title: Robin and Linda Williams

abstract: Robin and Linda Williams are a husband-and-wife singer-songwriter folk music duo from Virginia. They met in South Carolina in 1971, and began performing in 1973. The Williamses appeared on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion radio show from 1975. The duo were members of the Hopeful Gospel Quartet with Keillor and Kate MacKenzie. After touring with Mary Chapin Carpenter in 1993, the pair later sang on her Grammy Award-winning album Stones in the Road. Sugar for Sugar spent 11 weeks in the top 20 of the Americana Chart in the Gavin Report in 1996. In 2004, they switched labels, recording Deeper Waters as their first release on Red House Records. The Williamses appeared in the film A Prairie Home Companion. They appeared on the WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour, hosted by Michael Johnathon.

text:
# Robin and Linda Williams

**Robin and Linda Williams** are a husband-and-wife singer-songwriter folk music duo from Virginia. They met in South Carolina in 1971, and began performing in 1973.

The Williamses appeared on Garrison Keillor's *A Prairie Home Companion* radio show from 1975. The duo were members of the Hopeful Gospel Quartet with Keillor and Kate MacKenzie. After touring with Mary Chapin Carpenter in 1993, the pair later sang on her Grammy Award-winning album *Stones in the Road*. *Sugar for Sugar* spent 11 weeks in the top 20 of the Americana Chart in the *Gavin Report* in 1996. In 2004, they switched labels, recording *Deeper Waters* as their first release on Red House Records.

The Williamses appeared in the film *A Prairie Home Companion*. They appeared on the *WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour*, hosted by Michael Johnathon.

## Discography

* *Robin & Linda Williams* (1975)
* *Shenandoah Moon* (1977)
* *Welcome Table* (1978)
* *Dixie Highway Sign* (1979)
* *Harmony* (1981)
* *Close As We Can Get* (1984)
* *Nine 'Til Midnight* (1985)
* *All Broken Hearts Are the Same* (1988)
* *Rhythm of Love* (1990)
* *Turn Toward Tomorrow*
* *Robin & Linda Williams & Their Fine Group Live* (1994)
* *Good News* (1995)
* *Sugar for Sugar* (1996)
* *Devil of a Dream* (1998)
* *In the Company of Strangers* (2000)
* *Visions of Love* (2002)
* *Deeper Waters* (2004)
* *The First Christmas Gift* (2005)
* *Radio Songs* (2007)
* *Buena Vista* (2008)
* *Stonewall Country* (2011)
* *These Old Dark Hills* (2012)
* *Back 40* (2013)

## InfoBox

| Robin and Linda Williams | |
| --- | --- |
| Genres |  |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Labels |  |
|  | |
| Website | www.robinandlinda.com |


title: Robin de La Lanne-Mirrlees

abstract: Robin Ian Evelyn Milne Stuart de la Lanne-Mirrlees was an author and former officer of arms at the College of Arms in London.

text:
# Robin de La Lanne-Mirrlees

**Robin Ian Evelyn Milne Stuart de la Lanne-Mirrlees** (13 January 1925 – 23 June 2012) was an author and former officer of arms at the College of Arms in London.

## Biography

He was born as **Robin Ian Evelyn Grinnell-Milne** in 1925. His father was Duncan Grinnell-Milne and his mother was Frances Warrington Peyrigné Lalanne (daughter of Frank Dale Lalanne, US Ambassador to Prague), who remarried secondly Maj.-Gen. William Henry Buchanan Mirrlees. His step-aunt was the author Hope Mirrlees. He was a godson of the 11th Duke of Argyll. He was educated at the English School of Cairo, and also in Paris. He attended Merton College, Oxford, matriculating in 1947 and taking a third class degree in PPE in 1949. He undertook military service, rising to the rank of captain in the Royal Artillery. His heraldic career began on 17 May 1952 when he was appointed Rouge Dragon Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary. Later that year his name was changed to that listed above to the name **Robin Ian Evelyn Milne Stuart de La Lanne-Mirrlees**.

In 1958 he adopted by deed poll the name of Robin Ian Evelyn Milne Stuart le Compte de La Lanne-Mirrlees and in 1959 rectified the spelling to **Robin Ian Evelyn Milne Stuart le Comte de La Lanne-Mirrlees**. He would hold this post of Rouge Dragon Pursuivant until December 1962, when he was promoted to the office of Richmond Herald of Arms in Ordinary. He retired from this post in 1967. During his time at the College of Arms, Robin Milne Stuart de la Lanne-Mirrlees was perhaps best known for his correspondence with Ian Fleming. Fleming was doing research for his book *On Her Majesty’s Secret Service*.

In 1964 the Republic of San Marino granted him a comital title, which was recognised by ex-King Umberto II of Italy.

In 1971 he bought and partly restored Inchdrewer Castle, a dilapidated 16th-century fortress, near Banff, Aberdeenshire, once owned by ancestors.

In 1975 Robin de la Lanne-Mirrlees was recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms as (feudal) Baron of Inchdrewer and Laird of Bernera. He was also a Knight of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta.

In 1990 he sold the uninhabited island of Eilean Chearstaidh he purchased, in 1962, with the islands of Great Bernera (where he lived near until his death) and Little Bernera, located in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.

He owned other grand properties including a £400,000 chateau in France – his mother’s former home – a flat in Paris, Ratzenegg Castle in Austria, a seven-bedroom Holland Park mansion in London and a Swiss chalet. Moreover he owned a prized collection of antiques and paintings, which were diminished after he auctioned them off.

In 1992, by a further deed poll, he adopted the name **Robin Ian Evelyn Milne Stuart le Prince de La Lanne-Mirrlees**.

In 2005, he began to assert his claim to a princely title bestowed on him *ad personam* (on an individual basis) in 1967 by ex-King Peter II of Yugoslavia, to whom he was an honorary aide-de-camp, who would have created him *Prince of Incoronata*, according to an Adriatic island on the Dalmatian coast.

After several years of ill health, he died at a nursing home in Stornoway, Scotland on 23 June 2012. Robin was survived by his three adult grandchildren and his son Patrick de La Lanne-Mirrlees (son of Margareta Duchess of Wurttemberg, granddaughter of King Ferdinand I of Bulgaria), former mayor of Delmenhorst, Germany, then practising as lawyer, specializing in international law, and now as *Oberkirchenrat* (senior church council member) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria.

1. "Obituary of Count Robin de la Lanne-Mirrlees". *The Telegraph*. 25 June 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
2. Levens, R.G.C., ed. (1964). *Merton College Register 1900-1964*. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. p. 380.
3. "No. 39549". *The London Gazette*. 23 May 1952. p. 2814.
4. "No. 39676". *The London Gazette*. 21 October 1952. p. 5554. Notice is hereby given that ROBIN IAN EVELYN MILNE STUART DE LA LANNE-MIRRLEES (now or lately called Robin Ian Evelyn Grinnell-Milne) of the College of Arms, Queen Victoria Street in the city of London, Esquire, Rouge Dragon Pursuivant of Arms, Captain the Royal Regiment of Artillery by deed poll dated the 15th day of October, 1952, and duly enrolled in the College of Arms on the 16th day of October, 1952, has assumed and adopted the surname of Milne Stuart de La Lanne-Mirrlees in lieu of his former surname of Grinnell-Milne and intends henceforth upon all occasions to sign and subscribe himself and to be called and styled by the surname of Milne Stuart de La Lanne-Mirrlees in lieu of his former surname of Grinnell-Milne. — Dated 16th October 1952.
5. "No. 41584". *The London Gazette*. 26 December 1958. p. 7927. Notice is hereby given that by a Deed Poll dated the 9th day of July 1958, and enrolled in the Supreme Court of Judicature on the 19th day of December 1958, ROBERT IAN EVELYN MILNE STUART LE COMPTE DE LA LANNE-MIRRLEES, of Basil Mansions, Basil Street in theRoyal Borough of Kensington, Esquire, a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies by birth, abandoned the surname of Milne Stuart De La Lanne-Mirrlees.
6. "No. 41629". *The London Gazette*. 10 February 1959. p. 992. **This following notice is in substitution for that which appeared on page 7927 of the London Gazette, dated the 26th December 1958**: Notice is hereby given that by a Deed Poll dated the 9th day of July 1958 and enrolled in the Supreme Court of Judicature on the 19th day of December 1958, ROBIN IAN EVELYN MILNE STUART LE COMTE DE LA LANNE-MIRRLEES of Basil Mansions, Basil Street in the Royal Borough of Kensington, a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies by birth, abandoned the surname of Milne Stuart de La Lanne-Mirrlees.
7. "No. 42854". *The London Gazette*. 11 December 1962. p. 9648.
8. "No. 44298". *The London Gazette*. 27 April 1967. p. 4677.
9. "Inchdrewer Castle, Nr Alvah". *Buildings at Risk Register*. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
10. Robin de La Lanne-Mirrlees was the 5x-great-grandson of "John Milne, Burgess of Banff, and Elspeth Stuart of Oxhill whose family owned Inchdrewer Castle." — Elspeth Stuart of Oxhill, *thepeerage.com*. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
11. "No. 19840". *The Edinburgh Gazette*. 16 March 1976. p. 331.
12. "Death of Hebridean crofting prince". *Hebrides News*. 24 June 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
13. "No. 52923". *The London Gazette*. 15 May 1992. p. 8481.


abstract: These are lists of Billboard magazine's "Top Country & Western Records" and "Top Country & Western Artists" for 1950, ranked by retail sales and juke box plays. Hank Snow's "I'm Movin' On" was 1950's No. 1 country hit based on retail sales and ranked No. 4 based on juke box plays. Red Foley's "Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy" ranked No. 1 based on juke box plays and No. 2 based on retail sales. The year's other top hits included: Moon Mullican's "I'll Sail My Ship Alone"; Hank Williams' "Why Don't You Love Me?"; and Williams' "Long Gone Lonesome Blues". The artists with the most songs in the 1950 year-end charts were Red Foley with eight songs, Eddy Arnold with seven, Ernest Tubb with five, Hank Williams with four, and the duet pairing of Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely with four. Billboard also ranked the year's top artists as follows: (1) Red Foley, (2) Ernest Tubb, (3) Hank Williams, (4) Eddy Arnold, and (5) Hank Snow (retail)/Moon Mullican. The Decca Records label released 11 of the songs included on the year-end lists, followed by RCA Victor with nine, and Capitol with six.

text:
# Billboard Top Country & Western Records of 1950

These are lists of *Billboard* magazine's "Top Country & Western Records" and "Top Country & Western Artists" for 1950, ranked by retail sales and juke box plays.

