prompt_front: Answer the question based on the given passages. Only give me the answer and do not output any other words.

Question: What city in the Philippines is home to the Robinsons Galleria and the 4th largest shopping mall in the world?

The following are given passages.
Context 1: Passage 1:
Robinsons Place Butuan
Robinsons Butuan (formerly Robinsons Place Butuan) is a shopping mall located in Jose C  Aquino Avenue (Butuan–Cagayan de Oro–Iligan Road), Brgy  Bayanihan, Butuan  It is Robinsons Land's 33rd commercial center in the Philippines and the 4th Robinsons Mall in Mindanao after Robinsons Cagayan de Oro, Robinsons Cybergate Davao and Robinsons Place Gensan  It covers an area of over 58,300 square metres (628,000 sq ft) making it the largest Robinsons Mall in Mindanao  It was opened to the public on November 25, 2013  The mall also features 102-room hotel component that occupies 4th and 5th levels in the east wing of the building  One of the mall's main tenants is the DFA CO Butuan, the first passport office of the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Caraga region which opened in June 2015 at the mall's third level  An expansion wing, located beside the mall, was opened on August 2, 2017, and will feature more shops and restaurants plus the new integrated land transport terminal (bound for travel to and from Cagayan de Oro, Malaybalay and Davao City except for Surigao City, which is based in the old Langihan Bus Terminal) 

See also
Robinsons Malls
SM City Butuan
List of shopping malls in the Philippines
Passage 2:
Robinsons Novaliches
Robinsons Novaliches (formerly known as Robinsons Place Novaliches and Robinsons Nova Market) is a shopping mall in Fairview owned and operated by Robinsons Malls, the second largest mall operator in the Philippines  This mall was opened on November 9, 2001  It is the second mall by Robinsons Malls in Quezon City after Robinsons Galleria  It has a total floor area of 62,893 m2 (676,970 sq ft) 

Redevelopment and expansion
In 2008, Robinsons Place Novaliches was renamed to Robinsons Nova Market  Robinsons Department Store was closed then Bargain Exchange was replaced and several stores pulled out and it opened an opportunity for micro-retails  In 2010, Robinsons Movieworld Novaliches closed Cinemas 5 to 8 being rented by some Christian Churches inside the mall  Examples of some Christian churches that rented Cinemas 5-8 are Word of Hope Christian Church which occupies Cinemas 5 and 6 and Victory Christian Church which occupies Cinema 7  In 2012, Cinemas 1 to 4 has permanently closed and it is open for rentals for some Christian Churches and for others 
The mall had undergone major renovation and expansion against Ayala Malls' Fairview Terraces and SM Prime Holdings' SM City Fairview  The said expansion houses over 200 micro-retail shops and bargain stores selling apparel, shoes and bags, novelty and gift items and gadgets; food court, Trade Hall, and al fresco dining restaurants  It was opened on May 29, 2015  It added another 10,000 m2 (110,000 sq ft) to the 45,893 m2 (493,990 sq ft) square meters so it will have a total floor area of 55,893 m2 (601,630 sq ft) square meters  And eventually after the expansion, it was renamed as Robinsons Novaliches  
Moreover, Robinsons Digiworld was opened at the Level 2 of the Main Mall which occupies the old location of some bargain things and a passport office of the Department of Foreign Affairs called DFA CO NCR-North was also opened at the Level 3 near the former Robinsons Movieworld Novaliches in November 2016 

See also
Fairview Terraces
SM City Fairview
Robinsons Magnolia
List of shopping malls in Metro Manila
Passage 3:
Robinsons Place Las Piñas
Robinsons Las Piñas (formerly Robinsons Place Las Piñas) is a shopping mall and mixed-use development in Las Piñas, Philippines  It is located on the north side of Alabang–Zapote Road between CAA Road and Admiral Road in Talon Tres  The mall is owned and managed by Robinsons Land Corporation, the second largest mall operator in the Philippines  The mall opened on October 25, 2014  It is the 39th mall opened by Robinsons in the Philippines and the first and only Robinsons mall in Las Piñas and the whole South Manila area 

Description
Robinsons Las Piñas sits on a 6 8-hectare (17-acre) lot on the busy Alabang-Zapote Road in close proximity to several heavily populated and middle-class subdivisions in the south Manila area of Las Piñas and Parañaque such as BF Homes, CAA-BF International, Casimiro Village and BF Resort Village  It has a gross floor area of 59,877 square metres (644,510 sq ft) with a gross leasable area of 25,734 square metres (277,000 sq ft)  The two-storey shopping center is anchored by Robinsons staples like Robinsons Department Store, Robinsons Supermarket, Robinsons Appliances and Robinsons MovieWorld  The mall is also part of a mixed-use development that will also consist of a mid-rise residential complex of Robinsons Communities 
Passage 4:
Robinsons Galleria Cebu
Robinsons Galleria Cebu, also known and branded as Galleria Cebu, is a shopping mall and mixed-use development located in North Reclamation Area, Cebu City  It is the 2nd Robinsons Mall to bear the Galleria branding after Robinsons Galleria  The mall opened on December 10, 2015  The mall is just a few meters from the Port of Cebu and approximately 1 kilometre (0 62 mi) away from SM City Cebu  The mall is owned and operated by Robinsons Malls  It is the firm's third largest mall (after Robinsons Place Manila and its namesake, Robinsons Galleria, in Ortigas, Metro Manila) 

History
In 2008, Robinsons Land, Inc  announced that they have bought a 4-hectare (9 9-acre) prime property near the Port of Cebu  The company bared that they planned to build a mall, a three-storey BPO tower, a 153-room Go Hotel (which would have been the first in Cebu), 9,000 m2 (97,000 sq ft) of office space and a couple of high-rise condominiums  The development was initially called Robinsons Maxilom, named after General Maxilom Avenue, the road it directly borders to  The project was then renamed to its current name a couple of years later  The project broke ground in July 2012 and construction followed soon  The mall opened on December 10, 2015, exactly two weeks after another mall, SM Seaside City Cebu by rival group SM Supermalls opened 

Mall features
The main mall is four storeys tall, while a BPO building with a total floor space of 9,000 m2 (97,000 sq ft) is three storeys tall  There will be six cinemas in the mall  The mall also has an al fresco dining area and the mall's interiors feature lush gardens  When the whole development is finished, it will have a 153-room hotel named Summit Galleria Hotel, BPO towers, and three high-rise condominiums (which will be located at the back of the mall) 

Incidents
December 10, 2022 4:20 PM 
The nearby abandoned White Gold Shopping Mall, collapsed due to weathering, and traffic congestion  Some of the nearby roads had to be temporarily closed  Including B  Benedicto St, in which neighbors the mall on the northwest, near the Summit Hotel  However, the mall has not been damage, nor injured anyone on B  Benedicto St, near the mall, or in the abandoned building 
Passage 5:
Robinsons Place Manila
Robinsons Manila (formerly Robinsons Place Manila), also known as Robinsons Ermita and Robinsons Place Ermita, is a large shopping mall located in Ermita, Manila, Philippines  It is the largest Robinsons Mall ever built  Robinsons Manila is located beside the University of the Philippines Manila and the Philippine General Hospital, and is built at the site of the former Ateneo de Manila Campus before it moved to Loyola Heights, Quezon City  The first major expansion of the mall happened when it opened its Padre Faura Wing in June 2000  The mall was further expanded in 2006 when the nearby Midtown Hotel was demolished to make way for the construction of its Midtown Wing and the Adriatico Place Residences
Robinsons Manila is connected to two high-rise residential condominiums: the 37-storey twin tower Robinsons Place Residences, and the triple tower Adriatico Place Residences 

History
Robinsons Manila was built in the 1980, on the site of the former Ateneo de Manila University Campus and Assumption Convent located beside the University of the Philippines Manila and the Philippine General Hospital  Ateneo transferred to Loyola Heights, Quezon City while the Convent relocated to San Lorenzo Village, Makati 
In June 2000, the mall was expanded with the opening of the Padre Faura Wing which contains additional shopping and dining facilities  It is also anchored by the construction of the 37-storey, twin tower residential condominium Robinsons Place Residences  Further demand in the market expanded the mall with the acquisition of the Manila Midtown Hotel Until 2003 and demolishing it to make way for its Midtown Wing, which is also anchored by another residential condominium project the Adriatico Place Residences  Midtown wing opened in 2008  This expansion made the mall larger than Robinsons Galleria and therefore the largest Robinsons Mall 
It was reported by BusinessWorld in November 2018 that Robinsons Land Corporation plans to renovate Robinsons Manila in 2019  The mall is undergoing major redevelopment since February 2023 

Layout
Padre Faura Wing
The 2-level Padre Faura Wing faces Padre Faura Street and is connected to Robinsons Place Residences  The arrangement of its entry point as well as the tower makes the mall the focal point when traversing Ma  Y  Orosa Avenue southwards  It is near the Philippine General Hospital, the Office of the University Registrar of UP Manila, as well as the Department of Justice, Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of the Philippines  The Jesuit Bell which was once located on the site of the former Manila Observatory was on display at the entrance 
The wing is also home to Lingkod Pinoy Center, which hosts branches of government offices such as Professional Regulation Commission, Land Transportation Office, and clearance office of the National Bureau of Investigation  The mall's multilevel carpark entry ramp connects to the 3rd Level Carpark of the mall 

Midtown Wing
The Midtown Wing is the expansion of the original mall facing Adriatico Street  It was constructed on the adjacent lot located at the former Manila Midtown Hotel which was demolished to make way for this expansion  A lot of high-end shops and boutiques serves as its tenants  The Robinsons Department Store and its Business Center are located here  It is connected to Adriatico Place Residences, a triple tower residential condominium managed by RLC Residences 
Alongside shops and restaurants, it also features three additional cinemas, an expanded atrium, arcades such as Tom's World and Timezone, and an al fresco veranda  It has a basement parking shared with the Pedro Gil Wing, however it is not connected to the P  Faura Wing Basement Carpark 

Pedro Gil Wing
The original structure of the mall, the Pedro Gil Wing faces Pedro Gil Street and features most of the mall's fashion brands including H&M, tech shops, sit-down restaurants, and the main wing of Robinsons Movieworld  The wing has a bowling center named Paeng's Midtown Bowl at the second level which closed in 2019 for renovations and reopened on January 2023  Timezone occupies a part of the bowling alley's space 
A family entertainment center named GBox used to occupy a large space at the mall's foodcourt area alongside Fitness First, which the former has been closed since 2012 and only a small area is currently operational, occupied by electronics repair shops 

Gallery
Passage 6:
Robinsons Metro East
Robinsons Metro East (formerly known as Robinsons Place Metro East) is a shopping mall owned by Robinsons Malls  Robinsons Metro East is situated along Marcos Highway, located at Barangay Dela Paz in Pasig, Philippines  The mall opened on August 31, 2001, is currently the 3rd largest mall in the Philippines owned by Robinsons Malls 

History
The location was first occupied by a Uniwide Warehouse owned by Jimmy Gow's Uniwide Sales, Inc  and was subsequently sold to Gokongwei, who demolished the warehouse  Construction of the mall began in mid-1998, and Robinsons Metro East opened its doors to the public in 2001  
The name "Metro East" refers to the fact that the mall is located in the eastern district of the Greater Manila Area, which is in the boundaries of the cities of Pasig and Marikina in Metro Manila and the municipality of Cainta in Rizal 
On September 26, 2009, the basement level of the mall was flooded as a result of Typhoon Ketsana  This, in turn, led to the closure of the entire mall  Renovation of the mall began in August 2011 and was completed in 2012 The mall is connected to the Marikina-Pasig station of the LRT Line 2  An extension of the mall that links to the station's concourse opened in 2022 

Mall features
The main building of Metro East is one of the largest structures along Marcos Highway  The mall is a 5-level building with 4 upper levels and a basement level, features a 2-level department store, a supermarket, appliance center, Toys R Us, Timezone, and movie theaters  The mall also provides a 5-level elevated indoor carpark located on the left side of the mall 

See also
Robinsons Galleria
Sta  Lucia Mall
SM City Marikina
Passage 7:
SM City Cebu
SM City Cebu, also known as SM Cebu, and sometimes both known locally as SM Mabolo and SM City, is a large shopping mall located in Mabolo, Cebu City, Philippines  It is the 4th shopping mall owned and developed by SM Prime Holdings, the country's largest shopping mall owner and developer  It is the company's first shopping mall in the Philippines outside of Metro Manila and the fifth largest shopping mall in the Philippines  It has a land area of 11 8 hectares (29 acres) and a gross floor area of 268,611 m2 (2,891,300 sq ft)On an average day, more than 100,000 people visit SM City Cebu, with the figure increasing to 140,000 to 150,000 on weekends  Due to Cebu City's position as a transshipment point for the Visayas and Mindanao, and SM City Cebu's location close to the city's port area, the mall attracts a significant number of transient shoppers 

History
Development
The mall, the first SM Supermall outside of Metro Manila, opened on November 27, 1993, with a gross floor area of 161,562 square metres (1,739,040 sq ft)  It was seen as catering to the broad low- and middle-class shoppers, in contrast to its upscale competitor, the Ayala Corporation-owned Ayala Center Cebu which opened a few months later 
Located in Cebu City's North Reclamation Area, then a quiet and relatively remote part of the city, the mall had Manila-based movie and television stars and entertainers perform free concerts at the mall to attract shoppers  Free jeepney rides to the mall were also offered to fulfill the lack of available public transportation within the area 

Northwing
Construction on SM City Cebu's expansion building, dubbed the Northwing, began in March 2006  The expansion, which was developed at a cost of ₱1 3 billion (US$30 5 million), was built on the parking lot to the north of the existing building, temporarily decreasing the number of parking spaces by more than 30%   Construction of the Northwing started in April 2006, and opened on November 30, 2007  It increased the total gross floor area of SM City Cebu by 107,049 m2 (1,152,270 sq ft), for a total of 268,611 m2 (2,891,300 sq ft)  The first 2 floors are for the mall's expansion, while the 3rd, 4th and 5th floors are for the indoor carpark including the roof deck 

Northwing Expansion
An expansion is planned for the Northwing, which will also include two 20-storey office buildings intended to cater to business process outsourcing companies, as well as a 9-storey building which will house a campus of National University  It is set to be completed by 2025  At the same time, a major renovation of its interior is ongoing, starting with the area near Ace Hardware and SM Appliance Center 

Design
SM City Cebu is a seven-level complex namely lower ground floor, upper ground floor, second floor, third floor, fourth floor, fifth floor, and roof deck featuring a total of eight cinemas with seven regular cinemas and one IMAX theater with a total seating capacity of 5,812, a food court, a fully computerized bowling center, 8,000-square meter amusement center, and a 2,000-square meter trade hall  Prior to the addition of the Northwing, it had a car park capacity of 1,629 The Northwing expansion, opened in 2007, features two floors of retail stores, restaurants, and cafes  It houses more than 200 tenants and caters to a more upscale clientele  The expansion also added three levels of covered parking, and a one level of roof deck parking 

Transport
The Cebu North Bus Terminal is situated inside the mall compound opposite the mall's parking area with the lot granted by SM Prime for free for a period of two years, after its lease in its former location in Subangdaku, Mandaue expired in early 2020  It was officially opened on October 12, 2020, with full operations starting on October 15, 2020 

See also
SM City Consolacion
SM Seaside City
Passage 8:
Robinsons Galleria
Robinsons Galleria, also known as Robinsons Galleria Ortigas, is a mixed-use complex and shopping mall located at EDSA corner Ortigas Avenue, Quezon City, just near SM Megamall  The mall is owned by Robinsons Malls, and it is their flagship mall  It is the 1st Robinsons Mall to bear the Galleria branding   It was built on January 12, 1990, with a total gross floor area of approximately 216,000 m2 (2,330,000 sq ft) 

