title: Regulation of gene expression

text: The effects of miRNA dysregulation of gene expression seem to be important in cancer. For instance, in gastrointestinal cancers, a 2015 paper identified nine miRNAs as epigenetically altered and effective in down-regulating DNA repair enzymes.


title: Regulation of gene expression

text: The effects of miRNA dysregulation of gene expression also seem to be important in neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and autism spectrum disorders.


title: Regulation of gene expression

text: The translation of mRNA can also be controlled by a number of mechanisms, mostly at the level of initiation. Recruitment of the small ribosomal subunit can indeed be modulated by mRNA secondary structure, antisense RNA binding, or protein binding. In both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, a large number of RNA binding proteins exist, which often are directed to their target sequence by the secondary structure of the transcript, which may change depending on certain conditions, such as temperature or presence of a ligand (aptamer). Some transcripts act as ribozymes and self-regulate their expression.


title: Regulation of gene expression

text: Up-regulation is a process that occurs within a cell triggered by a signal (originating internal or external to the cell), which results in increased expression of one or more genes and as a result the proteins encoded by those genes. Conversely, down-regulation is a process resulting in decreased gene and corresponding protein expression.


title: Regulation of gene expression

text: The GAL4/UAS system is an example of both an inducible and repressible system. Gal4 binds an upstream activation sequence (UAS) to activate the transcription of the GAL1/GAL7/GAL10 cassette. On the other hand, a MIG1 response to the presence of glucose can inhibit GAL4 and therefore stop the expression of the GAL1/GAL7/GAL10 cassette.


title: Regulation of gene expression

text: In general, most experiments investigating differential expression used whole cell extracts of RNA, called steady-state levels, to determine which genes changed and by how much. These are, however, not informative of where the regulation has occurred and may mask conflicting regulatory processes ("see post-transcriptional regulation"), but it is still the most commonly analysed (quantitative PCR and DNA microarray).


title: Regulation of gene expression

text: When studying gene expression, there are several methods to look at the various stages. In eukaryotes these include:


title: Athena Lee

text: Athena Lee (born Athena L. Bass; December 8, 1964) is an American drummer and actress. She is the younger sister of Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee.


title: Athena Lee

text: Lee was born in Los Angeles County, California, the daughter of David Lee Thomas Bass, an American U.S. Army sergeant, and Vassiliki "Voula" Papadimitriou, Miss Greece for the 1960 Miss World event. Her brother is rock drummer Tommy Lee. Athena Lee took an interest in music around age 20; two years later, she joined the all-female band Hardly Dangerous and the punk group Butt Trumpet. She then signed on and worked with KrunK. Aside from her musical career, she has also been a guest commentator on VH-1's "Behind the Music" and "E! True Hollywood Story".


title: Athena Lee

text: Lee was voted for, and won, "Best Female Drummer" at the Rock City Awards Show. In the 7th Annual L.A. Music Awards, she was nominated for "Best Drummer (Males and Females)" category. She was the first female ever nominated in the history of the L.A. Music Awards.


title: Athena Lee

text: As of 2011, Lee plays drums with various artists and is endorsed by Rockett Drumworks. Her book, "Coming in Second," was published in October 2011. Since 2012, she has been a cast member of the Fuse reality TV series "Ex-Wives of Rock" (which also features her brother's bandmate Vince Neil's ex-wife Sharise Neil).


title: Athena Lee

text: Lee's first husband was Scott Atkins, a former bandmate. They had a daughter born in 1991 and a son born in 1992. She was later married to James Kottak, ex-drummer of the German rock band Scorpions. They had one child together, born in 1997, but have since divorced.


title: Browser engine

text: A browser engine (also known as a layout engine or rendering engine) is a core software component of every major web browser. The primary job of a browser engine is to transform HTML documents and other resources of a web page into an interactive visual representation on a user's device.


title: Browser engine

text: A browser engine is not a stand-alone computer program but a critical piece of a larger program, such as a web browser, from which the term is derived. The word "engine" is an analogy to the engine of a car.


title: Browser engine

text: Besides "browser engine", two other terms are in common use regarding related concepts: "layout engine" and "rendering engine". In theory, layout and rendering (or "painting") could be handled by separate engines. In practice, however, they are tightly coupled and rarely considered separately.


title: Browser engine

text: In addition to layout and rendering, a browser engine enforces the security policy between documents, handles navigation through hyperlinks and data submitted through forms, and implements the Document Object Model (DOM) data structure exposed to page scripts.


title: Browser engine

text: Executing JavaScript (JS) code is a separate matter, however, as every major web browser uses a dedicated engine for this. The JS language was originally created for use in browsers, but it is now used elsewhere, too, so the implementation of JS engines is decoupled from browser engines. In a web browser, the two engines work in concert via the shared DOM data structure.


title: Browser engine

text: Browser engines are used in other types of programs besides web browsers. Email clients need them to display HTML email. The Electron framework, which is powered by the two engines of the Google Chromium browser, has been used to create many applications.


title: Browser engine

text: The layout of a web page is typically specified by Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). Each style sheet is a series of rules which the browser engine interprets. For example, some rules specify typography details, such as font, color, and text size. The engine combines all relevant CSS rules to calculate precise graphical coordinates for the visual representation it will paint on the screen.


title: Browser engine

text: Some engines may begin rendering before all of a page's resources are downloaded. This can result in visual changes as more data is received, such as images being gradually filled in or a flash of unstyled content.


title: Browser engine

text: Only the duration of active development is shown, which is when relevant new Web standards continue to be added to the engine.


title: Sumy Oblast

text: Sumy Oblast (; also referred to as Sumshchyna – ) is an oblast (province) in the northeastern part of Ukraine. Population: The oblast was created in its most recent form, from the merging of raions from Kharkiv Oblast, Chernihiv Oblast, and Poltava Oblast in 1939 by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union.


title: Sumy Oblast

text: The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Sumy. Other important cities within the oblast include Konotop, Okhtyrka, Romny, and Shostka. The oblast has a heavy mix of agriculture and industry, with over 600 industrial locations. Importantly, seven rivers pass through the oblast.


title: Sumy Oblast

text: The Sumy Oblast is situated in the northeastern part of Ukraine. It is situated on a border of two historical regions of Ukraine — Cossack Hetmanate (annexed by Russia in the 18th century as Little Russia, previously known as Severia) and Sloboda Ukraine. Elevation is 110–240m above sea level.


title: Sumy Oblast

text: The oblast borders Bryansk Oblast (Russia) on the northeast, Belgorod Oblast and Kursk Oblast (Russia) on the east, Poltava Oblast on the southwest, Kharkiv Oblast on the south, and the Chernihiv Oblast on the west.


title: Sumy Oblast

text: The region was created on the ukase of Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union on 10 January 1939 as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. The newly created Sumy Oblast included 12 former raions of Kharkiv Oblast, 17 former raions of Chernihiv Oblast, and 2 former raions of Poltava Oblast.


title: Sumy Oblast

text: During the World War II in 1941–43, it was occupied by the Nazi Germany under administration of the German Wehrmacht. After the German forces were driven out the Soviet Union regained control of the region under jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.


title: Sumy Oblast

text: During the 2022 invasion of Ukraine the Sumy Oblast was one of the first regions where Russian and Ukrainian forces clashed. Parts of the oblast came under Russian occupation during the invasion. On 4 April 2022 Governor of Sumy Oblast Dmytro Zhyvytskyi stated that Russian troops no longer occupied any towns or villages in Sumy Oblast and had mostly withdrawn, while Ukrainian troops were working to push out the remaining units. On 8 April 2022 Zhyvytskyi stated that all Russian troops had left Sumy Oblast.


title: Sumy Oblast

text: It comprises 18 raions (districts), 15 cities, 7 city municipalities, 20 urban-type settlements, 384 village councils, and 1500 villages.


title: Sumy Oblast

text: The following data incorporates the number of each type of administrative divisions of the Sumy Oblast:


title: Sumy Oblast

text: The local administration of the oblast is controlled by the Sumy Oblast council. The governor of the oblast (chairman of state regional administration) is appointed by the President of Ukraine.


title: Sumy Oblast

text: Note: Asterisks (*) Though the administrative center of the rayon is housed in the city/town that it is named after, cities do not answer to the rayon authorities only towns do; instead they are directly subordinated to the oblast government and therefore are not counted as part of rayon statistics.


title: Sumy Oblast

text: The Sumy Oblast contains 168 objects and territories of natural reserve. The oblast is rich in picturesque banks of numerous rivers, and sources of mineral waters.


title: Sumy Oblast

text: Major environmental problems are: soil erosion, pesticide pollution, air and water pollution. The city has a problem of garbage utilization.


title: Sumy Oblast

text: The main industrial activities of the oblast are: chemical mechanical engineering, pumping and energy mechanical engineering, agricultural machine-construction, instrument-making industry and radio electronics, technical equipment production for processing fields of agro-industrial complexes, mining and iron ore production industry, polygraph industry and medicine production, oil and gas processing, chemical production, film and photo material production "(See: Svema)", and chemical fertilizer production. In general, there are 273 large industry enterprises and 327 small industry enterprises.


title: Sumy Oblast

text: In 1999, the gross grain yield was about 446,000 tons, sugar beets – 664,000 tons, sunflower seeds – 27,700 tons, potatoes – 343,600 tons. The region also produced 108,700 tons of meat, 517,800 tons of milk and 295,300,000 eggs. At the beginning of 1999, there were 781 registered farms in the oblast.


title: Sumy Oblast

text: Most of Ukraine's oblasts are named after their capital cities, officially referred to as "oblast centers" (, translit. "oblasnyi tsentr"). The name of each oblast is a relative adjective, formed by adding a feminine suffix to the name of respective center city: "Sumy" is the center of the "Sums’ka oblast" (Sumy Oblast). Most oblasts are also sometimes referred to in a feminine noun form, following the convention of traditional regional place names, ending with the suffix "-shchyna", as is the case with the Sumy Oblast, "Sumshchyna".


title: Pola Kinski

text: Pola Kinski (born Pola Nakszynski; 23 March 1952) is a German actress. She is the firstborn daughter of the German actor Klaus Kinski.


