title: Manneken Pis

text: Being of prominent symbolic nature to Brussels and Belgium in general, "Manneken Pis" is widely used to represent both the city and country (as well as its people) in advertising, branding, tourism and as a national personification. The statue's self-derisive nature also embodies the typical Belgian identity referred to as "belgitude" (French; ), as well as a type of folk humour specific to Brussels (called "zwanze" in Brusselian dialect).


title: Manneken Pis

text: Surrounded by souvenir shops, the fountain has become a major tourist attraction. Figurine-sized replicas of "Manneken Pis" in brass, fiberglass, or even Belgian chocolate, are commonly sold there. "Manneken Pis" has also been adapted into such "risqué" souvenir items as ashtrays and corkscrews.


title: Black tea

text: Black tea, also translated to red tea in various East Asian languages, is a type of tea that is more oxidized than oolong, yellow, white and green teas. Black tea is generally stronger in flavour than other teas. All five types are made from leaves of the shrub (or small tree) "Camellia sinensis," though "Camellia taliensis" is also used rarely.


title: Black tea

text: Two principal varieties of the species are used – the small-leaved Chinese variety plant ("C. sinensis" var. "sinensis"), used for most other types of teas, and the large-leaved Assamese plant ("C. sinensis" var. "assamica"), which was traditionally mainly used for black tea, although in recent years some green and white teas have been produced.


title: Black tea

text: First originating in China, the beverage's name there is "hong cha" (, "red tea") due to the color of the oxidized leaves when processed appropriately. Today, the drink is widespread throughout East and Southeast Asia, both in consumption and harvesting, including in China, Japan, Korea and Singapore. Similar variants are also available in South Asian countries.


title: Black tea

text: While green tea usually loses its flavour within a year, black tea retains its flavour for several years. For this reason, it has long been an article of trade, and compressed bricks of black tea even served as a form of "de facto" currency in Mongolia, Tibet and Siberia well into the 19th century.


title: Black tea

text: Generally, unblended black teas are named after the region in which they are produced. Often, different regions are known for producing teas with characteristic flavours.


title: Black tea

text: Many finished black teas consist of blends of various varieties of black tea. In addition, black tea is often blended with various other plants or flavourings in order to obtain a beverage.


title: Black tea

text: Black tea is usually graded on one of four scales of quality. Whole-leaf teas are the highest quality, with the best whole-leaf teas graded as "orange pekoe". After the whole-leaf teas, the scale degrades to broken leaves, fannings, then dusts. Whole-leaf teas are produced with little or no alteration to the tea leaf. This results in a finished product with a coarser texture than that of bagged teas. Whole-leaf teas are widely considered the most valuable, especially if they contain leaf tips. Broken leaves are commonly sold as medium-grade loose teas.


title: Black tea

text: Smaller broken varieties may be included in tea bags. Fannings are usually small particles of tea left over from the production of larger tea varieties, but are occasionally manufactured specifically for use in bagged teas. Dusts are the finest particles of tea left over from production of the above varieties, and are often used for tea bags with very fast and harsh brews. Fannings and dusts are useful in bagged teas because the greater surface area of the many particles allows for a fast, complete diffusion of the tea into the water. Fannings and dusts usually have a darker colour, lack of sweetness, and stronger flavour when brewed.


title: Black tea

text: Generally, one uses .08 ounces (2.26 g) of tea per of water. Unlike green teas, which turn bitter when brewed at higher temperatures, black tea should be steeped in water brought up to for 3–5min. However, this can vary widely by custom or taste as in another "generic" version of the same can be the same amount of tea per or 50% more dilute.


title: Black tea

text: Whole-leaf black teas, and black teas to be served with milk or lemon, should be steeped four to five minutes. The more delicate black teas, such as Darjeeling, should be steeped for three to four minutes. The same holds for broken leaf teas, which have more surface area and need less brewing time than whole leaves. Longer steeping times makes the tea bitter (at this point, it is referred to as being "stewed" in the UK). When the tea has brewed long enough to suit the drinker's taste, it should be strained before it is served.


title: Black tea

text: A cold vessel lowers the steep temperature; to avoid this, always rinse the vessel with ≥90 °C (≥194 °F) water before brewing.


title: Black tea

text: Alternatively, the first brew should be 60sec., the second brew 40sec., and the third brew 60sec. If the tea is of high quality, it may be brewed several times by progressively adding 10sec. to the brew time following the third infusion (note: when using a larger tea pot the ratio of tea to water will need to be adjusted to achieve similar results).


title: Black tea

text: The ISO Standard 3103 defines how to brew tea for tasting. "This standard is not meant to define the proper method for brewing tea intended for general consumption, but rather to document a tea brewing procedure where meaningful sensory comparisons can be made." This mix is thus more than twice as concentrated for normal consumption.


title: Black tea

text: Plain black tea without sweeteners or additives contains caffeine, but negligible quantities of calories or nutrients. Black teas from "Camellia sinensis" contain polyphenols, such as flavonoids, which are under preliminary research for their potential to affect blood pressure and blood lipids as risk factors for cardiovascular disease, but overall this research remains inconclusive.


title: Black tea

text: Long-term consumption of black tea only slightly lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressures (about 1–2mmHg). Black tea consumption may be associated with a reduced risk of stroke, but there is only limited research to evaluate this possibility.


title: Black tea

text: Meta-analyses of observational studies concluded that black tea consumption does not affect the development of oral cancers in Asian or Caucasian populations, esophageal cancer or prostate cancer in Asian populations, or lung cancer.


title: Black tea

text: The visible film often formed on black tea consists of oxidized polyphenols and calcium carbonate, and is therefore more pronounced for tea brewed with hard water.


title: Universal suffrage

text: Universal suffrage (also called universal franchise, general suffrage, and common suffrage of the common man) gives the right to vote to all adult citizens, regardless of wealth, income, gender, social status, race, ethnicity, or political stance, subject only to certain exceptions as in the case of children, felons, and for a time, women. In its original 19th-century usage by reformers in Britain, "universal suffrage" was understood to mean only universal manhood suffrage; the vote was extended to women later, during the women's suffrage movement that began in New Zealand in the 19th century.


title: Universal suffrage

text: There are variations among countries in terms of specifics of the right to vote; the minimum age is usually between 18 and 25 years (see voting age) and "the insane, certain classes of convicted criminals, and those punished for certain electoral offenses" sometimes lack the right to vote.


title: Universal suffrage

text: In the first modern democracies, governments restricted the vote to those with property and wealth, which almost always meant a minority of the male population. In some jurisdictions, other restrictions existed, such as requiring voters to practice a given religion. In all modern democracies, the number of people who could vote has increased progressively with time. The 19th century saw many movements advocating "universal [male] suffrage", most notably in Europe, Great Britain and North America. Female suffrage was largely ignored until the latter half of the century, when movements began to thrive; the first of these was in New Zealand, in which all adult women of all ethnicities gained the right to vote in 1893. From there, the movement for the idea of universal suffrage which included women's suffrage spread across British colonies and beyond, although often voting rights were limited to those of the dominant ethnicity (in the western world these were white people).


title: Universal suffrage

text: In the United States, after the principle of "One person, one vote" was established in the early 1960s by U.S. Supreme Court under Earl Warren, the U.S. Congress together with the Warren Court continued to protect and expand the voting rights of all Americans, especially African Americans, through the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965 and several Supreme Court rulings. In addition, the term "suffrage" is also associated specifically with women's suffrage in the United States; a movement to extend the franchise to women began in the mid-19th century and culminated in 1920, when the United States ratified the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, guaranteeing the right of women to vote.


title: Universal suffrage

text: France, under the 1793 Jacobin constitution, was the first major country to enact suffrage for all adult males, though it was never formally used in practice (the constitution was immediately suspended before being implemented, and the subsequent election occurred in 1795 after the fall of the Jacobin government in 1794 discredited most ideas associated with them, including that constitution). Elsewhere in the Francophone world, the Republic of Haiti legislated for universal male suffrage in 1816. The Second French Republic instituted adult male suffrage after the revolution of 1848.


title: Universal suffrage

text: Following the French revolutions, movements in the Western world toward universal suffrage occurred in the early 19th century, and focused on removing property requirements for voting. In 1867 Germany (the North German Confederation) enacted suffrage for all adult males. In the United States following the American Civil War, slaves were freed and granted rights of citizens, including suffrage for adult males (although several states established restrictions largely, though not completely, diminishing these rights). In the late-19th and early-20th centuries, the focus of the universal suffrage movement came to include the extension of the right to vote to women, as happened from the post-Civil War era in several Western states and during the 1890s in a number of British colonies.


title: Universal suffrage

text: On 19 September 1893 the British Governor of New Zealand, Lord Glasgow, gave assent to a new electoral act, which meant that New Zealand became the first British-controlled colony in which women had the right to vote in parliamentary elections. This was followed shortly after by the colony of South Australia in 1894, which was the second to allow women to vote, but the first colony to permit women to stand for election as well. Twelve years later, the autonomous Russian territory known as Grand Duchy of Finland (which became the Republic of Finland in 1917) became the first territory in the world to implement unrestricted universal suffrage, as women could stand as candidates, unlike in New Zealand, and without indigenous ethnic exclusion, like in Australia. It also lead to the election of the world's first female members of parliament the following year. Federal states and colonial or autonomous territories prior to World War I have multiple examples of early introduction of universal suffrage. However, these legal changes were effected with the permission of the British, Russian or other government bodies, which were considered the sovereign nation at the time. For this reason, Australia (1901), New Zealand (1908) and Finland (1917) all have different dates of achieving independent nationhood.


title: Universal suffrage

text: The First French Republic adopted universal male suffrage briefly in 1792; it was one of the first national systems that abolished all property requirements as a prerequisite for allowing men to register and vote. Greece recognized full male suffrage in 1844. Spain recognized it in the Constitution of 1869 and France and Switzerland have continuously done so since the 1848 Revolution (for resident male citizens). Upon independence in the 19th century, several Latin-American countries and Liberia in Africa initially extended suffrage to all adult males, but subsequently restricted it based on property requirements. The German Empire implemented full male suffrage in 1871.


