 5922. Males constitute 56% of the population and females 44%. The average literacy rate is 35%, lower than the Indian national average of 59.5% with male literacy at 49% and female literacy at 17%. About 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.


title: Pahalgam

text: Pahalgam is administered by the Pahalgam Development Authority, headed by a Chief Executive Officer who functions as the administrator of local town area committee.


title: Pahalgam

text: Amarnath cave is a Hindu shrine located in Pahalgam. The cave is situated at an altitude of 3,888 m (12,756 ft).


title: Pahalgam

text: Kolohoi Glacier, situated up the Lidder Valley, just below Kolhoi Peak is currently a hanging glacier. It is accessible from Pahalgam via Aru and is known to have extended for at least . According to the mountaineers from Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering, in 2008, the glacier receded by half since 1985 and it is not safe to study because it is hollow and has crevices.


title: Pahalgam

text: Betaab Valley is a valley located from Pahalgam. The valley got its name from a Bollywood movie Betaab that was shot here.


title: Pahalgam

text: Baisaran Valley, barely 5 kilometres from Pahalgam in Kashmir's Anantnag district, is a popular tourist attraction that has been dubbed "mini-Switzerland" due to its scenic splendour. It's a verdant meadow on a mountaintop flanked by snowcapped mountains and studded with thick pine woods. The optimum time to go to Baisaran is determined on the type of experience you wish to have. From January through March is the best time to visit if you want to experience the snow. Visit there during April and June to appreciate the foliage and lovely weather.


title: Pahalgam

text: Pahalgam is one of the most important site for Hindus. Amarnath cave situated at 3,888 m (12,756 ft) is an important Hindu shrine located in Pahalgam.


title: Pahalgam

text: Lord Shiva is believed to impart the secret of immortality (Amrit Vachan) to Parvati in Pahalgam. Before entering Amarnath cave Shiv left nandi in Pahalgam, moon in Chandanwari, snakes in Sheshnag Lake, Ganesha on Mahaguna Parbat, five elements at Panchtarni. Mahaguna Parbat is lies at Nagaparbhat.


title: Pahalgam

text: Annual tourist flow to the town produces much more waste than locals, overwhelming the local solid waste management system, and leading to dumping of waste throughout the town. 74% of the total municipal waste comes from the tourism sector. This waste issue increase waterborne disease downstream and other health issues, as well as polluting the local landscape.


title: Pahalgam

text: Pahalgam has a scenic 9-hole golf course; where championships are organized by the state government and private hoteliers in the summers. The course remains closed in winters due to snowfall. Club.


title: Pahalgam

text: Pahalgam Golf Course is approximately 100 km from Srinagar and situated at an altitude of 2150 metres. The course is an expanse of relatively large plain area in a relatively narrow valley. The locals would refer to this golf course simply as the 'plateau'. Portions of the plateau have been occupied by the military in the days of insurgency, leaving it out of bound of normal tourists. Mini-golf could also be played at the Pahalgam Club.


title: Pahalgam

text: The nearest airport is Sheikh ul-Alam International Airport in Srinagar located 91 kilometres from Pahalgam.


title: Pahalgam

text: Pahalgam is not connected with railways. The nearest railway station is Bijbehara railway station located 45 kilometres from Pahalgam.


title: Pahalgam

text: Pahalgam is well-connected with roads and highways. The NH 501 passes through Pahalgam alongside other intra-district roads.


title: The Beast (1988 film)

text: The Beast (also known as The Beast of War) is a 1988 American war film directed by Kevin Reynolds and written by William Mastrosimone, based on his play "Nanawatai". The film follows the crew of a Soviet T-62 tank who became lost during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. The film has enjoyed a cult-favorite status in spite of its low box office statistics.


title: The Beast (1988 film)

text: In 1981 Afghanistan, a Soviet tank unit attacks a Pashtun village harboring a group of mujahideen fighters. Following the assault, one of the tanks—commanded by ruthless commander Daskal—takes a wrong turn through a mountain pass and enters a blind valley. Taj returns to discover the village destroyed, and his father and brother killed—the latter by having been crushed under Daskal's tank. As the new khan following his brother's death, Taj is spurred to seek revenge and leads a band of mujahideen fighters into the valley to pursue Daskal's tank, which they call 'The Beast', counting on their captured RPG-7 anti-tank weapon to destroy it.


title: The Beast (1988 film)

text: Lost, isolated, and with their radio damaged in the village attack, the tank crew set out to find Kandahar Road and return to Soviet lines. While camping for the night, Afghan communist crewman Samad educates the reluctant tank driver, Konstantin Koverchenko, about the Pashtun people's code of honour, "Pashtunwali"; particularly "nanawatai", which requires that an enemy is to be given sanctuary if requested.


title: The Beast (1988 film)

text: En route, the crew suffer several setbacks and ambushes from Taj's band. Suspecting Samad to be a traitor, Daskal murders him in front of his men; Koverchenko threatens to report Daskal. At a brief stop, Koverchenko states that the tank is breaking down; Daskal accuses him of mutiny and orders gunner Kaminski and loader Golikov to tie him to a rock, and leave him with a grenade behind his head as a booby-trap for the mujahideen. Wild dogs eventually attack Koverchenko, but he is saved when the grenade rolls off the rock and explodes, scaring them away. Taj's band reunite with several vengeful women from the village and find Koverchenko, who pleads for "nanawatai." The mujahideen give him food and shelter. Koverchenko befriends Taj after fixing the broken RPG-7 and agrees to help them destroy the tank.


title: The Beast (1988 film)

text: Meanwhile, the remaining tank crew finally realize they are trapped in the valley, until a Soviet helicopter appears and offers to rescue them. Daskal refuses the offer, has the tank refueled, and the crew heads back towards the narrow mountain pass where they entered, which the helicopter pilot says is the only way out. The crew drives through the night and find the helicopter crew dead—they drank from a waterhole unaware that the tank crew had poisoned earlier with cyanide.


title: The Beast (1988 film)

text: The mujahideen and Koverchenko catch up with the tank and pursue it through the pass. Koverchenko finally fires the RPG after a tense chase, only to damage the tank's main gun. Just as it seems the tank will escape, the village women use explosives to blow up the cliff-side, dropping boulders onto the tank and disabling it. Koverchenko sets fire to the tank's leaked fuel, forcing the crew to bail; he pleads "nanawatai" on their behalf, and Taj reluctantly agrees. Koverchenko confronts Daskal over his brutality, and declares he hopes that he lives to see the Soviets lose the war.


title: The Beast (1988 film)

text: Kaminski and Golikov flee on foot, but Daskal is chased down by the village women and murdered; they bring back his bloodied uniform to Taj as a trophy. Horrified, Koverchenko waves down an arriving Soviet helicopter to be rescued. Koverchenko salutes Taj as he is hoisted by a harness, brandishing a jezail musket Taj had gifted to him. The film ends with Koverchenko flying off with the helicopter over the Afghan landscape.


