1.
Seth Rogen
–
Seth Aaron Rogen is a Canadian-American actor, filmmaker, and comedian. He began his career performing stand-up comedy during his teenage years, while still living in his native Vancouver, he landed a supporting role in the series Freaks and Geeks. Shortly after he moved to Portland, Oregon for his role, Rogen later got a part on sitcom Undeclared, which also hired him as a staff writer. After landing his job as a writer on the final season of Da Ali G Show, for which he. Rogen made his first movie appearance in Donnie Darko with a role as a rebellious student in Donnies high school classes in 2001. Rogen was cast in a supporting role and credited as a co-producer in Apatows directorial debut. After Rogen received critical praise for his performance, Universal Pictures agreed to cast him as the lead in Apatows films Knocked Up, Rogen co-starred as Steve Wozniak in Universals Steve Jobs biopic in 2015. In 2016, he developed the AMC television series Preacher with his writing partner Evan Goldberg and he also serves as a writer and executive producer, and directed the first two episodes of the series with Goldberg. Rogen and Goldberg co-wrote the films Superbad, Pineapple Express, The Green Hornet, This Is the End and he has also done voice work for the films Horton Hears a Who. The Kung Fu Panda film series, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Monsters vs. Aliens, Paul, Rogen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. His mother, Sandy, is a worker, and his father, Mark Rogen, worked for non-profit organizations. Since Rogens father is American, he has American citizenship by birth and he has described his parents, who met on kibbutz Beit Alfa in Israel, as radical Jewish socialists. Rogen has a sister named Danya. Rogen attended Vancouver Talmud Torah Elementary School and Point Grey Secondary School and he was also known for the stand-up comedy he performed at Camp Miriam, a Habonim Dror camp. As a child, Rogen did not want to pursue any other than comedy, As soon as I realized you could be funny as a job. He got his start in business at age 12 after enrolling in a comedy workshop taught by Mark Pooley. His early comedy routines involved jokes about his bar mitzvah, his grandparents, during his teenage years he would perform stand-up comedy routines at places like bar mitzvahs and small parties, later shifting to bars. A mohel paid him to write jokes, at the age of 13, he co-wrote a rough draft of Superbad with childhood friend Evan Goldberg, whom he had met at bar mitzvah classes
2.
Evan Goldberg
–
Evan Goldberg is a Canadian screenwriter, film producer, and director. He has collaborated with his childhood friend Seth Rogen in several films, including Superbad, Pineapple Express, This Is the End, Goldberg was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, to a Jewish family. He attended Point Grey Secondary School and McGill University, and is married to Lisa Goldberg, Goldberg started his writing career joining the staff of Da Ali G Show for its 2004 season, along with his childhood friend and comedy partner Seth Rogen. They collaborated on the films, Knocked Up, Superbad, Pineapple Express, Funny People and The Green Hornet. In a strategy to garner interest and funding, Goldberg created a trailer for Jay and Seth versus the Apocalypse, which was later made as This Is the End. Goldberg and Rogen are both obsessed fans of The Simpsons, after learning that The Simpsons executive producer James L. Brooks was a fan of Superbad, they decided to ask the producers of the show if they could write an episode. They were invited to The Simpsons writers room, where they pitched several episode ideas, one was accepted, and they wrote an outline with the help of some feedback from the regular writers. It became the episode Homer the Whopper, which was the premiere of season twenty-one. Evan Goldberg at the Internet Movie Database Evan Goldberg on Twitter Interview at the WGA
3.
James Franco
–
James Edward Franco is an American actor and filmmaker known for his work in both comedic and dramatic films and TV shows. For his role in 127 Hours, Franco was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor and he also portrayed the title character in the TV biographical film James Dean, for which he won a Golden Globe Award. He had recurring roles on the soap opera General Hospital and sitcom Angie Tribeca and he will star in the David Simon-created HBO drama The Deuce in 2017. Franco volunteers for the Art of Elysium charity, and has taught film classes at New York University, the University of Southern California, UCLA, Studio 4. Franco was born in Palo Alto, California and his mother, Betsy Lou, is a writer and occasional actress, and his father, Douglas Eugene Doug Franco, ran a Silicon Valley business. The two met as students at Stanford University, Francos father was of Portuguese and Swedish descent. Francos mother is Jewish, from a family of Russian Jewish ancestry and his maternal grandfather, Daniel, had changed the family surname from Verovitz to Verne some time after 1940. Francos paternal grandmother, Marjorie Franco, is an author of young adult books. Francos maternal grandmother, Mitzie Verne, owned the Verne Art Gallery, a prominent art gallery in Cleveland, Francos family upbringing was academic, liberal, and largely secular. He grew up in California with his two brothers, Tom and Dave, a math whiz, Franco interned at Lockheed Martin. He was often encouraged by his father to get good grades and he graduated from Palo Alto High School in 1996, where he acted in plays. This led to him attending CSSSA in 1998 for theatre, in his high school years, Franco was arrested for underage drinking, graffiti, and for being a part of a group that stole designer fragrances from department stores and sold them to classmates. These arrests led to his becoming a ward of the state. Facing the possibility of juvenile hall, Franco was given a chance by the judge. I was uncomfortable in my own skin, I changed my ways just in time to get good grades, he recalled of his troubles with the law. Although the idea of becoming a marine zoologist interested him, Franco had always wanted to become an actor. Franco instead chose to take acting lessons with Robert Carnegie at the Playhouse West, around this time, Franco took up a late-night job at McDonalds to support himself because his parents refused to do so. He was a vegetarian until working there, while working at the establishment, he would practice accents on customers, an experience he remembered nostalgically in a 2015 Washington Post editorial
4.
Lizzy Caplan
–
Elizabeth Anne Lizzy Caplan is an American actress. Caplan also starred in television shows The Class, True Blood and her other film appearances include Hot Tub Time Machine,127 Hours, Save the Date, Bachelorette, The Interview, Now You See Me 2 and Allied. She also appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe short film Item 47, elizabeth Anne Caplan was born on June 30,1982 in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in its Miracle Mile district. Her father, Richard Caplan, was a lawyer, and her mother and she is the youngest of three children with a brother, Benjamin and a sister, Julie. Her mother died of illness when she was 13 years old and her uncle is publicist Howard Bragman. Caplan attended Alexander Hamilton High School, and was a student at the schools Academy of Music and she first focused on playing the piano, then later decided to pursue drama. She was also on her schools soccer team and she graduated in 2000, but did not attend college because it was time consuming and she wanted to focus on acting. Caplan began her career in 1999, first playing a girl named Sara in the critically acclaimed series Freaks and Geeks. Due to her performance, her character became the girlfriend of Jason Segels character and she then had a series of guest appearances on numerous shows, and appeared in Jason Mrazs music video You and I Both. In 2000 she appeared in her first film From Where I Sit which was released straight to television, in 2001, she played Tina Greer in an episode of Smallville, and reprised her role on the show in 2003. She appeared in two episodes of the ABC series Once and Again, in 2003, she starred in the television series The Pitts, playing Faith Pitt. She gained wider notice for playing Janis Ian in the 2004 film Mean Girls and she played Avery Bishop in the second season of Tru Calling. In 2005, Caplan played troubled sister Marjee Sorelli in Related, in 2006, she starred as Sara Weller in the thriller film Love is the Drug and was named one of 10 Actors to Watch by Variety. After Related ended, Caplan was cast in the CBS sitcom The Class and she played Kat Warbler, one of several elementary school friends that reunite after 20 years. In 2008, Caplan played Marlena Diamond in the film Cloverfield and was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress and she also appeared as Ami in the romantic comedy My Best Friends Girl. Later that year, she guest starred as Amy Burley on the HBO vampire show True Blood and she is the voice of Faith Pitt in the animated version of The Pitts, which premiered in 2009. She also appeared in the critically acclaimed Starz ensemble comedy Party Down, in 2010, she appeared in 127 Hours. In early 2012, Caplan premiered two films at the Sundance Film Festival, Save the Date and Bachelorette, also in 2012, she appeared as Julia in several episodes of the Fox sitcom New Girl
5.
Randall Park
–
Randall Park is an American actor, comedian, writer, and director. Park was born to Korean immigrant parents in Los Angeles, California and he was raised in West Los Angeles. His mother was an accountant at UCLA, and his father owned a photo store. Park graduated from Hamilton High Schools Humanities Magnet Program, Park earned a bachelors degree in English and creative writing and a masters degree in Asian American studies from UCLA. While attending UCLA, Park co-founded the Asian American theater group named Lapu, the Coyote that Cares, Park made his acting debut in the 2003 short film Dragon of Love, which won the Best Short Film at the 2003 Hawaii International Film Festival. He has appeared in films such as Larry Crowne, Dinner for Schmucks. He appeared in independent film projects such as Quentin Lees The People Ive Slept With and starred. He appeared as Martin Fukanaga on Supah Ninjas and was a cast member on MTVs Wild n Out, in 2007, he regularly appeared as an actor in the filmmaking reality show On the Lot. Park was a character on The Mindy Project beginning in 2013. He played the character of Minnesota governor Danny Chung on the HBO comedy Veep. He appeared as Jeff in the prequel 2015 series for Netflix, Wet Hot American Summer, in 2015 he also appeared in Wong Fu Productions first feature film, Everything Before Us. He was the first actor cast on the show, with the producers having approached him before the pilot was ordered, Park appeared in 2015 with John Malkovich in the music video for Eminems single Phenomenal. He also appeared as a co-worker of Amy Schumers character in 2015s Trainwreck, in 2005 Park co-wrote and starred in the feature film American Fusion directed by Frank Lin, which won the Audience Award at the Hawaii International Film Festival. He has also created, directed, written, and starred in several short internet series for Channel 101, including Dr. Miracles, The Food, in 2013 he wrote and starred in a series for Channel 101 featuring his baby daughter entitled Baby Mentalist. In Channel 101s bracket competition format for webseries, Baby Mentalist was voted number one the most times of any show at the time, Park wrote a short film, Blueberry, which won an award for Best Actor at the NBC Shortcuts Film Festival For Short Films. He was awarded the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment New Writers Award for his pilot script. Park has been featured in ads for HBO Go, Ally Financial, and he plays a doggie daycare owner in a print and online campaign for Chase Bank, which aired in early 2015. Park was featured in Wong Fu Productions short film, Too Fast as Brandon, Park was featured in UTC Business Ethics Course HUR750 Respect in the Workplace
6.
Brandon Trost
–
Trost is also a frequent collaborator with Seth Rogen, including the films This Is the End, Neighbors, The Interview, The Night Before and Neighbors 2, Sorority Rising. Trost was born in 1981 in Los Angeles, California, to Karen and Ron Trost and his grandfather, Scott Maitland, was an assistant director, and his great-grandfather was a stuntman. His uncle was actor Victor French and he attended Frazier Mountain High School and later graduated from Los Angeles Film School. He grew up in Frazier Park, California with his brother Jason, Trost has cited Andrew Laszlo as one of his favorite cinematographers, calling Streets of Fire one of the most amazing-looking movies from the 1980s. Official website Brandon Trost at the Internet Movie Database
7.