Hank Snow's "I'm Movin' On" was 1950's No. 1 country hit based on retail sales and ranked No. 4 based on juke box plays. Red Foley's "Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy" ranked No. 1 based on juke box plays and No. 2 based on retail sales. The year's other top hits included: Moon Mullican's "I'll Sail My Ship Alone" (No. 2 juke box, No. 3 retail); Hank Williams' "Why Don't You Love Me?" (No. 3 juke box, No. 4 retail); and Williams' "Long Gone Lonesome Blues" (No. 5 juke box, No. 5 retail).

The artists with the most songs in the 1950 year-end charts were Red Foley with eight songs, Eddy Arnold with seven, Ernest Tubb with five, Hank Williams with four, and the duet pairing of Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely with four. *Billboard* also ranked the year's top artists as follows: (1) Red Foley, (2) Ernest Tubb, (3) Hank Williams, (4) Eddy Arnold, and (5) Hank Snow (retail)/Moon Mullican (juke box).

The Decca Records label released 11 of the songs included on the year-end lists, followed by RCA Victor with nine, and Capitol with six.

## Top records

| Retail
year-end | Juke box
year-end | Peak | Title | Artist(s) | Songwriter | Label |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | 4 | 1 | "I'm Movin' On" | Hank Snow | Hank Snow | RCA Victor |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | "Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy" | Red Foley | Harry Stone, Jack Stapp | Decca |
| 3 | 2 | 1 | "I'll Sail My Ship Alone" | Moon Mullican | Mullican, Bernard, Mann, Thurston | King |
| 4 | 3 | 1 | "Why Don't You Love Me?" | Hank Williams | Hank Williams | M-G-M |
| 5 | 5 | 1 | "Long Gone Lonesome Blues" | Hank Williams | Hank Williams | M-G-M |
| 6 | 10 | 1 | "Goodnight, Irene" | Red Foley, Ernest Tubb | Lead Belly | Decca |
| 7 | 13 | 2 | "Cuddle Buggin' Baby" | Eddy Arnold | Red Rowe | RCA Victor |
| 8 | 24 | 2 | "(Remember Me) I'm the One Who Loves You" | Stuart Hamblen | Stuart Hamblen | Columbia |
| 9 | 6 | 1 | "Birmingham Bounce" | Red Foley | Hardrock Gunter | Decca |
| 10 | 17 | 2 | "Lovebug Itch" | Eddy Arnold | Carson, Roy Blotkin | RCA Victor |
| 11 | 9 | 1 | "M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I" | Red Foley | Hanlon, Ryan, Tierney | Decca |
| 12 | 12 | 3 | "Throw Your Love My Way" | Ernest Tubb | Tubb, Loys Southerland | Decca |
| 13 | 8 | 2 | "I Love You Because" | Ernest Tubb | Leon Payne | Decca |
| 14 | 26 | 2 | "Cincinnati Dancing Pig" | Red Foley | Wood, Lewis | Decca |
| 15 | 21 |  | "I'll Never Be Free" | Tennessee Ernie Ford, Kay Starr | Benjamin, Weiss | Capitol |
| 16 | 28 | 2 | "Let's Go to Church (Next Sunday Morning)" | Margaret Whiting, Jimmy Wakely | Steve Allen | Capitol |
| 17 | 23 | 6 | "Enclosed One Broken Heart" | Eddy Arnold | Red Rowe | RCA Victor |
| 18 | NR | 3 | "Little Angel With the Dirty Face" | Eddy Arnold | Dale Parker | RCA Victor |
| 19 | 16 | 3 | "Why Should I Cry Over You?" | Eddy Arnold | Zeke Clements | RCA Victor |
| 20 | 19 | 1 | "Slipping Around" | Margaret Whiting, Jimmy Wakely | Floyd Tillman | Capitol |
| 21 | NR |  | "I Love You Because" | Leon Payne | Leon Payne | Capitol |
| 22 | NR | 2 | "Broken Down Merry-Go-Round" | Margaret Whiting, Jimmy Wakely | Fred Stryker, Arthur Herbert | Capitol |
| 23 | 20 | 2 | "Letters Have No Arms" | Ernest Tubb | Tubb, Arbie Gibson | Decca |
| 24 | NR |  | "Hillbilly Fever" | Little Jimmy Dickens | Vaughn Horton | Columbia |
| 25 | NR |  | "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" | Red Foley | Traditional | Decca |
| 26 | 14 | 2 | "Tennessee Border #2 | Red Foley, Ernest Tubb | Jimmy Work | Decca |
| 27 | NR |  | "If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time" | Lefty Frizzell | Lefty Frizzell, Jim Beck | Columbia |
| 28 | 27 | 4 | "Mona Lisa" | Moon Mullican | Ray Evans, Jay Livingston | King |
| 29 | NR |  | "Bonaparte's Retreat" | Pee Wee King | Pee Wee King | RCA Victor |
| 30 | NR | 1 | "Moanin' the Blues" | Hank Williams | Hank Williams | M-G-M |
| NR | 7 | 1 | "Take Me in Your Arms" | Eddy Arnold | Cindy Walker | RCA Victor |
| NR | 11 |  | "Rag Mop" | Johnnie Lee Wills | Willis, Anderson | Bullett |
| NR | 15 | 9 | "Sugarfoot Rag" | Red Foley | Hank Garland, Vaughn Horton | Decca |
| NR | 18 |  | "Bloodshot Eyes" | Hank Penny | Hank Penny, Ruth Hall | King |
| NR | 22 |  | "Blues Stay Away From Me" | Delmore Brothers | Delmore, Raney, Delmore, Glover | King |
| NR | 25 | 2 | "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It" | Hank Williams | Clarence Williams | M-G-M |
| NR | 29 | 3 | "The Gods Were Angry With Me" | Margaret Whiting, Jimmy Wakely | Foreman Bill, Roma | Capitol |
| NR | 30 | 6 | "Mama and Daddy Broke My Heart" | Eddy Arnold | Spade Cooley | RCA Victor |

1. "The Year's Top Country & Western Records" (PDF). *The Billboard*. January 13, 1951. p. 19. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
2. "The Year's Top Country & Western Artists" (PDF). *The Billboard*. January 13, 1951. p. 19.
3. Joel Whitburn (1995). *The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits*. Billboard Books. ISBN 0823076326.


title: Billbergia chlorantha

abstract: Billbergia chlorantha is a plant species in the genus Billbergia. This species is endemic to Brazil.

text:
# Billbergia chlorantha

***Billbergia chlorantha*** is a plant species in the genus *Billbergia*. This species is endemic to Brazil.

## Cultivars

* *Billbergia* 'Green Sand'

* Martinelli, Gustavo; Vieira, Cláudia Magalhães; Gonzalez, Marcos; Leitman, Paula; Piratininga, Andréa; Costa, Andrea Ferreira da; Forzza, Rafaela Campostrini (January 2008). "Bromeliaceae da Mata Atlântica Brasileira: lista de espécies, distribuição e conservação" \[Bromeliaceae of the brazilian Atlantic Forest: checklist, distribution and conservation\]. *Rodriguésia* (in Brazilian Portuguese). **59** (1): 209–258. doi:10.1590/2175-7860200859114. JSTOR 23499386.
* BSI Cultivar Registry Retrieved 11 October 2009

## InfoBox

| *Billbergia chlorantha* | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| *Clade*: | Tracheophytes |
| *Clade*: | Angiosperms |
| *Clade*: | Monocots |
| *Clade*: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Bromeliaceae |
| Genus: | *Billbergia* |
| Subgenus: | *Billbergia subg. Billbergia* |
| Species: | ***B. chlorantha*** |
| Binomial name | |
| ***Billbergia chlorantha***<br>L.B.Sm.h | |
|


title: Billbergia eloiseae

abstract: Billbergia eloiseae is a species of flowering plant in the genus Billbergia. It is endemic to Colombia.

text:
# Billbergia eloiseae

***Billbergia eloiseae*** is a species of flowering plant in the genus *Billbergia*. It is endemic to Colombia.

## Cultivars

* *Billbergia* 'Selby'

## InfoBox

| *Billbergia eloiseae* | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| *Clade*: | Tracheophytes |
| *Clade*: | Angiosperms |
| *Clade*: | Monocots |
| *Clade*: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Bromeliaceae |
| Genus: | *Billbergia* |
| Subgenus: | *Billbergia subg. Helicodea* |
| Species: | ***B. eloiseae*** |
| Binomial name | |
| ***Billbergia eloiseae***<br>L.B.Sm. & Read | |
|


title: Robert Ord

abstract: Robert Ord FRS was a British lawyer and politician.

text:
# Robert Ord

**Robert Ord** FRS (1700 – 12 February 1778) was a British lawyer and politician.

## Life

Ord was born the son of John Ord, Under-Sheriff of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, of Newbiggin, Fenham and Newminster, Northumberland, and his wife, Anne Hutchinson.

He studied law at Lincoln's Inn in London from 1718, and was called to the bar in 1724. In 1723 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London. He inherited the estates of Hunstanworth Manor and Newbiggin Hall upon the death of his elder brother Ralph Ord.

He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Mitchell, Cornwall, from 1734 to 1741 and for Morpeth, Northumberland, from 1741 to 1755.

