title: Florida scrub lizard

abstract: The Florida scrub lizard is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is endemic to Florida, the United States.

text:
# Florida scrub lizard

The **Florida scrub lizard** (***Sceloporus woodi***) is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is endemic to Florida, the United States.

## Etymology

The specific name, *woodi*, is in honor of taxidermist Nelson R. Wood (died 1920) of the Smithsonian Institution who collected the holotype.

## Description

The adult Florida scrub lizard is about 5 inches (13 cm) in total length (including tail). It is gray or brownish with a longitudinal brown stripe down each side of the body. The male has turquoise patches on the throat and belly. The female usually lacks the throat patches, but may have lighter patches on the abdomen.

## Reproduction

Courtship and mating of *S. woodi* occur in spring. The female buries up to 5 clutches of 2 to 8 eggs each. Eggs take about 75 days to hatch, probably depending on ambient temperature. The last hatchlings of the year emerge in November. The lizard becomes sexually mature in 10 to 11 months.

## Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of *S. woodi* is Florida scrub, including evergreen oak and sand pine scrub. It is found less often in the ecotone between scrub and sandhill habitat, flatwoods, and citrus groves. It is most common in dry habitats with open basking areas and nesting with nearby pines or oaks for shelter. A closed canopy makes the habitat unsuitable.

## Geographic range and conservation status

*S. woodi* has a disjunct distribution with four main population areas, the Atlantic coast scrubs, the Gulf Coast scrubs, the inland central peninsula, and Ocala National Forest and environs. It occurs on the Lake Wales Ridge. It is common in the Ocala National Forest, but it is slowly declining in most of its range due to loss of habitat. It was more widespread before the intensive development of Florida's scrub zones and sandy ridges. Habitat loss to development, including the establishment of citrus groves, has reduced populations. Fire suppression causes habitat changes such as closure of the canopy, which eliminates the open spaces required by the species. It has been wiped out from its former range off Florida's Gulf Coast in Collier and Lee County, and also off the Atlantic coast of Florida south of Palm Beach County.

This species occurs in widely spaced patches of a habitat type that is naturally fragmented, and it does not disperse far from its natal area. The main population groups have remained separate for many thousands of years, causing isolation that has led to the development of high genetic diversity in the species as a whole. During conservation efforts, it is important to maintain such diversity.

## Further reading

* Behler JL, King FW (1979). *The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians*. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 743 pp. ISBN 0-394-50824-6. (*Sceloporus woodi*, pp. 531–532 + Plate 376).
* Conant R (1975). *A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America*. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. xviii + 429 pp. + Plates 1-48. ISBN 0-395-19979-4 (hardcover), ISBN 0-395-19977-8 (paperback). (*Sceloporus woodi*, p. 105 + Plate 16 + Map 68).
* Powell R, Conant R, Collins, JT (2016). *Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Fourth Edition*. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. xiv + 494 pp., 47 color plates, 207 figures. ISBN 978-0-544-12997-9. (*Sceloporus woodi*, p. 299 + Plate 27).
* Smith HM, Brodie ED Jr (1982). *Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification*. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. ISBN 0-307-13666-3 (paperback), ISBN 0-307-47009-1 (hardcover). (*Sceloporus woodi*, pp. 122–123).
* Stejneger L (1918). "Description of a New Snapping Turtle and a New Lizard from Florida". *Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington* **31**: 89-92. (*Sceloporus woodi*, new species, pp. 90–92).

## InfoBox

| Florida scrub lizard | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
| Photographed at Lake Placid, Florida | |
| Conservation status | |
|
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Phrynosomatidae |
| Genus: | *Sceloporus* |
| Species: | ***S. woodi*** |
| Binomial name | |
| ***Sceloporus woodi***
Stejneger, 1918 | |
|
|  | |
| Green: native range, Black: former range | |


title: Spirama retorta

abstract: Spirama retorta, the Indian owlet-moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Carl Alexander Clerck in 1764. It is found in China, Korea, Japan (Honshu), India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the Philippines (Luzon), Indonesia,Japan.

text:
# Spirama retorta

***Spirama retorta***, the **Indian owlet-moth**, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Carl Alexander Clerck in 1764. It is found in China (Tibet, Qinghai, Jiangsu, Fukien, Yunnan), Korea, Japan (Honshu), India (Sikkim, West Bengal), Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the Philippines (Luzon), Indonesia (Java, Sulawesi),Japan (Ryukyu Islands).

## Description

The wingspan of the male is about 64–76 mm and 66-88 in female. The pattern on the wings often looks like the face of a snake with slightly opened mouth. Forewings with arched costa towards apex, which is nearly rectangular. Male with a fold on inner area of hindwing, containing an erectile ridge of very long hair. Antennae fasciculate. Male has dark chestnut-brown colored head and collar. Thorax paler with dark bands. Abdomen crimson with triangular black dorsal patches. Wings fuscous brown. Forewing with the costal and outer area more or less suffused with purplish and sometimes with an olive tinge. An antemedial line curved outwards below costa, and then oblique to inner margin. There is a large "inverted-comma" mark beyond end of cell, with ochreous and black edges and some white on inner edge of "tail", the center fuscous-black. A postmedial curved line passing round the stigma or interrupted by it. Another postmedial line excurved below costa and slightly sinuous. Two crenulate sub-marginal line and two more prominent lines can be found within the margin. Hindwings with indistinct antemedial, medial, and traces of two postmedial and a sub-marginal line. Ventral side is suffused with dull red and having two medial lines and single postmedial to each wing.

Female basically ochreous colored. Forewings with larger stigma than male. Hindwings with prominent markings. Two antemedial lines and an ochreous submarginal line can be seen along with two crenulate black lines inside the margin. Ventral side orange-scarlet colored, each wing with cell-spot, medial, postmedial and submarginal lines and series of lunules inside the margin.

The caterpillars are known to feed on *Acacia mangium*, which was investigated from Peninsular Malaysia. Predators like *Sycanus leucomesus*, *Cantheconidea furcellata*, *Mallada basalis*, and *Vespa affinis* are observed to feed on the caterpillars. Caterpillars also feed on *Acacia auriculiformis*, *Acacia crassicarpa*, and *Falcataria moluccana*.

## InfoBox

| Indian owlet-moth | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
|  | |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Erebidae |
| Genus: | *Spirama* |
| Species: | ***S. retorta*** |
| Binomial name | |
| ***Spirama retorta***<br>(Clerck, 1764) | |
|
| Synonyms | |
| * *Phalaena retorta* Clerck, 1764 * *Noctua spiralis* Fabricius, 1775 * *Erebus chimista* Kollar, 1844 * *Spirama isabella* Guenée, 1852 * *Spirama suffumosa* Guenée, 1852 * *Spiramia cohaerens* Walker, 1858 * *Hypopyra martha* Butler, 1878 * *Spirama simplicior* Butler, 1881 * *Spirama inaequalis* Butler, 1883 * *Spirama jinchuena* Butler, 1883 | |


title: Too Young (album)

abstract: Too Young is the fourth studio album by American singer Donny Osmond, released in 1972. It reached number 11 on the Billboard Top LPs chart on September 23, 1972. The singles, "Too Young" and "Why", both reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was certified Gold by the RIAA on January 24, 1973.

text:
# Too Young (album)

***Too Young*** is the fourth studio album by American singer Donny Osmond, released in 1972. It reached number 11 on the *Billboard* Top LPs chart on September 23, 1972. The singles, "Too Young" and "Why", both reached No. 13 on the *Billboard* Hot 100. It was certified Gold by the RIAA on January 24, 1973.

## Track listing

| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1. | "Donna" | Ritchie Valens | 2:38 |
| 2. | "Too Young" | Sidney Lippman, Sylvia Dee | 2:58 |
| 3. | "Pretty Blue Eyes" | Teddy Randazzo, Bobby Weinstein | 2:06 |
| 4. | "To Run Away" | Alan Osmond, Merrill Osmond | 2:20 |
| 5. | "A Teenager in Love" | Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman | 2:25 |
| 6. | "Lonely Boy" | Paul Anka | 2:54 |
| 7. | "Why" | Peter De Angelis, Bob Marcucci | 2:45 |
| 8. | "Run to Him" | Jack Keller, Gerry Goffin | 2:25 |
| 9. | "Take Good Care of My Baby" | Carole King, Gerry Goffin | 3:17 |
| 10. | "Last of the Red Hot Lovers" | Alan Osmond, Mack David, Mike Curb | 2:19 |

## Charts

| Chart (1972/73) | Position |
| --- | --- |
| United States (Billboard 200) | 11 |
| Australia (Kent Music Report) | 30 |
| Canada | 12 |
| United Kingdom (Official Charts Company) | 7 |
|

## Certifications

| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| --- | --- | --- |
| United States (RIAA) | Gold | 500,000^ |
| ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
 | | |

## InfoBox

| Too Young | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
| Studio album by Donny Osmond | |
| Released | July 15, 1972 |
| Genre | Pop, bubblegum pop, R&B |
| Length | 26:13 |
| Label | MGM |
| Producer | Mike Curb, Don Costa, Alan Osmond, Michael Lloyd, Rick Hall |
| Donny Osmond chronology | |
| *Portrait of Donny*
(1972) ***Too Young***
(1972) *My Best to You*
(1972) | |
|  | |
| Singles from  *Too Young* | |
| 1. "Too Young"
Released: June 10, 1972 2. "Why"
Released: August 12, 1972 | |
|  | |


title: Skrunda Station

abstract: Skrunda Station is a railway station on the Jelgava – Liepāja Railway.