The mall
Robinsons Galleria is a 5-level shopping mall and a landmark along EDSA and Ortigas Avenue with more than 400 shops, dining outlets, entertainment facilities, and service centers  It is located within a mixed-use complex composed of two high-rise office towers, the Galleria Corporate Center and Robinsons Equitable Tower  Three hotels are also located among the said towers, the Holiday Inn Manila Galleria and Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria, and the Galleria Regency 
A major tenant of the mall is the central passport office of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Metro Manila called DFA Consular Office NCR-Central, which is located on the first floor of the Lingkod Pinoy Center, and which was inaugurated in September 2012 

History
The mall's location was once an open land owned by the SSS in the Ortigas Central Business District  In February 1986, the portion of the land facing EDSA was where participants in the People Power Revolution also protested; tanks going north to Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame were stopped at this spot  In 1987, John Gokongwei bought the large portion of the land from the SSS, while the Archdiocese of Manila had partly purchased the portion of the land near the intersection  This plot today is the site of EDSA Shrine, which belongs to the Archdiocese up to date 
Construction began in mid-1988 and finished in late 1989  The mall opened in 1990, being the first mall of Robinsons Malls  Since its opening, several renovations had made within the mall, expanding its area to 216,000 square meters 

Incidents
March 2012 robbery
On March 29, 2012, one guard was killed and six others wounded after two armed robbers lobbed a couple of grenades while fleeing with their loot  The Philippine National Police spokesman Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr  said that by 10:15 AM, two unidentified suspects in disguise as guards attacked two bank guards who were escorting bank tellers and were supposed to deliver an undetermined amount of money in a money changer shop at the mall's ground floor 

October 2013 fire
On October 29, 2013, a fire broke out inside the department store's toy section  The fire started at around 11:00 PM when the employees who were decorating Christmas lights inside the mall rushed out the mall to flee the premises  Guests from the Holiday Inn evacuated and moved to the adjacent Crowne Plaza Hotel  The fire raged for about six hours  The fire was under control the next morning, and the mall was closed for two days  The mall soon reopened by noon on November 1, 2013 

Redevelopment
The mall had gone for several renovations since it opened in 1990  In 2012, the mall took its major facelift with additional GLA of around 100,000 square meters that can cater at least 50 tenants  The said developments expanded the mall's GLA to what is now 216,000 square meters The latest redevelopment had started in 2016  It will be done in 2 phases with its first phase of renovation from May to October 2016 while the second phase was to start in May 2017  Aside from the major renovations within the mall, the mall veranda will host more service stores related to health and beauty  There will be an upper veranda at the 3rd floor, formerly occupying the sports loop, which will accommodate more dining choices  The mall's renovation is almost complete 
The mall's renovation will add wooden elements into the mall, a design similar to Robinsons Galleria Cebu 

In popular culture
An urban legend relating to the mall flourished in the 1990s, which claimed of a half-snake, half-human creature that resided in the basement of the mall and purported to be a lucky charm installed by the Gokongwei family, feeding it with unsuspecting victims from a supposed shaft from a dressing room  Among its supposed victims were actresses Alice Dixson and Rita Avila  Although the rumor is now considered absurd and dead, it was revived in 2010 after a supposed YouTube video depicting it surfaced  Businesswoman Robina Gokongwei-Pe asserted in 2008 that the tale emerged from the "market competition"  Dixson herself dismissed the entire narrative as fake, and in 2020 she finally put the entire tale to rest through a YouTube video   She had appeared in a videographic advertisement by Robinsons Galleria two years earlier, poking fun of and lampooning the extinct urban legend 
Passage 9:
Robinsons Town Mall Malabon
Robinsons Malabon (formerly Robinsons Town Mall Malabon) is a shopping mall located in Malabon, Metro Manila, Philippines  It is the first full service mall in Malabon owned and managed by Robinsons Land Corporation, the second largest mall operator in the Philippines  The mall was opened on December 4, 2013  It is the 37th mall opened by Robinsons in the Philippines and the first and only Robinsons mall in Malabon and the whole Camanava (North Metro Manila) area 

Description
Robinsons Town Mall sits on a 23,000-square-metre (250,000 sq ft) lot on the intersection of Governor Pascual Avenue and Crispin Street in Tinajeros village  It has a gross leasable area of 17,104 83 square metres (184,114 9 sq ft) and can house over 250 tenants  The two-level shopping center is anchored  It also features a Lingkod Pinoy government services center  It is one of the two main shopping centers in Malabon along with Malabon Citisquare 

See also
SM Center Sangandaan
Passage 10:
SM Megamall
SM Megamall, simply known as Megamall, is the third largest shopping mall in the Philippines and the thirteenth largest in the world that is developed and operated by SM Prime Holdings  It is located in EDSA corner Doña Julia Vargas Avenue, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines  The mall occupies a land area of approximately 10 hectares (25 acres) and has a total floor area of 474,000 square meters (5,100,000 sq ft)  The mall has a maximum capacity of 4 million people 

History
Henry Sy Sr  through First Asia Realty loaned ₱1 billion from the Philippine National Bank and Citibank, an unprecedented amount at the time, in April 1989 to fund the development of SM Megamall  The mall began construction in 1989 and opened its doors on June 28, 1991  It is the third SM Supermall ever built by Sy after the SM City Sta  Mesa and SM North EDSA  The SM Megamall was the largest mall in the country for a 17-year period, but when the SM Mall of Asia was built in 2006, it was ranked third largest in the country by floor area at that time, measuring 331,679 m2 (3,570,160 sq ft) of total retail floor area and after SM City North EDSA (which ranks first in the country and second in the world)  It also boasted the first ice skating rink, which was temporarily removed in 2009 but was replaced by the new skating rink at a new location in 2014, as well as one of the first trade halls, the Mega Trade Hall, in the country  The new skating rink was the venue for the speed skating and figure skating at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games Since its inception in 1991, SM Megamall expanded with the addition of the Mega Atrium in 2008, Building C in 2011 and the Mega Fashion Hall in 2014, bringing the total retail floor area to 474,000 m2 (5,100,000 sq ft)  In 2018, SM partnered with Cal-Comp Technology (Philippines) Inc  for the provision of its New Era AI (Artificial Intelligence) Robotic service robots stationed at SM Megamall by the first quarter of 2019 

Location
The mall is located in the Ortigas Center, one of Metro Manila's premier central business districts and shopping hubs, at the portion encompassed by Mandaluyong City  It stands along the main EDSA thoroughfare and Doña Julia Vargas Avenue  The mall is almost adjacent to the Ortigas MRT Station and EDSA Carousel's Ortigas station, as well as the Shaw Boulevard MRT station  The mall is also located to nearby malls such as the Robinsons Galleria, St  Francis Square, The Podium, the Shangri-La Plaza, and Starmall EDSA Shaw and landmarks such as the Asian Development Bank Headquarters, Saint Pedro Poveda College, University of Asia and the Pacific, BDO Corporate Center, The Podium West Tower and the San Miguel Corporation Headquarters 

Buildings
The mall currently has 968 shops and is separated into five buildings, namely Building A, Building B, Building C; Building D, which is also known as the Mega Fashion Hall; and the Mega Atrium 

Main Mall
The mall has two main buildings  Building A features the 12 digital cinemas on the third floor; a food court, events hall and the Toy Kingdom on the lower ground floor, art stores on the fifth floor, and other anchor tenants  It also features Forever 21 located on the second level of Building A  Building B features SM Store, the Ace Hardware store on the lower ground floor, the Cyberzone on the fourth floor, the Mega Trade Hall on the fifth floor, and other anchor tenants  It has been expanded and has direct connections with the Mega Fashion Hall which opened in January 2014  The SM Supermarket is featured on both buildings  The bridgeway connecting the two main buildings of the mall contains several eateries 

Mega Atrium
The 16,000 m2 (170,000 sq ft) Mega Atrium is an addition to the existing two buildings  The Atrium, completed in 2008, bridges the gap between Buildings A and B  It features Chapel of the Eucharistic Lord, a 1,585 m2 (17,060 sq ft) Roman Catholic chapel located on the fifth floor, as well as various shops and restaurants  The atrium also features the Garden at Mega Atrium, an indoor garden located within the second floor, and also includes the Respira Café, a coffee and pastry shop offering European confectionaries 

Building C
Building C is a recent addition to SM Megamall that houses office space on the upper levels of the carpark and a transport terminal, which includes an integrated bus terminal serving the north of Metro Manila including CAMANAVA, Quezon City and further to Bulacan and Calabarzon  Formerly Building A's open-parking facility, it is located near EDSA to the west of Building A and was opened on October 11, 2011  The building also contains the 1,300-square-meter (14,000 sq ft) DFA CO NCR-East, the first passport office of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Metro Manila which opened in August 2012 

Mega Fashion Hall (Building D)
The Mega Fashion Hall is the latest expansion of SM Megamall  Featuring a two-level basement parking and a five-level mall with 86,000 m2 (930,000 sq ft) of retail, it houses several global clothing retailers, an events hall, and additional restaurants and shops, including the three-level H&M store and the three-level Uniqlo which extends to the two uppermost levels of Building B  Aside from clothing stores, the expansion includes dining establishments, houseware stores, service shops, and a Bingo area on the fifth level  The Mega Fashion Hall also houses an IMAX Digital theater (which is also the eighth IMAX cinema in the country), a 56-seat Director's Club Cinema with butler service, an Olympic-sized ice skating rink (replacing the one removed in 2009 from the lower-ground level of Building A), an upscale food court (Mega Food Hall), and a 14-lane bowling center, the SM Bowling Center (also replacing the one removed in 2009 from the lower-ground level of Building A, now Toy Kingdom)   The fashion hall also features the BTS Pop-Up Store, located at the mall's third floor, and showcases over 400 BTS-branded products 

Time Sculpture
The Time Sculpture is a sculpture located fronting the Mega Fashion Hall  The sculpture was unveiled on August 2, 2021, and is designed by Filipino-American public artist Jefre Manuel Figueras, also known as JEFRË, and was made of stainless steel  The sculpture is part of the Baks "Box" Series, where he gives representation to people living in cities around the world, and resembles a man looking at his watch, which serves as reminder how time is important in our lives and to make use of time in traffic productively  JEFRË also converted the statue's head to a block, which connects the figures to surrounding urban architecture, and strengthens the image that people are a city's major component as the building blocks and the bloodline of the city 

Expansion
After the soft opening of the newly constructed Building C Carpark, the mall surpassed SM Mall of Asia by 2,000 m2 (22,000 sq ft) and became the second largest shopping mall in the country 
With the opening of the Mega Fashion Hall (Building D), the current gross leasable area is 500,000 m2 (5,400,000 sq ft), allowing the mall to reclaim the title of the largest mall in the Philippines The addition of the Mega Fashion Hall building added 125 new retail stores, 90% of which are global brands and 10% of which are local retailers 

Mega Tower
A 50-storey 249 7 m (819 ft) office tower, named The Mega Tower, is built next to the Mega Fashion Hall formerly occupied by an open carpark  The S-shaped tower is directly connected to the Mega Fashion Hall and will feature three levels of basement parking and multilevel parking  It will have a leasable area of 124,200 m2 (1,337,000 sq ft)  Groundbreaking began in March 2016, while the tower's construction phase began six months later on the same year, in September 2016  The tower was topped off in March 2020, and was opened in 2021 Arquitectonica is the firm responsible for the architectural design, while Aurecon serves as the tower's structural engineer consultant and New Golden City Builders serve as the general contractor for the project 

Gallery
In popular culture
In the idol anime, titled Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club, in its second season in Episode 13, the characters were seen in a giant LED screen in a mall which looked like SM Megamall's Fashion Hall, under the name "Largemall "

Incidents and accidents
2000 bombing
On May 21, 2000, a bomb exploded inside a restroom at Cinema 6 of the mall's movie theater located on the third floor  One person was killed and dozens were injured  Two of the victims sustained very serious injuries  The bombing occurred four days after the Glorietta 2 bombing which wounded 13 people  Seven years later, the 2007 blast in Glorietta injured 129 people, while leaving 12 people dead 

2013 incidents
January 26, 2013: A holdup and shootout occurred when the Martilyo Gang, a local criminal group specializing in robbing stores by smashing and stealing valuables using hammers, robbed a jewelry store in the department store on the first floor 
May 5, 2013: An explosion briefly caused panic at the foodcourt at Building A, with at least one reported hurt in a stampede before shoppers were able to calm down after learning the sounds were not gunshots  A siomai steamer was short-circuited and caused people to file out at around 7:25 PM

Fire incidents
June 29, 2018: A fire hit the under-construction SM Mega Tower near SM Mega Fashion Hall at around 7:30 PM  It was declared "fire out" at around 6 hours later, at 1:30 AM on the next day  The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) had announced in a tweet at 8:16 PM on Thursday that the blaze had already reached the third alarm  This meant that up to nine fire trucks should be deployed 
May 16, 2021: A fire broke out in Building C of the mall at 3:36 AM  The fire was put out 19 minutes later 
September 2, 2021: A fire hit the 27th floor of the under-construction SM Mega Tower around 10:26 AM, causing people in the building to be reportedly trapped 

See also
List of shopping malls in Metro Manila
Context 3: Passage 1:
Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe
Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe is a 1991 humorous travelogue by American writer Bill Bryson  It documents the author's tour of Europe in 1990, with flashbacks to two summer tours he made in 1972 and 1973 in his college days  On his 1973 tour, he travelled with his friend Matt Angerer, pseudonymised in the book as Stephen Katz, who also appeared more prominently in Bryson's later book A Walk in the Woods, as well as in The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid 
Bryson's trip begins in the winter, in Hammerfest, Norway, where his goal is to see the Northern Lights  He visits numerous locations throughout Europe, commenting on the various aspects of life in different parts of Europe, and comparing them to how he experienced them in his earlier visits  The book ends with Bryson reaching Istanbul, Turkey, looking across the Bosphorus to Asia, and considering continuing his tour 

Places visited
Norway (Hammerfest, Oslo)
France (Paris)
Belgium (Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp, Spa, Durbuy)
Germany (Aachen, Cologne, Hamburg)
The Netherlands (Amsterdam, Haarlem)
Denmark (Copenhagen)
Sweden (Gothenburg, Stockholm)
Italy (Rome, Naples, Sorrento, Capri, Florence, Milan, Como)
Switzerland (Brig, Geneva, Bern)
Liechtenstein
Austria (Innsbruck, Salzburg, Vienna)
Yugoslavia (Split, Sarajevo, Belgrade)
Bulgaria (Sofia)
Turkey (Istanbul)
Passage 2:
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines ( (listen)) is the capital and the most populous city in the U S  state of Iowa  It is also the county seat of Polk County  A small part of the city extends into Warren County  It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857  It is located on, and named after, the Des Moines River, which likely was adapted from the early French name, Rivière des Moines, meaning "River of the Monks"  The city's population was 214,133 as of the 2020 census  The six-county metropolitan area is ranked 83rd in terms of population in the United States with 699,292 residents according to the 2019 estimate by the United States Census Bureau, and is the largest metropolitan area fully located within the state Des Moines is a major center of the US insurance industry and has a sizable financial services and publishing business base  The city was credited as the "number one spot for U S  insurance companies" in a Business Wire article and named the third-largest "insurance capital" of the world  The city is the headquarters for the Principal Financial Group, Ruan Transportation, TMC Transportation, EMC Insurance Companies, and Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield  Other major corporations such as Wells Fargo, Cognizant, Voya Financial, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, ACE Limited, Marsh, Monsanto, and Corteva have large operations in or near the metropolitan area  In recent years, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, and Facebook have built data-processing and logistical facilities in the Des Moines area 
Des Moines is an important city in U S  presidential politics; as the state's capital, it is the site of the first caucuses of the presidential primary cycle  Many presidential candidates set up campaign headquarters in Des Moines  A 2007 article in The New York Times said, "If you have any desire to witness presidential candidates in the most close-up and intimate of settings, there is arguably no better place to go than Des Moines "

