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Ruth Barcan Marcus

Ruth Barcan Marcus (born Ruth Charlotte Barcan; 2 August 1921 – 19 February 2012 ) was an American academic philosopher and logician best known for her work in modal and philosophical logic. She developed the first formal systems of quantified modal logic and in so doing introduced the schema or principle known as the Barcan formula. (She would also introduce the now standard "box" operator for necessity in the process.) Marcus, who originally published as Ruth C. Barcan, was, as Don Garrett notes "one of the twentieth century's most important and influential philosopher-logicians". Timothy Williamson, in a 2008 celebration of Marcus' long career, states that many of her "main ideas are not just original, and clever, and beautiful, and fascinating, and influential, and way ahead of their time, but actually – I believe – true".

Academic career and service
Ruth Barcan (as she was known before marrying the physicist Jules Alexander Marcus in 1942 ) graduated magna cum laude from New York University in 1941, majoring in mathematics and philosophy. She then went to graduate school at Yale, obtaining her M.A. in 1942 and her PhD in 1946.

Marcus was a visiting professor at Northwestern University from 1950 until 1953 and, again, in 1959. She served as assistant, and then as associate, professor at the newly founded Roosevelt University, Chicago, between 1956 and 1963. From 1964 to 1970, she was a professor of philosophy at the University of Illinois Chicago (originally serving as a head of department). She was professor of philosophy at Northwestern University from 1970 until 1973, when she was appointed as the Reuben Post Halleck Professor of Philosophy at Yale University until retiring, as a professor emerita, in 1992. She continued to teach, during winter semesters, at the University of California, Irvine until 1997.

Amongst other professional offices held during her career, Marcus served as chair of the board of officers for the American Philosophical Association (1976–83) and as president of both the Association for Symbolic Logic (1983–86) and then of the (1989–92).

Quantified modal logic
The widely discussed Barcan formula is introduced as an axiom in QML. In her earliest published work, the publication of the first axiomatic study of modal logic with quantifiers, Marcus published under her maiden name Ruth C. Barcan. It features these three articles: "A Functional Calculus of First Order Based on Strict Implication", Journal of Symbolic Logic (JSL, 1946), "The Deduction Theorem in a Functional Calculus of First Order Based on Strict Implication" (JSL, 1946), and "The Identity of Individuals in a Strict Functional Calculus of Second Order", (JSL, 1947).

The first systems of quantified modal logic, which extended some propositional modal systems of Clarence Irving Lewis to first and second order; the papers of 1946 and 1947, were a major accomplishment in the development of 20th century logic.

Lewis gives Marcus special recognition in his "Notes on the Logic of Intension", originally printed in Structure, Method, and Meaning: Essays in Honor of Henry M. Sheffer (New York, 1951). Here Lewis recognizes Barcan Marcus as the first logician to extend propositional logic as a higher order intensional logic.

Direct reference
Marcus proposed the view in the philosophy of language according to which proper names are what Marcus termed mere "tags" ("Modalities and Intensional Languages" (Synthese, 1961) and elsewhere). According to her tag theory of names (a direct reference theory), these "tags" are used to refer to an object, which is the bearer of the name. The meaning of the name is regarded as exhausted by this referential function. This view contrasts for example with Bertrand Russell's description theory of proper names as well as John Searle's cluster description theory of names which prevailed at the time. This view of proper names (presented in 1962 with Willard Van Orman Quine as commentator) has been identified by Quentin Smith with the theory of reference given in Saul Kripke's Naming and Necessity. However, in a recent laudatio to Ruth Barcan Marcus, Professor Timothy Williamson says:

"One of the ideas in them that resonates most with current philosophy of language is that of proper names as mere tags, without descriptive content. This is not Kripke's idea of names as rigid designators, designating the same object with respect to all relevant worlds, for 'rigidified' definite descriptions are rigid designators but still have descriptive content. Rather, it is the idea, later developed by David Kaplan and others, that proper names are directly referential, in the sense that they contribute only their bearer to the propositions expressed by sentences in which they occur."

The philosopher of language Stephen Neale has also argued against Professor Smith's claim in the Times Literary Supplement.

Necessity of identity
Marcus formally proved the necessity of identity in 1946 and informally argued for it in 1961, thereafter thus rejecting the possibility of contingent identity. See Journal of Symbolic Logic, (1947) 12: pp 12–15

Semantics of QML
Marcus prefers an interpretation where the domain of the interpretation comprises individual entities in the actual world. She also suggests that for some uses an alternative substitutional semantics is warranted. She provides arguments against possibilia. See "Dispensing with Possibilia" (Proceedings of the American Philosophical Association, 1975–76); "Possibilia and Possible Worlds" (Grazer Philosophische Studien, 1985–86).

Moral conflict
Marcus defines a consistent set of moral principles as one in which there is some "possible world" in which they are all obeyable. That they may conflict in the actual world is not a mark of inconsistency. As in the case of necessity of identity, there was a resistance to this interpretation of moral conflict. Her argument counts against a widely received view that systems of moral rules are inevitably inconsistent.

Belief
It is proposed that believing is a relationship of an agent to a possible state of affairs under specified internal and external circumstances. Assenting to a quoted sentence (the disquotation account of belief) is only one behavioral marker of believing. Betting behavior is another. The wholly language-centered account of belief (e.g. Davidson) is rejected. Where an agent would traditionally be described as believing an impossibility until its impossibility was disclosed, Marcus proposes that under those circumstances the agent should say that she only claimed to believe an impossibility. In much the same way, when a mathematician discovers that one of his conjectures is false, and since if it is mathematically false it is impossible, he would say he only claimed that the conjecture was true. Odd as this proposal is, it is analogous to the widely accepted principle about knowing: if we claim to know P, and P turns out false, we do not say we used to know it, we say we were mistaken in so claiming.

Essentialism
Aristotelian essentialism is concerned with properties which Marcus defines in the context of a modal framework. One proposal is that a property is essential if something has it, not everything has it, if something has it then it has it necessarily, and it is not wholly individuating e.g. a natural kind property. It is otherwise claimed by Quine and others that modal logic or semantics is committed to essentialist truths. Marcus argues informally that there are interpretations of some modal systems in which all essentialist claims are false. Terence Parsons later formally proved this result.

Substitutional quantification
An alternative to Tarskian (model theoretic) semantics is proposed for some uses where "the truth conditions for quantified formuli are given purely in terms of truth with no appeal to domains of interpretation". This has come to be called "truth-value semantics". Marcus shows that the claim that such a semantics leads to contradictions is false. Such a semantics may be of interest for mathematics, e.g. Hartry Field, or for fictional discourse. Objectual quantification is required for interpretation of identity and other metaphysical categories.

Works
Books (written or edited)

 * The Logical Enterprise, ed. with A. R. Anderson, R. M. Martin, Yale, 1995
 * Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science, VII, eds. R. Barcan Marcus et al., North Holland, 1986
 * Modalities: Philosophical Essays, Oxford University Press, 1993. Paperback; 1995 (contains many of Marcus's important papers)

Academic Papers

 * Published as Ruth C. Barcan - list by PhilPapers
 * Published as Ruth Barcan Marcus - list by PhilPapers.

Awards and recognitions

 * Phi Beta Kappa (1941)
 * Guggenheim Fellow (1953)
 * National Science Foundation Fellow (1963–1964)
 * Center for Advanced Study Beckman Fellow, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (1968–1969)
 * Rockefeller Foundation Residency (Bellagio, 1973 and 1990)
 * Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1977)
 * Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences Fellow, Stanford (1979)
 * University of Edinburgh Fellow, Humanities Institute (1983)
 * Wolfson College of Oxford University, Visiting Fellow (1985 and 1986)
 * Medal of the Collège de France (1986)
 * Permanent Member of the Common Room, Clare Hall of Cambridge University (1986– )
 * Clare Hall, Cambridge University, visiting fellow (1988)
 * Membre, Institut International de Philosophie, Presidente 1989–92, President Honoraire 1992–
 * National Humanities Center, Mellon Fellow (1992–93)
 * Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, University of Illinois Chicago (1995)
 * Wilbur Cross Medal, Yale University (2000)
 * Lauener Prize, Lauener Foundation for Analytical Philosophy, 2007–08.
 * Quinn Prize, American Philosophical Association 2007, for service to the profession
 * Dewey Lecture, APA, Dec 2009.

title: Ruth Barcan Marcus


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User talk:Sylvienguyen

btw, I meant to thank you for your earthworm circulatory system and other edits. I changed it slightly since the number of hearts varies in the different families. Regards. WormRunner 06:18, 17 Nov 2003 (UTC)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: User talk:Sylvienguyen


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The Master of Disguise

The Master of Disguise is a 2002 American adventure comedy film directed by production designer Perry Andelin Blake in his sole directorial effort, written by Dana Carvey and Harris Goldberg, and produced by Sid Ganis, Alex Siskin, Barry Bernardi, and Todd Garner. The film stars Carvey, Brent Spiner, Jennifer Esposito, Harold Gould and James Brolin. It tells the story of a man who is trained to become a "Master of Disguise" by his grandfather when a master criminal kidnaps his parents.

Produced by Revolution Studios, The Master of Disguise was released by Sony Pictures Releasing in the United States on August 2, 2002. The film grossed $43.4 million and received negative reviews, with critics deeming it among the worst films ever made.

Plot
In 1979 Palermo, Italy, Fabbrizio Disguisey, the latest in a long line of secret agents known as "Masters of Disguise", breaks up a smuggling ring run by the evil Devlin Bowman while disguised as Bo Derek. Not wanting his infant son Pistachio to receive the same dangerous future lifestyle as he and his lineage, Fabbrizio decides to keep his family's nature a secret.

Twenty-three years later, Fabbrizio runs an Italian restaurant in an unnamed town in America with his wife and son Pistachio. Released from prison three years earlier, Bowman and his henchmen kidnap Fabbrizio and his wife, forcing Fabbrizio to use his talents to steal legendary artifacts around the world to reestablish Bowman's smuggling ring. After Fabbrizio's disappearance, Pistachio is visited by his grandfather, who reveals Pistachio's heritage and begins training him.

Pistachio gets the basics down and his grandfather gets him an assistant, Jennifer Baker, who is a little confused about what the job entails. The two find one of Bowman's cigars in the alley where his parents were kidnapped which leads them to the Turtle Club where it was made and they learn of Bowman's scheme, as well as that he will be at an antiques fair the next day.

Pistachio and Jennifer go to the fair, with Pistachio disguised as an elderly woman. Bowman invites Jennifer to a party at his house. Pistachio goes to the party in disguise and distracts Bowman while Jennifer looks for clues.

That night, Pistachio and Jennifer look through the clues. Bowman's men kidnap Jennifer, so Pistachio talks to his grandfather via a crystal ball and comes up with a scheme to break into Bowman's lair to rescue Jennifer and his parents. They confront Bowman who has attached a mask of his face to Fabbrizio's head. While the real Bowman escapes, Pistachio fights his father, who is brainwashed to think he is Bowman.

In the end, Pistachio helps his father snap out of his trance, and they free Pistachio's mother and return the artifacts. Pistachio marries Jennifer and becomes an official Master of Disguise. However, they eventually realize that Bowman still got away and has the United States Constitution with him. The Disguiseys locate Bowman in Costa Rica, defeat him in their disguises, and retrieve the Constitution.

Cast
Kenan Thompson, Bo Derek, Michael Johnson, Jessica Simpson, and an uncredited Jesse Ventura make cameo appearances as themselves.

Production
The film was initially developed with Jim Carrey in mind to star, but he turned it down, resulting in Sandler colleague Dana Carvey getting cast.

There is a longstanding rumor that the filming of the scene in the Turtle Club took place on September 11, 2001, the same day as the September 11 attacks, causing production to stop and observe a moment of silence during the terrorist attacks. The rumor states that Carvey was in the full turtle outfit and makeup during the solemn moment. The rumor is believed to have stemmed from a piece of trivia on the movie's IMDb page, a section that includes user-generated content and is not subject to rigorous fact-checking. Director Perry Blake and Dana Carvey both later confirmed that a moment of silence for the victims of the attack was held and that Carvey was in the turtle outfit during the moment of silence, but that the moment took place a few weeks after the attacks. The morning of 9/11, the movie was still in pre-production, and filming was scheduled to begin in a couple of weeks.

Release
The Master of Disguise was granted a PG certificate by the British Board of Film Classification for "mild language and mild comic violence". To obtain the PG certificate, seven seconds of material was cut, the reasons being "dangerous imitable technique, a series of head butts".

Box office
The film opened in Australia on July 31, 2002, in the United States on August 2, 2002, and in the United Kingdom on January 17, 2003 in 2,565 theaters and earned $12,554,650 in the domestic box office, ranking third for the weekend, behind Signs and the second weekend of Austin Powers in Goldmember. The film closed on November 28, 2002, having grossed $40,388,794 domestically and $3,022,207 internationally for a worldwide total of $43,411,001. When the film was released in the United Kingdom, it originally opened at #14, before falling out of the charts completely by the next weekend.

Critical reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 1% based on 104 reviews with an average rating of 2.6/10, making it the lowest-rated film produced by Revolution Studios to date. Its consensus reads: "An ill conceived attempt to utilize Dana Carvey's talent for mimicry, The Master of Disguise is an irritating, witless farce weighted down by sophomoric gags." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 12 out of 100 based on reviews from 24 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "B−" on scale of A to F.

Roger Ebert, awarding the film a rating of one star out of four, reserved some praise for director Perry Andelin Blake's production design, as well as for Carvey's imitative abilities, but saw the overall movie as being "like a party guest who thinks he is funny and is wrong". Ebert also noted that the film is only 65 minutes long, but includes 15 minutes of credit cookies in order to qualify as a feature presentation. Jamie Russell at the BBC described the film as being so bad as to make other movies such as Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo seem like comic equivalents to Citizen Kane: "Never have so many jokes clunked off the screen to such a silent audience. And never has 80 minutes seemed like such an eternity."

Peter Bradshaw, writing for The Guardian, awarded the film two stars out of five, citing a limited number of amusing moments, but criticizing Carvey's characterizations and suggesting to the potential audience member that "you might want to put the shotgun in your mouth". Adam Smith in the Radio Times drew attention to the "lame screenplay" and "barely coherent plot", and noted that "when the nearest thing to a genuine joke is the bad guy's propensity for breaking wind whenever he laughs, you can be pretty sure that you're not in the hands of comedy geniuses".

Alan Morrison, writing for Empire, suggested that it was no more than a feeble imitation of the character comedy of the Austin Powers series, concluding that The Master of Disguise was the single worst movie ever made: "a film about idiots, made by idiots, for idiots". Comedian and former Mystery Science Theater 3000 host Michael J. Nelson named the film the third-worst comedy ever made.

Accolades
Bo Derek's cameo in the film earned her a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Supporting Actress, but lost to Madonna in Die Another Day.

At the 2002 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards, the film was nominated for Worst Picture, Worst Actor, and Worst Male Fake Accent — the latter two regarding Carvey. Its only win was a tie with Kung Pow: Enter the Fist for Most Painfully Unfunny Comedy.

Home media
The film was released on VHS and DVD on January 28, 2003.

title: The Master of Disguise


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The Solar System and Back

The Solar System and Back (1970) is a collection of science essays by American writer and scientist Isaac Asimov. It is the seventh in a series of books reprinting essays from The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.

Contents

 * "Nothing" (March 1959)
 * "The First Metal" (December 1967)
 * "The Seventh Metal" (January 1968)
 * "The Predicted Metal" (February 1968)
 * "The Seventh Planet" (March 1968)
 * "The Dance of the Sun" (April 1968)
 * "Backward, Turn Backward—" (May 1968)
 * "Counting Chromosomes" (June 1968)
 * "Little Lost Satellite" (July 1968)
 * "The Terrible Lizards" (August 1968)
 * "The Dying Lizards" (September 1968)
 * "Little Found Satellite" (October 1968)
 * "The Planetary Eccentric" (November 1968)
 * "View from Amalthea" (December 1968)
 * "The Dance of the Satellites" (January 1969)
 * "Uncertain, Coy, and Hard to Please" (February 1969)
 * "Just Right" (March 1969)
 * "The Incredible Shrinking People" (April 1969)

title: The Solar System and Back


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Nepalese Civil War

The Nepali Civil War was a protracted armed conflict that took place in the then Kingdom of Nepal from 1996 to 2006. It saw countrywide fighting between the Kingdom rulers and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), with the latter making significant use of guerrilla warfare. The conflict began on 13 February 1996, when the CPN (Maoist) initiated an insurgency with the stated purpose of overthrowing the Nepali monarchy and establishing a people's republic; it ended with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord on 21 November 2006.

The civil war was characterized by numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity, including summary executions, massacres, purges, kidnappings, and mass rapes. It resulted in the deaths of over 17,000 people, including civilians, insurgents, and army and police personnel; and the internal displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, mostly throughout rural Nepal. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has received about 63,000 complaints, as reported by commissioner Madhabi Bhatta, while the Commission for Investigation of Enforced Disappearances has received around 3,000.

Overview
On 10 January 1990, the United Left Front (ULF) was formed, which, together with the Nepali Congress, was the backbone of the movement for democratic change. However, communist groups, uncomfortable with the alliance between the ULF and the Congress, formed a parallel front: the United National People's Movement (UNPM). The UNPM called for elections to a constituent assembly, and rejected compromises made by the ULF and the Congress party with the palace. In November 1990, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unity Centre), or CPN(UC), was formed, and included key elements of the UNPM. On 21 January 1991, the CPN(UC) set up the United People's Front of Nepal (UPFN), with Baburam Bhattarai as its head, as an open front to contest elections. The CPN(UC) held its first convention on 25 November 1991; it adopted a line of "protracted armed struggle on the route to a new democratic revolution", and decided that the party would remain an underground party. In the 1991 election, the UPFN became the third-largest party in the Nepali parliament. However, disagreements within the UPFN surged, regarding which tactics were to be used by the party. One group, led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda), argued for immediate armed revolution, while the other group, led by Nirmal Lama, claimed that Nepal was not yet ripe for armed struggle.

On 22 May 1994, the CPN(UC)/UPFN was split in two. The militant faction later renamed itself the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), or CPN(M). This faction described the government forces, mainstream political parties, and the monarchy, as "feudal forces". The armed struggle began on 13 February 1996, when the CPN(M) carried out seven simultaneous attacks over six districts. Initially, the government mobilized the Nepal Police to contain the insurgency. The Royal Nepal Army was not involved in direct fighting because the conflict was regarded as a policing matter. On Friday, 1 June 2001, King Birendra, and his entire family were killed in a massacre at the Narayanhiti Palace – the official residence of the Shah monarchs. Perpetrated by Prince Dipendra, the heir apparent to the Nepali throne, there were ten deaths and five injuries – four injured victims and one self-inflicted injury on Dipendra after shooting himself in the head in an apparent suicide attempt. Dipendra fell into a coma for three days before dying, during which he was crowned as the new king. On 25 July 2001, the government of Sher Bahadur Deuba and the Maoist insurgents declared a ceasefire, and held peace talks from August to November of that year. The failure of these peace talks resulted in the return to armed conflict, beginning with the Maoist attack on an army barracks in Dang District in western Nepal, on 22 November. The situation changed dramatically in 2002, as the number of attacks by both sides increased greatly, and more people died than in any other year of the war.

The government responded by banning anti-monarchy statements, imprisoning journalists, and shutting down newspapers accused of siding with the insurgents. Several rounds of negotiations, accompanied by temporary ceasefires, were held between the insurgents and the government. The government categorically rejected the insurgents' demand for constituent assembly elections. At the same time, the Maoists refused to recognize the continued survival of a constitutional monarchy. In November 2004, the government rejected both the Maoists' request to negotiate directly with King Gyanendra rather than via Prime Minister Deuba, and the Maoists' request for discussions to be mediated by a third party such as the United Nations.

Throughout the war, the government controlled the main cities and towns, while the Maoists dominated the rural areas. In August 2004, the Maoists declared a week-long blockade of Kathmandu city which was later called off.

On 1 February 2005, in response to the inability of the relatively democratic government to restore order, King Gyanendra seized direct power and declared a state of emergency in an attempt to definitively end the insurgency. He proclaimed, "democracy and progress contradict one another...in pursuit of liberalism, we should never overlook an important aspect of our conduct, namely discipline." As a result of this takeover, the United Kingdom and India both suspended their material support for Nepal. According to reports by Nepali newspaper Kantipur, China supplied arms and military equipment to the Gyanendra regime in November 2005; it was the first time China provided arms during the decade long conflict. On 5 May 2005, in response to the takeover by King Gyanendra, seven political parties began talks to form a Seven Party Alliance (SPA). On 22 November 2005, with support from the Indian government, Maoist rebels and the SPA jointly issued a 12-point resolution, which described autocratic monarchy as the main obstacle to "democracy, peace, prosperity, social upliftment and an independent and sovereign Nepal", and included a commitment to hold elections to a constituent assembly and for the Maoist rebels to renounce violence.

In 2006, violent conflict decreased significantly, and instead, resistance transformed into non-violent pro-democracy demonstrations. The municipal elections held in February were boycotted by seven major parties. Instead, over 70 minor political parties promoted candidates. Officially, voter turnaround was 20 percent. Throughout April, pro-democracy demonstrations were held across Nepal, and 19 demonstrators were killed, over 400 protesters were arrested, while dozens of others were injured. On 21 April, King Gyanendra announced that he would return governance to the SPA, but this offer was rejected by both the Maoist rebels and the SPA. On 24 April, King Gyanendra announced that he would also reinstate the House of Representatives, which satisfied the SPA, who formed the reinstated house. On 9 August, the government and the Maoist rebels agreed to accept the United Nations to monitor the peace process and to manage the arms of both sides. On 21 November, the government, the SPA, and the Maoist rebels signed the Comprehensive Peace Accord, which formally ended the civil war.

The Civil War forced young workers to seek work abroad, predominantly in the Persian Gulf and south-east Asia. The economy of Nepal is still heavily dependent on the infusion of foreign income from these migrant workers. As a result of the civil war, Nepal's tourism industry suffered considerably.

Early events

 * 13 February 1996 (1 Falgun 2052 BS, Tuesday): Initiation of "the people's war" by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)

2001

 * January 2001: The government creates the Armed Police Force, a paramilitary force to fight the insurgents.
 * 28 May 2001 (15 Jestha 2058 BS, Monday): Chairman Prachanda gives an interview with the Communist journal A World to Win.
 * 1 June 2001 (19 Jestha 2058 BS, Friday): King Birendra and most of the royal family were killed in the Nepalese royal massacre. Crown Prince Dipendra was accused of the massacre by the Incident Inquiry Committee consisting of Chief Justice Keshav Prasad Upadhaya, and the speaker of the House of Representatives, Taranath Ranabhat. Dipendra, supposedly comatose after a suicide attempt, is crowned king, according to tradition. He supposedly died on 4 June 2001. Gyanendra is then crowned King.
 * 3 August 2001 (19 Shrawn 2058 BS, Friday): The first round of peace talks begin.
 * 23 November 2001 (8 Mangshir 2058 BS, Friday): Peace talks collapse when the Maoists withdraw and launch a ferocious attack on Police and Army posts in 42 districts.
 * 26 November 2001 (11 Mangshir 2058 BS, Monday): The government of Sher Bahadur Deuba declares a nationwide State of Emergency and deploys the Nepal Army.
 * US State Department declares Maoist political party as a terrorist organization. The United States Congress approves US$12 million to train Royal Nepal Army officers and supply 5,000 M16 rifles.

2002

 * May 2002: Peace talks collapse.
 * May 2002: Large battles fought between Army and Maoist forces at Lisne Lekh along the boundary between Pyuthan and Rolpa districts, and in Gam village, Rolpa.
 * 22 May 2002 (8 Jestha 2059 BS, Wednesday): King Gyanendra, acting on the advice of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, dissolves Parliament and orders new elections. The reason given for the dissolution is opposition to the state of emergency.
 * 11 July 2002 (27 Ashad 2059 BS, Thursday): Information leaks out that the Belgian weapon manufacturer FN Herstal is allowed to deliver 5,500 M249 SAW light machine guns to the Nepali monarchy, a decision made by all coalition parties. Minister of External Affairs Louis Michel speaks of "a country in a pluralistic democracy."
 * 4 October 2002 (18 Ashwin 2059 BS, Friday): King Gyanendra deposes Prime Minister Deuba and the entire Council of Ministers, assumes executive power, and cancels the elections for the dissolved House of Representatives, which had been scheduled for 11 November 2002.
 * 11 October 2002 (25 Ashwin 2059 BS, Friday): King Gyanendra appoints Lokendra Bahadur Chand as Prime Minister.

2003

 * January 2003: The United States hold exercises with the Nepali army. Maoist insurgents kill the Inspector General of Armed Police, Krishna Mohan Shrestha, his wife and his bodyguard, Head Constable Subhash Bahadur Gurung of the Armed Police Force, while on their morning walk, as they used to do on Sunday mornings, intending to represent general safety to fellow citizens. The Inspector General and his wife, who was a teacher at an international school in the capital, were both unarmed. They were riddled with bullets from Type 56 Rifles and G3 rifles used by the Maoists.
 * 29 January 2003 (15 Magh 2059 BS, Wednesday): A second ceasefire is established and peace talks begin.
 * 13 May 2003 (30 Baishak 2060 BS, Tuesday): Code of conduct jointly declared by the government and the CPN-M for the mutually agreed period of cease-fire
 * 17 August 2003 (32 Shrawn 2060 BS, Sunday): Nepali military and police forces kill 39 Maoist rebels in the Ramechhap district of central Nepal during an offensive launched jointly by the Army, Police, and Air Force of Nepal. 7 soldiers of the Nepali Army and 5 Constables of the Armed Police are also killed in the operation.
 * 24 August 2003 (7 Bhadra 2060 BS, Sunday): The Maoists set an ultimatum, threatening to withdraw from the cease-fire if the government does not agree within 48 hours to include the question of the Maoists participating in the Constituent Assembly.
 * 26 August 2003 (9 Bhadra 2060 BS, Tuesday): The Maoist ultimatum expires.
 * 27 August 2003 (10 Bhadra 2060 BS, Wednesday):
 * Strike: The Maoist call for a three-day strike to denounce the Army's attacks on their cadres
 * The Maoists unilaterally withdraw from 29 January ceasefire. Prachanda's statement revives the rebels' demand for an end to monarchic rule in favor of a "people's republic", stating, "Since the old regime has put an end to the forward-looking solution to all existing problems through the ceasefire and peace talks, we herein declare that the rationale behind ceasefire...and peace process has ended."
 * 28 August 2003 (11 Bhadra 2060 BS, Thursday): Maoist hitmen shoot two colonels of the Royal Nepal Army in their homes in Kathmandu, killing one and injuring the other.
 * 29 August 2003 (12 Bhadra 2060 BS, Friday): Maoist insurgents unsuccessfully attempt to assassinate Devendra Raj Kandel, a Nepali minister.
 * 31 August 2003 (14 Bhadra 2060 BS, Sunday): Maoist insurgents ambush a Nepali police outpost in Rupandehi, killing 4 policemen.
 * 2 September 2003 (16 Bhadra 2060 BS, Tuesday): Maoist insurgents ambush a Nepali police outpost in Siraha, killing 2 policemen and injuring four others.
 * 27 September 2003 (10 Ashwin 2060 BS, Saturday): "Fifteen people including 8 rebels and 4 policemen were killed and suspected Maoists bombed five government utilities despite the guerrillas' plans for a nine-day truce from 2 October 2003, officials said. Eight Maoists were killed in a gun battle with security forces at Chhita Pokhara in the Khotang district, 340 kilometres east of Kathmandu, a police officer said. 4 Policemen were also killed. Elsewhere in eastern Nepal, the Maoists killed two policemen, Constable Purna Prasad Sharma and Head Constable Radha Krishna Gurung, and a woman selling beetle nuts, Kali Tamang, in the Jaljale-Gaighat area, an official said. 'A group of seven Maoists descended from a public bus when police were checking the passengers and suddenly opened fire from an automatic pistol, killing the three and wounding two others,' said Sitaram Prasad Pokharel, the chief administrator for the region. In Janakpur, an industrial hub on the Indian border 260 kilometres south-east of Kathmandu, the Maoists under the direct command of Prachanda carried out five early morning bombings that disrupted telephone service and power, police said. No one was killed directly by the blasts but an elderly man died of a heart attack after hearing the explosions, Police Deputy Superintendent Bharat Chhetri said. He said the sites that were bombed included the offices of the roads department and the Nepal Electricity Authority and a telecommunications tower. Police personnel and Maoists traded fire for nearly 40 minutes after the blasts but the rebels escaped and 37 people were injured, Mr Khadka said."
 * 13 October 2003 (26 Ashwin 2060 BS, Monday): At least 42 Police Recruits and 9 Maoists are killed when an estimated 3,000 Maoists attempt to storm a Police Training Center in Bhaluwang. "'The rebels had snapped telephone cables, set up roadblocks by felling trees or blowing up highway bridges to prevent reinforcements from coming,' a witness, Krishna Adhikary, told Reuters."
 * 27 October 2003 (10 Kartik 2060 BS, Monday): " Colonel Adrian Griffith and six Nepali nationals were freed last week 42 hours after being taken captive in Baglung, 300 km west of Kathmandu, while on a drive to recruit young Gurkha soldiers to serve in the British army." Party chief Prachanda said, "We are sorry for the incident that took place against the policy of the party."
 * 11 November 2003 (25 Kartik 2060 BS, Tuesday): The Ministry of Defence accuses the Maoists of abducting twenty-nine 9th- and 10th-grade students from Riva Secondary School in Mugu district, western Nepal during the previous week.
 * 15 November 2003 (29 Kartik 2060 BS, Saturday): Four police officers, including Kamalapati Pant (Nepal Police Force), were shot dead from behind on a tea shop by two armed Maoist rebels who approached in a motorcycle and fled away immediately, in Nepalgunj.
 * 19 November 2003 (3 Mangshir 2060 BS, Wednesday): According to a Nepal army official, four people were caught at the Chinese Khasa border point, 114 kilometers northeast of Kathmandu, smuggling weapons from Tibet into Nepal. The official named Hirala Lal Shrestha and Gyaljen Sherpa and said they were taken for interrogation in the Tibetan town of Xigatse.

2004

 * 5 February 2004 (22 Magh 2060 BS, Thursday): An Army raid is carried out by the Bhairavnath Battalion on a village in Bhimad, Makwanpur district. Reports emerge that 14 suspected Maoist rebels and two civilians were executed after being captured. Amnesty International later wrote a letter to Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa and Brigadier-General Nilendra Aryal, Head of the Royal Nepal Army (RNA) human rights cell, demanding an immediate inquiry.
 * 10 February 2004 (27 Magh 2060 BS, Tuesday): Two central committee members of the CPN-M, Matrika Yadav and Suresh Paswan, are reported to have been handed over by India to Nepal. They were reportedly arrested in Lucknow after Nepal provided information.
 * 13 February 2004 (1 Falgun 2060 BS, Friday): Ganesh Chilwal leads an anti-Maoist protest on this day, the eighth anniversary of the commencement of the revolution.
 * 15 February 2004 (3 Falgun 2060 BS, Sunday): Ganesh Chilwal is shot dead in his Kathmandu office by two suspected Maoists.
 * 15 February 2004 (3 Falgun 2060 BS, Sunday): Fighting erupts at a Maoist jungle base in Kalikot District, 360 km west of Kathmandu. The base is said to hold 5000 Maoist troops. On 17 February 2004, a security official says that a private helicopter flying troops to Kalikot was hit by Maoist fire but that it returned safely to Kathmandu. On 18 February 2004, 65 Maoists are reported to have been killed, though this conflicts with other reported death tolls of 35 and 48.
 * 15 February and 16 2004: state radio reports that 13 Maoist rebels were killed in seven separate small clashes with security forces across the country.
 * 18 February 2004 (6 Falgun 2060 BS, Wednesday): Lawmaker Khem Narayan Faujdar, a member of the parliament dissolved by King Gyanendra in 2002, is shot dead by two suspected Maoists riding a motorcycle in the Nawalparasi District, 200 km southwest of the capital, according to the police.
 * 2 April 2004 (20 Chaitra 2060 BS, Friday): The largest rallies since 1990 begin in Kathmandu. They are variously labelled "pro-democracy" and "anti-monarchy."
 * 3 April 2004 (21 Chaitra 2060 BS, Saturday): More than 12 trucks are burnt while waiting at a western Nepal border post to pick up petrol from India. India condemns the attacks and vows to fight terrorism.
 * 4 April 2004 (22 Chaitra 2060 BS, Sunday): "Some 150 demonstrators were struck during a police baton charge" during demonstrations in Kathmandu
 * 4 April 2004 (22 Chaitra 2060 BS, Sunday): "Hundreds of Maoist rebels" attack a Police outpost in Yadukuwa, Jadukhola. 13 policemen are killed, 7 wounded, and 35 are listed as missing. 8–9 Maoists are also killed. "Witnesses said more than 500 rebels attacked the Police post and began firing Assault Rifles and RPG-7 rockets. at around 9 pm (1515 GMT) on Sunday night. The fighting lasted two to three hours." Other reports state 400 rebels.
 * 4 April 2004 (22 Chaitra 2060 BS, Sunday): In the west of the country three Indian traders are shot and injured and have their vehicles burned.
 * 5 April 2004 (23 Chaitra 2060 BS, Monday): A three-day national strike begins, called by CPN(M) and opposed by an "alliance of five political parties" who are protesting in Kathmandu against the monarchy and say the strike will hamper the movement of demonstrators in Kathmandu. Prachanda said, "The time has come to win a united struggle against the feudal forces as the king is trying to take the nation back to the 18th century."
 * 5 April 2004 (23 Chaitra 2060 BS, Monday): In the morning, 3 soldiers are killed and 7 injured by a CPN(M) landmine activated by their vehicle at Dhalkhola, 50 km east of Kathmandu.
 * 5 April 2004 (23 Chaitra 2060 BS, Monday): At least 140 people are injured in clashes in Kathmandu as "about 50,000" demonstrators confront the police. Demonstrators try to break through a police barricade close to the royal palace. The police respond with tear gas and protesters are reportedly injured by police batons. Rocks and bricks are thrown by both sides. Demonstrations also occur in Lalitpur and Bhaktapur. Meanwhile, King Gyanendra has reportedly been away touring villages in western Nepal.
 * 5 April 2004 (23 Chaitra 2060 BS, Monday): The Indian government announces that it will no longer provide police escorts to Indian officials shopping in Nepal, as a means to discourage such trips. Fears are based on the CPN(M) targeting Indians. "We are worried about possible reprisals here if the Maoists continue to target Indians inside Nepal," said a senior police official.
 * 24 June 2004 (10 Ashad 2061 BS, Thursday): The nephew of former Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa is hacked to death by Maoist insurgents in Dhankuta district.
 * 16 August 2004 (32 Shrawn 2061 BS, Monday): The Soaltee Hotel, a popular luxury hotel in Kathmandu, is bombed, after refusing a demand from the Maoists that the hotel be closed.
 * 18 August 2004 (2 Bhadra 2061 BS, Wednesday): A bomb explodes in a marketplace in southern Nepal. The blast kills a 12-year-old boy and wounds six others, including three policemen. In addition, Maoist rebels, demanding the release of captured guerrillas, stop all road traffic near Kathmandu by threatening to attack vehicles. Some Nepal businesses are shut down because of threats.
 * 10 September 2004 (25 Bhadra 2061 BS, Friday): A bomb explodes at the United States Information Service office in Kathmandu.
 * 13 September 2004 (28 Bhadra 2061 BS, Monday): U.S. Peace Corps suspends operations and non-essential U.S. Embassy personnel are evacuated from Nepal.
 * 9 November 2004 (24 Kartik 2061 BS, Tuesday): 36 people were injured when suspected Maoist rebels exploded a powerful bomb at an under-construction government office complex, the Karmachari Sanchaya Kosh Office Complex in the heart of Nepalese capital Kathmandu Tuesday.

 * 11 November 2004 (26 Kartik 2061 BS, Thursday): Maoists kill NID Deputy Superintendent of Police Hemraj Regmi in front of his office residence in Butwal-6 in Rupandehi district.
 * 15 December 2004 (30 Mangshir 2061 BS, Wednesday): Twenty government security personnel are killed in the western district of Arghakhanchi when the Maoists mount a surprise attack.
 * 16 December 2004 (1 Poush 2061 BS, Thursday): Sixteen Maoist rebels are killed in clashes with Nepali security forces in the western district of Dailekh.
 * 23 December 2004 (8 Poush 2061 BS, Thursday): Maoist forces launch blockade of Kathmandu.
 * 26 December 2004 (11 Poush 2061 BS, Sunday): Over 15,000 hold peace rally in Kathmandu.

2005

 * 2 January 2005 (18 Poush 2061 BS, Sunday): Nepali media reports two children being killed in Dailekh district by a Maoist bomb.
 * 4 January 2005 (20 Poush 2061 BS, Tuesday): Three government security personnel and between two and twenty-four Maoist rebels reported killed in fighting.
 * 8 January 2005 (24 Poush 2061 BS, Saturday): Maoists detain and later release 300 passengers from six buses that defy their blockade of Kathmandu.
 * 10 January 2005 (26 Poush 2061 BS, Monday): Prime Minister Deuba said he would increase defense spending to fight the Maoists unless they come forward for talks with the government.
 * 11 January 2005 (27 Poush 2061 BS, Tuesday): Protests and blockades over the government fuel price increases of between 10% and 25%.
 * 15 January 2005 (2 Magh 2061 BS, Saturday): Maoists allegedly detain 14 Indian Gurkhas from Chuha village in Kailali.
 * 29 January 2005 (16 Magh 2061 BS, Saturday): Government leader in the Lamjung district had been abducted and murdered with a gunshot to the head.
 * 1 February 2005 (19 Magh 2061 BS, Tuesday): King Gyanendra dissolves the Deuba government and bans all news reports. The army begins arresting senior political leaders, journalists, trade unionists, human rights activists and civil society leaders. All telephone and internet connections are cut.
 * 7 April 2005 (25 Chaitra 2061 BS, Thursday): Maoists attack a army base in Khara, Rukum suffering 300 losses.
 * 6 June 2005 (24 Jestha 2062 BS, Monday): Badarmude bus explosion: Some 38 civilians are killed and over 70 injured after a packed passenger bus runs over a rebel landmine in Chitwan district.
 * 9 August 2005 (25 Shrawn 2062 BS, Tuesday): Maoist rebels kill 40 security men in midwestern Nepal.
 * 3 September 2005 (18 Bhadra 2062 BS, Saturday): The Maoists declare a three-month unilateral ceasefire to woo opposition political parties.
 * October 2005:: Chunbang Central Committee meeting in Rolpa decides to join hands with the political parties against the king
 * 19 November 2005 (4 Mangshir 2062 BS, Saturday): After negotiations, the Maoist rebels agree to work with opposition politicians in a common front against the rule of King Gyanendra.

2006

 * 2 January 2006 (18 Poush 2062 BS, Monday): Rebels decide not to extend a four-month ceasefire saying that the government had broken the ceasefire with numerous attacks on Maoist villages.
 * 14 January 2006 (1 Magh 2062 BS, Saturday): Maoists launch coordinated attacks on five military and paramilitary targets in the Kathmandu valley, the first demonstration of their ability to organize violence within the Valley, prompting curfews at night for the next several days.
 * 14 March 2006 (1 Chaitra 2062 BS, Tuesday): Nepali rebels extend road blockade; nationwide strike called for 3 April 2006.
 * 5 April 2006 (23 Chaitra 2062 BS, Wednesday): General strike begins with Maoist forces promising to refrain from violence.
 * 6 April 7, 2006: Protesters clash with police, hundreds arrested, dozens injured.
 * 8 April 2006 (26 Chaitra 2062 BS, Saturday): A curfew is imposed in Kathmandu from 10 pm to 9 am The king orders protesters violating the curfew to be "shot on sight."
 * 9 April 2006 (27 Chaitra 2062 BS, Sunday): General strike scheduled to end. Government extends curfew, BBC reports. Three dead in two days of unrest, as thousands of demonstrators defy curfews.
 * 26 April 2006 (13 Baishak 2063 BS, Wednesday): The Maoists start to unblock streets and roads, but put forth some conditions.
 * 27 April 2006 (14 Baishak 2063 BS, Thursday): Maoist insurgents, responding to a demand by the newly appointed prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala, announce a unilateral three-month truce after weeks of pro-democracy protests in Kathmandu, and encourage the formation of a new constituent assembly to rewrite the nation's constitution.
 * 3 May 2006 (20 Baishak 2063 BS, Wednesday): Nepal's new cabinet declares a ceasefire. This was not taken very seriously. The cabinet also announces that the Maoist rebels will no longer be considered a terrorist group. Rebels are also encouraged to open peace talks.
 * 21 November 2006 (5 Mangshir 2063 BS, Tuesday): Peace talks end with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord between Prime Minister Koirala and Maoist leader Prachanda. The deal allows the Maoists to take part in government, and places their weapons under UN monitoring.

Aftermath
More than 17,000 people (including both civilians and armed forces) were killed during the conflict, including over 4,000 Nepalese killed by Maoists from 1996 to 2005, and over 8,200 Nepalese killed by government forces from 1996 to 2005. In addition, an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 people were internally displaced as a result of the conflict. Furthermore, this conflict disrupted most rural development activities. The revolution resulted in political, social and cultural change in Nepal.

Transitional justice bodies
As a transitional justice mechanism, in July 2007, the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction proposed legislation that would establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Nepal. The parliament set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate:"'Murder, abduction and taking of hostage, causing mutilation and disability, physical or mental torture, rape and sexual violence, looting, possession, damage or arson of private or public property, forced eviction from house and land or any other kind of displacement, and any kind of inhuman acts inconsistent with the international human rights or humanitarian law or other crimes against humanity.'"Also another commission to investigate on forced disappearances and debated proposals to grant an amnesty for abuses by government and rebel forces. Both commissions were established in 2013. However, the government led by the NCP, did not extend the tenure of the working commission, dismissed it, and allegedly formed a new commission in its favor.

In 2016, commissioner Madhabi Bhatta of the TRC, a hardliner advocating that amnesty will not be given to perpetrators of serious crimes and that no one has immunity, said on national television that even Prachanda, the then-Prime Minister and former supreme commander of the guerrillas, will be questioned by the commission, reporting that she felt security threats from the former extremists.

Army integration
The Nepalese Army took final control over the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the armed wing of the CPN (Maoist), on 10 April 2012. Then Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, who also headed the Army Integration Special Committee (AISC), told the committee on 10 April 2012, that the NA was going to move into all 15 PLA cantonments, take full control, and take control of more than 3,000 weapons locked in containers there. A total of 6,576 combatants chose the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS), that promised cheques in the range of NPR 500,000 to NPR 800,000, depending on their rank.

In the first phase (18 November – 1 December 2011) of regrouping, 9,705 former combatants had chosen integration into the NA. In a landmark achievement, the AISC had initiated the process of integration following a 1 November 2011, seven-point deal signed by three major political parties – UCPN-M, Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML) and Nepali Congress (NC) – and the umbrella formation of several Madheshi groups, the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF). The deal provided three options to former PLA combatants – integration, voluntary retirement and rehabilitation. 9,705 combatants opted for integration, 7,286 chose voluntary discharge, and six combatants registered their names for rehabilitation packages. The United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) had registered 19,602 combatants in the second verification conducted on 26 May 2007. Leaked footage of Prachanda was later telecasted by Image Channel on 5 May 2009, in which Parchanda claims to have given the UNMIN an inflated number of Maoist fighters.

On 14 April 2012, AISC decision laid down that the ranks of the integrated combatants would be determined according to the NA's, and not the PLA's, standards. A selection committee would be headed by the chairman of Nepal's Public Service Commission (PSC) or by a member appointed by him, and a General Directorate would be created under the NA, headed by a Lieutenant General, to absorb the integrated combatants. The combatants will have to undergo between three and nine months of training, depending on their ranks. The Directorate would only be deployed for disaster relief, industrial security, development, and forest and environment conservation. On 17 April, the NA stated that it could not start the recruitment process of former Maoist combatants until the structure—leadership and size—of the General Directorate had been finalised at the political level. On 19 April 2012, the three major political parties agreed to merge two separate proposed commissions on Truth and Reconciliation, and on Disappearances, into one.

title: Nepalese Civil War


text:
Card Sharks

Card Sharks is an American television game show. It was created by Chester Feldman for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. Contestants attempt to predict the outcome of survey questions to gain control of a row of oversized playing cards, then determine whether the next card drawn is higher or lower. The title Card Sharks is a play on the term "card sharp", a person skilled at card games.

The concept has been made into a series four separate times since its debut in 1978, and it also appeared as part of CBS's Gameshow Marathon. The show originally ran on NBC from 1978 to 1981 with Jim Perry hosting. The show returned and ran from 1986 to 1989 on CBS with Bob Eubanks as host, accompanied by a syndication production with Bill Rafferty. Gene Wood was the announcer in both the 1970s and 1980s. Another syndicated production aired in 2001 with Pat Bullard as host and Gary Kroeger as announcer. A revival hosted by Joel McHale aired on ABC from June 2019 to July 2021. Each production has featured various assistants to handle the playing cards.

Reruns of the show aired on Game Show Network from the channel's start in 1994 until 2018. Reruns currently air on Buzzr.

Gameplay
Two contestants are assigned separate oversized decks of 52 playing cards, which the contestants themselves cut before each game (offscreen prior to 2019), and are dealt the first several cards for their row. The champion (or champion-designate if there were two new contestants) played the red cards on top, while the challenger played the blue cards on the bottom. Each contestant's row of cards had a bracket atop it with their name on it, which was used to mark their "base cards". The goal is to complete a row of cards by correctly predicting whether the next is higher or lower in value, similarly to Acey Deucey.

Main round
Contestants alternately respond to questions to gain control of the cards. In all versions from 1978 to 1989, the returning champion was usually selected to go first; if there were two new contestants, a backstage coin toss determined the player who sits in the champion's position. The 2019 revival instead has both contestants cut their decks onstage and show the resulting bottom card; the contestant with the higher card goes first.

Similarly to another Goodson-Todman game show, Family Feud, survey questions are posed to groups of 100 people, all of whom are typically in a common demographic group. (For example, "We asked 100 teachers, 'Has a student ever given you an apple?' How many said they have?"). Contestants are asked to predict how many of those 100 people responded in a specific manner. Their opponent is then asked whether he or she thinks the actual number is higher or lower than the previous contestant's response. The actual number is then revealed, and if the opponent is correct, they play their cards first; otherwise, the contestant to whom the question was posed plays first.

The contestant who wins the question is shown the first card in their row of seven (five from 1978 to 1989 and ten in the first season of the 2019 revival) and can either keep it or replace it with the next card off the top of their individual deck, which he or she is then required to play. The contestant then guesses whether the next card in the row is higher or lower and continues to do so as long as he or she guesses correctly. If the next card is the same rank as the previous, or if the contestant makes an incorrect guess, that contestant loses control, and whatever cards they have played are discarded and replaced. The opposing contestant then has a chance to play from his or her base card, without the opportunity to exchange first. Either contestant can also elect to "freeze" their position if they are unsure of the next card. This prevents the opponent from playing and resets the contestant's base card to the frozen card, and whatever cards that were turned in that instance are not discarded.

If neither contestant has guessed all the cards in his or her row correctly, or if one has frozen his or her position, play continues with another toss-up question, with the opposing contestant providing the initial numerical guess. In all versions from 1978 to 1989, as well as the Gameshow Marathon episode, the first two games consisted of a maximum of four questions each, and the third tie-breaker game contained a maximum of three questions; since 2019, only one game is played per match, with a maximum of five survey questions. If the contestants still have not cleared their row of cards prior to the last question of the round, that question is played as "sudden death.". The winner of the sudden death question can either play their cards—and change their base card if they desired—or pass to their opponent, who has to play without the option to change the base card. If either contestant guesses incorrectly, their opponent automatically wins the game.

In all versions from 1978 to 1989, as well as the Gameshow Marathon episode, matches were best two-out-of-three, with the third game being played with three cards per contestant and a maximum of three high-low questions. Each game win was worth $100. The 2019 revival removes the "best two-out-of-three" aspect, with only one game now being played per match; whoever wins the game now receives $10,000 to use as a starting stake in the Money Cards.

Rule changes
In the 1980–1981 season, a $500 bonus was awarded to any contestant who provided the exact number of people responding to a specific question, a rule that was modified in the 1986–89 version. In the final few months of 1981, if a contestant was able to complete their row of five cards successfully without freezing or guessing wrong once, he or she won a $500 bonus. These bonuses were guaranteed regardless of the outcome of the overall match, meaning a contestant keeps the cash bonus regardless of winning or losing.

The 1986–89 version added two new varieties of questions in addition to the traditional survey questions. The traditional surveys could also be conducted with a group of ten in the studio audience who shared a characteristic (e.g., ten single women, ten security guards, ten people over 80). Because the odds of being exact were much higher (1:10 compared to 1:100), the exact guess bonus for this type of question was reduced to $100, and the group of ten shared a $100 bonus. The same poll group was used for a week's worth of episodes. The other change was to add general knowledge trivia questions into the game beginning in October 1986. Known as "educated guess questions," the contestant in control gives a numerical answer to the question, similar to a survey, but often much higher numerals that had to be posted as a Chyron on the screen instead of being on the contestant's podium. The opponent, as usual, must guess higher or lower than the answer. Exact guesses won a $500 bonus for the contestant.

The 1986–87 syndicated version introduced prize cards that were shuffled into the deck. If a card was revealed, that contestant was credited with the prize and claimed it if he or she won the game. The next card from the top of the contestant's deck replaced the prize card, and the contestant continued playing. At this time, the maximum number of questions per game was changed to a 4–3–2 format. Shortly thereafter, game #1 was also changed to a three question maximum, moving to a 3–3–2 format. However, all games reverted to the 4–4–3 format by December 1986. Also, contestants only won the prizes claimed for winning the match, or $100 if no prize cards were found during gameplay.

In 1988, the tie-breaker round changed to a single sudden death question. The controlling contestant was shown both base cards before being given the option to play the cards (and change their base card if desired) or pass to the opponent (who had to play without changing). As before, if either contestant guessed incorrectly, their opponent automatically won the match.

The 2019 version added percentage questions in addition to the traditional survey questions; otherwise, gameplay remains the same. There are no cash bonuses offered for an exact guess.

Money Cards
The winner of the main game plays the Money Cards bonus game. The original board consisted of a series of eight cards dealt out on three levels; the 2001 revival changed this to seven cards. The champion is staked with a dollar amount before the round begins and wagers money on each card prior to calling higher or lower. Prior to 2001, the player was staked with $200 prior to the round; the 2001 revival raised this to $700. The 2019 revival has the contestant wager with the $10,000 he or she received for winning the main game.

After calling the first three cards, the last card in the row was moved to the first position in the second row, and the contestant received an additional $200 to wager with the next three cards. The last card in the third row was moved to the first position in the top row, and the contestant made a wager for the final card. The minimum bet for each card was $50 ($100 in the 2001 revival), except for the final card, the "Big Bet" (renamed "Major Wager" for the 2001 revival), where the contestant was required to wager at least half of the money earned thus far.

If a contestant lost all the money banked and busted on the first row, the last card called was moved to the first position on the second row and the contestant received another $200 to wager with the final four cards. If the contestant busted after moving to the second row, the round ended.

If a contestant wagered their entire bank on each card and made a correct prediction each time, the maximum payout was stated to be $28,800 on the original 1970s series, $32,000 on both 1980s series, $51,800 on the 2001 series, and $640,000 on the 2019 series. As of 2021, the only contestant that has successfully achieved this feat is Norma Brown, who won $28,800 in 1978.

On the NBC version, a champion was allowed a maximum of seven wins. On the CBS series, champions were retired either by reaching five wins or surpassing the network’s winnings limit.

Starting in 2019, the player's winnings are represented in oversized $500, $1,000, $5,000, $10,000, and $25,000 chips. The board is now a single row of seven cards, with no additional money given halfway through. Players are given the chance to change any one card during the round. Players are required to physically place chips equal to their bet on a table in front of them on sections labeled "HIGHER" or "LOWER". Prior to the last card, players must bet at least $1,000 on each card. Players who reach the last card without busting are given the option to "cash out" and quit with their current winnings rather than play the final card. If they elect to play, they must gamble at least half their bank on the last card. The maximum possible payout is $640,000.

Rule changes
Duplicate cards were originally counted as incorrect guesses, in the same manner as in the main game. Starting on October 20, 1980, a duplicate in the Money Cards rounds was regarded as a "push"; the contestant did not lose their wager, and moved to the next card. The "push" rule remained intact until late in the 2001 revival's run. In the first season of the 2019 revival, a duplicate card was treated as an incorrect guess; in the second season, it was again treated as a "push".

Initially, contestants could only change their base card on the bottom level of the board, at the start of the round. This was later altered to allow the contestant to change the base card on each new line of cards if they so desired.

During the 1986–89 version, three extra cards (known as "spare cards") were positioned to the left of the Money Cards board. These cards could be used initially any time to change an undesired card, even to change the same card multiple times, but during the run were later amended to allow only one change per line at any point in the line. The additional amount awarded for moving to the second line increased from $200 to $400. This changed the maximum potential payout to $32,000.

Players can change exactly one card, anywhere on the line, in the 2019 version.

Car games
Beginning in the fall of 1986, champions were also given an opportunity to win a new car following the Money Cards round. The car round made its debut on the syndicated series shortly after its debut, with the daytime series adopting the round in October 1986.

Three jokers were shuffled into the Money Cards deck. If a joker was uncovered, it was replaced with the next card from the top of the deck, and the contestant was given an additional chance to win a car. To ensure the contestant had one opportunity at winning the car, they were given one free joker at the onset of the Money Cards.

Following the Money Cards, a row of seven new cards were shown to the contestant, behind one of which was the word "Car". Using the joker(s) from the Money Cards, the contestant designated the cards of their choice. If one of the cards selected revealed the word "Car", the contestant won a new vehicle in addition to any money and prizes won earlier. The same car was featured for an entire week of five shows. During the special weeks when children played, the top prize was a trip to Hawaii and the children were given two jokers to start.

In July 1988, the bonus changed to feature an audience poll question similar to those used in the main game. The contestant was read the question and registered their guess on a board with a range from zero to ten. If the contestant made a correct prediction, they won the car. If their guess was off by one, the contestant won another $500.

The daytime series had no limit on how many cars a champion could win, but the syndicated series did. Initially, winning a car meant the champion retired, but after several weeks the show began allowing champions to continue playing after winning a car. A limit was then placed on how many cars could win before retiring, with the limit eventually being set at two. The changes coincided with a changing in cars being offered; the round started out by offering high-end General Motors cars such as Cadillacs and Corvettes, later changing to mid-priced offerings like Chevrolet Camaros and Pontiac Fire Birds, and then finally to various offerings from American Motors through its Renault and Jeep brands.

1978–1981
The original Card Sharks aired on NBC from April 24, 1978 to October 23, 1981, hosted by Jim Perry; it was the first new Goodson-Todman game show to debut on NBC since the end of the original Match Game in September 1969. From its debut until June 20, 1980, Card Sharks aired at 10:00 am (ET)/9:00 am (CT/MT/PT). The series was one of the few respectably-rated programs (daytime or otherwise) on NBC under Fred Silverman's tenure as network president, which at the time was struggling to gain ratings in both daytime and prime-time.

After a scheduling shuffle necessitated by the debut of The David Letterman Show on June 23, 1980, Card Sharks moved to noon/11:00 am, a timeslot where it first faced The $20,000 Pyramid, which was in its last week of its run, and then from June 30 on, the top-rated game show in daytime, Family Feud on ABC; the first half of The Young and the Restless in certain markets on CBS; and preemptions on local affiliates due to many stations electing to air local newscasts, talk shows, or other syndicated programming in the noon hour. Card Sharks remained in the noon/11:00 slot until its final episode aired on October 23, 1981.

1986–1989
The CBS version of Card Sharks debuted at 10:30/9:30 am January 6, 1986, as a replacement for Body Language, and stayed in that timeslot for its entire run; Press Your Luck relocated to the latter show's old 4:00/3:00 pm slot to make room for Card Sharks. Until January 1987, Card Sharks faced off against its original host Jim Perry's game show Sale of the Century on NBC in the time slot; Sale of the Century was moved to 10:00 am that year. Blockbusters (with the then-host of the syndicated Card Sharks, Bill Rafferty) and then Alex Trebek's Classic Concentration followed as competition for Card Sharks. This version ended its run on March 31, 1989, and was replaced by a short-lived version of Now You See It. The new host of the CBS version was Bob Eubanks; the host of the British adaptation, Bruce Forsyth, was at one point being considered for the job as well, after having a short-lived game show in the US on ABC, Bruce Forsyth's Hot Streak (Forsyth would eventually host Play Your Cards Right, the British adaptation of the series ). Patrick Wayne was also considered for the job.

The syndicated series debuted on September 8, 1986, replacing The Nighttime Price Is Right. Bill Rafferty was host of this version. For the first half of the season, this syndicated Card Sharks series had fairly decent clearances, but this changed due to the show's ratings struggles in an overcrowded syndicated game show market. At the midseason point, the syndicated Card Sharks disappeared from quite a few of its markets, while many stations that continued to air it moved it to very undesirable late-night and early morning timeslots. The series continued to air until June 5, 1987, in the markets that kept it, with re-runs airing until September 11 of that year. Plans were to replace Card Sharks with the return of the Match Game with original host Gene Rayburn, but these plans never came to fruition.

2001
The Pat Bullard-hosted 2001 series debuted on September 17, 2001 (though as it launched the week after the September 11 attacks, was subject to pre-emption by several stations for news coverage) and aired new episodes until December 14, 2001. Four weeks of re-runs aired following that, and the series was cancelled altogether on January 11, 2002. In most of its markets the 2001 Card Sharks was either paired with or aired on the same station as one or both of the Pearson Television-produced shows that were airing at the time, To Tell the Truth or Family Feud.

For this version, two best-of-three matches were played per episode, each with two new contestants. No questions were asked; instead, a random draw was held backstage to determine who had initial control, with the option to pass or play after seeing the first card. A single row of seven cards was used, and a mistake by one contestant gave control to the other. Both contestants were given two "Clip Chips" at the start of the match, which could be used to allow the one in control to change the last exposed card by correctly predicting the outcome of a pre-recorded video segment. Each game was worth $500 and could be won either by a correct guess on the last card, or by default if the opponent missed it. If the contestants tied at one game each, the deciding game was played using three cards.

The winners of the two matches competed against one another in one seven-card game referred to as the "Big Deal," and could use any Clip Chips they still had. The winner received an additional $1,100, bringing their total up to $2,100, and advanced to the Money Cards. Losing contestants in either the matches or the Big Deal kept any money they had won.

For the Money Cards round, six cards were dealt out in three rows: three on the bottom row, two in the middle, one on the top. The contestant's $2,100 was divided into three equal stakes of $700, one of which was added to their total upon starting each row. Only the initial card on each row could be changed. The minimum bet was $100 for every card except the one on the top row (the "Major Wager") which required the contestant to risk at least half their total. A contestant could win up to $51,800 in this round.

Gameshow Marathon (2006, CBS)
On June 15, 2006, Card Sharks was the fifth of seven classic game shows featured in CBS's month-long Gameshow Marathon hosted by Ricki Lake and announced by Rich Fields as it was one of the "semifinal rounds" in the tournament. The contestants were Brande Roderick and Paige Davis.

The set was modeled after the original 1978–81 production. In the Money Cards, the winner earned $1,000 for each row, for a possible $144,000. Roderick won $6,000 in the bonus round.

In the car game, unlike the 1986–89 version, the game was changed where 10 people were polled (cheerleaders in this episode) were called up for another poll question. This time, the rules were fixed and were made easier with the contestant simply having to say whether the number of people who did do what they were asked (e.g., "We asked these cheerleaders, 'Have you ever dated someone from a rival school?' How many of these 10 cheerleaders said they had dated someone from a rival school?") was a number higher or lower than 5. A card from the blue deck was shown lying face down and was brought out with the numerical value of the people who said "yes". The card was then revealed after the contestant's guess was made and if the value matched the contestant's guess, then the car was won. Roderick won $10,000 along with a BMW M Roadster (worth $40,445) for a grand total of $50,445 for the home viewer.