text:
# Skrunda Station

**Skrunda Station** is a railway station on the Jelgava – Liepāja Railway.

## InfoBox

| Skrunda Station | |
| --- | --- |
| General information | |
| Location | Stacijas iela 1, Skrunda, Skrunda Municipality |
| Coordinates | 56°40′49.20″N 22°0′43.52″E / 56.6803333°N 22.0120889°E / 56.6803333; 22.0120889 |
| Line(s) | Jelgava – Liepāja Railway |
| Platforms | 1 |
| Tracks | 4 |
| History | |
| Opened | 1928 |
|  | |
|  | |
|  | |


title: Claraville Station

abstract: Claraville Station is a pastoral lease that currently operates as a cattle station in Queensland. It is located approximately 7 kilometres (4 mi) south west of Croydon and 128 kilometres (80 mi) south east of Normanton in the gulf country of Queensland. The property is composed of open forest country with softer area of frontage country along the Clara and Yappar Rivers and their tributaries. There are good stands of Mitchell Grass, Spearwood and Spinifex throughout along with edible shrubs such as verano and stylos. The channel systems support areas of Coolibah, Gum and Box Trees that extend into Wattle. The property is divided into 10 main paddocks, 6 smaller paddocks and numerous holding paddocks. The main house at the homestead was built in 2005. Clareville was established at some time prior to 1884 when it was acquired the Rochfort brothers who also owned Dotswood and Wallabadah Stations. By 1891 the property was owned by A. S. Haydon and occupied an area of 700 square miles (1,813 km⁲) and stocked with 2,000 cattle. Jack Campbell and John Thomas Willcox owned the property in 1925 with Campbell managing the station. The Priestley brothers owned the station in 1952 which had been a dry season and the herd had been reduced to 2,000 head, 1,000 of which were transferred to WondoolaStation. In 2013 the property was placed on the market Sydney-based owners Mike and Kim Sergeant. Claraville occupies an area of 2,170 square kilometres (838 sq mi) and was stocked with 10,000 head of cattle.

text:
# Claraville Station

Claravilleclass=notpageimage|Location in Queensland

18°39′34″S 141°42′44″E / 18.65948°S 141.71234°E / -18.65948; 141.71234 (Claraville)

**Claraville Station** is a pastoral lease that currently operates as a cattle station in Queensland.

It is located approximately 7 kilometres (4 mi) south west of Croydon and 128 kilometres (80 mi) south east of Normanton in the gulf country of Queensland. The property is composed of open forest country with softer area of frontage country along the Clara and Yappar Rivers and their tributaries. There are good stands of Mitchell Grass, Spearwood and Spinifex throughout along with edible shrubs such as verano and stylos.

The channel systems support areas of Coolibah, Gum and Box Trees that extend into Wattle. The property is divided into 10 main paddocks, 6 smaller paddocks and numerous holding paddocks. The main house at the homestead was built in 2005.

Clareville was established at some time prior to 1884 when it was acquired the Rochfort brothers who also owned Dotswood and Wallabadah Stations. By 1891 the property was owned by A. S. Haydon and occupied an area of 700 square miles (1,813 km2) and stocked with 2,000 cattle.

Jack Campbell and John Thomas Willcox owned the property in 1925 with Campbell managing the station.

The Priestley brothers owned the station in 1952 which had been a dry season and the herd had been reduced to 2,000 head, 1,000 of which were transferred to WondoolaStation.

In 2013 the property was placed on the market Sydney-based owners Mike and Kim Sergeant. Claraville occupies an area of 2,170 square kilometres (838 sq mi) and was stocked with 10,000 head of cattle.


title: Veruka

abstract: Veruka was a nightclub in Manhattan, owned by Noel Ashman. The club operated between January 1997 and June 2004, and was known for its strict door policy and celebrity patrons.

text:
# Veruka

**Veruka** was a nightclub in Manhattan, owned by Noel Ashman. The club operated between January 1997 and June 2004, and was known for its strict door policy and celebrity patrons.

## History

The name Veruka was derived from Veruca Salt, the character of the story *Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.* Veruka was located on Broome Street at Sixth Avenue. It had a multi-level lounge and was one of New York's first clubs to have bottle service. In 2001, designer Todd Oldham redesigned the club. Hip-hop songwriter John Forté (of the Fugees) was among the club's celebrity DJs.

Celebrity regulars included Sean Penn, Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg, Cuba Gooding Jr., Nicolas Cage, Debbie Harry, Derek Jeter, Denis Leary, John Waters, Martin Sheen, and Sarah Jessica Parker, and was a popular location for the New York Yankees.

Owner Noel Ashman opened a new club, The Leonora, in Chelsea in August 2014. Ashman described The Leonora as a modernized version of Veruka.

40°43′27″N 74°00′17″W / 40.7241°N 74.0046°W / 40.7241; -74.0046


title: Dunantist

abstract:
Dunantist is a category of humanitarian organization named after Henry Dunant (1828–1910), who inspired the creation of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Practitioners who fall into this category follow the traditional, or classic, approach to humanitarianism, which comprises four fundamental principles:
  - Humanity – alleviate human suffering wherever it may be found
  - Neutrality – do not take sides in a conflict
  - Impartiality – aid should be based on needs alone, regardless of race, class, gender and sex
  - Independence – proactive disengagement from political and military actors to limit coercive control of the humanitarian actor's actions Aside from strict adherence to the humanitarian principles that the Red Cross is based on, Dunantists also limit their actions to humanitarian crises.

text:
# Dunantist

**Dunantist** is a category of humanitarian organization named after Henry Dunant (1828–1910), who inspired the creation of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Practitioners who fall into this category follow the traditional, or classic, approach to humanitarianism, which comprises four fundamental principles:

* Humanity – alleviate human suffering wherever it may be found
* Neutrality – do not take sides in a conflict
* Impartiality – aid should be based on needs alone, regardless of race, class, gender and sex
* Independence – proactive disengagement from political and military actors to limit coercive control of the humanitarian actor's actions

Aside from strict adherence to the humanitarian principles that the Red Cross is based on, Dunantists also limit their actions to humanitarian crises.

## History

The term was coined by Abby Stoddard in the 2003 research article "Humanitarian NGOs: Challenges and Trends," published by the Humanitarian Policy Group of the Overseas Development Institute, which characterized humanitarian organizations by their principal values and operational approach.

Dunantist establishments are independent, neutral organizations that attempt to work outside the influence of a state. Médecins Sans Frontières is an example of a Dunantist humanitarian organization.

In contrast, "Wilsonian" organizations (named after United States president Woodrow Wilson) work in willing partnership with governments that seek to integrate foreign policy interests with aid activities. Wilsonian organizations differ from Dunantists in that they accept stronger state influence and accommodate political interests and specific foreign policy objectives. This type of humanitarianism emerged during the global war on terror, which merged the lines between the military, development, and humanitarian remits within a framework of stabilization and integrated missions carried out by the US, NATO, and UN. This is apparent in the way the military is increasingly called upon to protect aid organizations or to directly engage in humanitarian initiatives.

David Rieff, in his 2003 book *A Bed for the Night*, further elaborates on the two philosophies and demonstrates that the decline in Dunantist organizations will make it increasingly difficult for humanitarian values to prevail in challenging conflict settings.

## Other NGO types

Other examples of NGO types include:

* Solidarist – these organizations reject impartiality, and their humanitarian aid programmes follow a clear political point of view. The Norwegian People's Aid organization is an example.
* Faith-based – these organizations combine a religious mission or values with the provision of aid, such as Catholic Relief Services and World Vision.
* Commercial – these organizations are fully dependent on government funding as well as private enterprises and private military companies, with Halliburton as an example.


title: 80 South Street

abstract: 80 South Street was a proposed residential skyscraper in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City, that had been planned in the early 21st century. The original proposal for the skyscraper, released in 2003, was designed by renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, and was canceled in 2008 as a result of a declining real-estate market. A new shorter design was planned to be finished in 2016, and China Oceanwide Holdings Limited acquired 80 South Street in March 2016. Following the collapse of Chinese real estate conglomerate Evergrande and the associated Chinese property sector crisis, in October 2021 China Oceanwide began marketing the property at an aggressive discount of more than $190 million below its original acquisition cost to raise funds for its parent entity.

text:
# 80 South Street

**80 South Street** was a proposed residential skyscraper in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City, that had been planned in the early 21st century. The original proposal for the skyscraper, released in 2003, was designed by renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, and was canceled in 2008 as a result of a declining real-estate market. A new shorter design was planned to be finished in 2016, and China Oceanwide Holdings Limited acquired 80 South Street in March 2016. Following the collapse of Chinese real estate conglomerate Evergrande and the associated Chinese property sector crisis, in October 2021 China Oceanwide began marketing the property at an aggressive discount of more than $190 million below its original acquisition cost to raise funds for its parent entity.

## Site

The site on which the building is planned to be constructed is occupied by a six-story red brick building. The existing building, including the side door entrance on Fletcher Street, was used as the set for API headquarters in the short-lived AMC series *Rubicon*, filmed in 2010.

## Architecture

### Original design

The design of the building consisted of 12 four-story cubes stacked on top of one another, cantilevered off a central concrete column standing above an 8-story base. The slender concrete core would contain elevators, fire stairs and risers for plumbing and power. The base was intended to hold a cultural space, such as a museum. The lowest two cubes would hold offices, while the upper 10 cubes were planned to serve as individual residences. Each private cube would consist of about 10,336 square feet (960 m2) of area, as well as an outdoor garden. The residences each had a cost starting at US$29 million, with the top cube costing US$59 million, making them some of the most expensive condominiums in New York City. However, in 2014, Calatrava started a new design of 80 south street to propose for construction in New York City.

The building had a planned roof height of 826 feet (252 m), and the central core was planned to extend as a spire to 1,123 feet (342 m). The tower was originally conceived as the 3rd-tallest building in New York City (after the Empire State Building and the Bank of America Tower).

