Ed "Too Tall" Jones
Ed Lee Jones known as Ed "Too Tall" Jones, is a retired American football player who played 15 seasons in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. In 1979, he left football to attempt a career in professional boxing. Jones was born in Tennessee, he attended Jackson Central Merry High School where he played basketball. He only played three football games, because his high school did not support the sport until his senior year, his basketball skills earned him All-America honors and scholarship offers from several Division I programs. He had offers from Major League Baseball teams to play first base in their farm systems; as a senior, he fought a Golden Gloves boxing match, recording a knockout of his opponent in less than a minute. He stopped shortly after that, when his basketball coach read an article about the fight, made him choose between basketball and boxing, he signed with Tennessee State University to play basketball, but left the team after two seasons, to concentrate on playing football under head coach John Merritt.
The 6 ft 9 in Jones received his famous nickname during his first football practice, after a teammate mentioned that his pants didn't fit, because he was “too tall to play football". In his new sport, he became a two-time All-American defensive lineman, playing on a team that only lost 2 games, en route to winning the black college football national championship in 1971 and 1973. Jones ranks third in school history in sacks in a fifth in career sacks. In 1999, he was voted to the 50th Anniversary Senior Bowl All-Time Team. In the 1974 NFL Draft, for the first time in their history, the Dallas Cowboys had the first overall draft choice; the No. 1 selection was acquired from the Houston Oilers in exchange for Billy Parks. The Cowboys ended up drafting Jones, making him the first football player from a black college to go that high in the NFL draft, he became a starter at left defensive end during his second season in 1975 and by 1977 he had helped the Cowboys win Super Bowl XII. After playing five years for the Cowboys from 1974 through 1978, Jones at 28 years old and in the prime of his athletic career, left football to attempt a professional boxing career.
A former Golden Gloves fighter in Tennessee, Jones would fight six professional bouts as a heavyweight, with a perfect 6–0 record and five knockouts. Due to his high profile as a football player, all of Jones' fights were televised nationally, by CBS, his pro boxing debut, held in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on November 3, 1979, was controversial. Despite giving away over fifty pounds, opponent Abraham Yaqui Meneses dropped Jones with a left hook in the sixth and final round hit him again when Jones was down. Jones' cornerman entered the ring and attempted to revive his fighter with an ammonia bottle. Referee Buddy Basilico reasoned that since both fighters had broken the rules, he would punish neither of them, let the fight go on. Jones survived the round and was awarded a narrow majority decision, causing the pro-Meneses crowd to boo loudly; the Meneses bout was the only one of Jones' fights. But his other five opponents were journeymen at best, with the arguable exception of Mexican heavyweight champ Fernando Montes, whom Jones knocked out in just 44 seconds on November 24, 1979.
After his last ring appearance on January 26, 1980, Jones announced he would return to play for the Dallas Cowboys. In a 2016 interview, Jones called boxing his favorite sport and said that fighting "was the best decision made," because his boxing training regimen made him a better football player, he returned to play for the 1980 season, replacing John Dutton at defensive end and performing better than his first stint with the team. Jones earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors three times from 1981 to 1983, he retired at the end of the 1989 season, having never missed a game, playing the most games by any Cowboys player and being tied with Mark Tuinei and Bill Bates for most seasons. Jones was one of the most dominant defensive players of his era, playing in 16 playoff games and three Super Bowls, he was part of the Super Bowl XII champion. His success batting down passes convinced the NFL to keep track of it as an official stat; the NFL didn't start recognizing quarterback sacks as an official stat until 1982.
According to the Cowboys' stats, Jones is unofficially credited with a total of 106 quarterback sacks and with 57.5. He is the fifth leading tackler in franchise history with 1,032. In 1985, he achieved a career high of 13 sacks. Jones was a guest referee at the World Wrestling Federation's WrestleMania 2 pay-per-view in 1986, he refereed from outside of the ring during the 20-man battle royale which included American football stars of the day. Jones starred in a GEICO commercial that aired in late 2009; the commercial rhetorically asks if Jones is indeed "too tall," confirms it by showing a nurse attempting to measure his height, but breaking the medical scale's height rod when it doesn't reach high enough. The nurse mutters, "I'm just going to guesstimate." Official website Professional boxing record for Ed Jones from BoxRec
State Farm
State Farm is a large group of insurance and financial services companies throughout the United States with corporate headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois. The group's main business is State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, a mutual insurance firm that owns the other State Farm companies. State Farm is ranked No. 36 on the 2018 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue. State Farm is the largest casualty insurance provider in the United States, it is the largest auto insurance provider in the United States. State Farm is ranked 33rd in the 2017 Fortune 500. State Farm relies on exclusive agents to sell insurance. Only State Farm agents can sell State Farm insurance, their agents can sell only State Farm products. State Farm's top automobile insurance competitors, based on premium written, include Farmers Insurance, Progressive, GEICO, Zurich Financial Services, Reliance Partners, Nationwide, USAA, Liberty Mutual, American International Group, American Family Insurance Group.
