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437_16 | A complete list of his published works:
C-SPAN: America's Town Hall (1988) Washington, DC: Acropolis Books. .
Booknotes: America's Finest Authors on Reading, Writing, and the Power of Ideas (1997) New York: Random House. .
Booknotes Life Stories: Notable Biographers on the People Who Shaped America (1999) New York: Times Books. .
Who's Buried in Grant's Tomb? A Tour of Presidential Gravesites (1999) with Richard Norton Smith and Douglas Brinkley. Washington, DC: National Cable Satellite Corp. . .
Republished (2003) New York: PublicAffairs.
Booknotes: Stories from American History (2001) New York: PublicAffairs. .
Booknotes: On American Character (2004) New York: PublicAffairs. .
Abraham Lincoln: Great American Historians on Our Sixteenth President (2008) Brian Lamb and Susan Swain, PublicAffairs, New York City. .
The Supreme Court: A C-SPAN Book, Featuring the Justices in their Own Words (2010) Brian Lamb and Susan Swain, PublicAffairs. .
Awards and recognition |
437_17 | Lamb has received numerous honors and awards for his work at C-SPAN. He was the recipient of the National Press Club's Fourth Estate Award in 2002. The following year, he was awarded the National Humanities Medal, the Harry S. Truman Good Neighbor Award, and The Media Institute's Freedom of Speech Award.
In November 2007, Lamb received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from then President George W. Bush for his work at C-SPAN. The medal is the highest civilian award in the United States, and the White House announcement stated that Lamb had received the award for his "dedication to a transparent political system and to the free flow of ideas". In September 2011, Lamb received The Lone Sailor award from the U.S. Navy Memorial, recognizing individuals who begin their careers in the Navy, but go on to have "exceptional civilian careers". |
437_18 | In addition, he has received a number of communications-related awards, including the Manship Prize for Exemplary Use of Media and Technology from Louisiana State University's Manship School of Mass Communication, and the Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in the Media. In 2011, he was awarded the Gaylord Prize for Excellence in Journalism sponsored by the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma, and was named as one of Library of American Broadcasting's 2011 "Giants of Broadcasting".
Lamb has received numerous honorary doctorates, including one from his alma mater, Purdue University. Purdue also awarded him its Distinguished Alumni Award in 1987 and in 2011 its communications department was renamed as the Brian Lamb School of Communication. In 2015, Lamb was awarded an honorary doctorate from Gettysburg College. |
437_19 | Personal life
Lamb has spent most of his life in Washington, D.C., and currently lives with his wife, Victoria, in Arlington, Virginia. He married Victoria Martin in September 2005. The couple met in grade school at St. Mary's Cathedral and had dated in Washington, D.C., in the 1970s, later restarting their relationship in 1998.
Lamb has never been a member of a political party, though he did work for the Republican Nixon–Agnew campaign in 1968. He is not registered as a Democrat or Republican. He has voted for candidates across the political spectrum during presidential elections. In an interview Lamb stated he has "been listening to both sides so long that I don't know what I think anymore."
The late writer Christopher Hitchens dedicated his 2005 biography of Thomas Jefferson to Lamb; on the title page appear the words, "For Brian Lamb ... a fine democrat as well as a good republican, who has striven for an educated electorate".
See also
Steve Scully
John D. Evans
References |
437_20 | Further reading
Unger, James J. "A Conversation with Brian Lamb." (Interview). The Rostrum, Vol. 69, No. 10, June 1995, pp. 5–23. Full issue available.
External links
Brian Lamb's oral history for The Cable Center's Hauser Oral History Collection, August 26, 1998
C-SPAN people
1941 births
Living people
American television personalities
American male journalists
American television company founders
Purdue University College of Health and Human Sciences alumni
People from Lafayette, Indiana
Military personnel from Indiana
United States Navy officers
Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients
National Humanities Medal recipients
Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
People from Tippecanoe County, Indiana |
438_0 | The Integrated Deepwater System Program (IDS Program or Deepwater) was the 25-year program to replace all or much of the United States Coast Guard's equipment, including aircraft, ships, and logistics and command and control systems. The $24 billion program (which began with a price tag of $17 billion) lost authorization in Fiscal Year 2012 and is officially defunct.
The initial idea was to develop interoperable system which included new cutters and small boats, a new fleet of fixed-wing aircraft, a combination of new and upgraded helicopters, and land- and cutter-based unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). All of these assets will be linked with Command, Control, Communications and Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems. Performance-based logistics is also an aspect of the contract.
History |
438_1 | The Coast Guard performs many missions in a deepwater environment, which is usually defined as waters more than 50 nautical miles offshore. These missions include drug interdiction, alien migrant interdiction, fisheries enforcement, search and rescue, International Ice Patrol operations, maritime sanctions enforcement, overseas port security and defense, overseas peacetime military engagement, defense operations in conjunction with the U.S. Navy, maritime pollution law enforcement, enforcement of lightering zones, and overseas inspection of foreign vessels entering U.S. ports. During the 1990s, it was determined that the assets and capabilities needed to complete deepwater missions were antiquated and becoming obsolete and included 93 cutters and 207 aircraft. The assets were technologically obsolete and often expensive to operate as well as unsuited for evolving mission requirements. |
438_2 | In 1993, the Commandant's Office of Operations formally acknowledged that the Coast Guard needed a long-term strategy to recapitalize its inventory of cutters and aircraft, and supporting systems. In 1998 the Coast Guard issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for industry teams to bid in proposal a package of assets and systems to meet an identified set of Coast Guard mission requirements. This unique "performance-based approach" to modernization and replacement of the Coast Guard deepwater fleet was competitively bid on by three teams: One led by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), one led by Boeing, and one led by Integrated Coast Guard Systems LLC, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman established in June 2001 and jointly owned and fully guaranteed by both companies. On June 25, 2002, the Coast Guard awarded the base-term agreement of the then 20-year, $17 billion Deepwater contract to Integrated Coast Guard Systems (ICGS). |
438_3 | During the first three years of the initial five-year contract the Coast Guard re-baselined the Deepwater program in July 2005, expanding requirements due to post-9/11 mission needs, which expanded the program to 25 years and a total of $24 billion.
Since July 13, 2007, Deepwater became part of the newly created Acquisition Directorate (CG-9).
The Program Executive Officer (PEO) for Deepwater since June 8, 2007 is RADM Ronald J. Rábago. His predecessors include RADM Gary Blore and the "founding father of the IDS", RADM Patrick M. Stillman.
Integrated Coast Guard Systems has participated in joint Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) with the Coast Guard since the inception of the Deepwater program. Oversight of contractor performance by the government is largely non-existent, due to contract language developed by the contractor. A major performance metric was IPT meeting attendance. |
438_4 | ICGS subcontracts with more than 600 suppliers in 41 states, as well as manufacturers from around the world.
Assets
National Security Cutter
One of the key components of the Deepwater solution is the National Security Cutter (NSC). These eight Legend-class cutters are designed to replace the aging 378-foot (115 m) Hamilton-class cutters currently in service. The NSC will have a length of 418 feet (125.2 m), be powered by a gas turbine engine with two auxiliary diesel engines, and be capable of 12,000 nautical mile (22,000 km) voyages lasting up to 60 days. |
438_5 | The new class of NSCs will carry an MK 110 57 mm gun and will be equipped with a stern launch ramp for launch and recovery of the Short Range Prosecutor (SRP) and the Long Range Interceptor (LRI). They will also be equipped with a state-of-the-art C4ISR suite. A contract for the third cutter was issued in August 2007, but it will include structural improvements based on flaws discovered during the construction of the first two cutters.
