Adam is a 2009 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Max Mayer and starring Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne. The film follows the relationship between a young man named Adam (Dancy) with Asperger syndrome, and Beth (Byrne). Mayer was inspired to write the film's script when he heard a radio interview with a man who had Asperger's.

Filming took place in New York City in December 2005. The film premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Alfred P. Sloan Prize, and was released in the United States on July 29, 2009. The release date in Canada and the UK was 7 August 2009 in Australia, and everywhere else after Labor Day.

Plot
Adam Raki is a young man with Autism living alone in Manhattan after his father's recent death. He has a friend, Harlan Keyes, an old army friend of his father's, who is always there for him. Because of his condition, Adam has difficulty communicating and likes to escape into his love of space exploration. His fixation on detail, repetitive behaviors, and mind-blindness cost him his job at a toy manufacturing company and nearly got him arrested after he is mistaken for a pedophile. He does not want to leave the apartment he and his father had been living in, but the loss of his job leaves him with an uncertain future, including the problem of continuing to pay the mortgage. Although he likes to stick to his routine and avoid socializing, Adam is lonely and wishes things could be different.

Beth Buchwald, a school teacher and aspiring children's book writer, moves into the apartment above his and they strike up an awkward friendship. One night, Beth is shocked to find him trying to clean her apartment windows suspended from the roof of the building in a space suit. She takes a liking to Adam despite his oddities. Adam hopes for a relationship with Beth.  Although his first attempts are uneasy, he eventually breaks out of his beloved routines enough to be able to date Beth.

When Adam asks Beth if she was aroused as he was during an outing to Central Park, she is taken aback. Adam admits his Asperger's and explains his inability to interpret her emotions. Surprised by his innocence, the next day she asks a co-worker about Asperger's syndrome and is advised that Adam is not "dating material".  Nonetheless, she is drawn to him, and his eccentricities make him more attractive to her. Adam's innocence, honesty and unique ways endear him to her and she falls in love.

Things begin to go downhill when Beth's father, Marty, gets into legal trouble. In a naive effort to make small talk, Adam asks Marty about the details of his alleged crimes, which does not go over well with Beth.  After Adam discovers that Beth and her father engineered an "accidental" meeting (in an effort to protect Adam's feelings), Adam angrily accuses Beth of being a liar and she storms out.

Adam gets a call with a job offer in California working in satellite navigation. After Harlan counsels Adam that the world is full of liars and he simply needs to find the ones that are worthwhile for him. He goes to Beth, apologizes for his behavior, and asks her to go to California with him. Marty objects to this, and he and Beth argue. Beth asks Adam why he wants her to come with him. Not seeing the opportunity to express his feelings for Beth, Adam lists practical ways in which she helps him. Beth concludes that Adam is not in love with her, and she tells Adam she cannot go with him.

A year later, Adam is working at the observatory, where his keen interest in space telescopes and his eidetic memory have made him successful and fulfilled in his job. He has also seemingly learned to pick up on social cues and pushes himself to join social situations. He receives a package from Beth containing her first published children's book, inspired by Adam and Asperger's.  He reads the first page in which Beth has anthropomorphized raccoons, used to represent Adam and his family.  Adam looks deep in thought and, in a moment of realization, he understands why Beth wanted to anthropomorphize the raccoons. Even after a year apart, this moment of clarity seems to bring him closer to Beth and he smiles in happiness.

Cast
 Hugh Dancy as Adam Raki
 Rose Byrne as Elizabeth (Beth) Buchwald
 Peter Gallagher as Marty Buchwald
 Amy Irving as Rebecca Buchwald
 Frankie Faison as Harlan Keyes
 Mark Linn-Baker as Sam Klieber
 Karina Arroyave as Anna Maria
 Maddie Corman as Robin
 Adam LeFevre as Wardlow
 Mark Margolis as Older Man
 Steffany Huckaby as Carol

Production
Max Mayer formed the idea for Adam when he heard a man with Asperger syndrome being interviewed on National Public Radio about how he viewed the world. He was intrigued and, after doing further research on Asperger's, felt that the syndrome was a metaphor for "the tension between all of us human beings [... and] the desire to connect to one another". As he worked on the screenplay, Mayer drew the character of Adam from the man he had heard talking on the radio in addition to his research, while Beth's character was based on numerous people Mayer knew. Hugh Dancy and Mayer worked together for a month before filming began to develop Adam's character, and in preparation for his role, Dancy spoke with individuals affected by Asperger's about their feelings, sensory issues and interests.

Principal photography took place in New York City from November to December of 2007. Specific filming locations included Greenwich Village and Central Park.

Release
Adam had its world premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2009 where it won the Alfred P. Sloan Prize for "an outstanding feature film focusing on science or technology as a theme, or depicting a scientist, engineer or mathematician as a major character." Although producer Leslie Urdang was initially doubtful of the film's chances of finding a distributor at Sundance, Fox Searchlight Pictures bought the distribution rights. In March 2009, Adam was screened at the Method Fest Independent Film Festival, winning the Jury Award for Best Picture. It was shown at the Seattle International Film Festival, Edinburgh Film Festival, CineVegas Film Festival and San Francisco Jewish Film Festival before it had a U.S. theatrical release on July 29, 2009. It was released on DVD January 5, 2010.

Reception
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 66% based on 134 reviews, with an average rating of 5.99/10. The site's consensus reads, "Hugh Dancy's elegant performance as a man with Asperger's Syndrome elevates Adam, an offbeat but touching romantic comedy." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 56 out of 100 based on reviews from 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Roger Ebert gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying that the movie "wraps up their story in too tidy a package, insisting on finding the upbeat in the murky, and missing the chance to be more thoughtful about this challenging situation." Nina Caplan of Time Out London accused the film of dishonesty: "But it's not clear why a pretty daddy's girl would fall for a talkative and lonesome engineer with Asperger's and a space fixation."

Soundtrack
 "A Friendly Face" – Flipper Dalton
 "Gone Away" – Lucy Schwartz
 "Someone Else's Life" – Joshua Radin
 "Plastic Flowers" – The Hiders
 "Into The Light" – The Alexandria Quartet
 "Beautiful Day" – Miranda Lee Richards
 "When You Find Me" – Joshua Radin feat. Maria Taylor
 "Can't Go Back Now" – The Weepies
 "Somebody Loved" – The Weepies
 "Girl With the Light Brown Hair" – Charlotte Politte
 "Jingle Bells"
 "O Christmas Tree"

References

External links

2009 films
2009 romantic comedy-drama films
2009 independent films
Alfred P. Sloan Prize winners
American romantic comedy-drama films
2000s English-language films
Films about autism
Films directed by Max Mayer
Films scored by Christopher Lennertz
Films set in Manhattan
Films shot in New York City
Fox Searchlight Pictures films
2000s American films
Films about disability in the United States
Sundance Film Festival award-winning films

Adam (2009 film)


Wisanger is a locality in the Australian state  of South Australia located on the north coast of Kangaroo Island overlooking Investigator Strait to the north and the Bay of Shoals to the east about  south-west of the state capital of Adelaide and about  west of the municipal seat of Kingscote.

Its boundaries were created in March 2002 for the "long established name" which is reported as being given by a "Henry Partridge, who took up land there, after 'Wisanger Manor' near Stroud, Gloucestershire once owned by his forebears."

The locality includes the former Wisanger School which is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.

Wisanger is located within the federal division of Mayo, the state electoral district of Mawson and the local government area of the Kangaroo Island Council.

References
Notes

Citations

Towns on Kangaroo Island

Wisanger, South Australia


Mount Gibson, Western Australia is located on the  Wubin - Mount Magnet section of the Great Northern Highway in the mid-west region of Western Australia.

Sheep and conservation
Mount Gibson is also the name of a pastoral lease (sheep station) and a nature conservancy project.

Mining
In the early twentieth century it was a gold exploration area, and continued to be of interest for some time. Currently it is the site of an iron ore mine.

The iron ore mine and operations were suspended at various stages due to contract negotiations between the mining companies and their clients.

Iron ore is moved first by road to Perenjori where it is hauled by rail to the port of Geraldton.

References

Mid West (Western Australia)

Mount Gibson, Western Australia


Wang Laiquan or Wang Laijun (王来俊) (1835-) was a Chinese Protestant Christian pastor and missionary in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China in the late 19th century. "One of China's great, if unsung Christians, after Pastor Xi Shengmo... he was perhaps the most notable Chinese connected with the China Inland Mission."

Beginnings
Wang was a painter and skilled artisan living in his native Ningbo when he was hired by the pioneer Christian missionary Hudson Taylor to work in his home. As he was working one day on a ladder he overheard a local basket-maker, Feng Ninggui, who had professed faith in Jesus Christ, explaining why he no longer made incense containers that were used for idol worship. Wang was soon converted to Christianity as well under the ministry of Taylor in the days before the founding of the China Inland Mission.

After his baptism in 1859, Taylor met with Wang individually to instruct him in Christian teaching from the Bible and Wang joined the small congregation of believers that was growing in Ningbo.

Wang put his new faith into immediate service and worked at the local mission hospital that Taylor had taken charge of – with no promise of income other than what he believed that the Lord would provide as needed.

Wang soon learned from Taylor how to read and write the Romanized Ningbo dialect and began teaching others what he had learned about God from the Scriptures.

England
In 1860 Taylor's health was deteriorating and Wang accompanied the Taylor family to London, England in 1860 as a helper and language tutor for new missionaries. He also assisted Taylor, his wife, Maria and Frederick Foster Gough in the revision of the Ningbo dialect New Testament in Romanized colloquial for the Bible Society. Wang's native language expertise assured that the final translation would be accurate and trustworthy.

While in England, Wang became part of the Taylor family in many ways: helping with laundry, helping Maria take care of the little children, and joining with Taylor in close personal discipleship training and even medical studies. Taylor took him to meet the famous London Baptist preacher, Charles Spurgeon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. Together they influenced Spurgeon to promote the cause of missionary work in China with his sermons and writings. Taylor also brought Wang to meet the Bristol orphanage founder George Muller who would later fund one third of the China Inland Mission budget in the following years of 1866-1871.