Etymology
Des Moines takes its name from Fort Des Moines (1843–46), which was named for the Des Moines River  This was adopted from the name given by French colonists  Des Moines (pronounced [de mwan] (listen); formerly [de mwɛn]) translates literally to either "from the monks" or "of the monks" 
The historian Virgil Vogel claimed that the name was derived from Moingona, an Algonquian clan name, which means "Loon" Some historians and researchers lacking linguistic or Algonquianist training concluded that Moingona meant "people by the portage" or something similar, a reference to the Des Moines Rapids  This was where the earliest known encounters between the Moingona and European explorers took place One popular interpretation of "Des Moines" ignores Vogel's research, and concludes that it refers to a group of French Trappist monks, who in the 17th century lived in huts built on top of what is now known as the ancient Monks Mound at Cahokia, the major center of Mississippian culture, which developed in what is present-day Illinois, east of the Mississippi River and the city of St  Louis  This was some 200 miles (320 km) from the Des Moines River In 2015, Michael McCafferty of Indiana University, while studying the Miami-Illinois language, concluded that the name was actually a derisive term coined by the Peoria tribe  McCafferty agrees with other linguists that the "Moines" in Des Moines is a French derivation of Moingoana  What he discovered, however, was that it was not the actual name of the neighboring tribe; it was an insulting nickname they hurled at their rivals  It translates, essentially, as "the feces-faces "

Prehistory
Prehistoric inhabitants of early Des Moines
Based on archaeological evidence, the junction of the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers has attracted humans for at least 7,000 years  Several prehistoric occupation areas have been identified by archaeologists in downtown Des Moines  Discovered in December 2010, the "Palace" is an expansive, 7,000-year-old site found during excavations prior to construction of the new wastewater treatment plant in southeastern Des Moines  It contains well-preserved house deposits and numerous graves  More than 6,000 artifacts were found at this site  State of Iowa archaeologist John Doershuk was assisted by University of Iowa archaeologists at this dig At least three Late Prehistoric villages, dating from about AD 1300 to 1700, stood in or near what developed later as downtown Des Moines  In addition, 15 to 18 prehistoric American Indian mounds were observed in this area by early settlers  All have been destroyed during development of the city 

History
Origin of Fort Des Moines
Des Moines traces its origins to May 1843, when Captain James Allen supervised the construction of a fort on the site where the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers merge  Allen wanted to use the name Fort Raccoon; however, the U S  War Department preferred Fort Des Moines  The fort was built to control the Sauk and Meskwaki  tribes, whom the government had moved to the area from their traditional lands in eastern Iowa  The fort was abandoned in 1846 after the Sauk and Meskwaki were removed from the state and shifted to the Indian Territory The Sauk and Meskwaki did not fare well in Des Moines  The illegal whiskey trade, combined with the destruction of traditional lifeways, led to severe problems for their society  One newspaper reported:

"It is a fact that the location of Fort Des Moines among the Sac and Fox Indians (under its present commander) for the last two years, had corrupted them more and lowered them deeper in the scale of vice and degradation, than all their intercourse with the whites for the ten years previous" After official removal, the Meskwaki continued to return to Des Moines until around 1857 Archaeological excavations have shown that many fort-related features survived under what is now Martin Luther King Jr  Parkway and First Street  Soldiers stationed at Fort Des Moines opened the first coal mines in the area, mining coal from the riverbank for the fort's blacksmith 

Early, non-Native American, settlement
Settlers occupied the abandoned fort and nearby areas  On May 25, 1846, the state legislature designated Fort Des Moines as the seat of Polk County  Arozina Perkins, a school teacher who spent the winter of 1850–1851 in the town of Fort Des Moines, was not favorably impressed:

This is one of the strangest looking "cities" I ever saw    This town is at the juncture of the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers  It is mostly a level prairie with a few swells or hills around it  We have a court house of "brick" and one church, a plain, framed building belonging to the Methodists  There are two taverns here, one of which has a most important little bell that rings together some fifty boarders  I cannot tell you how many dwellings there are, for I have not counted them; some are of logs, some of brick, some framed, and some are the remains of the old dragoon houses    The people support two papers and there are several dry goods shops  I have been into but four of them    Society is as varied as the buildings are  There are people from nearly every state, and Dutch, Swedes, etc 
In May 1851, much of the town was destroyed during the Flood of 1851  "The Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers rose to an unprecedented height, inundating the entire country east of the Des Moines River  Crops were utterly destroyed, houses and fences swept away " The city started to rebuild from scratch 

Era of growth
On September 22, 1851, Des Moines was incorporated as a city; the charter was approved by voters on October 18  In 1857, the name "Fort Des Moines" was shortened to "Des Moines", and it was designated as the second state capital, previously at Iowa City  Growth was slow during the Civil War period, but the city exploded in size and importance after a railroad link was completed in 1866 In 1864, the Des Moines Coal Company was organized to begin the first systematic mining in the region  Its first mine, north of town on the river's west side, was exhausted by 1873  The Black Diamond mine, near the south end of the West Seventh Street Bridge, sank a 150-foot (46 m) mine shaft to reach a 5-foot-thick (1 5 m) coal bed  By 1876, this mine employed 150 men and shipped 20 carloads of coal per day  By 1885, numerous mine shafts were within the city limits, and mining began to spread into the surrounding countryside  By 1893, 23 mines were in the region  By 1908, Des Moines' coal resources were largely exhausted  In 1912, Des Moines still had eight locals of the United Mine Workers union, representing 1,410 miners  This was about 1 7% of the city's population in 1910 
By 1880, Des Moines had a population of 22,408, making it Iowa's largest city  It displaced the three Mississippi River ports: Burlington, Dubuque, and Davenport, that had alternated holding the position since the territorial period  Des Moines has remained Iowa's most populous city  In 1910, the Census Bureau reported Des Moines' population as 97 3% white and 2 7% black, reflecting its early settlement pattern primarily by ethnic Europeans 

"City Beautiful" project, decline and rebirth
At the turn of the 20th century, encouraged by the Civic Committee of the Des Moines Women's Club, Des Moines undertook a "City Beautiful" project in which large Beaux Arts public buildings and fountains were constructed along the Des Moines River  The former Des Moines Public Library building (now the home of the World Food Prize); the United States central Post Office, built by the federal government (now the Polk County Administrative Building, with a newer addition); and the City Hall are surviving examples of the 1900–1910 buildings  They form the Civic Center Historic District 
The ornate riverfront balustrades that line the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers were built by the federal Civilian Conservation Corps in the mid-1930s, during the Great Depression under Democratic President Franklin D  Roosevelt, as a project to provide local employment and improve infrastructure  The ornamental fountains that stood along the riverbank were buried in the 1950s when the city began a postindustrial decline that lasted until the late 1980s  The city has since rebounded, transforming from a blue-collar industrial city to a white-collar professional city 

In 1907, the city adopted a city commission government known as the Des Moines Plan, comprising an elected mayor and four commissioners, all elected at-large, who were responsible for public works, public property, public safety, and finance  Considered progressive at the time, it diluted the votes of ethnic and national minorities, who generally could not command the majority to elect a candidate of their choice 
That form of government was scrapped in 1950 in favor of a council-manager government, with the council members elected at-large  In 1967, the city changed its government to elect four of the seven city council members from single-member districts or wards, rather than at-large  This enabled a broader representation of voters  As with many major urban areas, the city core began losing population to the suburbs in the 1960s (the peak population of 208,982 was recorded in 1960), as highway construction led to new residential construction outside the city  The population was 198,682 in 2000 and grew slightly to 200,538 in 2009  The growth of the outlying suburbs has continued, and the overall metropolitan-area population is over 700,000 today 
During the Great Flood of 1993, heavy rains throughout June and early July caused the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers to rise above flood stage levels  The Des Moines Water Works was submerged by floodwaters during the early morning hours of July 11, 1993, leaving an estimated 250,000 people without running water for 12 days and without drinking water for 20 days  Des Moines suffered major flooding again in June 2008 with a major levee breach  The Des Moines river is controlled upstream by Saylorville Reservoir  In both 1993 and 2008, the flooding river overtopped the reservoir spillway 
Today, Des Moines is a member of ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability USA  Through ICLEI, Des Moines has implemented "The Tomorrow Plan", a regional plan focused on developing central Iowa in a sustainable fashion, centrally-planned growth, and resource consumption to manage the local population 

Cityscape
The skyline of Des Moines changed in the 1970s and the 1980s, when several new skyscrapers were built  Additional skyscrapers were built in the 1990s, including Iowa's tallest  Before then, the 19-story Equitable Building, from 1924, was the tallest building in the city and the tallest building in Iowa  The 25-story Financial Center was completed in 1973 and the 36-story Ruan Center was completed in 1974  They were later joined by the 33-story Des Moines Marriott Hotel (1981), the 25-story HUB Tower and 25-story Plaza Building (1985)  Iowa's tallest building, Principal Financial Group's 45-story tower at 801 Grand was built in 1991, and the 19-story EMC Insurance Building was erected in 1997 
During this time period, the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines (1979) was developed; it hosts Broadway shows and special events  Also constructed were the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden (1979), a large city botanical garden/greenhouse on the east side of the river; the Polk County Convention Complex (1985), and the State of Iowa Historical Museum (1987)  The Des Moines skywalk also began to take shape during the 1980s  The skywalk system is 4 miles (6 4 km) long and connects many downtown buildings In the early 21st century, the city has had more major construction in the downtown area  The new Science Center of Iowa and Blank IMAX Dome Theater and the Iowa Events Center opened in 2005  The new central branch of the Des Moines Public Library, designed by renowned architect David Chipperfield of London, opened on April 8, 2006 
The World Food Prize Foundation, which is based in Des Moines, completed adaptation and restoration of the former Des Moines Public Library building in October 2011  The former library now serves as the home and headquarters of the Norman Borlaug/World Food Prize Hall of Laureates 

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 90 65 square miles (234 78 km2), of which 88 93 square miles (230 33 km2) is land and 1 73 square miles (4 48 km2) is covered by water  It is 850 feet (260 m) above sea level at the confluence of the Raccoon and Des Moines Rivers 
In November 2005, Des Moines voters approved a measure that allowed the city to annex parcels of land in the northeast, southeast, and southern corners of Des Moines without agreement by local residents, particularly areas bordering the Iowa Highway 5/U S  65 bypass  The annexations became official on June 26, 2009, as 5,174 acres (20 94 km2) and around 868 new residents were added to the city of Des Moines  An additional 759 acres (3 07 km2) were voluntarily annexed to the city over that same period 

Metropolitan area
Des Moines-West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area

Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines Combined Statistical Area

Des Moines' suburban communities include Altoona, Ankeny, Bondurant, Carlisle, Clive, Grimes, Johnston, Norwalk, Pleasant Hill, Urbandale, Waukee, West Des Moines, and Windsor Heights 

Climate
At the center of North America and far removed from large bodies of water, the Des Moines area has a hot summer type humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa), with warm to hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters  Summer temperatures can often climb into the 90 °F (32 °C) range, occasionally reaching 100 °F (38 °C)  Humidity can be high in spring and summer, with frequent afternoon thunderstorms  Fall brings pleasant temperatures and colorful fall foliage  Winters vary from moderately cold to bitterly cold, with low temperatures venturing below 0 °F (−18 °C) quite often  Snowfall averages 36 5 inches (93 cm) per season, and annual precipitation averages 36 55 inches (928 mm), with a peak in the warmer months  Winters are slightly colder than Chicago, but still warmer than Minneapolis, with summer temperatures being very similar between the Upper Midwest metropolitan areas 

Demographics
2020 census
As of the census of 2020, the population was 214,133  The population density was 2,428 4 inhabitants per square mile (937 6/km2)  There were 95,082 housing units at an average density of 1,078 3 per square mile (416 3/km2)  Ethnically, the population was 15 6% Hispanic or Latino of any race  When grouping both Hispanic and non-Hispanic people together by race, the city was 64 5% White, 11 7% Black or African American, 6 8% Asian, 0 7% Native American, 0 1% Pacific Islander, 6 6% from other races, and 9 6% from two or more races  
The 2020 census population of the city included 252 people incarcerated in adult correctional facilities and 2,378 people in student housing According  to the American Community Survey estimates for 2016-2020, the median income for a household in the city was $54,843, and the median income for a family was $66,420  Male full-time workers had a median income of $47,048 versus $40,290 for female workers  The per capita income for the city was $29,064  About 12 1% of families and 16 0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24 3% of those under age 18 and 9 8% of those age 65 or over  Of the population age 25 and over, 86 7% were high school graduates or higher and 27 9% had a bachelor's degree or higher 

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 203,433 people, 81,369 households, and 47,491 families residing in the city  Population density was 2,515 6 inhabitants per square mile (971 3/km2)  There were 88,729 housing units at an average density of 1,097 2 per square mile (423 6/km2)  The racial makeup of the city for Unincorporated areas not merged with the city proper was 66 2% White, 15 5% African Americans, 0 5% Native American, 4 0% Asian, and 2 6% from Two or more races  People of Hispanic or Latino origin, of any race, made up 12 1% of the population  The city's racial make up during the 2010 census was 76 4% White, 10 2% African American, 0 5% Native American, 4 4% Asian (1 2% Vietnamese, 0 9% Laotian, 0 4% Burmese, 0 3% Asian Indian, 0 3% Thai, 0 2% Chinese, 0 2% Cambodian, 0 2% Filipino, 0 1% Hmong, 0 1% Korean, 0 1% Nepalese), 0 1% Pacific Islander, 5 0% from other races, and 3 4% from two or more races  People of Hispanic or Latino origin, of any race, formed 12 0% of the population (9 4% Mexican, 0 7% Salvadoran, 0 3% Guatemalan, 0 3% Puerto Rican, 0 1% Honduran, 0 1% Ecuadorian, 0 1% Cuban, 0 1% Spaniard, 0 1% Spanish)  Non-Hispanic Whites were 70 5% of the population in 2010  Des Moines also has a sizeable South Sudanese community There were 81,369 households, of which 31 6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38 9% were married couples living together, 14 2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5 3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41 6% were non-families  32 5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9 4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older  The average household size was 2 43 and the average family size was 3 11 
The median age in the city was 33 5 years  24 8% of residents were under the age of 18; 10 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29 4% were from 25 to 44; 23 9% were from 45 to 64; and 11% were 65 years of age or older  The gender makeup of the city was 48 9% male and 51 1% female 

2000 census
As of the 2000 census, there were 198,682 people, 80,504 households, and 48,704 families in the city  The population density was 2,621 3 inhabitants per square mile (1,012 1/km2)  There were 85,067 housing units at an average density of 1,122 3 per square mile (433 3/km2)  The racial makeup of the city was 82 3% white, 8 07% Black, 0 35% American Indian, 3 50% Asian, 0 05% Pacific Islander, 3 52% from other races, and 2 23% from two or more races  6 61% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race  20 9% were of German, 10 3% Irish, 9 1% "American" and 8 0% English ancestry, according to Census 2000 
There were 80,504 households, out of which 29 5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43 7% were married couples living together, 12 6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39 5% were non-families  31 9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10 2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older  The average household size was 2 39 and the average family size was 3 04 
The age distribution was 24 8% under the age of 18, 10 6% from 18 to 24, 31 8% from 25 to 44, 20 4% from 45 to 64, and 12 4% who were 65 years of age or older  The median age was 34 years  For every 100 females, there were 93 8 males  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90 5 males 
The median income for a household in the city was $38,408, and the median income for a family was $46,590  Males had a median income of $31,712 versus $25,832 for females  The per capita income for the city was $19,467  About 7 9% of families and 11 4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14 9% of those under age 18 and 7 6% of those ages 65 or over 