### 2019 design

Real estate blog New York YIMBY published a tentative design in April 2019. The design was based on plans by China Oceanwide Holdings Limited, which had already disengaged from the project and sold the building site. This plan would have had 1,067,350 square feet (99,160 m2) of space, half residential and half commercial. Uniform Land Use Review Procedure documents showed a possible height of 1,436 feet (438 m) with 113 stories.

## History

The design for 80 South Street was first released to the public in 2003. Santiago Calatrava has stated that he took the idea for the building from a sculpture he created in 1985. 80 South Street received approval for construction from the City of New York in February 2005. The project was canceled in April 2008; the developer of the project listed the declining U.S. real estate market as a factor in its cancellation.

A new design of the building without the spire, decreasing the tower to 826 feet (252 m), was planned to be finished in 2016. China Oceanwide Holdings Limited acquired 80 South Street in March 2016, with plans to create a 113-story tower. Demolition permits for 80 South Street and 163 Front Street were filed during early 2017. By 2018, work had stalled due to China Oceanwide's financial difficulties. The site was then listed for sale in early 2019; that June, China Oceanwide received a $175 million loan for the site.

In 2022, China Oceanwide Holdings defaulted on the $175 million loan, and the project has continued to be stalled as well as several other skyscrapers proposed around the country, such as the Oceanwide Plaza in Los Angeles, effectively canceling the project for the foreseeable future.

## InfoBox

| 80 South Street | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
|  | |
| General information | |
| Status | Proposed |
| Type | Residential, office |
| Location | 80 South Street, New York City, New York, United States |
| Coordinates | 40°42′21″N 74°00′16″W / 40.70583°N 74.00444°W / 40.70583; -74.00444 |
| Owner | China Oceanwide Holdings Limited |
| Height | |
| Roof | 1,438 ft (438 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 113 |
| Floor area | 817,788 sq ft (75,975.0 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Santiago Calatrava |
| Developer | China Oceanwide Center NY LLC |


title: Raul Danny Vargas

abstract: Raul "Danny" Vargas is an American businessman, media personality, U.S. Air Force veteran and political activist. He is founder and president of VARCom Solutions, a D.C. area-based marketing and public relations firm and is the Founder/Chairman/CEO of the American Latino Veterans Association (ALVA), a national non-profit focused on helping Latino veterans thrive and recognizing their indispensable contributions. He is the Chairman Emeritus of the Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino. He was the National Chairman of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly from 2007 - 2009. Vargas unsuccessfully ran as a Republican in Virginia's 86th House of Delegates district in the 2015 Virginia House of Delegates election, losing to Democrat Jennifer Boysko.

text:
# Raul Danny Vargas

**Raul "Danny" Vargas** is an American businessman, media personality, U.S. Air Force veteran and political activist. He is founder and president of VARCom Solutions, a D.C. area-based marketing and public relations firm and is the Founder/Chairman/CEO of the American Latino Veterans Association (ALVA), a national non-profit focused on helping Latino veterans thrive and recognizing their indispensable contributions. He is the Chairman Emeritus of the Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino. He was the National Chairman of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly from 2007 - 2009. Vargas unsuccessfully ran as a Republican in Virginia's 86th House of Delegates district in the 2015 Virginia House of Delegates election, losing to Democrat Jennifer Boysko.

## Early life

Danny Vargas was born in New York City, New York and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were from Puerto Rico. By the age of two, his parents had divorced, leaving his mother to raise him and his three older sisters as a single parent. His mother was a poorly educated woman who grew up in Arecibo, Puerto Rico in indentured servitude, never finished the first grade and never learned to read or write. Finding herself with no means of support and ill-prepared for raising children by herself, the family ended up on welfare.

To his good fortune, his isolation caused him to be very focused on his academics as an escape. His excellent grades caused him to be selected as valedictorian at his junior high school graduation. He helped raise his infant niece that was born to the sister closest to him in age. He graduated with honors from the New York State Board of Regents. He decided to join the US Air Force after graduation and scored well enough on entrance exams to choose the career field he would follow.

## Professional career

He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in November 1983 and entered the intelligence career field. After being stationed in Panama for nearly five years, he spent his final year on active duty stationed in San Antonio, Texas. After his honorable discharge he landed a job with a government contractor where he worked for five years. He was transferred to Northern Virginia in 1991 and he has lived there ever since. Eventually, he earned his degree by going to school at night and on weekends.

In 1995 he decided to enter the telecommunications industry. He worked for Sprint International which was later merged with France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom to create a joint venture called Global One. He worked in program management and later sales and marketing. After the joint venture was dissolved, he worked for France Telecom as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Americas region for their wholesale division.

In 2004, he started his own business called VARCom Solutions, based in Herndon, Virginia. VARCom provides strategic marketing, communications and public relations services as well as training and business consulting. VARCom’s clients include government contractors, technology/telecom firms and financial institutions.

In 2006, he accepted an executive position with AOL while still operating VARCom Solutions. At AOL he served as the VP of Global Sales for Voice Services, and later as VP of Latin America.

In February 2011, the Washington Business Journal named Vargas one of its 2011 Minority Business Leaders and in May of the same year, the Small Business Administration recognized him as it Minority Business Champion for both the Washington, D.C. and Mid-Atlantic regions.

In April 2012, John Marshall Bank appointed Vargas to its Fairfax Regional Advisory Board.

## Civic engagement

Vargas is on the board of directors of the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce and served a term on its executive committee. He was the Chairman of the Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce from 2007 to 2008 (the first Hispanic to chair a mainstream chamber in the history of Virginia); National Chairman of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly from 2007 to 2009; member of the board of directors of Northern Virginia Family Service (a 501(c)(3) focused on empowering families); served on the board of the Fairfax Partnership for youth; he founded the Hispanic GovCon Network; and he regularly speaks to students at various levels to encourage them to stay in school and work hard to succeed.

He founded and chaired a Hispanic Advisory Group for then Congressman Frank Wolf and was actively engaged in efforts to reduce gang-related violence in the Herndon area as well as solutions to the day laborer and immigration issues.

In 2009, Vargas was appointed by Congress to serve on a bipartisan commission to study the creation of an American Latino Museum under the Smithsonian Institution. The commission delivered its report to Congress and President Obama in 2011.

In September 2010, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell appointed Vargas to the Virginia Board of Workforce Development, which is a business-led board which provides strategic leadership to the state regarding the workforce development system. In 2013, Vargas was appointed Chairman of the Board and has since taken a national leadership role in the transformation of the workforce system into one that is employer-oriented and demand-driven.

His political viewpoints have been featured in the NBC Latino (where he was a featured contributor), MSNBC (where he is a regular commentator), Wall Street Journal and Politico.com.

He has been recognized by both the Virginia General Assembly and the United States Congress for his community efforts.

## InfoBox

| Raul "Danny" Vargas | |
| --- | --- |
| A photograph of Raul Danny Vargas, October 2012 | |
| Born | New York City, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Businessman |


title: 1975 in Thailand

abstract: The year 1975 was the 194th year of the Rattanakosin Kingdom of Thailand. It was the 30th year in the reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and is reckoned as year 2518 in the Buddhist Era.

text:
# 1975 in Thailand

The year 1975 was the 194th year of the Rattanakosin Kingdom of Thailand. It was the 30th year in the reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), and is reckoned as year 2518 in the Buddhist Era.

## Incumbents

## Events

### January

* 57 primary school teachers quit in Yala province, sending 1,000 students back home. This was due to fears among teachers that they may face violence from separatists.

### February

* 17 February - A 6.0 magnitude earthquake near the Myanmar border is felt in 9 provinces including Bangkok.

## Births

## InfoBox

|  | |
| --- | --- |
| Decades: |  |
| See also: |  |


title: Spirama voluta

abstract: Spirama voluta is a species of moth of the family Erebidae. It is found in the Moluccas of Indonesia.

text:
# Spirama voluta

***Spirama voluta*** is a species of moth of the family Erebidae. It is found in the Moluccas of Indonesia.

## InfoBox

| *Spirama voluta* | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
| By Alois Rogenhofer | |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Erebidae |
| Genus: | *Spirama* |
| Species: | ***S. voluta*** |
| Binomial name | |
| ***Spirama voluta***<br>Felder & Rogenhofer, 1874 | |
|


title: Elaine Hendrix

abstract: Katherine Elaine Hendrix is an American actress. She is known for her roles in Dynasty, Superstar, Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, the 1995 Get Smart series, the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap, Inspector Gadget 2, and the 2004 documentary film What the Bleep Do We Know!?

text:
# Elaine Hendrix

**Katherine Elaine Hendrix** (born December 28, 1970) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in *Dynasty,* *Superstar*, *Romy and Michele's High School Reunion*, the 1995 *Get Smart* series, the 1998 remake of *The Parent Trap*, *Inspector Gadget 2*, and the 2004 documentary film *What the Bleep Do We Know!?*

## Early life

Hendrix was born and raised in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Her father was serving in the Vietnam War at the time of her birth and had little input into her name. Her mother named her Katherine Elaine, but most of her relatives called her by her middle name, and the practice stuck.

## Career

### Dancing and modelling

In her senior year of high school, Hendrix won a model search and became a professional dancer with the Gary Harrison Dance Company. She soon split her time as a professional model and dancer for such companies as Nike, Levi's, Mattel, and Sun Microsystems, and for a number of hip-hop artists including Whodini, Keith Sweat and MC Hammer.

In 1992, she moved to Los Angeles, California, and, shortly after, was hit by a car while riding her bike, ending her early career as a model and dancer.

