This is a list of noteworthy gaming conventions from around the world. This list is sectioned by location, and each gaming convention includes the dates during which it is typically held. Dates listed are approximate or traditional time periods for each convention.

Multiple locations
 Game Market, location varies
 Knutepunkt, alternating between Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland
 MineCon, location varies
 Penny Arcade Expo, annually at several locations in the US, and in Melbourne, Australia
 TwitchCon, semi-annually once in different venues across Europe & once in the US

Asia-Pacific

Australia
 Arcanacon – Melbourne in January
 AVCon – Adelaide typically in July at various locations
 Melbourne International Games Week – Melbourne, October–November, various locations
 Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) Aus – Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in November
 RTX Australia – International Convention Center in January/February
 Supanova Pop Culture Expo – various dates and locations

Bahrain
 SaikoroWars – Paddock Halls, Bahrain International Circuit, irregularly

China
 ChinaJoy – Shanghai in July
 Penny Arcade Expo GC Play – Guangzhou, China in November

Iraq
 Ziggurat Con – Tallil Airbase, Iraq; premiere of this event and the first con in a combat zone

Japan
 Tokyo Game Show – Tokyo in September

New Zealand
 Armageddon – Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton and Christchurch
 Chimera – Auckland, in November
 KapCon – Wellington, in January
 Wellycon - Wellington, in June

Philippines
 Philippine Game Festival – Manila in October

Saudi Arabia
 Gamers' Day – Riyadh in September

South Korea
 G-Star – Busan in November

Europe

Czech Republic
 Game Developers Session - Prague in November

Denmark
 Fastaval – Århus during Easter
 Nordic Game Jam – Copenhagen in January - February

Finland
 Ropecon – Helsinki in late July
 Assembly - Helsinki in early August (Assembly Summer), and in early February (Assembly Winter)

France
 Festival Ludique International de Parthenay (FLIP) – Parthenay in July
 Paris Games Week (PGW) – Paris in November
 DreamHack – Centre international de congrès de Tours in May

Germany
 Gamescom – Köln in August
 Internationale Spieltage Spiel – Essen in October
 Nuremberg International Toy Fair – Nuremberg in February

Italy
 Lucca Comics & Games – Lucca in early November
 PLAY: The Games Festival – Modena in April
 Hellana Games - Agliana in April
 Romics - Rome in April and October

Ireland
 Games Fleadh – LIT Tipperary in late March
 Itzacon Eire – NUI Galway in early March
 Warpcon – University College Cork in late January

Norway
 The Gathering – Hamar during Easter

Poland
 Polcon – on the last weekend of August, location changes every year
 Pyrkon – Poznań in March

Portugal

Lisboa Games Week – in November, in Lisbon

Romania

East European Comic Con

Russia
 IgroMir – Moscow at the end of September
 Russian Game Developers Conference
 Comic-Con Russia

Sweden
 DreamHack – Jönköping & Skellefteå since 1994

Switzerland

 FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con in May, Basel

United Kingdom
 EGX – Birmingham, England & London, England
 Multiplay's Insomnia Gaming Festival – NEC Birmingham
 Northern Lights Pinball Show- annual hobby gaming convention held in Manchester, usually October/November
 UK Games Expo – annual hobby gaming convention held at the Hilton, NEC in May/June

North America

Canada
 Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo (Calgary Expo) – Calgary, Alberta in April
 CanGames – Ottawa, Ontario in May
 Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo – Toronto, Ontario in October
 FallCon – Calgary, Alberta in October
 Fan Expo Canada – Toronto, Ontario in August or September
 Hal-Con – Halifax, Nova Scotia in November
 Montreal International Games Summit (MIGS) – Montreal, Quebec in December
 Pure Speculation – Edmonton, Alberta in November
 VCON – Vancouver, British Columbia in October
 DreamHack – Montreal, Quebec in September

United States
Arranged by regional divisions used by the United States Census Bureau

North East

 Arisia – Boston, Massachusetts in January
 Carnagecon – Killington, Vermont in early November
 ConnectiCon – Hartford, Connecticut in July
 FlightSimCon – New England Air Museum, Windsor Locks, Connecticut in June
 Intercon – Chelmsford, Massachusetts in early March
 Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) East – Boston, Massachusetts in March or April
 PortConMaine – Portland, Maine in late June
 Vericon – Cambridge, Massachusetts in late March

Middle Atlantic
New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania
 DexCon – Morristown, New Jersey in July
 Genericon – Troy, New York in February/March
 Historicon – Lancaster, Pennsylvania in July
 I-CON – Long Island, New York at Stony Brook University in March/April
 IndieCade East – Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, New York in February
 Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) Unplugged – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in December
 PrinceCon – Princeton, New Jersey
 TooManyGames – Oaks, Pennsylvania in June
 World Boardgaming Championships – Seven Springs, Pennsylvania in late July

Midwest

East North Central
Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin
 Archon – Collinsville, Illinois in October
 ConCoction – Cleveland, Ohio in March
 Gary Con – Lake Geneva, Wisconsin in March
 Gen Con – Indianapolis, Indiana in July/August
 Marcon – Columbus, Ohio on Mother's Day weekend
 Marmalade Dog – Kalamazoo, Michigan in the first quarter
 Midwest Gaming Classic – Milwaukee, Wisconsin in April
 Origins Game Fair – Columbus, Ohio in late June
 Penguicon – Troy, Michigan in April
 Winter Fantasy – Fort Wayne, Indiana in January

West North Central
Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota
 DemiCon – Des Moines, Iowa, first weekend each May
 Gamicon – Iowa City, Iowa, in February

South Atlantic
Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia
 Dragon Con – Atlanta, Georgia on Labor Day weekend
 Historicon – Fredericksburg, Virginia in July
 MAGFest – National Harbor, Maryland, in January
 MegaCon – Orlando, Florida, in May
 MineCon – Orlando, Florida on the 2nd weekend of November (2013; other years may vary)
 MomoCon – Atlanta, Georgia in May
 PrezCon – Charlottesville, Virginia, President's Day weekend
 RavenCon – Richmond, Virginia, in April
 Stellarcon – High Point, North Carolina in March

East South Central
Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee
 Chattacon – Chattanooga, Tennessee at the end of January
 CoastCon – Biloxi, Mississippi in early March
 Games Workshop Games Day – Memphis, Tennessee, Tennessee in mid-summer
 Hypericon – Nashville, Tennessee in early summer
 Lexicon Gaming Convention – Lexington, Kentucky in April
 MidSouthCon – Memphis, Tennessee, in March
 MOBICON – Mobile, Alabama in May
 Yama-Con – Pigeon Forge, Tennessee in December

South West Central
Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas
 BGG.CON – Irving, Texas in late November
 Comicpalooza – Houston, Texas over Memorial Day weekend in late May
 Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) South – San Antonio, Texas in January
 QuakeCon – Dallas, Texas in early August
 RTX – Austin, Texas in early July
 SXSW – Austin, Texas in mid-March

West

Mountain
Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming
 Denver Comic Con – Denver, Colorado in June
 Game On Expo – Phoenix, Arizona in August
 Phoenix Fan Fusion – Phoenix, Arizona in June
 SaltCON – Layton, Utah in March

Pacific
Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington
 BlizzCon – Anaheim, California in the Autumn
 Dragonflight – Seattle, Washington, second weekend in August
 DunDraCon – San Ramon, California on Presidents' Day weekend in February
 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) – Los Angeles, California in June
 Game Developers Conference – San Francisco, California in March
 GameStorm – Portland, Oregon in March
 GameSoundCon – Los Angeles, California in the Fall
 Gamex – Los Angeles, California on Memorial Day weekend in May
 Gateway – Los Angeles, California on Labor Day weekend in September
 GaymerX – San Francisco, California
 IndieCade Festival – Los Angeles, California in early October
 Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show – Seattle, Washington in June
 Norwescon – Seattle, Washington in March/April (Easter weekend)
 OrcCon – Los Angeles, California on Presidents' Day weekend in February
 OryCon – Portland, Oregon in November
 Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) Dev – Seattle, Washington in August
 Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) West – Seattle, Washington on the last weekend in August or Labor Day Weekend
 RadCon – Pasco, Washington on Presidents' Day weekend in February
 SpoCon – Spokane, Washington in August

Latin America

Brazil
 Brasil Game Show (BGS) – São Paulo, São Paulo in October
 Gamercom – Florianópolis, Santa Catarina in July

Mexico
 Electronic Game Show – Mexico City in October

Defunct and on-hiatus conventions
These are notable conventions that have at one time existed, but have either gone on hiatus for more than one year, or have finished operating entirely.