State Farm has expanded into the financial services arena, such as mutual funds. The bank opened in May 1999 and is operated by State Farm Financial Services, FSB, a subsidiary of State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co; these are separate from its insurance products. State Farm Bank does not have branch offices, its regular banking services, which include checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, money market accounts, are available to consumers countrywide via the Internet or over the phone, through agents. Home mortgages are available countrywide through agents. In the 1950s, State Farm held a contest among the agents, to come up with ideas to expand the State Farm business. Robert H. Kent, a State Farm agent in Chicago, came up with the idea of providing auto loans to existing policyholders. Robert H. Kent was friends with a local bank president at LaSalle NW, the two teamed up to pilot the auto finance program. State Farm liked the idea so much. Robert H. Kent received royalties on the program for 20 years.
This event created the first marketing partnership between insurance banks. State Farm was founded in 1922 by retired farmer George J. Mecherle as a mutual automobile insurance company owned by its policyholders; the firm specialized in auto insurance for farmers and expanded services into other types of insurance, such as homeowners and life insurance, to banking and financial services. The State Farm jingle was written by American songwriter Barry Manilow in 1971. A cover was released by Weezer in 2011. State Farm's first commercial jingle was created for The Jack Benny Program in the 1960s; as of December 2017, State Farm had 19,000 agents. February 2014 figures show the group servicing 80 million policies in the United States and Canada, of which over 44,000,000 are for automobiles, 27,000,000 are for fire, 7,000,000 for life, more than 2 million bank accounts. Michael Tipsord is Chairman and CEO of State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, president and chief executive officer of State Farm Fire and Casualty Company, State Farm Life Insurance Company, other principal State Farm affiliates.
In 2014, the company sold its operations in Canada to Desjardins Group, continuing to use the State Farm name. Canadian policies were transferred to be underwritten by Desjardins Group on January 1, 2015; the State Farm brand continued to be used for agents and marketing until 2018. In 2018, State Farm Canada was rebranded to Desjardins Insurance through Desjardins Insurance Agents; the whole transition will be completed by December 31 in 2019. The State Farm interlocked red tri-oval logo was created in the mid-to-late 1940s and updated in 1953. For nearly 60 years, this design was critical to its brand image. On December 23, 2011, State Farm decided to transform its interlocked tri-oval logo to a contemporary logo to showcase the company’s core service offerings of auto and life; the new logo was introduced January 2012, in celebration of the company's 90th anniversary. It consists of a simple three-oval design adjacent to the State Farm wordmark. According to Pam El, Marketing Vice President at State Farm, a change in image was needed to employ a bolder presence that could compete in today’s digital world.
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent company of several wholly owned State Farm subsidiaries: State Farm Fire and Casualty Company State Farm Life Insurance Company State Farm Life and Accident Assurance Company State Farm County Mutual Insurance Company of Texas State Farm Mutual Insurance Company of Texas State Farm Indemnity Company / State Farm Guaranty Insurance Company State Farm General Insurance Company State Farm Florida Insurance Company Dover Bay Specialty Insurance Company State Farm Lloyds State Farm Bank, F. S. B. State Farm Investment Management Corp. State Farm VP Management Corp. State Farm International Service, Inc. State Farm Associate's Funds Trust State Farm Mutual Fund Trust SF Insurance Placement Corporation of Canada Insurance Placement Services, Inc. State Farm International Life Insurance Company Ltd. Plaza One Realty Co. State Farm Guaranty Insurance Company State Farm Variable Product Trust Amberjack Ltd. State Farm Insurance of Canada - Based in Aurora, Ontario was transferred to Desjardins Insurance in 2015 and completed by 2019.
