title: Our Times

text: The film opens in the present day, where Lin Truly (Joe Chen) is an ordinary office worker who leads a stressful life. Her name, "Truly", literally means "sincere of heart", reflecting her hard-working nature which often gets her ridiculed by her younger subordinates. Dejected, she listens to a cassette recording of an old Andy Lau song. This brings her back to her high school days, when she was an ordinary high-school girl, who idolized Lau and lived a simple, care-free life. She had a crush on Ouyang Fei-Fan, (Dino Lee), the school's most popular male student, and had two good girl friends.


title: Our Times

text: One day, seventeen-year-old Lin (Vivian Sung) receives a chain letter, warning her of impending doom if she does not pass the message on. Naively, she passes it on to Hsu Tai-yu (Darren Wang), the school's notorious gangster boss, her math teacher and Tao Min-min (Dewi Chien), the school's most popular girl. While Hsu Tai-yu reads the letter, he gets hit by a car. After weeding out the letter's sender, the angry Hsu Tai-yu makes Lin Truly his 'friend' and forces her to run errands for him in exchange for leaving Ouyang alone, thus making her his errand-girl.


title: Our Times

text: By chance, Lin Truly accidentally overhears a conversation between Min-min and Ouyang and discovers that they are in a secret relationship. Dejected, she creates an alliance with Hsu Tai-yu, who likes Tao Min-min, to break the couple up. Throughout the course of events, Lin Truly and Hsu Tai-yu begin to understand each other better, and their friendship evolves as they began to learn a thing or two about true love. Eventually, they develop romantic feelings for each other.


title: Our Times

text: Hsu Tai-yu later discovers that he has a blood clot in his brain, caused by the car accident and further exacerbated by his frequent brawling and falls. His parents decide to send him overseas, leaving Lin Truly with no way to contact him.


title: Our Times

text: In the present day, Lin Truly leaves her such unhappy job and relationship upon having rediscovered herself. She is still unable to book a ticket to an Andy Lau concert that is set to take place in Taipei, but fate intervenes and allows Andy Lau to act as the means by which Lin Truly and Hsu Tai-yu (Jerry Yan) are reunited as adults.


title: Our Times

text: "Our Times" is the directorial debut for Frankie Chen, who previously produced Taiwanese television dramas.


title: Our Times

text: Outside of Taiwan, "Our Times" was released in Hong Kong and Macau box office on 15 October 2015. It was then simultaneously released in both Singapore and Malaysia on 22 October 2015. The film was released in China on 19 November 2015.


title: Our Times

text: Out of Asia, "Our Times" was screened during the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival on 8 November 2015.


title: Our Times

text: "Our Times" has often been compared to the 2011 hit romance film "You Are the Apple of My Eye", which features a similar school-based romance plot line and takes places in the same time period (1990s). "The Associated Press" characterised the film as "the female version" of You Are the Apple of My Eye. However, the director and cast members dismiss this comparison, with director Chen questioning "How can my youth be the same as someone else's?".


title: Our Times

text: As of 20 January 2016, the film has grossed $84,400,000 world-wide, with its largest territory being mainland China with $54,800,000.


title: Our Times

text: "Our Times" was drawn into a box office dispute when the Taipei Theater Association, who distributes box office data, stopped publishing such data shortly before this film was released. Despite the absence of official box office data, the film's distributor, Hualien International Film, announced publicly that the film topped the Taiwanese box office. This has led to accusations that Hualien International Film, which counts major Taiwanese cinema chains Ambassador and Showtime as investors, deliberately stopped the release of box office results so that it could falsify reports of the film's box office performance.


title: Our Times

text: Notwithstanding the dispute over the film's box office gross, "Our Times" performed well at the Taiwanese box office. The film grossed over NT$5,000,000 from its sneak preview screenings prior to its official box office launch. In the first week of its release in Taiwan, the film achieved a box office gross of over 100 million New Taiwan dollars. As of 13 October, the film had grossed over NT$156 million at the Taiwanese box office.


title: Our Times

text: "Our Times" performed well in Singapore as well, clinching the box office champion in just the second week of its release.


title: Our Times

text: On its first four days at the mainland Chinese box office, the film grossed . It is the highest-grossing film from Taiwan at the mainland Chinese box office.


title: Our Times

text: "Our Times" received lukewarm critical reviews. The "South China Morning Post" gave "Our Times" a rating of 3 out of 5 stars. It described the film's plot-line as "excessively saccharine will-they-won’t-they affair" and advised viewers "to simply surrender to the wave of sentimentality". However, it added that the film's "fairy-tale ending might feel hugely cathartic for the already converted". Similarly, the "Taipei Times" reviewer Ho Yi criticised the film's plot-line, saying that it "become repetitive at times, adding no new meaning to the narrative". However, Yi praised the cast members, in particular Vivan Sung, whom she complimented as "playing her role well with the comic effect without caricaturing her role." Yi also felt that the director has done a fine job with her attention to detail of the era which the film was set in.


title: Our Times

text: In Singapore, "The New Paper" gave the film a rating of 5 out of 5, describing the film as "an irresistible combination of nostalgia, humour and heartfelt emotions" and praising it for "pack[ing] a punch for capturing the bittersweet feelings of youthful love".


title: Our Times

text: On 20 August 2016, "A Little Happiness" performed by Hebe Tien reached 100 million views on YouTube, making her the first Chinese-language singer with more than 100 million views.


title: 2022 Laver Cup

text: The 2022 Laver Cup was the fifth edition of the Laver Cup, a men's tennis tournament between teams from Europe and the rest of the world. It was held on an indoor hard court at The O2 Arena in London, England from 23 until 25 September.


title: 2022 Laver Cup

text: This tournament marked the retirement of 20-time singles major champion and former singles world No. 1, Roger Federer. The former champion alongside longtime rival Rafael Nadal was narrowly defeated in the third-set super tiebreak against Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe.


title: 2022 Laver Cup

text: On 3 February 2022, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer were the first players to confirm their participation for Team Europe.


title: 2022 Laver Cup

text: On 17 June 2022, Félix Auger-Aliassime, Taylor Fritz and Diego Schwartzman were the first players confirmed for Team World. On June 29, 2022, Andy Murray announced he would make his Laver Cup debut for Team Europe.


title: 2022 Laver Cup

text: Novak Djokovic was announced as the fourth player for Team Europe on 22 July 2022, completing the Big Four lineup for the event.


title: 2022 Laver Cup

text: On 2 August 2022, organizers announced that Jack Sock would join Team World. On 10 August 2022, Team Europe announced its final line-up with Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud also taking part. Team World captain John McEnroe chose John Isner and Alex de Minaur as his final picks on 25 August 2022. However, Isner withdrew due to injury. As a result, he was replaced by Frances Tiafoe.


title: 2022 Laver Cup

text: Federer played his 1750th (singles and doubles combined) and last match on the ATP Tour in doubles partnering Nadal on Day 1, and was replaced by alternate Matteo Berrettini from Day 2. Nadal also withdrew after Day 1; his place was taken by Cameron Norrie.


title: 2022 Laver Cup

text: Each winning team member pocketed $250,000, the same amount as in the 2021 Laver Cup. Each losing team member received $125,000.


