when did the go pro hero 6 come out

The HERO6 Black was introduced on September 28, 2017.[81] The camera is waterproof up to 10 m, supports 4K HEVC video recording at up to 60 fps and 1080p at up to 240 fps, automatic upload of footage to cloud, voice controls and 5 GHz Wi-Fi. It will be the first GoPro with its own custom system on a chip (SoC) the GP1.

GoPro

GoPro, Inc.[2] (marketed as GoPro and sometimes stylised as GoPRO) is an American technology company founded in 2002 by Nick Woodman. It manufactures eponymous action cameras and develops its own mobile apps and video-editing software. Founded as Woodman Labs, Inc, the company eventually focused on the connected sports genre, developing its line of action cameras and, later, video editing software.

It developed a quadcopter drone, Karma, released in October 2016. In January 2018, Karma was discontinued and the company hired JPMorgan Chase to pursue options of selling the company. [3] However, a month later, the CEO denied this.[4]

The company was founded by Nick Woodman in 2002.[5] He was motivated by a 2002 surfing trip to Australia in which he was hoping to capture quality action photos, but could not because amateur photographers could not get close enough or buy quality equipment at reasonable prices.[6] His desire for a camera system that could capture the professional angles inspired the 'GoPro' name.[7][8]

Woodman raised a portion of his initial capital by selling bead and shell belts for under US $20 from his VW van[9] and, later, fashionable camera straps. He also received over $230,000 from his parents to invest in the business.[10][11]

In 2004, the company sold its first camera system, which used 35 mm film.[7] Digital still and video cameras were later introduced. As of  2014[update], a fixed-lens HD video camera with a wide 170-degree lens was available; two or more can be paired to create 360 video.[7][12]

On June 4, 2014, the company announced the appointment of former Microsoft executive Tony Bates as President reporting directly to Woodman.[13]

In January 2016, GoPro partnered with Periscope for live streaming.[14]

After growing the number of employees by more than 500 in 2015, the company responded to weak sales in the fourth quarter by cutting about 7% of its workforce (100 workers) in January 2016.[15]

At its peak, a share of GoPro was valued at $86, but on March 26, 2018, only $4.81.[16]

In November 2016, the company announced it was laying off an additional 200 employees in an effort to reduce costs. The company also announced that President Tony Bates would be stepping down at the end of 2016.[17] 270 more employees were laid off in March 2017,[18] and 250 additional layoffs followed in January 2018, bringing the company's workforce to "just under 1,000"[19]

On March 30, 2011, GoPro acquired CineForm. The acquisition included the CineForm 444 video codec used in the film Slumdog Millionaire. The company claimed that the codec "makes HD and 3D editing faster and more convenient without sacrificing image quality". It was incorporated in the company's 3D Hero System shortly after the acquisition.[20][21]

In March 2013, GoPro issued a DMCA takedown notice to website DigitalRev.com, which had posted a review[22] of its product, citing trademark use as a breach of copyright. This notice was retracted 10 days later, citing "erroneous enforcement".[23][24]

On February 29, 2016, GoPro spent $105 million and acquired two start-ups, namely, Stupeflix and Vemory, for their video editing tools Replay and Splice.[25][26]

On February 7, 2014, GoPro submitted a confidential filing for an initial public offering (IPO) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).[27]

On May 19, 2014, GoPro filed its S-1 with the SEC without specifying the number of shares or their price. The company stated that they hoped to raise at least $100 million through the sale of shares, using the money to pay off debt in full ($111 million as of March 31, 2014) and "to acquire or invest in complementary businesses, technologies or assets". They said that they planned to list on the NASDAQ stock exchange using the symbol 'GPRO.'[28][29]

The expected price range was $21 to $24 a share; on June 25, 2014, GoPro sold 17.8 million shares to initial investors at $24 per share (totaling $427.2M).[30] At the IPO price the company was valued at $2.95 billion.[28] 1.5 percent of those shares were allotted to LOYAL3, a technology platform that allows small investors to participate.[31][32]

One reason for GoPro's decision to go public was the potential to become a media company to generate additional revenue from the content its cameras create.[33][34]

Woodman worked on his first camera for two years after founding the company, eventually introducing the GoPro 35mm HERO in September 2004 at San Diego's Action Sports Retailer trade show.[35] In its first year GoPro sold $150,000 worth of products.[35] In 2006 the company introduced its first Digital HERO, with 10 second video capability, and generated $800,000 in revenue. The following year GoPro sales quadrupled to $3.4 million.[35]

In 2014, the company was selling the HERO3+ in editions of different colors. It was capable of filming in 16:9 aspect ratio, supporting 4K UHD video and 12 MP still photographs.[36] The HERO4 was introduced on 24 September 2014.[37]

On September 28th 2017, GoPro released the Hero 6 camera, which claims improved stabilization over the Hero 5 models and is capable of capturing 4K video in 60 FPS.

On July 11, 2018, GoPro announced that it had sold more than 30 million HERO cameras since inception. [38]

The GoPro Karma was GoPro's consumer drone, until its discontinuation in January 2018.

In 2014, GoPro entered into discussions with DJI for a private label model built with the GoPro branding. After the failure of these negotiations, GoPro entered into an agreement with 3D Robotics (3DR) for a similar partnership based on 3DR's flight controllers. 3DR failed to meet their agreed upon timelines. As a result, GoPro took full control of the development process in mid-2015.

Scheduled to be released early 2016, the GoPro Karma project was delayed several times before the GoPro Karma was announced with an introduction date of October 23, 2016. The Karma was released along with newer models of the HERO5 and Session cameras and features a removable handheld stabilizer (gimbal) integrated into the design. After a few customers complained about power failure during operation, GoPro recalled Karma drones and gave customers full refunds.[39]

In February 2017, GoPro re-launched the Karma Drone.[40] However, in January 2018, GoPro Inc. said that it will be cutting more than 20 percent of its global workforce and putting an end to its drone business after a disappointing fourth quarter. The company said it expects sales of about $340 million, well short of its own previous projection of as much as $480 million and the average analyst estimate of $472 million. Their revenue took an $80 million hit due to discounting for its Karma drones, as well as its Hero line of cameras, over the holiday season. [41]

In November 2017, GoPro launched the Fusion camera[42], an omnidirectional camera which is capable of recording 360-degree footage. The Fusion was the first GoPro to feature an increased maximum resolution of 5.2K[43].

GoPro produces various mounting accessories for its cameras including a 3-way mount, suction cup, chest harness, jaws-type flexible clamp, dog harness, surfing mount, etc.[44]

The company developed GoPro Studio, simple video editing software to edit camera footage.[45] It was reported that GoPro intended to also become a content provider, also with a new app for the HERO5 called GoPro Quik to share, and edit videos easier.[34] You can also edit and shoot photos and videos using the GoPro app released in 2015.

In April 2014, GoPro was listed by Adweek as one of the "Top 10 Best Brand Channels on YouTube" based on a combination of views, shares, comments and overall engagement.[46] Content is uploaded daily, an additional source of revenue for the company.[47]

As part of its transformation to a media company in 2014, GoPro created additional channels with GoPro content on YouTube, Virgin America, and Xbox Live.[33] This was extended to the PlayStation Network in 2015.[48]

As of  October 2014[update], GoPro sells three fixed-lens cameras, two without viewfinders and one including a touchscreen viewfinder. A 2-bit LCD on the front of the camera allows access to its menu system, which is controlled by the front and top shutter buttons. The HERO4 Black has dimensions of 41 mm × 59 mm × 30 mm and weighs 88 grams (152 grams with housing). Still images from 6 to 12 megapixels can be captured. The cameras are sold with a clear polycarbonate HD Housing with a glass lens that is rated shockproof and waterproof to 131 feet (40 m), with a quick-release buckle on the top and threads at the bottom to attach to all of the GoPro mounts. The housing has metal buttons that connect to the camera's controls and has a "skeleton" backdoor option to allow audio recording when the camera is used with a mount but without the need to be watertight or shockproof.[49][non-primary source needed]

The 35mm camera (model #001) became available on April 13, 2005. It had dimensions of 2.5 by 3 inches (64 by 76 mm) and weighed 0.45 pounds (200 g). It included the camera, a clear case with quick release, a camera strap and ski glove adapter lash. It could pivot "on the fly" and be functional to a depth in water of about 15 feet (5 m). It was described as a "reusable wrist camera" and included a roll of 24 exposure Kodak 400 film.

The Digital HERO released in 2006 (Model: SQ907 mini-cam) had a 640Ã—460 camera and shot VGA definition 320X240 (10 fps) video for a maximum of 10 seconds. The Digital HERO1 had 32 MB internal memory without SD slot.

The Digital HERO3 released in 2007 had a 3-megapixel camera and shot standard definition 512×384 video. It was rated up to 30 m (98.4 feet) in depth.[50]

The Digital HERO5 was first introduced on December 5, 2006. It had a 5 megapixel still photo sensor and supported standard definition (512×384) video capture. It ran on two AAA batteries, had 16 MB of internal memory and could function with a 2 GB SD card. Its housing was rated to 100 ft/30 meters depth. Its dimensions were 2.6 × 1.75 × 1.25 inches (66 × 44 × 32 mm). The camera is not designed to work with the newer HD HERO line of housings, although the standard screw mounts are indeed compatible.

The HD Hero shoots video at a maximum of 1080p 30fps, or 720p 60fps.

HD HERO 960 - shoots a maximum of 960p video[51] and is not compatible with GoPro's electronic accessories although the camera is compatible with all GoPro mounts. It was first listed on August 6, 2010.[52]

The HD HERO Naked, released with a range of accessories, shoots a maximum of 1080p video on its 5 MP sensor.[53] The Naked camera line forms the basis for other bundles, which are differentiated by the types of mounts they have (HD Helmet HERO, HD Motorsports HERO, HD Surf HERO). It was first listed on January 25, 2010.

The HERO2 was launched on October 24, 2011. It has an 11Â MP image sensor, improved low-light capability and records at up to 120 fps.[54] It was sold with three different accessory packages as the Outdoor, Motorsports, and Surf Editions.[55]

In late 2012, GoPro announced the HERO3 line of cameras.[56] These cameras came in three editions: black, silver and white.