title: Pola Kinski

text: Under the name Pola Nakszynski, Pola Kinski was born in Berlin as the only daughter of German actor Klaus Kinski and his first wife, the singer Gislinde Kühlbeck. After her father changed his surname to Kinski, it was changed for his children as well.


title: Pola Kinski

text: Her parents divorced in 1955 when she was three years old. Pola was brought up by her mother and grandfather in Munich and saw her father only on irregular basis. As soon as he became a famous actor, he would order his daughter to visit him in Berlin and later in Rome, as well as on film sets. He alternated between fits of rage and showering her with money and extravagant presents.


title: Pola Kinski

text: Her mother remarried and had a second child with her husband Herbert Kuhlbeck. Her father remarried twice and had a child with each of his wives. Pola is the half sister of the German actress Nastassja Kinski (born 1961) and the French-American actor Nikolai Kinski (born 1976). The half-siblings spent little time together while growing up.


title: Pola Kinski

text: The German title of Kinski's autobiography, "The Mouth of a Child", 2013 (), refers to the original title of her father's memoirs "All I Need Is Love" (, or "I am so wild about your strawberry mouth"), first published in 1975.


title: Pola Kinski

text: She gives personal account of what it was like to be the daughter of the extravagant enfant terrible of German cinema, Klaus Kinski. She describes him forcing her into an incestuous relationship, while her mother claimed not to have noticed.


title: Pola Kinski

text: Klaus was dead for more than 20 years when Pola described him and his actions from her perspective. A Sunday Times book review describes him as being "furiously intense, disturbingly charismatic, emotionally extravagant — [he] overwhelmed her with attention. He gave her expensive gifts, dressed her in the most beautiful clothes, flattered her with passionate compliments. Little Pola was always "My princess", "My baby doll", "My darling child", whom Kinski insisted he couldn't live a minute without. If they were apart, he might call her a dozen times a day."


title: Pola Kinski

text: According to Pola, the incestuous relationship was inflicted on her between the ages of five and nineteen.


title: Pola Kinski

text: Her younger sister Nastassja said, "My sister is a heroine, because she has freed her heart, her soul and also her future from the weight of the secret."


title: Pola Kinski

text: In addition to gaining early film roles, she acted at the Schauspielhaus Bochum and the Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg. In the 1970s she worked with Peter Zadek and the director Ivan Nagel.


title: Pola Kinski

text: From 1977 onwards, Kinski worked as a freelance actor in German-language productions. She lived in Berlin and Paris. She has also appeared in several television films, including some produced in the early 2000s.


title: Pola Kinski

text: She married Wolfgang Hoepner, a lawyer, and they live in Ludwigshafen. They have three children: Janina (born 1978), Valentin (born 1986) and Nanouk. Kinski is the aunt of American fashion model Kenya Kinski-Jones.


title: John Kavanagh (martial artist)

text: John Raymond Kavanagh (born 18 January 1977) is an Irish martial arts coach, Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and former professional mixed martial artist. His students include fighters such as Conor McGregor, Makwan Amirkhani, and Gunnar Nelson.


title: John Kavanagh (martial artist)

text: He is the founder and head coach of Irish MMA gym Straight Blast Gym Ireland in Inchicore. He is the current president of the Irish Mixed Martial Arts Association. Kavanagh was inspired to take up mixed martial arts after watching footage of the UFC tournament in 1993. A pioneer of MMA in Ireland, he competed in some of the earliest local circuit MMA events in Ireland and the UK and is the first Irish man to receive a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Kavanagh was welcomed into the Straight Blast Gym International association of gyms in 2001 by SBGi founder Matt Thornton.


title: John Kavanagh (martial artist)

text: Today, Kavanagh is known as one of the best MMA coaches in the world, being nominated for the World MMA Awards "Coach of the Year" in 2016, and winning it in 2017.


title: John Kavanagh (martial artist)

text: Kavanagh is also the promoter of a mixed martial arts organization Euro Fight Night which held their inaugural event in October 2019.


title: John Kavanagh (martial artist)

text: Kanō Jigorō → Tomita Tsunejirō → Mitsuyo "Count Koma" Maeda → Hélio Gracie → Rolls Gracie & Carlos "Carlinhos" Gracie Jr → Rigan Machado → Chris Haueter → Matt Thornton → John Kavanagh


title: Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang

text: "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" is a song by American rapper Dr. Dre, featuring fellow American rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg, on Dre's debut solo album, "The Chronic" (1992). The album's first single, "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang," reaching number 2 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 on March 20, 1993, behind "Informer" by Snow, outperformed "The Chronic"s other singles, "Fuck wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')", which peaked at number 8, and "Let Me Ride", which peaked at number 34. The single also reached number 1 on "Billboard"s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, and was a hit in the UK, where it reached number 31.


title: Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang

text: The song was selected by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the 500 songs that shaped rock and roll. "XXL" magazine named it the top hip-hop song of the decade. The song samples "I Want'a Do Something Freaky to You" by Leon Haywood. In June 1994, it was reissued in certain European countries.


title: Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang

text: The accompanying music video for "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang", directed by Dr. Dre, depicts Dre coming into Long Beach, California to pick up Snoop and go to a block party. Mingling at the party, they perform the first verses with a barbecue cookout and a game of volleyball nearby. A female player's (Mercedes Ashley) bikini top is pulled down by "T-Dubb", an original member of the Long Beach rap group Foesum, exposing her breasts. For the next verses they go inside the house. A small sequence of events shows a snobbish female party-goer humiliated by being sprayed with shaken-up malt liquor. The video ends with Dre dropping Snoop off back at his house, with Snoop staggering up the driveway. The MTV edit censors nudity, drug paraphernalia, Warren G with a blunt, copyrighted logos, a Chicago White Sox ball cap, and screen text. Many artists appeared in video, including The D.O.C., Warren G, Daz Dillinger, Kurupt, RBX and Suga Free.


title: Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang

text: "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" is listed in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. It is Dre's only song on "Rolling Stone"'s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, ranked at number 419, not counting two other songs that feature Dre as a producer and on vocals, N.W.A's "Fuck tha Police" and Tupac's "California Love". "Q magazine" listed it as the 24th greatest hip hop song of all time and is featured in the game Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. In September 2010 "Pitchfork Media" included it at number 3 on their "Top 200 Tracks of the 90s".


title: Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang

text: In 1998, CBS reported that Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), who sought hearings in the Senate Commerce Science and Transportation Committee, said he was "concerned that the music industry is marketing its most violent and misogynist music to teens." The report added, "While industry executives assert that children are protected from this music, much evidence suggests that most hyper-violent albums are bought by children." Advisory labels were an outcome of the hearings.


title: Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang

text: Musically, the funk orientation in hip-hop is often linked to "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" but its roots were laid by another rap group, Above the Law. "Nuthin' But a G Thang echoes Above the Law's Never Missin' a Beat" [sic], according to a 2016 article in "The Guardian". Both groups interpolated the signature funk grooves of Parliament-Funkadelic.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: Wealdstone Football Club ( ) is an English semi-professional football club based in Ruislip, London Borough of Hillingdon, and affiliated to the Middlesex County Football Association. They currently play in the National League, the fifth tier of English football, having been promoted as champions of the National League South for the 2019-20 season. While established in 1899, it has roots dating to 1887 and was created through a series of local mergers in Wealdstone, then in Middlesex. For most of its existence the club was based at Lower Mead stadium in Harrow, until 1991. After a long period of homelessness and ground sharing with various local clubs, since 2008 they have been based at Grosvenor Vale. Their traditional colours are royal blue and white, and they are nicknamed "The Stones" or "The Royals".


