title: Console game

text: Discs became popular as the storage medium for console games during the fifth generation due to the ability to store large amounts of data and be produced cheaply. The increase in space provided developers with a medium to store higher quality assets, the downside being that progress could not be saved directly to the disc as it could with a cartridge. Most consoles that used discs had a means of saving games either on the console or in the form of a separate memory card, meaning developers had to control the size of their game saves.


title: Console game

text: It is common for games after generation six to be stored partially or fully on the console itself, most commonly on a hard drive. Similarly to how a PC game can be installed, the console game can copy key files to the console's storage medium, which is used to decrease load times but still requires the original game storage medium to play. The second method is for the game to be fully stored on the console and run directly from it, requiring no physical media to run at all. This offers players the opportunity to have games which have no physicality and can be downloaded through the Internet to their console, as well as giving the developers the ability to provide updates and fixes in the same manner, effectively meaning development on a game doesn't have to stop once released.


title: Console game

text: As there is only a fixed amount of space on a console by default, developers do still have to be mindful of the amount of space they can take up, especially if the install is compulsory. Some consoles provide users the ability to expand their storage with larger storage mediums, provide access to removable storage and release versions of their console with more storage.


title: Console game

text: Cloud gaming services allow players to access games as a streaming service. Specialist hardware is not usually required to access these services and can be run from most modern PC operating systems, negating the need for a dedicated device for console gaming. The question of ownership is the biggest difference in comparison to other storage mediums for console games, as they could be considered only a method of renting the game.


title: Console game

text: OnLive is a cross between a console and other game streaming software. They provide hardware, considered to be a microconsole, that would connect to their service but only as means of displaying streamed content.


title: Console game

text: To play console games on any other device than the console it has been developed for, emulation of that console is required whether it is software or hardware based emulation and some console developers will provide this as a means to play games from their older systems on newer devices. For example, the Xbox 360 provides some access to Xbox games and the Wii's Virtual Console has a customised emulator with each game tweaked to provide the best performance as opposed to a single emulator to do everything.


title: Console game

text: While a PC is multi-functional and will be purchased to perform tasks other than gaming, a dedicated gaming console must have games available for it to be successful. A good library of games will give a consumer reason to purchase the console and in turn create opportunities for more games to be created for it. Console developers will lower their profit margins on devices to encourage sales of the games as more profit can be obtained from software royalties than the sale of the consoles themselves.


title: Console game

text: Games are frequently used to market a console and can do so either by exclusivity to a specific console or by using existing popular intellectual properties (IPs) that already have a strong following. "Pac-Man" for the Atari 2600 was already a well known arcade game and was expected to help the sales of 2600 devices due to its popularity despite it being heavily criticized.


title: Console game

text: A strong mascot can come organically from a game and can play a large part of a console's marketing strategy. A well designed and popular mascot will naturally generate further games. A good example of a mascot who has come from an existing game is Nintendo's Mario. He was created as a character for the "Donkey Kong" arcade game and wasn't expected to become popular yet has gone onto become one of the most iconic gaming characters in history.


title: Console game

text: A character from a game can be designed to serve as a mascot, such as Sonic the Hedgehog. He was created with the intent to rival Mario and was designed with abilities to counter Mario's weaknesses.


title: Console game

text: Both mascots exist outside of their respective video games and have become a part of the identity of each company, appearing in various types of media such as TV shows, books, and movies, as well as a large number of other video games.


title: Console game

text: Following the emergence of mascots during the late 1980s and early 1990s, for a few years it was considered essential to a console's sales that it have a game starring a popular mascot. However, video game mascots became increasingly unimportant to console sales during the mid-1990s, as the gaming industry's main demographic grew older and thus less likely to find mascots appealing, with consoles' increased performance as well as cross-licensing demonstrating higher selling power. A number of once-successful mascots such as Bonk, Gex, Bubsy, and Zool were dropped from usage in both marketing and software releases during this time. The few surviving mascots remain relevant due to their value in increasing brand awareness.


title: Console game

text: The core development process for a console game is very similar to its counterparts and primarily differs in the high level concept due to demographics and the technical back-end. Consoles developers will usually make a development kit available to game developers which they can use to test their games on with more ease than a consumer model.


title: Console game

text: Early console games were commonly created by a single person and could be changed in a short amount of time due to the simplicity of the games at the time. As technology has improved, the development time, complexity and cost of console games has increased dramatically, to where the size of a team for an eighth generation game can number in the hundreds. Similarly, the programming languages used in video game development has changed over time with early games being developed primarily in assembly. As time went on developers had more choice on what they could use based on the availability on the console but some languages became more popular than others.


title: Console game

text: Many console developers have a branch of the company that develops games for their console and are considered "first party" developers, a concept that isn't seen in PC development due to the variation of hardware configurations and lack of complete ownership of a system by a single manufacturer. First party developers have the advantage of having direct access to the console's development, which allows them to make the most of the hardware they are developing for.


title: Console game

text: Companies that are separate from the console manufacturer are considered to be "third-party" developers. They commonly have restrictions placed upon them and their games by the console manufacturers as a way of controlling the library of their consoles.


title: Console game

text: The primary differences between arcade game development and game development for other platforms are the fact that players are required to pay a small amount per play session, and that arcade games are mostly found at external venues. Arcade games are ultimately developed to try to get a continuous stream of revenue from the player and to keep them playing over the life of the machine. By comparison, console games have a high cost up front, meaning they have to guarantee a different experience for the player, primarily more content.


title: Console game

text: Handheld games, on the other hand, need to be accessible and enjoyable on a portable device, and should usually playable within a shorter time frame. This ultimately affects the type of games that are developed for portable consoles. Games that rely on long, unbroken sessions of gameplay or long cutscenes are not ideal for handhelds, whereas a console or PC player is expected to have longer play sessions. On handheld consoles of a smaller size, developers need to consider the amount of detail that will be visible to the player whereas console developers can safely assume their games will be played on a larger screen such as a television.


title: Console game

text: In comparison to PC and mobile games, console game developers must consider the limitations of the hardware their game is being developed for, as it is unlikely to have any major changes between the development phase and release. PC and mobile technology progresses quickly and there are many different configurations of their hardware and software. This is beneficial at the start of a console's life cycle, as the technology will be cutting edge, but as the console ages, developers are forced to work with ageing hardware until the next generation of consoles is released. Earlier consoles games could be developed to take advantage of the fixed limitations of the consoles they were developed for, such as the MegaDrive's capability of fast scrolling influencing design decisions made for "Sonic the Hedgehog". Due to these hardware limitations the requirement of development kits and licenses required for development on a console is commonplace.


title: Console game

text: Developers of console games are also required to pay royalties to the console developers, while there is no centralised hardware developer for the PC equivalent.


title: Console game

text: Early consoles didn't have development kit versions; it was only around the fifth generation of consoles that development kits became common. Unlike PC games, console game development usually requires the use of a development kit for the console that the game is being developed for, as the hardware is often proprietary and is not freely available. The use of a development kit allows developers to access more detail about how their game is running on the kit and other advanced debugging options. The downside of needing access to specialist hardware such as a development kit is that it limits accessibility for hobbyists creating homemade or custom content. This grew into a benefit for PC games, as there is a more open environment for hobbyists to create and modify content even without developer support.


title: Console game

text: Some console developers have provided tools, such as the Net Yaroze software development kit, in an attempt to provide an avenue for hobbyists to create content.


title: Console game

text: Console games primarily started off as ports of arcade games. The timing of early consoles coincided with the golden age of arcade games which gave developers a good opportunity to maximise on their popularity, despite console hardware not yet being strong enough to run the games as they were originally. Arcade games effectively had to be remade for consoles, which usually meant lowering the quality in some way to make up for any hardware limitations. As technology improved and arcades reduced in popularity, it became console original games that would start to be ported to other devices.


title: Console game

text: Some consoles lack the ability to play games from previous generations, which allows a developer to release older games again but on the new consoles. The re-released game may be unchanged and simply be the same game but run on the new technology, or it may be changed by the developer to have improved graphics, sound or gameplay, a process known as remastering. Some re-releases can have added features, such as Final Fantasy VII, which added functions to speed the game up and turn off random enemy encounters.


title: Console game

text: When high definition technology was released, many games received high definition remakes. These can vary in terms of features, but usually include higher resolution textures, re-rendered videos, higher quality audio, and compatibility with newer display technologies. High definition remakes offer an additional revenue stream for a console game that was potentially at the end of its life. The developer of the remake is not always the same as the developer of the original game and some developers and publishers, such as Double Eleven, specialise in ports and remakes of other games.


title: Console game

text: The development of additional content prior to the internet was limited due to limited distribution methods; more often than not, content had to be released as a new game entirely as opposed to an add-on to an existing one. For example, used the same mechanics and engine but was released as a separate game from Grand Theft Auto III, whereas a PC title such as Total Annihilation offered downloadable content from 1997. While some Dreamcast games offered downloadable content, they were severely limited by the storage space of the console.


title: Console game

text: The first console games to offer downloadable content properly were for the Xbox. Downloadable content can range from small content additions like extra items to larger ones that may include significant plot additions and extend the game considerably.


title: Console game

text: It wasn't until the seventh generation, that console games began to support mods or custom content to the same extent as PC games.


title: Console game

text: Several systems exist worldwide to regulate the video games industry. Some, like the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) are composed of members of the industry themselves, while others, like Pan European Game Information (PEGI), are government-backed. The ESRB was started in 1994, was adopted as standard 10 years later, and is rated on the interactive experience as well as the content.


title: Console game

text: From time to time, video games have been criticized by parents' groups, psychologists, politicians, and some religious organizations for allegedly glorifying violence, cruelty, and crime, and exposing children to these elements. It is particularly disturbing to some that some video games allow children to act out crimes (for example, the "Grand Theft Auto" series), and reward them for doing so. Concerns that children who play violent video games may have a tendency to act more aggressively on the playground have led to voluntary rating systems adopted by the industry, such as the ESRB rating system in the United States and the PEGI rating system in Europe. They are aimed at educating parents about the types of games their children are playing, to let them make an informed decision on whether or not to allow them to play. Studies have shown that most parents who complain about their young children acting increasingly aggressive and violent on the school playground due to video games do not follow the ESRB and PEGI rating systems. Many parents complain about their children, as young as 8, acting out violence depicted in Call of Duty or "Grand Theft Auto", even though their ratings indicate the recommended age as 18 and above.