### Film and television

After recuperating from her accident, Hendrix was cast in the short-lived 1995 *Get Smart* series. She has also appeared on the television series *Joan of Arcadia*, *Friends*, *Ellen*, *Charmed* and *CSI: Crime Scene Investigation* and had a recurring role in *Married... with Children*, *User Friendly* (1995) and *Lez Be Friends* (1997).

Films in which she appeared include *Romy and Michele's High School Reunion*, the remake of *The Parent Trap*, *Superstar*, *Inspector Gadget 2*, and *What the Bleep Do We Know!?*. In 2006, she also appeared in an episode of *Ghost Whisperer* and the movie *Coffee Date*. In 2018, Hendrix appeared in *Christmas at Pemberley Manor*, a Hallmark Channel feature TV movie.

In 2008 Hendrix appeared in two episodes of the single-season *ABC Family* show *The Middleman* as Roxy Wasserman, a succubus who works as a fashion designer. She was seen in a 2008 episode of *Criminal Minds* ("Normal"). In 2009 Hendrix made an appearance on the ABC show *Castle* and in the film *Rock Slyde*.

In 2011, Hendrix played Felicia in the Tribeca-awarded film *Spork*.

Hendrix has also appeared as Renee on *90210* in season three in "They're Playing Her Song" and "Holiday Madness". In 2014, she appeared alongside Charlie Sheen for a three-episode story arc as Warden Hartley in the FX sitcom *Anger Management*. She appears in the web-series *Fetching*, which is also a nod to her love of animals.

She also co-starred as Ava in the FX comedy series *Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll* with Denis Leary, Elizabeth Gillies, John Corbett, Bobby Kelly and John Ales.

On September 13, 2018, it was announced that Hendrix would appear as the recurring character Susan Andrews in the Fox series *Proven Innocent*.

In October 2019, Hendrix was cast as Alexis Carrington Colby for season three of The CW's *Dynasty* reboot series.

## Stage

Hendrix starred as Lisa in the cast of the Off-Broadway play *It's Just Sex* at the Actors Temple Theatre in Manhattan for its June 2013 to January 2014 run.

In 2016, Hendrix reprised the role of Truvy in *Steel Magnolias* at the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Pennsylvania. This production was directed by four time Oscar nominee, Marsha Mason, and also starred Patricia Richardson, Lucy DeVito, Jessica Walter and Susan Sullivan. On June 9, 2016, this production became the highest-grossing show in the history of the Bucks County Playhouse.

## Activism efforts

As an avid animal rights activist, Hendrix has been advocating for animals since 2006, when she also adopted a vegan lifestyle. When she's not filming, she travels throughout North America and works with organizations around the globe to educate, demonstrate, speak, protest, build habitats, transport and rescue. In 2012 she founded The Pet Matchmaker, an organization dedicated to celebrating and inspiring the rescue, foster and adoption of homeless pets everywhere. She serves on the board of Stray Rescue of St. Louis as well as the US chapter of No to Dog Meat.

## Filmography

### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1992 | *Last Dance* | Kelly |  |
| 1993 | *Laurel Canyon* |  | TV movie |
| 1995 | *Road Warriors* | Marissa Rayborn |  |
| 1996 | *Boys & Girls* | Blake Benedict | TV movie |
| 1996 | *Mixed Nuts* | Laurie Wynn | TV movie |
| 1996 | *Lover's Knot* | Robin |  |
| 1996 | *The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas* | Marilyn Munster | TV movie |
| 1997 | *Romy and Michele's High School Reunion* | Lisa Luder |  |
| 1998 | *Carly* | Vel Duncan Dobbs | TV movie |
| 1998 | *The Parent Trap* | Meredith Blake |  |
| 1999 | *Molly* | Jennifer Thomas |  |
| 1999 | *Superstar* | Evian Graham |  |
| 2000 | *Here on Earth* | Jennifer Cavanaugh |  |
| 2000 | *Get Your Stuff* | Cat Hardy |  |
| 2001 | *Unbakeable* | Mrs. Done | Video short |
| 2002 | *Dawg* | Angel |  |
| 2002 | *Wish You Were Dead* | Melody 'Jupiter Music' Malloy |  |
| 2002 | *The Big Time* | Fleur Soap Announcer | TV movie |
| 2002 | *Mr. St. Nick* | Heidi Gardelle | TV movie |
| 2003 | *The Hebrew Hammer* | Blonde Bombshell |  |
| 2003 | *Our Very First Sex Tape* | Woman | Video short |
| 2003 | *Inspector Gadget 2* | Gadget Model 2 / G2 | Video |
| 2004 | *What the #$\*! Do We (K)now!?* | Jennifer | Documentary |
| 2004 | *Stag Party* | Beth | Short film |
| 2005 | *Bow* |  | TV movie |
| 2005 | *Bam Bam and Celeste* | Jackie |  |
| 2006 | *What the Bleep!?: Down the Rabbit Hole* | Jennifer | Documentary |
| 2006 | *Down the P.C.H.* | Samantha |  |
| 2006 | *Coffee Date* | Bonnie |  |
| 2007 | *LA Blues* | Brenda Simon |  |
| 2007 | *The Dukes* | Stephanie |  |
| 2007 | *Charlie's Bitch Ass Hos* | Ass | Short film |
| 2008 | *Two Sisters* | Carley | TV movie |
| 2008 | *Jane Doe: Eye of the Beholder* | Agnes Dart | TV movie |
| 2008 | *Tru Loved* | Mrs. Muller | Also co-producer |
| 2008 | *Player 5150* | Mrs. Lanzelin |  |
| 2008 | *Twisted Faith* | Sandra | Short film and also producer |
| 2008 | *Friends & Lovers: The Ski Trip 2* | Patti |  |
| 2008 | *Food for Thought* | Miss Priss | Short film |
| 2009 | *Strombreaker* | Geoffrey Sax |  |
| 2009 | *The Cloggers* | Kristie | Short film and also producer, director and writer |
| 2009 | *Rock Slyde* | Judy Bee |  |
| 2009 | *Within* | Sadie Weiss |  |
| 2009 | *Dear Lemon Lima* | Coach Roach |  |
| 2009 | *Haunting At The Beacon* | Vanessa Carver |  |
| 2010 | *Nurses Who Kill...* | Monroe | Short film |
| 2010 | *Hated* | Betty Churchill |  |
| 2010 | *Magic* | Amanda Francis |  |
| 2010 | *Cutthroat* | Lacey Andrews | TV movie |
| 2010 | *Good Intentions* | Etta Milford | Also co-producer |
| 2011 | *Spork* | Felicia |  |
| 2011 | *Fading of the Cries* | Maggie |  |
| 2011 | *Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2* | Colleen Mansfield | Video |
| 2011 | *Beholder* | Evelyn | Short film |
| 2011 | *Witness Insecurity* | Susan |  |
| 2011 | *Deep in the Heart* | Patsy |  |
| 2011 | *Material Lies* | Deborah |  |
| 2012 | *Anything But Christmas* | Grace |  |
| 2013 | *The Violation* | Janice Dougherty | Short film |
| 2015 | *Kids vs Monsters* | Mary |  |
| 2016 | *Swing State* | Ann Alcott |  |
| 2017 | *Shot* | Nurse Marci |  |
| 2018 | *Lez Bomb* | Maggie |  |
| 2018 | *Christmas at Pemberley Manor* | Caroline | TV movie |
| 2019 | *Adopt a Highway* | Diane Spring |  |
| 2019 | *Burying Yasmeen* | Vaginia |  |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1992 | *Doogie Howser, M.D.* | Fantasy Girl #2 | Episode: "The Big Sleep... Not!" |
| 1993 | *Fallen Angels* | Auditioning Blonde #1 | Episode: "Since I Don't Have You" |
| 1994 | *Days of Our Lives* | Brandee Fields | Episode: "#1.7193" |
| 1994 | *The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.* | Dolly Cousins | Episode: "Wild Card" |
| 1995 | *Ellen* | Maya | Episode: "Ballet Class" |
| 1995 | *Get Smart* | Agent 66 | 7 episodes |
| 1995 | *Married... with Children* | Sandy | Episode: "User Friendly" |
| 1997 | *Married... with Children* | Elaine | Episode: "Lez Be Friends" |
| 2000 | *The Weber Show* | Jamie | Episode: "...And Then He Looked at Wendell's Thing" |
| 2001 | *First Years* | Frances O'Donnell | Episode: "The First Thing You Do..." |
| 2001 | *Special Unit 2* | Medusa | Episode: "The Rocks" |
| 2001–2002 | *The Chronicle* | Kristen Martin | 7 episodes |
| 2002 | *Friends* | Sally | Episode: "The One with the Pediatrician" |
| 2003 | *Mister Sterling* | Tori Wheeler | Episode: "Statewide Swing" |
| 2003 | *Watching Ellie* | Daisy | Episode: "Date" |
| 2003 | *CSI: Crime Scene Investigation* | Harper Fitzgerald | Episode: "Forever" |
| 2003 | *Coupling* | Molly | Episode: "Holiday" |
| 2003–2005 | *Joan of Arcadia* | Ms. Lischak | 17 episodes |
| 2004 | *Oliver Beene* | Aunt Connie | Episode: "X-ray Specs" |
| 2004 | *Charmed* | Clea | Episode: "Witch Wars" |
| 2004 | *Crossing Jordan* | Julie Seaton | Episode: "Dead in the Water" |
| 2004 | *Quintuplets* | Lisa Appleby | Episode: "Thanksgiving Day Charade" |
| 2005 | *CSI: Miami* | Joann Nivens | Episode: "Felony Flight" |
| 2005 | *Ghost Whisperer* | Sandra Holloway | Episode: "Undead Comic" |
| 2006 | *ER* | Brinn | Episode: "Parenthood" |
| 2008 | *The Middleman* | Roxy Wasserman | Episode: "The Accidental Occidental Conception"
Episode: "The Cursed Tuba Contingency" |
| 2008 | *Criminal Minds* | Judy Hannity | Episode: "Normal" |
| 2009 | *Privileged* | Elyse Valencour | Episode: "All About Confessions"
Episode: "All About Betrayal" |
| 2009 | *Castle* | Melissa Talbot | Episode: "When the Bough Breaks" |
| 2009–2011 | *Poor Paul* | Pauline | 5 episodes |
| 2010 | *The Mentalist* | Julia | Episode: "Red Herring" |
| 2010 | *NCIS: Los Angeles* | Vanessa Maragos | Episode: "Little Angels" |
| 2010 | *Rules of Engagement* | Stephanie | Episode: "Refusing to Budget" |
| 2010 | *Rizzoli & Isles* | Geena Young | Episode: "Don't Hate the Player" |
| 2010–2011 | *90210* | Renee | 4 episodes |
| 2013 | *The Client List* | Earlene | Episode: "I Ain't Broke But I'm Badly Bent" |
| 2014 | *Maron* | Lauren | Episode: "White Truck" |
| 2014 | *Anger Management* | Warden Hartley | 3 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | *Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll* | Ava | Series Regular; 20 episodes |
| 2017 | *Stitchers* | Kate | Episode: "Kill it Forward" |
| 2019 | *Proven Innocent* | Susan Andrews | Recurring role |
| 2019–2022 | *Dynasty* | Alexis Carrington Colby | Main role (season 3 – 5) |
| 2020 | *Paradise Lost* | Devoe Shifflet | Main role; 10 episodes |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2015 | *Resident Evil: Revelations 2* | Alex Wesker | Likeness and motion capture |
|

