chunk_id
stringlengths 3
8
| chunk
stringlengths 1
1k
|
|---|---|
447_14 | Playoffs
1992–93 - Defeated Guelph Storm 4 games to 1 in first round. Defeated London Knights 4 games to 1 in quarter-finals. Lost to S.S.Marie Greyhounds 4 games to 1 in semi-finals.
1993–94 - Earned first round bye. 1st place in Emms division. Defeated Owen Sound Platers 4 games to 0 in division semi-finals. Defeated S.S.Marie Greyhounds 4 games to 2 in semi-finals. Lost to North Bay Centennials in finals.
1994–95 - Defeated London Knights 4 games to 0 in division quarter-finals. Defeated Peterborough Petes 4 games to 0 in quarter-finals. Defeated Sudbury Wolves 4 games to 3 in semi-finals. Defeated Guelph Storm 4 games to 2 in finals. OHL CHAMPIONS Finished Memorial Cup round-robin in second place (2 wins, 1 loss). Defeated Brandon Wheat Kings 2-1 in semi-final game. Lost to Kamloops Blazers 8-2 in Memorial Cup championship game. |
447_15 | Arena
The Junior Red Wings played at Joe Louis Arena concurrently with the NHL Detroit Wings. The Junior Red Wings set OHL attendance records for three consecutive years. The Junior Wings set a Canadian Hockey League attendance record at the time, on February 5, 1995, when 19,875 fans packed Joe Louis Arena to see a 5-5 tie with the local rival Windsor Spitfires.
Joe Louis Arena The OHL Arena & Travel Guide
Defunct Ontario Hockey League teams
Ice hockey clubs established in 1992
1992 establishments in Michigan
1995 disestablishments in Michigan
Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1995
Ice hockey teams in Michigan
Defunct sports teams in Michigan
Sports in Detroit |
448_0 | The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major League Baseball (MLB). It was proposed to the IBAF by Major League Baseball (MLB), the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), and other professional baseball leagues and their players associations around the world. It is one of the two main senior baseball tournaments sanctioned by the WBSC, but the only one which grants to the winner the title of "World Champion". |
448_1 | It previously coexisted with Olympic baseball (until 2008) and the Baseball World Cup (until 2011) as IBAF-sanctioned tournaments. The final men's Baseball World Cup was held in 2011, and was discontinued in 2013, after an MLB suggestion to reorganize the international baseball calendar, WBSC accepted the suggestion after an executive meeting, giving the "World Champion" title for the WBC winner, on the condition that the Classic should have direct qualifications and follow international anti-doping rules.
The tournament is the first of its kind to have the national teams of IBAF's member federations feature professional players from the major leagues around the world, including Major League Baseball. In addition to providing a format for the best baseball players in the world to compete against one another while representing their home countries, the World Baseball Classic was created in order to further promote the game around the globe. |
448_2 | After a three-year gap between the first two installments of the tournament, plans were made for the World Baseball Classic to be repeated every four years following the 2009 event. The third installment of the Classic was held in 2013, and the fourth was held in 2017. The fifth was scheduled for 2021, but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
History
Modeled after the FIFA World Cup and organized in large part as a response to the International Olympic Committee's decision to remove baseball as an Olympic sport in 2005, the WBC has grown into a major sporting event worldwide. In fact, the final series in 2006 and 2009 rank among the highest-rated sporting events in Japanese television history. |
448_3 | The 16-team field for the inaugural 2006 tournament was pre-selected, featuring the countries judged to be the "best baseball-playing nations" in the world; no qualifying competition was held. The tournament format featured round-robin group play in the first and second rounds, followed by single-elimination semifinals and finals. The first game in WBC history saw South Korea defeat Chinese Taipei 2-0 before a crowd of 5,193 at the Tokyo Dome on March 3, 2006. South Korea went on to advance to the semifinals with a 6–0 record but lost to Japan (a team South Korea had beaten twice in the earlier rounds) for a berth in the final game. Meanwhile, Cuba defeated the Dominican Republic in the other semifinal. Japan then defeated Cuba 10–6 to be crowned the first champion of the World Baseball Classic. |
448_4 | The 2009 tournament featured the same 16 teams as 2006, but the controversial round-robin format from 2006 was replaced by a modified double-elimination format for the first two rounds (the semifinals and final game remained single-elimination). The eight teams advancing from the first round were the same as in 2006, except for a "Cinderella" performance by the Netherlands, which twice defeated the Dominican Republic to reach the second round. In the semifinals, South Korea defeated Venezuela while Japan defeated the United States. Japan then emerged victorious for the second straight Classic, winning the final game over South Korea 5–3 in 10 innings. |
448_5 | The buildup to the 2013 tournament included a qualifying round for the first time, with the four lowest finishers from 2009 having to re-qualify against 12 additional teams. This resulted in two new nations making their first appearances in the WBC, as Brazil and Spain respectively replaced Panama and South Africa. The round-robin format was revived for the tournament's first-round, while the second-round remained double-elimination. Italy was the biggest surprise in the early stages of the tournament, making it to the second round with wins over Canada and Mexico. The tournament ended in an all-Caribbean championship game, with the Dominican Republic defeating Puerto Rico, which had upset two-time champion Japan in the semifinals. The Dominican Republic also became the first (and to date, only) team to go undefeated (8–0) through the tournament. |
448_6 | The 2017 tournament returned to the format used in 2006, where both the first and second rounds were round-robin, though with the addition of tiebreaker games if needed. Colombia and Israel qualified for the first time, with Israel, using a roster mostly of Jewish American players, able to reach the second round in its WBC debut. Defending champion Dominican Republic extended its WBC winning streak to 11 games, dating to the 2013 tournament, before also being eliminated in the second round. The United States won its first WBC championship, defeating Japan and Puerto Rico in the semifinals and finals, respectively. Puerto Rico had been undefeated in the tournament before losing in the final. |
448_7 | In January 2020, MLB announced the 2021 WBC would expand the field to 20 teams. The additional four participants will be determined through qualifying tournaments, which were originally planned to take place in March 2020. However, on March 12, 2020, Major League Baseball announced that the 2021 edition would be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Qualification
The first two iterations of the Classic featured the same 16 teams, chosen by invitation. A qualifying round was added leading into the 2013 tournament and takes place in the year before the WBC proper. The addition of qualifying has so far allowed four nations (Brazil, Colombia, Israel, and Spain) from outside the original 16 to compete in the WBC. |
448_8 | The qualification setup for the 2013 and 2017 WBCs included the top 12 finishing teams from the previous WBC being automatically entered in the following edition, while the four lowest finishers (the teams that finished in last place in their first-round pools) were relegated to the qualifying round. Qualifying consisted of four four-team modified double-elimination tournaments, with the winners earning the last four slots in the main tournament.
With the 2021 WBC expanding to 20 teams, the qualifying format changed as well. All 16 participants from 2017 received automatic bids. The qualifying round consists of a pair of six-team double-elimination tournaments, from which the winners and runners-up go on to play in the 2021 WBC.
Results |
448_9 | Teams reaching the top four
After the conclusion of each WBC championship game, players from the losing team receive silver medals, followed by the winners receiving gold medals. The third-place team receives bronze medals at a separate date. The WBC does not hold a third-place playoff, so the ranking of the third- and fourth-placed teams is determined by the WBSC.
