document_title: Meritocracy

question_text: who is the chinese philosopher who believed that the state should be run by a wise ruling class

text: Meritocracy

text: Definitions[edit]

text: Early definitions[edit]

text: The "most common definition of meritocracy conceptualizes merit in terms of tested competency and ability, and most likely, as measured by IQ or standardized achievement tests."[3] In government and other administrative systems, "meritocracy" refers to a system under which advancement within the system turns on "merits", like intelligence, credentials, and education. These are often determined through evaluations or examinations.[2]

text: In a more general sense, meritocracy can refer to any form of evaluation based on achievement. Like "utilitarian" and "pragmatic", the word "meritocratic" has also developed a broader connotation, and is sometimes used to refer to any government run by "a ruling or influential class of educated or able people."[4]

text: This is in contrast to the original, condemnatory use of the term in 1958 by Michael Young in his work "The Rise of the Meritocracy", who was satirizing the ostensibly merit-based Tripartite System of education practiced in the United Kingdom at the time; he claimed that, in the Tripartite System, "merit is equated with intelligence-plus-effort, its possessors are identified at an early age and selected for appropriate intensive education, and there is an obsession with quantification, test-scoring, and qualifications."[5]

text: Meritocracy in its wider sense, may be any general act of judgment upon the basis of various demonstrated merits; such acts frequently are described in sociology and psychology. Supporters of meritocracy do not necessarily agree on the nature of "merit"; however, they do tend to agree that "merit" itself should be a primary consideration during evaluation. Thus, the merits may extend beyond intelligence and education to any mental or physical talent or to work ethic. As such meritocracy may be based on character or innate abilities. Meritocrats therefore reject evaluation on the basis of race, wealth, family circumstances, and similar criteria.

text: In rhetoric, the demonstration of one's merit regarding mastery of a particular subject is an essential task most directly related to the Aristotelian term Ethos. The equivalent Aristotelian conception of meritocracy is based upon aristocratic or oligarchical structures, rather than in the context of the modern state.[6][7]

text: More recent definitions[edit]

text: In the United States, the assassination of President James A. Garfield in 1881 prompted the replacement of the American Spoils System with a meritocracy. In 1883, The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act was passed, stipulating government jobs should be awarded on the basis of merit through competitive exams, rather than ties to politicians or political affiliation.[8]

text: The most common form of meritocratic screening found today is the college degree. Higher education is an imperfect meritocratic screening system for various reasons, such as lack of uniform standards worldwide,[9][10] lack of scope (not all occupations and processes are included), and lack of access (some talented people never have an opportunity to participate because of the expense, most especially in developing countries).[11] Nonetheless, academic degrees serve some amount of meritocratic screening purpose in the absence of a more refined methodology. Education alone, however, does not constitute a complete system, as meritocracy must automatically confer power and authority, which a degree does not accomplish independently.

text: Etymology[edit]

text: Although the concept has existed for centuries, the term "meritocracy" is relatively new. It was used pejoratively by British politician and sociologist Michael Young in his 1958 satirical essay[2][12][13][14][15] The Rise of the Meritocracy, which pictured the United Kingdom under the rule of a government favouring intelligence and aptitude (merit) above all else, being the combination of the root of Latin origin "merit" (from "mereō" meaning "earn") and the Ancient Greek suffix "-cracy" (meaning "power", "rule").[16] In this book the term had distinctly negative connotations as Young questioned both the legitimacy of the selection process used to become a member of this elite and the outcomes of being ruled by such a narrowly defined group. The essay, written in the first person by a fictional historical narrator in 2034, interweaves history from the politics of pre- and post-war Britain with those of fictional future events in the short (1960 onward) and long term (2020 onward).[17]

text: The essay was based upon the tendency of the then-current governments, in their striving toward intelligence, to ignore shortcomings and upon the failure of education systems to utilize correctly the gifted and talented members within their societies.[18]

text: Young's fictional narrator explains that, on the one hand, the greatest contributor to society is not the "stolid mass" or majority, but the "creative minority" or members of the "restless elite".[19] On the other hand, he claims that there are casualties of progress whose influence is underestimated and that, from such stolid adherence to natural science and intelligence, arises arrogance and complacency.[19] This problem is encapsulated in the phrase "Every selection of one is a rejection of many".[19]

text: It was also used by Hannah Arendt in her essay "Crisis in Education",[20] which was written in 1958 and refers to the use of meritocracy in the English educational system. She too uses the term pejoratively. It was not until 1972 that Daniel Bell used the term positively.[21]

text: History[edit]

text: Ancient times: China[edit]

text: According to scholarly consensus, the earliest example of an administrative meritocracy, based on civil service examinations, dates back to Ancient China.[22][23][24][25]a[›] The concept originates, at least by the sixth century BC, when it was advocated by the Chinese philosopher Confucius, who "invented the notion that those who govern should do so because of merit, not of inherited status. This sets in motion the creation of the imperial examinations and bureaucracies open only to those who passed tests."[26]

text: As the Qin and Han dynasties developed a meritocratic system in order to maintain power over a large, sprawling empire, it became necessary for the government to maintain a complex network of officials.[27] Prospective officials could come from a rural background and government positions were not restricted to the nobility. Rank was determined by merit, through the civil service examinations, and education became the key for social mobility.[27] After the fall of the Han Dynasty, the nine-rank system was established during the Three Kingdoms period.

text: According to the Princeton Encyclopedia on American History:[28]

text: One of the oldest examples of a merit-based civil service system existed in the imperial bureaucracy of China. Tracing back to 200 B.C., the Han Dynasty adopted Confucianism as the basis of its political philosophy and structure, which included the revolutionary idea of replacing nobility of blood with one of virtue and honesty, and thereby calling for administrative appointments to be based solely on merit. This system allowed anyone who passed an examination to become a government officer, a position that would bring wealth and honor to the whole family. In part due to Chinese influence, the first European civil service did not originate in Europe, but rather in India by the British-run East India Company... company managers hired and promoted employees based on competitive examinations in order to prevent corruption and favoritism.

text: Both Plato and Aristotle advocated meritocracy, Plato in his The Republic, arguing that the most wise should rule, and hence the rulers should be philosopher kings.[29]

text: 17th century: spread to Europe[edit]

text: The concept of meritocracy spread from China to British India during the seventeenth century, and then into continental Europe and the United States.[28] With the translation of Confucian texts during the Enlightenment, the concept of a meritocracy reached intellectuals in the West, who saw it as an alternative to the traditional ancient regime of Europe.[30] Voltaire and François Quesnay wrote favourably of the idea, with Voltaire claiming that the Chinese had "perfected moral science" and Quesnay advocating an economic and political system modeled after that of the Chinese.[30]

text: The first European power to implement a successful meritocratic civil service was the British Empire, in their administration of India: "company managers hired and promoted employees based on competitive examinations in order to prevent corruption and favoritism."[28] British colonial administrators advocated the spread of the system to the rest of the commonwealth, the most "persistent" of which was Thomas Taylor Meadows, Britain's consul in Guangzhou, China. Meadows successfully argued in his Desultory Notes on the Government and People of China, published in 1847, that "the long duration of the Chinese empire is solely and altogether owing to the good government which consists in the advancement of men of talent and merit only," and that the British must reform their civil service by making the institution meritocratic.[31] This practice later was adopted in the late nineteenth century by the British mainland, inspired by "Chinese mandarin system."[32]

text: The British philosopher and polymath John Stuart Mill advocated meritocracy in his book, Considerations on Representative Government. His model was to give more votes to the more educated voter. His views are explained in Estlund (2003:57–58):

text:
Mill's proposal of plural voting has two motives. One is to prevent one group or class of people from being able to control the political process even without having to give reasons in order to gain sufficient support. He calls this the problem of class legislation. Since the most numerous class is also at a lower level of education and social rank, this could be partly remedied by giving those at the higher ranks plural votes. A second, and equally prominent motive for plural voting is to avoid giving equal influence to each person without regard to their merit, intelligence, etc. He thinks that it is fundamentally important that political institutions embody, in their spirit, the recognition that some opinions are worth more than others. He does not say that this is a route to producing better political decisions, but it is hard to understand his argument, based on this second motive, in any other way.

So, if Aristotle is right that the deliberation is best if participants are numerous (and assuming for simplicity that the voters are the deliberators) then this is a reason for giving all or many citizens a vote, but this does not yet show that the wiser subset should not have, say, two or three; in that way something would be given both to the value of the diverse perspectives, and to the value of the greater wisdom of the few. This combination of the Platonic and Aristotelian points is part of what I think is so formidable about Mill's proposal of plural voting. It is also an advantage of his view that he proposes to privilege not the wise, but the educated. Even if we agreed that the wise should rule, there is a serious problem about how to identify them. This becomes especially important if a successful political justification must be generally acceptable to the ruled. In that case, privileging the wise would require not only their being so wise as to be better rulers, but also, and more demandingly, that their wisdom be something that can be agreed to by all reasonable citizens. I turn to this conception of justification below.