title: Universal suffrage

text: In the United States, the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1870 during the Reconstruction era, provided that "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." This amendment aimed to guarantee the right to vote to African Americans, many of whom had been enslaved in the South prior to the end (1865) of the American Civil War and the 1864–1865 abolition of slavery. Despite the amendment, however, blacks were disfranchised in the former Confederate states after 1877; Southern officials ignored the amendment and blocked black citizens from voting through a variety of devices, including poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses; violence and terrorism were used to intimidate some would-be voters. Southern blacks did not effectively receive the right to vote until the Voting Rights Act of 1965.


title: Universal suffrage

text: In 1893 the self-governing colony New Zealand became the first country in the world (except for the short-lived 18th-century Corsican Republic) to grant active universal suffrage by giving women the right to vote. It did not grant universal full suffrage (the right to both vote and be a candidate, or both active and passive suffrage) until 1919.


title: Universal suffrage

text: In 1902 the Commonwealth of Australia become the first country to grant full suffrage for women, i.e. the rights both to vote and to run for office. However, Australia did not implement universal suffrage at this time – nationwide voting rights for Aboriginal Australians were not established until 1962, before that varying by state.


title: Universal suffrage

text: Several European nations that had enacted universal suffrage had their normal legal process, or their status as independent nations, interrupted during and after the First World War of 1914–1918.


title: Universal suffrage

text: Many societies in the past have denied or abridged political representation on the basis of race or ethnicity, related to discriminatory ideas about citizenship. For example, in apartheid-era South Africa, non-White people could generally not vote in national elections until the first multi-party elections in 1994. However, a nonracial franchise existed under the Cape Qualified Franchise, which was replaced by a number of separate MPs in 1936 (Blacks) and 1958 (Coloureds). Later, the Tricameral Parliament established separate chambers for Whites, Coloureds and Indians. Rhodesia enacted a similar statute to the former in its proclaimed independence of 1965, which however allowed a smaller number of representatives for the considerably larger Black majority (under its 1961 constitution, the voting classes had been based on socio-economic standards, which marginalized most Black and a few White voters to a separate set of constituencies, under the principle of weighted voting; this was replaced in 1969 by an explicitly racial franchise, with delegated all Blacks to the 'B' voters roll).


title: Universal suffrage

text: Women's suffrage (with the same property qualifications as for men) was granted in New Jersey in 1776 (the word "inhabitants" was used instead of "men" in the 1776 Constitution) and rescinded in 1807.


title: Universal suffrage

text: The Pitcairn Islands granted restricted women's suffrage in 1838. Various other countries and states granted restricted women's suffrage in the later half of the nineteenth century, starting with South Australia in 1861.


title: Universal suffrage

text: The first unrestricted women's suffrage in a major country was granted in New Zealand in 1893. The women's suffrage bill was adopted mere weeks before the general election of 1893. Māori men had been granted suffrage in 1867, white men in 1879. The "Freedom in the World" index lists New Zealand as the only free country in the world in 1893.


title: Universal suffrage

text: The autonomous Grand Principality of Finland, a decade before becoming the republic of Finland, was the first country in the world to implement full universal suffrage, by giving women full political rights, i.e. both the right to vote and to run for office, and was the second in the world and the first in Europe to give women the right to vote. The world's first female members of parliament were elected in Finland the following year, 1907.


title: Universal suffrage

text: In 1931, the Second Spanish Republic allowed women the right of passive suffrage with three women being elected.


title: Universal suffrage

text: During a discussion on extending women's right to active suffrage, the Radical Socialist Victoria Kent confronted the Radical Clara Campoamor. Kent argued that Spanish women were not yet prepared to vote and, since they were too influenced by the Catholic Church, they would vote for right-wing candidates. Campoamor however pleaded for women's rights regardless of political orientation. Her point finally prevailed and, in the election of 1933, the political right won with the vote of citizens of any sex over 23. Both Campoamor and Kent lost their seats.


title: Universal suffrage

text: In Switzerland, women's suffrage was introduced at the federal level, by a nationwide (male) referendum in 1971, but the referendum did not give women the right to vote at the local Cantonal level. The Cantons independently voted to grant women the right to vote. The first Canton to give women the right to vote was Vaud in 1959. The last Canton, Appenzell Innerrhoden, had a centuries-old law forbidding women to vote. This was only changed in 1990 when Switzerland's Federal Court ordered the Canton to grant women the right to vote.


title: Universal suffrage

text: The movement to lower the voting age is one aspect of the youth rights movement. Organizations such as the National Youth Rights Association are active in the United States to advocate for a lower voting age, with some success, among other issues related to youth rights.


title: Universal suffrage

text: Democratic schools practice and support universal suffrage in school, which allows a vote to every member of the school, including students and staff. Such schools hold that this feature is essential for students to be ready to move into society at large.


title: Universal suffrage

text: States have granted and revoked universal suffrage at various times. This list can be organised in three ways:


title: Universal suffrage

text: Since historically one group or another might have lost suffrage rights only to regain them later on, this table lists the last uninterrupted time from the present a group was granted the right to vote if that group's suffrage has been fully restored.


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: Hilda is an animated streaming television series based on the graphic novel series of the same name by Luke Pearson. Produced by Silvergate Media and Mercury Filmworks, the series follows the adventures of fearless Hilda, an 11-year-old blue-haired girl who, along with her deerfox Twig, moves to the city of Trolberg, where she befriends even the most dangerous monsters.


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: The series debuted on September 21, 2018, as a Netflix miniseries to critical acclaim. Due to the positive response, the series was renewed for a second season on October 8, 2018. The world premiere of the first two episodes was at the New York International Children's Film Festival on February 25, 2018. The second season was released on December 14, 2020, and a film titled "Hilda and the Mountain King" premiered on Netflix on December 30, 2021.


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: The show won Annie Awards for "Best Children's Series" twice in two years and Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Main Title Sequence", "Outstanding Children's TV Series" and "Outstanding Editing in a Daytime Program", tying the latter award with "Animaniacs".


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: On November 19, 2021, Silvergate Media announced that the show has been renewed for a third and final season.


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: Hilda is a tween girl who grew up with her mother Johanna in a small cabin on the edge of the woods near the walled-in city of Trolberg, between the late 1980s and the early 1990s. Hilda and Johanna soon move permanently to the city for a better life and to give Hilda a proper upbringing. Over the course of the series, she and her deerfox Twig, later accompanied by an elf named Alfur, and best friends David and Frida, go on a number of adventures interacting with and befriending the mysterious animals, people, and spirits that live in and around the city of Trolberg.


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: All actors listed here are credited only as "Additional Voices" in the end credits. Information on specific characters comes from other sources, and they may play more characters than are mentioned here.


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: Luke Pearson had previously worked in the animation industry beforehand, serving as a storyboarder on several "Adventure Time" episodes. Early on in the "Hilda" series, he never seriously considered an animated adaptation of the books, though he did have a few thoughts about how the character could work in animation even before he worked on the first comic.


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: Before being approached by Silvergate, there had been some interest from a few production companies about making a "Hilda" adaptation, though nothing had ever been agreed to. Pearson felt as if those other proposals skewed the idea of what the "Hilda" series is supposed to be, and that they felt off, only leaving the outer shell of the idea and changing other fundamental things.


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: In 2014, Silvergate producer Kurt Mueller found "Hildafolk", the first book in the "Hilda" series, at a US indie bookstore in Brooklyn, NY. Producers at Silvergate loved the book, and were interested in bringing it to television.


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: Later that year, Luke Pearson received a proposal for a "Hilda" animated series from Silvergate through his mail. The proposal pitch was styled as a book from Hilda's satchel in "Hilda and the Bird Parade", even coming with a Trollberg library card and a small elf letter inside, as well as a wooden USB stick that contained the actual pitch. At that point, three books in the "Hilda" series had been published, with the 4th one, "Hilda and the Black Hound", being worked on at the time. Pearson enjoyed the proposal, and soon discussions began with Silvergate.


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: When Pearson and Silvergate started working together on a pitch, they wanted to build upon the original books while simultaneously keeping the general feel that the series had. Luke was specifically concerned in making sure the show didn't feel "too TV and formulaic."


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: With help from head writer Stephanie Simpson, Luke and Silvergate created a pitch bible that would be used to pitch the show to various broadcasters. Some elements from the books were expanded upon to help fill out the show. For example, the characters of David and Frida were originally minor characters that appeared in "The Black Hound". Simpson specifically picked those characters out and expanded on them so they could fill out roles as Hilda's friends. Netflix eventually picked up and greenlit the series in 2016.


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: Development of the series was first briefly mentioned on June 15, 2016, in "The New Yorker", stating that Netflix was planning a "twelve-episode animated series, based on the first four books, for early 2018." On June 21, 2016, Luke Pearson and Sam Arthur (co-founder of Nobrow Press) announced on Nobrow Press' official blog that Silvergate Media would also partake in the series' production, with Pearson saying:


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: Mercury Filmworks, a Canadian animation studio known for working on various animated Disney television shows, came on board early in development. A minute-and a half animation test was created to figure out how the show would move and look. There were various experiments with the show's design and art style to see what would work best for the adaptation. Additional animation was provided by Atomic Cartoons, who helped animate 8 episodes from the first season.


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: When it came to designing background characters for the show, Luke would usually create preliminary sketches for a character, and it would then be translated into a finished design by Mercury. Some characters were given dot eyes as to help make characters like David better blend in to the style of the show.


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: The creatures in the show, as well as the book series, are heavily based on Scandinavian folklore. One of the biggest inspirations used for the show was "Scandinavian Folk-Lore: Illustrations of the Traditional Beliefs of the Northern Peoples", written by William Alexander Craigie. Many creatures in the show were taken directly from these tales.


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: The first two episodes of season one premiered at the New York International Children's Film Festival on February 25, 2018. The first and third episode of season two premiered at the NYICFF on February 22, 2020.


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: The first season was released as a Netflix mini-series, on September 21, 2018. The second season was released on December 14, 2020.


