title: Konkani people

text: Konkani language had originally been studied and Roman Konkani promoted by Catholic missionaries in Goa (e.g. Thomas Stephens) as a communication medium during the 16th century. The Maratha threat was compounded by their attacks on native Catholics and destruction of local churches during their repeated attacks on Goa in the 17th century. This led the Portuguese government to initiate a positive programme for the suppression of Konkani in Goa, in order to make native Catholic Goans identify fully with the Portuguese Empire. As a result, Konkani was suppressed and rendered unprivileged in Goa by the enforcement of Portuguese.


title: Konkani people

text: Urged by the Franciscans, the Portuguese viceroy forbade the use of Konkani on 27 June 1684 and further decreed that within three years, the local people in general would speak the Portuguese language and use it in all their contacts and contracts made in Portuguese territories. The penalties for violation would be imprisonment. The decree was confirmed by the king on 17 March 1687. However, according to the Inquisitor António Amaral Coutinho's letter to the Portuguese monarch João V in 1731, these draconian measures were unsuccessful.


title: Konkani people

text: The fall of the "Province of the North" (which included Bassein, Chaul and Salsette) in 1739 led to the suppression of Konkani gaining new strength. On 21 November 1745, the Archbishop of Goa, Lourenço de Santa Maria e Melo (O.F.M.), decreed that fluency in Portuguese was mandatory for the Goan applicants to the priesthood, and also for all their immediate relatives (men as well as women). This language fluency would be confirmed via rigorous examinations by ordained priests. Furthermore, the "Bamonns" and "Chardos" were required to learn Portuguese within six months, failing which they would be denied the right to marriage. The Jesuits, who had historically been the greatest advocates of Konkani, were expelled from Goa by the Marquis of Pombal in 1761. In 1812, the Archbishop decreed that children should be prohibited from speaking Konkani in schools. In 1847, this rule was extended to seminaries. In 1869, Konkani was completely banned in schools until Portugal became a Republic in 1910.


title: Konkani people

text: The result of this linguistic displacement was that Konkani in Goa became the "língua de criados" (language of the servants). Hindu and Catholic elites turned to Marathi and Portuguese, respectively. Ironically, Konkani is at present the 'cement' that binds all Goans across caste, religion and class and is affectionately termed "Konkani Mai" (Mother Konkani). Due to negative propaganda from the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, Marathi was made the official language of Goa following the Annexation of Goa in 1961. Konkani received official recognition only in February 1987, when the Indian government recognised Konkani as the official language of Goa.


title: Bambara people

text: The Bambara ( or "Banmana") are a Mandé ethnic group native to much of West Africa, primarily southern Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Senegal. They have been associated with the historic Bambara Empire. Today they make up the largest Mandé ethnic group in Mali, with 80% of the population speaking the Bambara language, regardless of ethnicity.


title: Bambara people

text: According to the "Encyclopedia of Africa", "Bambara" means "believer" or "infidel"; the group acquired the name because it resisted Islam after the religion was introduced in 1854 by Tukulor conqueror El Hadj Umar Tall."


title: Bambara people

text: The Bamana originated as a royal section of the Mandinka people. They are founders of the Mali Empire in the 13th Century. Both Manding and Bambara are part of the Mandé ethno-linguistic group, whose divergence is dated to at least about 7,000 years ago, and branches of which are associated with sites near Tichitt (now subsumed by the Sahara in southern Mauritania), where urban centers began to emerge by as early as 2500 BC. By 250 BC, a Mandé subgroup, the Bozo, founded the city of Djenne. Between 300 AD and 1100 AD, the Soninke Mandé dominated the Western Mali, leading the Ghana Empire. When the Mandé Songhai Empire dissolved after 1600 AD, many Mandé-speaking groups along the upper Niger river basin turned inward. The Bamana appeared again in this milieu with the rise of a Bamana Empire in the 1740s, when the Mali Empire started to crumble around 1559.


title: Bambara people

text: While there is little consensus among modern historians and ethnologists as to the origins or meaning of the ethno-linguistic term, references to the name "Bambara" can be found from the early 18th century. In addition to its general use as a reference to an ethno-linguistic group, "Bambara" was also used to identify captive Africans who originated in the interior of Africa perhaps from the upper Senegal-Niger region and transported to the Americas via ports on the Senegambian coast. As early as 1730 at the slave-trading post of Gorée, the term "Bambara" referred simply to slaves who were already in the service of the local elites or French.


title: Bambara people

text: Growing from farming communities in Ouassoulou, between Sikasso and Ivory Coast, Bamana-age co-fraternities (called "Ton"s) began to develop a state structure which became the Bambara Empire and later Mali Empire. In stark contrast to their Muslim neighbors, the Bamana state practised and formalised traditional polytheistic religion, though Muslim communities remained locally powerful, if excluded from the central state at Ségou.


title: Bambara people

text: The Bamana became the dominant cultural community in western Mali. The Bambara language, mutually intelligible with the Manding and Dyula languages, has become the principal inter-ethnic language in Mali and one of the official languages of the state alongside French.


title: Bambara people

text: Traditionally, Mandé society is hierarchal or caste-based, with nobility and vassals. Bamana political order created a small free nobility, set in the midst of endogamous caste and ethnic variation. Both castes and ethnic groups performed vocational roles in the Bamana state, and this differentiation increased with time.


title: Bambara people

text: The Maraka merchants developed towns focused first on desert side trade, and latter on large-scale agricultural production using captured slaves. The Jula specialised in long-distance trade, as did Fula communities within the state, who added this to cattle herding. The Bozo ethnicity were created largely out of war captives, and turned by the state to fishing and ferrying communities.


title: Bambara people

text: In addition to this, the Bamana maintained internal castes, like other Mandé peoples, with Griot historian/praise-singers, priests, metalworkers, and other specialist vocations remaining endogamous and living in designated areas.


title: Bambara people

text: Formerly, like most other African societies, they also held slaves (called "Jonw"/"Jong(o)"), often war prisoners from lands surrounding their territory. With time, and the collapse of the Bamana state, these caste differences have eroded, though vocations have strong family and ethnic correlations.


title: Bambara people

text: Most Bamana today adhere to Islam, but many still practise the traditional rituals, especially in honoring ancestors. This form of syncretic Islam remains rare, even allowing for conversions that in many cases happened in the mid to late 19th century. This recent history, though, contributes to the richness and fame (in the West) of Bamana ritual arts.


title: Bambara people

text: Bamana share many aspects of broader Mandé social structure. Society is patrilineal and patriarchal. Mandé culture is known for its strong fraternal orders and sororities ("Ton") and the history of the Bambara Empire strengthened and preserved these orders. The first state was born as a refashioning of hunting and youth "Ton"s into a warrior caste.


title: Bambara people

text: As conquests of their neighbors were successful, the state created the "Jonton" ("Jon" = slave/kjell-slave), or slave warrior caste, replenished by warriors captured in battle. While slaves were excluded from inheritance, the Jonton leaders forged a strong corporate identity. Their raids fed the Segu economy with goods and slaves for trade, and bonded agricultural laborers who were resettled by the state.


title: Bambara people

text: The Bamana have continued in many places their tradition of caste and age group inauguration societies, known as Ton. While this is common to most Mandé societies, the Ton tradition is especially strong in Bamana history. Tons can be by sex (initiation rites for young men and women), age (the earlier young men's "Soli" Ton living separately from the community and providing farm labor prior to taking wives), or vocation (the farming Chi Wara Ton or the hunters Donzo Ton). While these societies continue as ways of socialising and passing on traditions, their power and importance faded in the 20th century.


title: Bambara people

text: The Bamana people adapted many artistic traditions. Artworks were created both for religious use and to define cultural and religious difference. Bamana artistic traditions include pottery, sculpture, weaving, iron figures, and masks. While the tourist and art market is the main destination of modern Bamana artworks, most artistic traditions had been part of sacred vocations, created as a display of religious beliefs and used in ritual.


title: Bambara people

text: Bamana forms of art include the "n’tomo" mask and the Tyi Warra. The "n’tomo" mask was used by dancers at male initiation ceremonies. The Tyi Warra (or "ciwara") headdress was used at harvest time by young men chosen from the farmers association. Other Bamana statues include fertility statues, meant to be kept with the wife at all times to ensure fertility, and statues created for vocational groups such as hunters and farmers, often used as offering places by other groups after prosperous farming seasons or successful hunting parties.


title: Bambara people

text: Each special creative trait a person obtained is seen as a different way to please higher spirits. Powers throughout the Bamana art-making world are used to please the ancestral spirits and show beauty in what they believed in.


title: Crouton

text: A crouton is a piece of rebaked bread, often cubed and seasoned. Croutons are used to add texture and flavor to salads—notably the Caesar salad— or eaten as a snack food.


title: Crouton

text: The word crouton is derived from the French "croûton", itself a diminutive of "croûte", meaning "crust". "Croutons" are often seen in the shape of small cubes, but they can be of any size and shape, up to a very large slice. Many people now use crouton for croute, so the usage has changed. Historically, however, a croute was a slice of a baguette lightly brushed with oil or clarified butter and baked. In English descriptions of French cooking, "croûte" is not only a noun but also has a verb form that describes the cooking process that transforms the bread into the crust.


title: Crouton

text: The preparation of croutons is relatively simple. Typically the cubes of bread are lightly coated in oil or butter (which may be seasoned or flavored for variety) and then baked. Croutons can also be cut into sticks. Some commercial preparations use machinery to sprinkle various seasonings on them. Alternatively, they may be fried lightly in butter or vegetable oil, until crisp and brown, to give them a buttery flavor and crunchy texture. Some croutons are prepared with the addition of cheese.


title: Crouton

text: Nearly any type of bread—in a loaf or pre-sliced, with or without crust—may be used to make croutons. Dry or stale bread or leftover bread is usually used instead of fresh bread. Once prepared, the croutons will remain fresh far longer than unprepared bread.


title: Crouton

text: A dish prepared "à la Grenobloise" (in the Grenoble manner) has a garnish of small croutons along with beurre noisette, capers, parsley, and lemon.


title: Crouton

text: Dried and cubed bread is commonly sold in large bags in North America to make Thanksgiving holiday stuffing or dressing. However, these are generally different from salad croutons, being only dry bread instead of buttered or oiled and with other seasonings.