 CONduit – Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
 E for All – Los Angeles, California, United States
 GottaCon – Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
 Trinoc*coN – Raleigh, North Carolina, United States

See also
List of anime conventions
List of comic book conventions
List of multigenre conventions
List of science fiction conventions
List of Worldcons

Notes

References

External links
Fancons.com
VideoGameCons.com


The 1998 Monte Carlo Open was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 92nd edition of the Monte Carlo Open, and was part of the ATP Masters Series of the 1998 ATP Tour. It took place at the Monte Carlo Country Club in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France, near Monte Carlo, Monaco, from 20 April through 26 April 1998.

Fourteenth-seeded Carlos Moyá won the singles title.

Finals

Singles

 Carlos Moyá defeated  Cédric Pioline, 6–3, 6–0, 7–5
It was Carlos Moyá's 1st title of the year, and his 4th overall. It was his 1st Masters title of the year, and overall.

Doubles

 Jacco Eltingh /  Paul Haarhuis defeated  Todd Woodbridge /  Mark Woodforde, 6–4, 6–2

References

External links

 ATP tournament profile
 ITF tournament edition details

Monte Carlo Open
Monte-Carlo Masters
1998 in Monégasque sport
Monte


The 1910 British Isles tour to South Africa was the eighth tour by a British Isles rugby union team and the fourth to South Africa. It is retrospectively classed as one of the British Lions tours, as the Lions naming convention was not adopted until 1950. As well as South Africa, the tour included a game in Bulawayo in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe.

Led by Ireland's Tommy Smyth and managed by Walter E. Rees and W Cail the tour took in 24 matches. Of the 24 games, 21 were against club or invitational teams and three were test matches against the South African national team. The British Isles team lost two and won one test match against the Springboks.

Seven players from Newport RFC were selected for the tour which was for a time the record for players selected from one club for a British Lions Tour.

The Lions jerseys switched from red to blue, with white shorts and red socks. This combination would remain until 1950.

Touring party

Managers: Walter E. Rees and William Cail

Notes

Results
Complete list of matches played by the British Isles in South Africa:

 Test matches

References

British Lions tour
British & Irish Lions tours of South Africa
British Lions Tour To South Africa, 1910
Rugby union tours of Zimbabwe
1909–10 in British rugby union
1910 in Irish sport


Universitetskaya Embankment () is a 1.2 km long embankment on the right bank of the Bolshaya Neva, on Vasilievsky Island in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Starting at the Spit of Vasilievsky Island, it spans between Palace Bridge and Blagoveshchensky Bridge.

The bank was lined with granite in 1805–1810 (eastern part), 1831–1834 (western part) and the 1850s (near Blagoveshchensky Bridge). It features an ensemble of Petrine Baroque buildings of the early 18th century, including the Kunstkamera, Twelve Collegia, Menshikov Palace, as well as the neoclassical building of the Academy of Arts.

The embankment was formerly connected to the left bank through Isaakiyevsky Pontone Bridge, constructed in 1819–1841 in front of Senate Square.

One of the campuses of Saint Petersburg State University (hosted in the Twelve Collegia and several other buildings), Saint Petersburg branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (hosted in the Kunstkamera) and Zoological Museum are all situated along the embankment.

The embankment was named after the university in 1887.

Sphinxes

A quay in front of the Imperial Academy of Arts building, adorned with two authentic sphinxes of Pharaoh Amenhotep III brought in 1832 from Thebes, Egypt, was designed by Konstantin Thon and built in 1832–1834.

Streets in Saint Petersburg
Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Saint Petersburg


Nietzsche and Philosophy () is a 1962 book about Friedrich Nietzsche by the philosopher Gilles Deleuze, in which the author treats Nietzsche as a systematically coherent philosopher, discussing concepts such as the will to power and the eternal return. Nietzsche and Philosophy is a celebrated and influential work. Its publication has been seen as a significant turning-point in French philosophy, which had previously given little consideration to Nietzsche as a serious philosopher.

Summary
Deleuze writes that the reception of Nietzsche's thought has involved two key issues, those of whether it helped to prepare the way for fascism, and whether it deserves to be considered philosophy. Deleuze, who compares Nietzsche to the philosopher Baruch Spinoza, considers Nietzsche as one of the greatest philosophers of the 19th century, crediting him with altering "both the theory and the practice of philosophy." Deleuze argues that Nietzsche's concepts, such as the will to power and the eternal return, have been generally misunderstood, the former as primarily concerning "wanting or seeking power", and the latter as "the return of a particular arrangement of things after all the other arrangements have been realised ... the return of the identical or the same". Deleuze notes that in Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1883), Nietzsche twice denies that "the eternal return is a circle which makes the same return." Deleuze also discusses the views of the philosophers Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Martin Heidegger, and subjects such as dialectic.

Publication history
Nietzsche and Philosophy was first published by Presses Universitaires de France in 1962. The book was published in the English translation of Hugh Tomlinson by the Athlone Press in 1983.

Reception
Nietzsche and Philosophy received a mixed review from the philosopher Richard Rorty in The Times Literary Supplement. Rorty noted that the book received "considerable acclaim", and suggested that Deleuze's Anti-Oedipus (1972), written with the psychoanalyst Félix Guattari, represented a continuation of the work. He contrasted Deleuze's interpretation of Nietzsche with that of Heidegger. Though he credited Deleuze with making "illuminating" observations on subjects such as the relation between Nietzsche's views and those of Hegel, he criticized his discussion of the will to power and suggested that he attempted to bestow a superficial plausibility on untenable aspects of Nietzsche's views. He also believed that there was a significant contrast between Nietzsche's views and those of Deleuze.

Ronald Bogue observed that Nietzsche and Philosophy marked a significant turning-point in French philosophy, which had previously given little consideration to Nietzsche as a serious philosopher. He credited Deleuze with being one of the first commentators to discuss the concepts of the will to power and the eternal return carefully, and wrote that he raised questions that became central to Nietzsche studies and to French post-structuralism. He added that many of the central themes of Deleuze's later work were first stated in Nietzsche and Philosophy. The philosophers Bernd Magnus and Kathleen Higgins compared Deleuze's view of Nietzsche to that of philosophers such as Jacques Derrida, Alexander Nehamas, and Rorty. Nehamas argued that Nietzsche has a "double relation" to the philosophical tradition, undermining it while being aware that he cannot completely reject it, maintaining that Deleuze's view that Nietzsche originated a radical mode of "nondialectical" thought attributes an unequivocal view to Nietzsche he could not have held. Daniel W. Smith described Nietzsche and Philosophy as "one of the most important and influential, as well as idiosyncratic, readings of Nietzsche to have appeared in Europe". He compared the book to studies of Nietzsche by both the essayist Pierre Klossowski and Heidegger.

The philosopher Stephen Houlgate rejected Deleuze's view of Hegelian dialectic as the ultimate denial of life, writing that Deleuze was misled by Nietzsche. Michael Tanner described Nietzsche and Philosophy as a celebrated work. He considered it "quite wild about Nietzsche, but interesting about Deleuze." The philosopher Hans Sluga identified Nietzsche and Philosophy as a possible influence on the philosopher Michel Foucault. He suggested that the work helped Foucault to discover Nietzsche as a "genealogical thinker, the philosopher of the will to power." The philosopher Christopher Norris wrote that Deleuze approached Nietzsche in a way "sharply at odds with the received exegetical wisdom", and that Nietzsche and Philosophy was an "expository tour de force". The philosopher Peter Dews wrote that Nietzsche and Philosophy was central to the post-structuralist texts of the decade that followed its publication, including Anti-Oedipus. Che-ming Yang described the book as a masterpiece, maintaining that it shows that the reading of Nietzsche is central to Deleuze's philosophical project. The philosopher Alan D. Schrift wrote that it "was a major factor in the development of interest in Nietzsche in France in the 1960s."

See also
 Immanent evaluation

References

Bibliography
Books

Journals

1962 non-fiction books
Books about Friedrich Nietzsche
French non-fiction books
Presses Universitaires de France books
Works by Gilles Deleuze


Tony Fitzpatrick may refer to:
 Tony Fitzpatrick (engineer) (1951–2003), British structural engineer
 Tony Fitzpatrick (footballer) (born 1956), Scottish football player and manager

See also
 Fitzpatrick (surname)
 Fitzpatrick (disambiguation)


Reference ranges for urine tests are described below:

See also
 Reference range
 Reference ranges for blood tests

References

Nephrology


The 1997 Monte Carlo Open was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 91st edition of the Monte Carlo Open, and was part of the ATP Super 9 of the 1997 ATP Tour. It took place at the Monte Carlo Country Club in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France, near Monte Carlo, Monaco, from 21 April through 27 April 1997.

Seventh-seeded Marcelo Ríos won the singles title.

Finals

Singles

 Marcelo Ríos defeated  Àlex Corretja, 6–4, 6–3, 6–3
It was Ríos' 1st singles title of the year, and his 5th overall. It was his 1st Masters title of the year, and overall.