Columbia Pictures
–
The studio was founded in 1918 as Cohn-Brandt-Cohn Film Sales by brothers Jack and Harry Cohn and Jacks best friend Joe Brandt, released its first feature film in August 1922. It adopted the Columbia Pictures name in 1924, and went public two years later and its name is derived from Columbia, a national personification of the United States, which is used as the studios logo. In its early years, it was a player in Hollywood. With Capra and others, Columbia became one of the homes of the screwball comedy. In the 1930s, Columbias major contract stars were Jean Arthur, in the 1940s, Rita Hayworth became the studios premier star and propelled their fortunes into the late 1950s. Rosalind Russell, Glenn Ford, and William Holden also became major stars at the studio, in 1982, the studio was purchased by The Coca-Cola Company, and launched TriStar Pictures as a joint venture with HBO and CBS. Five years later, Coca-Cola spun off Columbia, which was sold to Tri-Star, after a brief period of independence with Coca-Cola maintaining a financial interest, the combined studio was acquired by Sony in 1989. It is one of the film studios in the world. It was one of the so-called Little Three among the eight major film studios of Hollywoods Golden Age, Brandt was president of CBC Film Sales, handling sales, marketing and distribution from New York along with Jack Cohn, while Harry Cohn ran production in Hollywood. The studios early productions were short subjects, Screen Snapshots, the Hall Room Boys. The start-up CBC leased space in a Poverty Row studio on Hollywoods famously low-rent Gower Street, among Hollywoods elite, the studios small-time reputation led some to joke that CBC stood for Corned Beef and Cabbage. Brandt eventually tired of dealing with the Cohn brothers, and sold his stake to Harry Cohn. In an effort to improve its image, the Cohn brothers renamed the company Columbia Pictures Corporation on January 10,1924, Cohn remained head of production as well, thus concentrating enormous power in his hands. He would run Columbia for the next 34 years, the second-longest tenure of any studio chief, even in an industry rife with nepotism, Columbia was particularly notorious for having a number of Harry and Jacks relatives in high positions. Humorist Robert Benchley called it the Pine Tree Studio, because it has so many Cohns, Columbias product line consisted mostly of moderately budgeted features and short subjects including comedies, sports films, various serials, and cartoons. Columbia gradually moved into the production of higher-budget fare, eventually joining the tier of Hollywood studios along with United Artists. Like United Artists and Universal, Columbia was an integrated company. It controlled production and distribution, it did not own any theaters, helping Columbias climb was the arrival of an ambitious director, Frank Capra
8.
Action film
–
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist or protagonists end up in a series of challenges that typically include violence, extended fighting, physical feats, and frantic chases. Advancements in CGI have made it cheaper and easier to create action sequences, while action has long been a recurring component in films, the action film genre began to develop in the 1970s along with the increase of stunts and special effects. The genre is associated with the thriller and adventure film genres. Some historians consider The Great Train Robbery to be the first action film, during the 1920s and 1930s, action-based films were often swashbuckling adventure films in which actors, such as Douglas Fairbanks, wielded swords in period pieces or Westerns. The 1940s and 1950s saw action in a new form through war, the film, along with a war-adventure called The Guns of Navarone, inspired producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman to invest in their own spy-adventure, based on the novels of Ian Fleming. The long-running success of the James Bond films or series introduced a staple of the action film. Such larger-than-life characters were a veritable “one-man army”, able to dispatch villainous masterminds after cutting through their disposable henchmen in increasingly creative ways, such heroes are ready with one-liners, puns, and dry quips. The Bond films also used fast cutting, car chases, fist fights, a variety of weapons and gadgets, Dirty Harry essentially lifted its star, Clint Eastwood, out of his cowboy typecasting, and framed him as the archetypal hero of the urban action film. In many countries, restrictions on language, adult content, and violence had loosened up, in the 1970s, martial-arts films from Hong Kong became popular with Western audiences and inspired big budget films such as Bruce Lees Enter the Dragon. Chuck Norris blended martial arts with cops and robbers in films such as Good Guys Wear Black, from Japan, Sonny Chiba starred in his first martial arts movie in 1973 called the Karate Kiba. His breakthrough international hit was The Street Fighter series, which established him as the reigning Japanese martial arts actor in international cinema and he also played the role of Mas Oyama in Champion of Death, Karate Bearfighter, and Karate for Life. Chibas action films were not only bounded by martial arts, but also action thriller, jidaigeki, in the 1980s Hollywood produced many big budget action blockbusters with actors such as Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lorenzo Lamas, Michael Dudikoff, Charles Bronson and Bruce Willis. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas paid their homage to the Bond-inspired style with Raiders of the Lost Ark, in 1982, veteran actor Nick Nolte and rising comedian Eddie Murphy broke box office records with the action-comedy 48 Hrs. credited as the first buddy-cop movie. That same year, Sylvester Stallone starred in First Blood, the first installment in the Rambo film series made the character John Rambo a pop culture icon. 1984 saw the beginning of the Terminator starring Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger and this story provides one of the grittiest roles for a woman in action and Hamilton was required to put in extensive effort to develop a strong physique. The 1988 film, Die Hard, was influential on the development of the action genre. In the film, Bruce Willis plays a New York police detective who becomes embroiled in a terrorist take-over of a Los Angeles office building high-rise. The film set a pattern for a host of imitators, like Under Siege and Sudden Death, by the end of the 1980s, the influence of the successful action film could be felt in almost every genre
9.
This Is the End
–
The story features real life actors playing fictionalized versions of themselves in the aftermath of a global biblical apocalypse. The film premiered at the Fox Village Theater on June 3,2013 and was released in the United States on June 14,2013 by Columbia Pictures, the film grossed $126 million on a $32 million budget. Jay Baruchel arrives in Los Angeles to visit with old friend and fellow actor Seth Rogen, Baruchel is uncomfortable at the crowded party, so Rogen accompanies him to a convenience store for cigarettes. There, beams of light come down and suck numerous people into the sky. Rogen and Baruchel flee back to Francos house, where an earthquake strikes, a large hole opens in Francos yard, swallowing Michael Cera, Rihanna, Mindy Kaling, Jason Segel, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Martin Starr. Rogen, Franco, Jonah Hill and Craig Robinson survive and run back inside the house, Francos assistant Karen gets accidentally crushed by Paul Rudd. Aziz Ansari gets his arm cut off and falls into the sinkhole, kevin Hart tries to get Ansaris arm off, but he also falls into the sinkhole. Baruchel tries to help David Krumholtz escape the sinkhole, but he falls into the sinkhole. Baruchel escapes the sinkhole and also back to the house. They take inventory of their supplies, set up a ration system, the next morning, Danny McBride, also in the house and unaware of the crisis, wastes much of their food and water. The others tell him of the nights events, which he initially does not believe until a man outside is decapitated as they watch. Later, Emma Watson, another survivor of the party, returns, however, due to a misunderstanding, she believes the group is planning to rape her and leaves, taking the groups remaining drinks with her. Robinson is chosen to travel outside to the basement for water, the experience causes Robinson to believe Baruchels theory that the Apocalypse has arrived. The guys reach the basement by digging through the floor, and find the water, before he leaves, McBride reveals that Baruchel was in town two months prior but stayed at a hotel, instead of at Rogens house, because of their strained friendship. Hill makes a remark that annoys Baruchel, causing him to punch Hill, later that night, Hill prays for Baruchel to die, but is possessed by a demon shortly after. The next day, Baruchel and Robinson go to a home for supplies. Meanwhile, Rogen and Franco are attacked by the possessed Hill, the group subdues Hill, but during an exorcism attempt, Baruchel and Rogen get into a fight and knock a candle over. A fire starts, engulfing Hill and the house in flames, Franco suggests taking his car to his home in Malibu, but finds the car guarded by a demon
10.
North Korea
–
North Korea, officially the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, is a country in East Asia, constituting the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. Pyongyang is both the capital as well as its largest city. To the north and northwest the country is bordered by China and by Russia along the Amnok, the country is bordered to the south by South Korea, with the heavily fortified Korean Demilitarized Zone separating the two. Negotiations on reunification failed, and in 1948 two separate governments were formed, the communist Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea in the north, an invasion initiated by North Korea led to the Korean War. The Korean Armistice Agreement brought about a ceasefire, and no peace treaty was ever signed. North Korea officially describes itself as a self-reliant socialist state and formally holds elections, critics regard it as a totalitarian dictatorship. Various outlets have called it Stalinist, particularly noting the elaborate cult of personality around Kim Il-sung, International organizations have assessed human rights violations in North Korea as belonging to a category of their own, with no parallel in the contemporary world. Over time, North Korea has gradually distanced itself from the world communist movement, Juche, an ideology of national self-reliance, was introduced into the constitution as a creative application of Marxism–Leninism in 1972. The means of production are owned by the state through state-run enterprises, most services such as healthcare, education, housing and food production are subsidized or state-funded. From 1994 to 1998, North Korea suffered from a famine that resulted in the deaths of between 0.24 and 3.5 million people, and the continues to struggle with food production. North Korea follows Songun, or military-first policy and it is the country with the highest number of military and paramilitary personnel, with a total of 9,495,000 active, reserve, and paramilitary personnel. Its active duty army of 1.21 million is the fourth largest in the world, after China, North Korea is an atheist state with no official religion and where public religion is discouraged. The name Korea derives from the name Goryeo, the name Goryeo itself was first used by the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo in the 5th century as a shortened form of its name. The 10th-century kingdom of Goryeo succeeded Goguryeo, and thus inherited its name, the modern spelling of Korea first appeared in the late 17th century in the travel writings of the Dutch East India Companys Hendrick Hamel. After the division of the country into North and South Korea, the two sides used different terms to refer to Korea, Chosun or Joseon in North Korea, in 1948, North Korea adopted Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea as its new legal name. After the First Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War, Korea was occupied by Japan, Japan tried to suppress Korean traditions and culture and ran the economy primarily for its own benefit. Korean resistance groups known as Dongnipgun operated along the Sino-Korean border, some of them took part in allied action in China and parts of South East Asia. One of the leaders was the communist Kim Il-sung, who later became the leader of North Korea
11.
Kim Jong-un
–
Kim Jong-un is the Chairman of the Workers Party of Korea and supreme leader of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, commonly referred to as North Korea. The People of Korea call him their Supreme Leader, Kim is the child of Kim Jong-il. Little is known for certain about Kim Jong-un, before taking power, he had barely been seen in public, and many of the activities of both Kim and his government remain shrouded in secrecy. Even details such as what year he was born, and whether he did indeed attend a Western school under a pseudonym, are difficult to confirm with certainty, Kim was officially declared the supreme leader following the state funeral of his father on 28 December 2011. Kim obtained two degrees, one in physics at Kim Il-sung University, and another as an Army officer at the Kim Il-sung Military University, on 9 March 2014, Kim Jong-un was elected unopposed to the Supreme Peoples Assembly. At 32 or 33 years of age, Kim is the first North Korean leader born after the countrys founding, Kim was named the Worlds 46th Most Powerful Person by the Forbes list of The Worlds Most Powerful People in 2013. Scarce information on Kim Jong-uns early life comes from North Korean defectors and people who have claimed to witness him abroad, such as during his school attendance in Switzerland. Some of the information has been conflicting and contradictory, perhaps confusing him with his brother, Kim Jong-chul, nevertheless, there has been some consensus on information about his early life. North Korean authorities have stated that his birthdate is 8 January 1982, former basketball star Dennis Rodman said that the birthdate is 8 January 1983 after meeting Kim in September 2013 in North Korea. According to reports first published in Japanese newspapers, he went to school in Switzerland near Bern, First reports claimed he attended the private English-language International School in Gümligen under the name Chol-pak or Pak-chol from 1993 to 1998. He was described as shy, a student who got along well with his classmates and was a basketball fan. He was chaperoned by a student, who was thought to be his bodyguard. He was described as a well-integrated and ambitious student who liked to play basketball, however, his grades and attendance rating are reported to have been poor. The ambassador of North Korea in Switzerland, Ri Chol, had a relationship with him. One of Pak-uns classmates told reporters that he had told him that he was the son of the leader of North Korea, one friend claimed that he had been shown pictures of Pak-un with Kobe Bryant and Toni Kukoč. In April 2012, new documents came to light indicating that Kim Jong-un had lived in Switzerland since 1991 or 1992, the head of the institute, Raoul Perrot, a forensic anthropologist, considers it most likely that the two pictures show the same person. It is believed that the student at the Gümligen International School may not have been Kim Jong-un and it is not known whether the student known as Pak-un in Liebefeld Steinhölzli lived in Switzerland prior to 1998. All the children of Kim Jong-il are said to have lived in Switzerland, Most analysts agree that Kim Jong-un attended Kim Il-sung University, a leading officer-training school in Pyongyang, from 2002 to 2007
12.