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: On November 19, 2021, Silvergate Media announced that the third season would be the final season of the series.


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: "Hilda" has received critical acclaim from critics and fans of the Hilda books, praising its writing, characters, animation, and vocal performances. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, season 1 has received a 100% fresh rating based on 10 reviews with an average rating of 9.00/10. The website's critic consensus reads, "Animated magic of the highest order, Hilda successfully captures complex feelings and charming characters into an enchanting adventure that is suited for children and adults alike". There is no critic consensus for season 2. Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media gave the series four out of five stars, stating that Hilda, herself, "is the show's best quality, but it also benefits from curious characters, exceptionally matched storytelling and Toonboom animation, and an endearing world of fantasy".


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: Allison Keene of Collider gave the series a four out of five stars, saying: "Regardless of age, Hilda invites viewers to join in the mystery and thrill of adventure and to find the magic in the introduction of these many creatures, and some of their curious habits, in an upbeat and wonderful world. Though Hilda must grow up and accept city life, she need not put aside her childlike wonder. Neither should we." Others focused on the character known as "The Librarian," (later named Kaisa) arguing that her character is "among the most positive pop culture depictions of librarians," apart with libraries in "Cleopatra in Space" and "She-Ra and the Princesses of Power". The same reviewer states that the nine minutes in the first season within a library setting makes a "strong impression," including an episode featuring a special collections room, and arguing that the series makes clear the "importance of librarians and libraries for years to come."


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: At the 2021 Daytime Creative Emmy Awards, "Hilda" won for "Outstanding Children's Series" and "Outstanding Editing for a Daytime Animated Program". It was also nominated for "Outstanding Voice Directing for a Daytime Animated Program", losing to the Hulu animated series "Animaniacs", which also tied with "Hilda" for the award for "Outstanding Editing for a Daytime Animated Program".


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: In 2022, "Hilda" was nominated for a BAFTA award for "Best Children's Animation", but lost to the Australian animated series, "Bluey".


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: An 85-minute movie based on "Hilda and the Mountain King" entered production in 2019, and was released on December 30, 2021.


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: A mobile game based on the series titled "Hilda Creatures" was released on the App Store on October 18, 2018. The game was developed by British developer BIGUMAKU. An Android version was released on December 6, 2018. Both the iOS and Android versions were removed from their respective stores in March 2022.


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: "Hilda and the Hidden People", a novel based on the first two episodes of the series, was released on September 4, 2018. The book was authored by Stephen Davies and illustrated by Seaerra Miller. Two more books based on the first season were released, titled "Hilda and the Great Parade" and "Hilda and the Nowhere Space". They were respectively released on January 22, 2019, and May 21, 2019. Both were also penned by Davies and Miller.


title: Hilda (TV series)

text: Three more novels based on the series, specifically the second season, titled "Hilda and the Time Worm", "Hilda and the Ghost Ship", and "Hilda and the White Woff" were all released on November 17, 2020. The books were once again written by Davies, and all three were illustrated by Victoria Evans.


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: Luke the Evangelist (Latin: "Lucas"; , "Loukâs"; , "Lūqās"; , "Lūqā’; Ge'ez: ሉቃስ") is one of the Four Evangelists—the four traditionally ascribed authors of the canonical gospels. The Early Church Fathers ascribed to him authorship of both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Prominent figures in early Christianity such as Jerome and Eusebius later reaffirmed his authorship, although a lack of conclusive evidence as to the identity of the author of the works has led to discussion in scholarly circles, both secular and religious.


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: The New Testament mentions Luke briefly a few times, and the Epistle to the Colossians refers to him as a physician (from Greek for 'one who heals'); thus he is thought to have been both a physician and a disciple of Paul.


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: Since the early years of the faith, Christians have regarded him as a saint. He is believed to have been a martyr, reportedly having been hanged from an olive tree, though some believe otherwise. The Catholic Church and other major denominations venerate him as Saint Luke the Evangelist and as a patron saint of artists, physicians, bachelors, surgeons, students and butchers; his feast day is 18 October.


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: Many scholars believe that Luke was a physician who lived in the Hellenistic city of Antioch in Ancient Syria, although some other scholars and theologians think Luke was a Hellenic Jew. While it has been widely accepted that the theology of Luke–Acts points to a gentile Christian writing for a gentile audience, some have concluded that it is more plausible that Luke–Acts is directed to a community made up of both Jewish and gentile Christians since there is stress on the scriptural roots of the gentile mission (see the use of Isaiah 49:6 in Luke–Acts). Others have only been prepared to conclude that Luke was either a Hellenistic Jew or a God-fearer. DNA testing on what Christian tradition holds to be his body has revealed that he was possibly of Syrian ancestry.


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: Whether Luke was a Jew or gentile, or something in between, it is clear from the quality of the Greek language used in Luke-Acts that he was one of the most highly educated of the authors of the New Testament. His conscious and intentional allusions and references to, and quotations of, ancient Classical and Hellenistic Greek authors, such as Homer, Aesop, Epimenides, Euripides, Plato, and Aratus indicate that he was familiar with actual Greek literary texts. This familiarity most likely derived from his experiences as a youth of the very homogeneous Hellenistic educational curriculum (ἐγκύκλιος παιδεία/"enkyklios paideia") that had been, and would continue to be, used for centuries throughout the eastern Mediterranean.


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: Luke's earliest mention is in Philemon 1:24. He is also mentioned in and , two Pauline epistles. The next earliest account of Luke is in the "Anti-Marcionite Prologue to the Gospel of Luke", a document once thought to date to the 2nd century, but which has more recently been dated to the later 4th century.


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: Epiphanius states that Luke was one of the Seventy Apostles ("Panarion" 51.11), and John Chrysostom indicates at one point that the "brother" that Paul mentions in the Second Epistle to the Corinthians 8:18 is either Luke or Barnabas ("Homily 18 on Second Corinthians" on 2 Corinthians 8:18).


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: If one accepts that Luke was indeed the author of the Gospel bearing his name and the Acts of the Apostles, certain details of his personal life can be reasonably assumed. While he does exclude himself from those who were eyewitnesses to Jesus' ministry, he repeatedly uses the word "we" in describing the Pauline missions in Acts of the Apostles, indicating that he was personally there at those times.


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: The composition of the writings, as well as the range of vocabulary used, indicate that the author was an educated man. A quote in the Epistle to the Colossians differentiates between Luke and other colleagues "of the circumcision."


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: This comment has traditionally caused commentators to conclude that Luke was a gentile. If this were true, it would make Luke the only writer of the New Testament who can clearly be identified as not being Jewish. However, that is not the only possibility. Although Luke is considered likely to have been a gentile Christian, some scholars believe him to have been a Hellenized Jew. The phrase could just as easily be used to differentiate between those Christians who strictly observed the rituals of Judaism and those who did not.


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: Luke's presence in Rome with the Apostle Paul near the end of Paul's life was attested by 2 Timothy 4:11: "Only Luke is with me". In the last chapter of the Book of Acts, widely attributed to Luke, there are several accounts in the first person also affirming Luke's presence in Rome, including : "And when we came to Rome…" According to some accounts, Luke also contributed to the authorship of the Epistle to the Hebrews.


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: Luke died at age 84 in Boeotia, according to a "fairly early and widespread tradition". According to Nikephoros Kallistos Xanthopoulos, Greek historian of the 14th century (and others), Luke's tomb was located in Thebes, whence his relics were transferred to Constantinople in the year 357.


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: The Gospel of Luke does not name its author. The Gospel was not, nor does it claim to be, written by direct witnesses to the reported events, unlike Acts beginning in the sixteenth chapter. However, in most translations the author suggests that they have investigated the book's events and notes the name (Theophilus) of that to whom they are writing.


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: The earliest manuscript of the Gospel (Papyrus 75 = Papyrus Bodmer XIV-XV), dated AD 200, ascribes the work to Luke; as did Irenaeus writing AD 180, and the Muratorian fragment, a 7th-century Latin manuscript thought to be copied and translated from a Greek manuscript as old as AD 170.


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: The Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles make up a two-volume work which scholars call Luke–Acts. Together they account for 27.5% of the New Testament, the largest contribution by a single author.


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: Most scholars understand Luke's works (Luke–Acts) in the tradition of Greek historiography. Luke 1:1–4, drawing on historical investigation, identified the work to the readers as belonging to the genre of history. There is disagreement about how best to treat Luke's writings, with some historians regarding Luke as highly accurate, and others taking a more critical approach.


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: Based on his accurate description of towns, cities and islands, as well as correctly naming various official titles, archaeologist William Mitchell Ramsay wrote that "Luke is a historian of the first rank; not merely are his statements of fact trustworthy. …[He] should be placed along with the very greatest of historians." Professor of Classics at Auckland University, Edward Musgrave Blaiklock, wrote: "For accuracy of detail, and for evocation of atmosphere, Luke stands, in fact, with Thucydides. The Acts of the Apostles is not shoddy product of pious imagining, but a trustworthy record. …It was the spadework of archaeology which first revealed the truth." New Testament scholar Colin Hemer has made a number of advancements in understanding the historical nature and accuracy of Luke's writings.


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: On the purpose of Acts, New Testament scholar Luke Timothy Johnson has noted that "Luke's account is selected and shaped to suit his apologetic interests, not in defiance of but in conformity to ancient standards of historiography." Such a position is shared by Richard Heard, who sees historical deficiencies as arising from "special objects in writing and to the limitations of his sources of information."


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: In modern times, Luke's competence as a historian is questioned, depending upon one's "a priori" view of the supernatural. Since post-Enlightenment historians work with methodological naturalism, such historians would see a narrative that relates supernatural, fantastic things like angels, demons etc., as problematic as a historical source. Mark Powell claims that "it is doubtful whether the writing of history was ever Luke's intent. Luke wrote to proclaim, to persuade, and to interpret; he did not write to preserve records for posterity. An awareness of this, has been, for many, the final nail in Luke the historian's coffin."