USCGC Bertholf (WMSL-750) – The first-in-class NSC is named for Commodore Ellsworth Price Bertholf, USRCS, USCG, the fourth Commandant of the United States Coast Guard. The cutter was built by Northrop Grumman Ship Systems in Pascagoula, Mississippi under contract from ICGS and was completed in early 2008. |
438_6 | Meryl Chertoff, wife of U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, was chosen by the Coast Guard as sponsor of the first NSC. The keel laying for Bertholf took place on March 29, 2005. The cutter was launched on September 29, 2006 and she was christened on November 11, 2006.
The Coast Guard accepted delivery of the Bertholf on May 8, 2008 and she was commissioned on Coast Guard Day, August 4, 2008 at her homeport in Alameda, California.
USCGC Waesche (WMSL-751) – The second Legend-class NSC is named for Commandant Russell R. Waesche who served as Commandant of the Coast Guard and was the first Coast Guard Admiral to receive four stars. The cutter was built at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems in Pascagoula, Mississippi. |
438_7 | Marilla Waesche Pivonka, granddaughter of the cutter's namesake, was chosen by the Coast Guard as sponsor of the second NSC. The keel laying for the Waesche took place on September 11, 2006 and she was christened on July 26, 2008. USCGC Waesche was commissioned May 7, 2010.
USCGC Stratton (WMSL-752) - The third NSC is named for Captain Dorothy C. Stratton who was the director of the SPARS, the Coast Guard's Women's Reserve established during World War II. The cutter began construction on July 21, 2008 in Pascagoula, Miss. First Lady Michelle Obama was chosen as sponsor of the third NSC.
Fast Response Cutter
The Fast Response Cutter (FRC) was intended to replace the 110’ Island Class Cutters currently in service. It was removed from the IDS contract due to concerns over the feasibility of the ship design. The role will now be served by the Sentinel class cutter, which is based on an off-the-shelf design that has already proven itself. |
438_8 | Offshore Patrol Cutter
The Offshore Patrol Cutter is intended to replace the 210' and 270' cutters currently in service. It was also removed from the IDS contract, but developed and delivery continued. In February 2014, the USCG announced that Bollinger Shipyards, Eastern Shipbuilding and General Dynamics Bath Iron Works had been awarded design contracts for the OPC. |
438_9 | 123' Patrol Boat |
438_10 | The 123' patrol boats were intended to serve as a bridging strategy until replacements for the 110' Island Class cutters could be designed and procured. They were created by lengthening eight existing 110' cutters to accommodate additional mission capabilities. The converted 123's were deemed unsafe for use in the projected operating environment in 2007 and are currently awaiting disposition. The USCG asked the contractors in August 2007 for a refund because these former 110 foot cutters will now have to be scrapped resulting in a reduction of capability instead of improvement. In August 2011, the U.S. government sued contractor Bollinger Shipyards over the failed modifications, alleging that the company made false statements about the hull strength that would result from its extensions to the patrol boats. That lawsuit was settled in 2015 with Bollinger paying $7.5 million to the U.S. government, as opposed to a proposed $73 million penalty and a $96 million partial refund. |
438_11 | Medium Range Surveillance Aircraft
The Medium Range Surveillance Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MRS) HC-144 Ocean Sentry is a new twin-turbo-prop airplane selected by the Coast Guard to replace the HU-25 Falcon Guardian, which has been in service since 1982.
Also known as the CN-235, the MRS aircraft are built by EADS CASA in Seville, Spain and are being transported upon completion to Mobile, Ala. for C4ISR pallet installation by Lockheed Martin. The first MRS aircraft was delivered to the Coast Guard in December 2006. Currently there are three aircraft undergoing testing in Mobile and an additional five are in various stages of construction.
The MRS aircraft, or "Ocean Sentry", will be the eyes of the Coast Guard fleet. It features a belly-mounted radar and is equipped with improved detection capability. It will be used in search and rescue missions, international patrol missions, law enforcement, and for illegal drug interdictions.
Multi-Mission Cutter Helicopter |
438_12 | The Multi-Mission Cutter Helicopter (MCH) MH-65C is the upgraded model of the HH-65 Dolphin helicopter, which has been used by the Coast Guard since the 1980s. The new model (HH-65C model) features a more powerful engine, allowing the helicopter to fly faster, twice as far, and with twice the payload as their predecessor, the HH-65B model.
The reengining, which began in 2004, was originally scheduled to take place during the conversion to a multi-mission cutter helicopter, equipped with airborne use of force, but was accelerated under the Deepwater program following multiple in-flight loss of power events.
The upgrade program was completed in Fall 2007. |
438_13 | Small Unmanned Aerial Systems
The United States Coast Guard is currently in the acquisition phase of their sUAS program. The Boeing Insitu ScanEagle has been selected by the Coast Guard to fulfill the cutter based sUAS role. Currently they are in the process of initial operating testing of sUAS capability on National Security Cutters. A request is expected to be released by the Coast Guard in early fiscal year 2018 for sUAS capability for NSCs with a contract award for the retrofit of sUAS capability on the USCGC Stratton and one other NSC later in the fiscal year.
The USCGC Stratton had sUAS deployed on it throughout 2017 assisting with drug interdiction missions. In total the sUAS was used in 9 out of 11 drug seizures which seized over 50,550 pounds of cocaine worth approximately $679.3 million. |
438_14 | The Coast Guard expects to have sUAS capability across all of the National Security Cutter fleet along with the Offshore Patrol Cutter fleet. The cutter-based sUAS systems are excepted to be operated by AVDETs of 3 officers and 4 enlisted personnel once fully operational. Officers will serve as pilots, however it is unclear as to whether or not they will be trained as manned aircraft aviators or if a new officer qualification will be created for officers or if it will become a maritime-rating for cuttermen. Enlisted personnel are to serve in launch and recovery roles as provide needed maintenance to the sUAS.
Performance Based Logistics
All logistics support was intended to be provided through ICGS. With the exception of one year of support for C4 systems, this has been cancelled.
Controversy |
438_15 | RAND Report
In 2004, the RAND Corporation released a report that questioned the ability of the Deepwater program to handle both the traditional duties of the USCG and the additional missions it has undertaken under DHS and recommended doubling the number of cutters and increasing airpower by 50%.
Funding and management issues
Because of the scale of the building program exceeded anything done by the USCG before, Deepwater is unique in that the primary contractors were tasked with making design and procurement decisions on behalf of the Federal government. This did not achieve its intended result - assets that were designed to meet mission needs. |
438_16 | Because of performance problems, Deepwater has been the source of congressional budget battles over its funding. For fiscal year 2006, President George W. Bush requested funding of over $900 million, but the House of Representatives approved only $500 million. In September 2005, the full Congress did approve $900 million, just short of the President's original request.
In August 2006, the inspector general in the Homeland Security Department said that the department's oversight of the program was hampered by funding limitations and lack of experience with this type of program.
As of late 2006, the cost of the program had risen to $24 billion, from the original estimate of $17 billion in 2002. In 2007, the Coast Guard took over management of the program.