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: The club were the first to achieve the famed non-league 'double', winning both the FA Trophy and the Alliance Premier League (now the National League) in the same season (1984–85). The latter happened two years before automatic promotions to the Football League began; Wealdstone has never been a member of the Football League so far. The club also have the distinction of appearing in the first ever football match to be televised in the UK, when the BBC showed part of their league match against rivals Barnet in October 1946.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: The club was formed at the start of the 1899–1900 season, joining Division Two of the Willesden & District League. A previous "Wealdstone F.C." existed, for workers at a local gunsmith in Wealdstone, a Middlesex village to the north of Harrow Hill - itself has its origins in a club called The Oaks. An article published by the "Harrow Observer" states that the Wealdstone football club formed in about 1890, playing home games in a field in Hindes Road (present-day Harrow) and meeting at the Railway Hotel, close to Harrow and Wealdstone station. This club merged into another local club called Harrow Athletic F.C. in September 1894, while other clubs bearing the Wealdstone name soon formed. A merger between clubs called Wealdstone Rovers and Wealdstone Juniors resulted in the formation of Wealdstone Albion F.C. for the 1898 season, and using the same blue and white striped colours of the old Wealdstone F.C. A year later, Wealdstone F.C. took its place. At this time their home turf was a field between Headstone Drive and Marlborough Hill, Wealdstone.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: Their first game was a friendly match on 7 October 1899 against Northwood, which they won 6–1. They were promoted to the league's Division One for the 1900–01 season after Division Two was scrapped. In 1903 they moved to the College Farm Ground in Locket Road, Wealdstone, and soon after another nearby ground in what is now Byron Park. In 1905–06 the club won Division One, but on 20 October 1906 a notice was posted in the local newspaper stating that the club was to be disbanded due to 'a lack of interest' from players and supporters.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: The club was soon reformed in time for the 1908–09 season, rejoining Division One of the Willesden & District League. In 1910 they moved to Belmont Road, and won Division One again in 1912–13. Following World War I the club joined the London League and the Middlesex Senior League.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: At the start of the 1922–23 season, Wealdstone F.C. switched to the Spartan League and at the same time moved south to a ground called Lower Mead in what is now central Harrow; this would become the permanent home ground of the club for 69 years. The club had their record win on 13 October 1923, beating the 12th London Regiment 22–0 in an FA Amateur Cup game.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: In 1928–29 they switched leagues again, this time joining the Athenian League. In 1929–30 the club won the Middlesex Senior Cup and the Middlesex Senior Charity Cup for the first time. On Saturday 16 November 1929, Wealdstone played Dulwich Hamlet in the FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round, with the match ending in a record-breaking 7–7 draw; there has never been a 7–7 scoreline in any other FA Cup match before or since, and none either in the top four divisions of the League Pyramid (including play-offs), the League Cup, League Trophy, FA Community Shield, FA Trophy or FA Vase. Four days later, Dulwich won the replay 2–1.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: During World War II the club continued to play, playing at Wembley Stadium in the final of the Middlesex Senior Red Cross Cup in 1942. In December 1944, they recorded their heaviest defeat ever, losing 14–0 to Edgware Town in the London Senior Cup. In 1946 the BBC showed part of Wealdstone's Athenian League match at Barnet, the first time a live match had been televised. The club also appeared in the BBC's first two live FA Cup match broadcasts, with their games against Edgware Town in the third qualifying round and Colchester United in the fourth qualifying round being shown on television during the 1949–50 season. After beating Colchester, Wealdstone reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, losing 1–0 to Port Vale.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: In 1951–52 the club won the Athenian League, and went on to win the Middlesex Senior Cup in 1959, 1963 and 1964.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: In 1964 they switched to the Isthmian League. In 1965–66 the club reached the first round of the FA Cup again, losing 3–1 at Millwall, but went on to win the FA Amateur Cup, beating local rivals Hendon 3–1 in the final. The following season saw Wealdstone entered at the first round of the FA Cup, losing 2–0 at home to Nuneaton Borough.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: The club joined the Division One North of the Southern League in 1971, turning professional. They were moved to Division One South the following season, and won the division in 1973–74, earning promotion to the Premier Division. In 1977–78 Wealdstone progressed beyond the first round of the FA Cup for the first time; after beating Third Division Hereford United 3–2 at Edgar Street in a first round replay, they went on to defeat Fourth Division Reading 2–1 at home in the second round, before losing 4–0 at First Division Queens Park Rangers in the third round.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: In 1979 the club were founder members of the Alliance Premier League, the new national top division of non-League football. After finishing 19th in 1980–81 they were relegated back to the Southern League, but then made an immediate return after winning the South Division of the Southern League the following season; a play-off ensued against Midland Division champions Nuneaton, with Wealdstone winning on penalties after winning the home leg 2–1 and losing 1–0 away. Wealdstone's return to the Alliance Premier League was much more positive than their first stint, finishing 3rd in 1982–83, and then 4th the following season.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: In 1984–85 the club had its most successful season to date. Under the management of Brian Hall, Wealdstone won both the Alliance Premier League and also the FA Trophy, beating Boston United 2–1 in the final at Wembley Stadium. This was first ever occasion that the non-league "double" had been achieved by any team. However, in spite of this Wealdstone were not promoted to the English Football League. Automatic promotion from the Alliance Premier League would not be introduced until two years later, and Lower Mead was not deemed to meet Football League requirements so the club was not eligible to apply for election.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: Following the double, a period of sharp decline soon set in; after finishing tenth the season after with an aging team, they finished 19th in 1986–87, and were eventually relegated at the end of the following season.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: By the end of the 1990–91 season, financial problems caused by boardroom impropriety were seriously exacerbated by the owner selling the club's Lower Mead ground for commercial development, for which the club, after protracted legal wrangling, received only a very small share of the proceeds. They then signed up to an expensive ground sharing arrangement at Watford's Vicarage Road, and at the end of the 1991–92 season the club were relegated again, dropping from the Southern League Premier Division into the Southern League South Division.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: Seeking to reduce expenditure, in 1993 the club began a two-season ground sharing agreement at The Warren, Yeading's ground. In June 1995, with the club in administration and only having two players to its name, Gordon Bartlett was appointed manager. Later that year, Wealdstone re-joined the Isthmian League to further reduce their travelling expenses, having to agree to drop a level into Division Three in the process. Yet again, they moved grounds, this time entering into a ground share with Edgware Town at their White Lion ground that was to last ten years.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: After winning the Isthmian League Division Three in 1996–97, they finished second in Division Two in 1997–98 and were promoted again, this time to Division One. However, after finishing third in Division One in the 1998–99, the Isthmian League denied the club promotion to the Premier Division because required improvements at the White Lion ground were not completed until six days after a specified deadline.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: The club attempted to redevelop the local disused Prince Edward Playing Fields at Canons Park, owned by the London Borough of Harrow, into a new home ground. Construction of the new stadium started in 2003 but, when over 30% completed, building work was suddenly halted in April 2004 when the private company who were co-financing the project in partnership with the club went into insolvency. Unable to afford to complete the new stadium on their own, Wealdstone were forced to leave the site unfinished for two years, until Harrow Council, frustrated that the site was still unused and falling into disrepair, eventually sold the site lease to Barnet F.C., who used it as a training centre before later moving permanently in to what became The Hive Stadium in 2013.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: In 2004 Wealdstone were promoted to the Isthmian League Premier Division as a result of the creation of the Conference North and South. The club faced Dulwich Hamlet in the playoff final, with the game finishing 2-2 before Wealdstone won 5-4 on penalties. The club's first two seasons at Premier Division level saw them steer clear of relegation, with back to back 18th placed finishes. Off the pitch, the club began a further new groundshare arrangement in 2005, this time moving to Northwood's Chestnut Avenue ground. In 2006 they were switched under FA reorganisation to the Southern League Premier Division for a single season, before returning to the Isthmian League the following season.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: In January 2008, Wealdstone acquired Ruislip Sports and Social club and the associated lease at Ruislip Manor's Grosvenor Vale ground, starting the 2008-09 season there. With the ground share agreement at Northwood coming to an end and still no specific completion date in sight for the club's Prince Edward Playing Field project, Wealdstone instead decided to invest in the Grosvenor Vale stadium to upgrade the playing facilities as a priority, in order to meet the necessary ground grading requirements to play Isthmian League Premier Division football in the 2008–09 season. The club's first 3 seasons at the Vale saw the club fail to reach the playoffs, finishing 7th, 6th and then 12th. They did however reach the first round of the FA Cup in 2009-10, where they lost 3-2 at home to Rotherham United


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: 2011–12 saw Wealdstone embark on a run the FA Trophy which saw them reach the semi-final and knock out three teams from higher divisions. A 2-1 win at home to Conference side Barrow and a 1-0 win in a replay against Dartford of the Conference South set up a quarter-final away at Cambridge United which Wealdstone won 2-1 thanks to a Richard Jolly brace, before eventually losing 3–1 on aggregate to Newport County in the semi-final. They also reached the promotion play-offs in the Isthmian Premier Division that year, but lost 2–1 to Lowestoft Town in the semi-finals. The following season saw them losing in the play-off semi finals again, this time losing 2-1 against Concord Rangers. However, in 2013–14 did win promotion as league champions, with their promotion to the Conference South being secured with a 1-0 win away to Margate.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: Wealdstone did not win any of their first 9 games in the Conference South, with the run ended by a 1-0 victory away to Whitehawk. An upturn in form meant that they finished the 2014-15 season in 12th place, and they would go on to finish 13th the following season. The summer of 2016 saw the club change ownership when Peter Marsden, previously chairman of Accrington Stanley, took over the club in late July. The 2016-17 season saw Wealdstone experience a greater degree of success on the pitch, with the club pushing for the playoffs. However, their hopes were dashed when it was announced that they would be ineligible to compete in the playoffs due to missing the cut off point to meet ground grading requirements. Wealdstone's eventual 8th placed finish would not have seen them compete regardless.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: On 21 August 2017, Gordon Bartlett stepped down as Wealdstone manager after 22 years. A day later, Bobby Wilkinson, formerly of Hungerford Town, was appointed manager. Wilkinson's first season at Wealdstone ended an unremarkable 11th-placed finish in the league, although the club reached the semi final of the FA Trophy, where they lost 3–0 on aggregate to eventual winners Brackley. In January 2019, chairman Peter Marsden was voted out of his position, and replaced by Rory Fitzgerald. On the final day of the 2018–19 season, Wealdstone rose from 10th to 7th on with a 2–1 win over Hemel Hempstead to ensure a place in the playoffs. Wealdstone began their playoff campaign with a win away at Bath to secure a semi final against Woking, which Wealdstone narrowly lost 3–2. Wilkinson subsequently left the club at the end of the season.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: On 21 May 2019 Dean Brennan was appointed as new manager, with Stuart Maynard joining as his assistant. 10 wins in the first 11 games of the 2019–20 season saw Wealdstone rise to the top of the league. On 26 March 2020 the season was suspended due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, with Wealdstone still top of the league. On 17 June it was confirmed that the club were to be promoted to the National League as champions of the National League South, on the basis of points won per game.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: The club's first season in the fifth tier for 32 years started positively, with 5 wins in the first 8 seeing the club rise to 2nd in the league. However, following a slump in form, Brennan departed his role as manager on 2 February 2021. The club subsequently appointed assistant manager Stuart Maynard as manager, with Matthew Saunders as his assistant. On 5 April, Wealdstone defeated local rivals Barnet 5–1. The club ended their first season back at National League level in 19th place.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: In their second season in the National League, Wealdstone recorded a 16th placed finish, their highest league position for 35 years. The season also saw a new attendance record set at Grosvenor Vale, when Wealdstone defeated Barnet 1-0 in front of a crowd of 2,662. The following campaign saw them host 2,817 in a 0-0 draw with Wrexham.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: The club's crest first appeared on team shirts in the 1960s. It contains four quarters representing the traditional colours of the club (royal blue and white); the "Three Lions" representing England; a football representing the club's sport; and the emblem of Middlesex, the historic county of the London Borough of Harrow where the club is from.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: Wealdstone's main rivals are often considered to be Barnet. The clubs were both founding members of the Alliance Premier League and played each other regularly throughout the 1980s, although games were rarely played after that with the clubs being in different divisions. The rivalry came back to prominence when Barnet moved into The Hive Stadium which was initially meant for Wealdstone. The two clubs do now play in the same division. Other rivals have included Harrow Borough (with whom the "Harrow Derby" is contested), Enfield, and Hendon, with Wealdstone beating the latter in the 1966 Amateur Cup final.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: The club's all-time leading goalscorer is George Duck. Duck scored 251 goals for Wealdstone in 370 appearances between 1972 and 1979, and additionally set unmatched scoring records for penalties and hat-tricks. In every season he played for the club Duck was top scorer in league and cup competitions.