Doubles

 Donald Johnson /  Francisco Montana defeated  Jacco Eltingh /  Paul Haarhuis, 7–6, 2–6, 7–6

References

External links

 ATP tournament profile
 ITF tournament edition details

1997
1997 in Monégasque sport
April 1997 sports events in Europe
1997 in French tennis


DQA may refer to:

 Data Quality Act, US
 Daqing Sartu Airport (IATA code), China
 Maldivian (airline) (ICAO code), the Maldives
 Island Aviation Services (ICAO code), the parent company; See List of airline codes
 Data Query Assistant, in Lotus DataLens


United States v. Crimmins, 123 F.2d 271 (2d Cir. 1941), was a case before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit about conspiracy to transport stolen securities in interstate commerce, 18 U.S.C. § 415 (1940 ed.). John D. Crimmins, a lawyer practicing in Syracuse, New York, was convicted for his part in a conspiracy in which he bought stolen securities from an accomplice who also lived in New York. Crimmins appealed on the grounds that he did not know the bonds had been transported across state lines.

Judge Learned Hand wrote the court's opinion. He reasoned that a jury may have found Crimmins guilty of the substantive offense of using interstate commerce in the commission of a crime because he knowingly bought stolen bonds even if he didn't know where they were from, but that "It is never permissible to enlarge the scope of the conspiracy itself by proving that some of the conspirators, unknown to the rest, have done what was beyond the reasonable intendment of the common understanding". According to Hand, people can only be charged for the actions of co-conspirators that were mutually agreed upon. He gave the analogy, "While one may, for instance, be guilty of running past a traffic light of whose existence one is ignorant, one cannot be guilty of conspiring to run past such a light, for one cannot agree to run past a light unless one supposes that there is a light to run past".

In United States v. Feola (1975), the Supreme Court rejected Hand's analogy, holding that conspiracy to assault a federal agent required no greater mens rea than the substantive crime of assault.

References

Further reading
 Stephen A. Saltzburg, et al. Criminal Law-Cases and Materials (2008, Third Ed.) Newark, NJ: LexisNexis. pp 752–53.

External links

United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit cases
1941 in United States case law
United States federal criminal case law
Mail and wire fraud case law
United States securities case law
History of Syracuse, New York


Michael Patrick Shiels is a radio personality and author from the US state of Michigan. He is the host of Michigan's Big Show Starring Michael Patrick Shiels, heard on twelve Michigan radio stations. He is also known for authoring books with Donald Trump, Larry King, Arthur Hills, and Ben Wright.

Media career

Writing
Shiels has written for newspapers and magazines on golf and travel. His articles have appeared in publications including the Los Angeles Times, Cigar Aficionado, Travel + Leisure, AAA Michigan Living, Singapore's SC Magazine, Bermuda Royal Gazette, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Automotive News, Traverse Magazine, Lake Magazine, Traverse City Record-Eagle, Booth Newspapers, The Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Heritage Newspapers, Sports Illustrated, Golf Magazine, and more.

Radio
Shiels was the long-time producer for Detroit's legendary radio host, J.P. McCarthy at WJR. He began hosting the Michigan Talk Network's morning show in 2005 until his departure from WJIM and MTN in February 2012. Just over two months later, Shiels returned to radio as host of "Michigan's Big Show Starring Michael Patrick Shiels", a production of Spotlight Media Marketing and Productions, which is owned by former WJIM Account Executive Suzanne Huard.

Since 2012, "Michigan's Big Show Starring Michael Patrick Shiels" has continued to grow, and now airs on twelve radio station signals throughout the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The program continues to make headlines with newsmaker interviews with Michigan politicians.

'MPS' won the "Network Radio Personality of the Year" award from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters in both 2007 and 2008.

Bibliography
Non-Fiction

External links
 Michigan's Big Show Starring Michael Patrick Shiels

References

American radio personalities
Living people
American travel writers
American male non-fiction writers
Golf writers and broadcasters
Sportswriters from Michigan
20th-century American non-fiction writers
Year of birth missing (living people)
20th-century American male writers
21st-century American non-fiction writers
21st-century American male writers
Writers from Michigan
Radio personalities from Michigan


Peter Drake Rocca (born July 27, 1957) is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder.

Rocca broke onto the international swimming scene winning two gold medals in the men's backstroke events (100-meter backstroke, 4×100-meter medley relay) at the 1975 Pan American Games in Mexico City.  Peter participated at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, where he claimed two silver medals in the men's backstroke events (100 and 200-meter), and a gold medal swimming in the preliminaries of the men's 4 x 100 Medley relay.  Rocca continued to swim after the Montreal Olympics—two years later he won the silver medal in the men's 100-meter backstroke event at the 1978 World Aquatics Championships in Berlin, Germany.  The next year, he again represented the United States at the 1979 Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, winning the 200-meter backstroke.  In 1980, Rocca qualified for the Olympic team in both the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke events and was elected team captain, only to have his culminating performances dashed by the United States-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.

Rocca competed for the California Golden Bears swimming and diving team while attending the University of California, Berkeley.  He was one of the top backstrokers in the world from 1975 through 1980, and competed in the eras of Roland Matthes and John Naber, finishing second to Naber in both backstroke events at the 1976 Olympics and beating Mathes in the 100-meter.  In college competition, Rocca led a resurgence of the Golden Bears men's swim program, captaining and winning individual and the team titles his senior year in 1979.  Additionally, he won seven USS titles; five individual and two relays.

At the age of 27, and after three years out of the water, Rocca made an Olympic comeback effort in 1984.  At the 1984 U.S. Olympic Trials, he fell short of qualifying for the 1984 U.S. team, finishing fourth in the 200-meter and third in the 100-meter backstroke races.

See also

 List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
 List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (men)
 World record progression 4 × 100 metres medley relay

References

1957 births
Living people
American male backstroke swimmers
California Golden Bears men's swimmers
World record setters in swimming
Olympic silver medalists for the United States in swimming
Sportspeople from Oakland, California
Swimmers at the 1975 Pan American Games
Swimmers at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Swimmers at the 1979 Pan American Games
World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming
Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming
Pan American Games medalists in swimming
Medalists at the 1975 Pan American Games
Medalists at the 1979 Pan American Games
20th-century American people
21st-century American people


Aleksei Kangaskolkka (born 29 October 1988) is a Finnish-Russian former footballer, who played as a forward.

Career
Kangaskolkka was born in Vyborg, USSR, where he grew up before moving to Finland with his mother and Ingrian Finnish stepfather at the age of eight. In 2004, he made his debut with MyPa in the Finnish top division Veikkausliiga at the young age of sixteen. In that same year he also went on trial with English club Manchester United. In his second year with IFK Mariehamn he had his most successful season yet when he became the second best goalscorer of the 2012 Veikkausliiga. After that Kangaskolkka felt that he wanted to try playing in another league and signed a one-year contract with Jönköpings Södra in the Swedish second tier. On 17 July 2013, he signed with Dutch side Heracles Almelo. In 2015, Kangaskolkka returned to Mariehamn. That year he won Finnish Cup. The next season he won Veikkausliiga, and in the 2017 season he became a top scorer of the league with 16 goals. At the end of the 2018 season, Kangaskolkka announced his retirement from professional football.

Personal life
Kangaskolkka has both Finnish and Russian citizenship and says that he feels equally Finnish and Russian. He speaks the Finnish language better and considers Tampere in Finland to be his home. But he also admits that he supports the Russia men's national ice hockey team when they play against the Finland men's national ice hockey team.

Career statistics

Honours
MyPa
 Veikkausliiga: 2005

IFK Mariehamn
 Veikkausliiga: 2016
 Finnish Cup: 2015

Individual
Veikkausliiga Team of the Year: 2017

References

External links

 Swedish FA Profile

 Voetbal International profile

Living people
1988 births
Men's association football forwards
Finnish men's footballers
Finland men's under-21 international footballers
Russian men's footballers
Russian people of Finnish descent
Finnish expatriate men's footballers
Veikkausliiga players
Myllykosken Pallo −47 players
Tampere United players
IFK Mariehamn players
Superettan players
Jönköpings Södra IF players
Eredivisie players
Heracles Almelo players
Expatriate men's footballers in Sweden
Russian-speaking Finns
Russian emigrants to Finland
Russian expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands
Russian expatriate sportspeople in Sweden
Russian expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands
Finnish expatriate sportspeople in Sweden
Finnish expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands
Sportspeople from Vyborg
Sportspeople from Tampere


Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a  74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, active during the French Directory, French Consulate and First French Empire. Renamed Marengo in 1802, she took part in Linois' operations in the Indian Ocean before her capture by the Royal Navy.