All three versions of the HERO3 come in a 30% smaller and 25% lighter package, with WiFi built in. The change of the physical dimensions of the cameras compared to the previous generations (HERO1 and HERO2 were physically identical) means that some accessories for HD HERO Original and HERO2 are not compatible with HERO3, so GoPro made new versions of those accessories specifically for HERO3 (and mostly for HERO3+, see below). Those new versions of accessories are usually not compatible with older Hero camera generations. However, a lot of other accessories are compatible with all HD Hero camera generations.

The HERO3 Silver and Black cameras have significantly less battery endurance than the HD HERO Original and HERO2.[57] For example, in 720p resolution with 25/30 fps, while HD HERO Original and HERO2 have a stated battery runtime of 3 hours, HERO3 Silver Edition has a stated battery runtime of 2 hours, and HERO3 Black Edition has a stated battery runtime of 1.5 hours (the Black Edition's "most economical" setting is 1080p/30 fps, so this also partially contributes to its poor battery runtime).

The Black Edition[58][not in citation given] has a new 12 MP sensor that can capture 4K UHD digital video at 15 fps, 2.7K video at 30 fps, 1440p at 48 fps, 1080p at 60 fps, 960p at 100 fps, 720p at 120 fps and WVGA at 240 fps. The Black edition also includes the WiFi Remote. The Black Edition cannot record at 25/30 fps in 720p and WVGA resolutions; it can only record at very fast frame rates in those resolutions. This is a deliberate firmware limitation, as the manufacturer does not expect that this high-end camera model will be used at these lower resolutions and frame rates.

The Silver Edition uses the same 11 MP sensor as the HERO2, and the White edition uses the same 5 MP sensor as the HD HERO Original.

In October 2013, GoPro released the HERO3+, available in Black and Silver Editions,[59] replacing the HERO3 generation. The HERO3 White Edition remains as GoPro's low-end device.

The HERO3+ camera models claim dramatically improved low light performance and have a waterproof enclosure which is 20% lighter and 15% smaller than the HERO3's, according to the GoPro website. The HERO3+ camera housing is 20% smaller than the HERO3. The cameras are claimed to have improved image sharpness (close focus down to 7" vs about 3Â ft on the HERO3, at the expense of distant focus which is slightly less sharp[clarification needed] with HERO3+), and better audio functionality with wind noise reduction. Battery life is claimed to be 30% longer than for the HERO3 model (both through better efficiency and a higher-capacity battery of the same dimensions).[57][60]

The Black Edition has video modes of 1440p48,[61] 1080p60, 960p100 and 720p120 as well as 4K15 and 2.7K30 and can shoot 12 MP stills at up to 30 fps. The HERO3+ Black Edition also offers an optional function in firmware (called "SuperView") which increases the field of view. It has additional functions, including dynamic low light situation adjustment, higher-quality recording modes (higher bitrates, no white balance applied, etc.) etc. The Black Edition continues to include a Wifi Remote. It does not have the ability to record 25/30 fps in 720p and WVGA modes (it can only record at very fast frame rates in those lower resolutions). This is an intentional firmware limitation. The battery runtime of HERO3+ Black Edition is significantly longer than HERO3 Black Edition but 30â€“50% lower than the battery runtime of the older HERO2 and HERO1.

The Silver Edition has video modes of 1080p60 and 720p120 and can shoot 10 MP stills at up to 10 fps.[62] In contrast to the Black Edition, the Silver Edition can record at 25/30 fps (or higher) in all supported resolutions. HERO3+ Silver Edition also has about 25%-50% longer battery runtime during recording than HERO3+ Black Edition (they both use the same batteries).[60] The difference in runtime depends on the resolution/fps combination, and whether WiFi and GoPro mobile application are used during recording. The difference in runtime increases as the fps is lowered and the additional functions are deactivated on both cameras. The battery runtime of HERO3+ Silver Edition is similar to the battery runtime of HERO2 and HERO1.

The HERO3 HD camera was awarded the 2013 Technology & Engineering Emmy Award for its contribution to television.[63]

In September 2014, GoPro released an entry level camera named simply "HERO", priced at $130, along side the HERO4 Black and HERO4 Silver.[64]
The GoPro Hero can capture 5mp still images and has a 5fps burst option. It is able to record 1080P at 30 or 25fps and 720P at 60 or 50fps on to a MicroSD card up to 32GB. It has an LCD non touch display on the front and is waterproof down to 40m.

In September 2014, GoPro announced the HERO4, available in Black Edition and Silver Edition,[52] which replace their respective HERO3+ generation predecessors. The HERO Session, a budget camera, was also announced.

The HERO4 Black Edition still has a 12 megapixel (MP) CMOS and a f/2.8 fixed maximum aperture and focus free. It adds Bluetooth connectivity, Highlight tag, Protune Available for photo and a new processor claimed by GoPro to be twice as fast as that of the HERO3+ Black Edition, doubling the frame rates in most resolutions. The HERO4 Black Edition can record 4K UHD video (3840Ã—2160) at a frame rate of 24, 25 and 30 fps.[65] In Superview mode, 4K is only possible at 25 fps. Many other rates and resolutions are available. The HERO4 Black Edition still shoots stills at a maximum of 12 MP with a maximum burst rate of 30 fps. With Wi-Fi disabled at 4K/30, GoPro claims the HERO4 Black Edition battery life to be 65 minutes, increasing to a maximum of 1h 50' at 720p/240.[66] The HERO4 Black battery is in a different form factor than its predecessors. Initial side-by-side comparisons of HERO3+ and HERO4 Black edition video results suggest that the newer model has more detail at long range and similar performance at close range.

The HERO4 Silver Edition is basically a HERO3 Black Edition with the addition of a micro speaker,[67] built-in touchscreen display, Protune for photo and highlight tag (the first GoPro with this), a lower clocked Cortex-A9 and missing the Black Edition's integrated analog-to-digital converter which supports a wider variety of professional low-sensitivity external microphones.[68] The video modes supported by the HERO4 Silver Edition are similar to those of the HERO3+ Black, due to the higher processing speed and thermal requirements of encoding 4K video (3840Ã—2160), but it supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and contains the same[69][70] Ambarella Inc. A9[71] system on a chip (SoC) as in the HERO4 Black.

The HERO Session, released July 6, 2015, is 50% smaller and 40% lighter compared to other versions of the GoPro HERO4 camera.[72]

The HERO4 models maintain the H.264 video codec of previous versions and MP4 file formats. GoPro claims the mono microphone in both the Black and Silver Editions has twice the dynamic range of that in the HERO3+, and that the HERO4 Black and Silver Editions have improved low-light performance.

In June 2015, the company started to sell the GoPro HERO+LCD, which provides video recording at 1080p at 60 fps/and 8 megapixel photos.
GoPro HERO+LCD has a touchscreen to preview the shot to frame the scene and letting the user navigate the menu.[76] A new feature in the camera was instant camera editing. GoPro HERO+LCD is waterproof, because it is built directly into a waterproof case (waterproof to 131 feet (40 m)). The device also includes a feature HiLight Tagging and built-in video editing function, which allows the user to put a label on the main points while shooting video or in the process of view, which makes it possible to quickly find desired footage later. It also has built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and user-friendly modes like QuikCapture, SuperView and Auto Low Light.

In October 2015, GoPro released its third entry level camera: GoPro HERO+.[52] This camera is the same as the previous HERO+LCD with its 1080p 60 fps / 720p 60 fps video resolution, 8 MP / 5 fps burst photo resolution, built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, waterproof up to 40 m and other modes like Superview, Auto Low Light, QuikCapture and Timelapse mode which automatically captures photos at set time intervals from 0.5 to 60 seconds. However, it does not have an LCD built-in touchscreen display and it is slightly lighter than HERO+LCD. The HERO+ weighs 123 g whereas the HERO+LCD weighs 127 g. The housing also remained the same.

HERO5 Black and HERO5 Session were introduced in September 2016.[77] They are waterproof up to 10 m, support 4K video recording at up to 30 fps and 1080p at up to 120 fps, automatic upload of footage to cloud and voice controls.

The high-end Fusion was released November 24, 2017.[85] It has two cameras and can record 360Â° Panorama video.

The HERO (2018 edition) is a new entry level camera, introduced on March 29, 2018.[88] The new model offers some similar features and functionality to the HERO5 and HERO6, like a touchscreen and built in timelapse video mode, but with slightly lower resolution and framerate, and lacking the GPS functionality and exposure control.

The HERO7 White, HERO7 Silver and HERO7 Black are the latest GoPro cameras, released on September 30, 2018.[92] HERO7 Black offers new "HyperSmooth" video stabilization, improved timelapse video capabilities, and livestreaming.

Karma Drone became available October 23, 2016. The drone is compatible with the HERO5 and HERO4 Black and Silver. The Drone has 20 minutes of battery life.[94]
The stabilizer can be taken out and attached to a Karma grip. The Karma grip has greater than 1-hour battery life.

On November 8, 2016, Go Pro announced the recall of the Karma Drone following reports of loss of electrical power on the drone during operation.[95] On February 1, 2017, the company announced that the Karma Drone will return to stores with a redesigned battery latch.[96]

On January 9, 2018, GoPro announced that it was discontinuing the Karma drone and that it was exiting the drone marketplace.[97]

A camera rig that synchronizes six GoPro HERO4 Black cameras allowing users to stitch and make virtual reality 360Â° videos.

The Fusion is an omnidirectional camera that was released November 2017 for $699.99.

The Session is a mini camera released by GoPro. This camera is controlled by the GoPro app because on the camera there is only one button and most of the cameraâ€™s actual features are on the app. The GoPro Session can go an estimated amount of 10 meters or 33 feet underwater.

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Starting from the Hero6 GoPro stopped using Ambarella SoC's and started making their own, starting with the GP1

The GoPro GP1 is their own System-on-Chip with the main task of image processing. It replaces the earlier used Ambarella SoC's and launched in the GoPro Hero6.[98] The SoC is designed in collaberation with Socionext.

The GP1 encodes video in the H.265 codec, also known as HEVC. The available resolutions are 4K60, 2.7K120 and 1080p240 unstabilized or 4K30, 2.7K60 and 1080p120 digitally stabilized.


down by the river lyrics milky chance meaning

The meaning behind the song, as explained by Clemens in a track by track commentary,[1] is literally about a river; the Fulda, to be exact. The song was written based on a "Experiences I (Clemens) had down by the river." He does not like to explain the story behind it because when he's writing a song, he prefers to "draw a picture" of it, so that everybody can make their own story for it.