Performance of nations |
448_10 | A total of 20 nations have competed in the WBC proper, with 14 appearing in all five editions. Japan has been the most successful, as the only nation with multiple WBC titles (2006, 2009), the nation with the most wins in WBC play (23), and as the only nation to reach the championship round in all four WBCs. The Dominican Republic owns the best overall winning percentage in WBC games at .750 (18-6 record), bolstered by its 8–0 mark en route to the 2013 title. A surprising first-round elimination in 2009 stands out as the Dominican's only poor showing. If qualifying rounds are included, Israel also has a .750 winning percentage (9-3 record), with a 4–2 record in the WBC itself. |
448_11 | Along with Japan, three other nations have advanced to at least the second round in all four WBCs: Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the United States. The US posted an underwhelming 10-10 overall record through the first three WBCs, with only one appearance in the semifinals. The Americans broke through in 2017, going 6–2 on their way to their first WBC title. Cuba lived up to its history of strong international play by reaching the finals of the inaugural WBC in 2006 before losing to Japan. However, subsequent Cuban teams have failed to make a significant mark on the tournament, making three straight second-round exits and going just 2–7 in second-round games since 2009. Meanwhile, Caribbean rival Puerto Rico made consecutive appearances in the WBC finals in 2013 and 2017, albeit losing both, and stood second to Japan for the most all-time WBC wins (20) after the 2017 tournament. Conversely, of the 14 teams to appear in all four tournaments, three have never made the second round: Australia, |
448_12 | Canada, and China. |
448_13 | Performance of confederations |
448_14 | The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) currently divides all countries into five confederations based on their region: Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Currently, the two best confederations in international baseball are Americas and Asia, as both confederations add up to 14 of the 16 top four finishes (with two titles each). While the appearances of the Americas region expands throughout, all appearances for Asia in the World Baseball Classic were by countries in East Asia in particular. Europe holds the other 2 of the 16 top four finishes, both coming from the Netherlands with the help of the Dutch Caribbean. Italy's and Israel's top eight appearances in 2013 and 2017 respectively have led the region's growth in baseball in addition to the Netherlands' two top four finishes. As for Africa and Oceania, both regions lack a baseball scene in general, although South Africa and Australia are indisputably the best two countries in baseball in their respective regions |
448_15 | due to their strong leagues. In addition, both countries make up all of the World Baseball Classic appearances for their respective regions. |
448_16 | As decorated the Americas region is, only 5 countries in the region have ever made the top four: Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, United States, and Venezuela. The Dominican Republic and United States are the only countries to earn first place, in 2013 and 2017 respectively. In addition to the aforementioned champions, Puerto Rico is the only other country to have made the top four more than once. As for Asia, the countries in East Asia dominate the baseball scene in that region, as Japan and South Korea are the only two countries in that region to appear more than once in the top four. On top of that, Japan is the only country in the world to appear in the top four in all iterations of the World Baseball Classic, with two first place finishes earned. As such, all bids so far have been granted to those two regions.
Honors |
448_17 | Most Valuable Player
The most significant award for individual performance during the tournament is the Most Valuable Player Award. Whichever player wins it receives a trophy after the final. The inaugural winner of the award in 2006 was Japan's Daisuke Matsuzaka, who pitched 13 innings and finished with a 3–0 record. Soon after this performance, Matsuzaka received a multimillion-dollar contract to join the Boston Red Sox of America's Major League Baseball. Again in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, Matsuzaka received the world classic MVP, finishing with a record of 3–0 and an ERA of 2.54. In 2013, Robinson Canó won MVP after hitting .469 with two home runs and six RBI over the course of the tournament. Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman took home the award in 2017 for the United States. Stroman posted a 2.35 ERA over three starts and no-hit Puerto Rico through six innings in an 8–0 win in the Finals. |
448_18 | All–WBC teams
At the end of each edition of the World Baseball Classic, an all-star team is selected based on their play in the tournament. Three pitchers, eight other position players (one each at each position, including three outfielders), and a designated hitter are named to the team. Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka and Puerto Rican catcher Yadier Molina are the only players to be named to the All–WBC team twice.
Overall, players representing 10 different countries have been named to an All-WBC team, with Japan and Puerto Rico leading the way with nine representatives each.
Statistical leaders
All-time WBC individual leaders in various statistical categories through the end of the 2017 tournament, excluding qualifier games.
Batting
Pitching
Trophy |
448_19 | The winning team of each World Baseball Classic is rewarded a large silver trophy as its primary recognition. The two trophies earned by Japan during the inaugural and second classics have been on display at the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.
Rules of play
In addition to the standard rules of baseball, the World Baseball Classic employs the following additional rules:
Pitch counts
A pitcher cannot pitch more than:
85 pitches per game in the Qualifying Round (all tournaments since 2013, when this round was introduced)
65 pitches per game in the First Round (all tournaments except 2009, in which the limit was 70)
80 pitches per game in the Second Round (all tournaments except 2009, in which the limit was 85)
95 pitches per game in the Championship Round (all tournaments except 2009, in which the limit was 100)
A pitcher can still finish a batter's plate appearance even if the limit is reached, but must come out after completing the plate appearance. |
448_20 | A pitcher cannot pitch until:
a minimum of four days have passed since he last pitched, if he threw 50 or more pitches when he last pitched
a minimum of one day has passed since he last pitched, if he threw 30 or more pitches when he last pitched
a minimum of one day has passed since any second consecutive day on which the pitcher pitched
Mercy rules
Games are called if one team is ahead by:
10 or more runs after any complete inning, beginning with the completion of the seventh inning, or;
15 or more runs after any complete inning, beginning with the completion of the fifth inning
Mercy rules do not apply during the championship round.
Designated hitter
The designated hitter rule applies for all games. |
448_21 | Extra innings
Starting with the 11th inning, teams automatically start with runners on first and second base. The baserunners are the players in the two batting order positions previous to the leadoff batter for the inning (or substitutes called in to pinch-run for those players). Organizers put this rule in place starting with the 2009 tournament, although originally, it didn't come into effect until the 13th inning. The intention behind the rule is to help ensure extra-inning games end in as timely a manner as possible, reducing the chance of seeing marathon extra-inning games that place undue strain on players, particularly pitchers. As no extra-inning games in either the 2009 or 2013 WBCs reached the point where the rule came into play, it took until the 2017 WBC for it to affect a game's outcome. There were three such games in 2017, and all three were decided in the 11th inning. |
448_22 | Video replay review
During the first and second rounds, video review is available only for "boundary" calls, such as determining whether a potential home run ball was fair or foul, did or did not clear the fence, or was interfered with by a fan. Such reviews can only be initiated by the umpires and cannot be requested by the teams. For the championship round, video review is available for all situations it would be during a Major League Baseball regular season game. |
448_23 | Run differential
Unlike regular season play, where the number of runs by which a team wins a game is not relevant, the number of runs by which a WBC team wins may be relevant if a tie later develops in the standings. In such cases, teams are ranked by their Team Quality Balance, which rewards them for winning by as many runs as possible, and for winning with as few of their batters getting out as possible when batting in the bottom of the inning. This caused problems during the 2013 WBC, where one game spawned a bench-clearing brawl between the Canadian and Mexican teams (Canadian hitter Chris Robinson had bunted for a base hit after Canada had already taken a large lead, causing Mexican pitcher Arnold Leon to throw three consecutive pitches at the next hitter, Rene Tosoni).
Eligibility and participation |
448_24 | Eligibility
A player is eligible to participate on a World Baseball Classic team if any one of the following criteria is met:
The player is a citizen of the nation the team represents.
The player is qualified for citizenship or to hold a passport under the laws of a nation represented by a team, but has not been granted citizenship or been issued a passport; in this case, the player may be made eligible by WBCI upon petition by the player or team.