Lockheed whistleblower |
438_17 | Michael DeKort, a former lead systems engineer at Lockheed Martin for Deepwater, was dissatisfied and concerned with Lockheed Martin's conduct, in particular that of Lockheed executive Fred Moosally. After a series of failed attempts to draw needed attention to a growing problem within the project, DeKort made news headlines for taking a bold approach into corporate whistleblowing by utilizing YouTube. After over a year of investigations, some conducted by congress, the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General's office and various members of the press, it appears DeKort's allegations have all been proven to be accurate. Recently news stories have surfaced demonstrating his warning, that significant C4ISR problems will continue on all future ship assets, like the National Security Cutters, appears to be true. A Department of Justice investigation which began in the fall of 2007 is ongoing. In May 2008 the Coast Guard was asked to put aside its $96 million refund request from |
438_18 | ICGS so the DoJ and DHS IG could pursue the case themselves. In the summer of 2008 several reports on the Deepwater program—specifically the state of the 123 refund and the NSCs were submitted to congress by the GAO. Relative to the 123s the GAO compiled a list of costs the Coast Guard has incurred as a result of the eight lost patrol boats. These costs add up to well beyond the $96 million refund the Coast Guard requested. Their figures approached $150 million and did not include the residual value of the eight 123s or the $1.3 million for the eight rejected SRPs (Short Range Prosecutors). In another report the GAO acknowledged that the DoJ investigation now included an investigation into the NSC problems as well as the problems associated with 123s. |
438_19 | On May 29, 2009, the DHS IG released a report on the claims and amounts recovered. DeKort responded to this report with a list of additional issues the IG neglected and suggested that the same issues may occur with the NSC.
Citations
References cited
Renae Merle and Spencer S. Hsu, "Costly Fleet Update Falters: Contractors Oversee Coast Guard Project, Washington Post, December 8, 2006
Eric Lipton, "Billions Later, Plan to Remake the Coast Guard Fleet Stumbles", New York Times, December 9, 2006
"In Deepwater", The Economist, April 19, 2007
External links
GAO report on Deepwater Management Issues
House version of Deepwater Reform Act
Deepwater Oversight Hearings
United States Coast Guard
Lockheed Martin |
439_0 | Prototype 2 (stylized as [PROTOTYPE2]) is a 2012 open world action-adventure video game. Developed by Canadian studio Radical Entertainment and published by Activision, it is the sequel to 2009's Prototype. The game was announced at the 2010 Spike VGA Awards. Versions for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were released on July 14, 2015 alongside the first game as Prototype Biohazard Bundle. Separate versions of the games became available in August 2015.
The game features a new protagonist, James Heller, as he goes on a quest to destroy the Blacklight virus. The story is one of revenge, as Heller wants to kill Alex Mercer, protagonist of the original Prototype, after his family was killed in the outbreak of the Blacklight virus. While the game was a top seller for a period of time, its sales would eventually result in the downsizing of its developer. |
439_1 | Gameplay |
439_2 | James Heller can shapeshift and assume other people's identities and memories by consuming them. Taking people's identities and shapeshifting into them has become more tactical. Due to Blackwatch's actions in the Yellow Zone, if the player assumes the role of a soldier, people will react to him in a way that shows that they want nothing to do with him. To make sure that enemies do not overwhelm the player, Radical has created a dodging system and new, more realistic AI. Heller will be able to use weapons in the game, such as ripping the Gatling cannon off a tank and using it against enemies. Heller can also sneak up on unsuspecting human enemies, inject them with the Blacklight virus turning them into "BioBomb" to blow up spectacularly. Heller also has superhuman strength and agility, near-invulnerability to harm, near-flight leaping and gliding, infinite stamina, increased speed, and has a sonar sense. The sonar includes a new pulse ability that highlights the key features of an |
439_3 | environment to make it easier for the player to find someone, instead of looking in a large crowd for a person with an icon above their head. Radical has stated that the powers will be more meaningful, appearing as mutations and upgrades that let players decide how they want to play as Heller. |
439_4 | To give gamers more power in the game, the developers have added tendrils. Tendrils sprout from Heller's arm and can be used for a variety of purposes. Players can use tendrils to smash objects into other objects, such as a car into a tank, utilising the 'Black Hole' attack. Players will be able to dismember enemies, a force that will become more useful as the game progresses. There are many more ways to kill enemies, ranging from throwing a car at a group of Blackwatch soldiers, hacking off a mutant's head or using powers. Consuming has not changed since the original Prototype, with the exception of some enemies, which are consumed upon grabbing them (e.g. Supersoldiers, Brawlers). It has also been announced that Heller can now control a pack of Brawlers (similar to Prototypes Hunters) to attack anything he desires (note: this power is limited to main variant of Brawler). Heller will no longer find 'Events' throughout NYZ, instead starting side-missions by hacking into Blacknet. |
439_5 | Blackwatch's system that details military operations and the three areas of NYZ, Heller chooses from a small list of missions at each terminal. Blacknet will allow Heller to find operations that he can disrupt or take control of for his own purposes and find important people that will allow him to learn more about what he has become because of the Blacklight virus. It will also help him find out more about Alex Mercer and what his connections are to his family's deaths. The missions that are selectable can be sidequests or extensions to the main quest that tell Heller more about the Blacklight virus. |
439_6 | Plot
In 2009, one year after the events of the first game, U.S. Marine Sergeant James Heller, returning from a tour in Iraq, discovers his wife and daughter to be declared dead, causing him to rejoin the military in the fight for NYZ against the Blacklight virus. Heller is briefed on previous outbreaks in Idaho in the 60's and the events of the first game. He later finds that Alex Mercer (the protagonist in the first game) has now lost faith in humanity, and pursues him for vengeance. |
439_7 | In a confrontation with Mercer, Heller is infected with a strain that imbues him with similar superhuman abilities. After blacking out, Heller awakens in a Yellow Zone lab where Gentek scientist Dr. Anton Koenig and Blackwatch Col. Douglas Rooks are experimenting on him. After Heller escapes from the Gentek base, Mercer confronts him and claims Gentek and Blackwatch are responsible for recreating and cultivating the Blacklight virus, making them responsible for the deaths of Heller's family. Revealing his plans to take down Gentek and Blackwatch, Mercer offers a truce to Heller. Unsure of Mercer's intentions, Heller goes to his local pastor, Father Luis Guerra, for advice and help. |
439_8 | Using information supplied by Guerra, Heller hacks into Blacknet Terminals to find out about and sabotage their operations. Gradually consuming his way through Blackwatch, Heller eventually finds and confronts Koenig, who claims to be on his side and reveals Blackwatch's super-soldier program, codenamed "Orion". Heller prevents Project: Orion's progress by killing a super-soldier who was injected with his DNA. After consuming one of the head scientists, Heller discovers that Koenig was observing him in order to find his weaknesses. Enraged at Koenig's betrayal, Heller tracks him down, and discovers that he has powers similar to his and Mercer's, and is one of several "Evolved" agents planted in Gentek and Blackwatch by Mercer. After defeating and consuming Koenig, Mercer reveals to Heller that he intends to recruit him in an attempt to control NYZ. His doubts growing, Guerra then shows Heller a video tape of Mercer releasing the virus for the second time in Penn Station. |
439_9 | Enraged at Mercer's deception, Heller sets off to the Green Zone to hunt down Mercer's henchmen, including an Evolved agent in Gentek named Sabrina Galloway; upon confronting Galloway, however, Heller reluctantly teams up with her when she reveals she can help him take down Mercer. With Galloway's help, Heller finds that Mercer plans to infect the entire world through "Whitelight", a contaminated vaccine released by Gentek that accelerates the infection.