Economy
Many insurance companies are headquartered in Des Moines, including the Principal Financial Group, EMC Insurance Group, Fidelity & Guaranty Life, Allied Insurance, GuideOne Insurance, Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Iowa, FBL Financial Group, and American Republic Insurance Company   Iowa has one of the lowest insurance premium taxes in the nation at 1%, and doesn't charge any premium taxes on qualified life insurance plans, making the state attractive to insurance business   Des Moines has been referred to as the "Hartford of the West" and "Insurance Capital" because of this  The Principal is one of two Fortune 500 companies with headquarters in Iowa (the other being Casey's General Stores), ranking 201st on the magazine's list in 2020 As a center of financial and insurance services, other major corporations headquartered outside of Iowa have a presence in the Des Moines Metro area, including Wells Fargo, Voya Financial, and Electronic Data Systems (EDS)  The Meredith Corporation, a leading publishing and marketing company, was also based in Des Moines prior to its acquisition by IAC and merger with Dotdash in 2021  Meredith published Better Homes and Gardens, one of the most widely circulated publications in the United States  Des Moines was also the headquarters of Golf Digest magazine 
Other major employers in Des Moines include UnityPoint Health, Mercy Medical Center, MidAmerican Energy Company, CDS Global, UPS, Firestone Agricultural Tire Company, EDS, Drake University, Titan Tire, The Des Moines Register, Anderson Erickson, Dee Zee and EMCO In 2017, Kemin Industries opened a state-of-the-art worldwide headquarters building in Des Moines 

Culture
Arts and theatre
The City of Des Moines is a cultural center for Iowa and home to several art and history museums and performing arts groups  The Des Moines Performing Arts routinely hosts touring Broadway shows and other live professional theater  Its president and CEO, Jeff Chelsvig, is a member of the League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc  The Temple for Performing Arts and Des Moines Playhouse are other venues for live theatre, comedy, and performance arts 
The Des Moines Metro Opera has been a cultural resource in Des Moines since 1973  The Opera offers educational and outreach programs and is one of the largest performing arts organizations in the state  Ballet Des Moines was established in 2002  Performing three productions each year, the Ballet also provides opportunities for education and outreach 
The Des Moines Symphony performs frequently at different venues  In addition to performing seven pairs of classical concerts each season, the Symphony also entertains with New Year's Eve Pops and its annual Yankee Doodle Pops concerts 
The Metro Arts Alliance produces Jazz in July every year, that offers free jazz shows daily at various venues throughout the city during the entire month of July 

Wells Fargo Arena is the Des Moines area's primary venue for sporting events and concerts since its opening in 2005  Named for title sponsor Wells Fargo Financial Services, Wells Fargo Arena holds 16,980 and books large, national touring acts for arena concert performances, while several smaller venues host local, regional, and national bands



ground_truth: Metro Manila

prompt_front: Answer the question based on the given passages. Only give me the answer and do not output any other words.

Question: Which is a flowering plant, Pueraria or Pleiospilos?

The following are given passages.
Context 2: Passage 1:
Pueraria
Pueraria is a genus of 15–20 species of legumes native to Asia  The best known member is kudzu, also called Japanese arrowroot  The genus is named after 19th century Swiss botanist Marc Nicolas Puerari 
The genus, as traditionally circumscribed, is polyphyletic, with different species being more related to other species in the tribe Phaseoleae  Current research, reproduced below, splits the genus into five clades, one of which defines the current monophyletic genus 

Species
The genus Pueraria is highly polyphyletic; the below list is divided by clade following the result of A N Egan & B Pan (2016)  In 2015, the authors validly published their proposal in Phytotaxa  As of February 2022, Kew Plants of the World Online database accepts these names 

Pueraria sensu stricto
Pueraria sensu stricto includes the vast majority of species in the genus  They fall into a single clade sister to or containing Nogra 
P  alopecuroides Craib
P  calycina Franch 
P  candollei  Benth 
P  edulis Pamp 
P  imbricata Maesen
P  lacei Craib
P  mirifica Airy Shaw & Suvat  (= P  candollei var  mirifica in Egan)
P  montana (Lour ) Merr  – US invasive population comes from a hybrid of more than one of the subspecies Pueraria montana var  chinensis (Ohwi) Sanjappa & Pradeep (= P  chinensis, although ILDS and the plant list instead consider P  thomsonii the synonym)
Pueraria montana var  lobata (Willd ) Sanjappa & Pradeep (= P  lobata)
Pueraria montana var  thomsonii (Benth ) Wiersema ex D B  Ward (= P  thomsonii, missing in ILDS)
P  pulcherrima (Koord ) Koord -Schum 
P  sikkimensis Prain
P  tuberosa (Roxb ex Willd ) DC  – type species

Provisionally retained
The following are not included in the 2016 study due to insufficient material for sequencing  They are accepted by POWO 
P  bella Prain: conflicting proposals assigning either to the main clade or to Neonotonia (morphology) 
P  bouffordii H  Ohashi: presumably in the main clade (morphology) 
P  grandiflora Bo Pan & Bing Liu: presumably in the main clade (morphology) 
P  xyzhuii H  Ohashi & Iokawa: presumably in the main clade (morphology) The following are not included in Egan et al  2016 for other reasons, but are accepted by Kew POWO:

P  garhwalensis L R Dangwal & D S Rawat: excluded per van der Maesen (2002)
P  neocaledonica Harms: not mentioned
P  maesenii Niyomdham: not mentioned

Former members
The rest of the genus fall into four clades, sorted by distance from the main clade:
Neustanthus Benth  – sister to Sinodolichos
P  phaseoloides (Roxb ) Benth  → N  phaseoloides (Roxb ) Benth P  edulis, P  montana, and N  phaseoloides make up what is known as kudzu  The morphological differences between these species are subtle 
N  phaseoloides var  javanicus (= P  javanica (Benth ) Benth )
N  phaseoloides var  phaseoloides
N  phaseoloides var  subspicatus
Teyleria
P  stricta Kurz → T  stricta
Toxicopueraria A N Egan & B Pan – sister to Cologania
P  peduncularis Grah  → T  peduncularis
P  yunnanensis Franchet → T  yunnanensis
Haymondia A N Egan & B Pan – notably lies out of Glycininae near Kennediinae; known for a long time to be misplaced
P  wallichii DC  → H  wallichiiThe following names are not accepted even before Egan 2016 but have seen valid publication:

P  omeiensis Wang et Tang – P  montana: unaccepted name after Mount Omei 
P  stracheyi Baker → Apios carnea (Wall ) Benth  ex Baker 
P  maclurei (F  P  Metcalf) F  J  Herm  → Sinodolichos lagopus – still accepted by WFO
Passage 2:
Pleiospilos nelii
Pleiospilos nelii, the split rock, splitrock or living granite, is a species of flowering plant in the family Aizoaceae, native to South Africa  It grows in semi-arid areas with rainfall of between 150mm and 300mm, in the Karoo of South Africa 

Etymology
The species epithet nelii honours the South African botanist Gert Cornelius Nel  The common name "split rock" refers to the appearance of the plant's leaves 

Description
Pleiospilos nelii is a succulent perennial which can reach a height of 5–8 cm (2–3 in) and a diameter of about 10 cm (4 in)  This very short-stemmed, nearly stemless plant has one or more pairs of opposite, almost hemispherical, grey-green or brownish leaves  The surface of the leaves has many small dark spots  A new pair of leaves is produced each year, replacing an older pair  This plant closely resembles a small cracked rock (hence the common name), an appearance which may have evolved as a defence against herbivory  The superficially daisy-like flowers are yellow-orange, 6–7 5 cm (2–3 in) across, and emerge from the plant's apical bud  The flowers are large in relation to the size of the plant  Each flower opens in the afternoon and closes at sunset, over a bloom period of several days 

Cultivation
P  nelii is one of several plants cultivated for their rocklike appearance  They are sometimes collectively called mesembs  In temperate regions it is grown under glass for protection from excessive rain and hard freezes  It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit 

Gallery
Passage 3:
Pleiospilos simulans
Pleiospilos simulans (liver plant, split rock plant) is a species of flowering plant in the family Aizoaceae, once endemic to the Eastern Cape of South Africa  Known populations of the plant in the wild are now extinct due its collection as an ornamental plant for succulent collectors  It is a small, low-growing, perennial with succulent leaves and orange or yellow many-petaled flowers 
Passage 4:
Pleiospilos
Pleiospilos is a genus of succulent flowering plants of the family Aizoaceae, native to South Africa  The name is derived from the Greek pleios "many" and spìlos "spot"  The plants are also known as kwaggavy ("Quagga mesemb"), lewerplant ("liver plant"), lewervygie ("liver mesemb"), klipplant ("stone plant"), split rock or mimicry plant 
Pleiospilos species have two or four opposite, very fleshy, grey-green leaves growing from a short stem that may be underground  The leaves, with their hemispherical shape and pitted texture, often strongly resemble a pile of split pebbles to deter predators  Flowers emerge from the center of the leaves, and may be very big in relation to the overall size of the plant They reproduce both sexually and asexually  Vegetative offshoots emerge from the root system  Seed set occurs in early spring around March The species P  bolusii and  P  nelii are cultivated as ornamentals 

Species
Pleiospilos bolusii
Pleiospilos compactus
P  compactus subsp  compactus
P  compactus subsp  canus
P  compactus subsp  minor
P  compactus subsp  fergusoniae
P  compactus subsp  sororius
Pleiospilos nelii
Pleiospilos simulans
Passage 5:
Pleiospilos bolusii
Pleiospilos bolusii, the mimicry plant, is a species of flowering plant in the family Aizoaceae, native to the Eastern Cape of South Africa, where it grows at an altitude of 750–1,100 m (2,461–3,609 ft)  The species epithet bolusii honours Harry Bolus, a 19th-century South African botanist 
It is a small, stemless succulent perennial growing to 8 cm (3 in) tall by 15 cm (6 in) wide, with two or four opposite grey-green leaves, quite thick, fused at the base, almost triangular, with entire margins  The leaves are longer and more angular than those of the closely related P  nelii, but in both cases the shape and texture of the leaves resemble a pile of split pebbles, possibly to deter predators  The yellow, many-petaled, daisy-like flowers emerge from the center of the leaves, and are 6–8 cm (2–3 in) in diameter - large in relation to the overall size of the plant  The flowers are often coconut-scented  The flowering period extends from August to September 
The plant is one of several species cultivated for their rocklike appearance, which are sometimes collectively called mesembs  With a minimum temperature of 7 °C (45 °F), in temperate regions it is grown under glass  It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit 
Context 3:  It is the home of the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League, the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League, and the Iowa Barnstormers of the Indoor Football League 
The Simon Estes Riverfront Amphitheater is an outdoor concert venue on the east bank of the Des Moines River which hosts music events such as the Alive Concert Series 

The Des Moines Art Center, with a wing designed by architect I  M  Pei, presents art exhibitions and educational programs as well as studio art classes  The Center houses a collection of artwork from the 19th century to the present  An extension of the art center is downtown in an urban museum space, featuring three or four exhibitions each year 

The Pappajohn Sculpture Park was established in 2009  It showcases a collection of 24 sculptures donated by Des Moines philanthropists John and Mary Pappajohn  Nearby is the Temple for Performing Arts, a cultural center for the city  Next to the Temple is the 117,000-square-foot (10,900 m2) Central Library, designed by renowned English architect David Chipperfield 
Salisbury House and Gardens is a 42-room historic house museum on 10 acres (4 ha) of woodlands in the South of Grand neighborhood of Des Moines  It is named after—and loosely inspired by—King's House in Salisbury, England  Built in the 1920s by cosmetics magnate Carl Weeks and his wife, Edith, the Salisbury House contains authentic 16th-century English oak and rafters dating to Shakespeare's days, numerous other architectural features re-purposed from other historic English homes, and an internationally significant collection of original fine art, tapestries, decorative art, furniture, musical instruments, and rare books and documents  The Salisbury House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and has been featured on A&E's America's Castles and PBS's Antiques Roadshow  Prominent artists in the Salisbury House collection include Joseph Stella, Lillian Genth, Anthony van Dyck and Lawrence Alma-Tadema 
Built in 1877 by prominent pioneer businessman Hoyt Sherman, Hoyt Sherman Place mansion was Des Moines' first public art gallery and houses a distinctive collection of 19th and 20th century artwork  Its restored 1,250-seat theater features an intricate rococo plaster ceiling and excellent acoustics and is used for a variety of cultural performances and entertainment 

Attractions
Arising in the east and facing westward toward downtown, the Iowa State Capitol building with its 275-foot (84 m), 23-karat gold leafed dome towering above the city is a favorite of sightseers  Four smaller domes flank the main dome  The Capitol houses the governor's offices, legislature, and the old Supreme Court Chambers  The ornate interior also features a grand staircase, mural "Westward", five-story law library, scale model of the USS Iowa, and collection of first lady dolls  Guided tours are available 
The Capitol grounds include a World War II memorial with sculpture and Wall of Memories, the 1894 Soldiers and Sailors Monument of the Civil War and memorials honoring those who served in the Spanish–American, Korean, and Vietnam Wars 
The West Capitol Terrace provides the entrance from the west to the state's grandest building, the State Capitol Building  The 10-acre (4 ha) "people's park" at the foot of the Capitol complex includes a promenade and landscaped gardens, in addition to providing public space for rallies and special events  A granite map of Iowa depicting all 99 counties rests at the base of the terrace and has become an attraction for in-state visitors, many of whom walk over the map to find their home county 

Iowa's history lives on in the State of Iowa Historical Museum  This modern granite and glass structure at the foot of the State Capitol Building houses permanent and temporary exhibits exploring the people, places, events, and issues of Iowa's past  The showcase includes native wildlife, American Indian and pioneer artifacts, and political and military items  The museum features a genealogy and Iowa history library, museum gift shop, and cafe 
Terrace Hill, a National Historic Landmark and Iowa Governor's Residence, is among the best examples of American Victorian Second Empire architecture  This opulent 1869 home was built by Iowa's first millionaire, Benjamin F  Allen, and restored to the late 19th century period  It overlooks downtown Des Moines and is situated on 8 acres (3 2 ha) with a re-created Victorian formal garden  Tours are conducted Tuesdays through Saturdays from March through December 
The 110,000-square-foot (10,000 m2) Science Center of Iowa and Blank IMAX Dome Theater offers seven interactive learning areas, live programs, and hands-on activities encouraging learning and fun for all ages  Among its three theaters include the 216-seat Blank IMAX Dome Theater, 175-seat John Deere Adventure Theater featuring live performances, and a 50-foot (15 m) domed Star Theater 

