title: International taxation

text: Systems that tax income from outside the system's jurisdiction tend to provide for a unilateral credit or offset for taxes paid to other jurisdictions. Such other jurisdiction taxes are generally referred to within the system as "foreign" taxes. Tax treaties often require this credit. A credit for foreign taxes is subject to manipulation by planners if there are no limits, or weak limits, on such credit. Generally, the credit is at least limited to the tax within the system that the taxpayer would pay on income from outside the jurisdiction. The credit may be limited by category of income, by other jurisdiction or country, based on an effective tax rate, or otherwise. Where the foreign tax credit is limited, such limitation may involve computation of taxable income from other jurisdictions. Such computations tend to rely heavily on the source of income and allocation of expense rules of the system.


title: International taxation

text: Many jurisdictions require persons paying amounts to nonresidents to collect tax due from a nonresident with respect to certain income by withholding such tax from such payments and remitting the tax to the government. Such levies are generally referred to as withholding taxes. These requirements are induced because of potential difficulties in collection of the tax from nonresidents. Withholding taxes are often imposed at rates differing from the prevailing income tax rates. Further, the rate of withholding may vary by type of income or type of recipient. Generally, withholding taxes are reduced or eliminated under income tax treaties (see below). Generally, withholding taxes are imposed on the gross amount of income, unreduced by expenses. Such taxation provides for great simplicity of administration but can also reduce the taxpayer's awareness of the amount of tax being collected.


title: International taxation

text: Tax treaties exist between many countries on a bilateral basis to prevent double taxation (taxes levied twice on the same income, profit, capital gain, inheritance or other item). In some countries they are also known as double taxation agreements, double tax treaties, or "tax information exchange agreements" (TIEA).


title: International taxation

text: Most developed countries have a large number of tax treaties, while developing countries are less well represented in the worldwide tax treaty network. The United Kingdom has treaties with more than 110 countries and territories. The United States has treaties with 56 countries (as of February 2007). Tax treaties tend not to exist, or to be of limited application, when either party regards the other as a tax haven. There are a number of model tax treaties published by various national and international bodies, such as the United Nations and the OECD.


title: International taxation

text: Treaties tend to provide reduced rates of taxation on dividends, interest, and royalties. They tend to impose limits on each treaty country in taxing business profits, permitting taxation only in the presence of a permanent establishment in the country. Treaties tend to impose limits on taxation of salaries and other income for performance of services. They also tend to have "tie breaker" clauses for resolving conflicts between residency rules. Nearly all treaties have at least skeletal mechanisms for resolving disputes, generally negotiated between the "competent authority" section of each country's taxing authority.


title: International taxation

text: Residency systems may provide that residents are not subject to tax on income outside the jurisdiction until that income is remitted to the jurisdiction. Taxpayers in such systems have significant incentives to shift income outside its borders. Depending on the rules of the system, the shifting may occur by changing the location of activities generating income or by shifting income to separate enterprises owned by the taxpayer. Most residency systems have avoided rules which permit deferring income from outside its borders without shifting it to a subsidiary enterprise due to the potential for manipulation of such rules. Where owners of an enterprise are taxed separately from the enterprise, portable income may be shifted from a taxpayer to a subsidiary enterprise to accomplish deferral or elimination of tax. Such systems tend to have rules to limit such deferral through controlled foreign corporations. Several different approaches have been used by countries for their anti-deferral rules.


title: International taxation

text: In the United States, rules provides that U.S. shareholders of a Controlled Foreign Corporation (CFC) must include their shares of income or investment of E&P by the CFC in U.S. property. U.S. shareholders are U.S. persons owning 10% or more (after the application of complex attribution of ownership rules) of a foreign corporation. Such persons may include individuals, corporations, partnerships, trusts, estates, and other juridical persons. A CFC is a foreign corporation more than 50% owned by U.S. shareholders. This income includes several categories of portable income, including most investment income, certain resale income, and certain services income. Certain exceptions apply, including the exclusion from Subpart F income of CFC income subject to an effective foreign tax rate of 90% or more of the top U.S. tax rate.


title: International taxation

text: The United Kingdom provides that a UK company is taxed currently on the income of its controlled subsidiary companies managed and controlled outside the UK which are subject to "low" foreign taxes. Low tax is determined as actual tax of less than three-fourths of the corresponding UK tax that would be due on the income determined under UK principles. Complexities arise in computing the corresponding UK tax. Further, there are certain exceptions which may permit deferral, including a "white list" of permitted countries and a 90% earnings distribution policy of the controlled company. Further, anti-deferral does not apply where there is no tax avoidance motive.


title: International taxation

text: Rules in Germany provide that a German individual or company shareholder of a foreign corporation may be subject to current German tax on certain passive income received by the foreign corporation. This provision applies if the foreign corporation is taxed at less than 25% of the passive income, as defined. Japan and some other countries have followed a "black list" approach, where income of subsidiaries in countries identified as tax havens is subject to current tax to the shareholder. Sweden has adopted a "white list" of countries in which subsidiaries may be organized so that the shareholder is not subject to current tax.


title: International taxation

text: The setting of the amount of related party charges is commonly referred to as transfer pricing. Many jurisdictions have become sensitive to the potential for shifting profits with transfer pricing, and have adopted rules regulating setting or testing of prices or allowance of deductions or inclusion of income for related party transactions. Many jurisdictions have adopted broadly similar transfer pricing rules. The OECD has adopted (subject to specific country reservations) fairly comprehensive guidelines. These guidelines have been adopted with little modification by many countries. Notably, the U.S. and Canada have adopted rules which depart in some material respects from OECD guidelines, generally by providing more detailed rules.


title: International taxation

text: Arm's length principle: It is a key concept of most transfer pricing rules, that prices charged between related enterprises should be those which would be charged between unrelated parties dealing at arm's length. Most sets of rules prescribe methods for testing whether prices charged should be considered to meet this standard. Such rules generally involve comparison of related party transactions to similar transactions of unrelated parties (comparable prices or transactions). Various surrogates for such transactions may be allowed. Most guidelines allow the following methods for testing prices: Comparable uncontrolled transaction prices, resale prices based on comparable markups, cost plus a markup, and an enterprise profitability method.


title: International taxation

text: Tax avoidance schemes may take advantage of low or no-income tax countries known as tax havens. Corporations may choose to move their headquarters to a country with more favorable tax environments. In countries where movement has been restricted by legislation, it might be necessary to reincorporate into a low-tax company through reversing a merger with a foreign corporation ("inversion" similar to a reverse merger). In addition, transfer pricing may allow for "earnings stripping" as profits are attributed to subsidiaries in low-tax countries.


title: International taxation

text: For individuals tax avoidance has become a major issue for governments worldwide since the 2008 recession. These tax directives began when the United States introduced the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) in 2010, and were greatly expanded by the work of The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The OECD introduced a new international system for the automatic exchange of tax information – known as the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) – to which around 100 countries have committed. For some taxpayers, the CRS is already “live”; for others it is imminent. The goal of this worldwide exchange of tax information is tax transparency, and has aroused concerns about privacy and data breaches due to the sheer volume of information that is going to be exchanged.


title: International taxation

text: Expanded Worldwide Planning (EWP) is an element of international taxation created in the wake of tax directives from government tax authorities after the worldwide recession beginning in 2008. At the heart of EWP is a properly constructed Private placement life insurance (PPLI) policy that allows taxpayers to use the regulatory framework of life insurance to structure their assets. These assets can be located anywhere in the world and at the same time can be brought into compliance with tax authorities worldwide. EWP also brings asset protection and privacy benefits that are set forward in the six principals of EWP.


title: Jerome Adams

text: Jerome Michael Adams (born September 22, 1974) is an American anesthesiologist and a former vice admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps who served as the 20th surgeon general of the United States from September 5, 2017 until January 20, 2021. Prior to becoming Surgeon General, he served as the Indiana state health commissioner, from 2014 to 2017. On June 29, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Adams to become Surgeon General of the United States. Adams was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 3, 2017.


title: Jerome Adams

text: Adams is the son of Richard and Edrena Adams of Mechanicsville, Maryland, and grew up on the family farm. He attended Chopticon High School, graduating in 1992, in the top 5% of his class. He then attended the University of Maryland Baltimore County through a full-tuition Meyerhoff Scholarship, a grant dedicated to minority students interested in the sciences. Adams received his Bachelor of Science in biochemistry and his Bachelor of Arts in biopsychology. Additionally, Adams studied abroad in the Netherlands and Zimbabwe.


title: Jerome Adams

text: Adams attended medical school at Indiana University School of Medicine as an Eli Lilly and Company Scholar. He also received a Master of Public Health degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2000, with a focus on chronic disease prevention. Adams completed his internship in internal medicine (2002–2003) at St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital and his residency in anesthesiology (2003–2006) at Indiana University. He is board certified in anesthesiology.


title: Jerome Adams

text: After two years in private practice at Ball Memorial Hospital, Adams was named assistant professor of anesthesiology at Indiana University. He has written several academic papers and book chapters, including chapters in "Anesthesia Student Survival Guide: A Case-based Approach", and an editorial in the "American Journal of Public Health", "Are Pain Management Questions in Patient Satisfaction Surveys Driving the Opioid Epidemic?"


title: Jerome Adams

text: In October 2014, Adams was appointed Indiana state health commissioner. He was originally appointed by Governor Mike Pence and re-appointed by newly elected governor Eric Holcomb in 2017. In this role, he oversaw the Public Health Protection and Laboratory Services, Health and Human Services, Health Care Quality and Regulatory, and Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Commissions. He also served as Secretary of Indiana State Department of Health's Executive Board, as Chairman of the Indiana State Trauma Care Committee, as President of the Healthy Hoosier Foundation, and as Co-chairman of the Indiana Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative Governing Council. During an HIV epidemic in 2015, Adams initially opposed needle-exchange programs on "moral" grounds, but he later changed his position as cases continued to mount.