title: Canadair Sabre

text: The Canadair Sabre is a jet fighter aircraft built by Canadair under licence from North American Aviation. A variant of the North American F-86 Sabre, it was produced until 1958 and used primarily by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) until replaced with the Canadair CF-104 in 1962. Several other air forces also operated the aircraft.


title: Canadair Sabre

text: There were two major production runs of the aircraft. The first, the Mk. 2 and Mk. 4's with just under 1,000 built, were very similar to their US counterparts, differing only in minor details. The second run, the Mk. 5's and Mk. 6's of similar numbers, were patterned on the later versions of the US Sabre with larger wings for improved maneuverability while replacing the original General Electric J47 engine with the locally-designed more-powerful Avro Canada Orenda.


title: Canadair Sabre

text: The last of the Canadair Sabres in front-line operation were in Pakistan, whose AIM-9 Sidewinder equipped Mk. 6 models were the backbone of their air force during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. These racked up an impressive victory ratio over their Indian counterparts, which lacked missiles. These were slowly phased out after 1971, with the last examples leaving combat service in 1980. Although replaced by higher-performance designs in most other forces by the 1960s, late-model versions served in secondary roles into the 1970s.


title: Canadair Sabre

text: Some Orenda-powered examples became famous for other feats. Most notable was the single Mk. 3, the test-bed for the Orenda fit, which Jacqueline Cochran used in 1953 to set several speed records, including becoming the first woman to break the sound barrier. Another, an ex-RCAF Mk. 6 that left service in 1974, went on to become Boeing's chase plane for test flights until 1991. Many of these later aircraft are now preserved in museums.


title: Canadair Sabre

text: In 1948, the Canadian government decided to re-equip the RCAF with the F-86 Sabre with Canadair contracted to produce them in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. An initial batch of 10 aircraft was ordered for tool verification. The Korean War changed this to a production batch of 100 aircraft. Canadair slowly built up its production facility to make all components with related equipment obtained from other Canadian suppliers. Canadair gave the Sabre the project number CL-13.


title: Canadair Sabre

text: Canadair produced six versions of the CL-13 Sabre. The sole Sabre Mk.1 was essentially the same as the North American Sabre F-86A. It had a General Electric J47-GE-13 turbojet of 5,200 lbf (23 kN) thrust. The Sabre Mk.2 had the same engine, although after the first 20 aircraft were produced, the remainder of the production run was distinguished in having power-assisted controls and an "all-flying" tailplane. The sole Sabre Mk 3 was the first of the Canadian Sabres to use the Avro Canada Orenda turbojet (Orenda 3 with 6,000 lbf (27 kN) thrust). The Sabre Mk.4 retained the General Electric engine and was destined for the RAF and was later passed on to other overseas air forces. The Sabre Mk.5 was the next production version, equipped with an Orenda 10 with 6,500 lbf (29 kN) thrust. A change to the Orenda 14 with 7,440 lbf (33 kN) powered the Sabre Mk.6.


title: Canadair Sabre

text: The last Sabre to be manufactured by Canadair (Sabre #"1815"), after being donated by the Pakistan Air Force, is now part of the permanent collection in the Western Canada Aviation Museum (WCAM) in Winnipeg, Manitoba. From 1950 to 1958, a total of 1,815 CL-13 Sabres were built at the Canadair plant in Montreal.


title: Canadair Sabre

text: The second generation of Canadair Sabre aircraft, and first to be built in quantity, was the Mk 2, with 350 produced from 1952–1953. The RCAF received 290 of these improved aircraft. During the first half of 1952, the remaining 60 Mk.2s were supplied to the U.S. Air Force for use in the Korean War. Most RCAF Mk.2 Sabres were utilized in the air defence role with NATO's No. 1 Air Division in Europe, proving itself to be an outstanding dogfighter. Others were assigned to the training role at bases in Canada. After replacement by the Sabre 5 in RCAF service from 1954, just over 210 surviving Sabre 2s were overhauled and modified in the UK and supplied in roughly equal numbers to the Greek Air Force and Turkish Air Forces.


title: Canadair Sabre

text: In mid-1952, the Sabre Mk.4 went into production with the first one flown on 28 August 1952. Apart from some minor structural and systems changes, including improved air-conditioning and gun sight, the Mk 2 and the Mk 4 were identical. Of 438 Mk 4s built, approximately 70 were used temporarily by the RCAF, all surviving examples being passed to the RAF. The other Sabre 4s went directly to the RAF under a mutual aid program, equipping 11 RAF squadrons. The majority served in West Germany with NATO, with two squadrons being based in the UK as part of RAF Fighter Command. The Sabre Mk.4 served with the RAF until mid-1956 when they were replaced by Hawker Hunters. The survivors were overhauled in the UK, fitted with '6-3' wing modifications and handed to the USAF (which had funded these aircraft) which in turn passed them on to other NATO members, with the majority going to Italy and Yugoslavia.


title: Canadair Sabre

text: On 30 July 1953, the first Sabre Mk.5 flew with the Orenda 10 engine, which gave it a clear rate of climb and ceiling advantage over earlier variants. Other Mk 5 improvements included a new oxygen system and improved maneuverability and low-speed characteristics achieved by increasing the wing chord by six in (15.2 cm) at the root and three in. (7.2 cm) at the wing tip along with fitting a small vertical wing fence. This modification, originated by North American on the F-86F, dramatically improved maneuverability, though the loss of the slatted leading edge increased landing speed and degraded low speed handling considerably. Canadair built 370 Mk 5s with the majority designated for use in the RCAF's Air Division squadrons in Europe to replace the Mk.2s. A total of 75 RCAF Sabre 5s were transferred to the German Luftwaffe during 1957.


title: Canadair Sabre

text: The Canadair Sabre Mk.6 was the final variant and was considered to be the "best" production Sabre ever built. It was equipped with a two-stage Orenda engine developing 7,275 lb (3,302 kg.) of static thrust. Its altitude performance and climb rate was enhanced over the Mk 5 and the reinstatement of the wing leading edge slat gave it excellent low-speed characteristics. The first production model was completed on 2 November 1954 and ultimately 655 were built with production terminating on 9 October 1958.


title: Canadair Sabre

text: A total of 390 Mk 6s went to the RCAF with the majority replacing the existing Canadair Sabre Mk 5s at the Air Division squadrons in West Germany and France. The main air threats to NATO in the 1950s in Central Europe were the early variants of the Soviet MiG- the MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-19 and MiG-21. Based on the Korean War experience, the selection of the Mk 6 Sabre to provide an effective opposition to the MiG threat proved to be a logical one. Canada's commitment to NATO was to provide 12 squadrons located at four bases – two in France (Marville and Grostenquin) and two in West Germany (Zweibrücken and Baden Soellingen). Initially, the contribution consisted of only Sabre aircraft; however, later it was decided to include the Avro Canada CF-100 aircraft in the defense package to provide a night and all-weather fighter capability.


title: Canadair Sabre

text: Though the main use of the Sabre by the RCAF was in Europe, they were also used by RCAF Auxiliary part-time units in Canada, replacing de Havilland Vampire jets. 400 "City Of Toronto" and 411 "County Of York" Squadrons based at RCAF Station Downsview near Toronto, as well as 401 "City Of Westmount" and 438 "City Of Montreal" Squadrons at RCAF Station St-Hubert near Montreal, were equipped with Sabre 5s, as was 442 "City Of Vancouver" Squadron at RCAF Station Sea Island, near Vancouver.


title: Canadair Sabre

text: In addition to the RCAF deliveries, 225 Canadair Mk 6 Sabres were exported to the West German Luftwaffe, six were delivered to the Colombian Air Force, and 34 went to the South African Air Force.


title: Canadair Sabre

text: In January 1966, Germany sold 90 of its Canadian Mk 6 Sabres to Iran. These aircraft were quickly transferred to Pakistan and became the main day fighter of the Pakistan Air Force.


title: Canadair Sabre

text: Canadair Sabres were the mainstay of their respective air forces in the two major conflicts in which they were employed: the Korean War, where F-86 Sabres racked up an impressive 6-1 kill record, and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. The diminutive Folland Gnat was its main opponent in the Indo-Pakistan war. By the end of 1971, the Gnat proved to be a frustrating opponent for the larger, heavier and older Sabre. The Gnat was referred to as a "Sabre Slayer" by the Indian Air Force since most of its combat kills during the two wars were against Sabres. Although the Canadair Sabre Mk 6 was widely regarded as the best dogfighter of its era, tactics called for Gnats taking on the Sabres in the vertical arena, where the Sabres were at a disadvantage. Moreover, because the Gnat was lightweight and compact in shape, it was hard to see, especially at the low levels where most of the dogfights took place.


title: Canadair Sabre

text: In 1952, Jacqueline Cochran, then aged 47, decided to challenge the world speed record for women, then held by Jacqueline Auriol. She tried to borrow an F-86 from the U.S. Air Force, but was refused. She was introduced to an Air Vice-Marshal of the RCAF who, with the permission of the Canadian Minister of Defence, arranged for her to borrow "19200", the sole Sabre 3. Canadair sent a 16-man support team to California for the attempt. On 18 May 1953, Ms. Cochran set a new 100 km speed record of 1,050.15 km/h (652.5 mph). Later on 3 June, she set a new 15 km closed circuit record of 1078 km/h (670 mph). While she was in California, she exceeded 1270 km/h in a dive, and thus became the first woman to exceed the speed of sound.


title: Canadair Sabre

text: The Golden Hawks were a Canadian aerobatic flying team that was established in 1959 to celebrate the Royal Canadian Air Force's 35th anniversary and the "Golden" 50th anniversary of Canadian flight, which began with the AEA Silver Dart in 1909. Initially, a six-plane team flying brilliantly-painted metallic-gold Canadair Sabre Mk.5s, was envisioned as performing for only one year, but the Golden Hawks were so popular after their single 63-show season that the team was expanded. In the following year, another plane was added to the team, allowing for a five-plane main formation with two solo jets. The Golden Hawks continued performing for three more seasons, changing to the Mk 6 in 1961, until they were disbanded on 7 February 1964, having flown a total of 317 shows across North America.