title: Wealdstone F.C.

text: Amongst former players who have gone on to notable careers at the highest level of professional football are Stuart Pearce, Vinnie Jones and Jermaine Beckford. Harold Smith was the first ever player to leave Wealdstone FC for a professional career, joining Notts County in 1930.


title: Multnomah Falls

text: Multnomah Falls is a waterfall located on Multnomah Creek in the Columbia River Gorge, east of Troutdale, between Corbett and Dodson, Oregon, United States. The waterfall is accessible from the Historic Columbia River Highway and Interstate 84. Spanning two tiers on basalt cliffs, it is the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon at in height. The Multnomah Creek Bridge, built in 1914, crosses below the falls, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.


title: Multnomah Falls

text: The land surrounding the falls was developed by Simon Benson in the early-twentieth century, with a pathway, viewing bridge, and adjacent lodge being constructed in 1925. The Multnomah Falls Lodge and the surrounding footpaths at the falls were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. Contemporarily, the state of Oregon maintains a switchback trail that ascends to a talus slope above the falls, and descends to an observation deck that overlooks the falls' edge. The falls attract over two million visitors each year, making it the most-visited natural recreation site in the U.S. Pacific Northwest.


title: Multnomah Falls

text: The falls drops in two major steps, split into an upper falls of and a lower falls of , with a gradual 9 foot (3 m) drop in elevation between the two, so the total height of the waterfall is conventionally given as . The two drops are due to a zone of more easily eroded basalt at the base of the upper falls.


title: Multnomah Falls

text: Multnomah Falls is the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon. It is credited by a sign at the site of the falls, and by the United States Forest Service, as the second tallest year-round waterfall in the United States. However, there has been some skepticism surrounding this distinction, as Multnomah Falls is listed as the 156th tallest waterfall in the United States by the World Waterfall Database (this site does not distinguish between seasonal and year-round waterfalls). The World Waterfall Database disputes claims that Multnomah Falls is the fourth-tallest waterfall in the United States, which has been claimed in such sources as the "Encyclopedia of World Geography" (2014).


title: Multnomah Falls

text: Underground springs from Larch Mountain are the year-round source of water for the waterfall, augmented by spring runoff from the mountain's snowpack and rainwater during the other seasons. This spring is the source of Multnomah Creek.


title: Multnomah Falls

text: The waterfall formed around 15,000 years ago at the end of a hanging valley, and was created by the Missoula floods. According to the creation story from the Multnomah tribe (from whom the falls take their name), the waterfall was formed after a young woman sacrificed herself to the Great Spirit to save Multnomah village from a plague by jumping from the cliff, and the Multnomah peoples were saved. After her death, water began to flow from above the cliff, creating the waterfall.


title: Multnomah Falls

text: The falls were noted in the journals of explorers William Clark and Meriwether Lewis during their expedition through the Columbia River Gorge in 1805. In an October 30 journal entry, Lewis notes:


title: Multnomah Falls

text: The origin of the falls' naming is unclear; scholar Lewis A. McArthur, in "Oregon Geographic Names", suggested that S. G. Reed, a prominent mercantile clerk in Portland and native of Massachusetts, may have been the first to apply the name with the idea of popularizing sites along the Columbia River for steamboat excursions.


title: Multnomah Falls

text: Beginning in 1884, the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company operated a stop at Multnomah Falls on their railway, which spanned from Portland to Pasco, Washington; this stop continued to operate until World War II, and included a timber bowstring truss bridge that spanned the falls at the present bridge's location. Around 1891, the bridge was reinforced, but was dismantled in 1899.


title: Multnomah Falls

text: On January 28, 1915, Samuel C. Lancaster recommended to the Progressive Business Men's Club of Portland that a trail be built from the base of Multnomah Falls extending to the top of Larch Mountain. The Club raised several hundred dollars to finance the trail, and Portland financier Simon Benson and his son Amos S. Benson pledged an additional $3,000. The United States Forest Service appropriated a total of $1,500 and agreed to survey and build the trail in addition to the lookout on Larch Mountain. Benson financed Italian stonemasons to construct a bridge at the falls to allow visitor access. This bridge, named the Benson Footbridge, spans the lower falls at a height of , and provides an expansive view of the upper falls.


title: Multnomah Falls

text: On Labor Day 1915, Benson donated over of land which included most of the falls as well as nearby Wahkeena Falls, to the city of Portland. The Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company subsequently donated the land at the base of Multnomah Falls contingent upon their agreement that a lodge would be constructed at the site the same year.


title: Multnomah Falls

text: Late that year, architect A. E. Doyle, who designed Portland's Meier & Frank Building, was commissioned by the city to design the Multnomah Falls Lodge, which was completed in 1925. The lodge, built in a "Cascadian" architectural style using native split fieldstone laid irregularly. The building features a steeply-pitched cedar-shingled gable roof with dormers and large chimneys. In the early through the mid-twentieth century, the lodge provided both meals and lodging to travelers. Contemporarily, it provides meals, a gift shop, and an interpretive center. The lodge and footpaths were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.


title: Multnomah Falls

text: In contrast to other falls along the Gorge, the Multnomah Falls area is accessible via Interstate 84 east of Troutdale, Oregon, and is a "designated scenic area" by the state of Oregon. The falls are the most-visited natural recreation area in the Pacific Northwest, with over two million annual visitors. The rest area and tunnel under the road (as well as the Union Pacific Railroad tracks) allow Interstate travelers from either direction to stop and visit the falls. Columbia Area Transit operates the Columbia Gorge Express to Portland and Hood River.


title: Multnomah Falls

text: During the summer season and holidays the parking lot along the freeway access can fill up very quickly which prompts a gate to come down and a reader board sign along the freeway before the offramp flashes that the parking lot is full.


title: Multnomah Falls

text: A paved foot trail leads to Benson Footbridge, a 45-foot (14 m)-long footbridge that allows visitors to cross 105 feet (32 m) above the lower cascade. After a viewpoint of the upper falls, the trail continues to ascend to an elevation of ; it consists of eleven switchbacks which reach a forested talus slope above the falls. The trail then descends to an observation deck (elevation ) overlooking the falls' edge, providing visitors a bird's-eye view of the Columbia Gorge and also of "Little Multnomah", a small cascade slightly upstream from the "upper" falls, which is not visible from ground level.


title: Multnomah Falls

text: There are a number of trail junctions along the footpaths ascending to the falls' observation deck, which allow access to a trail loop to other nearby waterfalls. The Mark O. Hatfield Memorial Trail, one of several, starts at the falls and continues through the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge to Starvation Creek.


title: Multnomah Falls

text: In 1991, a wildfire damaged over near the falls, and resulted in the closing of Perdition Trail, a hiking trail that branched off the main trail to the falls' observation deck. The trail is permanently closed and deemed unsafe for passage.


title: Multnomah Falls

text: On Labor Day in September 1995, a 400-ton boulder, loosened by erosion, fell from the face of the waterfall into the upper cascade pool, above Benson Footbridge. It caused a splash of water and gravel to wash over the footbridge, causing minor injuries to twenty members of a wedding party that happened to be on the bridge posing for photos at the time.


title: Multnomah Falls

text: On January 9, 2014, a falling rock damaged a portion of the bridge walkway and concrete railing, leading the Forest Service to close the bridge until repairs were completed.


title: Multnomah Falls

text: In September 2017, the lodge was threatened by the Eagle Creek Fire in the Columbia River Gorge, which resulted in the lodge and fall access being closed to the public. The lodge reopened on November 29, 2017, though the U.S. Forest Service announced that footpath access to the waterfall would remain closed until an indeterminate date due to concerns over landslides. The trail to the Benson Bridge reopened in June 2018, while the remaining trails along upper Multnomah Creek and to Wahkeena Falls, the top of Larch Mountain, Devil's Rest, and Angel's Rest were repaired and reopened in November 2018.


title: Multnomah Falls

text: A five-ribbed spandrel bridge, the Multnomah Creek Bridge, was built in 1914 to bring what is now the Historic Columbia River Highway across Multnomah Creek below the falls. It is long and is a contributing structure in the highway's listing on the National Register of Historic Places, and in its designation as a National Historic Landmark.


