what does the song swing low sweet chariot mean

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" may have been written by Wallis Willis, a Choctaw freedman in the old Indian Territory in what is now Choctaw County, near the County seat of Hugo, Oklahoma sometime after 1865. He may have been[weaselÂ words] inspired[citation needed] by the Red River, which reminded him of the Jordan River and of the Prophet Elijah's being taken to heaven by a chariot (2 Kings 2:11). Some sources[1][2] claim that this song and "Steal Away"[3] (also sung by Willis) had lyrics that referred to the Underground Railroad, the freedom movement that helped black people escape from Southern slavery to the North and Canada.

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is an American negro spiritual. The earliest known recording was in 1909, by the Fisk Jubilee Singers of Fisk University.

In 2002, the Library of Congress honored the song as one of 50 recordings chosen that year to be added to the National Recording Registry. It was also included in the list of Songs of the Century, by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Alexander Reid, a minister at the Old Spencer Academy, a Choctaw boarding school, heard Willis singing these two songs and transcribed the words and melodies. He sent the music to the Jubilee Singers of Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. The Jubilee Singers popularized the songs during a tour of the United States and Europe.

The song enjoyed a resurgence during the 1960s Civil Rights struggle and the folk revival; it was performed by a number of artists. Perhaps the most famous performance during this period was that by Joan Baez during the legendary 1969 Woodstock festival.

Oklahoma State Senator Judy Eason McIntyre from Tulsa proposed a bill nominating "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" as the Oklahoma State official gospel song in 2011.  The bill was co-sponsored by the Oklahoma State Black Congressional Caucus.  Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin signed the bill into law on May 5, 2011, at a ceremony at the Oklahoma Cowboy Hall of Fame; making the song the official Oklahoma State Gospel Song.[citation needed]

Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home

I looked over Jordan, and what did I see?
(Coming for to carry me home)
A band of angels coming after me
(Coming for to carry me home)

If you get there before I do
(Coming for to carry me home)
Tell all of my friends, that I'm coming there too
(Coming for to carry me home)

Chorus (3Ã—)

The song has frequently been used in films and television.

A popular early recording[18] was by the Fisk University Jubilee Quartet for Victor Records (No. 16453) on December 1, 1909[19]  and two years later the Apollo Jubilee Quartette on recorded the song on Monday, February 26, 1912, Columbia Records (A1169), New York City.[20][21]

Since then, numerous versions have been recorded including those by Bing Crosby (recorded April 25, 1938),[22] Kenny Ball and His Jazzmen (included in the album The Kenny Ball Show â€“ 1962), Louis Armstrong (for his album Louis and the Good Book - 1958), Sam Cooke (for his album Swing Low - 1961), Vince Hill (1993),[23] Peggy Lee (1946),[24] and Paul Robeson (recorded January 7, 1926 for Victor - (No. 20068).[25]

The noted jazz accordionist/composer John Serry Sr. recorded the composition with the jazz guitarist Tony Mottola
as members of the Biviano Accordion & Rhythm Sextette in 1947 for Sonora Records on the album Accordion Capers (Sonora # MS 476).[26][27]

British rock musician Eric Clapton recorded a reggae version of the song for his 1975 studio album There's One in Every Crowd. RSO Records released it with the B-side "Pretty Blue Eyes" as a seven-inch grammophone single in May the same year, produced by Tom Dowd.[28] His version reached various singles charts, including Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" has been sung by rugby players and fans for some decades,[34] and there are associated gestures, sometimes used in a drinking game, which requires those who wrongly perform the gestures to buy a round of drinks.[35][36] It became associated with the English national side, in particular, in 1988. Coming into the last match of the 1988 season, against Ireland at Twickenham, England had lost 15 of their previous 23 matches in the Five Nations Championship. The Twickenham crowd had only seen one solitary England try in the previous two years and at half time against Ireland they were 0–3 down. However, during the second half England scored six tries to give them a 35–3 win. Three of the tries came in quick succession from black player Chris Oti making his Twickenham debut. A group of boys from the Benedictine school Douai following a tradition at their school games sang "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" whenever a try was scored. When Oti scored his second try, amused spectators standing close to the boys joined in, and when Oti scored his hat-trick the song was heard around the ground.[34][37][38] The song is still regularly sung at matches by English supporters.[39]

The England national rugby union team returned from the 2003 Rugby World Cup triumph in Australia on a plane dubbed "Sweet Chariot".[40]

The song became the England Rugby World Cup theme for 1991, when performed by "Union featuring the England World Cup Squad". It reached number 16 on the UK singles chart.

The song was then covered in 1995 for that year's tournament by British reggae duo China Black together with South African male choral group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo. It reached number 15 on the chart, selling 200,000 copies.[citation needed]

1999's tournament featured Russell Watson record a version which had less success, only peaking at number 38 on the UK chart.[citation needed]

The song enjoyed more success in 2003's tournament, but included the album Homegrown, when recorded by UB40 and the United Colours of Sound. It originally peaked at number 23, but following England's victory in the tournament returned to reach number 15.[41][42] In the wake of the tournament, UB40 performed the song at a concert at the NEC Arena Birmingham that was attended by England rugby fans and captain Martin Johnson.[43]

A new version was recorded by Blake for the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

For 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand popular all-girl group Our Lady Muse (O.L.M) released an England Rugby World Cup Song.  An upbeat party anthem version of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot â€“ The Song was premiered at the "Polo Rocks" concert in aid of The Prince's Trust.

English singer Ella Eyre released a cover version of the song on 7 September 2015 as a digital download in association with England Rugby, to coincide with the 2015 Rugby World Cup, with the song raising money for England Rugbyâ€™s All Schools programme. The song was produced by Glyn Aikins and Mojam, it peaked to number 134 on the UK Singles Chart and number 87 on the Scottish Singles Chart.

On 1 July 2015 England Rugby announced that Ella Eyre would release a cover of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" as England Rugby's official single. Ella said:

Former England international Rob Andrew added:

A music video to accompany the release of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" was first released onto YouTube on 10 September 2015 at a total length of three minutes and ten seconds.


who was the original singer of i want candy

"I Want Candy" is a song written and originally recorded by the Strangeloves in 1965 that reached No. 11 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.[1] It is a famous example of a song that uses the Bo Diddley beat.[1]

I Want Candy

"I Want Candy" was written by Bert Berns, Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer in 1965. As writer/producers, Feldman, Goldstein and Gottehrer had already scored big hits for other artists, including "My Boyfriend's Back" by the Angels. For this song, the trio took on the moniker of the Strangeloves, and recorded the tune themselves, augmented by studio musicians (co-writer Berns was not involved in the studio recording).

The female vocalist heard half-screaming, half-singing "Baby!" in the middle of the track was an unknown session singer.

Although Feldman, Goldstein and Gottehrer used their real names in the writing and production credits of this single, they claimed the Strangeloves were actually three Australian brothers (and ex-sheep farmers) named Giles, Miles and Niles Strange. Feldman, Goldstein and Gottehrer dressed up in shaggy wigs and exotic clothing for publicity photos as the Strangeloves.

"I Want Candy", the Strangeloves' second single, became a top 10 hit in Canada and hit No. 11 in the US.[1] The record failed to chart in the UKâ€”or in the Strangeloves' so-called "native" country, Australia.

English new wave group Bow Wow Wow released their version as the first and only single from their EP The Last of the Mohicans. For many in America, "I Want Candy" was their first introduction to young lead singer Annabella Lwin and the band. The song barely scraped the Top 50, but became an enduring new wave classic.[2] The song gave its name to the band's 1982 release, I Want Candy, which was mainly a compilation, but included a couple of new cuts produced by Kenny Laguna (Joan Jett & the Blackhearts).

The popularity of Bow Wow Wow's recording, highly associated with 1980s pop music, is partly due to the memorable video that got heavy play in the early days of MTV.

The Bow Wow Wow recording appeared on two VH1 countdowns:

Bow Wow Wow's recording is frequently included in collections of '80s pop music and on soundtracks for movies that are set in the '80s, as well as in movies that want to make use of the recording's youthful, carefree tone. The recording appeared on the soundtracks for Blank Check, Private School, Bio-Dome, Daddy Day Care, 200 Cigarettes, High Fidelity, Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, Napoleon Dynamite, The House Bunny and (in the form of a remix by Kevin Shields) Marie Antoinette. It also appeared in The Simpsons episode "The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase".

The song was set to appear on the PlayStation 2 video game Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s, but was pulled out of the game for unknown reasons.

The popular Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation, which is known for naming each episode after an '80s hit song, named an episode after this song.

The Black Eyed Peas sampled the song for the song "Electric City" on their 2009 album The E.N.D.

Aaron Carter released a cover of "I Want Candy" as his seventh overall single, and the second single from his second album, Aaron's Party (Come Get It) (2000).

This version of "I Want Candy" begins with a phone conversation with a friend about a girl named Candy and features the participation of his brother Nick Carter from the Backstreet Boys. Carter promoted it by performing it on the show Lizzie McGuire. A music video was produced to promote the single, directed by Andrew MacNaughtan.

Candy Girls, consisting of Rachel Auburn and Paul Masterson, released a cover of "I Want Candy", which became their third hit single in 1996, peaking at No. 30 in the UK.[20] It was their last release. After releasing this single, the duo split. Masterson went on to have hits as Amen! UK, Clergy, Yomanda, Dorothy and Hi-Gate.

"I Want Candy" was the second single to be taken from Melanie C's fourth album This Time, in the UK, Denmark and Italy. The song was also the soundtrack to the movie of the same name, and the video featured Melanie dancing for the first time since the Spice Girls. Melanie split her time between the UK and Europe, where she was promoting "The Moment You Believe", and as a result, the single was not heavily promoted and reached No. 24 â€” although on the physical chart, the single reached No. 7. "I Want Candy" went on to sell 12,510 copies in the UK, but had better success in Italy (No. 9) and Denmark (No. 12).