State Farm Finance Corporation Canada and State Farm Investor Services Canada Co. will merge into Desjardins as we
Jake Wood
Jake Dylan Wood is an English actor, best known for his roles as Max Branning in EastEnders, as Rodney Trotter's assistant in Only Fools and Horses, as Kill Crazy in Red Dwarf. In the United States, he is known as the voice of the GEICO gecko. Wood was born in London to an English father and a French mother, he trained as an actor at the Anna Scher Drama School in North London. His first acting role was in the 1984 television series The Gentle Touch, he has since appeared in several television series including May to December, Only Fools and Horses, Murder in Mind, Press Gang, London's Burning, Sean's Show, Inspector Morse, One Foot in the Grave, Red Dwarf, A Touch of Frost, The Bill, Le Café des Rêves, Sea of Souls Doc Martin, The Thin Blue Line and has appeared in the films Vera Drake, The Aryan Couple, The Illusionist opposite Edward Norton, Dad Savage with Patrick Stewart. Wood starred in the 1989 Yellow Pages TV Advert, entitled "Party Party" and, until 2015, was the voice of the GEICO gecko advertisements on American television.
Wood featured alongside Cobent CTO and ex-Metal Hammer journalist Tony Dillon as part of a team presenting Click, a computer games magazine on VHS video in the early 1990s. Wood played the eldest son, Dougie, in sitcom family The Wilsons. In June 2006, he joined. In March 2008, he took paternity leave and re-appeared on screen on 23 June 2008. For his work in EastEnders, he has won awards at the British Soap Inside Soap Awards. In 1989, Wood appeared in Only Fools and Horses as an assistant for Rodney Trotter, in the episode The Jolly Boys' Outing. In the 8th series of Red Dwarf he played a prison inmate. Wood took part in the 12th series of Strictly Come Dancing, he was partnered with Janette Manrara. In May 2015, Wood announced. Wood said "I have been at EastEnders for nine years and I feel the time is right to give Max a break, it won't be for too long as I shall be back next year to see Max face another chapter of drama."In January 2018, Wood started hosting a new boxing podcast, Pound for Pound, with Spencer Oliver.
Wood took part in the 2007 Great North Run. He lives with his wife, whom he married in 2001, their two children and Amber. In January 2019 it was announced that he would be running the London Marathon with some of his EastEnders co-stars for a Dementia campaign in honour of Barbara Windsor. Jake Wood on IMDb Jake Wood on Twitter
Motor vehicle
A motor vehicle known as motorized vehicle or automotive vehicle, is a self-propelled vehicle wheeled, that does not operate on rails and is used for the transportation of people or cargo. The vehicle propulsion is provided by an engine or motor an internal combustion engine or an electric motor, or some combination of the two, such as hybrid electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. For legal purposes, motor vehicles are identified within a number of vehicle classes including cars, motorcycles, off-road vehicles, light trucks and regular trucks; these classifications vary according to the legal codes of each country. ISO 3833:1977 is the standard for road vehicle types and definitions. To avoid requiring handicapped persons from having to possess an operator's license to use one, or requiring tags and insurance, powered wheelchairs will be excluded by law from being considered motor vehicles; as of 2010, there were more than one billion motor vehicles in use in the world, excluding off-road vehicles and heavy construction equipment.
Global vehicle ownership per capita in 2010 was 148 vehicles in operation per 1000 people. China has the largest motor vehicle fleet in the world, with 322 million motor vehicles registered at the end of September 2018; the United States has the highest vehicle ownership per capita in the world, with 832 vehicles in operation per 1000 people in 2016. China became the world's largest new car market in 2009. In 2011, a total of 80 million cars and commercial vehicles were built, led by China, with 18.4 million motor vehicles manufactured. The US publisher Ward's estimates that as of 2010, there were 1.015 billion motor vehicles in use in the world. This figure represents the number of cars and buses, but does not include off-road vehicles or heavy construction equipment; the world vehicle population passed the 500 million-unit mark in 1986, from 250 million motor vehicles in 1970. Between 1950 and 1970, the vehicle population doubled every 10 years. Two US researchers estimate that the world's fleet will reach 2 billion motor vehicles by 2020, with cars representing at least 50% of all vehicles.
China’s and India’s automobile fleets are expected to grow at an annual rate of around 7 or 8%, while the slowest growth is expected in the United States, with less than 1% a year, Western Europe, with 1 to 2%. Navigant Consulting forecasts that the global stock of light-duty motor vehicles will reach 2 billion units in 2035. Global vehicle ownership in 2010 was 148 vehicles in operation per 1000 people, a ratio of 1:6.75 vehicles to people down from 150 vehicles per 1000 people in 2009, a rate of 1:6.63 vehicles to people. The global rate of motorization increased in 2013 to 174 vehicles per 1000 people. In developing countries vehicle ownership rates exceed 200 cars per 1,000 population; the following table summarizes the evolution of vehicle registrations in the world from 1960 to 2012: The 27 European Union member countries had a fleet of over 256 million in 2008, passenger cars accounted for 87% of the union's fleet. The five largest markets, Italy, the UK, Spain, accounted for 68% of the region's total registered fleet in 2008.