The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, an indoor conservatory of over 15,000 exotic plants, is one of the largest collections of tropical, subtropical, and desert-growing plants in the Midwest  The Center blooms with thousands of flowers year-round  Nearby are the Robert D  Ray Asian Gardens and Pavilion, named in honor of the former governor whose influence helped relocate thousands of Vietnamese refugees to Iowa homes in the 1970s and 1980s  Developed by the city's Asian community, the Gardens include a three-story Chinese pavilion, bonsai landscaping, and granite sculptures to highlight the importance of diversity and recognize Asian American contributions in Iowa 
Blank Park Zoo is a landscaped 22-acre (8 9 ha) zoological park on the south side  Among the exhibits include a tropical rain forest, Australian Outback, and Africa  The Zoo offers education classes, tours, and rental facilities 
The Iowa Primate Learning Sanctuary was established as a scientific research facility with a 230-acre (93 ha) campus housing bonobos and orangutans for the noninvasive interdisciplinary study of their cognitive and communicative capabilities 

The East Village, on the east side of the Des Moines River, begins at the river and extends about five blocks east to the State Capitol Building, offering an eclectic blend of historic buildings, hip eateries, boutiques, art galleries, and a wide variety of other retail establishments mixed with residences 
Adventureland Park is an amusement park in neighboring Altoona, just northeast of Des Moines  The park boasts more than 100 rides, shows, and attractions, including six rollercoasters  A hotel and campground is just outside the park  Also in Altoona is Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino, an entertainment venue for gambling and horse racing  Open 24 hours a day, year-round, the racetrack and casino features live racing, plus over 1,750 slot machines, table games, and concert and show entertainment   The racetrack hosts two Grade III races annually, the Iowa Oaks and the Cornhusker Handicap 
Living History Farms in suburban Urbandale tells the story of Midwestern agriculture and rural life in a 500-acre (2 0 km2) open-air museum with interpreters dressed in period costume who recreate the daily routines of early Iowans  Open daily from May through October, the Living History Farms include a 1700 Ioway Indian village, 1850 pioneer farm, 1875 frontier town, 1900 horse-powered farm, and a modern crop center 
Wallace House was the home of the first Henry Wallace, a national leader in agriculture and conservation and the first editor of Wallaces' Farmer farm journal  This restored 1883 Italianate Victorian houses exhibits, artifacts, and information covering four generations of Henry Wallaces and other family members 
Historic Jordan House in West Des Moines is a stately Victorian home built in 1850 and added to in 1870 by the first white settler in West Des Moines, James C  Jordan  Completely refurbished, this mansion was part of the Underground Railroad and today houses 16 period rooms, a railroad museum, West Des Moines community history, and a museum dedicated to the Underground Railroad in Iowa  In 1893 Jordan's daughter Eda was sliding down the banister when she fell off and broke her neck  She died two days later, and her ghost is reputed to haunt the house The Chicago Tribune wrote that Iowa's capital city has "walker-friendly downtown streets and enough outdoor sculpture, sleek buildings, storefronts and cafes to delight the most jaded stroller" 

Festivals and events
Des Moines plays host to a growing number of nationally acclaimed cultural events, including the annual Des Moines Arts Festival in June, Metro Arts Jazz in July, Iowa State Fair in August, and the World Food & Music Festival in September  On Saturdays from May through October, the Downtown Farmers' Market draws visitors from across the state  Local parades include Saint Patrick's Day Parade, Drake Relays Parade, Capitol City Pride Parade, Iowa State Fair Parade, Labor Day Parade, and Beaverdale Fall Festival Parade 
Other annual festivals and events include: Des Moines Beer Week, 80/35 Music Festival, 515 Alive Music Festival, ArtFest Midwest, Blue Ribbon Bacon Fest, CelebrAsian Heritage Festival, Des Moines Pride Festival, Des Moines Renaissance Faire, Festa Italiana, Festival of Trees and Lights, World Food & Music Festival, I'll Make Me a World Iowa, Latino Heritage Festival, Oktoberfest, Winefest, ImaginEve!, Iowa's Premier Beer, Wine & Food Show, and Wild Rose Film Festival 

Museums
Des Moines Art Center
Des Moines Police Museum & Historical Society
Fort Des Moines Museum and Education Center
Jordan House Museum
Hoyt Sherman Place
Salisbury House
Science Center of Iowa
State Historical Society of Iowa
Terrace Hill – Official residence of the governor of Iowa
Wallace House Museum
World Food Prize Hall of Laureates
Wells Fargo History Museum

Government
Des Moines operates under a council–manager form of government  The council consists of a mayor (Frank Cownie) and is elected in citywide vote, two at-large members, and four members representing each of the city's four wards  In 2014, Jonathan Gano was appointed as the new Public Works Director  In 2015, Dana Wingert was appointed as Police Chief  In 2018, Steven L  Naber was appointed as the new City Engineer The council members include:
A plan to merge the governments of Des Moines and Polk County was rejected by voters during the November 2, 2004, election  The consolidated city-county government would have had a full-time mayor and a 15-member council that would have been divided among the city and its suburbs  Each suburb would still have retained its individual government but with the option to join the consolidated government at any time  Although a full merger was soundly rejected, many city and county departments and programs have been consolidated 

Transportation
Des Moines has an extensive skywalk system within its downtown core  With over four miles of enclosed walkway, it is one of the largest of such systems in the United States  The Des Moines Skywalk System has been criticized for hurting street-level business, though a recent initiative has been made to make street-level Skywalk entrances more visible 

Interstate 235 (I-235) cuts through the city, and I-35 and I-80 both pass through the Des Moines metropolitan area, as well as the city of Des Moines  On the northern side of the city of Des Moines and passing through the cities of Altoona, Clive, Johnston, Urbandale and West Des Moines, I-35 and I-80 converge into a long concurrency while I-235 takes a direct route through Des Moines, Windsor Heights, and West Des Moines before meeting up with I-35 and I-80 on the western edge of the metro  The Des Moines Bypass passes south and east of the city   Other routes in and around the city include US 6, US 69, Iowa 28, Iowa 141, Iowa 163, Iowa 330, Iowa 415, & Iowa 160 

Des Moines's public transit system, operated by DART (Des Moines Area Regional Transit), which was the Des Moines Metropolitan Transit Authority until October 2006, consists entirely of buses, including regular in-city routes and express and commuter buses to outlying suburban areas 
Characteristics of household ownership of cars in Des Moines are similar to national averages  In 2015, 8 5 percent of Des Moines households lacked a car, and increased to 9 6 percent in 2016  The national average was 8 7 percent in 2016  Des Moines averaged 1 71 cars per household in 2016, compared to a national average of 1 8 
Burlington Trailways, and Jefferson Lines run long-distance, intercity bus routes through Des Moines  The bus station is located north of downtown  Although Des Moines was historically a train hub, it does not have passenger train service  For east–west traffic it was served at the Rock Island Depot by the Corn Belt Rocket express from Omaha to the west, to Chicago in the east  The Rock Island also offered the Rocky Mountain Rocket from Colorado Springs in the west, to Chicago, and the Twin Star Rocket to Minneapolis to the north and Dallas and Houston to the south  The last train was an unnamed service ending at Council Bluffs, and it was discontinued on May 31, 1970   Today, this line constitutes the mainline of the Iowa Interstate Railroad  
Other railroads used the East Des Moines Union Station  Northward and northwest bound, there were Chicago and North Western trains to destinations including Minneapolis  The Wabash Railroad ran service to the southeast to St  Louis   These lines remain in use but are now operated by Union Pacific and BNSF 
The nearest Amtrak station is in Osceola, about 40 miles (64 km) south of Des Moines  The Osceola station is served by the Chicago–San Francisco California Zephyr; there is no Osceola–Des Moines Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach connecting service  There have been proposals to extend Amtrak's planned Chicago–Moline Quad City Rocket to Des Moines via the Iowa Interstate Railroad The Des Moines International Airport (DSM), on Fleur Drive in the southern part of Des Moines, offers nonstop service to destinations within the United States  The only international service is cargo service, but there have been discussions about adding an international terminal 

Education
The Des Moines Public Schools district is the largest community school district in Iowa with 32,062 enrolled students as of the 2012–2013 school year  The district consists of 63 schools: 38 elementary schools, eleven middle schools, five high schools (East, Hoover, Lincoln, North, and Roosevelt), and ten special schools and programs  Small parts of the city are instead served by Carlisle Community Schools, Johnston Community School District, the Southeast Polk Community School District and the Saydel School District Grand View Christian School is the only private school in the city, although Des Moines Christian School (in Des Moines from 1947 to 2006) in Urbandale, Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, and Ankeny Christian Academy on the north side of the metro area serve some city residents 
Des Moines is also home to the main campuses of three four-year private colleges: Drake University, Grand View University, and Mercy College of Health Sciences  The University of Iowa has a satellite facility in the city's Western Gateway Park, while Iowa State University hosts Master of Business Administration classes downtown  Simpson College, Upper Iowa University, William Penn University, and Purdue University Global   Des Moines Area Community College is the area's community college with campuses in Ankeny, Des Moines, and West Des Moines  The city is also home to Des Moines University, an osteopathic medical school 

Media
The Des Moines market, which originally consisted of Polk, Dallas, Story, and Warren counties, was ranked 91st by Arbitron as of the fall of 2007 with a population of 512,000 aged 12 and older  But in June 2011 it was moved up to 72nd with the addition of Boone, Clarke, Greene, Guthrie, Jasper, Lucas, Madison and Marion counties 

Radio
Commercial stations
iHeartMedia owns five radio stations in the area, including WHO 1040 AM, a 50,000-watt AM news/talk station that has the highest ratings in the area and once employed future President Ronald Reagan as a sportscaster  In addition to WHO, iHeartMedia owns KDRB 100 3 FM (adult hits), KKDM 107 5 FM (contemporary hits), KXNO-FM 106 3, and KXNO 1460 AM (sports radio)  They also own news/talk station KASI 1430 AM and hot adult contemporary station KCYZ 105 1 FM, both of which broadcast from Ames 
Cumulus Media owns five stations that broadcast from facilities in Urbandale: KBGG 1700 AM (sports), KGGO 94 9 FM (classic rock), KHKI 97 3 FM (country music), KJJY 92 5 FM (country music), and KWQW 98 3 FM (classic hip hop) Saga Communications owns nine stations in the area: KAZR 103 3 FM (rock), KAZR-HD2 (oldies), KIOA 93 3 FM (oldies), KIOA-HD2 99 9FM & 93 3 HD2 (Rhythmic Top 40), KOEZ 104 1 FM (soft adult contemporary), KPSZ 940 AM (contemporary Christian music, religious teaching, and conservative talk), KRNT 1350 AM (ESPN Radio), KSTZ 102 5 FM (adult contemporary hits), and KSTZ-HD2 (classic country)  Other stations in the Des Moines area include religious stations KWKY 1150 AM, and KPUL 101 7 FM 

Non-commercial stations
Non-commercial radio stations in the Des Moines area include KDPS 88 1 FM, a station operated by the Des Moines Public Schools; KWDM 88 7 FM, a station operated by Valley High School; KJMC 89 3 FM, an urban contemporary station; K213DV 90 5 FM, the contemporary Christian K-Love affiliate for the area; and KDFR 91 3 FM, operated by Family Radio  Iowa Public Radio broadcasts several stations in the Des Moines area, all of which are owned by Iowa State University and operated on campus  WOI 640 am, the networks flagship station, and WOI-FM 90 1, the networks flagship "Studio One" station, are both based out of Ames and serve as the area's National Public Radio outlets  The network also operates classical stations KICG, KICJ, KICL and KICP   The University of Northwestern – St  Paul operates Contemporary Christian simulcasts of KNWI-FM at 107 1 Osceola/Des Moines, KNWM-FM at 96 1 Madrid/Ames/Des Moines, and K264CD at 100 7 in downtown Des Moines 
Low-power FM stations include KFMG-LP 99 1, a community radio station broadcasting from the Hotel Fort Des Moines and also webstreamed 

Television
The Des Moines-Ames media market consists of 35 central Iowa counties: Adair, Adams, Appanoose, Audubon, Boone, Calhoun, Carroll, Clarke, Dallas, Decatur, Franklin, Greene, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hardin, Humboldt, Jasper, Kossuth, Lucas, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Pocahontas, Polk, Poweshiek, Ringgold, Story, Taylor, Union, Warren, Wayne, Webster, and Wright  It was ranked 71st by Nielsen Media Research for the 2008–2009 television season with 432,410 television households Commercial television stations serving Des Moines include CBS affiliate KCCI channel 8, NBC affiliate WHO-DT channel 13, and Fox affiliate KDSM-TV channel 17  ABC affiliate WOI-TV channel 5 and CW affiliate KCWI-TV channel 23 are both licensed to Ames and broadcast from studios in West Des Moines  KFPX-TV channel 39, the local ION affiliate, is licensed to Newton  Two non-commercial stations are also licensed to Des Moines: KDIN channel 11, the local PBS member station and flagship of the Iowa Public Television network, and KDMI channel 19, a TCT affiliate  Mediacom is the Des Moines area's cable television provider  Television sports listings for Des Moines and Iowa can be found on the Des Moines Register website 

Print
The Des Moines Register is the city's primary daily newspaper  As of March 31, 2007, the Register ranked 71st in circulation among daily newspapers in the United States according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations with 146,050 daily and 233,229 Sunday subscribers  Weekly newspapers include Juice, a publication aimed at the 25–34 demographic published by the Register on Wednesdays; Cityview, an alternative weekly published on Thursdays; and the Des Moines Business Record, a business journal published on Sundays, along with the West Des Moines Register, the Johnston Register, and the Waukee Register on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays depending on the address of the subscriber  Additionally, magazine publisher Meredith Corporation was based in Des Moines prior to its acquisition by IAC and merger with Dotdash in 2021 

Sports and recreation
Sports
Des Moines hosts professional minor league teams in several sports — baseball, basketball, hockey, indoor football, and soccer — and is home to the sports teams of Drake University which play in NCAA Division I 
The Des Moines Menace soccer club, a member of USL League Two, play their home games at Valley Stadium in West Des Moines 
Des Moines is home to the Iowa Cubs baseball team of the Triple-A East  The I-Cubs, which are the Triple-A affiliate of the major league Chicago Cubs, play their home games at Principal Park near the confluence of the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers 
Wells Fargo Arena of the Iowa Events Center is home to the Iowa Barnstormers of the Indoor Football League, the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League, and the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League  The Barnstormers relaunched as an af2 club in 2008 before joining a relaunched Arena Football League in 2010 and the Indoor Football League in 2015; the Barnstormers had previously played in the Arena Football League from 1994 to 2000 (featuring future NFL Hall of Famer and Super Bowl MVP quarterback Kurt Warner) before relocating to New York  The Iowa Energy, a D-League team, began play in 2007  They were bought by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2017 and were renamed the Iowa Wolves to reflect the new ownership  The Wild, the AHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's Minnesota Wild have played at Wells Fargo Arena since 2013; previously, the Iowa Chops played four seasons in Des Moines (known as the Iowa Stars for three of those seasons )
Additionally, the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League play at Buccaneer Arena in suburban Urbandale 
Des Moines is also home to the Drake University Bulldogs, an NCAA Division I member of the Missouri Valley Conference, primarily playing northwest of downtown at the on-campus Drake Stadium and Knapp Center  Drake Stadium is home to the famed Drake Relays each April  In addition to the Drake Relays, Drake Stadium has hosted multiple NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The Vikings of Grand View University also compete in intercollegiate athletics in Des Moines  A member of the Heart of America Athletic Conference, within the NAIA, they field 21 varsity athletic teams  They were NAIA National Champions in football in 2013 
The Principal Charity Classic, a Champions Tour golf event, is held at Wakonda Club in late May or early June  The IMT Des Moines Marathon is held throughout the city each October 