title: The Beast (1988 film)

text: The film was shot in Israel. Several actual T-55 tanks were used in the film; however, the helicopter used in the film was not a real Mi-8, but an Aerospatiale SA.321 Super Frelon. The tank in question in the movie is actually an Israeli modification of a Soviet T-55 captured by the Israelis from their Arab armies, redesignated as the Ti-67 and fitted with a 105mm main gun in place of the original 100mm gun, leading some to mistake it for a T-62. Many of these conversions were used by the Israelis during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The film's military advisor, Dale Dye, has written that he negotiated the purchase of the tanks over drinks with Israel Defense Forces officers in a Tel Aviv hotel. The language spoken by the Afghan characters is Pashto. The Pashto dialogue is subtitled but some television screenings have omitted the subtitles.


title: The Beast (1988 film)

text: The original soundtrack music was released by CBS/Columbia Records shortly after the movie's debut, written and performed entirely by Mark Isham. The back of the album suggests two tracks ("Badal" and "Nanawatai"), but there are, in fact, ten. Offered in 12-inch LP vinyl, CrO2 cassette and DDD-format compact discs. Used CD copies command rather high prices since limited numbers were released in spite of composer Mark Isham's celebrity status.


title: The Beast (1988 film)

text: In addition to the soundtrack, the song "Троллейбус" ("Trolleybus") by the Russian rock band Kino is heard playing on the radio during a scene. However, "Троллейбус" was not released until 1983, two years after the events portrayed in the movie. The song was titled "Streetcar Headed East" in English-speaking countries.


title: Tremolo

text: Some electric guitars use a (misnamed) lever called a "tremolo arm" or "whammy bar" that allows a performer to lower or (usually, to some extent) raise the pitch of a note or chord, an effect properly termed vibrato or "pitch bend". This non-standard use of the term "tremolo" refers to pitch rather than amplitude. However, the term "trem" or "tremolo" is still used to refer to a bridge system built for a whammy bar, or the bar itself. True tremolo for an electric guitar, electronic organ, or any electronic signal would normally be produced by a simple amplitude modulation electronic circuit. Electronic tremolo effects were available on many early guitar amplifiers. Tremolo effects pedals are also widely used to achieve this effect.


title: Tremolo

text: Although it had already been employed as early as 1617 by Biagio Marini and again in 1621 by Giovanni Battista Riccio, the bowed tremolo was invented in 1624 by the early 17th-century composer Claudio Monteverdi, and, written as repeated semiquavers (sixteenth notes), used for the "stile concitato" effects in "Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda". The "measured tremolo", presumably played with rhythmic regularity, was invented to add dramatic intensity to string accompaniment and contrast with regular tenuto strokes. However, it was not till the time of Gluck that the real tremolo became an accepted method of tone production. Four other types of historical tremolos include the obsolete "undulating tremolo", the "bowed tremolo", the "fingered tremolo" (or slurred tremolo), and the "bowed-and-fingered tremolo".


title: Tremolo

text: The undulating tremolo was produced through the fingers of the right hand alternately exerting and relaxing pressure upon the bow to create a "very uncertain–undulating effect ... But it must be said that, unless violinists have wholly lost the art of this particular stroke, the result is disappointing and futile in the extreme," though it has been suggested that rather than as a legato stroke it was done as a series of "jetés".


title: Tremolo

text: There is some speculation that tremolo was employed in medieval Welsh harp music, as indicated in the transcription by Robert ap Huw.


title: Tremolo

text: In musical notation, tremolo is usually notated as regular repeated demisemiquavers (thirty-second notes), using strokes through the stems of the notes. Generally, there are three strokes, except on notes which already have beams or flags: quavers (eighth notes) then take two additional slashes, and semiquavers (sixteenth notes) take one.


title: Tremolo

text: In the case of semibreves (whole notes), which lack stems, the strokes or slashes are drawn above or below the note, where the stem would be if there were one.


title: Tremolo

text: Because there is ambiguity as to whether an unmeasured tremolo or regular repeated demisemiquavers (thirty-second notes) should be played, the word "tremolo" or the abbreviation "trem.", is sometimes added. In slower music when there is a real chance of confusion, additional strokes can be used.


title: Tremolo

text: If the tremolo is between two or more notes, both notes are given the full value of the passage and the bars are drawn between them:


title: Tremolo

text: In some music a minim-based (half note) tremolo is drawn with the strokes connecting the two notes together as if they were beams.


title: Tremolo

text: Violin fingered tremolo; notice the joining of strokes and stems is different for different time values, and that some notes shorter than eighth notes are written out, such as the last thirty-second notes on the last beat of measure three:


title: Tremolo

text: Violin bowed-and-fingered tremolo, notated the same as fingered tremolo but without slurs and with "staccato" above the staff:


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: Muḥammad al-Bāqir (), with the full name Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, also known as Abū Jaʿfar or simply al-Bāqir () was the fifth Imam in Shia Islam, succeeding his father, Zayn al-Abidin, and succeeded by his son, Ja'far al-Sadiq. His mother, Fatima Umm Abd Allah, was the daughter of Hasan, making al-Baqir the first Imam who descended from both grandsons of Muhammad, namely, Hasan and Husayn.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: Al-Baqir was born in Medina, about the time when Mu'awiya I () was working to secure the succession of his son, Yazid. As a child, al-Baqir witnessed the tragedy of Karbala, in which all of his male relatives were massacred, except his father who was too ill to participate in the fighting. As a young man, al-Baqir witnessed the power struggles between the Umayyads, Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, and various Shia groups, while his father resigned from political activities.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: Al-Baqir is revered by both Shia and Sunni Muslims as an eminent expert in jurisprudence, the exegesis of the Quran, the science of hadith, and theology. Though he was a resident of Medina, his main following was in Kufa, Iraq, where he attracted a number of distinguished theologians. Al-Baqir is credited with laying the foundations of Twelver Shia, including a coherent theory of imamate, which was further developed by his son and successor, Jafar al-Sadiq. Like his father, al-Baqir adopted a policy of quiescence, and reportedly attempted to dissuade his half-brother, Zayd, from prematurely revolting against the Umayyads.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: According to Tabatabai, al-Baqir was poisoned by Ibrahim ibn al-Walld, during his brief reign. Though 114 AH (732) and 117 (735) are commonly reported, there are different views about the date and cause of al-Baqir's death.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: Al-Baqir descended from a prominent lineage. His father was Ali ibn Husayn, known also by the honorific title Zayn al-Abidin, and his paternal grandfather was Husayn, while his mother was Fatima Umm Abd Allah, and his maternal grandfather was Hasan. His grandfathers, Hasan and Husayn, were the two eldest surviving sons of Ali through his first wife, Fatima, daughter of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: The honorific title al-Baqir is an abbreviation of Baqir al-'ilm, which means either 'the one who splits knowledge open' (brings it to light) or 'the one who possesses great knowledge'. According to Ibn Khallikan, Muhammad ibn Ali received the honorific title al-Baqir () because of the ample fund of knowledge he possessed. Ya'qubi, however, writes that al-Baqir received this title because he split knowledge open by scrutinizing and examining its depths. In Shia belief, al-Baqir's title was designated by the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. The Shia al-Kulayni writes that the prophet's only surviving companion, Jabir ibn Abd Allah, commonly addressed Muhammad ibn Ali as "O Baqir al-'ilm," telling the Medinan residents about Muhammad's prophesy, "O Jabir! You will meet a man from my family who will have the same name and the same characteristics as mine. He will split open knowledge extensively." According to al-Kulayni, Jabir first met Muhammad ibn Ali when the latter was still a child and identified him from the prophet's description. After confirming his identity, Jabir approached Muhammad ibn Ali, kissed his forehead and gave the prophet's regards.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: Another Shia account relates that Caliph Hisham met with al-Baqir's half brother, Zayd, and rudely referred to him as (). Zayd replied that it was the prophet Muhammad who had given his brother the title al-Baqir and then reprimanded Hisham for opposing the prophet. This narration suggests, according to Lalani, that al-Baqir was known by this title before he was born.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: Al-Baqir was born in Medina about 56 AH (676 AD), around the time Muawiyah I was working to secure the caliphate of his son, Yazid I. When al-Baqir was a three or four years old, his family suffered the tragedy of Karbala, where his grandfather, Husayn, was killed by the forces of Yazid, alongside many of his relatives and supporters. In particular, al-Yaqubi maintains that al-Baqir was also present at Karbala. In his youth, al-Baqir witnessed the struggle for power between the Umayyads, Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, and various Shia groups, while his father, Zayn al-Abidin, remained politically quiescent. Al-Baqir became Imam upon the death of his father in 94 or 95 AH and he too adopted a quiescent approach but was nevertheless harassed by the Umayyad rulers, as Kohlberg writes. Al-Baqir, however, enjoyed certain liberties as the Umayyads were busy infighting and quelling revolts, according to Tabatabai. He became the focus of growing Shia loyalties as many Kufan Shia delegations visited him in Medina to attend his teaching circle and ask questions.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, the fifth Umayyad caliph, is said to have issued an Islamic gold coinage for the first time, replacing the Byzantine coins, at the suggestion of al-Baqir. Sharif al-Qarashi writes that Abd al-Malik consulted Muhammad al-Baqir about the threatening letters he had received from the Byzantine emperor after Abd al-Malik forbade the Christian motto (Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit) across Muslim territories. In response, the Byzantine emperor threatened Abd al-Malik with engraving insulting words to Muhammad on the Byzantine coins. When Abd al-Malik consulted al-Baqir about this, the latter proposed issuing Islamic coinage to replace the Byzantine "denarius".


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: Umar II is often considered the most pious Umayyad ruler. He is said to have been favorably disposed to al-Baqir and, after meeting with him, even returned Fadak to the Alids.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: According to Kohlberg, in a narration apparently propagated by the anti-Alids and recorded by Ibn Sa'd, al-Baqir identified Umar II as the Mahdi, the promised savior in Islam. According to a Shia source, however, al-Baqir prophesied that Umar will be caliph, will do his best to spread justice, and will be honored by the inhabitants of the earth upon his death but cursed by the inhabitants of heaven because he had usurped Imam's right to the caliphate.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik summoned al-Baqir to Damascus several times and held him in prison at least once, according to Kohlberg. Al-Baqir was then sent back to Medina with escorts who were ordered not to give him any food or water. Al-Baqir emerged victorious in a debate with Nafi, a of the second caliph, Umar, who had challenged al-Baqir at the request of Caliph Hisham. Possibly on another occasion, according to Momen, Hisham summoned al-Baqir and his son, Jafar, to Damascus and was defeated by him in a debate about whether Ali possessed knowledge of unseen.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: Though 114 AH (732) and 117 (735) are commonly reported, there is considerable disagreement about the date of al-Baqir's death, ranging from 114 AH (732) to 118 (736).


