title: 2020–2022 United States racial unrest

text: The recent scrutiny on race relations in the United States brought comparisons to the Weinstein effect in which the Me Too movement put pressure on public figures for legacies of sexual assault, harassment, and systemic sexism. Similarly, the American public, under its racial injustice reckoning, pressured American industries to confront legacies of racism. The resulting symbolic divestments targeted white cultural hegemony. NPR wrote that renamed landmarks and similar gestures would not provide economic opportunities or civil rights, but signaled cultural disapproval towards symbols associated with racial injustice, including the history of racism and slavery. "The New Yorker" compared the dispersed national response to an "American Spring" on par with the Arab Spring and other international revolutionary waves. Global protests also focused on symbols of racial injustice, with "The New Yorker" also having a part on international solidarity towards police violence.


title: 2020–2022 United States racial unrest

text: Anti-racist self-education became a trend throughout June 2020 in the United States, and black anti-racist writers found new audiences. During the Floyd protests, black-owned bookstores saw an influx of interest, especially for books on social justice topics. In the span of two weeks from early to late June, books about race went from composing none to two-thirds of "The New York Times" Best Seller list. Amazon sales saw a similar pattern. In comparison, no such surge happened after prior prominent Black Lives Matter demonstrations. Online library checkouts of anti-racist literature increased tenfold by mid-June. Some municipal libraries saw waitlists in the thousands per title. Amazon's tracking of daily e-book readers and audiobook listeners reflected the increased readership, when many of the aforementioned books entered its most-read list.


title: 2020–2022 United States racial unrest

text: American consumers sought out black-owned businesses to support. June saw record high Google searches for "black-owned businesses near me" and smartphone restaurant discovery apps added features for discovering black-owned restaurants. Businesses on social media lists saw significantly increased sales. Black-owned bookstores in particular had difficulty meeting demand. Consumer concerns over hate speech on social media platforms caused some companies to implement temporary boycotts on advertising on certain platforms. Many major American corporations pursued anti-racism and diversity training workshops, particularly companies seeking to be consistent with their Black Lives Matter message. Demand for these trainings had grown over time, especially since 2016, and interest in diversity training bookings spiked during this period.


title: 2020–2022 United States racial unrest

text: The unrest precipitated an unprecedented number of firearm sales in the United States. Background checks for legally purchased firearms reached record highs starting in May, with year-on-year numbers up 80.2% and running through the rest of the summer. This represented the highest monthly number of firearms transfers since the FBI began keeping records in 1998.


title: 2020–2022 United States racial unrest

text: In May 2020, firearms retailers surveyed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation estimated that 40% of their sales came from first-time gun buyers, 40% of those first-time gun buyers were women. Gun sales have been up across the country. A rise in first-time gun buyers in liberal-leaning states like California has helped fuel the national uptick in firearms and ammunition purchases. June 2020 represented the largest month of firearms purchases in United States history, with Illinois purchasing more firearms than any other state.


title: 2020–2022 United States racial unrest

text: According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), in the last days of May and the first week of June 2020, there were more than 90 attempted or successful burglaries of gun stores. More than 1,000 guns were stolen in that window of time. On May 31 alone, the BATF reported 29 separate burglaries targeting licensed firearm retailers.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: Six Flags New Orleans is an abandoned theme park located near the intersection of Interstate 10 and Interstate 510 in New Orleans. It first opened as Jazzland in 2000, and a leasing agreement was established with Six Flags in 2002 following the previous operator's bankruptcy proceedings. Six Flags invested $20 million in upgrades, and the park reopened as Six Flags New Orleans in 2003. It was closed eight days prior to Hurricane Katrina making landfall on August 29, 2005, and because of serious damage from flooding, the park never reopened and was left abandoned.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: Six Flags salvaged several rides and relocated them to other parks. The Industrial Development Board (IDB) of New Orleans owns the property and oversees redevelopment plans. Following several failed proposals to redevelop the site, it remains abandoned and in poor condition. Videos and photos of the site have emerged over the years from thrill-seekers and YouTubers. As a result, city officials became more diligent in securing the park and banning tourists, tasking the New Orleans Police Department with patrolling the abandoned site and arresting trespassers. An option to demolish and clear the land was explored in 2019 following complaints from local residents, estimated to cost the city $1.3 million. In the meantime, the city continues to generate revenue from the property by occasionally leasing the park to various production companies as a filming location.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: Tom and Dian Winingder spent almost ten years arranging the partnership that would open Jazzland. In 1995, the developers solicited a loan from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), initially in the amount of $15 million, to complete the park. The partners included Burroughs & Chapin located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, which withdrew in 1997, and Ogden Corporation, which sold its theme park division to Alfa Alfa for $148 million in March 2000. The park is built on a concrete deck thick.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: The park opened under the name Jazzland on May 20, 2000; the crowd was estimated at 20–25,000 people, and 75–80,000 season passes had been sold. It was operated by Alfa SmartParks, a Greek holding company that purchased the Odgen Entertainment theme park division; the company has since changed hands and now is known as Palace Entertainment, owned by the Spanish company Parques Reunidos. The original themed areas were "Mardi Gras", "Pontchartrain Beach", "Cajun Country", "Jazz Plaza", "Kids' Carnival", and "The Goodtime Gardens"; the first season ran until October 29, with season passes available for $89.99 (individual) or $219.96 (family of four). Rides included Mega Zeph, a wooden roller coaster track built on a steel frame to prevent termite infestation and withstand hurricane-force winds. Mega Zeph was inspired by the old Zephyr roller coaster at the closed Pontchartrain Beach Amusement Park that was next to Lake Pontchartrain by the University of New Orleans. The intent was to rebuild the Zephyr, but it was a smaller roller coaster, so that idea was scrapped in favor of the current larger Mega Zeph. Other rides included a junior steel coaster called Rex's Rail Runner, a wild mouse steel coaster, and a common steel shuttle looping Vekoma boomerang rollercoaster called Zydeco Scream. The park had a log flume called Cypress Plunge and a splashwater falls ride called Spillway Splashout. In addition, the park had common amusement park spinning rides and a carousel merry-go-round.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: The park was not profitable, as Alfa SmartParks specialized in running water parks and smaller amusement arcade centers. It attracted 1.1 million visitors for its first season, but that decreased to 560 to 580 thousand the next season; Alfa filed for bankruptcy reorganization in February 2002. Citing its benefit to the local economy, HUD loaned $25.3 million to build the park, and after Alfa went bankrupt, the city of New Orleans became liable for the remainder of the loan. In 2001, the lease was put up for sale, and in March 2002 Six Flags purchased it for $22 M, although the park's name did not change that year. The New Orleans city council approved the 75-year lease in August 2002; under the negotiated agreement, repayment of the remaining $24.4 million loan from HUD was to be split between the park ($1.4 M/year) and the city ($1 M/yr).


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: Six Flags spent $20 million to upgrade the park and reopened it in April 2003 under the name Six Flags New Orleans. Six Flags added more shaded areas and many new flat spinning rides. The park was renamed Six Flags, and the "it's playtime!" theme was adopted that included a dancing old man, Mr. Six. They added a Bolliger & Mabillard inverted coaster named (a mirrored version of the B&M Batman: The Ride coaster model) relocated from the defunct Thrill Valley in Japan, and a Vekoma multiple looping coaster called The Jester relocated from Six Flags Fiesta Texas. A water park that would be included in the admission (like Six Flags Parks such as Six Flags St. Louis and Six Flags America, for example) was in the planning stages in early 2005 and was going to be announced at the end of August. However, Hurricane Katrina was about to strike New Orleans, which put those plans and the continued operations of the park in question.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: The last day the park operated was Sunday August 21, 2005, eight days before Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans. Weekday operations had ended a couple of weeks earlier, however, as schools start early in August in the New Orleans area and end in mid-May. The park was scheduled to reopen for the weekend on August 27 or August 28, but once Katrina was forecast late on Friday, August 26 to directly hit New Orleans, the weekend re-opening was cancelled in order to prepare for the storm and begin evacuations. By the time the park closed in 2005, Six Flags had spent $44 M on park upgrades.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: Immediately after entering the main gate on the east side of the park, guests were directed to (clockwise):