title: Console game

text: Most studies, however, reached the conclusion that violence in video games is not causally linked with aggressive tendencies. This was the conclusion of a 1999 study by the United States government, prompting Surgeon General David Satcher to say, "[...] we clearly associate media violence to aggressive behavior, but the impact was very small compared to other things. Some may not be happy with that, but that’s where the magic is." This was also the conclusion of a meta-analysis by psychologist Jonathan Freedman, who reviewed over 200 published studies and found that the majority did not find a causal link between violent tendencies and violence depicted in entertainment.


title: Console game

text: The lists of best-selling games by platform, organized by the respective console generations, are given below:


title: Greek mafia

text: The Greek mafia (Greek: Ελληνική μαφία "Ellinikí mafía") is the colloquial term used to refer to various organized crime elements originating from Greece. Indigenous organized criminal groups are well-entrenched in the largest Greek urban centers, particularly in Athens.


title: Greek mafia

text: Large-scaled organized crime, such as the Greek mafia should not be confused with Greek street gangs, who take part in smaller street crime.


title: Greek mafia

text: In addition to the domestic Greek criminal organizations, the Sicilian Mafia, Camorra, and Albanian, Romanian and Serbian mafia groups have been operating in Greece in collaboration with the domestic criminal syndicates.


title: Greek mafia

text: Greek crime bosses are locally described as νονοί της νύχτας (translated as "Godfathers of the night"). Largely operating as owners of nightclubs, Greek crime groups are able to operate their illegal businesses from these locations.


title: Greek mafia

text: In contrast to the Sicilian mafia or the Albanian mafia, Greek criminal groups follow the same structure organized gangs have within the "French Milieu" or the "Penose" in the Netherlands. Domestically, they are largely smaller organized crime cells, usually family-based, who collaborate but from time to time also feud with one another.


title: Greek mafia

text: There are close to 217 known domestic crime lords operating in the country. Internationally, the smuggling and racketeering practices have a larger reach, and are not necessarily based on Greek nationals alone. With the need to infiltrate and manipulate multiple types of businesses in order to successfully smuggle internationally, more often than not such organisations resemble professional international cartels rather than traditional organised crime groups.


title: Greek mafia

text: A substantial number of Greek organised crime groups are centered in Athens. However, many other (semi) organised groups operate throughout other cities, and even villages. Criminal clans can have their origins from all over Greece: Mafia groups in the bigger cities are especially involved in racketeering, the illegal smuggling of oil, money laundering, weapon and drug trafficking as well as murder.


title: Greek mafia

text: Criminal groups on the Greek mainland have also profited from the activities of corrupt officials. Arms, narcotics and illegal oil are smuggled by Greek criminal organizations, often in collaboration with Albanian or Russian mafia groups, from local seaports to important destination centers such as the docks of Naples or Antwerp. Outside of the urban centers, the island of Crete is known for having regional family-based crime clans involved in the cultivating and trafficking of marijuana on a domestic as well as an international level. Kidnapping and weapon trafficking are activities of choice as well, often collaborating with the Albanian mafia. An example is the village Zoniana which is a known ground zero for Cretan drug lords, such as the "Parasyris family". In general, Greek organised crime groups are active on the Greek mainland, as well as in other parts of Europe. Activity is mainly focused upon the areas of cigarette smuggling and the trafficking of marijuana, hashish and weapons. European cities are deeply affected by Greek organized crime in the form of narcotics smuggling. Recently, under pressure from the European union, Greece, and numerous other European countries, have stepped up their war on smuggling, making numerous arrests and otherwise disabling the organizations in collaboration with European law enforcement agencies.


title: Greek mafia

text: With Greece holding a large percentage of the world's maritime merchant shipping, a substantial amount of Greek grown marijuana is shipped throughout Europe on a yearly basis. Grown on remote farms and fields, mainly on the island of Crete and the Peloponnese peninsula, it has found its way into the heart of most western and middle-European cities, regardless of efforts made to halt this phenomenon.


title: Greek mafia

text: The Netherlands in particular, with its lenient view of cannabis use, has many dealings with international (and often untraceable) smuggling rings. This is also made possible by the extensive use of maritime merchant ships, and their difficult to regulate and inspect cargo. The "tolerating" laws regarding cannabis, make the selling and usage of marijuana, legal in the Netherlands. However, the cultivation and transportation of cannabis is still illegal. This offers smugglers a strong market with high demand for their product.


title: Greek mafia

text: it is speculated that for a large part, Greek-based cartels are at work. However, prosecuting such members is difficult due to the non-hierarchical nature of the organisation(s).


title: Greek mafia

text: North American cities with a large Greek community have traditionally also been home to ethnic Greek criminal organizations, well-known ones being the Velentzas crime family, the Philadelphia Greek Mob, and the Voidonikolas-Georgakopoulos-Leoutsakos Laconian Canadian crime syndicate families. These organizations have secretly operated for decades, and are notoriously powerful.


title: Greek mafia

text: In the United States, the term "Greek mafia" may include or refer specifically to various Greek American organized crime groups. Notable ethnic Greek or Greek American organized crime groups in the United States include the Philadelphia Greek Mob in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the Velentzas crime family in New York City. Greek American crime groups vary in the extent of their connections to Greek mafia groups in Europe; some Greek-American crime groups may be only loosely connected or even completely independent of Greek mafia groups in Europe, while certain Greek-American crime groups may essentially be American extensions of Greek mafia groups in Europe.


title: Greek mafia

text: Greek members of organised crime have always been good at working with other ethnic groups along with their own local Greek groupings, which can at times give them an advantage over other organisations. There was also a Greek-American presence in the Italian-American Chicago crime family, known as the Outfit. The most senior non-Italian gangster in the Outfit was Gus Alex, whose family emigrated to Chicago from the village of Alpochori in Achaea. The Chicago Outfit, unlike New York City's Five Families, has a long standing tradition, dating back to Al Capone, of allowing non-Italian associates into positions of real importance and power. Gus Alex was the highest ranking non-Italian wiseguy, as he reportedly formed a three-man ruling panel in the late sixties and early seventies. The three-man ruling panel, consisting of a Greek and two Italians, ran the Chicago outfit for an unknown period of time.


title: Greek mafia

text: The most infamous Greek-American gangster is Michael Thevis, a multi-millionaire pornographer and convicted murderer based in Atlanta, Georgia, but with close links to the Five Families of New York City and the DeCavalcante crime family of Newark, New Jersey. Thevis' use of unnecessary violence against both real and imagined enemies and competitors was so extreme that he was compared to the character of Tony Montana from the 1983 movie "Scarface".


title: Greek mafia

text: In Africa, a small Greek crime syndicate ran casinos throughout the region of middle Africa, and in South Africa throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Gambling has always been a staple of Greek organised crime, as well as horse racing, cards, casinos and black market dealings. It is safe to assume that Greek-organised crime is difficult to disintegrate, since these groups form, break-up and reform when it suits their interests. For this reason it is often compared to the Italian Camorra, which at times has worked on a similar model. Greek organised crime relies mainly on smuggling whereas the Italian Camorra relies mainly on extortion and racketeering.


title: Greek mafia

text: There is reportedly a significant subculture of organised crime within the broader Greek Australian community.


title: Greek mafia

text: In addition to Cyprus itself, Greek Cypriot crime families are known to operate in the United Kingdom and South Africa.


title: Greek mafia

text: There is also a presence of organised crime amongst Pontic Greeks. Like Cypriots, Pontic Greeks have their own distinctive traditions, whilst remaining ethnically Greek.


title: Voltas

text: Voltas Limited is an Indian multinational home appliances and consumer electronics company headquartered in Mumbai. It designs, develops, manufactures and sells products including air conditioners, air coolers, refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, microwaves, air purifiers, water dispensers. The company was incorporated on 6 September 1954 in Mumbai, as a collaboration between Tata Sons and Volkart Brothers. The chairman of the company is Noel Tata and the managing director and chief executive officer of the company is Pradeep Bakshi. Its shares are traded on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange of India.


title: Voltas

text: The company is broadly structured into projects and products business. The projects business is divided into Domestic Projects Group (DPG) and International Operations Business Group (IOBG). Meanwhile, the products business is classified into Unitary Products Business Group (UPBG), Mining & Construction Equipment Division (MCED), and Textile Machinery Division (TMD).


title: Voltas

text: The Unitary Products business group manufacture products in categories including air conditioners, air coolers, commercial refrigerators, water coolers, and water dispensers. Voltas is the largest air conditioning brand in India. It started manufacturing air conditioners in the 1960s under license from Carrier Corporation Voltas produced India's first window air conditioner with DC-inverter-based variable-speed motors. DC Inverter Technology is an innovative technology that provides superior cooling while reducing the frequency of turning the compressor on and off. This helps in reducing the power consumption to a greater extent. Voltas also has a large network of repair centers. The firm is also a major producer of evaporative coolers, which are widely used for comfort cooling in arid and semi-arid climates.


title: Voltas

text: Voltas has also entered into a joint venture with Turkey-based Ardutch (a subsidiary of Arçelik, part of the Koç Group making the Beko brand of home appliances). It began producing refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines and kitchen appliances under the name of Voltas Beko.


title: Voltas

text: Voltas has completed many international projects until date including air conditioning in the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, in the once largest ocean liner, RMS Queen Mary 2 , Palace of Sultanate of Oman , Bahrain City Centre Mall , Ferrari World Theme Park in Abu Dhabi, Sidra Medical and Research Centre in Qatar, Villaggio Mall in Qatar and Dubai's Mall of Emirates.


title: TechCrunch

text: TechCrunch is an American online newspaper focusing on high tech and startup companies. It was founded in June 2005 by Archimedes Ventures, led by partners Michael Arrington and Keith Teare.


title: TechCrunch

text: In 2010, AOL acquired the company for approximately $25 million. Following the 2015 acquisition of AOL and Yahoo by Verizon, the site was owned by Verizon Media from 2015 through 2021. In 2021 Verizon sold its media assets, including AOL, Yahoo, and TechCrunch, to the private equity firm Apollo Global Management, and Apollo integrated them into a new entity called Yahoo.