Central Intelligence Agency
–
As one of the principal members of the U. S. Intelligence Community, the CIA reports to the Director of National Intelligence and is focused on providing intelligence for the President. Though it is not the only U. S. government agency specializing in HUMINT and it exerts foreign political influence through its tactical divisions, such as the Special Activities Division. Despite transferring some of its powers to the DNI, the CIA has grown in size as a result of the September 11 attacks. In 2013, The Washington Post reported that in fiscal year 2010, the CIA has increasingly expanded its roles, including covert paramilitary operations. One of its largest divisions, the Information Operations Center, has shifted focus from counter-terrorism to offensive cyber-operations, when the CIA was created, its purpose was to create a clearinghouse for foreign policy intelligence and analysis. Today its primary purpose is to collect, analyze, evaluate, and disseminate foreign intelligence, warning/informing American leaders of important overseas events, with Pakistan described as an intractable target. Counterintelligence, with China, Russia, Iran, Cuba, the Executive Office also supports the U. S. military by providing it with information it gathers, receiving information from military intelligence organizations, and cooperates on field activities. The Executive Director is in charge of the day to day operation of the CIA, each branch of the military service has its own Director. The Directorate has four regional groups, six groups for transnational issues. There is a dedicated to Iraq, regional analytical offices covering the Near East and South Asia, Russia and Europe, and the Asian Pacific, Latin American. The Directorate of Operations is responsible for collecting intelligence. The name reflects its role as the coordinator of intelligence activities between other elements of the wider U. S. intelligence community with their own HUMINT operations. This Directorate was created in an attempt to end years of rivalry over influence, philosophy, in spite of this, the Department of Defense recently organized its own global clandestine intelligence service, the Defense Clandestine Service, under the Defense Intelligence Agency. This Directorate is known to be organized by regions and issues. The Directorate of Science & Technology was established to research, create, many of its innovations were transferred to other intelligence organizations, or, as they became more overt, to the military services. For example, the development of the U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft was done in cooperation with the United States Air Force, the U-2s original mission was clandestine imagery intelligence over denied areas such as the Soviet Union. It was subsequently provided with signals intelligence and measurement and signature intelligence capabilities, subsequently, NPIC was transferred to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
13.
Vice (magazine)
–
Vice is a print magazine and website focused on arts, culture, and news topics. As of February 2015, the magazines Chief Creative Officer was Eddy Moretti, Andrew Creighton is President, as of October 2014, there were 29 Vice offices on every continent except Africa and Antarctica. The monthly publication is frequently focused on a single theme, when the editors later sought to dissolve their commitments with the original publisher Alix Laurent, they bought him out and changed the name to Vice in 1996. Richard Szalwinski, a Canadian software millionaire, acquired the magazine and relocated the operation to New York City, following the relocation, the magazine quickly developed a reputation for provocative and politically incorrect content. Under Szalwinskis ownership, a few stores were opened in New York City. However, due to the end of the bubble, the three founders eventually regained ownership of the Vice brand, followed by the closure of the stores. The British edition of Vice was launched in 2002 and Andy Capper was its first editor. The media company was based in New York City, but the magazine began featuring articles on topics that were considered more serious, such as armed conflict in Iraq. Alvi explained to The New York Times in November 2007, The world is bigger than the Lower East Side. McInnes left the publication in 2008, citing creative differences as the primary issue, in an email communication dated 23 January, McInnes explained, I no longer have anything to do with Vice or VBS or DOs & DONTs or any of that. Its a long story but weve all agreed to leave it at creative differences, at the commencement of 2012, an article in Forbes magazine referred to the Vice company as Vice Media, but the precise time when this title development occurred is not public knowledge. Vice acquired the fashion magazine i-D in December 2012 and, by February 2013, Vice produced 24 global editions of the magazine, by this stage, Alex Miller had replaced Capper as the editor-in-chief of the UK edition. Furthermore, Vice consisted of 800 worldwide employees, including 100 in London, Vice magazine includes the work of journalists, columnists, fiction writers, graphic artists and cartoonists, and photographers. Both Vices online and magazine content has shifted from dealing mostly with independent arts, articles on the site feature a range of subjects, often things not covered as by mainstream media. Entire issues of the magazine have also dedicated to the concerns of Iraqi people, Native Americans, Russian people, people with mental disorders. Vice also publishes a guide for students in the United Kingdom. In 2007, a Vice announcement was published on the Internet, After umpteen years of putting out what amounted to a book every month. Besides, too many other magazines have ripped it and started doing their own take on themes
14.
Kim Jong-il
–
Kim Jong-il was the supreme leader of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, commonly referred to as North Korea, from 1994 to 2011. By the early 1980s Kim had become the heir apparent for the leadership of the country and assumed important posts in the party and he succeeded his father and founder of the DPRK, Kim Il-sung, following the elder Kims death in 1994. Kims leadership is thought to have even more authoritarian than his fathers. During Kims regime, the country suffered from famine, partially due to economic mismanagement, Kim involved his country in state terrorism and strengthened the role of the military by his Songun, or military-first, politics. Kims rule also saw tentative economic reforms, including the opening of the Kaesong Industrial Park in 2003, in April 2009, North Koreas constitution was amended to officially refer to him as the supreme leader of the DPRK. The most common title given to him during his reign was The Dear Leader to distinguish him from his father Kim Il-sung. Following Kims failure to appear at important public events in 2008, Kim Jong-ils mother, Kim Jong-suk, was Kim Il-sungs first wife. Inside his family, he was nicknamed Yura, while his younger brother Kim Man-il was nicknamed Shura, however, Kim Jong-ils official biography states he was born in a secret military camp on Paektu Mountain in Japanese-occupied Korea on 16 February 1942. According to one comrade of Kims mother, Lee Min, word of Kims birth first reached a camp in Vyatskoye via radio. In 1945, Kim was four years old when World War II ended and his father returned to Pyongyang that September, and in late November Kim returned to Korea via a Soviet ship, landing at Sonbong. The family moved into a former Japanese officers mansion in Pyongyang, with a garden, Kim Jong-ils brother drowned there in 1948. Reports indicate that his mother died in childbirth in 1949, according to his official biography, Kim completed the course of general education between September 1950 and August 1960. He attended Primary School No.4 and Middle School No.1 in Pyongyang. This is contested by academics, who believe he is more likely to have received his early education in the Peoples Republic of China as a precaution to ensure his safety during the Korean War. Throughout his schooling, Kim was involved in politics and he was active in the Korean Childrens Union and the Democratic Youth League of North Korea, taking part in study groups of Marxist political theory and other literature. In September 1957 he became vice-chairman of his middle schools DYL branch and he pursued a programme of anti-factionalism and attempted to encourage greater ideological education among his classmates. Kim is also said to have received English language education at the University of Malta in the early 1970s, the elder Kim had meanwhile remarried and had another son, Kim Pyong-il. Since 1988, Kim Pyong-il has served in a series of North Korean embassies in Europe and was the North Korean ambassador to Poland, foreign commentators suspect that Kim Pyong-il was sent to these distant posts by his father in order to avoid a power struggle between his two sons
15.
Death and state funeral of Kim Jong-il
–
The death of Kim Jong-il was reported by North Korean state television news on 19 December 2011. The presenter Ri Chun-hee announced that he had died on 17 December at 8,30 am of a heart attack while travelling by train to an area outside Pyongyang. Reportedly, he had received treatment for cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases. During the trip though, he was said to have had an acute myocardial infarction. However, it was reported by South Korean media in December 2012 that he had died in a fit of rage over construction faults at a power plant project. His son Kim Jong-un was announced as North Koreas next leader with the title of The Great Successor during the same newscast, Jong-ils funeral was held on 28 December in Pyongyang, with a mourning period lasting until the following day. On the morning of 19 December, all units, schools, government agencies. At noon, Ri Chun-hee, a Korean Central Television news anchor, clad in black traditional Korean clothing. Ri had previously announced the death of Kim Il-sung in 1994, the committee had 233 names, Kim Jong-un was ranked first. However, it was reported in December 2012 by South Korean media that he had died in a fit of rage over construction faults in a power plant project at Huichon in Jagang Province. The head of South Koreas National Intelligence Service said surveillance footage revealed that Kims personal train, on which he is said to have died and this implied that the train was stationary when North Korean authorities claimed he had died. Korean Central News Agency announced the news, stating on 19 December, Images showed that in the streets of Pyongyang, people could be seen gathering to pay their respects, some kneeling, some wailing, and some beating the ground with their fists. The BBC reported that the Korean Central News Agency said people were convulsing with pain and despair at their loss, workplaces and local government offices have organised meetings to create a proper atmosphere of mourning. Peoples Units have emphasised the Last Instructions of Kim Jong-il and groups from schools and workplaces have been visiting statues of Kim Il-sung, after the death was announced, the South Korean military was put on high alert. The Souths National Security Council, worried that political jockeying in North Korea could destabilise the region and it should not be threatened by what has happened. We must make thorough preparations to maintain peace and stability and continue to work closely with the international community, all citizens are asked to go about their lives without wavering so that peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula will not be hampered. No government officials from Seoul paid condolences, according to the Unification Ministry, in the name of all EU countries, the Polish diplomat signed the condolence book in Pyongyang. United Nations – A spokesman for U. N Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said, the Secretary-General reaffirms his commitment to peace and security on the Korean peninsula
16.
Principal photography
–
Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed, with actors on set and cameras rolling, as distinct from pre-production and post-production. Its start generally marks a point of no return for the financiers, feature films usually have insurance in place by the time principal photography begins. The death of a star before completing all planned takes. For example, sets are notoriously flammable, and most older studios feature water towers for that reason, furthermore, professional-quality movie cameras are normally rented as needed, and most camera houses will not allow rentals of their equipment without proof of insurance. Once a film concludes principal photography, it is said to have wrapped, in these circumstances, additional material may have to be shot. If the material has already been shot once, or is substantial, the process is referred to as a re-shoot, learning materials related to Filmmaking at Wikiversity Media related to Filmmaking at Wikimedia Commons
17.