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: Because the park was located next to Lake Pontchartrain, the park installed drainage pipes to protect it from flooding. On the morning of August 29, 2005, just after sunrise, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in New Orleans, resulting in 1,464 deaths and over $100 billion in damages. As many as 26,000 city residents took shelter at the Louisiana Superdome, and over 80% of New Orleans was flooded.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: Water from Lake Pontchartrain overflowed and overwhelmed the drainage system at Six Flags New Orleans, which was unable to keep up with the flow of water, flooding the theme park for the duration of Katrina. In the storm's aftermath, the park was left submerged deep, taking over a month for the water to leave the park and leaving devastation in its wake.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: The park grounds are located on a low-lying section of Eastern New Orleans, with a earthen flood berm running along the perimeter, creating an artificial basin. As such, this area was heavily flooded in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. After the park's drainage pumps failed during the storm, the berm retained the combination of rainwater and sea water overflow from Lake Pontchartrain caused by Katrina's massive storm surge, submerging the entire park grounds in corrosive, brackish floodwater to a depth of for over a month. Due to the extensive water and wind damage sustained, the park was closed indefinitely without plans to reopen.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: Initial damage reports by Six Flags inspectors stated that the park buildings, the flat rides (except for one that was being serviced off-site at the time of the storm) and attractions were 80% destroyed by long term salt-water immersion and both the wooden track and steel superstructure of the Mega Zeph were likely damaged beyond repair. The only large ride to escape relatively unscathed was the "Batman: The Ride" roller-coaster, due to its elevated station platform and corrosion-resistant support structure.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: On July 1, 2006, having announced that the park would be closed "at least" through 2007, Six Flags announced that it had concluded its damage assessments and declared the park to be an "effective total loss"—with no desire or intent by the company to undertake the prohibitive cost of rebuilding—and was in negotiations with the City of New Orleans to make an early exit from the 75-year lease that Six Flags entered into on the property in 2002. However, then-Mayor Ray Nagin said he planned to hold Six Flags to the lease agreement and force them to rebuild. If held to the terms of the lease agreement, Six Flags would have been legally obligated to rebuild the park on the same site, but only to the extent of the insurance money Six Flags received. Six Flags determined the value of assets destroyed by the storm at $32.5 million. As of September 2006, Six Flags had collected $11.5 million of insurance proceeds, bringing the insurance receivable balance to $24.4 million. In January 2007, Six Flags officials revealed to the New Orleans "Times-Picayune" that the company was suing its insurers for the remaining $17.5 million in coverage.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: The park had been one of the least profitable parks in the Six Flags portfolio. Though the park was located in New Orleans East near some of the area's more affluent neighborhoods, the park was originally budgeted to bring in tourists from the city's downtown attractions to supplement the city's relatively smaller population base (New Orleans had been experiencing a declining population before Hurricane Katrina). However, near the time that the storm struck, Six Flags had already begun closing some of its smaller, less profitable parks across the country. Hurricane Katrina cemented the New Orleans park as another of Six Flags' portfolio that would eventually close permanently.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: On December 15, 2006, Six Flags confirmed that it was removing "Batman: The Ride" for refurbishment and relocation to a new park, as it was considered to be the only salvageable ride. "Batman: The Ride" was reassembled at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio and opened under the new name "Goliath" on April 18, 2008. In addition to "Batman: The Ride", Six Flags removed shade coverings, ride parts, lights, security cameras, planting structures and various other salvageable items.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: Besides "Batman: The Ride", other rides were later removed from the park. "Bayou Blaster" and "Sonic Slam" were removed in 2008 and taken to Great Escape in Queensbury, New York, where the ride was refurbished and reopened under the name "Sasquatch" on May 10, 2009. The "Road Runner Express" was removed in 2009 and taken to Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, where it was refurbished and reopened on May 28, 2011, under the same name.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: As late as the fall of 2009, the Six Flags website said the company was "still in the process of settling claims with its insurers due to substantial damage caused by Hurricane Katrina," adding that the park would remain closed. The statement ended with "We know that it is still a difficult time for the residents of New Orleans and we remain committed to working with the city in support of the recovery efforts."


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: In April 2008, Southern Star Amusement Inc. proposed to take over the site lease from the then-owner Six Flags, promising to expand the park to over 60 rides (more than double its pre-Katrina size), complete a water park that Six Flags had been planning, and add an RV park. Southern Star Amusement Inc. pledged to open the park as Legend City Adventure Park, with 60 rides in place, including a new water park by the summer of 2009 if the city approved the lease takeover, with the campground to follow. One issue concerning rebuilding was Six Flags' continued removal of infrastructure from the park. In a quarterly conference call Six Flags discussed plans to remove the S&S Towers by 2009 with more ride removals to follow. Items from existing Jazzland rides, such as Mega Zeph's trains and Spillway Splashout's boats, were sent to other parks. On September 27, 2008, Southern Star stated on its website that it would no longer be trying to revive Six Flags New Orleans.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: In February 2009, Southern Star was taking another look at the park and considering a takeover bid with the City of New Orleans. Southern Star planned a scaled down effort, with intentions only to reopen the park with a water park added within the existing midway area. The idea was to reopen and build incrementally, saving about $50 million in improvements for the next few years. Given the poor economic situation at the time, this plan seemed to be the only way that the park could be saved. The basic idea was to use investors and Go Zone Bonds to raise the $35 to $40 million needed to just reopen the park with basic improvements that are needed to make a real recovery and profit. Southern Star's CEO Danny R. Rogers asked that Six Flags stop all removal action of equipment from the park, as the equipment in question belongs to the City of New Orleans and not Six Flags. The return of other equipment taken from the park by Six Flags was also requested.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: On August 18, 2009, it was announced that the land would be redeveloped into a Nickelodeon Universe theme/water park.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: On September 18, 2009, the city of New Orleans fined Six Flags $3 million and ordered the company to vacate its lease with the park. On June 13, 2009, Six Flags filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The City of New Orleans took ownership of the park shortly after.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: As of early 2010, the site was overgrown with debris and weeds. Removal of the debris and underbrush had begun.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: As of April 11, 2010, the site was still shut down with no clear future, since the city of New Orleans owned the property by this time and the plans for the Nickelodeon-branded theme park fell through three months after bonds failed to come through.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: On January 21, 2011, Southern Star went public with its third redevelopment plans for the park, posting a link on their company website. On January 26, 2011, Southern Star posted a Letter of Intent for the park on its website. The redevelopment plans gave a brief history of the property, pre and post-Katrina condition photos, development concept photos, written descriptions of each phase of the redevelopment procedure and business projections for when it opens. During "Phase I", Southern Star planned to restore what is left of the park, and expand it by adding more rides and reverting the park back to its original Louisiana theme. The park would be revamped to reflect Louisiana's history and heritage, with one of the proposed sections paying tribute to the now defunct Pontchartrain Beach, which closed in 1983. "Phase II" entailed adding a water park and future expansion phases included adding a youth sports complex, an on-site hotel/resort and a movie studio/backlot that would cater to the needs of various production companies filming in the New Orleans area. Plans also included developing an entertainment and shopping district within the park. These plans entailed utilizing all of the site of which only were to be developed and occupied by the remains of the Six Flags New Orleans park. The Letter of Intent from Southern Star set out a lease agreement between the city and the company stating Southern Star's proposed terms of the lease and its intent for utilizing and restoring the area. The company would enter a 75-year lease and take on the property in its current condition. Southern Star planned to take possession of the property prior to the establishment of the lease in order to provide preliminary security and repair/cleanup services. The lease would not have taken effect until Southern Star had taken possession of the property, started the cleanup process and provided proof of funding to the city. After that, the city had 15 days to execute its end of the agreement. Any and all improvements made would belong to the company and the lease would end in the year 2018. The plans never came to fruition, however.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: In August 2011, The City of New Orleans called for proposals for redevelopment ideas for the site. Eight entrepreneurs stepped forward to suggest turning the property into a power plant, a theme park, or even an outlet mall. On November 29, 2011, the city of New Orleans chose two of the proposed projects: an outlet mall and a green theme park. On February 6, 2012, it was reported that the selection committee rejected the plan for the site of Six Flags New Orleans to become a theme park, leaving the upscale outlet mall as the only proposal being considered by the committee. Despite the committee's actions, one of the original eight entrepreneurs continued to try to get public support for their Jazzland Park proposal, which includes the addition of a water park and movie studio back lot.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: On March 6, 2012, the city of New Orleans gave the green light to build Jazzland Outlet Mall to Provident Realty Advisors and DAG Development. The proposal was for a upscale outlet mall and entertainment boardwalk on the former theme park site, costing $40 million for part of Phase One and using some of the existing rides from the theme park. Construction would have taken between three and four years. During the planned period of due diligence and pre-construction, in March 2013 the development plans were abruptly called off. The developer cited competition from the planned expansion of Riverwalk Marketplace to include an outlet mall, making the Jazzland Outlet Mall concept unviable. However, as of the summer of 2013, Provident Realty Advisors and DAG Development has been back at the negotiating table with the city to come up with a new idea for the park; they will have to present a development plan to the Industrial Development Board (IDB) in October 2013, according to a contract. Once presented IDB will then accept or reject the proposal. The contract also states that construction of an outlet mall is to proceed, but it does not explicitly prohibit giving the developers an opportunity to put something else there.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: In 2011, "Killer Joe" was filmed in the park featuring the wooden coaster Mega Zeph. "Stolen" was also filmed at the park that year. "Stolen" used the Main Street Square section to double as the Quarter. Additionally, a burning car was driven into the lagoon and the "Orpheum Theatre" was used as the home of the film's villain.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: The Industrial Development Board (IDB) agreed to let 20th Century Fox film the 2013 film "" in the theme park during the summer of 2012 through August. "Mega Zeph", "Ozarka Splash" and "The Big Easy" are three rides that have been shot for the film along with five other rides that the production crew had brought into the park, since all the original rides were rendered inoperable to shoot for the film. Before shooting at the park for five weeks, the production crew took two weeks to restore the derelict park into the needed condition by installing lighting and covering up graffiti on the buildings. The park portrays the fictional "Circeland" on the island of Polyphemus that was built by the goddess Circe, only to be destroyed by the cyclops Polyphemus.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: During the summer of 2013, portions of the park were being filmed for the movie "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" until mid-August. The park was also used to film portions of the movie "Jurassic World" in June 2014.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: "Jurassic World" used the parking lot as the location for the Jurassic World park. "Deepwater Horizon" built its oil rig set in the parking lot.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: In January 2015, the park was photographed as part of a photo essay/series by Cleveland-based photographer Johnny Joo. In this series, Joo documented the abandoned or historic structures of New Orleans, which still remained 10 years after Hurricane Katrina. He also documented portions of revitalization in the community of New Orleans to show how the area has been rebuilt after one of the largest natural disasters in United States history.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: In 2016, the video game "Mafia III", is set in a fictional version of New Orleans. The abandoned amusement park in that game features a partially flooded site, a similar entranceway, and a roller-coaster which strongly resembles the Mega Zeph.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: In 2019, rapper NF used parts of the park for his music video for "Leave Me Alone." Also in 2019 parts of the park were used in the movie Synchronic starring Anthony Mackie.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: In 2019, the park was the subject of the Bright Sun Films documentary titled "Closed for Storm". The documentary features visuals of the park in its current state, as well as interviews with past employees, fans, and developers interested in rebuilding the property. It received a wide release in July 2021.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: In 2016, a group that included the former head of Southern Star came together to form "Dreamlanding Festival Park" in order to buy and rebuild this park, pending city council/mayoral approval. According to their website, the group was ready to spend over $100 million to re-open the park, with construction scheduled to begin in the summer of 2018, a stated opening date of 2019 and more coasters ready for 2020. At the same time, a waterpark would open in spring 2019. A festival park and an RV site were also in their plans as they awaited the city's approval to purchase the park.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: In 2018, on the Dreamlanding Festival Park website, the following statement was released: "It is very hard to walk away from all the time and efforts we have put into New Orleans but in truth the old Jazzland/Six Flags park has now reached a point of no return. On our last inspection and after further review we find that the rides that were savable as well as the majority of buildings are no longer economically viable to salvage."


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: In 2011, eight groups, including the Paidia Company, responded to an RFP issued by the Mayor's office. Paidia proposed to re-open the park as Jazzland, the park's name until 2002. The company was not selected during the first RFP. A second RFP was issued in January 2014. Jazzland submitted the only proposal. The plans include newly designed themes for the park, a new Baritone Beach water park, Sportsman's Paradise Resort Hotel and a mixed-use retail/dining/entertainment area. A few rides would be rebuilt, but most would be new. A "Sportsman's Paradise" section would include the existing Jester coaster, the "Beach" would include Megazeph. Ozarka Splash would be rebuilt as a "sugar flume", using the state's sugar cane industry for its theme. In February 2017, the company submitted a purchase offer for the property. In May 2017, the IDB voted to turn over decision making power to the Mayor's office. In June 2018 the IDB renewed the cooperative agreement with the new Mayor, keeping the decision power with the mayor's office. Jazzland maintains its interest in purchasing the property.


title: Six Flags New Orleans

text: In October 2021, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced Bayou Phoenix as the partner chosen to redevelop the site. On November 10, 2022, the redevelopment plans were announced to be "on life support" and "could be dead soon", as no lease agreement has been reached.


title: Do You Like Brahms?

text: Do You Like Brahms? () is a South Korean television series starring Kim Min-jae, Park Eun-bin, Kim Sung-cheol, Park Ji-hyun, Lee You-jin, and Bae Da-bin. It is a romance drama about the students of classical music at a prestigious institution. It aired on SBS from August 31 to October 20, 2020, every Monday and Tuesday at 22:00 (KST) time slot.


title: Do You Like Brahms?

text: A drama about the dreams and love of classical music students who find their own happiness while learning music.


title: Do You Like Brahms?

text: The first script reading took place in April 2020 at the SBS Tanhyeon Production Center. The drama wrapped its filming on October 15, 2020.


title: Do You Like Brahms?

text: The main cast (Kim Min-jae, Park Eun-bin, Park Ji-hyun and Kim Sung-cheol) appeared on the 518th episode of the variety show "Running Man" to promote the series while Park Eun-bin appeared on 206th episode of My Little Old Boy as a special host to promote the series.


title: Gene Kranz

text: Eugene Francis "Gene" Kranz (born August 17, 1933) is an American aerospace engineer who served as NASA's second Chief Flight Director, directing missions of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs, including the first lunar landing mission, Apollo 11. He directed the successful efforts by the Mission Control team to save the crew of Apollo 13, and was later portrayed in the major motion picture of the same name by actor Ed Harris. He characteristically wore a close-cut flattop hairstyle and the dapper "mission" vests (waistcoats) of different styles and materials made by his wife, Marta Kranz, for his Flight Director missions.


title: Gene Kranz

text: He coined the phrase "tough and competent", which became known as the "Kranz Dictum". Kranz has been the subject of movies, documentary films, and books and periodical articles. Kranz is a recipient of a Presidential Medal of Freedom. In a 2010 Space Foundation survey, Kranz was ranked as the #2 most popular space hero.


title: Gene Kranz

text: Kranz was born August 17, 1933, in Toledo, Ohio, and attended Central Catholic High School. He grew up on a farm that overlooked the Willys-Overland Jeep production plant. His father, Leo Peter Kranz, was the son of a German immigrant, and served as an Army medic during World War I. His father died in 1940, when Eugene was only seven years old. Kranz has two older sisters, Louise and Helen.


title: Gene Kranz

text: Kranz was interested in space at a young age; in high school he wrote a thesis on the topic of a single-stage (SSTO) rocket to the Moon. The thesis was titled "The Design and Possibilities of the Interplanetary Rocket". Following his high school graduation in 1951, Kranz went to college. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Saint Louis University's Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology in 1954. He received his commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, completing pilot training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas in 1955. Shortly after receiving his wings, Kranz married Marta Cadena, a daughter of Mexican immigrants who fled from Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. Kranz was sent to South Korea to fly the F-86 Sabre aircraft for patrol operations around the Korean DMZ.


title: Gene Kranz

text: After finishing his tour in Korea, Kranz left the Air Force and went to work for McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, where he assisted with the research and testing of new Surface-to-Air (SAM) and Air-to-Ground missiles for the U.S. Air Force at its Research Center at Holloman Air Force Base. He was discharged from the Air Force Reserve as a Captain in 1962.


title: Gene Kranz

text: After completing the research tests at Holloman Air Force Base, Kranz left McDonnell Aircraft and joined the NASA Space Task Group, then at its Langley Research Center in Virginia. Upon joining NASA, he was assigned, by flight director Christopher C. Kraft, as a Mission Control procedures officer for the uncrewed Mercury-Redstone 1 (MR-1) test (dubbed in Kranz's autobiography as the "Four-Inch Flight", due to its failure to launch).


title: Gene Kranz

text: As Procedures Officer, Kranz was put in charge of integrating Mercury Control with the Launch Control Team at Cape Canaveral, Florida, writing the "Go/NoGo" procedures that allowed missions to continue as planned or be aborted, along with serving as a sort of switchboard operator between the control center at Cape Canaveral and the agency's fourteen tracking stations and two tracking ships (via Teletype) located across the globe. Kranz performed this role for all crewed and uncrewed Mercury flights, including the MR-3 and MA-6 flights, which put the first Americans into space and orbit respectively.


title: Gene Kranz

text: After MA-6, he was promoted to Assistant Flight Director for the MA-7 flight of Scott Carpenter in May 1962. MA-7 was his first mission as assistant flight director (AFD); he was under Kraft (the flight director of MA-7).  Kranz and Kraft were not the sole reason that MA-7 was saved, as that would be attributed to the whole efforts of Mission Control, but they played a major role.


title: Gene Kranz

text: Kranz continued in this role for the remaining two Mercury flights and the first three Gemini flights. With the upcoming Gemini flights, he was promoted to the Flight Director level and served his first shift, the so-called "operations shift," for the Gemini 4 mission in 1965, the first U.S. EVA and four-day flight. After Gemini, he served as a Flight Director on odd-numbered Apollo missions, including Apollos 5, 7 and 9, including the first (and only) successful uncrewed test of the Lunar Module (Apollo 5). He was serving as Flight Director for Apollo 11 when the Lunar Module "Eagle" landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969.