title: TechCrunch

text: In addition to its news reporting, TechCrunch is also known for its Disrupt conference, an annual technology event hosted in several cities across United States, Europe, and China.


title: TechCrunch

text: TechCrunch was founded in June 2005 by Archimedes Ventures, led by partners Michael Arrington and Keith Teare.


title: TechCrunch

text: As of 2013, TechCrunch was available in English, Chinese (managed by Chinese tech news company, TechNode), and Japanese. TechCrunch France was folded into the main TechCrunch.com site in October 2012. Boudless (formerly Verizon Media Japan), the Japanese subsidiary of the TechCrunch's parent company, closed TechCrunch Japan in May 2022 according to its "global strategy".


title: TechCrunch

text: Following the acquisition of AOL and Yahoo by Verizon, TechCrunch was owned by Verizon Media from 2015 through 2021.


title: TechCrunch

text: In August 2020, COO of TechCrunch, Ned Desmond, stepped down after 8 years in the company. He announced that he would join venture capital firm, SOSV in December 2020 as senior operating partner. His former role at TechCrunch was replaced by Matthew Panzarino, former editor-in-chief, and Joey Hinson, director of business operations.


title: TechCrunch

text: In 2021 Verizon sold its media assets, including AOL, Yahoo, and TechCrunch, to the private equity firm Apollo Global Management, and Apollo integrated them into a new entity called Yahoo.


title: TechCrunch

text: TechCrunch hosts an annual tech conference, TechCrunch Disrupt, in several cities in the United States and Europe.


title: TechCrunch

text: In 2014, TechCrunch Disrupt was featured in an arc of the HBO series "Silicon Valley". The characters' startup "Pied Piper" participates on a startup battle at TechCrunch Disrupt.


title: TechCrunch

text: Startup Battlefield is a startup competition. Monetary awards are presented at the TechCrunch Disrupt conferences. Notable startups that have been involved in the competition include DropBox, Intuit Mint, Yammer, and CrateDB.


title: TechCrunch

text: From 2007 to 2015, TechCrunch operated Crunchbase, a website and online encyclopedia of information on startups, key people, funds, funding rounds, and events. In 2015, Crunchbase spun out of TechCrunch to become a private entity, and is no longer a part of TechCrunch.


title: TechCrunch

text: From 2007 to 2017, TechCrunch sponsored the annual Crunchies award ceremony to award startups, internet and technology innovations. At the first award ceremony in 2007, Facebook won the award for best startup. Due to controversy surrounding the awards' hosts, TechCrunch announced in 2017 that it would end the Crunchies.


title: TechCrunch

text: The company was criticized for allowing developers to present the Titstare application, created by participants in a hackathon at TechCrunch Disrupt 2013. The application allows users to "stare at tits".


title: TechCrunch

text: In 2011, the site's editors and writers were criticized for possible ethics violations. These included claims that Arrington's investments in certain firms which the site had covered created a conflict of interest. The controversy that ensued eventually led to Arrington's departure, and other writers, including Paul Carr and Sarah Lacy, followed suit.


title: Berlinda Tolbert

text: Berlinda Tolbert is an American film and television actress. Tolbert is best known for her role as Jenny Willis Jefferson, the daughter of Tom and Helen Willis on the CBS sitcom "The Jeffersons", which originally aired from 1975 until 1985.


title: Berlinda Tolbert

text: Tolbert majored in theater at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. She also studied drama in London.


title: Berlinda Tolbert

text: In a 2013 interview, Tolbert stated, "I’ve only had one job in my entire life… professional actress." She got her first film part from Martin Scorsese in "Mean Streets" in 1973, when she was in acting school.


title: Berlinda Tolbert

text: On "The Jeffersons", Tolbert played Jenny, the daughter of interracial couple Tom and Helen Willis. Jenny had become engaged to Lionel Jefferson, the son of George and Louise, when they were still characters on Norman Lear's "All In The Family". They married and had a daughter. Tolbert played the role of Jenny for the run of the series, from 1975-1985. Tolbert was born just one day after Mike Evans (1949–2006), the original actor who played her boyfriend/husband Lionel. They were also both born in North Carolina. , Tolbert, Marla Gibbs, Jay Hammer and Damon Evans (Lionel #2) are the last surviving members of "The Jeffersons" main cast.


title: Berlinda Tolbert

text: In 1981, Tolbert competed for the CBS team on "Battle of the Network Stars". In 1983, Tolbert starred in the Maya Angelou play "On A Southern Journey". Following the cancellation of "The Jeffersons" in 1985, Tolbert appeared in films including "Harlem Nights", "Goodfellas", and "Patriot Games", and television shows including "ER", "Six Feet Under", and "". Tolbert appeared in the 2011 indie film "Last Ride on the Midwest Pacific".


title: Carotene

text: The term carotene (also carotin, from the Latin "carota", "carrot") is used for many related unsaturated hydrocarbon substances having the formula CH, which are synthesized by plants but in general cannot be made by animals (with the exception of some aphids and spider mites which acquired the synthesizing genes from fungi). Carotenes are photosynthetic pigments important for photosynthesis. Carotenes contain no oxygen atoms. They absorb ultraviolet, violet, and blue light and scatter orange or red light, and (in low concentrations) yellow light.


title: Carotene

text: Carotenes are responsible for the orange colour of the carrot, after which this class of chemicals is named, and for the colours of many other fruits, vegetables and fungi (for example, sweet potatoes, chanterelle and orange cantaloupe melon). Carotenes are also responsible for the orange (but not all of the yellow) colours in dry foliage. They also (in lower concentrations) impart the yellow coloration to milk-fat and butter. Omnivorous animal species which are relatively poor converters of coloured dietary carotenoids to colourless retinoids, such as humans and chickens, have yellow-coloured body fat, as a result of the carotenoid retention from the vegetable portion of their diet.


title: Carotene

text: Carotenes contribute to photosynthesis by transmitting the light energy they absorb to chlorophyll. They also protect plant tissues by helping to absorb the energy from singlet oxygen, an excited form of the oxygen molecule O which is formed during photosynthesis.


title: Carotene

text: β-Carotene is composed of two retinyl groups, and is broken down in the mucosa of the human small intestine by β-carotene 15,15'-monooxygenase to retinal, a form of vitamin A. β-Carotene can be stored in the liver and body fat and converted to retinal as needed, thus making it a form of vitamin A for humans and some other mammals. The carotenes α-carotene and γ-carotene, due to their single retinyl group (β-ionone ring), also have some vitamin A activity (though less than β-carotene), as does the xanthophyll carotenoid β-cryptoxanthin. All other carotenoids, including lycopene, have no beta-ring and thus no vitamin A activity (although they may have antioxidant activity and thus biological activity in other ways).


title: Carotene

text: Animal species differ greatly in their ability to convert retinyl (beta-ionone) containing carotenoids to retinals. Carnivores in general are poor converters of dietary ionone-containing carotenoids. Pure carnivores such as ferrets lack β-carotene 15,15'-monooxygenase and cannot convert any carotenoids to retinals at all (resulting in carotenes not being a form of vitamin A for this species); while cats can convert a trace of β-carotene to retinol, although the amount is totally insufficient for meeting their daily retinol needs.


title: Carotene

text: Carotenes are polyunsaturated hydrocarbons containing 40 carbon atoms per molecule, variable numbers of hydrogen atoms, and no other elements. Some carotenes are terminated by rings, on one or both ends of the molecule. All are coloured, due to the presence of conjugated double bonds. Carotenes are tetraterpenes, meaning that they are derived from eight 5-carbon isoprene units (or four 10-carbon terpene units).


title: Carotene

text: Carotenes are found in plants in two primary forms designated by characters from the Greek alphabet: alpha-carotene (α-carotene) and beta-carotene (β-carotene). Gamma-, delta-, epsilon-, and zeta-carotene (γ, δ, ε, and ζ-carotene) also exist. Since they are hydrocarbons, and therefore contain no oxygen, carotenes are fat-soluble and insoluble in water (in contrast with other carotenoids, the xanthophylls, which contain oxygen and thus are less chemically hydrophobic).


title: Carotene

text: The discovery of carotene from carrot juice is credited to Heinrich Wilhelm Ferdinand Wackenroder, a finding made during a search for antihelminthics, which he published in 1831. He obtained it in small ruby-red flakes soluble in ether, which when dissolved in fats gave 'a beautiful yellow colour'. William Christopher Zeise recognised its hydrocarbon nature in 1847, but his analyses gave him a composition of CH. It was Léon-Albert Arnaud in 1886 who confirmed its hydrocarbon nature and gave the formula CH, which is close to the theoretical composition of CH. Adolf Lieben in studies, also published in 1886, of the colouring matter in corpora lutea, first came across carotenoids in animal tissue, but did not recognise the nature of the pigment. Johann Ludwig Wilhelm Thudichum, in 1868–1869, after stereoscopic spectral examination, applied the term 'luteine'(lutein) to this class of yellow crystallizable substances found in animals and plants. Richard Martin Willstätter, who gained the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1915, mainly for his work on chlorophyll, assigned the composition of CH, distinguishing it from the similar but oxygenated xanthophyll, CHO. With Heinrich Escher, in 1910, lycopene was isolated from tomatoes and shown to be an isomer of carotene. Later work by Escher also differentiated the 'luteal' pigments in egg yolk from that of the carotenes in cow corpus luteum.


title: Carotene

text: Absorption from these foods is enhanced if eaten with fats, as carotenes are fat soluble, and if the food is cooked for a few minutes until the plant cell wall splits and the color is released into any liquid. 12 μg of dietary β-carotene supplies the equivalent of 1 μg of retinol, and 24 µg of α-carotene or β-cryptoxanthin provides the equivalent of 1 µg of retinol.


title: Carotene

text: The two primary isomers of carotene, α-carotene and β-carotene, differ in the position of a double bond (and thus a hydrogen) in the cyclic group at one end (the right end in the diagram at right).


title: Carotene

text: β-Carotene is the more common form and can be found in yellow, orange, and green leafy fruits and vegetables. As a rule of thumb, the greater the intensity of the orange colour of the fruit or vegetable, the more β-carotene it contains.