He was Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1742–43), Deputy Cofferer of the Household (1743–44), Chief Baron of the Scottish Exchequer (1755–75) and Chancellor of the Diocese of Durham (1753–64).

He was Rector of Glasgow University 1767/8.

Ord died aged 77. He is buried in Restalrig Churchyard in Edinburgh. His modest gravestone dates from the 19th century and describes him as Baron of the Exchequer for Scotland.

## Family

Ord married Mary, daughter of Sir John Darnell, Kt. They had one son, John Ord, and five daughters. The fifth daughter, Alice (1745-1826) married John Mackenzie of Dolphinton. Margaret died on Princes Street in 1806. Both are buried in Restalrig.

His daughter Elizabeth Ord (1742-1820) married Robert McQueen, Lord Braxfield and is also buried in Restalrig.

His daughter Nancy Ord infamously placed a placard on the house of David Hume on the south-west corner of St Andrew Square reading "St David Street". Although St David is a Welsh rather than Scottish saint, the city was amused by the idea and the name stuck.

## Arms

Coat of arms of Robert Ord
|  | CrestAn elk’s head erased Proper. EscutcheonSable three salmon haurient Argent. |
| --- | --- |


title: Billy Cusack

abstract: William Scott Cusack is a Scottish judoka who represented Great Britain in the Olympics.

text:
# Billy Cusack

**William Scott Cusack** (born 23 May 1966) is a Scottish judoka who represented Great Britain in the Olympics.

## Early and personal life

Cusack was born in Glasgow, Great Britain. When he competed in the Olympics, he was 5-8.5 (175 cm) tall, and weighed 163 lbs (74 kg). He was married to 1982 U52 world champion judoka Loretta Doyle.

## Judo career

Cusack was a six times champion of Great Britain, winning lightweight (lw) and half-middleweight (hmw) divisions at the British Judo Championships in 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 (hmw) and 1994.

Cusack's sports club was Edinburgh. In 1990, he won the US Open Colorado Springs in the U71 weight class as well as the 1994 Scottish Senior Championships in the U78 weight class.

Cusack competed for Great Britain at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, at the age of 26, in Judo--Men's Lightweight, and came in tied for 18th. He was awarded his 7th Dan on 29 October 2015 by the British Judo Association.

## Coaching career

Cusack is Director of Coaching at Edinburgh Judo, and in 1999 was named UK Coach of the Year, receiving the Mussabini Medal. He assisted Graeme Randall, who won the -81 kg world title in Birmingham.

## InfoBox

Billy Cusack
| Personal information | |
| --- | --- |
| Born | (1966-05-23) 23 May 1966<br>Glasgow, Scotland |
| Occupation | Judoka |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Judo |
| Weight class | lightweight |
|  | |
| Profile at external databases | |
| JudoInside.com | 2278 |
|  | |


title: Bill Downe

abstract: William Arthur Downe is a Canadian banker who was chief executive officer of Bank of Montreal from March 1, 2007, to October 31, 2017.

text:
# Bill Downe

**William Arthur Downe** CM (born 1952) is a Canadian banker who was chief executive officer of Bank of Montreal (also known as BMO Financial Group) from March 1, 2007, to October 31, 2017.

## Career

Downe joined Bank of Montreal in 1983 and held a variety of senior management positions in Canada and the U.S. In 1999, he was appointed vice-chair, Bank of Montreal. From 2001 to 2006, he was deputy chair of BMO Financial Group, and CEO of BMO Capital Markets.

In February 2006, Downe was named chief operating officer and was chosen to replace Tony Comper as president and chief executive officer of BMO effective March 1, 2007, the day of BMO's annual general meeting.

In December 2016, Downe was named a Member of the Order of Canada.

In April 2017, it was announced that Downe would retire as CEO effective on October 31, 2017. He was to be succeeded by current COO Darryl White, who had previously served as Group Head of BMO Capital Markets.

## Professional associations

Downe is the only Canadian member of the International Business Leaders Advisory Council of the Mayor of Beijing, and he is a member of the International Advisory Council of Guanghua School of Management at Peking University. He is a director of Catalyst, and a member of Catalyst's Canadian Board of Advisors. Downe is also a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and Past President of the Federal Reserve Board's Federal Advisory Council.

## Charity work

Downe served as Chairman of the 2009 Campaign Cabinet for United Way of Greater Toronto. He is a member of the Rotman School of Management Campaign Cabinet, and he sits on the board of Toronto's St. Michael's Hospital Foundation. He is also past Chair of the Board of Directors of St. Michael's Hospital.

## Education

Downe has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wilfrid Laurier University. While obtaining a Master of Business Administration from the University of Toronto, he joined the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. In 2003, he received the Rotman Distinguished Business Alumni Award from the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management.

1. "Executive Profile - William A. Downe". Businessweek. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
2. "The Big Five banks' CEO cycle is complete. Here's how they performed". *Canadian Business*.
3. "Tony Comper to Retire as President and CEO of BMO Financial Group; Board Appoints Bill Downe as His Successor". Archived from the original on September 30, 2007.
4. "BMO's Tony Comper to retire in March". 28 November 2006. Archived from the original on 17 January 2010.
5. "Storytelling experiment PenTales comes to Toronto | National Post". March 30, 2010.
6. "The Globe and Mail: BMO boss launches charity blitz". *The Globe and Mail*. Archived from the original on 22 January 2011.
7. "Order of Canada's newest appointees include Paralympian, Supreme Court judge and astrophysicist". CBC News, December 30, 2016.
8. "Bank of Montreal CEO Bill Downe to retire in October, COO Darryl White to take the helm | Financial Post". April 7, 2017.
9. Brearton, Steve (15 December 2016). "The Power List: Canada's Most Powerful Business People 2017". Archived from the original on 4 November 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
10. Wendel, Amy (19 May 2020). "CEO profile: Bill Downe, Bank of Montreal | Leadership & Strategy | Business Chief North America". *Business Chief*. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
11. "Catalyst women's organization defends choosing a man to head advisory board, again | CBC Radio". *CBC*. 15 September 2017. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
12. "William Downe at a glance". *Forbes*. Archived from the original on December 30, 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
13. *Catalogue of the Alpha Delta Phi: 1832-2002*. New York, NY: The Executive Council of The Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity. 2002. p. 319.
14. "Speaker Profile William Downe". The Economic Club of Canada. Archived from the original on 20 December 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2013.

## InfoBox

| Bill Downe | |
| --- | --- |
| Born | William Arthur Downe
1952 (age 7172)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Occupation | Banker |
| Title | CEO, Bank of Montreal |
| Term | March 2007 – October 2017 |
| Predecessor | Tony Comper |
| Successor | Darryl White |


title: Billbergia pallidiflora

abstract: Billbergia pallidiflora is a species of flowering plant in the family Bromeliaceae. This species is native to Central America and western Mexico.

text:
# Billbergia pallidiflora

***Billbergia pallidiflora*** is a species of flowering plant in the family Bromeliaceae. This species is native to Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua) and western Mexico (as far north as Sinaloa).

## InfoBox

| *Billbergia pallidiflora* | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| *Clade*: | Tracheophytes |
| *Clade*: | Angiosperms |
| *Clade*: | Monocots |
| *Clade*: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Bromeliaceae |
| Genus: | *Billbergia* |
| Subgenus: | *Billbergia subg. Helicodea* |
| Species: | ***B. pallidiflora*** |
| Binomial name | |
| ***Billbergia pallidiflora***<br>Liebmann | |
|
| Synonyms | |
| * *Billbergia chiapensis* Matuda * *Billbergia mexicana* Mez * *Billbergia oaxacana* Matuda | |


title: Billbergia microlepis

abstract: Billbergia microlepis is a species of flowering plant in the genus Billbergia. This species is endemic to Bolivia.

text:
# Billbergia microlepis

***Billbergia microlepis*** is a species of flowering plant in the genus *Billbergia*. This species is endemic to Bolivia.

* Krömer, Thorsten; Kessler, Michael; Holst, Bruce K.; Luther, Harry E.; Gouda, Eric J.; Ibisch, Pierre L.; Till, Walter; Vásquez, Roberto (1 October 1999). "Checklist of Bolivian Bromeliaceae with Notes on Species Distribution and Levels of Endemism". *Selbyana*. **20** (2): 201–223. ISSN 2689-0682. JSTOR 41760025.

## InfoBox

| *Billbergia microlepis* | |
| --- | --- |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| *Clade*: | Tracheophytes |
| *Clade*: | Angiosperms |
| *Clade*: | Monocots |
| *Clade*: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Bromeliaceae |
| Genus: | *Billbergia* |
| Subgenus: | *Billbergia subg. Helicodea* |
| Species: | ***B. microlepis*** |
| Binomial name | |
| ***Billbergia microlepis***<br>L.B.Sm. | |
|


title: Roberts Orya

abstract: Roberts U. Orya is a former managing director and CEO of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) and honorary president of the Global Network of Export-Import Banks and Development Finance Institutions. He entered office in August 2009 to lead the bank's executive management team.

text:
# Roberts Orya

**Roberts U. Orya** is a former managing director and CEO of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) and honorary president of the Global Network of Export-Import Banks and Development Finance Institutions. He entered office in August 2009 to lead the bank's executive management team.

## Family background and early education

Orya was born in Ugwe, Benue State, Nigeria, from a poor background and a father who was physically challenged. He later attended Benue State Polytechnic from where he got an Ordinary National Diploma after completing his studies at the Teacher's College where he obtained a National Certificate of Education.

## NEXIM Bank

By December 2009, the new management of the bank inherited debts totaling about ₦14.6 billion, about 72 per cent of which was categorized as non-performing, while over ₦10.03 billion (69.05 per cent) was classified lost or irrecoverable in line with prudential guidelines.