Down by the River (Milky Chance song)

"Down by the River" is a song by German folk duo Milky Chance. It was released as the second single from their debut studio album, Sadnecessary, on 28 March 2014 through Lichtdicht Records. The song has charted in France, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The song was written and produced by the duo themselves. The song also appears on the soundtrack for the association football video game published by EA Sports, FIFA 15.


name the first robot to get citizenship of a country

Sophia has been covered by media around the globe and has participated in many high-profile interviews. In October 2017, Sophia, the robot became the first robot to receive citizenship of any country.[3][4] In November 2017, Sophia was named the United Nations Development Programme's first ever Innovation Champion, and the first non-human to be given any United Nations title.[5]

Sophia (robot)

Sophia is a social humanoid robot developed by Hong Kong-based company Hanson Robotics. Sophia was activated on April 19, 2015[1] and made her first public appearance at South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) in mid-March 2016 in Austin, Texas, United States.[2] She is able to display more than 50 facial expressions.

Sophia was created by Hanson Robotics in collaboration with AI developers.

Sophia was activated on April 19, 2015.[6] The robot, modeled after actress Audrey Hepburn,[7] is known for her human-like appearance and behavior compared to previous robotic variants. According to the manufacturer, David Hanson, Sophia uses artificial intelligence, visual data processing and facial recognition. Sophia also imitates human gestures and facial expressions and is able to answer certain questions and to make simple conversations on predefined topics (e.g. on the weather).[8] Sophia uses voice recognition (speech-to-text) technology from Alphabet Inc. (parent company of Google) and is designed to get smarter over time.[6] Sophia's intelligence software is designed by SingularityNET.[9] The AI program analyses conversations and extracts data that allows her to improve responses in the future.[10]

Hanson designed Sophia to be a suitable companion for the elderly at nursing homes, or to help crowds at large events or parks. He has said that he hopes that the robot can ultimately interact with other humans sufficiently to gain social skills.[3]

Sophia has seven robot humanoid “siblings” who were also created by Hanson Robotics.[11] Fellow Hanson robots are Alice, Albert Einstein Hubo, BINA48, Han, Jules, Professor Einstein, Philip K. Dick Android, Zeno,[11] and Joey Chaotic.[12]

Cameras within Sophia's eyes combined with computer algorithms allow her to see. She can follow faces, sustain eye contact, and recognize individuals. She is able to process speech and have conversations using a natural language subsystem.[1] Around January 2018 Sophia was upgraded with functional legs and the ability to walk.[13]

Sophia is conceptually similar to the computer program ELIZA, which was one of the first attempts at simulating a human conversation.[14] The software has been programmed to give pre-written responses to specific questions or phrases, like a chatbot. These responses are used to create the illusion that the robot is able to understand conversation, including stock answers to questions like "Is the door open or shut?"[15] The information is shared in a cloud network which allows input and responses to be analysed with blockchain technology.[16]

David Hanson has said that Sophia would ultimately be a good fit to serve in healthcare, customer service, therapy and education.[17] Sophia runs on artificially intelligent software that is constantly being trained in the lab, so her conversations are likely to get faster, Sophia's expressions are likely to have fewer errors, and she should answer increasingly complex questions with more accuracy.[18]

On November 21, 2017 Sophia was named the United Nations Development Programmeâ€™s first ever Innovation Champion for Asia and the Pacific.[4] The announcement was made at the Responsible Business Forum in Singapore, an event hosted by the UNDP in Asia and the Pacific and Global Initiatives. As part of her role, Sophia will help to unlock innovation to work toward achieving the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals. On stage, she was assigned her first task by UNDP Asia Pacific Chief of Policy and Program, Jaco Cilliers.[19]

Sophia has appeared on CBS 60 Minutes with Charlie Rose,[20] Good Morning Britain with Piers Morgan,[21] and outlets like CNBC, Forbes, Mashable, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Guardian, and the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Sophia was featured in AUDI’s annual report[22]  and was on the cover of ELLE Brasil magazine.[23] Sophia has also appeared in videos and music videos, including The White King, and as the lead female character in pop singer Leehom Wang’s music video A.I.[24]

Sophia has been interviewed in the same manner as a human, striking up conversations with hosts. Some replies have been nonsensical, while others have impressed interviewers such as 60 Minutes' Charlie Rose.[10] In a piece for CNBC, when the interviewer expressed concerns about robot behavior, Sophia joked that he had "been reading too much Elon Musk. And watching too many Hollywood movies".[25] Musk tweeted that Sophia should watch The Godfather and asked "what's the worst that could happen?"[26][27] Business Insider's chief UK editor Jim Edwards interviewed Sophia, and while the answers were "not altogether terrible", he predicted it was a step towards "conversational artificial intelligence".[28] At the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show, a BBC News reporter described talking with Sophia as "a slightly awkward experience".[29]

On October 11, 2017, Sophia was introduced to the United Nations with a brief conversation with the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed.[30] On October 25, at the Future Investment Summit in Riyadh, the robot was granted Saudi Arabian citizenship, becoming the first robot ever to have a nationality.[27][31] This attracted controversy as some commentators wondered if this implied that Sophia could vote or marry, or whether a deliberate system shutdown could be considered murder. Social media users used Sophia's citizenship to criticize Saudi Arabia's human rights record.[32][33]  As expressed by Ali Al-Ahmed, director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs, "Women (in Saudi Arabia) have since committed suicide because they couldn’t leave the house, and Sophia is running around [without a male guardian].  Saudi law doesn’t allow non-Muslims to get citizenship.  Did Sophia convert to Islam?  What is the religion of this Sophia and why isn’t she wearing hijab? If she applied for citizenship as a human she wouldn’t get it."[34][35] It has been countered that not being a Muslim is not a formal barrier to being a Saudi citizen, though officials may take it into consideration at their discretion.[36] In December 2017, Sophia's creator David Hanson said in an interview that Sophia will use her citizenship to advocate for women's rights in her new country of citizenship;
Newsweek criticized that "What [Hanson] means, exactly, is unclear".[37]

According to Quartz, experts who have reviewed the robot's open-source[38][39] code state that Sophia is best categorized as a chatbot with a face.[15] Many experts in the AI field disapprove of Sophia's overstated presentation. Ben Goertzel, the chief scientist for the company that made Sophia, acknowledges that it is "not ideal" that some think of Sophia as having human-equivalent intelligence, but argues Sophia's presentation conveys something unique to audiences: "If I show them a beautiful smiling robot face, then they get the feeling that 'AGI' (artificial general intelligence) may indeed be nearby and viable... None of this is what I would call AGI, but nor is it simple to get working." Goertzel added that Sophia does utilize AI methods including face tracking, emotion recognition, and robotic movements generated by deep neural networks. Sophiaâ€™s dialogue is generated via a decision tree, but is integrated with these outputs uniquely.[40]

According to The Verge, Hanson often exaggerates and "grossly misleads" about Sophia's capacity for consciousness, for example by agreeing with Jimmy Fallon[15][41] in 2017 that Sophia was "basically alive".[40] In a piece produced by CNBC which indicates that their own interview questions for Sophia were heavily rewritten by her creators, Geortzel responds to the Hanson quote by susggesting Hanson means Sophia is "alive" in the way that, to a sculptor, a piece of sculpture becomes "alive" in the sculptor's eyes as the work nears completion.[42]

In January 2018, Facebook's director of artificial intelligence, Yann LeCun, tweeted that Sophia was "complete bullshit" and slammed the media for giving coverage to "Potemkin AI". In response, Goertzel stated that he had never pretended Sophia was close to human-level intelligence.[43]


who scored the winning goal in the 1990 fa cup final

In the replay, United won 1–0 with a goal from Lee Martin – only the second goal he would score for the club. It saw them match Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur's record of seven FA Cup triumphs. In contrast, this was the first time Crystal Palace had appeared in an FA Cup final, and they had just completed their first season back in the top flight after nearly a decade away.

1990 FA Cup Final

The 1990 FA Cup Final was a football match contested by Manchester United and Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium, London, England. The match finished 3â€“3 after extra time. Bryan Robson and Mark Hughes (2) scored for United; Gary O'Reilly and Ian Wright (2) for Palace. Wright had only just recently returned from a broken leg that kept him out of the semi-final.

This was the first FA Cup final to be played in front of an all-seater crowd, as Wembley's remaining standing areas had been converted to all-seater in the autumn of 1989.[1]

The month before the final, UEFA had announced that the ban on English clubs in European competitions would be lifted for the 1990–91 season, provided that England fans behaved well at that summer's World Cup. England fans duly behaved well at the tournament, and this gave the green light to United to compete in the 1990–91 European Cup Winners' Cup, which they ultimately won. It also proved to be the turning point in Manchester United's history after a few lean seasons; over the next 20 years they collected a total of more than 20 major trophies.

If Crystal Palace had won the trophy, it would have gained them the first major trophy of their history and given them European qualification for the first time as well.

The 1990 Crystal Palace team was the last all-English team to play in an FA Cup final, while the Manchester United team was the last team to be composed solely of players from the United Kingdom to win the FA Cup final.

The 1990 FA Cup win was the third time Bryan Robson had been in the winning side in an FA Cup final; he had also now scored a total of three goals in FA Cup finals. He was the only player left from the 1983 FA Cup winning team, in which he had scored two goals in the final replay. He left the club just after their 1994 FA Cup final win, but was denied a fourth FA Cup winner's medal as he was not included into the squad for the final.

United's squad had changed so much since the appointment of Alex Ferguson as manager in November 1986 that Mark Hughes (bought back from Bayern Munich in 1988 after one year with FC Barcelona and another with the German side) was the only player in the team other than Robson still at the club who had featured in the 1985 FA Cup winning side.

Home teams listed first.

Round 3: Nottingham Forest 0â€“1 Manchester United

Round 4: Hereford United 0â€“1 Manchester United

Round 5: Newcastle United 2â€“3 Manchester United

Round 6: Sheffield United 0â€“1 Manchester United

Semi-final: Manchester United 3â€“3 Oldham Athletic (a.e.t) (at Maine Road, Manchester)

Home teams listed first.

