title: The Burghers of Calais

text: Rodin's design, which included all six figures rather than just de Saint Pierre, was controversial. The public felt that it lacked "overtly heroic antique references" which were considered integral to public sculpture. It was not a pyramidal arrangement and contained no allegorical figures. It was intended to be placed at ground level, rather than on a pedestal. The burghers were not presented in a positive image of glory; instead, they display "pain, anguish and fatalism". To Rodin, this was nevertheless heroic, the heroism of self-sacrifice.


title: The Burghers of Calais

text: In 1895 the monument was installed in Calais on a large pedestal in front of Parc Richelieu, a public park, contrary to the sculptor's wishes, who wanted contemporary townsfolk to "almost bump into" the figures and feel solidarity with them. Only later was his vision realised, when the sculpture was moved in front of the newly completed town hall of Calais, where it now rests on a much lower base.


title: Double fertilization

text: Double fertilization is a complex fertilization mechanism of flowering plants (angiosperms). This process involves the joining of a female gametophyte (megagametophyte, also called the embryo sac) with two male gametes (sperm). It begins when a pollen grain adheres to the stigma of the carpel, the female reproductive structure of a flower. The pollen grain then takes in moisture and begins to germinate, forming a pollen tube that extends down toward the ovary through the style. The tip of the pollen tube then enters the ovary and penetrates through the micropyle opening in the ovule. The pollen tube proceeds to release the two sperm in the megagametophyte.


title: Double fertilization

text: The cells of an unfertilized ovule are 8 in number and arranged in the form of 3+2+3 (from top to bottom) i.e. 3 antipodal cells, 2 polar central cells, 2 synergids & 1 egg cell. One sperm fertilizes the egg cell and the other sperm combines with the two polar nuclei of the large central cell of the megagametophyte. The haploid sperm and haploid egg combine to form a diploid zygote, the process being called syngamy, while the other sperm and the two haploid polar nuclei of the large central cell of the megagametophyte form a triploid nucleus (triple fusion). Some plants may form polyploid nuclei. The large cell of the gametophyte will then develop into the endosperm, a nutrient-rich tissue which provides nourishment to the developing embryo. The ovary, surrounding the ovules, develops into the fruit, which protects the seeds and may function to disperse them.


title: Double fertilization

text: The two central cell maternal nuclei (polar nuclei) that contribute to the endosperm, arise by mitosis from the same single meiotic product that gave rise to the egg. The maternal contribution to the genetic constitution of the triploid endosperm is double that of the embryo.


title: Double fertilization

text: In a study conducted in 2008 of the plant "Arabidopsis thaliana", the migration of male nuclei inside the female gamete, in fusion with the female nuclei, has been documented for the first time using in vivo imaging. Some of the genes involved in the migration and fusion process have also been determined.


title: Double fertilization

text: Evidence of double fertilization in Gnetales, which are non-flowering seed plants, has been reported.


title: Double fertilization

text: Double fertilization was discovered more than a century ago by Sergei Nawaschin in Kyiv, and Léon Guignard in France. Each made the discovery independently of the other. "Lilium martagon" and "Fritillaria tenella" were used in the first observations of double fertilization, which were made using the classical light microscope. Due to the limitations of the light microscope, there were many unanswered questions regarding the process of double fertilization. However, with the development of the electron microscope, many of the questions were answered. Most notably, the observations made by the group of W. Jensen showed that the male gametes did not have any cell walls and that the plasma membrane of the gametes is close to the plasma membrane of the cell that surrounds them inside the pollen grain.


title: Double fertilization

text: A far more rudimentary form of double fertilization occurs in the sexual reproduction of an order of gymnosperms commonly known as Gnetales. Specifically, this event has been documented in both "Ephedra" and "Gnetum", a subset of Gnetophytes. In "Ephedra nevadensis", a single binucleate sperm cell is deposited into the egg cell. Following the initial fertilization event, the second sperm nucleus is diverted to fertilize an additional egg nucleus found in the egg cytoplasm. In most other seed plants, this second 'ventral canal nucleus' is normally found to be functionally useless. In "Gnetum gnemon", numerous free egg nuclei exist in female cytoplasm inside the female gametophyte. Succeeding the penetration of the mature female gametophyte by the pollen tube, female cytoplasm and free nuclei move to surround the pollen tube. Released from the binucleate sperm cell are two sperm nuclei which then join with free egg nuclei to produce two viable zygotes, a homologous characteristic between families "Ephedra" and "Gnetum". In both families, the second fertilization event produces an additional diploid embryo. This supernumerary embryo is later aborted, leading to the synthesis of only one mature embryo. The additional fertilization product in "Ephedra" does not nourish the primary embryo, as the female gametophyte is responsible for nutrient provision. The more primitive process of double fertilization in gymnosperms results in two diploid nuclei enclosed in the same egg cell. This differs from the angiosperm condition, which results in the separation of the egg cell and endosperm. Comparative molecular research on the genome of "G. gnemon" has revealed that gnetophytes are more closely related to conifers than they are to angiosperms. The rejection of the anthophyte hypothesis, which identifies gnetales and angiosperms are sister taxa, leads to speculation that the process of double fertilization is a product of convergent evolution and arose independently among gnetophytes and angiosperms.


title: Double fertilization

text: In vitro double fertilization is often used to study the molecular interactions as well as other aspects of gamete fusion in flowering plants. One of the major obstacles in developing an in vitro double fertilization between male and female gametes is the confinement of the sperm in the pollen tube and the egg in the embryo sac. A controlled fusion of the egg and sperm has already been achieved with poppy plants. Pollen germination, pollen tube entry, and double fertilization processes have all been observed to proceed normally. In fact, this technique has already been used to obtain seeds in various flowering plants and was named “test-tube fertilization”.


title: Double fertilization

text: The female gametophyte, the megagametophyte, that participates in double fertilization in angiosperms which is haploid is called the embryo sac. This develops within an ovule, enclosed by the ovary at the base of a carpel. Surrounding the megagametophyte are (one or) two integuments, which form an opening called the micropyle. The megagametophyte, which is usually haploid, originates from the (usually diploid) megaspore mother cell, also called the megasporocyte. The next sequence of events varies, depending on the particular species, but in most species, the following events occur. The megasporocyte undergoes a meiotic cell division, producing four haploid megaspores. Only one of the four resulting megaspores survives. This megaspore undergoes three rounds of mitotic division, resulting in eight cells with eight haploid nuclei (the central cell has two nuclei, called the polar nuclei). The lower end of the embryo sac consists of the haploid egg cell positioned in the middle of two other haploid cells, called synergids. The synergids function in the attraction and guidance of the pollen tube to the megagametophyte through the micropyle. At the upper end of the megagametophyte are three antipodal cells.


title: Double fertilization

text: The male gametophytes, or microgametophytes, that participate in double fertilization are contained within pollen grains. They develop within the microsporangia, or pollen sacs, of the anthers on the stamens. Each microsporangium contains diploid microspore mother cells, or microsporocytes. Each microsporocyte undergoes meiosis, forming four haploid microspores, each of which can eventually develop into a pollen grain. A microspore undergoes mitosis and cytokinesis in order to produce two separate cells, the generative cell and the tube cell. These two cells in addition to the spore wall make up an immature pollen grain. As the male gametophyte matures, the generative cell passes into the tube cell, and the generative cell undergoes mitosis, producing two sperm cells. Once the pollen grain has matured, the anthers break open, releasing the pollen. The pollen is carried to the pistil of another flower, by wind or animal pollinators, and deposited on the stigma. As the pollen grain germinates, the tube cell produces the pollen tube, which elongates and extends down the long style of the carpel and into the ovary, where its sperm cells are released in the megagametophyte. Double fertilization proceeds from here.


title: State of Grace (1990 film)

text: State of Grace is a 1990 American neo-noir crime film directed by Phil Joanou and starring Sean Penn, Ed Harris and Gary Oldman, also featuring Robin Wright, John Turturro, and John C. Reilly. Written by playwright Dennis McIntyre, the film was executive-produced by Ned Dowd, Randy Ostrow, and Ron Rotholz, with a musical score by Ennio Morricone.


title: State of Grace (1990 film)

text: Although the film was not a box office success and its release overshadowed by that of the similarly-themed "Goodfellas", it was received positively by most critics. Shot on location in New York City, the film was inspired by the real-life Hell's Kitchen gang, the Westies.


title: State of Grace (1990 film)

text: Irish-American Terry Noonan returns to Hell's Kitchen in New York City after a long absence, where his unpredictable childhood friend Jackie Flannery is involved in an Irish crime organization run by older brother Frank. Terry rekindles an old relationship with Jackie's sister Kathleen.


title: State of Grace (1990 film)

text: Terry is actually an undercover cop, and confesses it to Kathleen. She is reluctant to have anything to do with him after being told by her brother Frank that Terry is now a member of his gang after killing two people, although Terry explains to Kathleen the killing was staged by his police boss Nick, with blanks used.


title: State of Grace (1990 film)

text: Jackie is drinking in a bar one night when three members of a rival Italian gang enter. Suspecting their involvement in the killing of his friend, Stevie, Jackie snaps and ends up killing all three for intruding on his gang's territory. Frank is summoned to a meeting with Italian Mafia boss Joe Borelli and is told he must kill his brother Jackie. Frank has told his men to lie in wait in case the meeting goes wrong, and manages to avert a shoot out by hugging the Italian leader outside the restaurant in full view of the gang, causing them to retreat.


title: State of Grace (1990 film)

text: Frank arranges for Jackie to collect $25,000 after lying to him that the Italians are actually supporting them and that this is their reward, telling him to go to Battery Park. Terry tags along as Jackie's secret backup, finding that the location has been changed to Pier 84. As they wait at Pier 84, Frank arrives with his enforcer Pat Nicholson just as Terry has stepped away to frantically phone his police handlers to inform them that they have been sent to the wrong location. Frank shoots Jackie in cold blood. The police finally arrive and Terry tells Nick that he is quitting as an undercover operative.


title: State of Grace (1990 film)

text: At Jackie's funeral, Terry reveals to Frank that he was at Pier 84, and also hands him his police badge. Hours later, while Kathleen is watching the St. Patrick's Day parade alone, Terry goes to the bar where Frank and his gang are. In a shootout, Frank and all of his men are killed. Having been shot three times, Terry slumps to the floor.