Taylor promoted Wang's abilities as a preacher even in England and acted as interpreter for him when he spoke to English congregations.

Return to China
After returning to China he was appointed pastor of the church in Hangzhou begun by the China Inland Mission in 1866-1867. He served as a pastor for 40 years.

See also

Historical Bibliography of the China Inland Mission

Notes

1835 births
Converts to Protestantism
Protestant missionaries in China
Chinese Protestant missionaries
Chinese evangelists
Translators of the Bible into Chinese
Year of death missing
Qing dynasty translators
Writers from Ningbo
Missionary linguists

Wang Laiquan


Dipdive was a social networking website created by will.i.am. It is best known as the original source site of the 'Yes We Can' music video. The site allowed users to upload images, videos and audio files, post blog entries and create playlists. Dipdive was home to a variety of creative content and information on social causes.

The website was shut down at some time in 2013 and its domain was redirected to will.i.am's homepage. When asked about it in an interview with Fortune, will.i.am responded with "Ehh, I don't want to do it anymore. I have something else I'm doing", insisting that "Dipdive wasn't a failure" as the source code could potentially be reused in the future.

History
The site launched in an early Beta state when will.i.am launched the Barack Obama U.S. presidential election anthem video for 'Yes We Can' on February 2, 2008 and the video for We Are the Ones on February 29, 2008. 'It's a New Day' was subsequently uploaded to the site. The official launch of the full feature site was October 15, 2008 when Dipdive.com launched along with the UK release of will.i.am's third studio album, Songs About Girls. The site was created and is maintained by Dipdive LLC.

On February 22, 2009, will.i.am uploaded the full version of the previously-leaked 'Boom Boom Pow' (which would become a #1 hit) to the website and revealed that the Black Eyed Peas' official website would redirect to the new Black Eyed Peas channel on Dipdive.
Almost a year after will.i.am's last song for Barack Obama, he posted a song along with a blog on his profile about his opinion of Obama's reaction to Kanye West's controversy of Taylor Swift. The song was entitled 'The Jackass Song'.

Profiles
Each user had a profile page with a blog, media player and photo album. Users could choose a theme to personalize their profile, and subscribe to their favorite Dipdive Channels. A list of media (audio, video, pictures) added by the user's favorite Channels and friends was displayed in their profile. Users could befriend other Dipdive users and send private messages and webcam recordings. Users could opt to get notifications of content updates from their subscribed Channels and friends. Users could comment on content throughout the website.

Importing from other websites
After it was said that the Black Eyed Peas website would be closing, Dipdive allowed members to import their blogs, pictures and comments (from Dipdive members who had also imported data) from the Black Eyed Peas website.

Dipdive allowed users to show their latest Facebook status and Twitter 'tweet' on the "What's Up?" section of their profile and log in with their Facebook or Twitter credentials.

Channels
Channels were pages specially featured on Dipdive with their own themes. They had 'fans' who added them to their favorite channels. Some Channels included forums. There were once 42 channels on Dipdive, some of them belonging to The Black Eyed Peas, Kero One, Natalia Kills K'Naan and Kimberly Wyatt, former member of the Pussycat Dolls.

On mobile phones
Dipdive was sponsored by BlackBerry and its mobile application was only available for BlackBerry OS. The application required a microSD card to play video.

However, the Dipdive mobile website could be accessed on other mobile phones.

Exclusive to Dipdive
Some Channels and web series were featured exclusively on Dipdive.

DailyDips
The DailyDips Channel hosted a news web series. Each episode contained 2-5 headlines of events (originally 7); they were formerly often made to be humorous. It was originally hosted by Michelle Joan Papillion and then hosted by various hosts including Raquelle Gracie, a former member of the girl group, Hope who auditioned for the fourth series of The X Factor. In 2010, DailyDips introduced a new format with a different topic each day of the week: DipComedy Monday, New Music Tuesday, Fashion, Art & Philanthropy Wednesday, Sporting Thursday and Feature Film Friday. Several new hosts covered different days or multiple days, including Lilan, Vanessa, Rana, Milan and Michelle. In 2011, a new host joined the roster: Corey Conrad.

Shrink Rap
Shrink Rap was a web series where the host asked celebrity and artist guests to guess what a certain image was. It launched on the DailyDips (formerly DipApproved) Channel.

Dippin on the Streets
Dippin on the Streets was a web series where the hosts attended events and festivals. It launched on the DailyDips (formerly DipApproved) Channel and on the DipComedy Channel.

Beautiful Movements
Beautiful Movements was a Dipdive Channel founded by Kimberly Wyatt; it was redirected from 'beautifulmovements.com'. Wyatt stated, "www.beautifulmovements.com is a place for self-expression where people listen, relate, and learn about self worth. Together we encourage growth through love, compassion, and positive action. Through poetry, song, art, dance, and ultimately being self-expressed we open ourselves to a world of possibilities. Nobody on this Earth can make you happy but yourself. So dive into a journey of self-discovery and be the change you wish to see in the world." The channel included a forum.

Worlds on Fire
Worlds on Fire was an art exhibition that took place from February 2 to February 9, 2009. The gallery featured portraits of 2009 Grammy nominees drawn by Lowbrow pop surrealism artists. After the event finished, the art, along with video footage including interviews with various celebrities, was uploaded to the 'Worlds on Fire' Dipdive Channel.

Who Killed the Music?
Who Killed the Music was another Dipdive-sponsored art exhibition that took place at The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles on 24 January 2010. Money was raised for the Grammy Foundation and will.i.am's i.am Scholarship Fund. A number of pop artists created original paintings with their interpretations of the cause of why the music industry was dying or who was 'killing it' (excelling despite the industry's downturn). The art was on display at the exhibition and on Dipdive.

In other media
The Dipdive homepage is seen on portable devices in The Black Eyed Peas music video for 'I Gotta Feeling'.
Lyrics in 'Now Generation' by The Black Eyed Peas make a reference to Dipdive.
A video interface screen from Dipdive is seen in the beginning of will.i.am's music video for 'It's a New Day'.
A video promoting Dipdive and will.i.am's music was preloaded on BlackBerry smartphones around 2010.

References

Blog hosting services
Defunct social networking services
Video hosting
Internet properties established in 2007
Internet properties disestablished in 2013

Dipdive


The Spook's Battle, written by Joseph Delaney, is the fourth story in The Wardstone Chronicles series. It was released in America in March 2008, and is titled Attack of the Fiend, as the fourth book in the Spook's series.

Plot
Tom's mother has returned to her own land, Greece. In a special room in the family farmhouse, she has left behind three trunks only to be opened by her youngest son Tom. The Spook sends Tom and Alice to retrieve the trunks, but they arrive to find the farm ransacked, the trunks gone and Tom's brother Jack, his pregnant wife Ellie, and their young daughter Mary all missing, kidnapped and taken to Pendle, a witch controlled area.

While Alice goes ahead to Pendle to see if she can learn anything about the missing family, Tom leaves word for his next-oldest brother, James, then goes back to Chipenden where the Spook has just been visited by a Pendle priest, Father Stocks, who tells the Spook that the witches are allying to summon the Fiend (Devil) himself. Stocks is a fully trained spook and former apprentice of Gregory, although later joined the usually anti-spook church. He nevertheless is an ally of Tom.

After arriving in Pendle, Tom sees a young blonde girl named Mab, who tells him that Alice has been put under a spell of binding by the Mouldheel witch clan, and she needs his help. Mab leads Tom to a clearing where her two twin sisters, Beth and Jennet, before realizing they are all witches (Mab is a powerful young Mouldheel scryer). Tom escapes thanks to Alice's brand on his arm, which protects him from other witches, and follows the girls as they flee.

Tracking them to a small village, Tom rescues Alice from a cottage, noticing the seer Tibb, a small bald creature with sharp teeth and a hairy back and limbs, and all are watching Tom and Alice. Alice tells Tom that she is bound to the place by a spell cast by Mab; to be freed, Tom has to burn a lock of Alice's hair that Mab has taken. Alice tells Tom that his family is locked up in Malkin Tower, a nearly-impenetrable fortress.

Tom and Father Stocks go to the local magistrate, Roger Nowell, and are met by the housekeeper Mistress Wurmalde, whom Tom recognises as a witch. Tom swears out a complaint of kidnapping. Magistrate Nowell sets out for Malkin Tower with Tom and Father Stocks, taking along a constable and two bailiffs. When the witches won't admit them, the magistrate tells Tom and Father Stocks to go back to his house, where they will be his guests for the night while he rides to the nearest army garrison for help.

Father Stocks eats the food Mistress Wurmalde serves them, but Tom refuses it – and thus avoids being drugged into a stupor. During the night, Mistress Wurmalde leaves Read Hall in a carriage and later returns, hiding the seer Tibb beneath her voluminous skirts.  Mistress Wurmalde reveals herself to be an old enemy of Tom's mother from Greece, and tells him that his brother is being tortured by Grimalkin and it is his fault for continuing his mother's work against the Dark. She promises to release Tom's family if Tom gives her the key to his mother's trunks that he wears around his neck. She gives him one day to decide.

Back in his guest room, Tom hears Father Stocks begging for mercy but finds himself unable to rise from the bed to go help the priest, whose blood is being drunk by Tibb. Soon, Tibb arrives in Tom's room. Hanging from the ceiling over the bed, Tibb tells Tom that he sees his future: Tom will be alone, his master dead, and a girl will love him, betray him and finally die for him. He demands to know what is in the trunks, and Tom tells him the trunks contain the death of Tibb and the Pendle clans.

In the morning, Father Stocks is weak from loss of blood and near death. Tom climbs out a window and runs to Downham but finds the Spook gone; Alice tells him that Tom's brother James, having received the word Tom left that he was headed for Pendle, arrived during the night and he and the Spook set out together. They leave a note for the Spook, and together, Tom and Alice head back to Read Hall to save Father Stocks. On the way, Alice tells Tom that Mab Mouldheel has made an offer: if they help her get the trunks for herself, she will help them free Tom's family through a tunnel under the Tower.