Mill's position has great plausibility: good education promotes the ability of citizens to rule more wisely. So, how can we deny that the educated subset would rule more wisely than others. But then why shouldn't they have more votes?

text: Estlund goes on to criticize Mill's education-based meritocracy on various grounds.

text: 19th century[edit]

text: In the United States, the federal bureaucracy used the Spoils System from 1828 until the assassination of United States President James A. Garfield by a disappointed office seeker in 1881 proved its dangers. Two years later in 1883, the system of appointments to the United States Federal Bureaucracy was revamped by the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, partially based on the British meritocratic civil service that had been established years earlier. The act stipulated that government jobs should be awarded on the basis of merit, through competitive exams, rather than ties to politicians or political affiliation. It also made it illegal to fire or demote government employees for political reasons.[8]

text: To enforce the merit system and the judicial system, the law also created the United States Civil Service Commission.[8] In the modern American meritocracy, the president may hand out only a certain number of jobs, which must be approved by the Senate.

text: Australia began establishing public universities in the 1850s with the goal of promoting meritocracy by providing advanced training and credentials. The educational system was set up to service urban males of middle-class background, but of diverse social and religious origins. It was increasingly extended to all graduates of the public school system, those of rural and regional background, and then to women and finally to ethnic minorities.[33] Both the middle classes and the working classes have promoted the ideal of meritocracy within a strong commitment to "mate-ship" and political equality.[34]

text: 20th century to today[edit]

text: Singapore describes meritocracy as one of its official guiding principles for domestic public policy formulation, placing emphasis on academic credentials as objective measures of merit.[35]

text: There is criticism that, under this system, Singaporean society is being increasingly stratified and that an elite class is being created from a narrow segment of the population.[36] Singapore has a growing level of tutoring for children,[37] and top tutors are often paid better than school teachers.[37][38][39] Defendants recall the ancient Chinese proverb "Wealth does not pass three generations" (Chinese: 富不过三代), suggesting that the nepotism or cronyism of elitists eventually will be, and often are, replaced by those lower down the hierarchy.

text: Singaporean academics are continuously re-examining the application of meritocracy as an ideological tool and how it's stretched to encompass the ruling party's objectives. Professor Kenneth Paul Tan at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy asserts that "Meritocracy, in trying to 'isolate' merit by treating people with fundamentally unequal backgrounds as superficially the same, can be a practice that ignores and even conceals the real advantages and disadvantages that are unevenly distributed to different segments of an inherently unequal society, a practice that in fact perpetuates this fundamental inequality. In this way, those who are picked by meritocracy as having merit may already have enjoyed unfair advantages from the very beginning, ignored according to the principle of nondiscrimination."[40]

text: Meritocracy in the Singapore context relates to the application of pragmatism as an ideological device which combines strict adherence to market principles without any aversion to social engineering and little propensity for classical social welfarism,[41] is further illustrated by Kenneth Paul Tan in subsequent articles:

text: There is a strong ideological quality in Singapore's pragmatism, and a strongly pragmatic quality in ideological negotiations within the dynamics of hegemony. In this complex relationship, the combination of ideological and pragmatic maneuvering over the decades has resulted in the historical dominance of government by the PAP in partnership with global capital whose interests have been advanced without much reservation.[42]

text: Within the Ecuadorian Ministry of Labor, the Ecuadorian Meritocracy Institute[43] was created under the technical advice of the Singapore government.

text: Most contemporary political theorists, including John Rawls, reject the ideal of meritocracy.[44] However, in recent years, Thomas Mulligan has defended meritocracy.[45][46][47] He argues that a just society in one in which there is equal opportunity and people are judged on their merits.

text: Modern meritocratic movements[edit]

text: Osho[edit]

text: According to Osho, only persons with appropriate qualifications should be allowed to vote. Moreover, all politicians should have appropriate college or university degrees. Only the geniuses of the world should govern. Osho suggested that, first the various nations should become meritocracies, after which they could all be joined to form a global meritocracy.[48]

text: The Meritocracy Party[edit]

text: In 2007 an anonymous British group called The Meritocracy Party published its first manifesto, to which they have now added more than two million words on the subject (discussing Hegel, Rousseau, Charles Fourier, Henri de Saint-Simon, and various other philosophers, scientists, reformers, and revolutionaries). In summary, The Meritocracy Party wants to achieve the following:

text:
A world in which every child gets an equal chance to succeed in life.
The abolishment of party politics.
Only those with a relevant education and work experience should be allowed to vote, rather than just anyone who has reached the age of 18 or 21.
The introduction of 100% inheritance tax, so that the super-rich can no longer pass on their wealth to a select few (their privileged children). This would mean the end of the elite dynasties and hereditary monarchy.
A radically reformed educational system, based on the MBTI personality types, and insights from radical innovators such as Rudolf Steiner and Maria Montessori.
To replace free market capitalism with social capitalism and to replace democracy with a fully transparent meritocratic republic, under a meritocratic constitution.
The end of nepotism, cronyism, discrimination, privilege and unequal chances.

tag: ol

text: On their website The Meritocracy Party lists five meritocratic principles[49] and thirteen primary aims. The Meritocracy International is the host of all meritocratic political parties in the world and the place where these may be found by country of origin.[48]

text: Criticism[edit]

text: The term "meritocracy" was originally intended as a negative concept.[50] One of the primary concerns with meritocracy is the unclear definition of "merit".[51] What is considered as meritorious can differ with opinions as on which qualities are considered the most worthy, raising the question of which "merit" is the highest—or, in other words, which standard is the "best" standard. As the supposed effectiveness of a meritocracy is based on the supposed competence of its officials, this standard of merit cannot be arbitrary and has to also reflect the competencies required for their roles.

text: The reliability of the authority and system that assesses each individual's merit is another point of concern. As a meritocratic system relies on a standard of merit to measure and compare people against, the system by which this is done has to be reliable to ensure that their assessed merit accurately reflects their potential capabilities. Standardized testing, which reflects the meritocratic sorting process, has come under criticism for being rigid and unable to accurately assess many valuable qualities and potentials of students. Education theorist Bill Ayers, commenting on the limitations of standardized testing, writes that "Standardized tests can't measure initiative, creativity, imagination, conceptual thinking, curiosity, effort, irony, judgment, commitment, nuance, good will, ethical reflection, or a host of other valuable dispositions and attributes. What they can measure and count are isolated skills, specific facts and function, content knowledge, the least interesting and least significant aspects of learning."[52] Merit determined through the opinionated evaluations of teachers, while being able to assess the valuable qualities that cannot be assessed by standardized testing, are unreliable as the opinions, insights, biases, and standards of the teachers vary greatly. If the system of evaluation is corrupt, non-transparent, opinionated or misguided, decisions regarding who has the highest merit can be highly fallible.

text: The level of education required in order to become competitive in a meritocracy may also be costly, effectively limiting candidacy for a position of power to those with the means necessary to become educated. An example of this was Chinese student self-declared messiah, Hong Xiuquan, who despite ranking first in a preliminary, nationwide imperial examination, was unable to afford further education. As such, although he did try to study in private, Hong was ultimately noncompetitive in later examinations and unable to become a bureaucrat. This economic aspect of meritocracies has been said to continue nowadays in countries without free educations, with the Supreme Court of the United States, for example, consisting only of justices who attended Harvard or Yale and generally only considering clerkship candidates who attended a top-five university, while in the 1950s the two universities only accounted for around one fifth of the justices.[53] Even if free education were provided, the resources that the parents of a student are able to provide outside of the curriculum, such as tutoring, exam preparation, and financial support for living costs during higher education will influence the education the student attains and the student's social position in a meritocratic society. This limits the fairness and justness of any meritocratic system.

text: Another concern regards the principle of incompetence, or the "Peter Principle". As people rise in a meritocratic society through the social hierarchy through their demonstrated merit, they eventually reach, and become stuck, at a level too difficult for them to perform effectively; they are promoted to incompetence. This reduces the effectiveness of a meritocratic system, the supposed main practical benefit of which is the competence of those who run the society.

text: Meritocracy also has been criticized by egalitarians as a mere myth, which serves only to justify the status quo, with its proponents only giving lip service to equality.[54]

text: In his book Meritocratic Education and Social Worthlessness (Palgrave, 2012), the philosopher Khen Lampert argued that educational meritocracy is nothing but a post-modern version of social Darwinism. Its proponents argue that the theory justifies social inequality as being meritocratic. This social theory holds that Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection is a model, not only for the development of biological traits in a population, but also as an application for human social institutions—the existing social institutions being implicitly declared as normative. Social Darwinism shares its roots with early progressivism, and was most popular from the late nineteenth century to the end of World War II. Darwin only ventured to propound his theories in a biological sense, and it is other thinkers and theorists who have applied Darwin's model to unequal endowments of human ambitions.


document_title: Fruit of the Loom

question_text: when did fruit of the loom come out

question_tokens: when did fruit of the loom come out

root

text: Fruit of the Loom

text: Company profile[edit]

text: Fruit of the Loom is one of the largest manufacturers and marketers of men's and boys' underwear, women's and girls' underwear, printable T-shirts and fleece for the activewear industry, casualwear, women's jeanswear and childrenswear. The company employs more than 32,400 people worldwide.