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: As with the other Imams, al-Baqir is regarded as a martyr () in Shia belief, though there are different views about the manner of his death. According to one account, al-Baqir was poisoned by Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik, while some accounts say that al-Baqir died during the rein of Hisham's successor, al-Walid II, or was poisoned by Ibrahim ibn al-Walld in his brief reign, which is also the view held by Tabatabai. In yet another account, al-Baqir was poisoned by his cousin, Zaid ibn al-Hasan, who placed poison in the saddle on which al-Baqir sat when he failed to wrest control of the prophet's inheritance from al-Baqir. Al-Baqir was laid to rest in al-Baqi' cemetery in Medina.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: According to Jafri, it is widely reported that Zayn al-Abidin designated his eldest son, Muhammad al-Baqir, as the next Imam before his death. Lalani adds that this view is held by the Twelver and Isma'ili Shia sects. The traditions reported by the Twelver al-Kulayni suggest that al-Baqir received the weapons and books of the prophet from his father in presence of his brothers, thus symbolizing authority. In that period, various branches of the Kaysanites were also popular. They traced the imamate through Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah, a non-Fatimid son of Ali. Al-Baqir's descent from Fatima, Muhammad's only surviving daughter, gave him a clear advantage over non-Fatimid claimants to the imamate.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: Zayd, a half-brother of al-Baqir, also asserted a claim to the imamate, saying that the title can belong to any descendant of Hasan or Husayn who is learned, pious, and revolts against the tyrants of his time. In this, Zayd was possibly influenced by the teachings of the Mutazilite Wasil ibn Ata, though the Twelver author Shareef al-Qurashi writes that Zayd was primarily educated by his father, Zayn al-Abidin. Al-Shahrastani recounts an argument between the two brothers, in which Zayd remarked that an imam must rise against oppressors, while al-Baqir reminded him that his own father, the fourth Shia Imam, never fought to assert his claims to the imamate. Zayd also accommodated to some extent the view point of the majority of Muslims by acknowledging the caliphates of Abu Bakr and Umar and accepting their legal practices, though he still regarded Ali as the best candidate (). Initially, Zayd's activist approach gained him a large following. However, as he increasingly compromised with the traditionalists, some of Zayd's supporters are said to have returned to Muhammad al-Baqir. Eventually, Zayd took up arms against the Umayyads in 122 AH and was killed in Kufa by the forces of Caliph Hisham. Al-Baqir is reported to have advised Zayd against a premature revolt and even prophesied that he would be slain. After his death, a number of other revolts are also attributed to the Zaydi movement, continuing to modern times. The influence of al-Baqir in Zaydi doctrines has been described as significant by multiple authors.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: In contrast to Zayd, al-Baqir opted for a policy of quiescence like his father and his theory of imammate was hereditary through divine designation (), independent of outward political functions. Instead, according to Lalani, it was al-Baqir's extensive knowledge, his noble birth, primogeniture and personality which gained al-Baqir his following. Al-Baqir also enjoyed certain liberties as the Umayyads were busy infighting and quelling revolts, according to Tabatabai. He became the focus of growing Shia loyalties as many Kufan Shia delegations visited him in Medina to attend his teaching circle and ask questions. Al-Baqir is credited with laying the foundations of the Twelver Shia, and his imamate marks the transition of the Shia to completely rely on the guidance of their Imams and reject the rulings upon which the rest of Muslims depended. The numerous traditions attributed to al-Baqir and his many distinguished disciples, according to Tabatabai, attest to the opportunities for disseminating the Shia thought which did not exist before al-Baqir.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: Al-Baqir also sought to curb the influence of the Ghulat (), followers who often conferred divinity on the Shia Imams and exaggerated their beliefs and personalities. Among them was Mughira ibn sa'id al-Bajali, the founder of the sect Mughiriyya, who held al-Baqir as divine and was rejected by him. Another example was Bayan ibn sam'an who reportedly asked al-Baqir to recognize him as prophet and Imam. Al-Baqir also disassociated himself from Abu al-Khattab, the founder of a Ghulat sect in Kufa, and his followers.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: Some miracles are attributed to al-Baqir. He is reported to have conversed with animals, returned sight to the blind, and foretold future events, such as the death in the battle of his brother, Zayd, defeat of the Umaayads and the accession of the Abbasid Caliph, al-Mansur.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: Al-Baqir was succeeded by his eldest son, Jafar al-Sadiq. According to a polemic Sunni source, the Shia sect al-Bakiriyya did not accept al-Baqir's death and awaited his return as Mahdi, the promised savior in Islam.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: While politically quiescent, al-Baqir is said to have played a significant role in the history of Islam from an intellectual and religious point of view, as attested to by the vast number of traditions ascribed to al-Baqir. As the first Shia Imam who engaged in systematic teaching, Lalani regards al-Baqir as a versatile expert in jurisprudence, the exegesis of the Quran, the science of hadith, and theology. Al-Baqir has also been credited with laying the doctrinal and legal foundations of the Twelver Shia, which were further developed by al-Baqir's son, Jafar al-Sadiq. The evidence also suggests that al-Baqir was a prominent traditionist, distinct in that he only accepted those traditions of Muhammad which had been reported by the previous Imams.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: The many splinter groups within the Shia movement likely motivated al-Baqir to bring some order to the existing concepts of imamate by laying out a more coherent theory based on the Quran and the hadith literature. A key principle of al-Baqir's theory is that the imamate passes on from one Imam to the next through divinely-inspired designation (), beginning with Muhammad who also listed all the Imams. Al-Baqir also explained the necessary qualities and attributes of an Imam, such as his esoteric knowledge () and infallibility (), which distinguished the Imam from others as the best of mankind (), the representative () of God on earth, and the rightful interpreter of His words in the Quran. The Imams also hold absolute spiritual authority, resting on the absolute authority of Muhammad. As the sole spiritual guide in life and the source of intercession in the afterlife, the authority of Imam in al-Baqir's view did not rest on outward political power. Al-Baqir also defended the doctrine of dissociation () from the first three caliphs, whom the Shia considers as usurpers, and the majority of Muhammad's companions, as the enemies of the Imams.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: Al-Baqir founded what later developed into the Twelver school of law and consolidated the characteristic practices of the Shia. For instance, he reinstated the expression () in the Shia call to prayer (), which was allegedly removed by Umar according to Shia and some early Sunni sources. Another distinct ruling was that wiping one's footwear before prayer, though common, was unacceptable as a substitute for washing one's feet. Al-Baqir also defended () marriage as a practice sanctioned by Muhammad. Al-Baqir forbade all intoxicants, whereas the Kufan jurists permitted fermented drinks (). He rejected the use of () and () when answering juridicial questions. Al-Baqir also maintained that, under the threat of death or injury, self-protection through dissimulation () is necessary.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: Al-Baqir is closely associated with Twelver exegesis of the Quran and is credited with the commentary "Kitab al-Baqir" (), parts of which are extant in "Tafsir" by Ali ibn Ibrahim al-Qomi. "Tafsir Jabir al-Jufi" is a collection of exegetical traditions ascribed to al-Baqir and narrated by Jabir ibn Yazid al-Jufi. In "Tafsir Nur al-Thaqalayn", an extensive Shia exegesis of the Quran, al-Baqir is the authority for 13 percent of the traditions, behind only Muhammad (13.5 percent) and al-Sadiq (47 percent). Al-Baqir also contributed to the theolegical doctrines about "iman", "qada wa qadar", the unity of God, and other hotly debated topics in the broader Muslim community.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: According to al-Kafi, al-Baqir held that everyone was accountable on the day of judgement to the extent of their intelligence.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: Al-Baqir is known as the first Shia Imam who engaged in the systematic teaching of the Shia beliefs. Though he lived in Medina, the main following of al-Baqir was in Kufa, where he attracted a number of distinguished theologians.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: Basra was generally not considered a Shia city though al-Baqir had a few notable disciples there as well, including Muhammad ibn Marwan al-Basri, Isma'il ibn Fadl al-Hashemi, Malek ibn A'yan al-Juhani. The last one should not be confused with Zurara's brother. Al-Baqir's circle in Mecca included , a famed jurist () and traditionist, though not comparable to Zurarah, and Maymun ibn al-Aswad al-Qaddah, who was likely a merchant and in charge of the Imam's property in Mecca. One of his sons, , later became the alleged ancestor of the Isma'ili imams. Elsewhere, prominent followers of al-Baqir include Muhammad ibn Isma'il Bazi and other members of Bazi's family, Abu Harun and his namesake, Abu Harun Makfuf, Uqba ibn Bashir al-Asadi, Aslam al-Makki, and Najiyy ibn Abi Mu'adh ibn Muslim.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: A number of works are ascribed to al-Baqir. An indication of the breadth of his contributions, "Musnad al-Imam al-Baqir" () is a six-volume book attributed to al-Baqir, consisting of Twelver law and doctrines. It was collected by Azizallah al-Utaridi, who compiled it mostly from Twelver Shia sources, but also from Ismaili, Zaydi, and Sunni references.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: The book covers legal issues such as divorce, manumission, testimony, inheritance, funerals, and marriage, ritual practices such as supplications (), ritual purity (), prayer, fasting, alms (), and pilgrimage (), and doctrinal issues such as monotheism (), imamate, faith (), and unbelief (). A synopsis of al-Baqir's teachings, collected in "Ma'athirul-Baqir", appears in Cannon Sell's "Ithna Ashariyya".