title: Manchurian (dish)

text: Manchurian is a class of Indian Chinese dishes made by roughly chopping and deep-frying ingredients such as chicken, cauliflower ("gobi"), prawns, fish, mutton, and paneer, and then sautéeing it in a sauce flavored with soy sauce. Manchurian is the result of the adaptation of Chinese cooking and seasoning techniques to suit Indian tastes. It has become a staple of Indian Chinese cuisine.


title: Manchurian (dish)

text: The word "Manchurian" means native or inhabitant of Manchuria (around northeast China), but the dish is basically a creation of Chinese restaurants in India, and bears little resemblance to traditional Manchu cuisine or Northeastern Chinese cuisine. It is said to have been invented in 1975 by Nelson Wang, a cook at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai, when a customer asked him to create a new dish, different from what was available on the menu. Wang described his invention process as starting from the basic ingredients of an Indian dish, namely chopped garlic, ginger, and green chilis, but next, instead of adding "garam masala", he put in soy sauce, followed by cornstarch and the chicken itself. A popular vegetarian variant replaces chicken with cauliflower, and is commonly known as gobi manchurian. Other vegetarian variants include mushroom, baby corn, and veggie ball Manchurian.


title: Manchurian (dish)

text: There are two different variants of Manchurian, dry or semi dry and with gravy. Both variants are prepared by using common ingredients like corn flour, maida flour, spring onion, bell peppers, soy sauce, chili sauce, minced garlic, ground pepper, etc. and has typical garnish of spring onion. Some recipes call for use of monosodium glutamate (MSG) to increase the taste profile, though there are those who avoid it due to health concerns. Its taste can vary from mildly spicy to hot and fiery based on the recipe and personal preference.


title: Manchurian (dish)

text: The fritters are served comparatively dry, often as a snack or starter with tomato ketchup as dipping sauce. It is popular among alcohol drinkers as a bar snack, and has been described as "an excellent drinking companion to cold beer".


title: Manchurian (dish)

text: The fritters are coated with a thick sauce like spicy gravy curry made of corn flour. It is generally served with varieties of rice dishes like steamed rice, Chinese fried rice, Szechuan fried rice, as the main course.


title: In Trance

text: In Trance is the third studio album by German rock band Scorpions and it was released by RCA Records in 1975. The music was a complete departure from the progressive krautrock of the two previous albums. Instead, a hard rock sound of shorter and tighter arrangements with which the band would achieve their later global success and fame emerged. Extended suites in the vein of songs such as "Lonesome Crow" and "Fly to the Rainbow" are absent altogether. This was the first of two studio albums to feature drummer Rudy Lenners, and the first album by the band to contain the now-famous logo and controversial artwork.


title: In Trance

text: The original version of the album cover--photographed by Michael von Gimbut was censored for clearly showing the cover model's exposed breast hanging down towards the guitar. Later releases blacked out the breast so that it is not visible. This is the first of many Scorpions album covers to have been censored. The band's former lead guitarist Uli Jon Roth claimed he may have "come up with the idea to do the thing with the guitar for the cover of "In Trance"".


title: In Trance

text: However, in a 2008 interview Roth claimed that early Scorpions album covers in general were "the record company's idea-- but we certainly didn't object. And so shame on us. Those covers were probably the most embarrassing thing I've ever been involved with." He did, though, classify the "In Trance" cover as "borderline".


title: In Trance

text: The White Stratocaster shown on the cover belonged to Roth and he can be seen playing the same guitar on the cover of the Electric Sun album "Fire Wind". This is the guitar that Roth used on all subsequent Scorpions and Electric Sun albums on which he played.


title: In Trance

text: This was the band's first album to feature the band's name written in the now-familiar font used on nearly all subsequent album covers--as well as their first collaboration with producer Dieter Dierks.


title: I Look to You

text: I Look to You is the seventh and final studio album by American singer Whitney Houston. It was first released on August 28, 2009, through Sony Music in Europe, then August 31, 2009 with Arista Records in the United States before being released by RCA Records in the United Kingdom on October 19, 2009. The album was Houston's first non-holiday studio album since 2002's "Just Whitney". It received favorable reviews from music critics, based on an aggregate score of 66/100 from Metacritic and debuted on the US "Billboard" 200 at number one with sales of 305,000 beating her previous career best first-week sale of 205,137 units with "Just Whitney" (2002), and it was her first album to reach number one in the US since 1992's "". Additionally it became her fourth chart-topping album, thus extending her as the female artist with the most cumulative weeks at the number one position.


title: I Look to You

text: It has spawned two official singles: The title song, which became a top 20 US R&B chart single, and the international single "Million Dollar Bill", which hit the top ten in several countries worldwide and also becoming a US top 20 R&B hit. Since its release, "I Look to You" has gone on to sell over 2.5 million copies worldwide, earning platinum certification in seven countries and gold certification in eight. A promotional single, "Nothin' But Love", taken from the album, was only released to UK radio stations to promote the accompanying Nothing but Love World Tour. Houston died on February 11, 2012, making this her last living studio release.


title: I Look to You

text: "I Look to You" had first been conceived in 2007 with recording and production taking place in 2008, as said Houston during her Los Angeles album listening party in 2009. Rumor of Houston's return to music were first circulated at the start of 2007 and were then substantiated when record label boss and close mentor Clive Davis confirmed that he would personally be involved in the project whilst speaking on "The Oprah Winfrey Show". In February 2009, Houston appeared on stage at Davis's "Pre-Grammy Gala" where she performed a four-song set comprising "I Will Always Love You", "I Believe in You and Me", "It's Not Right but It's Okay", and a rousing version of "I'm Every Woman". Onlookers included her mother Cissy Houston, musicians Paul McCartney, Jamie Foxx, and Barry Manilow as well as actors Antonio Banderas and Sylvester Stallone.


title: I Look to You

text: She told press in London that her latest album will reflect her emotional state and chronicle events in her personal life since her last musical release in 2002. She said "That makes it real. The changes that we go through, the transitions that we go through, the tests that we go through, being a mother, becoming a single mother. It all had its ups and its downs, but for the most part, I kept my faith and I kept my head up... I took my time. All the triumphs and the ups and downs and stuff, it's all incorporated on the album, and hopefully not only does it inspire me, but inspires a whole lot of other people."


title: I Look to You

text: According to Davis, "I Look to You" was not aimed at simply following current music marketing trends, but instead, staying true to who Houston is and the impact she has made on the music industry. The album's opener "Million Dollar Bill" was written and co-produced by Alicia Keys, after the singer-songwriter personally asked Davis if she could make a contribution to the album. Houston had previously asked Keys to write/produce a song for her. The song's beat produced by Swizz Beatz surprised critics, as they felt it was more of an "old-school R&B" production and did not sound like most "Swizzy" productions, and is "not an attempt at being a hip-hop club banger." Shaheem Reed from MTV commented "Houston's voice [was displayed] over a club-friendly beat that blends a rough-riding thump with R&B". "Nothin' But Love", produced by contemporary R&B and hip-hop producer Nathaniel "Danja" Hills, was described by "Rap-Up" magazine as being "uptempo [and] danceable [with a] hand-clapping beat." It was also described as being made for urban radio. "Call You Tonight" is one of two songs written by Johntá Austin and was produced by Norwegian production team Stargate featuring "their trademark guitar riffs". The other Austin track on the album is a mid-tempo R&B track titled, "Worth It", produced by Eric Hudson.


title: I Look to You

text: In the Summer 2009 edition of "Rap-Up", R&B singer Akon spoke about working with Houston for the then-upcoming album. In the interview he revealed that he had worked with her on two songs for the album; one of which, "Like I Never Left", was previously leaked to the internet. It had initially been tipped as a single. Davis said Houston wanted an island song, so they reached out to Akon. The song was likened to Janet Jackson's "My Baby", which featured Kanye West. American singer R. Kelly also wrote two songs for the album. One of the songs "Salute" was described as being "militaristic [with a] marching beat" that also features Kelly on the backing vocals in the chorus. In the song Houston makes reference to LL Cool J with the lyric, "Don't call it a comeback, I've been here for years." Kelly's other contribution, "I Look to You" became the album's title song, and was released as the album's debut single. When speaking of the piano ballad Houston said, "It sums up all I wanted to say." The album also contains a cover of the 1970s Leon Russell song, "A Song for You". Houston's cover begins with a slow piano intro, which picks up in the middle.


title: I Look to You

text: Following the popularity of the dance remix B-sides appearing on the UK CD release of "Million Dollar Bill", a number of remix EPs were released. "I Look to You – The Remixes" was released on November 6, 2009, in the US and UK, featuring 12 dance remixes of the first single "I Look to You". Also released in the UK and US. on November 6, 2009, was "The Remixes", featuring remixes of "I Look to You", "I Didn't Know My Own Strength", and "Million Dollar Bill". This was followed by the final remix EP being released on November 6, 2009, called "I Didn't Know My Own Strength Remixes", which was released in the US and UK.


title: I Look to You

text: On July 14, 2009, Houston travelled to Knightsbridge in London, England, for an official album listening party. The evening was hosted at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel by Sony Music chief creative executive Clive Davis. In total nine songs were premiered including "Million Dollar Bill", "Nothin' But Love", "I Didn't Know My Own Strength", "Like I Never Left" (featuring Akon), "For the Lovers", "I Look to You", "Worth It", and a cover of Leon Russell's "A Song for You". "Call You Tonight" (produced by Johntá Austin) was also played and cited as a likely lead single. Davis pointed out that, "We didn't try to fit Whitney into the market." On July 21, 2009, Houston hosted a listening party with Davis in New York City. Amongst those in attendance were Alicia Keys, Diane Sawyer, Martha Stewart and Vivica A. Fox. The album preview triggered a standing ovation, and the song "Million Dollar Bill" was among those that received critical acclaim. Finally on July 23, 2009, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, the final star-studded listening party took place that was attended by musical and Hollywood elites. Some of the attendees included Halle Berry, Jane Fonda, Stevie Wonder, Magic Johnson, Jackie Collins, Barry Manilow, Beverly Johnson, Diane Warren, Penny Marshall, Brian McKnight, and David Foster amongst others. Again the album was played almost in its entirety, receiving a standing ovation.