## Achievements and initiatives At NEXIM Bank

Orya led the initiative of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) in conjunction with the Federation of West African Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

To broaden the scope of the credit offering by the bank to guarantee credits for both export and import as well as credit insurance, he led the bank entered into agreements with some international credit institutions like the Islamic Development Bank. Through his leadership the bank also generated about 1.3 billion dollars (about ₦164 billion) foreign exchange earnings for the country during the period.

In May 2021, the Benue State High Court ordered NEXIM to pay ₦500 million to Orya as damages for "unlawful arrest and detention".

## Policies and presentations

Orya's leadership in NEXIM initiated the Sealink project. He has contributed to national and international policies including:

* "Economic diversification, non-oil export growth back on front burner", by Roberts Orya
* A Practical Framework for Boosting Intra-Africa Trade, *Financial Nigeria Magazine*, August 2013
* Funding/investment Opportunities in the creative/entertainment industry
* Facilitating the non-oil sector in Nigeria

## InfoBox

| Roberts Orya | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
|  | |
| Former Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer
Nigeria Export Import Bank (NEXIM) | |
| **In office**
August 2009  February 2016 | |
|  | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ugwe, Benue State, Nigeria |
| Alma mater | University of Ibadan |
| Occupation | Businessman, Banker, Management Consultant |
|  | |


title: Robert Spankie

abstract: Robert Spankie was a Scottish-born journalist, barrister and politician who spent most of his career and life in England and India. Born in Falkland, Fife, he was the son of a Church of Scotland Minister. He entered the University of St Andrews but left without graduating, moving to London in about 1792. He became a reporter for the Morning Chronicle rising to be the editor. In 1803 he left journalism and became a law student at the Inner Temple in 1803, and was called to the bar in 1808. Following his marriage to Euphemia Inglis, daughter of an East India Company director in 1813, he pursued a legal career in India. In 1817 he became Advocate-General of Bengal. He returned to England in 1823 due to illness. He resumed his legal practice from his home in Russell Square, London, and became a serjeant-at-law in 1824 and a king's serjeant in 1832. At the 1832 general election Spankie was elected as one of two members of parliament for the new London constituency of Finsbury, enfranchised under the Reform Act 1832. Elected as Liberal, in parliament he took a distinctly Conservative line, leading to his defeat at the next election in 1835. He subsequently stood as a Conservative candidate at Bury in 1837 without success. He continued his legal practice, becoming standing counsel for the East India Company. He died at his London home in 1842 aged 68.

text:
# Robert Spankie

**Robert Spankie** (17 April 1774 – 2 November 1842) was a Scottish-born journalist, barrister and politician who spent most of his career and life in England and India.

Born in Falkland, Fife, he was the son of a Church of Scotland Minister. He entered the University of St Andrews but left without graduating, moving to London in about 1792. He became a reporter for the *Morning Chronicle* rising to be the editor. In 1803 he left journalism and became a law student at the Inner Temple in 1803, and was called to the bar in 1808. Following his marriage to Euphemia Inglis, daughter of an East India Company director in 1813, he pursued a legal career in India. In 1817 he became Advocate-General of Bengal. He returned to England in 1823 due to illness.

He resumed his legal practice from his home in Russell Square, London, and became a serjeant-at-law in 1824 and a king's serjeant in 1832.

At the 1832 general election Spankie was elected as one of two members of parliament for the new London constituency of Finsbury, enfranchised under the Reform Act 1832. Elected as Liberal, in parliament he took a distinctly Conservative line, leading to his defeat at the next election in 1835. He subsequently stood as a Conservative candidate at Bury in 1837 without success.

He continued his legal practice, becoming standing counsel for the East India Company. He died at his London home in 1842 aged 68.


title: Roccolo Castle

abstract: Roccolo Castle looks over the Italian town of Busca, in Piedmont, Italy. Constructed in 1831, it is named for a type of bird snare. Margherita of Savoy was once a regular visitor there.

text:
# Roccolo Castle

**Roccolo Castle** looks over the Italian town of Busca, in Piedmont, Italy. Constructed in 1831, it is named for a type of bird snare. Margherita of Savoy was once a regular visitor there.

## Origin

The construction of the castle was initiated at the request of Marquis Roberto Tapparelli d’Azeglio and his wife Costanza Alfieri di Sostegno, in 1831. The architecture is an example of neo-medieval revival.

## Architecture

44°31′46″N 7°28′06″E / 44.52956°N 7.46825°E / 44.52956; 7.46825

## InfoBox

| Roccolo Castle | |
| --- | --- |
| Busca in Italy | |
|  | |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1831 |


title: Biotinidase

abstract: Biotinidase, also known as biotinase, is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the BTD gene. The enzyme breaks down biotin amides, releasing free biotin and the amine. The main substrate is biocytin, or biotin linked to lysine. It is also capable of breaking apart biotin esters.

text:
# Biotinidase

| Biotinidase | |
| --- | --- |
| Identifiers | |
| Symbol | BTD |
| NCBI gene | 686 |
| HGNC | 1122 |
| OMIM | 609019 |
| RefSeq | NM\_000060 |
| UniProt | P43251 |
| Other data | |
| EC number | 3.5.1.12 |
| Locus | Chr. 3 *p25* |
| Search for  Structures Swiss-model  Domains InterPro | |

**Biotinidase** (EC 3.5.1.12, *amidohydrolase biotinidase*, *BTD*), also known as **biotinase**, is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the *BTD* gene.

The enzyme breaks down biotin amides, releasing free biotin and the amine. The main substrate is biocytin, or biotin linked to lysine. It is also capable of breaking apart biotin esters.

## Function

This enzyme allows the body to use and to recycle the B vitamin biotin, sometimes called vitamin H. Biotinidase extracts biotin from food because the body needs biotin in its free, unattached form. This enzyme also recycles biotin from enzymes in the body that use it as a helper component in order to function. These enzymes, known as carboxylases, are important in the processing of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. Biotin is attached to these carboxylase enzymes through an amino acid (the building material of proteins) called lysine, forming a complex called biocytin. Biotinidase removes biotin from biocytin and makes it available to be reused by other enzymes.

## Clinical significance

Biotin, sometimes called vitamin H, is an important water-soluble vitamin that aids in the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates and proteins. The human body cannot produce biotin, but it can obtain it from the diet, internal recycling and at some extent from intestinal bacteria. Biotin deficiency can result in behavioral disorders, lack of coordination, learning disabilities and seizure.

Unlike most vitamins, which are noncovalently bound to enzymes, biotin is chemically linked (covalently bound), and therefore cannot be easily removed from the enzyme denaturation. Without biotinidase activity, the vitamin biotin cannot be separated from foods and therefore cannot be used by the body. Biotinidase deficiency is an inherited disorder caused by mutations in the BTD gene. When biotinidase activity is deficient, biotin can be neither recycled within the body nor removed from ingested food. Nor can biotin be recycled from enzymes to which it is bound. Deficient biotinidase activity causes specific metabolic enzymes, called carboxylases, to be nonfunctional, inhibiting the proper processing of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Individuals lacking biotinidase activity can still have normal carboxylases if they ingest small amounts of biotin. Approximately 1 in 60,000 newborns are affected by profound (less than 10 percent of normal enzyme activity) or partial (10-30 percent of normal enzyme activity) biotinidase deficiency.

## Genetics

The BTD gene is located on the short (p) arm of chromosome 3 at position 25, from base pair 15,618,326 to base pair 15,662,328. Mutations in the *BTD* gene cause biotinidase deficiency.

Approximately 100 mutations in the BTD gene that lead to biotinidase deficiency have been discovered. These mutations either prevent the enzyme from being made or cause the enzyme that is produced to be nonfunctional.

This condition is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, which means two copies of the gene in each cell must be altered for a person to be affected by the disorder. Most often, the parents of a child with an autosomal recessive disorder are not affected but are carriers of one copy of the altered gene.

## Disease Database

BTD gene variant database

This article incorporates public domain material from *Genetics Home Reference*. United States National Library of Medicine.

## InfoBox

| biotinidase | | | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | | | |
| Identifiers | | | |
| Aliases | amidohydrolase biotinidasebiotin-amide amidohydrolase | | |
| External IDs | GeneCards: ; OMA:\- orthologs | | |
| Orthologs  Species **Human** **Mouse**  Entrez   Ensembl   UniProt   RefSeq (mRNA)     n/a   n/a   RefSeq (protein)     n/a   n/a   Location (UCSC) n/a n/a  PubMed search n/a n/a | | | |
| Wikidata | | | |
| View/Edit Human | | | |


title: Billionaire Boys Racing

abstract: Billionaire Boys Racing (BBR) is a Thai auto racing team based in Nonthaburi, Thailand. The team has raced in the TCR International Series, since 2017. The team also races in the TCR Thailand Touring Car Championship and Thailand Super Series.

text:
# Billionaire Boys Racing

**Billionaire Boys Racing** (**BBR**) is a Thai auto racing team based in Nonthaburi, Thailand. The team has raced in the TCR International Series, since 2017. The team also races in the TCR Thailand Touring Car Championship and Thailand Super Series.

## TCR Thailand Touring Car Championship

Having first entered the championship in 2016, running a single Honda Civic TCR, driver Chariya Nuya had an impressive debut in the Am class, finishing first and third in the two races. They returned in 2017 running an updated Honda Civic Type-R TCR for 2016 driver Chariya Nuya. With Nuya having taken several overall victories and pole positions, while still entered in the Am class.

## TCR International Series

### Honda Civic Type-R TCR (2017–)

After having raced in the TCR Thailand Touring Car Championship, the team entered the 2017 TCR International Series with Chariya Nuya driving a Honda Civic Type-R TCR.