title: Carotene

text: Carotene protects plant cells against the destructive effects of ultraviolet light so β-Carotene is an antioxidant.


title: Carotene

text: An article on the American Cancer Society says that The Cancer Research Campaign has called for warning labels on β-carotene supplements to caution smokers that such supplements may increase the risk of lung cancer.


title: Carotene

text: The New England Journal of Medicine published an article in 1994 about a trial which examined the relationship between daily supplementation of β-carotene and vitamin E (α-tocopherol) and the incidence of lung cancer. The study was done using supplements and researchers were aware of the epidemiological correlation between carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables and lower lung cancer rates. The research concluded that no reduction in lung cancer was found in the participants using these supplements, and furthermore, these supplements may, in fact, have harmful effects.


title: Carotene

text: The Journal of the National Cancer Institute and The New England Journal of Medicine published articles in 1996 about a trial with a goal to determine if vitamin A (in the form of retinyl palmitate) and β-carotene (at about 30 mg/day, which is 10 times the Reference Daily Intake) supplements had any beneficial effects to prevent cancer. The results indicated an "increased" risk of lung and prostate cancers for the participants who consumed the β-carotene supplement and who had lung irritation from smoking or asbestos exposure, causing the trial to be stopped early.


title: Carotene

text: A review of all randomized controlled trials in the scientific literature by the Cochrane Collaboration published in "JAMA" in 2007 found that synthetic β-carotene "increased" mortality by 1-8 % (Relative Risk 1.05, 95% confidence interval 1.01–1.08). However, this meta-analysis included two large studies of smokers, so it is not clear that the results apply to the general population. The review only studied the influence of synthetic antioxidants and the results should not be translated to potential effects of fruits and vegetables.


title: Carotene

text: Oral β-carotene is prescribed to people suffering from erythropoietic protoporphyria. It provides them some relief from photosensitivity.


title: Carotene

text: Carotenemia or hypercarotenemia is excess carotene, but unlike excess vitamin A, carotene is non-toxic. Although hypercarotenemia is not particularly dangerous, it can lead to an oranging of the skin (carotenodermia), but not the conjunctiva of eyes (thus easily distinguishing it visually from jaundice). It is most commonly associated with consumption of an abundance of carrots, but it also can be a medical sign of more dangerous conditions.


title: Carotene

text: Carotenes are produced in a general manner for other terpenoids and terpenes, i.e. by coupling, cyclization, and oxygenation reactions of isoprene derivatives. Lycopene is the key precursor to carotenoids. It is formed by coupling of geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate and[geranyllinalyl pyrophosphate.


title: Carotene

text: Most of the world's synthetic supply of carotene comes from a manufacturing complex located in Freeport, Texas and owned by DSM. The other major supplier BASF also uses a chemical process to produce β-carotene. Together these suppliers account for about 85% of the β-carotene on the market. In Spain Vitatene produces natural β-carotene from fungus Blakeslea trispora, as does DSM but at much lower amount when compared to its synthetic β-carotene operation. In Australia, organic β-carotene is produced by Aquacarotene Limited from dried marine algae "Dunaliella salina" grown in harvesting ponds situated in Karratha, Western Australia. BASF Australia is also producing β-carotene from microalgae grown in two sites in Australia that are the world's largest algae farms. In Portugal, the industrial biotechnology company Biotrend is producing natural all-"trans"-β-carotene from a non-genetically-modified bacteria of the genus "Sphingomonas" isolated from soil.


title: Carotene

text: Carotenes are also found in palm oil, corn, and in the milk of dairy cows, causing cow's milk to be light yellow, depending on the feed of the cattle, and the amount of fat in the milk (high-fat milks, such as those produced by Guernsey cows, tend to be yellower because their fat content causes them to contain more carotene).


title: Carotene

text: Carotenes are also found in some species of termites, where they apparently have been picked up from the diet of the insects.


title: Carotene

text: There are currently two commonly used methods of total synthesis of β-carotene. The first was developed by BASF and is based on the Wittig reaction with Wittig himself as patent holder:


title: Carotene

text: The second is a Grignard reaction, elaborated by Hoffman-La Roche from the original synthesis of Inhoffen et al. They are both symmetrical; the BASF synthesis is C20 + C20, and the Hoffman-La Roche synthesis is C19 + C2 + C19.


title: Carotene

text: Carotenes are carotenoids containing no oxygen. Carotenoids containing some oxygen are known as xanthophylls.


title: Carotene

text: The two ends of the β-carotene molecule are structurally identical, and are called β-rings. Specifically, the group of nine carbon atoms at each end form a β-ring.


title: Carotene

text: The α-carotene molecule has a β-ring at one end; the other end is called an ε-ring. There is no such thing as an "α-ring".


title: Carotene

text: These and similar names for the ends of the carotenoid molecules form the basis of a systematic naming scheme, according to which:


title: Carotene

text: ζ-Carotene is the biosynthetic precursor of neurosporene, which is the precursor of lycopene, which, in turn, is the precursor of the carotenes α through ε.


title: Carotene

text: Carotene is used to colour products such as juice, cakes, desserts, butter and margarine. It is approved for use as a food additive in the EU (listed as additive E160a) Australia and New Zealand (listed as 160a) and the US.


title: Moscow Exchange

text: The Moscow Exchange (MOEX; ) is the largest exchange in Russia, operating trading markets in equities, bonds, derivatives, the foreign exchange market, money markets, and precious metals. The Moscow Exchange also operates Russia's central securities depository, the National Settlement Depository (NSD), and the country's largest clearing service provider, the National Clearing Centre. The exchange was formed in 2011 in a merger of the Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange and the Russian Trading System.


title: Moscow Exchange

text: Trading at the exchange was suspended on 24 February 2022, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Trading remained suspended until 21 March, and was then only opened for state bonds. The exchange was also targeted as part of international sanctions against Russia. On August 15 2022, it was announced that the bond market opened to friendly investors.


title: Moscow Exchange

text: The Moscow Exchange was established on 19 December 2011 by merging the two largest Moscow-based exchanges, the Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange (MICEX) and the Russian Trading System, hence the name "Moscow Exchange MICEX-RTS". Both organisations had been formed in the 1990s and were leading Russian exchanges for two decades with their MICEX Index and the RTS Index. The merger created a single entity to support Russia's plans to turn Moscow into an international financial centre.


title: Moscow Exchange

text: The exchange completed an initial public offering on 15 February 2013, raising (approximately US$500 million). The offering, at the time the largest ever held exclusively in Moscow, was more than twice oversubscribed and drew demand from institutional investors globally. The exchange's shares were included in the MSCI Russia Index in November 2013. In July 2014 the Central Bank of Russia, the largest shareholder of the exchange, completed the public sale of shares representing nearly 12% of the exchange. A Russian federal law requires the Central Bank to fully sell its stake in the exchange by 1 January 2016. In October 2018, Moscow Exchange launched the trading of deliverable gold futures on its Derivatives Market. Gold are delivered through precious metals market spot section.


title: Moscow Exchange

text: On 24 February 2022, following the start of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the Moscow Exchange suspended trading until further notice. On 27 February, TASS reported that foreign clients were banned from selling any securities, effective immediately.


title: Moscow Exchange

text: On 18 March it was announced that trading in OFZ bonds should be resumed on 21 March. On 23 March, it was announced that trading of 33 ruble securities would resume on 24 March for residents of Russia, but that foreign investors were being restricted to repo deals and deals with derivative instruments. It was also announced that the act of short selling would be banned. On 26 March, it was announced that limited trading would be expanded to all stocks in a shortened four-hour session on 28 March. It remains unclear if, and if so when, normal operations will resume.


title: Moscow Exchange

text: On May 5, the United Kingdom revoked the exchange’s status as a UK "recognized stock exchange", thereby depriving securities traded on the exchange of certain UK tax reliefs.


title: Moscow Exchange

text: Moscow Exchange's shares are publicly traded under the ticker MOEX. As of December 2021 approximately 63% of shares were in the free float, while the following held blocks of shares: Central Bank of Russia (11.75%), Sberbank (9.9%), Vnesheconombank (8.4%), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (6.1%) and US asset management firm Capital Research and Management Company, which manages more than $1.3 trillion globally in retirement assets. In total, US investors owned 36.8% of the shares of Moscow Exchange, and UK investors owned 10.1%. Additionally, 360,000 Russian retail investors owned MOEX shares.


title: Moscow Exchange

text: The Equity & Bond Market is a key platform for Russian businesses to raise capital and for domestic and international investors to access equity and debt investment opportunities. It is the main trading venue for Russian stocks as well as government, municipal, and corporate bonds. In 2013–2014, 16 companies placed stock via Moscow Exchange, raising a total of approximately RUB 200 bln. On the fixed income side, more than 400 bond issues were placed, raising more than RUB 3.4 trillion for issuers.


title: Moscow Exchange

text: Moscow Exchange includes shares of many of Russia's largest companies, including Gazprom, Sberbank, Rosneft, Lukoil and VTB.


title: Moscow Exchange

text: Global investment banks began to provide their clients with DMA to the Russian market in 2013. As a result of regulatory changes, the international central securities depositories Euroclear and Clearstream offered clearance and settlement services for Russian stocks and bonds.


title: Moscow Exchange

text: In addition, Moscow Exchange focused on further developing the domestic investor base. The number of individuals with brokerage accounts on Moscow Exchange reached 17 million as of January 2022, which represented 11% of Russia’s population.


title: Moscow Exchange

text: The Bank of Russia uses the Exchange's infrastructure to implement monetary policy and provide liquidity to the market through repo transactions and FX swap transactions. For its domestic and international clients, including banks and corporates, Moscow Exchange offers products to manage liquidity and FX exposure. It is the centre of pricing for RUB and offers many RUB currency pairs, with tight spreads based on a transparent order book.


title: Moscow Exchange

text: All transactions (spot and swap) on the FX market are centrally cleared by National Clearing Centre. In September 2014, average daily trading volume across all currency pairs was US$22.4 bln.


title: Moscow Exchange

text: While RUB/USD and RUB/EUR were the most traded currency pairs in 2014, Moscow Exchange also promoted trading in other currencies. In particular the RUB/CNY pair was well received by the market and trading in the GBP and HKD were launched in late 2014.