## InfoBox

| Elaine Hendrix | |
| --- | --- |
| Hendrix at the 2015 ATX Television Festival | |
| Born | Katherine Elaine Hendrix
(1970-12-28) December 28, 1970
Oak Ridge, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Occupation | * Actress |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Website | www.elainehendrix.com |


title: Chase the Clouds

abstract: Chase the Clouds is the debut and only studio album by American singer Keedy, released through Arista Records on March 12, 1991. The album includes the singles "Save Some Love" and "Wishing on the Same Star". "Save Some Love" peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, while "Wishing on the Same Star" charted at No. 86. "Wishing on the Same Star" was later covered in Spanish by Puerto Rican singer Chayanne as "Mi Primer Amor" in 1992, Australian pop group Girlfriend in 1994, American singer Judy Cheeks in 1996, and Japanese singer Namie Amuro in 2002.

text:
# Chase the Clouds

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

***Chase the Clouds*** is the debut and only studio album by American singer Keedy, released through Arista Records on March 12, 1991. The album includes the singles "Save Some Love" and "Wishing on the Same Star". "Save Some Love" peaked at No. 15 on the *Billboard* Hot 100 chart, while "Wishing on the Same Star" charted at No. 86. "Wishing on the Same Star" was later covered in Spanish by Puerto Rican singer Chayanne as "Mi Primer Amor" in 1992, Australian pop group Girlfriend in 1994, American singer Judy Cheeks in 1996, and Japanese singer Namie Amuro in 2002.

## Track listing

All tracks are written by Greg Gerard, except where indicated

| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1. | "Save Some Love" |  | 4:14 |
| 2. | "Wishing on the Same Star" | Diane Warren | 3:51 |
| 3. | "Never Never Land" |  | 4:19 |
| 4. | "Sorry" | * Greg Gerard * Keith Montross | 4:39 |
| 5. | "Only Your Heart" |  | 4:52 |
| 6. | "Gettin' Around" |  | 4:33 |
| 7. | "Don't Turn Away" |  | 5:00 |
| 8. | "Pretty Boy" |  | 4:08 |
| 9. | "Mama" |  | 5:01 |
| 10. | "Lazy Day" | * Gerard * Keedy | 3:51 |
| Total length: | | | 44:28 |

## Personnel

* Keedy – lead and harmony vocals, backing vocals (2, 3, 5, 6, 8)
* Claude Gaudette – keyboards, arrangements (1), keyboard programming (2), drum programming (2), additional drum programming (3)
* Greg Gerard – keyboards, arrangements, keyboard programming (2), drum programming (2), guitars (2), backing vocals (6)
* Teddy Castellucci – guitars (1)
* Michael Thompson – guitars (2, 4)
* James Harrah – guitars (3, 5, 6, 8, 10)
* Mark Leggett – guitars (7)
* Jimmy Johnson – bass (4, 5)
* Randy Jackson – bass (6)
* Michael Jay – drum programming (1, 4, 7, 9), arrangements (1, 4, 7, 9)
* Kevin Gilbert – drum programming (3, 5, 6, 8, 10)
* Pat Mastelotto – drums (3, 5, 6, 8, 10)
* Paulinho da Costa – percussion (4, 7)
* R.U. Kidding – kazoo (1)
* Guy Roche – arrangements (2)
* Chris Gerard – backing vocals (3, 5, 6, 8, 10)
* Sara Gerard – backing vocals (8)
* Lauren Superstein – backing vocals (9)

## Production

* Producers – Claude Gaudette (Tracks 1, 2 & 3); Greg Gerard (All Tracks); Michael Jay (Tracks 1, 4, 7 & 9); Brian Malouf (Tracks 5, 6, 8 & 10).
* A&R – Michael Cohen
* Executive Producer on Track 2 – Brian Malouf
* Production Coordinator on Tracks 1, 4, 7 & 9 – Lauren Superstein
* Engineers – Michael McDonald (Tracks 1, 4, 7 & 9); Patrick MacDougall (Tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 8 & 10); Frank Roszak (Track 2); Brian Malouf (Tracks 3, 5, 6, 8 & 10).
* Assistant Engineers – Patrick MacDougall (Tracks 1, 4, 7 & 9); John Jackson (Tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 8 & 10); Lawrence Fried (Tracks 3, 5, 6, 8 & 10)
* Additional Engineer on Track 8 – Bill Gerard
* Recorded at The Zoo (Encino, CA); 41B Studios (Westlake Village, CA); Can-Am Recorders (Tarzana, CA); Image Recording Studios (Los Angeles, CA); Trax Recording Studio (Hollywood, CA).
* Mixed by Brian Malouf at Ameraycan Studios (North Hollywood, CA) and Can-Am Recorders.
* Mastered by Stephen Marcussen at Precision Mastering (Hollywood, CA).
* Art Direction and Design – Elisa Marshall
* Photography – Randee St. Nicholas

## InfoBox

| Chase the Clouds | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
| Studio album by Keedy | |
| Released | March 12, 1991 (1991-03-12) |
| Recorded | 1990–1991 |
| Studio | * The Zoo * 41B Studios * Can-Am Recorders * Image Recording Studios * Trax Recording Studio |
| Genre |  |
| Length | 44:28 |
| Label | Arista |
| Producer |  |
|  | |
| Singles from  *Chase the Clouds* | |
| 1. "Save Some Love"
Released: May 13, 1991 2. "Wishing on the Same Star"
Released: 1991 | |
|  | |


title: Ruth Ellen Brosseau

abstract: Ruth Ellen Brosseau is a Canadian politician who represented the riding of Berthier—Maskinongé in the House of Commons from the 2011 federal election until her defeat in 2019. She is a member of the New Democratic Party (NDP). In Brosseau's first election campaign, she gained national attention for her surprising rise from a "paper candidate" to a viable contestant; she also gained the nickname "Vegas Girl" for a mid-election vacation to Las Vegas. She won reelection in the 2015 federal election with a larger vote share despite her party falling from second to third place nationally. Her parliamentary roles included House Leader of the NDP, critic for Agriculture and Agri-Food and deputy NDP caucus chair.

text:
# Ruth Ellen Brosseau

**Ruth Ellen Brosseau** (born April 26, 1984) is a Canadian politician who represented the riding of Berthier—Maskinongé in the House of Commons from the 2011 federal election until her defeat in 2019. She is a member of the New Democratic Party (NDP).

In Brosseau's first election campaign, she gained national attention for her surprising rise from a "paper candidate" to a viable contestant; she also gained the nickname "Vegas Girl" for a mid-election vacation to Las Vegas. She won reelection in the 2015 federal election with a larger vote share despite her party falling from second to third place nationally. Her parliamentary roles included House Leader of the NDP, critic for Agriculture and Agri-Food and deputy NDP caucus chair.

## Early and personal life

Brosseau was born in Ottawa, and lived in Hudson, Quebec, before her family moved to Kingston, Ontario. Brosseau's father, Marc, is a francophone, who is also fluent in English. Brosseau was educated in French both in Quebec and in Ontario. She attended St. Lawrence College in Kingston, but left prior to completing her diploma.

Before her election to Parliament, Brosseau was an assistant manager for Oliver's Pub, a bar on the campus of Carleton University in Ottawa. She also worked as a bartender at Pier 21 in the ByWard Market near Parliament and the University of Ottawa. She is also an animal welfare activist who has worked to find homes for stray animals and help injured animals recover.

Brosseau is a single mother. She gave birth when she was 17 and finished high school partly through the use of correspondence courses. Her son does not have any contact with his biological father. As a young mother Brosseau cleaned hotel rooms and was fired after she tried to organize the employees.

During her tenure as MP, Brosseau divided her time between her riding and Hull, Quebec, in the National Capital Region. By 2019, Brosseau was in a relationship with Nicolas Gauthier, a farmer in Yamachiche, Quebec. Before her defeat in the 2019 Canadian federal election, Brosseau stated that she planned to remain in the area regardless of the outcome of the election. She married a local pork farmer and worked on the farm and the attached charcuterie shop starting in January 2020.