The EU-27 member countries had in 2009 an estimated ownership rate of 473 passenger cars per 1000 people. According to Ward's, Italy had the second highest vehicle ownership per capita in 2010, with 690 vehicles per 1000 people. Germany had a rate of motorization of 534 vehicles per 1000 people and the UK of 525 vehicles per 1000 people, both in 2008. France had a rate of 575 vehicles per 1000 people and Spain 608 vehicles per 1000 people in 2007. Portugal, between 1991 and 2002 grew up 220% on its motorization rate, having had in 2002, 560 cars per 1000 people. Italy leads in alternative fuel vehicles, with a fleet of 779,090 natural gas vehicles as of June 2012, the largest NGV fleet in Europe. Sweden, with 225,000 flexible-fuel vehicles, has the largest flexifuel fleet in Europe by mid-2011. More than one million plug-in electric passenger cars and vans have been registered in Europe by June 2018, the world's second largest regional plug-in stock after China. Norway is the leading plug-in market with over 296,00 units registered as of December 2018.
In October 2018, Norway became the world's first country where 10% of all passenger cars on the road are plug-in electrics. The Norwegian plug-in car segment market share has been the highest in the world for several years, achieving 39.2% in 2017, 49.1% in 2018. The United States has the second largest fleet of motor vehicles in the world after China; as of 2016, had a motor vehicles stock of 259.14 million, of which, 246 million were light duty vehicles, consisting of 112.96 million passenger cars and 133 million light trucks. A total of 11.5 million heavy trucks were registered at the end 2016 Vehicle ownership per capita in the U. S. is the highest in the world, the U. S. Department of Energy reports a motorization rate of 831.9 vehicles in operation per 1000 people in 2016, or a ratio of 1:1.2 vehicles to people. According to USDoE, the rate of motorization peaked in 2007 at 844.5 vehicles per 1000 people. In terms of licensed drivers, as of 2009 the country had 1.0 vehicle for every licensed driver, 1.87 vehicles per household.
Passenger car registrations in the United States declined -11.5% in 2017 and -12.8% in 2018. As of 2016, the stock of alternative fuel vehicles in the United States included over 20 million flex-fuel cars and light trucks, the world's second largest flexible-fuel fleet in the world after Brazil. However, actual use of ethanol fuel is limited due to the lac
Gold dust day gecko
The gold dust day gecko is a diurnal species of gecko. It lives in northern Madagascar, on the island of Comoros, it inhabits various kinds of trees and houses. The gold dust day gecko feeds on insects and nectar, it is known as the mascot of GEICO. One subspecies is recognized: Phelsuma laticauda angularis; this lizard belongs to the smaller day geckos, can reach a total length of about 15–22 cm. The body colour is a bright green or yellowish green or even blue. Typical for this day gecko are the yellow speckles on the upper back. There are three rust-coloured transverse bars on the head. On the lower back there are three tapering red bars; the tail is flattened. The under side is off-white; these day geckos feed on various insects and other invertebrates, are capable of eating other smaller lizards. They eat soft, sweet fruit and pollen and nectar from flowers congregating in groups of many individuals to feed off of one plant; the males of this species can be quite quarrelsome. They do not accept other males in their territory.
In captivity, where the females cannot escape, the males may seriously wound a female. The females lay up to 5 pairs of eggs. At a temperature of 28 °C, the young will hatch after 40–45 days; the juveniles measure 55–60 mm. They should be kept separately since the juveniles can be quite quarrelsome. Sexual maturity is reached after 10–12 months; these animals should need a large, well-planted terrarium. The temperature should drop to around 20 °C at night; the humidity should be maintained between 65 and 75%. In captivity, these animals can be fed with crickets, fruit flies, maggots and houseflies, they will eat fruits such as mango and so will accept commercially available fruit mixes like Repashy fruit mix or Pangea. Christenson and Greg. Day Geckos In Captivity. Ada, Oklahoma: Living Art Publishing. P. 194. ISBN 0-9638130-2-1. Henkel, F.-W.. Amphibien und Reptilien Madagaskars, der Maskarenen, Seychellen und Komoren. Stuttgart: Ulmer. ISBN 3-8001-7323-9. McKeown, Sean; the general care and maintenance of day geckos.