title: Jerome Adams

text: On June 29, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Adams as surgeon general of the United States. He was confirmed to the position by the Senate on August 3, 2017. Upon his confirmation, Adams said that addressing the opioid epidemic along with untreated mental illness would be two of his major priorities. Adams was sworn in as surgeon general on September 5, 2017, and received his commission shortly after.


title: Jerome Adams

text: In April 2018, Adams urged Americans who are at risk of overdosing on opioids, as well as their family and friends, to carry an over-the-counter antidote to help combat rising fatalities. In May 2018, Adams responded to an in-flight medical emergency on a flight to Jackson, Mississippi.


title: Jerome Adams

text: In September 2018, Adams began a campaign along with other public health officials to promote seasonal flu vaccinations. The 2017 flu epidemic had resulted in the deaths of an estimated 80,000 Americans, the highest number of deaths in at least four decades, according to CDC director Robert Redfield. Of the 180 children who died, 80 percent were unvaccinated.


title: Jerome Adams

text: In February 2020, Adams was appointed to the task force for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Adams initially downplayed the risk from COVID-19 by comparing it to the flu, which was criticized by experts. He also implored people not to buy or use face masks in public because he said they were not effective in preventing the general public from catching the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and that wearing a mask could actually increase the risk of catching the virus. This was in line with other health experts, including Anthony Fauci, who were working on limited information at the time.


title: Jerome Adams

text: Adams later retracted this recommendation because he said there was new information about the asymptomatic spread of the virus. After Adams made statements about the increased risks facing African Americans from COVID-19, health experts criticized his assertions as misleading and lacking adequate context.


title: Jerome Adams

text: Adams expressed concern that the George Floyd protests could lead to a spike in COVID-19 cases. According to Adams, "Based on the way the disease spreads, there is every reason to expect that we will see new clusters and potentially new outbreaks moving forward."


title: Jerome Adams

text: Adams confirmed that he was asked to step down as Surgeon General by the incoming Biden administration. Former surgeon general Vivek Murthy took his place. He officially resigned on January 20, 2021 at the request of President Joe Biden.


title: Jerome Adams

text: Following his service as surgeon general, Adams joined Purdue University in October 2021 as a Presidential Fellow and its first executive director of health equity initiatives, professor of practice in the departments of Pharmacy Practice and Public Health, and a faculty member of the Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering.


title: Sturmgeschütz IV

text: The Sturmgeschütz IV (StuG IV) (Sd.Kfz. 167) was a German assault gun variant of the Panzer IV used in the latter part of the Second World War. It was identical in role and concept to the highly successful StuG III assault gun variant of the Panzer III. Both StuG models were given an exclusively tank destroyer role in German formations and tactical planning in the last two years of the war, greatly augmenting the capability of the dwindling tank force available to the German army on the Eastern and Western fronts.


title: Sturmgeschütz IV

text: The Sturmgeschütz IV resulted from Krupp's effort to supply an assault gun. As Krupp did not build Panzerkampfwagen IIIs, they used the Panzerkampfwagen IV chassis in combination with a slightly modified Sturmgeschütz III superstructure.


title: Sturmgeschütz IV

text: The first known proposal for a Sturmgeschütz on the Panzer IV chassis is in Krupp drawing number W1468 dated February 1943. This initial drawing unitized the outdated Sturmgeschütz Ausf. F superstructure on a Panzer IV chassis. This proposal had a sloped front superstructure with a combat weight of 28.26 tons. Krupp abandoned it in February 1943 because it was too heavy. Plans for the StuG IV were halted.


title: Sturmgeschütz IV

text: During the Führer Conference of 19 to 22 August 1943, after the Battle of Kursk, Hitler had seen reports of the StuG III outperforming the Panzer IV when used in an infantry support role and tactical defence. Convinced that a tank-hunter version would be superior to the tank version, Hitler planned to switch Panzer IV production to "Panzerjäger IV" production as soon as possible. It was to mount the same 7.5 cm L/70 used for the Panther. Another manufacturer, Vomag built a prototype Panzerjäger IV with 7.5 cm L/48 gun and demonstrated it on 20 October 1943. It was later re-designated as Jagdpanzer IV Ausf. F. As the Jagdpanzer IV was already being produced by Vomag, the StuG IV may not have materialized, had it not been for the major disruption of StuG III production, and the scarce supply of the 7.5 cm L/70 gun designated for the Jagdpanzer IV.


title: Sturmgeschütz IV

text: In November 1943, Alkett, the manufacturer of the StuG III, suffered damage due to an Allied bombing raid. They produced 255 StuG III in October 1943, but in December production fell to just 24 vehicles. A conference held from 6 to 7 December 1943, addressed possible solutions to this problem. Hitler welcomed the suggestion of taking the StuG III superstructure and mounting it on a Panzer IV chassis. The StuG IV could be more quickly manufactured than the Jagdpanzer IV at the time. This restarted the Sturmgeschütz IV project. This time, the superstructure of the StuG III Ausf. G was mounted on a Panzer IV chassis 7, with a box compartment for the driver added. Combat weight was 23000 kg, lighter than the 23900 kg for the StuG III Ausf. G. Between 16 and 17 December 1943, Hitler was shown the StuG IV and approved it. To make up for the large deficit in StuG III production StuG IV production was now given full support.


title: Sturmgeschütz IV

text: From December 1943 to May 1945, Krupp built 1,111 StuG IVs, in early 1944 Alkett built 30 Stug IVs using new Panzer IV chassis sent from Nibelungenwerk. While the number is smaller than the 10,000+ StuG III, the StuG IV supplemented and fought along with StuG III during 1944–45, when they were most needed.


title: Drukqs

text: Drukqs (stylised as drukQs) is the fifth studio album by Aphex Twin, the alias of British electronic musician Richard D. James, released in 2001 on Warp. It is a double album alternating primarily between tracks of meticulously programmed drum and bass-inspired beats and computer-controlled classical piano pieces. It features the piano composition "Avril 14th," one of James's best-known recordings.


title: Drukqs

text: "Drukqs" was released to a divided reception, with many critics dismissing it as inferior to his earlier works. The album peaked at number 22 on the UK Albums Chart. James would not release another album under the alias Aphex Twin until "Syro" (2014).


title: Drukqs

text: James decided to release "Drukqs" primarily to circumvent a potential leak after he accidentally left behind an MP3 player containing 180 of his unreleased tracks on a plane while traveling to Scotland with Rephlex co-founder Grant Wilson-Claridge: "I thought, 'They're gonna fucking come on the internet sooner or later so I may as well get an album out of it first.'" He intended it to be his final release as part of his contractual obligation to Warp. About the album's two-disc length, James said "the way I listen to music now is that I buy a CD, put it on the computer and just take the tracks I want anyway. I’d hope that people would do the same with this CD."


title: Drukqs

text: Many track names are written in Cornish—for example, "Jynweythek" ("Machine")—or are coded titles. James has stated that the title is not related to drugs, and is "just a word [he] made up"; he added "I never wanted to big up any drugs, because I don't reckon they deserve it."


title: Drukqs

text: "Drukqs" contains tracks dating back "seven or eight years", according to James, though most of the album was relatively new. The LP is a double album featuring roughly two styles: rapid, meticulously-programmed tracks utilizing exaggerated drum 'n' bass breakbeats, and classical piano pieces made using computer-controlled instruments such as a modified Yamaha Disklavier and several MIDI-controlled, solenoid-based drum mechanisms made by James. "Keymag" described it as "switching restlessly from his most acidic drill 'n' bass yet to incredibly lavish prepared piano pieces inspired by John Cage." "NME" noted that the album moves through techno, drum 'n' bass, and early-90s rave, while the piano interludes were compared to the work of Erik Satie. "Pitchfork" also noted "several purely electro-acoustic excursions".


title: Drukqs

text: James said that "A lot of [the tracks] are quite old-style sounding, I reckon. I’ve done loads of tracks which are really new in style and which don’t sound like anything else but I didn’t want to release those tracks." While acknowledging similarities with his past records, James said that "I haven’t done something in so much detail before." Of the album's complex drum programming, he said "it's quite similar to guitar solos, only with programming you have to use your brain. The most important thing is that it should have some emotional effect on me, rather than just, 'Oh, that's really clever.'"


title: Drukqs

text: In 2015, James released the EP "Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments pt2", featuring further computer-controlled instrumental tracks, as a sequel to "Drukqs".


title: Drukqs

text: "Drukqs" is among James's "most divisive" releases, with Oli Warwick of "Crack Magazine" noting that it provoked "widespread indignation amongst music critics, whose primary criticism seemed to be that James had delivered something reminiscent of previous releases, rather than some bold new mode of electronic expression." At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 66, based on 21 reviews.


title: Drukqs

text: On its 2001 release Alex Needham of "NME" called it "beautiful" and "bulging with goodies". For "Spin" however, Simon Reynolds criticised the album as "unimpressive" and "trapped by the potential for infinitesimal tweakage," stating that it "sounds merely like a slight extension of the Aphex sound circa 1996's "Richard D. James Album" and 1997's "Come to Daddy"." "Pitchfork" described the album's "drill'n'bass" tracks as "throwbacks to the past rather than prospects on the future; and for all of their compositional strength, there's an element of the Aphex Twin mystique missing." Dave Simpson of "The Guardian" stated that "much of "Drukqs" sounds like weaker echoes of things Aphex Twin has done before, which no manner of hyperactive drum machines or daft titles can disguise." Pat Blashill of "Rolling Stone" called "Drukqs" Aphex's "most irrelevant album to date", and added "rumor has it that James merely loaded this record with outtakes that have been eating up space on his hard drive for years, then released the album as a deal-breaker with his label, Warp." However, in "The Rolling Stone Album Guide" (2004), critic Sasha Frere-Jones stated that "weirdly dismissed by many, "Drukqs" is often spectacular".


title: Drukqs

text: The piano composition "Avril 14th" became one of James's most popular tracks, later being used in films, a "Saturday Night Live" skit, and the Kanye West song "Blame Game." As of April 2017, the track was James's most streamed track on Spotify, with approximately 124 million streams. By this metric, it is his best-known composition.