Career
Construction of Jean-Jacques Rousseau began in September 1794 at Toulon, and she was launched on 21 July 1795. In October 1796, under Captain Racord, she was part of the Villeneuve's squadron that sailed from Toulon to Brest.

On 2 December 1802, she was renamed to Marengo, reflecting the political change away from the Revolutionary Republic inspired by Jean-Jacques Rousseau towards the advent of General Bonaparte. On 6 March 1803, she departed Brest as the flagship of a squadron under Admiral Linois, set to take possession of Pondicherry, which the Treaty of Amiens had attributed to France. The squadron also comprised the frigates Belle Poule, Atalante and Sémillante, along with two troopships carrying 1350 soldiers under General Decaen.

From May 1803, tensions rose between France and England. Linois' squadron arrived at Pondicherry on 11 July, where the 64-gun  and the sloop  lay at anchor. British authorities delayed the transfer until the French brig Bélier arrived with news that the War of the Third Coalition was about to break out in Europe. Finding his squadron vulnerable to a surprise attack, Linois made a dramatic night escape to Isle de France.

War eventually broke out in September, and Linois reinforced French garrisons at La Réunion and Batavia, and then set out to prey upon British trade in the Indian Ocean. In October, after having sent Atalante to a mission to Muscat, he headed for the Dutch East Indies with Belle Poule and Sémillante, where he expected to find supplies. On his way, he raided the British settlement at Bengkulu, capturing two merchantmen; 5 others were scuttled by fire by their own crews to avoid capture. At Batavia, Linois found little support from the Dutch authorities.

In early 1804, Linois attempted to intercept a large convoy of Honourable East India Company (HEIC) East Indiamen, leading to the Battle of Pulo Aura.  The British commander, Commodore Dance, led a vigorous defence and Linois, feeling isolated away from supplies and repairs and unwilling to risk attrition, chose to withdraw. The news of Linois' failure further discredited him at Batavia, and the growing reluctance of the Dutch to provide support to his squadron forced him to return to Isle de France.

In August Linois was cruising in the Indian Ocean in Marengo, together with Atalante and Sémillante. On the 18th, near Desnoeufs Island they encountered and captured two British merchant men,  and . They had been on their way to Bombay when Linois's squadron captured them.

Linois described Charlotte as being copper-sheathed, of 650 tons and 16 guns. She was carrying a cargo of rice. Upton Castle he described as being copper-sheathed, of 627 tons, and 14 guns. She was carrying a cargo of wheat and other products from Bengal. He sent both his prizes into Isle de France (Mauritius).

In September, Linois attempted another raid against a merchant convoy, leading to the Battle of Vizagapatam. British Rear-Admiral Peter Rainier had replaced the small frigate  with the 50-gun . Although Centurion was not a match for Marengo, she skillfully used her lower draught to keep Marengo at bay in the shallow waters. There again Linois hesitated to commit his forces and withdrew after a four-hour exchange that left Marengo in need to six month worth of repairs.

On 11 July 1805 the East Indiaman  and the country ship  were off the Point de Galle when they encountered Marengo and Belle Poule. Marengo captured Brunswick and Belle Poule drove Sarah ashore. Marengo and Belle Poule arrived at the Cape of Good Hope on 13 September. By that time their prize, Brunswick had stranded at the Cape and been lost.

In March 1806, Linois set out to return to France with Marengo and Belle Poule, and prey upon British shipping between St. Helena and the Canary Islands on his way home. On 13 March, he detected a group of ship, and sailed in pursuit of what he believed to be a convoy; it was in fact the division of Vice-Admiral Sir John Warren, with seven ships of the line (including the 90-gun , the 74-gun  and , and the 80-gun ), two frigates (including the 36-gun ) and one corvette. In the ensuing Action of 13 March 1806, London engaged Marengo, which eventually struck her colours;  battled against Amazon and later against Ramilles, and had to surrender as well.

Fate
The British took Marengo into service as HMS Marengo. She was used as a prison hulk from 1809 until she was broken up in 1816.

Citations

References

 The Campaign of Trafalgar : 1803–1805. Robert Gardiner, ed. Chatham Publishing, 1997.
 C. Northcote Parkinson. Britannia Rules. Gloucester, 1987. Qu. By: The Campaign of Trafalgar: 1803–1805 ... p. 26
 The Victory of Seapower. Winning the Napoleonic War 1806–1814. Robert Gardiner, ed. Chatham Publishing, 1998. p. 28–29.

Ships of the line of the French Navy
Téméraire-class ships of the line
1795 ships
Captured ships
Jean-Jacques Rousseau


Sonia Rosa Chang-Díaz (born March 31, 1978) is an American politician who served in the Massachusetts Senate from the 2nd Suffolk district as a member of the Democratic Party. She was the first Hispanic woman elected to the state senate. She ran for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Massachusetts in the 2022 election.

Chang-Díaz was educated at the University of Virginia. She entered politics while serving as a legislature aide for Massachusetts Senator Cheryl Jacques and as a campaign manager for MassEquality. She attempted to win election to the state senate in the 2006 election as a write-in candidate in the Democratic primary, but lost to incumbent Senator Dianne Wilkerson, who was also running as a write-in candidate. She ran again in the 2008 election and defeated Wilkerson in the primary and general elections.

Early life

Sonia Chang-Díaz was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 31, 1978, to Franklin Chang-Díaz, a NASA astronaut. She graduated from the University of Virginia. She worked as one of Senator Cheryl Jacques' legislative aides and was a campaign manager for MassEquality.

Massachusetts Senate

Elections
Massachusetts Senator Dianne Wilkerson failed to file her nomination petition with enough valid signatures to appear on the ballot in the Democratic primary during the 2006 election, but announced that she would run a write-in campaign for the Democratic nomination. Chang-Díaz announced on June 18, 2006, that she would run as a write-in candidate in the primary. Wilkerson defeated Chang-Díaz in the initial primary, but a judge ordered a recount due to write-in votes not being counted in eight precincts. Secretary of State William F. Galvin started an investigation into Boston's handling of elections due to the error. Chang-Díaz turned in enough signatures for a recount of all ten wards. The final recount determined that Wilkerson had won by 767 votes which was more than the initial 141 votes. Wilkerson won reelection in the general election.

Chang-Díaz ran against Wilkerson in the 2008 Democratic primary and defeated Wilkerson. A recount was conducted and maintained Chang-Díaz's victory. Wilkerson launched a write-in campaign in the general election, but withdrew after she was arrested on charges of public corruption and Chang-Díaz defeated Wilkerson and independent candidate William Theodore Leonard in the general election. She was the first Hispanic woman elected to the Massachusetts Senate.

She won reelection without opposition in the 2010, 2012, 2016, 2018, and 2020 elections. She defeated Republican nominee David James Wyatt in the 2014 election.

Tenure

During Chang-Díaz's tenure in the Massachusetts Senate she served as the chair of the Education committee, vice-chair of the Senate Redistricting committee, and assistant vice-chair of the Ways and Means committee. She was speculated as a possible candidate for the 2013 Boston mayoral election, but did not run and instead endorsed Marty Walsh. She endorsed Donald Berwick for the Democratic nomination in the 2014 gubernatorial election. She endorsed Senator Ed Markey in the Democratic primary during the 2020 United States Senate election. During the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries Chang-Díaz endorsed Senator Elizabeth Warren.

Chang-Díaz announced on June 23, 2021, that she would seek the Democratic nomination in the 2022 gubernatorial election, but ended her campaign on June 23, 2022, although she remained on the ballot.

Political positions

Chang-Díaz was critical of legislation passed by the Massachusetts Senate which targeted the ability of undocumented immigrants to obtain services from the state including Medicaid and public housing. She opposed casinos stating that they were "a fancy way of putting a tax on the poor." Chang-Díaz supported raising the income tax to increase education funding.

She sponsored legislation to include transgender people in Massachusetts's anti-discrimination laws in 2011. She supported legislation which allowed people to use gendered-public places that matched their gender identity and gave protections against discrimination for transgender people.