When they get back to Read Hall, they find Father Stocks has been stabbed to death by Mistress Wurmalde and that she has told the returned Magistrate Nowell that the murderer is Tom, whom she caught trying to rob the house in the night. Tom is thrown in a cell, but Alice gets away. Wurmalde visits Tom in his cell and demands the trunk keys, but he refuses (the keys must be given willingly to work).

The constable places Tom in stocks and takes him to the Tower to meet up with the Magistrate and the army battalion he has brought. The battalion begin a siege of the Tower, firing cannonballs at the walls surrounding it throughout the day but not breaching it. That night, Tom (still in stocks and now hungry and dehydrated) makes a run for it, but sees witches led by Mab Mouldheel surrounding the sleeping soldiers and decides he can't leave them to die. The soldiers were drugged just like Father Stocks had been and won't wake. Tom tells Mab that he'll give her the trunks if she spares the soldiers lives, so she does and takes Tom with her to meet Alice, who is with her sisters.

Tom promises Mab the keys to all three trunks after she helps him rescue his family, and she agrees. She takes him and Alice through a mausoleum in an old graveyard and into a tunnel that enters the Tower. Tom and Alice rescue Mab from a wight (a dead sailor reanimated by dark magic) and Alice forces Mab to give her the lock of Alice's hair that Mab had been using to bind Alice, then burns it.

They reach the cell where Tom's family is being held. Jack's mind has fled, and Ellie tells Tom he has been that way since they left the farm. Tom thinks this may have been caused when the witches forced Jack to enter the protected room to get the trunks for them, as Mam had said that no one but Tom and Alice should ever enter that room. Their one candle goes out and unable to find their way back down through the tunnels, they decide to all go up into the Tower and try to make their escape once the cannons breach the walls. Tom and Alice carry Jack.

When they hear the drawbridge being opened, they go up and find the three trunks in front of it. The Malkin witches fled the Tower when the soldiers breached it, but now the soldiers are leaving – invaders have arrived from overseas to attack the country, and war is beginning. Mab had seen it coming through her scrying, and timed everything so that now her Mouldheel clan could arrive and take the trunks. Mab says her clan will not join with the Deanes and the Malkins to raise the Fiend, but will take over the Tower for themselves.

Tom refuses to give Mab the keys, but when Mab holds a knife to little Mary's throat, he gives in. Mab opens the first trunk and finds Mam's wedding gown, some vials of liquid, bags full of gold, books in Greek, and a letter to Tom, also in Greek. It says that only he can open the other two trunks, in moonlight, and that Mam's two sisters sleep inside them and will protect Tom with their own lives if necessary. Without telling Mab what is in the other two trunks, he agrees to open them that night if Alice and his family are set free, and Mab lets them go.

As the moon shines that night, Tom opens the two trunks. When the moon shines on the two winged, feral lamia witches inside, they spring to life. They sniff and recognise Tom as their kin, but chase Mab and her clan from the Tower (which Mab has already had masons repair). Before she leaves, Mab tells Tom that to take revenge upon him, the Mouldheels will now join with the other two clans after all and bring the Fiend into the world.
Tom now knows that his own mother is a lamia witch. He stays inside the Tower, and that night Alice returns with the Spook and Tom's brother James.

Alice tells Tom that she left his brother Jack with her aunt, Agnes Sowerbutts, who is tending to him. The Spook and James had been busy rousing the men of Downham and helping them to chase the Deane clan out of town. The next day, James goes back to Downham to rally the men to come to the Tower. The Spook stays behind to release the tormented spirits of all the people ever murdered in the Tower, while Tom and Alice go to Agnes Sowerbutts' to get Jack, Ellie and Mary and bring them into the safety of the Tower.

Agnes uses a mirror to spy on Mab and sees her plotting with Mistress Wurmalde and Tibb. Jack is physically recovered but still confused and unable to speak. He, Ellie and Mary go with Tom and Alice back to the Tower.

The next day, Tom and the Spook set out to deal with Mistress Wurmalde and Tibb at Read Hall. They find Magistrate Nowell's body and see that Tibb killed him and drank his blood. But Tibb himself is dying, having been abandoned by Wurmalde; his life was only meant to last nine weeks, and is coming to an end. He tells Tom that Mam gave up her immortality and sentenced herself to serve a mortal man – Tom's father – as penance for her ill deeds as a lamia and that she fashioned Tom as her weapon against the Dark. The Spook kills Tibb.

Back at the Tower, Alice has used some of the potions in Mam's trunk to create a cure for Jack's mind, and he is sleeping under its effects. Alice, Tom and the Spook set out once again to Downham.

By night, James leads the village men to confront the gathered witches while Tom, Alice and the Spook try to capture the leader, Mistress Wurmalde. They almost fail, but the two lamia witches swoop down from the sky and scatter the witches, and one of them kills Wurmalde. Mab gets away, but not before telling Alice that the ritual to raise the Fiend has already been completed and they are too late.

The Spook tells Tom to get back to his family farm and lock himself in his mother's room that no evil can enter; the Fiend will be under the witches' control for two days, and if Tom can survive that long, the Fiend will be free in the world and move on to other mischief.

On the way home, Tom is intercepted by Mab, who tells him she did it all because she loved him and he betrayed her. She also tells him that even if the Fiend doesn't get him, the Malkins have sent Grimalkin, the clan's ferocious witch assassin, after him.

Tom runs for hours and is almost home when Grimalkin catches up to him. He lets her think he is surrendering to death at her hands, then uses the blade of his staff to pin her to a tree after a feint. As he turns to run, Grimalkin hurls a blade at him. Unconsciously, Tom slows time and plucks the blade out of the air, then makes it into the house and the safety of the protected room. Although he hears the Fiend outside, it cannot enter the room, and Tom falls asleep, exhausted.

When he wakes, the ghost of Father Stocks appears to him and tells him it is in despair and cannot find hope. Tom helps the priest to focus on a good memory, and he is able to enter the light, his soul free. Daylight enters the room, and Tom knows that two days have passed and he can leave the room. It is his fourteenth birthday.

Some weeks later, Tom is back at Chipenden with the Spook and Alice. James has moved back to the family farm with Jack, Ellie and Mary and is helping to look after them while Jack continues his recovery. The Fiend is loose in the world, but not actively hunting Tom for now.

Characters

Thomas J. Ward (The main character and the Spook's Apprentice)
Alice Deane (A girl coming from a family of witches and Tom's best friend)
The Spook (Tom's master and a famous Spook)
Father Stocks (John Gregory's former apprentice)
Mab Mouldheel (A young witch who loves Tom but by the end of the book betrays him)
Grimalkin (A Witch assassin who is known for her scissors and the way she cuts people with them.)

External links
Random House Page
Full Length Commentary of Attack of the Fiend

2007 British novels
Children's fantasy novels
British children's novels
The Bodley Head books

The Spook's Battle


William Baldwin, Jr. (1903 – 25 November 1983), known as Billy Baldwin and nicknamed Billy B,  was a New York interior decorator, characterized in an obituary as the "dean of interior decorators". He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1974.

Personal life
Baldwin was born in Roland Park, Maryland and studied architecture at Princeton, dropping out after two years. He attended Truman Capote's Black and White Ball at the Plaza in 1966. Baldwin died in 1983 on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts.

Professional life

Starting in 1935, Baldwin was employed by Ruby Ross Wood, and when she died in 1950, he took over the firm. In 1952, he formed his own firm, Baldwin and Martin, with Edward Martin. They decorated the White House of John F. Kennedy, and designed the houses and apartments of many well-known people, such as Cole Porter, Mary Wells Lawrence, Billy Rose, Rachel Lambert Mellon and Paul Mellon, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Mike Nichols, Harvey Ladew, William S. Paley, Pauline de Rothschild, Greta Garbo, Barbara Hutton, and Diana Vreeland. Baldwin's commercial clients included the Round Hill Club in Greenwich, CT, the Kenneth hair salon in New York City, and La Florentina in the South of France. In 1972, Baldwin designed a line of furniture (including his famous Slipper Chair), which continues to be manufactured by the Billy Baldwin Studio. He retired in 1973.

Baldwin wrote several books over his career including Billy Baldwin Decorates (1972), Billy Baldwin Remembers (1974), and Billy Baldwin: An Autobiography (1985, posthumously). He was also featured in books by others, such as Legendary Decorators (1992), written by Mark Hampton, The New York Times Book of Interior Design and Decoration, and Scavullo on Men (1977) written by Scavullo. In 2010, Adam Lewis published a biography of Baldwin entitled Billy Baldwin: The Great American Decorator.

Notes

Bibliography
 Billy Baldwin, Billy Baldwin Decorates, 1973.
 Adam Lewis, Billy Baldwin: The Great American Decorator, Rizzoli 2010, .
 M.L. Aronson, "Billy Baldwin: A fresh approach to color and form reshapes the American aesthetic", Architectural Digest, January 2000 full text

American interior designers
1903 births
1983 deaths

Billy Baldwin (decorator)


An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, in Scottish, Manx, South African, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Scandinavian, Polish, Israeli, South Asian and South American jurisdictions, "advocate" indicates a lawyer of superior classification.

"Advocate" is in some languages an honorific for lawyers, such as "Adv. Sir Alberico Gentili". "Advocate" also has the everyday meaning of speaking out to help someone else, such as patient advocacy or the support expected from an elected politician; this article does not cover those senses.

Europe

United Kingdom and Crown dependencies

England and Wales
In England and Wales, Advocates and proctors practiced civil law in the Admiralty Courts and also, but in England only, in the ecclesiastical courts of the Church of England, in a similar way to barristers, attorneys and solicitors in the common law and equity courts.

Advocates, who formed the senior branch of the legal profession in their field, were Doctors of Law of the University of Oxford, Cambridge, or Dublin and Fellows of the Society of Doctors' Commons.

Advocates lost their exclusive rights of audience in probate and divorce cases when the Crown took these matters over from the church in 1857, and in Admiralty cases in 1859. The Society of Advocates was never formally wound up, but its building was sold off in 1865 and the last advocate died in 1912.

Barristers were admitted to the Court of Arches of the Church of England in 1867. More recently, Solicitor Advocates have also been allowed to play this role.