Vancouver
–
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city in Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2016 census recorded 631,486 people in the city, the Greater Vancouver area had a population of 2,463,431 in 2016, making it the third largest metropolitan area in Canada. Vancouver has the highest population density in Canada with over 5,400 people per square kilometre. With over 250,000 residents, Vancouver municipality is the fourth most densely populated city in North America behind New York City, San Francisco, and Mexico City according to the 2011 census. In that census, Vancouver was one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada, Vancouver is classed as a Beta global city. In 2014, following thirty years in California, the annual TED conference made Vancouver its indefinite home, several matches of the 2015 FIFA Womens World Cup were played in Vancouver, including the final at BC Place Stadium. From that first enterprise, other stores and some hotels quickly appeared along the waterfront to the west, Gastown became formally laid out as a registered townsite dubbed Granville, B. I. As of 2014, Port Metro Vancouver is the third largest port by tonnage in the Americas, 27th in the world, the busiest and largest in Canada, and the most diversified port in North America. While forestry remains its largest industry, Vancouver is well known as an urban centre surrounded by nature, archaeological records indicate the presence of Aboriginal people in the Vancouver area from 8,000 to 10,000 years ago. The city is located in the territories of the Squamish, Musqueam. They had villages in various parts of present-day Vancouver, such as Stanley Park, False Creek, Kitsilano, Point Grey, the city takes its name from George Vancouver, who explored the inner harbour of Burrard Inlet in 1792 and gave various places British names. The explorer and North West Company trader Simon Fraser and his became the first known Europeans to set foot on the site of the present-day city. In 1808, they travelled from the east down the Fraser River, perhaps as far as Point Grey. The Fraser Gold Rush of 1858 brought over 25,000 men, mainly from California, to nearby New Westminster on the Fraser River, on their way to the Fraser Canyon, a sawmill established at Moodyville in 1863, began the citys long relationship with logging. It was quickly followed by mills owned by Captain Edward Stamp on the shore of the inlet. This mill, known as the Hastings Mill, became the nucleus around which Vancouver formed, the mills central role in the city waned after the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the 1880s. It nevertheless remained important to the economy until it closed in the 1920s. The settlement which came to be called Gastown grew up quickly around the original makeshift tavern established by Gassy Jack Deighton in 1867 on the edge of the Hastings Mill property
18.
Sony Pictures
–
Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American entertainment company that produces, acquires and distributes filmed entertainment through multiple platforms. It operates as a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc. which is the parent company for both the music and motion picture businesses of Sony Corporation, based in Culver City, California, it encompasses Sonys motion picture, television production and distribution units. Its group sales in the fiscal year 2015 has been reported to be of $8.3 billion, Sony Pictures film franchises include Spider-Man, Men in Black, Underworld, Resident Evil, and Robert Langdon. Sony Pictures is one of Hollywoods major film studios and a member of the Motion Picture Association of America, on September 1,1987, The Coca-Cola Company announced plans to spin-off its assets of Columbia Pictures, which it had owned since 1982. Under this arrangement, Coca-Cola would sell its entertainment assets to TriStar Pictures, Tri-Star would be renamed to Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc. with Coca-Cola owning 49%, its shareholders owning 31%, and Tri-Stars shareholders owning 20%. A new company was formed in early 1988 with the Tri-Star name to take over the studios operations, on September 28,1989, Sony obtained an option to purchase all of The Coca-Cola Companys stock in CPE for $27 per share. This was all led by Norio Ohga, who was the president, the hiring of Guber and Peters by Sony to run Columbia was conflicted by a previous contract the producers had signed at Warner Bros. Time Warners chairman, Steve Ross, threatened Sony with a lawsuit for breach of contract, the lawsuit would be subsequently dropped when Sony sold half-interest in Columbia House and cable distribution rights to Columbias feature films, TV movies, and miniseries to Warner Bros. Said agreement also saw Columbia sell its 35% interest in the Burbank Studios, on November 8,1989, Sony completed the acquisition by a short-form merger of its wholly owned subsidiary Sony Columbia Acquisition Corporation into CPE under Delaware law. Sony also completed a tender offer for shares of stock of the Guber-Peters Entertainment Company on November 6,1989. The acquisition cost Sony $4.9 billion and was backed by five major Japanese banks Mitsui, Tokyo, Fuji, Mitsubishi, the company was renamed Sony Pictures Entertainment on August 7,1991. On June 4,2008, SPEs wholly owned group 2JS Productions B. V. acquired Dutch production company 2waytraffic N. V. famous for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. and You Are What You Eat for £114.3 million. In 2011, the Sony Pictures computer network was breached and approximately one million user accounts associated with the SonyPictures. com website were leaked. On November 21,2013, SPE and Sony Entertainments CEO Michael Lynton announced that SPE will shift emphasis from movies to television by cutting its 2014 film slate, on January 22,2014, SPE folded its technology unit into its various cores of its businesses. On February 6,2014, Sony Pictures Entertainment, through their legal name Columbia TriStar Warner Filmes de Portugal Ltda. announced that they close their offices in Portugal on March 31. On November 20,2015, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment announced that they will release Ultra HD Blu-ray releases, the first set will be in early 2016 and will include film and television content. In November 2014, the Sony Pictures computer network was compromised by a group of hackers named Guardians of Peace, disabling many computers. Later the same week, five of Sony Pictures movies were leaked, including some not yet released, as well as confidential data about 47,000 current and former Sony employees
19.
Sony Pictures hack
–
On November 24,2014, a hacker group which identified itself by the name Guardians of Peace leaked a release of confidential data from the film studio Sony Pictures. United States intelligence officials, after evaluating the software, techniques, North Korea has denied all responsibility. The exact duration of the hack is yet unknown, U. S. investigators say the culprits spent at least two months copying critical files. The hackers involved claim to have more than 100 terabytes of data from Sony. The attack was conducted using malware, although Sony was not specifically mentioned in its advisory, US-CERT said that the attackers used a Server Message Block Worm Tool to conduct attacks against a major entertainment company. Components of the attack included a listening implant, backdoor, proxy tool, destructive hard drive tool, the components clearly suggest an intent to gain repeated entry, extract information, and be destructive, as well as remove evidence of the attack. The cleaning tool used on Sonys computer infrastructure, Wiper, is a program designed to erase data from the servers. Several Sony-related Twitter accounts were taken over. This email message had been ignored by executives, lost in the volume they had received or treated as spam email. S. In its first quarter financials for 2015, Sony Pictures set aside $15 million to deal with ongoing damages from the hack, Sony has bolstered its cyber-security infrastructure as a result, using solutions to prevent similar hacks or data loss in the future. Sony co-chairperson Amy Pascal announced in the wake of the hack that she would step down as of May 2015, on December 7,2014, C-SPAN reported that the hackers stole 47,000 unique Social Security numbers from the SPE computer network. Among the information revealed in the e-mails was that Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai pressured Sony Pictures co-chairwoman Amy Pascal to soften the assassination scene in the upcoming Sony film The Interview. Other e-mails released in the hack showed Pascal and Scott Rudin, Pascal and Rudin were also noted to have had an e-mail exchange about Pascals upcoming encounter with Barack Obama that included characterizations described as racist. Details of lobbying efforts by politician Mike Moore on behalf of the Digital Citizens Alliance, the leak revealed multiple details of behind-the-scenes politics on Columbia Pictures current Spider-Man film series, including e-mails between Pascal and others to various heads of Marvel Studios. In addition to the emails, a copy of the script for the James Bond film Spectre, several future Sony Pictures films, including Annie, Mr. Turner, Still Alice and To Write Love on Her Arms, were also leaked. The hackers intended to release information on December 25,2014. According to The Daily Dot, based on the leaks, while he was at Sony. Also at the same time Sony was also at talk with Nintendo to make an animated Super Mario Bros. movie
20.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
–
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States, which simultaneously serves as the nations prime federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the U. S. Department of Justice, Intelligence Community and reports to both the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence. A leading U. S. counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and criminal investigative organization, although many of the FBIs functions are unique, its activities in support of national security are comparable to those of the British MI5 and the Russian FSB. At an FBI field office, a senior-level FBI officer concurrently serves as the representative of the Director of National Intelligence. Despite its domestic focus, the FBI also maintains a significant international footprint and these overseas offices exist primarily for the purpose of coordination with foreign security services and do not usually conduct unilateral operations in the host countries. The FBI can and does at times carry out secret activities overseas, just as the CIA has a domestic function. The FBI was established in 1908 as the Bureau of Investigation and its name was changed to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1935. The FBI headquarters is the J. Edgar Hoover Building, located in Washington, in the fiscal year 2012, the Bureaus total budget was approximately $8.12 billion. In 1896, the National Bureau of Criminal Identification was founded, the 1901 assassination of President William McKinley created an urgent perception that America was under threat from anarchists. The Departments of Justice and Labor had been keeping records on anarchists for years, the Justice Department had been tasked with the regulation of interstate commerce since 1887, though it lacked the staff to do so. It had made little effort to relieve its staff shortage until the breakage of the Oregon land fraud scandal at approximately the turn of the 20th Century, President Roosevelt instructed Attorney General Charles Bonaparte to organize an autonomous investigative service that would report only to the Attorney General. Bonaparte reached out to other agencies, including the Secret Service, for personnel, on May 27,1908, the Congress forbade this use of Treasury employees by the Justice Department, citing fears that the new agency would serve as a secret police department. Again at Roosevelts urging, Bonaparte moved to organize a formal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Investigation was created on July 26,1908, after the Congress had adjourned for the summer. Attorney General Bonaparte, using Department of Justice expense funds, hired thirty-four people, including veterans of the Secret Service. Its first Chief was Stanley Finch, Bonaparte notified the Congress of these actions in December 1908. The bureaus first official task was visiting and making surveys of the houses of prostitution in preparation for enforcing the White Slave Traffic Act, or Mann Act, in 1932, the bureau was renamed the United States Bureau of Investigation. The following year it was linked to the Bureau of Prohibition, in the same year, its name was officially changed from the Division of Investigation to the present-day Federal Bureau of Investigation, or FBI. J. Edgar Hoover served as Director from 1924 to 1972, a combined 48 years with the BOI, DOI, Hoover was substantially involved in most major cases and projects that the FBI handled during his tenure
21.
Dandong
–
Dandong, formerly known as Andong, is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Liaoning province, Peoples Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese border city, facing Sinuiju, North Korea across the Yalu River, to the southwest of the city, the river flows into Korea Bay. Dandong has therefore had a dynamic history because of its location for the northeasts rich natural resources. It is designated as a major production centre for the province. A significant amount of trade with North Korea flows through the city, the size of the administrative city is 14,981.4 square kilometres. As of 2010, the area made of 3 urban districts is 830 square kilometres in size and had 865,576 inhabitants. The administrative city contained approximately 2.45 million inhabitants as of the 2010 census, the Hushan Great Wall, the far eastern end of the Great Wall of China, is located here. Maps and artifacts suggest that the area has settled since the Zhou Dynasty. During the Han Dynasty, the Dandong region was under the jurisdiction of west Anping county. Later on, in the early Tang Dynasty, the Dandong region was under the jurisdiction of Andong Prefecture, in Liao Dynasty, it was under the jurisdictions of the states Xuan, Kai, and Mu. It fell under the jurisdiction of the state of Po-Su in the Jin Dynasty, the state of Po-Sha in the Yuan Dynasty, the area became known as Andong County in 1876. 安東 means pacifying the east, reflecting the power that China had over Korea at the time, after the start of the first Sino-Japanese War in 1894, Andong County was occupied by Japan. During the Manchukuo era, it was the capital of Andong Province and it was opened as a treaty port in 1907. From November 1950 to February 1951, Dandongs Sino–Korean Friendship Bridge was bombed by the United States during the Korean War, even though the Sino–Korean Friendship Bridge was rebuilt, the remains of the Japanese-built iron bridge were left and now serve as a war monument. On 20 January 1965, the city adopted its present name of Dandong, which means red east, to avoid the connotations of its previous name, in 2001, Dandong was granted the Best Tourism City award by the National Tourism Administration. Four years later, the same administration granted it the award of National Clean City, Dandong is located on the western border of North Korea and the northwest shore of the Yalu River, facing Sinuiju to the southeast. It is situated on the southeast corner of the Liaodong Peninsula, near the mouth of the Yalu River, which empties into the Korea Bay, there are 120 kilometres of coastline and islands include Dalu Island and Xiaomai Island. Dandong City ranges in latitude from 39°43 to 41°09 N and in longitude from 123°22 to 125°41 E, bordering prefectures are Dalian, Anshan, Liaoyang, and Benxi
22.