The player is a permanent legal resident of the nation or territory the team represents.
The player was born in the nation or territory the team represents.
The player has one parent who is, or if deceased was, a citizen of the nation the team represents.
The player has one parent who was born in the nation or territory the team represents. |
448_25 | Player participation
In 2006, many high caliber players from both Major League Baseball and in leagues around the world participated in the World Baseball Classic. Amongst the players that made the All–WBC team were Americans Derek Jeter and Ken Griffey Jr. From Japan, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Ichiro Suzuki and Tomoya Satozaki were on the team. Other internationals included players from Cuba—Yulieski Gurriel, Yoandy Garlobo and Yadel Martí; and from the Dominican Republic—Albert Pujols, Pedro Martínez and José Bautista. The 2009 Classic saw a similarly high-profile field, with a number of players such as Hall of Famers Pedro Martínez, Iván Rodríguez and Chipper Jones and the major international debuts of Cuba's Yoenis Céspedes and Aroldis Chapman. |
448_26 | For the 2013 tournament, many high-profile players decided not to participate, including key players from the 2009 Japanese team such as Yu Darvish, Ichiro, and Hisashi Iwakuma. However, other prominent players came, such as Miguel Cabrera, David Wright, R. A. Dickey, Joey Votto, Adrián González, Robinson Canó, and José Reyes, among many others.
In 2017, former All-Stars such as Adam Jones, Chris Archer, Buster Posey, Paul Goldschmidt, Andrew McCutchen and others played for the United States. For the Dominican Republic, former All-Stars Adrián Beltré, Robinson Canó, Manny Machado, José Reyes, Edinson Vólquez, and more participated. Adrián González played once more for Mexico, and Yadier Molina and Carlos Beltrán represented Puerto Rico alongside up-and-coming stars such as Javier Báez, Carlos Correa, and Francisco Lindor. Venezuela's roster included José Altuve and Miguel Cabrera. |
448_27 | Involvement of professional leagues
The tournament was announced in May by Commissioner of Baseball Bud Selig. Major League Baseball had been attempting to create such a tournament for at least two years; negotiations with the players' union (MLBPA) and with the team owners had held the plan back. Owners, notably New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, had been concerned about their star players being injured in international play before the beginning of spring training, and the professional season. This was a concern for the MLBPA as well, but their primary objection was with drug testing. MLB wanted the stricter Olympic standards in place for the tournament, while the union wanted current MLB standards in place. Eventually, a deal was reached on insurance for player contracts and a fairly tough drug testing standard. MLB teams would not be able to directly block their players from participating. |
448_28 | Similarly, Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and its players' association had a disagreement over participation in the tournament. While the owners initially agreed to the invitation, the players' union was concerned about the time of year the tournament was scheduled to take place, as well as their right to be better represented for the tournament. On September 16, 2005, after four months of negotiations, NPB officially notified the IBAF and MLB they had accepted the invitation. In September 2012, after having threatened to boycott the event despite its domestic popularity, Japanese players agreed to take part after reaching a compromise with tournament organizers on sharing sponsorship and licensing revenue. |
448_29 | Coverage
Though the first two World Baseball Classic finals were shown on ESPN in the United States, the entire 2013 tournament was shown exclusively on MLB Network domestically. MLB Network also had the television rights for the 2017 Classic. Also at the moment, ESPN Deportes provides Spanish-language coverage and ESPN Radio has audio rights for the Classic. Sportsnet is the current broadcaster in Canada while ESPN America covers the tournament for the United Kingdom, Ireland and other parts of Europe.
The first qualifier round of the 2017 World Baseball Classic aired in the United States and Puerto Rico on the MLB Network; and in Australia, New Zealand, and selected surrounding islands on ESPN.
Attendance
Excluding qualifier games. |
448_30 | Venues
Unlike comparable tournaments the FIFA World Cup and FIBA Basketball World Cup where one country hosts the entire event, each WBC has used multiple hosts spread around different parts of the world. Thus far, seven different nations have hosted at least one WBC pool, with each edition of the tournament featuring games played in Asia, Latin America, and the United States. The championship round is traditionally held at Major League Baseball stadiums in the U.S.
Host Nations by Number of Tournaments Held
The following table lists nations who've hosted any WBC rounds in the first five iterations of the event, not including qualifiers, and without regard to whether a nation hosted multiple rounds in the same year.
Host Nations by Year and Round
See also
References
External links
Official website
Classic
Quadrennial sporting events
Recurring sporting events established in 2006
March sporting events |
449_0 | Virginia Elizabeth Davis (born January 21, 1956), professionally known as Geena Davis, is an American actress, activist, producer, and former model. She is the recipient of an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, and has been nominated for a British Academy Film Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2019, she received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her work fighting gender bias on- and off- screen in Hollywood.
Early life
Davis was born on January 21, 1956, in Wareham, Massachusetts. Her mother, Lucille (; June 19, 1919 – November 15, 2001), was a teacher's assistant, and her father, William F. Davis (November 7, 1913 – April 2, 2009), was a civil engineer and church deacon. Both were from small towns in Vermont. Davis has an older brother, Danforth ("Dan"). |
449_1 | She became interested in music at an early age. She learned piano and flute and played organ well enough as a teenager to be organist at her Congregationalist church in Wareham. She attended Wareham High School and was an exchange student in Sandviken, Sweden, where she became fluent in Swedish. She studied at New England College, then earned a bachelor's degree in drama from Boston University in Her first post-university work was as a window mannequin for Ann Taylor; she then signed with New York's Zoli modeling agency.
Davis is said to have adopted the nickname Geena after seeing shows with the characters Cheburashka and Gena the Crocodile (Swedish Druttem och Gena), which aired as a children's segment in a national television show in Sweden in the late 1970s.
Career
Rise to fame (1982–1987) |
449_2 | Davis was working as a model when she was cast by director Sydney Pollack in his film Tootsie (1982) as a soap opera actress, whom she has described as "someone who's going to be in their underwear a lot of time". It was the second most profitable film of 1982, received ten Academy Awards nominations and is considered a cult classic. She next won the regular part of Wendy Killian in the television series Buffalo Bill, which aired from June 1983 to March 1984; and had a writing credit in one episode. Despite the series' eleven Emmy Awards nominations, lukewarm ratings led to its cancellation after two seasons. Davis concurrently guest-starred in Knight Rider, Riptide, Family Ties and Remington Steele, and followed with a series of her own, Sara, which lasted 13 episodes. |
449_3 | During this period, she also auditioned for the 1984 science fiction/action film The Terminator, reading for the lead role of Sarah Connor, which eventually went to Linda Hamilton. In Fletch (1985), an action comedy, she appeared with Chevy Chase as the colleague of a Los Angeles Times undercover reporter trying to expose drug trafficking on the beaches of Los Angeles. She also starred in the horror comedy Transylvania 6-5000 as a nymphomaniac vampire alongside future husband Jeff Goldblum. They also starred in the sci-fi thriller The Fly (1986), loosely based on George Langelaan's 1957 short story of the same name, where Davis portrayed a science journalist and an eccentric scientist's love interest. It was a commercial success and helped establish her as an actress. In 1987 she appeared with Goldblum again in the offbeat comedy Earth Girls Are Easy. |
449_4 | Recognition and critical acclaim (1988–1992)
Director Tim Burton cast Davis in his film Beetlejuice (1988) as one of a recently deceased young couple who become ghosts haunting their former house; it also starred Alec Baldwin, Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder. It made $73.7 million from a budget of $15 million, and Davis's performance and the overall film received mostly positive reviews.