title: Drukqs

text: Aphex Twin – piano, synthesizers, keyboards, harmonium, percussion, programming, treatments, sampler, photographs


title: Saravana Bhavan

text: Hotel Saravana Bhavan is the largest South Indian restaurant chain in the world, founded in 1981 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. They operate 33 locations in India (24 in Chennai) and 78 across 22 countries in Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, Europe, and North America.


title: Saravana Bhavan

text: P. Rajagopal opened a tiny grocery shop on the outskirts of the city. In 1992, Rajagopal on his visits to Singapore observed the functioning of the multinational fast food joints like McDonald's and used them as a model.


title: Saravana Bhavan

text: By the 1990s, the Saravana Bhavan chain spread throughout neighbourhoods in Chennai. In 2000, Saravana Bhavan opened its first branch outside India, in Dubai, with a large number of Indian expatriates. It eventually expanded to several major cities including Paris, Frankfurt, London, New York City, Dallas, Toronto, Stockholm, Doha, and Auckland. While the restaurants have gained popularity among non-Indians, they mostly target the South Asian expatriate population. They are sometimes referred to as "canteen-like joints strictly aimed at Indian expatriates missing a taste of home". It is considered to be a high volume, low margin venture which is labour-intensive. Saravana Bhavan sends workers from India and America to work in their foreign branches. The overseas outlets are run by franchisees.


title: Saravana Bhavan

text: This famous South Indian restaurant chain currently serves in many countries worldwide, that are: India, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Oman, Canada, France, Belgium, Germany, Singapore, Bahrain, UAE, United Kingdom, USA, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Qatar, Hong Kong, Thailand, Netherlands, and Sweden.


title: Saravana Bhavan

text: Saravana Bhavan in United Kingdom has restaurants in East Ham (Greater London), Harrow (Greater London), Ilford (East London), Leicester Square (West End of London), Southall (West London) and Tooting (South London). The branches of the biggest South Indian restaurant chain in the United Kingdom are mostly known to be situated in London.


title: Deuce (wrestler)

text: James Wiley Smith Thomas Reiher Snuka (born September 1, 1971) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under the ring name Deuce.


title: Deuce (wrestler)

text: The son of professional wrestler Jimmy Snuka, Reiher began wrestling in the late 1990s, and worked for the UWA and the Xcitement Wrestling Federation. After signing a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Reiher was assigned to WWE's developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in Louisville, Kentucky in 2005, where he wrestled under the name Deuce Shade. He was placed in tag team competition, alongside Dice Domino. Along with their manager Cherry, the group were known as The Throw-Backs and later The Untouchable, and captured the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship on three occasions. Deuce also won the OVW Television Championship on one occasion in singles competition.


title: Deuce (wrestler)

text: The group was called up to the SmackDown! roster in January 2007, and underwent a name change to Deuce 'n Domino. Three months later, Deuce 'n Domino won the WWE Tag Team Championship. After dropping the title in August 2007, the group disbanded in June 2008. Deuce moved to the Raw brand and became known as Sim Snuka, and the following year, on June 19, 2009, he was released from his WWE contract.


title: Deuce (wrestler)

text: After deciding to become a professional wrestler, Reiher trained with his father, Jimmy Snuka in New Jersey. He then began working under the ring name Solo in the UWA in California. During his time in UWA, he was offered a contract by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), but turned it down in favor of a more lucrative contract from UWA. After the UWA went out of business in late 2001, Reiher began working for the Xcitement Wrestling Federation (XWF), a promotion run by Jimmy Hart, The Nasty Boys, and Greg Valentine. In XWF, he used the name Jimmy Snuka Jr. and was managed by his father. He appeared at the first round of XWF tapings in November 2001, defeating Buddy Lee Parker and Vapor in two separate matches.


title: Deuce (wrestler)

text: Reiher made his debut in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) on January 27, 2005, as Deuce Shade, defeating Brent Albright. On May 24, 2005, he defeated Chad Wicks in an OVW Television Championship tournament match. He later went on to beat Ken Doane in the tournament finals for the OVW Television Championship on June 7. He ended up losing it to Doane later that month. On August 24, Shade won a number one contenders battle royal to earn the right to face OVW Champion Johnny Jeter later that night, but he lost this match.


title: Deuce (wrestler)

text: In January 2006, Shade started teaming with Dice Domino, calling themselves "The Throw-Backs". It was at this time that Cherry Pie began accompanying them to the ring, as their valet. They later changed their name to "The Untouchables", and removed the Shade, Dice, and Pie parts of their respective names. On March 19, Reiher defeated Mike Mizanin to win the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship for his team. The team lost their titles on April 5, in a three-way match to Roadkill and K.C James; the match also involved Kenny and Mikey of the Spirit Squad.


title: Deuce (wrestler)

text: In mid-August 2006, The Untouchables quickly became embroiled in a scripted rivalry with Cody Runnels and Shawn Spears over the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship. Runnels and Spears captured the title from The Untouchables on October 18. In November 2006, Runnels and Spears defeated The Untouchables in a tag team match, and won the services of their valet, Cherry. On November 29, the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship was vacated after a match between The Untouchables and Runnels and Spears ended in a draw. The following week, a rematch between the two teams was held for the vacant championship. During this match Cherry turned on Spears and Runnels, re-joining The Untouchables and helping them regain the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship. Two weeks later, on December 20, Runnels and Spears defeated The Untouchables in a Street Fight to win the championship.


title: Deuce (wrestler)

text: On the January 19, 2007 episode of "SmackDown!", the team, now using the name "Deuce 'n Domino", along with Cherry, debuted with their 1950s greaser in-ring persona. They quickly defeated a team of jobbers—wrestlers who consistently lose to make their opponents look stronger—and did the same to another jobber team the next week. On the February 2 episode of "SmackDown!", they defeated WWE Tag Team Champions Paul London and Brian Kendrick in a non-title match. They earned a chance at the championship at No Way Out, but failed to win the title. On the April 13 episode of "SmackDown!", Deuce and Domino got a chance at the tag titles again, but lost after Deuce got them disqualified. The next week on "SmackDown!", they defeated London and Kendrick to win the tag team titles. On the May 25 episode of "SmackDown!", London and Kendrick competed against William Regal and Dave Taylor, but Deuce and Domino interfered, resulting in Regal and Taylor being disqualified. This made both teams the number one contender, which led to a triple threat tag match the next week where Deuce and Domino retained the titles. On June 24, Deuce and Domino issued an open challenge at the pay-per-view event, , which was accepted by Jimmy Snuka (Deuce's father) and Sgt. Slaughter. Deuce and Domino retained their title.


title: Deuce (wrestler)

text: On the June 29 episode of "SmackDown!", Domino suffered an injury during a match with Cryme Tyme, sidelining him for a month. After Domino's return, the team began a scripted rivalry with Batista and Ric Flair. On the August 31 episode of "SmackDown!", he and Domino lost their tag team title to Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) and Matt Hardy. They engaged in a rivalry with MVP and Hardy, and attempted to regain their championship, but were unsuccessful.


title: Deuce (wrestler)

text: Throughout late 2007 and early 2008, Deuce 'n Domino wrestled sporadically, facing teams such as Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore, Jesse and Festus, and Finlay and Hornswoggle. On the May 23 episode of "SmackDown", Deuce and Domino parted ways with Cherry and replaced her with WWE Diva Maryse. After a series of losses, Deuce attacked Domino on the June 20, 2008 episode of "SmackDown" to end their partnership.


title: Deuce (wrestler)

text: As part of the 2008 WWE Supplemental Draft, Deuce was drafted to the Raw brand. He made his debut for the brand on the September 22 airing of "Raw", losing to Santino Marella. On the December 15, 2008 episode of "Raw", Deuce announced that his new ring name would be "Sim Snuka", after revealing his father is Jimmy Snuka, and faced Rey Mysterio in a losing attempt; after Mysterio fell into Cody Rhodes and Manu, who were at ringside, they attacked Mysterio, and the match ended in a disqualification. Two weeks later, he defeated Charlie Haas (who was dressed as Snuka's father) to pass step one towards earning a spot in Randy Orton's Legacy faction. A week later, Snuka teamed with Rhodes against Cryme Tyme, with Rhodes getting the pinfall. It was revealed after the match that only the man who got the pinfall would advance into the group, leaving Snuka out. He, along with Manu, brought back Ted DiBiase to help them attack The Legacy, only to be betrayed and attacked by DiBiase, Orton and Rhodes.


title: Deuce (wrestler)

text: Following this, Snuka appeared rarely. His last WWE appearance was at WrestleMania XXV, where he posed as an unnamed cameraman during the match between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker, and failed to catch The Undertaker during a suicide dive spot during the bout. He was released from his WWE contract on June 19, 2009.


title: Deuce (wrestler)

text: In November, Snuka began to appear on promotional posters for shows in the NWA-Southwest and Phoenix regions, now under the name 'Simm Snuka'. On November 28, 2009, he made his debut for NWA, teaming with his father Jimmy Snuka to defeat Hellcat and Triple X at NWA New York Raging Gladiator Wrestling III. On November 30, he made a challenge to Blue Demon Jr. for a shot at his NWA World Heavyweight Championship in a match in Texas at the NWA Southwest Anniversary Show. However the match never occurred. On December 12, Snuka defeated GQ Gallo at another NWA branded event.


title: Deuce (wrestler)

text: On October 24, 2009, Snuka and Lawrence Tyler defeated Devon Willis and Sonny Samson. After not wrestling for four years, he returned to face Graves for the Championship Wrestling from Arizona Heavyweight Title. Snuka would win the match but not return to the promotion. The following year his only match was at a NWA/UCW event where he would be on the winning team of a six-man tag match alongside his father, it would be his last time teaming with him before his father's death. In 2017 his final match to date was competing in a Battle Royal for the APWA promotion.