## Political career

### 2011 election

Brosseau first ran for a seat in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2011 federal election, as the New Democratic Party candidate in the electoral district of Berthier—Maskinongé in central Quebec. She was the second nomination choice of the party as the original candidate, Julie Demers, chose to run in Bourassa. Brosseau was a paper candidate who had been selected by the party due to the lack of a viable local nominee. She agreed to run after being asked by politically active friends who frequented the bar where she worked.

The vegetarian Brosseau knew nothing about politics or the riding, with many pork and beef farmers, and a travel time of three-and-one-half hours away from her Ottawa home by car. She did not expect to win, did not campaign, and never went to the riding, which straddles Lanaudière and Mauricie. During the election, Brosseau went on vacation to Las Vegas for her birthday. Her trip had been arranged prior to the election being called; by the time the writ was dropped, it was too late to reschedule or get a refund. The media mocked her as a "Vegas girl", but NDP leader Jack Layton defended Brosseau's decision to vacation, pinning the blame on Stephen Harper not keeping his promise on fixed election dates. An op-ed in the *National Post* criticized Brosseau's inexperience, writing that she is "an extreme example of what happens when people sign up to run for a party with little or no expectation of actually winning".

On election night, Brosseau defeated incumbent Bloc Québécois Member of Parliament Guy André, former provincial Liberal MNA Francine Gaudet and three other candidates, winning a plurality with 22,484 votes, representing just under 40% of all the votes cast. This represented a lead of 5,816 votes over André, who finished a distant second with only 29.4 percent of the vote. Her victory was part of a wave of NDP support in Quebec that increased its standing in the province from one seat to 59.

There was some concern about Brosseau's proficiency in French given her riding's demographics. At the time, 98% of Berthier-Maskinongé's residents were francophone, and 77 percent of them did not speak English. She was unable to conduct an interview in French when elected. At a press conference held the day after Brosseau's election, Tom Mulcair, then the NDP co-deputy leader and Quebec lieutenant, addressed her language issues. While conceding that Brosseau's command of French was "not at a level we would expect for a riding like Berthier—Maskinongé", he personally promised to "help organize her office" and "give her all the help that's needed."

Two days after the election, allegations were made by both the defeated Liberal and Conservative candidates about irregularities on Brosseau's nomination papers, which the other parties had chosen not to vet because of low expectations of her winning. The local Liberal and Conservative associations called for a by-election, but Elections Canada found Brosseau's nomination papers to be in order and subsequently ruled that only a court can order new elections. Both parties subsequently declined to file a formal court challenge. In response to the allegations, the NDP released a statement, stating that "All signatures were collected legitimately, the documents were tabled with Elections Canada and they were approved by the Returning Officer."

### 41st Parliament

Immediately following her election, Brosseau began working with Kathleen Monk, the NDP's director of communication in 2011, to tackle some of the challenges she faced as a new MP. She avoided the media and met with mayors and local business owners in her riding to get a grasp of her new constituents. When discussing her political career, Monk said, "There were many people in the media and political backrooms who didn’t think or frankly wanted her to succeed."

When Brosseau officially opened her constituency office in Louiseville in July 2011 her French was described as "still hesitant". *Le Nouvelliste* described her as speaking "increasingly fluid French" in December. Brosseau stated that her constituency offices functioned "100% in French" and that she continued to take lessons three times a week. By April 2012 the Canadian Press stated that "original claims about her lack of proficiency in the language now appear exaggerated". It reported that the rumours about Brosseau's lack of proficiency in French benefited her, as many constituents believed that she was a monolingual anglophone when elected and were amazed by her apparently rapidly improving French. Brosseau said that she grew up speaking French as a child, and understood the language, but did not feel comfortable speaking it during the campaign because she had been out of practice. By 2015 *Chatelaine* described Brosseau as being fluently bilingual, and TVA Nouvelles said that she spoke "a French almost without an accent".

On April 19, 2012, the new NDP leader, Tom Mulcair, named Brosseau to be deputy agriculture critic in the NDP's shadow cabinet. On April 3, 2014, she was elected as vice-chair of the NDP National Caucus.

Brosseau earned praise from her caucus colleagues and the national media, with Malcolm Allen remarking that "lots of MPs work hard, but she has a great work ethic". As a single mother, she often raised issues faced by those in a similar position during parliamentary debates. *Chatelaine* said in 2015 that, despite early criticism, "the 31-year-old has quietly evolved into an effective and highly regarded politician". In 2013, Brosseau became the NDP's lead on the student loan data breach, in part because she was personally impacted by the incident.

Brosseau championed local causes important to her riding such as high repair costs to fix defective home foundations built with pyrrhotite mixed in with concrete, an issue that she brought up 70 times in the 41st Parliament. Although she never managed to get the Harper government to join the provincial government in providing compensation, she and fellow NDP MP Robert Aubin were credited with influencing Justin Trudeau's promise that a Liberal government would do so.

### 2015 election and 42nd Parliament

In 2014, Brosseau announced that she would be a candidate in the 2015 federal election. Speaking with Mark Kennedy of the *Ottawa Citizen*, Brosseau spoke about the difficulties she faced during her first years as an MP, but noted, "It took a while to kind of get my feet planted, set up an office, learn what the job was. The negativity only encouraged me to work harder". While the NDP's Quebec caucus was reduced to 16 seats during the election, Brosseau was one of the few NDP MPs elected in 2011 who not only kept their seats, but also increased their vote share, winning re-election with 42% of the vote (almost 3% more than her first election) and almost 10,000 votes over her nearest opponent. *The New York Times* attributed Brosseau's reelection to her focus on the pyrrhotite issue.

Brosseau was appointed the NDP critic for Agriculture and Agri-food in the 42nd Canadian Parliament.

In May 2016, an incident in the House of Commons arose where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accidentally hit Brosseau in the chest. The situation arose after Trudeau was attempting to lead Conservative Whip Gord Brown to his seat so a scheduled vote could take place. Leading up to the incident dubbed "Elbowgate", the Opposition parties had accused the government trying to ram Bill C-14 through the House and Senate, using various strategies like assigning a time limit to debate and giving enormous powers to ministers. Brosseau rose in the House on a point of personal privilege and placed a description of the incident into the Hansard by describing the incident on the record, and Trudeau apologized more than once, indicating his lack of intention to hurt anyone. The following day, Brosseau said she had become a target of personal attacks, saying that her office received a number of phone calls from members of the public criticising her over the incident. Senior figures and colleagues from both the Liberal and Conservative parties subsequently came to her defence. It was referred to in the House of Commons as "the matter of the physical molestation of the Member from Berthier—Maskinongé".

In January 2018, newly elected NDP leader Jagmeet Singh named her as the NDP House leader. She was succeeded in March 2019 by Peter Julian, her predecessor in the prior year.

### 2019 election

In the October 21, 2019 general election, the NDP lost all their remaining seats in Quebec except Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, represented by party regional lieutenant Alexandre Boulerice. Brosseau lost to Bloc Québécois candidate Yves Perron, who had previously challenged her in 2015. In 2019, he won 21,007 votes (37.4%) to her 19,500 (34.7%).

### 2021 election

On August 27, 2021, Brosseau announced that she was running for the 2021 federal election. She came in a close second in a rematch with Perron, losing by just under 1,000 votes.

*La Candidate*, a television series inspired in part by Brosseau's experience, was announced as going into production in 2022 with Catherine Chabot in the lead role.

## Electoral record

| 2021 Canadian federal election: Berthier—Maskinongé | | | | | | | | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
|  | Bloc Québécois | Yves Perron | 19,133 | 35.22 | -2.40 | $21,700.43 |
|  | New Democratic | Ruth Ellen Brosseau | 18,200 | 33.50 | -1.45 | $106,147.42 |
|  | Liberal | Alexandre Bellemare | 8,264 | 15.21 | +1.38 | $5,445.75 |
|  | Conservative | Léo Soulières | 5,963 | 10.98 | +0.67 | $5,344.17 |
|  | People's | Geneviève Sénécal | 1,489 | 2.74 | +1.98 | $315.35 |
|  | Green | Laurence Requilé | 546 | 1.01 | -0.78 | $0.00 |
|  | Free | Denis Brown | 529 | 0.97 |  | $1,306.74 |
|  | Marijuana | Steven Lamirande | 199 | 0.37 | +0.18 | $0.00 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | | | 54,323 |  |  | $115,385.75 |
| Total rejected ballots | | |  |
| Turnout | | | 54,323 | 63.08 |
| Registered voters | | | 86,119 |
| Source: Elections Canada | | | | | | |

| 2019 Canadian federal election: Berthier—Maskinongé | | | | | | | | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
|  | Bloc Québécois | Yves Perron | 21,200 | 37.62 | +11.82 | *none listed* |
|  | New Democratic | Ruth Ellen Brosseau | 19,698 | 34.95 | -7.22 | $35,745.36 |
|  | Liberal | Christine Poirier | 7,796 | 13.83 | -6.45 | $33,806.20 |
|  | Conservative | Josée Bélanger | 5,812 | 10.31 | +0.11 | $13,544.45 |
|  | Green | Éric Laferrière | 1,008 | 1.79 | +0.23 | *none listed* |
|  | People's | Luc Massé | 428 | 0.76 |  | $3,303.24 |
|  | Independent | Alain Bélanger | 154 | 0.27 |  | *none listed* |
|  | Rhinoceros | Martin Acetaria Caesar Jubinville | 151 | 0.27 |  | *none listed* |
|  | Marijuana | Danny Légaré | 107 | 0.19 |  | *none listed* |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | | | 56,354 | 100.0 |  |
| Total rejected ballots | | | 977 | 1.16 | +0.14 |
| Turnout | | | 57,331 | 68.01 | +1.87 |
| Eligible voters | | | 84,301 |
|  | Bloc Québécois **gain** from New Democratic | | Swing | | +9.52 |
| Source: Elections Canada | | | | | | |