Electoral history

References

External links

 Legislative website
 State House website
 Campaign website

1978 births
21st-century American politicians
21st-century American women politicians
American politicians of Costa Rican descent
American women of Chinese descent in politics
Asian-American people in Massachusetts politics
Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Massachusetts
Hispanic and Latino American women in politics
Living people
Democratic Party Massachusetts state senators
People from Jamaica Plain
University of Virginia alumni
Women state legislators in Massachusetts


MB, Mb or M. B. may refer to:

Businesses and organizations
 Mälarhöjden/Bredäng Hockey, a Swedish ice hockey club
 Media Blasters, an American multimedia entertainment  distributor
 Mediobanca, and Italian company with Borsa Italiana stock symbol MB
 Mercedes-Benz, a German brand of automobiles, buses, coaches and trucks
 Milton Bradley Company, a board-game and sometime video-game publisher
 Muslim Brotherhood, a pan-Islamic movement

People
 Lee Myung-bak (born 1941), former president of South Korea
 Maurizio Bianchi or MB (born 1955), Italian composer of industrial music
 Mario Balotelli (born 1990), Italian footballer
 Mahesh Babu (born 1975), an actor in Indian Telugu Cinema

Science and technology
 Megabyte (MB), a measure of information
 Megabit (Mb or Mbit), a measure of information
 MikroBitti (formerly MB), a Finnish computer magazine
 Mega base pairs, a unit of measurement in genetics
 Millibar, a unit of pressure
 Body wave magnitude (mb), a seismic scale
 Megabarn Mb and millibarn mb, units of cross-sectional area
 Millibel, a hundredth of a decibel (rarely used)
 Myoglobin, a compound in blood
 2-Methylbut-3-yn-2-ol, a reagent in organic synthesis
 Willys MB, the WWII-era Jeep

Other uses
 mb (digraph), a combination of letters used in spelling
 Manitoba, Canada
 Medal of Bravery (Canada), a military decoration
 Bachelor of Medicine, an academic degree ()
 Province of Monza and Brianza, Italy
 MusicBrainz, an online open data music database
 Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line, a subway service operated by the Tokyo Metro, labeled "M" on the main line, and "Mb" on the branch line.

Places
 Myrtle Beach, South Carolina


"Impossible" is a 2003 single by Edyta Górniak (known as “Edyta”) from the album Invisible.

Background

The single was released in Poland, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

"Impossible" is the first single from the album Invisible and the last after the scheduled release of the second single “The Story So Far” have been cancelled.

Chart performance

On February 2, 2003, "Impossible" debuted at number fifty-eight on the German Singles Chart, becoming Edyta's highest debut on the German Single Chart to date and her second entry in the German Chart after "One & One".

The song also debuted at number sixty-six in Austria on February 16, 2003, rising to number fifty, and at number sixty-four in Switzerland on March 2, 2003.

"Impossible" reached number thirty-five on Lista Przebojów Trójki of the public radio station Polskie Radio 3, the most popular unofficial Polish Singles Chart.

Live performances

Edyta performed "Impossible" in 2003 at the German edition of Top of the Pops on RTL, at the SWR3 Rheinland-Pfalz Open-Air in Mainz and at the Polish national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest as a show act.

Track listing

Single

 Impossible (Single Version)
 Impossible (Paradise City Club Mix)

Maxi single

 Impossible (Single Version) (4:15)
 Impossible (Paradise City Club Mix) (6:54)
 Impossible (Roy Malone King Mix - Edit) (3:34)
 Sleep with me (Album Version) (3:07)

Vinyl

A-Side

 Impossible (Paradise City Club Mix)
 Impossible (Milk & Sugar Dub Mix)

B-Side

 Impossible (Roy Malone King Mix)
 Impossible (Kelly Pitiuso Dub Mix)

Music video

At the beginning of the music video Edyta walks in white clothes through a dark hallway which is only illuminated by blinking lights and then she starts to dance, then she is sitting in black clothes on a white chair in front of a white background.

In the next scenes she dances in front of a white background alone or together with some guys, then also in front of the dark room with the blinking lights. Between this scenes Edyta is spinning also in the white chair.

In another scene Edyta is lying in the midst of colour changing LED-based lights. The video ends with a close-up view of Edyta singing into a microphone.

Versions
 Impossible (Album Version)
 Impossible (Single Version) (4:15)
 Impossible (Kelly Pitiuso Dub Mix) (6:11)
 Impossible (Milk & Sugar Remix)
 Impossible (Milk & Sugar Dub Mix) (7:27)
 Impossible (Paradise City Club Mix) (6:54)
 Impossible (Paradise City Radio Mix)
 Impossible (Roy Malone King Mix) (6:02)
 Impossible (Roy Malone King Mix - Edit) (3:34)
 Impossible (Roy Malone Remix / Single Version)
 Impossible (Roy Malone Club Mix - Edit)
 Impossible (Roy Malone Dub Mix - Edit)

Credits and personnel

 Text and music: Watkins, Wilson, Ackerman
 Producer: Absolute
 Mixed by: Jeremy Wheatley

 Photo: T. Drzewiński
 Recording company: Virgin Music (EMI Music Germany GmbH & Co. KG)
 Published by: 19 Entertainment, BMG Music, Chrysalis Music

Charts

References

External links

2003 singles
Songs written by Tracy Ackerman
Song recordings produced by Absolute (production team)
Songs written by Andy Watkins
Songs written by Paul Wilson (songwriter)
2002 songs
Virgin Records singles


Star Wars: The Old Republic is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) based in the Star Wars universe. Developed by BioWare Austin and a supplemental team at BioWare Edmonton, the game was announced on October 21, 2008. The video game was released for the Microsoft Windows platform on December 20, 2011 in North America and part of Europe. It was released in Oceania and Asia on March 1, 2012.

This story takes place in the Star Wars universe shortly after the establishment of a tenuous peace between the re-emergent Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic. The game features eight different classes. Each of the eight classes has a three act storyline that progresses as the character levels up. Players join either the Republic or the Sith, but players may possess a morality at any point along the light/dark spectrum. Different classes favor different styles of gameplay, and the game features extensive customization options, fully voiced dialogue, companion characters, and dialogue options similar to BioWare's other role-playing games.

Although not officially disclosed, based on estimates, it is one of the most developmentally expensive games made. The game had one million subscribers within three days of its launch, making it the world's "fastest-growing MMO ever", however, in the following months the game lost a fair share of its subscriptions, but has remained profitable. The game has since adopted the hybrid free-to-play business model with remaining subscription option. The game was met with positive reception upon release and has received several updates and expansion packs. Several books and comics based on the game have been released. It is estimated that the game made $139 million in additional revenues on top of the subscription income in 2013. In an earnings call to investors in October 2019, Electronic Arts announced that Star Wars: The Old Republic was closing in on a billion dollars in lifetime revenue, making it a financial success based on the reported $200 million development budget.

Plot
This story takes place in the Star Wars  fictional universe shortly after the establishment of a tenuous peace between the re-emergent Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic, 300 years after the events of the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic games, and more than 3,600 years before the events in the Star Wars films.

The Jedi are held responsible for the success of the Sith during the devastating 28-year-long Great Galactic War (which led to the Treaty of Coruscant prior to the "cold war"), and thus choose to relocate from Coruscant to Tython, where the Jedi Order had initially been founded, to seek guidance from the Force. The Sith control Korriban, where they have re-established a Sith Academy. The game's "Return" cinematic trailer depicts the events where Korriban is re-conquered by the Sith.

During these events, a smuggler named Nico Okarr is led to his prison cell in a jail orbiting Korriban by a Jedi, Satele Shan, and her master, Kao Cen Darach. Suddenly, a Sith named Darth Malgus, and his master Vindican, along with several Sith troops, attack the base. Satele, a trooper named Jace Malcom, and Okarr escape the attack, but Darach is cut down by Malgus. Malgus then kills Vindican, who was wounded by Darach.

Ten years later, new conflicts have arisen. In the "Hope" cinematic trailer, Satele and some troops destroy a Sith party that includes Malgus. Malcom, who has become the troop's commander, states that, despite the losses, there is still hope amongst even "a single spark of courage". Later in the "Deceived" cinematic trailer, however, Malgus, having appeared to survive the earlier attack albeit with a mask covering his nose and mouth, leads an army of Sith into the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, killing many Jedi including the Jedi Master Ven Zallow.

Master Satele Shan is named the new Jedi Grand Master. The game itself is set in the cold-war soon after these events, with the Jedi Order and Galactic Republic struggling to maintain their control of the core worlds while the Sith plot their downfall and the expansion of the Sith Empire. The conflict opens on many fronts and across many planets, while native factions are engaged in political struggles or civil war.

BioWare stated, prior to release, that the game would have a significant focus on the storyline. Each of the eight classes has a three act storyline that progresses as the character levels up. A collaborative effort between BioWare, Lucasfilm Games, EA and Dark Horse Comics has resulted in webcomics entitled Star Wars: The Old Republic – Threat of Peace and Star Wars: The Old Republic – Blood of the Empire, the purpose of which is to establish the backstory as the game opens and closes.

Gameplay
Players join as members of either of the two main factions – the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire. Although each faction is led by a benevolent or malevolent leader, it is emphasized that an individual member may possess a morality at any point along the light/dark spectrum. The project's key focus is to differentiate between the player's faction and morality. For instance, a member with ties to the Sith Empire following the lightside while attempting to achieve their own ends, which may be misaligned or different from a sith's vision.