Scotland

Faculty of Advocates

Advocates are regulated by the Faculty of Advocates in Edinburgh. The Faculty of Advocates has about 750 members, of whom about 460 are in private practice. About 75 are King's Counsel. The Faculty is headed by the Dean of the Faculty who, along with the Vice-Dean, Treasurer, and Clerk are elected annually by secret ballot.

The Faculty has a service company, Faculty Services Ltd, to which almost all Advocates belong, which organized the stables (sets of Advocates or barristers' chambers) and fee collection. This gives a guarantee to all newly called Advocates of a place. Until the end of 2007, there was an agreement with the Law Society of Scotland, which is the professional body for Scottish solicitors, as to the payment of fees, but this has now been replaced by the Law Society. It remains the case that Advocates are not permitted to sue for their fees, as they have no contractual relationship with their instructing solicitor or with the client. Their fees are honoraria.

Advocates wear wigs, white bow-ties (or falls in the case of senior counsel), straps and gowns as a dress in court.

Becoming an advocate
The process of becoming an advocate is referred to as devilling.  All intrants will be Scottish solicitors, i.e. hold a Bachelor of Laws degree and the Diploma in Legal Practice, and must have completed the traineeships of two years (which in some cases may be reduced to eighteen months) required to qualify as a solicitor; or else will be members of the bar in another common law jurisdiction.

Admission to the Faculty of Advocates

At the end of the devilling period, a devil's admission to the Faculty is dependent on certification by the principal devil master that the devil is a fit and proper person to be an advocate and that the devil has been involved in a wide range of work in the course of devilling. A devil's competence in a number of aspects of written and oral advocacy is assessed during devilling, and a devil will not be admitted to the Faculty if assessed as not competent. Further details of this process can be found in the assessment section.

Recent developments

In recent years, increasing numbers of Advocates have come to the Scottish Bar after some time as solicitors, but it is possible to qualify with a law degree, after twenty-one months traineeship in a solicitor's office and almost a year as a 'devil', or apprentice advocate. There are exceptions for lawyers who are qualified in other European jurisdictions, but all must take the training course as 'devils'.

Until 2007, a number of young European lawyers were given a placement with Advocates under the European Young Lawyers Scheme organized by the British Council. They are known as 'Eurodevils', in distinction to the Scottish 'devils'. This scheme was withdrawn by the British Council. In January 2009, a replacement scheme began.

Lawyers qualified in other European Union states (but not in England and Wales) may have limited rights of audience in the Scottish supreme courts if they appear with an advocate, and a few solicitors known as 'solicitor-Advocates' have rights of audience, but for practical purposes, Advocates have almost exclusive rights of audience in the supreme courts – the High Court of Justiciary (criminal), and the Court of Session (civil). Advocates share the right of audience with solicitors in the sheriff courts and justice of the peace courts.

It used to be the case that Advocates were completely immune from suit etc. while conducting court cases and pre-trial work, as they had to act 'fearlessly and independently'; the rehearing of actions was considered contrary to public interest; and Advocates are required to accept clients, they cannot pick and choose. However, the seven-judge English ruling of Arthur J.S. Hall & Co. (a firm) v. Simons 2000 (House of Lords) declared that none of these reasons justified the immunity strongly enough to sustain it. This has been followed in Scotland in Wright v Paton Farrell (2006) obiter insofar as civil cases are concerned.

Isle of Man
Advocates are the only lawyers with rights of audience in the courts of the Isle of Man.  An advocate's role is to advise on all matters of law: it may involve representing a client in the civil and criminal courts or advising a client on matters such as matrimonial and family law, trusts and estates, regulatory matters, property transactions, and commercial and business law. In court, Advocates wear a horsehair wig, stiff collar, bands, and a gown in the same way as barristers do elsewhere.

To become an advocate, it is normally necessary to hold either a qualifying law degree with no less than lower second class (2:2) honors, or else a degree in another subject with no less than lower second class (2:2) honors complemented by the Common Professional Examination.  It is then necessary to obtain a legal professional qualification such as the Bar Professional Training Course or the Legal Practice Course.  It is not, however, necessary actually to be admitted as an English barrister or solicitor to train as an advocate.

Trainee Advocates (as articled clerks are now more usually known) normally undertake a period of two years' training articled to a senior advocate; in the case of English barristers or solicitors who have been practicing or admitted for three years this training, the period is reduced to one year. Foreign lawyers who have been registered as legal practitioners in the Isle of Man for a certain time may also undertake a shorter period of training and supervision. During their training, all trainee Advocates are required to pass the Isle of Man bar examinations, which include papers on civil and criminal practice, constitutional and land law, and company law and taxation, as well as accounts. The examinations are rigorous and candidates are limited to three attempts to pass each paper.

Senior English barristers are occasionally licensed to appear as Advocates in cases expected to be unusually long or complex, without having to pass the bar examination or undertake further training: they are permitted only to act in relation to the matter for which they have been licensed. Similarly, barristers and solicitors employed as public prosecutors may be licensed to appear as Advocates without having to pass the bar examination or undertake further training: they are permitted only to act as such only for the duration of that employment.

The professional conduct of Advocates is regulated by the Isle of Man Law Society, which also maintains a library for its members in Douglas. While Advocates in the Isle of Man have not traditionally prefixed their names with 'Advocate' in the Channel Islands manner, some Advocates have now started to adopt this practice.

Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey
Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey are two separate legal jurisdictions, have largely two different sets of laws and have two separate, but similar, legal professions. In both jurisdictions, Advocates—properly called Advocates of the Royal Court—are the only lawyers with general rights of audience in their courts.

To be eligible to practice as an advocate in Jersey, it is necessary first to have a law degree from a British university or a Graduate Diploma in Law and to have qualified as a recognized legal professional in England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Thereafter, a candidate must undertake two years of practical experience in a law office dealing with Jersey law, enrol on the Jersey Law Course provided by the Institute of Law, Jersey and pass examinations in six subjects. Alternatively, a person may apply to become a Jersey advocate two years after qualifying as a Jersey solicitor.

To become an advocate in Guernsey, one has to possess a valid law degree or diploma, plus a qualification as an English barrister or solicitor, or a French avocat. They must then study for the Guernsey Bar. Three months of study of Norman law at the Université de Caen (University of Caen) is required; this is no longer required for entry into the legal profession in Jersey.

Guernsey Advocates dress in the same way as barristers, but substitute a black biretta-like toque for a wig, while those in Jersey go bare-headed. Advocates are entitled to prefix their names with 'Advocate'; e.g. Mr. Tostevin is called to the Guernsey Bar and is henceforth known as Advocate Tostevin.

The head of the profession of advocate in each bailiwick is called the Bâtonnier.

Netherlands
In the Netherlands, the professional conduct and the professional education of the advocates is regulated by the Dutch bar association (Nederlandse orde van advocaten) pursuant to the Advocates Act (Advocatenwet).

Dutch advocates are admitted to the bar conditionally, and have full rights of audience with the district courts and court of appeal. In order to obtain unconditional qualification, the advocate has to complete the Dutch bar education (Beroepsopleiding Advocaten) and fulfil certain requirements (which may vary among the various judicial regions within the Netherlands) under the supervision of a senior advocate (the patroon) for a period of at least three years, called the stage. During this time, the advocate is referred to as an advocaat-stagiair(e).

In court, advocates must wear a long black robe (a toga) and a white pleated band (a bef).

Nordic countries

The Nordic countries have a united legal profession, which means that they do not draw a distinction between lawyers who plead in court and those who do not. To get an official recognition with an Advocates title, the candidate must have a legal degree, that is, completed ca. 5–6 years of legal studies from an accredited university in his or own country, and in addition have worked for some time (around 2 – 5 years) under the auspices of a qualified advocate and have some experience from court. When qualified, the candidate may obtain a license as an advocate, the equivalent of being called to the bar. In all the Scandinavian languages the title is advokat; in Finland advokat is the Swedish title for such a qualified lawyer, with the equivalent title in Finnish being asianajaja.

However, one does not necessarily have to be an advocate to represent a party in the Nordic countries legally. In Norway, a person with an appropriate law degree, for example, can practice law as a registered legal advisor (rettshjelper) instead, which gives many of the same rights as an advocate's title. Both in Sweden and Norway any adult, in theory, can represent a party in court without any prior approval, training, license or advocate title. In practice it's unusual, and in Norway, it's subject to the approval of the court, which is unlikely to give it except in very simple cases.

In English, the Scandinavian title of advokat is interchangeably also translated as barrister, lawyer or attorney-at-law.

Russia
In Russia, anyone with a legal education (lawyer) can practice law, but only a member of the  () may practice before a criminal court (other person can be a defence counsel in criminal proceeding along with a member of Advokatura but not in lieu him) and Constitutional Court (leaving aside persons having academic degree of candidate or doctor in juridical sciences who also can represent parties in constitutional proceeding). Specialist degree in law is the most commonly awarded academic degree in Russian jurisprudence but after Russia's accession to the Bologna process only bachelor of laws and master of laws academic degrees are available in Russian institutions of higher education. An "advocate" is a lawyer who has demonstrated qualification and belongs to an organizational structure of Advocates specified by law, known as being "called to the bar" in Commonwealth countries.

An examination is administered by the qualifications commission of regional advocate's chamber for admission to its . To sit for the exam, one must have a higher legal education and also two years of experience in legal work after graduation or a training program in a law firm after graduation. The exam is both written and oral, but the main test is oral. The written exam takes place in the form of computer testing and includes issues of the professional conduct of advocate and advocate's professional responsibility. After successfully passing of the written exam the candidates are allowed to take the oral exam. As part of the oral exam, the candidate must demonstrate his knowledge in various bodies of law and solve some mimic a real-life legal tasks. The candidate who does not pass the qualification exam can try to pass it again after 1 year only. The qualifications commission is composed of seven Advocates, two judges, two representatives of the regional legislature, and two representatives of the Ministry of Justice.