title: 2022 Laver Cup

text: Each match win on day 1 was worth one point, on day 2 two points, and on day 3 three points. The first team to 13 points won.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: The Arizona State Sun Devils football team represents Arizona State University in the sport of American football. The Sun Devils team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12). Arizona State University has fielded a football team since 1897. The Sun Devils are led by head coach Kenny Dillingham and play their home games at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. The Sun Devils have won seventeen conference titles, including three Pac-12 titles.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: A number of successful and professional football players once played for ASU. The school has 3 unanimous All-Americans and 16 consensus selections. Among the most lauded players the school has produced are Pat Tillman, Terrell Suggs, Mike Haynes, Darren Woodson, Charley Taylor, and John Henry Johnson.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: In addition to its players, ASU's football program has had several notable head coaches, including Hall of Famers Dan Devine and John Cooper and national champion Dennis Erickson. The all-time school wins leader is Hall of Fame coach Frank Kush, for whom Frank Kush Field at Sun Devil Stadium is named. Kush also consistently led the Sun Devils to victory against the Arizona Wildcats, ASU's traditional rival, losing to the Wildcats only twice between 1963 and 1979.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: Frederick M. Irish served as the first head football coach at the Territorial Normal School, renamed Tempe Normal School in 1903 and now known as Arizona State University, coaching from 1896 to 1906 and compiling a record of 12–8. Territorial Normal did not field a football team in 1897, 1898, or 1901. George Schaeffer served as the head football coach at Tempe Normal School from 1914 to 1916, compiling a record of 7–8. Aaron McCreary oversaw the school's football program from 1923–1929. During this time, the school changed its nickname from the Owls to the Bulldogs and the name of the school was changed to Arizona State University. McCreary left ASU with a 25–17–4 record. Ted Shipkey led the Arizona State football program from 1930–1932, compiling a record of 13–10–2. Shipkey was replaced by Rudy Lavik, who led Arizona State to a less impressive 13–26–3 mark in his five seasons. Dixie Howell served as ASU's head coach from 1938 to 1941, compiling a record of 23–15–4. In 1947, Ed Doherty became head coach at Arizona State, where he compiled a 25–17 record from 1947 to 1950. He left after ASU five days after defeating rival Arizona, 47–13, because he felt that he didn't have enough job security.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: Clyde Smith took over the reins of the Arizona State football program in 1952, and under his leadership, they compiled a record of 15–13–1. Smith resigned following the 1954 season. On February 5, 1955, Michigan State assistant coach Dan Devine accepted the head coaching position at Arizona State. Joining him as an assistant was Frank Kush, who would have even greater success at the school after Devine's departure. During his three years, Devine compiled a record of 27–3–1 (.887), including a spotless 10–0 mark during his final campaign. In that last season, Devine's team led the nation in total offense and scoring, averaging just under 40 points per game in the latter category. Devine's success at Arizona State resulted in an offer from Missouri, which he accepted on December 18, 1957.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: Frank Kush was promoted to the position of head coach at Arizona State, which he would hold for the next 22 years. During his time at Arizona State, Kush was known for being one of the most physically demanding coaches in the game. His daily football practices in the heat of the Arizona desert are still the stuff of legend today. One of his drills was known as "Bull in the Ring", whereupon he would have the players form a circle. He would put a player in the middle (most often, a player he felt needed "motivation"), call out a uniform number, and blow his whistle. That player would charge the player in the middle and the two would engage in contact until Kush blew the whistle again. Whichever of the two players gave the best effort would go back to the circle, while the player "dogging it" would stay in until Kush decided he could quit. Former NFL and Arizona State player Curley Culp once broke a teammate's facemask during this drill. Another of his drills (which was designed to see if his running backs could take punishment carrying the ball) consisted of having only a center, quarterback, and two running backs line up on offense, with no other offensive lineman, and run running plays against the entire defense. Kush would run a running back into the line time and time again so he could get used to the pounding he would take in games.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: The most famous of Kush's motivational techniques was called "Mount Kush." Mount Kush was a steep hill near the Sun Devils' practice facility (Camp Tontozona) near Payson, Arizona with several large rocks, cacti, and no shade from the Arizona sun. If a player especially needed discipline in Kush's opinion, that player would have to run up and down that hill numerous times. During his lengthy career in the desert, Kush compiled a record of 176–54–1, with only one losing season. In his first 11 years, he captured two conference titles and finished runner-up five times. That success led to him accepting the head coaching job at the University of Pittsburgh on January 4, 1969. However, just five days later, Kush had a change of heart and returned to Arizona State.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: Kush's return would begin a memorable era in Sun Devil football history with five consecutive Western Athletic Conference championships as the team won 50 of 56 games from 1969 to 1973. During this time, Arizona State won the 1970 Peach Bowl and the first three editions of the Fiesta Bowl. In 1974, the team dropped to 7–4, but bounced back with authority the following year when they went 12–0, capping the year with a thrilling 17–14 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Fiesta Bowl, a game in which Kush's son, Danny, kicked three field goals, including the game winner. A down year in 1976 saw the team fall to 4–7, but another comeback resulted the next year with a 9–3 mark. In that year's Fiesta Bowl, the Sun Devils lost a bowl game for the only time under Kush's leadership, with a 42–30 defeat to Penn State. In 1978, Kush's team once again finished 9–3, this time defeating Rutgers in the Garden State Bowl. That win would be one of the final highlights of Kush's tenure as controversy and scandal the next year toppled him from his head coaching position. In September 1979 former Sun Devil punter Kevin Rutledge filed a $1.1 million lawsuit against the school, accusing Kush and his staff of mental and physical harassment that forced him to transfer. The most dramatic charge was that Kush had punched Rutledge in the mouth after a bad punt in the October 28, 1978, game against the Washington Huskies. During the next few weeks, overzealous fans turned things ugly when the insurance office of Rutledge's father suffered a fire and the family's attorney received two death threats.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: On October 13, 1979, Kush was fired as head coach for interfering with the school's internal investigation into Rutledge's allegations. Athletic director Fred Miller cited Kush's alleged attempts to pressure players and coaches into keeping quiet. The decision came just three hours before the team's home game against Washington. Kush was allowed to coach the game, with the Sun Devils pulling off an emotional 12–7 upset of the sixth-ranked Huskies, fueled by the angry crowd incensed by the decision. After the game ended, Kush was carried off the field by his team. The win gave him a 3–2 record on the season, but all three victories were later forfeited when it was determined that Arizona State had used ineligible players. After nearly two years, Kush would be found not liable in the case, but would be off the sidelines during 1980, the first time in more than 30 years that he had been away from the game. The case itself would have far-reaching implications for coaches everywhere, making them consider the different ways to best motivate and/or punish players. Future NFL players who played under Kush at Arizona State include Charley Taylor, Curley Culp, Danny White, Benny Malone, Mike Haynes, and John Jefferson and Steve Holden. Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson also played a year of football at Arizona State for Kush on a football scholarship before switching to baseball.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: Darryl Rogers replaced Kush and led the Sun Devils to a 37–18–1 record in five seasons. The best season of the Rogers era came in 1982, a 10–2 campaign that resulted in a Fiesta Bowl win and a No. 6 ranking in the final AP and Coaches' polls. Rogers accepted an offer to serve as head coach of the NFL's Detroit Lions and left ASU after the 1984 season.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: John Cooper left his post as Tulsa head coach and became the head coach at Arizona State in 1985 where his teams played in three consecutive bowl games, including the 1987 Rose Bowl, during his three-year tenure. Notably, he was just 0–2–1 against arch-rival Arizona. He accepted the job as head coach at Ohio State on December 31, 1987. The 1986 team won the school's first Pacific-10 Championship and went on to defeat the Michigan Wolverines in the 1987 Rose Bowl.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: ASU promoted Larry Marmie from defensive coordinator to head coach to replace Cooper. Marmie's tenure was marked by mediocrity and disappointment, with a 6–5 mark in 1988, a 6–4–1 record in 1989, a 4–7 campaign in 1990, and a 6–5 season in 1991. School administrators fired Marmie following the 1991 season, amidst fan impatience.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: Bruce Snyder left California to become ASU's head coach in 1992. Snyder's 58 wins and nine-year tenure as head coach at Arizona State each rank second in school history to marks set by Frank Kush. Snyder led ASU to four bowl games including a win in the 1997 Sun Bowl. More than 40 ASU players coached by Snyder were selected in the National Football League Draft, including seven in the first round, and more than 40 others signed free agent contracts in the National Football League. In 1996, Snyder led the Sun Devils to one of the finest seasons in school history and was named Pacific-10 Coach of the Year. The 1996 squad finished with an 11–1 record and captured the Pacific-10 championship. The Sun Devils stunned the top-ranked and two-time defending national champion Nebraska Cornhuskers in the season's second game. Arizona State reeled off the third undefeated regular season in school history en route 1997 Rose Bowl, where they came within 19 seconds of a victory over Ohio State. Had they won, the Sun Devils would have likely won at least a share of the national championship, as they would have been the only undefeated major-conference team in the nation. For his efforts that season, Snyder won a number of national coaching awards, including the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award and the Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award. Snyder stepped down as ASU head coach following the 2000 season.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: Boise State head coach Dirk Koetter was hired to replace Snyder in 2001. At Arizona State, Koetter compiled a 40–34 record and four Bowl appearances in six years. Under Koetter, who was also the offensive play caller, the Sun Devils became known for a vertical passing attack. On November 26, 2006, Koetter was terminated as the head football coach. His final game was the 2006 Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve, a 41–24 loss.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: Seasoned coaching veteran Dennis Erickson left Idaho for the opportunity to lead his fourth BCS program. Athletic director Lisa Love hired him on December 9 to replace the recently fired Dirk Koetter. Arizona State was Erickson's third head coaching stint in the Pacific-10, after Washington State and Oregon State. In addition to Idaho, Erickson also had college head coaching tenures at Wyoming and Miami, as well as in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: Arizona State paid $2.8 million to Koetter and a $150,000 buyout to Idaho to complete the hiring of Erickson to a five-year contract. He immediately paid dividends for ASU, leading the Sun Devils to a 10–2 regular season record in 2007, a share of the Pacific-10 title, and a berth in the Holiday Bowl. Erickson was named the 2007 Pacific-10 Coach of the Year, becoming the first to ever win the award at three different Pacific-10 schools. He also coached another major award winner; placekicker Thomas Weber was named the Lou Groza Award winner. Erickson worked for the relatively low salary of $500,000 from ASU in his first season, with another $2 million paid by the 49ers for the last year of his NFL contract. The remaining four years of the original ASU contract paid $1.275 million per year. In 2008 the Arizona Board of Regents had approved a contract extension to keep Erickson at Arizona State through June 2012. Erickson's early success at ASU was not sustained, as the Sun Devils failed to have another winning season and lost three of four Territorial Cup rivalry games against Arizona. In his final four seasons, Erickson was 21–28 overall and 14–22 in conference. After opening the 2011 season with a promising 6–2 record, Arizona State suffered four straight Pac-12 defeats in November to end the regular season, and Erickson was fired on November 28. He was allowed to coach in their bowl game on December 22, but ASU was soundly beaten 56–24 by Boise State in the Maaco Bowl in Las Vegas for their fifth consecutive loss.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: Todd Graham was announced as Arizona State University's head coach on December 14, 2011. Graham came to ASU after only one season at Pittsburgh, informing his players and assistant coaches of his decision to leave Pitt for ASU via text message. Graham also previously served as head coach at Rice for one season and Tulsa for four seasons.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: In his first season at Arizona State, the Sun Devils went 8–5 securing their first winning season since 2007. With a win in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl against the Navy Midshipmen, the 2012 Sun Devils won the final three games of the season for the first time since 1978. ESPN's Pac-12 Blog writer Ted Miller called Todd Graham's first season at Arizona State an "unquestioned success." In 2013, Graham continued to build positive momentum and led ASU the Pac-12 South title after defeating UCLA and rival Arizona. ASU finished the season 10–4 and ranked No. 21 in the AP Poll and No. 20 in the Coach's Poll. For his efforts in leading ASU to a Pac-12 South championship, Graham received the 2013 Pac-12 Coach of the Year Award. In 2014, ASU finished with yet another 10 win season by going 10–3 and ranking No. 12 in the final AP Poll and No. 14 in the final Coach's Poll. The season was capped off with Graham leading the Sun Devils to victory over Duke University in the Sun Bowl. The 2015 season saw a big drop off for the program as the Sun Devils finished a disappointing 6–7 with a 42–43 loss to the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Cactus Bowl. The trend continued into the next two seasons. The Sun Devils finished 2016 on a 6-game losing streak which culminated in a 5–7 record. 2017 would be Graham's final season. The team improved only slightly, finishing 7–6 with a Sun Bowl loss to North Carolina State, 31–52. Graham and Arizona State agreed to part ways on November 26, 2017 following a 7–5 regular season.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: On December 3, 2017, longtime NFL coach and ESPN analyst Herm Edwards was announced as the next head coach of the Sun Devils. Edwards kicked off the 2018 season with a 2–0 record, including a marquee win over then #15 Michigan State. Despite the promising start, the Devils dropped four of their next five games, sitting with a 1–3 conference record. Arizona State surged, winning their next three, but fell just short to Oregon and a Pac-12 South title. The Territorial Cup was played at Arizona Stadium on Saturday, November 24. Arizona led the Sun Devils by 19 points entering the fourth quarter, but a wild comeback by ASU, capped off by what would've been a game winning field goal by Arizona, resulted in the cup staying in Tempe. The Sun Devils then faced Fresno State In the Las Vegas Bowl, losing 31–20 and completing the season with a 7–6(5–4) record. Herm Edwards started his second season off 3–0, once again beating #18 Michigan State, this time on the road. ASU dropped their conference opener against Colorado, but bounced back with two straight wins, including a victory over #15 Cal to improve to 2–1 in conference play before dropping four consecutive games, officially disqualifying them from the Pac-12 South title. Arizona State shocked #6 Oregon at home, winning 31–28 in front of a packed stadium. The Sun Devils capped off the season with a win over rival Arizona, 24–14, and a Sun Bowl victory over Florida State, 20–14, finishing with a record of 8–5(4–5). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic Pac-12 teams had only six games scheduled. Arizona State dropped their first game to #20 USC 28–27 in heartbreaking fashion, and their following two contests were cancelled due to COVID complications within the Arizona State program. The Sun Devils returned from their nearly month long hiatus with a game versus UCLA, which they lost at home 25–18. ASU traveled to take on Arizona in Tucson for the 94th installment of the Territorial Cup. The Sun Devils slaughtered the Wildcats, 70–7, retaining the Cup for the third straight year. In their fourth and final game of the season, Arizona State capped off the season with a 46–33 win over Oregon State to finish the season 2–2 (2–2). In June 2021, rumors began circulating of several NCAA violations committed by Herm Edwards and the Arizona State staff, which were confirmed by several articles, including one published on June 23 by Pete Thamel of Yahoo! Sports. As a result of the allegations, tight ends coach Adam Breneman, defensive backs coach Christian Hawkins, and wide receivers coach Prentice Gill were placed and remain on administrative leave. Despite the numerous allegations of violations and rumors that the entire staff may be fired after the season, Herm Edwards and his Sun Devils finished 8-5 overall and (6-3) in Pac-12 play. The season concluded with a 20-13 loss to Wisconsin in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl. During the 2021-2022 offseason, multiple coaches including Zak Hill and Antonio Pierce resigned. 17 players including the starting quarterback Jayden Daniels and All-American linebacker Eric Gentry, entered the transfer portal as a result of the investigation and NIL. On September 18th, 2022, Arizona State fired Edwards the day following a 30-21 loss to Eastern Michigan.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: Arizona State has won 17 conference championships, seven in the Border Conference, seven in the Western Athletic Conference, and three in the Pac-12 Conference.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: Despite being the only team to finish undefeated in the 1975 season, ASU was ranked 2nd place in both the AP and Coaches rankings. However, on January 17, 1976 Sporting News Ranked ASU as the #1 team in College Football for the 1975 season. The National Championship Foundation also recognized ASU as the #1 ranked team in the nation. ASU was also ranked #1 in 1970 by the Poling System (1935-1984). http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2018/FBS.pdf The unfortunate disadvantage that ASU had was that they did not come from a powerhouse conference. That being said, they opened the door for many universities from smaller conferences to compete in big bowls/national championships such as Boise State, UCF, Tulane, BYU and Utah.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: Arizona State has played in 33 bowl games in its history. The Sun Devils have a bowl record of 15–17–1.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: The Sun Devils play their home games at Frank Kush Field at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Sun Devil Stadium was constructed in 1958 and originally held a capacity of 30,000.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: On September 21, 1996, the playing surface was renamed Frank Kush Field after the long time ASU coach in a 19–0 upset of then top-ranked Nebraska.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: Prior to the construction of Sun Devil Stadium, the Sun Devils played their home games at the following locations:


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: Arizona State fields a more-than-300-member marching band that performs at all home football games, bowl games, and the rivalry game with the University of Arizona. In addition to halftime shows and stand tunes, the Sun Devil Marching Band always play the Arizona State fight songs and the Alma Mater.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: Arizona State's longest and most intense rivalry is with the University of Arizona. The football game between the schools is nicknamed The Duel in the Desert, and the winner of the game receives the Territorial Cup. Arizona State won the first matchup in 1899 by a score of 11–2. Arizona holds the all-time series lead with a record of 49–45–1.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: Since becoming a university in 1958, Arizona State has the overall lead in the rivalry series with a record of 31–24–1. Since ASU and Arizona became Pac-12 Conference members in 1978, Arizona leads the series 19–16–1. In recent contests, an unranked Sun Devils team upset a ranked Arizona Wildcats team 30–29 in Tucson in 2010. After a strong start in 2011, ASU ended the season with a 31–27 loss to Arizona in Tempe. The Sun Devils finished the 2012 season with a win over the No. 24 ranked Wildcats in Tucson by a score of 41–34. In 2013, the No. 13 ranked Sun Devils beat the Wildcats 58–21 in Tempe. In 2014, the Wildcats hosted the game and beat the Sun Devils 42–35 to claim the Pac-12 South championship.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: Bill Kajikawa Practice Fields, located on Sixth Street and Rural Road, is normally where Sun Devil football team practices when weather permits.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: An Arizona State University property, is a camp just outside Payson created by former legendary coach Frank Kush was used as a bonding place for his players. Tontozona has marked the unofficial start of the Sun Devils' seasons from 1960–2008. Due to the knack of losing practices to rainouts, short and torn up fields leading to excessive injuries, and travel costs, the team decided to move camp back to Tempe campus with the arrival of the Devil Dome. After a 4-year absence the Sun Devils returned to Camp Tontozona starting in Aug 2012. The team was able to make the return after a short fund raising effort by fans and alumni brought in over $160,000.


title: Arizona State Sun Devils football

text: Formerly opened as Devil Dome and nicknamed,"The Bubble", $8.4 million practice facility broke ground on May 15, 2008 to provide a climate controlled space for the Sun Devil football team, Sun Devil Marching Band, ASU Intramurals and for other athletic department events. Before its full completion and turn over from the contractor to the university on the night of August 28, 2008 a powerful storm brought it down. The Bubble was re-inflated early October and was fully repaired for use in July 2009. During the 2009 season the facility was renamed and dedicated to generous donor Dr. Verde Dickey as the Verde Dickey Center, to not only commemorate his donation for the facility but also his donations to Sun Devil Marching Band and projects such as renovation of locker rooms in Wells Fargo Arena and Sun Devil Stadium, Weatherup Basketball Center, The Athletes Performance Center, John Spini Gymnastics Center, and wrestling practice facility.


title: Confidence Man (band)

text: Confidence Man are an Australian indie electro pop band formed in 2016 in Brisbane, Queensland. They released their debut album "Confident Music for Confident People" in April 2018. The front-duo and their band members have been a part of many festivals across Australia, most notably Splendour in the Grass and Falls Festival.


title: Confidence Man (band)

text: The band was formed in 2016. The members had met on the Brisbane music scene, and had been in other bands including: The Belligerents, Moses Gunn Collective and The Jungle Giants, and use pseudonyms in Confidence Man. They started writing dance songs together, initially as a "kind of joke", but eventually realised the material was worth pursuing.


title: Confidence Man (band)

text: Planet and Bones provide vocals and dancing while Goodchild and McGuffie, who appear as masked figures, play keyboards and drums. The band signed to UK label Heavenly Records and released their debut UK single, "Bubblegum", in March 2017.


title: Confidence Man (band)

text: Confidence Man released their debut album, "Confident Music for Confident People", on 13 April 2018. They toured Europe extensively in the middle of the same year, with festival slots and a sell-out at London's Scala before returning to Australia for dates in September.


title: Confidence Man (band)

text: On 17 November 2019, Janet Planet and Sugar Bones were guests on Richard Kingsmill's '2019' programme on Triple J to premiere their new single "Does It Make You Feel Good?" During the interview, they revealed they have made celebrity friends with U2 and had been partying with them and Noel Gallagher while in Melbourne. They continued to explain their plans to feature The Edge playing tambourine on a future recording.


title: Confidence Man (band)

text: On 10 November 2021, the band announce the forthcoming release of their second studio album, "Tilt" and released "Holiday" as its lead single.


title: Confidence Man (band)

text: In September 2022, the band released a remix EP, titled "Re-Tilt", featuring remixes and reworkings of tracks from "Tilt".


title: Confidence Man (band)

text: The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.


title: Confidence Man (band)

text: The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987.


title: Confidence Man (band)

text: The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005.


title: Confidence Man (band)

text: The Music Victoria Awards are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2006.


title: Confidence Man (band)

text: The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016.


title: Confidence Man (band)

text: The Queensland Music Awards (previously known as Q Song Awards) are annual awards celebrating Queensland, Australia's brightest emerging artists and established legends. They commenced in 2006.


title: Wicked (Maguire novel)

text: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West is an American novel published in 1995, written by Gregory Maguire with illustrations by Douglas Smith. It is the first in "The Wicked Years" series, and was followed by "Son of a Witch" (published in September 2005), "A Lion Among Men" (published in October 2008), and "Out of Oz" (published in November 2011). In 2003, it was adapted as the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical "Wicked". The musical is in the process of being adapted into a feature film.


title: Wicked (Maguire novel)

text: "Wicked" is a revisionist exploration of the characters and setting of the 1900 novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum, its sequels, and the 1939 film adaptation. It is presented as a biography of the Wicked Witch of the West, here given the name "Elphaba." The book follows Elphaba from her birth as the result of a rape through her radicalization, social ostracism, and finally her death at the hands of Dorothy Gale. Maguire shows the traditionally villainous character in a sympathetic light, using her journey to explore the problem of evil and the "nature versus nurture" debate, as well as themes of terrorism, propaganda, and life purpose.