title: Deuce (wrestler)

text: Prior to getting in the wrestling business, Reiher worked as a youth counselor and a TV cameraman in Utah. Reiher is a former Mr. Hawaiian Islands in bodybuilding.


title: Deuce (wrestler)

text: Reiher is a second-generation wrestler; his father James Reiher wrestled using the name Jimmy Snuka. Reiher's sister Sarona works for WWE as "Tamina". His daughter Penina attends the University of Arizona, where she plays volleyball for the Arizona Wildcats.


title: Deuce (wrestler)

text: On December 2, 2016, Reiher's father, Jimmy, was reported to be in hospice and had six months left to live, due to a terminal illness. He died at age 73 on January 15, 2017, in Pompano Beach, Florida.


title: Germ layer

text: A germ layer is a primary layer of cells that forms during embryonic development. The three germ layers in vertebrates are particularly pronounced; however, all eumetazoans (animals that are sister taxa to the sponges) produce two or three primary germ layers. Some animals, like cnidarians, produce two germ layers (the ectoderm and endoderm) making them diploblastic. Other animals such as bilaterians produce a third layer (the mesoderm) between these two layers, making them triploblastic. Germ layers eventually give rise to all of an animal’s tissues and organs through the process of organogenesis.


title: Germ layer

text: Caspar Friedrich Wolff observed organization of the early embryo in leaf-like layers. In 1817, Heinz Christian Pander discovered three primordial germ layers while studying chick embryos. Between 1850 and 1855, Robert Remak had further refined the germ cell layer ("Keimblatt") concept, stating that the external, internal and middle layers form respectively the epidermis, the gut, and the intervening musculature and vasculature. The term "mesoderm" was introduced into English by Huxley in 1871, and "ectoderm" and "endoderm" by Lankester in 1873.


title: Germ layer

text: Among animals, sponges show the least amount of compartmentalization, having a single germ layer. Although they have differentiated cells (e.g. collar cells), they lack true tissue coordination. Diploblastic animals, Cnidaria and Ctenophora, show an increase in compartmentalization, having two germ layers, the endoderm and ectoderm. Diploblastic animals are organized into recognisable tissues. All bilaterian animals (from flatworms to humans) are triploblastic, possessing a mesoderm in addition to the germ layers found in Diploblasts. Triploblastic animals develop recognizable organs.


title: Germ layer

text: Fertilization leads to the formation of a zygote. During the next stage, cleavage, mitotic cell divisions transform the zygote into a hollow ball of cells, a blastula. This early embryonic form undergoes gastrulation, forming a gastrula with either two or three layers (the germ layers). In all vertebrates, these progenitor cells differentiate into all adult tissues and organs.


title: Germ layer

text: In the human embryo, after about three days, the zygote forms a solid mass of cells by mitotic division, called a morula. This then changes to a blastocyst, consisting of an outer layer called a trophoblast, and an inner cell mass called the embryoblast. Filled with uterine fluid, the blastocyst breaks out of the zona pellucida and undergoes implantation. The inner cell mass initially has two layers: the hypoblast and epiblast. At the end of the second week, a primitive streak appears. The epiblast in this region moves towards the primitive streak, dives down into it, and forms a new layer, called the endoderm, pushing the hypoblast out of the way (this goes on to form the amnion.) The epiblast keeps moving and forms a second layer, the mesoderm. The top layer is now called the ectoderm.


title: Germ layer

text: Gastrulation occurs in reference to the primary body axis. Germ layer formation is linked to the primary body axis as well, however it is less reliant on it than gastrulation is. "Hydractinia" shows that germ layer formation that transpires as a mixed delamination.


title: Germ layer

text: In mice, germ layer differentiation is controlled by two transcription factors: Sox2 and Oct4 proteins. These transcription factors cause the pluripotent mouse embryonic stem cells to select a germ layer fate. Sox2 promotes ectodermal differentiation, while Oct4 promotes mesendodermal differentiation. Each gene inhibits what the other promotes. Amounts of each protein are different throughout the genome, causing the embryonic stem cells to select their fate.


title: Germ layer

text: The endoderm is one of the germ layers formed during animal embryonic development. Cells migrating inward along the archenteron form the inner layer of the gastrula, which develops into the endoderm.


title: Germ layer

text: The endoderm consists at first of flattened cells, which subsequently become columnar. It forms the epithelial lining of the whole of the digestive tract except part of the mouth and pharynx and the terminal part of the rectum (which are lined by involutions of the ectoderm). It also forms the lining cells of all the glands which open into the digestive tract, including those of the liver and pancreas; the epithelium of the auditory tube and tympanic cavity; the trachea, bronchi, and alveoli of the lungs; the bladder and part of the urethra; and the follicle lining of the thyroid gland and thymus.


title: Germ layer

text: The endoderm forms: the pharynx, the esophagus, the stomach, the small intestine, the colon, the liver, the pancreas, the bladder, the epithelial parts of the trachea and bronchi, the lungs, the thyroid, and the parathyroid.


title: Germ layer

text: The mesoderm germ layer forms in the embryos of triploblastic animals. During gastrulation, some of the cells migrating inward contribute to the mesoderm, an additional layer between the endoderm and the ectoderm. The formation of a mesoderm leads to the development of a coelom. Organs formed inside a coelom can freely move, grow, and develop independently of the body wall while fluid cushions protects them from shocks.


title: Germ layer

text: The mesoderm has several components which develop into tissues: intermediate mesoderm, paraxial mesoderm, lateral plate mesoderm, and chorda-mesoderm. The chorda-mesoderm develops into the notochord. The intermediate mesoderm develops into kidneys and gonads. The paraxial mesoderm develops into cartilage, skeletal muscle, and dermis. The lateral plate mesoderm develops into the circulatory system (including the heart and spleen), the wall of the gut, and wall of the human body.


title: Germ layer

text: Through cell signaling cascades and interactions with the ectodermal and endodermal cells, the mesodermal cells begin the process of differentiation.


title: Germ layer

text: The mesoderm forms: muscle (smooth and striated), bone, cartilage, connective tissue, adipose tissue, circulatory system, lymphatic system, dermis, Dentine of teeth, genitourinary system, serous membranes, spleen and notochord.


title: Germ layer

text: The ectoderm generates the outer layer of the embryo, and it forms from the embryo's epiblast. The ectoderm develops into the surface ectoderm, neural crest, and the neural tube.


title: Germ layer

text: The surface ectoderm develops into: epidermis, hair, nails, lens of the eye, sebaceous glands, cornea, tooth enamel, the epithelium of the mouth and nose.


title: Germ layer

text: The neural crest of the ectoderm develops into: peripheral nervous system, adrenal medulla, melanocytes, facial cartilage.


title: Germ layer

text: The neural tube of the ectoderm develops into: brain, spinal cord, posterior pituitary, motor neurons, retina.


title: Germ layer

text: Because of its great importance, the neural crest is sometimes considered a fourth germ layer. It is, however, derived from the ectoderm.


title: Raised by Wolves (British TV series)

text: Raised by Wolves is a British television sitcom written by Caitlin Moran and her sister Caroline Moran, first broadcast between 2013 and 2016. It follows a loose account of the siblings' youth in Wolverhampton, transposed to the modern day. Helen Monks and Alexa Davies star as the oldest sisters in a large family raised by an unconventional single mother.


title: Raised by Wolves (British TV series)

text: A pilot episode was developed by the BBC and broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 December 2013, and the show was subsequently ordered to series. A six-part series began broadcasting on Channel 4 on 16 March 2015. The first series attracted an average of 1.3 million viewers and 6.3% share of audience per episode, making it Channel 4's second highest-rating comedy of 2015. A second six-part series was filmed in late 2015, which began broadcasting on 2 March 2016. The show was cancelled on 9 August 2016 due to Channel 4's "commitments to new programmes" for the following year.


title: Raised by Wolves (British TV series)

text: On 18 October 2016, the Moran sisters launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to make a third series of the show. The plan was to make a special one-off episode if the campaign received £320,000 by 20 November 2016; or to make a third series (to be premiered in late 2017) if more than £320,000 was donated. The campaign was unsuccessful and plans for a third series were cancelled.


title: Raised by Wolves (British TV series)

text: "Raised by Wolves" was generally well received by critics: The "Daily Telegraph" called it "terrific" and "refreshingly honest", as "every one-liner was a zinger"; while "The Independent" described it as "great fun" and with "joie de vivre to spare"; and "The Guardian" described it as a "loving and funny sitcom".


title: Raised by Wolves (British TV series)

text: Amidst this acclaim, the "Glasgow Herald" complained about the focus on a character's first period in the pilot episode, labelling the comedy "a bloody mess".


title: Raised by Wolves (British TV series)

text: With the arrival of the second series in 2016, the "Radio Times" declared that "the comedy gets even better. And filthier."


title: Raised by Wolves (British TV series)

text: It was announced in January 2017 that ABC would be remaking the series with Diablo Cody as writer and Greg Berlanti producing. In February it was announced that Georgia King would play the lead.


title: Mercury Marine

text: Mercury Marine is a marine engine division of Brunswick Corporation headquartered in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The main product line is outboard motors. It also produces the MerCruiser line of sterndrives and inboard motors. Some manufacturing is in Fond du Lac, while 40-60 HP motors are made in China. Smaller motors are Tohatsus that have been rebadged.


title: Mercury Marine

text: The Kiekhaefer Mercury company began in 1939 when engineer Carl Kiekhaefer purchased a small outboard motor company in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Kiekhaefer's original intention for the Kiekhaefer Corporation was to make magnetic separators for the dairy industry. The purchase included 300 defective outboard motors. Kiekhaefer and a small staff of employees rebuilt the motors and sold them to Montgomery Ward, a mail-order company. The motors were much improved, so the buyer purchased more. Kiekhaefer designed motors that withstood the elements better than his competition and called the motor Mercury (taking advantage of the "Mercury" Motor Car popularity at the time) whilst adopting the logo of the Roman god Mercury.