Parks and recreation
Des Moines has 76 city parks and three golf courses, as well as three family aquatic centers, five community centers and three swimming pools  The city has 45 miles (72 km) of trails  The first major park was Greenwood Park  The park commissioners purchased the land on April 21, 1894 
The Principal Riverwalk is a riverwalk park district being constructed along the banks of the Des Moines River in the downtown  Primarily funded by the Principal Financial Group, the Riverwalk is a multi-year jointly funded project also funded by the city and state  Upon completion, it will feature a 1 2-mile (1 9 km) recreational trail connecting the east and west sides of downtown via two pedestrian bridges  A landscaped promenade along the street level is planned  The Riverwalk includes the downtown Brenton Skating Plaza, open from November through March 
Gray's Lake, part of the 167 acres (68 ha) of Gray's Lake Park, features a boat rental facility, fishing pier, floating boardwalks, and a park resource center  Located just south of the downtown, the centerpiece of the park is a lighted 1 9-mile (3 1 km) Kruidenier Trail, encircling it entirely 
From downtown Des Moines primarily along the east bank of the Des Moines River, the Neil Smith and John Pat Dorrian Trails are 28 2-mile (45 4 km) paved recreational trails that connect Gray's Lake northward to the east shore of Saylorville Lake, Big Creek State Park, and the recreational trails of Ankeny including the High Trestle Trail  These trails are near several recreational facilities including the Pete Crivaro Park, Principal Park, the Principal Riverwalk, the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, Union Park and its Heritage Carousel of Des Moines, Birdland Park and the Birdland Marina/Boatramp on the Des Moines River, Riverview Park, McHenry Park, and River Drive Park  Although outside of Des Moines, Jester Park has 1,834 acres (742 ha) of land along the western shore of Saylorville Lake and can be reached from the Neil Smith Trail over the Saylorville Dam 
Just west of Gray's Lake are the 1,500 acres (607 ha) of the Des Moines Water Works Park  The Water Works Park is along the banks of the Raccoon River immediately upstream from where the Raccoon River empties into the Des Moines River  The Des Moines Water Works Facility, which obtains the city's drinking water from the Raccoon River, is entirely within the Water Works Park  A bridge in the park crosses the Raccoon River  The Water Works Park recreational trails link to downtown Des Moines by travelling past Gray's Lake and back across the Raccoon River via either along the Meredith Trail near Principal Park, or along the Martin Luther King Jr  Parkway  The Water Works Park trails connect westward to Valley Junction and the recreational trails of the western suburbs: Windsor Heights, Urbandale, Clive, and Waukee  Also originating from Water Works Park, the Great Western Trail is an 18-mile (29 km) journey southward from Des Moines to Martensdale through the Willow Creek Golf Course, Orilla, and Cumming  Often, the location for summer music festivals and concerts, Water Works Park was the overnight campground for thousands of bicyclists on Tuesday, July 23, 2013, during RAGBRAI XLI 

Sister cities
The Greater Des Moines Sister City Commission, with members from the City of Des Moines and the suburbs of Cumming, Norwalk, Windsor Heights, Johnston, Urbandale, and Ankeny, maintains sister city relationships with:
 Kōfu, Japan (1958)
 Saint-Étienne, France (1985)
 Shijiazhuang, China (1985)
 Stavropol, Russia (1992)
 Pristina, Kosovo (2018) (Kosovo also opened Consulate in downtown Des Moines in 2015 – List of diplomatic missions of Kosovo)
 Catanzaro, Italy (2006)
 Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia (1987)

See also
List of people from Des Moines, Iowa
B-Bop's (1988)
Moingona
Des Moines Police Department
USS Des Moines, 3 ships
Des Moines-class cruiser

Notes
Passage 3:
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid is a 2006 memoir by best-selling travel writer Bill Bryson  The book delves into Bryson's past, telling of his youth growing up in Des Moines, Iowa, during the 1950s and early 1960s  It also reveals the backstory between himself and Stephen Katz, who appeared in A Walk in the Woods and "Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe " Bryson also describes and comments on American life in the 1950s  The title of the book comes from an imaginary alter-ego Bryson invented for himself in his childhood, who has the ability to vaporise people The book was released on September 1, 2006, in the United Kingdom, where it was published by Doubleday  In the United States and Canada, the book was launched on  October 17, 2006, and was published by Broadway Books and Doubleday Canada respectively 

Plot
Bryson was born on December 8, 1951  He spent his childhood growing up in Des Moines, Iowa, part of the baby-boom generation born in the post-war years  He describes his early life and his parents, Bill Sr  and Mary Bryson  His father was a well-known sports writer for The Des Moines Register, the leading newspaper in Des Moines  His mother was also a writer for the Register, she also wrote for magazines like Better Homes and Gardens, Good Housekeeping, and House Beautiful 
He recounts many things that were invented during his childhood that fascinated him, which include frozen dinners, atomic toilets, and television  His middle-class, all-American lifestyle is shown constantly throughout the book, and the influence of his depression-era raised parents rubs off on him  He also remembers his adventures as "the Thunderbolt Kid," an alter ego he made up for himself when he felt powerless  He was able to vaporize people with his heat vision and thought that he came from another planet  He tells amusing stories of his misadventures as Billy Bryson, including his first days in school when he figured out that when the entire class was running drills to protect themselves from a bomb, he would simply read comic books instead  However, when the principal and a police officer came in one day to supervise, he got in trouble  Trouble was something fairly common for "the Thunderbolt Kid", as throughout his childhood his teachers were unamused by his activities  In fact, Bryson recounts how he really was uninterested in getting up before noon, thus not even going to school very often  Despite his unique behavior, Bryson tells his story through the eyes of a child, filled with hilarious observations about the world — from "Lumpy" Kowalski's curious nickname to the joy that was to be had in the department stores 
Though Bryson focuses mostly on his childhood, he tells of many of the events that were happening at the time, including the development of the atomic bomb, and the beginnings of the civil rights movement  He tells of his first days in junior high and high school, and during both he began smoking, drinking, and stealing, although he didn’t get caught for any of it  He met Stephen Katz in junior high school, when they were both in the school's audio-visual club  Katz would accompany Bryson on many of his travel experiences  At the end of the book, Bryson tells the reader that "life moves on", and that he wishes that the world could be more similar to life in the 1950s and 1960s  The last lines of the book are, "What a wonderful world that would be  What a wonderful world it was  We won’t see its like again, I'm afraid "

Reception
The book received mostly positive reviews from critics  Carole Cadwalladr of The Observer wrote "What Bryson has achieved with this book is final confirmation that he is the Frank Capra of American letters", and later added "And it really is a wonderful life to be immersed in the American Midwest in the Fifties with Bill as your tour guide [   ] Bryson has to pad his tale with other stuff  And it's the other stuff at which he excels " 
Ian Sansom of The Guardian stated "He has a natural-seeming style in which he doesn't so much tell jokes as let his sentences stretch out and relax into feet-up, contented good humour " and "Bryson's descriptions of 50s Des Moines [   ] makes you wish that you could emigrate, become a child, get a flat-top haircut and some long-laced baseball boots, and sneak in and take up residence unnoticed with little Billy Bryson in his parents' household " The only complaint Tom Fort of The Daily Telegraph made about the autobiography was that "His handicap is that he is entirely free of the malice, the appetite for smut, scandal and unpleasantness — above all, the narcissism — absolutely essential to the form "The book has a 73/100 rating at the website Metacritic, earning it the rank of "Generally favorable reviews" 

Editions
ISBN 0-7679-1936-X (US hardcover, 2006)
ISBN 0-385-60826-8 (UK hardcover, 2006)
ISBN 0-385-66161-4 (CDN hardcover, 2006)
ISBN 0-7679-1937-8 (US paperback, 2007)
ISBN 978-0-552-77254-9 (UK paperback, 2007)
ISBN 0-385-66162-2 (CDN paperback, 2007)
ISBN 0-7393-1523-4 (US audiobook, 2006)
ISBN 978-0-552-15365-2 (UK audiobook, 2006)
Passage 4:
Bill Bryson's African Diary
Bill Bryson's African Diary is a 2002 book by bestselling travel writer Bill Bryson  The book details a trip Bryson took to Kenya in 2002  Bryson describes his experiences there and observations about Kenyan culture, geography, and politics, as well as his visits to poverty-fighting projects run by CARE International, to which he donated all royalties for the book 

Reception
In a review published in the Guardian Lionel Shriver was critical of the book's length, describing it as "less a book than a pamphlet"   Shriver also disliked the book's tone, "a po-faced, gee-whizz sincerity ill-suited to a writer who has made his reputation for being light and wry (and even snide) in droll travel books "
Passage 5:
Notes from a Big Country
Notes from a Big Country, or as it was released in the United States, I'm a Stranger Here Myself, is a collection of articles written by Bill Bryson for The Mail on Sunday's Night and Day supplement during the 1990s, published together first in Britain in 1998 and in paperback in 1999  The book discusses Bryson's views on relocating to Hanover, New Hampshire, after spending two decades in Britain 
The American and British editions are not quite identical as, besides spelling differences, some explanatory information suitable for each intended audience is added or omitted within individual articles  This is freely acknowledged in the introduction 

Content
The book contains articles which Bryson wrote for the Mail between 1996 and 1998  He discusses a multitude of topics in the articles such as the death penalty, the war on drugs, gardening, commercials, book tours, inefficiency, Thanksgiving, and air travel 
Passage 6:
Michael Bryson
Michael G  Bryson (August 22, 1942 – May 22, 2012) was a news and sports reporter and editor from Des Moines, Iowa and the elder brother of travel writer Bill Bryson  He co-authored a book The Babe Didn't Point: And Other Stories About Iowans and Sports with his son Michael G  Bryson Jr in 1989  He wrote The Twenty-Four-Inch Home Run in 1990 
Bryson was an editor and associate publisher of the Sun Press Newspapers in Hawaii from 1979 to 1986  He covered the New York Mets in 1969 while a sports reporter for the Associated Press  He was a news reporter for the Des Moines Register and Tribune from 1970 to 1979  He attended Drake University 
Passage 7:
The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America
The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America is a book by travel writer Bill Bryson, chronicling his 13,978-mile trip around the United States in the autumn of 1987 and spring 1988   It was Bryson's first travel book He begins his journey, made almost entirely by car, in his childhood hometown of Des Moines, Iowa, heading from there towards the Mississippi River, often reminiscing about his childhood in Iowa  The journey was made after his father's death, and so is in part a collection of memories of his father in Des Moines while he was growing up 
The book is split into two sections: 'East' and 'West', the former part being considerably longer than the latter  These sections correspond to two separate journeys made in the autumn of 1987 and spring of 1988  The first section covers the Midwest, the Deep South, the East Coast and New England, before returning to Des Moines  The second section focuses on the Great Plains, the South West, California and the Rocky Mountains 
Bryson's goal in this trip was generally to avoid tourist destinations, instead choosing to experience the real every-day America, stopping at small towns and forgotten points of interest  This book is an overview of the United States from Bryson's point of view  There is less focus on factual insight into the history, geography and culture of the destinations in this book than is found in some of Bryson's later books, focusing instead on observations made with the intention of being humorous 

Bibliography
Bryson, Bill (1989): The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America  London: Secker 

See also
Americana
Passage 8:
The Mother Tongue
The Mother Tongue is a 1990 book by Bill Bryson which compiles the history and origins of the English language and its various quirks  It is subtitled English And How It Got That Way  The book discusses the Indo-European origins of English, the growing status of English as a global language, the complex etymology of English words, the dialects of English, spelling reform, prescriptive grammar, and other topics including swearing  This account popularises the subject and makes it accessible to the lay reader, but it has been criticised for some inaccuracies, such as the perpetuation of several urban myths This book has also been published in the UK by Penguin Books under the title Mother Tongue: The English Language 
Bryson has since followed up this work with Made in America 
Passage 9:
Bill Bryson Sr 
William Eugene Bryson Sr  (March 3, 1915 – January 31, 1986) was an American sportswriter who wrote for The Des Moines Register from 1937 until his retirement in 1978  He covered 32 consecutive World Series 

Early life
Bryson was born and raised in Winfield, Iowa 

Career
Bryson began his career as a reporter for the Winfield Beacon, his hometown newspaper 
Bryson Sr  has been called "one of the finest sportswriters in the country and widely recognized as such " As his son Bill describes in The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, due to the quality of Bryson Sr 's work, one prominent television sports journalist thought of him as being "possibly the greatest baseball writer there ever was " He contributed to Baseball Digest and many other publications 
The Babe Didn't Point: And Other Stories About Iowans and Sports, a book of some of his best sports stories, was published by his son Michael 

Personal life and death
Bryson married Mary Agnes McGuire (1913-2015), an editor for The Des Moines Register : 6  They had three children: Michael (who also became a sports journalist), Bill Jr  (who also became a journalist and a writer), and Mary Elizabeth  Bryson died of an apparent heart attack, on January 31, 1986, at his home in Des Moines, Iowa Bryson's son, Bill Jr , the renowned writer, published a loving tribute to his father in 2001 which described how Bryson had conducted what was probably  the very last interview with Babe Ruth, just a month before the legendary New York Yankee died in August 1948  The profile also includes the praise of Bryson noted above by a former NBC News president, who had said he "may have been the best baseball writer ever, anywhere "
Passage 10:
Down Under (book)
Down Under is the British title of a 2000 travelogue book about Australia written by best-selling travel writer Bill Bryson  In the United States and Canada it was published titled In a Sunburned Country, a title taken from the famous Australian poem, "My Country"  It was also published as part of Walk About, which included Down Under and another of Bryson's books, A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail, in one volume 

Summary
Bill Bryson describes his travels by railway and car throughout Australia, his conversations with people in all walks of life about the history, geography, unusual plants and animals of the country, and his wry impressions of the life, culture and amenities (or lack thereof) in each locality 
In a style similar to his book A Walk in the Woods, or William Least Heat-Moon's Blue Highways, Bryson's research enabled him to include many stories about Australia's 19th-century explorers and settlers who suffered extreme deprivations, as well as details about its natural resources, culture, and economy  His writings are intertwined with recurring humorous themes 

Synopsis
The book consists of three parts:
1  Into the Outback
The first part of the book mainly describes the journey taken by Bryson aboard the Indian Pacific from Sydney to Perth  He is accompanied on this journey by a young English photographer named Trevor Ray Hart  The author describes his experiences on the train, the places the train passes through on its way to Perth such as the Blue Mountains and White Cliffs  The author also supplies plenty of humor in the form of historical accounts of early explorers and settlers of Australia 

2  Civilized Australia (The Boomerang Coast)
This section of the book starts off with historical accounts from the time when Australia was discovered and goes on to illustrate how the Australians built a dynamic and prosperous society from a modest and unpropitious beginning  The rest of this section is devoted to the author's account of what he considers to be Civilized Australia, with accounts of Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra, the Gold Coast, Surfers Paradise, and many countryside towns in between 
3  Around the Edges
This part of the journey covers the Great Barrier Reef, the cities of Cairns, Darwin, and Alice Springs, and the mighty monolithic rock Uluru   Later Bryson visits Perth and the Shark Bay area of Western Australia 



ground_truth: Pleiospilos

prompt_front: Answer the question based on the given passages. Only give me the answer and do not output any other words.

Question: Bill Bryson grew up in a city that is the seat of which county ?