China
–
China, officially the Peoples Republic of China, is a unitary sovereign state in East Asia and the worlds most populous country, with a population of over 1.381 billion. The state is governed by the Communist Party of China and its capital is Beijing, the countrys major urban areas include Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Tianjin and Hong Kong. China is a power and a major regional power within Asia. Chinas landscape is vast and diverse, ranging from forest steppes, the Himalaya, Karakoram, Pamir and Tian Shan mountain ranges separate China from much of South and Central Asia. The Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, the third and sixth longest in the world, respectively, Chinas coastline along the Pacific Ocean is 14,500 kilometers long and is bounded by the Bohai, Yellow, East China and South China seas. China emerged as one of the worlds earliest civilizations in the basin of the Yellow River in the North China Plain. For millennia, Chinas political system was based on hereditary monarchies known as dynasties, in 1912, the Republic of China replaced the last dynasty and ruled the Chinese mainland until 1949, when it was defeated by the communist Peoples Liberation Army in the Chinese Civil War. The Communist Party established the Peoples Republic of China in Beijing on 1 October 1949, both the ROC and PRC continue to claim to be the legitimate government of all China, though the latter has more recognition in the world and controls more territory. China had the largest economy in the world for much of the last two years, during which it has seen cycles of prosperity and decline. Since the introduction of reforms in 1978, China has become one of the worlds fastest-growing major economies. As of 2016, it is the worlds second-largest economy by nominal GDP, China is also the worlds largest exporter and second-largest importer of goods. China is a nuclear weapons state and has the worlds largest standing army. The PRC is a member of the United Nations, as it replaced the ROC as a permanent member of the U. N. Security Council in 1971. China is also a member of numerous formal and informal multilateral organizations, including the WTO, APEC, BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the BCIM, the English name China is first attested in Richard Edens 1555 translation of the 1516 journal of the Portuguese explorer Duarte Barbosa. The demonym, that is, the name for the people, Portuguese China is thought to derive from Persian Chīn, and perhaps ultimately from Sanskrit Cīna. Cīna was first used in early Hindu scripture, including the Mahābhārata, there are, however, other suggestions for the derivation of China. The official name of the state is the Peoples Republic of China. The shorter form is China Zhōngguó, from zhōng and guó and it was then applied to the area around Luoyi during the Eastern Zhou and then to Chinas Central Plain before being used as an occasional synonym for the state under the Qing
23.
Propaganda in North Korea
–
The standard view of propaganda in North Korea sees it as based on the Juche ideology and on the promotion of the Workers Party of Korea. Many pictures of the leaders are posted throughout the country. In previous decades, North Korean propaganda was crucial to the formation and promotion of the cult of personality centered around the founder of the totalitarian state, the Soviet Union began to develop him, particularly as a resistance fighter, as soon as they put him in power. This quickly surpassed its Eastern European models, instead of depicting his actual residence in a Soviet village during the war with the Japanese, he was claimed to have fought a guerilla war from a secret base. Once relations with the Soviet Union were broken off, their role was expurgated, as were all other nationalists, until the claim was made that he founded the Communist Party in North Korea. He is seldom shown in action during the Korean War, which, if it was presented as a victory, nevertheless devastated the country, instead. Subsequently, many stories are recounted of his guidance in various locations. This was supplemented with propaganda on behalf of his son, Kim Jong-il, the food shortage produced anecdotes of Kim insisting on eating the same meager food as other North Koreans. Propaganda efforts began for the Young General, Kim Jong-un, who succeeded him as paramount leader of North Korea on Kim Jong-ils death in December 2011, early propaganda, in the 1940s, presented a positive Soviet–Korean relationship, often depicting Russians as maternal figures to childlike Koreans. As soon as relations were cordial, they were expurgated from historical accounts. The collapse of the USSR, without a shot, is depicted with intense contempt in sources not accessible to Russians. They are presented as an evil race, with whom hostility is the only possible relationship. The Korean War is used as a source for atrocities, less for the bombing raids than on charges of massacre, Japan is frequently depicted as rapacious and dangerous, both in the colonial era and afterwards. North Korean propaganda frequently highlighted the danger of Japanese remilitarization, at the same time, the intensity of anti-Japanese propaganda underwent repeated fluctuations, depending on the improvement or deterioration of Japanese-DPRK relations. In those periods when North Korea was on terms with Japan than with South Korea. Friendly nations are depicted almost exclusively as tributary nations, wall posters and banners depicting all Japanese as barbarians are only equaled by the ways in which Americans are caricatured as hook-nosed monsters. The line taken was that this had not prevented the South Koreans from yearning for unification and purification, North Korean propaganda often invokes Koreans as the purest of races, with a mystical bond with the natural beauty of the landscape. Stories often have only mildly flawed Korean characters, who are easily reformed because of their pure nature
24.
Transdermal patch
–
A transdermal patch is a medicated adhesive patch that is placed on the skin to deliver a specific dose of medication through the skin and into the bloodstream. Often, this healing to an injured area of the body. An advantage of a drug delivery route over other types of medication delivery such as oral, topical, intravenous, intramuscular. A wide variety of pharmaceuticals are now available in transdermal patch form, the first commercially available prescription patch was approved by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration in December 1979. These patches administered scopolamine for motion sickness, the highest selling transdermal patch in the United States is the nicotine patch, which releases nicotine in controlled doses to help with cessation of tobacco smoking. The first commercially available vapour patch to reduce smoking was approved in Europe in 2007, two opioid medications used to provide round-the-clock relief for severe pain are often prescribed in patch form, fentanyl CII and buprenorphine CIII. Hormonal patches estrogen patches are sometimes prescribed to treat menopausal symptoms, contraceptive patch and testosterone CIII patches for both men and women. Nitroglycerin patches are sometimes prescribed for the treatment of angina in lieu of sublingual pills, Transdermal scopolamine is commonly used as a treatment for motion sickness. The anti-hypertensive drug clonidine is available in transdermal patch form under the brand name Catapres-TTS, emsam, a transdermal form of the MAOI selegiline, became the first transdermal delivery agent for an antidepressant approved for use in the U. S. in March 2006. Daytrana, the first methylphenidate transdermal delivery system for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, was approved by the FDA in April 2006, vitamin B12 may also be administered through a transdermal patch. Cyanocobalamin, a stable form of vitamin B12, is compatible with transdermal patching. 5-Hydroxytryptophan can also be administered through a patch, which was launched in the United Kingdom in early 2014. The Duragesic product label was updated to add safety information in June 2005. Since then, no problems with either the patch or its protective packaging have been reported. In 2009, the FDA announced a public health advisory warning of the risk of burns during MRI scans from transdermal drug patches with metallic backings. Patients should be advised to remove any medicated patch prior to an MRI scan, the main components to a transdermal patch are, Liner - Protects the patch during storage. The liner is removed prior to use, matrix Filler - It provides bulk to matrix as well as some of fillers acts as matrix stiffening agent. Other components includes, Stabilizer, Preservatives etc, there are five main types of transdermal patches
25.
Ricin
–
Ricin is a highly toxic, naturally occurring lectin produced in the seeds of the castor oil plant, Ricinus communis. A dose of purified ricin powder the size of a few grains of salt can kill an adult human. The median lethal dose of ricin is around 22 micrograms per kilogram of body weight if the exposure is from injection or inhalation, oral exposure to ricin is far less toxic as some of the poison is inactivated in the stomach. An estimated lethal dose in humans is approximately 1 milligram per kilogram. Ricin is classified as a type 2 ribosome-inactivating protein, both type 1 and type 2 RIPs are functionally active against ribosomes in vitro, however, only type 2 RIPs display cytotoxicity due to the lectin-like properties of the B chain. In order to display its ribosome-inactivating function, the disulfide bond must be reductively cleaved. Ricin is synthesized in the endosperm of castor oil plant seeds, the ricin precursor protein is 576 amino acid residues in length and contains a signal peptide, the ricin A chain, a linker peptide, and the ricin B chain. The N-terminal signal sequence delivers the prepropolypeptide to the endoplasmic reticulum, within the lumen of the ER the propolypeptide is glycosylated and a protein disulfide isomerase catalyzes disulfide bond formation between cysteines 294 and 318. The propolypeptide is further glycosylated within the Golgi apparatus and transported to protein storage bodies, the quaternary structure of ricin is a globular, glycosylated heterodimer of approximately 60–65 kDa. Ricin toxin A chain and ricin toxin B chain are of similar weights, approximately 32 kDa and 34 kDa. Ricin toxic A chain is an N-glycoside hydrolase composed of 267 amino acids and it has three structural domains with approximately 50% of the polypeptide arranged into alpha-helices and beta-sheets. The three domains form a cleft that is the active site of RTA. Ricin toxic B chain is a composed of 262 amino acids that is able to bind terminal galactose residues on cell surfaces. RTB forms a bilobal, barbell-like structure lacking alpha-helices or beta-sheets where individual lobes contain three subdomains, at least one of these three subdomains in each homologous lobe possesses a sugar-binding pocket that gives RTB its functional character. While other plants contain the protein found in ricin, both protein chains must be present in order to produce toxic effects. For example, plants that contain only protein chain A, such as barley, are not toxic because without the link to protein chain B, protein chain A cannot enter the cell and do damage to ribosomes. Ricin B chain binds complex carbohydrates on the surface of cells containing either terminal N-acetylgalactosamine or beta-1. In addition, the glycans of ricin are able to bind cells that express mannose receptors
26.