title: State of Grace (1990 film)

text: The film was released on a limited basis on September 14, 1990. First-week box office totaled $179,927 (14 screens).


title: State of Grace (1990 film)

text: According to "The Numbers" web site, the film was in circulation a few weeks and appeared on 335 screens in its widest release. Total receipts were $1,911,542.


title: State of Grace (1990 film)

text: Ebert believed the difficulty "State of Grace" had at the box office was due to another film with the same theme being released the same week, Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas".


title: State of Grace (1990 film)

text: "State of Grace" was generally well received by critics. Of the reviews collected from notable publications by popular review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an overall approval rating of 84% from 25 critics. The consensus summarizes: ""State of Grace" brings an impressive ensemble cast to bear on its epic gangster saga, elevating a largely familiar story with outstanding performances."


title: State of Grace (1990 film)

text: Janet Maslin, film critic for "The New York Times," wrote, "Mr. Joanou attempts to capture the sense of place that defines urban crime, and the ethnic and territorial distinctions that give it shape. He is successful much of the time here." Maslin praised Oldman and Harris, writing, "Jackie Flannery is played by the phenomenal Gary Oldman, who since "Sid and Nancy" has taken on a string of new accents and dramatic identities with stunning ease", and "Jackie's icy older brother ... is played by Ed Harris with an eeriness to match Mr. Oldman's."


title: State of Grace (1990 film)

text: Critic Vincent Leo praised Penn's performance, noting, "While Oldman gets the accolades for his energetic performance, it is really Penn's inner demons that provides the film with the right amount of conflict, always letting us be aware that fine lines are the difference between life and death, as well as right and wrong, out in the streets of New York. Is Penn doing the noble thing by taking down the criminals, or is he a rat bastard, disowning himself from the way of life and people who helped him along the way? It's the question that makes him sick to the pit of his stomach, and Penn shows it in his face with almost every scene."


title: State of Grace (1990 film)

text: Roger Ebert, film critic of the "Chicago Sun-Times", felt the film begins as "original and challenging" but then "turns into a story filled with familiar elements". He nevertheless awarded it three stars out of four and had particular praise for the work of Gary Oldman, writing: "Oldman's performance in the movie is the best thing about it...What's best about "State of Grace" is what's unique to it - the twisted vision of the Oldman character, who lives in a world of evil and betrayal and has somehow thought himself around to the notion that he is doing the right thing."


title: State of Grace (1990 film)

text: "State of Grace" has been recognized as a cult classic. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio cited Oldman's performance as one of his inspirations, adding that it "influenced an entire generation of actors".


title: State of Grace (1990 film)

text: The original soundtrack was released on October 1, 1990, by MCA. The CD has eighteen tracks, is 53:45 in length, and features a score composed, orchestrated and conducted by Ennio Morricone.


title: Eunectes

text: Eunectes is a genus of boas found in tropical South America commonly called anacondas. They are a semiaquatic group of snakes and include one of the largest snakes in the world, "E. murinus", the green anaconda. Four species are currently recognized.


title: Eunectes

text: The recent fossil record of "Eunectes" is relatives sparse compared to other vertebrates and other genera of snakes. The fossil record of the this group is effected by an artifact called the Pull of the Recent. Fossils of recent ancestors are not known, so the living species ‘pull’ the historical range of the genus to the present.


title: Eunectes

text: All four species are aquatic snakes that prey on other aquatic animals, including fish, river fowl, and caiman. Videos exist of anacondas preying on domestic animals such as goats and sometimes even jaguars that venture too close to the water.


title: Eunectes

text: While encounters between people and anacondas may be dangerous, they do not regularly hunt humans. Nevertheless, threat from anacondas is a familiar trope in comics, movies and adventure stories set in the Amazon jungle. Anacondas have also figured prominently in South American folklore, where they are sometimes depicted as shapeshifting mythical creatures called encantados. Local communities and some European explorers have given accounts of giant anacondas, legendary snakes of much greater proportion than any confirmed specimen.


title: Eunectes

text: Although charismatic, there is little known on the biology of wild anacondas. Most of our knowledge comes from the work of Dr. Jesús A. Rivas and his team working in the Venezuelan llanos.


title: Eunectes

text: The mating seasons in "Eunectes" varies both between species and within species depending on locality, although the trend appears to be the dry season. The green anaconda "(E. murinus)" is the most well-studied species of "Eunectes" in terms of their mating system, followed by the yellow anaconda "(E. notaeus)"; unfortunately "E. deschauenseei" and "E. beniensis" are much less common, making the specific details of their mating systems much less well understood.


title: Eunectes

text: Sexual size dimorphism in "Eunectes" is the opposite of most other vertebrates. Females are larger than males in most snakes, and green anacondas "(E. murinus)" have one of the most extreme size differences, where females average roughly and males average only around . This size difference has several benefits for both sexes. Large size in females leads to higher fecundity and larger offspring; as a result male mate choice favours larger females. Large size is also favoured in males because larger males tend to be more successful at reproducing, both because of their size advantage in endurance rivalry and their advantage in sperm competition because larger males are able to produce more sperm. One reason that males are so much smaller in "Eunectes" is that large males can be confused for females, which interferes with their ability to mate when smaller males mistakenly coil them in breeding balls; as a result, there is an optimum size for males where they are large enough to successfully compete, but not large enough to risk other males trying to mate with them.


title: Eunectes

text: During the mating season female anacondas release pheromones to attract males for breeding, which can result in polyandrous breeding balls; these breeding balls have been observed in "E. murinus", "E. notaeus", and "E. deschauenseei", and likely also occur in "E. beniensis". In the green anaconda "(E. murinus)" up to 13 males have been observed in a breeding ball, which have been recorded to last two weeks on average. In anaconda breeding balls, several males coil around one female and attempt to position themselves as close to her cloaca as possible where they use their pelvic spurs to "tickle" and encourage her to allow penetration. Since there are often many males present and only one male can mate with the female at a time, the success of a male often depends on his persistence and endurance, because physical combat is not a part of the "Eunectes" mating ritual, apart from firmly pushing against other males in an attempt to secure the best position on the female.


title: Eunectes

text: Cannibalism is quite easy in anacondas since females are so much larger than males, but sexual cannibalism has only been confirmed in "E. murinus". Females gain the direct benefit of a post-copulatory high-protein meal when they consume their mates, along with the indirect benefit of additional resources to use for the formation of offspring; cannibalism in general (outside of the breeding season) has been confirmed in all but "E. deschauenseei", although it is likely that it occurs in all "Eunectes" species.


title: Eunectes

text: Although sexual reproduction is by far the most common in "Eunectes", "E. murinus" has been observed to undergo facultative parthenogenesis. In both cases, the females had lived in isolation from other anacondas for over eight years, and DNA analysis showed that the few fully formed offspring were genetically identical to the mothers; although this is not commonly observed, it is likely possible in all species of "Eunectes" and several other species of Boidae.


title: 2018 New England Patriots season

text: The 2018 season was the New England Patriots' 49th in the National Football League (NFL), their 59th overall and their 19th under head coach Bill Belichick. The Patriots entered the season as two-time defending AFC champions.


title: 2018 New England Patriots season

text: The Patriots' losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions in Week 2 and 3 marked the franchise's first back-to-back double-digit losses since 2002. After this slow 1–2 start, the Patriots improved to 7–2 after Week 9. Following a notable Week 14 loss to the Miami Dolphins, the Patriots could not match their 13–3 record from 2017. A defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15 meant the Patriots had lost five games for the first time since 2009. After a win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 16, the Patriots clinched the AFC East for the tenth consecutive season, surpassing the Dallas Cowboys (1975–1983) and the Indianapolis Colts (2002–2010) for the most consecutive playoff appearances. New England went undefeated at home with a Week 17 win over the New York Jets in which they clinched a first-round bye, and wrapped up the regular season with an 11–5 record that gave them the AFC's 2nd seed in the postseason. Despite their five losses, the team achieved the rare distinction of going unbeaten against teams that qualified for the playoffs.


title: 2018 New England Patriots season

text: The 2018 Patriots became the second team ever in the four major American sports leagues to win at least 10 straight division titles, joining Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves (1991–2005, excluding the strike-shortened 1994 season). The Patriots also secured their 16th-straight 10-win season, tying the San Francisco 49ers' league record streak, set from 1983–98. Notable records set during the season include QB Tom Brady achieving the record for most career passing touchdowns (including playoffs).


title: 2018 New England Patriots season

text: In the playoffs, the Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in the Divisional round, 41–28, to advance to the AFC Championship game for a record eighth straight season. The Patriots defeated the Chiefs, 37–31 in overtime, to advance to the Super Bowl for a third straight year, becoming only the third team in NFL history to appear in three or more consecutive Super Bowls (joining the 1971–73 Miami Dolphins and 1990–93 Buffalo Bills). In Super Bowl LIII, they faced the Los Angeles Rams in a rematch of Super Bowl XXXVI, in which the Patriots defeated the then-St. Louis Rams 20–17. The Patriots won the rematch as well by a score of 13–3 to win their sixth Super Bowl, tying the Pittsburgh Steelers for most Super Bowl championships in NFL history.


title: 2018 New England Patriots season

text: On February 5, 2018, the Detroit Lions hired Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia to serve as head coach.


title: 2018 New England Patriots season

text: On February 6, the Indianapolis Colts announced hiring Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as their new head coach. The next day, McDaniels abruptly rejected the offer citing personal reasons, and decided to stay a part of the Patriots' organization. The controversy surrounding this decision led McDaniels' then-agent Bob LaMonte to terminate their professional relationship.


title: 2018 New England Patriots season

text: Wide receiver Julian Edelman was suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. Edelman, who missed the entire 2017 season due to a torn ACL suffered during the preseason, unsuccessfully appealed the suspension, and returned to the Patriots' roster for the team's Week 5 Thursday Night game vs. the Indianapolis Colts on October 4.


title: 2018 New England Patriots season

text: On December 20, 2018, Wide receiver Josh Gordon was suspended indefinitely for violating the terms of his reinstatement under the league's substance abuse policy. This is the second time Gordon was suspended indefinitely by the league.