title: Wicked (Maguire novel)

text: Maguire began contemplating the nature of evil while living in London in the early 1990s. He noticed that while the problem of evil had been explored from many different perspectives, those perspectives were seldom synthesized together. He wondered whether calling a person evil might be enough to cause a self-fulfilling prophecy.


title: Wicked (Maguire novel)

text: If everyone was always calling you a bad name, how much of that would you internalize? How much of that would you say, all right, go ahead, I'll be everything that you call me because I have no capacity to change your minds anyway so why bother. By whose standards should I live?He was also inspired by the 1993 murder of James Bulger, in which both victim and perpetrators were young children.Everyone was asking: how could those boys be so villainous? Were they born evil or were there circumstances that pushed them towards behaving like that? It propelled me back to the question of evil that bedevils anybody raised Catholic.Up to that point strictly a children's author, Maguire had difficulty finding an effective way to write about evil, since in his mind, there were no truly evil characters in children's literature. In what he later described as "the one great revelation of my life," Maguire realized that there were in fact villains in children's books; however, they were usually written as one-dimensional stock characters in order to provoke a quick emotional reaction from young readers. Wondering whom to write about, he envisioned the Wicked Witch of the West, as played by Margaret Hamilton in the MGM film, delivering her iconic line, "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!" Maguire had a lifelong fascination with "The" "Wizard of Oz", both Baum's original novel and the film, which he watched every year during its annual broadcast. He decided to tell the Wicked Witch's life story using the same large scale and broad moral messages found in the novels of Charles Dickens.


title: Wicked (Maguire novel)

text: In the Land of Oz, a minister's wife, Melena Thropp, gives birth to a daughter, Elphaba. Elphaba has green skin, sharp teeth, a savage demeanor, and a fear of water. The story details Elphaba's difficult childhood before flashing forward to show her at boarding school in the city of Shiz with her roommate, the social climber Galinda.


title: Wicked (Maguire novel)

text: While at Shiz, the two girls discover that Oz is rife with political tension. The Wizard rules as a dictator and has stripped the sentient Animals of their civil rights. Inspired by her favorite professor, a Goat named Doctor Dillamond, Elphaba works to prove that sentient Animals deserve social status equal to humans. When Doctor Dillamond dies under mysterious circumstances, Galinda adopts his mispronunciation of her name, Glinda.


title: Wicked (Maguire novel)

text: Shiz headmistress and Ozian power broker Madame Morrible suggests that Elphaba and Glinda work for her from behind the scenes to help stabilize the political situation in Oz. Preferring more direct action, Elphaba and Glinda travel to the Emerald City, where they meet the Wizard and plead the case of the Animals. When the Wizard dismisses their concerns, Elphaba takes matters into her own hands. She goes into hiding and joins an underground terrorist group working out of the Emerald City.


title: Wicked (Maguire novel)

text: Five years later, Elphaba reconnects with former schoolmate Fiyero, now a Prince with three children, and the two begin an illicit affair. Fiyero is caught in Elphaba's hideout and arrested by the Wizard's secret police force. Blaming herself for his capture, Elphaba takes refuge in a convent. Seven years later, she visits Fiyero's family at their castle, Kiamo Ko, in hopes of gaining their forgiveness. She brings along a boy named Liir, her son by Fiyero. Fiyero's family allow her to stay as their guest, but his widow Sarima refuses to hear her apology. While there, Elphaba begins to study sorcery and gains a reputation as a witch.


title: Wicked (Maguire novel)

text: Elphaba's father asks for her help with her sister Nessarose, who has also become a witch and has taken Elphaba's hereditary position as ruler of Munchkinland. Tired of being used as a pawn in other people's agendas, Elphaba declines her father's request. Nessarose promises to give Elphaba her enchanted silver shoes after she dies. When Elphaba returns to Kiamo Ko, she discovers the Wizard's troops have taken Fiyero's family prisoner.


title: Wicked (Maguire novel)

text: Seven years later, a storm visits Munchkinland, dropping a farmhouse on Nessarose and killing her. The farmhouse's passengers are a little girl named Dorothy Gale and her dog, Toto. Glinda sends Dorothy off with Nessarose's shoes for fear of their power igniting a civil war in Munchkinland. Elphaba is furious, as the shoes were rightfully hers.


title: Wicked (Maguire novel)

text: Elphaba meets with the Wizard to beg for the release of Fiyero and his family. The Wizard explains that he has killed them all except for Fiyero's daughter Nor, who he keeps as a slave. He explains that he comes from a different world and is not bound by the laws of Oz. After the unsuccessful meeting, Elphaba learns that the Wizard is her biological father, making her the child of two different worlds and thus destined never to fit in anywhere.


title: Wicked (Maguire novel)

text: When Dorothy and her friends arrive at Kiamo Ko, she tells Elphaba that while the Wizard sent her with orders to "kill the witch", Dorothy came to apologize for killing her sister. Furious that Dorothy is asking for the forgiveness she herself has been denied, Elphaba waves her burning broom in the air and inadvertently sets her skirt on fire. Dorothy throws a bucket of water on her to save her. Instead, the water melts her away.


title: Wicked (Maguire novel)

text: Dorothy returns to the Wizard with a green bottle, which he recognizes as the potion he used to drug Melena. The Wizard departs the Emerald City mere hours before a coup would have overthrown and killed him. The book ends with political chaos reigning over Oz.


title: Wicked (Maguire novel)

text: According to author Maguire, "Wicked" is primarily about identifying with someone who is ostracized. "The Gazette" called "Wicked" "a cautionary tale...about what happens when we as a society decide to label anyone who differs from the norm as evil."


title: Wicked (Maguire novel)

text: Prior to writing "Wicked", Maguire became interested in examining the nature of evil from the perspective of someone considered evil. He noted that while Baum had deliberately avoided using traditional fairy tale characters in writing the original novel, the Wicked Witch of the West was the sole exception, being depicted as the stereotypical "witch in her castle" figure, with wickedness her single defining character trait. The novel raises the question of whether evil is inborn or acquired. Elphaba is a social outcast despite being of noble birth, which makes her question how much power she truly has over her own life.


title: Wicked (Maguire novel)

text: Writing for "The American Experience", Rebecca Onion called "Wicked" "an extended meditation on power and politics." Maguire has noted the similarities between the words "wicked" and "Hitler," calling it "no accident" that he chose this title for his book. He recalled reading a newspaper headline in 1991 comparing Saddam Hussein to Adolf Hitler and feeling firsthand the emotional power of propaganda. Maguire "set out to examine the language and propaganda used to marshal brute force against individuals or minorities that might have been opposed to the war." In the book, one major plank of the Wizard's agenda involves the subjugation of sentient Animals and Madame Morrible promotes this idea using a type of moralistic poem called a "quell." Elphaba instantly sees the propaganda for what it is.


title: Wicked (Maguire novel)

text: "Tor" noted that terrorism, committed both by and against the state, plays a major role in the second half of the book. The Wizard keeps an SS-like secret police, the Gale Force, which uses violence to carry out his totalitarian agenda. Elphaba similarly uses terrorism to combat them, though she shies away from targeting children.


title: Wicked (Maguire novel)

text: A lifelong Catholic, Maguire remembered the nuns who taught in the Catholic schools of his boyhood home of Albany, New York. He admired their sense of purpose and dedication to their cause, saying that their integrity and inscrutability made them witches in his mind. Elphaba discovers her own purpose as a student at Shiz University, where the murder of her favorite professor, Dr. Dillamond, inspires her to join the cause of Animal rights. As the story progresses, she deepens her commitment to her cause, becoming a political exile for her beliefs.


title: Wicked (Maguire novel)

text: "Wicked" is on its face a revisionist parallel novel for "The Wizard of Oz". "The Independent" compared it to "Wide Sargasso Sea" and "Wild Wood" as part of "a fascinating sub-genre of novels that revisit well-known stories as much in the spirit of criticism as homage." While previous authors had accepted the existing moral framework of the Oz stories, "Wicked" showed affection for the originals while simultaneously questioning everything they stood for. Maguire presents a sympathetic view of a villainous character by detailing her life story and helping the reader understand how "an innocent if rather green and biting child" can become "a still moralistic terrorist." He also transformed the Land of Oz itself, changing what he saw as an insular, parochial world into one where different groups and their political agendas intersect and overlap.


title: Wicked (Maguire novel)

text: "Wicked" received mostly positive reviews. "Publishers Weekly" called it a "fantastical meditation on good and evil, God and free will" which combined "puckish humor and bracing pessimism." "Kirkus Reviews" called it "A captivating, funny, and perceptive look at destiny, personal responsibility, and the not-always-clashing beliefs of faith and magic." "Library Journal" recommended the book to "good readers who like satire, and love exceedingly imaginative and clever fantasy." The "Los Angeles Times" favorably compared "Wicked" with other "fantasy novels of ideas" such as "Gormenghast" and "Dune".


title: Wicked (Maguire novel)

text: "The New York Times" was a notable outlier, criticizing the novel's strident politics and moral relativism. Reviewer Michiko Katutani argued that Maguire "shows little respect for Baum's original story." "Wicked", she felt, "turns a wonderfully spontaneous world of fantasy into a lugubrious allegorical realm, in which everything and everyone is labeled with a topical name tag."


title: Wicked (Maguire novel)

text: In 2003, the novel was adapted as the Broadway musical "Wicked" by composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz and librettist Winnie Holzman. The musical was produced by Universal Pictures and directed by Joe Mantello, with musical staging by Wayne Cilento. The Broadway production has inspired long-running productions in Chicago, London's West End, San Francisco, and Los Angeles in the United States, as well as Germany and Japan. It was nominated for ten Tony Awards, winning three, and is the 5th longest-running Broadway show in history, with over 7,200 performances. The original Broadway production starred Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda.


title: Wicked (Maguire novel)

text: In a 2009 interview, Maguire stated that he had sold the rights to ABC to make an independent non-musical TV adaptation of "Wicked". It would not be based on Winnie Holzman's script. On January 9, 2011, "Entertainment Weekly" reported that ABC would be teaming up with Salma Hayek and her production company to create a TV miniseries of "Wicked" based solely on Maguire's novel. The miniseries never entered production.