Pyongyang
–
Pyongyang is the capital and largest city of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The city was split from the South Pyongan province in 1946 and it is administered as a directly governed city on the same level as provincial governments, as opposed to a special city as Seoul is in South Korea. Pyongyang literally means Flat Land in Korean, one of Pyongyangs many historic names is Ryugyong, or capital of willows, as willow trees have always been numerous throughout the citys history, this served as an inspiration for many poems. Even today, the city has numerous trees, with many buildings. The most notable of these is the impressive Ryugyong Hotel, started in 1987, the citys other historic names include Kisong, Hwangsong, Rakrang, Sŏgyong, Sodo, Hogyong, Changan, and Heijō. During the early 20th century, Pyongyang came to be known among missionaries as being the Jerusalem of the East, due to its status as a stronghold of Christianity. In 1955, archaeologists excavated evidence of occupation in a large ancient village in the Pyongyang area, called Kŭmtan-ni. North Koreans associate Pyongyang with Asadal, or Wanggomsŏng, the first second millennium BC capital of the Gojoseon kingdom according to Korean history books, notably Samguk Yusa. Many South Korean historians deny this claim because other Chinese history books such as the Guanzi, Shanhaijing, Shiji, the connection between the two therefore may have been asserted by North Korea for the use of propaganda. Nevertheless, Pyongyang became a city under Gojoseon. Pyongyang was founded in 1122 BC on the site of the Tangun Dynastys capital and it is likely that the area of Pyongyang belonged to Wiman Joseon, the shortest-lasting part of Gojoseon if both Dangun and Gija Joseon were real, which fell in the Gojoseon–Han War in 108 BC. Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty ordered four commanderies be set up, with Lelang Commandery in the center, several archaeological findings from the later, Eastern Han period in the Pyongyang area seems to suggest that Han forces later launched brief incursions around these parts. The area around the city was called Nanglang during the early Three Kingdoms period, as the capital of Nanglang kingdom, Pyongyang remained an important commercial and cultural outpost after Lelang Commandery was destroyed by an expanding Goguryeo in 313. Goguryeo moved its capital there in 427, according to Christopher Beckwith, Pyongyang is the Sino-Korean reading of the name they gave it in their language, Piarna, or level land. In 668, Pyongyang became the capital of the Protectorate General to Pacify the East established by the Tang dynasty of China, however, by 676, it was taken by Silla, but left on the border between Silla and Balhae. This lasted until the time of the Goryeo dynasty, when the city was revived as Sŏgyŏng although it was never actually a capital of the kingdom and it was the provincial capital of the Pyeongan Province during the Joseon dynasty. During the Japanese invasions of Korea, Pyongyang was captured by the Japanese until the Japanese were defeated in the Siege of Pyongyang, later in the 17th century, it became temporarily occupied during Second Manchu invasion of Korea until peace arrangements were made between Korea and the Manchus. While the invasions made Koreans suspicious of foreigners, the influence of Christianity began to grow after the country opened itself up to foreigners in the 16th century
27.
Unmanned aerial vehicle
–
An unmanned aerial vehicle, commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without a human pilot aboard. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system, which include a UAV, a controller. The flight of UAVs may operate with various degrees of autonomy, either under control by a human operator, or fully or intermittently autonomously. Compared to manned aircraft, UAVs are often preferred for missions too dull, civilian drones now vastly outnumber military drones, with estimates of over a million sold by 2015. Multiple terms are used for unmanned vehicles, which generally refer to the same concept. The term drone, more used by the public, was coined in reference to the resemblance of navigation. The term has encountered opposition from aviation professionals and government regulators. This term emphasizes the importance of other than the aircraft. It includes elements such as ground stations, data links. A similar term is a vehicle system remotely piloted aerial vehicle. Many similar terms are in use, therefore, missiles are not considered UAVs because the vehicle itself is a weapon that is not reused, though it is also unmanned and in some cases remotely guided. The relation of UAVs to remote controlled model aircraft is unclear, UAVs may or may not include model aircraft. Some jurisdictions base their definition on size or weight, however, a radio-controlled aircraft becomes a drone with the addition of an autopilot artificial intelligence, and ceases to be a drone when an AI is removed. In 1849 Austria sent unmanned, bomb-filled balloons to attack Venice, UAV innovations started in the early 1900s and originally focused on providing practice targets for training military personnel. UAV development continued during World War I, when the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company invented a pilotless aerial torpedo that would explode at a preset time, the earliest attempt at a powered UAV was A. M. Lows Aerial Target in 1916. Nikola Tesla described a fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles in 1915. Advances followed during and after World War I, including the Hewitt-Sperry Automatic Airplane, the first scaled remote piloted vehicle was developed by film star and model-airplane enthusiast Reginald Denny in 1935. More emerged during World War II – used both to train gunners and to fly attack missions
28.
Siberian tiger
–
The Siberian tiger, also called Amur tiger is a tiger subspecies inhabiting mainly the Sikhote Alin mountain region with a small population in southwest Primorye Province in the Russian Far East. The Siberian tiger once ranged throughout all of Korea, north-eastern China, Russian Far East, in 2005, there were 331–393 adult and subadult Siberian tigers in this region, with a breeding adult population of about 250 individuals. The population had been stable for more than a decade due to conservation efforts. By 2015, the Siberian tiger population had increased to 480–540 individuals in the Russian Far East, a more detailed census revealed a total population of 562 wild Siberian tigers in Russia. This tiger subspecies was also called Korean tiger, Manchurian tiger, the Siberian tiger and Bengal tiger subspecies rank among the biggest living cats. An average adult male Siberian outweighs an average adult male lion by around 45.5 kg, a comparison of data on body weights of Siberian tigers indicates that up to the first half of the 20th century both males and females were on average heavier than post-1970 ones. Todays wild Siberian tigers are smaller than Bengal tigers, the Siberian tiger is reddish-rusty, or rusty-yellow in color, with narrow black transverse stripes. The body length is not less than 150 cm, condylobasal length of skull 250 mm, zygomatic width 180 mm and it has an extended supple body standing on rather short legs with a fairly long tail. It is typically 5–10 cm taller than the Bengal tiger, which is about 107–110 cm tall, the largest male, with largely assured references, measured 350 cm over the curves, equivalent to 330 cm between the pegs. The tail length in fully grown males is about 1 m, weights of up to 318 kg have been recorded and exceptionally large males weighing up to 384 kg are mentioned, but no such cases are confirmed. Mazák indicates the weight range of Siberian tigers as 180–306 kg for males. Exceptionally large individuals were targeted and shot by hunters, an unconfirmed report tells of a male tiger shot in the Sikhote-Alin Mountains in 1950 weighing 384 kg with an estimated length of 3.48 m. In some cases, captive Siberian tigers reached a weight of up to 465 kg. The average tail measures 99 cm in males and 91 cm in females, the longest male measured 309 cm in total length and had a chest girth of 127 cm. The longest female measured 270 cm in length and had a chest girth of 108 cm. These measurements show that the present Amur tiger is generally longer than the Bengal tiger, the data used include weights of tigers that were older than 35 months of age and measured in the presence of authors. Historical Siberian tigers and Bengal tigers were the largest ones, whereas contemporary Siberian tigers are lighter than Bengal tigers, a male captured by members of the Siberian Tiger Project weighed 206 kg, and the largest male radiocollared weighed 212 kg. The skull of the Siberian tiger is characterized by its large size and it differs in the structural features of the lower jaw and relative length of nasals
29.
South Korea
–
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea, is a sovereign state in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. The earliest Korean pottery dates to 8000 BC, with three kingdoms flourishing in the 1st century BC and its rich and vibrant culture left 19 UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity, the third largest in the world, along with 12 World Heritage Sites. Annexed into Imperial Japan in 1910, Korea was divided after its surrender in 1945, peace has since mostly continued with the two agreeing to work peacefully for reunification and the South solidifying peace as a regional power with the worlds 10th largest defence budget. South Koreas tiger economy soared at an average of 10% for over 30 years in a period of rapid transformation called the Miracle on the Han River. A long legacy of openness and focus on innovation made it successful, today, it is the worlds fifth largest exporter with the G20s largest budget surplus and highest credit rating of any country in East Asia. It has free trade agreements with 75% of the economy and is the only G20 nation trading freely with China, the US. Since 1988, its constitution guarantees a liberal democracy with high government transparency, high personal freedoms led to the rise of a globally influential pop culture such as K-pop and K-drama, a phenomenon called the Korean Wave, known for its distinctive fashionable and trendy style. Home of the UN Green Climate Fund and GGGI, South Korea is a leader in low carbon growth, committed to helping developing countries as a major DAC. It is the third least ignorant country in the Index of Ignorance, ranking eighth highest for peaceful tolerance. It is the worlds largest spender on R&D per GDP, leading the OECD in graduates in science, the name Korea derives from the name Goryeo. The name Goryeo itself was first used by the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo in the 5th century as a form of its name. The 10th-century kingdom of Goryeo succeeded Goguryeo, and thus inherited its name, the modern spelling of Korea first appeared in the late 17th century in the travel writings of the Dutch East India Companys Hendrick Hamel. After Goryeo was replaced by Joseon in 1392, Joseon became the name for the entire territory. The new official name has its origin in the ancient country of Gojoseon, in 1897, the Joseon dynasty changed the official name of the country from Joseon to Daehan Jeguk. The name Daehan, which means great Han literally, derives from Samhan, however, the name Joseon was still widely used by Koreans to refer to their country, though it was no longer the official name. Under Japanese rule, the two names Han and Joseon coexisted, there were several groups who fought for independence, the most notable being the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. Following the surrender of Japan, in 1945, the Republic of Korea was adopted as the name for the new country. Since the government only controlled the part of the Korean Peninsula
30.
Potemkin village
–
In politics and economics, a Potemkin village is any construction built solely to deceive others into thinking that a situation is better than it really is. The term comes from stories of a fake portable village, built only to impress Empress Catherine II during her journey to Crimea in 1787, Grigory Potemkin was a favorite lover of the Russian Empress Catherine II. After the Russian annexation of Crimea from the Ottoman Empire and liquidation of the Zaporozhian Sich, the region had been devastated by the war, Potemkins major tasks were to rebuild it and bring in Russian settlers. In 1787, as a new war was about to break out between Russia and the Ottoman Empire, Catherine II with her court and several ambassadors made an unprecedented trip to New Russia. The purpose of this trip was to impress Russias allies prior to the war, to help accomplish this, Potemkin set up mobile villages on the banks of the Dnieper River. As soon as the carrying the Empress and ambassadors arrived, Potemkins men, dressed as peasants. Once the barge left, the village was disassembled, then rebuilt downstream overnight, modern historians are divided on the degree of truth behind the Potemkin village story, and some writers argue that the story is an exaggeration. Some historians dismiss it as rumors spread by Potemkins opponents. These historians argue that Potemkin did mount efforts to develop the Crimea, aleksandr Panchenko, an established specialist on 19th-century Russia, used original correspondence and memoirs to conclude that the Potemkin villages are a myth. He writes, Based on the above said we must conclude that the myth of Potemkin villages is exactly a myth and he writes that Potyomkin indeed decorated cities and villages, but made no secret that this was a decoration. The close relationship between Potemkin and the empress would make it difficult for him to deceive her, thus, the deception would have been mainly directed towards the foreign ambassadors accompanying the imperial party. Regardless, Potemkin had supervised the building of fortresses, ships of the line, and thriving settlements, according to these historians, the claims of deception were part of a defamation campaign against Potemkin. It was meant to prove that the area was not under Japanese domination, whether the farce succeeded is moot, Japan withdrew from the League the following year. It ultimately served as a way-station to Auschwitz-Birkenau, henry A. Wallace visited a Soviet slave labor camp in Magadan in 1944 and believed that the prisoners were volunteers. In 1998, the energy services company Enron built and maintained a trading floor on the 6th story of its downtown Houston headquarters. The trading floor was used to impress Wall Street analysts attending Enrons annual shareholders meeting and even included rehearsals conducted by Enron executives Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling. In 2010,22 vacant houses in a part of Cleveland, USA, were disguised with fake doors and windows painted on the plywood panels used to close them up. A similar program has been undertaken in Chicago and in Detroit during the World Series festivities in 1984, in 2013 before Vladimir Putins visit to Suzdal some old and half-ruined houses in the city center were covered with large posters with doors and windows printed on them
31.