The following are given passages.
Context 4:  As of 2013, the racial diversity of the US-resident undergraduate student body was 5 7% Asian, 4 4% Hispanic or Latino, and 4 0% black or African American  Of the undergraduate students, 42 6% were female  Domestic minorities constitute a total of 10 8% in the graduate student body population of which 37 3% are female  Twenty-two percent of the student body is international, representing 126 countries  In graduate and professional student population, non-Indiana residents occupy an overwhelming majority, about 75%  Almost all undergraduates and about 70% of the graduate student population attend full-time  The school's selectivity for admissions is "more selective" by USNWR: approximately 49% of applicants are admitted 

Housing
About one-third of the single undergraduate students on the West Lafayette campus live in university-owned buildings  The rest live in fraternities, sororities, cooperatives, or private off-campus housing  There are 11,844 spaces available for undergraduate students, graduate students, and student families who choose to live on campus  Sixteen percent of the undergraduate student body are members of the 40 fraternities and 20 sororities on campus 
Purdue University operates seventeen separate residence halls for its undergraduate and graduate students, including Cary Quadrangle, Earhart Hall, First Street Towers, Frieda Parker Hall, Harrison Hall, Hawkins Hall, Hillenbrand Hall, Hilltop Apartments, Honors College and Residences, McCutcheon Hall, Meredith Hall, Meredith South Hall, Owen Hall, Shreve Hall, Tarkington Hall, Wiley Hall, Winifred Parker Hall, and the 5 Windsor Halls: Duhme, Shealy, Warren, Wood, and Vawter  Of the residence halls, Cary, McCutcheon, Wiley, and Tarkington are male-only while Windsor, Meredith South Hall, and Meredith Hall are female-only; the rest of them are co-ed There are 12 cooperative houses at Purdue (five men's houses and seven women's houses)  The men's houses include Circle Pines, Fairway, Marwood, Chauncey, and Gemini  The women's houses include Ann Tweedale, Glenwood, Twin Pines, Maclure, Stewart, Devonshire, and Shoemaker  All cooperative houses are governed under the Purdue Cooperative Council which is led by Purdue University students who live in these houses  The cooperative system allows for a much lower cost of living than other types of housing, averaging $2900 annually with all-inclusive monthly rent ranging from $250–$625 varying by house  The members take an active role in sharing chores and cooking all meals themselves, as opposed to hiring out cleaning and cooking staff Purdue University hosts one of the nation's largest Greek community, with approximately 6,000 students participating in one of the roughly 40 men's fraternities or 30 women's sororities  Several of Purdue's most distinguished graduates are members of fraternities and sororities  Purdue's Greek system is very strong and works together in various aspects, including the Inter-Fraternity Council, Panhellenic, and many very successful philanthropies  Every chapter has national philanthropy dedicated to a certain cause that many chapters also participate in  Besides philanthropy, Purdue Greeks are involved all over campus, including College Mentors for Kids, Purdue University Dance Marathon, Boiler Gold Rush, Purdue Student Government, and other activities 

Activities and events
Students at Purdue participate in more than 900 student organizations that cover a variety of interests  Some of the notable clubs founded by Purdue students include the Purdue Reamer Club (a school spirit organization that cares for the Boilermaker Special mascot and raises funds for scholarships) and two clubs that eventually became nationwide organizations: the National Society of Black Engineers and the Rube Goldberg Machine Contest Several campus-wide programs are planned by the Purdue Alumni Student Experience (part of the Alumni Association), Purdue Student Union Board, Purdue Student Government (PSG), or the Purdue Graduate Student Government (PGSG)  PSG and PGSG are made up of representatives from each of the university's academic colleges and give recommendations to the faculty, administration, and sometimes to the state legislature Annual campus events include Boiler Gold Rush, Purdue University Dance Marathon, Spring Fest, and Grand Prix  Boiler Gold Rush (BGR) is Purdue's new-student orientation program  BGR, which takes place before each fall semester, was formed to ease the transition to college for incoming students and to help them get acquainted with successful college life  Boiler Gold Rush activities include speaker presentations from various academic, cultural, safety, and professional organizations on campus, campus tours led by Team Leaders, academic 'meet the schools' picnic and interest sessions, late-night events at the Purdue Memorial Union, Recreational Sports Center and local stores, and a sports pep rally  Purdue University Dance Marathon (PUDM) is an 18-hour no-sitting, no-sleeping, dance marathon that takes place each fall in the Cordova Recreation center  Each year over 2,000 students participate and the event raises over $1 million annually for Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis  PUDM is also one of the largest collegiate Dance Marathons in the country  Spring Fest is an annual carnival with entertaining exhibits from many academic departments  A highlight of the weekend is the Entomology Department's Bug Bowl, where the sport of cricket spitting was invented in 1997  The Purdue Grand Prix, a 50-mile, 160-lap go-kart race is "The Greatest Spectacle in College Racing" and wraps up Gala Week each year  All 33 participating karts are made from scratch by student teams  The event has been raising money for student scholarships since it began in 1958 

Religious life
Purdue has a number of religious organizations on and near the campus  St  Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church serves the Catholic community at Purdue and the surrounding community  There is also a non-denominational Christian church, Campus House, which is affiliated with the popular coffee-shop Greyhouse Coffee  The Purdue Hillel Foundation and Chabad at Purdue are the university's Jewish campus organizations  The Islamic Society of Greater Lafayette has an Islamic center serving the needs of the Muslim community on campus 

Media
The Purdue Exponent, an independent student newspaper, has the largest circulation of any Indiana college newspaper, with a daily circulation of 17,500 copies during the spring and fall semesters  From 1889 to 2008 Purdue published a yearbook called the Debris WBAA is a professional radio station operation owned by and licensed to Purdue University  The station operates three noncommercial stations: WBAA News, WBAA Classical, and WBAA Jazz  The stations can be heard on AM920, 101 3 FM, and 105 9 FM  WBAA also broadcasts on HD Radio and digital platforms including wbaa org and the WBAA app  Its studios are in the Edward C  Elliott Hall of Music on the Purdue campus, and the transmitters are in Lafayette, Indiana  WBAA is the longest continuously-operating radio station in Indiana, having been licensed on April 4, 1922  WBAA is a NPR member station  Despite some public disapproval, in 2022, Purdue sold WBAA to WFYI-FM  Purdue received $700,000 in underwriting credit while agreeing to provide an investment of $250,000 annually for two years to WFYI to offset initial operating costs There are also a few campus radio stations on campus  Currently, three radio stations operate from residence halls, broadcasting via internet only; WCCR from Cary Quadrangle (not to be confused with the current WCCR FM or WCCR-LP stations in other states), WILY from Wiley Hall, and WHHR from Harrison Hall W9YB is the callsign of the Amateur Radio Club at Purdue University  W9YB is the longest standing club on campus and also holds the self-declared title of having one of the largest and most active collegiate amateur radio stations in the country  W9YB actively participates in emergency management for the Tippecanoe County area and maintains ready status with its members in skills to assist  W9YB is among the longest standing amateur radio clubs in the United States, with the current callsign dating back to 1932 and the previous callsign 9YB dating back to 1920 The "Movie Tribute Show" was created in a small television studio (now known as the Erik Mygrant Studio) on campus in 1999 

Athletics
On October 26, 1891, a newspaper in Crawfordsville, Indiana, called Purdue's football team the "Boiler Makers" when writing about their trouncing of Wabash College  Lafayette newspapers soon picked up the name, and in October 1892, The Purdue Exponent, Purdue's student newspaper, gave it the stamp of approval  In the early days of Purdue football, the team was called other names as well, including "haymakers," "railsplitters," "sluggers," and "cornfield sailors " This heritage is reflected in Purdue's official mascot: the Boilermaker Special (a truck-like vehicle that resembles a locomotive) and the athletic mascot Purdue Pete (a muscular hammer-wielding boilermaker)  The school colors of old gold and black were selected by Purdue's first football team in 1887 to resemble the orange and black of Princeton's then-successful team  The best known fight song is "Hail Purdue!" 
Purdue has one of the few college athletic programs not funded by student fees or subsidized by the university  It is home to 18 Division I/I-A NCAA teams including football, basketball, cross country, tennis, wrestling, golf, volleyball, ice hockey (ACHA), and others  Purdue is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference, and played a central role in its creation  Traditional rivals include Big Ten colleagues the Indiana Hoosiers (see Indiana–Purdue rivalry), the Illinois Fighting Illini, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish from the Atlantic Coast Conference (football program independent, however) Purdue's baseball facility was named in honor of two alumni, Anna Margaret Ross Alexander and her husband, John Arthur Alexander, when the new stadium was dedicated in 2013 

Football
The Boilermaker football team represents Purdue University in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)  Ryan Walters is Purdue's current head coach, the 37th in the program's history  Purdue plays its home games at Ross-Ade Stadium on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana  The Boilermakers compete in the Big Ten Conference as a member of the West Division  With a 592–515–48 record, Purdue has the 49th most victories among NCAA FBS programs  Purdue was originally classified as a Major College school in the 1937 season until 1972  Purdue received Division I classification in 1973, becoming a Division I-A program from 1978 to 2006 and an FBS program from 2006 to the present  The Boilermakers have registered 64 winning seasons in their history, with 19 of those seasons resulting in eight victories or more, 10 seasons resulting in at least nine wins, and just one season with ten victories or more  Of those successful campaigns, Purdue has produced five unbeaten seasons in its history, going 4–0 in 1891, 8–0 in 1892, 8–0 in 1929, 7–0–1 in 1932 and 9–0 in 1943  The Boilermakers have won a total of 12 conference championships in their history, including four Indiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association titles and eight Big Ten Conference titles  The program is also notable for being one of only two universities – the other being the University of Alabama – to produce three Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks Found on a farm in southern Indiana, the Old Oaken Bucket is one of the oldest American football trophies  The winner of Purdue's annual game against the Indiana University Hoosiers gets to keep the trophy until the next face-off and add a bronze "P" or "I" link to its chain  The first competition in 1925 led to a 0–0 tie, resulting in the first link on the chain being an "IP " As of 1 September 2021, Purdue leads the series 74–42–6 During "Breakfast Club", best described as a cross between a pep rally and a Halloween party, students and even some alumni dress up in costumes, from traditional Halloween garb to creative hand-made costumes, as they bar-hop before Boilermaker home football games  The Breakfast Club plays a significant role during the football season and is informally a part of Purdue tradition  Many Boilermaker fans are dedicated; getting up at 5:00 a m  on Saturdays and lining up at the bars on Chauncey Hill and the levee by 6:00 a m  on game days  The Breakfast Club tradition also takes place the day of the annual Purdue Grand Prix race in April  Another tradition is Saturday morning wake-ups, where the Boilermaker Special uses its many loud horns and whistles to wake dorm students up in preparation for the day's game 

Basketball
The Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team competes in NCAA Division I and is a member of the Big Ten Conference  In 2005, Matt Painter became the head coach in West Lafayette  Painter took over the head coaching job from the winningest coach in school history, Gene Keady, becoming the second former Boilermaker basketball player to take the lead role  Purdue won its 25th Big Ten Conference Championship and 2nd Big Ten Tournament Championship in 2023  This mark leads the conference, as Indiana University Bloomington is second with 22 conference championshps  The Boilermakers were retroactively designated the 1932 national champions by the Helms Athletic Foundation and the Premo-Porretta Power Poll, but have not won an NCAA Championship  They were the 1969 runner-up, falling to legendary coach and former Purdue player John Wooden-led UCLA  They last went to the Final Four in 1980, again falling to UCLA  The Purdue men's team has sent more than 30 players to the NBA including two overall No  1 picks in the NBA draft  The Purdue women's basketball team were the 1999 NCAA Champions and 2001 runner-ups  The Boilermakers men's and women's basketball teams have won more Big Ten Championships than any other conference school, with 32 regular-season conference titles and 11 Big Ten Tournament titles  Purdue men's basketball achieved an all-time winning record against all Big Ten Schools when it gained a winning record over Ohio State with three wins in 2023, improving that record from 91-92 to 94-92  Purdue shares an all-sport rivalry with in-state foe Indiana University and holds a 125–92 series lead in men's basketball 

People
Faculty
The original faculty of six in 1874 has grown to 2,563 tenured and tenure-track faculty in the Purdue Statewide System by Fall 2007 totals  The number of faculty and staff members system-wide is 18,872  The current faculty includes scholars such as Arden L  Bement Jr  (director of the National Science Foundation), R  Graham Cooks, Douglas Comer, Louis de Branges de Bourcia (who proved the Bieberbach conjecture), Victor Raskin, David Sanders, Leah Jamieson, James L  Mohler (who has written several manuals of computer graphics), and Samuel S  Wagstaff Jr  (inventor of the Wagstaff prime) Purdue's tenured faculty comprises sixty Academic Deans, Associate Deans, and Assistant Deans; 63 Academic Department Heads; 753 Professors; 547 Associate Professors; and 447 Assistant Professors  Purdue employs 892 non-tenure-track faculty, Lecturers, and Postdoctoral Researchers at its West Lafayette campus  Purdue employs another 691 tenured and 1,021 Non-Tenure Track Faculty, Lecturers, and Postdoctoral Researchers at its Regional Campuses and Statewide Technology unit Two faculty members (chemists Herbert C  Brown and Ei-ichi Negishi) have been awarded Nobel Prizes while at Purdue  In all, 13 Nobel Prizes in five fields have been associated with Purdue including students, researchers, and current and previous faculty  Other notable faculty of the past have included Golden Gate Bridge designer Charles Alton Ellis, efficiency expert Lillian Gilbreth, food safety advocate Harvey Wiley, aviator Amelia Earhart, president of the National Association of Mathematicians Edray Goins, radio pioneer Reginald Fessenden, and Yeram S  Touloukian, founder of the Thermophysical Properties Research Center 

Alumni
Purdue alumni have achieved recognition in a range of areas, particularly in the science, engineering, and aviation industries  The university's alumni pool collectively holds over 15,000 United States patents Purdue alumni include 25 astronauts, including Gus Grissom, America's second man in space and first to fly in NASA's Gemini program, Neil Armstrong, the first to walk on the Moon, and Eugene Cernan, the last astronaut to do so  Over one-third of all of NASA's crewed space missions have had at least one Purdue graduate as a crew member In science, Purdue has also produced Nobel Prize–winning physicists in Edward Mills Purcell and Ben Roy Mottelson, as well as Nobel Prize–winning chemist Akira Suzuki  Other noted Purdue alumni in science include pioneer of robotics and remote control technology Thomas B  Sheridan; Debian founder Ian Murdock; Chinese physicist Deng Jiaxian, a founding father and key contributor to the Chinese nuclear weapon programs; mathematician Yitang Zhang; chemist Lawrence Rocks; biochemist Edwin T  Mertz, credited with the discovery of high-protein corn and beans; Indian chemist CNR Rao, who has been awarded the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in India; engineer Mohamed Atalla who invented the MOS transistor; physical organic chemist and advocate for women and minorities in science Nina Roscher, who received the ACS Award for Encouraging Women into Careers in the Chemical Sciences (1996) and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (1998); and professor Reuben J  Olembo, a geneticist and environmentalist who went on to become the deputy executive director of UNEP and a UN Assistant Secretary-General, and who was recognised by Purdue in 1994 with a Distinguished Alumni Award for Agriculture In business and economics, Purdue alumni include Stephen Bechtel, Jr , owner of Bechtel Corporation; Federal Reserve Bank president Jeffrey Lacker; and popcorn specialist Orville Redenbacher  In 2010, Bloomberg also revealed Purdue was one of the universities in America with the most undergraduate alumni serving as chief executive officers of S&P 500 firms  They are Gregory Wasson, president/CEO of Walgreens; Mark Miller, chairman/president/CEO of Stericycle; Charles Davidson, former chairman/CEO of Noble Energy; Samuel Allen, chairman /president/CEO of Deere & Company; Don Thompson, president/COO of McDonald's; and John C  Martin (businessman), chairman/CEO of Gilead Sciences, Inc In government and culture, Purdue alumni include Pulitzer Prize–winners Booth Tarkington and John T  McCutcheon, as well as Ginger Thompson, former New York Times reporter currently with ProPublica; Akinwumi Adesina, former Nigerian minister of Agriculture and Rural development and current President of the African Development Bank; Essam Sharaf, former Egyptian Prime Minister; Tom Moore, theater and television director; James Thomson, CEO of Rand Corporation; Brian Lamb, founder and CEO of C-SPAN; Harry G  Leslie, former Governor of Indiana; Kirk Fordice, former Governor of Mississippi; Earl Butz, former United States Secretary of Agriculture; Birch Bayh, former United States Senator; Herman Cain, 2012 Presidential candidate; David McKinley, current West Virginia Congressman; Sun Li-jen, former Kuomintang general; Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu, Indian Parliament member; Dulquer Salmaan, Indian film actor; Blake Ragsdale Van Leer, former Georgia Tech president; Anthony W  Miller, former United States Deputy Secretary of Education; and Hugo F  Sonnenschein, former University of Chicago president  Richard O  Klemm, former CEO of Food Warming Equipment and Illinois state legislator, also graduated from Purdue University In sports, Purdue has produced basketball coach John Wooden; basketball Hall of Famers Stretch Murphy, Piggy Lambert, and Rick Mount; NBA Champions Paul Hoffman, Herm Gilliam, Frank Kendrick, Jerry Sichting, Glenn Robinson, and Brian Cardinal; and NBA All-Stars Glenn Robinson, Brad Miller, Terry Dischinger, and Joe Barry Carroll  Purdue has three NFL Super Bowl–winning quarterbacks in Drew Brees, Bob Griese, and Len Dawson  Additionally, a total of 19 Purdue alumni have been on a Super Bowl–winning team as of 2011  Purdue also produced Super Bowl IV winning coach Hank Stram  2008 Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman graduated from Purdue with a bachelor's degree in vehicle structure engineering Three Purdue alumni have received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the United States: Neil Armstrong, Brian Lamb, and John Wooden The Dauch Alumni Center acts as a showcase for the university's alumni  The 67,000-square-foot (6,200 m2) center houses the offices of the Purdue Alumni Association and University Development  It is a destination and gathering area for the Purdue Alumni Association's 69,000 members and more than 410,000 living alumni 