title: Wicked (Maguire novel)

text: In September 2010, "Filmshaft" disclosed that Universal Pictures was beginning work on a film adaptation of the stage musical. In December 2012, following the success of "Les Misérables", Marc Platt, also a producer of the stage version, announced the film was going ahead, later confirming the film was aiming for a 2016 release. Universal announced in 2016 that the film would be released in theaters on December 22, 2021, with Stephen Daldry directing. After production was shut down during the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic, Daldry left the production due to scheduling conflicts and was replaced by Jon M. Chu. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were cast as Elphaba and Galinda, with rehearsals set to begin in July 2022. Michelle Yeoh was announced for the Madame Morrible role in December 2022.


title: Wicked (Maguire novel)

text: In April 2022, it was announced that the film will be released in two parts, on Christmas Day in 2024 and 2025.


title: Wikipedia community

text: The Wikipedia community, collectively known colloquially as Wikipedians, is an informal community that volunteers to create and maintain Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia. Since August 2012, the word "Wikipedian" has been an "Oxford Dictionary" entry.


title: Wikipedia community

text: Wikipedians may consider themselves part of the Wikimedia movement, a global network of volunteer contributors to Wikipedia and other related projects hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation.


title: Wikipedia community

text: In April 2008, writer and lecturer Clay Shirky and computer scientist Martin Wattenberg estimated the total time spent creating Wikipedia at roughly 100 million hours. In November 2011, there were approximately 31.7 million registered user accounts across all language editions of which around 270,000 were "active" (made at least one edit every month).


title: Wikipedia community

text: A study published in 2010 found that the contributor base to Wikipedia "was barely 13% women; the average age of a contributor was in the mid-20s". A 2011 study by researchers from the University of Minnesota found that females comprised 16.1% of the 38,497 editors who started editing Wikipedia during 2009. In a January 2011 "New York Times" article, Noam Cohen observed that 13% of Wikipedia's contributors are female according to a 2008 Wikimedia Foundation survey. Sue Gardner, a former executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, hoped to see female contributions increase to 25% by 2015. Linda Basch, president of the National Council for Research on Women, noted the contrast in these Wikipedia editor statistics with the percentage of women currently completing bachelor's degrees, master's degrees and PhD programs in the United States (all at rates of 50% or greater).


title: Wikipedia community

text: In response, various universities have hosted edit-a-thons to encourage more women to participate in the Wikipedia community. In fall 2013, 15 colleges and universities—including Yale, Brown, and Penn State—offered college credit for students to "write feminist thinking" about technology into Wikipedia. A 2008 self-selected survey of the diversity of contributors by highest educational degree indicated that 62% of responding Wikipedia editors had attained either a high school or undergraduate college education.


title: Wikipedia community

text: In August 2014, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales said in a BBC interview that the Wikimedia Foundation was "... really doubling down our efforts ..." to reach 25% of female editors (originally targeted by 2015), since the Foundation had "totally failed" so far. Wales said "a lot of things need to happen ... a lot of outreach, a lot of software changes". Andrew Lih, writing in "The New York Times", was quoted by Bloomberg News in December 2016 as supporting Wales's comments concerning shortfalls in Wikipedia's outreach to female editors. Lih states his concern with the question indicating that: "How can you get people to participate in an [editing] environment that feels unsafe, where identifying yourself as a woman, as a feminist, could open you up to ugly, intimidating behavior".


title: Wikipedia community

text: In a 2003 study of Wikipedia as a community, economics Ph.D. student Andrea Ciffolilli argued that the low transaction costs of participating in wiki software create a catalyst for collaborative development, and that a "creative construction" approach encourages participation. A paper written by Andrea Forte and Amy Bruckman in 2005, called "Why Do People Write for Wikipedia? Incentives to Contribute to Open-Content Publishing", discussed the possible motivations of Wikipedia contributors. It applied Latour and Woolgar's concept of the cycle of credit to Wikipedia contributors, suggesting that the reason that people write for Wikipedia is to gain recognition within the community.


title: Wikipedia community

text: Oded Nov, in his 2007 paper "What Motivates Wikipedians", related the motivations of volunteers in general to the motivations of people who contribute to Wikipedia. Nov carried out a survey using the six motivations of volunteers, identified in an earlier paper. The six motivations he used were:


title: Wikipedia community

text: The survey found that the most commonly indicated motives were "fun", "ideology", and "values", whereas the least frequently indicated motives were "career", "social", and "protective".


title: Wikipedia community

text: The Wikimedia Foundation has carried out some surveys of Wikipedia contributors and users. In 2008, the Wikimedia Foundation, alongside the Collaborative Creativity Group at UNU-Merit, launched a survey of readers and editors of Wikipedia. The results of the survey were published two years later on 24 March 2010. The Wikimedia Foundation began a process in 2011 of semi-annual surveys in order to understand Wikipedia editors more and better cater to their needs.


title: Wikipedia community

text: "Motivations of Wikipedia Content Contributors", a paper by Heng-Li Yang and Cheng-Yu Lai, hypothesised that, because contributing to Wikipedia is voluntary, an individual's enjoyment of participating would be the highest motivator. However, their study showed that although people might initially start editing Wikipedia out of enjoyment, the most likely motivation for continuing to participate is self-concept based motivations such as "I like to share knowledge which gives me a sense of personal achievement."


title: Wikipedia community

text: A further study in 2014 by Cheng-Yu Lai and Heng-Li Yang explored the reasons why people continue editing Wikipedia content. The study used authors of the English-language version of the site and received 288 valid online survey responses. Their results indicated and confirmed that subjective task value, commitment, and procedural justice affected satisfaction of Wikipedians; and satisfaction influenced an author's continued intention to edit Wikipedia content.


title: Wikipedia community

text: Editors of Wikipedia have given personal testimonials of why they contribute to Wikipedia. A theme of these testimonials is the enjoyment that editors may get from contributing to Wikipedia and being part of the Wikipedia community. Also mentioned is the potential addictive quality of editing Wikipedia. Gina Trapani of "Lifehacker" said "it turns out editing an article isn't scary at all. It's easy, surprisingly satisfying and can become obsessively addictive." Jimmy Wales has also commented on the addictive quality of Wikipedia, saying "The main thing about Wikipedia ... is that it's fun and addictive". Wikipedians sometimes award one another "" for good work. These personalized tokens of appreciation reveal a range of valued work extending beyond "simple editing" to include social support, administrative actions, and types of articulation work. The barnstar phenomenon has been analyzed by researchers seeking to determine what implications it might have for other communities engaged in some collaborations.


title: Wikipedia community

text: Wikipedia has spawned a number of community news publications. An online newsletter, "The Signpost", has been published since 10 January 2005. Professional cartoonist Greg Williams created a webcomic called "" which ran in "The Signpost" from 2006 to 2008.


title: Wikipedia community

text: A podcast called was active from 2006 to 2009, while a series of conference calls titled "Not the Wikipedia Weekly" ran from 2008 to 2009.


title: Wikipedia community

text: Wikimania is an annual international conference for users of the wiki projects operated by the Wikimedia Foundation (such as Wikipedia and other ). Topics of presentations and discussions include Wikimedia Foundation projects, other wikis, open-source software, free knowledge and free content, and the different social and technical aspects which relate to these topics.


title: Wikipedia community

text: The annual Great American Wiknic is a social gathering that takes place in some cities of the United States each year during the summer, may be prior to the 4th of July. The Wiknic concept allows Wikipedians to bring together picnic food and to interact in a personal way.


title: Wikipedia community

text: Wikipedia has been subject to some kinds of criticism. For example, the Seigenthaler and Essjay incidents caused criticism of Wikipedia's reliability and usefulness as a reference. The complaints related to the community include the effects of users' anonymity, the attitudes towards newcomers, the abuse of privileges by administrators, biases in the social structure of the community, in particular, gender bias and lack of female contributors, and the role of the project's co-founder Jimmy Wales, in the community. A controversy was stirred with paid contributors to Wikipedia, which prompted the Wikimedia Foundation to send a cease and desist letter to the Wiki-PR agency.


title: Wikipedia community

text: Wikipedia's co-founder Larry Sanger who later founded rival project Citizendium characterized the Wikipedia community in 2007 as ineffective and abusive, stating that "The community does not enforce its own rules effectively or consistently. Consequently, administrators and ordinary participants alike are able essentially to act abusively with impunity, which begets a never-ending cycle of abuse." Oliver Kamm of "The Times" expressed skepticism toward Wikipedia's reliance on in forming its content: "Wikipedia seeks not truth but consensus, and like an interminable political meeting the end result will be dominated by the loudest and most persistent voices."


title: Wikipedia community

text: The 2015 Erasmus Prize was awarded to the Wikipedia community for "[promoting] the dissemination of knowledge through a comprehensive and universally accessible encyclopedia. To achieve that, the initiators of Wikipedia have designed a new and effective democratic platform. The prize specifically recognizes Wikipedia as a community — a shared project that involves tens of thousands of volunteers around the world."


title: Stubbs (cat)

text: Stubbs (April 12, 1997 – July 21, 2017) was a cat who was the honorary mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska, from July 18, 1997, until his death.


title: Stubbs (cat)

text: Stubbs was described as a tourist attraction, having been flooded with cards and letters, and drawing 30 to 40 tourists each day (most of whom were en route to other Alaska destinations, such as Denali) who hoped to meet "the mayor". His position was honorary, as the town is only a historic district.


title: Stubbs (cat)

text: Every afternoon, Stubbs went to a nearby restaurant and drank water laced with catnip out of a wineglass or a margarita glass.


title: Stubbs (cat)

text: In 1997, Lauri Stec, manager of Nagley's General Store, found Stubbs in a box full of kittens in her parking lot. The owners were giving the kittens away; Stec chose "Stubbs" because he did not have a tail.


title: Stubbs (cat)

text: Stubbs was widely described as having been elected after a write-in campaign by voters who opposed the human candidates, but NPR pointed out that this could not have happened because "the tiny town has no real mayor, so there was no election." Nagley's General Store was used as Stubbs's "mayoral office" during his tenure.