Davis took on the role of an animal hospital employee and dog trainer with a sickly son in the drama The Accidental Tourist (1988), opposite William Hurt and Kathleen Turner. Critic Roger Ebert, who gave the film four stars out of four, wrote: "Davis, as Muriel, brings an unforced wackiness to her role in scenes like the one where she belts out a song while she's doing the dishes. But she is not as simple as she sometimes seems [...]". The film was a critical and commercial success, and she received an Oscar as Best Supporting Actress for her appearance in it. |
449_5 | Davis appeared as the girlfriend of a man who, dressed as a clown, robs a bank in midtown Manhattan, in the comedy Quick Change (1990). Based on a book of the same name by Jay Cronley, it is a remake of the 1985 French film Hold-Up starring Jean-Paul Belmondo. Despite modest box office returns, the Chicago Tribune found the lead actors "funny and creative while keeping their characters life-size". Davis next starred with Susan Sarandon in Ridley Scott's road film Thelma & Louise (1991), as friends who embark on a road trip with unforeseen consequences. A critical and commercial success, it is considered a classic, as it influenced other films and artistic works and became a landmark feminist film. Davis received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her role. It also featured Brad Pitt in his breakout role as a drifter; in his 2020 acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actor, Pitt thanked director Ridley Scott and Geena Davis for "giving me my first shot." |
449_6 | In 1992, Davis starred alongside Madonna and Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own as a baseball player on an all-women's team. It reached number one at the box office, became the tenth highest-grossing film of the year in North America, and brought Davis a Best Actress Golden Globe Award nomination. She played a television reporter in the comedy Hero (also 1992) alongside Dustin Hoffman and Andy Garcia. Although it flopped at the box office, Roger Ebert felt Davis was "bright and convincing as the reporter (her best line, after surviving the plane crash, is shouted through an ambulance door: "This is my story! I did the research!")". |
449_7 | Career downturn, hiatus, sitcom and other television roles (1993–2009)
In 1994's Angie, Davis played an office worker who lives in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn and dreams of a better life. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who felt she could have been better in this movie or another one set in Brooklyn, and was a commercial failure. In her other 1994 release, Speechless, Davis reunited with Michael Keaton to play insomniac writers who fall in love until they realize that both are writing speeches for rival candidates in a New Mexico election. Despite negative reviews and modest box office returns, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Musical or Comedy for her performance. |
449_8 | Davis teamed up with her then-husband, director Renny Harlin, for the films Cutthroat Island (1995) and The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), with Harlin hoping that they would turn her into an action star. While The Long Kiss Goodnight managed to become a moderate success, Cutthroat Island flopped critically and commercially and was once listed as having the "largest box office loss" by Guinness World Records. The film is credited to be a contributing factor in the demise of Davis as a bankable star. She divorced Harlin in 1998 and took an "unusually long" two years off to reflect on her career, according to The New York Times. She appeared as Eleanor Little in the well-received family comedy Stuart Little (1999), a role she reprised in Stuart Little 2 (2002) and again in Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild (2005). |
449_9 | By the mid and late 1990s, Davis's film career had become less noteworthy and critical acclaim had waned. In a 2016 interview with Vulture, she recalled: "Film roles really did start to dry up when I got into my 40s. If you look at IMDb, up until that age, I made roughly one film a year. In my entire 40s, I made one movie, Stuart Little. I was getting offers, but for nothing meaty or interesting like in my 30s. I'd been completely ruined and spoiled. I mean, I got to play a pirate captain! I got to do every type of role, even if the movie failed." |
449_10 | Davis starred in the sitcom The Geena Davis Show, which aired for one season on ABC during the 2000–01 U.S. television season. She went on to star in the ABC television series Commander in Chief, portraying the first female president of the United States. While this role garnered her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama Series in 2006, the series was cancelled after its first season; Davis admitted she was "devastated" by its cancellation in a 2016 interview. "I still haven't gotten over it. I really wanted it to work. It was on Tuesday nights opposite House, which wasn't ideal. But we were the best new show that fall. Then, in January, we were opposite American Idol. They said, 'The ratings are going to suffer, so we should take you off the air for the entire run of Idol, and bring it back in May. I put a lot of time and effort into getting it on another network, too, but it didn't work". She was also nominated for an Emmy Award and a SAG Award for Outstanding Female Actor in a |
449_11 | Drama Series. She was awarded the 2006 Women in Film Lucy Award. |
449_12 | Davis was the only American actor to be cast in the Australian-produced film Accidents Happen (2009), portraying a foul-mouthed and strict mother. She stated that it was the most fun she had ever had on a film set, and felt a deep friendship and connection to both of the actors who played her sons. Written by Brian Carbee and based on his own childhood and adolescence, the film received a limited theatrical release and mixed reviews from critics. Variety found it to be "led by a valiant Geena Davis", despite a "script that mistakes abuse for wit". |
449_13 | Professional expansion (2010s)
Following a long period of intermittent work, Davis often ventured into television acting, and through her organization, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, saw her career expand during the 2010s. In 2012, she starred as a psychiatrist in the miniseries Coma, based on the 1977 novel Coma by Robin Cook and the subsequent 1978 film. She played a powerful female movie executive in the critically acclaimed comedy In a World... (2013), the directorial debut of Lake Bell. Bell found her only dialogue to be her favorite in the film and called it her "soapbox moment". |
449_14 | In 2014, Davis provided her voice for the English version of the Studio Ghibli animated film When Marnie Was There, as she was drawn to the film's abundant stories and strong use of female characters. She played the recurring role of Dr. Nicole Herman, an attending fetal surgeon with a life-threatening brain tumor, during the 11th season of Grey's Anatomy (2014–15). In 2015, Davis launched an annual film festival to be held in Bentonville, Arkansas, to highlight diversity in film, accepting films that prominently feature minorities and women in the cast and crew. The first Bentonville Film Festival took place from May 5–9, 2015. Davis appeared as the mother of a semi-famous television star in the comedy Me Him Her (2016). |
449_15 | In the television series The Exorcist (2016), based on the 1973 film of the same name, Davis took on the role of grown-up Regan MacNeil, who has renamed herself Angela Rance to find peace and anonymity from her ordeal as a child. The Exorcist was a success with critics and audiences. In 2017, Davis starred in the film adaptation Marjorie Prime, alongside Jon Hamm, playing the daughter of an 85-year old experiencing the first symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, and appeared as the imaginary god of a heavyset 13-year-old girl in the comedy Don't Talk to Irene. Vanity Fair felt that she "shine[d]" and stole "every scene" in Marjorie Prime, while Variety, on her role in Don't Talk to Irene, remarked: "There's no arguing the preternatural coolness of Geena Davis—a fact celebrated in self-conscious fashion by Don't Talk to Irene, a familiar type of coming-of-age film whose most distinguishing feature is the presence of the actress". |
449_16 | In 2018, Davis returned to Grey's Anatomy, reprising the role of Dr. Nicole Herman in the show's 14th season, and executive produced the documentary This Changes Everything, in which she was also interviewed about her experiences in the industry. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it was named first runner-up for the People's Choice Award: Documentaries. In 2019, she joined the voice cast of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power as Huntara. Also in Netflix in 2019, she joined the cast of Glow as Sandy Devereaux St. Clair, a former showgirl turned entertainment director of the Fan-Tan Hotel and Casino. In 2022, Davis' likeness will be used for the character of Poison Ivy in the DC Entertainment comic book series Batman '89, set between the events of Batman Returns (1992) and The Flash (2022).