Notes
Passage 7:
Joe West (umpire)
Joseph Henry West (born October 31, 1952), nicknamed "Cowboy Joe" or "Country Joe", is an American former baseball umpire  He worked in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1976 to 2021, umpiring an MLB-record 43 seasons and 5,460 games 
Born in Asheville, North Carolina, he grew up in Greenville and played football at East Carolina University (ECU) and Elon College  West entered the National League (NL) as an umpire in 1976; he joined the NL staff full-time in 1978  As a young umpire, he worked Nolan Ryan's fifth career no-hitter, was on the field for Willie McCovey's 500th home run, and was involved in a 1983 pushing incident with manager Joe Torre  West resigned during the 1999 Major League Umpires Association mass resignation but was rehired in 2002  He served as crew chief for the 2005 World Series and officiated in the 2009 World Baseball Classic  On May 25, 2021, West broke Bill Klem's all-time record by umpiring his 5,376th game 
West worked several no-hitters, including a 2012 perfect game by Félix Hernández  He officiated six World Series, three All-Star Games, ten League Championship Series (LCS), eight League Division Series (LDS) and four Wild Card Games  West was president of the Major League Baseball Umpires Association through 2018  As the organization's president, he helped negotiate the largest umpiring contract in baseball history  He works with a sporting goods company to design and patent umpiring equipment endorsed by MLB 

Early life
West was born in Asheville, North Carolina, in 1952  He grew up in Greenville, North Carolina, where he played youth baseball and football  He graduated from JH Rose High School in Greenville  West played safety on the first-year football team at East Carolina University (ECU) in 1970 and he was a quarterback for Elon College (now Elon University) from 1971 to 1973   He intended to play his college football career at ECU, but head coach Mike McGee resigned after his first year, prompting West's transfer While in college, West hoped to play both baseball and football  However, spring practice for football interfered with West's ability to be on the baseball team  He concentrated on football and umpired high school baseball games on the side  In his three seasons at Elon, West was the starting quarterback and the team won three conference championships  He was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) on the 1973 team that lost the NAIA Division I title game to Abilene Christian; the Abilene Christian team was led by future professional football players Clint Longley and Wilbert Montgomery  West left Elon holding three passing records that were not broken for 20 years and was inducted into the Elon Sports Hall of Fame in 1986 

Umpiring career
Early career
While umpiring locally as a college student, West met Carolina League umpire supervisor Malcolm Sykes, who recommended that West attend an umpire training school  West went to umpire school and graduated at the top of his class  He worked in several minor-league circuits (the Western Carolinas League, Puerto Rican League, Florida Instructional League, Southern League and American Association) before he was promoted to the major leagues  West made his first National League (NL) appearance in 1976 and joined the full-time NL staff in 1978 In his first season as a full-time MLB umpire, West umpired the game in which Willie McCovey hit his 500th career home run  In the same year, he was at first base when Pete Rose tied the NL record for most consecutive games with a hit, and he was the home plate umpire when Rose broke it the following day  In 1981, West worked first base for Nolan Ryan's fifth career no-hitter  On October 13, 1981, West was 28 when he became the youngest NL umpire to call an LCS  In 1983, West was suspended for three days and fined US$500 for shoving Atlanta Braves manager Joe Torre  The manager was angry at the end of a game and had followed West into the walkway outside the umpires' dressing room to argue with him  On appeal, NL President Chub Feeney reduced West's fine to $300  Torre also received a fine stemming from the incident  This was believed to be the first incident of an umpire being suspended during a baseball season in decades 

1986–2001
West made his second NLCS appearance in 1986  He umpired his first All-Star Game in 1987  On September 28, 1988, West was on the field when Orel Hershiser set the MLB record for consecutive scoreless innings pitched  West returned to the NLCS in 1988 and was the plate umpire when Dodgers pitcher Jay Howell was ejected for having pine tar on his glove During a 1990 on-field brawl between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets, West attempted to break up the fight by throwing Phillies pitcher Dennis Cook to the ground  The matter ultimately was handled among West, NL President Bill White, then-Commissioner Fay Vincent, and the umpires' union  West said White supported his actions in the brawl, but White quickly issued a statement saying he had prohibited West from making further physical contact with players  White was reported to have nearly resigned due to a lack of support from Vincent, but the NL president remained in his post after receiving approval from league owners  West met more controversy the following year when Chicago Cubs outfielder Andre Dawson bumped him after a called third strike during a game at Wrigley Field  After Dawson was ejected from the game, he walked back to the dugout and tossed 14 bats onto the field  Chicago fans threw debris onto the field, causing a delay in the game  Dawson received a one-game suspension and a $1,000 fine  On his check to the league, Dawson wrote "donation for the blind" In 1992, West made his first World Series appearance when the Atlanta Braves faced the Toronto Blue Jays  West was behind the plate in the first World Series game played in Canada and ejected Braves manager Bobby Cox for throwing a helmet onto the field  In 1993, he appeared in the NLCS  He worked another no-hitter on April 8, 1994, when Kent Mercker shut down the Los Angeles Dodgers  The 1995 NLDS was West's first League Division Series  The following year West worked in the NLCS  He returned to the World Series in 1997 when the Cleveland Indians faced the Florida Marlins In 1999, West was among 22 MLB umpires who engaged in mass resignations during a labor dispute  The strategy backfired when MLB accepted the resignations instead of entering into further negotiations with the umpiring union  The union filed charges against MLB with the National Labor Relations Board, saying the mass resignation was "a concerted action protected by law"  After arbitration and appeals, MLB settled with the union  A few umpires received severance pay and were allowed to retire under the settlement, but MLB rehired West and several other umpires in 2002 

2002–2021
In the same year he returned to the field, West worked in the ALDS  He also umpired in the 2003 and 2004 ALCS  In game six of the latter series, West's crew ruled Yankees batter Alex Rodriguez out for interference after Rodriguez appeared to swat the ball out of the glove of opposing pitcher Bronson Arroyo on his way to first base  Fans threw debris on the field, Red Sox manager Terry Francona pulled his team off the field, and NYPD officers in riot gear took to the field to calm the crowd  West said fans actually applauded the umpires for the correct call when they came onto the field the following day  West's first All-Star Game and World Series appearances after his rehire came in 2005; that year he umpired in his second ALDS and his third World Series, serving as World Series crew chief 
West was the home plate umpire when rookie pitcher Clay Buchholz threw a no-hitter against the Baltimore Orioles on September 1, 2007, at Fenway Park; West called a curveball strike three for the final out  He worked his 4,000th career game on July 30, 2009, at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; he ejected Washington Nationals manager Jim Riggleman from the contest  That same year he appeared in the American League Division Series and the World Series  He was also elected president of the World Umpires Association (WUA)  West and the union's governing board negotiated the largest umpiring contract in the history of MLB  The contract ran from 2010 through the 2014 season  West designed the chest protector sold commercially as the West Vest, now marketed by Wilson Sporting Goods  He held patents on the West Vest in the US, Australia, Canada, and Japan  He also designed Wilson's high-end umpiring gear, the only umpiring equipment endorsed by MLB In 2010, West sparked controversy by criticizing the slow pace of the recently completed series between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, which he called "pathetic and embarrassing"  Red Sox manager Terry Francona referred to the remarks as "troubling," while Yankees closer Mariano Rivera remarked, "If he has places to go, let him do something else " Columnist Wallace Matthews defended West, saying the umpire was simply expressing what people had been thinking for a long time  West was not fined by MLB for his comments but was "admonished firmly," according to press reports  On May 26, 2010, West made two controversial balk calls on Mark Buehrle and consequently ejected White Sox manager Ozzie Guillén for arguing and Buehrle for throwing his glove which led to the Chicago announcer asserting that West was becoming a "joke to the umpiring profession" and was "in need of a suspension " On August 26, 2010, West was the plate umpire for Albert Pujols' 400th career home run On September 14, 2014, West ejected Jonathan Papelbon for the lewd act of adjusting his groin, resulting in a confrontation where West grabbed Papelbon's jersey  MLB subsequently suspended Papelbon for seven games for his lewd act and West for one game for initiating contact with Papelbon  West later claimed Papelbon had initiated first contact, but Major League Baseball determined that the video replay showed West was not correct, and that the contact was initiated by West 
West umpired in his second NLDS (and fifth LDS) in 2011  The next year West was the first base umpire for Félix Hernández's August 15 perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays  He umpired another NLDS that year, then appeared in his fifth World Series  His career has spanned the tenure of baseball commissioners Bowie Kuhn, Peter Ueberroth, Bart Giamatti, Fay Vincent, Bud Selig, and Rob Manfred  The 2015 season was West's 38th in MLB, making him MLB's most senior umpire  Umpire Bruce Froemming, who was previously the most senior umpire, spent 37 seasons in MLB, retiring at the end of the 2007 season On August 9, 2017, West was suspended for three games after making inappropriate comments about Adrián Beltré  Beltre defended West, stating that he thought the suspension was unnecessary and that West had made the comments in jest In the bottom of the first inning of Game 4 of the 2018 ALCS, a deep drive and potential two-run homer to right field by Houston's José Altuve, which Boston's Mookie Betts nearly caught with a leaping grab at the wall, was ruled by West to be an out due to fan interference  West, the crew chief for the series, made the call from his right field position; the call stood after review by video replay  The call was widely discussed in coverage of the game and on social media such as Twitter On August 14, 2019, West umpired his 5,164th Major League Baseball game to move past Bruce Froemming for the second-most number of major league games officiated  Only Bill Klem, who umpired from 1905 to 1941, had called more games than West On October 22, 2019, West filed a defamation lawsuit in New York against Paul Lo Duca and Action Network over comments that the former New York Mets catcher made on a podcast in April 2019  On the podcast, Lo Duca recalled his teammate Billy Wagner telling him in 2006–2007, "Joe loves antique cars so every time he comes into town I lend him my '57 Chevy so he can drive it around so then he opens up the strike zone for me " In the complaint, West denied this and said he suffered unspecified damages as a result of Lo Duca's comments  West was later awarded $500,000 in damages On July 30, 2020, while umpiring the Washington Nationals–Toronto Blue Jays game, West was hit on the side of the head when Bo Bichette lost his bat  He left the game in the bottom of the first inning but returned in the top of the third as the third base umpire On May 25, 2021, West surpassed Bill Klem's major league record by umpiring his 5,376th career game, in a contest between the White Sox and Cardinals at Guaranteed Rate Field  West announced he would retire after the 2021 postseason; his final assignment was the 2021 National League Wild Card Game, where he was the home plate umpire On February 4, 2022, West officially retired 

Reception
West has been mentioned in several polls of MLB players  In 2006, the spring after he was crew chief in the World Series, a Sports Illustrated survey asked 470 MLB players to identify the best and worst umpires  West was identified as the best MLB umpire by 2 percent of those players, ranking him ninth on that list  With respect to the worst umpire, 6 percent of players in the survey selected West, ranking him fourth  A 2007 review of umpire strike zones by The Hardball Times determined that West "had the fewest number of extra balls and strikes," which the outlet asserted "is a sign of consistency "In a 2010 poll of 100 players, West ranked as the second-worst umpire in the league  In a 2011 players poll, 41 percent of players polled (the "overwhelming" plurality) named West the worst umpire; only 5 percent of players polled named him as best In a 2019 study by Boston University's Mark T  Williams, West was identified as the umpire during the 2018 season with the second-highest percentage of bad ball-and-strike calls when working behind home plate  Over West's last eleven years, he has averaged 21 incorrect calls a game, or 2 3 per inning 

Outside baseball
West is known outside umpiring as a singer-songwriter  His involvement in country music and his demeanor on the field have earned him the nickname "Cowboy Joe"  West has described his music as "two chords and the truth      It's simple  It tells a story " In 2009, West said of his musical pursuits, "I was lucky  You know, the dues you have to pay to get here as an umpire are long and tedious, but the music business, because I was already in the major leagues, kind of opened a lot of doors I normally wouldn't have been able to open "West has appeared at the Grand Ole Opry  He has performed with Mickey Gilley, Johnny Lee, and Merle Haggard  West served as a pallbearer for Boxcar Willie West released his first album, Blue Cowboy, in 1987  Blue Cowboy is an album of three original songs and five covers  Chuck Yarborough of the Cleveland Plain Dealer said, "Listening to the first excerpt of his "Blue Cowboy" made me balk—you'll pardon the expression—at listening to the second  But I did  And the third  And so on  And now? Well, if I'm Nashville, I run West outta the game " In a September 2012 review, music blog Long After Dark said, "Blue Cowboy easily ranks with Ron Artest and Carl Lewis as one of the worst albums that a sports figure has cut     ever  I can say that I managed to make it through the record, although it was not easy "He released Diamond Dreams in 2008  The album was a collaboration with Kent Goodson, pianist for country star George Jones  It tells baseball stories inspired by West's umpiring career  Goodson later said, "As I look back on how this CD came together, I realize that I am a musician and Joe is an umpire  But his love for music and my love for baseball bonded us in this project " Sportswriter Doug Miller said that the album was "a fun, humorous and often touching collection of spoken-word gems in which the listener gets a perfect sampling of the true personality of Cowboy Joe West" West has made one film appearance, playing a third base umpire in the 1988 comedy film The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! He also made a cameo appearance on the television crime drama The Oldest Rookie  An avid golfer, West appears on the Celebrity Players Tour 

Personal life
West has been married twice  After the death of his first wife, West remarried In 2012, West was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer, which is now in remission 

See also
List of Major League Baseball umpires



ground_truth: Polk County