The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. It was named in 1964 as a memorial to assassinated President John F. Kennedy. Opened on September 8, 1971, the center hosts many different genres of performance art, such as theater, dance, orchestras, jazz, pop, psychedelic, and folk music.


title: John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

text: Authorized by the 1958 National Cultural Center Act of Congress, which requires that its programming be sustained through private funds, the center represents a public–private partnership. Its activities include educational and outreach initiatives, almost entirely funded through ticket sales and gifts from individuals, corporations, and private foundations.


text: The original building, designed by architect was constructed by Philadelphia contractor John McShain, and is administered as a bureau of the Smithsonian Institution. An earlier design proposal called for a more curvy, spaceship-inspired building similar to how the Watergate complex appears today. An extension to the Durell Stone Building was designed by Steven Holl and opened in 2019. The center receives annual federal funding to pay for building maintenance and operation.


text: The idea for a national cultural center dates to 1933 when First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt discussed ideas for the Emergency Relief and Civil Works Administration to create employment for unemployed actors during the Great Depression. Congress held hearings in 1935 on plans to establish a Cabinet level Department of Science, Art and Literature, and to build a monumental theater and arts building on Capitol Hill near the Supreme Court building. A 1938 congressional resolution called for construction of a "public building which shall be known as the National Cultural Center" near Judiciary Square, but nothing materialized.


text: The idea for a national theater resurfaced in 1950, when U.S. Representative Arthur George Klein of New York introduced a bill to authorize funds to plan and build a cultural center. The bill included provisions that the center would prohibit any discrimination of cast or audience. In 1955, the Stanford Research Institute was commissioned to select a site and provide design suggestions for the center. From 1955 to 1958, Congress debated the idea amid much controversy. A bill was finally passed in Congress in the summer of 1958 and on September 4, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law the National Cultural Center Act which provided momentum for the project.


text: This was the first time that the federal government helped finance a structure dedicated to the performing arts. The legislation required a portion of the costs, estimated at $10–25 million, to be raised within five years of the bill's passage. Edward Durell Stone was selected as architect for the project in June 1959. He presented preliminary designs to the President's Music Committee in October 1959, along with estimated costs of $50 million, double the original estimates of $25–30 million. By November 1959, estimated costs had escalated to $61 million. Despite this, Stone's design was well received in editorials in "The Washington Post", "Washington Star", and quickly approved by the United States Commission of Fine Arts, National Capital Planning Commission, and the National Park Service.


text: The National Cultural Center was renamed the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 1964, following the assassination of President Kennedy.


text: The National Cultural Center Board of Trustees, a group President Eisenhower established January 29, 1959, led fundraising. Fundraising efforts were not successful, with only $13,425 raised in the first three years. President John F. Kennedy was interested in bringing culture to the nation's capital, and provided leadership and support for the project. In 1961, President Kennedy asked Roger L. Stevens to help develop the National Cultural Center, and serve as chairman of the Board of Trustees. Stevens recruited First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy as honorary chairman of the center, and former First Lady Mamie Eisenhower as co-chairman. In January 1961, Jarold A. Kieffer became the first Executive Director of the National Cultural Center, overseeing numerous fundraising efforts and assisting with the architectural plan.


text: The total cost of construction was $70 million. Congress allocated $43 million for construction costs, including $23 million as an outright grant and the other $20 million in bonds. Donations also comprised a significant portion of funding, including $5 million from the Ford Foundation, and approximately $500,000 from the Kennedy family. Other major donors included J. Willard Marriott, Marjorie Merriweather Post, John D. Rockefeller III, and Robert W. Woodruff, as well as many corporate donors. Foreign countries provided gifts to the Kennedy Center, including a gift of 3,700 tons of Carrara marble from Italy (worth $1.5 million) from the Italian government, which was used in the building's construction.


text: President Lyndon B. Johnson dug the ceremonial first-shovel of earth at the groundbreaking for the Kennedy Center December 2, 1964. However, debate continued for another year over the Foggy Bottom site, with some advocating for another location on Pennsylvania Avenue. Excavation of the site got underway on December 11, 1965, and the site was cleared by January 1967.


text: The first performance was September 5, 1971, with 2,200 members of the general public in attendance to see a premiere of Leonard Bernstein's "Mass" in the Opera House, while the center's official opening took place September 8, 1971, with a formal gala and premiere performance of the Bernstein "Mass". The Concert Hall was inaugurated September 9, 1971, with a performance by the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Antal Doráti. Alberto Ginastera's opera, "Beatrix Cenci" premiered at the Kennedy Center Opera House September 10, 1971. The Eisenhower Theater was inaugurated October 18, 1971, with a performance of "A Doll's House" starring Claire Bloom.


text: Architect Edward Durell Stone designed the Kennedy Center. Overall, the building is high, long, and wide. The Kennedy Center features a , grand foyer, with 16 hand-blown Orrefors crystal chandeliers (a gift from Sweden) and red carpeting. The Hall of States and the Hall of Nations are both , corridors. The building has drawn criticism about its location (far away from Washington Metro stops), and for its scale and form, although it has also drawn praise for its acoustics, and its terrace overlooking the Potomac River. In her book "On Architecture", Ada Louise Huxtable called it "gemütlich Speer."


text: Cyril M. Harris designed the Kennedy Center's auditoriums and their acoustics. A key consideration is that many aircraft fly along the Potomac River and over the Kennedy Center, as they take off and land at the nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Helicopter traffic over the Kennedy Center is also fairly high. To keep out this noise, the Kennedy Center was designed as a box within a box, giving each auditorium an extra outer shell.


text: After the original structure was marked for expansion, a competition in 2013 selected Steven Holl Architects to undertake the design. The extension, called The REACH, opened in 2019.


text: The plaza entrance of the Kennedy Center features two by German sculptor ; created between 1965 and 1971, which were a gift to the Kennedy Center from the West German government. Near the north end of the plaza is a display of nude figures in scenes representing war and peace, called "War or Peace". The piece, , depicts five scenes showing the symbolism of war and peace: a war scene, murder, family, and creativity. At the south end is "America" which represents Weber's image of America (8 × 50 × 1.5 ft.). Four scenes are depicted representing threats to liberty, technology, foreign aid and survival, and free speech. It took the artist four years to sculpt the two reliefs in plaster, creating 200 castings, and another two years for the foundry in Berlin to cast the pieces. In 1994, the Smithsonian Institution's Save Outdoor Sculpture! program surveyed "War or Peace" and "America" and described them as being well maintained. Another sculpture "Don Quixote" by Aurelio Teno occupies a site near the northeast corner of the building. King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain gave the sculpture to the United States for its Bicentennial, June 3, 1976.


text: The Kennedy Center has three main theaters: the Concert Hall, the Opera House, and the Eisenhower Theater.


text: The Concert Hall, located at the south end of the center, seats 2,442 including chorister seats and stage boxes, and has a seating arrangement similar to that used in many European halls such as Musikverein in Vienna. The Concert Hall is the largest performance space in the Kennedy Center and is the home of the National Symphony Orchestra. A 1997 renovation brought a high-tech acoustical canopy, handicap-accessible locations on every level, and new seating sections (onstage boxes, chorister seats, and parterre seats). The Hadeland crystal chandeliers, given by the Norwegian Crown, were repositioned to provide a clearer view. Canadian organbuilder Casavant Frères constructed and installed a new pipe organ in 2012.


text: The Opera House, in the middle, has approximately 2,300 seats. Its interior features include walls covered in red velvet, a distinctive red and gold silk curtain, given by the Japanese government, and Lobmeyr crystal chandelier with matching pendants, which were a gift from the government of Austria. It is the major opera, ballet, and large-scale musical venue of the center, and closed during the 2003/2004 season for extensive renovations which provided a revised seating arrangement and redesigned entrances at the orchestra level. It is the home of the Washington National Opera and the annual Kennedy Center Honors.


text: The Eisenhower Theater, on the north side, seats about 1,163 and is named for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who signed the National Cultural Center Act into law on September 2, 1958. It primarily hosts plays and musicals, smaller-scale operas, ballet and contemporary dance. The theater contains an orchestra pit for up to 35 musicians that is convertible to a forestage or additional seating space. The venue reopened in October 2008, following a 16-month renovation which altered the color scheme and seating arrangements.


text: The Kennedy Center offers one of the few open-air rooftop terraces in Washington, D.C.; it is free of charge to the public from 10:00 a.m. until midnight each day, except when closed for private events. The wide terrace provides views in all four directions overlooking the Rosslyn skyline in Arlington County, Virginia, to the west; the Potomac River and National Airport to the south; the Washington Harbor and the Watergate complex to the north; and the Lincoln Memorial, Department of State buildings, George Washington University and the Saudi embassy to the east.


text: World premiere performances of Kennedy Center-commissioned works have been offered through a commissioning program for new ballet and dance works. These works have been created by America's foremost choreographers—Paul Taylor, Lar Lubovitch, and Merce Cunningham—for leading American dance companies including American Ballet Theatre, Ballet West, Houston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, and the San Francisco Ballet. The Kennedy Center formerly supported and produced the Suzanne Farrell Ballet in performances at the center and on extended tours.


text: The center sponsors two annual dance residency programs for young people; Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell and the Dance Theatre of Harlem Residency Program, both now in their second decade. The Kennedy Center's Contemporary Dance series offers a wide range of artistic perspectives, from the foremost masters of the genre to the art form's newest and most exciting artists. In the 2008/2009 series, the Kennedy Center recognized Modern Masters of American Dance, bringing Martha Graham Dance Company, Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Limón Dance Company, Mark Morris Dance Group, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and Paul Taylor Dance Company.


text: The Center is known for its annual production of the ballet “The Nutcracker”. Over the years, it has been performed by various different companies throughout the United States. The Kansas City Ballet is slated to perform “The Nutcracker” at the Kennedy Center in November 2022.


text: In recent years the Kennedy Center has dramatically expanded its education programs to reach young people, teachers, and families throughout the nation. The 2005 opening of the Family Theater has helped achieve this.


text: The 2008–2009 season programming for Performances for Young Audiences reached more than 100 performances for young people and their families and over 110 performances for school audiences. The season included four Kennedy Center-commissioned world premieres: "The Trumpet of the Swan", a musical adapted by Pulitzer Prize winner Marsha Norman from the book by E.B. White with music by Jason Robert Brown;" Mermaids, Monsters, and the World Painted Purple", a new play by Marco Ramirez; "Unleashed! The Secret Lives of White House Pets", a new play by Allyson Currin in collaboration with the White House Historical Association; and "OMAN...O man!", a new dance production conceived and directed by Debbie Allen and is part of the center's Arab festival, "Arabesque: Arts of the Arab World". Theater for Young Audiences on Tour toured with two nationally touring productions of "The Phantom Tollbooth" and "Blues Journey".


text: Members of the National Symphony Orchestra will continue to present Teddy Bear Concerts throughout its seasons. During these concerts, children aged three to five bring their favorite stuffed animal to interactive musical programs featuring members of the NSO. Members of the NSO present NSO Ensemble Concerts, connecting music with various school subjects such as science and math, Kinderkonzerts, introducing kids to orchestral instruments and classical composers, as well as NSO Family Concerts.


text: Started in 1969 by Roger L. Stevens, the Kennedy Center's founding chairman, the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) is a national theater program involving 18,000 students from colleges and universities nationwide which has served as a catalyst in improving the quality of college theater in the United States. The KCACTF has grown into a network of more than 600 academic institutions throughout the country, where theater departments and student artists showcase their work and receive outside assessment by KCACTF respondents. Since its establishment in 1969, KCACTF has reached more than 17.5 million theatergoing students and teachers nationwide.