## InfoBox

Billionaire Boys Racing
|  | |
| --- | --- |
| Team principal(s) | Anusorn Asiralertsiri |
| Current series | TCR International Series
TCR Thailand Series
Thailand Super Series |
| Noted drivers | *TCR*
85.  Chariya Nuya
*TCR Thailand*
15.  Chariya Nuya |


title: Billboard Top Folk Records of 1948

abstract: The Billboard Top Folk Records of 1948 is a year-end chart compiled Billboard magazine ranking the year's top folk records based on record sales. In 1948, country music records were included on, and dominated, the Billboard folk records chart. Eddy Arnold led all other artists with nine records on the year-end folk chart. The four top records were all by Arnold: (1) "Bouquet of Roses" with 279 points; (2) "Anytime" with 185 points; (3) "Just a Little Lovin'" with 145 points; and (4) "Texarkana Baby" with 134 points. The best selling records by artists other than Arnold were "One Has My Name" by Jimmy Wakely and "Humpty Dumpty Heart" by Hank Thompson.

text:
# Billboard Top Folk Records of 1948

The **Billboard Top Folk Records of 1948** is a year-end chart compiled *Billboard* magazine ranking the year's top folk records based on record sales. In 1948, country music records were included on, and dominated, the *Billboard* folk records chart.

Eddy Arnold led all other artists with nine records on the year-end folk chart. The four top records were all by Arnold: (1) "Bouquet of Roses" with 279 points; (2) "Anytime" with 185 points; (3) "Just a Little Lovin' (Will Go a Long Way)" with 145 points; and (4) "Texarkana Baby" with 134 points.

The best selling records by artists other than Arnold were "One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)" by Jimmy Wakely (106 points) and "Humpty Dumpty Heart" by Hank Thompson (105 points).

| Sales<br>year-end | Peak | Title | Artist(s) | Label |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 |  | "Bouquet of Roses" | Eddy Arnold | RCA Victor |
| 2 |  | "Anytime" | Eddy Arnold | RCA Victor |
| 3 |  | "Just a Little Lovin' (Will Go a Long Way)" | Eddy Arnold | RCA Victor |
| 4 |  | "Texarkana Baby" | Eddy Arnold | RCA Victor |
| 5 |  | "One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)" | Jimmy Wakely | Capitol |
| 6 |  | "Humpty Dumpty Heart" | Hank Thompson | Capitol |
| 7 |  | "Life Gets Tee-Jus Don't It" | Carson Robison | Capitol |
| 8 |  | "Sweeter Than the Flowers | Moon Mullican | King |
| 9 |  | "Deck of Cards" | T. Texas Tyler | 4 Star |
| 10 |  | "My Daddy Is Only a Picture" | Eddy Arnold | RCA Victor |
| 11 |  | "Tennessee Waltz" | Pee Wee King | RCA Victor |
| 12 |  | "Suspicion" | Tex Williams | Capitol |
| 13 |  | "Tennessee Saturday Night" | Red Foley | Decca |
| 14 |  | "Tennessee Waltz" | Cowboy Copas | King |
| 15 |  | "I Love You So Much It Hurts" | Jimmy Wakely | Capitol |
| 16 |  | "Seaman's Blues" | Ernest Tubb | Decca |
| 17 |  | "I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms)" | Eddy Arnold | RCA Victor |
| 17 |  | "A Heart Full of Love (For a Handful of Kisses)" | Eddy Arnold | RCA Victor |
| 19 |  | "Rock and Rye" | Tex Ritter | Capitol |
| 20 |  | "Forever Is Ending Today" | Ernest Tubb | Decca |
| 21 |  | "Blue Shadows on the Trail" | Roy Rogers-Sons of the Pioneers | RCA Victor |
| 21 |  | "Cool Water" | Sons of the Pioneers | RCA Victor |
| 23 |  | "I Love You So Much It Hurts" | Floyd Tillman | Columbia |
| 24 |  | "Then I Turned and Walked Slowly Away | Eddy Arnold | RCA Victor |
| 25 |  | "Who? Me?" | Tex Williams | Capitol |
| 26 |  | "What a Fool I Was" | Eddy Arnold | RCA Victor |
| 27 |  | "Tennessee Moon" | Cowboy Copas | King |
| 28 |  | "Buttons and Bows" | Gene Autry | Columbia |

1. "The Year's Top Folk Records". *The Billboard*. January 1, 1949. p. 17.
2. Joel Whitburn (1995). *The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits*. Billboard Books. ISBN 0823076326.


title: Billboard Top Hits: 1975

abstract: Billboard Top Hits: 1975 is a compilation album released by Rhino Records in 1991, featuring 10 hit recordings from 1975. The track lineup includes seven songs that reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including the No. 1 song of 1975, "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Captain & Tennille. The other three songs all reached the top 10 of the Hot 100. Starting with the 1975 volume, Rhino dubbed each of its mainstream pop top hits volumes Billboard Top Hits. The volumes issued for the years 1955 through 1974 are titled Billboard Top Rock'n'Roll Hits.

text:
# Billboard Top Hits: 1975

Professional ratings
| Review scores | |
| --- | --- |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  |

***Billboard Top Hits: 1975*** is a compilation album released by Rhino Records in 1991, featuring 10 hit recordings from 1975.

The track lineup includes seven songs that reached the top of the *Billboard* Hot 100 chart, including the No. 1 song of 1975, "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Captain & Tennille. The other three songs all reached the top 10 of the Hot 100.

Starting with the 1975 volume, Rhino dubbed each of its mainstream pop top hits volumes *Billboard Top Hits*. The volumes issued for the years 1955 through 1974 are titled *Billboard Top Rock'n'Roll Hits*.

## Track listing

| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Artist | Length |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1. | "Sister Golden Hair" | Gerry Beckley | America | 3:20 |
| 2. | "Island Girl" |  | Elton John | 3:46 |
| 3. | "Love Will Keep Us Together" |  | Captain & Tennille | 3:24 |
| 4. | "When Will I Be Loved" | Phil Everly | Linda Ronstadt | 2:12 |
| 5. | "Fallin' in Love" |  | Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds | 3:03 |
| 6. | "Bad Blood" |  | Neil Sedaka | 3:09 |
| 7. | "Philadelphia Freedom" |  | Elton John | 5:41 |
| 8. | "Sky High" |  | Jigsaw | 2:51 |
| 9. | "Jackie Blue" |  | The Ozark Mountain Daredevils | 3:37 |
| 10. | "Get Down Tonight" |  | KC and the Sunshine Band | 3:12 |
| Total length: | | | | 34:15 |

* Track information and credits were taken from the album's liner notes.

## InfoBox

| Billboard Top Hits: 1975 | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
| Compilation album by Various artists | |
| Released | April 23, 1991 |
| Recorded | 1975 |
| Genre |  |
| Length | 34:15 |
| Label | Rhino Records |
| *Billboard* Top Hits chronology | |
| *Billboard Top Rock'n'Roll Hits: 1974*
(1989) ***Billboard Top Hits: 1975***
(1991) *Billboard Top Hits: 1976*
(1991) | |


title: Billboard Top Country Singles of 1967

abstract: This is a list of Billboard magazine's ranking of the top country singles of 1967. "All the Time" by Jack Greene ranked as the year's No. 1 country single. The ranking was based on performance on the Billboard country charts during the first eight months of 1967. Accordingly, the list excludes songs like Tammy Wynette's "I Don't Wanna Play House" and Sonny James' "It's the Little Things", which reached No. 1 later in the year.

text:
# Billboard Top Country Singles of 1967

This is a list of *Billboard* magazine's ranking of the top country singles of 1967. "All the Time" by Jack Greene ranked as the year's No. 1 country single.

The ranking was based on performance on the *Billboard* country charts during the first eight months of 1967. Accordingly, the list excludes songs like Tammy Wynette's "I Don't Wanna Play House" and Sonny James' "It's the Little Things", which reached No. 1 later in the year.

| Rank | Peak | Title | Artist(s) | Label |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | 1 | "All the Time" | Jack Greene | Decca |
| 2 | 1 | "Walk Through This World With Me" | George Jones | Musicor |
| 3 | 1 | "It's Such a Pretty World Today" | Wynn Stewart | Capitol |
| 4 | 1 | "Where Does the Good Times Go" | Buck Owens | Capitol |
| 5 | 3 | "Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad" | Tammy Wynette | Epic |
| 6 | 1 | "There Goes My Everything" | Jack Greene | Decca |
| 7 | 1 | "Need You" | Sonny James | Capitol |
| 8 | 1 | "Sam's Place" | Buck Owens | Capitol |
| 9 | 1 | "With One Exception" | David Houston | Epic |
| 10 | 1 | "Lonely Again" | Eddy Arnold | RCA Victor |
| 11 | 2 | "The Cold Hard Facts of Life" | Porter Wagoner | RCA Victor |
| 12 | 5 | "If I Kiss You (Will You Go Away)" | Lynn Anderson | Chart |
| 13 | 1 | "I'll Never Find Another You" | Sonny James | Capitol |
| 14 | 5 | "Get While the Gettin's Good" | Bill Anderson | Decca |
| 15 | 1 | "I'm A Lonesome Fugitive" | Merle Haggard | Capitol |
| 16 | 2 | "I Threw Away the Rose" | Merle Haggard | Capitol |
| 17 | 1 | "I Won't Come In While He's There" | Jim Reeves | RCA Victor |
| 18 | 7 | "Urge for Going" | George Hamilton IV | RCA Victor |
| 19 | 3 | "Misty Blue" | Eddy Arnold | RCA Victor |
| 20 |  | "I Know Me" | Charley Pride | RCA Victor |
| 21 | 5 | "Stamp Out Loneliness" | Stonewall Jackson | RCA Victor |
| 22 | 5 | "Mama Spank" | Liz Anderson | RCA Victor |
| 23 | 9 | "Danny Boy" | Ray Price | Columbia |
| 24 | 7 | "If You're Not Gone Too Long" | Loretta Lynn | Decca |
| 25 | 11 | "Life Turned Her That Way" | Mel Tillis | Kapp |
| 26 | 8 | "Drifting Apart" | Warner Mack | Decca |
| 27 | 3 | "A Loser's Cathedral" | David Houston | Epic |
| 28 | 2 | "Jackson" | Johnny Cash and June Carter | Columbia |
| 29 | 1 | "Tonight Carmen" | Marty Robbins | Columbia |
| 30 | 1 | "Don't Come Home A' Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)" | Loretta Lynn | Decca |
| 31 | 7 | "Happy Tracks" | Kenny Price | Boone |
| 32 | 3 | "Pop a Top" | Jim Ed Brown | RCA Victor |
| 33 | 8 | "Paper Mansions" | Dottie West | RCA Victor |
| 34 | 5 | "I Can't Get There from Here" | George Jones | Musicor |
| 35 | 9 | "Just Between You and Me" | Charley Pride | RCA Victor |
| 36 | 4 | "Once" | Ferlin Husky | Capitol |
| 37 | 10 | "I'll Come Runnin'" | Connie Smith | RCA Victor |
| 38 | 7 | "Walkin' in the Sunshine" | Roger Miller | Smash |
| 39 | 11 | "Tears Will Be the Chaser for Your Wine" | Wanda Jackson | Capitol |
| 40 | 9 | "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" | Johnny Darrell | United Artists |
| 41 | 11 | "Fuel to the Flame" | Skeeter Davis | RCA Victor |
| 42 | 3 | "Hurt Her Once for Me" | The Wilburn Brothers | Decca |
| 43 | 9 | "I Never Had the One I Wanted" | Claude Gray | Decca |
| 44 | 10 | "Ruthless" | The Statler Brothers | Columbia |
| 45 | 10 | "Anything Your Heart Desires" | Billy Walker | Monument |
| 46 | 12 | "My Kind of Love" | Dave Dudley | Mercury |
| 47 | 12 | "Mental Revenge" | Waylon Jennings | RCA Victor |
| 48 | 13 | "Just Beyond the Moon" | Tex Ritter | Capitol |
| 49 | 14 | "Bob" | The Willis Brothers | Starday |
| 50 | 9 | "Little Old Wine Drinker Me" | Robert Mitchum | Monument |