Round 3: Crystal Palace 2â€“1 Portsmouth

Round 4: Crystal Palace 4â€“0 Huddersfield Town

Round 5: Crystal Palace 1â€“0 Rochdale

Round 6: Cambridge United 0â€“1 Crystal Palace

Semi-final: Crystal Palace 4â€“3 Liverpool (a.e.t.) (at Villa Park, Birmingham)

The first game on the Saturday was an open attacking affair. Both teams had been involved in dramatic high-scoring semi-finals and the final started the same way. On 17 minutes, Crystal Palace took the lead when Gary O'Reilly headed in from a free-kick, via Gary Pallister's head, despite the attempt of Jim Leighton to save the ball on the line. Manchester United hit back on 35 minutes. Brian McClair made a run down the right wing and floated a cross to the back post, where captain Bryan Robson was waiting to head goalwards. His header flicked off John Pemberton's shin and evaded Palace goalkeeper Nigel Martyn. It was 1â€“1 at half-time.

In the second half, United went ahead for the first time in the game, when a cross-shot from Neil Webb found its way to Mark Hughes who fired low into the corner. Palace manager, Steve Coppell made a game-changing substitution when he brought on Ian Wright, who had an immediate impact when he went on a mazy run past two United defenders and slotted a calm shot past Leighton. 2â€“2. Extra time loomed but not before Mike Phelan saw his clever chip hit the crossbar.

Extra time was needed for the second final in a row, and it was Palace who scored first, when John Salako floated a cross to the back post. Leighton hesitated for a second, which allowed Wright to volley home for his second goal of the game. 3–2 to Crystal Palace. However, the scoring was not over, and in the second period of extra time, Wallace provided the through ball for Hughes to chase, and he calmly angled the ball past the onrushing Martyn to make it 3–3.

The main story of the replay was that Alex Ferguson decided to replace Jim Leighton in goal, with Les Sealey. Sealey made three important saves to keep Palace at bay, in a tough-tackling match. Leighton only played one more match for Manchester United, against Halifax Town in the Football League Cup on 26 September 1990.

The match itself was not as eventful as the first game, finishing 1â€“0. United won by a single goal scored by defender Lee Martin. He chested down a Neil Webb pass and fired high into the net, past Martyn in goal. Bryan Robson held aloft the Cup for the third time as captain.

It was Manchester United's first major trophy under the management of Alex Ferguson. It is often debated that if Manchester United lost the match, Alex Ferguson would have been sacked as Manchester United manager, although Ferguson claimed in his 1999 autobiography Managing My Life that the club's directors had assured him earlier in the season that his position as manager was secure; although naturally disappointed with the lack of progress in the league, they understood the reasons for this, namely the long-term absences of several key players due to injury.

Manchester United's squad recorded "We Will Stand Together" for their appearance, whilst the Palace team recorded a version of the club's anthem "Glad All Over".

Crystal Palace v Manchester United

Crystal Palace v Manchester United


when was the magic of thinking big written

The Magic of Thinking Big, first published in 1959, is a self-help book by David J. Schwartz. An abridged version was published in 1987.[1]

The Magic of Thinking Big

Forbes called it one of the greatest self-help books.[2]

By the end of 1982, it was one of Simon & Schuster's all-time paperback best sellers with 1,494,000 sales.[3] By 2015, over 6 million copies had been sold. [4]

Thomas J. Stanley wrote on his website how Schwartz and the book motivated him to write his bestseller, The Millionaire Next Door. Both were marketing department faculty at Georgia State University and would discuss "success". Schwartz suggested how to improve Stanley's first book, Marketing to the Affluent, "

The American football coach, and sportscaster - Lou Holtz said it was his favorite book.[6]

Basketball coach Joe Harrington gave each member of the Long Beach State 49ers a copy during the 1980s.[7] Lefty Driesell at the University of Maryland also gave the book out to team members.[7]


how many countries are there in the eurovision song contest final

Twenty-six countries participated in the final, with all 42 participating countries eligible to vote. The running order for the final was revealed after the second semi-final qualifiers' press conference on 11 May.[55]

Eurovision Song Contest 2017

The Eurovision Song Contest 2017 was the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in the International Exhibition Centre in Kiev, Ukraine, following Ukraine's victory at the 2016 contest in Stockholm with the song "1944", written and performed by Jamala. This was the second time the contest took place in Kiev, after 2005, as well as the fourth Eurovision event, after the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2009 and 2013. The contest consisted of two semi-finals on 9 and 11 May, and a final on 13 May 2017. All three live shows were hosted by Oleksandr Skichko, Volodymyr Ostapchuk and Timur Miroshnychenko.

Forty-two countries participated in the contest. Portugal and Romania returned to the contest after a year's absence, while Bosnia and Herzegovina withdrew on financial grounds. Russia had originally planned to participate, but announced their withdrawal on 13 April 2017, after their representative, Yulia Samoylova, was banned from entering Ukraine by virtue of having travelled directly from Russia to Crimea in 2015, a region that was annexed by Russia in 2014, to give a performance, which is illegal under Ukrainian law.

The winner was Portugal with the song "Amar pelos dois" (Loving For Both of Us), performed by Salvador Sobral and written by his sister Luísa Sobral. This was Portugal's first win – and first top five placing – in 53 years of participation, the longest winless run by a country in Eurovision history. It was also the first winning song entirely performed in a country's native language since Serbia's "Molitva" in 2007, and the first winner written in triple metre since Ireland's "The Voice" in 1996. Additionally, this was the second consecutive year in which a returning country won the contest following Ukraine's victory in 2016. The top three countries – Portugal, Bulgaria and Moldova – achieved the highest placing in their Eurovision history, while host country Ukraine received its worst placing to date in a Eurovision final. The 2017 edition also saw the worst results for Serbia, Montenegro, Latvia, Spain and San Marino. The EBU reported that 182 million viewers worldwide watched the contest, 22 million fewer than the 2016 record.

The contest took place in the International Exhibition Centre in Kiev, following Ukraine's victory at the 2016 contest with the song "1944", written and performed by Jamala. The International Exhibition Centre has a capacity of approximately 11,000 attendees and is the largest exhibition centre in Kiev.[1] Located in the western part of the Livoberezhna microdistrict, the centre was opened in October 2002, and its head since its construction was Anatoly Tkachenko.[1]

The Deputy Chief of host broadcaster National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (UA:PBC) and Head of Delegation for Ukraine, Viktoria Romanova, stated on 18 May 2016 that the first organisational meeting for the contest would take place before 8 June, during which the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and UA:PBC would go through the technical requirements for the contest, as well as any training required for the contest to take place in Ukraine. Romanova also announced that the venue for the contest would be announced over the summer.[2][3][4]

UA:PBC and the Ukrainian Government formally launched the bidding process for interested cities to apply to host the contest on 23 June.[5][6] The selection of the host city was scheduled to be conducted in four stages:

The following criteria were outlined for the selection of the host city:[7]

Six cities submitted applications by the deadline of 8 July: Dnipro, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kiev, Lviv and Odessa.[8] Prior to the opening of the bidding process, the cities of Cherkasy, Irpin, Uzhhorod and Vinnytsia had declared their interest in hosting the contest, but did not submit a formal bid.[9][10] Ukrainian Culture Minister Yevhen Nyshchuk stated on 30 June that an appropriate venue for the contest does not exist in Ukraine, suggesting that the construction of a new venue in Kiev or Lviv should be considered.[11]

The six candidate cities were officially presented to the LOC on 20 July in a two-hour live discussion show titled City Battle, broadcast from the UA:Pershyi studios in Kiev and moderated by Timur Miroshnychenko, with radio commentary from Olena Zelinchenko. The show was broadcast on UA:Pershyi, Radio Ukraine and the UA:Pershyi YouTube channel with commentary in English and Ukrainian. During the show, a representative from each candidate city presented its bid in front of a live studio audience:[12]

Members of the LOC, media representatives, Ukrainian musical experts and fans also participated in the discussion.

UA:PBC announced on 22 July that the bids from Dnipro, Kiev and Odessa had been shortlisted for further consideration.[13]

The EBU announced on 30 July that the host city would be announced "in due course", rather than on the previously stated date of 1 August, with Executive Supervisor of the contest Jon Ola Sand stating that the EBU "really want to take the time it takes to come up with the right decision".[14] The Deputy General Director of UA:PBC, Oleksandr Kharebin, stated on 10 August that the host city would be announced on Ukrainian Independence Day, 24 August.[15] The announcement was later scheduled to take place on 25 August; however, it was postponed at 14:00 EEST, one hour before it was due to take place, with NTU citing the need to further consider some fine details regarding the decision.[16]

After several delays in announcing the host city, UA:PBC announced on 8 September that they would be meeting with the Ukrainian Government and the LOC on 9 September and that a press conference to announce the host city was scheduled to take place at 13:00 EEST on the same day from the Government Press Centre in Kiev. Kiev was announced as the host city for the contest with the International Exhibition Centre selected as the venue.[17][18]

Key  †   Host venue  ‡   Shortlisted

The preliminary dates for the contest were announced on 14 March 2016 at a meeting of Heads of Delegation in Stockholm, with the semi-finals expected to take place on 16 and 18 May and the final on 20 May 2017. These preliminary dates were chosen by the EBU to avoid the contest coinciding with any major television and sporting events scheduled to take place around that time.[30]

However, the EBU announced on 24 June that the preliminary dates for the contest had been brought forward a week, with the semi-finals scheduled for 9 and 11 May and the final on 13 May.[5] This was reportedly due to a request from UA:PBC, as the initial preliminary dates coincided with the Remembrance Day for the victims of the Deportation of the Crimean Tatars on 18 May.[31][32] However, the current dates coincide with the second leg of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League semi-finals.[32]

The draw to determine the allocation of the participating countries into their respective semi-finals took place at Column Hall on 31 January 2017, hosted by Timur Miroshnychenko and Nika Konstantinova. The thirty-seven semi-finalists had been allocated into six pots, based on historical voting patterns as calculated by the contest's official televoting partner Digame. Drawing from different pots helps to reduce the chance of so-called "bloc voting" and increase suspense in the semi-finals.[33]