Player advancement occurs by a combination of mission completion, exploration, and defeating enemies. New skills, unlocked by level, are taught by trainers and can be learned in game at a multitude of locations. Heroic missions exist that require the cooperation of multiple players to complete objectives, and can be repeated normally on a daily basis.

While each class in The Old Republic favors a certain play style (ranged/melee damage, healing or support skills, or tanking), customization combined with companion characters allow for a class to be able to tackle many different situations, with or without the support of other player characters, and without requiring specific other classes in order to move forward.

Players' choices permanently open or close storylines and affect players' non-player character (NPC) companions. It is intended that the game should provide more context for characters' missions than any previous MMORPG. Every character in the game, including the player character, features full voice dialog to enhance gameplay, and interactions feature a dialogue system similar to that used in the Mass Effect series. Players are able to choose from a variety of NPCs, although spending time with a single companion will help more in developing story and content than dividing time among several, and may even develop a love interest. It is possible for players to "blow it big time" if they fail to meet NPCs' expectations. Players also have access to several planets, including Korriban, Ord Mantell, Nal Hutta, Tython, Coruscant, Balmorra, Alderaan, Tatooine, Dromund Kaas, Taris, Belsavis, Voss, Hoth, Corellia, Ilum and Quesh, and the moon Nar Shaddaa. The planet Makeb was added in Patch 2.0, along with the Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion pack.

Every player receives their own starship, which was announced at Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010. Footage of space combat was released at Gamescom. The short clip provided by BioWare revealed that space combat would be a "tunnel shooter". A tunnel shooter, otherwise known as a scrolling shooter or rail shooter, is a flying game where the player is on a predetermined track. Game play includes moving right and left on the X axis and up and down on the Y axis; however, players do not have control of the speed of their space craft. Jake Neri, LucasArts Producer, told PC Gamer in their October 2010 issue that their goal was to "capture the most cinematic moments that we can create. We want players to get in and feel like they're in the movies. It's about highly cinematic, controlled combat moments ... very heroic, action-packed, exciting, visceral and dangerous encounters that'll make you pee your pants."  With the December 2013 release of the free expansion, Galactic Starfighter (GSF), players now have a free flight PVP space combat experience, with multiple ships and roles independent of other aspects of the game.

Like many other MMORPGs, the game features dungeons and raids in the form of Flashpoints and Operations respectively.

Species
A range of playable species are available for the player to choose from, some limited to their factions. Both sides can play Human, Cyborg (human-based), Twi'lek or Zabrak (whose appearances are initially different depending on which side the character is from). The Republic-only races are the Miraluka and Mirialan, while the Empire-only races are the Chiss, Rattataki and Sith Pureblood. Humans and Zabrak can pick any class available, while the other species are restricted to limited choices of classes by default.

More playable species are said to be available in the future through major updates and the Legacy system with the ability to use other classes' abilities through this system. The Cathar were added to the game during Patch 2.1, and is available to all players who unlock the species through the Cartel Market. The Togruta race was announced in January 2015 as a new playable race and released in the same year with patch 3.3. The Nautolan species was then added with the Onslaught expansion in late 2019.

The release of the expanded "Legacy" system in April 2012 allows for species to be able to play all classes (both Empire and Republic) by unlocking that species with an infusion of in-game money or by levelling a character of that race to level 50. Under this system, for example, a player may choose Chiss, which by default can only choose the non-Sith classes on the Empire side, as a new Sith character. Likewise, a Sith Pureblood, which by default can only choose the Force-powered classes, could choose to be a non-Force class. Along the same vein, both species, which are restricted to the Empire, could even choose the option of fighting for the Republic, including training as a Jedi. By the same method, unlocking the Zabrak species allows users to play both appearances regardless from which side the character is from.

Classes
Each faction contains different classes, each with a distinct backstory and a branching storyline affected by players' moral choices. Classes are exclusive to one faction or the other. However, the classes of one faction mirror the classes of the other (for example, Jedi Knight and Sith Warrior). Eight classes exist: the Bounty Hunter, Sith Warrior, Imperial Agent, and Sith Inquisitor for the Sith Empire; and the Trooper, Smuggler, Jedi Knight, and Jedi Consular for the Galactic Republic. Although each class has a distinct storyline, they are integrated with the game's overall arc.

Each class may also choose from two advanced classes, resulting in a total of 8 advanced classes per faction. Advanced classes share the same storyline as their base class. Lightsaber and blaster colors are not faction or class restricted, but some are restricted based on level and/or Lightside or Darkside alignment. For example, some lightsabers can only be bought if Light or Darkside aligned.

As of the Legacy of the Sith expansion, players are now allowed to separate their Class Story from their Advanced Classes, which are now called "Combat Styles". Players can now select any force-based combat style when playing force-based class stories, or any tech-based combat style when playing tech-based class stories. These combat styles are still locked to their respective factions; however, you can swap your combat style through the Dark vs. Light alignment system.

Ships

Each class has their own starship, which serves as the player's base of operations. Bounty Hunters have the D5-Mantis patrol craft. Sith Warriors and Sith Inquistors have the Fury. Imperial Agents have the X-70B Phantom. Smugglers have the XS Freighter. Troopers have the BT-7 Thunderclap. Jedi Knights and Jedi Consulars have the Defender. Certain pieces of these ships can be upgraded, allowing them to perform better in space combat missions.

Companions
The game features a passive form of crafting, known as Crew Skills, in which a player's companions carry out gathering and crafting tasks asynchronously to the player's adventures out in the world.  Each class gets five companions via their storyline. The player can assign up to five companions to perform up to 3 various skills. Crafting skills allow the player's companions to create items, and the player can reverse engineer many items to possibly learn to make a better version. The item is destroyed in the process, but the player gets some of the materials back. Gathering skills allow the player or their companions to gather resources out in the world. Mission skills allow the player's companions to perform acts on the player's behalf, gaining the player Light or Darkside influence and other rewards, such as medical items or companion gifts.

During E3 2011, a video was shown with gameplay footage of the Bounty Hunter, along with a Jawa companion named Blizz. The developers stated during the chat that only the Bounty Hunter would be able to get Blizz and that other classes would have unique companions as well, including some companions that are force users. It was also shown that companions would have a similar character screen as the players and can have gear just like a player character.

BioWare announced same-sex romance options with companions or other NPCs before release. The options were implemented for some non-companions in Rise of the Hutt Cartel, and expanded with Shadow of Revan. Options for some new companions were implemented in Knights of the Fallen Empire, and expanded for some new and original companions with Knights of the Eternal Empire up to marriage.

During patch 1.5, HK-51 was added for all classes on both Empire and Republic factions. He was the first companion added to every classes, and can be obtained through a questline. He is an assassin droid based on the popular HK-47 from the original Knights of the Old Republic series.

A female Ewok companion, Treek, was implemented in patch 2.3 and is available to all classes. This companion requires either a purchase from the Cartel Market or a 1,000,000 credit fee along with a Legacy Level of 40.

Lana Beniko, a soft-spoken Sith Lord known as "The Dark Advisor" who is seemingly serene and thoughtful in temperament, is a notable companion who first appears as part of Update 2.7 in April 2014 for Rise of the Hutt Cartel alongside the addition of Theron Shan. Her role in the overarching narrative of The Old Republic is expanded in subsequent expansion packs, starting with Shadow of Revan.

Subscription
The Old Republic required a monthly subscription to play, following a month of play included with the initial purchase. Options are available to pay for one month, two month, three month, or six month blocks, with discounted rates for multiple month blocks. Payment is by credit card or time card. The free-to-play version integrates most of the primary features in the game, but has several restrictions, such as credit limits and reduced leveling speed.

After launch, the game's subscribers rose to 1.7 million by February 2012. By May 2012, those numbers fell to 1.3 million. By July 2012, the subscriber base fell below 1 million, prompting EA to convert the game to free-to-play. EA stated that 500,000 subscribers were needed to make the game profitable saying that they were "well above" that number. By May 2013, subscriptions had fallen below 500,000 but at the time, stabilized there. On November 15, 2012, the free-to-play option went live on all servers. As of August 2014 the game has over one million monthly players.

Development
The Old Republic is BioWare's first entry into the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) market, and is the third Star Wars MMORPG after Star Wars Galaxies, which was shut down in December 2011, the same month SWTOR was released and Clone Wars Adventures, which was shut down in March 2014. The development saw the entirety of BioWare Austin working on the game. BioWare had long been interested in working on a MMORPG, but waited until they had "the right partners, the right team, and the right I.P." A major focus in the game is on developing characters' individual stories and, in October 2008, BioWare considered this game to have more story content than all of their other games combined. The writing team worked on the project longer than any of the game's other development teams. An October 2008 preview noted some of the 12 full-time writers had been working on The Old Republic for more than two years at that point. Although BioWare has not disclosed development costs, industry leaders and financial analysts have estimated it to be between $150 million and $200 million or more, making it, at the time, the most expensive video game made, though if marketing costs are included, it is eclipsed by Grand Theft Auto V, with an estimated cost of $265 million. The game had 1 million subscribers within three days of its launch, making it the world's "fastest-growing MMO ever". However, in the following months the game lost a fair share of its subscriptions, but has remained profitable. The game has since adopted the hybrid free-to-play business model with remaining subscription option. It is estimated that the game made $139 million in additional revenues, in addition to the subscription income, in 2013.