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: Robert M. Grant has noted that although Luke saw himself within the historical tradition, his work contains a number of statistical improbabilities, such as the sizable crowd addressed by Peter in Acts 4:4. He has also noted chronological difficulties whereby Luke "has Gamaliel refer to Theudas and Judas in the wrong order, and Theudas actually rebelled about a decade after Gamaliel spoke (5:36–7)", though this report's status as a chronological difficulty is hotly disputed.


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: Christian tradition, starting from the 8th century, states that Luke was the first icon painter. He is said to have painted pictures of the Virgin Mary and Child, in particular the Hodegetria image in Constantinople (now lost). Starting from the 11th century, a number of painted images were venerated as his autograph works, including the Black Madonna of Częstochowa, Our Lady of Vladimir, and "Madonna del Rosario". He was also said to have painted Saints Peter and Paul, and to have illustrated a gospel book with a full cycle of miniatures.


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: Late medieval Guilds of Saint Luke in the cities of Late Medieval Europe, especially Flanders, or the "Accademia di San Luca" (Academy of Saint Luke) in Rome—imitated in many other European cities during the 16th century—gathered together and protected painters. The tradition that Luke painted icons of Mary and Jesus has been common, particularly in Eastern Orthodoxy. The tradition also has support from the Saint Thomas Christians of India who claim to still have one of the Theotokos icons that Saint Luke painted and which Saint Thomas brought to India.


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: The art critic A. I. Uspensky writes that the icons attributed to the brush of the Evangelist Luke have a completely Byzantine character that was fully established only in the 5th-6th centuries.


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: In traditional depictions, such as paintings, evangelist portraits, and church mosaics, Saint Luke is often accompanied by an ox or bull, usually having wings. Sometimes only the symbol is shown, especially when in a combination of those of all Four Evangelists.


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: The Eastern Orthodox Church commemorated Saint Luke, Apostle of the Seventy, Evangelist, companion (coworker) of the holy Apostle Paul, hieromartyr, physician, first icon painter on:


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: Eight bodies and nine heads, located in different places, are presented as the relics of the Apostle Luke.


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: Despot George of Serbia purportedly bought the relics from the Ottoman sultan Murad II for 30,000 gold coins. After the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia, the kingdom's last queen, George's granddaughter Mary, who had brought the relics with her from Serbia as her dowry, sold them to the Venetian Republic.


title: Luke the Evangelist

text: In 1992, the then Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Ieronymos of Thebes and Levathia (who subsequently became Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and All Greece) requested from Bishop Antonio Mattiazzo of Padua the return of "a significant fragment of the relics of St. Luke to be placed on the site where the holy tomb of the Evangelist is located and venerated today". This prompted a scientific investigation of the relics in Padua, and by numerous lines of empirical evidence (archeological analyses of the Tomb in Thebes and the Reliquary of Padua, anatomical analyses of the remains, carbon-14 dating, comparison with the purported skull of the Evangelist located in Prague) confirmed that these were the remains of an individual of Syrian descent who died between AD 72 and AD 416. The Bishop of Padua then delivered to Metropolitan Ieronymos the rib of Saint Luke that was closest to his heart to be kept at his tomb in Thebes.


title: Corundum

text: Corundum is a crystalline form of aluminium oxide () typically containing traces of iron, titanium, vanadium and chromium. It is a rock-forming mineral. It is a naturally transparent material, but can have different colors depending on the presence of transition metal impurities in its crystalline structure. Corundum has two primary gem varieties: ruby and sapphire. Rubies are red due to the presence of chromium, and sapphires exhibit a range of colors depending on what transition metal is present. A rare type of sapphire, padparadscha sapphire, is pink-orange.


title: Corundum

text: The name "corundum" is derived from the Tamil-Dravidian word "kurundam" (ruby-sapphire) (appearing in Sanskrit as "kuruvinda").


title: Corundum

text: Because of corundum's hardness (pure corundum is defined to have 9.0 on the Mohs scale), it can scratch almost all other minerals. It is commonly used as an abrasive on sandpaper and on large tools used in machining metals, plastics, and wood. Emery, a variety of corundum with no value as a gemstone, is commonly used as an abrasive. It is a black granular form of corundum, in which the mineral is intimately mixed with magnetite, hematite, or hercynite.


title: Corundum

text: In addition to its hardness, corundum has a density of , which is unusually high for a transparent mineral composed of the low-atomic mass elements aluminium and oxygen.


title: Corundum

text: Corundum occurs as a mineral in mica schist, gneiss, and some marbles in metamorphic terranes. It also occurs in low-silica igneous syenite and nepheline syenite intrusives. Other occurrences are as masses adjacent to ultramafic intrusives, associated with lamprophyre dikes and as large crystals in pegmatites. It commonly occurs as a detrital mineral in stream and beach sands because of its hardness and resistance to weathering. The largest documented single crystal of corundum measured about , and weighed . The record has since been surpassed by certain synthetic boules.


title: Corundum

text: Corundum for abrasives is mined in Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Sri Lanka, and India. Historically it was mined from deposits associated with dunites in North Carolina, US, and from a nepheline syenite in Craigmont, Ontario. Emery-grade corundum is found on the Greek island of Naxos and near Peekskill, New York, US. Abrasive corundum is synthetically manufactured from bauxite.


title: Corundum

text: The Verneuil process allows the production of flawless single-crystal sapphire and ruby gems of much larger size than normally found in nature. It is also possible to grow gem-quality synthetic corundum by flux-growth and hydrothermal synthesis. Because of the simplicity of the methods involved in corundum synthesis, large quantities of these crystals have become available on the market at a fraction of the cost of natural stones.


title: Corundum

text: Apart from ornamental uses, synthetic corundum is also used to produce mechanical parts (tubes, rods, bearings, and other machined parts), scratch-resistant optics, scratch-resistant watch crystals, instrument windows for satellites and spacecraft (because of its transparency in the ultraviolet to infrared range), and laser components. For example, the KAGRA gravitational wave detector's main mirrors are sapphires, and Advanced LIGO considered sapphire mirrors. Corundum has also found use in the development of ceramic armour thanks to its high hardiness.


title: Corundum

text: Corundum crystallizes with trigonal symmetry in the space group and has the lattice parameters and at standard conditions. The unit cell contains six formula units.


title: Corundum

text: The toughness of corundum is sensitive to surface roughness and crystallographic orientation. It may be 6–7 MPa·m for synthetic crystals, and around 4 MPa·m for natural.


title: Corundum

text: In the lattice of corundum, the oxygen atoms form a slightly distorted hexagonal close packing, in which two-thirds of the octahedral sites between the oxygen ions are occupied by aluminium ions. The absence of aluminium ions from one of the three sites breaks the symmetry of the hexagonal close packing, reducing the space group symmetry to and the crystal class to trigonal. The structure of corundum is sometimes described as a pseudohexagonal structure.


title: Corundum

text: Because of its prevalence, corundum has also become the name of a major structure type ("corundum type") found in various binary and ternary compounds.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: Kendrick Le'Dale "Perk" Perkins (born November 10, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst for ESPN. He entered the NBA directly out of high school and played for the Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers, and New Orleans Pelicans, winning the NBA Championship in 2008 with the Celtics.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: Perkins was born in Nederland, Texas and raised by his grandparents, who lived on a farm. His mother died when he turned five, and his father played professional basketball in New Zealand — where he stayed throughout — and never visited Perkins. Perkins went to a private Catholic school starting in sixth grade. Perkins' grandfather was very enthusiastic about sports, helping spark his competitive passion. In addition to basketball, Perkins also participated in pick-up football games as a defensive end, and baseball as a first baseman. Perkins stopped playing baseball in ninth grade, and gave up on football in tenth grade.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: Perkins first met LeBron James in the seventh grade when playing on the Houston Hoops and competing against Lebron's Ohio Shooting Stars. Perkins later became friends with Lebron during his time at ABCD Camp where they were teammates on the Oakland Soldiers. During his time on the AAU circuit beginning in eighth grade, Kendrick Perkins was ranked No. 3, LeBron at No. 1, and Chris Paul at No. 2. Perkins had his largest growth spurt from eighth grade to ninth grade, where he went from to , his current height. Perkins' first in-game dunk was in the seventh grade.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: Perkins graduated from Clifton J. Ozen High School in Beaumont, Texas, in 2003. He led Ozen High to four consecutive district championships and one state championship during his high school career. Averaging 27.5 points, 16.4 rebounds and 7.8 blocked shots a game as a senior, he led Ozen to a 33–1 record, with the only loss being a 66–54 setback to Fort Worth Dunbar in the state 4A championship game. After his senior season in 2003, Perkins was selected to the McDonald's All-American Game.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Perkins was listed as the No. 3 center and the No. 6 player in the nation in 2003. He had originally committed to Memphis, but opted instead to make the jump to the NBA straight out of high school.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: The center was drafted in the first round with the 27th pick of the 2003 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies, but was immediately traded along with Marcus Banks to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Troy Bell and Dahntay Jones, who had been selected by the Celtics in the same draft.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: During the 2004–05 season, Perkins received more playing time than he did his rookie season, and became known as one of the tougher players on the Celtics. He had a limited role during the regular season and playoffs as the team's "enforcer". Perkins was involved in an unusual scenario in the final seconds of regulation in Game 6 of the 2005 Eastern Conference first round against Indiana. Paul Pierce was ejected but Pierce was owed free throws because he had been fouled before the ejection. Under NBA rules, Indiana coach Rick Carlisle chose to select Perkins (who had not played in the game) off the bench to shoot the crucial free throws (the game was tied). Perkins missed both, indirectly leading the game going into overtime, in which the Celtics eventually won.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: After marked improvements during summer training and practice, Perkins earned more playing time from coach Doc Rivers during the 2005–06 season. He played some of the best games of his career in 2006, repeatedly reaching double figures in points and rebounds. After the trade of Mark Blount to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Perkins became the undisputed starting center for the Celtics, although he was already sharing starting time before Blount's departure. He started at center for the 2008 NBA champion Boston Celtics.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: In Game 6 of the 2010 NBA Finals, Perkins injured his knee and missed the rest of the game. He was inactive for Game 7, in which the Celtics fell to the Los Angeles Lakers. According to the "Los Angeles Times", he suffered torn MCL and PCL ligaments in his right knee.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: Perkins did not return to the floor until January 25, 2011, when he logged 17 minutes off of the bench netting seven points, six rebounds and three assists in a win against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He received a standing ovation upon entering the game in the first quarter. After coming off the bench for his first 5 games back, Perkins returned to the starting line-up Friday, February 4 in a home loss to the Dallas Mavericks. He logged his first double-double of the season with 13 points, 12 rebounds and one blocked shot while shooting 6-for-7 from the field in 33 minutes.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: On February 24, 2011, Perkins and Nate Robinson were traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstić. On March 1, he signed a multi-year extension with the Thunder. Perkins suffered a left knee sprain injury, which prevented him from debuting with the Thunder until March 14, 2011. On March 14, 2011, Perkins debuted with the Oklahoma City Thunder, getting six points, nine rebounds, and two assists during 20 minutes of play in a 116–89 win against the Washington Wizards. On March 20, 2011, Perkins got a season-high four assists, along with five points, 12 rebounds, and a steal, in a 95–93 loss to the Toronto Raptors. On March 25, 2011, Perkins got 13 points, five rebounds, one assist, three steals, and one block while going 6 for 6 from the field in a 111–103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. On March 30, 2011, Perkins got 13 points again, along with three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block in a 116–98 win over the Phoenix Suns. On April 6, 2011, Perkins grabbed a season-high 17 rebounds, while getting five points and one block in a 112–108 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. 10 of his 17 rebounds were offensive boards. According to ESPN, after grabbing 17 rebounds, Perkins said, "We've got goals at hand. When you have bigger goals, you tend to reach smaller goals. I guess that was a good thing to see the guys not comfortable. Our guys want to go a little further than just being division champs."