title: Mercury Marine

text: World War II changed the corporate climate, and Kiekhaefer sought a government contract to design two-man air-cooled chainsaws. Army engineers had been unable to design a lightweight motor. Kiekhaefer designed a new lightweight chainsaw in 2 months. The Kiekhaefer powered chainsaw was able to cut through a green log in 17 seconds, while it took the nearest competitor 52 seconds. Mercury was awarded the contract, and was the world's largest chainsaw manufacturer by the end of the war.


title: Mercury Marine

text: Kiekhaefer Mercury foresaw that the average American's interest in boating would increase after the war. Kiekhaefer introduced a 19.8 cubic inch, 10 horsepower (hp), two-cylinder alternate firing design engine at the 1947 New York Boat Show called the "Lightning" or KE-7. This engine, also called the "Super 10", actually developed around 14 horsepower. Its designation was updated to KF-7 for 1949. For 1951 the engine block, though still displacing 19.8 cubic inches, was updated a great deal, and given the name "Hurricane". The 1951 kg-7 "Super 10" featured this engine, which developed around 16 horsepower. For 1952, this model was updated with a "forward, neutral, reverse" gearset, and a twist grip throttle. It was renamed "Cruiser" at this point, and no longer called "Super 10". This engine later became the heart of the "Mark 25", of the mid to late fifties. Initially rated at 16 horsepower, this engine was soon beefed up to 20. There was also an "H" version, which produced more power but carried no rating. "H" version Mercurys were mostly used for racing.


title: Mercury Marine

text: In 1949, the company also introduced its first large outboard, the approximately 40 cubic inch, 4 cylinder in line, "Thunderbolt". This engine was rated at 25 horsepower, but actually put out around 28. There was soon an "H" version designed for high rpm use. This version put out nearly 40 horsepower, while being rated at "25+". The Thunderbolt engine benefited from upgrades and updates, eventually becoming the Mark 40, Mark 50, and Mark 55 engines of the mid and late fifties. All of these were rated quite accurately at 40 horsepower. The Mark 55H (high speed) developed more, but carried no rating.


title: Mercury Marine

text: Due to a rather large gap between the Mark 25 (20 hp) and the Mark 55 (40 hp), Mercury brought out the 4 in line, approximately 30 cubic inch "Mark 30" (30 horsepower) engine for 1956, and produced versions of its "TurboFour" engine for several years. It, too, was available as an "H" version, producing much extra horsepower for racing and sporting use.


title: Mercury Marine

text: Why these Mark engines (and other Mark engines) carried number names which were not horsepower ratings, not displacement numbers, and not consistent from one motor to another, is a real mystery. Why was the 20 hp Mercury a Mark 25, and the 40 hp Mercury a Mark 55, while the 30 hp job was the Mark 30? No one really knows.


title: Mercury Marine

text: Of course, there were also smaller Mercs during both the K era and the Mark era, such as the "Super 5" and later, such engines as the "Mark 6" and the "Mark 10".


title: Mercury Marine

text: In 1957 Kiekhaefer started testing at a Florida lake he called "Lake X" to keep the location secret. Later that year the Kiekhaefer Mercury company designed a new inline 6-cylinder, 60 cubic inch, engine named "Mark 75". Like its 2- and 4-cylinder brethren, the Mark 75 featured internal reed valves. The reed valve blocks served as intermediate main bearings. Because the valves occupied space already necessary for the main bearings instead of mounting to an extension of the crankcase, crankcase volume was minimized, resulting in a higher crankcase compression ratio, and more power in proportion to displacement than the competition.


title: Mercury Marine

text: Mercury's first 6-cylinder engines featured "direct reversing". Instead of a lower unit with forward, neutral and reverse gears, its lower units were more compact, with only drive and driven gears, and no submerged shift mechanism required. Reverse was selected by turning off the engine and restarting it in opposite rotation, and neutral by simply switching off. Mark 75s, like many of their smaller brethren, were available in an "H" (high speed) version. Many of these large H engines sported open headers for competition and produced 90 horsepower from 60 cubic inches. Two totally stock Mark 75s set a world endurance record on Lake X, running 50,000 miles at an average of 30.3 mph, while being re-fueled on the fly. The boats were stopped only for driver changes and standard maintenance. After the record-setting run was completed, the motors were torn down and inspected for wear. They were found to be well within factory tolerances.


title: Mercury Marine

text: For 1958, an enlarged version of this engine was introduced. The new "Mark 78" had 70 horsepower with 66 cubic inches of displacement. No "H" version was offered. Also in 1958, a stock Mark 75H set a new world speed record for outboard motors, of 107 mph.


title: Mercury Marine

text: Kiekhaefer decided to promote his company by owning a NASCAR and AAA team. The team dominated NASCAR Grand National (at one point winning 16 straight races), even though it only competed in 1955 and 1956. The team won the 1955 and 1956 NASCAR championships with drivers Tim Flock and Buck Baker. One of Kiekhaefer's innovations was using dry paper air filters, which are still standard in automobiles today.


title: Mercury Marine

text: When Kiekhaefer Mercury's top-of-the-line, 80 horsepower (74 cubic inch) model "Merc 800" was introduced for 1960, direct reversing as standard equipment was optionally replaced by full forward, neutral and reverse gear shifting, as on Mercury's 2- and 4-cylinder models, and "thru-hub" exhaust was introduced. Previously, as with other outboard brands and Mercury's smaller models, exhaust exited from a chute at the rear of the cavitation plate above the propeller. Thru-hub exhaust was claimed to be more efficient by omitting the added drag of an exhaust chute, and using the low-pressure area necessarily created by the gear housing and propeller moving through the water to assist in exhaust evacuation. Over the next several years, thru-hub exhaust became a standard feature of all Mercury models, and later was adopted near industry-wide for both outboards and stern-drives.


title: Mercury Marine

text: With Mercury Marine outboards typically having smaller displacement per horsepower and better fuel economy than the competition's motors, an ad ran in publications showing a Mercury-powered boat pulling an elephant on a large ski-like platform. The caption simply read "Mercury, pulls an elephant. Runs on peanuts."


title: Mercury Marine

text: The company introduced the MerCruiser stern-drive line at the 1961 Chicago Boat Show. The line would later take over 80 percent of the world market.


title: Mercury Marine

text: For 1962, the Merc 1000 became the new top of the line in line 6, offering 100 hp. It was somewhat of a sensation. It also introduced the new "Phanton Black" paint scheme which soon spread to the entire line and became famous.


title: Mercury Marine

text: In 1966, 6-cylinder Mercury models featured the introduction of electronic ignition, another first that eventually became an industry standard.


title: Mercury Marine

text: Carl Kiekhaefer resigned as President of Kiekhaefer Mercury in 1970, and the name was changed to Mercury Marine in 1972. During this time, Mercury produced snowmobiles, like many other companies in the late 1960s. The first ones incorporated a 250 cc two-man chainsaw engine.


title: Mercury Marine

text: In 1971, they came out with the Rocket and Lightning models of snowmobiles. These sleds combined aluminum tunnels with Canadian Curtiss Wright (CCW) engines. The Rocket was a 340, and the Lightning a 400 with electric start. By 1972, Mercury started production of the Hurricane, a more modern snowmobile with optional slide rail suspension (as opposed to bogie wheel). In 1974 Mercury introduced the Sno-Twister 400cc snowmobile designed primarily for racing. It featured a Kohler free-air engine and succeeded in dominating the 400cc class.


title: Mercury Marine

text: In 1975 Mercury introduced 340cc and 440cc versions of the Sno-Twister and both were dominant at the track. 1976 saw a change in the Sno-Twister, this time 250cc, 340cc, and 440cc versions were all introduced. These were radical for their time and were the result of Mercury Sno Pro sleds developed and raced the previous year. These 1976 sleds were featured water-cooled Kohler engines. The chassis were small, lightweight, very low profile, with curved handlebars and seat cushions that were designed for left turns (oval tracks).


title: Mercury Marine

text: In 1975 and 1976 Mercury also produced the Trail Twister snowmobiles which were available in 340cc and 440cc which were fan-cooled. These were some of the fastest lake racers around in their day. This started off a new era in snowmobile construction for the whole industry and the sled's basic format set up what is seen today in modern snowmobiles.


title: Mercury Marine

text: At present, Mercury product brands include Mercury, Mercury Racing, MerCruiser, and Mariner outboards (sold outside the U.S.). Outboard sizes range from to . MerCruiser sterndrives and inboards range from 135 to and Mercury Racing outboards produce up to and sterndrives to . Subsidiaries include Mercury Precision Parts and Accessories as well as Mercury propellers and Mercury Jet Drives. Mercury outboards 30 hp and below are manufactured by Tohatsu in Japan.


title: Mercury Marine

text: Mercury has recently developed a processor-enhanced line of outboards called the "Verado" outboard engine. The "Verado" system integrates the outboard into an entire system, including "fly-by-wire" steering and advanced diagnostics. Verado engines are available in 250 hp and 300 hp (V8), 350 hp and 400 hp (supercharged inline 6), and 600 hp (V12) as of early 2021.


title: Mercury Marine

text: In 2007 Mercury Marine began selling its Zeus drive system. Developed by Mercury and its joint venture company Cummins MerCruiser Diesel (CMD), the Zeus drive is a dual-engine pod drive system. Some of the most notable benefits from this class design for boaters will be enhanced helm control. While underway an automated trim control feature simplifies operation. Also, Zeus includes Skyhook Electronic Anchor which will keep a vessel in a fixed location within a tight range. The system might be called all weather as it will maintain location in strong currents and winds.


title: Mercury Marine

text: Mercury’s brand portfolio includes Mercury and Mariner, Mercury MerCruiser sterndrives and inboard engines, MotorGuide trolling motors, Mercury and Teignbridge propellers, Mercury inflatable boats, Mercury SmartCraft electronics, and Mercury and Quicksilver parts and oils. MotoTron electronic controls was also a part of Mercury Marine, but as of October 2008 Brunswick Corp. sold MotoTron and its intellectual properties to Woodward Governor of Fort Collins, Colorado.