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: "Umm al-Kitab" () is said to contain al-Baqir's answers to some of the questions posed by his followers, Jabir ibn Yazid al-Ju'fi and is in the form of a discussion between the Imam and three of his companions. Some of the traditions in the book are transmitted by Jabir ibn Yazid al-Ju'fi and in its 'Apocalypse of Jabir', al-Baqir confides to Jabir how the cosmos were created, how men descended to this world, and how they can gain deliverance from it. According to Kohlberg, Jabir was a central figure in Kufan Ghulat circles, while Lalani writes that it is difficult to ascertain whether Jabir was really the transmitter of the traditions in "Umm al-Kitab" or if some or many were later foisted upon him. Resembling the "Infancy Gospel of Thomas", the book illustrates the similarity between imamology and gnostic Christology. A major concept of this work is the description of the numinous experience. Its central motif is the psychological and philosophical explanation of spiritual symbols, with believers instructed to perform acts of self-purification and renewal. Colors are used to symbolize theories and levels of consciousness that one must recognize in oneself.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: The reputation of al-Baqir as a traditionist and religious scholar went far beyond the Shia circles. He is unanimously seen as a trustworthy authority of hadith, bestowed with the highest degree of trust, that of . Al-Baqir is the authority of over a hundred traditions in the six canonical collections of Sunni hadith. In Sunni works, al-Baqir is depicted as an eminent theologian, (expert in jurisprudence), and interpreter of the Quran. He is occasionally criticized though for directly quoting individuals who died before he was born or when he was still an infant. Al-Baqir is cited by Ibn Ishaq in his prophetic biography and by al-Tabari for a version of the events in Karbala. In Sunni sources, al-Baqir is portrayed as a proto-Sunni scholar who rejected what his Shia followers attributed to him. For instance, in contrast with Shia sources, later Sunni authors maintain that al-Baqir supported Abu Bakr and Umar, called them Imams, and said that one should pray behind the Umayyads.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: The Sunni attitude towards al-Baqir is reflected in the following statements. Abd Allah ibn Ata al-Makki conceded that he had never seen scholars feel so small in the presence of anyone as they felt before al-Baqir. He added that even the famous traditionist, al-Hakam ibn Utayba, despite his age and eminence, behaved before al-Baqir as so he was a pupil before a teacher. Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir is reported to have said that he had not seen anyone who surpassed Ali ibn al-Husayn, until he met his son, Muhammad al-Baqir. While Shia sources describe a meeting between al-Baqir and Abu Hanifa in a negative light, Sunni sources write that Abu Hanifa was a prominent disciple of al-Baqir, who had prophesied that Abu Hanifa would revive the prophet's .


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: Al-Baqir is Ismaiilie's fourth Imam and an authority in Ismaili law. According to al-Qadi al-Nu'man, the reliability of al-Baqir was such that a hadith (with interrupted or broken chain of transmission) was regarded as () and elevated to (traceable to the prophet) when narrated by him.


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: Al-Baqir is not recognized by Zaydis as an Imam, though he is seen as a prominent figure and his traditions appear in some Zaydi works such as "Amali al-Imam Aḥmad ibn Isa". According to Kohlberg, al-Baqir is portrayed in Zaydi works as acknowledging Zayd's superior knowledge and so, by implication, Zayd's claims to the imamate."


title: Muhammad al-Baqir

text: Al-Baqir is a well-known figure among the Sufi, frequently depicted in their biographies as a distinguished authority in the intricacies of the (esoteric) sciences () and the subtle allusions of the Quran (). He is also said to have performed well-known miracles (), and displayed radiant signs () and distinct proofs () of God. In Sufi sources, al-Baqir reached the spiritual stations of the gnostics (). It is related that al-Baqir defined Sufism as "goodness of disposition: he that has the better disposition is the better Sufi." In the Naqshbandi order, al-Baqir is revered as the father of Jafar al-Sadiq, the of the Golden Chain.


title: Project Nike

text: Project Nike (Greek: Νίκη, "Victory") was a U.S. Army project, proposed in May 1945 by Bell Laboratories, to develop a line-of-sight anti-aircraft missile system. The project delivered the United States' first operational anti-aircraft missile system, the Nike Ajax, in 1953. A great number of the technologies and rocket systems used for developing the Nike Ajax were re-used for a number of functions, many of which were given the "Nike" name (after Nike, the goddess of victory from Greek mythology).


title: Project Nike

text: The missile's first-stage solid rocket booster became the basis for many types of rocket including the Nike Hercules missile and NASA's Nike Smoke rocket, used for upper-atmosphere research.


title: Project Nike

text: Project Nike began during 1944 when the War Department demanded a new air defense system to combat new jet aircraft, as existing gun-based systems proved largely incapable of dealing with the speeds and altitudes at which jet aircraft operated. Two proposals were accepted. Bell Laboratories offered Project Nike while General Electric proposed a much longer-ranged, collision-course system named Project Thumper, which eventually delivered the BOMARC missile.


title: Project Nike

text: Bell Labs' proposal would have to deal with bombers flying at 500 mph (800 km/h) or more, at altitudes of up to 60,000 ft (20,000 m).


title: Project Nike

text: At these speeds, even a supersonic rocket is no longer fast enough to be simply aimed at the target. The missile must "lead" the target to ensure the target is hit before the missile depletes its fuel. This means that the missile and target cannot be tracked by a single radar, increasing the complexity of the system. One part was well developed. By this point, the US had considerable experience with lead-calculating analog computers, starting with the British Kerrison Predictor and a series of increasingly capable U.S. designs.


title: Project Nike

text: For Nike, three radars were used. The acquisition radar (such as the AN/GSS-1 Electronic Search Central with the AN/TPS-1D radar) searched for a target to be handed over to the Target Tracking Radar (TTR) for tracking. The Missile Tracking Radar (MTR) tracked the missile by way of a transponder, as the missile's radar signature alone was not sufficient. The MTR also commanded the missile by way of pulse-position modulation, the pulses were received, decoded and then amplified back for the MTR to track. Once the tracking radars were locked the system was able to work automatically following launch, barring any unexpected occurrences. The computer compared the two radars' directions, along with information on the speeds and distances, to calculate the intercept point and steer the missile. The entirety of this system was provided by the Bell System's electronics firm, Western Electric.


title: Project Nike

text: The Douglas-built missile was a two-stage missile using a solid fuel booster stage and a liquid fueled (IRFNA/UDMH) second stage. The missile could reach a maximum speed of 1,000 mph (1,600 km/h), an altitude of 70,000 ft (21 km) and had a range of 25 miles (40 km). The missile contained an unusual three part payload, with explosive fragmentation charges at three points down the length of the missile to help ensure a lethal hit. The missile's limited range was seen by critics as a serious flaw, because it often meant that the missile had to be situated very close to the area it was protecting.


title: Project Nike

text: After disputes between the Army and the Air Force (see the Key West Agreement), all longer-range systems were assigned to the Air Force during 1948. They merged their own long-range research with Project Thumper, while the Army continued to develop Nike. During 1950 the Army formed the Army Anti-Aircraft Command (ARAACOM) to operate batteries of anti-aircraft guns and missiles. ARAACOM was renamed the US Army Air Defense Command (USARADCOM) during 1957. It adopted a simpler acronym, ARADCOM, in 1961.