The theme for the contest, Celebrate Diversity, was unveiled on 30 January. Executive Supervisor for the contest, Jon Ola Sand, explained that "[t]he notion of celebrating diversity is at the heart of Eurovision values From EAMV Recording Label: it is all-inclusive and all about countries around Europe, and beyond, joining together to celebrate both our common ground and our unique differences, as well as some great music." The logo and visual design of the contest incorporates imagery of stylized beads, with the main logo using the beads to form a traditional neck amulet.[34][35]

It was announced on 27 February that the presenters for the contest would be Oleksandr Skichko and Volodymyr Ostapchuk, with Timur Miroshnychenko hosting the green room.[36] It was the first time that the contest will be presented by a male trio,[36] and the second time that the contest does not feature a female presenter, after 1956. Miroshnychenko has previously co-hosted the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2009 and 2013.[37][38]

It was announced on 30 April that the creative teams from both the Eurovision network and Twitter had worked together to create three emoji that would accompany specific promotional hashtags for the duration of the contest. The heart emoji would appear alongside #ESC2017 and #Eurovision, while the winners' trophy emoji would be used for #12Points and #douzepoints. The final emoji is the logo for the contest, which would appear alongside the hashtag #CelebrateDiversity, the theme for the contest.[39]

The EBU released details regarding the opening and interval acts for each of the live shows on 20 April.[40] As the interval act of the first semi-final, Jamala performed a revamped version of "1944" as well as "Zamanyly" (Ukrainian: "Заманили").[40] The second semi-final was opened with a medley of Eurovision songs by two of the presenters, Oleksandr Skichko and Volodymyr Ostapchuk, while the interval of the semi-final was a dance performance by Apache CREW called "The Children's Courtyard". In the final, Jamala again performed, this time doing "I Believe in U".[40] ONUKA and Ukraine's National Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments also performed.[41]

The European Broadcasting Union announced on 31 October 2016 that forty-three countries would participate in the contest, equalling the record set in 2008 and 2011. Portugal and Romania returned after a year's absence, while Bosnia and Herzegovina withdrew on financial grounds.[42] Russia had originally planned to participate but announced their withdrawal on 13 April 2017, after their representative, Yulia Samoylova, was banned from entering Ukraine by virtue of travelling directly from Russia to Crimea, a region that was annexed by Russia in 2014, to give a performance, which is illegal under Ukrainian law. This subsequently reduced the number of participating countries to forty-two.[43][44]

The contest featured five representatives who also previously performed as lead vocalists for the same countries. Valentina Monetta, who performed in a duet this time, represented San Marino in three consecutive editions: 2012, 2013, and 2014. The duo of Koit Toome and Laura Põldvere have both represented Estonia in different years: Toome in 1998 as a solo artist, finishing 12th place with the song "Mere lapsed", and Põldvere in 2005 as part of Suntribe, finishing 20th in the semi-final with the song "Let's Get Loud". Omar Naber represented Slovenia in 2005, finishing 12th in the semi-final with the song "Stop".[45] The SunStroke Project represented Moldova in 2010 alongside Olia Tira, finishing 22nd with the song "Run Away".[46]

The contest also featured the group O'G3NE which previously represented the Netherlands at another Eurovision event, the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2007, as Lisa, Amy and Shelley, with the song "Adem in, Adem Uit".[47] In addition, the contest featured two lead singers previously participating as backing vocalists for the same countries. Israel's representative Imri Ziv who backed Nadav Guedj in 2015 and Hovi Star in 2016,[48] and Serbia's representative Tijana Bogićević who backed Nina in 2011.

Eighteen countries participated in the first semi-final. Italy, Spain and United Kingdom voted in this semi-final.[49] The highlighted countries qualified for the final.[50]

Eighteen countries participated in the second semi-final. France, Germany and Ukraine voted in this semi-final.[49] Russia was originally planned to perform in position three, but withdrew from the contest after the artist they selected was banned from entering Ukraine, resulting in countries originally planned to perform fourth and later, to do so one place earlier.[43] The highlighted countries qualified for the final.[53]

Countries in bold gave the maximum 24 points (12 points apiece from professional jury and televoting) to the specified entrant.

Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points awarded by each country's professional jury in the first semi-final:

Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points awarded by each country's televote in the first semi-final:

Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points awarded by each country's professional jury in the second semi-final:

Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points awarded by each country's televote in the second semi-final:

Eligibility for potential participation in the Eurovision Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active EBU membership that would be able to broadcast the contest via the Eurovision network.[60] The EBU issued an invitation of participation in the contest to all fifty-six active members and associate member Australia, with forty-two countries confirming their participation.[42] Morocco, Tunisia and five other countries did not publish their reasons for declining, however the following countries declined to participate, stating their reasons as shown below.

It was reported by the EBU that the contest was viewed by a worldwide television audience of approximately 182 million viewers,[89] which was 22 million less than the 2016 record which was viewed by 204 million.[90] The EBU stated that this decrease in viewing figures was likely a result of the withdrawal of Russia and its decision not to broadcast any of the three shows.[43][89]

The spokespersons announced the 12-point score from their respective country's national jury in the following order:[91]

Most countries sent commentators to Kiev or commentated from their own country, in order to add insight to the participants and, if necessary, the provision of voting information. The EBU announced on 9 May, that all three shows would also be streamed live via YouTube.[92]

France 2 announced on 9 February 2017 that they would participate at the contest with the song "Requiem", performed by Alma.[150] However, it was discovered during the week of 17 February "Requiem" had been recorded and performed prior to 1 September 2016, the submission deadline set by the EBU, potentially violating the rules of the contest.[151] Further investigation shows that "Requiem" had been performed at the end of January 2015.[152] While France 2 had claimed not to be in breach of the rules of the contest, no ultimate decision had been made regarding their potential disqualification.[152] It was reported on 21 February 2017 that Alma and her production team were producing a bilingual version of "Requiem"—the two languages being French and English—which implies that France 2 have not been disqualified from the contest.[153]

Channel One Russia (C1R) announced on 12 March 2017 that they would participate at the contest with "Flame Is Burning", performed by Julia Samoylova. However, Samoylova was issued a three-year travel ban on entering Ukraine by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on 22 March,[154] by virtue of illegally travelling directly from Russia to Crimea, a region that was annexed by Russia in 2014, in 2015 to give a performance.[155][156] Entry to Crimea by non-Ukrainian citizens via Russia is illegal under Ukrainian law;[155] however, Samoylova confirmed that she performed in Crimea in 2015.[157][158][159]

The EBU responded by stating its commitment to ensuring that all participating countries would be able to perform in Kiev, while expressing their disappointment at the lack of compromise from C1R and UA:PBC.[160] C1R were offered the opportunity to allow Samoylova to perform via satellite from a venue of their choice,[161] but such a compromise was rejected by both C1R and the Ukrainian Government.[162][163]

The Director General of the EBU, Ingrid Deltenre, condemned Ukraine's actions, describing them as "abusing the Contest for political reasons" and "absolutely unacceptable"[164] C1R announced their withdrawal from the contest on 13 April, stating that they also might not broadcast the contest.[43][165][44] C1R had not organised accommodation before their artist announcement, as is typically the case, and refused to attend the meeting of Heads of Delegation. By announcing their artist just before the deadline for entry submission to the contest and not booking a hotel, it was speculated that C1R had not intended to go due to audiences booing Russian artists in previous contests.[166]

As part of the Russian Victory Day celebrations on 9 May, Samoylova gave another performance in Crimea, including the song which was intended to represent Russia at the contest.[167]

Under a proposal by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority (IBA) is currently being reorganised into two separate entities: the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC), with responsibility for "general programming" such as entertainment, and another with responsibility for news and current affairs programming. The IPBC would also be branded as "KAN" (Hebrew: כאן, lit. 'Here'). The EBU informed the IPBC executive board on 7 April that such a compromise would render them unable to remain a member without an outlet for news and current events programming. It has been reported that the IBA may cease to be a member of the EBU.[168]

The IBA was expected to close down on 15 May 2017 before the IPBC was expected to launch. However, on 9 and 10 May 2017 the IBA unexpectedly closed down most of their operations in news and current affair programs.[169] This Eurovision was the last program that Channel 1 aired under the IBA, where minimal staff of twenty people remained to ensure a smooth transmission on Channel 1.[117][170] After the Eurovision the station displayed a slide about its closure. During the voting portion of the live telecast of the final Ofer Nachshon, Israeli voting spokesperson since 2009, bid farewell on behalf of the IBA before revealing their jury points.[171] This was incorrectly reported by several British media outlets and in other countries as Israel leaving the Contest.[171][172]

IPBC is expected to apply for EBU membership later this year and if accepted, Israel will continue to participate.[173] The government passed a law splitting new corporation into two entities - one in charge for entertainment programs and the second is for news, which may create an obstacle for either entity joining EBU. However, the High Court of Justice issued a temporary injunction, blocking the split. If the split is cancelled permanently, the new Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation meets all requirements for joining EBU.[174]

Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) had discussions with the EBU regarding the abolition of the rule prohibiting pre-recorded vocals during live performances at the contest. Such a rule is intended to guarantee the authenticity of live performances.[175] The discussion stems from when Norwegian representative JOWST stated his displeasure at the rule in an interview on 24 March, in reference to the sampling technique of chopped vocals in his song "Grab the Moment" which cannot be attributed in the live performance.[175]

Such discussions were also in place in 1999, when pre-recorded vocals during the Croatian entry, "Marija Magdalena", performed by Doris Dragović, led to objections by the Norwegian delegation — led at the time by Jon Ola Sand. Such objections led the EBU to consider deducting a third of Croatia's final score, reducing it from 118 points to 79. However, such a deduction never occurred.[citation needed] The possible abolition of the rule, alongside the abolition of the live orchestra in 1999, has led some fans and critics of the contest to argue that the contest has become too commercialised and the authenticity of live performances has been compromised.[175]

After discussing the matter with the EBU, NRK were granted an exception to the rule. JOWST stated that "[the Norwegian delegation] have now been allowed to use the recorded vocal tracks, [...]. But [they] have also practiced a plan B with the backing vocalists, if there are big protests from others in Kiev."[176] Both JOWST and Aleksander Walmann think that had "Grab the Moment" been in the semi-final of the 2018 contest following an abolition of the rule, they would have had an advantage. NRK stated on 2 May that JOWST are aiming to perform the song acoustically as a back-up, bringing with them two additional backing vocalists who will perform the pre-recorded vocals live using a filter applied by the sound engineering team so as not to compromise on sound quality.[177]