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: The Thunder finished the season with 55 wins, clinching the fourth seed in the Western Conference. They went on versus the Denver Nuggets in the First Round of the 2011 NBA playoffs. On April 17, 2011, during Game 1 of the First Round, Perkins got four points, five rebounds, and one block in a 107–103 win against the Denver Nuggets. With just over a minute to go, Perkins scored a bucket to help the Thunder take the lead. This was later figured out as an offensive goaltending call. On April 27, 2011, Perkins got a near double-double, getting 13 points, nine rebounds and one assist during Game 5 of the First Round in a 100–97 win over the Denver Nuggets. On May 7, 2011, during Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals, Perkins grabbed 13 rebounds, while also getting six points, one assist, and one steal in a 101–93 overtime loss against the Memphis Grizzlies. He helped the Thunder get to the Western Conference Finals, but the team got eliminated in five games against the Dallas Mavericks. Perkins averaged 4.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game in the playoffs.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: The 2011–12 NBA season was shortened due to the collective bargaining agreement resulting in a lockout. During the 2011 NBA lockout, Perkins lost more than 30 pounds. On December 25, 2011, Perkins started the lockout-shortened season getting six points, four rebounds, one assist, and one block while also going 2 of 2 from the field in a 97–89 win against the Orlando Magic. Perkins made it on the 2012 NBA All-Star ballot, placing 6th out of the centers in the Western Conference. He got 66,380 votes. On February 10, 2012, Perkins got his first double-double of the season, getting 10 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, and one block in a 101–87 win against the Utah Jazz. On February 14, 2012, Perkins tied his career high with six assists, as well as getting seven rebounds, one steal, one block, and one point in a 111–85 win against the Utah Jazz.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: On February 20, 2012, Perkins got five points, 13 rebounds, three assists, and a season-high six blocks in a 101–93 win against the New Orleans Hornets. On March 5, 2012, Perkins grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds, while also getting seven points, one assist, one steal, and one block in a 95–91 win against the Dallas Mavericks. On March 18, 2012, Perkins got six points, six rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a career-high tying three steals in a 111–95 win against the Portland Trail Blazers. On March 25, 2012, Perkins scored a season-high 16 points, while also getting six rebounds, two assists, and one steal in a 103–87 win against the Miami Heat. On April 13, 2012, Perkins got his second double-double of the season, getting 11 points and 11 rebounds in a 115–89 win over the Sacramento Kings.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: The Thunder finished the season with 47 wins, first in the Northwest Division, and the 2nd seed in the West. To start the 2012 NBA Playoffs, they faced the Dallas Mavericks in the First Round. During Game 2 of the First Round, Perkins scored 13 points, six rebounds, and a block in a 102–99 win against the Mavericks. The team ended up sweeping the Mavericks in four games. They then played the Los Angeles Lakers in the Conference Semifinals. On May 18, 2012, during Game 3 of the Conference Semifinals, Perkins had six points, two rebounds, one assist, one steal, and four blocks in a 99–96 loss against the Lakers. The Thunder ended up defeating the Lakers in five games. They moved on to the Conference Finals where they faced the San Antonio Spurs. On June 2, 2012, during Game 4 of the Conference Finals, Perkins scored 15 points, while getting nine rebounds, one assist, and one block in a 109–103 win against the Spurs. The team defeated the Spurs in six games. Perkins and the Thunder reached the NBA Finals where they played the Big 3–led Miami Heat. On June 17, 2012, during Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Perkins got his first and only double-double of the playoffs, getting 10 points, 12 rebounds, and a block in a 91–85 loss against the Heat. The Thunder couldn't get past the Heat, as they were eliminated in five games. This was Perkins's third trip to the NBA Finals. The other two trips were with the Boston Celtics back in 2008 and 2010. Perkins averaged 4.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game in the playoffs.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: Perkins began the 2012–13 NBA season getting two points, six rebounds, two assists, and a block in an 86–84 loss against the Spurs. On November 9, 2012, Perkins dished a career-high tying six assists, and also had nine points, four rebounds, and a steal in a 105–94 win against the Detroit Pistons. On February 8, 2013, Perkins scored a season-high 17 points, along with nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and three blocks in a 127–96 win against the Phoenix Suns. According to The Oklahoman, Perkins said this in response to his performance: "I'm just going to keep working. Guys are doubling Kevin (Durant) and Russ now, so I'm just trying to find the open spot. I've been watching a lot of film and going to the gym and working on my game. I'm just trying to find an open spot when they get doubled." On February 10, 2013, Perkins had a career-high tying three steals, as well as four rebounds, two assists, and three blocks in a 97–69 win against the Suns. On March 20, 2013 Perkins grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds, and also had an assist in a 90–89 overtime loss against the Memphis Grizzlies.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: In the 2013 NBA playoffs, the Thunder defeated the Houston Rockets in the First Round, but were defeated by the Grizzlies in the Conference Semifinals. During Game 1 of the Conference Semifinals, Perkins had seven rebounds and three assists in a 93–91 win. Perkins averaged 2.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in the playoffs.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: To start the 2013–14 NBA season, Perkins had four points, eight rebounds, one assist and one steal in a 101–98 win against the Utah Jazz. On December 13, 2013, Perkins dished a season-high four assists, and also had six points and three rebounds in a 122–97 win against the Lakers. On January 5, 2014, Perkins scored a season-high 12 points, and also had six rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in a 119–96 win against his former team, the Boston Celtics. On January 17, 2014, Perkins grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds, and also had six points, two assists and two steals in a 127–121 win against the Golden State Warriors. On February 5, 2014, Perkins tied his season-high, getting 12 rebounds, six points, two assists, and one steal in a 106–97 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: In the 2014 NBA playoffs, the Thunder defeated the Grizzlies in the First Round, then the Clippers in the Conference Semifinals, but got eliminated by the Spurs in the Conference Finals. During Game 2 of the Conference Semifinals, Perkins had eight points and nine rebounds in a 112–101 win. During Game 4 of the Conference Finals, Perkins had 10 rebounds, two points, two blocks, and one steal in a 105–92 win. Perkins averaged 3.2 points and 5.4 rebounds throughout the playoffs.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: During the 2014–15 NBA season, Perkins was playing bench minutes, as Steven Adams replaced him. During the season opener, Perkins had four points, eight rebounds, one steal and one block in a 106–89 loss against the Portland Trail Blazers. On November 1, 2014, Perkins scored a season-high 17 points, while also getting five rebounds in a 102–91 win against the Denver Nuggets. On December 14, 2014, Perkins grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds, as well as five points, one assist, one steal, and one block in a 112–88 win against the Phoenix Suns.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: On February 19, 2015, Perkins was traded to the Utah Jazz in a three-team trade that also involved the Detroit Pistons. He was subsequently waived by the Jazz two days later.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: On February 24, 2015, Perkins signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers and made his debut later that day as he scored two points in two minutes off the bench in a 102–93 win over the Detroit Pistons. The Cavaliers made it to the 2015 NBA Finals, but they lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: On July 28, 2015, Perkins signed with the New Orleans Pelicans. He made his debut for the Pelicans in the team's season opening loss to the Golden State Warriors on October 27. In just under 16 minutes of action as a starter, he recorded 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting and 4 rebounds. On November 6, he was ruled out for three months with a right pectoral injury. He returned to the Pelicans' line-up on December 11, but did not play against the Washington Wizards.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: On September 25, 2017, Perkins signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers, returning to the franchise for a second stint. On October 14, 2017, he was waived by the Cavaliers after appearing in three preseason games. He subsequently joined the Cleveland's NBA G League affiliate, the Canton Charge. On February 9, 2018, he opted to retire from the NBA G League.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: On April 11, 2018, Perkins returned to the Cavaliers, signing a contract for the remainder of the season. That same day ended up being Perkins' first and only game that he played for Cleveland, as Cleveland would lose 98 - 110 to the New York Knicks with Perkins recording 3 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound and 1 steal.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: The Cavaliers made it to the 2018 NBA Finals, where they lost 4–0 to the Golden State Warriors, but Perkins was labeled as "Did Not Play" and "Inactive" throughout the entire playoffs. Perkins was waived by the Cavaliers on July 17, 2018.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: Following his retirement, Perkins became an on-air sports commentator and analyst for ESPN and NBC Sports Boston including on ESPN television sports talk shows "NBA Today", "Get Up", "First Take", and "SportsCenter".