title: I Look to You

text: Critical response to "I Look to You" was generally positive with aggregated reviews on Metacritic awarding the album, 66/100. Most reviews praised the selection of songs and Houston's delivery. "Digital Spy "noted Houston's voice has changed, becoming deeper and huskier. Ann Powers in her LA Times review said, "Certain voices stand like monuments upon the landscape of 20th century pop, defining the architecture of their times, sheltering the dreams of millions and inspiring the climbing careers of countless imitators. Whitney Houston owns one of those voices." "People" magazine gave it three out of four stars, saying "Come Grammy night, Houston will leave just as she came." "Slant Magazine" critic Sal Cinquemani also wrote "I Look to You" finds Whitney struggling to hit notes and deliver phrases that should come effortlessly to such a seasoned vocalist; her vocal cords are plagued by edema, her voice reedy and lacking the crystalline clarity it once possessed on classics like "I Will Always Love You" and "I Have Nothing".


title: I Look to You

text: Although critical of Houston's voice, Cinquemani also noted how her vocal change benefited the album: "[Houston] sounds alive, and seemingly happy to be. [...] The New Voice lives more contently in the midtempo numbers that allow her to sink into the grooves. [...] For the most part, "I Look to You" manages to sound completely contemporary without the use of guest rappers, dumbed-down lyrics, or slang." Likewise, Leah Greenblatt of "Entertainment Weekly", who gave the album a torn B− rating, felt that Houston's huskier vocals lent an emotional intensity to the album: “Houston’s famous voice, which now sounds husky and glottal, as if her vocal cords were sent through a washer-dryer cycle with a handful of small rocks, brings a gravity that the album’s often generically worded ballads lack.” However, the critic criticized the album for its lack of insight on her struggles of the past years, writing "listeners may feel shut out of the fight. Whatever hardship she's endured, the battles within remain a mystery."


title: I Look to You

text: AllMusic gave "I Look to You" three stars (out of five) commenting about Houston's problems in the past, her voice and her talent: ""I Look to You" attempts to wash this all away with something of a return to roots—a celebration of Houston's deep disco beginnings, tempered with a few skyscraping ballads designed to showcase her soaring voice. Houston's rocky decade isn't ignored, but it isn't explored, either: songs allude to Whitney's strength, her willpower as a survivor struggling through some unnamed struggle — enough for listeners to fill in the blanks, either with their own experience or their imaginings of Houston's life. [...] at the very least, Whitney can still sing, knowing when to wring emotion out of a phrase, knowing when not to push for the glory notes that she can no longer hit. [...] What she undoubtedly is, is a pro – she sells these subdued glitzy productions, she makes boring songs interesting, she remains a forceful, tangible presence."


title: I Look to You

text: Nick Levine of Digital Spy gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and said, "Thanks to contributions from a clutch of au courant R&B producers, it does sound contemporary...her voice may not be as technically impressive as it was, but its new, more weathered tones have character, making an optimistic song like "Million Dollar Bill" really quite touching and a defiant one like 'For The Lovers' more dramatic. If a little too steady to be called a classic, "I Look To You" is certainly an accomplished, enjoyable return—don't call it a comeback—from an artist who sounds keen again, a lioness who's rediscovered her pride."


title: I Look to You

text: "I Look to You" debuted at number one on the US "Billboard" 200 with sales of 305,000 copies and is Houston's best opening week sales. The album is Houston's fourth number one album overall, and the first since "" (1992). The album also debuted at number one on the US R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Week three sales spiked to 156,000 following Houston's appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show". It spent 39 total weeks on the US "Billboard" 200. On December 1, 2009, the album was certified platinum by the RIAA for shipping one million copies.


title: I Look to You

text: In several countries, the album attained gold status within a month of its release. In Canada, the album shot to the top of the charts, selling 30,000 copies in its first week according to Nielsen SoundScan data, Houston's best opening totals since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991. Her last album, "Just Whitney", debuted at number 85 with just 13,000 in sales. After three weeks the album had sold around 26,000 copies in Canada. According to Arista Records, the album also debuted at number one in the Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. In the UK, the album debuted at three with first week sales of 51,632. The album also debuted at three in France with first week sales of 19,000. In Korea the album reached number one on the monthly chart and sold 12,429 copies. According to Houston's official website, the album and singles combined have sold a total of 500,000 copies in the UK and Ireland. The album also finished the 29th biggest selling album of 2009 in the United States.


title: I Look to You

text: The album was preceded by the release of the title song, "I Look to You" which was written by R. Kelly and produced by Tricky Stewart, Harvey Mason Jr., and Emanuel Kiriakou. The song was serviced in the US as the lead single and later as the second international single. It peaked in the top 20 of the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, number 70 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and the top 30 of the Gospel chart. Internationally the song had mixed success, peaking as high as number 16 in Switzerland and as low as 115 in the United Kingdom.


title: I Look to You

text: The album's second US single (first single internationally) was "Million Dollar Bill", written and produced by Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz. It peaked at 100 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and in the top 20 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart. Additionally it topped the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. Internationally the single experienced some success, including in the United Kingdom where promotion of the Freemasons remix enabled it to peak at number five, her first top 5 hit in a decade.


title: I Look to You

text: The ballad, "I Didn't Know My Own Strength", written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster, peaked at number 17 on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart after a remix was released as a bonus track on the US iTunes version of the album. Later, following Houston's performance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show", it appeared at number 61 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Internationally the song peaked at number 38 and number 44 in Ireland and the United Kingdom respectively following its performance by Danyl Johnson, one of the finalists on the sixth series of "The X Factor". It also charted on the Japan Hot 100 at number 16.


title: I Look to You

text: Another song, "Nothin' But Love" was sent to UK radio stations as a promotional single to coincide with the Nothing But Love World Tour. It reached the A-list on BBC Radio 2. Digital Spy gave the song a positive review and awarded it 5/5. and called it a "modern Whitney classic". Meanwhile, "Worth It" debuted on the Korean International Singles Chart at number 182 before eventually peaking at number 56 and number 61 on US Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart.


title: I Look to You

text: Houston's performance on "Good Morning America's" 'Fall Concerts' series on the American television broadcast network ABC aired on September 2, 2009. She performed songs from the album, including single "Million Dollar Bill" and title song "I Look to You", as well as previous hits "I'm Every Woman" and "My Love Is Your Love". It was also announced at the start of September that Houston would be interviewed by Oprah Winfrey for the new season of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and perform "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" as personally requested by Winfrey. The Winfrey interview turned into two one-hour specials featuring the most in-depth and personal interviews of both Houston's and Winfrey's careers and were screened on September 14 and 15 featuring the promised live performance of "I Didn't Know My Own Strength". Winfrey called it the best interview she has ever done.


title: I Look to You

text: On October 3, 2009, Houston appeared on German television show, "Wetten Dass", and later she was on "Le Grand Journal" in France to perform "Million Dollar Bill". On October 18, Houston performed the same song live on "The X Factor", marking her first UK performance in over a decade. She also performed the single live on "The X Factor" in Italy. On November 22, 2009, Houston performed "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" at the 2009 American Music Awards in Los Angeles, which gave her a standing ovation.


title: I Look to You

text: It was announced via Houston's official website on October 12, 2009, that the singer would embark on her first world tour in 11 years in promotion of her latest album "I Look to You". "This is my first full tour since the My Love Is Your Love tour and I am so excited to be performing for my fans around the world after all this time. I am putting together a great show and cannot wait to perform the songs from my new album I Look To You along with some of your favourites."


title: I Look to You

text: The tour began on December 9, 2009, in Russia with further dates including Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Italy, and Australia.


title: I Look to You

text: The 'International Artist Award' was given "in recognition of her worldwide success exemplified by her international record sales, radio airplay in countries all over the world, live performances that span the globe, and popularity that knows no borders or boundaries."


title: Guilty Gear Xrd

text: The first "Xrd" game, "Guilty Gear Xrd Sign", was released in arcades on February 20, 2014, as the 5th main installment, and for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in Japan and North America in December of the same year. A digital-only release happened in Europe in June 2015, and it was brought to Microsoft Windows via Steam on December 9, 2015. The game has been praised for its cel-shaded graphics and approachable gameplay, but criticized for its non-interactive story mode and smaller roster of characters.


title: Guilty Gear Xrd

text: A sequel follow-up, titled "Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator", was released on consoles in May 2016 in Japan and June 2016 elsewhere as the 6th main installment. An update title to "Revelator" titled "Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2" was announced at Arc System Works Fighting Game Award 2016 on January 14, 2017, and released for Arcades in March 2017, while PS3, PS4 and PC versions were released worldwide at the end of May 2017. The "Rev 2" update patch for those who bought "Revelator" on PlayStation Store or Steam was released as a paid DLC. The PS4 also received an exclusive physical disc version.


title: Guilty Gear Xrd

text: The game uses a six-button layout: five of which are responsible for the attacks—punch, kick, slash, heavy slash and dust—, and the other one for taunting or respecting the other player. There are several other techniques which are triggered when two or three buttons are pressed simultaneously. A burst gauge is filled as time goes by or when the player receives damage; once the gauge is filled, the player can perform a Psych Burst to move away from the opponent. It unleashes a blast of energy that, if it successfully hits the adversary, completely charges another gauge, the tension gauge. The tension gauge allows the player to perform certain other special attacks.


title: Guilty Gear Xrd

text: The game features four main modes: Network Mode, Practice Mode, Battle Mode and Story Mode. The first allows online matches through the PlayStation Network (PSN), which may be ranked in world rankings. The Practice Mode features a regular training mode, a tutorial mode that teaches the basic controls, a mission mode that simulates battle situations, and a challenge mode that is focused on performing combos.


title: Guilty Gear Xrd

text: The Battle Mode comprises the arcade mode, which unveils part of the game's story after the player defeats eight opponents; a versus mode, in which the player can have offline battles with a second player or against a CPU; and a special "M.O.M" mode. The M.O.M. Mode, which is an acronym for "Medal of Millionaires", is a variation of the regular survival mode in which the player earns medals based on performance and improves through a progression system.


title: Guilty Gear Xrd

text: The last mode of "Guilty Gear Xrd" is the Story Mode, which is new in the current installment. This mode presents the full game story as a film-like animation divided into several chapters, for uninterrupted viewing. The viewer can pause the movie at any time to investigate a glossary of game terms and plot devices, which are described in the library mode.