| 2015 Canadian federal election | | | | | | | | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
|  | New Democratic | **Ruth Ellen Brosseau** | 22,942 | 42.24% | +2.61 | $41,378.43 |
|  | Bloc Québécois | Yves Perron | 13,969 | 25.72% | 3.66 | $54,785.38 |
|  | Liberal | Pierre Destrempes | 11,028 | 20.31% | +6.02 | $16,329.10 |
|  | Conservative | Marianne Foucrault | 5,527 | 10.18% | 3.76 | $7,559.45 |
|  | Green | Victoria Cate May Burton | 844 | 1.55% | 0.55 | $0 |
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | | |  | 100.0 |  | $218,838.34 |
| Total rejected ballots | | |  |  |  |
| Turnout | | | 54,310 | 66.14% |  |
| Eligible voters | | | 82,109 |
| Source: Elections Canada | | | | | | |

| 2011 Canadian federal election: Berthier—Maskinongé | | | | | | | | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
|  | New Democratic | Ruth Ellen Brosseau | 22,484 | 39.63 | +29.19 | $0 |
|  | Bloc Québécois | Guy André | 16,668 | 29.38 | 16.45 | $48,739 |
|  | Liberal | Francine Gaudet | 8,109 | 14.29 | 4.15 | $32,253 |
|  | Conservative | Marie-Claude Godue | 7,909 | 13.94 | 8.25 | $23,495 |
|  | Green | Léonie Matteau | 1,193 | 2.10 | 1.01 | $0 |
|  | Rhinoceros | Martin Jubinville | 375 | 0.66 |  | $0 |
| Total votes/expense limit | | | 56,738 | 100.0 |  | $94,930 |
| Source: "Berthier—Maskinongé election results". Elections Canada. May 2, 2011. Retrieved April 4, 2011. | | | | | | |

## InfoBox

| Ruth Ellen Brosseau | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
| House Leader for the New Democratic Party | |
| **In office**
January 31, 2018  March 14, 2019 | |
| Leader | Jagmeet Singh |
| Preceded by | Peter Julian |
| Succeeded by | Peter Julian |
| Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Berthier—Maskinongé | |
| **In office**
May 2, 2011  October 21, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Guy André |
| Succeeded by | Yves Perron |
|  | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1984-04-26) April 26, 1984
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Political party | New Democratic |
| Residence(s) | Trois-Rivières-Ouest, Quebec |
| Profession | Farmer, pub manager |
|  | |


title: Srishti Jain

abstract: Srishti Jain is an Indian television actress known for portraying Durga Chaudhary Ahlawat in Star Plus's Meri Durga and Jaya Sharma in Sony TV's Main Mayke Chali Jaungi.

text:
# Srishti Jain

**Srishti Jain** is an Indian television actress known for portraying Durga Chaudhary Ahlawat in Star Plus's *Meri Durga* and Jaya Sharma in Sony TV's *Main Mayke Chali Jaungi*.

## Early life

Jain was born in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.

## Career

Jain starred as a child actor in *War Chhod Na Yaar*. She began TV career in 2016 with *Suhani Si Ek Ladki* as Krishna Mathur.

From July 2017 she played the titular character Durga Chaudhary Ahlawat in StarPlus's *Meri Durga* opposite Paras Kalnawat until the show went off-air in March 2018.

From 2018 to 2019, Jain portrayed Jaya Sharma opposite Namish Taneja in Sony Entertainment Television's *Main Mayke Chali Jaungi*.

Just after its end she was cast for Star Bharat's *Ek Thi Rani Ek Tha Raavan* as Mayura and then an episode of &TV's *Laal Ishq* as Yami.

She next starred in Zee TV's *Hamari Wali Good News* as the parallel lead, Navya Agnihotri. In 2023, she portrayed Tahira opposite Sumedh Mudgalkar in Sony SAB's *Ali Baba* and Ritika Sood in Sony Entertainment Television's *Bade Achhe Lagte Hain 3*. She portrayed lead role of Samaira in 2023 Punjabi movie *Junior* opposite Amiek Virk.

In January 2024, she was cast to play role of a young widow Priti in Colors TV's *Chand Jalne Laga*. However the show went off-air the following month. She was then cast to play the negative lead Monisha in Zee TV's *Kumkum Bhagya* alongside Abrar Qazi and Rachi Sharma, in the same month thus making her second collaboration with Balaji Telefilms after *Bade Achhe Lagte Hain 3*.

## Filmography

### Films

| Year | Title | Role | Language | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2013 | *War Chhod Na Yaar* | Nikki | Hindi |  |
| 2019 | *Penalty* | Pooja | |  |
| 2023 | *Junior* | Samaira | Punjabi |  |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2016–2017 | *Suhani Si Ek Ladki* | Krishna Mathur |  |
| 2017–2018 | *Meri Durga* | Durga Chaudhary Ahlawat |  |
| 2018–2019 | *Main Mayke Chali Jaungi* | Jaya Sharma |  |
| 2019 | *Ek Thi Rani Ek Tha Raavan* | Mayura/Rani |  |
| | *Laal Ishq* | Yami |  |
| 2020–2021 | *Hamari Wali Good News* | Navya Agnihotri |  |
| 2023 | *Ali Baba* | Tahira | Chapter 2: Ek Andaaz Andekha |
| | *Bade Achhe Lagte Hain 3* | Ritika Sood |  |
| 2024 | *Chand Jalne Laga* | Preeti |  |
| 2024–present | *Kumkum Bhagya* | Monisha | Negative Role |
|

### Music videos

| Year | Title | Singer | Ref. |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2022 | *Tera Rahoon* | Amit Mishra |  |

## InfoBox

| Srishti Jain | |
| --- | --- |
| Born | (1996-11-13) 13 November 1996<br>Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Known for |  |


title: Dunans Bridge

abstract: Dunans Bridge is a category A-listed structure, designed by Thomas Telford. It is located at Dunans Castle on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll, Scotland. It was built for John Fletcher of Dunans, to commemorate the battle of Waterloo. The bridge was completed in 1815, and predates the 1864 elaboration of Dunans House by Kerr into a Franco-Baronial "castle". The three-arched rubble construction is considered internationally important as it is the only extant bridge of this type. It stands over 15 metres (49 ft) from the river bed and has been voted one of Scotland's ten best bridges. It was built to replace the now destroyed "swing bridge". Though it is of a kind often constructed by Telford, the three arches, gargoyles and eight hexagonal piers, as well as its sheer height 16 metres (52 ft), make it unique. The structure is in the "RESTORATION IN PROGRESS" category on the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland. The 2023 update indicates: "North face was repointed last year, repairs to the eastern arch commence late 2023. Further works into 2024-5 are scheduled, including the repointing of the main arch."

text:
# Dunans Bridge

**Dunans Bridge** is a category A-listed structure, designed by Thomas Telford. It is located at Dunans Castle on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll, Scotland. It was built for John Fletcher of Dunans, to commemorate the battle of Waterloo. The bridge was completed in 1815, and predates the 1864 elaboration of Dunans House by Kerr into a Franco-Baronial "castle". The three-arched rubble construction is considered internationally important as it is the only extant bridge of this type. It stands over 15 metres (49 ft) from the river bed and has been voted one of Scotland's ten best bridges. It was built to replace the now destroyed "swing bridge". Though it is of a kind often constructed by Telford, the three arches, gargoyles and eight hexagonal piers, as well as its sheer height 16 metres (52 ft), make it unique.

The structure is in the "RESTORATION IN PROGRESS" category on the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland. The 2023 update indicates: "North face was repointed last year, repairs to the eastern arch commence late 2023. Further works into 2024-5 are scheduled, including the repointing of the main arch."

56°04′25″N 5°09′00″W / 56.0737°N 5.1500°W / 56.0737; -5.1500


title: 80 Minutes

abstract: 80 Minutes is a 2008 German direct-to-video English-language action thriller film written and directed by Thomas Jahn and starring Gabriel Mann, Natalia Avelon, Joshua Dallas, Oliver Kieran-Jones and Francis Fulton-Smith. The film was released direct-to-video on September 2, 2008 in the United States.

text:
# 80 Minutes

***80 Minutes*** is a 2008 German direct-to-video English-language action thriller film written and directed by Thomas Jahn and starring Gabriel Mann, Natalia Avelon, Joshua Dallas, Oliver Kieran-Jones and Francis Fulton-Smith. The film was released direct-to-video on September 2, 2008 in the United States.

## Premise

Alex North has been injected with a poison inside his body and has only 80 minutes to find $15,000 for his boss Lloyd if he wants to live. Now he must go through the whole night, searching for ways to make up that amount.

## Cast

## Reception

Christopher Armstead called the film "trite".

## InfoBox

| 80 Minutes | |
| --- | --- |
| Film poster | |
| Directed by | Thomas Jahn |
| Screenplay by | Thomas Jahn |
| Produced by | * Michael Souvignier * Ica Souvignier * Rolant Hergert |
| Starring |  |
| Cinematography | Henning Jessel |
| Edited by | Thomas Jahn |
| Music by | Boris Salchow |
| Production<br>companies | * Zeitsprung Film Collection * American Cinema International |
| Distributed by | * Well Go (US) * VVS Films (Canada) |
| Release dates | * 6 June 2008 (2008-06-06) (Japan) * 18 February 2010 (2010-02-18) (Germany) |
| Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | Germany |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $4,000,000 (estimated) |


title: Stenoma compsocoma

abstract: Stenoma compsocoma is a moth in the family Depressariidae. It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1930. It is found in Pará, Brazil. The wingspan is 14–16 mm. The forewings are light violet grey. The hindwings are grey.

text:
# Stenoma compsocoma

***Stenoma compsocoma*** is a moth in the family Depressariidae. It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1930. It is found in Pará, Brazil.