North Korean cult of personality
–
The North Korean cult of personality surrounding its ruling family, the Kim family, has existed in North Korea for decades and can be found in many examples of North Korean culture. The personality cult began soon after Kim Il-sung took power in 1948, while other countries have had cults of personality to various degrees, the pervasiveness and extreme nature of North Koreas personality cult surpasses that of Stalin or Mao Zedong. The cult of personality surrounding the Kim family requires total loyalty and subjugation to the Kim family, the 1972 constitution of North Korea incorporates the ideas of Kim Il-sung as the only guiding principle of the state and his activities as the only cultural heritage of the people. Kim Il-sung developed the ideology of the Juche idea, generally understood as self-reliance. An example of this can be seen in the description of Kim Il-sung as a god, according to author Victor Cha, during the first part of Kim Il-sungs rule, the state destroyed over 2,000 Buddhist temples and Christian churches which might detract from fidelity to Kim. There is even widespread belief that Kim Il-sung created the world, Korean society, traditionally Confucian, places a strong emphasis on paternal hierarchy and loyalty. The Kims have taken these deeply held traditions and removed their spiritual component, replacing them with loyalty to the state, despite the suppression of traditional religions, however, some have described Juche, sociologically, as the religion of the entire population of North Korea. According to a 2013 report by New Focus International, the two major North Korean news publications publish around 300 articles per month relating to the cult of Kim. The report goes further and suggests that with the death of Kim Jong-il, the North Korean government claims there is no cult of personality, but rather genuine hero worship. The personality cult surrounding Kim Il-sung is by far the most widespread among the people, while there is genuine affection for Kim Il-sung, it has been manipulated by the government for political purposes. The cult had its beginnings as early as 1949, with the appearance of the first statues of Kim Il-sung, the veneration of Kim Il-sung came into full effect following a mass purge in 1953. In 1967, Kim Jong-il was appointed to the propaganda and information department. It was around this time that the title Suryong came into habitual usage, however, Kim Il-sung had begun calling himself Great Leader as early as 1949. Hwang Jang-yop, the highest level North Korean defector, has noted that the country is ruled by the sole ideology of the Great Leader. According to official biographies, Kim Il-sung came from a lineage of leaders and official North Korean modern history focuses on his life. He is credited with almost single-handedly defeating the Japanese at the end of the occupation of Korea and with rebuilding the nation after the Korean War. Over the course of his life he was granted titles of esteem such as Sun, Great Chairman, Heavenly Leader and others. These titles and awards were often self-given and the practice would be repeated by his son, all major publications were to include words of instruction from Kim Il-sung
32.
Firework (song)
–
Firework is a song by American singer Katy Perry from her third studio album, Teenage Dream. Perry co-wrote the song with Ester Dean and its producers StarGate and it is a dance-pop and dance-rock self-empowerment anthem with inspirational lyrics, and Perry felt it was an important song for her on Teenage Dream. Capitol Records released it as the third single on October 26,2010. The song was successful, reaching number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It has sold 7.1 million copies in the United States, an accompanying music video, directed by Dave Meyers, was released on October 28,2010. It portrays Perry singing and dancing around Budapest, with interspersed scenes of people becoming confident in themselves. An open casting call for the video drew an unprecedented 38,000 applicants. On MuchMusics top 50 videos of 2010, Firework reached the top position, the music video was said to be a more upbeat take on Christina Aguileras message in Beautiful. It was nominated for three awards at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, eventually winning one of those, the Video of the Year, Firework was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 54th Grammy Awards. On January 5,2012, Firework was elected the fifth most played single on US radio during 2011 by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems, with 509,000 plays. Firework was written by Perry, StarGate, Sandy Wilhelm, and Ester Dean while produced by StarGate and Sandy Vee at Soapbox Studios in Atlanta and it was recorded at Roc the Mic Studios in 2009. It was mixed at The Bunker Studios by Vee, audio engineering was done by Carlos Oyandel and Damien Lewis. All instruments were done by StarGate and Vee, lead and background vocals were provided by Perry. Perry said that Firework is her song on Teenage Dream. I hope this could be one of things where its like, Yeah, I want to put my fist up and feel proud. But I also dont want to be cheesy, its a fine line, would be like the opus or my one song — if I had to pick a song to play — cause it has a great beat. But it also has a fantastic message, Many people refer to the lines like the 4th of July, however the original lyrics were like a firefly as they reminded me of fireworks at night whenever I saw them. However the trend caught on and in live performances I now sing 4th of July, Firework is a dance-pop song with influences of dance-rock in the bridge
33.
Katy Perry
–
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer and songwriter. After singing in church during her childhood, she pursued a career in music as a teenager. Perry signed with Red Hill Records and released her studio album Katy Hudson under her birth name in 2001. She moved to Los Angeles the following year to venture into music after Red Hill ceased operations and she subsequently began working with producers Glen Ballard, Dr. Luke. After adopting the stage name Katy Perry and being dropped by The Island Def Jam Music Group and Columbia Records, the album became the first by a female artist to produce five number-one songs in the U. S. and the second overall after Michael Jacksons album Bad. In March 2012, she re-issued the album as Teenage Dream, The Complete Confection and her fourth album, Prism, was released in 2013, and is influenced by pop and dance. She became the first artist with multiple videos to one billion views on Vevo with the videos for its songs Roar. Perry has received awards, including four Guinness World Records, a Brit Award, and a Juno Award. Her estimated net worth as of 2016 is $125 million and she is one of the best-selling musical artists of all time, having sold 100 million records globally throughout her career. In film, she released a documentary titled Katy Perry, Part of Me in 2012. Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson was born in Santa Barbara, California, to Pentecostal pastors Mary Christine and her parents are born again Christians, each having turned to religion after a wild youth. Perry has English, German, Irish, and Portuguese ancestry, through her mother, she is a niece of film director Frank Perry. She has a brother named David, who is a singer. From ages 3 to 11, Perry often moved across the country as her parents set up churches before settling again in Santa Barbara. Growing up, she attended schools and camps, including Paradise Valley Christian School in Arizona. Her family struggled financially, sometimes using food stamps and eating from the bank intended to feed the congregation at her parents church. Growing up, Perry and her siblings were not allowed to eat Lucky Charms as the term luck reminded their mother of Lucifer, Perry primarily listened to gospel music, as secular music was generally discouraged in the familys home. She discovered popular music through CDs she sneaked from her friends, while not strictly identifying as religious, Perry has stated, I pray all the time – for self-control, for humility
34.
Bulletproof vest
–
These vests often have a ballistic plate inserted into the vest. Body armor may combine a ballistic vest with other items of protective clothing, Ballistic vests use layers of very strong fibers to catch and deform a bullet, mushrooming it into a dish shape, and spreading its force over a larger portion of the vest fiber. The vest absorbs the energy from the bullet, bringing it to a stop before it can completely penetrate the textile matrix. Some layers may be penetrated but as the bullet deforms, the energy is absorbed by a larger and larger fiber area, while a vest can prevent bullet penetration, the vest and wearer still absorb the bullets impulse. Even without penetration, heavy bullets deal enough force to blunt force trauma under the impact point. Vest specifications will typically include both penetration resistance requirements and limits on the amount of force that is delivered to the body. This is because the force of these objects stays concentrated in a relatively small area. By contrast, stab vests provide better protection against sharp implements, textile vests may be augmented with metal, ceramic or polyethylene plates that provide extra protection to vital areas. These hard armor plates have proven effective against all handgun bullets and these upgraded ballistic vests have become standard in military use, as soft body armor vests are ineffective against military rifle rounds. Prison guards and police often wear vests which are designed specifically against bladed weapons and these vests may incorporate coated and laminated para-aramid textiles or metallic components. In 1538, Francesco Maria della Rovere commissioned Filippo Negroli to create a bulletproof vest, in 1561, Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor is recorded as testing his armor against gun-fire. Similarly, in 1590 Sir Henry Lee expected his Greenwich armor to be pistol proof and its actual effectiveness was controversial at the time. The etymology of bullet and the form of proof in the late 16th century would suggest that the term bulletproof originated shortly thereafter. During the English Civil War Oliver Cromwells Ironside cavalry were equipped with Capeline helmets, the outer layer was designed to absorb the bullets energy and the thicker inner layer stopped further penetration. The armor would be left badly dented but still serviceable, one of the first recorded descriptions of soft armor use was found in medieval Japan, with the armor having been manufactured from silk. One of the first commercially sold bulletproof armour was produced by a tailor in Dublin, I hope in a few days to have a specimen garment on view at my warerooms. Another soft ballistic vest, Myeonje baegab, was invented in Joseon, the Heungseon Daewongun ordered development of bullet-proof armor because of increasing threats from Western armies. Kim Gi-Doo and Gang Yoon found that cotton could protect against bullets if 10 layers of fabric were used
35.
T-54/T-55
–
The T-54 and T-55 tanks are a series of Soviet main battle tanks introduced just as the Second World War ended. The first T-54 prototype was completed at Nizhni Tagli by the end of 1945, the T-54 eventually became the main tank for armoured units of the Soviet Army, armies of the Warsaw Pact countries, and many others. T-54s and T-55s have been involved in many of the armed conflicts since the later part of the 20th century. The T-54/55 series eventually became the tank in military history. Estimated production numbers for the range from 86,000 to 100,000. During the Cold War, Soviet tanks never directly faced their NATO adversaries in combat in Europe, the Soviet T-34 medium tank of the 1940s is considered to have the best balance of firepower, protection and mobility for its cost of any tank of its time in the world. In 1943, the Morozov Design Bureau resurrected the pre-war T-34M development project, by the time the T-44 was ready for production, the T-34 had also been modified to fit the same gun. The T-44 was produced in small numbers, around 2,000 being completed during the war. Instead, the continued to use the design as the basis for further improved guns, experimenting with a 122 mm design. Efforts to fit the 100 mm gun to the T-44 demonstrated that changes to the design would greatly improve the combination. The main issue was a turret ring, which suggested slightly enlarging the hull. A prototype of the new design, about 40 centimetres longer and this model looked almost identical to the original T-44, albeit with a much larger gun. In testing, there were drawbacks that required correction and many alterations that had to be made to the vehicles design. It was decided to begin production of the new vehicle. It would go into production in Nizhni Tagil in 1947 and Kharkov in 1948, production of the initial series of T-54s began slowly as 1,490 modifications were made. The Red Army received a tank that was superior to World War II designs, the 100 mm gun fired BR-412 series full-calibre APHE ammunition, which had superior penetration capability when compared to the T-34 that it replaced. The serial production version, designated T-54-1, differed from the second T-54 prototype, as production ramped up, quality problems emerged. Production was stopped and an improved T-54-2 version was designed, several changes were made and a new turret was fitted
36.