Melanie premiered her version of the song during Al Murray's Happy Hour on ITV1 on 24 February 2007. The video was premiered on 2 March 2007 in the UK. The song was released as Italy's and Denmark's first single from the new album, where it reached No. 9 in both countries, while in other European countries, the ballad "The Moment You Believe" was chosen.

In the video for "I Want Candy", Melanie C is featured in a skin-tight catsuit, featuring a sexually suggestive dance routine with half-naked bodybuilders in crowd-controller uniforms. The video instantly grabbed the No. 1 spot on YouTube with 200,000 hits in its first day.[22]

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "I Want Candy" by Melanie C.


who are the characters of south park based on

Stan is portrayed as the everyman of the group,[2] as the show's official website describes him as "a normal, average, American, mixed-up kid".[3] Kyle is the lone Jew among the group, and his portrayal in this role is often dealt with satirically.[2] Stan and Kyle are best friends, and their relationship, which is intended to reflect the real-life friendship between South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone,[4] is a common topic throughout the series. Cartman—loud, obnoxious, and obese—is sometimes portrayed as the series' main antagonist [5] and whose anti-Semitic attitude has resulted in an ever-progressing rivalry with Kyle.[2] Kenny, who comes from a poor family, wears his parka hood so tightly that it covers most of his face and muffles his speech. During the show's first five seasons, Kenny would die in almost every single episode before returning in the next without explanation.

List of South Park characters

South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. The ongoing narrative revolves around four children, Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman and Kenny McCormick, and their bizarre adventures in and around the fictional and eponymous Colorado town.[1] The town is also home to an assortment of characters who make frequent appearances in the show such as students and their family members, elementary school staff, and recurring characters.[1]

Stone and Parker perform the voices of most of the male South Park characters.[2][6][7] Mary Kay Bergman voiced the majority of the female characters until her death in 1999.[8] Eliza Schneider (1999–2003), Mona Marshall (2000–present), and April Stewart (2003–present) have voiced most of the female characters since.[8] A few staff members such as Jennifer Howell, Vernon Chatman, John Hansen, Adrien Beard have voiced the other recurring characters.

Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone originally conceived the idea of a South Park-like show with four children characters, but with a talking stool named Mr. Hankey as the show's main character and planned to call it The Mr. Hankey Show.[9] Eventually, Parker and Stone adapted their original idea into a show revolving around the South Park town and four children with Mr. Hankey in a minor supporting role in a future episode.[9] Comedy Central later expressed interest in the series, and picked it up. The premiere episode, "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe", debuted on Comedy Central on August 13, 1997, while Mr. Hankey would debut in the tenth episode, "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo".[10][11]

In tradition with the show's cutout animation style, the characters are composed of simple geometrical shapes and uninflected patches of predominantly primary colors.[12][13] They are not offered the same free range of motion associated with hand-drawn characters, as they are mostly shown from only one angle, and their movements are animated in an intentionally jerky fashion.[2][12][13] Ever since the show's second episode, "Weight Gain 4000", all the characters on the show have been animated with computer software, though they are portrayed to give the impression that the show still utilizes the original technique of cutout animation.[12]

Stone and Parker voice most of the male South Park characters.[2][7] Mary Kay Bergman voiced the majority of the female characters until her death in 1999, near the end of the third season.[8] Eliza Schneider and Mona Marshall succeeded Bergman in 1999, and respectively 2000, with Schneider leaving the show in 2003, after the seventh season.[8] She was replaced by April Stewart, who, along with Marshall, continues to voice most of the female characters.[8] Bergman was originally listed in the credits under the alias Shannen Cassidy to protect her reputation as the voice of several Disney characters.[14] Stewart was originally credited under the name Gracie Lazar,[15] while Schneider was sometimes credited under her rock opera performance pseudonym Blue Girl.[16]

Some South Park staff members voice other recurring characters; supervising producer Jennifer Howell voices student Bebe Stevens,[7] writing consultant Vernon Chatman voices an anthropomorphic towel named Towelie,[7] and production supervisor John Hansen voices Mr. Slave, the former gay lover of Mr. Garrison.[17] South Park producer and storyboard artist Adrien Beard, who voices Token Black, the only African-American child in South Park, was recruited to voice the character "because he was the only black guy [in the] building" when Parker needed to quickly find someone to voice the character during the production of the season four (2000) episode "Cartman's Silly Hate Crime 2000".[18][19]

Stanley Randall "Stan" Marsh is one of the show's four central characters and is voiced by and loosely based on series co-creator Trey Parker.[4][20] He first appeared in The Spirit of Christmas and is portrayed (in words of the show's official website) as "a normal, average, American, mixed-up kid".[21] Stan is a third- then fourth-grade student who commonly has extraordinary experiences not typical of conventional small-town life in his hometown of South Park. In many episodes, Stan contemplates ethics in beliefs, moral dilemmas, and contentious issues, and will often reflect on the lessons he has attained with a speech that often begins with "You know, I learned something today...".[22]

Kyle Broflovski is one of the show's four central characters and is voiced by and loosely based on series co-creator Matt Stone.[7] Having appeared first in The Spirit of Christmas shorts, he often displays the highest moral standard of all the boys and is usually depicted as the most intelligent.[23] When describing Kyle, Stone states that both he and the character are "reactionary", and susceptible to irritability and impatience.[24] In some instances, Kyle is the only child in his class to not initially indulge in a fad or fall victim to a ploy. This has resulted in both his eagerness to fit in, and his resentment and frustration.[23][25] Kyle is distinctive as one of the few Jewish children on the show, and because of this, he often feels like an outsider amongst the core group of characters.[24][26][27] His portrayal in this role is often dealt with satirically, and has elicited both praise and criticism from Jewish viewers.[6][28][29] [30]

Eric Theodore Cartman first appeared in the 1992 short series "Jesus vs Frosty" and is voiced by Trey Parker.[7] Cartman has been portrayed as aggressive, prejudiced and emotionally unstable since his character's inception. These traits are significantly augmented in later seasons as his character evolves, and he begins to exhibit psychopathic and extremely manipulative behavior. He is depicted as highly intelligent, able to execute morally appalling plans and business ideas with success. Among the show's main child characters, Cartman is distinguished as "the fat kid",[2] for which he is continuously insulted and ridiculed.[31] Cartman is frequently portrayed as a villain whose actions set in motion the events serving as the main plot of an episode.[5] Other children and classmates are alienated by Cartman's insensitive, racist, homophobic, anti-semitic, misogynistic, lazy, self-righteous, and wildly insecure behavior.[32][33][34][35][36] Cartman often makes anti-semitic insults towards Kyle,[2][37] constantly teases Kenny for being poor,[38] particularly manipulates and mistreats Butters Stotch and displays an extreme disdain for hippies.[39][40] Though he is considered the main antagonist of the series, he has been portrayed as a protagonist or antihero on several occasions.

Kenneth "Kenny" McCormick is one of the shows' main characters who debuted in the 1992 short. His oft-muffled and indiscernible speech—the result of his parka hood covering his mouth—is voiced by co-creator Matt Stone.[7] He is friends with Stan and Kyle, while maintaining a friendship with Eric Cartman.[41] Kenny is regularly teased for living in poverty, particularly by Cartman.[38] Prior to season six, Kenny died in almost every episode, with only a few exceptions.[note 1] The nature of the deaths was often gruesome and portrayed in a comically absurd fashion,[42] and usually followed by Stan and Kyle respectively yelling "Oh my God! They killed Kenny!" and "You bastard(s)!".[43] In the episode "Kenny Dies", Kenny dies after developing a terminal muscular disease,[44] while Parker and Stone claimed that Kenny would not be returning in subsequent episodes and insisted they grew tired of having Kenny die in each episode.[45] For most of season six, his place is taken by Butters Stotch and Tweek Tweak.[46][47] Nevertheless, Kenny returned from the year-long absence in the season six finale "Red Sleigh Down", and has remained a starring character since, although he only appears once in 1 episode season 20. His character no longer dies each week, and has only been killed occasionally in episodes following his return.[48] Kenny's superhero alter ego, Mysterion, first appeared in the season 13 episode "The Coon".[49][50]

Leopold "Butters" Stotch is cheerful, naive, optimistic, sweet-natured, gullible and more passive relative to the show's other child characters, and can become increasingly anxious, especially when faced with the likelihood of his parents' punishments, which is usually being grounded, usually for no good reason, such as when Butters threatened to "kill" himself as part of a scheme by Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman, and his parents said they would "only" ground him for two weeks if he came down. Butters usually doesn't indulge in foul-mouthed language like the other children and speaks with a mild stutter and tends to fidget with his hands.The other characters perceive him as "nerdy" and he obliviously maintains a very wholesome attitude and mild disposition despite the tragedy and abuse that he frequently encounters from both his classmates and parents. His happy-go-lucky persona has been described as resembling that of a typical 1950s sitcom child character and is usually presented in stark contrast to the harsh treatment he receives at the hands of his friends and strict parents, Butters appeared initially as a background character in first the episode, "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe", but gradually became one of Parker and Stone's favorite characters. Besides wanting to genuinely surprise fans, Parker and Stone killed Kenny at the end of season five to allow an opportunity to provide a major role for Butters, as his following episode, revolves entirely around him. Stan, Kyle, and Cartman allow him into their group as the "fourth friend", but eventually gets ousted and vengefully adopts his super-villain alter ego of Professor Chaos, whom, in spite of his name, only seems to be able to screw things up that either nobody takes notice of, or can be easily resolved. Despite this, Butters has continued to be a major character in recent seasons and continues to be a frequent source of help to Cartman, while also being the main victim of Cartman's constant pranking and manipulation.