title: 2018 New England Patriots season

text: The Patriots faced the Jaguars in a rematch of the previous season's AFC Championship Game. The Patriots started off well, reaching Jaguars territory in just four plays, but the drive stalled, and Stephen Gostkowski missed a 54-yard field goal attempt. With great field position, the Jaguars raced 56 yards in 9 plays, scoring on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Blake Bortles to Donte Moncrief for the early lead. After a three-and-out, Patriots' punter Ryan Allen pinned the Jaguars back at their own 16-yard line. The Jaguars took the ball and cashed in, marching 84 yards on just 7 plays, with Bortles hitting Keelan Cole on a 24-yard touchdown pass, extending the Jags lead to 14–0. After stopping the Jaguars early in the second quarter, the Patriots drove 83 yards in over 8 minutes, but were forced to settle for a 29-yard field goal, trimming the deficit to 14–3. However, the Patriots defense was gashed again, with the Jags racing 75 yards, concluding with Bortles 4-yard touchdown pass to Austin Seferian-Jenkins and a 21–3 Jaguars lead with 0:09 seconds remaining in the half. The Jags started right where they left off, taking the opening drive of the second half all the way to the Patriots 10, but were held to a 28-yard field goal by Josh Lambo. After another Patriots punt, Bottles hit D. J. Chark for a 13-yard gain to the Jaguars 49, but Stephon Gilmore forced him to fumble with Duron Harmon recovering at the Jags 46. With the excellent field position, the Patriots finally reached the endzone with Brady finding Chris Hogan for a 7-yard touchdown pass to cap off the 46-yard drive, trimming the deficit to 24–10. After a Jaguars three-and-out, the Patriots drove all the way to the Jags 28, but settled for a 46-yard field goal, making the score just 24–13. Bortles made his only real mistake on the next drive, throwing an interception to Kyle Van Noy at the Jags 25 early in the fourth quarter. The Patriots were set up perfectly, it appeared to be a vintage Brady comeback, but on 3rd down, Dante Fowler stripped Brady and recovered the resultant fumble at the Jags 32. The Patriots forced a Jaguars punt and had another shot, but went three-and-out. On the next play from scrimmage for Jacksonville, Bottles hit Dede Westbrook for a 61-yard touchdown pass, extending the lead to 31–13. The Patriots marched 75 yards in 8 plays on their next drive with Brady connecting with Hogan again for a 29-yard touchdown pass, making the score 31–20; however, by now less than 4 minutes remained in the game. The Jags ran out the rest of the clock to win the game, their first ever regular season victory over the Pats, while the Patriots fell to 1–1.


title: 2018 New England Patriots season

text: After a Patriots three-and-out opened the game, the Lions marched 65 yards in 12 plays, taking over 7 minutes off the clock and facing only one 3rd down before settling for a 38-yard field goal by Matt Prater. After another Patriots three-and-out and set up with good field position, the Lions marched 60 yards in over 5 minutes to score on a 4-yard pass from Matthew Stafford to Kenny Golladay. Stafford completed all 5 pass attempts on the drive for 44 yards and the Lions didn't even face a 3rd down. The Patriots offense continued to appear lifeless with another three-and-out. Meanwhile, the Lions' efficiency shined again by slowly moving 71 yards, converting three 3rd downs and eating over seven more minutes off the clock, before settling for a 25-yard field goal, upping the Lions lead to 13–0. After 9 plays for 13 yards on their first three drives combined, the Patriots marched 57 yards to the Lions' 18, settling for a 36-yard field goal and trailed 13–3 at halftime. On 3rd down, just over a minute into the third quarter, Stafford was intercepted by linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley at the Patriots 48. The Patriots look excellent on their next drive, racing 52 yards in just 7 plays with Brady hitting James White for a 10-yard touchdown, trimming the deficit to 13–10. The Lions continued their clock-draining game plan on their next drive, tracking 75 yards in over six minutes and converting three 3rd downs before Stafford bombed Marvin Jones Jr. for a 33-yard touchdown, pushing the score to 20–10 late in the 3rd quarter. After a Patriots' punt, the Lions drove all the way to the Patriots' 14, but settled for a 32-yard field goal, increasing their lead to 23–10 a few minutes into the fourth quarter. Two possessions later, from the Patriots' 43, Brady heaved a desperation pass that was intercepted by Darius Slay, who returned it 34 yards to the Lions' 49, but an illegal block penalty sent the ball back to the 19. After a Lions' punt, the Patriots turned the ball over on downs. The Lions closed out the scoring with a 30-yard field goal, making the final score 26–10. The Patriots drove to the Lions' 40, but the clock expired.


title: 2018 New England Patriots season

text: With the loss (their first to Detroit since the 2000 season), the Patriots fell to 1–2 for the first time since the 2012 season. The Lions were able to blanket the Patriots' receivers, stifling the Patriots' offense. The Lions had an excellent balanced attack with 159 yards rushing to go along with 255 yards passing from Stafford. The Patriots newest acquisition, superstar wide receiver Josh Gordon, was inactive for the game. Ironically, the Patriots' last loss to the Lions in 2000 was also Tom Brady's first ever NFL game, where he only appeared in the final seconds and completed one-of-three passes for 6 yards in a 34–9 loss.


title: 2018 New England Patriots season

text: After taking the opening kickoff, a 22-yard pass from Ryan Tannehill to Kenny Stills helped the Dolphins reach midfield. On 2nd-and-7 from midfield, Dolphins offensive lineman Daniel Kilgore was flagged for holding, killing the drive, and the Dolphins punted. Starting at their own 24, the Patriots reached as far as the Dolphins 1-yard line, but were forced to settle for a 20-yard field goal and a 3–0 lead. After a Dolphins punt, the Patriots gave it right back when Brady was intercepted at the Dolphins 36 by Bobby McCain. The Dolphins went three-and-out, but the Patriots drove 67 yards to score on Brady's 55-yard touchdown pass to Cordarrelle Patterson, extending the Patriots lead to 10–0. Both teams punted on their next drive, but midway through the 2nd quarter, Tannehill fumbled the snap with Kyle Van Noy recovering for the Patriots at the Dolphins 22. On the very next play, James White scampered to the end zone on a 22-yard run, giving the Patriots a 17–0 lead which was their largest of the season to this point. The Dolphins offense continued to go in reverse on another three-and-out. The Patriots responded by converting four 3rd downs on a 15-play, 85-yard drive, scoring with Brady's 9-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Phillip Dorsett to go up 24–0 with 0:17 seconds remaining in the first half. After both teams punted on their initial second-half possession, the Patriots marched 59 yards in just over five minutes, with Brady capping off another touchdown drive with his 14-yard touchdown pass to White, blowing the game open with a 31–0 lead. The Dolphins reached the Patriots 45 on their next possession, but Tannehill's desperation pass was intercepted at the 10-yard line by J. C. Jackson. The Patriots hot streak continued with a 12 play, 90-yard drive, scoring on a 12-yard touchdown run from rookie running back Sony Michel, his first career rushing touchdown. After yet another three-and-out from the Dolphins, the Patriots drove to the Dolphins 32, but Brady was intercepted at the Dolphins 14 by Minkah Fitzpatrick who returned it 11 yards to the Dolphins 25. With Tannehill pulled from the game, old Patriots' nemesis Brock Osweiler led the Dolphins 75 yards in 7:30, scoring on his 6-yard touchdown pass to Frank Gore, making the score 38–7 with less than three minutes remaining in the game. The Patriots ran the rest of the clock out to end the game. With the exception of the two turnovers, the Patriots dominated the Dolphins in every aspect of the game, outgaining them 446–172 and holding the ball for 14 minutes longer. Tom Brady threw for 274 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Michel had his best game of the season to date with 25 carries for 112 yards and a touchdown. White had the best day overall with 16 touches for 112 total yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. The Patriots avoided a 3-game losing streak for the first time since 2002 or a 1–3 start for the first time since their 2001 Super Bowl-winning season.


title: 2018 New England Patriots season

text: The Patriots faced the Colts on Thursday Night Football, with Brady hoping to remain undefeated against Andrew Luck.


title: 2018 New England Patriots season

text: The Patriots took the opening kickoff and marched 75 yards in over 6 minutes, scoring on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady to Cordarrelle Patterson for the early lead. The next possession ended in a punt for both teams, but on the Colts' second possession, they drove from their own 6 to the Patriots 20, but ageless wonder Adam Vinatieri missed a 38-yard field goal attempt off the left upright. The Patriots took advantage off the missed opportunity and raced 72 yards to score on Brady's 1-yard touchdown run, extending the Patriots' lead to 14–0 early in the second quarter. The Colts drove to the Patriots 36 on their next drive and Vinatieri redeemed himself with a 54-yard field goal. After both teams punted on their resultant drive, the Patriots raced 68 yards to score on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Brady to James White for a 21–3 lead. Following this, Luck was intercepted at the Patriots 49 by Patrick Chung who returned it 2 yards to the 49 of the Colts with less than a minute remaining in the first half. With the excellent field position, the Patriots reached the Colts' 27 and took a commanding 24–3 lead into halftime after a 45-yard field goal from placekicker Stephen Gostkowski. Early in the third quarter, Chester Rogers returned a punt from Ryan Allen 33 yards to Patriots 35. It took the Colts just 4 plays to score on a 14-yard pass from Luck to Eric Ebron, trimming the deficit to 24–10. The Patriots drove to the Colts 30 on their next drive, but Matthias Farley intercepted Brady's pass at the 23 and returned it 7 yards to the Colts' 30. But four plays later, Jordan Wilkins fumbled after a 9-yard catch with Devin McCourty recovering for the Patriots at midfield. The Patriots drove to the Colts' 25, but the turnover streak continued when Brady was intercepted at the Colts' 4 by Najee Goode who returned it 16 yards to the Colts' 20. The Colts proceeded to drive 80 yards in 10 plays with Luck finding Erik Swoope for a 13-yard touchdown pass, trimming the Patriots' lead to a thin 24–17 early in the fourth quarter. However, any hope for a Colts comeback died when the Patriots marched 75 yards to score on a 34-yard touchdown bomb from Brady to Josh Gordon, widening the Patriots lead to 31–17. Any chance of a miraculous comeback died on the Colts' next drive when Luck was intercepted at the Patriots 38 by Jonathan Jones who returned it 28 yards to the Colts' 34. On the very next play, Sony Michel scored on a 34-yard touchdown burst, putting the game out of reach with a 38–17 Patriots lead. The Colts turned the ball over on downs on their next drive, but after forcing the Patriots to punt, marched 60 yards to score on Luck's 1-yard touchdown pass to Ebron. The Patriots ran out the rest of the clock to win the game 38–24.