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: Perkins is a practicing Catholic. He was an altar boy in his youth, though it was often problematic to find an alb to fit him due to his height. His son was born on September 10, 2007. On July 25, 2009, Perkins married his longtime girlfriend, Vanity Alpough. His second son was born on October 10, 2011. His twin son and daughter were born on October 20, 2015.


title: Kendrick Perkins

text: On October 10, 2013, Perkins posted a $1,000 bond on a misdemeanor assault charge. He allegedly punched a man and a woman after a dispute following a traffic accident.


title: Scud missile

text: A Scud missile is one of a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was exported widely to both Second and Third World countries. The term comes from the NATO reporting name attached to the missile by Western intelligence agencies. The Russian names for the missile are the R-11 (the first version), and the R-17 (later R-300) Elbrus (later developments). The name Scud has been widely used to refer to these missiles and the wide variety of derivative variants developed in other countries based on the Soviet design.


title: Scud missile

text: Scud missiles have been used in combat since the 1970s, mostly in wars in the Middle East. They became familiar to the Western public during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, when Iraq fired dozens at Israel and Saudi Arabia. In Russian service it is being replaced by the 9K720 Iskander.


title: Scud missile

text: The first use of the term "Scud" was in the NATO name SS-1b Scud-A, applied to the R-11 Zemlya ballistic missile. The earlier R-1 missile had carried the NATO name SS-1 Scunner, but was of a very different design, almost directly a copy of the German V-2 rocket. The R-11 used technology gained from the V-2 as well, but was a new design, smaller and differently shaped than the V-2 and R-1 weapons. The R-11 was developed by the Korolyev OKB and entered service in 1957. The most revolutionary innovation in the R-11 was the engine, designed by A. M. Isaev. Far simpler than the V-2's multi-chamber design, and employing an anti-oscillation baffle to prevent chugging, it was a forerunner to the larger engines used in Soviet launch vehicles.


title: Scud missile

text: Further developed variants were the R-17 (later R-300) Elbrus / SS-1c Scud-B in 1961 and the SS-1d Scud-C in 1965, both of which could carry either a conventional high-explosive, a 5- to 80-kiloton thermonuclear, or a chemical (thickened VX) warhead. The SS-1e Scud-D variant developed in the 1980s can deliver a terminally guided warhead capable of greater precision.


title: Scud missile

text: All models are long (except Scud-A, which is shorter) and in diameter. They are propelled by a single liquid-fuel rocket engine burning kerosene and corrosion-inhibited red fuming nitric acid (IRFNA) with unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH, Russian TG-02 like German Tonka 250) as liquid igniter (self-ignition with IRFNA) in all models.


title: Scud missile

text: The first of the "Scud" series, designated R-11 (SS-1B Scud-A) originated in a 1951 requirement for a ballistic missile with similar performance to the German V-2 rocket. The R-11 was developed by engineer Viktor Makeev, who was then working in the OKB-1, headed by Sergey Korolev. It first flew on 18 April 1953, was fitted with an Isayev engine using kerosene and nitric acid as propellant. On 13 December 1953, a production order was passed with SKB-385 in Zlatoust, a factory dedicated to producing long-range rockets. In June 1955, Makeev was appointed chief designer of the SKB-385 to oversee the program and, in July, the R-11 was formally accepted into military service. The definitive R-11M, designed to carry a nuclear warhead, was accepted officially into service on 1 April 1958. The launch system was placed on an IS-2 chassis and received the GRAU designation 8K11; only 100 Scud-A launchers were built.


title: Scud missile

text: The R-11M had a maximum range of 270 km, but when carrying a nuclear warhead, this was reduced to 150 km. Its purpose was strictly as a mobile nuclear strike vector, giving the Soviet Army the ability to hit European targets from forward areas, armed with a nuclear warhead with an estimated yield of 50 kilotons.


title: Scud missile

text: A naval variant, the R-11FM (SS-N-1 Scud-A) was first tested in February 1955, and was first launched from a converted Project 611 (Zulu class) submarine in September of the same year. While the initial design was done by Korolev's OKB-1, the program was transferred to Makeev's SKB-385 in August 1955. It became operational in 1959 and was deployed onboard Project 611 and Project 629 (Golf Class) submarines. During its service, 77 launches were conducted, of which 59 were successful.


title: Scud missile

text: The successor to the R-11, the R-17 (SS-1C Scud-B), renamed R-300 in the 1970s, was the most prolific of the series, with a production run estimated at 7,000. It served in 32 countries and four countries besides the Soviet Union manufactured copied versions. The first launch was conducted in 1961, and it entered service in 1964.


title: Scud missile

text: The R-17 was an improved version of the R-11. It could carry nuclear, chemical, conventional or fragmentation weapons. At first, the Scud-B was carried on a tracked transporter erector launcher (TEL) similar to that of the Scud-A, designated 2P19, but this was not successful and a wheeled replacement was designed by the Titan Central Design Bureau, becoming operational in 1967. The new MAZ-543 vehicle was officially designated 9P117 "Uragan". The launch sequence could be conducted autonomously, but was usually directed from a separate command vehicle. The missile is raised to a vertical position by means of hydraulically powered cranes, which usually takes four minutes, while the total sequence lasts about one hour.


title: Scud missile

text: The Makeyev OKB also worked on an extended-range version of the R-17, known in the West as SS-1d Scud-C, that was first launched from Kapustin Yar in 1965. Its range was brought up to 500–600 km, but at the cost of a greatly reduced accuracy and warhead size. Eventually, the advent of more modern types in the same category, such as the TR-1 Temp (SS-12 Scaleboard), made the Scud-C redundant, and it apparently did not enter service with the Soviet armed forces.


title: Scud missile

text: The R-17 VTO (SS-1e Scud-D) project was an attempt to enhance the accuracy of the R-17. The Central Scientific Research Institute for Automation and Hydraulics (TsNIAAG) began work on the project in 1968, but the first test launch was conducted only in September 1979. Development continued through the 1980s until the system was accepted into initial service as the 9K720 Aerofon in 1989. However, by this time, more advanced weapons were in use, such as the OTR-21 Tochka (SS-21) and the R-400 Oka (SS-23), and the Scud-D was not acquired by the Soviet armed forces. Instead it was proposed for export as an upgrade for Scud-B users, in the 1990s.


title: Scud missile

text: Unlike previous Scud versions, the 9K720 had a warhead that separated from the missile's body, and was fitted with its own terminal guidance system. With a TV camera fitted in the nose, the system could compare the target area with data from an onboard computer library (DSMAC). In this way, it was thought to attain a circular error probable (CEP) of 50 m.


title: Scud missile

text: North Korea obtained its first Scud-Bs from Egypt in 1979 or 1980. These missiles were reverse engineered, and reproduced using North Korean infrastructure, including the 125 factory at Pyongyang, a research and development institute at Sanum-dong and the Musudan-ri Launch Facility. The first prototypes were completed in 1984, and designated Hwasong-5. They were exact replicas of the R-17Es obtained from Egypt. The first test flights occurred in April 1984, but the first version saw only limited production, and no operational deployment, as its purpose was only to validate the production process.


title: Scud missile

text: Production of the definitive version began at a slow rate in 1985. The type incorporated several minor improvements over the original Soviet design. The range was increased by 10 to 15 percent and it could carry High Explosive (HE) or cluster chemical warheads. Throughout the production cycle, until it was phased out in favour of the Hwasong-6 in 1989, the DPRK manufacturers are thought to have carried out small enhancements, in particular to the guidance system.


title: Scud missile

text: In 1985, Iran acquired 90 to 100 Hwasong-5 missiles from North Korea. A production line was also established in Iran, where the Hwasong-5 was produced as the Shahab-1.


title: Scud missile

text: The Hwasong-6 was first test-flown in June 1990, and entered full-scale production the same year, or in 1991, until it was superseded by the Rodong-1. It features an improved guidance system, a range of 500 km, but had its payload reduced to 770 kg, though the dimensions are identical to the original Scud. Due to difficulties in procuring MAZ-543 TELs, the North Koreans had to produce a local copy. By 1999, North Korea was estimated to have produced 600 to 1,000 Hwasong-6 missiles, of which 25 served for testing, 300 to 500 were exported, and 300 to 600 are used by the Korean People's Army.


title: Scud missile

text: The Hwasong-6 was exported to Iran where it is known as the Shahab-2, and to Syria, where it is manufactured under license with Chinese assistance. Also, according to SIPRI, 150 Scud-C were exported to Syria in 1991–96, 5 to Libya in 1999, 45 to Yemen in 2001–02.


title: Scud missile

text: The Nodong (also referred as RoDong, Hwasong-7), was the first North Korean missile to feature important modifications from the Scud design. Development began in 1988, and the first missile was launched in 1990, but it apparently exploded on its launch pad. A second test was carried out in May 1993 successfully.


title: Scud missile

text: The main characteristics of the Rodong are a range of 1000 km and a CEP estimated at 2,000–4,000 m, giving the North Koreans the ability to strike Japan. The missile is substantially larger than the Hwasong series, and its Isayev 9D21 engine was upgraded with help from Makeyev OKB. Some assistance came also from China and Ukraine while a new TEL was designed using an Italian Iveco truck chassis and an Austrian crane. The rapidity with which the Rodong was designed and exported after just two tests came as a surprise for many Western observers, and led to some speculation that it was in fact based on a cancelled Soviet project from the Cold War period, but this has not been proven.


title: Scud missile

text: Iran is known to have financed much of the Rodong program, and in return is allowed to produce the missile, as the Shahab-3. While the first prototypes may have been acquired as early as 1992, production began only in 2001, with assistance from Russia. The Rodong has also been exported to Egypt and Libya.