Kim Il-sung
–
Kim Il-sung was the supreme leader of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, commonly referred to as North Korea, for 46 years, from its establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and he was also the leader of the Workers Party of Korea from 1949 to 1994. Coming to power after the overthrow of Japanese rule in 1945, he authorized the invasion of South Korea in 1950, a cease-fire in the Korean War was signed on 27 July 1953. Under his leadership, North Korea became a workers state with a publicly owned planned economy. It had close political and economic relations with the Soviet Union, by the 1960s and 1970s, North Korea enjoyed a relatively high standard of living, outperforming the South, which was riddled with political instability and economic crises. Despite this, the country still received massive funds, subsidies, during this period, the DPRK also remained critical of capitalism and the United States, seizing the American ship USS Pueblo in 1968. A cult of personality around Kim Il-sung came to domestic politics. His birthday is a holiday in North Korea and is called the Day of the Sun. Controversy surrounds Kims life before the founding of North Korea, with some sources labeling him an impostor, several sources indicate that the name Kim Il-sung had previously been used by a prominent early leader of the Korean resistance, Kim Kyung-cheon. The Soviet officer Grigory Mekler, who worked with Kim during the Soviet occupation, however, historian Andrei Lankov has argued that this is unlikely to be true. Several witnesses knew Kim before and after his time in the Soviet Union, including his superior, Zhou Baozhong, historian Bruce Cumings pointed out that Japanese officers from the Kwantung Army have attested to his fame as a resistance figure. Historians generally accept that, while Kims exploits were exaggerated by the personality cult that was built around him, Kims family is said to have originated from Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. His great-grandfather, Kim Ung-u, settled in Mangyong-dae in 1860, Kim is reported to have been born in the small village of Mangyungbong near Pyongyang on 15 April 1912. Born to Kim Hyŏng-jik and Kang Pan-sŏk, who gave him the name Kim Sŏng-ju, according to Kim, his family was not very poor, but was always a step away from poverty. According to the version, Kim’s family participated in anti-Japanese activities. Like most Korean families, they resented the Japanese occupation of the Korean peninsula, another view seems to be that his family settled in Manchuria, as many Koreans had at the time to escape famine. Nonetheless, Kims parents, especially Kims mother Kang Ban Suk and their exact involvement — whether their cause was missionary, nationalist, or both — is unclear nevertheless. Still, Japanese repression of opposition was brutal, resulting in the arrest and this repression forced many Korean families to flee Korea and settle in Manchuria
37.
Joseph Stalin
–
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953. Holding the post of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, he was effectively the dictator of the state. Stalin was one of the seven members of the first Politburo, founded in 1917 in order to manage the Bolshevik Revolution, alongside Lenin, Zinoviev, Kamenev, Trotsky, Sokolnikov, and Bubnov. Among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who took part in the Russian Revolution of 1917 and he managed to consolidate power following the 1924 death of Vladimir Lenin by suppressing Lenins criticisms and expanding the functions of his role, all the while eliminating any opposition. He remained General Secretary until the post was abolished in 1952, the economic changes coincided with the imprisonment of millions of people in Gulag labour camps. The initial upheaval in agriculture disrupted food production and contributed to the catastrophic Soviet famine of 1932–33, major figures in the Communist Party and government, and many Red Army high commanders, were arrested and shot after being convicted of treason in show trials. Stalins invasion of Bukovina in 1940 violated the pact, as it went beyond the Soviet sphere of influence agreed with the Axis, Germany ended the pact when Hitler launched a massive invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. Despite heavy human and territorial losses, Soviet forces managed to halt the Nazi incursion after the decisive Battles of Moscow, after defeating the Axis powers on the Eastern Front, the Red Army captured Berlin in May 1945, effectively ending the war in Europe for the Allies. The Soviet Union subsequently emerged as one of two recognized world superpowers, the other being the United States, Communist governments loyal to the Soviet Union were established in most countries freed from German occupation by the Red Army, which later constituted the Eastern Bloc. Stalin also had relations with Mao Zedong in China and Kim Il-sung in North Korea. On February 9,1946, Stalin delivered a public speech in which he explained the fundamental incompatibility of communism and capitalism. He stressed that the system needed war for raw materials. The Second World War was but the latest in a chain of conflicts which could be broken only when the economy made the transformation into communism. Stalin led the Soviet Union through its post-war reconstruction phase, which saw a significant rise in tension with the Western world that would later be known as the Cold War, Stalin remains a controversial figure today, with many regarding him as a tyrant. However, popular opinion within the Russian Federation is mixed, the exact number of deaths caused by Stalins regime is still a subject of debate, but it is widely agreed to be in the order of millions. Joseph Stalin was born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili, the Russian-language version of his birth name is Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili. Ioseb was born on 18 December 1878 in the town of Gori, Georgia and his father was Besarion Jughashvili, a cobbler, while his mother was Ekaterine Keke Geladze, a housemaid. As a child, Ioseb was plagued with health issues
38.
SEAL Team Six
–
The United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group, commonly known as DEVGRU or SEAL Team Six is a U. S. Navy component of Joint Special Operations Command. It is often referred to as SEAL Team Six or within JSOC as Task Force Blue and it is the U. S. Navy component of the Joint Special Operations Command. DEVGRU is administratively supported by Naval Special Warfare Command and operationally commanded by the Joint Special Operations Command, most information concerning DEVGRU is classified and details of its activities are not usually commented on by either the White House or the Department of Defense. Despite the official changes, SEAL Team Six remains the units widely recognized moniker. It is sometimes referred to in the U. S. media as a Special Mission Unit, DEVGRU and its Army counterpart, Delta Force, are the United States militarys premier counterterrorism units. The Central Intelligence Agencys highly secretive Special Activities Division and more specifically its elite Special Operations Group often works with—and recruits—operators from DEVGRU, the combination of these units led ultimately to the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Operation Neptune Spear. The origins of DEVGRU are in SEAL Team Six, a unit created in the aftermath of Operation Eagle Claw. During the Iran hostage crisis in 1979, Richard Marcinko was one of two U. S. Navy representatives for a Joint Chiefs of Staff task force known as the TAT, the purpose of the TAT was to develop a plan to free the American hostages held in Iran. In the wake of the disaster at the Desert One base in Iran, the Navy saw the need for a full-time counter-terrorist unit, Marcinko was the first commanding officer of this new unit. At the time there were two SEAL teams, Marcinko named the unit SEAL Team Six in order to confuse Soviet intelligence as to the number of actual SEAL teams in existence. The units plankowners were hand-picked by Marcinko from throughout the UDT/SEAL community, SEAL Team Six became the U. S. Navys premier counter-terrorist unit. It has been compared to the U. S. Armys Delta Force, Marcinko held the command of SEAL Team Six for three years, from 1980 to 1983, instead of the typical two-year command in the Navy at the time. SEAL Team Six was formally created in October 1980, and an intense, SEAL Team Six started with 75 shooters. According to Marcinko, the annual ammunition training allowance for the command was larger than that of the entire U. S. Marine Corps, the unit has virtually unlimited resources at its disposal. In 1987 SEAL Team Six was dissolved, a new unit named the Naval Special Warfare Development Group was formed, essentially as SEAL Team Sixs successor. Reasons for the disbanding are varied, but the name SEAL Team Six is often used in reference to DEVGRU. In the early stages of creating SEAL Team Six, Marcinko was given six months to get ST6 up and running and it has been said that Marcinko regretted not having enough time to set up a proper selection process and course. Originally applicants only came from the east and west coast SEAL teams, although much of the ST6/DEVGRU training pipeline is classified there are some requirements and training exercises that are public knowledge
39.
Korean People's Army
–
The Korean Peoples Army constitutes the military force of North Korea and, under the Songun policy, the central institution of North Korean society. Kim Jong-un is the Supreme Commander of the Korean Peoples Army, the KPA defence force consists of five branches, Ground Force, the Navy, the Air Force, the Strategic Rocket Forces, and the Special Operation Force. The Worker-Peasant Red Guards also come under control of the KPA, the KPA faces its primary adversaries, the Republic of Korea Armed Forces and United States Forces Korea, across the Korean Demilitarized Zone, as it has since the Armistice Agreement of July 1953. As of 2016, with 5,889,000 paramilitary personnel and this number represents 25% of the population. North Korea officially dates the foundation of the KPA back to the establishment of Kim Il-sungs anti-Japanese guerrilla army, in 1978, Military Foundation Day was changed from 8 February to 25 April, the nominal day of establishment of this army in 1932. In 1939, the Korean Volunteer Army, was formed in Yanan, the two individuals responsible for the army were Kim Tu-bong and Mu Chong. At the same time, a school was established near Yanan for training military, by 1945, the KVA had grown to approximately 1,000 men, mostly Korean deserters from the Imperial Japanese Army. During this period, the KVA fought alongside the Chinese communist forces from which it drew its arms, by September 1945, the KVA had a 2,500 strong force at its disposal. The headquarters felt a need for a unit for security around railways. That unit was activated on 15 August of the year to supervise existing security forces. Military institutes such as the Pyongyang Academy and the Central Constabulary Academy soon followed for education of political, after the military was organized and facilities to educate its new recruits were constructed, the Constabulary Discipline Corps was reorganized into the Korean Peoples Army General Headquarters. The previously semi-official units became military regulars with distribution of Soviet uniforms, badges, the State Security Department, a forerunner to the Ministry of Peoples Defense, was created as part of the Interim Peoples Committee on 4 February 1948. In addition, the Ministry of State for the Peoples Armed Forces was established, before the outbreak of the Korean War, Joseph Stalin equipped the KPA with modern tanks, trucks, artillery, and small arms. On 4 November, China openly staged a military intervention, on 7 December, Kim Il-sung was deprived of the right of command of KPA by China. The KPA subsequently played a minor role to Chinese forces in the remainder of the conflict. By the time of the Armistice in 1953, the KPA had sustained 290,000 casualties, in 1953, the Military Armistice Commission was able to oversee and enforce the terms of the armistice. Soviet thinking on the scale was replaced since December 1962 with a peoples war concept. The Soviet idea of warfare was replaced with a Maoist war of attrition strategy
40.
Democracy
–
Democracy, in modern usage, is a system of government in which the citizens exercise power directly or elect representatives from among themselves to form a governing body, such as a parliament. Democracy is sometimes referred to as rule of the majority, Democracy was originally conceived in Classical Greece, where political representatives were chosen by a jury from amongst the male citizens, rich and poor. The English word dates to the 16th century, from the older Middle French, in the 5th century BC, to denote the political systems then existing in Greek city-states, notably Athens, the term is an antonym to aristocracy, meaning rule of an elite. While theoretically these definitions are in opposition, in practice the distinction has been blurred historically, the political system of Classical Athens, for example, granted democratic citizenship to free men and excluded slaves and women from political participation. In 1906, Finland became the first government to harald a more inclusive democracy at the national level. Democracy contrasts with forms of government where power is held by an individual, as in an absolute monarchy, or where power is held by a small number of individuals. Nevertheless, these oppositions, inherited from Greek philosophy, are now ambiguous because contemporary governments have mixed democratic, oligarchic, and monarchic elements. Karl Popper defined democracy in contrast to dictatorship or tyranny, thus focusing on opportunities for the people to control their leaders, No consensus exists on how to define democracy, but legal equality, political freedom and rule of law have been identified as important characteristics. These principles are reflected in all eligible citizens being equal before the law, other uses of democracy include that of direct democracy. In some countries, notably in the United Kingdom which originated the Westminster system, in the United States, separation of powers is often cited as a central attribute. In India, parliamentary sovereignty is subject to the Constitution of India which includes judicial review, though the term democracy is typically used in the context of a political state, the principles also are applicable to private organisations. Majority rule is listed as a characteristic of democracy. Hence, democracy allows for political minorities to be oppressed by the tyranny of the majority in the absence of legal protections of individual or group rights. An essential part of a representative democracy is competitive elections that are substantively and procedurally fair, i. e. just. It has also suggested that a basic feature of democracy is the capacity of all voters to participate freely and fully in the life of their society. While representative democracy is sometimes equated with the form of government. Many democracies are constitutional monarchies, such as the United Kingdom, the term democracy first appeared in ancient Greek political and philosophical thought in the city-state of Athens during classical antiquity. The word comes from demos, common people and kratos, strength, led by Cleisthenes, Athenians established what is generally held as the first democracy in 508–507 BC