title: Moscow Exchange

text: Moscow Exchange as of 2014 was one of the 10 largest exchange platforms for derivatives trading globally. The Derivatives Market facilitates trading of options contracts on, as well as futures contracts on indices, shares of both Russian and foreign companies, currency pairs, precious metals, energy and agricultural products.


title: Moscow Exchange

text: Futures on the RTS Index ranked sixth among the world's most actively traded derivatives on stock market indices according to data from the Futures Industry Association as of June 2014. Futures contracts on the U.S. dollar-Russian ruble were ranked first on 2014 in global liquidity, according to the Futures Industry Association.


title: Moscow Exchange

text: Moscow Exchange introduced spot trading in gold and silver in 2013. It has postponed a launch of trade in platinum and palladium by end of October or early November 2014 in order to do additional testing of the trading and clearing system.


title: Moscow Exchange

text: National Mercantile Exchange is Russia's platform for spot grain trading, as well as in deliverable futures on agricultural products. Since 2002, National Mercantile Exchange has been the platform by which the Russian state executes interventions in the grain market.


title: Moscow Exchange

text: Moscow Exchange subsidiary National Settlement Depository (NSD) was granted status as Russia's Central Securities Depository in 2012. Subsequently, Euroclear and Clearstream opened accounts with the NSD, allowing international investors access to Russian bonds and equities, and giving Russian issuers access to non-Russian investors.


title: Moscow Exchange

text: In the wake of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, NSD blocked and froze all securities held in Euroclear's account at NSD, on March 1, 2022. NSD also froze payments on securities of Russian issuers from being made to non-Russian individuals and entities. On March 18, 2022, NSD's accounts at Euroclear and Clearstream (which together held €50tn of assets on behalf of investors) were blocked and frozen. In March 2022, the European Central Securities Depositories Association (ECSDA) suspended NSD from membership in the association. In addition, the European Union added NSD to its extended sanctions list, blocking NSD's accounts in euros and in Euroclear and Clearstream and making it impossible to service forex-denominated bonds issued by Russia and Russian companies, and the NSD suspended transactions in euros.


title: Moscow Exchange

text: Another Moscow Exchange subsidiary, National Clearing Centre (NCC), is Russia's largest clearing center and is the Central Counterparty (CCP) across all Moscow Exchange markets. In reaction to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Association of CCP Clearing Houses (EACH) suspended National Clearing Centre from EACH membership.


title: Passion Pit

text: Passion Pit is an American indietronica band from Cambridge, Massachusetts, formed in 2007 by band members Michael Angelakos (lead vocals/keyboards), Ian Hultquist (Guitar/Synth), Ayad Al Adhamy (synth), Thom Plasse (bass), and Adam Levinsky (drums).


title: Passion Pit

text: The band released their debut studio album "Manners" in 2009. A second studio album entitled "Gossamer" was released in 2012, which debuted at No. 4 on the "Billboard" 200 and gave the band their first top 10 album. "Kindred", the band's third studio album, was released on April 17, 2015, and was preceded by lead singles "Lifted Up (1985)", "Where the Sky Hangs", and "Until We Can't (Let's Go)". Passion Pit self-released their fourth album, "Tremendous Sea of Love", on March 28, 2017, to Michael Angelakos' Twitter followers; the album was released to the public on July 28, 2017.


title: Passion Pit

text: The band culled their name from the Variety Slanguage Dictionary, a glossary of "Variety"s frequently used slang, which was provided by the Hollywood insider publication to help not-so-savvy readers decipher its content. The magazine used the term to refer to drive-in theatres, because of their privacy and romantic allure for teenagers.<ref name="Donmoyer/Hultquist interview"></ref>


title: Passion Pit

text: The first Passion Pit songs, which would later become the "Chunk of Change" EP, were written by Angelakos at Emerson College as a belated Valentine's Day gift to his then-girlfriend. At first, he wrote and performed all his material alone using a laptop. After one of his solo shows in the Boston area, Ian Hultquist, who was attending Berklee College of Music at the time, approached Angelakos and expressed interest in creating and playing music collaboratively. They formed a group that consisted of Angelakos, Hultquist, Ayad Al Adhamy, Thom Plasse (bass), and Adam Lavinsky (drums). The band spent a considerable amount of time trying to flesh out a collaborative format and structure that would work best for them. Jeff Apruzzese and Nate Donmoyer joined the band shortly after they signed to Frenchkiss in 2008, replacing Plasse and Lavinsky, respectively. In 2012, Adhamy was replaced by Xander Singh.


title: Passion Pit

text: The band's debut EP, "Chunk of Change", was released on September 16, 2008. The first four tracks were those that Angelakos had written as a gift for his girlfriend. The tracks quickly became popular throughout the Emerson College campus, where Angelakos was attending classes at the time, and had been passing out his own, self-produced copies. Two tracks, "Sleepyhead" and "Better Things", were added for the commercial release of the EP. The same year of their debut EP's release, the band was chosen as "Best New Local Act in 2008" in the WFNX/"Boston Phoenix" best music poll.


title: Passion Pit

text: The first and only single to be released from the EP, "Sleepyhead", received a good deal of exposure through its use in numerous media campaigns and advertisements, while the video for the song, directed by "The Wilderness", was included on Pitchfork's Top 40 Music Videos of 2008 list. "Sleepyhead" was also used for the release trailer for the video game "Little Big Planet 2". The song contains samples of "Óró Mo Bháidín" by Irish singer and harpist Mary O'Hara.


title: Passion Pit

text: Other songs from the EP received some exposure as well. "Cuddle Fuddle" was featured in E4's second series of "The Inbetweeners" and "I've Got Your Number" was used in an advertisement for the cash card from O2, Money in the UK.


title: Passion Pit

text: The band's first full-length studio album, "Manners", was released on May 18, 2009, in the UK and May 19, 2009, in the United States and Canada. In celebration, the band played their record release party on the 18th in New York City on a Rocks Off boat cruise. In a preview article, ClashMusic.com commented that the album "has every chance to rank as one of the year's best" and that "it reveals additional nuances with each visit: a sure-fire sign of an album with true longevity".


title: Passion Pit

text: In order to obtain a specific background vocal accompaniment the band was looking for on "Manners", Passion Pit enlisted the help of the PS22 chorus, who recorded vocals in-studio for three of the album's songs: "The Reeling", "Little Secrets", and "Let Your Love Grow Tall." "The Reeling" was the first single to be released from the album and found success on the "Billboard" Alternative Songs chart in the fall of 2009, where it peaked at No. 34 in October and "Little Secrets" was the third single to be released and had success on the chart as well, topping out at No. 39. "Let Your Love Grow Tall" was never released as a single but had some exposure being used in the sixteenth episode of the fourth season of the TV series "Ugly Betty".


title: Passion Pit

text: The album's second single, "To Kingdom Come", was used in the Rhapsody commercial for its iPhone application.


title: Passion Pit

text: "Sleepyhead" was the only track from "Chunk of Change" to be included on the album and was made available from iTunes for free as a discovery download in 2009. The song continued to receive additional exposure through its appearances in advertisements. It was used in a season 3 episode of the teen-drama, "Skins" and most recently in the debut trailer for LittleBigPlanet 2, which led to the band's increased popularity amongst fans and players of the game, who eventually created an in-game instrumental version of the song to listen to in the first game. When the sequel was released, it came with the song's actual instrumental version used in the trailer.


title: Passion Pit

text: The song "Moth's Wings" was used in the fourth episode of the third season of the CW teen drama "Gossip Girl" and in the closing credits of episode 36 of HBO's "Big Love". It appeared in the "FIFA 10" video game and was included in the films "Life As We Know It" and "Wonder". It has also been used as a background theme for Sky Sports coverage of the UEFA Champions League and as the music for a dance routine in Episode 5, Season 8, of the US television show "So You Think You Can Dance", which received a standing ovation from the show's judges. It was also featured in two episodes of MTV's show "Awkward" (the pilot and Season 3 finale, respectively).


title: Passion Pit

text: In June 2009, the band performed at the Glastonbury Festival 2009 in Pilton, Somerset, England, where they dedicated the final song of their set to festival headliner Jarvis Cocker, who was to perform on the same stage later that same day. Afterwards, "NME", while favorably reviewing Passion Pit's performance, incorrectly reported the band as having dedicated their entire set to Cocker.


title: Passion Pit

text: On April 13, 2010, the band reissued "Manners" in a deluxe edition format which contained new artwork and three additional tracks: stripped-down versions of "Sleepyhead" and "Moth's Wings" and a cover of The Cranberries' song "Dreams". The deluxe release coincided with the extension of their North American headlining tour.


title: Passion Pit

text: The band released another cover in June 2010, this time offering up their take on The Smashing Pumpkins hit song "Tonight, Tonight" as part of a promotion with Levi's called "Pioneer Sessions".


title: Passion Pit

text: In September 2010, Passion Pit toured with the English band Muse as their opening act for eight shows during their fall tour through parts of the US. Following those supporting shows, the band headlined the Campus Consciousness Tour, produced by Pretty Polly Productions in collaboration with Guster guitarist Adam Gardner's non-profit organization Reverb. The two-week tour featured stops at twelve college campuses and, in addition to the music, focused on promoting eco-friendly lifestyles. Opening acts for the tour included Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears and K. Flay.


title: Passion Pit

text: In an August 2010 interview with "NME", Angelakos stated that work had already begun on the follow-up to "Manners" and that the band intended to release the album in the spring of 2011. He then said that it will be released early in 2012, and finally that the release date was July 24.


title: Passion Pit

text: Days after they have been presented in the Lollapalooza festival in Brazil in March 2012, they announced the title of the album, "Gossamer", and that it would be released on July 24, 2012. Following its release, "Gossamer" debuted at No. 4 on the "Billboard" 200 with first-week sales of 37,000 copies, a career best.


title: Passion Pit

text: On June 12, 2012, the second track from "Gossamer" was released, called "I'll Be Alright". The track leaked early on June 11 and was released as an NME premiere on June 8.


title: Passion Pit

text: On July 9, 2012, a third track from "Gossamer", called "Constant Conversations", was reviewed and featured as "best new track" by Pitchfork. It was released with the review as streamed content. "Gossamer" was officially released on July 20, 2012.