The wingspan is 14–16 mm. The forewings are light violet grey. The hindwings are grey.

## InfoBox

| *Stenoma compsocoma* | |
| --- | --- |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Depressariidae |
| Genus: | *Stenoma* |
| Species: | ***S. compsocoma*** |
| Binomial name | |
| ***Stenoma compsocoma***<br>Meyrick, 1930 | |
|


title: KIOW

abstract: KIOW is a Full Service formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Forest City, Iowa, serving the Forest City/Mason City area. KIOW is owned and operated by Pilot Knob Broadcasting.

text:
# KIOW

**KIOW** (107.3 FM) is a Full Service formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Forest City, Iowa, serving the Forest City/Mason City area. KIOW is owned and operated by Pilot Knob Broadcasting.

## InfoBox

KIOW
|  | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
| Broadcast area | Forest City, Iowa
Mason City, Iowa |
| Frequency | 107.3 MHz |
| Branding | *Mix 107.3* |
| Programming | |
| Format | Full Service |
| Affiliations | CBS News Radio
United Stations Radio Networks
Radio Iowa |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Pilot Knob Broadcasting |
| Sister stations | KHAM |
| History | |
| First air date | November 8, 1978 |
| Call sign meaning | **K** **IOW**a |
| Technical information | |
| Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 52609 |
| Class | C3 |
| Power | 25,000 watts |
| HAAT | 100 meters (330 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 43°17′02″N 93°37′50″W / 43.28389°N 93.63056°W / 43.28389; -93.63056 |
| Links | |
| Public license information |  |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | kiow.com |


title: Spirama miniata

abstract: Spirama miniata is a species of moth of the family Erebidae. It is found in South Africa, where it has been recorded from KwaZulu-Natal.

text:
# Spirama miniata

***Spirama miniata*** is a species of moth of the family Erebidae. It is found in South Africa, where it has been recorded from KwaZulu-Natal.

## InfoBox

| *Spirama miniata* | |
| --- | --- |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Erebidae |
| Genus: | *Spirama* |
| Species: | ***S. miniata*** |
| Binomial name | |
| ***Spirama miniata***<br>(Wallengren, 1856) | |
|
| Synonyms | |
| * *Hypopyra miniata* Wallengren, 1856 | |


title: Tosali

abstract: Tosali or Toshali was an ancient city in the present day Odisha state in eastern India. It was the capital of the eastern province of the Kalinga Kingdom. While some scholars tried to identify this ancient city with Dhauli, 7 km away from Bhubaneshwar, other scholars were inclined to identify this city with Shishupalgarh, 5 km away from Bhubaneshwar. Recent archaeological excavations showing fort ruins and major ancient era weapons, inscriptions and presence of Kushan era gold coins gives credence to the sites at Radhanagar near Brahmani river in Jajpur district to be the most likely location of Tosali.

text:
# Tosali

**Tosali** or **Toshali** was an ancient city in the present day Odisha state in eastern India. It was the capital of the eastern province of the Kalinga Kingdom. While some scholars tried to identify this ancient city with Dhauli, 7 km away from Bhubaneshwar, other scholars were inclined to identify this city with Shishupalgarh, 5 km away from Bhubaneshwar.

Recent archaeological excavations showing fort ruins and major ancient era weapons, inscriptions and presence of Kushan era gold coins gives credence to the sites at Radhanagar near Brahmani river in Jajpur district to be the most likely location of Tosali.

## Excavations at Shishupalgarh

In 1948, the first excavation in Shishupalgarh was conducted by an Archaeological Survey of India team led by B.B. Lal, followed by another in 1950. These excavations led to the discovery of an ancient fortied urban centre in Shishupalgarh. The mud fortification, constructed in the early 2nd century BCE is almost square shaped and about 1.2 km each side. The evidence of habitation outside the fortified area between 300 BCE to 350 CE was also found during the excavations.

Since 2001, a joint team from the Deccan College, Pune and the University of California started excavating this site again. So far, the major findings of this team include eighteen stone pillars.

## Radhanagar site

### Ashokan stupas

The 10 Asokan stupas described by the Chinese traveller Xuanzang in his travel accounts Great Tang Records on the Western Regions were discovered nearby. The site matches the accounts made by Hieun Tsang, which he mentions that area here Emperor Ashoka built these stupas to commemorate Gautama Buddha's visit and preaching.

20°13′35.9″N 85°51′11.0″E / 20.226639°N 85.853056°E / 20.226639; 85.853056


title: Skyforge

abstract: Skyforge is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Allods Team in collaboration with Obsidian Entertainment, and published by My.com. Set on the planet Aelion, Skyforge fuses elements of Science fiction and fantasy in its visuals and storytelling, and sees players exploring the world as an immortal who must strive to become a god and defend the planet from alien invasion from other worlds. The project started development in 2010 and received an open release for Microsoft Windows in July 2015, with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One releases following in 2017. The latest major content update, "Ignition", was released on all platforms in September 2019. A Nintendo Switch version was released in February 2021.

text:
# Skyforge

***Skyforge*** is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Allods Team in collaboration with Obsidian Entertainment, and published by My.com. Set on the planet Aelion, Skyforge fuses elements of Science fiction and fantasy in its visuals and storytelling, and sees players exploring the world as an immortal who must strive to become a god and defend the planet from alien invasion from other worlds. The project started development in 2010 and received an open release for Microsoft Windows in July 2015, with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One releases following in 2017. The latest major content update, "Ignition", was released on all platforms in September 2019. A Nintendo Switch version was released in February 2021.

## Gameplay

In *Skyforge*, players assume the role of an immortal with incredible celestial powers who must protect the planet Aelion from invaders who threaten the world and its population. Character progression within the game is not level based; instead of a traditional leveling format, *Skyforge* features a 'prestige' system, which allows a player to advance based on the sum total of their stats and progression. This allows players to develop and switch between 17 different classes at any time, rather than being locked into a class choice made earlier in the game. As a player gains more prestige, additional content, gear, and followers are unlocked. Once the player becomes a god, *Skyforge* includes an additional progression system which allows users to manage their followers to increase their character's overall power.

Aelion has a lot of missions to take on and locations to visit. The capital of Aelion serves as the game's hub, with three core locations. The Divine Observatory is where the player can take on missions and visit different locations through a hologram globe. The Divine Observatory allows players to travel to different locations around Aelion, and also participate in player versus player battles. Each location, including Dankit Island, Lanber Forest, and Isola Digs, has multiple objectives, enemies, and storylines. At the Research Center, the player can train, try out different classes, and change the appearance of their character. In the Park, players explore and occasionally hosts events, such as seasonal pumpkin lighting and gift opening events for Halloween and Christmas.

Players can team up with friends and random players online to take on missions and larger raids and instances.

## Story

In the universe of *Skyforge*, gods derive their powers from their followers. The planet of Aelion was once a free world protected by the Greater God named Aeli, who helped civilization flourish. When the story begins, Aeli has vanished, leaving behind a world of followers which is only protected by immortals (the player characters) and a few remaining lesser gods, leaving it under attack by hostile gods and invading alien forces from neighboring planets. The player starts in the capital of Aelion as an immortal, and after talking to Herida, a goddess and advisor to the immortals, discovers that they were brought back to life after a devastating attack by the Reapers of Death. After choosing a starting class and undergoing combat guides, training, tutorials, and character customization, the player can tackle combat missions around Aelion, fighting off invaders such as the ghastly Reapers of Death, the mechanical Mechanoids, the botanical Phytonides, the amphibious Oceanids, the serpentine Gorgonides, and the astral Demons.

The update New Horizons, released on April 9, 2019, introduced the planet Terra, new story content, and the Draconids, a new enemy race.

## Development

Allods Team, who previously developed the massively multiplayer online role-playing game *Allods Online*, started developing *Skyforge* for PC in 2010. It was confirmed that My.com would publish the game. In May 2013, it was announced that Obsidian Entertainment, known for their work on western role-playing video games such as *Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords*, *Neverwinter Nights 2*, and *Fallout: New Vegas*, would be collaborating with Allods Team on the development of *Skyforge*. The game entered closed beta in 2015, and received an open public release for Microsoft Windows on 16 July 2015. On April 11, 2017, *Skyforge* was released for PlayStation 4. It was also released for Xbox One on November 29, 2017, and was released for Nintendo Switch on February 4, 2021.

### Business model

*Skyforge* is free-to-play but allows players to pay for certain in-game content, including an optional premium status. A store also allows players to purchase certain items, including cosmetics and equipment that gives small stat boosts.

## Reception

*Skyforge* received "mixed or average" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic. Upon its release in 2015, MMORPG.com said that *Skyforge* was "easily the best new MMO in recent months." Rock, Paper, Shotgun reviewer Richard Cobbett said the game was "one of the more pleasant F2P MMOs I've played of late", and praised the differences between *Skyforge* and competitors, including its hub world, the scattered quests in open areas, and the "genuine sense of trying to be a good game first and a profitable one second".

### Awards

* 'MMORPG of the Year' from MMOs.com's 2015 Game of the Year Awards
* 'Best of Show' from TenTonHammer's Best of E3 2014 Awards

### Nominated

## InfoBox

| Skyforge | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
| Developer(s) |  |
| Publisher(s) | My.com |
| Platform(s) |  |
| Release | **Microsoft Windows**
July 16, 2015
**PlayStation 4**
April 11, 2017
**Xbox One**
November 29, 2017
**Nintendo Switch**
February 4, 2021 |
| Genre(s) | Massively multiplayer online role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |