Brass knuckles (also referred to as brass knucks, knuckle dusters, iron fist and paperweight, among other names) is a melee weapon used primarily in hand-to-hand combat. They are fitted and designed to be worn around the knuckles of the human hand. Despite their name, they are often made from other metals, plastics or carbon fibers and not necessarily brass. Designed to preserve and concentrate a punch's force by directing it toward a harder and smaller contact area, they result in increased tissue disruption, including an increased likelihood of fracturing the intended target's bones on impact. The extended and rounded palm grip also spreads the counter-force across the attacker's palm, which would otherwise have been absorbed primarily by the attacker's fingers. This reduces the likelihood of damage to the attacker's fingers. The weapon has been controversial for its easy concealability and is illegal to own and use in various countries. Brass knuckles are currently illegalized within 21 states of the US. ...

Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers who appeal to different types of audience. This can be seen, for example, (especially in the United States) when a song appears on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical styles or genres. If the second chart combines genres, such as a "Hot 100" list, the work is not a crossover. In some contexts the term "crossover" can have negative connotations associated with cultural appropriation, implying the dilution of a music's distinctive qualities to appeal to mass tastes. For example, in the early years of rock and roll, many songs originally recorded by African-American musicians were re-recorded by white artists such as Pat Boone in a more toned-down style, often with changed lyrics, that lacked the hard edge of the original versions. These covers were popular with a much broader audience.Crossover frequently results from the appearance of the music in a film soundtrack. For instance, Sacred Harp music experienced a spurt of crossover popularity as a result of its appearance in the 2003 film Cold Mountain, and bluegrass music experienced...

A Pontifical High Mass, also called Solemn Pontifical Mass, is a Solemn or High Mass celebrated by a bishop using certain prescribed ceremonies. Although in modern English the word "pontifical" is almost exclusively associated with the pope, any bishop may be properly called a pontiff. Thus, the celebrant of a Pontifical High Mass may be the pope, any bishop or any other prelate who is allowed to wear pontificals. The term is also used among Anglo-Catholic Anglicans. Origins In the early Church, Mass was normally celebrated by the bishop, with other clergy. In the Roman Rite this evolved into a form of Solemn High Mass celebrated by a bishop accompanied by a deacon, subdeacon, assistant deacons, thurifer, acolyte(s) and other ministers, under the guidance of a priest acting as master of ceremonies. Most often the specific parts assigned to deacon and subdeacon are performed by priests. The parts to be said aloud are all chanted, except that the prayers at the foot of the altar, which before the reform of Pope Pius V were said in the sacristy or during the entrance procession, were said quietly by the bishop with the...

The 2023 Vilnius summit is an ongoing NATO summit taking place on 11–12 July 2023, in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. The summit was officially proposed during the 2022 Madrid summit and its dates were fixed on 9 November 2022. In the summit, world leaders are set to discuss the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine as well as Ukraine and Sweden's prospective memberships in NATO. Background The summit will be held in the context of an ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. In his January 2023 address to the Lithuanian Parliament, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the summit as fateful. Ukraine expressed the desire to be formally invited to NATO at the Vilnius summit. By 8 July 2023, there were 24 member states that had formally declared their support for Ukraine's NATO membership. Before the summit, on 4 July 2023, the former President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė has criticized the Western leaders who failed to prevent the Russian aggression and said that the refusal to invite Ukraine to NATO would be a mistake.Following the accession of Finland to NATO earlier in 2023...