After successful passing the qualification exam a candidate should take the oath of advocate. From the moment of taking the oath, he becomes an advocate and a member of the advocate's chamber of the relevant federal subject of Russia. Advocate's chamber sends relevant information to the territorial subdivision of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation, which includes the new advocate in the register of Advocates of the relevant federal subject of Russia and issues to him an advocate's certificate, which is the only official document confirming the status of an advocate, on the basis of this information. The status of an advocate is granted for an indefinite period and is not limited by any age. There is only 1 advocate's chamber in each federal subject of Russia. Each advocate can be the member of only 1 advocate's chamber and can be listed in the register of Advocates of the relevant federal subject of Russia only. In case of relocation to another region, the advocate ceases to be a member of the advocate's chamber and should be excluded from register of Advocates at the old place of residence (advocate's certificate should be returned to the subdivision of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation, which issued it), and after that he becomes a member of the advocate's chamber and is included in the register of Advocates at the new place of residence (where he receive new advocate's certificate) without any exams. Each advocate can carry out his professional activity throughout Russia, regardless of membership in particular regional advocate's chamber and regardless of particular regional register where he is listed in. Advocates carry out their professional activity individually (advocate's cabinet) or as the member of advocate's juridical person (collegium of Advocates, advocate's bureau). Advocate can open own cabinet after at least 3 years legal practice in collegium or bureau. An advocate, who has opened own cabinet, can not be the member of any advocate's juridical person, and an advocate, who is the member of one advocate's juridical person, can not be the member of any other advocate's juridical person. Advocate is obliged to report to advocate's chamber any changes in his membership in a collegium or a bureau and, equally, opening and closing a cabinet.

An advocate can not be an individual entrepreneur, government official, municipal official, notary, judge, elected official. An advocate can not work under an employment (labour) contract, with the exception of scientific and teaching activities. An advocate may combine his status with the status of a patent attorney, a trustee in bankruptcy. An advocate may be a shareholder/owner of business juridical persons and a member of voluntary associations and political parties. Russian advocate may have a status of advocate (attorney, barrister, solicitor) in foreign jurisdiction, subject to above conditions.

Russian law provides for voluntary and involuntary suspension of advocate's status. Voluntary suspension for a term of 1 to 10 years occurs when an Advocate files relevant application to the advocate's chamber. Involuntary suspension is applicable in cases of serious illness, election to an elected position in federal, regional or local authorities, military conscription, declaration of absence made by the court decision. An Advocate can not carry out advocate's activity during suspension, otherwise he may be deprived of the right to be an Advocate. After the end of the suspension, advocate's status should be resumed without any additional conditions. Also Russian law provides for voluntary and involuntary termination of advocate's status. Voluntary termination of the status occurs when an Advocate files relevant application to the advocate's chamber. Involuntary termination of the status is applicable in cases of death, declaration of no having legal capacity or having limited legal capacity made by the court decision, conviction for intentional crime made by the court decision, violations of the federal law regulating advocate's activity or advocate's code of conduct found by advocate's chamber. The latter two cases incur lifetime prohibition on being an Advocate. In other cases, ex-Advocate can go back to being an Advocate on general grounds through a passing the qualification exam, on condition that the reasons for termination of advocate's status have ceased to exist.

Advocate's chambers are professional associations of Advocates, which are based on mandatory membership of Advocates. All regional advocate's chambers are mandatory members of Federal Chamber of Advocates of Russian Federation (), which is professional association at the federal level.

As of 2018, there were 49,4 Advocates per  people in Russia.

In Russia, foreign Advocates can advise on the legislation of their countries; they should register in the special register maintained by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation to obtain the right to carry out this activity. Foreign advocate can in addition become Russian advocate. There are two possible paths for that. The first possibility is to become Russian advocate on the same basis as Russian citizens (i.e. through higher legal education in one of Russian universities, two years of experience in legal work in Russia after graduation or a training program in Russian law firm after graduation, successful passing the qualification exam). Since Russia's WTO Accession the second possibility is available: foreign advocate can just pass special qualification exam to become Russian advocate.

Asia

Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, after passing the Higher Secondary School Certificate, one can apply for admission for studying law in Universities. There are several public and private universities which provide Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws degree in Bangladesh. Generally, the LL.B. course is equivalent to a four-year bachelor's degree. Graduate lawyers have to seat for and pass the Bar Council Exam to become Advocates.

Advocate of Supreme Court
By passing the Bangladesh Bar Council Exam, Advocates are eligible to practice in the Supreme Court of Bangladesh and other courts. A license is obtained after successful completion of two year's practice in the lower courts by applicant, which is reviewed by a body of the relevant provincial Bar Council. Most applications after successful completion of the requirement, are accepted.

India

In India, the law relating to the Advocates is the Advocates Act, 1961 introduced and thought up by Ashoke Kumar Sen, the then law minister of India, which is a law passed by the Parliament and is administered and enforced by the Bar Council of India. Under the Act, the Bar Council of India is the supreme regulatory body to regulate the legal profession in India and also to ensure the compliance of the laws and maintenance of professional standards by the legal profession in the country.

Each State has a Bar Council of its own whose function is to enroll the Advocates willing to practice predominantly within the territorial confines of that State and to perform the functions of the Bar Council of India within the territory assigned to them. Therefore, each law degree holder must be enrolled with a (single) State Bar Council to practice in India. However, enrollment with any State Bar Council does not restrict the Advocate from appearing before any court in India, even though it is beyond the territorial jurisdiction of the State Bar Council which he is enrolled in.

The advantage of having the State Bar Councils is that the workload of the Bar Council of India can be divided into these various State Bar Councils and also that matters can be dealt with locally and in an expedited manner. However, for all practical and legal purposes, the Bar Council of India retains with it, the final power to take decisions in any and all matters related to the legal profession on the whole or with respect to any Advocate individually, as so provided under the Advocates Act, 1961.

The process of being entitled to practice in India is twofold. First, the applicant must be a holder of a law degree from a recognised institution in India (or from one of the four recognised Universities in the United Kingdom) and second, must pass the enrollment qualifications of the Bar Council of the state where he/she seeks to be enrolled. For this purpose, the Bar Council of India has an internal Committee whose function is to supervise and examine the various institutions conferring law degrees and to grant recognition to these institutions once they meet the required standards. In this manner, the Bar Council of India also ensures the standard of education required for practicing in India is met with. As regards the qualification for enrollment with the State Bar Council, while the actual formalities may vary from one State to another, yet predominately they ensure that the application has not been a bankrupt /criminal and is generally fit to practice before courts of India.

Enrollment with a Bar Council also means that the law degree holder is recognised as an Advocate and is required to maintain a standard of conduct and professional demeanor at all times, both on and off the profession. The Bar Council of India also prescribes "Rules of Conduct" to be observed by the Advocates in the courts, while interacting with clients and even otherwise.

All Advocates in India are at the same level and are recognised as such. Any distinction, if any, is made only on the basis of seniority, which implies the length of practice at the Bar. As a recognition of law practice and specialisation in an area of law, there is a concept of conferral of Senior Advocate status. An Advocate may be recognised by the Judges of the High Court (in case of an Advocate practicing before that High Court) or by the Supreme Court (in case of the Advocate practicing before the Supreme Court). While the conferral of Senior Advocate status not only implies distinction and fame of the Advocate, it also requires the Senior Advocate to follow higher standards of conduct and some distinct rules. Also, a Senior Advocate is not allowed to interact directly with the clients. He can only take briefs from other Advocates and argue on the basis of the details given by them. From the year 2010 onward a mandatory rule is made for lawyers passing out from the year 2009–10 to sit for an evaluation test named AIBE (All India Bar Exam) for one to qualify as an advocate and practice in the courts. However, to practice law before the Supreme Court of India, Advocates must first appear for and qualify in the Supreme Court Advocate on Record Examination conducted by the Supreme Court.

Further, under the Constitutional structure, there is a provision for the elevation of Advocates as judges of High Courts and Supreme Court. The only requirement is the Advocate must have ten years standing before the High Court(/s) or before the Supreme Court to be eligible for such. (Article 217 and 124 of the Constitution of India for High Courts and Supreme Court respectively)

Pakistan
There are four levels of Advocates  exist in Pakistan, 1.Advocate 2.Advocate High Court 3.Advocate Supreme Court 4.Senior Advocate Supreme Court:

Advocate
The first level is that of an Advocate, who is eligible to practice in the district courts or lower courts in their respective province. An Advocate is considered an officer of the court. To become an Advocate, one can qualify by completing a five-year law degree (LL.B (Hons)), or by obtaining a foreign LL.B degree of a shorter duration, recognized by the relevant authorities. Additionally, they must complete six months of pupillage under a senior Advocate in their chambers. Afterward, they are required to pass a GAT test recognized by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) and the Pakistan Bar Council, achieving a minimum passing score of 50%. Subsequently, they must successfully clear the Bar admission test and undergo an examination conducted by the Bar Council of their respective province to determine their suitability for becoming an Advocate and confirm that they have no criminal convictions. Upon passing a multiple-choice question examination and an interview conducted by members of the provincial Bar Council, the Bar Council will issue them a license to practice before the Subordinate Courts up to the High Court.

Advocate High Court
After completing two years of practice as an Advocate, with a minimum of ten successfully litigated cases, the Advocate will be required to submit a list of these cases for examination by a committee appointed by the High Court. The committee, chaired by a High Court Judge, will review the cases and, if satisfied, grant their approval for the Advocate's elevation to practice as an Advocate of the High Court. Upon approval, the committee will send the recommendation directly to the Bar Council, and the Advocate will be issued a license to practice as an Advocate of the High Court.As an Advocate of the High Court, they will have the right to practice in any court throughout the country, except for the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Advocate Supreme Court
Advocate Supreme Court is the third level. After successful completion of ten years of practice in the High Courts by the applicant, the panel of members of Pakistan Bar Council and one judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, review the application. (Before 1985 the requirement was successful completion of five years practice in the High Courts of Pakistan.) Over fifty per cent of applications are accepted, after successful completion of the requirement. An unsuccessful application in one year does not bar the candidate from re-applying in the next judicial year.

The highest level is the Senior Advocate Supreme Court. It is Pakistan's title equivalent to Queen's Counsel in the United Kingdom.
After at least fifteen years of practice, by invitation or by an application to a panel of Supreme Court Judges headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan, one can become Senior Advocate of Supreme Court of Pakistan. Very few applications are accepted and even fewer invitations are made. Attorneys General are usually invited by the Supreme Court on the appointment, to the office. So are some notable High Court judges who upon retirement choose to practice before the Supreme Court, where they are still eligible to do so.

Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka (formally Ceylon) till 1973 Advocate was a practitioner in a court of law who is legally qualified to prosecute and defend actions in such court on the retainer of clients. Advocates had to pass the HSC exam and enter the Ceylon Law College and follow the Advocates course and sit for the relevant exams. Thereafter, they would have to practice under a senior advocate before being called to the bar for admission as an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Ceylon. Members of the English, Scottish and Irish Bars are permitted to be admitted to a Barrister without examination on payment of a fee. Ceylonese Advocates with three years standing were allowed to be called to the English Bar without examination on completing three terms. The Justice Law No. 44 of 1973 of the National State Assembly created a single group of practitioners known as Attorneys-at-law. The current equivalent to an advocate is a counsel who is a trial lawyer distinguished from an instructing attorney.

Africa

South Africa
In South Africa, there are two main branches of legal practitioner: attorneys, who do legal work of all kinds, and Advocates, who are specialist litigators; see Attorneys in South Africa.  In general, Advocates (also called 'counsel') are 'briefed' by attorneys when a specialist skill in court-based litigation, or in research into the law is required;  Referral Advocates have no direct contact with clients and are said to be in a 'referral' profession. However, Advocates who have a Trust Account and hold a valid Fidelity Fund Certificate are authorized to take briefs directly from the public and attorneys respectively.

The key formal distinction, however, is the different rights with regard to the courts in which they may appear. Advocates have the right to appear in any court, while attorneys have the right to appear only in the lower courts. (And, under certain conditions, can acquire the right of appearance in the superior courts, by applying to the registrar of the provincial division of the relevant High Court.) A further distinction is that while attorneys practice in partnership, Advocates are individual practitioners and never form partnerships; practice in "Chambers" and  / or  "Groups" is standard.

The requirements to enter private practice as Advocates (Junior Counsel) are to hold the LL.B. degree, and to become a member of a Bar Association by undergoing a period of training (pupilage) for one year with a practicing Advocate, and to sit an admission examination. See Legal education in South Africa.

On the recommendation of the Bar Councils, an advocate "of proven experience and skill" with at least ten years experience, may be appointed by the President of South Africa as a Senior Counsel (SC; also referred to as a "silk"). Junior advocates are commonly rewarded with a traditional gift of a red brief bag by a Senior Counsel as recognition for excellence.

State Advocates act as a public prosecutor in High Court matters, typically in cases requiring preparation and research. They are appointed by the National Prosecuting Authority and are attached to the Office of the National Director of Public Prosecutions.

Americas

Brazil
In Brazil, the bar examination occurs nationally in March, August, and December. These examinations are unified and organized by the Order of Attorneys of Brazil. After 5 years in law school, Brazilian law students are required to take the bar exam, which consists of 2 phases: the multiple choice test and written test, without any further requirements.

The Constitution of Brazil applies restrictions on professional practice of law in the fulfillment of the requirements, which may include in addition to graduation, formal submission of the applicant in the proficiency tests. The Order exam is tied to Law No. 8609 of 4/7/1994:

"Article 8: For registration as an attorney is needed: IV - "To pass the Examination of the Order;"

Within its powers expressly granted by the Constitution, the ordinary legislative demands that whoever wishes to pursue the legal profession possess the degree of Bachelor of Law and approval of Examination of Order, whose preparation and implementation is done by their own class. The Constitution itself provides for the restriction, and the Statute of Law requires the examination.

The bar exam in Brazil approves very few students and is considered a hard one. For instance, in February 2014, the Bar association made a release stating that only 19.64% of students had been approved in the last exam and were able to register as a lawyer.

See also

 Advocate General
 Advocatus
 Barrister
 Judge Advocate General
 Jurist
 Lawspeaker
 Ombudsman
 Solicitor
 Solicitor-Advocate

References

External links

 The Faculty of Advocates
 Association of licensed attorneys in Finland
 Roles and responsibilities of an Advocate in the Court of Law
 Roles and responsibilities of an Advocate in the Court of Law
 Roles and responsibilities of an Advocate in the Court of Law

Legal professions
Scots law general titles
Solicitors

Advocate


Medicinal fungi are fungi that contain metabolites or can be induced to produce metabolites through biotechnology to develop prescription drugs. Compounds successfully developed into drugs or under research include antibiotics, anti-cancer drugs, cholesterol and ergosterol synthesis inhibitors, psychotropic drugs, immunosuppressants and fungicides.

History

Although fungi products have long been used in traditional medicine, the ability to identify beneficial properties and then extract the active ingredient started with the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming in 1928. Since that time, many potential antibiotics were discovered and the potential for various fungi to synthesize biologically active molecules useful in various clinical therapies has been under research. Pharmacological research identified antifungal, antiviral, and antiprotozoan compounds from fungi.

Ganoderma lucidum, known in Chinese as líng zhī ("spirit plant"), and in Japanese as mannentake ("10,000-year mushroom"), has been well studied. Another species of  genus Ganoderma, G. applanatum, remains under basic research. Inonotus obliquus was used in Russia as early as the 16th century; it featured in Alexandr Solzhenitsyn's 1967 novel Cancer Ward.

Research and drug development

Cancer
There is no good evidence that any type of mushroom or mushroom extract can prevent or cure cancer.

11,11'-Dideoxyverticillin A, an isolate of marine Penicillium, was used to create dozens of semi-synthetic, candidate anticancer compounds. 11,11'-Dideoxyverticillin A, andrastin A, barceloneic acid A, and barceloneic acid B, are farnesyl transferase inhibitors that can be made by Penicillium. 3-O-Methylfunicone, anicequol, duclauxin, and rubratoxin B, are anticancer/cytotoxic metabolites of Penicillium.

Penicillium is a potential source of the leukemia medicine asparaginase.

Some countries have approved beta-glucan fungal extracts lentinan, polysaccharide-K, and polysaccharide peptide as immunologic adjuvants.

Antibacterial agents (antibiotics)

Alexander Fleming led the way to the beta-lactam antibiotics with the Penicillium mold and penicillin. Subsequent discoveries included alamethicin, aphidicolin, brefeldin A, cephalosporin, cerulenin, citromycin, eupenifeldin, fumagillin, fusafungine, fusidic acid, helvolic acid, itaconic acid, MT81, nigrosporin B,  usnic acid, verrucarin A, vermiculine and many others.

Antibiotics retapamulin, tiamulin, and valnemulin are derivatives of the fungal metabolite pleuromutilin. Plectasin, austrocortilutein, austrocortirubin, coprinol, oudemansin A, strobilurin, illudin, pterulone, and sparassol are under research for their potential antibiotic activity.

Cholesterol biosynthesis inhibitors

Statins are an important class of cholesterol-lowering drugs; the first generation of statins were derived from fungi. Lovastatin, the first commercial statin, was extracted from a fermentation broth of Aspergillus terreus. Industrial production is now capable of producing 70 mg lovastatin per kilogram of substrate. The red yeast rice fungus, Monascus purpureus, can synthesize lovastatin, mevastatin, and the simvastatin precursor monacolin J.  Nicotinamide riboside, a cholesterol biosynthesis inhibitor, is made by Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Antifungals

Some antifungals are derived or extracted from other fungal species. Griseofulvin is derived from a number of Penicillium species; caspofungin is derived from Glarea lozoyensis. Strobilurin, azoxystrobin, micafungin, and echinocandins, are all extracted from fungi. Anidulafungin is a derivative of an Aspergillus metabolite.

Antivirals

Many mushrooms contain potential antiviral compounds remaining under preliminary research, such as: Lentinus edodes, Ganoderma lucidum, Ganoderma colossus, Hypsizygus marmoreus, Cordyceps militaris, Grifola frondosa, Scleroderma citrinum, Flammulina velutipes, and Trametes versicolor, Fomitopsis officinalis.

Immunosuppressants

Cyclosporin was discovered in Tolypocladium inflatum, while Bredinin was found in Eupenicillium brefeldianum and mycophenolic acid in Penicillium stoloniferum. Thermophilic fungi were the source of the fingolimod precursor myriocin. Aspergillus synthesizes immunosuppressants gliotoxin and endocrocin. Subglutinols are immunosuppressants isolated from Fusarium subglutinans.

Malaria

Codinaeopsin, efrapeptins, zervamicins, and antiamoebin are made by fungi, and remain under basic research.

Diabetes

Many fungal isolates act as DPP-4 inhibitors, alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, and alpha amylase inhibitors in laboratory studies. Ternatin is a fungal isolate that may affect hyperglycemia.

Psychotropic effects

Numerous fungi have well-documented psychotropic effects, some of them severe and associated with acute and life-threatening side-effects. Among these is Amanita muscaria, the fly agaric. More widely used informally are a range of fungi collectively known as "magic mushrooms", which contain psilocybin and psilocin.

The history of bread-making records deadly ergotism caused by ergot, most commonly Claviceps purpurea, a parasite of cereal crops. Psychoactive ergot alkaloid drugs have subsequently been extracted from or synthesised starting from ergot; these include ergotamine, dihydroergotamine, ergometrine, ergocristine, ergocryptine, ergocornine, methysergide, bromocriptine, cabergoline, and pergolide.

Vitamin D2

Fungi are a source of ergosterol which can be converted to vitamin D2 upon exposure to ultraviolet light.

Yeasts

The yeast Saccharomyces is used industrially to produce the amino acid lysine, as well as recombinant proteins insulin and hepatitis B surface antigen. Transgenic yeasts are used to produce artemisinin, as well as insulin analogs. Candida is used industrially to produce vitamins ascorbic acid and riboflavin. Pichia is used to produce the amino acid tryptophan and the vitamin pyridoxine. Rhodotorula is used to produce the amino acid phenylalanine. Moniliella is used industrially to produce the sugar alcohol erythritol.