title: Scud missile

text: The Hwasong-9 also called the Scud-ER (extended range), is essentially a North Korean modification of the Hwasong-6 that exchanges payload for greater range; estimates range from to as much as through a reduced payload of and enlarging the fuel and oxidant tanks along with a slight enlargement of the fuselage. The missile is single-stage and road mobile employing an HE, submunition, chemical, or potentially miniaturized nuclear warhead with a CEP of . Its range allows the North Korean military to strike anywhere on the Korean peninsula and threaten areas of Japan.


title: Scud missile

text: Development of the Hwasong-9 reportedly began in 1991 and production started in 1994. Deployment began in 2003, intelligence imagery first observed it in 2005, and it was only first revealed publicly in 2007. Reports suggest Syria received Scud-ER missiles in 2000, giving them the ability to target all of Israel and southeastern Turkey, including Ankara; Syria reportedly converted its own Hwasong-6 production line in order to make the longer-range Hwasong-9.


title: Scud missile

text: Scud-ER/Hwasong-9 demonstrated range of 1,000 km with 500 kg payload. South Korean and United States intelligence made assessment that missile can travel over 1,000 km, Japan previously rated its range at 1,000 km in 2015 white paper and considers to increase range estimate in 2016's white paper.


title: Scud missile

text: The UN confirmed North Korea assisted Syria in development of manoeuvrable vehicle for "Scud D" since 2008. The UN also confirmed that the missile guidance and electronics were upgraded/improved.


title: Scud missile

text: Iran began development of the indigenous Qiam missile prior to 2010, when it was first publicly tested. It is developed from the Shahab-2/Hwasong-6.


title: Scud missile

text: The Qiam 1 has a range of and (CEP) accuracy. The most noticeable difference from the Shahab-2 is a lack of fins—which could be used to reduce the missile's radar signature during ascent as fins reflect radar. Removing fins from a missile also reduces the structural mass, so the payload weight or missile range can be increased. Without the fins and associated drag, the missile can be more responsive to changes in trajectory. Iranian sources cite an improved guidance system on the missile, and analysts note that adjusting the missile's in-flight trajectory without fins requires a highly responsive guidance system. The Qiam 1's accuracy is also improved with the addition of a separable warhead. Other changes to the warhead include a "baby-bottle" shape, possibly to increase drag and thus stability during reentry at the expense of range, potentially increasing accuracy. The shape can also increase the terminal velocity of the warhead, making it harder to intercept.


title: Scud missile

text: The Houthi forces in Yemen unveiled the Burkan-1 (also spelled as Borkan 1 and Burqan 1) on 2 September 2016 when it was fired toward King Fahd International Airport.


title: Scud missile

text: The missile's range is , greater than the Soviet-made Scud-B missiles the Houthi forces took control of in 2015. Missiles shot down mid-flight in October 2016 and July 2017 were claimed to target the holy city of Mecca by Saudi Arabia, while the Houthis claimed the targets were airports in the region.


title: Scud missile

text: The Houthi forces in Yemen unveiled the Burkan 2-H (also spelled as Borkan H2 and Burqan 2H) when it was launched at Saudi Arabia on 22 July 2017.


title: Scud missile

text: Analysts identify it as based on the Iranian Qiam 1/Scud-C, Iranian Shahab-2/Scud-C, or Scud-D missile. Pictures indicate a "baby bottle" re-entry vehicle, like the Shahab-3 and Qiam 1 missiles. The missile's exact range is unknown, but is greater than .


title: Scud missile

text: It has been launched in July 2017, and a second launch was claimed on 4 November 2017, with the missile shot down over the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh. According to the US State Department, the missile was actually an Iranian Qiam 1. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Culture and Information also supplied the Associated Press with pictures from a military briefing of what it claimed were components from the intercepted missile bearing Iranian markings matching those on other pictures of the Qiam 1.


title: Scud missile

text: The Scud missile family is one of the few ballistic missiles to be extensively used in actual warfare by different forces, second only to the V-2 in terms of combat launches.The first recorded combat use of the Scud was at the end of the Yom Kippur War in 1973, when three missiles were fired by Egypt against Israeli-held Arish and bridgehead on the western bank of the Suez canal. Seven Israeli soldiers were killed. Libya responded to U.S. airstrikes in 1986 by firing two Scud missiles at a U.S. Coast Guard navigation station on the nearby Italian island of Lampedusa, which missed their target. Scud missiles were used in several regional conflicts that included use by Soviet and Afghan Communist forces in Afghanistan, and Iranians and Iraqis against one another in the so-called "War of the cities" during the Iran–Iraq War. Scuds were used by Iraq during the Gulf War against Israel and coalition targets in Saudi Arabia and Israel.


title: Scud missile

text: More than a dozen Scuds were fired from Afghanistan at targets in Pakistan in 1988. There were also a small number of Scud missiles used in the 1994 civil war in Yemen, as well as by Russian forces in Chechnya in 1996 and onwards. The missiles saw some minor use by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi in the Libyan Civil War. They have reportedly been used recently in the ongoing Syrian civil war by the Syrian Army.


title: Scud missile

text: Iraq was the first to use ballistic missiles during the Iran–Iraq War, firing limited numbers of Frog-7 rockets at the towns of Dezful and Ahvaz. On 27 October 1982, Iraq launched its first Scud-Bs at Dezful killing 21 civilians and wounding 100. Scud strikes continued during the following years, intensifying sharply in 1985, with more than 100 missiles falling inside Iran.


title: Scud missile

text: In response, the Iranians searched for a source of ballistic weapons, finally meeting success in 1985, when they obtained a small number of Scud-Bs from Libya. These weapons were assigned to a special unit, the "Khatam Al-Anbya" force, attached to the "Pasdaran". On 12 March, the first Iranian Scuds fell in Baghdad and Kirkuk. The strikes infuriated Saddam Hussein, but the Iraqi response was limited by the range of their Scuds, that could not reach Tehran. After a request for TR-1 Temp (SS-12 Scaleboard) missiles was refused by the Soviets, Iraq turned to developing its own long-range version of the Scud missile, that became known as the Al Hussein. In the meantime, both sides quickly ran out of missiles, and had to contact their international partners for resupply. In 1986, Iraq ordered 300 Scud-Bs from the Soviet Union, while Iran turned to North Korea for missile deliveries and for assistance in developing a domestic missile industry.


title: Scud missile

text: By 1988 the fighting along the border had reached a stalemate, and both belligerents began employing terror tactics in order to break the deadlock. Lasting from 29 February to 20 April, this conflict became known as the war of the cities and saw an intensive use of Scud missiles in what became known as the "Scud duel". The first rounds were fired by Iraq, when seven Al-Husseins landed in Tehran on 29 February. In all, Iraq fired 189 missiles, mostly of the Al-Hussein type, of which 135 landed in Tehran, 23 in Qom, 22 in Isfahan, four in Tabriz, three in Shiraz and two in Karaj. During this episode, Iraq's missiles killed 2,000 Iranians, injured 6,000, and caused a quarter of Tehran's population of ten million to flee the city. The Iranian response included launching 75 to 77 Hwasong-5s, a North Korean Scud variant, at targets in Iraq, mostly in Baghdad.


title: Scud missile

text: Prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the government of Saddam Hussein had asserted that Iran fired dozens of Scud missiles at the People's Mujahedin (MKO) in Iraq in 1999 and 2001, with the MKO itself claiming that Iran fired more missiles at Iraq in 2001 than it did during the entire Iran–Iraq War.


title: Scud missile

text: The most intensive – and less well-known – use of Scud missiles occurred during the civil war in Afghanistan between 1989 and 1992. As compensation for the withdrawal of Soviet troops in 1989, the USSR agreed to deliver sophisticated weapons to the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA), among which were large quantities of Scud-Bs, and possibly some Scud-Cs as well. The first 500 were transferred during the early months of 1989, and soon proved to be a critical strategic asset for the DRA. Every Scud battery was composed of three TELs, three reloading vehicles, a mobile meteorological unit, one tanker and several command and control trucks. During the mujahideen attack against Jalalabad, between March and June 1989, three firing batteries manned by Afghan crews advised by Soviets fired approximately 438 missiles in defense of the embattled garrison. Soon all the heavily contested areas of Afghanistan, such as the Salang Pass and the city of Kandahar, were under attack by Scud missiles.


title: Scud missile

text: Due to its imprecision, the Scud was used as an area bombing weapon, and its effect was psychological as well as physical: the missiles would explode without warning, as they travelled faster than the sound they produced in-flight. At the time, reports indicated that Scud attacks had devastating consequences on the morale of the Afghan rebels, who eventually learned that by applying guerilla tactics, and keeping their forces dispersed and hidden, they could minimize casualties from Scud attacks.


title: Scud missile

text: The Scud was also used as a punitive weapon, striking areas that were held by the resistance. In March 1991, shortly after the town of Khost was captured, it was hit by a Scud attack. On 20 April 1991, the marketplace of Asadabad was hit by two Scuds, which killed 300 and wounded 500 inhabitants. Though the exact toll is unknown, these attacks resulted in heavy civilian casualties. The explosions destroyed the headquarters of Islamic leader Jamil al-Rahman, and killed a number of his followers.


title: Scud missile

text: In all, between October 1988 and February 1992, with 1,700 to 2,000 Scud launches, Afghanistan saw the greatest concentration of ballistic weapons fired since World War II. After January 1992, the Soviet advisors were withdrawn, reducing the Afghan army's ability to use their ballistic missiles. On 24 April 1992, the mujahideen forces of Ahmad Shah Massoud captured the main Scud stockpile at Afshur. As the communist government collapsed, the few remaining Scuds and their TELs were divided among the rival factions fighting for power. However, the lack of trained personnel prevented a sustained use of such weapons, and, between April 1992 and 1996, only 44 Scuds were fired in Afghanistan. When the Taliban arrived in power in 1996, they captured a few of the remaining Scuds, but lack of maintenance had reduced the state of the missile force to such an extent that there were only five Scud firings, until 2001. After the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, the last four surviving Scud launchers were destroyed in 2005.