Personal life
Marriages and family |
449_17 | Davis began dating restaurateur Richard Emmolo in December 1977 and moved in with him a month later. The two married on March 25, 1981, but separated in February 1983 and divorced on June 27, 1984.
In 1985, she met her second husband, actor Jeff Goldblum, on the set of Transylvania 6-5000. The couple married on November 1, 1987, and appeared together in two more films: The Fly and Earth Girls Are Easy. Davis filed for divorce in October 1990, and it was finalized the following year.
After a five-month courtship, Davis married filmmaker Renny Harlin on September 18, 1993. He directed her in Cutthroat Island and The Long Kiss Goodnight. Davis filed for divorce on August 26, 1997, a day after her personal assistant gave birth to a child fathered by Harlin. The divorce became final in June 1998. |
449_18 | In 1998, Davis started dating Iranian-American craniofacial plastic surgeon Reza Jarrahy (born 1971), and allegedly married him on September 1, 2001. They have three children: a daughter, Alizeh (born April 2002), and fraternal twin sons, Kaiis and Kian (born May 2004). In May 2018, Jarrahy filed for divorce from Davis, listing their date of separation as November 15, 2017. Davis responded by filing a petition in which she claimed that she and Jarrahy were never legally married.
Activism
Davis is a supporter of the Women's Sports Foundation and an advocate for Title IX, an Act of Congress focusing on equality in sports opportunities, now expanded to prohibit gender discrimination in American educational institutions. |
449_19 | In 2004, while watching children's television programs and videos with her daughter, Davis noticed an imbalance in the ratio of male to female characters. She went on to sponsor the largest-ever research project on gender in children's entertainment (resulting in four discrete studies, including one on children's television) at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California. The study, directed by Stacy Smith, showed that there were nearly three male characters to every female one in the nearly 400 G, PG, PG-13, and R-rated movies analyzed. In 2005, Davis teamed up with the non-profit group Dads and Daughters to launch a venture dedicated to balancing the number of male and female characters in children's television and movie programming. |
449_20 | Davis launched the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media in 2007, which works collaboratively with the entertainment industry to increase the presence of female characters in media aimed at children, and to reduce inequality in Hollywood and the stereotyping of females by the male-dominated industry. For her work in this field she received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Bates College in May 2009; and an honorary Oscar, the Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, in 2019.
In 2011, Davis became one of a handful of celebrities attached to USAID and Ad Council's FWD campaign, an awareness initiative tied to that year's East Africa drought. She joined Uma Thurman, Chanel Iman and Josh Hartnett in television and internet ads to "forward the facts" about the crisis. |
449_21 | Athletics
In July 1999, Davis was one of 300 women who vied for a semifinals berth in the U.S. Olympic archery team to participate in the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics. She placed 24th and did not qualify for the team, but participated as a wild-card entry in the Sydney International Golden Arrow competition. In August 1999, she stated that she was not an athlete growing up and that she entered archery in 1997, two years before her tryouts.
Filmography
Film
Television
Music videos
Awards and nominations
Notes
References
External links
Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media
Geena Davis Video produced by Makers: Women Who Make America |
449_22 | 1956 births
Living people
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
Actresses from Massachusetts
American activists
American female archers
American feminists
American film actresses
American television actresses
American voice actresses
American women film producers
Best Drama Actress Golden Globe (television) winners
Best Supporting Actress Academy Award winners
Boston University College of Fine Arts alumni
David di Donatello winners
Female models from Massachusetts
Feminist artists
Film producers from Massachusetts
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award winners
Mensans
New England College alumni
People from Wareham, Massachusetts |
450_0 | Palo Santo is the second studio album by the English electronic trio Years & Years, released by Polydor Records on 6 July 2018. Executive produced by the band, it is the follow-up to their debut album Communion (2015). After the success of their Communion, the trio felt pressured in making their succeeding record. Influenced by religion and spirituality, lead singer and principal songwriter Olly Alexander wanted to connect religious transcendence to pop music after perceiving parallels between a church's sense of belonging and gay nightclubs. The trio met with frequent and new collaborators such as Mark Ralph, Greg Kurstin, Steve Mac and Jesse Shatkin to produce most its tracks. Named after the South American "palo santo" (Spanish for "holy wood"), which was commonly used to fend off bad spirits, though Alexander used its name as a dick joke referring to men he knew, it is the group's last album as a trio. |
450_1 | Palo Santo is a concept album, set in the titular fictional world, where traditional rules regarding gender and sexuality are nonexistent. Its lyrical content deals with "the murky, complicated side" of desire, as well as the connection between religion and carnality, using religious iconography in dealing with themes of sexuality, queerness and guilt. Its visual imagery took inspirations from science fiction and technology where androids yearn to experience emotion. Sonically, the album is a dance-pop and electropop record influenced by 1990s pop and R&B music. Palo Santos release was accompanied by a short film of the same name. Its promotional campaign features a single aesthetic of a dystopian future in Palo Santo, both of which were prominently used for the album and its accompanying film. |
450_2 | Upon its release, Palo Santo received widespread praise from music critics, some of whom lauded its deeper emotional resonance compared to its predecessor and Alexander's refusal to embrace moral didacticism and his vibrant display of character. Commercially, the album debuted at number three the UK Albums Chart and became the band's second album to top the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart. Five singles were released from the album: "Sanctify", "If You're Over Me", "All for You", "Play" and "Valentino with "Sanctify", "If You're Over Me" and "Play" making the top forty on the UK Singles Chart, and "If You're Over Me" and "Play" became top ten hits. The trio supported the album with the Palo Santo Tour, which commenced in October 2018 in North America and ended in June 2019 in England. |
450_3 | Background and recording |
450_4 | After the release of their debut studio album Communion (2015), the trio (Olly Alexander, Michael Goldsworthy, Emre Türkmen) were under pressure to duplicate its success in making their next record. Complications arose when Alexander had a highly publicised breakup with Neil Amin-Smith, who was formerly a violinist in the British band Clean Bandit. Alexander reflected that it was a completely different situation from recording Communion, explaining that "Because on your first album, you basically have your entire life to make that record because, you know, you've got so much time and so many experiences and you've never made one before." Executives at Polydor Records recommended him to "guest on some dance hits, buoy the band's profile, and play the Spotify game", but the trio focused on producing the album instead. Alexander also reflected that immediately following the conclusion of their tour supporting Communion, they only had 18 months to finish the next album. He recalled of the |
450_5 | limited time frame, "it went by so fast. I definitely felt it was quite overwhelming thinking, 'Oh, we're never going to be able to pull this off,' and at times it was a real struggle." He met with various songwriters, such as Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter, as well as Greg Kurstin and Mark Ralph, who had previously contributed to Communion. |
450_6 | Composition
Themes and influences |
450_7 | Palo Santo draws influence from images of spirituality and religion, also prominent themes in the band's previous work. It was named after the South American-endemic wood palo santo (Bursera graveolens, Spanish for "holy wood"), which was used as an incense by the Incas to cast off bad spirits. Pitchfork contributor Cameron Cook suggested it may have been influenced by the fact that dancing is considered the "devil's work" in most Western theologies, and that there was a thrill in shaking one's "blasphemous hips while invoking the Lord". He also pointed out that to the band's impulse to connect pop music with religious transcendence was a "sacred experience" to Alexander, its principal songwriter. Alexander, who grew up next door to a church, was intrigued by the rituals performed there, such as a decoration of oranges for the Christingle and reciting the Lord's Prayer, despite not believing in organised religion himself. He remarked, "I was so yearning to be a part of something, I |
450_8 | think that's why, obviously, religion is really powerful. All the ritualism and symbolism and I'm just really drawn by all of that stuff." He further observed that "traditionally, the church has like very much shut out gay people" and he has tried to subvert it "a little bit". Viewing songwriting as a cathartic and mysterious healing ritual, he noticed "odd parallels between a church's sense of belonging, and the celebratory freedom that exists in a space filled with dancing, thrashing bodies, and filthy, sexy pop". Following his breakup, Alexander read the novel Dancer from the Dance by Andrew Holleran, which portrayed "the club...like a church; a church for gay people to go and dance." This idea inspired the album. He later chose the album's title upon discovering the meaning of "palo santo", which he considered apt as he had met "a lot of guys who think they have some holy wood"; he remarked, "thinking that your dick is holy? I've known guys like that." |
450_9 | Palo Santo is intended as a concept album. Based around the concept of "post-human failure", it is set in the world of Palo Santo, a futuristic dystopian society populated by human-hunting androids. Alexander opined that he saw that it was his chance to flip society's normal social rules on their head and begin to question ideas such as "What is an android's sexuality?", "What is an android's gender?", and "How would an android experience love?". Pundits also noted its lyrical themes have mainly dealt with "the murky, complicated side" of desire, as well as the connection between religion and carnality, using religious iconography in dealing with themes of sexuality, queerness and guilt. Critics noted the record as primarily consisting of dance-pop and electropop beats influenced by 1990s pop and R&B.