Wendy Testaburger is the show's most prominent female student. Her best friend is Bebe Stevens, she is the on-and-off girlfriend of Stan. Wendy has previously been voiced by Karri Turner (in the unaired pilot), Mary Kay Bergman, Mona Marshall, Eliza Schneider, and is currently voiced by April Stewart. Fellow co-creator Matt Stone has also cited the name of Wendy Westerberg, the wife of an old friend from his childhood.[51] She wears a pink beret and a purple coat. She has long black hair with uneven bangs. Wendy made her first appearance unnamed, but clearly recognizable, in "The Spirit of Christmas".

Like her boyfriend Stan, Wendy is mature for her age, critical of popular trends, moral and intellectual, as well as being a feminist, as noted in many of her appearances. She campaigns in several episodes on causes, such as breast cancer and the suffering of bottlenose dolphins, often arguing with Eric Cartman who calls her a "bitch" or "ho" in response. Although the two generally only argue, he pushes her to the limit in the Season 12 (2008) episode "Breast Cancer Show Ever" wherein the two engage in a fight on the playground, in which Wendy badly beats up Cartman.

Wendy is known to be protective of her relationship with Stan. In the Season 1 (1997) episode "Tom's Rhinoplasty" when Stan, along with the other boys, falls in love with an attractive substitute teacher, with Wendy accusing her of stealing Stan from her, eventually formulating a complex plan to get her thrown into the sun. She also sometimes displays jealousy â€“ in the Season 6 (2002) episode "Bebe's Boobs Destroy Society", her best friend, Bebe Stevens, receives more attention than she does because of Bebe's developing breasts. Wendy then gets breast implants, but the boys end up ridiculing her after only just realizing the control Bebe's breasts had on them. This behavior is somewhat contradicted by episodes such as "Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset" and "Dances with Smurfs" where she is more concerned with principles than trends and attention.

Wendy is very prominent in the show's earlier seasons, usually quarreling with Eric Cartman or reinforcing her relationship with Stan. She speaks in several episodes (especially in the first season) and is often chosen to help the boys out over her classmates. Wendy and Stan's relationship received less focus over the course of the Season 5 (2001), and she has only one minor role in Season 6 (2002). This culminates in her breakup with Stan and pairing with Token Black in "Raisins", after which she makes only scattered prominent appearances until the end of the eleventh season, where she gets back together with Stan in "The List". They subsequently pair up as partners on a field trip in "Super Fun Time", she beats Cartman in a fight in "Breast Cancer Show Ever" and in the episode "Elementary School Musical" Stan suspects that she may leave him for a popular boy called Bridon. Wendy is able to kiss Stan on the cheek in "Elementary School Musical" without his previous nauseated reaction.

Wendy was voted student council president, something first noted in "Bebe's Boobs Destroy Society" and re-addressed seven seasons later in "Dances with Smurfs", when Cartman becomes the morning announcer and starts spreading defaming comments about herâ€”most notably her supposed genocide of the Smurfs. In response to the allegations, Wendy becomes a guest on Cartman's morning show and manipulates his own story of the Smurf holocaust before announcing her resignation and electing him as the new school council president, effectively relieving him of his morning announcement job. Throughout the episode, Stan solidly defends her.

A few characters have had a major recurring role in the past episodes in the show before their deaths.

Kyle, Eric, Stan and Kenny have all appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.

Cartman is a South Park fan favorite,[31] and is often described as the most famous character from the series.[5][68][69] With a headline to their online written version of a radio report, NPR declared Cartman as "America's Favorite Little $@#&*%".[5] "Respect my authoritah!" and "Screw you guys...I'm going home!" became catchphrases and, during the show's earlier seasons, were highly popular in the lexicon of viewers.[70][71] His eccentric enunciation of "Hey!" was included in the 2002 edition of The Oxford Dictionary of Catchphrases.[72] Stone has said that when fans recognize him or Parker, the fans will usually do their imitation of Cartman, or, in Parker's case, request that he do Cartman's voice.[46] Both Cartman's commentary and the commentary resulting in response to his actions have been interpreted as statements Parker and Stone are attempting to make to the viewing public,[73] and these opinions have been subject to much critical analysis in the media and literary world.[74]

Cartman ranked 10th on TV Guide's 2002 list of the "Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters",[75] 24th on TV Guide’s "25 Greatest TV Villains", 198th on VH1's "200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons",[76] and 19th on Bravo's "100 Greatest TV Characters" television special in 2004.[77] When declaring him the second-scariest character on television (behind only Mr. Burns of The Simpsons) in 2005, MSNBC's Brian Bellmont described Cartman as a "bundle of pure, unadulterated evil all wrapped up in a fat—er, big-boned—cartoony package" who "takes a feral delight in his evildoing".[78]

While Parker and Stone portray Stan and Kyle as having common childlike tendencies, their dialogue is often intended to reflect stances and views on more adult-oriented issues, and have been subject to much critical analysis in the media and literary world and have frequently been cited in publications by experts in the fields of politics, religion, popular culture and philosophy.[79][80][81][82] [83][84][85] Kenny's deaths are well known in popular culture,[43] and was one of the things viewers most commonly associated with South Park during its earlier seasons.[86] The exclamation of "Oh my God! They killed Kenny!" quickly became a popular catchphrase,[4][44] while both Kenny and the phrase have appeared on some of the more popular pieces of South Park merchandise,[43] including shirts, bumper stickers, calendars and baseball caps,[38] and inspired the rap song "Kenny's Dead" by Master P,[43] which was featured on Chef Aid: The South Park Album. The catchphrase also appears in MAD magazine's satire of TITANIC where Stan, Kyle and Cartman are shown on a lifeboat while they were supposedly escaping from the sinking ship. Kenny's deaths have been subject to much critical analysis in the media and literary world.[87][88][89] When Sophie Rutschmann of the University of Strasbourg discovered a mutated gene that causes an adult fruit fly to die within two days after it is infected with certain bacteria, she named the gene "Kenny" in honor of the character.[90]

The characters of the South Park franchise have spawned several merchandise items, varying from toys to apparel items. In 2004, the first action figure collection was released by Mirage Toys containing five series each with four characters.[91] In 2006, Mezco toys released a second collection containing a total of six series, each containing six or four figures.[92] Comedy Central itself has made available a variety of products through its website, including T-shirts, figures, hats, pants, and even shot glasses.[93] A number of fan websites provides an even more extended amount of merchandise, ranging from posters, to magnets, ties and even skateboards, South Park Studios offer through their website the possibility of creating personalized South Park avatars.[94] Similar possibilities have been available on multiple fan sites.[95]


when was the golden nugget in lake charles built

The casino opened to the public on December 7, 2014.[14]

Golden Nugget Lake Charles

Golden Nugget Lake Charles is a 242-acre waterfront casino resort in Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S.A.,[1] owned and operated by Houston-based Landry's, Inc.[2] The resort features 740 guest rooms and suites housed in a 25-story tower, an 18-hole golf course, 30,000-square-feet of meeting space, more than a dozen dining and bar options, a private beach, marina, spa & salon, retail corridor and expansive 24-hour casino floor.[3]

Golden Nugget Lake Charles is the fifth Golden Nugget property, joining the original location in Downtown Las Vegas, and others in Laughlin, Nevada; Atlantic City, New Jersey and Biloxi, Mississippi.[4]

Pinnacle Entertainment announced plans in 2006 to build Sugarcane Bay, a $350-million casino resort, next to its L'Auberge du Lac casino in Lake Charles.[5] The plan was canceled in 2010,[6] and Pinnacle returned the gaming license to the state.[7]

In February 2011, the license was awarded to Creative Casinos LLC, the company of former Pinnacle chairman Dan Lee, for a $400-million casino named Mojito Pointe to be built on the Sugarcane Bay site.[8]

Ameristar Casinos purchased Creative Casinos in June 2012 for $32.5 million, after Lee had difficulty financing construction.[9] The project was renamed as Ameristar Lake Charles.[9]

In December 2012, Pinnacle agreed to acquire Ameristar.[10] In order to obtain approval for the merger from FTC antitrust regulators, Pinnacle agreed to the sale of two of the combined company's properties, including Ameristar Lake Charles.[11] A sale agreement was reached with Landry's, Inc., parent company of the Golden Nugget casinos, who agreed to pay the costs expended on the project's development to date.[11]

Landry's owner Tilman J. Fertitta announced improvements and upgrades to the property, investing more than $600 million in the project, one of the most expensive construction endeavors in the United States at the time. In December 2013, construction topped out on the 25-story accommodations tower.[12] Located just two hours from Houston, Fertitta had long desired a casino-resort near the headquarters of Landry's, Inc.[13]

The casino floor at Golden Nugget Lake Charles features a 6-table poker room, 1,600 slot machines, 60 table games and high-limit gaming.[15]

Golden Nugget Lake Charles offers more than a dozen restaurants and bars, including a number of Landry’s-owned restaurants – Landry’s Seafood, Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse, Saltgrass Steak House, Cadillac Bar & Grill, Grotto Ristorante, Lillie’s Asian Cuisine, Claim Jumper Grill, The Buffet and others. The resort is also home to Louisiana’s first Blue Martini, a Florida-based cocktail lounge.[16][17]

The 242-acre resort is also home to a new 18-hole championship golf course, with driving range, club house, pro shop and dining room.[18]


who was the last person publicly executed in the us

Rainey Bethea (c. 1909[2] â€“ August 14, 1936) was the last person to be publicly executed in the United States. Bethea, who confessed to the rape and murder of a 70-year-old woman named Lischia Edwards, was convicted of her rape and publicly hanged in Owensboro, Kentucky. Mistakes in performing the hanging and the surrounding media circus contributed to the end of public executions in the United States.