1. "Top Country Singles" (PDF). *The Billboard*. October 19, 1968. p. 12.
2. Joel Whitburn (1995). *The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits*. Billboard Books. ISBN 0823076326.


title: Rock My Religion

abstract: Rock My Religion is a 1984 no wave experimental art film by Dan Graham. It is also the title of a collection of essays written by Dan himself from 1965 to 1990.

text:
# Rock My Religion

***Rock My Religion*** is a 1984 no wave experimental art film by Dan Graham. It is also the title of a collection of essays written by Dan himself from 1965 to 1990.

## Form and content

Created between 1982 and 1984 using television archives, the film is primarily made up of photographic and audiovisual montage and contains original music by Glenn Branca (*Theme for a Drive Through Suburbia*) and Sonic Youth (*Shaking Hell* and *Brother James*). It begins by concentrating on religious revivals and demonstrates interesting ties between religion and rock music beginning with Shakers ecstatic trance dancing. and continuing with the Ghost Dance.

## Production

The movie was produced by Dan Graham and the Moderna Museet. It was edited by Matt Danowski, Derek Graham, Iam Murray and Tony Oursler. Rough editing was done at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and at Young Filmmakers in New York City. Post-production was done at Electronic Arts Intermix, at Charles Street Video in Toronto and at Number Seventeen Video Facility in New York City.

## Funding

## Further reading

* Kodwo Eshun, *Dan Graham Rock My Religion,* London: Afterall, 2012
* The Museum of Modern Art, *MoMA Highlights since 1980*, New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2007, p. 41


title: Rock My World (album)

abstract: Rock My World is the fifth music album by rock artist, Poison vocalist and reality television star Bret Michaels. This album is a greatest hits compilation featuring songs from his last two studio albums and also features three new tracks plus a remixed track. All the music heard during his reality television shows Rock of Love (2007) and Rock of Love 2 (2008) is on the album.

text:
# Rock My World (album)

Professional ratings
| Review scores | |
| --- | --- |
| Source | Rating |
| PiercingMetal |  |

***Rock My World*** is the fifth music album by rock artist, Poison vocalist and reality television star Bret Michaels. This album is a greatest hits compilation featuring songs from his last two studio albums and also features three new tracks plus a remixed track. All the music heard during his reality television shows *Rock of Love* (2007) and *Rock of Love 2* (2008) is on the album.

## Release and promotion

The album was originally expected to be released following the first season of *Rock of Love* but held back due to the second season. The album was released in June 2008 following the completion of the second season. The sold out solo tour began in April 2008.

The album charted at #40 on the *Billboard* 200, #4 on the Top Independent Albums, #4 on the Top Hard Rock Albums and #16 on the Top Rock Albums chart.

## Content

The first single, "Go That Far", is the theme song for the *Rock of Love* series and is included in the game *Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock* as the only song with a four-note chord at the time, on the rhythm guitar part at bridge 2 solo. It also features a music video which reached #1 on VH1. The music video features 3 different versions, Standard, with Rock of Love clips and with live concert clips.

The second single, "Fallen", was also heard on *Rock of Love* and features a music video with 2 different versions, one with clips from the Rock of Love series and another with no clips, the song was also released as a maxi single with piano, acoustic and Piano with acoustic versions.

The song "Start Again" was released as the third single of the album which also features a remixed version of the track "It's My Party" originally released on the *Songs of Life* album.

"Driven" which was originally released on *Freedom of Sound*, was also released as a single for the album, to promote the 3rd season of *Rock of Love* called *Rock of Love Bus*, which started in early 2009, following the album's release. The song also features a music video with clips from Rock of Love's third season. The single is a remixed version (Rock mix) of the track that features on the album.

A second alternate music video was also released for the song "All I Ever Needed" which features Bret Michaels in Iraq footage.

## *Rock of Love*

*Rock of Love* is an American reality television dating game show starring Bret Michaels and featured three seasons on VH1. The series was VH1's highest rated reality TV series.

"You rock my world" was the famous phrase Bret would say to the contestants that he really liked and this eventually became the title of the album. The new songs from the album were written and recorded during the *Rock of Love* series and the album has been referred to as the "*Rock of Love Soundtrack*".

## Track listing

1. "Go That Far" (Rock of Love Theme) \- 2:53
2. "Driven" (from the album *Freedom of Sound*) \- 3:03
3. "Fallen" - 3:43
4. "Raine" (from the album *Songs of Life*) \- 3:54
5. "Bittersweet" (from the album *Songs of Life*) \- 3:23
6. "Start Again" - 3:17
7. "Songs of Life" (from the album *Songs of Life*) \- 3:14
8. "Strange Sensation" (from the album *Songs of Life*) \- 2:57
9. "All I Ever Needed" (from the album *Freedom of Sound*) \- 3:31
10. "Menace to Society" (from the album *Songs of Life*) \- 2:49
11. "Right Now, Right Here" (from the album *Freedom of Sound*) \- 3:24
12. "It's My Party"  (2008 Mix) \- 3:00

## Chart performance

| Chart (2008) | Peak
position |
| --- | --- |
| U.S. *Billboard* 200 | 40 |
| U.S. *Billboard* Top Hard Rock Albums | 4 |
| U.S. *Billboard* Top Rock Albums | 16 |
| U.S. *Billboard* Top Independent Albums | 4 |
|

## InfoBox

| Rock My World | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
| Compilation album by Bret Michaels | |
| Released | June 3, 2008 |
| Genre | Hard rock |
| Length | 39:01 |
| Label | VH1 Classic Records |
| Bret Michaels chronology | |
| *Freedom of Sound*
(2005) ***Rock My World***
(2008) *Custom Built*
(2010) | |
|  | |
| Singles from  *Rock My World* | |
| 1. ""Go That Far" (*Rock of Love* theme)"
Released: February 27, 2007 2. "Fallen"
Released: August 28, 2007 3. "Start Again"
Released: January 28, 2008 4. "Driven (Rock mix)"
Released: December 2, 2008 | |
|  | |


title: Billiard-ball computer

abstract: A billiard-ball computer, a type of conservative logic circuit, is an idealized model of a reversible mechanical computer based on Newtonian dynamics, proposed in 1982 by Edward Fredkin and Tommaso Toffoli. Instead of using electronic signals like a conventional computer, it relies on the motion of spherical billiard balls in a friction-free environment made of buffers against which the balls bounce perfectly. It was devised to investigate the relation between computation and reversible processes in physics.

text:
# Billiard-ball computer

A **billiard-ball computer**, a type of **conservative logic** circuit, is an idealized model of a reversible mechanical computer based on Newtonian dynamics, proposed in 1982 by Edward Fredkin and Tommaso Toffoli. Instead of using electronic signals like a conventional computer, it relies on the motion of spherical billiard balls in a friction-free environment made of buffers against which the balls bounce perfectly. It was devised to investigate the relation between computation and reversible processes in physics.

## Simulating circuits with billiard balls

This model can be used to simulate Boolean circuits in which the wires of the circuit correspond to paths on which one of the balls may travel, the signal on a wire is encoded by the presence or absence of a ball on that path, and the gates of the circuit are simulated by collisions of balls at points where their paths cross. In particular, it is possible to set up the paths of the balls and the buffers around them to form a reversible Toffoli gate, from which any other Boolean logic gate may be simulated. Therefore, suitably configured billiard-ball computers may be used to perform any computational task.

## Simulating billiard balls in other models of computation

It is possible to simulate billiard-ball computers on several types of reversible cellular automaton, including block cellular automata and second-order cellular automata. In these simulations, the balls are only allowed to move at a constant speed in an axis-parallel direction, assumptions that in any case were already present in the use of the billiard ball model to simulate logic circuits. Both the balls and the buffers are simulated by certain patterns of live cells, and the field across which the balls move is simulated by regions of dead cells, in these cellular automaton simulations.