text: The Kennedy Center's CETA program's mission is make the arts a critical component in every child's education. CETA, which stands for Changing Education Through the Arts, creates professional development opportunities for teachers and school administrators. Each year over 700 teachers participate in approximately 60 courses that focus on ways to integrate the arts into their teaching. The Kennedy Center's CETA program also partners with sixteen schools in the Washington DC Metro area to develop long-range plan for arts integration at their school. Two of these schools, Kensington Parkwood Elementary School in Kensington, MD and Woodburn Elementary School for the Fine and Communicative Arts in Falls Church, Virginia serve as Research and Development schools for CETA.


text: Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell is a three-week summer ballet intensive for international pre-professional ballerinas ages 14–18. Suzanne Farrell, one of the most revered ballerinas of the 20th century, has been hosting this Balanchine-inspired intensive at the Kennedy Center since 1993. During their three weeks in Washington, D.C., Farrell's students practice technique and choreography during twice daily classes, six days per week. Outside of the classroom, excursions, activities and performance events are planned for EBSF students to fully immerse themselves in the culture of the nation's capital.


text: The Kennedy Center presents festivals celebrating cities, countries, and regions of the world. The festivals are filled with a wide range of performing arts, visual arts, cuisine, and multi-media. In 2008, the center presented an exploration of the culture of Japan entitled "Japan! culture + hyperculture". The 2009 Arab festival was an unprecedented exploration of the culture of the 22 Arab countries in the League of Arab States, titled "Arabesque: Arts of the Arab World". In 2011, the Kennedy Center presented "maximum INDIA", a three-week-long celebration of the arts and culture of the sub-continent.


text: Since its establishment in September 1971, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has showcased jazz in solo, various ensembles, and big band settings. In 1994, the Kennedy Center appointed Dr. Billy Taylor as Artistic Advisor for Jazz, and his first installation was his own radio show "Billy Taylor's Jazz at the Kennedy Center". Featuring his trio and guest artists in performance and discussion, the series ran for seven seasons on NPR. Since Taylor's appointment in 1994, the center has initiated numerous performance programs to promote jazz on a national stage, featuring leading international artists and rising stars, including: the Art Tatum Piano Panorama, named after Dr. Taylor's mentor; the Louis Armstrong Legacy, highlighting vocalists; the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival, the first festival by a major institution promoting outstanding female jazz artists; Beyond Category, featuring artists whose work transcends genre; the Platinum Series, with internationally acclaimed headliners; Jazz Ambassadors with the United States Department of State, sending musicians on worldwide goodwill tours (1998–2004); the KC Jazz Club, a highly praised intimate setting; and Discovery Artists in the KC Jazz Club, highlighting up-and-coming talent. Kennedy Center and NPR annually collaborated on the beloved holiday broadcast 'NPR's Piano Jazz Christmas', until the retirement of host Marian McPartland, and hence the show, in 2011. Since 2003, the center's jazz programs have been regularly broadcast on NPR's "JazzSet" with Dee Dee Bridgewater. Recent highlights, produced by the center, have included "Great Vibes, A Salute to Lionel Hampton" (1995); "Billy Taylor's 80th Birthday Celebration" (2002); "Nancy Wilson, A Career Celebration" (2003); "Michel Legrand with Patti Austin", part of the center's Festival of France (2004); "A Tribute to Shirley Horn" (2004); "James Moody's 80th Birthday" (2005); and "Benny Golson at 80" (2009). In March 2007, the center hosted a once-in-a-lifetime celebration, Jazz in Our Time, which bestowed the center's Living Jazz Legend Award to over 30 revered artists. During Dr. Taylor's tenure, the center has created recognized educational initiatives, including national jazz satellite distance-learning programs; adult lecture series; master classes and workshops with national artists and local metropolitan Washington, D.C. students; and Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead—continuing the singer's legacy of identifying outstanding young talent. In 2015, Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett performed there as part of their Cheek to Cheek Tour.


text: The National Symphony Orchestra, the Kennedy Center's artistic affiliate since 1987, has commissioned dozens of new works, among them Stephen Albert's "RiverRun", which won the Pulitzer Prize for Music; Morton Gould's "Stringmusic", also a Pulitzer Prize-winner; William Bolcom's Sixth Symphony, Roger Reynolds's "george WASHINGTON", and Michael Daugherty's "UFO", a concerto for solo percussion and orchestra.


text: In addition to its regular season concerts, the National Symphony Orchestra presents outreach, education, and pops programs, as well as concerts at Wolf Trap each year. The annual American Residencies for the Kennedy Center is a program unique to the National Symphony Orchestra and the center. The center sends the Orchestra to a different state each year for an intensive period of performances and teaching encompassing full orchestral, chamber, and solo concerts, master classes and other teaching sessions. The Orchestra has given these residencies in 20 states so far: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North and South Carolina, Oklahoma, North and South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Nevada, and Wyoming/Montana.


text: The Kennedy Center is the only U.S. institution that presents a free performance 365 days a year, daily at 6pm (12 noon on December 24). The Millennium Stage, created as part of the center's Performing Arts for Everyone initiative in 1997 and underwritten by James A. Johnson and Maxine Isaacs, features a broad spectrum of performing arts, from dance and jazz, to chamber music and folk, comedy, storytelling and theater. In the past twelve years, over three million people have attended Millennium Stage performances. The Millennium Stage has presented more than 42,000 artists, which includes over 4,000 international artists from more than 70 countries; performers representing all 50 states; and 20,000 Washington-area ensembles and solo artists. The Charlie Byrd Trio and the Billy Taylor Trio were the first artists to delight audiences with a free performance on March 1, 1997. In 1999, the center began web-casting each night's live performance, and continues to archive and maintain each event in a database of over 3,000 performances which may be accessed via the center's website. Performing Arts for Everyone initiatives also include low- and no-cost tickets available to performances on every stage of the Kennedy Center, and several outreach programs designed to increase access to Kennedy Center tickets and performances.


text: An initiative of the Millennium Stage, the Conservatory Project is a semi-annual event occurring in February and May that is designed to present the best young musical artists in classical, jazz, musical theater, and opera from leading undergraduate and graduate conservatories, colleges and universities.


text: The Kennedy Center hosts residencies for artists to collaborate with the center's performing ensembles, programmers, and community initiatives. The center holds positions for Composer-in-Residence, Education Artist-in-Residence, and Culture Artist-in-Residence. The current artists-in-residence are The Roots, author Jacqueline Woodson, composer Carlos Simon, and pianist Robert Glasper.


text: The center has co-produced more than 300 new works of theater over the past 43 years, including Tony-winning shows ranging from "Annie" in 1977 to "A Few Good Men", "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying", "The King and I", "Titanic", and the American premiere of "Les Misérables". The center also produced the "Sondheim Celebration" (six Stephen Sondheim musicals) in 2002, "Tennessee Williams Explored" (three of Tennessee Williams' classic plays) in 2004, "Mame" starring Christine Baranski in 2006, "Carnival!" in 2007, August Wilson's "Pittsburgh Cycle" (Wilson's complete ten-play cycle performed as fully staged readings) and "" both in 2008, and a new production of "Ragtime" in 2009. The Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays has provided critical support in the development of 135 new theatrical works. In 2011, a new production of "Follies" starring Bernadette Peters opened at the Eisenhower Theater, and transferred to Broadway that fall.


text: Since 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors have been awarded annually by the center's Board of Trustees. Each year, five artists or groups are honored for their lifetime contributions to American culture and the performing arts, including dance, music, theater, opera, film, and television.


text: The Kennedy Center has awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor annually since 1998. Named after the 19th-century humorist Mark Twain, it is presented to individuals who have "had an impact on American society in ways similar to" Twain.


text: Many local arts organizations present (or have presented) their work at the Kennedy Center. Some of these include:


text: The Kennedy Center regularly hosts special Inauguration Day events and galas during the start of each presidential term.


text: During the United States Bicentennial, the Kennedy Center hosted numerous special events throughout 1976, including six commissioned plays. The center hosted free performances by groups from each state. In December 1976, Mikhail Baryshnikov's version of "The Nutcracker" ballet played for two weeks.


text: In 1977, the Opera House hosted George Bernard Shaw's "Caesar and Cleopatra" with Rex Harrison and Elizabeth Ashley. The American Ballet Theatre has also frequently performed at the Kennedy Center. The troupe's 2004 production of "Swan Lake", choreographed by Kevin McKenzie, was taped there, shown on PBS in June 2005, and released on DVD shortly after. Productions of "The Lion King" and Trevor Nunn's production of "My Fair Lady" (choreographed by Matthew Bourne) were presented in the 2007–2008 season, to name a few.


text: "The Kennedy Center at 50", a concert to celebrate the center's 50th anniversary, was held on September 14, 2021, and aired on PBS on October 1, 2021. Audra McDonald hosted, and First lady Jill Biden gave opening remarks.


text: The Kennedy Center stages free daily performances on its Millennium Stage in the Grand Foyer. Featured on the Millennium Stage are a range of art forms, including performing artists and groups.


text: The two theaters of The Millennium Stage are equipped with lights, sound systems, and cameras. Every free event performed at this stage is recorded and archived on the Kennedy Center's website. These archives have been available to the public for free since 2009.


text: VSA (formerly VSA arts) is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create a society where people with disabilities learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. VSA provides educators, parents, and artists with resources and the tools to support arts programming in schools and communities. VSA showcases the accomplishments of artists with disabilities and promotes increased access to the arts for people with disabilities. Each year 7 million people participate in VSA programs through a nationwide network of affiliates and in 54 countries around the world. Affiliated with the Kennedy Center since 2005, VSA was officially merged into the organization in 2011 to become part of the center's Department of VSA and Accessibility.