Rainey Bethea

Born in Roanoke, Virginia, Bethea was an African American orphaned after the death of his mother in 1919 and his father in 1926. Little is known of his time before he arrived in Owensboro in 1933. He worked for the Rutherford family and lived in their basement for about a year. Bethea then moved to a cabin behind the house of Emmett Wells. He worked as a laborer and rented a room from Mrs. Charles Brown. He also attended a Baptist church.

Bethea's first brush with the law was in 1935, when he was charged with breach of the peace, for which he was fined $20, then in April of the same year, he was caught stealing two purses from the Vogue Beauty Shop. Since the value of the purses exceeded $25, Bethea was convicted of a felony, grand larceny, and sentenced to one year in the Kentucky State Penitentiary at Eddyville. He arrived there on June 1, 1935. His physical showed him to be 5 feet 4 3⁄8 inches (1.635 m) tall and to weigh 128 pounds (58 kg). He was paroled on December 1, 1935.

On returning to Owensboro, Bethea continued to work as a laborer and was paid about $7.00 per week. Less than a month later, he was arrested again, this time for house breaking. On January 6, 1936, this charge was amended to drunk and disorderly. He was unable to pay the $100 fine and remained incarcerated in the Daviess County Jail until April 18, 1936.

During the early morning of June 7, 1936, Bethea gained access to the home of Lischia Edwards at 322 East Fifth Street[3] by climbing onto the roof of an outbuilding next door. From there, he jumped onto the roof of the servant's quarters of Emmett Wells' house, and then walked down a wooden walkway. He climbed over the kitchen roof to Edwards' bedroom window.

After removing a screen from her window, he entered the room, waking her. Bethea then choked Edwards and violently raped her. After she was unconscious, he searched for valuables and stole several of her rings. In the process, he removed his own black celluloid prison ring, but failed to retrieve it. He left the bedroom and hid the stolen jewels in a barn not far from the house.

The crime was discovered late that morning after the Smith family, who lived downstairs, noticed they had not heard Edwards stirring in her room. They feared she might have been ill and knocked on the door of her room, attempting to rouse her. They found the door locked with a skeleton key still inside the lock from the inside, which prevented another key from being placed in the lock from the outside. They contacted a neighbor, Robert Richardson, hoping he could help, and he managed to knock the key free, but another skeleton key would not unlock the door. Smith then obtained a ladder and climbed into the room through the transom over the door, discovering Edwards was dead.

The Smiths alerted Dr. George Barr while he was attending a service at the local Methodist Church. Dr. Barr realized there was little he could do and summoned the local coroner, Delbert Glenn, who attended the same church. The Smiths also called the Owensboro police. Officers found the room was otherwise tidy, but there were muddy footprints everywhere. Coroner Glenn also found a celluloid prison ring, which Bethea, in his drunken state, had inadvertently left behind in the room.

By late Sunday afternoon, the police already suspected Rainey Bethea after several residents of Owensboro stated that they had previously seen Bethea wearing the ring. Since Bethea had a criminal record, the police were able to use what was then a new identification technique - fingerprints - to establish that Bethea had recently touched items inside the bedroom. Throughout the next four days, the police searched for the murderer.

On the Wednesday following the discovery of the murder, Burt "Red" Figgins was working on the bank of the Ohio River, when he observed Bethea lying under some bushes. Figgins asked Bethea what he was doing, and Bethea responded he was "cooling off." Figgins then reported this sighting to his supervisor, Will Faith, and asked him to call the police. By the time Faith had returned to the spot on the river bank, Bethea had moved to the nearby Koll's Grocery. Faith followed him and then found a policeman in the drugstore, but when they searched for Bethea, he again eluded capture.

Later that afternoon, Bethea was again spotted. This time, he was cornered on the river bank after he tried to board a barge. When police officers questioned him, he denied that he was Bethea, claiming his name was James Smith. The police played along with the fabricated name, fearing a mob would develop if residents were to learn that the murderer had been captured. After his arrest, Bethea was identified by a scar on the left side of his head.

The judge of the Daviess Circuit Court ordered the sheriff to transport Bethea to the Jefferson County Jail in Louisville, fearing a lynch mob. While being transferred, Bethea made his first confession, admitting that he had raped Edwards and strangled her to death. Bethea also lamented the fact that he had made a mistake by leaving his ring at the crime scene.

Once incarcerated at the Jefferson County Jail in Louisville, Bethea made a second confession, this time before Robert M. Morton, a notary public, and George H. Koper, a reporter for The Courier-Journal. Officials requested the presence of the notary and the reporter anticipating that Bethea, or someone else, might accuse them of coercing his confession.

On June 12, 1936, Bethea made a third confession and told the captain of the guards where he had hidden the jewelry. Owensboro police searched a barn in Owensboro and found the jewelry, where Bethea said he had left it.

Under Kentucky law, the grand jury could not convene until June 22, and the prosecutor decided to charge Bethea solely with rape. The reason was, under the statutes then in force, if a punishment of death was given for murder and robbery, it was to be carried out by electrocution at the state penitentiary in Eddyville; however, rape could be punished by public hanging in the county seat where the crime occurred. To avoid a potential legal dilemma as to whether Bethea would be hanged or electrocuted, the prosecutor elected to charge Bethea only with the crime of rape. Bethea was never charged with the remaining crimes of theft, robbery, burglary, or murder. After one hour and forty minutes, the grand jury returned an indictment, charging Bethea with rape.

On June 25, 1936, officers returned Bethea to Owensboro for the trial which took place that same day.[4] Bethea was unhelpful to his state-appointed attorneys, lead defense attorney and early anti-death penalty advocate William W. "Bill" Kirtley, William L. Wilson, Carroll Byron, and C. W. Wells Jr. He said that a Clyde Maddox would provide an alibi, but Maddox claimed he did not even know Bethea. In the end, they subpoenaed four witnesses: Maddox, Ladd Moorman, Willie Johnson (whom Bethea had implicated as an accomplice in his second confession), and Allen McDaniel. Only the first three were served because the sheriff's office could not find a person named Allen McDaniel.

On the night before the trial, Bethea announced to his lawyers that he wanted to plead guilty, and he did so the next day at the start of the trial. The prosecutor, who was asking for the death penalty, still presented the state's case to the jury since the jury would decide the sentence. The first twelve of 111 people called for jury duty were selected.

During his opening statement, Commonwealth's Attorney Herman Birkhead said, "This is one of the most dastardly, beastly, cowardly crimes ever committed in Daviess County. Justice demands and the Commonwealth will ask and expect a verdict of the death penalty by hanging."[5]

After questioning 21 witnesses, the prosecution closed its case. The defense did not call any witnesses or cross-examine the witnesses who testified for the prosecution. After a closing statement by the prosecutor, the judge instructed the jury that since Bethea had pleaded guilty, their only task was to "...fix his punishment, at confinement in the penitentiary for not less than ten years nor more than twenty years, or at death."[6] After only four and a half minutes of deliberation, the jury returned with a sentence: death by hanging. Bethea was then quickly removed from the courthouse and returned to the Jefferson County Jail.

Back in Louisville, Bethea acquired five new black lawyers - Charles Ewbank Tucker, Stephen A. Burnley, Charles W. Anderson Jr., Harry E. Bonaparte, and R. Everett Ray. They worked pro bono to challenge the sentence, something they saw as their ethical duty for the indigent defendant. On July 10, 1936, they filed a motion for a new trial. The judge summarily denied this on the grounds that under Section 273 of the Kentucky Code of Practice in Criminal Cases, a motion for a new trial had to have been received before the end of the court's term which had ended on July 4.

They then attempted to appeal to the Kentucky Court of Appeals which was also not in session. On July 29, Justice Gus Thomas returned to Frankfort where he heard the oral motion. Justice Thomas refused to permit the appeal to be filed on the grounds that the trial court record was incomplete since it only included the judge's ruling. Although it may seem that Bethea's lawyers were incompetent, they knew the appeal would be denied and this was only a formality in order to exhaust state court remedies before they filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus in a federal court.

Once Justice Thomas denied the motion to file a belated appeal, Bethea's attorneys filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky at Louisville. A hearing was held on August 5 at the Federal Building in Louisville before United States District Judge Elwood Hamilton. During the hearing, Bethea claimed that he had not wanted to plead guilty but had been forced to by his lawyers, and that he had wanted to subpoena three witnesses to testify on his behalf, but the lawyers had also not done this. Bethea also claimed that his five confessions had been made under duress and that when he signed one of them, he did not know what he was signing. The Commonwealth brought several witnesses to refute these claims. Judge Hamilton denied the habeas corpus petition and ruled that the hanging could proceed.

Although the crime was infamous in the surrounding areas, it came to nationwide attention because of one factâ€”the sheriff of Daviess County was a woman. Florence Shoemaker Thompson had become sheriff on April 13, 1936, after her husband, Everett Thompson, who was elected sheriff in 1933, unexpectedly died of pneumonia on April 10. As sheriff of the county, it was her duty to hang Bethea.

Among the hundreds of letters that Sheriff Thompson received after it came to public attention she would perform the hanging was one from Arthur L. Hash, a former Louisville police officer, who offered his services free of charge to perform the execution. Thompson quickly decided to accept this offer. He asked only that she not make his name public.