title: Guilty Gear Xrd

text: Starting in "Sign"s storyline, the first part is set in arcade mode through each characters' own storyline, and focuses on Ramlethal Valentine's arc, while the second part of the storyline is set after arcade mode's storyline on the console version, focusing on after the capture of Ramlethal in Conclave and Justice's arc, and also serves as the beginning of Elphelt Valentine's arc in the final chapter.


title: Guilty Gear Xrd

text: Later in "Revelator/Rev 2", the storyline now focuses on Elphelt Valentine and Jack-O's arc since the final chapter of "Sign"s story mode on console version.


title: Guilty Gear Xrd

text: The arcade version of the game initially featured thirteen playable characters. Sol Badguy, Ky Kiske, Millia Rage, May, Chipp Zanuff, Potemkin, Venom, Axl Low, I-No, Faust, Slayer, and Zato-1 return from previous installments, while one new character, Bedman, has been added. The game also features a new boss character known as Ramlethal Valentine, who was added to the playable roster in arcades via an update. Additionally, the console versions add Sin Kiske from "Overture", and new characters Elphelt Valentine and Leo Whitefang, as playable DLC characters, bringing the total roster count to 17. The console exclusive characters Sin, Elphelt, and Leo were added to the arcade version along with balance changes on March 19, 2015.


title: Guilty Gear Xrd

text: The sequel, "Revelator", made balance changes and added Johnny, who was non-playable in "-SIGN-"s story mode, and a new female character named Jack-O' Valentine. Along with returning Jam Kuradoberi as a playable character, "Revelator" also gives "Sign"s newcomer Elphelt a darker look for story purposes. Another returning character, Dizzy, was also added to the playable roster as the result of a fan vote conducted by Arc System Works, defeating Bridget and Baiken in a close race, with a total of 32,990 votes. The new character introduced in "Revelator", Kum Haehyun, who is non-playable in the arcade version, was announced as a DLC character for the console version. Raven from "Guilty Gear 2: Overture" is the last of the six new additions to the "Revelator" sequel.


title: Guilty Gear Xrd

text: Baiken, on the other hand, returned as playable in an updated version of "Revelator", titled "Rev 2", followed by a new character who is a chief officer of Chipp Zanuff, Answer.


title: Guilty Gear Xrd

text: The idea of a new "Guilty Gear" entry came about in 2008, but production had only started in 2011. By mid-2012, development of the game that would later be known as "Guilty Gear Xrd Sign" progressed to a full-scale production that concluded in 2013, handled by a 25-member team in Arc System Works under the codename "Team Red". Series creator Daisuke Ishiwatari returned to direct the project. The team opted to use Unreal Engine 3 because of several factors they believed helped their workflow; the low price, the ease at which non-programmers could edit projects directly, and development tools for home consoles enabled them to release the title on PlayStation consoles. Ishiwatari aimed to make the game as accessible as possible to newcomers, intending for Xrd to be a new start on the franchise, Because initial development was constrained on time and budgeting, Ishiwatari had to carefully choose which characters would be included in the initial roster for the launch, knowing he would be able to expand it later. The deciding factors that led to the initial roster involved the gameplay variety each character added, their role in the story, popularity and balance.


title: Guilty Gear Xrd

text: The first trailer was shown to the public during the annual Arc System Works Festival on May 19, 2013. It demonstrated 3D cel-shaded models and environments, replacing the traditional 2D sprites that had been previously common for the series. The game was expected to be visually impacting, as a way to attract new players and because of Ishiwatari's assumption that it was a fundamental factor to the success of games like "Street Fighter 2" and "Virtua Fighter 2". The use of extensive 3D cutaways, which game artist Junya Christopher Motomura said gave "a more dramatic perspective", were added to characters' special moves to showcase their work. These cutaways were achieved because the team pursued 3D technology while keeping the game as a 2D fighter, having to use mesh rendering for backgrounds and special effects (though they did keep some aspects as 2D, such as cutscene backgrounds and distant characters). The announcement was well-received, and allowed Arc System Works to develop "Dragon Ball FighterZ" and other third-party-based fighting games, including its sequel "Guilty Gear Strive" in the same style while upgrading it to Unreal Engine 4.


title: Guilty Gear Xrd

text: The team intended to design the characters as closely as possible to anime using Softimage. In order to ensure stylistic continuity, they used methods uncommon in 3D rendering to keep the artist's intentions and give the impression that it was hand-drawn. When rendering, each character's shaders ignored environment lighting because it revealed the polygonal format that the artists worked to avoid. Character models used between 400 and 600 bones that encouraged it to scale illogically, as the team discovered some poses and shots could not be achieved with perspective alone. The artists deliberately cut frames to keep the feel of standard animation (similar to the sprites used for previous "Guilty Gear" games), and encountered issues with Unreal Engine's handling of the Cartesian X, Y, and Z axes, which could not allow modification of a single axis. The artists chose to use swappable parts instead of having to scale down or deform a single model, giving the character more movement variety. The staff also encountered problems with overlapping characters intersecting each other, which they solved by moving characters on the Z-axis.


title: Guilty Gear Xrd

text: The first game in the "Xrd" series, called "Guilty Gear Xrd Sign", was released in Japanese arcades on February 20, 2014, on the Sega RingEdge 2 arcade board with support for the ALL.Net P-ras MULTI Ver.2 system. The game's port to the PlayStation branch was first available in November 2014 through a demo version released on PlayStation Plus for PS4. On December 4 of the same year, it was released both for PS4 and PS3. The PS3 and PS4 versions were released in North America by Aksys Games on December 16, 2014. It was followed by a North America-exclusive limited edition also released for PS3 and PS4 on December 23. In Europe, it was only digitally released by Sony Computer Entertainment through PSN on June 3, 2015. On December 9, 2015, a Microsoft Windows port of the game was released via Steam.


title: Guilty Gear Xrd

text: An updated sequel to "Sign" called "Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator" was announced for the third quarter of 2015 for release on arcades, starting at a test location in June. It was released for Japanese arcades on August 25, 2015. In September, Arc System Works announced a port to PS3 and PS4 whose trailer would be exhibited at the Tokyo Game Show later that month. Aksys Games announced its North American release to coincide with the Japanese release in the second quarter of 2016. However, the English voice option is not included.


title: Guilty Gear Xrd

text: To prepare for the release of "Guilty Gear Strive", Arc System Works posted the entirety of the "Guilty Gear Xrd" Story Mode (both "Sign" and "Revelator", including the three After Story scenerios in "REV2") with Japanese voices in "Sign" and English subtitles, alongside captions in Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Korean on YouTube, with one chapter of the story posted each day from October 12 to November 2, 2020. On September 25, 2022, Arc System Works announced that "Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator" and "Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2" would have their online modes updated to use rollback netcode, with public tests scheduled for late October.


title: Guilty Gear Xrd

text: The game has received generally favorable reviews, holding a Metacritic score of 84 based on 33 critics; for 2014, it was the 16th best rated game for PS4 and the 131st overall in the site. Giant Bomb staff chose the game as the Best-Looking Game of 2014, praising the "crazy polygonal anime madness" and highlighting the camera capacity of "revealing the game's true nature" when it revolves around the scenario during a special move. Geoffrey Thew of "Hardcore Gamer" elected it the third best game of 2014, commenting that "The characters are as vibrant and wonderful as we've come to expect from the company, and the new graphics are beyond gorgeous ... but it's the fighting mechanics that really steal the show." It was also nominated for Best Fighting Game of the Year at Game Critics Awards, "Hardcore Gamer" Awards, and IGN Awards, but lost to "Super Smash Bros. for Wii U" in all three. In 2015, "Guilty Gear Xrd Sign" was nominated for Best Fighting game at The Game Awards 2015, but lost to "Mortal Kombat X".


title: Guilty Gear Xrd

text: The game has been unanimously praised for its visuals; "Electronic Gaming Monthly"s Eric L. Patterson complimented it saying "this is the most impressive ... fighting game I've even seen (or played) when it comes to the graphics on display," while Earnest Cavalli of Engadget declared that "[f]rom a purely aesthetic standpoint," "Guilty Gear Xrd Sign" is "faultless." Other very praised aspect was its accessibility, attributed to its equally praised tutorials. Darry Husky of IGN asserted, ""Guilty Gear Xrd" does an admirable job of making it all accessible not only for those of us making the jump from other fighting games, but for those checking the genre out for the very first time."


title: Guilty Gear Xrd

text: "GamesTM" was disappointed by the game content-wise, citing the few modes and the "pointless" story mode. Cavalli commented "Guilty Gear Xrd Sign"s "biggest flaw, however, is that it offers players a vibrant world in which they have relatively little to do." James Kozanitis of "Hardcore Gamer" called the story mode the game's Achilles heel, while Ben Moore of GameTrailers bemoaned, "It's so full of cliches and caricatures that it's difficult to sit through." Thomas Morgan of Eurogamer considered both arcade and story mode animations skippable. Aevee Bee of "Paste" was more positive, declaring "given the structure of other fight games stories I'd much rather just watch this". The limited roster of characters was also another major point of criticism; Chris Carter of Destructoid also thought the roster to be small, but asserted characters are unique enough to make it good. Similarly, Maxwell McGee from GamesRadar lamented the "several painful absences" but stated new characters "help fill in these vacancies." Conversely, Moore stated, "despite the high level of quality, the cast still feels rather lean."


title: Guilty Gear Xrd

text: The cross-play between the PS3 and PS4 was praised by Carter, and was called "a welcome addition" by Husky. Moore commended the "competent, if not exceptional" online mode, while Morgan said it "makes the best of each connection I've had online". Patterson labelled it "absolutely competent—if not a little underachieving" but complained that it had not the lobby interfaces that "BlazBlue" or "Persona 4 Arena" had. Moore noted it was "far too many steps for such a simple thing." Kozanitis praised the online mode, saying it "runs sweet as a nut." The matchmaking lobbies were highly criticized; Cavalli wrote it "feels like a relic from 2005" for it: "It's a total crapshoot, and the game's weak, pre-set communication options don't make things any easier." Mike Williams of USGamer said it "feels like a step backwards" and asserted that "it's a shame, because with a better online system, "Guilty Gear Xrd" could've been the best of the best."