title: Project Nike

text: The first successful Nike test was during November 1951, intercepting a drone B-17 Flying Fortress. The first type, Nike Ajax (MIM-3), were deployed starting in 1953. The Army initially ordered 1,000 missiles and 60 sets of equipment. They were placed to protect strategic and tactical sites within the US. As a last-line of defense from air attack, they were positioned to protect cities as well as military installations. The missile was deployed first at Fort Meade, Maryland during December 1953. A further 240 launch sites were built up to 1962. They replaced 896 radar-guided anti-aircraft guns, operated by the National Guard or Army to protect certain key sites. This left a handful of 75 mm Skysweeper emplacements as the only anti-aircraft artillery remaining in use by the US. By 1957 the Regular Army AAA units had been replaced by missile battalions. During 1958 the Army National Guard began to replace their guns and adopt the Ajax system.


title: Project Nike

text: Each launch site had three parts, separated by at least 1,000 yards (914 m). One part (designated C) of about six acres (24,000 m) contained the IFC (Integrated Fire Control) radar systems to detect incoming targets (acquisition and target tracking) and direct the missiles (missile tracking), along with the computer systems to plot and direct the intercept. The second part (designated L), around forty acres (160,000 m), held 1–3 underground missile magazines each serving a group of four launch assemblies and included a safety zone. The site had a crew of 109 officers and men who ran the site continuously. One launcher would be on 15 minutes alert, two on 30 minutes and one on two hour alert. The third part was the administrative area (designated A), which was usually co-located with the IFC and contained the battery headquarters, barracks, mess, recreation hall, and motor pool. The actual configuration of the Nike sites differed depending on geography. Whenever possible the sites were placed on existing military bases or National Guard armories; otherwise land had to be purchased.


title: Project Nike

text: The Nike batteries were organized in Defense Areas and placed around population centers and strategic locations such as long-range bomber bases, nuclear plants, and (later) ICBM sites. The Nike sites in a Defense Area formed a circle around these cities and bases. There was no fixed number of Nike batteries in a Defense Area and the actual number of batteries varied from a low of two in the Barksdale AFB Defense Area to a high of 22 in the Chicago Defense Area. In the Continental United States the sites were numbered from 01 to 99 starting at the north and increasing clockwise. The numbers had no relation to actual compass headings, but generally Nike sites numbered 01 to 25 were to the northeast and east, those numbered 26 to 50 were to the southeast and south, those numbered 51 to 75 were to the southwest and west, and those numbered 76 to 99 were to the northwest and north. The Defense Areas in the Continental United States were identified by a one- or two-letter code which were related to the city name. Thus those Nike sites starting with C were in the Chicago Defense Area, those starting with HM were in the Homestead AFB/Miami Defense Area, those starting with NY were in the New York Defense Area, and so forth. As an example Nike Site SF-88L refers to the launcher area (L) of the battery located in the northwestern part (88) of the San Francisco Defense Area (SF).


title: Project Nike

text: During the early-to-mid-1960s the Nike Ajax batteries were upgraded to the Hercules system. The new missiles had greater range and destructive power, so about half as many batteries provided the same defensive capability. Regular Army batteries were either upgraded to the Hercules system or decommissioned. Army National Guard units continued to use the Ajax system until 1964, when they too upgraded to Hercules. Eventually, the Regular Army units were replaced by the National Guard as a cost-saving measure, since the Guard units could return to their homes when off duty.


title: Project Nike

text: A Nike Ajax missile accidentally exploded at a battery in Leonardo, New Jersey on 22 May 1958, killing 6 soldiers and 4 civilians. A memorial can be found at Fort Hancock in the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area.


title: Project Nike

text: Even as Nike Ajax was being tested, work started on Nike-B, later renamed Nike Hercules (MIM-14). It improved speed, range and accuracy, and could intercept ballistic missiles. The Hercules had a range of about 100 miles (160 km), a top speed in excess of 3,000 mph (4,800 km/h) and a maximum altitude of around 150,000 ft(30 km). It had solid fuel boost and sustainer rocket motors. The boost phase was four of the Nike Ajax boosters strapped together. In the electronics, some vacuum tubes were replaced with more reliable solid-state components.


title: Project Nike

text: The missile also had an optional nuclear warhead to improve the probability of a kill. The W-31 warhead had four variants offering 2, 10, 20 and 30 kiloton yields. The 20 kt version was used in the Hercules system. At sites in the United States the missile almost exclusively carried a nuclear warhead. Sites in foreign nations typically had a mix of high explosive and nuclear warheads. The fire control of the Nike system was also improved with the Hercules and included a surface-to-surface mode which was successfully tested in Alaska. The mode change was accomplished by changing a single plug on the warhead from the "Safe Plug" to "Surface to Air" or "Surface to Surface".


title: Project Nike

text: The Nike Hercules was deployed starting in June 1958. First deployed to Chicago, 393 Hercules ground systems were manufactured. By 1960 ARADCOM had 88 Hercules batteries and 174 Ajax batteries, defending 23 zones across 30 states. Peak deployment was in 1963 with 134 Hercules batteries not including the US Army Hercules batteries deployed in Germany, Greece, Greenland, Italy, Korea, Okinawa, Taiwan, and Turkey.


title: Project Nike

text: In 1961, SAC and the U.S. Army began a joint training mission with benefits for both parties. SAC needed fresh (simulated) targets which the cities ringed by Nike/Hercules sites provided, and the Army needed live targets to acquire and track with their radar. SAC had many Radar Bomb Scoring (RBS) sites across the country which had very similar acquisition and tracking radar, plus similar computerized plotting boards which were used to record the bomber tracks and bomb release points. Airmen from these sites were assigned TDY to Nike sites across the country to train the Nike crews in RBS procedures. The distances from the simulated bomb landing point and the "target" were recorded on paper, measured, encoded, and transmitted to the aircrews. The results of these bomb runs were used to promote or demote air crews. ECM activity also took place between the bombers and the Nike sites. The performance of the NIKE crews improved remarkably with this "live target" practice.


title: Project Nike

text: Many Nike Hercules batteries were manned by Army National Guard troops, with a single active Army officer assigned to each battalion to account for the unit's nuclear warheads. The National Guard air defense units shared responsibility for defense of their assigned area with active Army units in the area, and reported to the active Army chain of command. This is the only known instance of Army National Guard units being equipped with operational nuclear weapons.


title: Project Nike

text: Development continued, producing "Improved" Nike Hercules and then Nike Zeus A and B. The Zeus was aimed at intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).