Logic gates based on billiard-ball computer designs have also been made to operate using live soldier crabs of the species *Mictyris guinotae* in place of the billiard balls.


title: Billiard Congress of America

abstract: The Billiard Congress of America (BCA) is the governing body for cue sports in the United States and Canada, and the regional member organization of the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA). It was established under this name in 1948 as a non-profit trade organization in order to promote the sport and organize its players via tournaments at various levels. The BCA is headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado. The voting members of the organization are mostly equipment manufacturers. The BCA publishes an annual rule and record book that incorporates the WPA world standardized rules for games such as nine-ball, eight-ball, ten-ball and straight pool, as well as rules for other games that are not presently the subject of international competition, such as one pocket, bank pool, cowboy pool, rotation, American snooker, and Chicago among many others. The BCA holds an annual trade show, the International Billiards & Home Recreation Expo. Also annually, it inducts great players, and those who have made great contributions to the sport, into the BCA Hall of Fame.

text:
# Billiard Congress of America

The **Billiard Congress of America** (**BCA**) is the governing body for cue sports in the United States and Canada, and the regional member organization of the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA). It was established under this name in 1948 as a non-profit trade organization in order to promote the sport and organize its players via tournaments at various levels. The BCA is headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado. The voting members of the organization are mostly equipment manufacturers.

The BCA publishes an annual rule and record book that incorporates the WPA world standardized rules for games such as nine-ball, eight-ball, ten-ball and straight pool, as well as rules for other games that are not presently the subject of international competition, such as one pocket, bank pool, cowboy pool, rotation, American snooker, and Chicago among many others. The BCA holds an annual trade show, the **International Billiards & Home Recreation Expo**. Also annually, it inducts great players, and those who have made great contributions to the sport, into the BCA Hall of Fame.

## History

The origins of the BCA began with the **National Billiard Association of America** (**NBAA**), founded July 25, 1921. The organization rapidly became the *de facto* governing body of the sport in the United States, with 35,000 members by 1928, and was closely tied to the Brunswick-Balke-Collender company, a major equipment manufacturer. After a decline in influence in the late 1930s, in part owing to a dispute with world carom billiards champion Willie Hoppe, the NBAA reformed in 1941 as the **Billiard Association of America** (**BAA**). Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and calling itself "the Governing Body of Billiards", the BAA produced a concise, portable, inexpensive rulebook of carom and pool games that was to serve as the model for future BCA releases. The BAA in turn became the BCA in 1947. The BCA formed with, and for several years shared offices with, the promotional trade association **National Billiard Council** (**NBC**), now defunct. Early BCA rulebooks were essentially identical to the 1946 BAA edition, including the cover art and the absence of the increasingly popular game nine-ball from the ruleset. (Nine-ball did not appear until the 1967 edition.) The BCA rulebooks have remained in near-annual continuous publication to the present day.

In 2000, the BCA made the major move of adopting the World Pool-Billiard Association's standardized rules for eight-ball, nine-ball, and other games subject to international professional competition. The BCA had by this time become the national affiliate of the WPA. In the new edition of the rules, the organization expressed a commitment to seeing pool and carom billiards become Olympic sports (and in fact selected Colorado Springs for its new headquarters for proximity to the US Olympic Committee). The rules changes have not been without controversy, as some of them upset US player expectations; various leagues have ignored the new rules and continued with traditional US rules (e.g., in the game of eight-ball, legally pocketing the 8 ball on the break shot has commonly been treated as an instant win).

## BCA Hall of Fame

In 1966, the Billiard Congress of America created its hall of fame to honor people who have been known to enrich the sport, containing two categories — "The Greatest Player", a category including players who played either internationally or nationally for 20 years or more and have won at least one national or international championship, and "The Meritorious Service", a category for players that have made "lasting, memorable and important contributions" to billiards.

## International Billiard & Home Recreation Expo

The BCA's annual **Billiard Expo** (as it is known for short, or simply **the Expo**, within the industry) is the largest mostly-cue-sports trade convention in the world, and despite its broad name is primarily focused on pool (pocket billiards). It has been held in various locations, most frequently Las Vegas, Nevada, since its founding in 1984. The Expo is exclusively sponsored by the BCA (and its members), and is managed by William T. Glasgow, Inc. of Orland Park, Illinois. The expressed purpose of the event is to "provide industry manufacturers, distributors, retailers, dealers and poolroom operators an annual venue for new business opportunities, including education, new products and networking." Vendor attendance in 2006 was nearly 300 companies filling between 1,300 and 1,400 10 sq ft (0.93 m2) booth spaces. The June 2527, 2009 event at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas saw 116 exhibitor in 412 booth spaces, with 1,120 buy attendees. The next event will be held June 14 (Wednesday) through 16 (Friday), 2010, at the Las Vegas Convention Center, with registration for attendees opening February 15. These were not the original dates, and some debate surrounded the matter, with the dates being finalized only as late as September 2009, and chosen to ensure maximum attendance by billiard entrepreneurs, most of whom have business peaks on weekends. By the end of the 2009 Expo, 65 companies had already contracted for 326 booth spaces at the 2010 Expo.

The vast majority of attendees are industry insiders, rather than players. In 2006, 94% were billiard retailers, 5% billiard hall operators, and 1% "other" (e.g. bowling and amusement center operators). In 2009, only 70% were retailers. In that year, 83% were from the United States and 7% from Canada, with the remaining 10% being from elsewhere around the world. Despite operators not being in the majority, the event is geared toward them, with "Business of Billiards" seminars on successful hall operation, and exhibitors principally in the business of supplying such venues. Exhibiting vendors typically include product lines such as pool equipment (tables, cues, racks, chalk, etc.), billiards-themed apparel and accessories, instructional materials, bar and billiard furniture and furnishings (stools, neon signs, juke boxes, etc.), business services (food processing, point-of-sale computer systems, etc.), other commercial gaming equipment (darts, table shuffleboard, foosball, video games, pinball machines, etc.), plus assorted home recreation categories (poker, home spas and pools, tanning beds, sound systems, outdoors equipment, etc.), and billiard-related services such as cue repair. The BCA claims that, as of 2009, 55% of attendees make purchasing decisions for their businesses, 50% buy there, and 20% more buy within one month of the show.

While Las Vegas is the most frequent host city for the event, it has also been held in Charlotte, North Carolina, Houston, Texas, Baltimore, Maryland, New Orleans, Louisiana, Kansas City, Missouri, Orlando, Florida, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Nashville, Tennessee, Louisville, Kentucky, and Ft. Worth, Texas.

As of the 2010 event, the cost per 10 sq ft (0.93 m2) exhibitor booth varied from US$1,350 to $1,800 depending upon BCA membership status. The event ticket price was $100 for non-exhibitors and non-members. These prices were up from $1,200 and $50, respectively, in 2007.

## BCA Pool League

The BCA Pool League (BCAPL) is one of the major amateur pool leagues in the United States and is present in over a dozen other countries outside the U.S., with a significant presence in Canada. Originally operated by the BCA, since 2004 the BCAPL has been owned and operated by billiards event promoter CueSports International (CSI) of Henderson, Nevada.

The BCA Pool League has approximately 450 local leagues with 60,000+ members. Leagues are played on both bar-size 7-foot (2.1 m) and regulation 9-foot (2.7 m) tables. Beginning in the 2009/2010 season, CSI introduced a second league, the USA Pool League (USAPL), aimed at a more casual player. Both the BCAPL and USAPL (who share a rulebook) use BCA rules, with the addition of wheelchair rules, team play adaptations, and "Applied Rulings" from years of large-scale tournament administration.

## Collegiate National Championship

The US Collegiate Pocket Billiards National Championship, organized by the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) since 1937, with separate men's and women's divisions since 1939, is recognized and supported by the BCA. The amateur tournament's annual champions are listed in the BCA's *Billiards: The Official Rules and Records Book*.

## United States Billiard Media Association

The **United States Billiard Media Association** (**USBmA**) was organized in January 2007 to elect "billiard media members to the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame Board". This media-focused suborganization also lists other goals in its materials, including "elevating the visibility and status of billiards in the media at large" as well as various member-support functions. Membership is strictly limited to "professional print, radio, TV, public relations and Internet media persons who cover cue sports", as determined by the USBmA executive board. As of February 2010, the group listed 33 members, including most of the better-known names in US-based cue sports publishing. USBmA is nominally based in Chicago, Illinois, at the same address as *Billiards Digest* (Luby Publishing).


title: Complimentary language and gender

abstract: Complimentary language is a speech act that caters to positive face needs. Positive face, according to Brown and Levinson, is "the positive consistent self-image or 'personality' claimed by interactions". Many studies examine complimentary language in relation to gender because of the noticeable differences in compliment topic, explicitness, and response depending on gender of the speaker as well as the gender of the addressee. Analysts use these studies to demonstrate their theories about inherent differences between the genders and the societal impact of gender roles.

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# Complimentary language and gender

**Complimentary language** is a speech act that caters to positive face needs. Positive face, according to Brown and Levinson, is "the positive consistent self-image or 'personality' (crucially including the desire that this self-image be appreciated and approved of) claimed by interactions". Many studies examine complimentary language in relation to gender because of the noticeable differences in compliment topic, explicitness, and response depending on gender of the speaker as well as the gender of the addressee. Analysts use these studies to demonstrate their theories about inherent differences between the genders and the societal impact of gender roles.

## Same-gender compliments

Compliment patterns appear to be quite different when the complimenter and complimentee are the same gender from when they are different genders, and differences between males and females still arise even within same-gender interactions. In data from New Zealand, it was noted that women tended to compliment each other considerably more often than men complimented each other. This statistic is reflected in further data that showed that women gave two-thirds of the recorded compliments and received three-quarters of them. Compliments between men comprised a mere 9 percent of the data. Similar patterns have been noted in studies of English speakers from other regions as well.

In written discourse, too, such patterns arose, as women tended to compliment other women more often than they complimented men, and more often than men complimented either each other or women. In one study, compliments between women numbered almost 250, while compliments between men did not even reach 50.