References

External links
 Memorial Sloan-Kettering Agaricus subrufescens, Phellinus linteus, Ganoderma lucidum, Trametes versicolor and PSK, Grifola frondosa, Inonotus obliquus, Pleurotus ostreatus, Cordyceps, Shiitake, Lentinan, AHCC.
 American Cancer Society Trametes versicolor and PSK, Grifola frondosa , Shiitake .
 National Cancer Institute Shiitake, Lentinan,  Cordycepin

Chemotherapy
Cancer
Antibiotics
Immunosuppressants
Antifungals
Antiparasitic agents

Medicinal fungi


Tawhid is the concept of God in Islam which says that only one God exists. It says that God is unique and one and He has no equal. It also says that since the God is the only creator, there is no room for lesser Gods or deities. Any lesser gods are therefore false. Tawhid is an essential part of Islam. To become a Muslim it is necessary to accept it. The concept of Tawhid has many implications. Since God is the only power, both good and bad flow from God. So, whatever good or bad occurs to an individual, both are from God and both should be accepted by the individual. Since God is the only power worth worshipping, reliance on any other source for help is not permissible.

The Qur'an explains the nature of God in Chapter 112:
Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; None is born of Him, nor is He born; And there is no one like him.

Associating any other thing or person as being comparable to God is called shirk in Islam. This is the only sin in Islam which cannot be forgiven by God, unless a person turns repentant on Earth. The Koran can also be interpreted as telling Muslims to not follow the idea of the "trinity," the Christian concept for explaining God. Since the trinity views God as being made up of three different parts, many Muslims view this as shirk. On the other hand, Christians will say that they view the trinity as making up one God, so it is not shirk. The Koran also says that Jesus did not claim to be anything more than a human being, while in Christianity he is part of the trinity. According to Muslim scripture, Jesus claims to be prophet chosen by God, different from the divine status he has in Christianity.

References

Islamic theology

Tawhid


The 1975–76 NBA season was the 30th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship. The Celtics beat the Phoenix Suns 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. This is also the year Foster Shore joined the Warrior Glazers Group making him the league's 3rd commissioner.

National Basketball Association seasons

1975–76 NBA season


The cha-cha-cha (also called cha-cha), is a dance of Cuban origin. It is danced to the music of the same name introduced by the Cuban composer and violinist Enrique Jorrin in the early 1950s. This rhythm was developed from the danzón-mambo. The name of the dance is an onomatopoeia derived from the shuffling sound of the dancers' feet when they dance two consecutive quick steps (correctly, on the fourth count of each measure) that characterize the dance.

In the early 1950s, Enrique Jorrín worked as a violinist and composer with the charanga group Orquesta América. The group performed at dance halls in Havana where they played danzón, danzonete, and danzon-mambo for dance-oriented crowds. Jorrín noticed that many of the dancers at these gigs had difficulty with the syncopated rhythms of the danzón-mambo. To make his music more appealing to dancers, Jorrín began composing songs where the melody was marked strongly on the first downbeat and the rhythm was less syncopated. When Orquesta América performed these new compositions at the Silver Star Club in Havana, it was noticed that the dancers had improvised a triple step in their footwork producing the sound "cha-cha-cha". Thus, the new style came to be known as "cha-cha-chá" and became associated with a dance where dancers perform a triple step.

The basic footwork pattern of cha-cha-cha (one, two, three, cha-cha-one, two, three) is also found in several Afro-Cuban dances from the Santería religion. For example, one of the steps used in the dance practiced by the Orisha Ogun religious  features an identical pattern of footwork. These Afro-Cuban dances predate the development of cha-cha-cha and were known by many Cubans in the 1950s, especially those of African origin. Thus, the footwork of the cha-cha-cha was likely inspired by these Afro-Cuban dances.

In 1953, Orquesta América released two of Jorrin's compositions, "La Engañadora" and "Silver Star", on the Cuban record label Panart. These were the first cha-cha-cha compositions ever recorded. They immediately became hits in Havana, and other Cuban charanga orchestras quickly imitated this new style. Soon, there was a cha-cha-cha craze in Havana's dance halls, popularizing both the music and the associated dance. This craze soon spread to Mexico City, and by 1955, the music and dance of the cha-cha-cha had become popular in Latin America, the United States, and Western Europe, following in the footsteps of the mambo, which had been a worldwide craze a few years earlier.

Description
Cha-cha-cha is danced to authentic Cuban music, although in ballroom competitions it is often danced to Latin pop or Latin rock. The music for the international ballroom cha-cha-cha is energetic and with a steady beat. The music may involve complex polyrhythms.

Styles of cha-cha-cha dance may differ in the place of the chasse in the rhythmical structure. The original Cuban and the ballroom cha-cha-cha count is "one, two, three, cha-cha", or "one, two, three, four-and."  An incorrect "street version" comes about because many social dancers count "one, two, cha-cha-cha" and thus shift the timing of the dance by a full beat of music.  Note that the dance known as Salsa is the result of a similar timing shift of Mambo.

Pattern
In the International School of Ballroom Dance, the basic pattern involves the lead taking a checked forward step with the left foot, retaining some weight on the right foot. The knee of the right leg must stay bent and close to the back of the left knee, the left leg having straightened just prior to receiving part weight. This step is taken on the second beat of the bar. Full weight is returned to the right leg on the second step (beat three).

The fourth beat is split in two so the count of the next three steps is 4-and-1. These three steps constitute the cha-cha chasse. A step to the side is taken with the left foot, the right foot is half closed towards the left foot (typically leaving both feet under the hips or perhaps closed together), and finally there is a last step to the left with the left foot. The length of the steps in the chasse depends very much on the effect the dancer is attempting to make.

The partner takes a step back on the right foot, the knee being straightened as full weight is taken. The other leg is allowed to remain straight. It is possible it will shoot slightly but no deliberate flexing of the free leg is attempted. This is quite different from technique associated with salsa, for instance. On the next beat (beat three) weight is returned to the left leg. Then a chasse is danced RLR.

Each partner is now in a position to dance the bar their partner just danced. Hence the fundamental construction of cha-cha-cha extends over two bars.

The checked first step is a later development in the "international cha-cha-cha" style. Because of the action used during the forward step (the one taking only part weight) the basic pattern turns left, whereas in earlier times cha-cha-cha was danced without rotation of the alignment. Hip actions are allowed to occur at the end of every step. For steps taking a single beat the first half of the beat constitutes the foot movement and the second half is taken up by the hip movement. The hip sway eliminates any increase in height as the feet are brought towards each other.
In general, steps in all directions should be taken first with the ball of the foot in contact with the floor, and then with the heel lowering when the weight is fully transferred; however, some steps require that the heel remain lifted from the floor. When weight is released from a foot, the heel should release from the floor first, allowing the toe to maintain contact with the floor.

In the American School of Ballroom Dance, the basic step spans two measures of music (frequently counted "one, two, three, four-and, five, six, seven, eight-and" with "five" marking the beginning of the second measure.  The leader steps sideways to the left on count 1, back onto the right foot on count 2, forward with the left foot on count 3, then a cha-cha consisting of a step sideways to the right on count 4 followed by a step in place on the left foot on "and" between count four and count 5 to permit another step sideways to the right on count 5 (or count 1 of the second measure), a step forward with the left foot on count 6, a step backward with the right foot on count 7, and a cha-cha to the left on the "eight-and" to set up another step sideways to the left to begin the next repetition of the pattern.

The Hip movement

In traditional American Rhythm style, Latin hip movement is achieved through the alternate bending and straightening action of the knees, though in modern competitive dancing, the technique is virtually identical to the "international Latin" style.

In the international Latin style, the weighted leg is almost always straight. The free leg will bend, allowing the hips to naturally settle into the direction of the weighted leg. As a step is taken, a free leg will straighten the instant before it receives weight. It should then remain straight until it is completely free of weight again.

International Latin style cha-cha-cha
Cha-cha-cha is one of the five dances of the "Latin American" program of international ballroom competitions.

As described above, the basis of the modern dance was laid down in the 1950s by Pierre and Lavelle and developed in the 1960s by Walter Laird and other top competitors of the time. The basic steps taught to learners today are based on these accounts.

In general, steps are kept compact and the dance is danced generally without any rise and fall; this is the modern ballroom technique of cha-cha-cha (and other Latin dances).

See also
 Cha-cha-cha (music)
 Cha Cha Slide

References

External links

 Former Latin champions Bryan Watson and Karen Hardy give a demo
 Video of cha cha ballroom competition
 Video of cha cha social dancing at 2010 New York Salsa Congress (first 2 minutes of video)
 Video of cha cha social dancing by Joel Dominguez and Yesenia Peralta

Ballroom dance
Latin dances
Dance in Cuba
Articles containing video clips

Dance terminology

Cha-cha-cha (dance)


Angeliki "Gelly" Skarlatou (; born 28 January 1976) is a Greek windsurfer, who specialized in Mistral and Neil Pryde RS:X classes. She represented Greece in four editions of the Olympic Games (1996, 2000, 2012, and 2016), and has earned numerous national and sporting titles, including gold medals at the Eurolymp Week, during her career. As of September 2013, she is ranked no. 40 in the world for the sailboard class by the International Sailing Federation.

Skarlatou made her official debut at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, where she placed twenty-third in women's Mistral sailboard with a net score of 149 points. At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Skarlatou posted a grade of 159 to improve her placement status with a twenty-first-place finish in the same program. In 2004, Skarlatou decided not to compete in her third Olympics for the host nation, and instead, completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in sports science at Athens University and a master's degree in marketing at Brunel University in London, United Kingdom.

Twelve years after competing in her last Olympics, Skarlatou qualified for her second Greek team, as a 36-year-old, in the RS:X class at the 2012 Summer Olympics by receiving a berth from the ISAF Sailing World Championships in Perth, Western Australia. Though she fell short of her slot for the medal rounds, Skarlatou achieved her best Olympic result with a sixteenth-place effort in a fleet of twenty-six sailors, accumulating a net score of 134 points.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics, she competed in the RS:X class again. She finished 19th with a net score of 171 points.

References

External links

1976 births
Living people
Greek windsurfers
Olympic sailors for Greece
Greek female sailors (sport)
Sailors at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Mistral One Design
Sailors at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Mistral One Design
Sailors at the 2012 Summer Olympics – RS:X
Sailors at the 2016 Summer Olympics – RS:X
People from Amaliada
Greek sportswomen
Female windsurfers
Sportspeople from Western Greece

Angeliki Skarlatou


Christine S. Vertefeuille (born December 10, 1950) is a Senior Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court.