Frustrated with Heller sabotaging his plans, Mercer confronts him. The two fight, and Mercer easily overpowers Heller. However, Mercer is unable to consume Heller due to his 'annoyingly resistant DNA', solidifying Heller's status as a virus-human hybrid. Mercer flees, and Heller receives a call from Father Guerra, who informs him that a horde of infected have amassed outside his apartment. |
439_10 | Heller arrives at Guerra's apartment, finding him dead. Heller uses Guerra's phone to reach Athena, Guerra's contact, who is revealed to be Dana Mercer. Dana explains that Heller's daughter, Maya, is still alive, prompting Heller to head for the Red Zone to save her. After Heller prevents Blackwatch's second attempt to level Manhattan Island, Rooks takes Heller's daughter hostage in Gentek Headquarter and locks it with an unbreakable door. Heller consumes an Alpha Juggernaut and temporarily obtains the ability to control other Juggernauts. Using this new ability, he breaks the door. |
439_11 | Heller confronts Rooks, who reveals that he also has a daughter, and grants Heller free passage to leave NYZ. Before Heller can take Maya, Galloway arrives and kidnaps her, having joined forces with Mercer once more. Upon confronting Mercer, he reveals that he plans to solve international conflicts and world problems by infecting the entire human race, effectively creating a superorganism, with Maya's unique DNA acting as the catalyst. After Mercer absorbs Galloway and the remaining Evolved, the two fight once more. Heller defeats Mercer, and consumes him.
Subsequently, Heller wipes out the infected in NYZ along with most of the Blacklight Virus; using Mercer's absorbed memories, Heller locates and frees Maya and Dana from a vault. The story ends with the three overlooking New York, before Dana questions what to do next. |
439_12 | Radnet
Prior to the game's launch, Radical Entertainment announced Radnet for Prototype 2 users who would either pre-order the game or buy a new copy. Radnet offers the player weekly in game abilities, events, challenges and avatar items. Upon the launch of the game, first-run copies and pre-ordered copies of the game would include 55 pieces of additional add-on downloadable content (DLC) at no extra cost. Included in the pre-order/launch content was in-game events, additional and optional challenges, avatar items for the Xbox 360 and themes for the PlayStation 3 and behind the scenes videos. In order to make Radnet coherent to players, Activision announced that the events playable in Radnet would be outside of the game's main storyline. |
439_13 | The 55 pieces of DLC would be launched by Radical weekly from April 24 until June 7, with content available forever once unlocked. To earn the rewards given for an event or a challenge for a given week of DLC, players had to achieve at least a bronze medal in events and a minimal score threshold in challenges. To make Radnet more accessible, content will be available to all profiles on the console where Radnet was unlocked.
Comic
It was announced by Radical Entertainment that like the original Prototype, Prototype 2 would have a comic counterpart. The three part series takes place before the second video game, acting as a bridge between the two games. |
439_14 | Published by Dark Horse Comics, the first comic was called the Anchor. After eradicating the virus in Africa, Mexico and Russia, Alex travels around the world, wondering about if the virus has made him a human, humanity's killer or its savior. Alex slowly begins to decide that he is the earth's savior and will usher it into a new age of prosperity after he wipes out humanity. However, this changes when he falls for a woman. When the woman betrays him, he decides that he will wipe out humanity, and so he returns to New York City and makes it NYZ.
The second comic, dubbed the Survivors, focuses on a former police officer, Conrad, who joins up with Ami Levin, a religiously tolerant person and Marcie, an art student. The three run afoul of Lieutenant Riley; he would, however, agree to let Conrad see his wife, so long he agrees to work for Gentek. Unbeknownst to Conrad, his wife is dead, and he ended up in a project called Orion. |
439_15 | The third comic, entitled the Labyrinth introduced Heller and Mike Marcos.
Development
Development of the game started soon after the success of the first game and was in development for three years. The game was first shown at the Spike 2010 VGA Awards in December. The game was revealed to be the main focus of the April 2011 EGM Issue. It was displayed in EGM and EGMI in 2011 revealing many new details about the game's plot, characters and gameplay. The game's graphics have been completely updated with buildings being much more detailed and deformation of vehicles, mutants and humans being much more visual. The game was also partially written by Dan Jolley.
Prototype 2 used the Titanium 2.0 game engine. |
439_16 | Promotion |
439_17 | To promote the game, Radical Entertainment launched a Facebook app for the game. The app is called Blacknet, named after the game's mission system, and it allows fans to work together to "hack" the interface. Hacking it will allow the fans to uncover a series of videos, interviews and other behind the scenes content, all in the run up to the game's launch. Also via Facebook, Radical unveiled that they would announce something huge for Prototype 2 at ComicCon. This was the ability to let people play the game, they also released the first of three trailers detailing the story of Prototype 2. At ComicCon, Activision held a raffle in which the winner won either the jacket worn by James Heller, or Alex Mercer's jacket; and a custom skinned Xbox 360. At ComicCon, Activision employees were handing out Prototype 2 themed merchandise, including T-shirts, posters, giant foam Heller Blade Arms and more materials based on the game. Activision released for iOS an official game titled ProtoSlice, |
439_18 | available free to download. Activision has released a couple of trailers, Radical Entertainment's team also went to Paris to promote the game in February 2012, and had a video interview with JeuxVideo Live. |
439_19 | A popular commercial for the release of the game used the song "Hurt", as sung by Johnny Cash, in the background.
Reception
Pre-release
Out of all Activision's titles displayed at Comic Con, Prototype 2 was the most well received. Greg Miller of IGN awarded Prototype 2 as Activision's best game at Comic Con and did not mention anything negative in his preview for the game.
Release
Prototype 2 received "generally favorable reviews" on all platforms except the Xbox 360 version, which received "average" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. PlanetXbox360 called the game a "wonderful sequel that surpasses the original". At the time of his departure from the show, Community creator Dan Harmon considered Prototype 2 a great game. |
439_20 | GameZone gave the PlayStation 3 version a score of nine out of ten and said it was "everything you could expect from a sequel, really. While there are certain elements that once again hunker back to the old days of Ultimate Destruction, Radical Entertainment has stepped up with a piece of sheer rollicking, do-whatever-you-want entertainment." Edge gave the same console version eight out of ten and said, "There's a dazzling seamlessness to every aspect of Prototype 2. You feel it as you traverse the world, sprinting powerfully up buildings, bounding high into the air just as you reach the lip of the roof and then transitioning with a tap of the right trigger into a glide that will take you to the next rooftop." 411Mania gave the game a score of eight out of ten and called it "a decent game. It's less frustrating than the first, with more options for customization, better abilities and more stuff to do. It's hampered though by a garbage storyline and a serious lack of Barry Pepper. |
439_21 | It's worth a look if you liked the first game, or if you like super hero games at all." The Guardian gave the Xbox 360 version a similar score of four stars out of five and stated, "The very purity of purpose which makes the game such a fine arcade killbox also renders it unengaging on any level that isn't soggy and littered with stray organs. So while as a destruction simulator Prototype 2 scores very highly, there's a chance that, just like those toddlers in the dirt, you'll get bored after a short while and wander away." The Digital Fix gave the same console version a score of seven out of ten and said, "It's really not the AAA title it wants to be but that said it's also far from bargain bin fodder, landing somewhere just above the middle." The Escapist gave it a similar score of three-and-a-half stars out of five and called it "a decent action-adventure with fun combat, but gets a little too samey here and there." Digital Spy gave it three stars out of five and said that it |
439_22 | "excels as an open-world killing field, in which you can wrench anyone asunder in gory cascades of blood and guts. Underneath, it's a pretty standard action game featuring mundane missions that offer no real challenge, wrapped in a story that lacks substance and originality. But those players who can turn off their brain and just enjoy the ride will find Prototype 2s flavor of blood-soaked action a rather guilty pleasure." Metro UK similarly gave it a score of six out of ten and said, "In small doses Prototype 2 is a perfectly enjoyable game but in the end, because Heller and Mercer don't care about anyone else you never end up caring about them." |
439_23 | Sales
Although Prototype 2 was the top seller for April 2012, beating Kinect Star Wars and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, its sales were considerably down from the sales of games released in April 2011. Prototype 2 would continue its strong sales into the month of May, garnering more sales than the highly anticipated Dragon's Dogma, but failing to beat Max Payne 3 and fellow Activision Blizzard game Diablo III.