Janet Holmes suggests that the discrepancies in male-male and female-female complimentary language may be due to differences in perception concerning the purpose of compliments. The hypothesis is that women use compliments to build affiliations, while men use compliments to make evaluative judgments. Deborah Tannen attributes female linguistic behavior to the purpose of rapport-building, so, assuming compliments are being used as such a means, the data of complimentary language between women seems to suggest this tendency to create and strengthen affiliations is strongest between women.

Compliments are usually classified into one of four categories, depending on what they refer to: appearance, ability and performance, possessions, or personality. In New Zealand data, it is shown that women tend to compliment each other based on appearance most often. While 61 percent of the compliments between women were found to be appearance-based, only 36 percent of the compliments between men were found to compliment each other based on appearance. Additionally, only 22 percent of the compliments based on appearance that were received by men were also given by men.

Men were found to compliment each other based on possessions more often than they compliment women based on possessions. Men rarely complimented each other based on appearance in both the New Zealand and American data, but in the American data it seemed compliments based on appearance were less commonly received by men from women than in the New Zealand data.

Also in New Zealand data, apparent variation between the genders was noted among English-speakers. While women are found to use the compliment pattern, "What \[noun phrase\]!" (as in, "What a nice shirt!") more often than men, men are found to use a more minimal pattern of, "\[adjective\] \[noun phrase\]" (as in, "Nice car."). Thus, it is not surprising that compliments between men very rarely are found to adhere to the "What \[noun phrase\]!" pattern. In data of American English, only women were found to use the emphasized form, "I love…" rather than, "I like…" and this pattern was most prevalent when women were complimenting other women. Women also used intensifiers such as "really" and "very" in their compliments more than men, and women primarily used these intensifiers when addressing other women.

A study of Mandarin-speakers in Kunming, China indicated that men tend to use implicit compliments more often than women, and women tend to provide explanations and justifications for their compliments. Another study of Chinese-speakers found similar results. At 80.5 percent, women opted for explicit compliments with other women, while 57.2 percent of the compliments paid by males to other males were explicit. Conversely, men used implicit compliments for other men, at 9.5 percent, while women used implicit compliments for other women only 2.3 percent of the time. Men also chose no response, rather than accepting or declining a compliment, 28.5 percent of the time, while women chose no response only 12.8 percent of the time.

## Opposite-gender compliments

Studies that use data from American interactions show that male-female compliments are significantly more frequent than female-male compliments, following the general pattern that women receive the most compliments overall, whether from other women or from men. Much attention has been given to the pronounced difference in compliment topic in male-female versus female-male compliments. A particular study done on a college campus found that men gave women almost twice (52%) as many compliments on physical appearance as women gave men (26%). This tendency to praise physical attractiveness (as opposed to "skill, possession, etc.") was attributed to several theories:

1. Women were more wary of giving compliments, especially those regarding physical appearance, for fear of being interpreted as too forward and romantically assertive.
2. Alternately, men readily gave more obvious compliments. Male initiation of romantic relations is more socially acceptable, so a misinterpreted compliment would not be viewed as unnatural.
3. Men are less accustomed to respond to or expect admiration related to physical appearance that is not an expression of romantic interest. This is attributed to the relative rarity of the sincere male-male compliment in comparison to the near-ubiquitous female-female compliment.
4. There is an expectation among both genders that women place greater significance on physical appearance than do men, and would therefore be more likely to give and receive compliments based on this quality.
5. An additional explanation from Wolfson posits that in the "American pattern", since men rarely give/receive appearance-related compliments from other men and rarely receive appearance-related compliments from women, the topic of physical attractiveness is not an appropriate topic for compliments from either men or women. She notes that such compliments only occur when the male is much younger than the female.

Robin Lakoff's famous work on "women's speech" has been evaluated by Brower, Gerritsen, and DeHaan, and they found that the inventory of words that had been labeled as characteristically "women's speech" were actually used by both genders when addressing women, especially in complimentary language. What had previously been categorized as adjectives primarily used by women ("adorable", "charming","sweet", "lovely", "divine", as opposed to the neutral words "great", "terrific","cool", "neat") were found in numerous examples of men referring to or addressing women. Though still unproven, this type of "unusual" discourse further emphasizes a distinction between complimentary and regular language.

Studies that discuss opposite-sex compliments in specialized environments include Lauzen and Dozier's study on compliments on primetime sitcoms. Though by no means as natural as everyday interactions, the number and type of appearance comments between female and male characters both mirror and conflict with data from real-life studies. Most realistically accurate was the fact that female characters were twice as likely to be recipients of appearance-based comments. Conflicting facts include the balanced number of male-female and female-male compliments based on physical appearance, as opposed to others' findings that show a clear disparity, with a higher occurrence of male-female compliments. Relatedly, the study also examined insults, in which they found that although male-male insults are more likely than male-female insults, females-female insults (and compliments) are just as frequent as female-male ones. The other specialized study concentrated on gender relations in the corporate workplace. Wolfson found that male professionals felt little hesitation in making personal compliments to female co-workers, especially as jokes. These "sexist compliments" are more frequent when the woman is the subordinate position (i.e. male boss to female secretary). However, they found no occurrences of male subordinates being spoken to in this way, either from female or male superiors.

## Compliment responses

Complimentary responses are governed by two contradictory conditions that must be met simultaneously, according to Pomerantz (1978).

1. Agree with the complimenter
2. Avoid self-praise

While trying to meet one condition, the complimentee will inevitably conflict with the other. Pomerantz divides American compliment responses into acceptances, agreements, rejections and disagreements.

Herbert (1986) discovered, in his analysis of 1,062 compliment responses, that not all Americans adhere to Pomerantz's conditions. Speakers were "almost twice as likely to respond with some response other than acceptance." Based on these findings Herbert questions whether native speakers of other varieties of English follow the same patterns. He compares American English with English speakers in South Africa. He found that there was a one-in-three chance of an acceptance response being used by an American speaker as opposed to a three-in-four chance of an acceptance response from a South African English speaker. Herbert and Straight (1986) base the reasoning for this difference on the respective social systems of each group. Americans tend to give more compliments in an attempt to establish solidarity; Americans then tend to refuse compliments they receive, stressing equality. In the society of South African English speakers on the other hand, solidarity among status-equals is assumed. They do not need to work to establish something that they already have, so it is easier for them to accept compliments given to them.

Just as there are differences of compliment responses among separate cultures, there are also differences among men and women within the same culture. American women tend to give and receive more compliments than men do. The idea that women's speech activity works much differently compared to that of men can be observed through compliment responses, as women often work at creating and reaffirming solidarity with compliment response strategies. Wolfson found that elaborate responses to compliments among women occur between intimate, status-unequal, and status-equal acquaintances, and that a majority of elaborate responses occurred between status-equal women.

There are major differences in how men and women perceive compliments that are given by the other sex. Shotland and Craig (1988) concluded that both sexes can differentiate between friendly behavior and sexually based behavior but that men perceive situations more sexually than women. They hypothesize that this difference in perception is due to the difference between the thresholds of sexual intent of men and women. Therefore, women misjudge interested behavior as friendly behavior because they have a high threshold of sexual intent. Men, on the other hand, misjudge friendly behavior as interested behavior because they have a low threshold for sexual intent. This difference in threshold levels affects the subject matter of compliments given between men and women as well as how they respond to the compliments given.

## Cross-cultural overview of compliments

There is much variation regarding how compliments function and are performed in different societies. Compliments as an expression of approval is just one general description; however, as discussed above, how such politeness strategies are exhibited can vary according to the values of the society in which they are performed. The different notions of gender roles within a given society seems to have a bearing on both the frequency and style of compliments delivered in conversation.

### American English

According to studies carried out by Manes and Wolfson, compliments in American culture are expressed quite frequently in conversation in attempt to achieve and maintain successful social relationships with others. Often for those whose first language is not American English, they find American English speakers rude or overbearing with giving compliments, particularly when coming from a society where humility is highly valued. Across society, men and women compliment each other freely and seemingly often about an array of topics and in various social contexts.

### Spanish speakers

Many studies have looked at the use of *piropos* carried out by Spanish-speaking men to compliment a woman's physical beauty and attributes. Zena Moore concluded that to many American English speakers these speech acts are seen to be sexist and closely related to machismo. Despite the negative perception among American English speakers, the term and its usage are widely recognized in Hispanic culture. There is no direct translation into English for the term, but an example of its use may be as explicit as commenting on a woman's sexual desirability, or may be poetic in nature, often focusing on a woman's eyes. Moore highlights that *piropos* are embedded in long cultural traditions and generally received with positivity by Hispanic women.

### Turkish speakers

Studies of compliments in Turkish again draw attention to compliments as a politeness strategy that helps maintain social relations. A study by Arin Bayraktaraglu and Maria Sifianou described compliments in Turkish as formulaic and occurring mostly in friendly situations. Age and marital status seems to have a great bearing on compliments given. Men who are married and above 40 years old compliment women more on accomplishments and personal attributes, whereas young adult men compliment women more on appearance and physical attributes. The results of this study were consistent with Holmes's previous findings that women compliment and are complimented more, particularly on appearance, which accounted for 58 percent of the compliments women received.

### Chinese speakers

Speakers of Chinese seem to have a very deflective approach to praise and compliments, and in comparison to American English speakers, may compliment one another in conversation less frequently. Chinese culture highly values the group over the individual, as well as modesty. As a means of reinforcing one's humility, Chinese speakers tend to respond to a compliment by rejecting it or lowering themselves by returning the compliment back to the original speaker. Wolfson (1984) noted that it is often inappropriate for a man to compliment a Chinese woman on her physical attributes, especially if they do not have a close relationship. A study by Gabriele Kasper found that over 80% of Chinese speaking women from her sample gave more explicit compliments and responses in comparison to less than half of the men.