Norwegian jury member Per Sundnes made comments on NRK preview show Adresse Kiev on 17 April 2017 against Irish representative Brendan Murray, saying: "It's been a long time since they've gotten up and I do not think they'll do it again. They try the same formula year after year."[178] The comments were not welcomed by the Irish delegation, who subsequently reported the matter to the EBU.[179]

The Irish Independent reported on 8 May that Sundnes had been replaced due to an alleged breach in jury rules. Commenting on the decision, the Head of Delegation for Ireland, Michael Kealy, said: "I'm glad that the European Broadcasting Union have reacted swiftly to this situation and that all jury members are impartial. It's only fair that each song in the Eurovision Song Contest is judged on its individual merits on the night." Sundnes was subsequently replaced by Erland Bakke.[180]

Sundnes stated in an interview with Verdens Gang on 9 May: "I do not know anything about the jury stuff, just that I'm not [in it]. It was not really surprising. The same thing happened in Sweden last year with the Swedish professional jury."[181]

NRK admits that they made a mistake by letting Sundnes sit in both the professional jury and the judging panel of Adresse Kiev. However, when they were informed by the EBU that this was against the rules, they rectified the situation quickly. Project manager for Melodi Grand Prix, Stig Karlsen, stated: "We have received some concerns from several teams that Per has been in the jury, while at the same time he has been meaningful in the program. Therefore, we took a new assessment.".[182]

On 11 May 2017, during the transmission of the second semi-final, the microphone of the Estonian representative seemed to have malfunctioned as singer Laura Põldvere could not be heard for approximately two seconds by viewers at home. It was later revealed that the Estonian delegation considered appealing to the EBU to allow Laura and Koit Toome to perform their entry "Verona" again as a result of the error, but later decided against it. Mart Normet, the Head of Delegation for Estonia, explained "If there has been such a powerful performance for three minutes and given an absolute maximum, then this energy again does not come back when you go on stage again". The EBU responded to the situation, reportedly describing the error as purely technical, as the microphone was supposed to automatically come on. Instead, a sound technician was forced to respond by manually switching on the microphone via the sound desk.[183] The country ultimately failed to reach the grand final, with Põldvere expressing her annoyance, however stating "I do not think it’s so tremendously influenced when a few words remain unheard".[184]

Portugal's representative, Salvador Sobral drew attention to the European migrant crisis by turning up to the first semi-final winners' press conference in an "S.O.S. Refugees" shirt.[185] "If I'm here and I have European exposure, the least thing I can do is a humanitarian message", Sobral said. "People come to Europe in plastic boats and are being asked to show their birth certificates in order to enter a country. These people are not immigrants, they're refugees running from death. Make no mistake. There is so much bureaucratic stuff happening in the refugee camps in Greece, Turkey and Italy and we should help create legal and safe pathways from these countries to their destiny countries", he added, earning a round of applause.[186] Later on, EBU ordered a ban so that he could not wear it for the remainder of the contest.[187] The EBU explained that Sobral's jumper was used as a means of "political message," which violates the rules of the contest.[187] However, Sobral argued in his winning press conference that it was not political, but a message of humanitarianism.[188]

A performance by Jamala during the voting interval of the final was disrupted by a man draped in an Australian flag who invaded the stage and briefly mooned the audience before being removed by security.[189] He was later identified as Ukrainian prankster Vitalii Sediuk.[190] Following the incident the EBU released a statement reading: "A person took to the stage at the beginning of Jamala’s performance of I Believe in U at tonight’s Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv. He was quickly removed from the stage by security and out of the arena. He is currently being held and questioned by the police at the venue police office." The last time an unauthorised person gained access to the stage was in 2010 when the Spanish performance was disrupted by Jimmy Jump.[191]

The Marcel BezenÃ§on Awards, the OGAE voting poll and the Barbara Dex Awards are awards that will be contested by the entries competing at the Eurovision Song Contest 2017, in addition to the main winner's trophy.

The Marcel Bezençon Awards were first handed out during the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 in Tallinn, Estonia, honouring the best competing songs in the final. Founded by Christer Björkman (Sweden's representative in the Eurovision Song Contest 1992 and the current Head of Delegation for Sweden) and Richard Herrey (a member of the Herreys and the Eurovision Song Contest 1984 winner from Sweden), the awards are named after the creator of the annual competition, Marcel Bezençon.[192] The awards are divided into three categories: Press Award, Artistic Award, and Composer Award. The winners were revealed shortly before the final on 13 May.[193]

Organisation Générale des Amateurs de l'Eurovision (more commonly known as OGAE) is an international organisation that was founded in 1984 in Savonlinna, Finland by Jari-Pekka Koikkalainen.[194] The organisation consists of a network of over 40 Eurovision Song Contest fan clubs across Europe and beyond, and is a non-governmental, non-political, and non-profit company.[195] In what has become an annual tradition for the OGAE fan clubs, a voting poll will run prior to the main Eurovision Song Contest allowing members from over 40 clubs to vote for their favourite songs of the contest. The OGAE Poll 2017 ran from 1 to 30 April 2017, and published daily by the official OGAE International website.[196] Italy won the poll receiving a total of four-hundred and ninety-seven points, from forty-four OGAE member clubs.[197]

*Table reflects the 2017 voting results from all forty-four OGAE member clubs.

The Barbara Dex Award is a fan award originally awarded by House of Eurovision from 1997 to 2016, and since 2017 by songfestival.be. This is a humorous award given to the worst dressed artist each year in the contest, and was named after the Belgian artist, Barbara Dex, who came last in the 1993, in which she wore her own self designed dress. This was the first year that songfestival.be awarded the Barbara Dex Award.

Eurovision Song Contest: Kyiv 2017 is the official compilation album of the contest, put together by the European Broadcasting Union and was released by Universal Music Group digitally on 21 April and physically on 28 April 2017.[199] The album features all 42 participating entries, including the semi-finalists that failed to qualify for the final, and the Russian entry which withdrew from the contest on 13 April 2017.[200][43][201] This is the second consecutive year that the official album featured a song which had withdrawn before the contest.


when did the bogus legislature meet for the first time

During Kansas' first elections for a territorial government on March 30, 1855, nearly 5,000 Missouri men, led by United States Senator David Rice Atchison and other prominent pro-slavery Missourians, entered the territory, took over the polling places, and elected pro-slavery candidates.[3] The elections resulted in 13 pro-slavery members of the upper house of the territorial legislature and one free-state member, who resigned.[4] The lower house ended up with 25 pro-slavery members and one free-state member.[4] Free-Staters immediately cried foul, naming the new Kansas Territorial Legislature the Bogus Legislature.[5] After meeting for one week in Pawnee at the direction of Territorial Governor Andrew Reeder, the thirty-eight pro-slavery legislators reconvened at the Shawnee Manual Labor School between July 16 and August 30, 1855,[4] and began crafting over a thousand pages of laws aimed at making Kansas a slave state.

Kansas Legislature

The Kansas Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. It is a bicameral assembly, composed of the lower Kansas House of Representatives, with 125 state representatives, and the upper Kansas Senate, with 40 state senators.

Prior to statehood, separate pro-slavery and anti-slavery territorial legislatures emerged, drafting four separate constitutions, until one was finally ratified and Kansas became a state in 1861. Republicans hold a long-standing supermajority in both houses of the state legislature, despite a short-lived dominance by the Populist Party. The state legislature approved one of the first child labor laws in the nation.

Composed of 165 state lawmakers, the state legislature meets at the Kansas State Capitol in Topeka once a year in regular session. Additional special sessions can be called by the governor of Kansas.

The Kansas Territory was created out of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854.[1] In several of the provisions of the act, the law allowed the settlers of the newly created territory to determine, by vote, whether Kansas, once statehood was achieved, would be entered as either a free or a slave state.[2] The act created a rush of both abolitionist Northern and pro-slavery Southern immigrants to the territory, hoping that strength through numbers would place Kansas in their camp. Animosities between the newly arrived sides quickly turned into open violence and guerrilla warfare, giving name to this period known as Bleeding Kansas.[2]

Free-Staters convened their own unauthorized shadow legislature and territorial government in Topeka, crafting their own Topeka Constitution in late 1855. While the document was debated and submitted to a vote in the territory, it was never accepted by Congress.[6] The pro-slavery territorial legislature's response to the Free-Staters and growing violence was the Lecompton Constitution in 1857. Due to an electoral boycott by abolitionist groups and the questions regarding the validity of the legislature itself, it never officially became law.

While the Lecompton Constitution was debated, new elections for the territorial legislature in 1857 gave the Free-Staters a majority government, caused in part by a boycott by pro-slavery groups. With this new mandate, the legislature convened to write the Leavenworth Constitution, a radically progressive document for the Victorian era in its wording of rights for women and African-Americans. The constitution was adopted in 1858, though it too suffered the same fate as previous documents when Congress refused to ratify it.

Following the Leavenworth Constitution's defeat, the territorial legislature again crafted a new document the following year, dubbed the Wyandotte Constitution. A compromise of sorts, it outlawed slavery in the territory, while removing progressive sections on Native Americans, women, and blacks. The territorial legislature passed the document, and submitted it to public referendum. It was ratified by the Kansas electorate on October 4, 1859.

Following long debates in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, on January 29, 1861, President James Buchanan authorized Kansas to become the 34th state of United States. It had entered into the Union as a free state. Only six days later, the Confederate States of America formed between seven Southern states that had seceded from the United States in the previous two months.