title: Mercury Marine

text: SeaCore is a brand of sterndrive marine propulsion systems manufactured in the United States by MerCruiser. The SeaCore engine design utilizes materials, technologies, and systems, created specifically for Mercury Marine, to prevent galvanic corrosion within its engine, transom and drive. SeaCore propulsion includes models generating between 220 and . SeaCore is designed for a wide variety of vessels operated in or moored on saltwater.


title: Mercury Marine

text: Mercury Marine also provides various training programs through its training arm called Mercury University.


title: Mercury Marine

text: Mercury Marine and Beneteau Strengthen Partnership to offer award-winning outboards to Global Customers


title: Shooting an Elephant

text: "Shooting an Elephant" is an essay by British writer George Orwell, first published in the literary magazine "New Writing" in late 1936 and broadcast by the BBC Home Service on 12 October 1948.


title: Shooting an Elephant

text: The essay describes the experience of the English narrator, possibly Orwell himself, called upon to shoot an aggressive elephant while working as a police officer in Burma. Because the locals expect him to do the job, he does so against his better judgment, his anguish increased by the elephant's slow and painful death. The story is regarded as a metaphor for colonialism as a whole, and for Orwell's view that "when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys."


title: Shooting an Elephant

text: Orwell spent some of his life in Burma in a position akin to that of the narrator, but the degree to which his account is autobiographical is disputed, with no conclusive evidence to prove it to be fact or fiction. After his death in 1950, the essay was republished several times, including in "Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays" (1950), "Inside the Whale and Other Essays" (1957), and "Selected Writings" (1958).


title: Shooting an Elephant

text: The British Empire gradually annexed Burma over a period of 62 years (1823–1886) during which three Anglo-Burmese Wars took place, and Britain incorporated it into British India. It was administered as a province of India until 1937, when it became a separate, self-governing colony, attaining its independence on January 4, 1948. With a strong interest in the lives of the working class, Orwell, born in India to a middle-class family but brought up in Britain, held the post of assistant superintendent in the British Indian Imperial Police in Burma from 1922 to 1927.


title: Shooting an Elephant

text: "Moulmein used to be full of elephants" employed to haul logs in the timber firms. "Ordinary tamed elephants have been part of Burmese life for centuries... the rare and revered white elephant, is believed in Buddhist legend to be a symbol of purity and power". When Orwell moved to Moulmein, in 1926, "he was most probably ambivalent about the colonial state of which he was a part. The Kipling-inspired romance of the Raj had been worn thin by the daily realities of his job in which... he witnessed 'the dirty work of Empire at close quarters'". Orwell writes how he was trapped between his own resentment towards the empire and the Burmese people's resentment towards him. As a member of the ruling power, he is cornered into doing what the "natives" expect of him: "He wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it".


title: Shooting an Elephant

text: In Moulmein, the narrator, Orwell, writing in the first person is a police officer during a period of intense anti-European sentiment. Although his intellectual sympathies lie with the Burmese, his official role makes him a symbol of the oppressive imperial power. As such, he is subjected to constant baiting and jeering by the local people.


title: Shooting an Elephant

text: After receiving a call regarding a normally tame elephant's rampage, the narrator, armed with a .44 caliber Winchester rifle and riding on a pony, goes to the town in which the elephant has been seen. Entering one of the poorest quarters, he receives conflicting reports and contemplates leaving since he thinks that the incident is a hoax. The narrator then sees a village woman chasing away children who are looking at the corpse of an Indian, whom the elephant has trampled and killed. He sends an order to bring an elephant rifle and, followed by a group of roughly a few thousand people, heads toward the paddy field in which the elephant has rested in its tracks.


title: Shooting an Elephant

text: Although he does not want to kill the elephant since it now seems peaceful, the narrator feels pressured by the demand of the crowd for the act to be carried out. After inquiring as to the elephant's behavior and delaying for some time, he shoots the elephant several times and wounds it but is unable to kill it. The narrator then leaves the beast since he is unable to be in its presence as it continues to suffer. He later learns that it was stripped, nearly to the bone, within hours. His elderly colleagues agree that killing the elephant was the best thing to do, but the younger ones believe that it was worth more than the Indian whom it killed. The narrator then wonders if they will ever understand that he shot it "solely to avoid looking a fool".


title: Shooting an Elephant

text: An anti-imperialist writer, Orwell promoted the idea that through imperialism, both conqueror and conquered were destroyed. Orwell clearly states his displeasure with the British Empire: "I had already made up my mind that imperialism was an evil thing... I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British". The narrator perceives that the conqueror is not in control, but it is rather the will of the conquered that governs his actions. As ruler, he notes that it is his duty to appear resolute, with his word being final:


title: Shooting an Elephant

text: Although it is not the narrator's wish to shoot the elephant, his will is not his own and their expectation makes him realise that he must shoot the elephant: "I was only an absurd puppet pushed to and fro by the will of those yellow faces behind". Reflectively, the narrator realises being forced to impose strict laws and to shoot the elephant. He states his feelings against the act but submits after comprehending he "had got to shoot the elephant"—illustrates an inherent problem of hegemony: "when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys". By enforcing British colonial rule, he is both forfeiting his freedom and oppressing the Burmese.


title: Shooting an Elephant

text: The narrator's situation throughout the essay is one of little prospect or prominence. He comments on how even though he is a member of the ruling class, he finds himself either largely ignored by the Burmese people or hated. He remarks in the first sentence, "I was hated by large numbers of people—the only time in my life that I have been important enough for this to happen to me". Only with the expectation of a killing do the locals find him "momentarily worth watching". He describes how, as a police officer, he was often a target for mockery from the locals, as was any other European who provided an easy target.


title: Shooting an Elephant

text: In contrast to his description of the natives as "little beasts", the narrator labels the elephant as a "great beast" and suggests that he holds it at a higher status than the locals. That is somewhat paradoxical, however, as the narrator's own job is demeaning and forces him to see "the dirty work of the Empire at close quarters". The narrator singles out "young Buddhist priests" to be "the worst of all" and comments on how he would gladly "drive a bayonet into a Buddhist priest's guts".


title: Shooting an Elephant

text: Having killed the elephant, the narrator considers how he was glad that it killed the "coolie", as that gave him full legal backing. The essay finishes with him wondering if they will even understand his motive for having killed the elephant, as he merely wishes to salvage his pride.


title: Shooting an Elephant

text: The narrator's conscience plagues him greatly as he finds himself trapped between the "hatred of the empire [he] served" and his "rage against the evil-spirited little beasts who tried to make [his] job impossible". He claims that he is "all for the Burmese and all against the British" and goes on to say that "feelings like these are the normal by-products of imperialism; ask any Anglo-Indian official, if you can catch him off duty". That creates a sense of empathy from the conquerors towards the conquered, but as they treat their conquerors badly, the conquerors start to feel less guilty and so treat them badly once more.


title: Shooting an Elephant

text: In 2015, "Shooting an Elephant" was adapted into a short film by director Juan Pablo Rothie and Academy Award nominated writer Alec Sokolow. The film was shot entirely on location in Nepal starring Barry Sloane as Eric Blair.


title: Shooting an Elephant

text: The degree to which the story is fiction has been disputed. In his biography of Orwell, "George Orwell: A Life", Bernard Crick cast doubt on the idea that Orwell himself actually shot an elephant. No independent account of Orwell's actions has been found, and there was no official record of the incident, which was unusual because of the destruction of valuable property.


title: Shooting an Elephant

text: Peter Davison, the editor of Orwell's "Complete Works", includes an interview with George Stuart, a contemporary of Orwell in Burma, who said that Orwell was transferred to Kathar as punishment for shooting an elephant. "An elephant was considered a valuable asset to any timber firm... and Orwell would have been severely reprimanded for such unnecessary slaughter. It was not long after the incident that he was transferred from Moulmein to a quiet post in Upper Burma called Katha". Davison also includes in the complete works a news item from the "Rangoon Gazette", March 22, 1926, which describes a Major E. C. Kenny shooting an elephant in similar circumstances. When one biographer questioned Orwell's wife, Sonia Brownell, she replied, "Of course he shot a f--king a [sic] elephant. He said he did. Why do you always doubt his word!"