The game's first cinematic trailer, "Deceived", was shown at the Electronic Arts 2009 E3 Press Conference on June 1, 2009. A public live demo was shown for the first time at the Gamescom. On September 29, 2009, BioWare announced that they would be accepting applications for testers from the game community. Within minutes, the official website was down due to traffic, and BioWare announced shortly after that the site was being changed in order to accommodate the increase in visitors. A second cinematic trailer, "Hope", was released on June 14, 2010, that depicts another battle that happened before the game, the Battle of Alderaan. On June 6, a new trailer "Return" was released at E3 2011 depicting the initial Sith invasion force as it retakes its home world of Korriban. Game testing was officially announced to be underway on July 9, 2010, for testers from North American territories.

The Australasia release was delayed, to hold back digital and boxed copies to avoid any problems encountered during launch. However, BioWare revealed that the game would not be region or IP blocked, allowing players to purchase the game from other regions. Additionally, BioWare allowed Australian and New Zealand players to take part in the beta stages of the game. BioWare community manager Allison Berryman said "Data from this test will be used to inform decisions about the launch of the game in Oceanic regions".

On October 11, 2011, BioWare announced that Star Wars: The Old Republic would be released globally on December 20, 2011. However, this 'global' launch only included North America and a part of Europe, as the launch date had delayed for the Asia and Oceanic regions. On December 21, 2011, BioWare announced that an Australian and New Zealand release date had been set for March 1, 2012.

Early access to the game was granted one week before release, on December 13, 2011, for those who had pre-ordered the game online; access opened in "waves" based on pre-order date.

On January 18, 2012, the first content patch (1.1) was released, adding a new Flashpoint and adding four bosses to an existing Operation. Patch (1.2) was released on April 12, 2012. The update included the new Legacy system, a new Flashpoint, Operation, a PVP Warzone, as well as improved character textures and advanced options such as user interface customization. Guild banks and player character pets were introduced. A Weekend Pass Free Trial was made available for new players but has since closed. Patch 1.3 was released in June 2012. The game update featured a New Group Finder, the ability to augment every item, adaptable social gear, and the ability to request character transfer between servers. Subsequent patches have introduced a 'Cartel Market' where players can purchase virtual currency to spend on cosmetic items in-game. These items include armour sets, lightsaber colour crystals, mounts, pets and character-perk unlocks.

In January 2012, Star Wars: The Old Republic was officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the "Largest Entertainment Voice Over Project Ever", with over 200,000 lines of recorded dialogue. This feat is recorded in the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition book. On April 26, 2012, BioWare announced that the game was available in the Middle East and remaining European countries who were excluded from the original launch. On July 21, 2020, the game became available on Steam.

In June 2023, IGN reported that EA would be making a deal to move the ongoing development and operation of The Old Republic from BioWare to Broadsword Online Games, which maintains Ultima Online and Dark Age of Camelot, to allow BioWare to focus on the Mass Effect and Dragon Age franchises.

Expansion packs

Rise of the Hutt Cartel

In October 2012, BioWare announced The Old Republics first digital expansion pack, Rise of the Hutt Cartel,  in which the Hutt Cartel's attempts to challenge the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire for control of the galaxy. The level cap was raised to 55. The battle with the Hutts & leveling above 50 is centered on the planet Makeb, which hides a "powerful secret". Much like the main game, the campaign on Makeb is fully voiced.

Rise of the Hutt Cartel was released on April 14, 2013. Those who pre-ordered the expansion prior to January 7, 2013, were allowed early access on April 9. In late September, Rise of the Hutt Cartel became free after subscribing to the game.

Rise of the Hutt Cartel is now free to play for all players in Star Wars: The Old Republic.

In October 2013, BioWare announced its next expansion, which unlike its predecessor Rise of the Hutt Cartel did not include any story content, however, Galactic Starfighter introduced 12v12 space-based PvP combat on two maps, with 2 'capture-the-flag' combat missions. Three stock starfighters were made available - a scout, a strike fighter, and a gunship. More are accessible for Cartel Coins. Subscribers began their early access on December 3, 2013, with full subscriber awards if they maintained an active subscription on November 1. "Preferred access" players, those who do not have an active subscription but have purchased items via the Cartel Market, received their early access on January 14, 2014, with some rewards. Full access to all players with an account opened on February 4, 2014. A new 'deathmatch' game style was added with the update, as well as a new starfighter class, the bomber.

In January 2014, BioWare revealed plans for 2014 including two expansion packs, with one similar to Galactic Starfighter in scope and one more closely resembling Rise of the Hutt Cartel. The first is entitled Galactic Strongholds, introducing player housing and flagships for guilds. Subscribers received early access August 19, 2014, as well as access to the exclusive "Nar Shaddaa Sky Palace"; preferred access players received early access starting in September. Full access to all players with an account opened in October 2014.

On October 6, BioWare announced the second planned story expansion, entitled Shadow of Revan. The expansion is centered on the Order of Revan, formerly a fringe group that appeared early in Imperial missions, now a great army seeking to establish a new galactic order, led by the reborn Revan himself. The campaign raised the level cap to 60, and takes place on two new worlds: Rishi, a tropical pirate haven on the edge of the galaxy, and Yavin 4 (which first appeared in the original Star Wars film), home of an ancient Sith warrior sect called the Massassi. Shadow of Revan was available for preorder. Players who preordered before November 2, 2014, received an experience boost that granted twelve times multiplicative experience for class-related missions, seven days of early access, a grand statue of Revan for placement in strongholds, and a free edition of Rise of the Hutt Cartel (to give to another player). The expansion was released on December 9, 2014.

The expansion is now free to play for all players.

In June 2015, the third story expansion for the game, titled Knights of the Fallen Empire, was announced at EA's E3 2015 press conference. Knights of the Fallen Empire features a renewed focus on cinematic storytelling, as well as new planets, new companions, a dynamic story affected by player choices and a level cap of 65. A cinematic trailer, titled "Sacrifice", was released along with the initial announcement. The trailer, made by Blur Studio, received critical acclaim, and was awarded the "Best Trailer of E3" Award by IGN. The first nine chapters of Knights of the Fallen Empire were launched on October 27, 2015, with additional chapters starting in early 2016. Subscribers received one level 60 character token. After the release of Knights of the Fallen Empire, Rise of the Hutt Cartel and Shadow of Revan became free for those subscribing to the game, and access remains on the account if a subscription is canceled.

The release of Knights of the Fallen Empire depicts the story of "The Outlander" - the player character. The expansion introduced new companion characters available to all classes. One feature introduced with the expansion was the Alliance system. It entails recruiting allies, including some companions from other classes that formerly were restricted, from across the galaxy to join the fight against the Eternal Empire. Players were given the ability to strengthen their rebellion by providing resources to "Specialists" that oversee four areas of operation: Technology, Underworld Trade, Military and Force-Usage. Most of the early game content was heavily streamlined, allowing players to level up a character by completing solely story and class-specific missions if they so choose. A solo mode was also introduced for story-critical flashpoints. The new storyline, featuring primarily solo content, has 13 chapters.

In December 2016, Knights of the Eternal Throne was released as the fourth story expansion and sixth major update that coincided with the game's five-year anniversary. A cinematic trailer, titled "Betrayed", was released along with the initial announcement of the expansion. The expansion continued the story of the Outlander. Subscribers received one level 65 character token, with additional tokens available at the cartel store. The storyline has nine chapters of solo content and it raised the level cap to 70. The expansion focused on defeating Empress Vaylin and the Eternal Empire. During the expansion, developers released several key updates and patches that continued the story and added new activities.

In April 2019, it was announced on the official site that the next expansion, Onslaught, would be released in September 2019. The expansion was to follow the new story that was begun with Jedi Under Siege. In August, it was announced that the release date for Onslaught had been moved back from September 2019 to October 22, 2019. Onslaughts release timeline (nearly three years) was the largest gap between expansions and major game updates which typically occur annually. This expansion raised the level cap to 75.