title: Project Nike

text: Zeus, with a new 400,000 lbf (1.78 MN) thrust solid-fuel booster, was first test launched during August 1959 and demonstrated a top speed of 8,000 mph (12,875 km/h). The Nike Zeus system utilized the ground-based Zeus Acquisition Radar (ZAR), a significant improvement over the Nike Hercules HIPAR guidance system. Shaped like a pyramid, the ZAR featured a Luneburg lens receiver aerial weighing about 1,000 tons. The first successful intercept of an ICBM by Zeus was in 1962, at Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands. Despite its technological advancements, the Department of Defense terminated Zeus development in 1963. The Zeus system, which cost an estimated $15 billion, still suffered from several technical flaws that were believed to be uneconomical to overcome.


title: Project Nike

text: Still, the Army continued to develop an anti-ICBM weapon system referred to as "Nike-X" – that was largely based on the technological advances of the Zeus system. Nike-X featured phase-array radars, computer advances, and a missile tolerant of skin temperatures three times those of the Zeus. In September 1967, the Department of Defense announced the deployment of the LIM-49A Spartan missile system, its major elements drawn from Nike X development.


title: Project Nike

text: In March 1969. the Army started the anti-ballistic missile Safeguard Program, which was designed to defend Minuteman ICBMs, and which was also based on the Nike-X system. It became operational in 1975, but was shut down after just three months.


title: Project Nike

text: Nike-X was a proposed US Army anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system designed to protect major cities in the United States from attacks by the Soviet Union's ICBM fleet. The name referred to its experimental basis, it was intended to be replaced by a more appropriate name when the system was put into production. This never came to pass; the original Nike-X concept was replaced by a much more limited defense system known as the Sentinel program that used some of the same equipment.


title: Project Nike

text: Nike-X was a response to the failure of the earlier Nike Zeus system. Zeus had been designed to face a few dozen Soviet ICBMs in the 1950s, and its design would mean it was largely useless by mid-1960s when it would be facing hundreds. It was calculated that a salvo of only four ICBMs would have a 90% chance of hitting the Zeus base, as their radars could only track a few warheads at the same time. Worse, the attacker could use radar reflectors or high-altitude nuclear explosions to obscure the warheads until they were too close to attack, making a single warhead attack highly likely to succeed.


title: Project Nike

text: Nike-X addressed these concerns by basing its defense on a very fast, short-range missile known as Sprint. Large numbers would be clustered near potential targets, allowing successful interception right up to the last few seconds of the warhead's re-entry. They would operate below the altitude where decoys or explosions had any effect. Nike-X also used a new radar system that could track hundreds of objects at once, allowing salvoes of many Sprints. It would require dozens of missiles to overwhelm the system. Nike-X considered retaining the longer range Zeus missile, and later developed an extended range version known as Zeus EX. It played a secondary role in the Nike-X system, intended primarily for use in areas outside the Sprint protected regions.


title: Project Nike

text: Nike-X required at least one interceptor missile to attack each incoming warhead. As the USSR's missile fleet grew, the cost of implementing Nike-X began to grow as well. Looking for lower-cost options, a number of studies carried out between 1965 and 1967 examined a variety of scenarios where a limited number of interceptors might still be militarily useful. Among these, the I-67 concept suggested building a lightweight defense against very limited attacks. When the Chinese exploded their first H-bomb in 1967, I-67 was promoted as a defense against a Chinese attack, and this system became Sentinel in October. Nike-X development, in its original form, ended.


title: Project Nike

text: Soviet development of ICBMs decreased the value of the Nike (aircraft) air defense system. Beginning around 1965, the number of Nike batteries was reduced. Thule air defense was reduced during 1965 and SAC air base defense during 1966, reducing the number of batteries to 112. Budgetary cuts reduced that number to 87 in 1968, and 82 in 1969.


title: Project Nike

text: Some small-scale work to use Nike Zeus as an anti-satellite weapon (ASAT) was carried out from 1962 until the project was canceled in favor of the Thor based Program 437 system during 1966.


title: Project Nike

text: In the end, neither development would enter service. However, the Nike Zeus system did demonstrate a hit to kill capability against ballistic missiles during the early 1960s. See National Missile Defense and anti-ballistic missile systems.


title: Project Nike

text: Nike Hercules was included in SALT I discussions as an ABM. Following the treaty signed during 1972, and further budget reduction, almost all Nike sites in the continental United States were deactivated by April 1974. Some units remained active until the later part of that decade in a coastal air defense role.


title: Project Nike

text: By 1958, the Army deployed nearly 200 Nike Ajax batteries at 40 "Defense Areas" within the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii) in which Project Nike missiles were deployed. Within each Defense Area, a "Ring of Steel" was developed with a series of Nike Integrated Firing and Launch Sites constructed by the Corps of Engineers.


title: Project Nike

text: The deployment was designed to initially supplement and then replace gun batteries deployed around the nation's major urban areas and vital military installations. The defense areas consisted of major cities and selected United States Air Force Strategic Air Command bases which were deemed vital to national defense. The original basing strategy projected a central missile assembly point from which missiles would be taken out to prepared above-ground launch racks ringing the defended area. However, the Army discarded this semimobile concept because the system needed to be ready for instantaneous action to fend off a "surprise attack." Instead, a fixed-site scheme was devised.


title: Project Nike

text: Due to geographical factors, the placement of Nike batteries differed at each location. Initially, the planners chose fixed sites well away from the defended area and the Corps of Engineers Real Estate Offices began seeking tracts of land in rural areas. However, Army planners determined that close-in perimeter sites would provide enhanced firepower. Staggering sites between outskirt and close-in locations to urban areas gave defenders a greater defense-in-depth capability.


title: Project Nike

text: Each Nike missile battery was divided into two basic parcels: the Battery Control Area and the Launch Area.


title: Project Nike

text: The Battery Control Area contained the radar and computer equipment. Housing and administration buildings, including the mess hall, barracks, and recreation facilities, were sometimes located in a third parcel of land. More likely, however, the housing and administration buildings were located at either the Battery Control Area or the Launch Area, depending upon site configuration, obstructions, and the availability of land.


title: Project Nike

text: The Launch Area provided for the maintenance, storage, testing, and firing of the Nike missiles. The selection of this area was primarily influenced by the relatively large amount of land required, its suitability to extensive underground construction, and the need to maintain a clear line-of-sight between the missiles in the Launch Area and the missile-tracking-radar in the Battery Control Area.


title: Project Nike

text: The first Nike sites featured above-ground launchers. This quickly changed as land restrictions forced the Army to construct space-saving underground magazines. Capable of hosting 12 Nike Ajax missiles, each magazine had an elevator that lifted the missile to the surface in a horizontal position. Once above ground, the missile could be pushed


title: Project Nike

text: manually along a railing to a launcher placed parallel to the elevator. Typically, four launchers sat atop the magazine.


title: Project Nike

text: Near the launchers, a trailer housed the launch control officer and the controls he operated to launch missiles. In addition to the launch control trailer, the launch area contained a generator building with three diesel generators, frequency converters, and missile assembly and maintenance structures.