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: Relations between people in Hong Kong and mainland China have been relatively tense since the early 2000s. Various factors have contributed, including different interpretations of the "one country, two systems" principle; policies of the Hong Kong and central governments to encourage mainland visitors to Hong Kong; and the changing economic environment. More broadly, there exists resentment toward mainland-Hong Kong convergence and assimilation, as well as the increasing interference from the government of China and its ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Hong Kong's internal affairs.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: Hong Kong was originally ruled by China up to the Qing dynasty in 1842 when the Treaty of Nanking ceded the island to the British Empire and later expanded to include the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 after the Second Opium War and later by the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory in 1898 to lease the New Territories. From 1941 to 1945, it was occupied by the Japanese Empire.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: In 1972, after the change of the Chinese seat in the United Nations, the People's Republic of China, established in 1949 after the lengthy civil war, demanded that Hong Kong be removed from the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories, thus depriving Hong Kong of its right to independence. The Sino-British Joint Declaration of December 1984 laid out the terms for the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the PRC, which concluded with a special handover ceremony on 1 July 1997.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: The terms agreed between the governments for the transfer included a series of guarantees for the maintenance of Hong Kong's differing economic, political and legal systems after the transfer, and the further development of Hong Kong's political system with a goal of democratic government. These guarantees were set out in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and enshrined in the semi-constitutional Basic Law of Hong Kong. Initially, many Hong Kongers were enthusiastic about Hong Kong's return to China.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: However, tension has arisen between Hong Kong residents and the mainland, and in particular the central government, since 1997, and especially in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Controversial policies such as the Individual Visit Scheme and the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link have been seized on as focal points of discontent. Some (2011) argue that since the Hong Kong government failed to force through the legislation to implement Article 23 of the Basic Law, Beijing's relatively hands-off approach to Hong Kong changed dramatically. This view holds that the PRC's strategy is aimed at trying to dissolve the boundary between Hong Kong and the rest of China. Some representatives of the government of mainland China have adopted increasingly strong rhetoric attacking Hong Kong's political and legal systems. More formally, the Central People's Government released a report in 2014 that asserts that Hong Kong's judiciary should be subordinate to, and not independent of, the government. The Basic Law and the Sino-British Joint Declaration guarantee the development of Hong Kong's electoral system towards universal suffrage, but the more pro-democracy parts of the Legislative Council rejected incremental progress. By the time the central government stepped in with a view, the so-called Pan-Democrats had adopted an all-or-nothing strategy that derailed any hope of progress in time for elections in 2008–2018.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: Hong Kong is a multi-ethnic society with British-influenced values in relation to race, languages and cultures compared to those held by the Chinese government and many mainland residents. As a highly developed economy with a high standard of living, Hong Kong culture has different values in relation to hygiene and social propriety compared to mainland China, and Hongkongers have been upset by misbehaviour from mainlanders, such as spitting in public and eating on the subway. The cultural and economic differences are widely considered as a primary cause of the conflict between Hong Kong and mainland China. The differences between Hong Kong people and mainlanders, such as language, as well as the significant growth in number of mainland visitors, have caused tension. Since the implementation of Individual Visit Scheme on 28 July 2003, the number of mainland visitors increased from 6.83 million in 2002 to 40.7 million in 2013, according to the statistics provided by the Hong Kong Tourism Board. The conflict relates to issues regarding the allocation of resources between mainlanders and Hong Kong people in different sectors, such as healthcare and education.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: On 5 January 2012, "Apple Daily" reported that only Hong Kong citizens had been prevented from taking pictures of Dolce & Gabbana window displays in both their Hong Kong fashion outlets, stirring anti-mainlander sentiment. In particular staff and security personnel at their flagship store on Canton Road asserted the pavement area outside was private property where photography was forbidden. The actions sparked protests spanning several days and gained international news coverage on the 8th of January. Citing the case of Zhou Jiugeng (周久耕), a Nanjing official whose high-living lifestyle was identified by Chinese citizens using internet photographs, local news reports speculated that the Dolce & Gabbana photo ban may have been imposed at the request of some wealthy Chinese government officials who were shopping and who feared photographs of them in the store might circulate and fuel corruption allegations and investigations into the source of their wealth.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: In early 2012, Kong Qingdong, a Peking University professor, publicly called Hong Kongers "old dogs" in the aftermath of a controversy over a mainland Chinese child eating on the subway in Hong Kong. Kong's strong language prompted protests in Hong Kong.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: Since 2012, there has been an increase in mainland parallel traders coming to the northern parts of Hong Kong to import goods and export them back to mainland. Products that are popular among these traders include infant formula and household products. As a result of shortages of milk powder in Hong Kong for an extended time, the government imposed restrictions on the amount of milk powder exports from Hong Kong. With effect from 1 March 2013, each person is only allowed 2 cans, or 1.8 kg of milk powder per trip in the MTR and cross-borders. Besides, since northern places like Sheung Shui became the transaction centres of the traders, this resulted in discontent from nearby residents.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: Until 2012, the number of anchor babies in Hong Kong had been increasing. Pregnant mainland women were seeking to give birth in Hong Kong, specifically to benefit from the right of abode and thereby the ability to enjoy social welfare in the city. Hong Kong citizens expressed concerns that the pregnant women and anchor babies put a heavier burden on Hong Kong's medical system. Some of them even called mainlanders "locusts" for taking away Hong Kong's resources from locals. Over 170,000 new births where both parents were mainlanders occurred between 2001 and 2011, of which 32,653 births were in 2010. CY Leung's first public announcement on policy as Chief Executive-elect was to impose a 'zero' quota on mainland mothers giving birth in Hong Kong. Leung further underlined that those who did may not be able to secure the right of abode for their offspring in Hong Kong. Many of these anchor babies cross the border to attend school; there are approximately 28,000 daily cross-border pupils who attend school in Hong Kong but live in mainland China.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: In 2015, the Chinese Football Association launched a series of posters relating to other Asian football teams. Among these, a poster appeared to mock the ethnic make-up of Hong Kong's football team with the words: “Do not underestimate the opponent. This is a team with black-, yellow- and white-skinned players, a diverse team that we must prepare for.” In response, in subsequent matches between Hong Kong and Bhutan and the Maldives respectively, supporters of the Hong Kong team jeered when the Chinese national anthem was played for the Hong Kong team.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: In April 2017, during a match in Hong Kong between Hong Kong club Eastern SC and Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande, Guangzhou Evergrande fans displayed an "Annihilate British Dogs, Eradicate Hong Kong Independence Poison" banner during the game. This resulted in them being fined US$22,500.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: In July 2015, localists including Hong Kong Indigenous and Youngspiration marched to the Immigration Department to demand deportation of an undocumented 12-year-old Mainland boy Siu Yau-wai, who lived in Hong Kong for nine years without identification. Siu, whose parents are alive and well in mainland China, stayed with his grandparents after having overstayed his two-way permit nine years ago. Pro-Beijing Federation of Trade Unions lawmaker Chan Yuen-han advised and assisted the boy and his grandmother to obtain a temporary ID and pleaded for compassion from the local community. Some called on the authorities to consider the case on a humanitarian basis and grant Siu permanent citizenship while many others, afraid that the case would open the floodgates to appeals from other illegal immigrants, asked for the boy to be repatriated. The boy eventually gave up and returned to his parents in mainland China, buckling to immense pressure by localists.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: On 19 November 2015, an anti-mainlandisation motion was introduced in the Legislative Council by lawmaker Claudia Mo, but it was voted down with 19 in favour and 34 opposing. The motion sought to defend local history and culture from the influence of mainland China. Supporters argued that mainlandisation would lead to more counterfeit and fake products, rampant corruption and the abuse of power, while Hong Kong risked becoming another mainland city. Opponents of the motion argued that the motion was seeing different cultures with a narrow perspective, and intended to split the Chinese nation and create conflict.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: In September 2017, tensions arose between Mainland students, Hong Kong students, CUHK staff and CUHK student union staff members over the content of posters/banners put up on the 'Democracy wall' in the Chinese University of Hong Kong. With issues of vandalism, disobeying the rules, freedom of speech, respecting different opinions and displaying hateful messages reaching the spotlight, as well similar incidents occurring in other Hong Kong universities' 'Democracy walls' such as those of Education University of Hong Kong, University of Hong Kong, and Hong Kong Polytechnic University, this also reignited the Hong Kong Independence debate within Hong Kong society.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: Several mass protests took place during mid 2019 against a proposed extradition bill allowing dissidents to be arbitrarily transferred to mainland China, including a march claimed by organisers to have included two million people, a quarter of Hong Kong's population, on 16 June. Throughout the summer and autumn, clashes between police and protesters occurred. Tolerance for differing opinions on the protests reportedly decreased in Hong Kong. Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, mass protests were suspended from early February 2020. The resurgence of protests after the easing of the pandemic was brief, due to the national security law. Sporadic protests still took place afterwards, in spite of the draconian nature of the law.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: The PLA Hong Kong Garrison's plans for the Central Military Dock have been contested by lawmakers, and the radar station at Tai Mo Shan was secretly opened, against the Garrison Law, which states that "the locations and boundaries of the military restricted zones shall be declared by the government." In addition, a Reuters article has shown that many of the military sites are underused and could be returned to public use.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: The Liaison Office has also purchased significant residential housing through its private subsidiary, Newman Investment, and has escaped paying stamp duties, even though Newman Investment is not registered as an organisation that serves the public. This means that public taxpayer money has essentially subsidised purchases of housing on behalf of the Liaison Office, and less housing is available for normal citizens.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: Mainland authorities have made multiple attempts to abduct people in Hong Kong to bring them to the mainland, starting in 2015.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: On 26 May 2015, Gu Zhuoheng, owner of Sing Pao Daily News, was almost abducted by mainland authorities after landing at Hong Kong International Airport. While at the Regal Hotel, Gu said that more than 20 mainland authorities with firearms attempted to extradite him to the mainland; Gu resisted until hotel security guards called airport police to assist him. Hong Kong police confirmed the incident and then released the suspects due to "insufficient evidence."


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: Lee Bo, a staff member of Causeway Bay Books, was abducted several months later in December 2015 and brought to Shenzhen. The Hong Kong Immigration Department has no record of Lee having left Hong Kong, meaning he was brought across the border without going through normal border control.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: In another incident about a year later in January 2017, Xiao Jianhua, a businessman, was abducted from the Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong and brought to the mainland.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: Hong Kong is a free port and has no customs tariff on imported goods, while mainland China does, offering smugglers an opportunity to take advantage of price differences. Smugglers use speedboats to illegally bring goods from Hong Kong to mainland China without paying tariffs, including meat and ginseng. Those arrested have included both Hong Kong and mainland Chinese citizens.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: In 2019, a total of 1,050 tonnes of contraband was seized by customs officers. For the first six months of 2020, 2,500 tonnes of frozen meat were seized. In January 2020, three Hong Kong customs officers were killed when their boat capsized during an anti-smuggling operation. A cargo vessel, believed to have collided with the officers' boat, was found later with 1000 boxes of frozen meat, destined for mainland China.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: Smugglers have also used land-based vehicles to smuggle goods in Sha Tau Kok, a village in northeastern Hong Kong. Additionally, Sha Tau Kok has a porous and blurry border through Chung Ying Street, where residents with a Frontier Closed Area permit can cross between Hong Kong and mainland China without going through normal border control. In March 2020, it was discovered that even though the Hong Kong government implemented a rule that those entering Hong Kong from mainland China must quarantine for 14 days to prevent the spread of COVID-19, those entering Hong Kong from mainland China through Sha Tau Kok were exempted from quarantine measures.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: On 1 September 2020, HKU Student Union's CampusTV released a "parody video" welcoming the new mainland Chinese students to HKU, which contained certain negative references to recent events. On 2 September, the university management of HKU condemned the video as bullying and hate speech towards mainland Chinese. On 3 September, CampusTV removed the video and apologised for "the inaccurate use of words and the misunderstanding caused", stating it did not mean to target anyone, but merely to point out the failings of the university management to the HKU students (through a parody video).