title: Passion Pit

text: On July 16, 2012, Angelakos posted on the Passion Pit website that the band has cancelled the remaining July tour dates and suspended the tour in order for Angelakos to seek ongoing treatment for bipolar disorder. A "Rolling Stone" interview stated that Angelakos was diagnosed at 17, undergoing therapy, hospital care, and taking medication ever since.


title: Passion Pit

text: On October 13, 2012, they performed on "Saturday Night Live". They played "Take a Walk" and "Carried Away."


title: Passion Pit

text: On July 15, 2013, it was announced publicly that the band would be headlining the first ever "Coastline Festival" in Tampa, Florida and West Palm Beach, Florida with Two Door Cinema Club and Matt & Kim. Also included in the lineup are groups such as Fitz and the Tantrums, The Joy Formidable, The Neighbourhood, Capital Cities, The Mowgli's, Blondfire, Surfer Blood, The Royal Concept and St. Lucia.


title: Passion Pit

text: On September 24, 2013, Passion Pit released the "Constant Conversations" EP, originally released through Spotify, but was then made available on iTunes. The EP featured an alternative version of Constant Conversations from their 2012 album "Gossamer", in addition to a formerly unreleased B-side called "Ruin Your Day". The final track on the EP was a remix of "Carried Away" by Dillon Francis.


title: Passion Pit

text: Passion Pit released Kindred on April 21, 2015, through Columbia Records. On June 24, 2014, Angelakos announced through Twitter that Passion Pit are working on their as yet to be titled third studio album. Angelakos confirmed that the third album would in fact be released in 2015. In anticipation of the release, the band posted several coded images to various social networking platforms. Soon after the release of the Morse code image, the official Passion Pit website, which had been under construction since the end of the 2013 tour, came back up. It is now known as "KindredTheAlbum.com". The website includes a short 13 second clip titled "That flickering light's just a flame" and a picture of Angelakos jumping in the air. On February 16, 2015, the band uploaded the lead single for the new album "Lifted Up (1985)" onto its YouTube channel. The band then followed up by releasing the names of the rest of the tracks and by announcing the album would be available for pre-order the following day (Tuesday February 17, 2015). The third track, titled "Where the Sky Hangs" was also released on the Passion Pit Vevo in the early hours of February 17, 2015. Following the release of their new album, Passion Pit had announced a tour across the United States, part of Canada, and even a stop in Tokyo, Japan. Angelakos continued to tour throughout the year until July he had slowed down due bronchitis and pneumonia. However, since then he has continued to tour and is expected to end in October.


title: Passion Pit

text: During February and March 2017, several new Passion Pit songs were uploaded on YouTube on the account The Wishart Group (from the name of a project started by Michael Angelakos and dedicated to supporting musicians by providing them with legal, educational and healthcare services, with a focus on mental health, a topic on which Angelakos has been especially forthcoming), foreshadowing a fourth album for 2017. All of the videos for those new songs have the same background photo (a woman wearing a white dress, located in the middle of the sea, turning around as though she had sensed she was being secretly observed from behind), as does the front cover of the album. The songs were taken down, but Angelakos announced that he will give a downloadable copy of the album for free to anyone who retweets neuroscientist Michael F. Wells' tweet on the importance of science and research. The profits from the album will be donated to a psychiatric research institution in Cambridge, Massachusetts.


title: Passion Pit

text: The band embarked on a North American tour between January and February 2018 to promote "Tremendous Sea of Love" as well as their EP "Chunk of Change"'s 10th anniversary.


title: Passion Pit

text: On May 14, 2019, Passion Pit teamed up with electronic duo Galantis for a new single "I FOUND U", and the band released 40 tracks through their SoundCloud account in December 2020.


title: Passion Pit

text: In 2012, listeners of Australia's alternative radio station Triple J Hottest 100 voted "Take a Walk" as No. 46 of the hottest 100 tracks of the year.


title: Brunswick stew

text: Brunswick stew is a tomato-based stew generally involving local beans, vegetables, and originally small game meat such as squirrel or rabbit, though today often chicken. The exact origin of the stew is disputed. The states of Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia all claim its birth, with Brunswick County in Virginia and the city of Brunswick in Georgia both claiming it was developed there. It may have originated earlier in some form in the city of Braunschweig (English: "Brunswick") in the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg in today's northern Germany.


title: Brunswick stew

text: Recipes for Brunswick stew vary greatly, but it is usually a tomato-based stew, containing various types of lima beans (butter beans), corn, okra, and other vegetables, and one or more types of meat. Originally it was small game such as squirrel, rabbit or possum meat, but chicken is most common today. Eastern North Carolina Brunswick Stew has potatoes, which thicken it considerably. Eastern Virginia Brunswick Stew tends to be thinner, with more tomato flavor.


title: Brunswick stew

text: Today chicken and rabbit are more common in Virginia, pork in Georgia, and only in recent years Eastern North Carolina–style pulled pork barbecue may be found there. Many Piedmont-Triad barbecue restaurants include Lexington-style barbecue in the dish.


title: Brunswick stew

text: The stew's specific origin is unknown. Brunswick County, Virginia, and the city of Brunswick, Georgia, both named after the German Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, then home to the House of Hanover which ruled the British throne, claim to have created it.


title: Brunswick stew

text: A plaque on an old iron pot in Brunswick, Georgia, says the first Brunswick stew was made in it on July 2, 1898, on nearby St. Simons Island. A competing story claims a Virginia state legislator's chef invented the recipe in 1828 on a hunting expedition. Neither claim traces to the origin of those regions.


title: Brunswick stew

text: Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, in her "Cross Creek Cookery" (1942), wrote that the stew, said to have been one of Queen Victoria's favorites, may have come from Braunschweig, Germany, one of the historic capitals of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg and traditionally known as "Brunswick" in British English.


title: Brunswick stew

text: According to the Virginia Writers Project]]'s guide to Virginia, published in 1941, the stew originated in Brunswick County, Virginia:


title: Brunswick stew

text: Native to this county is Brunswick Stew, a flavorous brew first concocted by a group of hunters. One of the party, who had been detailed to stay in the camp as a cook, lazily threw all the supplies into a pot, it is said, and cooked the mixture over a slow fire. When his companions returned, cold and exhausted, they found the concoction a most appetizing dish. The time-honored directions for making this luscious meal are: boil about 9 pounds of game—squirrels are preferred—in 2 gallons of water until tender; add to the rich stock 6 pounds of tomatoes, 1 pound of butter-beans, 6 slices of bacon, 1 red pepper, salt to taste; cook 6 hours and add 6 ears of corn cut from the cob; boil for 8 minutes.


title: Anisotropic filtering

text: In 3D computer graphics, anisotropic filtering (abbreviated AF) is a method of enhancing the image quality of textures on surfaces of computer graphics that are at oblique viewing angles with respect to the camera where the projection of the texture (not the polygon or other primitive on which it is rendered) appears to be non-orthogonal (thus the origin of the word: "an" for "not", "iso" for "same", and "tropic" from tropism, relating to direction; anisotropic filtering does not filter the same in every direction).


title: Anisotropic filtering

text: Like bilinear and trilinear filtering, anisotropic filtering eliminates aliasing effects, but improves on these other techniques by reducing blur and preserving detail at extreme viewing angles.


title: Anisotropic filtering

text: Anisotropic filtering is relatively intensive (primarily memory bandwidth and to some degree computationally, though the standard space–time tradeoff rules apply) and only became a standard feature of consumer-level graphics cards in the late 1990s. Anisotropic filtering is now common in modern graphics hardware (and video driver software) and is enabled either by users through driver settings or by graphics applications and video games through programming interfaces.


title: Anisotropic filtering

text: If we were to explore a more approximate anisotropic algorithm, RIP mapping, as an extension from MIP mapping, we can understand how anisotropic filtering gains so much texture mapping quality. If we need to texture a horizontal plane which is at an oblique angle to the camera, traditional MIP map minification would give us insufficient horizontal resolution due to the reduction of image frequency in the vertical axis. This is because in MIP mapping each MIP level is isotropic, so a 256 × 256 texture is downsized to a 128 × 128 image, then a 64 × 64 image and so on, so resolution halves on each axis simultaneously, so a MIP map texture probe to an image will always sample an image that is of equal frequency in each axis. Thus, when sampling to avoid aliasing on a high-frequency axis, the other texture axes will be similarly downsampled and therefore potentially blurred.


title: Anisotropic filtering

text: With MIP map anisotropic filtering, in addition to downsampling to 128 × 128, images are also sampled to 256 × 128 and 32 × 128 etc. These "anisotropically downsampled" images can be probed when the texture-mapped image frequency is different for each texture axis. Therefore, one axis need not blur due to the screen frequency of another axis, and aliasing is still avoided. Unlike more general anisotropic filtering, the MIP mapping described for illustration is limited by only supporting anisotropic probes that are axis-aligned in texture space, so diagonal anisotropy still presents a problem, even though real-use cases of anisotropic texture commonly have such screenspace mappings.


title: Anisotropic filtering

text: Although implementations are free to vary their methods, MIP mapping and the associated axis aligned constraints mean it is suboptimal for true anisotropic filtering and is used here for illustrative purposes only. Fully anisotropic implementation is described below.


title: Anisotropic filtering

text: In layman's terms, anisotropic filtering retains the "sharpness" of a texture normally lost by MIP map texture's attempts to avoid aliasing. Anisotropic filtering can therefore be said to maintain crisp texture detail at all viewing orientations while providing fast anti-aliased texture filtering.


title: Anisotropic filtering

text: Different degrees or ratios of anisotropic filtering can be applied during rendering and current hardware rendering implementations set an upper bound on this ratio. This degree refers to the maximum ratio of anisotropy supported by the filtering process. For example, 4:1 (pronounced “4-to-1”) anisotropic filtering will continue to sharpen more oblique textures beyond the range sharpened by 2:1.


title: Anisotropic filtering

text: In practice what this means is that in highly oblique texturing situations a 4:1 filter will be twice as sharp as a 2:1 filter (it will display frequencies double that of the 2:1 filter). However, most of the scene will not require the 4:1 filter; only the more oblique and usually more distant pixels will require the sharper filtering. This means that as the degree of anisotropic filtering continues to double there are diminishing returns in terms of visible quality with fewer and fewer rendered pixels affected, and the results become less obvious to the viewer.