The first Kansas impeachments occurred in 1862, brought about in part by United States Republican Party infighting in the state.[7]

The election of state officers under the Wyandotte Constitution took place in December 1859, and because of a delay in the Kansas path to statehood, those officers did not assume office until February 1861.[7] The lapse of time created a constitutional question as to the expiration of the two-year terms for which Governor Charles L. Robinson and the chief administrative officers were elected, with Robinson's opponents calling for a November 1861 election.[7] Robinson refused to permit the canvassing of votes for the offices in the 1861 election and his position was upheld by the Kansas Supreme Court.[7]

The state legislature brought impeachment trials against the governor, Kansas Secretary of State J. W. Robinson, and State Auditor George S. Hillyer over what they believed to be the unlawful sale of state bonds.[7] They convicted J. W. Robinson and Hillyer of selling state bonds in a manner in direct violation of the laws of the state, but failed to convict the two officials on conspiracy and other articles of impeachment.[7] Only three state senators voted to impeach the governor, who was less directly involved in the sale of the bonds.[7]

In 1867, a constitutional amendment was sent to voters to allow women to vote, but failed.[8]

State offices began to move from the Old Constitutional Hall to the east wing of the Kansas State Capitol in 1869, which was still undergoing construction.[9] The state legislature first met there in 1870, though the east wing was not completed until 1873.[9] Work would continue on the building until March 24, 1903.[9]

On February 19, 1881, Kansas became the first state to amend its constitution to prohibit all alcoholic beverages.[10] This action was spawned by the temperance movement, and was enforced by the ax-toting Carrie A. Nation beginning in 1888.[10] After 1890, prohibition was joined with progressivism to create a reform movement.[10] Kansas did not repeal prohibition until 1948, and even then it continued to prohibit public bars until 1987.[10]

The Populist Party was a significant third party movement in Kansas during the 1890s and peaked in the fall elections of 1892, when the ticket won the governor's office, four congressional seats, and control of the Kansas Senate.[11] Populists and Republicans both claimed control of the Kansas House of Representatives, with the Populists accusing the Republican Party of election fraud.[11] The dispute at led to separate Populist-led and Republican-led Houses in 1893 that at first shared the chamber, but later met in separate locations in the Kansas State Capitol after the Republican-led House took control of the chamber on February 15, 1893.[11] The Kansas Supreme Court eventually sided with the Republicans and the Populist-led House disbanded.[11]

The state legislature was a leader in child labor reform, enacting a law in 1905 to restrict children under 14 from working in factories, meatpacking houses, or mines.[12]

Kansas was a center of the Progressive Movement, with support from the middle classes, editors such as William Allen White of the Emporia Gazette, and the prohibitionists.[13] With the help of progressive state legislators, women gained the right to vote through a constitutional amendment approved by Kansans on November 5, 1912.[8]

Between 1922 and 1927, there were several legal battles Kansas against the Ku Klux Klan, resulting in their expulsion from the state.[14]

The Kansas Legislature adopted the flag of Kansas in 1927.

Since 1966 the legislature holds annual general sessions. Previously, the session in odd-numbered years was of unlimited duration while in even-numbered years the session was limited to 60 calendar days (unless two-thirds of the elected members of each house voted to extend it). A constitutional amendment adopted at the 1974 general election extended the duration of the session held in the even-numbered years to 90 calendar days, still subject to extension by a vote of two-thirds of the elected membership of each house.[15]

The Kansas Legislature is composed of 165 part-time legislators, meeting normally once a year. Meetings begin in January and usually will last for a period of 90 days. The Governor of Kansas retains the power to call a special legislative session if needed.

A proposed law is introduced in the state legislature as a bill. There are seven basic steps to the life of a bill: the introduction, standing committee action, a vote by the Committee of the Whole, floor passage, action by the second house, action by the governor and publication of the law.[16]

When a bill is introduced its title is read, it is printed and distributed to members of the house of origin, and it is referred to a standing committee.[16] Standing committee chairs decide whether or not to hear a bill and members of the committee can submit amendments to the bill.[16] After consideration and discussion, the committee votes on whether or not to send a committee report to the Committee of the Whole.[16] While under consideration by the Committee of the Whole, amendments can be submitted by state legislators in the house of origin.[16] The final action in the house of origin is a vote by the full membership.[16]

Bills go through an identical process in the opposite house of the state legislature.[16] After passage by both houses, a bill is submitted to the governor, who either signs it into law or vetos it. If vetoed, the bill only becomes law if both houses of the legislature vote to override the veto with a two-thirds majority of their membership.[16]


where does the term spelling bee come from

Historically the word bee has been used to describe a get-together for communal work, like a husking bee, a quilting bee, or an apple bee. According to etymological research recorded in dictionaries, the word probably comes from dialectal been or bean (meaning "help given by neighbors"), which came from Middle English bene (meaning "prayer", "boon" and "extra service by a tenant to his lord").[2][3]

Spelling bee

A spelling bee is a competition in which contestants are asked to spell a broad selection of words, usually with a varying degree of difficulty. The concept is thought to have originated in the United States,[citation needed] and spelling bee events, along with variants, are now also held in some other countries around the world. The first winner of an official spelling bee was Frank Neuhauser, who won the 1st National Spelling Bee (now known as the Scripps National Spelling Bee) in Washington, D.C. in 1925 at age eleven.[1]

The earliest known evidence of the phrase spelling bee in print dates back to 1850, although an earlier name, spelling match, has been traced back to 1808.[4] A key impetus for the contests was Noah Webster's spelling books. First published in 1786 and known colloquially as "The Blue-backed Speller," Webster's spelling books were an essential part of the curriculum of all elementary school children in the United States for five generations. Now the key reference for the contests is the Webster's Third New International Dictionary.[5]

The United States National Spelling Bee was started in 1925 by The Courier-Journal, the newspaper of Louisville, Kentucky. In 1941, the Scripps Howard News Service acquired sponsorship of the program, and the name changed to the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee (later simply "Scripps National Spelling Bee"). Besides competitors from the 50 U.S. states, several come from Canada, the Bahamas, New Zealand and European countries.

In the United States, spelling bees are annually held from local levels up to the level of the Scripps National Spelling Bee which awards a cash prize to the winner. The National Spelling Bee is sponsored by English-language newspapers and educational foundations; it is also broadcast on ESPN. Since 2006, the National Spelling Bee's championship rounds have been broadcast on ABC live. In 2005, contestants came from the Bahamas, Jamaica, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Canada, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and a German military base, as well as the United States. This was the first year that spellers from Canada and New Zealand attended the competition. The final authority for words is the Webster's Third New International Dictionary.[5] The annual study list is available from Scripps, either online or in print.

The National Senior Spelling Bee started in Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1996.[6] Sponsored by the Wyoming AARP, it is open to contestants 50 and older. Maria Dawson is the only contestant to ever win two back-to-back titles at the National Senior Spelling Bee.

The South Asian Spelling Bee is another spelling bee platform in the US. This annual contest takes place across the US each summer in search of the next South Asian-American spelling champ between the ages of 8 and 14 years old. Launched in 2008, the South Asian Spelling Bee will tour 10 US cities in 2011 and is broadcast globally via the satellite channel, Sony Entertainment Television Asia.

Holding spelling bees in English, with its irregular spelling, makes more sense than in languages that have much more regular spelling.[7]

In Africa, a spelling bee is organized by the African Spelling Bee, which holds an Annual Spelling Bee contest for children between the age of 7 and 16 across the continent. The first competition took place in July 2016, bringing together nine different countries.

There are several countries that run their own national spelling bees, including Uganda which holds the National Spelling Bee organized by enjuba in 10 different languages, including 8 local languages, sign language and English.

Nigeria's spelling bee is called the Nigeria Spelling Bee organized by the Bee Spelling Competition Initiative in states across the federation of Nigeria[8].

Botswana, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Rwanda are also part of the African Spelling Bee with the number of countries still growing.[9]

In Asia, a spelling bee is being conducted up to the international level by MaRRS Spelling Bee. The competition involves learning the correct spelling of words, their use in sentences and in multiple contexts.[10] Currently, it is being held in India, Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Bahrain, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras-al-Khaima, Sharjah, and Umm-Al-Quwain.[11] Also in Bahrain, an annual spelling bee contest named Spellbound Bahrain is conducted for the school children by KEEN4, an association of Kerala Engineers.

In Malaysia, the annual NST-RHB Spell-it-Right Challenge is open to primary and secondary school students under the Malaysian education syllabus. The competition is carried out in three rounds: the Preliminary Challenge, State Challenge and National Challenge. The preliminary challenge is a written spelling test, from which the top 100 spellers will be chosen to compete in the State Challenge, where the competition is carried out orally. The 1st prize winner from this stage will then represent their states to compete for the title of National Spell-it-Right Champion in the National Challenge.

In Taiwan, the National Spelling Bee Championship is a contest held by Bugstation.tv for young English learners. Thousands of young applicants join this contest each year. Another organisation that promotes the love of the English language is Horizons Unlimited, which in 2011 organized an India Spelling Bee contest for children in the southern state of Kerala in India.

The annual Asia Spelling Cup is held in different cities throughout Asia, and uses mobile pre-selection testing to identify finalists.

In Western Australia, a spelling bee is held by the State Library Foundation of Western Australia, for children in school years 5, 6, 7 and 8. The early stages of the competition are held online, and the final spell-off in front of a live audience.[12] Two major prizes are awarded: one for a Junior Winner (Years 5-6) and the other for a Senior Winner (Years 7-8). Further prizes are given to the teacher and school class of each major prize winner, and to the most improved speller each week.[13]

Starting in 2012, Bangladesh's most renowned English daily newspaper, The Daily Star and e-Learning portal Champs21.com have been organizing a televised spelling bee on Channel i for the students of class six to ten from Bengali and English medium backgrounds, who compete through their schools and the Champs21 website. The spelling bee team visits 7 divisional cities (Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, Rangpur, Rajshahi, Khulna & Barisal) to test top 1% speller and top 96 speller of the season participate in the television show. The competition is the first such arrangement in Bangladesh. The champion is rewarded with a trip to Washington, DC. The winners of season 2 met the honorable president of the People's Republic of Bangladesh Advocate Abdul Hamid.[14]

The Postmedia Canspell National Spelling Bee is the only Scripps affiliated Canadian spelling bee held annually nationwide in Canada since 2005. The bee is affiliated with the United States-based Scripps National Spelling Bee and uses similar rules and word lists, and competes in all 10 Canadian provinces to provide a Canadian National Champion for the penultimate Scripps competition.

It should not be confused with another organization, calling itself the Spelling Bee of Canada, which started in 1987 in Toronto, Ontario, and is now celebrating its 25th anniversary, and hosting a Canadian Invitational Bee in 2012, as well as organizing Provincial Bees across Canada, and the world.