Life
She is a Connecticut native, born in New Britain, Connecticut. She graduated from Trinity College with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 1972 and the University of Connecticut School of Law with a Juris Doctor in 1975.

Vertefeuille began her career as a judge with her 1989 appointment to the Connecticut Superior Court. During her tenure as a Superior Court Judge, she presided over the Connecticut silicone gel breast implant cases (1993–99). In addition, Vertefeuille served as the Administrative Judge in the Waterbury Judicial District (1994–99) and as a Complex Litigation Judge (1999).

Vertefeuille was appointed a Judge of the Connecticut Appellate Court on September 13, 1999. On January 3, 2000, Vertefeuille was appointed a justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, succeeding Justice Robert I. Berdon, who retired by law. She served as the Administrative Judge of the Appellate System from June 1, 2000, to July 31, 2006. In 2010, Vertefeuille announced her decision to retire and assume Senior Status. Governor M. Jodi Rell appointed Superior Court Judge Dennis Eveleigh to succeed her.

On October 10, 2008, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled in Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health that gay and lesbian couples could not be denied the right to marry because of the Equal Protection Clause of the state constitution. This decision made Connecticut the third state (along with Massachusetts and California) to legalize same-sex marriage through judicial decree of the state supreme court. The majority opinion was written by Justice Richard N. Palmer, and joined by Justices Flemming L. Norcott Jr., Joette Katz, and Judge Lubbie Harper Jr. Justices Peter T. Zarella, Vertefeuille, and David Borden dissented.

References

External links
 Biography at State of Connecticut Judicial Branch

Living people
Justices of the Connecticut Supreme Court
Women in Connecticut politics
Politicians from New Britain, Connecticut
1950 births
Trinity College (Connecticut) alumni
University of Connecticut School of Law alumni
American women lawyers
Superior court judges in the United States
20th-century American judges
21st-century American judges
20th-century American women judges
21st-century American women judges

Christine S. Vertefeuille


Eccentricity (also called quirkiness) is an unusual or odd behavior on the part of an individual. This behavior would typically be perceived as unusual or unnecessary, without being demonstrably maladaptive. Eccentricity is contrasted with normal behavior, the nearly universal means by which individuals in society solve given problems and pursue certain priorities in everyday life. People who consistently display benignly eccentric behavior are labeled as "eccentrics".

Etymology

From Medieval Latin eccentricus, derived from Greek , "out of the center", from -, - "out of" + , "center". Eccentric first appeared in English essays as a neologism in 1551 as an astronomical term meaning "a circle in which the earth, sun, etc. deviates from its center." Five years later, in 1556, an adjective form of the word was used. In 1685, the definition evolved from the literal to the figurative, and eccentric is noted to have begun being used to describe unconventional or odd behavior. A noun form of the word – a person who possesses and exhibits these unconventional or odd qualities and behaviors – appeared by 1832.

Depictions
Eccentricity is often associated with genius, intellectual giftedness, or creativity. People may perceive the individual's eccentric behavior as the outward expression of their unique intelligence or creative impulse. In this vein, the eccentric's habits are incomprehensible not because they are illogical or the result of madness, but because they stem from a mind so original that it cannot be conformed to societal norms. English utilitarian thinker John Stuart Mill (1806–1873) wrote that "the amount of eccentricity in a society has generally been proportional to the amount of genius, mental vigour, and moral courage which it contained", and mourned a lack of eccentricity as "the chief danger of the time". Edith Sitwell (1887–1964) wrote that eccentricity is "often a kind of innocent pride", also saying that geniuses and aristocrats are called eccentrics because "they are entirely unafraid of and uninfluenced by the opinions and vagaries of the crowd". Eccentricity is also associated with great wealth — what would be considered signs of insanity in a poor person, some may accept as eccentricity in wealthy people.

Comparison to considerations of normality

A person who is simply in a "fish out of water" situation is not, by the strictest definition, an eccentric since (presumably) they may be ordinary by the conventions of their native environment.

Eccentrics may or may not comprehend the standards for normal behavior in their culture. They are simply unconcerned by society's disapproval of their habits or beliefs.

Some eccentrics are pejoratively considered "cranks" rather than geniuses. Eccentric behavior is often considered whimsical or quirky, although it can also be strange and disturbing. Many individuals previously considered merely eccentric, such as aviation magnate Howard Hughes, have recently been retrospectively diagnosed as actually having had mental disorders (obsessive–compulsive disorder in Hughes' case).

Other people may have an eccentric taste in clothes, or eccentric hobbies or collections they pursue with great vigor. They may have a pedantic and precise manner of speaking, intermingled with inventive wordplay.  Many of these behaviors share the characteristics of someone with an autistic spectrum disorder, such as the eccentric hobbies or the pedantic speech.

Many individuals may even manifest eccentricities consciously and deliberately in an attempt to differentiate themselves from societal norms or enhance a sense of inimitable identity. Given the overwhelmingly positive stereotypes (at least in popular culture and especially with fictional characters) often associated with eccentricity, as detailed above, certain individuals seek to be associated with this sort of character type. However, this is not always successful as eccentric individuals are not necessarily charismatic and the individual in question may simply be dismissed by others as just seeking attention.

Characteristics
Psychologist David Weeks believes people with a mental illness suffer from their behavior, while eccentrics are quite happy. He even states eccentrics are less prone to mental illness than everyone else.

According to Weeks' study, there are several distinctive characteristics that often differentiate a healthy eccentric person from a regular person or someone who has a mental illness. The first five characteristics on Weeks' list are found in most people regarded as eccentric:

 Nonconforming
 Creative
 Strongly motivated by curiosity
 Happily obsessed with one or more hobby horses (usually five or six)
 Aware from early childhood that they are different
 Intelligent
 Opinionated and outspoken
 Noncompetitive, not in need of reassurance or reinforcement from society
 Unusual in their eating habits and living arrangements
 Not particularly interested in the opinions or company of other people
 Possessed of a mischievous sense of humor

See also
 Asperger syndrome
 Byronic hero
 Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou
 English Eccentrics and Eccentricities
 Foolishness for Christ
 Idiosyncrasy
 Individualism
 Keep Austin Weird
 Obsessive–compulsive disorder
 Personality psychology
 Saparmurat Niyazov § Cult of personality
 Schizotypal personality disorder
 Thinking outside the box

References

Human behavior
Deviance (sociology)
Stereotypes

Eccentricity (behavior)


Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a beat 'em up video game developed and published in 2003 by Konami, based on the 2003 TV series.

Gameplay

The player can play as either Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo or Raphael. Each turtle has his own unique set of levels to complete. There is a story mode for one or two players, and there is also a versus mode where two players can fight head to head. In the versus mode, players can fight as all 4 turtles, Splinter, Casey Jones, Hamato Yoshi, the Turtlebot, Hun, Oroku Saki, and The Shredder. A Challenge mode is unlockable by defeating Oroku Saki with any Turtle in the Story Mode, which needs to be complete to unlock Hamato Yoshi and his dojo.

Plot
The main gameplay loosely adapts the following season one episodes: "Things Change", "A Better Mouse Trap", "Attack of the Mouser"s, "Meet Casey Jones", "Nano", "Darkness on the Edge of Town", "The Way of Invisibility", "Notes From the Underground" (Parts 1-3), and "Return to New York" (Parts 1-3), as well as a level that is not derived from the animated series at all.

Shortly after a group of mouser robots destroy the turtles' old home, they begin to look for a new home. Michelangelo eventually gets on Raphael's nerves, making Raphael leave to the surface. At the surface, he is confronted by Purple Dragon thugs, Casey Jones, and Dragonface. Baxter Stockman soon uses invisible foot tech ninjas to capture Raphael, and Donatello is forced to rescue him. Afterward, while Raphael and Michelangelo spar for fun, Donatello analyzes a strange crystal he found in their home, noting that they look like mutated brain cells. Raphael kicks Michelangelo into a wall, revealing a large tunnel behind it. Donatello's crystal start glowing and the turtles decide to investigate. They follow the tunnel and they are confronted by genetically mutated humans. After a few scuffles with these mutants, the turtles find that these mutants were turned into their current state by past experiments of Shredder's scientists. The crystals Donatello found are the only thing keeping these mutants alive, and cannot leave their underground home as a result. They plead the turtles to defeat Shredder, so that no more humans will suffer as they have. The turtles decide to defeat Shredder once and for all, and promise the mutants that they will come back for them if they ever find a way to reverse their condition.

Reception

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles received mixed reviews upon release, earning a 59/100 from the review aggregator Metacritic.

Sequels
The game received two sequels: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus in 2004, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare in 2005.

References

External links

2003 video games
Konami beat 'em ups
PlayStation 2 games
Xbox games
GameCube games
Windows games
Video games based on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Video games developed in Japan
Cooperative video games
Video games with cel-shaded animation
Video games set in New York City
Multiplayer and single-player video games

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 video game)


Arborophilia is a play by Jacob M. Appel, about a woman whose daughters have both vexed her in love: one is dating a Republican and the other has fallen in love with a poplar tree.

The play was first produced at Detroit Repertory Theatre from November 2006 to January 2007.  The production was directed by Bruce E. Millan. Henrietta Hermelin, best known for her role as an elderly blind woman in June August's comedy Coming to Life, portrayed Dame Lucretia Bankmore, the elderly real estate mogul bent upon chopping down the poplar, and was nominated for a Wilde Award for Best Supporting Actress.  Michael Joseph also returned to the Detroit Rep, where he'd previously delivered an award-winning performance as the poet Langston Hughes in Hannibal of the Alps.  Other notable performers included veteran regional actors Leah Smith and Annie Cross.  Imani Turner made her Michigan debut as the tree-struck daughter.

The Detroit Free Press described the play as "fanciful" and "sharply funny."  Donald Calamia in Detroit Pride Source called the play an "insightful poke at many of our cherished beliefs and institutions."

The Michigan Theater Association named Arborophilia its play of the year for 2006.

Notes

2006 plays
Plays by Jacob M. Appel
Plays set in the United States

Arborophilia