title: Anisotropic filtering

text: When one compares the rendered results of an 8:1 anisotropically filtered scene to a 16:1 filtered scene, only a relatively few highly oblique pixels, mostly on more distant geometry, will display visibly sharper textures in the scene with the higher degree of anisotropic filtering, and the frequency information on these few 16:1 filtered pixels will only be double that of the 8:1 filter. The performance penalty also diminishes because fewer pixels require the data fetches of greater anisotropy.


title: Anisotropic filtering

text: In the end it is the additional hardware complexity vs. these diminishing returns, which causes an upper bound to be set on the anisotropic quality in a hardware design. Applications and users are then free to adjust this trade-off through driver and software settings up to this threshold.


title: Anisotropic filtering

text: True anisotropic filtering probes the texture anisotropically on the fly on a per-pixel basis for any orientation of anisotropy.


title: Anisotropic filtering

text: In graphics hardware, typically when the texture is sampled anisotropically, several probes (texel samples) of the texture around the center point are taken, but on a sample pattern mapped according to the projected shape of the texture at that pixel, although earlier software methods have used summed-area tables.


title: Anisotropic filtering

text: Each anisotropic filtering probe is often in itself a filtered MIP map sample, which adds more sampling to the process. Sixteen trilinear anisotropic samples might require 128 samples from the stored texture, as trilinear MIP map filtering needs to take four samples times two MIP levels and then anisotropic sampling (at 16-tap) needs to take sixteen of these trilinear filtered probes.


title: Anisotropic filtering

text: However, this level of filtering complexity is not required all the time. There are commonly available methods to reduce the amount of work the video rendering hardware must do.


title: Anisotropic filtering

text: The anisotropic filtering method most commonly implemented on graphics hardware is the composition of the filtered pixel values from only one line of MIP map samples. In general the method of building a texture filter result from multiple probes filling a projected pixel sampling into texture space is referred to as "footprint assembly", even where implementation details vary.


title: Anisotropic filtering

text: The sample count required can make anisotropic filtering extremely bandwidth-intensive. Multiple textures are common; each texture sample could be four bytes or more, so each anisotropic pixel could require 512 bytes from texture memory, although texture compression is commonly used to reduce this.


title: Anisotropic filtering

text: A video display device can easily contain over two million pixels, and desired application framerates are often upwards of 60 frames per second. As a result, the required texture memory bandwidth may grow to large values. Ranges of hundreds of gigabytes per second of pipeline bandwidth for texture rendering operations is not unusual where anisotropic filtering operations are involved.


Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment is a 1985 American comedy film directed by Jerry Paris. It is the second installment in the "Police Academy" franchise and the sequel to "Police Academy".


title: Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment

text: Many actors return from the first film to respectively reprise their roles. Steve Guttenberg reprises his role as Officer Carey Mahoney, the class clown; former American football player Bubba Smith returns as the colossal Moses Hightower; Marion Ramsey is featured again as Laverne Hooks; David Graf returns as gun-crazy Officer Eugene Tackleberry; Michael Winslow returns as sound effects master Officer Larvell Jones, and veteran actor George Gaynes returns as Commandant Eric Lassard.


text: New faces in "Police Academy 2" include Howard Hesseman as Captain Pete Lassard (the brother of Police Academy commandant Eric Lassard); Bobcat Goldthwait as Zed, the leader of "The Scullions", an obnoxious gang; Art Metrano as Lt. Mauser; Peter Van Norden as slobbish police dog Officer Vinnie Schtulman; Tim Kazurinsky as hapless business owner Carl Sweetchuck; and Lance Kinsey as Sgt. Proctor. In the film, the Police Academy cadets have graduated and are assigned to the worst precinct in town, where they have to help Captain Pete Lassard fight Zed's gang.


text: After a random attack by "The Scullions," a gang led by Zed McGlunk (Bobcat Goldthwait), Chief Henry Hurst (George R. Robertson) goes to the 16th precinct, telling Captain Pete Lassard (Howard Hesseman) the precinct is the worst in the city. Lassard protests as his officers are understaffed and old, and can no longer get the job done.


text: Hurst gives him 30 days to turn the precinct around or he is out. Before he leaves, Lieutenant Mauser (Art Metrano) asks for promotion to Captain if Lassard fails. Capt. Lassard calls his brother Eric (George Gaynes) at the Police Academy, asking him for six recruits. Mauser is seen talking with his dim-witted partner, Sgt. Proctor (Lance Kinsey), as he attempts to take control of the precinct.


text: The Commandant's top graduates Carey Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg), Larvell Jones (Michael Winslow), Eugene Tackleberry (David Graf), Moses Hightower (Bubba Smith), Laverne Hooks (Marion Ramsey), and Douglas Fackler (Bruce Mahler) arrive from the police academy and join the 16th precinct with some of them assigned to a veteran officer partner. Fackler is assigned to Dooley (Ed Herlihy), Jones to Sistrunk (Sandy Ward), Mahoney to Vinnie Schtulman (Peter Van Norden), and Tackleberry to Sgt. Kathleen Kirkland (Colleen Camp). Tackleberry later confides to Mahoney that he may have fallen in love with Kirkland.


text: Mauser undermines them, especially Mahoney. On patrol, Mahoney and Schtulman spot a robbery, but the robbers escape as confusion is caused in part by other responding officers. Mauser is about to suspend them, but Mahoney's passionate plea convinces Lassard to give them another chance. Simultaneously, Zed and his gang go "shopping" in a supermarket, causing havoc and chaos.


text: Mahoney is reassigned by Mauser to patrol a tunnel, resulting in him and his partner being covered with soot. In revenge he switches Mauser's shampoo with epoxy from a helmet repair kit, gluing Mauser's hands to his hair. He embarrasses himself in front of the station and has to wear a wig throughout the remainder of the film. Capt. Lassard spots some of Zed's men and tries to deal with them, but is over-powered and spray-painted. This humiliation emboldens him to allow the precinct to use "whatever means possible" to contain the gang. Progress is made and most of the gang is captured at The Blue Oyster Bar, but most of the charges are dropped due to excessive force and procedure violations. Mahoney realises Mauser did this on purpose so, in revenge, he requests a body cavity search for him.


text: Later, Tackleberry goes dancing with Kirkland. They profess their love for each other and make love (after removing their numerous concealed weapons). Captain Lassard goes to see his brother Eric, who comes up with the idea to hold a fair. However, Zed's men trash it, so Lassard is out of a job the next day and Mauser is promoted to captain. His first act is to remove Mahoney, and then Schtulman when he objects to Mahoney's dismissal.


text: Mahoney, Schtulman, and Lassard get together in a last-ditch attempt to stop the gang. Mahoney goes undercover to infiltrate the gang. Lassard and Schtulman wire him with a Mr. Microphone. As "Jughead," formerly of the gang "The Archies", he infiltrates the gang, finding out both their hiding spot (the abandoned Griffith Park Zoo) and the name of their leader. However, his cover is blown when the microphone cuts into a radio ad, leading to Captain Lassard calling every man to the location. The officers arrive, but are stopped by Mauser.


text: Mauser attempts to conduct a raid, but Fackler bumps him into an air duct, leading to his capture by Zed and his gang. The officers stage their own raid, overpowering and arresting the gang. Zed attempts to escape with Mahoney, but Lassard blocks him, preparing to shoot Zed. However, Mahoney punches Zed down stairs, where Hooks arrests him. Lassard's gun was not loaded, as he "hasn't carried live ammo since '73". He is later reinstated as captain, as are Mahoney and Schtulman on the force, while Mauser is demoted back to lieutenant.


text: The officers (including the re-instated Lassard) attend Tackleberry and Kirkland's wedding. They drive off in the monster truck Bigfoot.


text: The first film had cost $4.8 million but the second was $7.5 million. Producer Paul Maslansky said the difference was due to filming in Los Angeles rather than Toronto, as in the original. "Shooting in Los Angeles is expensive," he said. "Not because of the city officials; they provide every cooperation. It's the merchants and the property owners who can really hit you. There's so much filming going on that they ask a lot of money for location sites, parking, etc." Maslansky also said "Naturally the actors wanted more money to do the sequel. The above-the- line (principal talent) costs are about a million and a half, and that includes my own fee." He added "We lost some time because I had to change directors after a couple of weeks. But Jerry Paris... has done a great job of catching up."


text: "I wasn't too sold on doing the sequel," said Guttenberg. "I didn't think the script was as good as the first one. But it has been improved, and after I talked with Paul, I decided to give it another try."


text: "Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment" opened on 1,613 screens, grossing $10,675,896 in its opening weekend, setting a record for March. It was the 11th highest-grossing film in the United States in 1985 with a total of $55.6 million. The film grossed $115 million worldwide and made a profit of $20.5 million.


text: The film received negative reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 29% based on 17 reviews. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 39 out of 100 based on reviews from 8 critics, indicating "Generally unfavorable reviews".


text: "Variety" wrote: "Follow-up features much of the original’s cast but none of its key behind-the-scenes creative talent, save producer Paul Maslansky. Only actor to get any mileage out of this one is series newcomer Art Metrano, as an ambitious lieutenant bent upon taking over the department." "Variety" had little praise for the film, except "Metrano somehow manages to shine in these murkiest of circumstances, and Michael Winslow has a couple of good moments".


text: Film critic Leonard Maltin gave the movie a BOMB rating (the first of 5 for the series), saying, "There are "Dragnet" episodes that are funnier than this movie." Siskel & Ebert included it on a 1985 episode of their TV show that focused entirely on terrible sequels, though Gene noted it had two more laughs in it than the 1984 first film did (which meant the sequel had exactly two laughs).


title: Dani Pedrosa

text: Daniel Pedrosa Ramal (born 29 September 1985) is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle racer who retired from regular competition after the season. He grew up in Castellar del Vallès, a village near Sabadell. He is a three-time World Champion being the 125cc world champion in 2003, 250cc world champion in 2004, the youngest ever to win it and repeated it in 2005.