title: Stubbs (cat)

text: Stubbs was featured in an effort to protest the 2014 United States Senate election in Alaska when people urged voters to write Stubbs in on the ballot. Stubbs was featured in a video criticizing both the Democratic and Republican candidates for Senate.


title: Stubbs (cat)

text: One opinion writer for the "Alaska Dispatch News" insisted that the whole story was false, and that Talkeetna did not have a cat mayor.


title: Stubbs (cat)

text: In 2015, Stubbs was growing older and thus slowed down his public presence. He died on July 21, 2017. His owners said that “He was a trooper until the end of his life.” Stubbs lived to the age of 20 years and three months.


title: Stubbs (cat)

text: On August 31, 2013, Stubbs was attacked by a dog. He was placed under heavy sedation at a veterinary hospital away in Wasilla, having suffered a punctured lung, a fractured sternum, and a deep cut in his side. A crowd-funding page was set up to help pay his veterinary bills. Stubbs remained in the veterinary hospital for nine days before returning to the upstairs room of the general store. As a result, he was discouraged from roaming. Donations toward his care were received from around the world; the surplus was given to an animal shelter and to the local veterinary clinic.


title: Stubbs (cat)

text: Other incidents included Stubbs being shot by teenagers with BB guns, falling into a restaurant's deep fryer (which was switched off and cool at the time), and hitching a ride to the outskirts of Talkeetna on a garbage truck.


title: Caste system in Nepal

text: The Nepalese caste system was the traditional system of social stratification of Nepal. The Nepalese caste system broadly borrows the classical Hindu "Chaturvarnashram" model, consisting of four broad social classes or varna: Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Sudra.


title: Caste system in Nepal

text: The caste system defines social classes by a number of hierarchical endogamous groups often termed "jaat". This custom was traditionally only prevalent in the three Indo Aryan societies of the Khas, Madhesi, and Newars. However, since the unification of Nepal in the 18th century, Nepal's various non-Hindu ethnic nationalities and tribes, previously called "Matwalis" (alcohol-drinkers) and now termed as "Adivasi/Janajati" (indigenous/nationalities), have been incorporated within the caste hierarchy to varying degrees of success. Despite the forceful integration by the state into the pan-Hindu social structure, the traditionally non-Hindu groups and tribes do not necessarily adhere to the customs and practices of the caste system.


title: Caste system in Nepal

text: The Government of Nepal legally abolished the caste-system and criminalized any caste-based discrimination, including "untouchability" (the ostracism of a specific caste) - in 1963. With Nepal's step towards freedom and equality, Nepal, previously ruled by a Hindu monarchy, was a Hindu nation which has now become a secular state. On 28 May 2008, it was declared a republic, ending the period of the Hindu Kingdom.


title: Caste system in Nepal

text: The ancient tribes living around the northern territory of modern Nepal seem to have been less influenced by the fourfold Varna system of Hinduism. Instead, nature worship, shamanism and ancestor worship was more common in sync with Tibetan spirituality among the Sino-Tibetan groups. Even Khas/Parbatiyas who are today overwhelmingly consolidated into the four Varna structure, have been following Masto tradition since ancient times whereby Masta tutelary deities known as "bange-masta, bahiramasta, thado-masta, bahra-masta, athahra-masta" are invoked and worshipped. This form of Masto worship among the Khasas is apparently not related to any Vedic scriptures and tradition of the Gangetic plains of India, and seems more closer to pre-Buddhist Shamanistic Bon practice of Tibet.


title: Caste system in Nepal

text: The earliest detailed record of the caste system in Nepal has been found in Kathmandu Valley from the 5th century CE during the Licchavi period (400-750 CE) with mentions of the presence of Brahmans (Vedic priests) and Chandala (untouchables). The existing caste structure as introduced by the Lichhavis was later fundamentally restructured during the reign of King Jayasthiti Malla (1380-1394). This restructuring was a result of over a millennia of newer Aryan immigrants from the plains since the time of the Lichchavis. Series of Aryan migration to Kathmandu led to increased population and formation of a complex urban and caste-based society. Among them, most notable migration was the advent of later Malla and Chathariya/Kshatriya and their Maithil Brahmins and others like the Khadgis (butchers), Dobhi, among others, with conquest of Karnat kingdom in 1324 CE by Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq, the founder of the Tughlaq dynasty and Sultan of Delhi. Jayasthiti Malla's restructuring also converted celibate Buddhist monks to householder status and inside the hierarchic fold for the first time to form the caste of Vajracharya and Shakya. It also solidified the supremacy of Kanyakubja Brahmin descendants like the Rajopadhyaya Brahmins over other priests like Maithil Brahmins. Karmacharyas and Joshis were all-together stripped off their Brahmin status by these new and arguably more well-read Brahmins, and assimilated them in the Kshatriya/Chathariya. The restructuring also yielded power to newly formed Malla aristocracy of the Chathariya Shrestha who formed the new powerful aristocratic caste of the Malla kingdom. Hence, the present Newar society's foundation firmly stands on this restructuring by Malla as Newar society continues to comprise the 4 varna and 64 different caste groups which were hierarchically allotted in Jayasthiti Malla's time according to the classical and religious Hindu scriptures like the Manusmriti. Gorkha king of the Chaubisi principality, Ram Shah (1609-1636) is noted to have introduced some rules and regulations about relations between different groups of people in the Gorkha kingdom too. As the Shah rulers conquered more territories and people, the concept of caste hierarchy more firmly applied as an organizing principle to consolidate diverse people under their authority. In 1854, early in the period of Rana rule, a National Legal Code (Muluki Ain) was proclaimed that laid out detailed codes for inter-caste behavior and specified punishments for their infringement.


title: Caste system in Nepal

text: Although caste or tribe based hierarchy has been a hallmark for all ethnicities of Nepal, only three societies traditionally were part of the four Varna concept of social division and hierarchy. These societies/ethnicities were: Khas/Parbatiya and Newars in the hills and Madhesis in the plains.


title: Caste system in Nepal

text: The social structure of caste-origin Hill Hindu or Khas groups is simple compared to the other two societies, reflecting only three groups in hierarchy, with the distinct absence of the Vaishya and Shudra varnas. Much of the previously animist/tribal Khas population of the western Nepal region acquired the 'Chhetri' status in the 1850s with the proclamation by the Rana Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana, making Chhetris the most populous caste/tribe of Nepal. The mother tongue of these groups is Kumaoni, Nepali and its dialects like Baitadeli and Doteli. In 2001 the CBS recorded only nine groups in the caste-origin Hill Hindu groups.


title: Caste system in Nepal

text: The case of Newār is exceptional. This group presents a complicated social structure that not only reflects the model of four Hindu varna categories and the unclean castes outside of it, but it is also clearly divided among the upper and lower Buddhist castes. Currently, Newars are divided into groups of over 25 occupational caste categories who share a common language (mother-tongue) Nepal Bhasa or speak Nepali.


title: Caste system in Nepal

text: The social structure of the caste-origin Madhesi Hindu groups is complex, reflecting four varna groups with distinct hierarchical structure within them. These various cultural groups belong to four distinct language groups: Maithili, Bajika, Bhojpuri, and Awadhi. In 2001 the CBS recorded 43 caste-origin Hindu groups in the Madhesh. Caste prejudice is far less prevalent in cities nowadays, although nothing has changed in rural regions. As a result of occupational changes, increased education, their own efforts to emulate the upper castes and consolidation of political power, urban Dalits in the Terai have moved up in status. The National Report says, "Over the last 15-20 years, three groups, namely Sudi, Kalwar and Teli have socially upgraded their status from the water unacceptable to the water acceptable community within the Tarai origin Hindu caste groups."


title: Caste system in Nepal

text: The Nepali civil code Muluki Ain was commissioned by Jung Bahadur Rana after his European tour and enacted in 1854. It was rooted in traditional Hindu Law and codified social practices for several centuries in Nepal. The law also comprised "Prāyaścitta" (avoidance and removal of sin) and "Ācāra" (the customary law of different castes and communities).


title: Caste system in Nepal

text: It was an attempt to include the entire Hindu as well as non-Hindu population of Nepal of that time into a single hierarchic civic code from the perspective of the Khas rulers. Terai and Newar Brahmins and Kshatriyas were officially placed below their Khas equivalents. Similarly, serious limitations and oversights of this code include the complete exclusion of the large middle-ranking Terai groups. Most notable contradiction is the inclusion of previously non-Hindu tribes "Adivasi Janajati" groups, as well as non-Nepalis including Muslims and Europeans into the hierarchical fold.


title: Caste system in Nepal

text: The social values preached by the Muluki Ain, however, were providing restrictive, anachronic and out of step with the spirit of times. These values were seen as a potent instrument of Rana political repression. After the Rana regime, caste rules relating to food, drink and intercaste marriage were openly louted but the Muluki Ain had not been abrogated. In 1963, Legal Code was replaced by New 1964 Legal Code. The legal recognition to caste and all the discriminatory laws made on the grounds of caste were ceased.


title: Caste system in Nepal

text: The caste system is still intact today but the rules are not as rigid as they were in the past. In 1963, a law (New Muluki Ain-1963) was passed making it illegal to discriminate against other castes led all castes to be equally treated by the law. Education is free and open to all castes.


title: Caste system in Nepal

text: The caste system conjoints a structural class divide which persists, in which lower castes/ethnicities are generally socio-economically are not equal like those of higher castes/ethnicities. Recent research has also shown that when it comes to Nepali people's impressions of social change, "Poverty, Human Resources and Region" explain more of the variation than "Ethnicity, Caste or Religious belonging" – i.e. people's perception of their own social situation has more to do with geography and objective social class, than with their association with the groups that the state has based its internal social policy on.