title: Guilty Gear Xrd

text: Cavalli was the most negative reviewer: "For all its good looks, ["Guilty Gear Xrd Sign"] is ultimately disappointing. What the game does, it does very well, but the sum total feels lacking. Had ["Guilty Gear Xrd Sign"] been released 10 years ago, its shortfalls could have been ignored in the face of tight gameplay mechanics and lovely graphics, but in 2014 the game just seems antiquated." However, in overall critics were favorable on their conclusions; it has been described as "the installment fans have been waiting for" by Kozanitis, and "a triumphant, long-awaited return for this venerable fighting game franchise" by Husky. The latter opined that ""Xrd" has enough new features and mechanics to feel like a true sequel, while excellently retaining many of the classic elements that impart the good old feeling of a Guilty Gear game." Morgan affirmed it is "among the PS4's best presented games to date, and a real highlight of the series." McGee stated, "Taken as a whole, "Guilty Gear Xrd Sign" is a strong - yet unsurprising - fighting game."


title: Guilty Gear Xrd

text: The "Rev 2" edition was nominated for "Game, Franchise Fighting" at the 17th Annual National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards. In 2019, "Game Informer" ranked it as the 8th best fighting game of all time.


title: Guilty Gear Xrd

text: On April 14, 2014, Arc System Works released an extended play containing the arcade opening and ending themes, "Heavy Day" and "Lily", both in regular and karaoke versions. An original four-disc soundtrack containing 73 tracks was released by Arc System Works on March 26, 2015. Other related media released include an arcade stick, action figures, key chains, mug illustrations, and badges.


title: United States Penitentiary, Lee

text: The United States Penitentiary, Lee (USP Lee) is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Virginia. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. The facility also has an adjacent satellite prison camp which houses minimum-security male offenders.


title: United States Penitentiary, Lee

text: USP Lee is located in the Lee County Industrial Park an unincorporated area in Lee County, Virginia, in the southwest part of the state. The prison is located off of U.S. Route 58 at the intersection of Route 638, near Pennington Gap and east of Jonesville.


title: United States Penitentiary, Lee

text: The annual per capita income of Lee County was $12,917 in the early 1990s, making the Virginia area a prime candidate to host a federal prison and bring money into the community.


title: United States Penitentiary, Lee

text: Architectural and construction work of the facility was administered by Hayes, Seay, Mattern & Mattern, now known as AECOM. Computer modeling was utilized to identify and minimize blindspots of prison watchtowers. Construction began in the summer of 1998 on a budget of $102 million. The penitentiary was completed in August 2001 and began receiving inmates in 2002. According to project manager Gary Carsten of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the main recurring problem of the facility is the excessive strain on Lee County's sewage system.


title: United States Penitentiary, Lee

text: Archaeological discoveries on the prison property include arrowheads and pottery from a Native American gravesite believed to be associated with an ancient hospital dating as far back as 10,000 years.


title: United States Penitentiary, Lee

text: On February 25, 2008, inmate Edward Porta was noted to be missing during a 4 p.m. count after apparently walking away from the minimum security camp. Porta defrauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture of more than $400,000. He remained a fugitive for over eight years until he was recaptured in May 2016, and was profiled on the television program "America's Most Wanted".


title: United States Penitentiary, Lee

text: There have been incidents of violence at USP Lee and several homicides. Inmate Quinten Corniel was killed on September 30, 2008, and inmate Ernest Bennett died on January 22, 2010, both during altercations with other inmates. On April 29, 2010, Filikisi Hafoka, a member of the Tongan Crip Gang, was taken off life support after being stabbed on the previous weekend. As is procedure, USP Lee went into lockdown after these incidents and investigations were conducted. The killers of Corniel and Bennett were subsequently convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.


title: Benedict Anderson

text: Benedict Richard O'Gorman Anderson (August 26, 1936 – December 13, 2015) was an Anglo-Irish political scientist and historian who lived and taught in the United States. Anderson is best known for his 1983 book "Imagined Communities", which explored the origins of nationalism. A polyglot with an interest in Southeast Asia, he was the Aaron L. Binenkorb Professor of International Studies, Government & Asian Studies at Cornell University. His work on the "Cornell Paper", which disputed the official story of Indonesia's 30 September Movement and the subsequent anti-Communist purges of 1965–1966, led to his expulsion from that country. Benedict Anderson was the elder brother of the historian Perry Anderson.


title: Benedict Anderson

text: Anderson was born on August 26, 1936, in Kunming, China, to an Anglo-Irish father and English mother. His father, James Carew O'Gorman Anderson, was an official with Chinese Maritime Customs. The family descended from the Anderson family of Ardbrake, Bothriphnie, Scotland, who settled in Ireland in the early 1700s.


title: Benedict Anderson

text: Anderson's maternal grandfather Trevor Bigham was the Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police from 1914 to 1931. One of Anderson's grandmothers, Lady Frances O'Gorman, belonged to the Gaelic Mac Gormáin clan of County Clare and was the daughter of the Irish Home Rule MP Major Purcell O'Gorman. Major Purcell O'Gorman was in turn the son of Nicholas Purcell O'Gorman who had been involved with the Republican Society of United Irishmen during the 1798 Rising, later becoming Secretary of the Catholic Association in the 1820s. Benedict Anderson took his middle names from the cousin of Major Purcell O'Gorman, Richard O'Gorman, who was one of the leaders of the Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848.


title: Benedict Anderson

text: Anderson's family moved to California in 1941 to avoid the invading Japanese during the Second Sino-Japanese War and then to Ireland in 1945. He studied at Eton College, where he won the Newcastle Scholarship, and went on to attend King's College, Cambridge. While at Cambridge, he became an anti-imperialist during the Suez Crisis, which influenced his later work as a Marxist and anti-colonialist thinker.


title: Benedict Anderson

text: He earned a classics degree from Cambridge in 1957 before attending Cornell University, where he concentrated on Indonesia as a research interest and in 1967 received his Ph.D. in government studies. His doctoral advisor at Cornell was Southeast Asian scholar George Kahin.


title: Benedict Anderson

text: The violence following the September 1965 coup attempt that led to Suharto taking power in Indonesia disillusioned Anderson, who wrote that it "felt like discovering that a loved one is a murderer". Therefore, while Anderson was still a graduate student at Cornell, he anonymously co-wrote the "Cornell Paper" with Ruth T. McVey that debunked the official Indonesian government accounts of the abortive coup of the 30 September Movement and the subsequent anti-Communist purges of 1965–66. The "Cornell Paper" was widely disseminated by Indonesian dissidents. One of two foreign witnesses at the show trial of Communist Party of Indonesia general secretary Sudisman in 1971, Anderson published a translated version of the latter's unsuccessful testimony. As a result of his actions, Anderson was in 1972 expelled from Indonesia and banned from reentering, a restriction that lasted until 1998 when Suharto resigned to be replaced by B.J. Habibie as president.


title: Benedict Anderson

text: Anderson was fluent in many languages relevant to his Southeast Asian field, including Indonesian, Javanese, Thai and Tagalog, as well as the major European languages. After the American experience in the Vietnam War and the subsequent wars between Communist nations such as the Cambodian–Vietnamese War and the Sino-Vietnamese War, he began studying the origins of nationalism while continuing his previous work on the relationship between language and power.


title: Benedict Anderson

text: Anderson is best known for his 1983 book "Imagined Communities", in which he described the major factors contributing to the emergence of nationalism in the world during the past three centuries. Anderson defined a nation as "an imagined political community [that is] imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign". (See below for a more extensive discussion.)


title: Benedict Anderson

text: Anderson was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1994. In 1998, Anderson's return trip to Indonesia was sponsored by the Indonesian "Tempo" publication, and he gave a public speech in which he criticized the Indonesia opposition for "its timidity and historical amnesia—especially with regard to the massacres of 1965–1966".


title: Benedict Anderson

text: He taught at Cornell until his retirement in 2002, when he became a professor emeritus of International Studies. After his retirement, he spent most of his time traveling throughout South East Asia. Anderson died in Batu, a hill town near Malang, Indonesia, in his sleep on December 13, 2015. According to close friend Tariq Ali, Anderson died of heart failure. He had been in the middle of correcting the proofs of his memoir "A Life Beyond Boundaries," which had initially been published in Japanese translation. He was survived by two adopted sons of Indonesian origin.


title: Benedict Anderson

text: Anderson is best known for his 1983 book, "Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism", in which he examined how nationalism led to the creation of nations, or as the title puts it, imagined communities. In this case, an "imagined community" does not mean that a national community is fake, but rather refers to Anderson's position that any community so large that its members do not know each another on a face-to-face basis must be imagined to some degree.


title: Benedict Anderson

text: According to Anderson, previous Marxist and liberal thinkers did not fully appreciate nationalism's power, writing in his book that "Unlike most other isms, nationalism has never produced its own grand thinkers: no Hobbeses, Tocquevilles, Marxes or Webers." Anderson begins his work by bringing up three paradoxes of nationalism that he would address in the work:


title: Benedict Anderson

text: In Anderson's theory of nationalism, the phenomenon only came about as people began rejecting three key beliefs about their society:


title: Benedict Anderson

text: Anderson argued that the prerequisites for the rejection of these beliefs began in Western Europe through the numerous factors that led to the Age of Enlightenment, such as the power of economics, the scientific revolution, and the advent of improvements in communication brought about by the invention of the printing press under a system of capitalism (or as Anderson calls it, print capitalism). Anderson's view of nationalism places the roots of the notion of "nation" at the end of the 18th century when a replacement system began, not in Europe, but in the Western Hemisphere, when countries such as Brazil, the United States, and the newly freed Spanish colonies became the first to develop a national consciousness.


title: Benedict Anderson

text: Therefore, in contrast to other thinkers such as Ernest Gellner, who considered the spread of nationalism in connection with industrialism in Western Europe, and Elie Kedourie, who construed nationalism as a European phenomenon carried around the world by colonization, Anderson sees the European nation state as a response to the rise of nationalism in the European diaspora beyond the oceans, especially in the Western Hemisphere, which was then retransmitted to Africa and Asia through colonization. Anderson considers nation state building as an imitative and transportable action, in which new political entities were copying the model of the nation state. As Anderson sees it, the large cluster of political entities that sprang up in North America and South America between 1778 and 1838, almost all of which self-consciously defined themselves as nations, were historically the first such states to emerge and therefore inevitably provided the first real model of what such states should look like. According to Anderson, this phenomenon led to the rise of nations: communities that were limited by their borders and were sovereign. Anderson conceived nationalism as having come about in different "waves."