On June 28, 2012, Activision announced that despite the "substantial investment", the game "did not find a broad commercial audience", and as a result, developer Radical would encounter layoffs and the studio would be reduced to a supporting role towards other Activision projects.
References
External links |
439_24 | 2012 video games
Action-adventure games
Activision games
Fictional characters from New York City
Games for Windows certified games
Parkour video games
Open-world video games
PlayStation 3 games
PlayStation 4 games
Post-apocalyptic video games
Radical Entertainment games
Science fiction video games
Video games about shapeshifting
Stealth video games
Superhero video games
Bioterrorism in fiction
Video game sequels
Video games about revenge
Video games developed in Canada
Video games featuring black protagonists
Video games set in New York City
Video games set in 2009
Windows games
Xbox 360 games
Xbox One games
Biopunk |
440_0 | Ranjit Barot (born 1959) is an Indian film score composer, music director, music arranger, drummer and singer based in Mumbai, India. He is a longtime associate of A. R. Rahman.
He has been described by guitar legend John McLaughlin as "one of the leading edges in drumming", and is now part of John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension.
Early life and background
Born into a family steeped in Indian classical music and dance, melody and rhythm has always been an integral part of Ranjit's life. His mother was the renowned Kathak dancer, Sitara Devi. |
440_1 | His response to the western drum kit, even at the age of 12, was almost organic and his natural flair, ease and craft catapulted him onto becoming one of India's leading artists on the instrument at the age of 17. In 1980 he performed at the Jazz Yatra in Europe with the Jazz Yatra Sextet (with Louis Banks), besides performing with Pandit Ravi Shankar's ensemble on the same tour. This phase saw journeys to Europe and the West with leading Indian jazz/pop and classical musicians. Between 1980 and 1982, Ranjit performed at European festivals which also featured jazz greats such as Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Al Foster, Billy Higgins, Cecil Taylor and Louie Bellson, among others.
Career
Ranjit draws from his ancestry from the North of Indian (Uttar Pradesh) and from the West of India (Gujarat). His father is Gujarati and his mother is from Varanasi. |
440_2 | Ranjit has also had a long career in composition and music production, working out of his own state-of-the-art studio facility in Mumbai. It is in this connection that he had the honour of working with the sound and music production industry legend, the amazing Bruce Swedien, who mixed Ranjit's songs on Vande Mataram 2 and Senso Unico, an Indo-Italian feature film. Bruce has had a great influence on Ranjit's musical life and approach to a lot of his contemporary work.
Combined with his strong roots in the Indian classical tradition, his world view of music gave him a unique perspective on the Indian Film genre.
His journey in this prolific industry started in the 80s and he has been a featured drummer and arranger for Industry giants such as R.D. Burman, Laxmikant – Pyarelal, Kalyanji – Anandji, continuing through the eras of Anu Malik and Ismail Darbar, and to the present, as one of the most sought after arranger/ producers. |
440_3 | His work in this field has also earned him much acclaim and recognition as a Music Composer and Arranger for Album Projects and Feature Films.
Ranjit has been an integral part of some of A.R. Rahman's greatest work through the years and continues to bring his unique personality to this genre of music.
He has had the distinct honour of performing often with Maestro Zakir Hussain, including a Masters of Percussion Tour of the US and Canada. Ranjit's versatility as a drummer/ musician has led to unique collaborations with varied artists such as Carnatic mandolin legend, U. Srinivas, Carnatic violin maestro L. Subramaniam, Hindustani slide guitar master exponent, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, sarangi.
At the Jazz Yatra '80, he performed with the Jazz Yatra Sextet, and also performed with the great Pandit Ravi Shankar's ensemble, Jazzmine, featuring John Handy, George Adams and Mike Richmond of the Mingus Dynasty. |
440_4 | On the Jazz Sextet's first European tour, Ranjit met Don Cherry. There was an instant connection, primarily because of Don's free spirited approach to life, one in which everyone was welcome, as part of his 'family'. He immediately took a liking to Ranjit and invited him to jam at a jazz club in Warsaw. This connection eventually led to a performance at the 1982 Jazz Yatra in Bombay.
His approach to drumming and the use of vocabulary has been influenced by great rhythm masters such as tabla legends Ustad Allarakha and Ustad Zakir Hussain, Billy Cobham, Tony Williams, Elvin Jones, Steve Gadd, Omar Hakim, Al Foster, Peter Erskin and the Carnatic giants such as Palghat Raghu and Karaikudi Mani (mridangam), Palnivel (tavill), Hari Shankar (Khanjira), and his friend and teacher, Sridhar Parthsarthy (mridangam, hand percussion). |
440_5 | His collaborations with musicians abroad have included unique performances with renowned artists such as John McLaughlin, Jonas Helborg, Ayden Esen, and Tim Garland.
He has been always inspired by the path-breaking work of guitar legend, John McLaughlin and was recently featured as the drummer in his Grammy nominated album 'Floating Point'. |
440_6 | Ranjit has released his highly acclaimed debut album, titled 'Bada Boom', worldwide in November 2010, featuring some of the greatest musicians on the scene today, from India and the West. This album is a collection of Ranjit's Jazz Fusion and World compositions with performances by Ustad Zakir Hussain, John McLaughlin, U. Srinivas, U. Rajesh, Scott Kinsey, Matt Garrison, Wayne Krantz, Dominique Di Piazza, Harmeet Manseta, Taufique Qureshi, Sanjay Divecha, Tim Garland, Gwilym Symcock, Ayden Esen and Elie Afif, to name a few. Ranjit has recently been the Music Composer and Sound Designer for the entire Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010, and is representing India with his Live Performance at the "India Inclusive' showcase at WEF, Davos 2011.
He leads the band of AR Rahman Live
Filmography |
440_7 | As background music composer
Shaitan (10 June 2011) (Released)
Thanks Maa (5 March 2010) (Released)
Yeh Mera India (28 August 2009) (Released)
Toss (28 August 2009) (Released)
Sankat City (10 July 2009) (Released)
Mere Baap Pehle Aap (13 June 2008) (Released)
Tashan (25 April 2008) (Released)
Bhool Bhulaiyaa (12 October 2007) (Released)
Black & White (7 March 2008) (Released)
Cash (3 August 2007) (Released)
Aryan: Unbreakable (15 December 2006) (Released)
Tathastu (12 May 2006) (Released)
Dus (8 July 2005) (Released)
Main Hoon Na (30 April 2004) (Released)
Rishtey (6 December 2002) (Released)
Hathyar (18 October 2002) (Released)
Aks (13 July 2001) (Released)
Fiza (8 September 2000) (Released)
Tera Jadoo Chal Gayaa (2000) (Released)
As a lyricist
Brides Wanted (2010) |
440_8 | As music director
Muskurake Dekh Zara (23 April 2010) (Released)
Brides Wanted (2010) (Stuck/On Hold)
Acid Factory (9 October 2009) (Released)
Sankat City(10 July 2009) (Released)
Chhodon Naa Yaar(5 October 2007) (Released)
Urchagam – Tamil (2 September 2007) (Released)
Kanna - Tamil (2007) (Released)
Holiday (10 February 2006) (Released)
Chupke Se (12 September 2003) (Released)
Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost (22 August 2003) (Released)
Qayamat: City Under Threat(11 July 2003) (Released)
Fiza (8 September 2000) (Released)
V.I.P – Tamil (13 June 1997) (Released)
Oh Darling Yeh Hai India (11 August 1995) (Released)
Raakh(1989) (Released) (external links)
One Heart: The A. R. Rahman concert film
As sound designer
Tera Jadoo Chal Gayaa (2000) (Released) |
440_9 | As a playback singer
Muskurake Dekh Zara (23 April 2010) (Released)
Brides Wanted (2010) (Stuck/On Hold)
Acid Factory (9 October 2009) (Released)
Sankat City (10 July 2009) (Released)
Ru Ba Ru (12 September 2008) (Released)
V.I.P (Tamil) (1997) (Released)
Aryan – Unbreakable (15 December 2006) (Released)
Baabul (8 December 2006) (Released)
Pyare Mohan (21 April 2006) (Released)
Holiday (10 February 2006) (Released)
Dus (8 July 2005) (Released)
Main Hoon Na (30 April 2004) (Released)
Chupke Se (12 September 2003) (Released)
Shaitan(2011)(Released)
Oh Darling Yeh Hai India (11 August 1995) (Released) (external links)
As an Actor
99 Songs (2019); shot in Telugu, Hindi and Tamil
References
Gomolo
External links |
440_10 | Living people
Indian male musicians
Indian film score composers
Bollywood playback singers
Indian male playback singers
Musicians from Mumbai
Indian music arrangers
Indian pop composers
Indian drummers
Jazz drummers
Gujarati people
1950 births
Indian male film score composers
Male jazz musicians
Art Metal (band) members
Male actors in Hindi cinema
Male actors in Telugu cinema |
441_0 | Dutch Art (foaled 18 March 2004) is a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was rated the best British two-year-old of 2006, when he was unbeaten in four races including the Norfolk Stakes, Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes. In the following year he failed to win but finished second in the July Cup and Prix Maurice de Gheest and third in the 2000 Guineas. Since retiring to stud in 2008 he has had considerable success as a breeding stallion. |
441_1 | Background
Dutch Art is a chestnut horse standing 15.3 hands high with a white blaze and a long white sock on his left hind foot bred in the United Kingdom by Cromlech Bloodstock. His sire Medicean was an outstanding miler whose wins included the Lockinge Stakes, Queen Anne Stakes and Eclipse Stakes. His other offspring have included Nannina, Siyouma (Sun Chariot Stakes, E. P. Taylor Stakes), Al Shemali (Dubai Duty Free Stakes), Capponi (Al Maktoum Challenge, Round 3) and Mr Medici (Champions & Chater Cup). Dutch Art's dam Halland Park Lass showed no ability as a racehorse, finishing last in all three of her races, but became a successful broodmare who also produced the Blandford Stakes winner Up. She was a female-line descendant of the Irish Oaks winner Silken Glider. |
441_2 | As a foal in November 2004 Dutch Art was offered for sale at Tattersalls and was bought for 14,500 guineas by the Curragh Bloodstock Agency. In the following September he returned to the auction ring at Doncaster and was sold for 16,000 guineas to Blandford Bloodstock. He entered the ownership of Matthew Green and was sent into training with Peter Chapple-Hyam (recently returned from a spell in Hong Kong) at his St Gatien stables in Newmarket.
Racing career |
441_3 | 2006: two-year-old season
Dutch Art made his first racecourse appearance in a minor race over five furlongs at Windsor Racecourse on 5 June. ridden by Alan Munro he started the 11/4 second favourite and won by one and three quarter lengths from the filly Simply Perfect. The colt was then acquired by Paul and Susan Roy and was stepped up in class for the Group Three Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot on 22 June and started second favourite in an eleven-runner field. He was retrained by Munro in the early stages before taking the lead a furlong out and winning by one and three quarter lengths from the favoured Hoh Mike. |
441_4 | After a two-month break Dutch Art was sent to France for the Prix Morny on very soft ground at Deauville Racecourse in which he was ridden by Christophe Soumillon. His six opponents included Sandwaki (winner of the Prix du Bois), Excellent Art and Boccasini (Prix Robert Papin). He tracked Sandwaki before taking the lead 300 metres from the finish and won by a length and a head from Magic America and Excellent Art. Frankie Dettori took over the ride when the colt started the 6/5 favourite for the Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse on 29 September. His five opponents were Brave Tin Soldier (Blenheim Stakes), Conquest (Gimcrack Stakes), Hellvelyn (Coventry Stakes), Wi Dud (Flying Childers Stakes) and Captain Marvelous. After racing alongside Brave Tin Soldier he went to the front two furlongs from the finish and won by two lengths from Wi Dud, with Captain Marvelous a length and a quarter back in third place. After the race Chapple=Hyam compared the horse not unfavourably to his |
441_5 | 2000 Guineas winner Rodrigo de Triano before explaining "I only bought him because I was short of two-year-olds last year and thought I should have a few early types this year. He gets better and better." |
441_6 | Dutch Art was rated the best British-trained juvenile of 2006 and spent the winter of 2006/7 Dutch Art as second favourite in the ante-post betting for the 2000 Guineas, behind the unbeaten Irish colt Teofilo. |
441_7 | 2007: three-year-old season |
441_8 | In 2007 Dutch Art was ridden in all but one of his races by Jimmy Fortune. Before the start of the season a major share in the horse had been bought by the Cheveley Park Stud. On his three-year-old debut he started the odds-on favourite for the Greenham Stakes (a major trial race for the 2000 Guineas) over seven furlongs at Newbury Racecourse on 21 April but lost his unbeaten record as he was defeated by the Richard Hannon Sr.-trained Major Cadeaux. In the 2000 Guineas two weeks later he started at odds of 14/1 in a field of twenty-four runners. The field split into two groups across the wide course and although Dutch Art got the better of Duke of Marmalade to finish first in the group racing on the far side (the right-hand side from the jockeys' viewpoint) he was beaten into third behind Cockney Rebel and Vital Equine who raced up the stands side. In the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot he defeated Cockney Rebel but finished only fourth behind Excellent Art, Duke of Marmalade |
441_9 | and Astronomer Royal. |
441_10 | Dutch Art returned to sprint distances for his three remaining races starting with the July Cup in which he was matched against older horses for the first time. After being blocked in his run at half way he finished strongly to take second, half a length behind Sakhee's Secret with Red Clubs and Marchand d'Or in third and fourth. In August he raced for the second time at Deauville and started favourite for the Prix Maurice de Gheest. He took the lead 200 metres from the finish but was overtaken in the closing stages and beaten a length by Marchand d'Or. On his final appearance he made little impact in the Prix de la Forêt at Longchamp Racecourse in October, finishing sixth behind the German-trained outsider Toylsome. |
441_11 | Stud record
At the end of his racing career Dutch Art was retired to become a breeding stallion at the Cheveley Park Stud in Newmarket. His progeny to date have included Slade Power, Mabs Cross, Starman, Garswood (Prix Maurice de Gheest), Caspar Netscher (Nearctic Stakes), Dutch Connection (Jersey Stakes), Baccarat (Wokingham Handicap) and Producer (Topkapi Trophy). By 2016 his stud fee had risen to £40,000.