tag: p

text: Fruit of the Loom also controls another long-known underwear brand, B.V.D. (Bradley, Voorhees, and Day). Other brands also manufactured and sold by the company are Funpals/FunGals, Screen Stars and Underoos. Brands once owned or marketed by Fruit of the Loom include Gitano, Munsingwear, Salem Sportswear, and Pro Player, which once had the naming rights to what is now Hard Rock Stadium (originally Joe Robbie Stadium) in Miami Gardens, Florida from 1996 to 2005, despite bankruptcy by the parent company in 1999.[citation needed]

text: Hanes and Jockey are the main competitors of Fruit of the Loom.

text: The company's familiar logo comprising a red apple, leaves, green grapes, currants, and purple grapes forms a widely recognizable trademark. The company is a vertically integrated manufacturer. In TV commercials for the brand, actors play the roles of only four of the logo's parts: the apple, green grapes, purple grapes, and leaves. The role of "Apple" is played by Rad Daly, and the "Leaf" was at one time played by Academy Award-winning actor F. Murray Abraham, and has been played by Gene Steichen since the Fruit Guys were re-introduced to the public in 2001. "Green Grapes" is played by Richard Steven Horvitz. "Purple Grapes" is played by Wayne Wilderson.

text: Fruit of the Loom acquired Russell. Brands includes Russell Athletic, Brooks Running and Spalding among other names in athletic wear.

text: History[edit]

text: The Fruit of the Loom brand dates back to 1851 in Rhode Island[1][2] when Robert Knight, a textile mill owner, visited his friend, Rufus Skeel. Skeel owned a small shop in Providence that sold cloth from Knight's mill. Skeel's daughter painted images of apples and applied them to the bolts of cloth. The ones with the apple emblems proved most popular. Mr. Knight thought the labels would be the perfect symbol for his trade name, Fruit of the Loom – an expression referring to clothes, paralleling the phrase "fruit of the womb" meaning "children", which can be traced back to use in the Bible (Psalm 127:3).

text: In 1871, just one year after the first trademark laws were passed by Congress, Knight received trademark number 418 for the brand "Fruit of the Loom".

text: Much of its athletic outerwear was sold under the "Pro Player" label, a now defunct division.

text: The company was part of Northwest Industries, Inc., until NWI was purchased by William F. Farley in 1985 and renamed Farley Industries, Inc.[3] Farley served as president, chief executive officer (CEO), and majority shareholder for 15 years. Fruit of the Loom's sales revenue rose from approximately $500 million at the time of NWI's purchase to roughly $2.5 billion nearly 15 years later. Debt financing, once seen as brilliant, proved difficult to manage even as sales revenue quintupled.[citation needed]

text: On March 23, 1987, it sold its subsidiary General Battery to Exide Corporation.[4]

text: Fruit of the Loom filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1999 shortly after posting a net loss of $576.2 million.[5] Its 66 million shares of outstanding common stock dropped in value from about $44 per share in early 1997 to just more than $1 by spring 2000. Reasons for the bankruptcy are varied. A large debt load which was assumed in the 1980s, a common practice at the time, did not help. William F. Farley, the company's former chairman, CEO, and chief operating officer (COO), was forced out prior to bankruptcy in late 1999, after having piloted the company into massive debt and unproductive business ventures, including structuring the company into an off-shore entity in the Cayman Islands to avoid taxes.[citation needed]

text: The company was bought from bankruptcy by Berkshire Hathaway Corporation, controlled by investor Warren Buffett, who wanted the valuable brand. He agreed in January 2002 to purchase the company for approximately $835 million in cash. The deal was concluded on April 29, 2002. A condition of the purchase required that former COO and then interim CEO John Holland remain available to be the CEO for the company.[6]

text: The company purchased Russell Corporation, effectively taking the former competitor private, in a deal valued at $598.3 million that was completed August 1, 2006.[7]

text: The company announced the purchase of VF Corporation's intimate apparel company named Vanity Fair Intimates for $350 million in cash on January 23, 2007.[8]

text: In 2010, Rick Medlin was named president and CEO of Fruit of the Loom. Longtime CEO John Holland became the company's chairman.[9]

text: In 2014, the company closed its Jamestown (Kentucky) plant, which had once been the second manufacturing plant in the state, and laid off all 600 employees.[10] The company said it was moving the plant's operations to Honduras to reduce production costs.[11]


document_title: Dog fighting

question_text: when was dog fighting banned in the uk

question_tokens: when was dog fighting banned in the uk

text: Dog fighting

text: European history[edit]

text: Blood sports in general can be traced back to the Roman Empire.[5] In 13 BC, for instance, the ancient Roman circus slew 600 African beasts.[6] Likewise, under Emperor Claudius's reign, as spectators cheered, 300 bears and 300 Libyan beasts were slain in the Colosseum.[6] Dog fighting, more specifically, can also be traced to ancient Roman times. In 43 AD, for example, dogs fought alongside the Romans and the British in the Roman Conquest of Britain.[5] In this war, the Romans used a breed that originated from Greece called Molossus; the Britons used broad-mouth Mastiffs, which were thought to descend from the Molossus bloodline and which also originated from Greece.[7] Though the British were outnumbered and ultimately lost this war, the Romans were so impressed with the English Mastiffs that they began to import these dogs for use in the Colosseum, as well as for use in times of war.[5] While spectators watched, the imported English Mastiffs were pitted against animals such as wild elephants, lions, bears, bulls, and gladiators.[5]

text: Later, the Romans bred and exported fighting dogs to Spain, France and other parts of Europe until eventually these dogs made their way back to England.[5] Though bull baiting and bear baiting were popular throughout the Middle Ages up to the 19th century in Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands, the British pitted dogs against bulls and bears on a scale like no other.[7] In 12th century England during the feudal era, the landed aristocracy, who held direct military control in decentralized feudal systems and thus owned the animals necessary for waging war, introduced bull baiting and bear baiting to the rest of the British population.[7] In later years, bull baiting and bear baiting became a popular source of entertainment for the British royalty.[7] For instance, Queen Elizabeth I, who reigned from 1558–1603, was an avid follower of bull and bear baiting; she bred Mastiffs for baiting and would entertain foreign guests with a fight whenever they visited England.[7] In addition to breeding Mastiffs and entertaining foreign guests with a fight, Queen Elizabeth, and later her successor, King James I, built a number of bear gardens in London.[8] The garden buildings were round and roofless, and housed not only bears, but also bulls and other wild animals that could be used in a fight.[8] Today, a person can visit the Bear Garden museum near the Shakespeare Global Complex in Bankside, Southwark.

text: With the popularity of bull and bear baiting, bears needed for such fights soon became scarce.[7] With the scarcity of bear population, the price of bears rose and, because of this, bull baiting became more common in England over time.[7] Bulls who survived the fights were slaughtered afterwards for their meat, as it was believed that the fight caused bull meat to become more tender.[7] In fact, if a bull was offered for sale in the market without having been baited the previous day, butchers were liable to face substantial fines.[7] Animal fights were temporarily suspended in England when Oliver Cromwell seized power, but were reinstated again after the Restoration.[8] Dog fighting, bear baiting, and bull baiting were officially outlawed in England by the Humane Act of 1835.[2] The official ban on all fights, however, actually served to promote dog fighting in England.[8] Since a small amount of space was required for the pit where a dog fight took place, as compared to the ring needed for bull or bear baiting, authorities had a difficult time enforcing the ban on dog fighting.[8]

text: U.S. history[edit]

text: In 1817, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier was brought to America and dog fighting became part of American culture.[1] Yet, though historical accounts of dog fighting in America can be dated back to the 1750s, it was not until the end of the Civil War (1861–1865) that widespread interest and participation in the blood sport began in the United States.[3] For instance, in 1881, the Mississippi and Ohio railroads advertised special fares to a dog fight in Louisville; public forums such as Kit Burns' Tavern, "The Sportman's Hall," in Manhattan regularly hosted matches.[1] Many of these dogs thrown into the "professional pits" that flourished during the 1860s came from England and Ireland—where citizens had turned to dogs when bear-baiting and bull-baiting became illegal in their countries.[3]

text: In twentieth century America, despite the expansion of laws to outlaw dog fighting, dog fighting continued to flourish underground.[3] Aiding in the expansion of dog fighting were the police and firemen, who saw dog fighting as a form of entertainment amongst their ranks.[3] In fact, the Police Gazette served as a "go to" source for information about where one could attend a fight.[3] When Henry Bergh, who started the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), witnessed police involvement in these fights, he was motivated to seek and receive authority for the ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement Agents to have arresting power in New York.[3] Additionally, Bergh's 1867 revision to New York's animal cruelty law made all forms of animal fighting illegal.[3] However, According to the ASPCA website, the Humane Law Enforcement department of ASPCA has been disbanded and NYPD has taken over its duty.[3] As laws were passed to outlaw the activity, high-profile organizations, such as the United Kennel Club, who once endorsed the sport by formulating rules and sanctioning referees, withdrew their endorsement.[1]