text: On June 16, 1971, Congress authorized appropriations for one year to the Board of Trustees for operating and maintenance expenses. In following years, the appropriations were provided to the National Park Service for operations, maintenance, security, safety and other functions not directly related to the performing arts activities. The National Park Service and the Kennedy Center signed a cooperative agreement requiring each party to pay a portion of the operating and maintenance costs based on what proportion of time the building was to be used for performing arts functions. The agreement did not specify who was responsible for long-term capital improvement projects at the Kennedy Center, along with only periodic funding by Congress for one-time projects.


text: In fiscal years 1991 and 1992, Congress recommended that $27.7 million be allocated for capital improvement projects at the center, including $12 million for structural repairs to the garage and $15.7 million for structural and mechanical repairs, as well as projects for improving handicapped access. In 1994, Congress gave full responsibility to the Kennedy Center for capital improvement projects and facility management. From 1995 to 2005, over $200 million of federal funds were allocated to the Kennedy Center for long-term capital projects, repairs, and to bring the center into compliance with modern fire safety and accessibility codes. Improvements included renovation of the Concert Hall, Opera House, plaza-level public spaces, and a new fire alarm system. The renovations projects were completed 13 to 50 percent over budget, due to modifications of plans during the renovations resulting in overtime and other penalties. Renovations to the Eisenhower Theater were completed in 2008.


text: Beginning in 2013, the center commenced with an expansion project on four acres in the center's South Plaza. The expansion adds classroom, rehearsal, and performance space and includes three pavilions (the Welcome Pavilion, the Skylight Pavilion, and the River Pavilion), reflecting pool, a tree grove, a sloping lawn to be used for outdoor performances, and a pedestrian bridge over Rock Creek Parkway. The architect is Steven Holl, with assistance from architectural firm BNIM. Edmund Hollander Landscape Architects is the landscape architect.


text: Plans for the project began after David M. Rubenstein donated $50 million to the center. A groundbreaking ceremony took place in December 2014. Originally estimated to cost $100 million, the cost of the project grew to $175 million, and design changes and a major D.C. sewer project significantly delayed construction. The expansion, entitled the REACH, opened on September 7, 2019 with an opening arts festival. The fundraising goal for the new REACH expansion grew to $250 million as the project progressed, and the target was achieved just two days before opening. Since its opening, the REACH has received several design awards, such as The Architect's Newspaper's Best of the Year Award in the Cultural category and an Honor Award in the 2020 AIA New York Design Awards.


text: Prior to 1980, daily operations of the Kennedy Center were overseen by the chairman of the board of directors, and by the board itself. Aspects of the center's programming and operations were overseen by various other people. George London was the Kennedy Center's first executive director (often called "artistic director" by the press, although that was not the formal title), serving from 1968 to 1970, while William McCormick Blair, Jr. was its first administrative director. Julius Rudel took over as music director in 1971. In 1972, Martin Feinstein replaced London and held the position of artistic director until 1980. Marta Casals Istomin was named the first female artistic director in 1980, a position she held until 1990; she was also the first person to be formally invested with that title.


text: In 1991, the board created the position of chief operating officer to remove the day-to-day operations of the Kennedy Center from the chairman and board. Lawrence Wilker was hired to fill the position, which later was retitled president. The artistic director continued to oversee artistic programming, under the president's direction.


text: Michael Kaiser became president of the Kennedy Center in 2001. He left the organization when his contract expired in September 2014.


text: In September 2014, Deborah F. Rutter became its third president; she is the first woman to hold that post. Rutter had previously been president of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association, a position she held from 2003.


text: The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees, formally known as the Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, maintains and administers the center and its site. David M. Rubenstein is the chairman of the board.


text: The honorary chair members of the board are the First Lady and her living predecessors. Members of the board are specified by 20 USC 76h and include "ex officio" members such as the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Librarian of Congress, the Secretary of State (substituting for the director of the United States Information Agency after that agency was abolished), the chairman of the Commission of Fine Arts, the mayor of the District of Columbia, the superintendent of schools of the District of Columbia, the director of the National Park Service, the secretary of education and the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, as well as 36 general trustees appointed by the president of the United States for six-year terms.


title: 2022 US Open – Men's singles

text: Carlos Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud in the final, 6–4, 2–6, 7–6, 6–3 to win the men's singles tennis title at the 2022 US Open. It was his first major title, and he claimed the world No. 1 singles ranking with the win. Ruud, Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas were also in contention for the top position. Alcaraz saved a match point en route to the title, in the quarterfinals against Jannik Sinner.


title: 2022 US Open – Men's singles

text: Alcaraz became the youngest major champion since Nadal at the 2005 French Open, the youngest US Open champion since Pete Sampras in 1990, the first man born in the 2000s to win a major singles title, and the youngest man to be ranked world No. 1 in tennis history, surpassing the record Lleyton Hewitt held. Alcaraz also became the third player to reach a major final having won three consecutive five-set matches, after Stefan Edberg at the 1992 US Open and Andre Agassi at the 2005 US Open. At 23 hours and 39 minutes of play duration across his seven matches, Alcaraz spent the longest time on court in major history. Ruud became the first Norwegian man to reach the championship match.


title: 2022 US Open – Men's singles

text: Medvedev was the defending champion, but lost in the fourth round to Nick Kyrgios. Medvedev became the first man outside the Big Four to be the top seed at a major since Andy Roddick at the 2004 Australian Open.


title: 2022 US Open – Men's singles

text: This marked the third consecutive US Open where a player claimed his maiden major title. The quarterfinal line-up guaranteed a first-time major champion, while the semifinal line-up marked the first time all four players made their US Open semifinal debut since the inaugural edition in 1881.


title: 2022 US Open – Men's singles

text: Frances Tiafoe became the first American man to reach the US Open semifinals since Roddick in 2006, and the semifinals of any major since John Isner at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships. Moreover, he became the first African American man to reach the US Open semifinals since Arthur Ashe in 1972 and the first African American man to reach in any Grand Slam semifinal since MaliVai Washington in 1996 Wimbledon Championships. Sinner became the youngest man to reach the quarterfinals at all four majors since Novak Djokovic in 2008. Nadal was vying for a record-extending 23rd major singles title, but lost in the fourth round to Tiafoe. That marked the first US Open since 2000 and the first major since the 2017 Australian Open with neither of the top two seeded men reaching the quarterfinals. Three-time champion and nine-time finalist Djokovic withdrew prior to the draw as he could not travel to the United States, due to not having complied with the federal government's vaccination policy for non-US citizens against COVID-19.


title: 2022 US Open – Men's singles

text: This was the first edition of US Open to feature a 10-point tie-break, when the score reaches six games all in the deciding set. Pedro Cachín defeated Aljaž Bedene in the first round in the first main-draw 10-point tie-break at the US Open.


title: 2022 US Open – Men's singles

text: The following are the seeded players. Seedings are based on ATP rankings as of August 22, 2022. Rankings and points are as before August 29, 2022.


title: 2022 US Open – Men's singles

text: Points for the 2021 tournament were not mandatory and are included in the table below only if they counted towards the player's ranking as of August 29, 2022. Players who are not defending points from the 2021 tournament will instead have their 19th best result replaced by their points from the 2022 tournament.


title: 2022 US Open – Men's singles

text: † This column shows either the player's points from the 2021 tournament or his 19th best result (shown in brackets). Only ranking points counting towards the player's ranking as of August 29, 2022, are reflected in the column.


title: 2022 US Open – Men's singles

text: The entry list was released by the United States Tennis Association based on the ATP rankings for the week of July 18.


title: Robert B. Parker

text: Robert Brown Parker (September 17, 1932 – January 18, 2010) was an American writer, primarily of fiction within the mystery/detective genre. His most famous works were the 40 novels written about the fictional private detective Spenser. ABC television network developed the television series "" based on the character in the mid-1980s; a series of TV movies was also produced based on the character. His works incorporate encyclopedic knowledge of the Boston metropolitan area. The Spenser novels have been cited as influencing their own work and reviving and changing the detective genre by critics and bestselling authors including Robert Crais, Harlan Coben, and Dennis Lehane.


title: Robert B. Parker

text: Parker also wrote nine novels featuring the fictional character Jesse Stone, a Los Angeles police officer who moves to a small New England town; six novels with the fictional character Sunny Randall, a female private investigator; and four Westerns starring the duo Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. The first was "Appaloosa", made into a film starring Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen.


title: Robert B. Parker

text: Parker was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1956 Parker married Joan H. Parker, whom he claimed to have met as a toddler at a birthday party. They spent their childhoods in the same neighborhood.


title: Robert B. Parker

text: After earning a BA degree from Colby College in Waterville, Maine, Parker served as a soldier in the US Army Infantry in Korea. In 1957, he earned his master's degree in English literature from Boston University and then worked in advertising and technical writing until 1962. Parker received a PhD in English literature from Boston University in 1971. His dissertation, titled "The Violent Hero, Wilderness Heritage and Urban Reality," discussed the exploits of fictional private-eye heroes created by Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and Ross Macdonald.


title: Robert B. Parker

text: Parker wrote his first novel in 1971 while teaching at Northeastern University. He became a full professor in 1976, and turned to full-time writing in 1979 with five Spenser novels to his credit.


title: Robert B. Parker

text: Parker's popular Spenser novels are known for his characters of varied races and religions. According to critic Christina Nunez, Parker's "inclusion of [characters of] other races and sexual persuasions" lends his writings a "more modern feel". For example, the "Spenser" series characters include Hawk and Chollo, African-American and Mexican-American, respectively, as well as Spenser's Jewish girlfriend, Susan, various Russians, Ukrainians, Chinese, a gay cop, Lee Farrell, and even a gay mob boss, Gino Fish. The homosexuality of both his sons gave his writing "[a] sensibility," Ms. Nunez feels, "[which] strengthens Parker's sensibility [toward gays]." In 1985 "Spenser" was made into a successful television series, "Spenser for Hire" which starred Robert Urich, Avery Brooks and Barbara Stock.


title: Robert B. Parker

text: In 1994 Parker collaborated with Japanese photographer Kasho Kumagai on a coffee table book called "Spenser's Boston", exploring the city through Spenser's "eyes" via high quality, 4-color photos. In addition to Parker's introduction, excerpts from several of the Spenser novels were included.