Lakeside, CA: Advanced Vivarium Systems
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state in the Southeastern United States. It began as a British colony in 1733, the last and southernmost of the original Thirteen Colonies to be established. Named after King George II of Great Britain, the Province of Georgia covered the area from South Carolina south to Spanish Florida and west to French Louisiana at the Mississippi River. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788. In 1802–1804, western Georgia was split to the Mississippi Territory, which split to form Alabama with part of former West Florida in 1819. Georgia declared its secession from the Union on January 19, 1861, was one of the original seven Confederate states, it was the last state to be restored to the Union, on July 15, 1870. Georgia is the 8th most populous of the 50 United States. From 2007 to 2008, 14 of Georgia's counties ranked among the nation's 100 fastest-growing, second only to Texas. Georgia is known as the Empire State of the South. Atlanta, the state's capital and most populous city, has been named a global city.
Atlanta's metropolitan area contains about 55% of the population of the entire state. Georgia is bordered to the north by Tennessee and North Carolina, to the northeast by South Carolina, to the southeast by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by Florida, to the west by Alabama; the state's northernmost part is in the Blue Ridge Mountains, part of the Appalachian Mountains system. The Piedmont extends through the central part of the state from the foothills of the Blue Ridge to the Fall Line, where the rivers cascade down in elevation to the coastal plain of the state's southern part. Georgia's highest point is Brasstown Bald at 4,784 feet above sea level. Of the states east of the Mississippi River, Georgia is the largest in land area. Before settlement by Europeans, Georgia was inhabited by the mound building cultures; the British colony of Georgia was founded by James Oglethorpe on February 12, 1733. The colony was administered by the Trustees for the Establishment of the Colony of Georgia in America under a charter issued by King George II.
The Trustees implemented an elaborate plan for the colony's settlement, known as the Oglethorpe Plan, which envisioned an agrarian society of yeoman farmers and prohibited slavery. The colony was invaded by the Spanish during the War of Jenkins' Ear. In 1752, after the government failed to renew subsidies that had helped support the colony, the Trustees turned over control to the crown. Georgia became a crown colony, with a governor appointed by the king; the Province of Georgia was one of the Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution by signing the 1776 Declaration of Independence. The State of Georgia's first constitution was ratified in February 1777. Georgia was the 10th state to ratify the Articles of Confederation on July 24, 1778, was the 4th state to ratify the United States Constitution on January 2, 1788. In 1829, gold was discovered in the North Georgia mountains leading to the Georgia Gold Rush and establishment of a federal mint in Dahlonega, which continued in operation until 1861.
The resulting influx of white settlers put pressure on the government to take land from the Cherokee Nation. In 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, sending many eastern Native American nations to reservations in present-day Oklahoma, including all of Georgia's tribes. Despite the Supreme Court's ruling in Worcester v. Georgia that U. S. states were not permitted to redraw Indian boundaries, President Jackson and the state of Georgia ignored the ruling. In 1838, his successor, Martin Van Buren, dispatched federal troops to gather the tribes and deport them west of the Mississippi; this forced relocation, known as the Trail of Tears, led to the death of over 4,000 Cherokees. In early 1861, Georgia became a major theater of the Civil War. Major battles took place at Chickamauga, Kennesaw Mountain, Atlanta. In December 1864, a large swath of the state from Atlanta to Savannah was destroyed during General William Tecumseh Sherman's March to the Sea. 18,253 Georgian soldiers died in service one of every five who served.
In 1870, following the Reconstruction Era, Georgia became the last Confederate state to be restored to the Union. With white Democrats having regained power in the state legislature, they passed a poll tax in 1877, which disenfranchised many poor blacks and whites, preventing them from registering. In 1908, the state established a white primary, they constituted 46.7% of the state's population in 1900, but the proportion of Georgia's population, African American dropped thereafter to 28% due to tens of thousands leaving the state during the Great Migration. According to the Equal Justice Institute's 2015 report on lynching in the United States, Georgia had 531 deaths, the second-highest total of these extralegal executions of any state in the South; the overwhelming number of victims were male. Political disfranchisement persisted through the mid-1960s, until after Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. An Atlanta-born Baptist minister, part of the educated middle class that had developed in Atlanta's African-American community, Martin Luther King, Jr. emerged as a national leader in the civil rights movement.
King joining with others to form the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Atlanta in 1957 to provide political leadership for the Civil Rights Movement across the South. By the 1960s, the proportion of