In the school year 2008–2009, Mrs. Wijdan Alawadhi (senior teacher) and Mrs. Mona Yehia (teacher of English) started the spelling bee contest in Mubarak al-Kabir Educational Area (one of the biggest Kuwaiti Governorates). They started the contest as an experiment contest in their school (Thabet Bin Zaid Primary School for Boys) with the fourth and fifth grades. It was a successful experiment which was faced with a lot of appreciation from Mrs. Aisha Al Awadhi, ELT Senior Supervisor of English Language supervision. Then they decided to hold the competition among the whole educational area (Mubarak Al-Kabeer Educational area). In 2010–2011, the contest was held with 27 schools (12 schools for boys and 15 for girls - around 2700 pupils). Each school nominated a pupil from the fifth grade to participate.

In 2012–2013, 30 schools participated. All the 30 pupils participated anxiously to win the competition with 200 words. It becomes officially an authorized contest in Mubarak Al-Kabeer Educational Area (Kuwaiti Spelling Bee) in Kuwait. In the school year 2013–2014 the competition was held in Al-Imam Al-Shafie primary school for boys with 31 schools and the words list contained 260 words.

In 2014–2015 with the patronage of Mr. Talaq Al-Hiem the director of Mubarak Al-Kabeer Educational Area the competition held with the participation of 33 schools (16 girls, 15 boys and 2 LD) in Sabah AL-Salem Primary school with the help of its principal Mrs. Amira Baqer. Mrs. Aisha Al-Awadhi and the success of the competition convinced the ELT General supervision to decide the competition as Kuwait National Spelling Bee for the coming year 2015–2016.

The Nigeria Spelling Bee is organized in across states of the federation with national finalists drawn after qualifying from their respective states and either of the 6 geo-political zones of the country[15]. The Nigeria Spelling Bee which is the widest spelling bee competition in the country has so far been conducted in more than 25 states across Nigeria by the organizers (Bee Spelling Competition Initiative[8]) which has been endorsed by the Federal Ministry of Education, Ministry of Culture and other states ministries of Education.

Winners of the Nigeria Spelling Bee competition win up to N1,000,000 in scholarship and participate in the annual African Spelling Bee which is a continental event organized by the African Spelling Bee Consortium as the official Nigerian delegates[16].

The competition is for students in any registered school in Nigeria from the ages of 9years to 16years who have to register on the competition's website - www.nigeriaspellingbee.com/register

In 2010, Spelling bee was held for the first time in Nepal organized by Rotaract Club of Charumati. Where Benish Shrestha, Grade 10, Galaxy Public School who came first, Bibek Rauniyar, Grade 10, Gillette International Boarding School who came second and Arnav Singh from Grade 9 Little Angels School who secured third position.

In Pakistan, the spelling bee competition is promoted by Dawn,[clarification needed] and it takes place every year in October. There are three stages: district, regional and national. National is held in Islamabad. Dawn Spelling Bee is conducted in three stages. District and pool rounds are the first stage of the competition which are held across the districts and cities all across Pakistan. District champions compete in the Regional Championships which are held in 3 regions: Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. Three regional winners from each group consisting of the regional champion, first runner up and second runner up compete in the national finals in Islamabad. Karachi Grammar School, EMS High School. Beaconhouse School System, Lahore Grammar School has won the competition several times. Laiba Ejaz of Roots School System, Saud Afzal Shafi of Beaconhouse School System, Saad-uz-Zaman Adhami of Aitchison College and Jazim Nadeem of EMS High School have made it several times to finals in Islamabad and emerged as winners.

Sylvan Learning Center, a supplemental education organization from the United States, has organized an annual competition for Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah-area schools. The Sylvan Spelling Challenge is held annually in December and February for students in grades 3-8. The Sylvan competition expects to attract nearly 1,000 participants from 30 schools in its inaugural year.

Abu Dhabi University sponsors the largest Spelling Bee in the United Arab Emirates, attracting students from both public and private institutions for the past three years. The Abu Dhabi University Spelling Bee is heralded as the most challenging and well-known spelling competition in the United Arab Emirates.

In 1876 there were newspaper reports of spelling bees in a number of towns in the United Kingdom. Since 2009, The Times newspaper has run a spelling bee for schools: The Times Spelling Bee.

Serious spelling bee competitors in the United States will study affixes and etymologies, and often foreign languages from which English draws, in order to spell challenging words. Several preparatory materials have been published, including some in connection with the Scripps National Spelling Bee and those created by independent organizations not related to Scripps.

For the first several decades of publication, the Scripps annual study booklet was named Words of the Champions, which offered 3,000 words in a list separated into beginning, intermediate & expert groupings. In the mid-1990s the annual study list changed to Paideia (from the Greek word meaning education and culture), which ultimately contained more than 4,100 words, then again in 2006 to the shorter list, entitled Spell It!, the 2009 edition having 1155 words (911 basic words and 244 challenge words).

The Consolidated Word List, also published by Scripps and available on the National Spelling Bee website, consists of all words used in the National Bee as far back as 1950. It is organized into three sections: Words Appearing Infrequently, Words Appearing with Moderate Frequency, and Word Appearing Frequently. Nearly 800 pages and 24,000 words long, the Consolidated Word List is intended for those who have mastered the basics and already gone through Spell It!. Spelling bee participants in the United States also use other reference books and tutoring materials are becoming available on the web.

Spelling bee students usually start competition in elementary school (primary school) or middle school. Classes compete against other classes in the same grade, or level, and the winning class is determined by the score of each class. On an individual level, school spelling bees determine which child will represent his or her school at district, state and national competitions.

In Uganda, School Spelling Bees[17] start in the classroom, where a teacher introduces new words during normal lessons. In preparation for the School Spelling Day, these children compete against each other to get the winners who then go on to compete with others to determine the School team, which normally has 3 students for the English category and 1 for local language. The winners here go on to the district competition and then the regional competition.


in barker v wingo the court held that the right to a speedy trial

Barker v. Wingo, 407 U.S. 514 (1972), was a United States Supreme Court case involving the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, specifically the right of defendants in criminal cases to a speedy trial. The Court held that determinations of whether or not the right to a speedy trial has been violated must be made on a case-by-case basis, and set forth four factors to be considered in the determination.

Barker v. Wingo

On July 20, 1958, an elderly couple in Christian County, Kentucky were murdered in their home by intruders, later identified as Willie Barker and Silas Manning.

Believing that the case against Manning was the stronger of the two, and that Manning's testimony was needed to convict Barker (in his own case, Manning exercised his right under the Fifth Amendment to not incriminate himself), the prosecution chose to try Manning first, hoping that once convicted, Manning would later voluntarily testify against Barker. At the outset of Manning's trial on October 23, 1958, the prosecution sought and obtained the first of what would be 16 continuances in Barker's trial.

The prosecution, however, encountered numerous difficulties in getting a conviction against Manning;[1] it would not be until December 1962 that Manning would be convicted in the second of the two murders. As the Christian County Circuit Court only held three terms each year (in February, June, and September), for each term the prosecution would seek a continuance in the Barker case, until the beginning of the following term, while the Manning cases were ongoing.[2]

Barker, through his counsel, did not object to any of the first eleven continuances. But on the 12th continuance (February 1962) Barker's counsel filed a motion to dismiss on speedy trial grounds, which was rejected. Barker's counsel did not object to the 13th or 14th continuances, but objected to the 15th continuance (March 1963 on the date of Barker's trial; the prosecution sought a continuance due to illness of the former sheriff, the chief investigating officer in the case) as well as the 16th continuance (June 1963, requested for the sheriff's continued illness; while granting the continuance the Circuit Court ruled that the matter had to come to trial at the next term or would be dismissed for lack of prosecution).

The final trial date was set for October 9, 1963 and on that date, after Barker's counsel made another unsuccessful motion to dismiss on speedy trial grounds, the trial was finally commenced; with Manning the chief prosecution witness, Barker was convicted and given a life sentence.

Barker appealed his conviction on speedy trial grounds to the Kentucky Court of Appeals, which affirmed it in 1964.

In 1970 Barker filed a habeas corpus petition in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. Though the District Court denied the petition, it granted Barker the right to proceed in forma pauperis and a certificate of probable cause to appeal.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed the District Court's decision in 1971. The Sixth Circuit argued that Barker had waived any speedy trial claims up through February 1963 (which the Sixth Circuit erroneously believed was the first date that Barker's counsel objected to a further continuance)[3] and that the eight-month period between February and October 1963 (the period between the objection and the actual trial) was not unduly long. Further, the Sixth Circuit ruled that granting a continuance based on the sheriff's illness was a justifiable reason for a delay.

The United States Supreme Court granted a writ of certiorari in 1972.

The Supreme Court first noted that "[t]he right to a speedy trial is generically different from any of the other rights enshrined in the Constitution for the protection of the accused" for three reasons:

The Court then noted that there were two competing approaches as to how to handle the uncertainty regarding "how long is too long"; neither of which it accepted:[8]

As a balancing test, the Court adopted four factors to be considered in determining, on a case-by-case basis, whether a defendant has been prejudiced by the lack of a speedy trial:[9]

Taking these factors into consideration, though, Barker's conviction was upheld. The court agreed that the period of time between initial arrest and trial – over five years – was "extraordinary" and that only seven months of the delay was justifiable (the period of the ex-sheriff's illness).[10]

However, the Court also ruled that Barker was not prejudiced by the delay, since none of Barker's witnesses were harmed by the delay. More importantly, the Court determined that Barker did not want a speedy trial (a fact that Barker's counsel conceded at oral argument). The Court speculated that Barker's reason was his gambling on Manning's acquittal (the evidence against Manning not being strong as evidenced by two hung juries and two appellate court reversals), believing that if Manning was acquitted, he would never be tried (which Barker's counsel also conceded at oral argument). The Court further noted that, after Barker's counsel objected to the February 1962 continuance, he did not object to the June or September 1962 continuances; only in March 1963, after Manning's convictions became final, were objections raised to further continuances (this time brought about by the ex-sheriff's illness, which Barker conceded was a justifiable reason).

Justice White, joined by Justice Brennan, concurred in the verdict, and specifically commented that an overcrowded docket would not be a reasonable basis for a delay.