Songs |
450_10 | All tracks on Palo Santo were co-written by Alexander. The album opens with "Sanctify", produced by Kid Harpoon. Inspired by Dancer from the Dance, Alexander wrote the song about his past relationships with straight-identifying men, whose conflicted feelings he discusses in evocative lyrics about obscuring masks and sinful confessions, as he reassures them that what they are doing is not wrong. The following track, "Hallelujah", was co-written with Goldsworthy, Kurstin, Michaels, and Tranter. Its lyrics talk of getting onto the dancefloor and letting loose, dancing with strangers "until our bodies are singing 'Hallelujah'". Kurstin and Ralph co-wrote the third track, "All for You", as "one to get deep on the dance floor and release your inner demons", referring to the feeling of relief after leaving a toxic lover. The fourth song, "Karma", written with Daniel Traynor, Sarah Hudson, Clarence Coffee Jr., talks about trying good fortune on for size, navigating the game-play that happens |
450_11 | within a budding romance. A short version of "Hypnotised" was used for a promotional campaign by the fashion company H&M, for their collection with Turkish-Canadian fashion designer Erdem. |
450_12 | Following "Hypnotised" is "Rendezvous", written by the whole trio. In the song, Alexander sings of being disappointed to discover that a relationship is merely physical. He described the seventh song, "If You're Over Me", as about being friends with an ex-lover, lamenting that "spoiler alert—it doesn't often work. In fact, in my experience, the relationship often ends up ruined." Written with Steve Mac, Alexander added that the song "is about the emotional torture that ensues —– meeting up and making out, then breaking up all over again, then making out some more". The eighth track, "Preacher", written with Jesse Shatkin, is a song about unlearning guilt and embracing one's self. Alexander wrote the ninth song "Lucky Escape" by himself to confront the more unlikable aspects of our own emotions. Following this is the titular song "Palo Santo". Written with Hudson, the song was inspired by someone Alexander was caught in a love triangle with who uses the "palo santo"-infused incense |
450_13 | sticks to cleanse and purify his personal space. The interlude "Here" closes the standard version of the album, which features a stripped-down performance from Alexander. Three bonus tracks appear on the album's deluxe edition: "Howl", written by the trio with Ralph and Alex Hope; "Don't Panic", written with Kid Harpoon; and "Up in Flames", which was co-written with Kurstin. The Japanese release of the album includes "Coyote", written with Ralph; and a remix version of "If You're Over Me" featuring South Korean singer Key from the boy group Shinee as its closing track. |
450_14 | Release and promotion |
450_15 | Palo Santo was released by Polydor and its parent company Universal Music Group on 6 July 2018. In the United States, it was released by Polydor's sister label Interscope Records. On 6 March 2018, Polydor released a PSEN Messenger bot to formally launch the album's promotional campaign, which included cryptic clues and video clips. The campaign also posted various billboards displaying QR codes, and involved having an android internet bot taking over the trio's Twitter account, and publishing an instruction manual on "How to Treat a Human", as well as a graphic novel that could be accessed through the band's Instagram Story. "Sanctify", its lead single, preceded the album's release on 7 March 2018. It attained a position inside the top forty of the UK Singles Chart. The follow-up single, "If You're Over Me", issued on 10 May 2018, became a top ten hit on both the UK Singles Chart and the Irish Singles Chart. Two promotional singles were released: the titular track "Palo Santo" on 22 |
450_16 | June 2018; and "All for You", on 27 June 2018. On the eve of the album's street date, a PSEN Televisual music video for "All for You" was released featuring phone numbers for UK and US viewers to call. Those numbers contained a pre-recorded message from Alexander sharing his robotic expertise on "feelings and emotions". |
450_17 | The release of the album was prefaced by the "Palo Santo Parties", hosted by the trio in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Berlin and London, where they performed various selections from Communion and Palo Santo. The Palo Santo Tour, in support of the album, began in North America in October 2018, and will conclude in 2019. In addition, the trio also made various televised appearances to promote the album: they performed "Sanctify" on Sounds Like Friday Night, "If You're Over Me" on Late Night with Seth Meyers, BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend, and The Graham Norton Show They also performed both singles at the 2018 Summertime Ball. On 29 November 2018, the album was re-released digitally, with the addition of "Play", a collaborative single with English DJ Jax Jones. |
450_18 | Short film
The release of Palo Santo was accompanied by a short film of same name. The short film is a futuristic sci-fi musical, set in the world of Palo Santo, where androids have taken over and crave the feeling of true emotion. The remaining humans, like Alexander, are recruited to perform for The Showman (Pansringarm). It features a neon colourscape, a dance breakdown, and a narration by Dench as the "Mother of Palo Santo".
Directed by Fred Rowson and filmed in Thailand over four days at the beginning of 2018, the 15-minute short stars Alexander, Ben Whishaw, Vithaya Pansringarm, and is narrated by Judi Dench. It marked the second time Alexander, Winshaw, and Dench have worked together, after starring in the West End production of Peter and Alice in 2013. |
450_19 | It also contains the music videos for "Sanctify", "All for You" and "If You're Over Me", with the short film expanding on the story introduced therein. Following the same storyline, on the band's YouTube channel other clips and live performances have been uploaded.
Dancing direction and choreography, for the whole project, were provided by Aaron Sillis with dancers all coming from the "Sillis Movement", Sillis's official dance crew.