Thompson also received a letter from the Chief Deputy United States Marshal for the District of Indiana telling her of a farmer from Epworth, Illinois, named G. Phil Hanna who had assisted with hangings across the country. Bethea's hanging would be the 70th which Hanna had supervised. He himself never pulled the trigger that released the trapdoor, and the only thing he asked for in return was the weapon used in the crime. Hanna developed his interest in the "art" of hanging after he witnessed the botched execution of Fred Behme at McLeansboro, Illinois, in 1896 which had resulted in the condemned man suffering. As such, Hanna saw it as his main task to provide whatever assistance he could to ensure a quick, painless death. Hanna did not always succeed in this endeavorâ€”during the hanging of James Johnson on March 26, 1920, the rope broke and Johnson fell to the ground and was severely injured. Hanna had to descend the steps, carry the injured Johnson back to the scaffold, and proceed with his execution.[7]

On August 6, the Governor of Kentucky, Albert Chandler, signed Bethea's execution warrant and set the execution for sunrise on August 14. However, Sheriff Thompson requested the governor to issue a revised death warrant because the original warrant specified that the hanging would take place in the courthouse yard where the county, at significant expense, had recently planted new shrubs and flowers. Chandler was out-of-state, so Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky Keen Johnson signed a second death warrant moving the location of the hanging from the courthouse yard to an empty lot near the county garage.

Rainey Bethea's last meal consisted of fried chicken, pork chops, mashed potatoes, pickled cucumbers, cornbread, lemon pie, and ice cream which he ate at 4:00 p.m. on August 13 in Louisville. At about 1:00 a.m., Daviess County deputy sheriffs transported Bethea from Louisville to Owensboro. At the jail, Hanna visited Bethea and instructed him to stand on the X that would be marked on the trapdoor.

It was estimated that a crowd of 20,000 people gathered to watch the execution with thousands coming from out of town. Hash arrived at the site intoxicated wearing a white suit and a white Panama hat. At this time, no one but he and Thompson knew he would be pulling the trigger.

Bethea left the Daviess County Jail at 5:21Â a.m. and walked with two deputies to the scaffold. Within two minutes, he was at the base of the scaffold. Removing his shoes, he put on a new pair of socks. He ascended the steps and stood on the large X as instructed. He made no final statement to the waiting crowd. After Bethea made his final confession to Father Lammers, of the Cathedral of the Assumption in Louisville, the black hood was placed over his head and three large straps were placed around his ankles, thighs, arms, and chest.

Hanna placed the noose around Bethea's neck, adjusted it, and then signaled to Hash to pull the trigger. Instead, Hash, who was drunk, did nothing. Hanna shouted at Hash, "Do it!" and a deputy leaned onto the trigger which sprang the trap door. Throughout all of this, the crowd was hushed. Bethea fell eight feet and his neck was instantly broken. About 14 minutes later, two doctors confirmed Bethea was dead. After the noose was removed, his body was taken to Andrew & Wheatley Funeral Home. He had wanted his body sent to his sister in South Carolina. Instead, he was buried in a pauper's grave at the Rosehill Elmwood Cemetery in Owensboro.

Many newspapers, having spent considerable sums of money to cover the first execution publicly performed by a woman, were disappointed, and several journalists took liberties in reporting the event, describing it as a "Roman Holiday,"[8] some falsely reporting that the crowd rushed the gallows to claim souvenirs,[9] and at least one newspaper falsely reported that Sheriff Thompson fainted at the base of the scaffold.[10]

Afterwards, Hanna complained that Hash should not have been allowed to perform the execution in his drunken condition. Hanna further said it was the worst display he experienced in the 70 hangings he had supervised.

The Kentucky General Assembly met in biennial sessions at the time. Although the media circus surrounding the Bethea execution embarrassed members of the Kentucky legislature, it was powerless to amend the law until the next session, in 1938. Meanwhile, two other men were hanged for rape in Kentucky, John "Pete" Montjoy and Harold Van Venison, but the trial judges of both of those cases ordered that the hangings be conducted privately. Montjoy, age 23, was privately hanged in Covington on December 17, 1937. On January 17, 1938, William R. Attkisson of the Kentucky State Senate's 38th District (representing Louisville), introduced Senate Bill 69, repealing the requirement from Section 1137 that death sentences for the crime of rape be conducted by hanging in the county seat where the crime was committed. Representative Charles W. Anderson Jr., one of the attorneys who assisted Bethea in his post conviction relief motions, promoted the bill in the Kentucky House of Representatives. After both houses approved the bill on March 12, 1938, Governor Chandler signed it into law, and it became effective on May 30, 1938. Chandler later expressed regret at having approved the repeal, claiming, "Our streets are no longer safe." The last person to be legally hanged in Kentucky was Van Venison, a 33-year-old black singer who was privately executed in Covington on June 3, 1938.

The phrase, "public execution," is defined by the laws of the various states. Similar to "public record" or "public meeting," it means that anyone who wants to attend the execution may do so. Around 1890, a political movement developed in the United States to mandate private executions. Several states enacted laws which required executions to be conducted within a "wall" or "enclosure" to "exclude public view." For example, in 1919, the Missouri legislature adopted a statute (L.1919, p. 781) which required, "the sentence of death should be executed within the county jail, if convenient, and otherwise within an enclosure near the jail." The Missouri law permitted the local sheriff to distribute passes to individuals (usually local citizens) who he believed should witness the hanging, but the sheriffs – for various reasons – sometimes denied passes to individuals who wanted to watch. Missouri executions conducted after 1919 were not "public" because they were conducted behind closed walls, and the general public was not permitted to attend. Present-day statutes from across the nation use the same words and phrases, requiring modern executions to take place within a wall or enclosure to exclude public view. Connecticut General Statute § 54–100 requires death sentences to be conducted in an "enclosure" which "shall be so constructed as to exclude public view." Kentucky Revised Statute 431.220 and Missouri Revised Statute § 546.730 contain substantially identical language. New Mexico's former death penalty, since repealed, see N.M. Stat. § 31-14-12, required executions be conducted in a "room or place enclosed from public view." Similarly, a dormant Massachusetts law, see Mass. Gen. Law ch. 279 § 60, required executions to take place "within an enclosure or building." North Carolina General Statute § 15-188 requires death sentences to be executed "within the walls" of the penitentiary, as do Oklahoma Statute Title 22 § 1015 and Montana Code § 46-19-103. Ohio Revised Code § 2949.22 requires that "[t]he enclosure shall exclude public view." Similarly, Tennessee Code § 40-23-116 requires "an enclosure" for "strict seclusion and privacy." United States Code Title 18 § 3596 and the Code of Federal Regulations 28 CFR 26.4 limit the witnesses permitted at federal executions. Today, there are always witnesses to executions, but it is the law, not the number of witnesses present, that determines whether the execution is "public." All of the executions which have taken place since the 1936 hanging of Bethea in Owensboro have been conducted within a wall or enclosure. For example, Fred Adams was legally hanged in Kennett, Missouri, on April 2, 1937, within a 10-foot (3 m) wooden stockade. Roscoe "Red" Jackson was hanged within a stockade in Galena, Missouri, on May 26, 1937. Two Kentucky hangings were conducted after Galena in which numerous persons were present within a wooden stockade, that of John "Peter" Montjoy in Covington, Kentucky on December 17, 1937, and that of Harold Van Venison in Covington on June 3, 1938. An estimated 400 witnesses were present for the hanging of Lee Simpson in Ryegate, Montana, on December 30, 1939. The execution of Timothy McVeigh on June 11, 2001 was witnessed by some 300 people, some by closed-circuit television.


the girl who played kate in my sister's keeper

Sofia Vladimirovna Vassilieva (Russian: София Владимировна Васильева; born October 22, 1992) is an American actress. Her most notable roles include the children's book Eloise in Eloise at the Plaza and Eloise at Christmastime, Ariel DuBois in the Emmy-winning TV series Medium, and teenage cancer patient Kate Fitzgerald in the 2009 film adaptation of My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.

Sofia Vassilieva

Vassilieva was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in Hennepin County Medical Center, the daughter and only child of Russian immigrants Dr. Larissa Vassilieva, a biologist, and Dr. Vladimir Vassiliev, a physicist, both from Novosibirsk.[1][2] She attended and graduated from Barbizon Modeling and Acting School in Arizona.[3]

At the age of seven, Vassilieva was discovered at the International Modeling and Talent Association (IMTA) in New York, where she won the title of Child Actress and first runner-up Child Model Of The Year 2000.[4]

Less than a year later, Vassilieva received her first role, playing the granddaughter of a retired Russian General in an episode of the CBS television series The Agency.

Vassilieva played Cindy Brady in The Brady Bunch in the White House, opposite Shelley Long and Gary Cole in 2002. That same year, she was cast as a little girl named Gina in Inhabited (2003), starring Malcolm McDowell and former child actress Patty McCormack.

In 2003, she played Eloise in two made-for-television movies: Eloise at the Plaza and Eloise at Christmastime, directed by Kevin Lima and featuring Julie Andrews as Nanny.[5][6] For her role as Eloise, Vassilieva was nominated for the Best Leading Young Actress in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special at the 2004 Young Artist Awards.

In May 2004, at the age of eleven, Vassilieva was cast as Ariel DuBois in Medium, a series about mother-of-three and consultant to the Phoenix District Attorney's office Allison DuBois (Patricia Arquette), whose psychic visions help solve crimes. The series premiered on January 3, 2005. Vassilieva played the daughter of Arquette's character for seven seasons, until the series' finale on January 21, 2011.[4][7]

Vassilieva was a presenter of Family Feature Film on the Humane Society's 19th Genesis Awards in 2005. She won a Young Artist Award in 2006 for Best Supporting Actress in a TV Drama for her role as Ariel DuBois in Medium.