title: 2018 New England Patriots season

text: Tom Brady completed 34/44 passes for 341 yards and 3 TDs but threw 2 interceptions while Michel ran the ball 18 times for 98 yards and a touchdown. Andrew Luck threw for 365 yards and 3 TDs but threw 2 costly interceptions.


title: 2018 New England Patriots season

text: With the win, the Patriots improved to 6–2. Devin McCourty's interception return marked the first defensive touchdown for the Patriots since the 2015 season, breaking a league-leading 40-game drought.


title: 2018 New England Patriots season

text: Rematch between Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. With the win, the Patriots improved to 7–2. This was the first game of the season where the Patriots defense did not record an interception, after recording at least one in each of their first eight games.


title: 2018 New England Patriots season

text: This was the Pats' first loss to Tennessee in 16 years; coincidentally, it was also at Nissan Stadium (then known as Adelphia Coliseum). The blowout loss ended the Pats' six-game winning streak as they fell to 7–3. It was also the Pats’ first time meeting with former players Malcolm Butler and Dion Lewis since leaving the Pats to join the Titans in free agency.


title: 2018 New England Patriots season

text: The Patriots lost to the Dolphins on a last second lateral at the end of regulation. With the heartbreaking loss, the Patriots fell to 9–4 for the first time since 2006.


title: 2018 New England Patriots season

text: This was the Pats' first loss to Pittsburgh for the first time since 2011 with a final score of 10–17. With the loss, the Patriots fell to 9–5 for the first time since 2008.


title: 2018 New England Patriots season

text: After receiver Josh Gordon left the team and was later suspended, the Patriots relied on their run game and defense against Buffalo. The Pats clinched their 10th straight AFC East title with the win (though in the event of a loss to Buffalo, Miami's loss to Jacksonville also would've clinched the division for New England), improving their record to 10–5, and for the second time this season, denied a 3-game losing streak for the first time since 2002. With the Houston Texans' loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Patriots moved to the #2 seed in the AFC, and would have the chance to secure a playoff bye with a win in the following week's game. Tom Brady eclipsed 4,000 yards at the same time as Philip Rivers, becoming the third and fourth quarterback in NFL history to reach 4,000 yards in 10 seasons or more, joining Peyton Manning & Drew Brees.


title: 2018 New England Patriots season

text: The Pats finish the 2018 season undefeated at home, and an 11–5 record overall, their first in 10 years and with the win, the Patriots clinched a 1st round bye for the 9th straight year.


title: Uniq (band)

text: Uniq (Hangul: 유니크; stylized UNIQ) is a five-member South Korean–Chinese boy band formed by Chinese company Yuehua Entertainment in 2014. The group consists of Zhou Yixuan, Kim Sung-joo, Li Wenhan, Cho Seung-youn, and Wang Yibo. Uniq officially debuted on October 20, 2014 with their debut single "Falling In Love" in both China and South Korea.


title: Uniq (band)

text: Uniq was initially planned as a YG Entertainment boy group, with the five members spending between two to five years at YG as trainees. Uniq was to be a collaborative effort with the Chinese company Yuehua Entertainment. Ultimately, the group debuted solely under Yuehua.


title: Uniq (band)

text: On October 16, 2014, Uniq had their first broadcast performance in South Korea, on "M Countdown". Their debut single, "Falling In Love", was released on October 20 in both China and South Korea. The group released the English adaptation of "Falling in Love" on November 5. Uniq had their first Chinese event, their fanmeet in Beijing on November 25. On November 27, Uniq began promotions in Taiwan and held a press conference on December 1. Uniq's three episode reality show "The Best Debut" began airing on December 2 on the Chinese online video platform, iQiyi.


title: Uniq (band)

text: Early in their debut, Uniq was chosen to participate in the OST for the movies "TMNT" and "Penguins of Madagascar". On October 23, they released the song "Born to Fight" for the Chinese release of TNMT. On November 10, they released "Celebrate" for the Chinese release of "Penguins of Madagascar".


title: Uniq (band)

text: In January 2015, Uniq became endorsers for Xtep, a Chinese athletic brand. In February 2015, Uniq began promoting a Chinese beauty shop, Mix-Box, replacing Ko Chen-tung as the official endorser.


title: Uniq (band)

text: In April, Yuehua Entertainment announced Uniq's comeback with their first mini album titled "EOEO". On April 22 they held their first comeback broadcast performance on MBC's Show Champion, performing their title track "EOEO" and "Listen to Me". On April 23, Uniq made their official comeback in China, performing "Listen to Me" at the KU Music Asian Music Awards. They were also awarded with KU Music Asian Music Awards' "Best New Artist" the same day. On April 24, Uniq released their mini album and the official music video for "EOEO". After the release of "EOEO", the music video reached number 3 on the YinYueTai Weekly MV Chart.


title: Uniq (band)

text: On May 22, Uniq released the official music video for their follow up track "Luv Again". Uniq achieved their first music show award on CCTV's Global Chinese Music chart on May 23. Uniq broke the record for most wins on Global Chinese Music Chart with three wins by non-live voting and three wins by live voting, beating the record previously held by EXO-M in 2014.


title: Uniq (band)

text: Uniq held their first showcases in Japan on July 19 and July 20 in Osaka and Tokyo respectively marking their debut in Japan.


title: Uniq (band)

text: To commemorate their one year since debut, Uniq released their second digital album, "Best Friend", on October 16. Uniq announced their 1st Anniversary Tour to be held in Beijing, Shanghai, and Japan. Uniq returned to Japan in November holding fanmeets across the country in Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka before ending the Japan tour in Tokyo. At this time, they released a special Japanese single album, "Best Friend," which includes the Japanese, Korean and Instrumental versions of "Best Friend." UNIQ concluded the tour in Beijing on November 28. The Shanghai stop was postponed, however a new date was never announced.


title: Uniq (band)

text: On December 7, Uniq released "Erase Your Little Sadness." On December 28, Uniq released "Happy New Year", with labelmate, Cosmic Girls, making a guest appearance in the music video. The song debuted at #4 position in China V Chart.


title: Uniq (band)

text: Uniq began Inke endorsements in February 2016, a Chinese live-streaming app. In March 24, the group released the song "My Dream" for the soundtrack of the movie "MBA Partners", debuting at #3 position in China V Chart. Yixuan, Wenhan and Sungjoo went on a two-week-long roadshow in 14 cities to promote the movie.


title: Uniq (band)

text: Uniq released a Japanese single album in December 2016, "Falling in Love". Japanese versions of "Falling in Love" and "Listen to Me" are included in the single. Uniq held a Live Meet and Greet in Japan on December 10, and a fan signing and photo event on December 11.


title: Uniq (band)

text: On January 19, 2017, the group released the single "Happy New Year 2017". The song was written by Zhou Yixuan and brings the freshness of the year that begins. Yibo was unable to participate in the music video and the recording of the song due to scheduling conflicts. In the MV, Yixuan, Sungjoo, Wenhan, and Seungyoun assembled a snowman that represents Yibo.


title: Uniq (band)

text: The group has been on indefinite hiatus since 2018, although they have not officially disbanded, while the members have pursued independent projects. Yibo has pursued acting projects, while Wenhan debuted in the group UNINE, Yixuan debuted in the group New Storm and Seungyoun in X1. Sungjoo enlisted for his military service.


title: Uniq (band)

text: On October 16, 2020, for their 6th anniversary of debuting, Yixuan released the song "Remember That Day When We" dedicated to the Uniq members and the fans.


title: Académie Française

text: The Académie Française (), also known as the French Academy, is the principal French council for matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution, it was restored as a division of the Institut de France in 1803 by Napoleon Bonaparte. It is the oldest of the five of the institute. The body has the duty of acting as an official authority on the language; it is tasked with publishing an official dictionary of the language.


title: Académie Française

text: The Académie comprises forty members, known as ("the immortals"). New members are elected by the members of the Académie itself. Academicians normally hold office for life, but they may resign or be dismissed for misconduct. Philippe Pétain, named Marshal of France after the Battle of Verdun of World War I, was elected to the Académie in 1931 and, after his governorship of Vichy France in World War II, was forced to resign his seat in 1945.


title: Académie Française

text: The Académie had its origins in an informal literary group deriving from the salons held at the Hôtel de Rambouillet during the late 1620s and early 1630s. The group began meeting at Valentin Conrart's house, seeking informality. There were then nine members. Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister of France, made himself protector of the group, and in anticipation of the formal creation of the academy, new members were appointed in 1634. On 22 February 1635, at Richelieu's urging, King Louis XIII granted letters patent formally establishing the council; according to the letters patent registered at the Parlement de Paris on 10 July 1637, the Académie Française was "to labor with all the care and diligence possible, to give exact rules to our language, to render it capable of treating the arts and sciences". The Académie Française has remained responsible for the regulation of French grammar, spelling, and literature.


title: Académie Française

text: Richelieu's model, the first academy devoted to eliminating the "impurities" of a language, was the Accademia della Crusca, founded in Florence in 1582, which formalized the already dominant position of the Tuscan dialect of Florence as the model for Italian; the Florentine academy had published its "Vocabolario" in 1612.


title: Académie Française

text: During the French Revolution, the National Convention suppressed all royal academies, including the Académie Française. In 1792, the election of new members to replace those who died was prohibited; in 1793, the academies were themselves abolished. They were all replaced in 1795 by a single body called the Institut de France, or Institute of France. Napoleon Bonaparte, as First Consul, decided to restore the former academies, but only as "classes" or divisions of the Institut de France. The second class of the Institut was responsible for the French language, and corresponded to the former Académie Française. When King Louis XVIII came to the throne in 1816, each class regained the title of "Académie"; accordingly, the second class of the Institut became the Académie Française. Since 1816, the existence of the Académie Française has been uninterrupted.


title: Académie Française

text: The President of France is the "protector" or patron of the Académie. Cardinal Richelieu originally adopted this role; upon his death in 1642, Pierre Séguier, the Chancellor of France, succeeded him. King Louis XIV adopted the function when Séguier died in 1672; since then, the French head of state has always served as the Académie's protector. From 1672 to 1805, the official meetings of the Académie were in the Louvre; since 1805, the Académie Française has met in the Collège des Quatre-Nations (known now as the Palais de l'Institut). The remaining academies of the Institut de France also meet in the Palais de l'Institut.