Reception
Critical response |
450_20 | Palo Santo has received critical acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 81 based on 16 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". NME contributor El Hunt gave the album five stars, the highest possible rating for the magazine, observing that the album "links the intense escapism of pop music with the sanctuary the queer community seek in their own special, sacred spaces," before concluding that "Filthy, sexy, thoroughly debauched pop at its finest; Palo Santo feels like a magical album." Alim Kheraj of DIY awarded the album a similar rating, noting that what Palo Santo has that Communion lacks is an "inventive ballad", and described it as an "overwhelmingly intimate record that makes you wonder just what Years & Years could be capable of next". |
450_21 | Reviewing for The Guardian, Laura Snapes gave the record a four-star rating, writing that "Palo Santo packs a deeper emotional resonance than Communion, which blurred its high emotional stakes beneath a breezy whirl." Describing the album as "astute, and convincingly ambitious", she stated that the "empathetic outlook and refusal to embrace reductive ideas of good and bad is a tonic during an era in which moral didactic-ism has worryingly infiltrated pop culture. It's probably not what anyone expects a male pop star to do in 2018." The Independent music correspondent Roisin O'Connor gave the album the same rating, discerning sexuality as being "at the heart" of the album, and praising Alexander's courage to put a vibrant, dynamic character who asserts themselves and their sexuality on full display. |
450_22 | Giving the record a 6.5 rating, Pitchfork contributor Cameron Cook described it as a "promising second album because it evolves past the sound of the band's debut." Cook opined that "at its low points, the record lacks the bite to drive home the razor's-edge duality of sacred and profane that Alexander seems to thrive on", further observing that "At their best, Years & Years are capable of godlike sublimity. To take up permanent residence in the heavens, all they need to do is exorcise a few colorless spirits." Alfred Soto of Spin, however, was unsatisfied with the album as their follow-up record, pointing out Goldsworthy and Türkmen's lack of input, and writing that Alexander is "a serious dude—intoxication he limns well, but euphoria gives him trouble, as if it were a foreign language."' Despite praising "Up in Flames" as Alexander's "most confident" performance, he lamented that it was not on the standard edition of the album and called its not being chosen as the lead single an |
450_23 | "expected perversity". |
450_24 | Chart performance
Palo Santo debuted on the UK Albums Chart at number three with 20,297 copies. In the rest of Europe, the album opened at the top ten in Ireland and the Flemish region of Belgium, and attained a top forty position in the national charts of Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the Wallonia region of Belgium. In the United States, Palo Santo debuted on the Billboard 200 chart at number 75 with 9,000 units, including 4,000 pure album sales. It also topped the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart, the band's second album to do so after Communion debuted at the top in 2015.
Track listing
Notes
signifies an additional producer.
signifies a vocal producer.
Personnel
Years & Years
Olly Alexander – piano, production, vocals
Michael Goldsworthy – bass, electric bass, percussion, synthesizer bass, background vocals
Emre Türkmen – beats, percussion, programming, synthesizer, background vocals
Additional musicians |
450_25 | Julian Burg – engineering, mix engineering
Clarence Coffee, Jr. – vocal production, background vocals
John Davis – mastering
Samuel Dent – engineering assistance
John Foyle – additional production, mixing
Michael Freeman – mixing assistance
Tom Fuller – engineering
Serban Ghenea – mixing
Grades (Daniel Traynor) – engineering, instrumentation, production, programming
John Hanes – mix engineering
Michael Hauptman – photography
Jonathan Hucks – engineering
Key – vocals
Kid Harpoon (Thomas Hull) – production
Greg Kurstin – drums, engineering, mix engineering, percussion, production, synthesizer
Chris Laws – drums, engineering
Ted Lovett – creative direction
Steve Mac – keyboards, production
John Parricelli – guitar
Alex Pasco – engineering, mix engineering
Dann Pursey – engineering
Mark Ralph – additional production, mixing, production
Jesse Shatkin – bass, drum programming, drums, engineer, guitar, percussion, piano, production, programming, synthesizer |
450_26 | Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing
Two Inch Punch – mixing, production |
450_27 | Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
Tour
To promote the album, Years & Years embarked upon the Palo Santo Tour which began in New York City on 24 June 2018 and concludes in Lembang on 16 March 2019. The tour included shows in nineteen countries, including the band's first UK arena shows.
See also
List of Billboard number-one electronic albums of 2018
LGBT music
Religion and sexuality
Notes
References
2018 albums
Polydor Records albums
Years & Years albums
Albums produced by Grades
Albums produced by Greg Kurstin
Albums produced by Steve Mac
Religion in science fiction
Science fiction concept albums |
451_0 | Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park (, ), is one of the fifteen Spanish national parks, and the only one located in Lleida, Spain.
A wild mountain region in the Pyrenees, with peaks rising to 3017 m (Besiberri Sud) and with nearly 200 lakes, many of them of glacial origin, the park comprises a core area of 141 km2 and a buffer zone of 267 km2 surrounding the park. The park's name in Catalan is Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici, freely translated as "The winding streams and St. Maurice lake".
The park has an elevation range of 1600 to 3000 metres and contains four major vegetation zones: lower montane, upper montane, subalpine and alpine.
The fauna includes Pyrenean chamois, brown bear, marmot, ermine, roe deer, among other mammals and numerous birds (black woodpecker, common crossbill, lammergeier, golden eagle). |
451_1 | The park was created in 1955 after Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, first Spanish national park in the Pyrenees in 1918. Its administrative seats are in Espot and Boí. The park is mainly located in the comarques of Pallars Sobirà and Alta Ribagorça. Since 2007 it has been designated as a protected Ramsar site.
Geography
The national park comprises , divided into two different levels of protection: the core area and the buffer zone surrounding the park. This buffer zone creates a gradation from the inner side, more strictly protected than the external parts of the park.
The core area is located in the comarques of Pallars Sobirà and Alta Ribagorça, and includes the main entrances of the park:
On the west side, from the village of Boí, is the Aigüestortes plain. Aigüestortes means "winding waters" and is largely flat which allows the river to meander and flow slowly. This area indicates the existence of an old lake, today covered by sediment. |
451_2 | To the east, near the village of Espot, is Sant Maurici lake, one of the most famous of the region, from where one can see the spectacular twin peaks of the Encantats. This picture is one of the symbols of the park and is the logo of the park.
This area also includes part of the municipalities of Vielha e Mijaran and Naut Aran in the Val d'Aran; Vilaller and Vall de Boí in the Alta Ribagorça; La Torre de Cabdella in the Pallars Jussà; and Espot, Alt Àneu, Esterri d'Àneu, La Guingueta d'Àneu and Sort in the Pallars Sobirà.
The buffer zone also contains the forest of la Mata de Valencia, Gerber and Cabanes valleys, Colomers and Saboredo valleys, the Besiberri valley, the lakes of Cabdella and Montardo peak.
History |
451_3 | Human settlement of the Pyrenees dates back at least to the period of glacial melting. Inside the borders of the national park, there is no record of stable human habitation during this time, but recent archeological studies have found evidence of temporary settlements from 8,500 years ago in the Neolithic Age.
During the 19th century, the high Pyrenees became more populated, fueled by strong demand for natural resources with intense forestry, farming, and fishing. At the beginning of the 20th century, hydroelectric electrical power plants were built, resulting in a great transformation of the landscape. |
451_4 | On 21 October 1955 the national park was created, becoming the fifth Spanish national park. On 30 March 1988, the Catalan government took ownership of the park, together with an additional buffer zone, according to the Catalan laws. From that date, management of the wild protected areas has been managed by the autonomous government, which has introduced increases to the budget and staffing, along with stricter rules.
Since then, forestry exploitation, fishing, camping and any exploitation of natural resources has been forbidden. However, an allowance is made for cattle breeding and the operative hydroelectric generation. Traditional uses of natural resources which are compatible with the protection of the wilderness are only allowed in the buffer zone.
In 1996 the national park was enlarged, to a total area of 14,119 hectares. |
451_5 | In 1997, after litigation between Catalan and Spanish laws, it was agreed that autonomous regions can also take part in the management of the national parks.