title: Dani Pedrosa

text: Pedrosa is a test and development rider for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. In 2021, he returned to race for KTM as a wildcard rider in Austria at the Styrian Grand Prix. In addition to his testing duties with KTM, Pedrosa also competes in Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe, driving for FFF Racing Team.


title: Dani Pedrosa

text: Pedrosa is best known for his time with the Repsol Honda Team in the MotoGP class finishing championship runner-up in , and and is one of the most successful modern MotoGP riders with 31 MotoGP victories and 112 podiums.


title: Dani Pedrosa

text: In 2019, the former Curva Dry Sac, a corner at the Spanish Circuito de Jerez, was renamed Curva Dani Pedrosa (English: "Dani Pedrosa Corner") in his honour. He has been described as the best MotoGP rider to have never won a MotoGP World Championship.


title: Dani Pedrosa

text: Born in Sabadell, Catalonia, Spain, Pedrosa started riding bikes at the early age of four, when he got his first motorcycle, an Italjet 50, which had side-wheels. His first racing bike was a minibike replica of a Kawasaki, which he got at the age of six and which he used to race with his friends. Pedrosa experienced real racing at the age of 9 when he entered the Spanish Minibike Championship and ended his debut season in second place, scoring his first podium finish in the second race of the season. The next year, Pedrosa entered the same championship, but health problems prevented him from improving his results, and he ended that season in 3rd position.


title: Dani Pedrosa

text: In 2001, Pedrosa made his World Championship debut in the 125cc class after being selected from the Movistar Activa Cup, a series designed to promote fresh racing talent in Spain, back in 1999. Under the guidance of Alberto Puig, Pedrosa scored two podium finishes in the first season and won his first race the following year, when he finished third in the championship. In 2003, he won five races and won the championship with two rounds remaining, scoring 223 points. In his first championship-winning year, Pedrosa scored five victories and six podium finishes. A week after winning the championship, eighteen-year-old Pedrosa broke both of his ankles in a crash during practice at Phillip Island, ending his season.


title: Dani Pedrosa

text: After winning the 125cc Championship, Pedrosa moved up to the 250cc class in 2004 without a proper test on the new bike because his ankles were healing during the off-season. Going into the season unprepared, Pedrosa won the first race in South Africa and went on to clinch the 250cc World Championship title, including rookie of the year honours. In his first season in the 250cc class, Pedrosa scored 7 victories and 13 podium finishes. Pedrosa decided to stay for one more season in the 250cc class, and he won another title, once again with two races remaining in the championship. In 2005, Pedrosa won 8 races and scored 14 podium finishes, despite a shoulder injury he sustained in a practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix.


title: Dani Pedrosa

text: Pedrosa made the move to 990cc MotoGP bikes in , riding for Repsol Honda. Critics said that Pedrosa's tiny stature was not strong enough to handle a big, heavy MotoGP bike and successfully race in the premier class. Proving critics wrong, he finished second in the opening round at Jerez on 26 March 2006. At his fourth ever MotoGP appearance, on 14 May 2006, during the Chinese Grand Prix, he won his first race. This win made him the equal 2nd youngest winner (tied with Norick Abe) in the premier class at the time, behind Freddie Spencer. He won his second MotoGP race at Donington Park and became a strong candidate for the MotoGP Championship. It was a memorable victory for Pedrosa, who shared the podium for the first time with Valentino Rossi in 2nd place. He also took two pole positions in the first half of the season. Until the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, Pedrosa was 2nd in the Championship only behind his more experienced teammate Nicky Hayden. However, he fell heavily during free practice and suffered a severe gash to the knee, which practically rendered him immobile. Pedrosa qualified 5th on the grid in that race after heavy rain cancelled the qualifying session. He managed to finish 3rd in the race, behind Rossi and Ducati rider Loris Capirossi.


title: Dani Pedrosa

text: However, in the next races, his form dropped and he struggled with the bike, moving him down to 5th place in the MotoGP standings. His poor performance continued at Estoril. After a promising start, he briefly ran 2nd before being passed by Colin Edwards and then championship leader and teammate Hayden. On lap 5, he and Hayden were involved in a crash. Pedrosa made a mistake whilst trying to overtake Hayden, slid and crashed out of the race, taking out Hayden on the way. This crash ended his slim chances of winning the championship and also caused Hayden to lose his lead in the championship standings, as Rossi managed to finish 2nd. However, two weeks later, Hayden recovered to win the championship while Pedrosa managed to finish in 4th place. This result clinched his 5th place in overall standings in his debut season, thus taking the title as Rookie of the Year, beating former 250cc rival Casey Stoner. At the end of season three-day test of 2006 at Jerez, Pedrosa put his 800 cc RC212V at the top of the timesheets (on qualifying tyres) edging out Rossi, who had been fastest on the first two days, by 0.214 seconds.


title: Dani Pedrosa

text: Pedrosa continued to race with Honda in on their Honda RC212V, the new 800 cc bike. The machine had problems, and Pedrosa was taken out of races by Olivier Jacque and by Randy de Puniet, but he finished the season in second place behind Stoner and ahead of Rossi. He signed a 2-year contract with Repsol Honda for 2008 and 2009.


title: Dani Pedrosa

text: In Pedrosa's problems with the RC212V continued when he was injured in the pre-season and missed developmental testing, but started the season well by scoring a podium at the first round. While leading the race and the standings in the German round, he crashed and was injured, keeping him from racing in the following two rounds. Michelin's performance in MotoGP deteriorated, resulting in Pedrosa switching to Bridgestone at the Indianapolis round. He finished third in the standings in 2008.


title: Dani Pedrosa

text: As in 2008, Pedrosa crashed in the pre-season and injured himself, keeping him from testing the machine before the start of the season. He placed 11th in the first round, but recovered his fitness in the following rounds. At the fifth round he injured himself again in practice and then fell during the race, putting him 33 points behind the leader.


title: Dani Pedrosa

text: For 2010, Pedrosa reverted to number 26—a number he used when he first entered MotoGP—from number 2 in 2008 and number 3 in 2009. He took this decision to please his fans who had asked him to return to the number he had always used. Pedrosa won four races in 2010 and finished second in the championship standings behind Jorge Lorenzo.


title: Dani Pedrosa

text: Pedrosa remained with an expanded three-rider Repsol Honda team in , partnering Andrea Dovizioso and Casey Stoner. Pedrosa took podium placings in the opening three races of the season, culminating in a victory at the Portuguese Grand Prix in May. On lap 18 of the following race in France, Pedrosa was involved in an incident with Gresini Racing's Marco Simoncelli while fighting over second place in the race; Simoncelli passed Pedrosa on the outside line into the "Chemin aux Boeufs", but pulled in front of Pedrosa and as a result, Pedrosa clipped Simoncelli's rear wheel and fell to the ground. Simoncelli was given a ride-through penalty, while the fall left Pedrosa with a broken collarbone, which ruled him out until July's Italian Grand Prix, where he finished in eighth place.


title: Dani Pedrosa

text: Pedrosa claimed his second victory of the season at the German Grand Prix, after taking advantage of an error by Lorenzo with nine laps left in the race. He finished third at Laguna Seca the following weekend, before taking his first pole position of the season at the Czech Grand Prix. He crashed out during the race, but finished the next three races in second place, before winning his third race of the season – and the 400th race win by a Spanish rider – in Japan, where his title chances in 2010 had ended; and moved within one point of teammate Dovizioso for third place in the championship. Dovizioso finished ahead of Pedrosa in both Australia and Valencia, while the Malaysian race, in which Pedrosa had qualified on pole for, was cancelled due to the death of Simoncelli in the first attempt to run the race.


title: Dani Pedrosa

text: Pedrosa remained with Repsol Honda into the season, again partnering Stoner in a reduced two-bike effort. Pedrosa finished six of the first seven races on the podium, with a best result of second on three occasions. He won his first race of the season at the German Grand Prix, winning at the Sachsenring for the third year in succession; Pedrosa and Stoner had been running one-two in the race, before Stoner crashed on the final lap. At the Italian Grand Prix, it was announced that Pedrosa had signed a two-year contract extension with the Repsol Honda team from onwards, and would be partnered by Moto2 front-runner Marc Márquez. Pedrosa finished that weekend's race second, before a third place at the United States Grand Prix. Following the summer break, Pedrosa scored his second victory of the season at Indianapolis, winning from pole position as well as setting a lap record during the race. He followed that victory up with another at Brno, prevailing after a final-lap battle with main title rival Jorge Lorenzo.


title: Dani Pedrosa

text: At Misano, Pedrosa qualified on pole for the race, which was then delayed after Karel Abraham's Ducati stalled just before the start, forcing the riders to complete a second parade lap. Pedrosa's front tyre warmer became stuck just before his bike was restarted; the bike was removed from the grid – to be replaced by the back-up bike – but the tyre warmer was removed at the last moment and the bike was restored to the grid. However, Pedrosa had to start the race from the back, due to a rules infraction relating to the start procedure. He had managed to make his way into the top ten on the opening lap before he was taken out by Héctor Barberá, losing ground to Lorenzo, who won the race. In the Aragon Grand Prix, Pedrosa qualified second but took the victory, after passing Lorenzo on lap seven; the result allowed Pedrosa to close the championship gap to 33 points. In the end, Pedrosa failed to become champion after his DNF in Australia. He finished the 2012 season as runner-up to Lorenzo with 332 points, the highest number of points ever gained without taking the title at the time.


title: Dani Pedrosa

text: Pedrosa remained with Repsol Honda into the season partnering new teammate Marc Márquez. He won races in Spain, France, and Malaysia but missed the race in Germany, due to injury. He also failed to finish in Aragon after contact with Márquez. He obtained 300 points for the season, and finished in third place in the championship, behind Jorge Lorenzo and Márquez, who won the championship.


title: Dani Pedrosa

text: Pedrosa remained with Repsol Honda into the season, again partnering Márquez and started the season positively, by recording four consecutive podium finishes. His first victory of the season came in the Czech Republic, ending the 10-race winning streak that Márquez had been on, since the start of the season. He was involved in a three-way rivalry with Yamaha riders Lorenzo and Rossi to finish as the overall championship runner-up, but had to settle for fourth place after failing to score any points in the races at Phillip Island and Sepang.