title: Académie Française

text: The Académie Française has forty seats, each of which is assigned a separate number. Candidates make their applications for a specific seat, not to the Académie in general: if several seats are vacant, a candidate may apply separately for each. Since a newly elected member is required to eulogize their predecessor in the installation ceremony, it is not uncommon that potential candidates refuse to apply for particular seats because they dislike the predecessors.


title: Académie Française

text: Members are known as ("the Immortals") in reference to the Académie's motto, ("To Immortality"), which is inscribed on the official seal of the charter granted by Cardinal Richelieu.


title: Académie Française

text: One of the is chosen by their colleagues to be the Académie's Perpetual Secretary. The Secretary is called "Perpetual", as though the holder serves for life, but holds the ability to resign, they may thereafter be styled as "Honorary Perpetual Secretary", with three post-World War II Perpetual Secretaries having previously resigned due to old age. The Perpetual Secretary acts as a chairperson and chief representative of the Académie. The two other officers, a Director and a Chancellor, are elected for three-month terms. The most senior member, by date of election, is the Dean of the Académie.


title: Académie Française

text: New members are elected by the Académie itself; the original members were appointed. When a seat becomes vacant, a person may apply to the Secretary if they wish to become a candidate. Alternatively, existing members may nominate other candidates. A candidate is elected by a majority of votes from voting members. A quorum is twenty members. If no candidate receives an absolute majority, another election must be performed at a later date. The election is valid only if the protector of the Académie, the President of France, grants their approval. The President's approbation, however, is only a formality.


title: Académie Française

text: The new member is then installed at a meeting of the Académie. The new member must deliver a speech to the Académie, which includes a eulogy for the member being replaced. This is followed by a speech made by one of the members. Eight days thereafter, a public reception is held, during which the new member makes a speech thanking their colleagues for their election. On one occasion, one newly-installed member, Georges de Porto-Riche, was not accorded a reception, as the eulogy he made of his predecessor was considered unsatisfactory, and he refused to rewrite it. Georges Clemenceau refused to be received, as he feared being received by his enemy, Raymond Poincaré.


title: Académie Française

text: Members remain in the Académie for life. However, the council may dismiss an academician for grave misconduct. The first dismissal occurred in 1638, when Auger de Moléon de Granier was expelled for theft. The most recent dismissals occurred at the end of World War II: Philippe Pétain, Abel Bonnard, Abel Hermant, and Charles Maurras were all excluded for their association with the Vichy regime. In total, 20 members have been expelled from the Académie.


title: Académie Française

text: There have been a total of 732 , of whom nine were women (the first, Marguerite Yourcenar, was elected in 1980 – besides those elected, 25 women have been candidates, with the first in 1874). Individuals who are not citizens of France may be, and have been, elected. Moreover, although most academicians are writers, it is not necessary to be a member of the literary profession to become a member. The Académie has included numerous politicians, lawyers, scientists, historians, philosophers, and senior Roman Catholic clergymen. Five French heads of state have been members - Adolphe Thiers, Raymond Poincaré, Paul Deschanel, Philippe Pétain, and Valéry Giscard d'Estaing - and one foreign head of state, the poet Léopold Sédar Senghor of Senegal, who was also the first African elected, in 1983. Other famous members include Voltaire; Charles, baron de Montesquieu; Victor Hugo; Alexandre Dumas, fils; Émile Littré; Louis Pasteur; Louis de Broglie; and Henri Poincaré.


title: Académie Française

text: Many notable French writers have not become members of the Académie Française. In 1855, the writer Arsène Houssaye devised the expression "forty-first seat" for deserving individuals who were never elected to the Académie, either because their candidacies were rejected, because they were never candidates, or because they died before appropriate vacancies arose. Notable French authors who never became academicians include Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Jean-Paul Sartre, Joseph de Maistre, Honoré de Balzac, René Descartes, Denis Diderot, Romain Rolland, Charles Baudelaire, Gustave Flaubert, Molière, Marcel Proust, Jules Verne, Théophile Gautier, and Émile Zola.


title: Académie Française

text: The official uniform of a member is known as , or green clothing. The , worn at the Académie's formal ceremonies, was first adopted during Napoleon Bonaparte's reorganization of the Institut de France. It consists of a long black coat and black-feathered bicorne, both richly embroidered with green leafy motifs, together with black trousers or skirt. Further, members other than clergy carry a ceremonial sword ().


title: Académie Française

text: The members bear the cost of their uniforms themselves. The robes cost around $50,000, and Amin Maalouf said that his induction cost him some $230,000 overall.


title: Académie Française

text: The Académie is France's official authority on the usages, vocabulary, and grammar of the French language.


title: Académie Française

text: The Académie publishes a dictionary of the French language, known as the , which is regarded as official in France. A special commission composed of several (but not all) of the members of the Académie compiles the work.


title: Académie Française

text: The Académie has published thirteen editions of the dictionary, of which three were preliminary, eight were complete, and two were supplements for specialised words. These are:


title: Académie Française

text: The Académie is continuing work on the ninth edition, of which the first volume ("A" to "Enzyme") appeared in 1992, to was published in 2000, and to in 2011. In 1778, the Académie attempted to compile a "historical dictionary" of the French language; this idea, however, was later abandoned, the work never progressing past the letter "A".


title: Académie Française

text: As the use of English terms by media increased over the years, the Académie has tried to prevent the Anglicization of the French language. For example, the Académie has recommended the avoidance of loanwords from modern English (such as "walkman", "computer", "software" and "e-mail"), in favour of neologisms, i.e. newly coined French words derived from existing ones (', ', ', and ' respectively).


title: Académie Française

text: However, the Académie has also noted that anglicisms have been present in the French language since the 1700s, and has criticized the view that anglicisms present an "invasion" on the French language. It distinguishes anglicisms into three categories: some that are useful to the French language and introduced vocabulary which didn't have a French equivalent at the time (the Académie cites the word ""confortable"" as an example, from the English "comfortable"); others that are detrimental and only establish more confusion as the original meaning of the word is distorted in translation; and others still that are useless or avoidable, a category of anglicisms used by "snobs" who use words from an English provenance to demarcate themselves from society and appear "in vogue". For the last category of anglicisms, the Académie writes that those words are typically short-lived in French parlance. The Académie Française has informed government officials to stop using English gaming terms like "e-sports", it should be "jeu video de competition". Likewise "streamer" should be "joueur-animateur en direct".


title: Académie Française

text: The Académie, despite working on the modernization of the French orthography, has sometimes been criticized by many linguists for allegedly behaving in an overly conservative manner.


title: Académie Française

text: A recent controversy involved the officialization of feminine equivalents for the names of several professions. For instance, in 1997, Lionel Jospin's government began using the feminine noun ""la ministre"" to refer to a female minister, following the official practice of Canada, Belgium and Switzerland and a frequent, though until then unofficial, practice in France. The Académie, however, insisted in accordance with French grammar rules on the traditional use of the masculine noun, ""le ministre"", for a minister of either gender. In 2017, 77 linguists retaliated with an opinion column to denounce “incompetency and anachronism”. Use of either form remains highly controversial.


title: Académie Française

text: The Académie Française is responsible for awarding several different prizes in various fields (including literature, painting, poetry, theatre, cinema, history, and translation). Almost all of the prizes were created during the twentieth century, and only two prizes were awarded before 1780. In total, the Académie awards more than sixty prizes, most of them annually.


title: Académie Française

text: The most important prize is the Grand prix de la francophonie, which was instituted in 1986, and is funded by the governments of France, Canada, Monaco, and Morocco. Other important prizes include the "Grand prix de littérature" (for a literary work), the "grand prix du roman" (for a novel), the "Grand prix de poésie de l'Académie française" (for poetry), the "Grand prix de philosophie" (for a philosophical work), the "Grand prix du cinéma" (for film), and the "grand prix Gobert" (for a work on French history).


title: Académie Française

text: The Académie Française intervened in June 2008 to oppose the French Government's proposal to constitutionally offer recognition and protection to regional languages (Flemish, Alsatian, Basque, Breton, Catalan, Corsican, Occitan, Gascon, and Arpitan).


title: County Kildare

text: County Kildare () is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county, which has a population of 246,977.


title: County Kildare

text: Kildare is the 24th-largest of Ireland's 32 counties in area and the seventh largest in terms of population. It is the eighth largest of Leinster's twelve counties in size, and the second largest in terms of population. It is bordered by the counties of Carlow, Laois, Meath, Offaly, South Dublin and Wicklow. As an inland county, Kildare is generally a lowland region. The county's highest points are the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains bordering to the east. The highest point in Kildare is Cupidstown Hill on the border with South Dublin, with the better known Hill of Allen in central Kildare.


title: County Kildare

text: The county has three major rivers running through it: the Barrow, the Liffey and the Boyne. The Grand Canal crosses the county from Lyons on the east to Rathangan and Monasterevin on the west. A southern branch joins the Barrow navigation at Athy. The Royal Canal stretches across the north of the county along the border with Meath. Pollardstown Fen is the largest remaining calcareous fen in Ireland, covering an area of 220 hectares and is recognised as an internationally important fen ecosystem with unique and endangered plant communities, and was declared a National Nature Reserve in 1986.


title: County Kildare

text: The Bog of Allen is a large bog that extends across and into County Kildare, County Meath, County Offaly, County Laois, and County Westmeath. Kildare has of bog (almost 14% of Kildare's land area) mostly located in the south-west and north-west, a majority of this being Raised Bog. It is a habitat for over 185 plant and animal species.


title: County Kildare

text: There are of forested land in Kildare, accounting for roughly 5% of the county's total land area. of this is coniferous, while there is of broadleaf and the remaining area are unclassified species. Coillte and Dúchas currently own 47% of the forestry. Coillte runs Donadea Forest Park which is in North-Central Kildare. The forest covers of mixed woodland (60% broadleaf, 40% conifer) and is the largest forest park in Kildare.


title: County Kildare

text: Kildare was shired in 1297 and assumed its present borders in 1832, following amendments to remove a number of enclaves and exclaves.