Biology
The park has an elevation range from 1600 to 3000 metres and different orientation of the valleys. For that reason very different ecosystems can be found inside the park.
Vegetation
The park has a great variety of alpine vegetation owing to the large range of altitudes. In the lower parts of the valleys, around 1500 m high, typical European deciduous forests with pubescens oak Quercus humilis, European ash Fraxinus excelsior, beech Fagus sylvatica or common hazel Corylus avellana can be found. However, former meadow and pastureland which have been historically exploited by humans are now typically occupied with grasslands and shrubs, dominated by common box Buxus sempervirens or secondary forests with Scots pine Pinus sylvestris. |
451_6 | From 1500 m to beyond 2000 m, the dominant vegetation is mountain pine Pinus uncinata forest. Growing at altitudes up to 2400 m, it is the tree best adapted to survive the long, hard winters of the High Pyrenees. At this altitude, alpenrose Rhododendron ferrugineum, and blueberry Vaccinium myrtillus which prefers cooler locations, can be found. Heather Calluna vulgaris" or common juniper Juniperus communis prefers more sunny and dry areas. In the north faces at less than 2000 m, there are important silver fir Abies alba forests. La Mata de Valencia is the largest Pyrenean fir tree forest.
In the alpine meadows, above 2300 m where trees cannot survive, it is possible to find various other alpine flora species, such as Gentiana alpina. |
451_7 | Approximately 8% of the species of the park are endemic to the Pyrenees. Around 7% they are plants with boreo-alpine or artico-alpine distribution, with most of them having arrived in the Pyrenees during the last Ice Age. The most important group of the national park flora belongs to the Eurosiberian group, the typical species from central Europe.
Animals
Animals are not easily spotted in the national park. However, there are about 200 species from the phylum Chordata present, of which two-thirds are birds. Some of the most important ones are capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta), golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) and bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus). Also possible to see are black woodpecker (Dryocopus martius), red-billed chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria), white-throated dipper (Cinclus cinclus), citril finch (Serinus citrinella) among others. |
451_8 | Most representative mammal species are Pyrenean chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica), brown bear (Ursus arctos), stoat (Mustela erminea), alpine marmot (Marmota marmota) (which is not native), fallow deer (Dama dama) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) which were also introduced in the national park during the second half of the 20th century.
Among the amphibians, the Pyrenean brook salamander (Euproctus asper) is significant but not easy to spot. The common frog (Rana temporaria) is more or less common. It's necessary to be aware of vipera aspis (Vipera aspis), a viper with a poisonous bite, but it does not usually attack without provocation.
In the lakes and rivers, brown trout (Salmo trutta fario), the local trout, shares the region with other introduced species.
Geology and climate |
451_9 | Aigüestortes National Park is an important item in the Pyrenean geology. The predominant rocks are granite and slate, both very old Paleozoic rocks. These emerged from the sea in the Paleogene, during the Alpine orogeny, giving rise to the Pyrenees.
Successive quaternary glaciations covered these mountains with huge glaciers. The lakes, the waterfalls, the sharpened peaks, the vertiginous ridges and the U-shaped valleys are the footprints of the erosive action of those ancient glaciers. Today, they have virtually disappeared, except for small glaciers in the central Pyrenees.
Today, lakes are the most important contribution of these glaciers, which are fed by rivers and waterfalls.
The climate in the park is predominantly cold. The mean temperature is around 0 to 5 °C. In the upper parts, temperatures hardly reach above 0 °C during winter. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 900 to 1300 mm – Mostly as snow in the mountains. |
451_10 | Management and information
44% of the territory is government owned. Only 6% of the land has private owners, with the village of Espot extending into the eastern part of the park. Even so, exploitation of natural resources is forbidden in the strictly national park.
Public use is one of the most important objectives for national parks and people have the right to visit and walk within it.
Information centres
The park has information centres widely distributed in the area. Boí is one of the main centres of the park. It has also a public library and an exhibition about the settlement of the Pyrenees and the adaptations to live in the mountains.
The Park Information Center at Espot also provides an exhibition about the three leading things of the park: rock, water and life.
The Museum of the Shepherds is in Llessui, where the exhibition shows the traditional life and work of the shepherds from this valley. |
451_11 | Senet has an information center explaining the evolution of the park in the relation between humans and animals: a history about competition, exploitation and good fellowship.
During summer months a little information centre is open in Estany Gento, and a cable railway runs in the higher valley of Torre de Cabdella. There are some explanations about the water and the national park.
From all of these centres, it is possible to participate in different organised activities.
Tourism
Tourist activities are regulated. Walking access is free, but it is forbidden to collect any rocks, plants, flowers or mushrooms, and hunting and fishing is prohibited. Camping is also prohibited.
It is not possible to enter the park by private car. In Espot or Boí, walkers can hire 4x4 taxis which can transport them to a number of popular locations within the park, such as the Aigüestortes plain or Sant Maurici lake. |
451_12 | At the Val d'Aran entrances during the summertime, there is also a taxi service that provides easier access to the Colomers or Restanca shelters. At the Vall Fosca, the southern entrance of the park, a cableway connects Sallente with estany Gento, where some nice day walks begin.
Trekking
Summertime is a good time for trekking. There are a lot of possibilities, but it's necessary to be aware of the difficulty of some of the paths and be in good physical condition.
The transpyrenean path, GR-11 marked with red and white lines, crosses the park from one side to other. |
451_13 | At the information points, hiking brochures available (also in English) which are recommended and shows many of the easy paths with descriptions. Some of them are:
At Boí valley, from Llebreta Lake to Llong Lake, following Sant Nicolau River. Along this path, a footbridge allows the handicapped people with wheelchairs to visit the Aigüestortes plain.
From Espot and the Sant Maurici Lake, an interesting path goes up to the waterfall and Ratera Lake. From this lake, after 15 minutes additional walking, it is possible to arrive at a viewpoint looking over the Sant Maurici Lake. A second option is to walk up to Amitges shelter which provides walkers with experience of the high mountains.
From the parking area of Clot Gran, near the Port de la Bonaigua, to Gerber valley and lakes.
From Banhs de Tredòs, at the Val d'Aran, walk to Colomers shelter – this provides a very spectacular walk with a number of lakes. |
451_14 | From Estany Gento, walk to Tort Lake and arrive to the Colomina shelter or Saburó Lake.
A very interesting tour for several days:
Camins vius (Living Paths). This route is a walk along the historic valley paths, most dating back to medieval times and some of more ancient origin, through villages surrounding the national park, passing through Alta Ribagorça, Val d'Aran, and Pallars Sobirà.
Carros de foc (Chariots of Fire). This route completes a circular tour around some of the shelters that exist in this area. The competitive option (Sky runner) must be completed in less than 24 hours but it's better to have at least four or five days in order to appreciate the experience that this route provides. |
451_15 | Other mountain activities as rock climbing, alpinism, snowshoeing or backcountry skiing are also allowed (with some regulations) in the national park. The mountain shelters, the only places where visitors are permitted spend a night into the park, are available to stay for allow traversing the higher peaks in the park.
Mountain biking
Cycling is only allowed on paved routes inside the park (just to Sant Maurici Lake or Aigüestortes plain) and is strictly regulated. Some routes are available in the peripheral area, most of them with medium or hard level.
Pedals de Foc: is an organized route for riding around the park (not inside) for several days and possibility of backpacking transfer.
Refuges |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.