text: On July 8, 2009, the ASPCA also participated in one of the largest federal dog fighting raids in U.S. history. Most of the dogs rescued were pit bulls (over 400 of them). This raid took place in eight states and had 26 arrests, of which two defendants are required to spend at least 10 years in prison.[9]

text: Breed origins[edit]

text: According to one scholar, Richard Strebel, the foundation for modern fighting dogs came from: 1. The Tibetan Mastiff; 2. The English Mastiff, out of which came the French Mastiff, the English Bulldog, and the Pug; 3. The Great Dane, out of which came the Danish Mastiff and the Boxer; 4. The Newfoundland; and 5. The Saint Bernard, out of which came the Leonberger.[8] However, Dieter Fleig disagreed with Strebel and offered the following list as composing of the foundation for modern fighting dogs: 1. The Tibetan Mastiff; 2. The Molossus; 3. The Bull Biter; 4. The Great Dane; 5. The English Mastiff; 6. The Bulldog; 5. The Bull and Terrier; and 6. The Chincha Bulldog.[8]

text: The foundation breed of the fighting dog was, in its outward appearance, a large, low, heavy breed with a powerful build and strongly developed head, and tremendously threatening voice.[8] Additionally, these foundation breeds were also bred for a powerful jaw that would enable them to defend and protect humans, to overpower and pull down large animals on a hunt, and to control large, unmanageable domestic animals.[8] These dogs were also sometimes equipped with metal plates, chains, and collars with sharp spikes or hooked knives in order to be used in wars throughout history.[8]

text: When bullbaiting became popular in England due to the shortage of bears, bull baiters soon realized that large fighting dogs were built too heavy and too slow for this type of combat.[7] When fighting a bull, dogs were trained to grab onto the bull's nose and pin the bull's head to the ground.[7] If the dog failed to do this, the bull would fling the dog out of the ring with its horns.[7] The British therefore decided to selectively breed fighting dogs for shorter legs and a more powerful jaw.[7] These efforts resulted in the Old English Bulldog.[7]

text: However, when countries started outlawing bull and bear baiting, dog fighters started pitting dogs against other dogs.[7] With the prevalence of such combat, dogfighters soon realized bulldogs were inadequate and began to breed bulldogs with terriers for more desired characteristics.[7] Terriers were most likely crossbred with bulldogs due to their "generally rugged body structure," speed, aggression, and "highly developed gameness."[7] Yet, there is a debate over which type of terrier was bred with bulldogs in order to create the Bull and Terrier. For instance, Joseph L. Colby claimed that it was the old English White Terrier that the Bull and Terrier is descended from, while Rhonda D. Evans and Craig J. Forsyth contend that its ancestor is the Rat Terrier.[7] Carl Semencic, on the other hand, held that a variety of terriers produced the Bull and Terrier.[7]

text: Eventually, out of cross breeding bulldogs and terriers, the English created the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.[3] When the Staffordshire Bull Terrier came to America in 1817, Americans began to selectively breed for gameness and created the American Pit Bull Terrier (originally known as the Pit Bull Terrier), which is a unique breed due to its absence of threat displays when fighting and its docility towards humans.[7] Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, and Bull Terriers are all breeds that are commonly labeled as pit bulls.[10] The fact that "pit bulls" were historically bred to fight bulls and bears has been used as justifications in some U.S. cities to implement Breed Specific Legislation.[11]

text: Societal aspects[edit]

text: After interviewing 31 dogmen and attending 14 dog fights in the Southern United States, Evans, Gauthier, and Forsyth theorized on what attracts men to dog fights.[12] In their study, Evans, et al., discussed dog fighting's attractiveness in terms of masculinity and class immobility.[12] In the United States, masculinity embodies the qualities of strength, aggression, competition, and striving for success. By embodying these characteristics, a man can gain honor and status in his society.[12] Yet, working class occupations, unlike middle or upper class occupations, provide limited opportunities to validate this culturally accepted definition of masculinity.[12] So, working class men look for alternative ways to validate their masculinity and obtain honor and status. One way to do this is through dogfighting.[12] This is supported by the Evans, et al. findings: the majority of committed dogmen were mostly drawn from the working class, while the middle and upper classes were barely represented.[12] Men from middle and upper classes have opportunities to express their masculinity through their occupations; dog fighting, therefore, is just a hobby for them while it plays a central role in the lives of working class men.[12] Those from the higher classes are drawn in by the thrill and excitement of the fight.

text: Aside from enjoyment of the sport and status, people are also drawn to dog fighting for money.[3] In fact, the average dog fight could easily net more money than an armed robbery, or a series of isolated drug transactions.[13]

text: Bait animals[edit]

text: "Bait" animals are animals used to test a dog's fighting instinct; they are often mauled or killed in the process. Many of the training methods involve torturing and killing of other animals.[13] Often "bait" animals are stolen pets, puppies, kittens, rabbits, small dogs and even stock (pit bulls acquired by the dogfighting ring which appear to be passive or less dominant).[14] Other sources for bait animals include wild or feral animals, animals obtained from a shelter, or animals obtained from "free to good home" ads.[15] The snouts of bait animals are often wrapped with duct tape to prevent them from fighting back and they are used in training sessions to improve a dog's endurance, strength or fighting ability.[16] A bait animal's teeth may also be broken to prevent them from fighting back.[14] If the bait animals are still alive after the training sessions, they are usually given to the dogs as a reward, and the dogs finish killing them.[13]

text: Types of dog fighters[edit]

text: Street fighters[edit]

text: Often associated with gang activity, street fighters fight dogs over insults, turf invasions, or simple taunts like "my dog can kill your dog."[3] These type of fights are often spontaneous; unorganized; conducted for money, drugs, or bragging rights; and occur on street corners, back alleys, and neighborhood playgrounds.[3] Urban street fighters generally have several dogs chained in backyards, often behind privacy fences, or in basements or garages.[2] After a street fight, the dogs are often discovered by police and animal control officers either dead or dying.[3] Due to the spontaneity of a street fight, they are very difficult to respond to unless reported immediately.[3]

text: Hobbyists and professionals often decry the techniques street fighters use to train their dogs.[3] Such techniques include starving, drugging, and physically abusing the dog.[3]

text: Hobbyists[edit]

text: Hobbyists fight dogs for supplemental income and entertainment purposes.[3] They typically have one or more dogs participating in several organized fights and operate primarily within a specific geographic network.[3] Hobbyists are also acquainted with one another and tend to return to predetermined fight venues repeatedly.[2]

text: Professionals[edit]

text: Professional fighters breed generations of skilled "game dogs" and take a great pride in their dogs' lineage.[2] These fighters make a tremendous amount of money charging stud fees to breed their champions, in addition to the fees and winnings they collect for fighting them.[2] They also tend to own a large number of dogs—sometimes 50 or more.[3] Professionals also use trade journals, such as Your Friend and Mine, Game Dog Times, The American Warrior, and The Pit Bull Chronicle, to discuss recent fights and to advertise the sale of training equipment and puppies. Some fighters operate on a national or even international level within highly secret networks.[2] When a dog is not successful in a fight, a professional may dispose of it using a variety of techniques such as drowning, strangulation, hanging, gunshot, electrocution or some other method.[3] Sometimes professionals and hobbyists dispose of dogs deemed aggressive to humans to street fighters.[3]

text: Gang and criminal activities[edit]

text: Dog fighting is a felony in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.[2] While dog fighting statutes exist independently of general anti-cruelty statutes and carry stiffer penalties than general state anti-cruelty statutes, a person can be charged under both or can be charged under one, but not the other—depending on the evidence.[2] In addition to felony charges for dog fighting, forty-eight states and the District of Columbia, have provisions within their dogfighting statutes that explicitly prohibit attendance as a spectator at a dogfighting exhibition.[2] Since Montana and Hawaii do not have such provisions, a person can pay an entrance fee to watch a dog-fight in either state and not be convicted under these statutes. Additionally, forty-six states, and the District of Columbia, make possessing, owning or keeping a fighting dog a felony.[2]

text: While dog fighting was previously seen as isolated animal welfare issues—and therefore rarely enforced, the last decade has produced a growing body of legal and empirical evidence that has revealed a connection between dog-fighting and other crimes within a community, such as organized crime, racketeering, drug distribution, and/or gangs.[2] Within the gang community, fighting dogs compete with firearms as the weapon of choice; indeed, their versatile utility arguably surpasses that of a loaded firearm in the criminal underground. Drug dealers distribute their illicit merchandise, wagers are made, weapons are concealed, and the dogs mutilate each other in a bloody frenzy as crowds cheer on.[2] Violence often erupts among the usually armed gamblers when debts are to be collected and paid.[2] There is also a concern for children who are routinely exposed to dogfighting and are forced to accept the inherent violence as normal.[2] The routine exposure of the children to unfettered animal abuse and neglect is a major contributing factor in their later manifestation of social deviance.[2]

text: Animal welfare and rights[edit]

text: Animal advocates consider dog fighting to be one of the most serious forms of animal abuse, not only for the violence that the dogs endure during and after the fights, but because of the suffering they often endure in training.

text: According to a filing in U.S. District Court in Richmond by federal investigators in Virginia, which was obtained under the Freedom of Information Act and published by the Baltimore Sun on July 6, 2007, a losing dog or one whose potential is considered unacceptable faces "being put to death by drowning, strangulation, hanging, gun shot, electrocution or some other method".[17] Some of the training of fighting dogs may entail the use of small animals (including kittens) as prey for the dogs.

text: Status by region[edit]

text: Dog fighting has been popular in many countries throughout history and continues to be practiced both legally and illegally around the world.

text: In the 20th and 21st centuries, dog fighting has increasingly become an unlawful activity in most of the world.

text: South Africa[edit]

text: Dog fighting has been declared illegal in the Republic of South Africa. However, it is still very popular in the underground world, with dog fighting being a highly syndicated and organized crime. The NSPCA (National Council of SPCAs) is the largest animal welfare organization in Africa, and has been the organization that has conducted the most raids and busts, of which the most recent was in 2013, where 18 people were arrested, and 14 dogs were involved. Dog fighting is mostly practiced in the Western Cape, in the townships area where gangs and drugs are mostly associated with dog fighting.

text: Dog fighting has been documented in South Africa, particularly in the Western Cape region of Stellenbosch. The Stellenbosch Animal Welfare Society (AWS) frequently responds to complaints of night-time dog fighting in the town of Cloetesville in which hundreds of dogs fight. Young children may be used to transport fighting dogs to avoid arrest of the owners.[18][19]

text: Asia[edit]

text: Afghanistan[edit]

text: Previously banned by the Taliban, dog fighting has made a resurgence throughout Afghanistan as a winter weekend pastime.

text: In Kabul, the fights are public and policed for safety to the spectators. Dogs are not fought to the death, but to submission. Top dogs are worth as much as a new car.[20]

text: India[edit]

text: Dog fighting is not common, but can be found in some Indian states such as Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and in some parts of Delhi. The practice is illegal as defined by Indian law.

text: Japan[edit]

text: According to historical documents, Hōjō Takatoki, the 14th shikken (shōgun's regent) of the Kamakura shogunate was known to be obsessed with dog fighting, to the point where he allowed his samurai to pay taxes with dogs. During this period dog fighting was known as inuawase (犬合わせ).

text: Dog fighting was considered a way for the Samurai to retain their aggressive edge during peaceful times. Several daimyōs (feudal lords), such as Chōsokabe Motochika and Yamauchi Yōdō, both from Tosa Province (present-day Kōchi Prefecture), were known to encourage dog fighting. Dog fighting was also popular in Akita Prefecture, which is the origin of the Akita breed.

text: Dog fighting evolved in Kōchi to a form that is called tōken (闘犬). Under modern rules, dogs fight in a fenced ring until one of the dogs barks, yelps, or loses the will to fight. Owners are allowed to throw in the towel, and matches are stopped if a doctor judges if is too dangerous. Draws usually occur when both dogs will not fight or both dogs fight until the time limit. There are various other rules, including one that specifies that a dog will lose if it attempts to copulate. Champion dogs are called yokozuna, as in sumo. Dog fighting is not banned at a nationwide level, but the prefectures of Tokyo, Kanagawa, Fukui, Ishikawa, Toyama and Hokkaidō all ban the practice.[21] Currently, most fighting dogs in Japan are of the Tosa breed which is native to Kōchi.[22]

text: Pakistan[edit]

text: Dog fighting and other forms of animal fighting are extremely popular in all parts of rural Pakistan, and is deeply rooted in the rural culture, where some 70 percent of the population resides. It has been a way for tribes, clans and the rural people to socialize while being entertained.[23] Even though it has recently been banned by law, it is still being practiced in rural Pakistan, especially in provinces such as Punjab, Azad Kashmir, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa.Now Karachi.Sindhi is the most popular city about Pitbull fighting with the proper rules There can apparently be as much as millions of rupees at stake for the owners of winning dogs,[24] so different breeds have carefully been bred and selected specifically for the purpose, such as the Bully Kutta.

text: Australia[edit]

text: Dog fighting and the possession of any fighting equipment designed for dog fighting is illegal in all Australian states and territories.[25] The illegal nature of dogfighting in Australia means that injured dogs rarely get veterinary treatment placing the dog's health and welfare at even greater risk.[25] "Restricted Breed Dogs" cannot be imported into Australia. These include the Dogo Argentino, the Japanese Tosa, the Fila Brasileiro, the Perro de Presa Canario and the American Pit Bull Terrier. Of these, the Pit Bull Terrier and the Perro de Presa Canario are the only breeds currently known to exist in Australia and there are strict regulations on keeping these breeds, including a prohibition on transferring ownership.[26]

text: Europe[edit]

text: Russia[edit]

text: Although animal cruelty laws exist in Russia, dog fighting is widely practiced. Laws prohibiting dogfights have been passed in certain places like Moscow by order of that city's mayor. In much of Russia dogfights are legally held generally using Caucasian Shepherd Dog, Georgian shepherd, Central Asian Shepherd Dog. Temperament tests, which are a common and relatively mild form of dog fighting used for breeding purposes, are fairly commonplace. Most dog fights are traditional contests used to test the stamina and ability of working dogs used to protect livestock. Unlike fights with pit bulls and other fighting breeds, a veterinarian is always on hand and the contests are never to the death, and serious injuries are very rare. Most fights are over in minutes when its clear which dog is superior. At the end of three rounds the contest is declared a draw.[27]

text: United Kingdom[edit]

text: Despite periodic dog-fight prosecutions, illegal canine pit battles continued after the Cruelty to Animals Act 1835 of England and Wales. Sporting journals of the 18th and 19th centuries depict the Black Country and London as the primary English dog fight centers of the period.

text: North America[edit]

text: Dog fighting has been illegal in Canada since 1892; however, the current law requires police to catch individuals during the unlawful act, which is often difficult.[28]

text: Dog fighting is a felony in all 50 U.S. states as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.[2] In most of the United States a spectator at a dog fight can be charged with a felony while some areas only consider it a misdemeanor offense.

text: In addition, the federal U.S. Animal Welfare Act makes it unlawful for any person to knowingly sell, buy, possess, train, transport, deliver, or receive any dog for purposes of having the dog participate in an animal fighting venture. The act also makes it unlawful for any person to knowingly use the mail service of the United States Postal Service or any instrumentality of interstate commerce for commercial speech for purposes of advertising a dog for use in an animal fighting venture, promoting or in any other manner furthering an animal fighting venture except as performed outside the limits of the States of the United States.[29]

text: In the second largest dog fighting raid in U.S. history in August 2013, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama handed down the longest prison term ever handed down in a federal dog fighting case: eight years.[30]

text: According to a study by the College of Law of Michigan State University published in 2005, in the United States, dog fighting was once completely legal and was sanctioned and promoted during the colonial period through the Victorian and well into the 20th century. In the second half 19th century dog fighting started to be criminalized in the United States.

text: There is a US$5,000 reward for reporting dog fighting to The Humane Society of the United States[31] From the HSUS: How to spot signs of dogfighting in your community: An inordinate number of pit bull-type dogs being kept in one location, especially multiple dogs who are chained and seem unsocialized; Dogs with scars on their faces, front legs, and stifle area (hind end and thighs); Dogfighting training equipment such as "breaking sticks" or "break sticks" used to pry apart the jaws of dogs locked in battle which are foot long, flat on one side, appearing to be sharpened; tires or "spring poles" (usually a large spring with rope attached to either end) hanging from tree limbs; or unusual foot traffic coming and going from a location at odd hours.

text: CNN estimated that in the United States more than 100,000 people are engaged in dog fighting on a non-professional basis and roughly 40,000 individuals are involved as professionals in the sport of dog fighting as a commercial activity. Top fights are said to have purses of $100,000 or more.[32]

text: In Costa Rica, dogfights were illegal for decades as a misdemeanor, since 2014 and after a legal reform became a felony and is punished with up to three years of imprisonment.[33][34]

text: South America[edit]

text: Dog fighting is illegal in much of South America. The American Pit Bull Terrier is by far the most common breed involved in the bloodsport. The Dogo Argentino was also used as fighting dog. The Dogo Cubano and Cordoba Fighting Dog were used for fighting a century ago, but have become extinct.


document_title: List of people mentioned by name in the Quran

question_text: who is the most mentioned prophet in quran

text: General list[edit]

text: Prophets[edit]

text:
Adam (25 times)
Ayyub (Job) (4 times - 4:163, 6:84, 21:83, 38:41)
Dawud (David) (16 times)
Dhul-Kifl (1 time)
Harun (Aaron) (24 times)
Hud (25 times)
Ibrahim (Abraham) (69 times)
Idris (Enoch) (2 times - 19:56, 21:85)
Ilyas (6:85, 37:123)
Al Yasa (2 times - 38:48, 6:85-87)
Isa (Jesus) (at least 187 times with various names, titles, expressions)[1][2]

Isa (25 times)[note 1]
Son of Mary (23 times)[note 2]
Messiah (11 times)[note 3]
Child / Pure boy (9 times)[note 4]
Guidance [note 5] possibly 22 times)[3]
Messenger / Prophet (5 times)[note 6]
other terms and titles (14 times)

Sign (4 times)[note 7]
The Gift (1 time)[note 8]
Mercy from Us (1 time)[note 9]
Servant (1 time)[note 10]
Blessed (1 time)[note 11]
(1 time)[note 12]
Amazing thing / Thing unheard of (1 time)[note 13]
Example (1 time)[note 14]
Straight Path / Right Way (1 time)[note 15]
Witness (1 time)[note 16]
His Name (1 time)[note 17]

3rd person "He / Him / Thee" (48 times)[note 18][4][5]
1st person "I / Me" (35 times)[note 19][6][7]

Is-haq (Isaac) (17 times)
Ismail (Ishmael) (12 times)
Lut (Lot) (27 times)
Muhammad (5 times - 3:144, 33:40, 47:2, 48:29, 61:6)[8]

Ahmad (1 time)[note 20]

Musa (Moses) (136 times)
Nuh (Noah) (43 times)
Saleh (9 times)
Shu'ayb (10 times)
Sulayman (Solomon) (17 times)
Yahya (John) (5 times)
Yusuf (Joseph) (27 times)
Ya'qub (Jacob) (16 times)
Yunus (Jonah) (4 times - 4:163, 6:86, 10:98, 37:139)
Uzayr (1 time - 9:30)
Zakariyya (Zechariah) (7 times)

tag: ul

text: Debatable prophets[edit]

text:
Dhul-Qarnayn (18:83, 18:86, 18:94)
Luqman (31) Whole chapter of Quran (Chapter number 31) is named after him.

text: Non-prophets[edit]

text:
Azar (6:74)
Aziz (12:30, 12:51)
As-Samiri (20:85, 20:87, 20:95)
Abu Lahab (111:1)
Fir'aun (Pharaoh of Moses) (74 times.)
Haman (28:6, 28:8, 28:38, 29:39, 40:24, 40:36)
Imran (Joachim) (3:33, 3:35, 66:12)
Jalut (Goliath) (2:249, 2:250, 2:251)
Maryam (Mary) (34 times) only woman mentioned by name in the Qur'an.[9][10]
Qarun (Korah) (28:76, 28:79, 29:39, 40:24)
Talut (Saul) (2:247, 2:249)
Iblis (Lucifer) (11 times) Also 'Shaytan' or the Satan.[11][better source needed]
Zayd ibn Harithah (33:37)


document_title: Mad About You

question_text: who sang the theme song for mad about you

text: Mad About You

text: Plot[edit]

text: The series focuses mainly on newlyweds Paul Buchman, a documentary filmmaker, and Jamie Stemple Buchman, a public relations specialist, as they deal with everything from humorous daily minutiae to major struggles. Near the end of the show's run, they have a baby daughter, whom they name Mabel.

text: Production[edit]

text: Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser were paid $1 million per episode for the last season (with their contracts calling for them to be paid equally). However, ratings fell sharply that year as the series was shuffled away from its Tuesday slot to prop up a fledgling Monday night line-up of comedies on NBC.

text: The show's theme song, "Final Frontier", was composed by Reiser and Don Was. The theme was originally performed by Andrew Gold, but a version performed by Anita Baker made its debut at the beginning of the sixth season. Baker's version was used on several episodes of the last two seasons, in addition to Gold's version, and appears on the show's soundtrack album. Gold's version is available on the collection Thank You for Being a Friend: The Best of Andrew Gold.

text: Cast and characters[edit]

text: Main[edit]

text:
Paul Reiser as Paul Buchman (born April 19, 1962), a filmmaker. After attending the New York University Film School, he struggled for recognition before finally succeeding in filmmaking in New York City. He and his family reside in Union Square.
Helen Hunt as Jamie "James" Buchman (née Stemple, born February 19, 1963), the younger daughter of Gus and Theresa Stemple. After seven boyfriends at Yale University, she met Paul Buchman at a New York newsstand by stealing his copy of The New York Times with an implausible excuse. Her difficult relationship with her mother-in-law is an ongoing source of jokes on the show.
Maui as Murray, the Buchmans' collie mix dog. He was a puppy when Paul found him, and Paul met Jamie while walking him. He sometimes chases an invisible mouse, and often ends up crashing into the bedroom wall. In a later episode, Jamie does discover the real mouse that Murray has been chasing. In the two-part series finale, The Final Frontier, adult Mabel says that Murray died when she was six, but she was not told until she was twelve. Twice voted the most popular dog by the readers of TV Guide,[1] Murray is loyal and endearing while being very laid back and a bit thick-skulled. Maui was originally found in a Castaic, California, animal shelter by noted Hollywood animal trainer Boone Narr. Maui weighed 58 pounds and was primarily trained by Betty Linn. His first assignments came in TV commercials and as the backup for the top dog in the feature film "Bingo."[2]
Anne Ramsay as Lisa Stemple, Jamie's older sister. Lisa has unfathomable psychological issues. Jamie is referred to as "Stella" in a book written by Lisa's therapist: "It was Stella's overprotectiveness that suffocated her ability to relate to others, and tethered her to a lifetime of insecurity and neurosis." After an envious rage, she blames Jamie for all of her problems in an interview with her shrink that becomes a chapter of a book called "Manics." With no place else to go, she does her laundry at Paul and Jamie's apartment while scavenging through her sister's clothes and food. Every visit from her parents triggers her eating disorder. In between bouts of weirdness, she still cares deeply for Paul and Jamie and is often trusted to house sit for them, usually with unfortunate results.
Leila Kenzle as Fran Devanow, Jamie's best friend. She is the regional vice president at Farrer-Gantz Public Relations who hired Jamie as her assistant. Near 1989, Fran quits Farrer-Gantz to spend time with her obnoxious five-year-old son, Ryan, and husband, Mark. Jamie is then promoted to Fran's position. Fran and Mark's relationship lasts 10 years, and their separation shocks Jamie and Paul. After divorcing Mark, Fran returns to her old position at Farrer-Gantz, since Jamie had quit, but she, too, eventually quits and goes into business with Jamie. Fran and Mark eventually reconcile.
John Pankow as Ira Buchman, Paul's cousin. He first appears in the episode "The Wedding Affair." Ira is from the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn. He worked for Paul's father, Burt, at Buchman's Sporting Goods. Paul and Ira have a close friendship, but their hidden rivalry came out when Ira took ownership of Buchman's Sporting Goods upon Burt's retirement. Even so, he frequently appears as loving and supportive towards Paul and Jamie.
Cynthia Harris as Sylvia Buchman, Paul's mother. Sylvia almost always gives Jamie a hard time, but occasionally does show kindness towards her daughter-in-law.
Louis Zorich as Burt Buchman, Paul's father. Burt runs a sporting goods store – until he passes it on to Ira upon retirement. His signature line in the show occurs whenever he visits Paul and Jamie's apartment, exclaiming at the door, "It's me, Burt! Burt Buchman--your father!"
Alyssa and Justin Baric (twins) as Mabel Buchman, Paul and Jamie's daughter. She was finally named when Jamie's overbearing mother proclaimed that "Mothers Always Bring Extra Love." Alyssa and Justin Baric played Mabel from the beginning of season six when Mabel was brought home from the hospital ("Coming Home"). They continued to play the role of Mabel for numerous episodes. Carter and Madison Gayle play the role at a later time. In the season six episode "Letters to Mabel," an 18-year-old Mabel is played by Meredith Bishop. In the series finale, a teen Mabel is played by Cara DeLizia, and an adult Mabel is played by Janeane Garofalo.
Richard Kind as Dr. Mark Devanow, Fran's ex-husband, with whom she is on good terms. A former obstetrician, Mark left Fran and their young son because he felt smothered and wanted to see the world. After returning to New York, he converts to Buddhism and works for a grocery store, although he eventually returns to his old profession. He eventually is able to win Fran back.

text: Recurring[edit]

text:
Jerry Adler as Mr. Wicker, the apartment building superintendent (10 episodes) -- previously as a Police Sergeant (1 episode)
Hank Azaria as Nat Ostertag, Jamie and Paul's dog walker (15 episodes)
Robin Bartlett as Debbie Buchman, Paul's sister (29 episodes)
Patrick Bristow as Troy, Jamie's scheming office underling (5 episodes)
Mel Brooks as Uncle Phil, Paul's uncle (4 episodes)
Carol Burnett as Theresa Stemple, Jamie's mother (10 episodes)
Penny Fuller as Theresa Stemple, Jamie's mother (4 episodes)
Mo Gaffney as Dr. Sheila Kleinman, Jamie and Paul's therapist (13 episodes)
Jeff Garlin as Marvin, Ira's employee and semi-pro wrestler (13 episodes)
Judy Geeson as Maggie Conway, British neighbor across the hall (32 episodes)
Tommy Hinkley as Jay Selby, Paul's college friend (13 episodes, season 1 only). The disappearance of Selby is never explained, a fact referenced in season 5, episode 21 ("Guardianhood")
Lisa Kudrow as Ursula Buffay, absent-minded waitress at Riff's (24 episodes)
Cyndi Lauper as Marianne Lugasso, Ira's on and off girlfriend/ex-wife (5 episodes)
Lyle Lovett (2 episodes)
Gates McFadden as Allison Rourke, Paul Buchman's boss (4 episodes)
Larry Miller as Lou Bonaparte (5 episodes)
Carroll O'Connor as Gus Stemple, Jamie's father (4 episodes)
John Karlen as Gus Stemple, Jamie's father (3 episodes)
George O. Petrie as Sid, Paul's film editor colleague (10 episodes)
Suzie Plakson as Dr. Joan Golfinos, Debbie Buchman's life partner (and Jamie's Ob/Gyn for a while) (18 episodes)
Alan Ruck as Lance Brockwell (4 episodes)
Eric Stoltz as Alan Tofsky, Jamie's ex-boyfriend (6 episodes)
Paxton Whitehead as Maggie's first and third husband Hal (9 episodes)
Jim Piddock as Maggie's second husband Hal (7 episodes)
Steven Wright as Warren Mermelman (5 episodes)

text: Notable guest stars[edit]

text:
Andre Agassi (season 2, episode 15)
Ed Asner (2 episodes)
John Astin (season 2, episode 23)
Kevin Bacon (season 5, episode 7)
Christie Brinkley (season 2, episode 15)
Garth Brooks (season 2, episode 23)
Michael Buffer (season 7, episode 17)
Steve Buscemi (season 1, episode 7)
Sid Caesar (season 5, episode 15)
James Cameron (season 6, episode 23)
Dan Castellaneta (season 7, episode 10)
William Christopher (season 7, episode 2)
Ellen DeGeneres (season 6, episode 23)
Paul Dooley (season 1, episode 5)
Nancy Dussault (season 1, episode 5)
Patrick Ewing (season 3, episode 20)
Jamie Farr (season 7, episode 16)
Barbara Feldon (season 1, episode 20)
Janeane Garofalo (season 7, episode 21)
Marita Geraghty (season 3, episode 10)
Rudolph "Rudy" Giuliani (season 3, episode 10)
Al Gore (season 6, episode 10)
Kerri Green (season 1, episode 4)
Seth Green (season 5, episode 21)
Billy Joel (season 7, episode 15)
Robert Klein (season 7, episode 9)
Vanessa Lock (season 6, episode 12)
Nathan Lane (season 6, episode 11)
Phil Leeds (season 1, episode 6)
Eugene Levy (season 6, episode 22)
Jerry Lewis (season 1, episode 17)
Mark McGwire (season 7, episode 13)
Yoko Ono (season 4, episode 6)
Regis Philbin (season 1, episode 18)
Sydney Pollack (season 6, episode 13)
Beata Poźniak season 1, episode 12)
Carl Reiner as Alan Brady (season 3, episode 16)
Michael Richards as Cosmo Kramer (season 1, episode 8)
Al Roker (season 3, episode 6)
Jerry Seinfeld (season 7, episode 1)
Brent Spiner (season 3, episode 15)
Carol Ann Susi (season 1, episode 9)
Wayne Tippit (season 1, episode 11)
Patrick Warburton (season 1, episode 16)
Bruce Willis (season 5, episode 24)
Randy Poffo (season 7, episode 17)

text: Episodes[edit]

text:
Season
Episodes
Originally aired

First aired
Last aired

1
22
September 23, 1992
May 22, 1993

2
25
September 16, 1993
May 19, 1994

3
24
September 22, 1994
May 18, 1995

4
24
September 24, 1995
May 19, 1996

5
24
September 17, 1996
May 20, 1997

6
23
September 23, 1997
May 19, 1998

7
22
September 22, 1998
May 24, 1999

tag: table

text: Crossovers[edit]

text: Mad About You has had numerous connections to other NBC sitcoms set in New York City, as well as various other programs.

text: Friends (owned by Warner Bros. Television): Lisa Kudrow played the recurring role of Ursula, a flaky waitress at Riff's Bar, a local restaurant that Paul and Jamie frequented. Kudrow went on to star in the NBC sitcom Friends, playing the also somewhat flaky character of Phoebe Buffay, and for a time both series shared the same Thursday night line-up. While not originally intended, the characters of Ursula and Phoebe were later found to be identical twin sisters. In a Friends episode ("The One With The Two Parts", 1st Season), as part of a night of NBC sitcom crossovers, Jamie and Fran walk into Central Perk and mistake Phoebe for Ursula. Hunt and Kenzle were not identified on screen as Jamie and Fran. In the season three episode "Pandora's Box", Jamie causes a citywide power blackout in New York City, and the effects of the blackout are seen in the Friends episode, "The One with the Blackout", and there was also a blackout in the episode "Birthday in the Big House" of the short-lived NBC sitcom Madman of the People, which leaves open the possibility that the characters from this program may also exist in the same universe as the characters of Mad About You. All three episodes originally aired during the evening of November 3, 1994, alongside a Seinfeld episode which did not incorporate the blackout premise.

text: Seinfeld: In one episode ("The Apartment", 1st Season), Paul, pressured by Jamie, decides to sign over the lease of his old "bachelor pad" to the current tenant who is subleasing. This tenant is revealed to be Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards) of Seinfeld. Seinfeld, however, twice contradicted this connection, once even featuring a running joke about George's distaste for his fiancee Susan's fondness for watching Mad About You. In the Mad About You season seven episode "Season Opener", Paul, under the effects of Viagra, ran into Jerry Seinfeld in the street, who tells Paul to go away. At this point in Seinfeld's chronology, Jerry Seinfeld was supposed to be in prison.

text: The Dick Van Dyke Show: Carl Reiner reprised the role of Alan Brady from the 1960s sitcom (a series acknowledged as an inspiration for Mad About You). The episode made several references to the older show, such as Jamie at one point crying and whining "Oh, Paul!" – a signature move by Mary Tyler Moore's character Laura Petrie. Ten episodes earlier, Paul almost trips over a box and says, "Get me, I'm Dick Van Dyke."

text: Nielsen ratings[edit]

text:
1992–93: #54 (10.18 rating)
1993–94: #31 (12.69 rating)
1994–95: #11 (15.2 rating[3])
1995–96: #37 (10.8 rating)
1996–97: #24 (11.0 rating[4])
1997–98: #32 (13.4 million viewers[5])
1998–99: #85 (9.1 million viewers[6])

text: Awards[edit]

text: Mad About You won a Golden Globe Award, a Peabody Award, a Genesis Award, received five Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series, and was chosen Best Quality Comedy by the Viewers for Quality Television. Helen Hunt won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Comedy Series four years in a row (1996–99).

text: Media[edit]

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text: In 1997, Atlantic Records released a Mad About You soundtrack. The soundtrack from and inspired by the sitcom, is composed of fun and sentimental songs and clips from the show. The tracks are organized chronologically marking the milestones of the couple's relationship. The album is bookended by the two versions of Paul Reiser's song "Final Frontier"—the first track is the classic version used in the show's opening, and the last track is Anita Baker's jazzy, full-length rendition, with Reiser on keyboard. The 21 tracks are as follows:

text:
"Final Frontier (TV Theme)" – Andrew Gold
"Who I Am" – Faith Hill
"No Pressure" – Paul Reiser & Helen Hunt
"I've Been Lonely Too Long" – The Young Rascals
"At Last" – Etta James
"That's Marriage?" – Paul Reiser & Helen Hunt
"Ice Cream" – Sarah McLachlan
"I Love the Way You Love Me" – Eric Martin
"Nobody Knows Me" – Lyle Lovett
"Sneaky Feelings" – Elvis Costello
"A Talk in the Park" – Paul Reiser & Helen Hunt
"Love and Forgiveness" – Julia Fordham
"A Magic Moment" – Paul Reiser & Helen Hunt
"The Things We've Handed Down" – Marc Cohn
"Lullaby for You" – BeBe Winans
"She Crawls Away" – Hootie & the Blowfish
"My First Child" – Nil Lara
"Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)" – John Lennon
"Baby Girl" – The Tony Rich Project
"Unconditional Love" – Paul Reiser & Helen Hunt
"Mad About You – The Final Frontier" – Anita Baker

text: Home media[edit]

text: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released the first three seasons of Mad About You on DVD in Region 1 and 4. The first two seasons were also released in Region 2. Due to poor sales, no subsequent seasons were released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

text: In February 2010, Shout! Factory acquired the rights to release the remaining seasons of Mad About You on DVD. They subsequently released seasons 4 and 5 on DVD.[7][8]

text: On August 27, 2013, it was announced that Mill Creek Entertainment had acquired the rights to various television series from the Sony Pictures library including Mad About You.[9] They subsequently re-released the first and second seasons on DVD on August 5, 2014.[10]

text: Mill Creek released the complete series on a 14-DVD set on May 3, 2016.[11]

text: Season releases[edit]

text:
DVD name
Ep. #
Release date

The Complete 1st Season
22
October 22, 2002

The Complete 2nd Season
25
April 22, 2003

The Complete 3rd Season
24
February 6, 2007

The Complete 4th Season
24
June 29, 2010

The Complete 5th Season
24
November 2, 2010

The Complete Series
164
May 3, 2016

text: Best-of releases[edit]