title: County Kildare

text: The county was the home of the powerful Fitzgerald family. Parts of the county were also part of the Pale area around Dublin.


title: County Kildare

text: Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county. The council has 40 members, elected in the local electoral areas of: Athy (5 seats), Celbridge (4 seats), Leixlip (3 seats), Clane (5 seats), Maynooth (5 Seats), Kildare (5 seats), Newbridge (6 Seats) and Naas (7 Seats). These form the municipal districts of Athy, Celbridge–Leixlip, Clane–Maynooth, Kildare–Newbridge, and Naas. The current council was elected in May 2019.


title: County Kildare

text: Kildare County Council nominates three councillors to the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly, where there are part of the Mid-East strategic planning area committee.


title: County Kildare

text: Kildare was formerly divided into the rural districts of Athy No. 1, Celbridge No. 1, Edenderry No. 2, and Naas No. 1, and the urban districts of Athy and Naas. The rural districts were abolished in 1925. Newbridge or Droichead Nua, within the former rural district of Naas No. 1, had town commissioners, and Leixlip was given that status too in 1988. The urban districts of Athy and Naas and the town commissioners of Newbridge and Leixlip became town councils in 2002. All town councils in Ireland were abolished in 2014.


title: County Kildare

text: For elections to Dáil Éireann, there are two constituencies in the county: Kildare North (4 seats) and Kildare South (4 seats). At the 2020 Irish general election, Kildare North returned Catherine Murphy (SD), Réada Cronin (SF), Bernard Durkan (FG), and James Lawless (FF), while Kildare South returned Sean Ó Fearghaíl (FF) (returned automatically as outgoing Ceann Comhairle), Patricia Ryan (SF), Martin Heydon (FG), and Cathal Berry (Ind).


title: County Kildare

text: For elections to the European Parliament, it is part of the Midlands–North-West constituency (4 MEPs).


title: County Kildare

text: The county's population has nearly doubled to 186,000 from 1990–2005. The northeastern region of Kildare had the highest average per-capita income in Ireland outside County Dublin in 2003. East Kildare's population has increased rapidly, for example, the amount of housing in the Naas suburb of Sallins has increased sixfold since the mid-1990s.


title: County Kildare

text: The N4 (M4) from Dublin to Sligo travels along the north of the county by-passing the towns of Leixlip, Maynooth and Kilcock.


title: County Kildare

text: The M7 from Dublin to Limerick runs through the county and bypasses the towns of Naas, Newbridge, Kildare and Monasterevin. This road is colloquially referred to as the "Naas Dual carriageway" because when it was originally up-graded in 1964 the road from Dublin to Naas was a double-lane carriageway, one of the first of its kind in Ireland.


title: County Kildare

text: The M9 is another motorway that commences at Kilcullen and ends at Waterford. It is motorway standard for its entire length.


title: County Kildare

text: The county is also served by the trains connecting with Dublin, southern Leinster, Munster and Connacht, with daily connections to Cork, Waterford, Limerick, and Galway. The principal Irish Rail InterCity train station in the county is Kildare, however, Newbridge, Sallins and Hazelhatch are also served by South Western Commuter services, while Maynooth, in northern County Kildare, is served by Western Commuter and Sligo InterCity services.


title: County Kildare

text: Kildare is the centre of Ireland's Grand Canal network built in the late 18th century. This connects Kildare with Waterford, Dublin, Limerick and Athlone. The Royal Canal runs west from Dublin and parts of it form the boundary with County Meath.


title: County Kildare

text: There are 4,491 Irish speakers in County Kildare; 2,451 attending the seven Gaelscoils (Irish language primary schools) and one Gaelcholáiste (Irish language secondary school). According to the Irish Census 2006, 2,040 people in the county identify themselves as being daily Irish speakers outside the education system.


title: County Kildare

text: The nickname for the Kildare GAA team is the "Lilywhites", as a result of its early jerseys being made from the bags of the Lilywhite Bakery. The all-white jerseys they wear are in reference to this.


title: County Kildare

text: In 1928, Kildare became the first team to win the Sam Maguire trophy for the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, defeating Cavan 2–6 to 2–5. However, since then Kildare has reached the All-Ireland Football Championship Final on four occasions, the last being in 1998, but has failed on all four attempts.


title: County Kildare

text: County Kildare is also known as the "Shortgrass County" which is a reference to how short the grass is on the commons of the Curragh.


title: County Kildare

text: The Michael Smurfit owned K Club, situated on the River Liffey near Straffan played host to the 2006 Ryder Cup.


title: County Kildare

text: Carton House Golf Club is located in Maynooth. The Golfing Union of Ireland, the longest established golf union in the world, have their national headquarters on the estate. This facility also comprises the GUI National Academy, an teaching facility for up-and-coming golfers, as well as being a facility available to all golfers in Ireland.


title: County Kildare

text: Kildare is famous worldwide for its horse racing. The Curragh horse-racing course is the home to all five Irish Classic Flat races. Also located in County Kildare are two other courses, Punchestown Racecourse, home of the National Hunt Festival of Ireland, and Naas Racecourse, which runs both National Hunt and Flat meetings and is used by top racehorse trainers as a test for horses preparing for the Cheltenham festival.


title: County Kildare

text: The county is famous for the quality of horses bred in the many stud farms to which it is home, including the Irish National Stud and many other top studs such as Gilltown, Moyglare and Kildangan Stud, and race horse training establishments, such as the Osborne Stables.


title: County Kildare

text: Kildare is the home to Mondello Park, Ireland's only international motorsport venue. Established by Martin Birrane in 1968 on , and redeveloped in 1999/2000, the facility incorporates of race track, 24 race garages and 12 Hospitality Suites. The Circuit also has of extreme off-road driving trails and a off-road activities centre and the Museum of Motorsport. Mondello Park was awarded the FIA International race track status in 2001. It is host to National and International Race events, Motor Shows, Car & Bike Track days, Training Schools and Corporate Events.


title: County Kildare

text: Kildare County F.C. was a League of Ireland club from 2002 until 2009, based in Newbridge, where Leinster Senior League side Newbridge Town F.C. was invited to join the league in 2002, however, a broader Kildare-based franchise was created instead, playing out of Station Road, Newbridge.


title: Mayapur

text: Mayapur () is a neighbourhood of Bamanpukur, in the Nabadwip CD block in the Krishnanagar Sadar subdivision of the Nadia district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is situated adjacent to Nabadwip, at the confluence of two rivers, where the waters of the Jalangi River mix with Bhagirathi, a distributary of the Ganges. It is located about 130 km north of Kolkata. Along with Nabadwip, it is considered a spiritual place by the adherents of Gaudiya Vaishnavism.


title: Mayapur

text: The word "Mayapur" derives from "Miyapur" ( ), the Bengali name of a village, known as Muslim-inhabited village, specially for the settlement of Muslim fishermen. The name "Miyapur" was mentioned in various government documents, including maps and surveys. In the 20th century, the Gaudiya Vaishnava reformer Bhaktivinoda Thakur proclaimed this place as Mayapur.


title: Mayapur

text: It is said to be the birthplace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. It is said that Krishna appeared along with his brother Balarama, as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu. These two brothers appeared just for the fallen conditioned souls of this Kali Yuga to bestow on them the greatest blessings of Harinama Sankirtan based on the teachings of Bhagvad Gita and Shrimad Bhagavatam. Along with their associates, the Pancha Tattva, they distributed the divine Love of Godhead to anyone and everyone without seeing any qualifications or disqualifications. Mayapur is where the Material and Spiritual Worlds meet. Just as there is no difference between Lord Chaitanya and Lord Krishna, similarly there is no difference between Shridham Mayapur and Vrindavan.


title: Mayapur

text: There are a number of Gaudiya Vaishnava organizations in Mayapur. The headquarters of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is situated in Mayapur. The town is heavily centered on this particular Vaishnava religious tradition with temples devoted to Radha and Krishna or Gaura-Nitai throughout.


title: Mayapur

text: In the 1880s, at the birthsite of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Bhaktivinoda Thakur established the Yogapith temple, a white ornate structure with a pyramidal pointed dome standing on the bank of a pond and surrounded by trees.


title: Mayapur

text: The main attraction in Mayapur is the Temple of Vedic Planetarium built by ISKCON which is the world's largest temple. Also there is Srila Prabhupada's Pushpa Samadhi Mandir, a memorial to ISKCON's founder. The main shrine is surrounded by a museum depicting Srila Prabhupada's life, using fiberglass exhibits. Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir or the main temple has 3 main altars, Sri Sri Radha Madhava, Panca-tattva and Lord Narasimha Deva. These Pancha Tattva deities are the largest deities of Pancha Tattva in the world. The Panca-tattva comprises Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu, Advaita Acharya, Gadadhara Pandit, and Srivas Thakur.


title: Mayapur

text: The Gaudiya-Vaishnava devotees every year circumambulate the various places of Lord Chaitanya's pastimes in the group of nine islands known as "Navdvip". This Parikrama takes about 7 days. This event takes place around the Gaur Purnima Festival (Appearance Day of Lord Chaitanya). Devotees from all over the world come to Mayapur for this auspicious Parikrama to celebrate the Lord's Divine Appearance Day.


title: Mayapur

text: Kolkata is about 100 km from Mayapur. The nearest airport is Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport which is around 86 km (53 mi). It can easily be accessed through roads. Although there is no proper rail connectivity. But it can be reached through Nabadwip Dham station.


title: Louder Than Bombs

text: Louder Than Bombs is a compilation album by English rock band the Smiths, released as a double album in March 1987 by their American record company, Sire Records. It peaked at number 62 on the US "Billboard" 200 album chart. Popular demand prompted their British record company, Rough Trade, to issue the album domestically as well. Upon its release in the UK in May 1987, it reached No. 38 on the British charts. In 2003, the album was ranked No. 365 on "Rolling Stone" magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and ranked No. 369 on a 2012 revised list. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA in 1990.


title: Louder Than Bombs

text: The album was released as the American counterpart to their recent British compilation "The World Won't Listen" and consisted of all singles and nearly all B-sides that had not at that point been available in the United States, either on single or album, with a few other tracks added. The title is borrowed from a line in Elizabeth Smart's extended prose poem "By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept".