Vassilieva played the lead role of terminally ill teenager Kate Fitzgerald in the 2009 adaptation of Jodi Picoult's novel My Sister's Keeper, directed by Nick Cassavetes. She starred alongside Cameron Diaz, Jason Patric, and Abigail Breslin. Vassilieva shaved her head and eyebrows for her role as a teenage cancer patient. In the same year, she became an honorary ambassador for Stand Up to Cancer. For her performance as Kate, Vassilieva won a Young Artist Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Feature Film in 2010. It was her third nomination and second win. [8]

In 2011, she guest-starred on Law & Order: SVU as Sarah Walsh, a piano BFA candidate who was raped in her New York City apartment. She reprised her role as Sarah in 2013.

On May 21, 2014, Vassilieva graduated from Columbia College, Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree. She has also completed a Linguistics major with honors, and a special concentration in Business Management. Vassilieva is a member of Alpha Omicron Pi women's fraternity.[9]


which is the biggest rock in the world

Mount Augustus is widely claimed in tourist promotional and information literature as the "world's largest monolith",[3][4] but the claim does not originate from the geological literature, nor is substantiated by any other scholarly research.[5]

Mount Augustus, Western Australia

Mount Augustus (Burringurrah) is located in the Mount Augustus National Park in Western Australia. The name is also given to the neighbouring pastoral lease, Mount Augustus Station. The local Wadjari people call it Burringurrah, after a Dreamtime figure, a young boy, who was speared and turned into a rock.[1]

It is a prominent inselberg[2] that stands 1,106 metres (3,629 ft) above sea level, or approximately 860 metres (2,820 ft) above the surrounding plain, and covers an area of 4,795 hectares (18.51 sq mi). It has a central ridge which is almost 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) long.

Mt. Augustus is more than twice the size of Uluru.[6] Unlike Uluru, which is a monolith and, in general, devoid of plant growth, Mt. Augustus is a monocline (an asymmetrical anticline).

According to the Geological Survey of Western Australia, Mount Augustus is an asymmetrical anticline (rock layers that have been folded into an arch-like structure) which is steeper on its north-eastern side than the south-west.

The rocks consist of sand and gravel that were deposited by an ancient, south-easterly flowing river system that drained the region about 1,600 million years ago. This river system flowed over a faulted and eroded surface of 1,800–1,620 million- -year-old granitic and metamorphic rocks. The river deposits consolidated to form sandstone and conglomerate, and were then buried beneath younger marine sediments, which were laid down when shallow seas covered the region between 1,600–1,070 million years ago. The rocks were buckled into their present-day structure about 900 million years ago when movement along faults in the underlying granitic and metamorphic rocks caused localised, strong, north-east directed compression. The marine sedimentary rocks that overlay the sandstone and conglomerate have since been eroded from Mount Augustus, but now form the hills around Cobra and Mount Augustus homesteads. Erosion has also removed sandstone and conglomerate from the north-western end of Mount Augustus to expose the underlying granitic rocks at The Pound.[7]

There was a gold rush in the 1890s due to local geology.[8][9][10]

Wattles, cassias and eremophilas dominate the plant life and the animal life include emus, red kangaroos, goannas, euros and birds of prey.[11] There is over 100 species of birds on and around Mount Augustus.[12]

The climb to the summit can take up to 5 hours (return) and there are two trails (one class 4 and the other a class 5) to get there. There are a number of walking tracks to explore.[13]


where is west shamokin high school in pa

West Shamokin Junior Senior High School (WSHS) is a small, public high school located in Rural Valley, Pennsylvania. It is one of three high schools operated by the Armstrong School District. In 2013, West Shamokin Junior Senior High School's enrollment was 722 pupils in grades 7th through 12th, with 39% of its pupils eligible for a federal free or reduced-price lunch due to the family meeting the federal poverty level. Additionally, 3.6% of students were identified as gifted. According to a report by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 100% of its teachers were rated "Highly Qualified" under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.[1]

West Shamokin High School

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2011, the school reported an enrollment of 545 pupils in grades 7th through 12th, with 245 pupils eligible for a federal free or reduced-price lunch due to the family meeting the federal poverty level. The school employed 48 teachers, yielding a student-teacher ratio of 11:1.[2] According to a report by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 100% of its teachers were rated "Highly Qualified" under No Child Left Behind.[3]

High school students have the option to attend Lenape Tech for vocational training in the trades. [1]

West Shamokin was built to consolidate the Shannock Valley Jr/Sr High School and the Dayton Jr/Sr High School.

In 2013, West Shamokin Junior Senior High School's graduation rate was 84%.[4]

2013 School Performance Profile

West Shamokin Junior Senior High School achieved only 65.1 out of 100. Reflects on-grade-level reading, mathematics and science achievement. In reading/literature - 78% of students were reading on grade level. In Algebra 1/math, 70.9% showed on-grade-level math skills. In Biology/science, just 54% showed on-grade-level science understanding. In 8th grade writing, only 47% demonstrated on-grade-level writing skills.[8] According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2,181 public schools (less than 73 percent of Pennsylvania public schools), achieved an academic score of 70 or higher. Pennsylvania 11th grade students no longer take the PSSAs. Instead, they now take the Keystone Exams at the end of the associated course.

Western Pennsylvania ranking

In 2013, the Pittsburgh Business Times ranked West Shamokin Junior Senior High Schoolâ€™s eleventh grade 70th out of 105 western Pennsylvania high schools, based on the last three years of student academic achievement in Pennsylvania System of School Assessments (PSSAs) in: reading, math, writing and science.[9] (Includes schools in: Allegheny County, Armstrong County, Beaver County, Butler County, Fayette County, Westmoreland County, and Washington County).

In 2012, West Shamokin Junior Senior High School achieved Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) status.[11] The school also achieved AYP status in 2011.

In 2005 - Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the school administration was required to notify parents of the school's poor achievement outcomes. The school was mandated to provide tutoring to students to improve their reading and math achievement. Additionally, the school administration was required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, to develop a School Improvement Plan to address the school's low student achievement. Under the Pennsylvania Accountability System, the school district must pay for additional tutoring for struggling students.[13] The high school was eligible for targeted, supplemental funding under School Improvement Grants which the school must apply for each year.[14]

PSSAs are NCLB related examinations which were administered from 2003 through 2012. Eleventh grade pupils were mandated to take reading, math, writing and science exams. In 2013, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania changed its high school assessments to the Keystone Exams in Algebra 1, Reading/literature and Biology1. The exams are given at the end of the course, rather than all in the spring of the student's 11th grade year.

11th Grade Reading

11th Grade Math:

11th Grade Science:

Science in Motion West Shamokin Junior Senior High School did not take advantage of a state program called Science in Motion which brought college professors and sophisticated science equipment to the school to raise science awareness and to provide inquiry-based experiences for the students. The Science in Motion program was funded by a state appropriation and cost the school nothing to participate.[28] Clarion University provided the science enrichment experiences to schools in the region.

According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education study released in January 2009, 20% of Armstrong School District graduates required remediation in mathematics and or reading before they were prepared to take college level courses in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education or community colleges.[29] Less than 66% of Pennsylvania high school graduates, who enroll in a four-year college in Pennsylvania, will earn a bachelor's degree within six years. Among Pennsylvania high school graduates pursuing an associate degree, only one in three graduate in three years.[30] Per the Pennsylvania Department of Education, one in three recent high school graduates who attend Pennsylvania's public universities and community colleges takes at least one remedial course in math, reading or English.

The Armstrong School Board has determined that a pupil must earn 25 credits to graduate, including: a required class every year in math 4 credits, English 4 credits, social studies 4 credits, science 3 credits, Physical Education, Computer Science 0.5 credit, Community Service Learning.25 credit, Public speaking 0.5 credit, Living on Your Own 0.5 credit, Driver Education Theory 0.3 credit and other electives.[31] Beginning in grade 7, students have the opportunity to make up a maximum of two courses failed during the school year in summer school.

Driver Education Theory is scheduled in grade ten as a required course. Behind-the- wheel driving lessons (six total hours) may be scheduled during after-school hours and after the Driver Education Theory course is completed. A $50 fee is charged for behind- the-wheel lessons.

By law, all Pennsylvania secondary school students must complete a project as a part of their eligibility to graduate from high school. The type of project, its rigor and its expectations are set by the individual school district.[32] Effective with the graduating class of 2017, the Pennsylvania State Board of Education eliminated the state mandate that students complete a culminating project in order to graduate.[33]

By Pennsylvania School Board regulations, beginning with the class of 2017, public school students must demonstrate successful completion of secondary level course work in Algebra I, Biology, and English Literature by passing the Keystone Exams.[34] The exam is given at the end of the course. Keystone Exams replace the PSSAs for 11th grade.[35]

Students have several opportunities to pass the exam. Those who do not pass after several attempts can perform a project in order to graduate.[36][37] For the class of 2019, a Composition exam will be added. For the class of 2020, passing a civics and government exam will be added to the graduation requirements.[38] In 2011, Pennsylvania high school students field tested the Algebra 1, Biology and English Lit exams. The statewide results were: Algebra 1 38% on grade level, Biology 35% on grade level and English Lit - 49% on grade level.[39] Individual student, school or district reports were not made public, although they were reported to district officials by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Students identified as having special needs and qualifying for an Individual Educational Program (IEP) may graduate by meeting the requirements of their IEP.

In 2013, West Shamokin High School students took the SAT exams. The district's Verbal Average Score was 480. The Math average score was 497. The Writing average score was 481. The College Board reported that statewide scores were: 494 in reading, 504 in math and 482 in writing. The nationwide SAT results were the same as in 2012.[40]

In 2012, 33 West Shamokin High School students took the SAT exams. The district's Verbal Average Score was 509. The Math average score was 494. The Writing average score was 488. The statewide Verbal SAT exams results were: Verbal 491, Math 501, Writing 480. In the USA, 1.65 million students took the exams achieving scores: Verbal 496, Math 514, Writing 488. According to the College Board the maximum score on each section was 800, and 360 students nationwide scored a perfect 2,400.