In celebration of the game's ten-year anniversary, Legacy of the Sith was revealed as the eighth major expansion on July 2, 2021 in an official Twitch livestream. The expansion represents a continuation of the storyline from Onslaught, where the player pursues Darth Malgus across the galaxy to uncover his plans, while participating in a major battle on the ocean world of Manaan which has been invaded by the Sith Empire. The expansion raises the level cap to 80 and introduced revamped character creation, with expanded advanced classes where Force-user and Tech-user classes can utilize the other Force and Tech advanced classes and weapons and gain abilities based on light or dark alignment. The expansion was scheduled for release on December 14, 2021, free for subscribers, but its release date was postponed until February 15, 2022. A new  cinematic trailer, titled "Disorder", was released on the same day as the expansion.

Cinematic trailers
Bioware released six short films as cinematic trailers for The Old Republic and its expansion packs. Deceived was released on June 1, 2009 and shows the Sith attack on the Jedi Temple on Coruscant ten years prior to the game. Hope was released on June 14, 2010 and shows the Battle of Alderaan 24 years prior to the game. Return was released on June 6, 2011 and shows the attack on a Republic space station over the ancient Sith homeworld Korriban, that started the war, 38 years prior to the game. Sacrifice was released on June 14, 2015 and depicts the story of Arcann and Thexan, twin heirs of Valkorion, Emperor of the Eternal Empire. Betrayed was released on October 7, 2016 and depicts the story of Vaylin. Disorder was released on February 15, 2022 and shows the Jedi Denolm Orr and Sa'har Kateen as they try to retrieve the holocron of Darth Nul, the creator of the Children of the Emperor. The first five were later rereleased in 4K resolution.

Other media

Chronicle Books released The Art and Making of Star Wars: The Old Republic in November 2011, which chronicles the creation of the game and includes concept artwork and interviews from the development team. The book was written by former Star Wars Insider editor Frank Parisi and BioWare writing director Daniel Erickson. The book includes a foreword by Penny Arcade Mike "Gabe" Krahulik.

Leading up to game's release on December 20, BioWare released music tracks from the game each day which were not included with the soundtrack which came with the Collector's Edition of the game. The first track released was titled "The Mandalorian Blockade".

Razer released several peripherals based on the game to coincide with the launch date. The peripherals included custom made keyboards, mice, gaming headsets and mouse pads.

Between 2012 and 2014, LEGO released four sets based on the game, 9497 Republic Striker-class Starfighter, 9500 Sith Fury-class Interceptor, 75001 Republic Troopers vs. Sith Troopers and 75025 Jedi Defender-class Cruiser as part of its LEGO Star Wars theme.

Electronic Arts later brought two Sith characters from the game into its mobile free-to-play turn-based RPG, Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, the Sith Marauder and eventually Darth Malgus himself.

Reception

Star Wars: The Old Republic has received generally positive reviews from critics, with a score of 85 on Metacritic and an 84% on GameRankings. G4TV gave a review of 5/5 and praised the game for "Top notch music and voice acting" and "hundreds of hours of content". PC Gamer gave a 93/100, praising the story, voice acting, and the amount of content available. GameSpy gave a review of 4/5, praising the story lines and companion system but criticising the "standard kill and fetch" quests. GameSpot gave the game 8.0/10, saying "[The Old Republic] isn't the next step in online role-playing games. Instead, it's a highly entertaining refinement of what has come before it." GamesRadar gave the game 8/10 calling it "an extremely satisfying experience that sets the stage for a bright future". The game has received a 9.0/10 "Amazing" rating from IGN. 1Up.com gave the game a B and stated: "The Old Republic is far from perfect, but no game since World of Warcraft has offered a similar experience with such a wide appeal."

During Star Wars: The Old Republics launch week, long queue times were seen on some servers, with BioWare increasing population caps and adding more servers to attempt to resolve them. Some pre-order users discovered they had invalid registration codes. After release, at least one reviewer was less favorable as Eurogamer lowered their rating to a 4/10 from its initial high score.

MSNBC awarded Star Wars: The Old Republic as game of the year. In 2012, The AbleGamers Foundation awarded Star Wars: The Old Republic as their Mainstream Game for 2011 for being able to accommodate gamers with special needs. It praised the game's features which included many accessibility options, including full subtitles, queue-able actions, multiple action bars, area looting, auto looting, and built-in mouse sensitivity.

Portrayal of Vette
One character, a slave companion for the Sith Warrior named Vette, drew controversy. Writing for Kotaku, Mike Fahey, after playing the game, recalled players boasting of their torturing of Vette and her low affection rating for them. The Daily Mail cited Fahey's article as a source and published a story the following day alleging that the option to treat Vette decently was not popular or encouraged; the paper was criticized for its lack of evidence for its statements and its selective information, MCV writer Ben Parfitt and Jim Sterling from Destructoid both criticized the Daily Mail for the lack of evidence behind its sensationalist assertions. Andy Robinson of Computer and Video Games echoed the criticism of their lack of evidence, as well as noting their omission that female player characters are equally able to shock Vette and a hypocrisy displayed by the paper's other sexually-oriented articles. Religion Dispatches researched the matter, surveying 369 players to ask them how they acted. The survey's findings suggested that most players chose the good options and felt uncomfortable doing any evil ones. They suggested that the presence of characters like Vette influenced the player's actions, making them want to take choices that would gain Affection. However, it was noted that immoral choices in a game can inform better moral behavior within the game world.

References

External links

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games
2011 video games
Book series introduced in 2010
Active massively multiplayer online games
BioWare games
Free-to-play video games
LucasArts games
Science fiction massively multiplayer online role-playing games
Space opera video games
Old Republic
Video games developed in the United States
Video games scored by Jason Graves
Video games scored by Lennie Moore
Video games scored by Mark Griskey
Video games with expansion packs
Windows games
Windows-only games


Protection is any measure taken to guard a thing against damage caused by outside forces.

Protection, protected, protective, or protect may also refer to:

Places
Protection, Georgia, an unincorporated area
Protection, Kansas, a city
Protection, New York, a hamlet

Arts, entertainment, and media

Films
 Protected (film), a 1975 documentary film
Protection (1929 film), a 1929 film
Protection (2000 film), a 2000 film directed by Bruce Spangler
Protection (2001 film), a 2001 film directed by John Flynn

Music

Albums
Protection (Face to Face album) or the title song, 2016
Protection (Massive Attack album) or the title song (see below), 1994
 Protect: A Benefit for the National Association to Protect Children, a 2005 punk album

Songs
"Protection" (Donna Summer song), 1982
"Protection" (Graham Parker song), 1979
"Protection" (Massive Attack song), 1994
"Protection" (Allday song), 2019
"Protection", a 1977 song by Krokus from To You All
"Protection", a 2014 song by Lucinda Williams from Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone

Other uses
Protection racket
 Protect (political organization), an American political advocacy group, an American law
 Protect (Charity), a UK charity
 Protected (computer programming), an access specifier in many object-oriented programming languages
 Protection (poker), a poker bet with a strong but vulnerable hand
Protection, a slang term for condoms
 Protectionism, an economic policy advocated to shield a sector in a country's economy from foreign competitors
 PROTECT Act of 2003, U.S. law to prevent child abuse and violent crimes against children
 Protective Life, an American financial services company
 Protective Stadium, a sports venue under construction in Birmingham, Alabama sponsored by the above company

See also

 Defense (disambiguation)
 Preservation (disambiguation)
 Preserve (disambiguation)
 Project (disambiguation)
 Protector (disambiguation)
 Safety, condition of being protected from harm
 Security, freedom from or resilience against potential harm


Esporte Clube Pinheiros, abbreviated as E.C. Pinheiros, is the professional women's volleyball team from the multi-sports club from the same name, based in São Paulo, São Paulo (state), Brazil.

Current squad
Squad for the season 2018–2019

Notable players
Macris Carneiro
Ana Carolina da Silva
Arlene Xavier
Danielle Lins
Fernanda Ferreira
Fernanda Garay
Léia Silva
Tandara Caixeta
Rosamaria Montibeller

References

External links
Pinheiros Official Page

Volleyball
Volleyball clubs in São Paulo (state)
Volleyball clubs in Brazil


The 2000 Paris Masters was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 28th edition of the Paris Masters, and was part of the ATP Masters Series of the 2000 ATP Tour. It took place at the Palais omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris, France, from 13 November through 20 November 2000. Second-seeded Marat Safin won the singles title.

Finals

Singles

 Marat Safin defeated  Mark Philippoussis 3–6, 7–6(9–7), 6–4, 3–6, 7–6(10–8)
 It was  Safin's 7th singles title of the year and the 8th of his career. It was his 2nd Masters Series title of the year, and overall.

Doubles

 Nicklas Kulti /  Max Mirnyi defeated  Paul Haarhuis /  Daniel Nestor 6–4, 7–5

References

External links
 Official website
 ATP tournament profile

Paris Masters
Paris Masters
Paris Masters
Paris Masters