text:
DVD name
Release date
Ep. #
Additional information

Mad About You Collection
February 8, 2005
22

Blooper Reel: The Seven Warning Signs of Madness
Audio commentaries: Paul Reiser & Helen Hunt on "The Final Frontier" and "The Pilot"
Featurette: Paul Reiser & Helen Hunt Are Mad About the Theme
Featurette: Paul Reiser & Helen Hunt Are Mad About the Guest Stars
Paul and Helen introduce and discuss each episode

text: Adaptations[edit]

text: A Chinese adaptation will air on Dragon TV from January 4, 2016.[12] An Argentine remake titled Loco por vos will air on Telefe from August, 2016.[13]


document_title: First Continental Congress

question_text: who introduced a set of proposals to the first congress

text: First Continental Congress

text: Convention

text: The Congress met from September 5 to October 26, 1774. Peyton Randolph presided over the proceedings; Henry Middleton took over as President of the Congress from October 22 to 26. Charles Thomson, leader of Philadelphia Committee of Correspondence, was selected to be Secretary of the Continental Congress.[1]

text: The delegates who attended were not of one mind concerning why they were there. Conservatives such as Joseph Galloway, John Dickinson, John Jay, and Edward Rutledge believed their task to be forging policies to pressure Parliament to rescind its unreasonable acts. Their ultimate goal was to develop a reasonable solution to the difficulties and bring about reconciliation between the Colonies and Great Britain. Others such as Patrick Henry, Roger Sherman, Samuel Adams, and John Adams believed their task to be developing a decisive statement of the rights and liberties of the Colonies. Their ultimate goal was to end what they felt to be the abuses of parliamentary authority, and to retain their rights which had been guaranteed under both Colonial charters and the English constitution.[2]

text: Roger Sherman denied the legislative authority of Parliament, and Patrick Henry believed that the Congress needed to develop a completely new system of government, independent from Great Britain, for the existing Colonial governments were already dissolved.[3] In contrast to these ideas, Joseph Galloway put forward a "Plan of Union" which suggested that an American legislative body be formed with some authority, whose consent would be required for imperial measures.[3][4]

text: Declaration and Resolves

text: In the end, the voices of compromise carried the day. Rather than calling for independence, the First Continental Congress passed and signed the Continental Association in its Declaration and Resolves, which called for a boycott of British goods to take effect in December 1774. It requested that local Committees of Safety enforce the boycott and regulate local prices for goods. These resolutions adopted by the Congress did not endorse any legal power of Parliament to regulate trade, but consented, nonetheless, to the operation of acts for that purpose. Furthermore, they did not repudiate control by the royal prerogative, which was explicitly acknowledged in the Petition to the King a few days later.

text: Accomplishments

text: The Congress had two primary accomplishments. The first was a compact among the Colonies to boycott British goods beginning on December 1, 1774.[5] The West Indies were threatened with a boycott unless the islands agreed to non-importation of British goods.[6] Imports from Britain dropped by 97 percent in 1775, compared with the previous year.[5] Committees of observation and inspection were to be formed in each Colony to ensure compliance with the boycott. All of the Colonial Houses of Assembly approved the proceedings of the Congress, with the exception of New York.[7]

text: If the Intolerable Acts were not repealed, the Colonies would also cease exports to Britain after September 10, 1775.[5] The boycott was successfully implemented, but its potential for altering British colonial policy was cut off by the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War.

text: The second accomplishment of the Congress was to provide for a Second Continental Congress to meet on May 10, 1775. In addition to the Colonies which had sent delegates to the First Continental Congress, the Congress resolved on October 21, 1774, to send letters of invitation to Quebec, Saint John's Island (now Prince Edward Island), Nova Scotia, Georgia, East Florida, and West Florida.[8] However, letters appear to have been sent only to Quebec (three letters in all). None of these other colonies sent delegates to the opening of the Second Congress, though a delegation from Georgia arrived the following July.[9]

text: List of delegates

text: This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text:
#
Name
Colony
Notes

1
Folsom, NathanielNathaniel Folsom
New Hampshire

2
Sullivan, JohnJohn Sullivan
New Hampshire
3rd and 5th Governor of New Hampshire; general in the Continental Army

3
Adams, JohnJohn Adams
Massachusetts
Lawyer, first Vice-President of the United States and second President

4
Adams, SamuelSamuel Adams
Massachusetts
cousin of John Adams; sometimes called "Father of the American Revolution"

5
Cushing, ThomasThomas Cushing
Massachusetts

6
Paine, Robert TreatRobert Treat Paine
Massachusetts

7
Hopkins, StephenStephen Hopkins
Rhode Island
Authored pamphlet The Rights of the Colonies

8
Ward, SamuelSamuel Ward
Rhode Island

9
Deane, SilasSilas Deane
Connecticut

10
Dyer, EliphaletEliphalet Dyer
Connecticut

11
Sherman, RogerRoger Sherman
Connecticut
Created the Great Compromise and Three-Fifths Compromise at the Constitutional Convention; Congressman; a member of the Committee of Five who presented the Declaration of Independence

12
Duane, JamesJames Duane
New York
Appointed by the Committee of Fifty-one of the City and County of New York and authorized by the counties of Albany, Duchess, and Westchester

13
Jay, JohnJohn Jay
New York
Lawyer; First Chief Justice of the United States; co-author of The Federalist Papers; appointed by the Committee of Fifty-one of the City and County of New York and authorized by the counties of Albany, Duchess, and Westchester

14
Livingston, PhilipPhilip Livingston
New York
Appointed by the Committee of Fifty-one of the City and County of New York and authorized by the counties of Albany, Duchess, and Westchester

15
Low, IsaacIsaac Low
New York
Appointed by the Committee of Fifty-one of the City and County of New York and authorized by the counties of Albany, Duchess, and Westchester

16
Boerum, SimonSimon Boerum
New York

17
Haring, JohnJohn Haring
New York
Appointed by the General Meeting of all the Committees of the County of Orange

18
Wisner, HenryHenry Wisner
New York
Appointed by the General Meeting of all the Committees of the County of Orange

19
Floyd, WilliamWilliam Floyd
New York
For Suffolk County

20
Alsop, JohnJohn Alsop
New York
Appointed by the Committee of Fifty-one of the City and County of New York and authorized by the counties of Albany, Duchess, and Westchester

21
Crane, StephenStephen Crane
New Jersey

22
De Hart, JohnJohn De Hart
New Jersey

23
Kinsey, JamesJames Kinsey
New Jersey

24
Livingston, WilliamWilliam Livingston
New Jersey

25
Smith, RichardRichard Smith
New Jersey

26
Biddle, EdwardEdward Biddle
Pennsylvania

27
Dickinson, JohnJohn Dickinson
Pennsylvania
author of Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania

28
Galloway, JosephJoseph Galloway
Pennsylvania
Originator of the Galloway Plan of Union

29
Humphreys, CharlesCharles Humphreys
Pennsylvania

30
Mifflin, ThomasThomas Mifflin
Pennsylvania
Later served as the first governor of Pennsylvania; Quartermaster general of the U.S. Army

31
Morton, JohnJohn Morton
Pennsylvania

32
Rhoads, SamuelSamuel Rhoads
Pennsylvania

33
Ross, GeorgeGeorge Ross
Pennsylvania

34
McKean, ThomasThomas McKean
Delaware

35
Read, GeorgeGeorge Read
Delaware

36
Rodney, CaesarCaesar Rodney
Delaware

37
Chase, SamuelSamuel Chase
Maryland
Later served as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court

38
Goldsborough, RobertRobert Goldsborough
Maryland

39
Johnson, ThomasThomas Johnson
Maryland

40
Paca, WilliamWilliam Paca
Maryland

41
Tilghman, MatthewMatthew Tilghman
Maryland

42
Bland, RichardRichard Bland
Virginia

43
Harrison, BenjaminBenjamin Harrison
Virginia
Later served as the fifth governor of Virginia; father of President William Henry Harrison and great-grandfather of President Benjamin Harrison

44
Henry, PatrickPatrick Henry
Virginia
Creator of the Virginia Stamp Act Resolutions

45
Lee, Richard HenryRichard Henry Lee
Virginia

46
Pendleton, EdmundEdmund Pendleton
Virginia

47
Randolph, PeytonPeyton Randolph
Virginia
Served as President of this First Continental Congress

48
Washington, GeorgeGeorge Washington
Virginia
Future commander of the Continental Army; first President of the United States

49
Caswell, RichardRichard Caswell
North Carolina

50
Hewes, JosephJoseph Hewes
North Carolina
Secretary of Naval Affairs Committee in 1776

51
Hooper, WilliamWilliam Hooper
North Carolina

52
Gadsden, ChristopherChristopher Gadsden
South Carolina

53
Lynch Jr., ThomasThomas Lynch Jr.
South Carolina

54
Middleton, HenryHenry Middleton
South Carolina

55
Rutledge, EdwardEdward Rutledge
South Carolina

56
Rutledge, JohnJohn Rutledge
South Carolina
Second Chief Justice; Associate Justice; first Governor of South Carolina