Pedigree
References
2004 racehorse births
Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom
Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom
Thoroughbred family 5-h |
442_0 | The Federal government of Nigeria is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, executive, and judicial, whose powers are vested by the constitution of Nigeria in the national assembly, the president, and the federal courts, including the supreme court, respectively. The constitution provides a separation and balance of powers among the three branches and aims to prevent the repetition of past mistakes made by the government. |
442_1 | Nigeria is a federal republic, with executive power exercised by the president. The president is the head of state, the head of government, and the head of a multi-party system. Nigerian politics takes place within a framework of a federal, presidential, representative democratic republic, in which executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is held by the federal government and the two chambers of the legislature: the house of representatives and the senate. Together, the two chambers make up the law-making body in Nigeria, called the national assembly, which serves as a check on the executive arm of government. The Economist Intelligence Unit rated Nigeria a "hybrid regime" in 2019. The federal government, state, and local governments of Nigeria aim to work cooperatively to govern the nation and its people. Nigeria became a member of the British Commonwealth upon its independence from British colonial rule on October 1, 1960.
Legal system |
442_2 | The law of Nigeria is based on the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary, and British common law (due to the long history of British colonial influence). The common law in the legal system is similar to common-law systems used in England and Wales and other Commonwealth countries. The constitutional framework for the legal system is provided by the Constitution of Nigeria.
English law, which is derived from its colonial past with Britain;
Common law, case law development since colonial independence;
Customary law, which is derived from indigenous traditional norms and practices;
Sharia law, law used in some states in the northern region.
There is a judicial branch, with the Supreme Court regarded as the highest court of the Nation.
Legislation as a source of Nigerian law
The two fundamental sources of Nigerian law through legislation are
(1) Acts of British parliament, popularly referred to as statutes of general application during the period before independence. |
442_3 | (2) Local legislation (comprising enactments of the Nigerian legislatures from colonial period to date). There were other sources which though subsumed in Nigerian legislations were distinctly imported into the Nigerian legal systems. They are called the criminal and penal codes of Nigeria.
Nigerian statutes as sources of Nigerian law
Nigerian legislation may be classified as follows. The colonial era until 1960 , post independence legislation 1960-1966 , the military era 1966-1999. |
442_4 | Post-independence legislation 1960-1966
The grant of independence to Nigeria was a milestone in the political history of the country. This period witnessed the consolidation of political gains made during the colonial era. Politicians genuinely focused their lapses in the polity. It achieved for herself a republican status by shaking off the last vestiges of colonial authority. However, despite the violent violation of its provisions, the constitution remained the subsequent administrations (military or otherwise).
Military regime, 1966-1999
The breakdown of law and order which occurred in the period under review would not be attributed to any defect in the Nigerian legal system. Corrupt practices both in the body politic and all aspects of Nigerian life eroded efficiency and progress. There were 8 coups generally five were successful and 3 were unsuccessful.
Executive Branch |
442_5 | The president is elected through universal suffrage. He or she is both the chief of state and head of government, heading the Federal Executive Council, or cabinet. The president is elected to see that the Nigerian Constitution is enacted and that the legislation is applied to the people. The elected president is also in charge of the nation's armed forces and can serve no more than two four-year elected terms. The current President of Nigeria is Muhammadu Buhari, who was elected in 2015 and the current Vice President is Yemi Oshinbajo. |
442_6 | The executive branch is divided into Federal Ministries, each headed by a minister appointed by the president. The president must include at least one member from each of the 36 states in his cabinet. The President's appointments are confirmed by the Senate of Nigeria. In some cases, a federal minister is responsible for more than one ministry (for example, Environment and Housing may be combined), or a minister may be assisted by one or more ministers of State.
Each ministry also has a Permanent Secretary, who is a senior civil servant.
The ministries are responsible for various parastatals (government-owned corporations), such as universities, the National Broadcasting Commission, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. However, some parastatals are the responsibility of the Office of the Presidency, such as the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Federal Civil Service Commission.
Legislative branch |
442_7 | The National Assembly of Nigeria has two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives is presided over by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. It has 360 members, who are elected for four-year terms in single-seat constituencies. The Senate, which has 109 members, is presided over by the President of the Senate. 108 members are elected for four-year terms in 36 three-seat constituencies, which correspond to the country's 36 states. One member is selected in the single-seat constituency of the federal capital.
The legislators are elected to either the House of Representatives or the Senate to be representatives of their constituencies and to pass legislation to benefit the public. The legislative process consists of bills being drafted and presented in either of the two chambers. These bills can only become national law once they are approved by the president of Nigeria who can veto bills. |
442_8 | The President of the Senate is currently Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan, who was elected to the senate in 2007, and the Speaker of the House is Femi Gbajabiamila, who has been Nigeria's 9th Speaker of the House of Representatives since 2019. Each member of the National Assembly of Nigeria can only be elected to two four-year terms. Recently, the Legislative branch has been misusing its position as a check on the power of the president and his cabinet. Legislators have been known to utilize their power for not only law-making, but as a means of political intimidation and a tool to promote individual monetary success.
Senators are paid a salary equivalent to over $2,200 USD a month, supplemented by expenses of $37,500 USD a month (2018 figures). |
442_9 | Judicial branch
The judicial branch consists of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, the Court of Appeals, the High Courts, and other trial courts such as the Magistrates', Customary, Sharia and other specialised courts. The National Judicial Council serves as an independent executive body, insulating the judiciary from the executive arm of government. The Supreme Court is presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria and thirteen associate justices, who are appointed by the President of Nigeria on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council. These justices are subject to confirmation by the Senate. |
442_10 | The judicial branch of the Nigerian government is the only one of the three branches of government in which its members are not elected but are appointed. The judiciary, and the Supreme Court in particular, are intended to uphold the principles and laws of the nation's constitution that was written in 1999. Its goal is to protect the basic rights of the citizens. The current Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad. |
442_11 | Democracy in Nigeria
Nigeria democratized in 1999 with the start of the Fourth Republic, but has suffered some setbacks to becoming fully democratic. Elites in Nigeria have been found to have more power and influence than average citizens, and as a consequence of this, there has been a great deal of corruption in Nigerian politics and general life. A good sign of democracy in Nigeria is the fact that elections are becoming less fraudulent and there is more party competition. Another indicator of a strong democracy is the presence of a civil society in which citizens have the right to act and speak freely in concert with a strong use of media for everyday life. Furthermore, Nigeria has seen a heightened use of media within the realm of political issues, particularly with the recent [Special Anti-Robbery Squad] SARS protest, indicating a sense of freedom for the public to voice their opinions to the government and the world. |
442_12 | Level of freedom |
442_13 | According to the 2020 World Press Freedom Index, Nigeria is the 115th most free nation in the world. It has been noted as a nation with perpetuating violence against freedom of speech and press. Nigeria has been found to be a vulnerable nation, both at risk of modern slavery and corruption. The nation is vulnerable due to the effects of inner conflict and governance issues. Freedom House has rated Nigeria as a "partly free" nation. In the last presidential election, the process was tainted by violence, intimidation and vote buying, which have been prevalent in many of the recent elections within Nigeria. Similarly, in the most recent legislative elections, citizens claimed the process was also characterized by intimidation and other inconsistencies. The electoral process and related laws are thought to be enacted in a mostly fair fashion, but there have been instances of intentionally complicating voting and effecting turnout. The people of Nigeria feel as though there is more |
442_14 | freedom in their right to have different political parties to represent their opinions. This is exemplified by the vast number of legitimate parties seen in elections. Similarly, Nigerian opposition parties have a legitimate chance to participate in politics and win official positions. In regards to freedom of political expression, Freedom House indicates that opinions and institutions are often heavily influenced by non-governmental, external entities or individuals. In Nigeria, all ethnic groups and religious backgrounds have an equal opportunity to participate in politics, however, there is a lack of women elected into the government, and same-sex relationships were criminalized in 2014. The Nigerian Federal Government's officials like the president and legislators are elected to enact policy and laws, and are usually allowed to do so without interruption, but in recent years, their ability to legislate has been marred by corruption and instability. Corruption has been a major |
442_15 | problem for the Nigerian government since its independence from colonial rule. In particular, the oil sector has allowed a great deal of corruption to take place. The government has tried to enact measures to combat corruption that infringes upon the functioning of the state, but have only been quasi-successful. The government has also been rated as lacking in transparency, often not allowing records to be available to the public that should be readily available. Journalism and the media in Nigeria are somewhat free, they are allowed to function independently from the government, but oftentimes those who criticize public figures or offices are arrested or censored. A mafia-like organisation, Black Axe, is involved in international corruption using especially on-line fraud, as reported in BBC article. Religious freedom is allowed in Nigeria, however, the government and even non-governmental organizations have been known to violently responds to groups that openly dissent to the |
442_16 | federal government. Religion is a contentious topic in Nigeria because of heated, ongoing conflicts between Christians and Muslims within the state. Freedom House rated the Nigerian federal government well in the category of allowing academic freedom, and the public's ability to express their views even if they disagree without the government without fearing a negative reaction from the government. The Nigerian government was rated moderately on people's ability to assemble, ability to work with human rights, and the existence of unions. The judiciary was rated as moderately free from the government, and lacking in due process in trials and equal treatment of all members of society. People in Nigeria do not have great freedom of movement, and are often subjected to curfews set by the federal government in areas that are at a risk of violence or instability. There is a lack of protection for women in regards to rights to abortion, rape, and domestic abuse under the Nigerian federal |
442_17 | government. Lastly, there is a pervasive human-trafficking problem in Nigeria and frequent exploitation of citizens that the federal government has done a poor job to prevent. |
442_18 | Political parties
There are 18 recognized political parties in Nigeria. There are a great number of parties as a direct result of corruption and chaos that has ensued in Nigeria surrounding the federal government and elections for years. The vast number of parties has proved to be difficult to monitor. The two major parties are the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress, both of which have held the presidency and seats in the National Assembly for extended periods of time. As opposed to parties in other nations that represent a slew of political opinions that the public can align themselves with, parties in Nigeria act more so as a means through which prominent figures can gain power and influence, and there are so many because they often switch parties in order to find the one to give them the best chance of achieving authority. |
442_19 | Political parties have been an important aspect of Nigerian government both before and after independence was achieved from the British in 1960. Parties allow for political competition to take place, for the citizenry to find people who represent their ideas and interests in government, and for the introduction of new leaders and perspectives into Nigerian life. Many Nigerians do not understand the political party system because there are so many options and their platforms are unclear to the public. This remains an issue in Nigeria because it marginalizes those who are uneducated or uninvolved in government. Also, there seems to be a tendency for people in Nigeria to support parties based on ethnic of religious divisions, particularly along the Muslim-Christian line of division. |
442_20 | The 18 political parties are: Accord, Action Alliance, Action Democratic Party, Action Peoples Party, African Action Congress, African Democratic Congress, All Progressives Congress, All Progressives Grand Alliance, Allied Peoples Movement, Boot Party, Labour Party, National Rescue Movement, New Nigeria Peoples Party, Peoples Democratic Party, Peoples Redemption Party, Social Democratic Party, Young Progressive Party, Zenith Labour Party.
Electoral system and recent elections
The president and members of the National Assembly of Nigeria are elected by members of the population who are at least 18 years old. The National Electoral Commission is responsible for monitoring elections and ensuring that the results are correct and not fraudulent. The winner of a position is elected through the first-past-the-post system that is used in Great Britain. |
442_21 | Nigeria has faced numerous bouts with fraudulent elections, particularly noteworthy is the general election that took place in 2007. This election was reportedly marred by ballot-rigging, underage voting, violence, intimidation, and an overall absence of clarity and accuracy from the National Electoral Commission.
Presidential elections of Nigeria, 2015
House of Representatives
Senate
Presidential election of Nigeria, 2019
Christian-Muslim relations |
442_22 | Islamic Law has found its way into the heart of many Nigerian state governments, particularly in the northern sect of the country. There is a deep rift between Christians and Muslim in Nigeria, and therefore the government has taken on a hybrid of English Common Law and Islamic Law when dealing with legal issues in order to appease the diverse national population. Nigeria has the largest population of Christians and Muslims cohabitating in the world. These two religions were introduced in Nigeria largely during the colonial period, and since then, many Africans have merged their own traditional religions with these two institutionalized ones. |
442_23 | Religious tensions between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria has often been used by politicians and other powerful people in order to incite violence and create fear and chaos among Nigerians. This has led to many citizens questioning why Nigeria remains one federal state, and that it should possibly split along the Christian-Muslim divide. The Northern section of the country is largely Islamic, with 12 states that live under Sharia Law, while the Southern area is mostly Christian. There have been multiple attempts by Nigerian Muslims to add Sharia concepts to the Constitution which has alarmed the Christian population within the nation. Many Christians have deemed the rise in Islam in Nigeria to be dangerous and that it could possibly lead to increased terrorism and instability. This conflict is threatening the stability of Nigeria's democracy, internal structure, and civil society, and many political scientists and Nigerian leaders hope the two religions can engage in a peaceful |
442_24 | dialogue that hopefully pacifies both sides. |
442_25 | Terrorism in Nigeria |
442_26 | The greatest terrorist threat in Nigeria is from the organization Boko Haram, and became a prevalent issue in the summer of 2009. Boko Haram is a radical jihadist Islamist terrorist group from the northern sect of Nigeria. This organization has launched terror attacks that have largely targeted the Nigerian federal government, non-Muslim religious organizations, and average citizens. The rise and growing effects of Boko Haram have been attributed to the instability and fragility of the Nigerian state. They are upset by the government corruption and policy failures of Nigeria, and in particular, the poverty and lack of development of the north of Nigeria which is predominantly Muslim. The impact of Boko Haram on Nigeria has been devastating, over 37,000 individuals have died due to their terrorist attacks since 2011, and over 200,000 Nigerians have been displaced. Boko Haram was responsible for the kidnapping of hundreds of school girls in 2014, triggering the #BringBackOurGirls |
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