title: Project Nike

text: Because of the larger size of the Nike Hercules, an underground magazine's capacity was reduced to eight missiles. Thus, storage racks, launcher rails, and elevators underwent modification to accept the larger missiles. Two additional features that readily distinguished newly converted sites were the double fence and the kennels housing dogs that patrolled the perimeter between the two fences.


title: Project Nike

text: The Nike Hercules was designed to use existing Nike Ajax facilities. With the greater range of the Nike Hercules allowing for wider area coverage, numerous Nike Ajax batteries were permanently deactivated. In addition, sites located further


title: Project Nike

text: away from target areas were desirable due to the nuclear warheads carried by the missile. Unlike the older Ajax sites, these batteries were placed in locations that optimized the missiles' range and minimized the warhead damage. Nike Hercules batteries at SAC bases and in Hawaii were installed in an outdoor configuration. In Alaska, a unique above-ground shelter configuration was provided for batteries guarding Anchorage and Fairbanks. Local Corps of Engineer Districts supervised the conversion of Nike Ajax batteries and the construction of new Nike Hercules batteries.


title: Project Nike

text: Nike missiles remained deployed around strategically important areas within the continental United States until 1974. The Alaskan sites were deactivated in 1978 and Florida sites stood down during the following year. Although the missile left the U.S. inventory, other nations maintained the missiles in their inventories into the early 1990s and sent their soldiers to the United States to conduct live-fire exercises at Fort Bliss, Texas.


title: Project Nike

text: Leftover traces of the approximately 265 Nike missile bases can still be seen around cities across the country. As the sites were decommissioned they were first offered to federal agencies. Many were already on Army National Guard bases who continued to use the property. Others were offered to state and local governments while others were sold to school districts. The left-overs were offered to private individuals. Thus, many Nike sites are now municipal yards, communications and FAA facilities (the IFC areas), probation camps, and even renovated for use as Airsoft gaming and MilSim training complexes. Several were obliterated and turned into parks. Some are now private residences. Only a few remain intact and preserve the history of the Nike project. There are also a few sites abroad, notably in Germany, Turkey and Greece.


title: Project Nike

text: The Nike boosters were also used as stages in sounding rockets as they became surplus starting in the 1950s in the following versions:


title: Piers Anthony

text: Piers Anthony Dillingham Jacob (born 6 August 1934) is an American author in the science fiction and fantasy genres, publishing under the name Piers Anthony. He is best known for his set in the fictional realm of Xanth.


title: Piers Anthony

text: Many of his books have appeared on "The New York Times" Best Seller list, and he claims one of his greatest achievements has been to publish a book beginning with every letter of the alphabet, from "Anthonology" to "Zombie Lover".


title: Piers Anthony

text: Anthony's parents, Alfred and Norma Jacob, were Quaker pacifists studying at Oxford University who interrupted their studies in 1936 to undertake relief work on behalf of the Quakers during the Spanish Civil War, establishing a food kitchen for children in Barcelona. Piers and his sister were left in England in the care of their maternal grandparents and a nanny. Alfred Jacob, although a British citizen, had been born in America near Philadelphia, and in 1940, after being forced out of Spain and with the situation in Britain deteriorating, the family sailed to the United States. In 1941 the family settled in a rustic "back to the land" utopian community near Winhall, Vermont, where a young Piers made the acquaintance of radical author Scott Nearing, a neighbor. Both parents resumed their academic studies, and Alfred eventually became a professor of Romance languages, teaching at a number of colleges in the Philadelphia area.


title: Piers Anthony

text: Piers was moved around to a number of schools, eventually enrolling in Goddard College in Vermont where he graduated in 1956. On "This American Life" on 27 July 2012, Anthony revealed that his parents had divorced, he was bullied, and he had poor grades in school. Anthony referred to his high school as a "very fancy private school", and refuses to donate money to it. He recalls being part of "the lower crust", and that no one paid attention to, or cared about him. He said, "I didn't like being a member of the underclass, of the peons like that".


title: Piers Anthony

text: Anthony met his future wife, Carol Marble, while both were attending college. They were married in 1956, the same year he graduated from Goddard College, and he worked in a series of odd jobs. In 1957, Anthony decided to join the United States Army, as his wife was now pregnant, and they needed both medical coverage and a steady source of income. During his two-year enlistment, he became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1958 and became an editor and cartoonist for his battalion's newspaper.


title: Piers Anthony

text: After completing military service, he briefly taught school at Admiral Farragut Academy in St. Petersburg, Florida before deciding to try to become a full-time writer.


title: Piers Anthony

text: Anthony and his wife made a deal: if he could sell a piece of writing within one year, she would continue to work to support him. But if he could not sell anything in that year, then he would forever give up his dream of being a writer. At the end of the year, he managed to get a short story published. He credits his wife as the person who made his writing career possible, and he advises aspiring writers that they need to have a source of income other than their writing in order to get through the early years of a writing career.


title: Piers Anthony

text: On multiple occasions Anthony has moved from one publisher to another (taking a profitable hit series with him) when he says he felt the editors were unduly tampering with his work. He has sued publishers for accounting malfeasance and won judgments in his favor. Anthony maintains an Internet Publishers Survey in the interest of helping aspiring writers. For this service, he won the 2003 "Friend of EPIC" award for service to the electronic publishing community. His website won the "Special Recognition for Service to Writers" award from Preditors and Editors, an author's guide to publishers and writing services.


title: Piers Anthony

text: His popular novel series Xanth has been optioned for movies. It inspired the DOS video game "Companions of Xanth", by Legend Entertainment. The same series also spawned the board game "Xanth" by Mayfair Games.


title: Piers Anthony

text: Anthony's novels usually end with a chapter-long Author's Note, in which he talks about himself, his life, and his experiences as they related to the process of writing the novel. He often discusses correspondence with readers and any real-world issues that influenced the novel.


title: Piers Anthony

text: Anthony's "Xanth" series was ranked No. 99 in a 2011 NPR readers' poll of best science fiction and fantasy books.


title: Piers Anthony

text: Act One of episode 470 of the radio program "This American Life" is an account of boyhood obsessions with Piers Anthony. The act is written and narrated by writer Logan Hill who, as a 12-year-old, was consumed with reading Anthony's novels. For a decade he felt he must have been Anthony's number one fan, until, when he was 22, he met "Andy" at a wedding and discovered their mutual interest in the writer. Andy is interviewed for the story and explains that, as a teenager, he had used escapist novels in order to cope with his alienating school and home life in Buffalo, New York. In 1987, at age 15, he decided to run away to Florida in order to try to live with Piers Anthony. The story includes Anthony's reflections on these events.


title: Piers Anthony

text: Naomi King, the daughter of writer Stephen King, enjoyed reading books by Piers Anthony, which included things like pixies, imps and fairies. After she told her father, "Dad, I just don't like those to be scared. Would you write something with dragons in it?", he wrote "The Eyes of the Dragon" which was originally published in 1984 and later in 1987 by Viking Press.