In 2011, 51 West Shamokin High School students took the SAT exams. The district's Verbal Average Score was 494. The Math average score was 473. The Writing average score was 473.[41] Pennsylvania ranked 40th among states with SAT scores: Verbal - 493, Math - 501, Writing - 479.[42] In the United States, 1.65 million students took the exam in 2011. They averaged 497 (out of 800) verbal, 514 math and 489 in writing.[43]

The Pennsylvania Department of Education compared the SAT data of students in rural areas of Pennsylvania to students in urban areas. From 2003 to 2005, the average total SAT score for students in rural Pennsylvania was 992, while urban students averaged 1,006. During the same period, 28 percent of 11th and 12th graders in rural school districts took the exam, compared to 32 percent of urban students in the same grades. The average math and verbal scores were 495 and 497, respectively, for rural students, while urban test-takers averaged 499 and 507, respectively. Pennsylvaniaâ€™s SAT composite score ranked low on the national scale in 2004. The composite SAT score of 1,003 left Pennsylvania ranking 44 out of the 50 states and Washington, DC.[44]

The Pennsylvania Department of Education reported that 71 percent of students in rural areas of Pennsylvania chose to continue their education after high school in 2003, whereas 79 percent of urban high school graduates opted to continue their education.

In 2013, West Shamokin Junior Senior High School offered 5 Advanced Placement (AP) courses at a higher cost than regular courses. Students, who achieve a 3 or better on the exam, may be awarded college credits at US universities and colleges. Each higher education institution sets its own standards about what level of credits are awarded to a student based on their AP exam score. Most higher education institutions give credits for scores of 4 or 5. Some schools also give credits for scores of 3. High schools also give credits towards graduation to students who take the school's AP class. At West Shamokin Junior Senior High School only 9% of students who took an AP course earned a 3 or better on the exam.[45]

The Classroom for the Future state program provided districts with hundreds of thousands of extra state funding to buy laptop computers for each core curriculum high school class (English, Science, History, Math) and paid for teacher training to optimize the computers use. The program was funded from 2006 to 2009. The Armstrong School District did not apply to participate in 2006-07. In 2007-08, the district received $413,503. The district received $181,651 in 2008-09 for a total funding $595,154.[46] Among the public school districts in Armstrong County the highest award was given to Armstrong School District. The highest funding statewide was awarded to Philadelphia City School District in Philadelphia County - $9,409,073. The grant program was discontinued by Governor Edward Rendell as part of the 2009-10 state budget.

The Armstrong School District administration reported there were eight incidents of bullying in the district in 2012.[47] Additionally, there were six incidents involving local police. There were four incidents of terroristic threats, seven incidents of possession of a knife and four incidents of the Possession/Use of a Controlled Substances.[48] Each year, the school safety data is reported by the Armstrong School District Administration to the Safe School Center which publishes the reports online.

The Armstrong School Board has provided the district's antibully policy online.[49] By state law, Pennsylvania public schools are required to have an anti-bullying policy incorporated into their Code of Student Conduct. The policy must identify disciplinary actions for bullying and designate a school staff person to receive complaints of bullying. The policy must be available on the school's website and posted in every classroom. All Pennsylvania public schools must provide a copy of its anti-bullying policy to the Office for Safe Schools every year, and the board is required to review its policy every three years. Additionally, Armstrong School District is mandated to conduct an annual review of that policy with students.[50] The Center for Schools and Communities works in partnership with the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency and the Pennsylvania Department of Education to assist schools and communities as they research, select and implement bullying prevention programs and initiatives.[51][52]

Education standards relating to student safety and antiharassment programs are described in the 10.3. Safety and Injury Prevention in the Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Health, Safety and Physical Education.[53]

Students who live in the Armstrong School District's attendance area may choose to attend one of Pennsylvania's 157 public charter schools. A student living in a neighboring public school district or a foreign exchange student may seek admission to Area School District. For these cases, the Pennsylvania Department of Education sets an annual tuition rate for each school district. It is the amount the public school district pays to a charter school for each resident student that attends the charter and it is the amount a nonresident student's parents must pay to attend the district's schools. The 2012 tuition rates at Armstrong School District for the West Shamokin Junior High Schools and Senior High Schools is $11,468.59.[54]

Armstrong School Board established a District-wide wellness policy in 2006.[55] The policy deals with nutritious meals served at school, the control of access to some foods and beverages during school hours, age appropriate nutrition education for all students, and physical education for students K-12. The policy is in response to state mandates and federal legislation (P.L. 108 â€“ 265). The law dictates that each public school district participating in a program authorized by the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq) or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq) "shall establish a local school wellness policy by School Year 2006." Most districts identified the superintendent and school foodservice director as responsible for ensuring local wellness policy implementation.[56]

The legislation placed the responsibility of developing a wellness policy at the local level so the individual needs of each district can be addressed. According to the requirements for the Local Wellness Policy, school districts must set goals for nutrition education, physical activity, campus food provision, and other school-based activities designed to promote student wellness. Additionally, districts were required to involve a broad group of individuals in policy development and to have a plan for measuring policy implementation. Districts were offered a choice of levels of implementation for limiting or prohibiting low nutrition foods on the school campus. In final implementation these regulations prohibit some foods and beverages on the school campus.[57] The Pennsylvania Department of Education required the district to submit a copy of the policy for approval.

The Armstrong School District offers both a free school breakfast and free or reduced-price lunch to children in low-income families. All students attending the school can eat breakfast and lunch. Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level are provided a breakfast and lunch at no cost to the family. Children from families with incomes between 130 and 185 percent of the federal poverty level can be charged no more than 30 cents per breakfast. A foster child whose care and placement is the responsibility of the State or who is placed by a court with a caretaker household is eligible for both a free breakfast and a free lunch. Runaway, homeless and Migrant Youth are also automatically eligible for free meals.[58] The meals are partially funded with federal dollars through the United States Department of Agriculture.[59] Armstrong School District has adopted a set of standards which limits foods to be served in schools.[60]

In 2013, the USDA issued new restrictions to foods in public schools. The rules apply to foods and beverages sold on all public school district campuses during the day. They limit vending machine snacks to a maximum of 200 calories per item. Additionally, all snack foods sold at school must meet competitive nutrient standards, meaning they must have fruits, vegetables, dairy or protein in them or contain at least 10 percent of the daily value of fiber, calcium, potassium, and Vitamin D.[61] In order to comply with the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 all US public school districts are required to raise the price of their school lunches to $2.60 regardless of the actual cost of providing the lunch.[62] In 2014, President Obama ordered a prohibition of advertisements for unhealthy foods on public school campuses during the school day.[63]

Armstrong School District provides health services as mandated by the Commonwealth and the federal government. Nurses are available in each building to conduct annual health screenings (data reported to the PDE and state Department of Health) and to dispense prescribed medications to students during the school day. Students can be excluded from school unless they comply with all the State Department of Healthâ€™s extensive immunization mandates. School nurses monitor each pupil for this compliance.[64] Nurses also monitor each child's weight.

HEALTHY Armstrong is a collaborative group made up of ACMH Hospital, Armstrong School District, Childrenâ€™s Community Pediatrics-Armstrong, UPMC Health Plan and numerous other community partners all working together to increase wellness opportunities for Armstrong County families and youth.

The West Shamokin Junior Senior High School offers a variety of clubs, activities and an extensive, costly sports program. Armstrong School Board determines eligibility policies to participate in these programs.[65][66]

By Pennsylvania law, all K-12 students in the district, including those who attend a private nonpublic school, cyber charter school, charter school and those homeschooled, are eligible to participate in the extracurricular programs, including all athletics. They must meet the same eligibility rules as the students enrolled in the district's schools.[67]

The district funds the following sports at West Shamokin Junior Senior High School:

Varsity and JV

Junior High School Sports

According to PIAA directory July 2013 [68]


when was you made me love you written

"You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)" is a popular song.  The music was written by James V. Monaco, the lyrics by Joseph McCarthy and the song was published in 1913. It was introduced by Al Jolson in the Broadway revue The Honeymoon Express (1913) and used in the 1973 revival of the musical Irene.

One of the earliest recordings of the song was by Al Jolson which was recorded on June 4, 1913. It was released on Columbia A-1374 and was a huge hit.[1] Another successful recording in 1913 was by William J. Halley. Al Jolson recorded the song again on March 20, 1946 and it was released on Decca 23613. Jolson also performed the song on the soundtrack of the 1946 film The Jolson Story.

Roger Edens wrote additional lyrics to the song for Judy Garland. The new lyrics cast Garland in the role of a teenage fan of Clark Gable. Garland sang the song to Gable at a birthday party thrown for him by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. MGM executives were so charmed by her rendition that she and the song were added to the film Broadway Melody of 1938. Garland recorded the "Gable" version on September 24, 1937.  It was released on Decca 1463. MGM released the song as a b-side in 1939, opposite Garland's recording of "Over the Rainbow" for The Wizard of Oz.[2]


who sings danke schoen in fools rush in

Wayne Newton's first version was released when he was 21 years old. The song was originally intended for singer Bobby Darin as a follow-up to his hit single "Mack the Knife", but after seeing Newton perform at the Copacabana, Darin decided to give the song to Newton and transposed the key of the recording to fit Newton's voice. It has been featured in many television commercials and motion pictures, such as Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Meet the Parents, Matchstick Men, Vegas Vacation, Fools Rush In as well as the French-American comedy Crime Spree. In 2015, it was used in a television commercial for Bank of America and in 2017 was used in a trailer for the video game Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. The Newton version peaked at Billboard positions #13 pop, #3 easy listening.