title: Gene Kranz

text: Kranz was chosen to be one of the first flight directors to fly crewed Apollo missions. Kranz worked with the contractor, McDonnell-Douglas on the Mercury and Gemini project, but for Apollo there was a new contractor, Rockwell. Kranz describes Rockwell as new and unfamiliar with the space industry, as they were known for their aeronautical significance at the time. Kranz was assigned as a division chief for Apollo; his tasks included mission preparation, mission design, the writing of the procedures, and the development of the handbooks. Kranz explains that the Apollo program was different from other programs in that time was a major factor. Other missions were allotted ample amount of time: Apollo was not given this luxury. The book by NASA, "What Made Apollo a Success?", has a section about flight control written by Kranz and James Otis Covington. It gives more detail of the Flight Control Division of the Apollo program.


title: Gene Kranz

text: Kranz explains that the Mission Control logo is an interesting one; he associates it with commitment, teamwork, discipline, morale, tough, competent, risk, and sacrifice.


title: Gene Kranz

text: Kranz is perhaps best known for his role as lead flight director (nicknamed "White Flight") during NASA's Apollo 13 crewed Moon landing mission. Kranz's team was on duty when part of the Apollo 13 Service Module exploded and they dealt with the initial hours of the unfolding accident. His "White Team", dubbed the "Tiger Team" by the press, set the constraints for the consumption of spacecraft consumables (oxygen, electricity, and water) and controlled the three course-correction burns during the trans-Earth trajectory, as well as the power-up procedures that allowed the astronauts to land safely back on Earth in the command module. He and his team were recommended by NASA Administrator Thomas O. Paine in communications with Richard Nixon to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom for their roles.


title: Gene Kranz

text: Kranz continued as a Flight Director through Apollo 17, when he worked his last shift as a flight director overseeing the mission liftoff, and then was promoted to Deputy Director of NASA Mission Operations in 1974, becoming Director in 1983. He was in Mission Control during the January 28, 1986, loss of Space Shuttle "Challenger" on the STS-51-L launch. He retired from NASA in 1994 after the successful STS-61 flight that repaired the optically flawed Hubble Space Telescope in 1993.


title: Gene Kranz

text: In 2000, Kranz published his autobiography titled "Failure Is Not An Option" (), borrowing from the line used in the 1995 "Apollo 13" film by actor Ed Harris. The History Channel later used it to adapt a documentary about Mission Control in 2004.


title: Gene Kranz

text: Starting in 2017, Kranz helped kickstart and direct the restoration of the Mission Control Room in the Johnson Space Center to the appearance and function of its 1969 use during the Apollo 11 mission. The five million dollar project was intended to be completed for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, and for his efforts Kranz was recognized by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and October 23, 2018 was declared "Gene Kranz Day". During the 2018 To the Moon and Beyond luncheon hosted by Space Center Houston, The Gene Kranz Scholarship was started, geared towards funding young students to take part in activities and training for careers in STEM. Ohio State Legislature introduced House Bill 358 to designate August 17 "Gene Kranz Day" in fall of 2019. As of June 2020 the bill has passed the state house and awaits the state senate.


title: Gene Kranz

text: Post-retirement Kranz became a flight engineer on a restored Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, flying at air shows throughout the United States for six years. Kranz continues to give motivational speeches and talks about his experiences with the space programs.


title: Gene Kranz

text: Kranz has six children with his wife, Marta: Carmen (born 1958), Lucy (1959), Joan Frances (1961), Mark (1963), Brigid (1964), and Jean Marie (1966). In a NASA article, "Lessons from My Father", Kranz’s youngest daughter Jeannie mentioned that her dad was a very “engaged” father and likened him to the character Ward Cleaver in the television show "Leave it to Beaver".


title: Gene Kranz

text: Kranz has appeared as a character in several dramatizations of the Apollo program. The first portrayal was in the 1974 TV movie "Houston, We've Got a Problem", where he is played by Ed Nelson. He is played by Ed Harris in the 1995 film "Apollo 13", who received an Oscar nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role. Matt Frewer portrays him in the 1996 TV movie "Apollo 11". He is portrayed by Dan Butler in the 1998 HBO miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon". In a 2016 episode of the NBC series "Timeless" titled "Space Race", he is portrayed by John Brotherton. In the 2019 television series "For All Mankind" he is played by Eric Ladin.