2019–2021
On March 13, 2019, Vulture reported that ABC was partnering with Fremantle to reboot the series, with pre-production on new hour-long episodes of Card Sharks and Press Your Luck being underway and taping slated to begin sometime in the spring. Scott St. John (a producer on Match Game) served as an executive producer. Airing on ABC makes Card Sharks one of only a handful of shows (joining To Tell the Truth, The Price Is Right, and Match Game) to have at one point or another aired on all three of the Big Three television networks.

On April 8, 2019, TVLine reported that actor Joel McHale would host the new revival series. The series premiered on June 12, 2019.

On November 20, 2019, the series was renewed for a second season. From March 13, 2020 to July 3, 2020, the show suspended production as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. This resulted in the season two premiere being delayed to October 18, 2020. The series later resumed its second season on June 23, 2021. On April 1, 2022, it was reported that the series was cancelled.

The 2019 version featured similar rules as the 1978–81 and 1986–89 iterations, with two new players competing in the main game and no returning champions. A separate row of seven cards was dealt for each player, and a maximum of five questions were asked, with the fifth (if necessary) played under sudden-death rules. The winner was decided by a single victory instead of a best-of-three match. During the first season, the number of cards per row was ten.

The Money Cards round was played using a single line of seven cards. The player was staked with $10,000, presented as five chips worth $1,000 each and one worth $5,000, and the first card was turned over to start the game. One card was able to be changed before any turn in this round. The player's wager was added to his/her total for a correct guess, and subtracted for an incorrect one. In season one, the player lost the wager if a card of the same rank was turned up; in season two, this situation was counted as a "push," with no money won or lost. The player had to bet a multiple of $1,000 on every card except the last; at this point, he/she could either end the game and keep all winnings or bet at least half the total as a multiple of $500. For this final turn, the player was allowed to trade in a $1,000 chip for two $500 chips so that he/she could bet exactly half the total if desired. The round ended immediately if the player went broke. The maximum potential payout was $640,000.

Personnel
Gene Wood was the primary announcer on both the original and 1980s Card Sharks, with Charlie O'Donnell and Bob Hilton serving as occasional substitutes. Jack Narz, Jay Stewart, and Johnny Olson also served as substitutes for NBC, and Johnny Gilbert and Rod Roddy also served as substitutes for CBS. Gary Kroeger was the announcer in 2001, and Rich Fields was the announcer of the Gameshow Marathon episode. Donna Jay Fulks served as announcer during the 2019-2021 series.

The theme for the NBC version was previously used on the Goodson-Todman series Double Dare with host Alex Trebek that aired in 1976 on CBS. Edd Kalehoff wrote that theme through Score Productions, and the theme for the 1980s version of Card Sharks through his own production company. Alan Ett and Scott Liggett composed the 2001 series theme. A revived version of the original theme was used for the ABC revival.

Ann Pennington, Janice Baker, Lois Areno, Kristin Bjorklund, Melinda Hunter, and Markie Post all served as models on NBC. Lacey Pemberton and Suzanna Williams were the models on the concurrent CBS and syndication runs in the 1980s, and Tami Roman was the model in 2001. Jerry Wolf and Alexis Gaube were the dealers during the 2019-2021 series. Following that show's cancellation, Wolf departed Hollywood while Gaube became the newest model on The Price Is Right in 2022.

International versions
The most significant difference in gameplay for foreign formats of Card Sharks was the use of married couples instead of individual contestants (except the U.S., Brazilian, Chilean, Greek, and Portuguese versions, which only featured individual contestants). All global versions of Card Sharks (except the U.S., Brazil, Chile, and Greece) were mostly produced by Reg Grundy.

Merchandise

 * The first Card Sharks home game was a computer-based video game released by Sharedata, Inc. and Softie, Inc. in 1988 for the Apple II and Commodore 64 units and all IBM compatible computers. Gameplay is based on the 1986–89 format, using the single sudden-death question tiebreaker in the main game. If a contestant got an exact guess on a question in the main game, he or she won a $100 bonus, instead of the $500 bonus on the show. Also, unlike the show, the game did not use the educated guess or audience poll questions.
 * Endless Games published a Card Sharks home game in 2002 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the series at the time. It used visual designs based on the 2001 production while its gameplay was based on the 1986 format of the series, prior to the car game being introduced. 18 years later, in 2020; they published another  Card Sharks home game, but only this time it was based on the ABC version hosted by Joel McHale as of which, he's also on the cover of the box. This version celebrates the 40 year old history of the show.
 * Software for mobile phones was released on June 1, 2005 by Telescope Inc., which also used the logo from 2001 to 2002; its theme music was a remix of the 1978–81 version, the rules and gameplay were based from a variety of the 1970s and 1980s variants. More survey questions were also available for download.
 * A single-player online game was released by the now defunct website uproar.com. The logo and set were similar to its 2001–02 counterpart while its gameplay (minus the poll questions) was very similar to the 1970s and 1980s counterparts. However, as of September 30, 2006, the website no longer offered any game show-based games of any kind.
 * The now defunct website Gameshow24.com had an online version of Card Sharks in 2004. Its logo and set were based on the original 1978–81 format, and the main theme song had a unique mixture of both the 1978 and 2001 productions, and like its Uproar.com counterpart it had no poll questions either, but its gameplay was very similar to that of The Price Is Right where players have to guess grocery items that were 'higher' or 'lower' than the ones that precede them. The show was also similar to The Price Is Right in that it used various sound effects and theme music from The Price Is Right at various points, such as playing the infamous losing horn for a bust or for failing to win the car in the bonus round during the Eubanks and Rafferty eras.
 * In 2021, a brand new online version of Card Sharks was released by the casual gaming website called Arkadium where it mostly plays like the Perry, Eubanks/Rafferty versions from the 70s & 80s (along with their theme songs from '86 & '78) respectively, but just like the McHale version on ABC from season 2, it had seven rows of playing cards for the champion (red) & challenger (blue) to play with instead of five.

title: Card Sharks


text:
Frozen yogurt

Frozen yogurt (also known as frogurt or by the tradename Froyo; ) is a frozen dessert made with yogurt and sometimes other dairy and non-dairy products. Frozen yogurt is a frozen product containing the same basic ingredients as ice cream, but contains live bacterial cultures.

Usually more tart than ice cream (the tanginess in part due to the lactic acid in the yogurt), as well as lower in fat (due to the use of milk instead of cream), it is different from ice milk and conventional soft serve. Unlike yogurt, frozen yogurt is not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but is regulated by some U.S. states, such as California.

History
Frozen yogurt was invented in New England, United States, in the 1970s. The American frozen desert chain Pinkberry is credited for allowing people to customize their frozen yogurt with toppings, while another chain, 16 Handles is credited for introducing multi-choice self-service machines.

Production
Frozen yogurt consists of milk solids, a sweetener, milk fat, yogurt culture (commonly Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus), plus flavorings and sometimes coloring (natural or artificial).

Milk fat comprises about 0.55–6% of the yogurt; added in quantities inversely proportional to the amount of milk solids, it lends richness to the yogurt. Milk solids account for 8–14% of the yogurt volume, providing lactose for sweetness and proteins for smoothness and increased resistance to melting. Sugar (beet or cane) provides 15–17% of the yogurt ingredients; in addition to adding sweetness, it increases the volume of solid ingredients, improving body and texture. Gelatin and/or vegetable additives (guar gum, carrageenan) stabilize the yogurt, reducing crystallization and increasing the temperature at which it will melt. This stabilization ensures that the frozen yogurt maintains a smooth consistency regardless of handling or temperature change.

Major companies often use assembly lines specifically dedicated to frozen yogurt production. Milk products and stabilizing agent(s) are combined and homogenized. At 32 °C, the yogurt culture is added. The mix remains at this temperature until it sets and is ready for cooling. After that, the mix is cooled at a temperature of 0 to 4 °C. Once it has reached the desired temperature and viscosity, the yogurt is allowed to sit in aging tanks for up to four hours. Sweeteners, flavorings, and colorings are then mixed in, and the yogurt mixture is cooled at a temperature of −6 to −2 °C. To create extra volume and smooth consistency, the air is incorporated into the yogurt as the mixture is agitated. With a sufficient amount of air in it, the yogurt gets rapidly frozen to prevent the formation of large ice crystals and then stored in a cold place to be shipped.

Frozen yogurt can be made in a soft serve freezer much the same way as soft ice cream. Frozen yogurt mix is sold in either powder form that needs to be mixed with water or liquid form ready to pour into a soft-serve machine. A mix with high or low-fat content can be chosen, and the amount of air introduced into the soft-serve frozen yogurt is variable. The higher the fat level, the more air the yogurt can absorb; and the more air goes into the mix as it freezes, the creamier the product will taste.

Uses
Frozen yogurt is served in a large variety of flavors and styles. It also has sugar-free and fat-free alternatives. Frozen yogurt shops usually offer a multitude of toppings, from fruit to nuts, popular cookie brands, and candies. Some companies offer a more tart version considered closer to the original recipe, whereas others focus on making their own taste more like ice cream.

title: Frozen yogurt