title: Benedict Anderson

text: Like other thinkers such as Marshall McLuhan in his "The Gutenberg Galaxy", of particular importance to Anderson's theory on nationalism is his stress on the role of printed literature and its dissemination. Thinkers like McLuhan, Elizabeth Eisenstein, and Anderson did not believe that nationalism came about because of a vaguely-defined "European" way of thinking, but because of the social, economic, and cultural practices associated with the rise of the printing press and the mass reproduction of printed material.


title: Benedict Anderson

text: According to Anderson, "the revolutionary vernacularizing thrust of capitalism" was central to the creation of imagined communities, as the mass mechanical reproduction of printed works united people that would otherwise have found it difficult to imagine themselves as part of the same community, mainly because of extreme linguistic differences. With the advent of the printing press, languages became more stable and certain dialects became "languages of power" (such as the Queen's English in the United Kingdom) that were inherently more prestigious than sub-regional vernacular dialects. Print capitalism also meant a culture in which people were required to be socialized as part of a literate culture, in which the standardized language of their nation became both the language of printed material and education for the masses.


title: Benedict Anderson

text: Fellow nationalism scholar Steven Kemper described the role of print technology in Anderson's theory as making it "possible for enormous numbers of people to know of one another indirectly, for the printing press [to] become the middleman to the imagination of the community." Kemper also stated that for Anderson the "very existence and regularity of newspapers caused readers, and thus citizens-in-the-making, to imagine themselves residing in a common time and place, united by a print language with a league of anonymous equals."


title: Benedict Anderson

text: Therefore, for Anderson, the rise of print technology was essential to create the "deep horizontal comradeship" that despite its socially constructed origins, was also genuine and deep-seated, explaining why nationalism can drive people to fight, die, and kill for their countries.


title: Benedict Anderson

text: Anderson also studied how the 19th century European dynasties that represented retention of power over huge polyglot domains, underwent naturalization at the same time as they developed programs of official nationalism in a process that he called the "willed merger of nation and dynastic empire". Anderson considered the empire as solely a pre-modern, "dynastic realm" and focused his attention on the official nationalism in multiethnic empires (e.g. the Russian Official Nationality), programs that he described as "reactionary, secondary modelling". Whereas previously, the legitimacy of European dynasties had nothing to do with nationalness, Anderson argued that after the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian, German, Ottoman, and Russian empires in the aftermath of World War I, the nation-state superseded the empire as the norm in international affairs, as demonstrated by how delegates from the imperial powers in the post-war League of Nations were careful to present themselves as national delegates instead of imperial ones.


title: Benedict Anderson

text: In a statistical overview derived from writings by and about Benedict Anderson, OCLC/WorldCat encompasses roughly 100+ works in 400+ publications in 20+ languages and 7,500+ library holdings.


title: King asleep in mountain

text: The king asleep in mountain (D 1960.2 in Stith Thompson's motif index system) is a prominent folklore trope found in many folktales and legends. Thompson termed it as the Kyffhäuser type. Some other designations are: king in the mountain, king under the mountain, or sleeping hero.


title: King asleep in mountain

text: Examples include the legends of King Arthur, Fionn mac Cumhaill, Charlemagne, Ogier the Dane, King David, Frederick Barbarossa at Kyffhäuser, Constantine XI Palaiologos, Kraljević Marko, Sebastian of Portugal and King Matjaž.


title: King asleep in mountain

text: The motifs A 571 "Cultural hero asleep in mountain", and E 502, "The Sleeping Army" are similar and can occur in the same tale. A related motif is the "Seven Sleepers" (D 1960.1, also known as the "Rip Van Winkle" motif), whose type tale is the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus (AT tale type 766).


title: King asleep in mountain

text: King in the mountain stories involve legendary heroes, often accompanied by armed retainers, sleeping in remote dwellings including caves on high mountaintops, remote islands, or supernatural worlds. The hero is frequently a historical figure of some military consequence in the history of the nation where the mountain is located.


title: King asleep in mountain

text: The stories gathered by the Brothers Grimm concerning Frederick Barbarossa and Charlemagne are typical of the stories told, and have been influential on many variants and subsequent adaptations. The presence of the hero is unsuspected; until some herdsman wanders into the cave, typically looking for a lost animal, and sees the hero. The stories almost always mention the detail that the hero has grown a long beard, indicative of the long time he has slept beneath the mountain.


title: King asleep in mountain

text: In the Brothers Grimm version, the hero speaks with the herdsman. Their conversation typically involves the hero asking, "Do the eagles (or ravens) still circle the mountaintop?" The herdsman, or a mysterious voice, replies, "Yes, they still circle the mountaintop." "Then begone! My time has not yet come."


title: King asleep in mountain

text: The herdsman in this story was then supernaturally harmed by the experience: he ages rapidly, he emerges with his hair turned white, and often he dies after repeating the tale. The story goes on to say that the king sleeps in the mountain, awaiting a summons to arise with his knights and defend the nation in a time of deadly peril. The omen that presages his rising will be the extinction of the birds that trigger his awakening.


title: King asleep in mountain

text: A number of European kings, rulers, fictional characters and religious figures have become attached to this story. Major examples are King Arthur of Britain and Holy Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, Ogier the Dane and William Tell.


title: King asleep in mountain

text: Sometimes this type of story or archetype is also attached to not-so-heroic figures, who are either simple anti-heroes or fully villains, whose return would mean the end of the world, or whose sleep represents something positive. This kind of archetype is known as the "Chained Satan" archetype. Among examples of this are:


title: Toshio Suzuki (producer)

text: Suzuki was born in Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture in 1948. In 1967 he enrolled at Keio University and graduated with a degree in literature in 1972.


title: Toshio Suzuki (producer)

text: His professional career started at Tokuma Shoten, joining the company shortly after graduation. He was assigned to the planning department of Asahi Geino, entertainment, magazine, where he was responsible for the manga coverage page. Here he had a long anticipated meeting with cartoonist Shigeru Sugiura. In 1973 he became the editor of the magazine's supplement , for which he worked with and befriended film directors, such as Sadao Nakajima, Eiichi Kudo and Teruo Ishii, as well as animators and "manga artists", like Osamu Tezuka, George Akiyama, Kazuo Kamimura, and Shotaro Ishinomori. During a hiatus of the comic supplement he was reassigned to the performing arts feature section of "Asahi Geino", for which he covered such varied topics as "Bōsōzoku", Japanese motorcycle gangs, and the bombing of the headquarters of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries by the East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front. From this period he has mentioned as a memorable person. In 1975 Suzuki was assigned to the editorial department of the monthly . One of the series he worked on is "Wakusei Robo Danguard Ace". In 1978 he became an editor for the, newly created, monthly magazine "Animage", under its first editor-in-chief Hideo Ogata.


title: Toshio Suzuki (producer)

text: In his capacity as "Animage" editor he approached Isao Takahata and Miyazaki, who had worked on the animated feature film "", for a feature article in the inaugural issue of the magazine but they declined. Suzuki and Miyazaki encountered each other again after the release of "The Castle of Cagliostro" when Suzuki again approached Miyazaki for an "Animage" article. This time the meetings result in an enduring collaborative relationship. In July 1981 Suzuki unsuccessfully pitched Miyazaki's original idea for an animated story, . The Miyazaki article, "", was published in the August 1981 issue of "Animage" magazine. About the issue Suzuki has stated: "here is where it all started". Suzuki was among those who facilitated the creation and publication of Miyazaki's manga, "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind". He was instrumental in getting the "Nausicaä" anime made and helped establish Studio Ghibli after the film's release. The film was released on March 11, 1984. Studio Ghibli was founded in June 1985. Miyazaki has stated, "If it were not for Mr. Suzuki, there wouldn't have been Studio Ghibli."


title: Toshio Suzuki (producer)

text: Ghibli co-founder Takahata, producer on the Nausicaä film, has acknowledged the pivotal role of Suzuki in bringing the Nausicaä manga series into the world and used nearly identical words as Miyazaki to acknowledge Suzuki's essential role in the creation of Studio Ghibli. Takahata also credits Suzuki for his steadfast support of Miyazaki and has cited Suzuki's responsibility for making his friendship with Miyazaki endure.


title: Toshio Suzuki (producer)

text: In 1985 Suzuki was also involved with the theatrical release of Kunihiko Yuyama's "GoShogun: The Time Étranger", which was released on April 24. In 1986 Suzuki served on the production committee for the Studio Ghibli film "" for Tokuma Shoten, released in August, and he succeeded Ogata as "Animage" editor-in-chief in October. In 1988 he again served on Tokuma Shoten's production committee. This time for the Ghibli films "My Neighbor Totoro", directed by Miyazaki, and "Grave of the Fireflies" directed by Takahata. Suzuki was able to get the films made and released by proposing them as a double feature for theatrical release. He was associate producer on "Kiki's Delivery Service" and officially joined the studio as producer in 1989, after he had resigned from Tokuma Shoten in October.


title: Toshio Suzuki (producer)

text: In 1990 Suzuki was appointed director of the Studio Ghibli company. He was producer on "Only Yesterday" in 1991 and "Porco Rosso" in 1992. Suzuki was in charge of the "Ocean Waves" project, directed by Tomomi Mochizuki, created by Studio Ghibli for television, which aired in Japan in 1993. The following year he worked as producer on Takahata's theatrical release "Pom Poko". In 1995 he produced director Yoshifumi Kondō’s "Whisper of the Heart" and "On Your Mark", theatrically released together in 1995. The latter is a short animated promotional video created by Studio Ghibli for the Japanese pop-duo Chage and Aska. In 1995 Suzuki also became the producer on the next feature length Ghibli film project, released, in 1997, under the title he had selected, "Princess Mononoke". In 1997 Studio Ghibli and Tokuma Shoten merged and Suzuki became the inaugural President. 1999 saw the release of Takahata's "My Neighbors the Yamadas" for which Suzuki was the producer.


title: Toshio Suzuki (producer)

text: In the year 2000 the live-action film "Shiki-Jitsu", was released, directed by Hideaki Anno and produced by Suzuki. The animated feature-length film "Spirited Away" had its premiere on July 20, 2001. In October that same year the Ghibli Museum was opened. In 2002 director Hiroyuki Morita’s "The Cat Returns" and "Ghiblies episode 2", directed by Yoshiyuki Momose, had their theatrical release. In 2003 "Spirited Away" won the "Academy Award for Best Animated Feature". Suzuki assumed the role of producer for "" directed by Mamoru Oshii, which was released in Japanese theatres in March 2004. "Howl's Moving Castle" had its theatrical release in November that same year.