title: Caste system in Nepal

text: Participation of Khas-Brahmins in the civil service is 41.3% in spite of its population size of 12.2%. The population of Newars (all castes) is around 5%, but its occupancy in the civil service is more than one-third (33.2%), although vast majority of this share comes from the minority upper-caste segments of the Chathariya and Panchthariya Shrestha Newars. Upper-caste Newars remain the most over-represented community in terms of socio-political access. The population of Khas-Chhetris constitutes 17.6% but its participation is mere 14.7%. If these major three communities (upper-caste Khas (Bahun & Chhetri) and upper-caste Newars (Shresthas) or the 'BCN' combine their shares in the Government of Nepal, civil service employment is 89.2% in 1991. Their dominance is reflected in education, administration and economical activities of the nation. Among those 73.8% in higher education belong to the BCN, 22.0% Janajatis and 2.9% Dalit.


title: Caste system in Nepal

text: They have become major decision makers in the bureaucracy of Nepal has become crystal clear. In terms of earning/income generation, Newars have the highest per capita income of Rs. 38,193. Khas Brahmins come next with an average income of Rs. 24,399, Adivasi Janajatis ranks third with an average income of Rs. 15,630, Dalit Rs. 12,114 and Muslim ranks the lowest, Rs.11,014' The democratic transitions also failed to be inclusive management and functioning governance mainly because government was unable to understand and articulate the spirit of all Nepalese people irrespective of their caste, gender, ethnicity, and religion.


title: Caste system in Nepal

text: In this process the left outs were oppressed class (Dalits), women, the poorest of the poor, powerless and the second class citizen and indigenous nationalities (Adivasi Janajatis). In Nepal, high castes dominate 91.2% among the prominent position in politics and bureaucracy. The Dalits who constitute 12.8 percent of the total population of the country have no representation in the higher echelons of power' (Gurung, H. 2006). Similarly, the Janajati has 32.0% (excluding Newars) of the total population of the country, has representation of 7.1%. In terms of education, 88.0% of Khas Brahmins & Chhetris, and Newars have access to school, 12.0% have never been to school. More than fifty (52.0%) of Hill Dalits, 47.0% of the Tarai Dalits, 48.0% of the Muslims and 30 percent of the Hill Adivasi Janajatis have never been to school.(Census, 2001)


title: Caste system in Nepal

text: In recent times, following the overthrow of the Nepali monarchy and move towards a federal republic, ethnicity and caste have taken center stage – the indigenous peoples ("Adivasi Janajati") who make up a third of the country having been guaranteed rights that have not yet been fulfilled. There is an observable reaction to this among certain Khas Brahmin and Chhetri groups, seeking to prevent group-based rights from becoming an important factor in the country that earlier had a political system associated with group-based discrimination. Certain outside analysts have suggested that "seeking a balance in approach requires addressing both specific indigenous historical injustices while creating a common citizenship for all marginalised citizens regardless of identity, which remains a particularly challenging issue for Nepal".


title: Caste system in Nepal

text: According to Professor Madhusudan Subedi, economic and political advancements have pushed the caste system to break its stagnancy and status quo. New divisions and differences have given rise to new antagonisms and social norms. Working-class persons in urban areas who must make a living by selling their labour power. Traditional caste barriers have been broken down as a result of such social mobility.


title: Caste system in Nepal

text: In the rural context, the traditional subsistence agriculture system and age-old caste structure have significantly changed, and a relationship based on wage labour on land is being developed.


"Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses (Notes Towards an Investigation)" (French: "Idéologie et appareils idéologiques d'État (Notes pour une recherche)") is an essay by the French Marxist philosopher Louis Althusser. First published in 1970, it advances Althusser's theory of ideology. Where Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels posited a thinly-sketched theory of ideology as a system of falsehoods serving the ruling class, Althusser draws upon the works of later theorists such as Antonio Gramsci, Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan to proffer a more elaborate redefinition of the theory. Althusser's theory of ideology has remained influential since it was written.


title: Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses

text: Althusser begins the essay by reiterating the Marxist theory that in order to exist, a social formation is required to essentially, continuously and perpetually reproduce the productive forces (labour power and means of production), the conditions of production and the relations of production. The reproduction of labour power is ensured by the wage system which pays a minimum amount to the workers so that they appear to work day after day, thereby limiting their vertical mobility. The reproduction of the conditions of production and the reproduction of the relations of production happens through the state apparatuses which are insidious machinations controlled by the capitalist ruling ideology in the context of a class struggle to repress, exploit, extort and subjugate the ruled class.


text: The Marxist spatial metaphor of the edifice describes a social formation constituted by the foundational infrastructure, i.e. the economic base, on which stands the superstructure consisting of two floors: the law/the state (the politico-legal floor) and ideology. A detailed description of both structures is provided below:


text: The infrastructure consists of the forces, the means, and the relations of production. The following examples reflect the concept of the infrastructure in further detail:


text: The superstructure arises from the infrastructure and consists of culture and ideology. The following examples reflect the concept of the superstructure in further detail:


text: Marx's theory is that the superstructure comes from the infrastructure and reconditions ways of life and living so that the infrastructure continues to be produced.


text: Althusser extends this topographical paradigm by stating that the infrastructural economic base is endowed with an "index of effectivity" which enables it to ultimately determine the functioning of the superstructure. He scrutinizes this structural metaphor by discussing the superstructure in detail. A close study of the superstructure is necessitated due to its relative autonomy over the base and its reciprocal action on the base.


text: The ruling class uses repressive state apparatuses (RSA) to dominate the working class. The basic, social function of the RSA (government, courts, police and armed forces, etc.) is timely intervention within politics in favour of the interests of the ruling class, by repressing the subordinate social classes as required, using either violent or nonviolent coercive means. The ruling class controls the RSA because they also control the powers of the state (political, legislative, armed).


text: Althusser has enhanced the Marxist theory of the state by distinguishing the repressive apparatuses of the state from the ideological apparatuses of the state (ISA), which comprise an array of social institutions and multiple, political realities that propagate many ideologies—the religious ISA, the educational ISA, the family ISA, the legal ISA, the political ISA, the communications ISA, the cultural ISA, etc.


text: Moreover, when individual persons and political groups threaten the social order established by the dominant social class, the state invokes the stabilising functions of the repressive state apparatus. As such, the benign forms of social repression affect the judicial system, where ostensibly public contractual language is invoked in order to govern individual and collective behaviour in society. As internal threats (social, political, economic) to the dominant order appear, the state applies proportionate social repression: police suppression, incarceration, and military intervention.


text: Ideological state apparatuses (ISA), according to Althusser, use methods other than physical violence to achieve the same objectives as RSA. They may include educational institutions (e.g. schools), media outlets, churches, social and sports clubs and the family. These formations are ostensibly apolitical and part of civil society, rather than a "formal" part of the state (i.e. as is the case in an RSA). In terms of psychology they could be described as psychosocial, because they aim to inculcate ways of seeing and evaluating things, events and class relations. Instead of expressing and imposing order, through violent repression, ISA disseminate ideologies that reinforce the control of a dominant class. People tend to be co-opted by fear of social rejection, e.g. ostracisation, ridicule and isolation. In Althusser's view, a social class cannot hold state power unless, and until, it simultaneously exercises hegemony (domination) over and through ISA.


text: Educational ISA, in particular, assume a dominant role in a capitalist economy, and conceal and mask the ideology of the ruling class behind the "liberating qualities" of education, so that the hidden agendas of the ruling class are inconspicuous to most teachers, students, parents and other interested members of society. Althusser said that the school has supplanted the church as the crucial ISA for indoctrination, which augments the reproduction of the relations of production (i.e. the capitalist relations of exploitation) by training the students to become sources of labour power, who work for and under capitalists.


text: However, because ISA cannot dominate as obviously or readily as RSA, ideological state apparatuses may themselves become a site of class struggle. That is, subordinate social classes are able to find the means and occasions to express class struggle politically and in so doing counter the dominant class, either by utilizing ideological contradictions inherent in ISA, or by campaigns to take control of positions within the ISA. This, nevertheless, will not in itself prevent the dominant class from retaining its position in control of RSA.


text: Althusser advances two theses on ideology: "Ideology represents the imaginary relationship of individuals to their real conditions of existence"; and "Ideology has a material existence".


text: The first thesis tenders the familiar Marxist contention that ideologies have the function of masking the exploitative arrangements on which class societies are based. Where Althusser's theory differs from the conception of ideology held by previous Marxists, is that it sees ideology as a permanent medium of delusion that must exist to bind men together into society. Even in a classless society, ideology is needed to give social cohesion, to constitute individuals as imaginary subjects.


text: The second thesis posits that ideology does not exist in the form of "ideas" or conscious "representations" in the "minds" of individuals. Rather, ideology consists of the actions and behaviours of bodies governed by their disposition within material apparatuses. Central to the view of individuals as responsible subjects is the notion of an explanatory link between belief and action, that


text: Althusser uses the term "interpellation" to describe the process by which ideology constitutes individual persons as subjects. According to Althusser, the obviousness that people (you and I) are subjects is an effect of ideology. Althusser believes that there are two functions of interpellation. One function of ideology is "recognition" and the other function, its inverse, is "misrecognition". Below are a few concrete illustrations that Althusser provides to further explain the two functions:


text: Ideological social and political institutions "hail" the individual in social interactions, giving the individual his or her identity. Althusser compares ideology to a policeman shouting "hey you" to a person walking in the street. The person responds to the call and in doing so is transformed into a subject—a self-conscious, responsible agent whose actions can be explained by his or her thoughts. Althusser thus goes against the classical definition of the subject as cause and substance, emphasising instead how the situation always precedes the (individual or collective) subject. Concrete individual persons are the carriers of ideology—they are "always-already interpellated" as subjects. Individual subjects are presented principally as produced by social forces, rather than acting as powerful independent agents with self-produced identities. Althusser's argument here strongly draws from Jacques Lacan's concept of the mirror stage—we acquire our identities by seeing ourselves somehow mirrored in ideologies.


text: As a further example, Althusser depicts Christian religious ideology, embodied in the Voice of God, instructing a person on what his place in the world is and what he must do to be reconciled with Christ. Althusser draws the point that in order for that person to identify himself as a Christian, he must first already be a subject; that is, by responding to God's call and following His rules, he affirms himself as a free agent, the author of the acts for which he assumes responsibility. We cannot recognize ourselves outside of ideology, and in fact, our very actions reach out to this overarching structure.