title: Louder Than Bombs

text: The album was intended to be a substitute for both "The World Won't Listen" and their 1984 compilation "Hatful of Hollow", as these had not been released in the United States. This is why the non-single track "This Night Has Opened My Eyes" from "Hatful of Hollow" was included. Single A-sides "This Charming Man" and "How Soon Is Now?" had already been released in the US as bonus cuts on the LPs "The Smiths" and "Meat Is Murder", respectively.


title: Louder Than Bombs

text: As with "The World Won't Listen", this compilation includes the scrapped single "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby" (passed over in favour of "Shoplifters of the World Unite"), albeit in a different, shorter mix. However, this shorter version of the song was replaced when "Bombs" was reissued in 2011. Additionally, the "Louder Than Bombs" version of "Stretch Out and Wait" is the version from the B-side of "Shakespeare's Sister", which features slightly different lyrics. Also of note is the fact that "Ask" appears on both "Louder Than Bombs" and "The World Won't Listen" in a slightly different and longer mix than its single version.


title: Louder Than Bombs

text: Due to the album offering many B-sides (and the "Sheila Take a Bow" single) that had never been collected onto an album before, "Louder Than Bombs" became very popular on import with fans in the UK. To avoid high import prices being paid, the Smiths' domestic record company, Rough Trade, decided to release the compilation as well, provoking cries of outrage by fans who only three months previously had purchased the slimmer single album UK counterpart. The blow was somewhat softened by the fact that the double album retailed at single album price.


title: Louder Than Bombs

text: After WEA acquired the Smiths' back catalogue in 1992, all Smiths albums were re-released at mid price, including "Louder Than Bombs".


title: Louder Than Bombs

text: The cover art for "Louder Than Bombs", designed by Morrissey, features British playwright Shelagh Delaney of Salford, Greater Manchester. The photograph was originally published in the "Saturday Evening Post" after Delaney, at the age of 19, made her literary debut with the play "A Taste of Honey". The play inspired many early lyrics written by Morrissey, and the song "This Night Has Opened My Eyes" (included here) is based on the plight of the play's heroine, Jo, an unwed mother.


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: Hatfield is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, in the borough of Welwyn Hatfield. It had a population of 29,616 in 2001, and 39,201 at the 2011 Census. The settlement is of Saxon origin. Hatfield House, home of the Marquess of Salisbury, forms the nucleus of the old town. From the 1930s when de Havilland opened a factory until the 1990s when British Aerospace closed it, aircraft design and manufacture employed more people there than any other industry. Hatfield was one of the post-war New Towns built around London and has much modernist architecture from the period. The University of Hertfordshire is based there.


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: Hatfield lies north of London beside the A1(M) motorway and has direct trains to London King's Cross railway station, Finsbury Park and Moorgate. There has been a strong increase in commuters who work in London moving into the area.


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: In 2022, TV property expert Phil Spencer named Hatfield as the second best place to live for regular commuters to London, based on train times, house prices and the attractions the town has.


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: During the early Saxon period, Hatfield was known as 'Hetfelle'. However, when King Edgar gave to the monastery of Ely in the year 970, it had become known as 'Haethfeld'. Hatfield is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as the property of the Abbey of Ely, and unusually, the original census data which compilers of Domesday used survives, giving us slightly more information than in the final Domesday record. No other records remain until 1226, when Henry III granted the Bishops of Ely rights to an annual four-day fair and a weekly market. The town was then called Bishop's Hatfield.


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: Hatfield House is the seat of the Cecil family, the Marquesses of Salisbury. Elizabeth Tudor was confined there for three years in what is now known as The Old Palace in Hatfield Park. Legend has it that she learnt here of her accession as queen in 1558, while sat under an oak tree in the Park. She held her first Council in the Great Hall (The Old Palace) of Hatfield. In 1851, the route of the Great North Road (now the A1000) was altered to avoid cutting through the grounds of Hatfield House.


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: The town grew up around the gates of Hatfield House. Old Hatfield retains many historic buildings, notably the Old Palace, St Etheldreda's Church and Hatfield House. The Old Palace was built by the Bishop of Ely, Cardinal Morton, in 1497, during the reign of Henry VII, and the only surviving wing is still used today for Elizabethan-style banquets.


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: St Etheldreda's Church was founded by the monks from Ely, and the first wooden church, built in 1285, was probably sited where the existing building stands overlooking the old town.


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: The church of St Etheldreda, well situated towards the top of the hill, contains an Early English round arch with the dog-tooth moulding, but for the rest is Decorated and Perpendicular, and largely restored. The chapel north of the chancel is known as the Salisbury chapel, and was erected by Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, who was buried here. It is in a combination of classic and Gothic styles. In a private portion of the churchyard is buried, among others of the family, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury.


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: In 1930 the de Havilland airfield and aircraft factory was opened at Hatfield and by 1949 it had become the largest employer in the town, with almost 4,000 staff. It was taken over by Hawker Siddeley in 1960 and merged into British Aerospace in 1978. In the 1930s it produced a range of small biplanes. During the Second World War it produced the Mosquito fighter bomber and developed the Vampire, the second British production jet aircraft after the Gloster Meteor. After the war, facilities were expanded and it developed the Comet airliner (the world's first production jet liner), the Trident airliner, and an early bizjet, the DH125.


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: British Aerospace closed the Hatfield site in 1993 having moved the BAe 146 production line to Woodford Aerodrome. The land was used as a film set for Steven Spielberg's movie "Saving Private Ryan" and most of the BBC/HBO television drama "Band of Brothers". It was later developed for housing, higher education, commerce and retail.


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: Today, Hatfield's aviation history is remembered by the names of certain local streets and pubs (e. g. Comet Way, The Airfield, Dragon Road) as well as "The Comet Hotel" (now owned by Ramada) built in the 1930s. "The Harrier Pub" (formerly "The Hilltop") is actually named after the Harrier bird, not the aircraft, hence the original pub sign showing the bird. The de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre, at Salisbury Hall in nearby London Colney, preserves and displays many historic de Havilland aeroplanes and related archives.


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: The Abercrombie Plan for London in 1944 proposed a New Town in Hatfield. It was designated in the New Towns Act 1946, forming part of the initial Hertfordshire group with nearby Stevenage, Welwyn Garden City and Hemel Hempstead. The Government allocated for Hatfield New Town, with a population target of 25,000. (By 2001 the population had reached 27,833.) The Hatfield Development Corporation, tasked with creating the New Town, chose to build a new town centre, rejecting Old Hatfield because it was on the wrong side of the railway, without space for expansion and "with its intimate village character, out of scale with the town it would have to serve." They chose instead St Albans Road on the town's east–west bus route. A road pattern was planned that offered no temptation to through traffic to take short cuts through the town and which enabled local traffic to move rapidly.


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: Hatfield retains New Town characteristics, including much modernist architecture of the 1950s and the trees and open spaces that were outlined in the original design. As of 2017, a redevelopment of the town centre was planned.


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: Hatfield Town F.C. plays Non-League football at Gosling Sports Park. The Welwyn Garden City Hockey Club are a field hockey club based in Hatfield.


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: Hatfield Athletic Football Club competes in the Herts Senior County League and plays its games at Lemsford.


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: The town has a public swimming pool and four sports/leisure centres (two with indoor swimming pools).


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: Hatfield is part of Welwyn Hatfield borough council in the county of Hertfordshire and is twinned with the Dutch port town of Zierikzee. Hatfield is part of the Welwyn Hatfield constituency, which also includes Welwyn Garden City. The Member of Parliament (MP) for Welwyn Hatfield is Grant Shapps, a Conservative.


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: Hatfield experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification "Cfb") like most of the United Kingdom.


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: Hatfield has a nine-screen Odeon cinema, a stately home (Hatfield House), a museum (Mill Green Museum), a contemporary art gallery (Art and Design Gallery), a theatre (The Weston Auditorium) and a music venue (The Forum Hertfordshire). There are shopping centres in the new town: the Galleria (indoor shopping centre), The Stable Yard (Hatfield House), and three supermarkets (ASDA, ALDI and Tesco).


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: Hatfield contains numerous primary and secondary schools, including St Philip Howard Catholic Primary School, Howe Dell Primary School, Countess Anne School, Onslow St Audrey's School, Bishop's Hatfield Girls' School and the independent day and private boarding girls' school Queenswood School (only to name a few).


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: In addition to the important areas in the town, the University of Hertfordshire is also included by many. A large section of the airfield site was purchased by the University and the £120-million de Havilland Campus, incorporating a £15-million Sports Village, was opened in September 2003. The university has closed its sites at Watford and Hertford; faculties situated there have been moved to the de Havilland Campus.


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: Hatfield is to the north of London. It is from London Luton Airport. The A1(M) runs through a tunnel beneath the town, which is also close to the M25.


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries it was the northern terminus of the Hatfield and Reading Turnpike that allowed travelers from the north to continue their journey to the west without going through the congestion of London.


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: The East Coast railway line from London to York runs through the town, separating the old and new parts. A commuter service connects Hatfield railway station to London King's Cross. A new railway station and car park opened in late 2015. The frequent train service runs direct from Hatfield Station to London King's Cross (21 minutes) via Finsbury Park (16 minutes, Victoria Underground Line) on fast trains running two or three times an hour. An additional train service calls at all stations to Moorgate in the City of London.