title: Toshio Suzuki (producer)

text: In March 2004, Studio Ghibli became independent from Tokuma Shoten and Suzuki was appointed Ghibli corporation president. He stepped down from the position in 2008. As of 2014 he still serves as the company's managing director and continues to work as film producer.


title: Toshio Suzuki (producer)

text: In March 2014, Suzuki retired as a producer and assumed a new position of general manager at Studio Ghibli. However, he has continued to assist with other projects, including acting as a co-producer for "The Red Turtle" (2016), and lead producer for "Earwig and the Witch" (2020). He is currently producing "How Do You Live?" with Miyazaki.


title: Toshio Suzuki (producer)

text: In 2014, Suzuki was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature as the producer of "The Wind Rises", along with Hayao Miyazaki as the film's director.


title: Toshio Suzuki (producer)

text: In 2014, at the 64th Annual MEXT Art Encouragement Prizes Toshio Suzuki was awarded the Grand Prize for his involvement as producer in "The Wind Rises" and "The Tale of the Princess Kaguya".


title: Toshio Suzuki (producer)

text: In 2017, Suzuki was again nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature as the producer of "The Red Turtle".


title: Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle

text: The Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle (, named after "Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori" which initially produced it) is a Swedish developed caliber man-portable shoulder-fired recoilless rifle, initially developed by the Royal Swedish Army Materiel Administration during the second half of the 1940s as a close-range anti-tank and support weapon for infantry, which has seen great export success around the globe and is today a popular multi-purpose support weapon in use by many nations. The Carl Gustaf 84 mm recoilless rifle is a lightweight, low-cost weapon that uses a wide range of ammunition, which makes it extremely flexible and suitable for a wide variety of roles.


title: Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle

text: Development of the initial model started from 1946 as one of the many recoilless rifle designs of that era, based on the experience from the earlier Carl Gustaf 20 mm recoilless rifle and the success of man-portable rocket launchers during World War II, such as the Bazooka and Panzerschreck. Production of the initial model was handled by Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori lead by Försvarets Fabriksverk (FFV) and the weapon received the designation "8,4 cm granatgevär m/48", ("8,4 cm grg m/48" – "8,4 cm grenade rifle", model 1948) in Swedish service. FFV would continue to further develop the weapon for the international market, later being merged into Saab Bofors Dynamics which handles development and export today. While similar weapons have generally disappeared from service, the Carl Gustaf is still in production and remains in widespread use today.


title: Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle

text: The weapon goes under many names around the globe. It is most frequently called the "Carl Gustaf" or similar for short. British troops, for example, refer to it as the "Charlie G", while Canadian troops often refer to it as "Carl G". In Australia, it is irreverently known as "Charlie Gutsache" (guts ache, meaning stomach pain), or "Charlie Swede".


title: Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle

text: In U.S. military service, it is officially known as the "M3 Multi-Role Anti-Armor Anti-Personnel Weapon System" ("MAAWS") or "Ranger Antitank Weapons System" ("RAWS"), but is often simply called the "M3 Carl Gustaf" or just "Gustaf".


title: Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle

text: In Swedish military service, it is officially known as the "8,4 cm granatgevär m/48", "m/86" and "m/18", depending on the model (M1, M3, M4), but is often simply referred to as the "GRG" (gé-er-gé) after their type designation abbreviation (from "granatgevär", meaning "grenade rifle"), since all models fire the same general ammunition and are used in much the same way (although the "84 mm grg m/18" can use programmable and guided ammunition).


title: Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle

text: The basic weapon consists of the main tube with the breech-mounted Venturi recoil damper, with two grips near the front and a shoulder mount. The weapon is fitted with iron sights, but is normally aimed with the attached 3× optical sight with a 17 degree (300 mil) field of view. The most modern variants fielded by Swedish rifle companies have been fitted with the Swedish Aimpoint sighting system. Luminous front and rear sight inserts are available for the iron sights when aiming at night, and an image intensification system may also be used.


title: Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle

text: The Gustaf can be fired from the standing, kneeling, sitting or prone positions, and a bipod may be attached in front of the shoulder piece. An operating handle called the "Venturi lock" is used to move the hinged breech to one side for reloading.


title: Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle

text: The weapon is normally operated by a two-man crew, a gunner who carries and fires the weapon and a loader, carrying two canisters for a total of four rounds of ammunition. One or two extra ammunition carriers can be assigned if heavy use is expected.


title: Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle

text: In the firing procedure it is the loader's responsibility to check the area behind the weapon for people and for obstacles that can interfere with the back-blast; this is needed due to the inherent dangers of the back-blast. Any person within the back-blast cone can suffer severe burn injuries and solid objects closely behind can reflect the blast back onto the crew.


title: Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle

text: The overpressure or blast wave generated by the Gustaf, will cause blast- and burn-related injuries to those behind the weapon, and is dangerous to 30 meters and hazardous to about 50 to 75 meters. Repeatedly firing the Gustaf can also cause related shock wave injuries to gunners and those nearby. Other studies have shown that there is no evidence of brain injury after blast repeated explosions or firing heavy weapons, such as Carl-Gustaf.


title: Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle

text: During training, gunners are only allowed to fire six rounds a day. The assistant gunners would also often move away from the overpressure zone, so that they too can fire six rounds a day. Sweden, the first user of Carl-Gustaf, has the regulation that both gunner and assistant gunner are allowed to have 20 full caliber rounds each day.


title: Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle

text: The Carl Gustaf M1 was developed around 1946 by Hugo Abramson and Harald Jentzen at the Royal Swedish Army Materiel Administration ("Kungliga Arméförvaltningens Tygavdelning") and produced at Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori from where it derives its name. Development of the weapons system was preceded by the Carl Gustaf 20 mm recoilless rifle (Swedish designation "20 mm pansarvärnsgevär m/42", abbr. "20 mm pvg m/42") developed between 1940 and 1942. Despite advances in recoilless rifle technology introduced by the device, it was quickly discovered that a relatively small-bore solid steel penetrator was obsolete for a shoulder-fired antitank weapon. The 84 mm weapon was first introduced into Swedish service in 1948 as the 8,4 cm granatgevär m/48, filling the same anti-tank role as the U.S. Army's bazooka, British PIAT and German Panzerschreck. Unlike these weapons, however, the Gustaf used a rifled barrel for spin-stabilising its rounds, as opposed to fins used by the other systems.


title: Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle

text: The use of the recoilless firing system allowed the Gustaf to use ammunition containing considerably more propellant, firing its rounds at , as opposed to about for the Panzerschreck and Bazooka and about for the PIAT. The result was superior accuracy at longer ranges. The Gustaf can be used to attack larger stationary targets at up to , but the relatively low speed of the projectile restricts attacks on moving targets to a range of or less.


title: Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle

text: The Gustaf was soon sold around the world and became one of the primary squad-level anti-tank weapons for many West European armies.


title: Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle

text: The Carl Gustaf M2 was introduced in 1964 as an improved, lighter and slightly shorter version of the original M1 for the export market. It quickly replaced the original version.


title: Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle

text: The Carl Gustaf M3 started development in the 1980s and initially entered service with the Swedish Armed Forces as the \8,4 cm granatgevär m/86 ("8,4 cm grenade rifle", model 1986). While similar to the export M3, it shares some spare parts with the original 1948 M1 model. It reduced the weight even further by replacing the forged steel tube with a thin steel liner containing the rifling, strengthened by a carbon fibre outer sleeve. The external steel parts were also replaced with plastics and aluminium alloys.


title: Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle

text: The current export Carl-Gustaf M3 version was introduced in 1991. In recent years, the M3 has found new life in a variety of roles. The British Special Air Service, United States Army Special Forces and United States Army Rangers use M3s in bunker-busting and anti-vehicle roles. Many armies continue to use it as a viable anti-armour weapon, especially against 1950s- and 1960s-era tanks and other armoured vehicles still in use worldwide.


title: Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle

text: In the late 1980s, the Special Operations Forces Modernization Action Plan indicated need for a Ranger Anti-Armor/Anti-Personnel Weapon System (RAAWS) to replace the M67 recoilless rifle in use by the 75th Ranger Regiment. A market survey in 1987 indicated that the Carl Gustaf M3 was the best candidate for satisfying RAAWS requirements. On 29 September 1988, the M3 was selected as the RAAWS from candidate proposals submitted in response to the market survey compiled by ARDEC. A subsequent review of the contractor-supplied fatigue test data determined that the data did not meet U.S. Army requirements. Benét Laboratories conducted fatigue tests of two tubes to establish an interim safe service life for the weapon. Tests were conducted in 1993. The manufacturer's recommended life for the weapon was 500 rounds, but bore surfaces showed no indications of erosion until 2,360 rounds. The U.S. Navy SEALs became interested in the program and moved it to a Joint Integrated Product Team. The program name subsequently changed from the RAAWS to the Multi-Role Anti-Armor Anti-Personnel Weapon System (MAAWS).


title: Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle

text: The M3 Multi-Role Anti-Armor Anti-Personnel Weapon System is the U.S. military designation for the Carl-Gustaf M3 recoilless rifle. It is primarily used by United States Special Operations Command such as the Army Rangers, Army Special Forces, Marine Raiders, Navy SEALs, and JSOC operators. When used by the U.S. Army's 75th Ranger Regiment, the M3 is known as the Ranger Anti-tank Weapons System (RAWS).


title: Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle

text: Army Rangers found the M3 was best employed using a two-man team. One person would carry the launcher and be armed with a pistol for personal protection, and the other would carry 5–6 rounds of ammunition and act as a spotter for the gunner. Although the single-shot AT4 is lighter and can be carried by one person, a Gustaf team with the heavier recoilless rifle can reload and fire more rounds.


title: Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle

text: In November 2011, the U.S. Army began ordering the M3 MAAWS for regular units deployed in Afghanistan. Soldiers were being engaged with RPGs at 900 meters, while their light weapons had effective ranges of 500–600 meters. The Gustaf allows airburst capability of troops in defilade out to 1,250 meters, and high explosive use out to 1,300 meters.