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: In October 2021, the Liaison Office met senior Hong Kong Catholic clergymen and briefed them on Xi Jinping's views on the "Sinicization" of religion, or the adoption of "Chinese characteristics" within established religions.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: In May 2022, retired Cardinal Joseph Zen was arrested by the national security police. German Cardinal Gerhard Mueller said that Zen was being sacrificed to please Beijing, stating "This cardinal will be sacrificed on the altar of reason, to defend and implement the diplomatic agreement with Beijing. I foresee this risk and I feel pain."


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: In July 2022, the Vatican's unofficial representative in Hong Kong, monsignor Javier Herrera-Corona, warned that religious freedoms were over in Hong Kong due to pressure from mainland Chinese authorities, with one person summarizing the monsignor's message as "Hong Kong is not the great Catholic beachhead it was."


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: The major significance is the rise of local awareness in self-identity. With reference to the survey conducted by a public opinion programme of the University of Hong Kong, the identity index of interviewees who regarded themselves as "Chinese" plummeted between the years of 2008–2014, from approximately 7.5 in 2008 to a continuous fluctuation within the range between 6–7. The drop in sense of national identity is believed to be the result of the aforementioned conflicts. The recent conflicts (anchor babies, D&G crisis, and parallel trading) further contributed to the rise of local awareness in self-identity.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: There are differences in culture and political backgrounds between those from Hong Kong and China. Hong Kong was ruled by the British based on the system of letters patent from the 1850s to 1997, whereas China has been under the control of the Chinese Communist Party from 1949 onwards.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: Some Hong Kong people see mainlanders as rude, impolite, and poorly educated. This further leads to locals' nonacceptance of mainlanders, especially when they travel in Hong Kong. Travelers from the mainland are coming in such tremendous numbers that their existence can influence the direction of government's policies. The premise of various protests within the 2010s were related to the issue of the individual visit scheme adversely affecting the daily lives of Hongkongers. On the other hand, some Mainlanders view Hong Kong with suspicion, mistrust and increasing enmity.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: Some mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong who initially had a more positive view of the city than of their own mainland hometowns have reported that their attempts at connecting with the locals were difficult due to experiences of hostility and a sense of inferiority.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: The 2014 Hong Kong protests led to the birth of new political parties. The pan-democrats encourage young people who participated in the Occupy movement to register and vote in the district council poll. The first wave of dilettantes, about 50 in number, many of whom were millennials having political aspirations and disillusioned with the political establishment, and who were influenced by the Umbrella Revolution, contested the 2015 district council elections. Pitted against seasoned politicians, and with support only from friends and family, they became popularly known as "Umbrella Soldiers".


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: During the 2016 Hong Kong legislative election, six localist groups which emerged after the 2014 Umbrella Revolution, Youngspiration, Kowloon East Community, Tin Shui Wai New Force, Cheung Sha Wan Community Establishment Power, Tsz Wan Shan Constructive Power and Tuen Mun Community, formed an electoral alliance under the name "ALLinHK" to field candidates in four of the five geographical constituencies with the agenda to put forward a referendum on Hong Kong's self-determination, while Hong Kong Indigenous and another new pro-independence Hong Kong National Party attempted to run in the upcoming election. The student leaders in the Umbrella Revolution, Joshua Wong, Oscar Lai and Agnes Chow of Scholarism and Nathan Law of the Hong Kong Federation of Students (HKFS) formed a new party called Demosistō. The new party calls for referendum on Hong Kong's future after 2047 when the one country, two systems principle is supposed to expire and fielded candidates in Hong Kong Island and Kowloon East.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: Due to recent tensions between Mainland and Hong Kong people, along with impact of the Umbrella Movement, different sectors of Hong Kong have shifted their view of Hong Kong's development of democracy.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: Traditionally, the pan-democratic camp campaigned for democracy in China and Hong Kong, however after the Umbrella Movement, with the rise of localism, there were calls to make Hong Kong democratic first, then China or only focus on making Hong Kong democratic.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: In recent years, localism within Hong Kong, has been gaining popularity of Hong Kong youth, this has led to new political parties and organisations being formed. Some Localist parties have taken the latter view of democracy, while others promote the notion of Hong Kong Independence, believing that only when Hong Kong is independent from Mainland China can real democracy be established.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: Likewise, since the end of Umbrella Movement, the pro-Beijing camp as well as Mainland officials, along with CY Leung and Carrie Lam, have said that the development of democracy in Hong Kong is not a top priority and that the Hong Kong government should focus on livelihood issues first.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: Since 1997, Hong Kong has been a part of China under the "one country, two systems" approach. Within Hong Kong society, there are different views of this arrangement. Within the political spectrum, the Pro-Beijing camp tends to focus on "one country" aspect, where Hong Kong will gradually integrate into China, while following and supporting the Central government policies as being a guarantee for stability and prosperity in Hong Kong. However, in the Pro-democracy camp, the focus is on the "two systems" approach, where Hong Kong, while acknowledging that it is a part of China and thus has an obligation to cooperate with it, should strive to develop more democratic institutions and preserve freedoms and human rights to achieve prosperity.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: Over the years, there have been incidents of mainlandisation within some sectors of society are worried about the changing environment of Hong Kong. Mainlandisation or Integration of Hong Kong is the official policy Beijing government and its Beijing supporters in Hong Kong are actively helping to promote its agenda, using their power to influence certain key decision-making choices within Hong Kong society.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: Under the Basic Law of Hong Kong, Chinese and English are the official languages. In reality Mandarin is increasingly given more importance. In recent years, Mandarin has been increasingly used in Hong Kong, this has led to fears of Cantonese being replaced. In May 2018, The Education Bureau of Hong Kong stated that Cantonese is a dialect, thus cannot be considered a mother tongue language. This caused an uproar in Hong Kong, as it was seen as downgrading Cantonese in favour of Mandarin, and as the majority of Hong Kong people speak Cantonese as their first language.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: The use of English and its proficiency in Hong Kong has also suffered a decline in standards. The promotion and growth of Mandarin over Cantonese and English in Hong Kong has led to questions being raised by mainlanders about Hong Kong's competitiveness in the global economy, its dependency on the Mainland's economy and its loss of a distinct cultural identity.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: Moral and national education (MNE, ) is a school curriculum proposed by the Education Bureau of Hong Kong, transformed from the current moral and civic education (MCE, ). The Hong Kong government attempted to pass the curriculum in 2012, which led to protests. The subject was particularly controversial for praising the :communist and :nationalist ideology of China's government on the one hand, and condemning :democracy and republicanism on the other.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: Since 2002, Hong Kong's press freedom has significantly declined. Reporters Without Borders, which examines freedom of press in 180 countries and regions, ranked Hong Kong at 73rd in the world, a drop from 18th place in 2002, 34th in 2011, 54th in 2012, 58th in 2013, 61 in 2014, 70 in 2015. The organisation has China ranked at 176 and Taiwan at 45 – the highest ranking among all Asian countries in 2017.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: Hong Kong Journalists Association attributes this to increasing self-censorship within the industry, due to staff members not wanting to upset people in Beijing in fear of retaliation or loss of future opportunities. Jason Y. Ng, writing for the "Hong Kong Free Press" remarks that, "The post-handover era has witnessed a series of ownership changes in the media industry. Self-censorship can also take the form of personnel changes, including management reshuffling in the newsroom and discontinuation of influential columns."


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: In recent years, there have been many infrastructure projects and policies connecting Hong Kong to mainland China. The pro-democracy camp is suspicious of such projects, arguing that the mainland government is slowly gaining control and influence over Hong Kong, as this integration will eventually turn Hong Kong into another mainland city and make it lose its uniqueness. A focus of criticism is the minimum or lack of consultation from the Hong Kong people regarding these projects or policies, with many regarding them as 'white elephants' of questionable benefit. Another concern is the environmental impact of such projects as well as the high costs, with some projects going far over budget, with the costs being ultimately shouldered by the local taxpayer. However the pro-Beijing camp argues that these projects are to help redevelop Hong Kong, help it maintain its competitiveness and provide new economic opportunities.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: Since the handover, the one-way permit scheme, which allows 150 mainlanders a day to come to Hong Kong and Macau to reunite with their families, is administered by Chinese authorities, with Hong Kong and Macau authorities having no say on who can come in. Most of people on this quota end up going to Hong Kong. In recent years this quota has sparked intense debate on the positives, negatives and impacts it has on Hong Kong society. The Beijing government argues that the scheme is to prevent illegal immigration into Hong Kong and Macau.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: The Pro-Beijing camp argue that these new immigrants are to help combat an ageing population as well as bringing new talent into the city. The pro-democracy camp, however, sees the one-way permit scheme as a tool for Beijing to gradually change the population mix in Hong Kong and integrate the city with China. A majority of immigrants from the mainland tend to cast their votes in favour of pro-Beijing politicians during elections for district councils and the legislature. Others point out, that too many immigrants are taking away resources from local graduates as there is more competition for jobs and housing. This has led to calls from the pro-democracy camp to change or modify the scheme to allow the Hong Kong government to have a say in choosing which immigrants to come or final approval, while the localist camp advocate cancelling the scheme, saying this preferential treatment has put a strain on resources in Hong Kong and argues that immigrants from the mainland can come and settle in Hong Kong like any other immigrants from around the world.


title: Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

text: In at least one year, more than the so-called "maximum" of 150 daily mainlanders were allowed in; 57,387 mainlanders entered Hong Kong in 2017, averaging approximately 157 people per day.