title: Robert B. Parker

text: Parker created female detective Sunny Randall at the request of actress Helen Hunt, who wanted him to write a part for her to play. He wrote the first book, and the film version was planned for 2000, but never materialized. However, his publisher liked the character and asked him to continue with the series.


title: Robert B. Parker

text: Another figure created by Parker was Jesse Stone, a troubled former LAPD detective, who starts a new career as a police chief in a small New England town. Between 1997 and 2010, he wrote nine novels featuring Jesse Stone, all of which have been adapted as a series of TV movies by CBS starring Tom Selleck as Jesse Stone.


title: Robert B. Parker

text: Aside from crime writing, Parker also produced several Western novels, including "Appaloosa", and children's books. Like Parker's Spenser series, his Westerns have received critical attention. Chris Dacus, who has written on other authors like Cormac McCarthy, has written of the intellectual depth and importance of Parker's Westerns in "The Stoic Western Hero: Robert B. Parker's Westerns".


title: Robert B. Parker

text: Parker and his wife created an independent film company called Pearl Productions, based in Boston. It was named after their German short-haired pointer, Pearl.


title: Robert B. Parker

text: Parker and his wife had two sons, David and Daniel. Originally, the character of Spenser was to have been called "David," but Parker didn't want to appear to favor one of his sons over the other. Parker therefore omitted Spenser's first name entirely, and it was never revealed.


title: Robert B. Parker

text: Parker and his wife, Joan, separated at one point but then came to an unusual arrangement. They lived in a three-story Victorian house just outside of Harvard Square; she lived on one floor and he on another, and they shared the middle floor. This living arrangement is mirrored in Spenser's private life: his girlfriend, Susan, had an aversion to marriage and living together full-time. Living separately suited them both, although they were fully committed to each other. Explaining the arrangement in an interview on "CBS Sunday Morning", Parker said, "I want to make love to my wife for the rest of my life, but I never want to sleep with her again."


title: Robert B. Parker

text: He had a great fondness for dogs, including German Shorthair Pointers. Dogs were included in his Spenser stories, aging along with the character and appearing in the ongoing series of novels. The dogs were always named Pearl.


title: Robert B. Parker

text: Parker received three nominations and two Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America. He received the first award, the "Best Novel Award" in 1977, for the fourth novel in the Spenser series, "Promised Land". In 1983 he received the Maltese Falcon Award, Japan, for "Early Autumn". In 1990 he shared, with wife Joan, a nomination for "Best Television Episode" for the TV series "B.L. Stryker"; however, the award went to David J. Burke and Alfonse Ruggiero Jr. for "Wiseguy".


title: Robert B. Parker

text: Parker received the 2002 Joseph E. Connor Memorial Award from the Phi Alpha Tau Fraternity at Emerson College. He was inducted into the fraternity as an honorary brother in Spring 2003.


title: Robert B. Parker

text: Parker was 77 when he died suddenly of a heart attack at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on January 18, 2010; discovered at his desk by his wife Joan, he had been working on a novel.


title: Robert B. Parker

text: Joan Parker, the inspiration for the Susan Silverman character in the Spenser series, died June 12, 2013.


title: Robert B. Parker

text: Later written by Ace Atkins, the Spenser series continued following Parker's death. "The Boston Globe" wrote that while some people might have "viewed the move as unseemly, those people didn’t know Robert B. Parker, a man who, when asked how his books would be viewed in 50 years, replied: 'Don’t know, don’t care.' He was proud of his work, but he mainly saw writing as a means of providing a comfortable life for his family."


title: Robert B. Parker

text: After Parker died the owners of his estate decided, together with Parker's publishers, to continue his series: Jesse Stone, Spenser and Virgil Cole & Everett Hitch.


title: Robert B. Parker

text: Ace Atkins was selected to continue the "Spenser" novels. The book Parker was working on at the time of his death was completed by his literary agent Helen Bran.


title: Robert B. Parker

text: Eleven "Jesse Stone" novels have been published since Parker's death. The first three were by Parker's longtime friend and collaborator, Michael Brandman, and the next six by Reed Farrel Coleman. Mike Lupica wrote the 10th in 2020 and eleventh in 2021.


title: Robert B. Parker

text: The "Sunny Randall" series continued with "Blood Feud" (November 27, 2018) and "Grudge Match" (May 4, 2020). The books were written by Parker's friend, sports journalist Mike Lupica.


title: Martin Kenzie

text: Martin Kenzie (29 April 1956 – 16 July 2012) was a British second unit director and cinematographer whose works include feature films such as "The Shining" (1980), "Return of the Jedi" (1983), "Aliens" (1986), "The King's Speech" (2010) and TV series including "Rome" (2005) and "Game of Thrones" (2012). He was a member of the British Society of Cinematographers as a Camera Operator and was later elected a "Full Member of the Society" with BSC accreditation in 2012. Kenzie was diagnosed with cancer and was being operated on with the help of Macmillan Cancer Support. He died on 16 July 2012 at the age of 56. The "Game of Thrones" season three premiere episode, "Valar Dohaeris", aired on 31 March 2013, was dedicated to the memory of Kenzie in the credits.


title: Martin Kenzie

text: Kenzie was born on 29 April 1956 in Cambridge, England and started his career as a production runner for a London-based TV Commercials Company named "Picture Palace Productions". Later he worked for the camera department at "Samuelson Film Services" while preparing motion picture cameras for hire. His first feature film work was for Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" (1980) where he worked as an assistant cameraman with film's cinematographer John Alcott. Till 1984, Kenzie continued to work as a Second assistant camera on various films including "Return of the Jedi" (1983), "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" (1984) and "A Passage to India" (1984).


title: Martin Kenzie

text: Kenzie worked as First assistant camera on various other successful movies such as Robert Zemeckis' "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (1988), Ron Howard's "Willow" (1988), Clint Eastwood's "White Hunter Black Heart" (1990), Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather Part III" (1990) and David Fincher's "Alien 3" (1992). Since the beginning of his career, Kenzie made significant contributions as a Second unit director. Alongside feature films, Kenzie also worked for Television. His first work as a main unit cinematography which credited him as a cinematographer came in 1998 with David L. Williams's short film "Angels at My Bedside" and for a feature film in 2007 with Chris Munro's comedy film "Back in Business".


title: Martin Kenzie

text: For 2005's film "Syriana", written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, Kenzie worked as an assistant director and contributed as cinematographer for various television series including "Keen Eddie" (2003–2004), "Rome" (2005), "Game of Thrones" (2012) and "Playhouse Presents" (2012). In 1998, Kenzie joined Associate Membership of the British Society of Cinematographers as a Camera Operator and with his progression as a Director of Photography, he was later elected a "Full Member of the Society" with BSC accreditation in 2012.


title: Martin Kenzie

text: Kenzie was diagnosed with cancer and was being operated on with the help of Macmillan Cancer Support. He died on 16 July 2012 at the age of 56. British Society of Cinematographers announced a memorial service to celebrate Kenzie's life on 2 September 2012. The television series "Game of Thrones" dedicated its season three premiere episode, "Valar Dohaeris", aired on 31 March 2013, to the memory of Kenzie in the credits. Kenzie had worked as a cinematographer for the series for four of its episodes from second season; "Garden of Bones", "The Ghost of Harrenhal", "The Old Gods and the New", "A Man Without Honor"; and had done additional photography for two episodes; "Blackwater", "Valar Morghulis". Kenzie's work for the series was appreciated for its varied use of "subtle color palettes" based on the specific times and places of the story-line. After Kenzie's death, JustGiving started a fundraising campaign for him which would provide support for Cancer Research UK for the betterment of treatments for further patients.


title: Mercedes-Benz EQS

text: The Mercedes-Benz EQS (V297) is a battery electric full-size luxury liftback produced by German automobile manufacturer Mercedes-Benz Group. It was released in September 2021 in Germany and the fourth quarter of the year in the US. It is part of the Mercedes-Benz EQ family.


title: Mercedes-Benz EQS

text: The EQS was presented at the International Motor Show Germany in 2019 as the Mercedes-Benz Vision EQS and foreshadows the future Mercedes-Benz series luxury electric sedan announced for 2021. The production model debuted on 15 April 2021.


title: Mercedes-Benz EQS

text: The EQS is the first EQ model that is based on the technical platform specific to the electric models, called the MEA. The car's drag coefficient is as low as 0.20, making it the most aerodynamic car in production at the time of its introduction.


title: Mercedes-Benz EQS

text: The car is powered by a water-cooled permanent magnet synchronous motor from Valeo Siemens in the EQS 450+ model, and by two of these motors in the EQS 580 4MATIC model. The torque is sent from the motor(s) to the wheels through a single-speed reduction gearbox. In the single-motor EQS 450+ model, the motor has a rated power of , and a braking power of , allowing a deceleration of 5 m·s. German motor journalist Alexander Bloch from auto motor und sport found the energy consumption to be 150…160 W·h/km at , and the average energy consumption to be 158 W·h/km. With the 107.8 kW·h secondary cell, the car has a range of more than 638 km. The average recharging power is 163 kW with a peak of >200 kW, allowing the car to reach a 79 % state of charge in about half an hour.


title: Mercedes-Benz EQS

text: The Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4Matic+ was presented at the Munich Motor Show in September 2021 and is the first all-electric AMG car. It has two electric motors producing of power and delivering of torque. Its handling characteristics as well as its cooling system have been upgraded to match the motors' higher power output.


title: Mercedes-Benz EQS

text: The car comes with rear-wheel steering, over-the-air updates, wireless phone charging, 360-degree camera system, keyless entry and can optionally be equipped with seats with massage, augmented reality head-up display, automatically opening and closing doors, integrated toll payment system, gesture controls, HEPA air filter, heat, noise and infrared rays insulated glass and heated windshield.


title: Mercedes-Benz EQS

text: The high-end versions of Mercedes-Benz EQS feature two separate OLED screens and an LCD instrument cluster that covers nearly the full extension of the dashboard. The whole infotainment system is powered by eight CPU cores and 24-gigabytes of RAM. The multi-purpose digital dashboard has been well received by consumers.