text: Generally, Althusser's perspectives on ideology remain respected; in the "Louis Althusser" capsule biography, the "Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism", 2nd. Ed., says that "Althusser's major concepts—Ideological State Apparatuses, Interpellation, Imaginary relations, and Overdetermination—permeate the discourse of contemporary literary and cultural theory, and his theory of ideology has influenced virtually all subsequent serious work on the topic."


text: A critique of Althusser's concepts in this essay, and the more broad based Gramscian inspired turn in postwar Marxism since the Second World War has been provided by Vivek Chibber, arguing instead that 'resignation' is the driving force behind worker's lack of militancy during periods of capitalist dominance, de-emphasising the role placed on ideology by Althusser and like-minded academics.


title: Katalin Karikó

text: Katalin Karikó (, ; born 17 January 1955) is a Hungarian-American biochemist who specializes in RNA-mediated mechanisms. Her research has been the development of in vitro-transcribed mRNA for protein therapies. She co-founded and was CEO of RNARx, from 2006 to 2013. Since 2013, she has been associated with BioNTech RNA Pharmaceuticals, first as a vice president and promoted to senior vice president in 2019. She also is an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania.


title: Katalin Karikó

text: Karikó's work includes the scientific research of RNA-mediated immune activation, resulting in the co-discovery with American immunologist Drew Weissman of the nucleoside modifications that suppress the immunogenicity of RNA. This is seen as further contribution to the therapeutic use of mRNA. Together with Weissman, she holds U.S. patents for the application of non-immunogenic, nucleoside-modified RNA. This technology has been licensed by BioNTech and Moderna to develop their protein replacement technologies but was also used for their COVID-19 vaccines. Karikó and Weissman have received many awards, including the prestigious Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award, Time Magazine's Hero of the Year 2021 and Tang Prize Award in Biopharmaceutical Science in 2022.


title: Katalin Karikó

text: Karikó grew up in Kisújszállás, Hungary, in a small home without running water, a refrigerator, or television. Her father was a butcher and her mother was a bookkeeper. The family were members of the Reformed Church in Hungary. She excelled in science during her primary education, earning third place in the country in a biology competition. She attended , a Protestant school.


title: Katalin Karikó

text: After earning her Ph.D. at the University of Szeged, Karikó continued her research and postdoctoral studies at the Institute of Biochemistry, Biological Research Centre of Hungary. In 1985, the lab lost its funding, and she left Hungary for the United States with her husband and 2-year daughter. When immigrating to the US, they smuggled in £900 in a teddy bear, money that they had received from selling their car on the black market.


title: Katalin Karikó

text: Between 1985 and 1988, while serving as postdoctoral fellow at Temple University in Philadelphia and Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD, (88-89) Karikó participated in a clinical trial in which patients with AIDS, hematologic diseases, and chronic fatigue syndrome were treated with double stranded RNA (dsRNA). At the time, this was considered groundbreaking research, as the molecular mechanism of interferon induction by dsRNA was not known, although the antiviral and antineoplastic effects of interferon were well documented.


title: Katalin Karikó

text: In 1989, she was hired by the University of Pennsylvania and worked with cardiologist Elliot Barnathan on Messenger RNA (mRNA). In 1990, while an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, Karikó submitted her first grant application in which she proposed to establish mRNA-based gene therapy. Ever since, mRNA-based therapy has been Karikó's primary research interest. She was on track to become full professor, but grant rejections led to her being demoted by the university in 1995. She stayed on and in 1997, she met Drew Weissman, professor of immunology at the University of Pennsylvania. Her persistence was noted as exceptional against the norms of academic research work conditions.


title: Katalin Karikó

text: Karikó's key insight came about after she focused on why transfer RNA used as a control in an experiment did not provoke the same immune reaction as messenger RNA. Their key finding of a chemical modification of mRNA to render it non-immunogenic was rejected by the journals Nature and Science, but eventually accepted by the niche publication "Immunity". In a series of articles beginning in 2005, Karikó and Weissman described how specific nucleoside modifications in mRNA led to a reduced immune response. They founded a small company and, in 2006 and 2013, received patents for the use of several modified nucleosides to reduce the antiviral immune response to mRNA. Soon afterward, the university sold the intellectual property license to Gary Dahl, the head of a lab supply company that eventually became Cellscript. Weeks later, Flagship Pioneering, the venture capital company backing Moderna, contacted her to license the patent. All Karikó said was "we don't have it".


title: Katalin Karikó

text: In 2006, Katalin Karikó reached out to biochemist Ian MacLachlan to work with him on the chemically altered mRNA. Initially, MacLachlan and Tekmira turned away from the collaboration. Karikó wanted to team up with Ian MacLachlan because of MacLaughn was the leader of a team that helped advance mRNA technology. Karikó was working on establishing the formulated lipid nanoparticle delivery system that encapsulates mRNA in a dense particle through a mixing process.


title: Katalin Karikó

text: In early 2013, Karikó heard of Moderna's $240 million deal with AstraZeneca to develop a Vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA. Karikó realized that she would not get a chance to apply her experience with mRNA at the University of Pennsylvania, so she took a role as vice president at BioNTech RNA Pharmaceuticals (and subsequently became a senior vice president in 2019).


title: Katalin Karikó

text: Her research and specializations include messenger RNA-based gene therapy, RNA-induced immune reactions, molecular bases of ischemic tolerance, and treatment of brain ischemia.


title: Katalin Karikó

text: The work and research of Karikó was a foundation for BioNTech and Moderna to create therapeutic mRNAs that do not induce an immune response. In 2020, the Karikó and Weissman technology was however also used within vaccines for COVID-19 that were produced by Pfizer (developed by BioNTech) and by Moderna.


title: Katalin Karikó

text: US8278036B2 & US8748089B2 – This invention provides RNA, oligoribonucleotide, and polyribonucleotide molecules comprising pseudouridine or a modified nucleoside, gene therapy vectors comprising same, methods of synthesizing same, and methods for gene replacement, gene therapy, gene transcription silencing, and the delivery of therapeutic proteins to tissue in vivo, comprising the molecules. The present invention also provides methods of reducing the immunogenicity of RNA, oligoribonucleotide, and polyribonucleotide molecules.


title: Katalin Karikó

text: Karikó is married to Béla Francia. They are the parents of two-time Olympic gold medalist Susan Francia. Their grandson, Alexander Bear Amos, was born in the U.S. in February 2021 to their daughter and son-in-law, architect Ryan Amos. Karikó was able to be present for her grandson's birth.


title: Katalin Karikó

text: In April 2021, "The New York Times" featured her career that laid the groundwork for mRNA vaccines to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Katalin Karikó

text: On June 10, 2021, "The Daily" podcast from "The New York Times" highlighted Karikó's career, emphasizing the many challenges she had to overcome before her work was recognized.


title: Nepali Army

text: The Nepali Army (), technically the Gorkhali Army (; see "Gorkhas"), is the land service branch of the Nepali Armed Forces. During the period of the Nepali unification campaign, it was known as the "Gorkhali Army" and later as the "Royal Nepali Army" following the establishment of a Hindu monarchy in Nepal. It was officially renamed to the Nepali Army on 28 May 2008, following the abolition of the 240-year-old Shah dynasty shortly after the Nepali Civil War.


title: Nepali Army

text: The Nepali Army has participated in various conflicts throughout its history, going as far back as the Nepali unification campaign launched by Prithvi Narayan Shah of the Gorkha Kingdom. It has engaged in an extensive number of battles within South Asia, and continues to take part in global conflicts as part of United Nations peacekeeping coalitions.


title: Nepali Army

text: The Nepali Army is headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal and the incumbent Chief of Army Staff is General Prabhu Ram Sharma.


title: Nepali Army

text: The Nepal unification campaign was a turning point in the history of the Nepali army. Since unification was not possible without a strong army, the management of the armed forces had to be exceptional. Apart from the standard Malla era temples in Kathmandu, the army organized itself in Gorkha. Technicians and experts had to be brought in from abroad to manufacture war materials. After the Gorkhali troops captured Nuwakot, the hilly northern part of Kathmandu (Kantipur) in 1744, the Gorkhali armed forces came to be known as the Royal Nepali Army.


title: Nepali Army

text: Their performance impressed their enemies so much that the British East-India Company started recruiting Nepali troops into their forces. The native British soldiers called the new soldiers "Gurkhas".


title: Nepali Army

text: The Gurkha-Sikh War began shortly after, in 1809. In 1946, the Royal Nepali Army troops were led by Commanding General Sir Baber Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana at the Victory Parade in London.


title: Nepali Army

text: Former Indian Army Chief of Staff Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw once stated that: "If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or he is a Gorkhali."


title: Nepali Army

text: Prior to 2006, the Nepali Army was known as the Royal Nepali Army and was under the control of the King of Nepal. Following the "Loktantra Andolan" (People's Movement for Democracy) on May 18, 2006, a bill was passed by the Nepali parliament curtailing royal power, which included renaming the army.


title: Nepali Army

text: In 2004, Nepal spent $99.2 million on its military (1.5% of its GDP). Since 2002, the RNA had been involved in the Nepali Civil War. They were also used to quell the pro-democracy protesters in April 2006 "Loktantra Andolan".


title: Nepali Army

text: The Nepali Army has about 95,000 infantry army and air service members protecting the sovereignty of Nepal. In August 2018, The Himalayan Times estimated total army forces to be around 96,000 while The Kathmandu Post estimated it to be 92,000.


title: Nepali Army

text: The Chief of the Nepali Army have been mostly drawn from noble Chhetri families from Gorkha such as "Pande dynasty", "Kunwar family", "Basnyat dynasty", and "Thapa dynasty" before the rule of "Rana dynasty". During the Shah monarchy, the officers were drawn from these aristocratic families. During the Rana dynasty, Ranas overtook the position as birthright. The first army chief of Nepal was King Prithvi Narayan Shah who drafted and commanded the Nepali (Gorkhali) Army. The first civilian army chief was Kaji Kalu Pande who had significant role in the campaign of Nepal. He was considered as army head due to the undertaking of duties and responsibilities of the army but not by the formalization of the title.