title: Scud missile

text: At the outbreak of the Gulf War, Iraq had an effective, if limited, ballistic missile force. Besides the original Scud-B, several local variants had been developed. These included the Al-Hussein, developed during the Iran–Iraq War, the Al-Hijarah, a shortened Al-Hussein, and the Al-Abbas, an extended-range Scud fired from fixed launching sites, that was never used. The Soviet-built MAZ-543 vehicle was the prime launcher, along with a few locally designed TELs, the Al Nida and the Al Waleed.


title: Scud missile

text: Scuds were responsible for most of the coalition deaths outside Iraq and Kuwait. Of a total 88 Scud missiles, 46 were fired into Saudi Arabia and 42 into Israel. Twenty-eight members of the Pennsylvania National Guard were killed when a Scud struck a United States Army barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.


title: Scud missile

text: The United States Air Force organized air patrols over areas where Scud launchers were suspected to operate, namely western Iraq near the Jordanian border, where the Scuds were fired at Israel, and southern Iraq, where they were aimed at Saudi Arabia. A-10 strike aircraft flew over these zones during the day, and F-15Es fitted with LANTIRN pods and synthetic aperture radars patrolled at night. However, the infrared signatures and radar signatures of the Iraqi TELSs were almost impossible to distinguish from ordinary trucks and from the surrounding electromagnetic clutter. During the war, while patrolling, strike aircraft managed to sight mobile TELs on 42 occasions, but only eight times the aircraft were able to locate the targets well enough to release their ordnance. In addition, the Iraqi missile units dispersed their Scud TELs and hid them in culverts, wadis, or under highway bridges. They also practiced "shoot-and-scoot" tactics, withdrawing the launcher to a hidden location immediately after it had fired, while the launch sequence that usually took 90 minutes was reduced to half an hour. This enabled them to preserve their forces, despite optimistic claims by the coalition. A post-war Pentagon study concluded that relatively few launchers had been destroyed by coalition aircraft.


title: Scud missile

text: Ground-based special forces from the United Kingdom were covertly inserted into Iraq to locate and destroy Scud launchers, either by directing airstrikes or in some cases attacking them directly with MILAN man-portable missiles. An example was the 8-man SAS patrol designated Bravo Two Zero, led by "Andy McNab" (a pseudonym). This patrol resulted in the death or capture of all but one of its members, "Chris Ryan".


title: Scud missile

text: The mobility of Scud TELs allowed for a choice of firing position and increased the survivability of the weapon system to such an extent that, of the approximately 100 launchers claimed destroyed by coalition pilots and special forces in the Gulf War, not a single destruction could be confirmed afterwards. After the war, UNSCOM investigations showed that Iraq still had 12 MAZ-543 vehicles, as well as seven Al-Waleed and Al-Nidal launchers, and 62 complete Al-Hussein missiles.


title: Scud missile

text: During the 1994 civil war in Yemen, South Yemen separatists fired Scud missiles at the Yemeni capital of Sana'a.


title: Scud missile

text: A small number of Scuds were used by Russian forces in 1996 during the First Chechen War and in late 1999/early 2000 during the Second Chechen War, including during the Battle of Grozny (1999–2000). Although frequently reported by media as Scuds, the majority of the 60–100 SRBMs fired in the Chechen Wars were the OTR-21 Tochka (SS-21 Scarab-B).


title: Scud missile

text: In May 2011, early during the Libyan Civil War, it was rumored that Scud-B's had been fired by Muammar Gaddafi's forces against anti-Gaddafi forces. The first confirmed use happened several months later, when on 15 August 2011, as anti-Gaddafi forces encircled the Gaddafi-controlled capital of Tripoli, Libyan Army forces near Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte fired a Scud missile toward anti-Gaddafi positions in Cyrenaica, well over 100 kilometers away. The missile struck the desert near Ajdabiya, causing no casualties. On 22 August 2011, a second Scud-B also fired by Gaddafi forces in Sirte. On 23 August, opposition forces in Misrata reported that four Scud-B missiles were fired against the city from Sirte, but had caused no damage. Initial claims that an Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System-equipped US Navy cruiser shot down the missiles over the Gulf of Sidra were later denied by US DoD officials.


title: Scud missile

text: On 12 December 2012, it was reported by various outlets that the Syrian Army has begun using short-range ballistic missiles against rebels in the Syrian civil war. According to NATO officials, "allied intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets" had detected the launch of a number (later reports said at least 6) of unguided, short-range ballistic missiles inside Syria. The trajectory and distance travelled indicated that they were Scud-type missiles, although no information on the type of Scud being used was provided at the time. An American intelligence official, who asked not to be identified, confirmed that missiles had been fired from the Damascus area at targets in northern Syria, where the majority of the rebels' bases and facilities are located.


title: Scud missile

text: Three districts in the rebel-held eastern part of Aleppo and the nearby city of Tel Rifat were hit by ballistic missiles on 22 February 2013, flattening up to 20 houses in each of the places hit. Human Rights Watch inspector Ole Solvang toured the areas targeted by Scuds on 25 February, saying that he "has never seen such destruction" during his past visits to the country. According to the New York-based organization at least 141 people were killed in the attacks, including 71 children. The statement added that there was no sign of rebel presence in the areas hit, meaning that the attacks were unlawful. Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoabi denied the government was using ballistic weapons, even as opposition activists claimed more than 30 had been launched since December 2012.


title: Scud missile

text: Houthis possessed 300 Scud missiles as of June 2015, although Saudi-led air strikes allegedly damaged or destroyed "most of them." Between 2015 and November 2017, Houthi forces fired more than 170 ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia, including Scud, Scarab, and modified SA-2 missiles. As of October 2016, there were 85 confirmed interceptions using Patriot missiles. In addition to Scud-B missiles, there is a report of a single Scud-C missile launched on 6 June 2015 at Al-Salil Military Base. Local versions of Scud missiles, known as the Burkan 1 and Burkan 2-H, have also been displayed and used by the Houthis beginning in September 2016.


title: Scud missile

text: On 11 October 2020 a Scud missile was fired from the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh at Ganja, Azerbaijan, the country's second largest city. As a result, according to Azerbaijan official sources, 10 people, including four women, were killed and 35 people, including children, were injured.


title: Scud missile

text: On 16 October 2020, Artsakh in Nagorno-Karabakh fired another Scud missile at Ganja. Officials in Azerbaijan announced that at least 13 people, including two infants, had been killed, with more than 50 others injured.


title: Chemical reaction

text: A chemical reaction is a process that leads to the chemical transformation of one set of chemical substances to another. Classically, chemical reactions encompass changes that only involve the positions of electrons in the forming and breaking of chemical bonds between atoms, with no change to the nuclei (no change to the elements present), and can often be described by a chemical equation. Nuclear chemistry is a sub-discipline of chemistry that involves the chemical reactions of unstable and radioactive elements where both electronic and nuclear changes can occur.


title: Chemical reaction

text: The substance (or substances) initially involved in a chemical reaction are called reactants or reagents. Chemical reactions are usually characterized by a chemical change, and they yield one or more products, which usually have properties different from the reactants. Reactions often consist of a sequence of individual sub-steps, the so-called elementary reactions, and the information on the precise course of action is part of the reaction mechanism. Chemical reactions are described with chemical equations, which symbolically present the starting materials, end products, and sometimes intermediate products and reaction conditions.


title: Chemical reaction

text: Chemical reactions happen at a characteristic reaction rate at a given temperature and chemical concentration. Typically, reaction rates increase with increasing temperature because there is more thermal energy available to reach the activation energy necessary for breaking bonds between atoms.


title: Chemical reaction

text: Reactions may proceed in the forward or reverse direction until they go to completion or reach equilibrium. Reactions that proceed in the forward direction to approach equilibrium are often described as spontaneous and reduce the free energy if they occur at constant temperature and pressure. Non-spontaneous reactions require an input of energy to go forward (examples include charging a battery driven by an external electrical power source, or photosynthesis driven by absorption of electromagnetic radiation usually in the form of sunlight).


title: Chemical reaction

text: A reaction may be classified as redox in which oxidation and reduction occur or nonredox in which there is no oxidation and reduction occurring. Most simple redox reactions may be classified as a combination, decomposition, or single displacement reaction.


title: Chemical reaction

text: Different chemical reactions are used during chemical synthesis in order to obtain the desired product. In biochemistry, a consecutive series of chemical reactions (where the product of one reaction is the reactant of the next reaction) form metabolic pathways. These reactions are often catalyzed by protein enzymes. Enzymes increase the rates of biochemical reactions, so that metabolic syntheses and decompositions impossible under ordinary conditions can occur at the temperature and concentrations present within a cell.


title: Chemical reaction

text: The general concept of a chemical reaction has been extended to reactions between entities smaller than atoms, including nuclear reactions, radioactive decays and reactions between elementary particles, as described by quantum field theory.


title: Chemical reaction

text: Chemical reactions such as combustion in fire, fermentation and the reduction of ores to metals were known since antiquity. Initial theories of transformation of materials were developed by Greek philosophers, such as the Four-Element Theory of Empedocles stating that any substance is composed of the four basic elements – fire, water, air and earth. In the Middle Ages, chemical transformations were studied by alchemists. They attempted, in particular, to convert lead into gold, for which purpose they used reactions of lead and lead-copper alloys with sulfur.


title: Chemical reaction

text: The artificial production of chemical substances already was a central goal for medieval alchemists. Examples include the synthesis of ammonium chloride from organic substances as described in the works (c. 850–950) attributed to Jābir ibn Ḥayyān, or the production of mineral acids such as sulfuric and nitric acids by later alchemists, starting from c. 1300. The production of mineral acids involved the heating of sulfate and nitrate minerals such as copper sulfate, alum and saltpeter. In the 17th century, Johann Rudolph Glauber produced hydrochloric acid and sodium sulfate by reacting sulfuric acid and sodium chloride. With the development of the lead chamber process in 1746 and the Leblanc process, allowing large-scale production of sulfuric acid and sodium carbonate, respectively, chemical reactions became implemented into the industry. Further optimization of sulfuric acid technology resulted in the contact process in the 1880s, and the Haber process was developed in 1909–1910 for ammonia synthesis.