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: Hatfield is well served by buses with regular services to all nearby towns and villages and as far as North London. Bus services are run by Uno, Arriva and Centrebus who are all part of the local Intalink Partnership.


title: Hatfield, Hertfordshire

text: There was a fatal rail crash at Hatfield in 2000, which brought track-maintenance deficiencies to public attention. A garden beside the East Coast Main Line was built as a memorial to the crash victims.


title: Vagit Alekperov

text: Vagit Yusufovich Alekperov (, ; born 1 September 1950) is a Russian–Azerbaijani businessman. He was the President of the oil company Lukoil from 1993 until 2022. As of 16 April 2021, according to "Bloomberg Billionaires Index" by Bloomberg L.P., Alekperov has an estimated net worth of , making him the ninety-fourth wealthiest person in the world and the fifth in Russia. Alekperov previously owned a 36.8% stake in football club Spartak Moscow. Fellow former Spartak owner Leonid Fedun is Akelperov's close associate. Alekperov also owns superyacht builder Heesen Yachts.


title: Vagit Alekperov

text: As part of the international governmental responses to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia have imposed sanctions against Alekperov.


title: Vagit Alekperov

text: Alekperov was born on September 1, 1950, in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, one of the earliest centers of the international petroleum industry. His father, who died when Vagit was a boy, worked in the oilfields all his life and inspired Alekperov to follow in his footsteps. Alekperov's father was an Azerbaijani Muslim and his mother, Russian Orthodox. Alekperov is religious, but does not define himself as either Muslim or Orthodox.


title: Vagit Alekperov

text: Alekperov moved to Western Siberia in 1979 and worked at "Surgutneftegaz" between 1979 and 1985, earning his reputation as an industry expert. He was ascending positions and by 1985 became first deputy general director of Bashneft production company. In 1987, he became general director of the newly created production company "Kogalymneftegaz".


title: Vagit Alekperov

text: In 1990, Alekperov was appointed deputy minister of the Oil and Gas Industry of the Soviet Union and became the youngest deputy energy minister in Soviet history. At that time, Alekperov promoted the establishment of vertically integrated state-owned energy companies, which would bring together the wide range of organizations in the energy sector that were, at the time, reporting to different Soviet bureaucratic institutions.


title: Vagit Alekperov

text: Just at this time Western oil companies began to actively look for partners in Russia. During a visit to British Petroleum facilities in the United Kingdom in 1990 Alekperov personally headed the Russian delegation at the negotiations. Rondo Fehlberg, an executive at BP, told NY Times that Alekperov took control of the agenda during that 1990 trip, sternly asking the BP executives to explain how a modern oil company should be set up.


title: Vagit Alekperov

text: In April 1993, Langepas-Uray-Kogalymneft became the joint-stock company LUKOIL, and Alekperov became its president and chairman of the board. By 2002 Alekperov owned 10.4% of the company.


title: Vagit Alekperov

text: In 2000, Alekperov resigned as head of the board of directors of Lukoil, but retained his position as president of the company. In May 2008, Alekperov bought 11.13 million shares (1.3%) in Lukoil, thereby increasing his stake to 20.4% and becoming the company's largest shareholder.


title: Vagit Alekperov

text: "LUKoil" was the first Russian company to acquire an American company. In November 2000, "LUKoil" acquired Getty Petroleum Marketing and its 1,300 gas stations in the United States Like many other Russian oligarchs, Alekperov has also moved into banking and media. In May 2006 Alekperov was one of the two main owners of IFD Kapital Group.


title: Vagit Alekperov

text: In 2018, Alekperov first said in an interview that he was looking for a successor to his position, a staff reshuffle, he said, could take place at the company in 2023.


title: Vagit Alekperov

text: Alekperov is on the 2017 list of Russian "oligarchs" named in the CAATSA unclassified report to the U.S. Congress.


title: Vagit Alekperov

text: In April 2022, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Alekperov was sanctioned by Australia and the United Kingdom. On 21 April, Lukoil issued a statement saying that Alekperov had stepped down and resigned from the board of directors after 29 years.


title: Vagit Alekperov

text: Alekperov's hobby is numismatics. The exact composition of his collection is unknown, but according to some reports, it is one of the three largest private collections in Russia. According to Forbes, Alekperov's private Museum of Numismatics has more than 700 coins on display, which is about a quarter of the entire collection. It consists mainly of gold coins, from antiquity to modern Russia, some silver coins, as well as a few platinum coins of the Russian Empire.


title: Vagit Alekperov

text: Alekperov has repeatedly stated publicly and has confirmed that, according to his will, his stake in Lukoil (over 20% of the company) will be transferred to a specially created charitable foundation.


title: Vagit Alekperov

text: In 2020 coronavirus pandemic, Lukoil has donated more than RUB 652 million in 22 Russian regions and almost $900 000 dollars in its operation countries abroad. Alekperov also donated RUB 50 million of personal finances to fight coronavirus in the Republic of Komi.


title: Vagit Alekperov

text: Alekperov was the first Russian citizen who received the Woodrow Wilson Award. He was honored in 2005 for achievements in corporate citizenship.


title: Vagit Alekperov

text: On 31 August 2020, ahead of Vagit Alekperov's 70th jubilee, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev awarded him with the "Dostlug" Order for his special services rendered to the development of mutual relations between Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation.


title: Gain (electronics)

text: In electronics, gain is a measure of the ability of a two-port circuit (often an amplifier) to increase the power or amplitude of a signal from the input to the output port by adding energy converted from some power supply to the signal. It is usually defined as the mean ratio of the signal amplitude or power at the output port to the amplitude or power at the input port. It is often expressed using the logarithmic decibel (dB) units ("dB gain"). A gain greater than one (greater than zero dB), that is amplification, is the defining property of an active component or circuit, while a passive circuit will have a gain of less than one.


title: Gain (electronics)

text: The term "gain" alone is ambiguous, and can refer to the ratio of output to input voltage ("voltage gain"), current ("current gain") or electric power ("power gain"). In the field of audio and general purpose amplifiers, especially operational amplifiers, the term usually refers to voltage gain, but in radio frequency amplifiers it usually refers to power gain. Furthermore, the term gain is also applied in systems such as sensors where the input and output have different units; in such cases the gain units must be specified, as in "5 microvolts per photon" for the responsivity of a photosensor. The "gain" of a bipolar transistor normally refers to forward current transfer ratio, either "h" ("beta", the static ratio of "I" divided by "I" at some operating point), or sometimes "h" (the small-signal current gain, the slope of the graph of "I" against "I" at a point).


title: Gain (electronics)

text: The gain of an electronic device or circuit generally varies with the frequency of the applied signal. Unless otherwise stated, the term refers to the gain for frequencies in the passband, the intended operating frequency range of the equipment.


title: Gain (electronics)

text: The term "gain" has a different meaning in antenna design; antenna gain is the ratio of radiation intensity from a directional antenna to formula_1 (mean radiation intensity from a lossless antenna).


title: Gain (electronics)

text: A similar calculation can be done using a natural logarithm instead of a decimal logarithm, resulting in nepers instead of decibels:


title: Gain (electronics)

text: The power gain can be calculated using voltage instead of power using Joule's first law formula_6; the formula is:


title: Gain (electronics)

text: In many cases, the input impedance formula_8 and output impedance formula_9 are equal, so the above equation can be simplified to:


title: Gain (electronics)

text: This simplified formula, the 20 log rule, is used to calculate a voltage gain in decibels and is equivalent to a power gain if and only if the impedances at input and output are equal.


title: Gain (electronics)

text: In the same way, when power gain is calculated using current instead of power, making the substitution formula_12, the formula is:


title: Gain (electronics)

text: In many cases, the input and output impedances are equal, so the above equation can be simplified to:


title: Gain (electronics)

text: This simplified formula is used to calculate a current gain in decibels and is equivalent to the power gain if and only if the impedances at input and output are equal.


title: Gain (electronics)

text: The "current gain" of a bipolar transistor, formula_16 or formula_17, is normally given as a dimensionless number, the ratio of formula_18 to formula_19 (or slope of the formula_18-versus-formula_19 graph, for formula_17).


title: Gain (electronics)

text: In the cases above, gain will be a dimensionless quantity, as it is the ratio of like units (decibels are not used as units, but rather as a method of indicating a logarithmic relationship). In the bipolar transistor example, it is the ratio of the output current to the input current, both measured in amperes. In the case of other devices, the gain will have a value in SI units. Such is the case with the operational transconductance amplifier, which has an open-loop gain (transconductance) in siemens (mhos), because the gain is a ratio of the output current to the input voltage.


title: Gain (electronics)

text: Q. An amplifier has an input impedance of 50 ohms and drives a load of 50 ohms. When its input (formula_23) is 1 volt, its output (formula_24) is 10 volts. What is its voltage and power gain?


title: Gain (electronics)

text: The units V/V are optional but make it clear that this figure is a voltage gain and not a power gain.


title: Gain (electronics)

text: A gain of factor 1 (equivalent to 0 dB) where both input and output are at the same voltage level and impedance is also known as "unity gain".


title: Willow Pill

text: Willow Patterson, known by the stage name Willow Pill (born 1995), is an American drag performer. She is best known as the winner of season 14 of "RuPaul's Drag Race" in 2022.


title: Willow Pill

text: In an interview with KGNU in 2016, Willow Pill explained her drag persona was "a mix of 41 and 14... I'm kind of obsessed with little stoner girls as well as older women, like moms, that can't catch a break." Her first performance was at a Colorado State University drag show, where she wore "a pink '90s housewife tracksuit, complete with glasses and a pearl necklace." She performed a comedy routine and danced to a mix of Missy Elliott and Gwen Stefani songs.


title: Willow Pill

text: In 2022, Willow Pill gained wider prominence as a contestant on season 14 of "RuPaul's Drag Race", where she won the main challenge on the third episode, earning a cash prize of $5,000. On episode seven, her Snatch Game performance placed her in the bottom seven, and had to participate in a lip-sync tournament on episode eight. She won the first round against Bosco. She placed in the bottom a second time during episode 14, and was required to “lip sync for her life” against Angeria Paris VanMicheals. Following their performance of "Telephone" by Lady Gaga ft. Beyoncé, neither was eliminated, resulting in five contestants advancing to the finale, a first for the series.


title: Willow Pill

text: On the April 22, 2022, season finale, Willow Pill performed "I Hate People" and defeated Lady Camden in a lip-sync battle to Cher's cover version of ABBA's "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" and was declared the season's winner, earning a cash prize of $150,000, the highest amount awarded to date in a regular season so far. Willow Pill is also the first openly transgender person to win a regular season of "RuPaul's Drag Race" in the United States, and the fourth openly transgender contestant to win a season of the "Drag Race" franchise at the time of their crowning.


title: Willow Pill

text: Patterson has had cystinosis her whole life and identifies as trans femme, as one of the five transgender contestants of Season 14. She came out via social media: “It's taken me a long time to come to terms with my transness because so much space has been taken up by my illness," Patterson wrote in one of her posts. She uses she/they pronouns.


Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, commonly known by the acronym BUET, is a public technological research university in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Founded in 1876 as the Dacca Survey School, it is the oldest institution for the study of engineering, architecture and urban planning in Bangladesh.


title: Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology

text: A large number of BUET alumni are active in notable engineering and non-engineering roles in Bangladesh and abroad.