Danke Schoen

"Danke Schoen" /ˈdɑːŋkə ʃeɪn/ is a 1962 song first recorded by Bert Kaempfert. It gained its fame in 1963 when American singer Wayne Newton recorded his version of it. It regained fame when it was featured in the 1986 American comedy film Ferris Bueller's Day Off, lip synced by the main character, Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick). The music was composed by Bert Kaempfert, with the German lyrics written by Kurt Schwabach and the English lyrics by Milt Gabler. The melody was originally released without lyrics under the title "Candlelight Cafe".

In the same year as Newton, Laila Kinnunen sang a purely Finnish version. The tone and the words "Auf Wiedersehen" at the end suggest a similar sentiment of this version.

Connie Francis recorded the song in French, Japanese, Spanish and Italian, keeping the original title line "Danke schoen" in all versions except the Italian recording, which was released as Grazie a te.

Brenda Lee recorded "Danke Schoen" for her 1964 album By Request, produced by Owen Bradley.

Anita Lindblom recorded the song in German. Caterina Valente recorded the song in an international version.

Martha and The Vandellas recorded a version for their 1963 album Heat Wave.

In 2004, Deluxe (a Spanish indie-rock artist) recorded a rock version for his album If things were to go wrong.

In German, the phrase Danke schön is equivalent to the English Thank you very much or Thank you kindly. The word Danke means Thanks and the word schön means pretty, lovely, or nice. In Standard German the word schön (IPA: [ʃø̞̈ːn]) is pronounced with a mid front rounded vowel, /ø̞̈/, that is not used in English phonology. However, in many High German dialects spoken in central and southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the front rounded vowels /œ/, /ø̞̈/, /ø/, /ʏ/ and /y/ are lacking and are replaced in these dialects with their unrounded counterparts, /ɛ/, /e̞/, /e/, /ɪ/ and /i/.[1] Orthographically, when writing in these dialects, ö becomes e or ee and ü becomes i or ie.[1]

Hence, in High German dialects commonly encountered in the United States, such as Pennsylvania German or Yiddish, the word schön rhymes with the English words pain and explain. Standard German Danke schön would be translated into Pennsylvania German as danki schee (IPA: [ˈdaːŋkiː ʃeː]) or dank scheene (IPA: [ˈdaːŋk ʃeːnə]).[2] Similarly, it would be translated into Yiddish: אַ שיינעם דאַנק, (a sheynem dank, IPA: [a ʃɛjnəm ˈdaŋk]). Note that the German letter "ö" can also be written using the older typography "oe" (schön = schoen) – of which the umlauted O is a contraction – when umlauts are unavailable or not readily accessible. Milt Gabler, the author of the English lyrics of the song, was the son of Austrian and Russian Jewish immigrants and would have been most familiar with the Yiddish pronunciation of the word schön (or schoen) as sheyn.


when was the last western roman emperor overthrown

Romulus Augustus (Latin: Romulus Augustus; born c. AD 460 â€“ died after AD 476, and was apparently still alive as late as 507)[3] was a Roman emperor and alleged usurper who ruled the Western Roman Empire from 31 October AD 475 until 4 September AD 476. His deposition by Odoacer traditionally marks the end of the Roman Empire in the West, the fall of ancient Rome, and the beginning of the Middle Ages in Western Europe.

Romulus Augustulus

He is mostly known by his nickname "Romulus Augustulus", though he ruled officially as Romulus Augustus.[4] The Latin suffix -ulus is a diminutive; hence, Augustulus effectively means "Little Augustus".[5]

The historical record contains few details of Romulus's life. He was proclaimed as emperor by his father Orestes, the magister militum (master of soldiers) of the Roman army after forcing Emperor Julius Nepos to leave Italy. Romulus, little more than a child, acted as a figurehead for his father's rule and reigned for only ten months. His legitimacy and authority were disputed beyond Italy and Romulus was soon deposed by Odoacer, who had defeated and executed Orestes. Odoacer sent Romulus to live in the Castellum Lucullanum in Campania, after which he disappears from the historical record.

Romulus' father Orestes was a Roman citizen, originally from Pannonia, who had served as a secretary and diplomat for Attila the Hun and later rose through the ranks of the Roman army.[6] The future emperor was named Romulus after his maternal grandfather, a nobleman from Poetovio in Noricum. Many historians have noted the coincidence that the last western emperor bore the names of both Romulus, the legendary founder and first king of Rome, and Augustus, the first emperor.[2]

Orestes was appointed Magister militum by Julius Nepos in 475. Shortly after his appointment, Orestes launched a rebellion and captured Ravenna, the capital of the Western Roman Empire since 402, on 28 August 475. Nepos fled to Dalmatia, where his uncle had ruled a semi-autonomous state in the 460s.[7] Orestes, however, refused to become emperor, "from some secret motive", said historian Edward Gibbon.[8] Instead, he installed his son on the throne on 31 October 475.

The empire Augustus ruled was a shadow of its former self and had shrunk significantly over the previous 80 years. Imperial authority had retreated to the Italian borders and parts of southern Gaul: Italia and Gallia Narbonensis, respectively.[9] The Eastern Roman Empire treated its western counterpart as a client state. The Eastern Emperor Leo, who died in 474, had appointed the western emperors Anthemius and Julius Nepos, and Constantinople never recognized the new government. Neither Zeno nor Basiliscus, the two generals fighting for the eastern throne at the time of Romulus' accession, accepted him as ruler.[5]

As a proxy for his father, Romulus made no decisions and left no monuments, though coins bearing his name were minted in Rome, Milan, Ravenna, and Gaul.[5] Several months after Orestes took power, a coalition of Heruli, Scirian and Turcilingi mercenaries demanded that he give them a third of the land in Italy.[8] When Orestes refused, the tribes revolted under the leadership of the Scirian chieftain Odoacer. Orestes was captured near Piacenza on 28 August 476 and swiftly executed.

Odoacer advanced on Ravenna, capturing the city and the young emperor. Romulus was compelled to abdicate the throne on 4 September 476. This act has been cited as the end of the Western Roman Empire, although Romulus' deposition did not cause any significant disruption at the time. Rome had already lost its hegemony over the provinces, Germans dominated the Roman army and Germanic generals like Odoacer had long been the real powers behind the throne.[10] Italy would suffer far greater devastation in the next century when Emperor Justinian I reconquered it.

After the abdication of Romulus, the Roman Senate, on behalf of Odoacer, sent representatives to the Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno, whom it asked to formally reunite the two halves of the Empire: "the westâ€¦ no longer required an emperor of its own: one monarch sufficed for the world".[11] He was also asked to make Odoacer a patrician, and administrator of Italy in Zeno's name. Zeno pointed out that the Senate should rightfully have first requested that Julius Nepos take the throne once more, but he nonetheless agreed to their requests. Odoacer then ruled Italy in Zeno's name.[12]

The ultimate fate of Romulus is a mystery. The Anonymus Valesianus wrote that Odoacer, "taking pity on his youth" (he was about 16), spared Romulus' life and granted him an annual pension of 6,000 solidi before sending him to live with relatives in Campania.[5][13] Jordanes and Marcellinus Comes say Odoacer exiled Romulus to Campania but do not mention any financial support from the Germanic king.[5][13]

The sources do agree that Romulus took up residence in the Castel dell'Ovo (Lucullan Villa) in Naples, now a castle but originally built as a grand sea-side house by Lucullus in the 1st century BC,[13] fortified by Valentinian III in the mid-5th century. From here, contemporary histories fall silent. In the History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon notes that the disciples of Saint Severinus of Noricum were invited by a "Neapolitan lady" to bring his body to the villa in 488; Gibbon conjectures from this that Augustulus "was probably no more."[14] The villa was converted into a monastery before 500 to hold the saint's remains.[13]

Cassiodorus, then a secretary to Theodoric the Great, wrote a letter in 507 to a "Romulus" confirming a pension.[5] Thomas Hodgkin, a translator of Cassiodorus' works, wrote in 1886 that it was "surely possible" the Romulus in the letter was the same person as the last western emperor.[15] The letter would match the description of Odoacer's coup in the Anonymus Valesianus, and Romulus could have been alive in the early sixth century. But Cassiodorus does not supply any details about his correspondent or the size and nature of his pension, and Jordanes, whose history of the period abridges an earlier work by Cassiodorus, makes no mention of a pension.

As Romulus was an alleged usurper, Julius Nepos claimed to hold legally the title of the emperor when Odoacer took power. However, few of Nepos' contemporaries were willing to support his cause after he ran away to Dalmatia. Some historians regard Julius Nepos, who ruled in Dalmatia until being murdered in 480, as the last lawful Western Roman Emperor.[16]

Following Odoacer's coup, the Roman Senate sent a letter to Zeno stating that "the majesty of a sole monarch is sufficient to pervade and protect, at the same time, both the East and the West".[17] While Zeno told the Senate that Nepos was their lawful sovereign, he did not press the point, and he accepted the imperial insignia brought to him by the senate.[12][17]

As the last Western Roman emperor before the traditionally agreed-upon end of the Western Roman Empire, Romulus has been portrayed several times in film and literature; the play Romulus the Great (1950), by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, focuses on the reign of "Romulus Augustus" and the end of the Roman Empire in the West. The 2007 film The Last Legion, and the novel on which it is based, includes a heavily fictionalized account of the reign and subsequent life of Romulus Augustus; escaping captivity with the aid of a small band of loyal Romans, he reaches Britain, where he eventually becomes Uther Pendragon.