title: Gene Kranz

text: In the videogame "Kerbal Space Program", the character for Mission Control is named "Gene Kerman", referencing Kranz and wearing a vest reminiscent of his signature apparel.


title: Gene Kranz

text: Kranz has also been featured in several documentaries using NASA film archives, including the 2004 History Channel production "Failure Is Not an Option" and its 2005 follow-up "Beyond the Moon: Failure Is Not an Option 2", recurring History Channel broadcasts based on the 1979 book "The Right Stuff", the 2008 Discovery Channel production "", and the 2017 David Fairhead documentary "Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes of Apollo".


title: Gene Kranz

text: Archive audio clips including Kranz's name and voice are included in the track "Go!" on the 2015 Public Service Broadcasting album, "The Race for Space", a track inspired by the Apollo 11 Moon landing.


title: Gene Kranz

text: In 2020, Toledo Express Airport was renamed officially to the Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport.


title: Gene Kranz

text: Kranz has become associated with the phrase "failure is not an option." It was uttered by actor Ed Harris, playing Kranz, in the 1995 film "Apollo 13". Kranz then used it as the title of his 2000 autobiography. Later it became the title of a 2004 television documentary about NASA, as well as of that documentary's sequel, "Beyond the Moon: Failure Is Not an Option 2." Kranz travels all over the world giving a motivational lecture titled "Failure Is Not an Option," including the historic Apollo 13 flight control room.


title: Gene Kranz

text: "Failure is not an option" was in fact coined by Bill Broyles, one of the screenwriters of "Apollo 13", based on a similar statement made not by Kranz, but another member of the Apollo 13 mission control crew, FDO Flight Controller Jerry Bostick. According to Bostick:


title: Gene Kranz

text: Each Flight Director took a different color as a designator; the first three Flight Directors chose red, white, and blue, and each was identified as "_____ Flight" (a tradition that continues to this day). Thus, Kranz was White Flight and was the leader of the "White Team", one of the flight control teams whose shift at Mission Control contributed to saving the Apollo 13 astronauts. Though Apollo 13 did not achieve its main objective, to Kranz its astronauts' rescue is an example of the "human factor" born out of the 1960s space race. According to Kranz, this factor is what is largely responsible for helping put the United States on the Moon in only a decade. The blend of young intelligent minds working day in and day out by sheer willpower yielded "the right stuff."


title: Gene Kranz

text: According to him, a few organized examples of this factor included Grumman, who developed the Apollo Lunar Module, North American Aviation, and the Lockheed Corporation. After the excitement of the 1960s, these companies dissolved in corporate mergers, such as happened when Lockheed became Lockheed Martin. Another example of the "human factor" was the ingenuity and hard work by teams that developed the emergency plans and sequences as new problems arose during the Apollo 13 mission.


title: Gene Kranz

text: Kranz called a meeting of his branch and flight control team on the Monday morning following the Apollo 1 disaster that killed Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee. Kranz made the following address to the gathering (The Kranz Dictum), in which his expression of values and admonishments for future spaceflight are his legacy to NASA:


title: Gene Kranz

text: After the Space Shuttle "Columbia" accident in 2003, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe quoted this speech in a discussion about what changes should be made in response to the disaster. Referring to the words "tough and competent," he said, "These words are the price of admission to the ranks of NASA and we should adopt it that way."


title: Gene Kranz

text: Kranz said that much of the "human factor" dried up after the Moon landings, particularly because the United States viewed the Moon landings as a short-term goal to beat the Soviet Union – and not much more. When asked in spring 2000 if NASA is still the same place today as it was in the years of the space race, he replied:


title: Gene Kranz

text: In his book "Failure Is Not an Option," he also expressed disappointment that support for space exploration dried up after the Apollo program. Writing about his vision for renewing the space program he said:


title: Metric space

text: In mathematics, a metric space is a set together with a notion of "distance" between its elements, usually called points. The distance is measured by a function called a metric or distance function. Metric spaces are the most general setting for studying many of the concepts of mathematical analysis and geometry.


title: Metric space

text: The most familiar example of a metric space is 3-dimensional Euclidean space with its usual notion of distance. Other well-known examples are a sphere equipped with the angular distance and the hyperbolic plane. A metric may correspond to a metaphorical, rather than physical, notion of distance: for example, the set of 100-character Unicode strings can be equipped with the Hamming distance, which measures the number of characters that need to be changed to get from one string to another.


title: Metric space

text: Since they are very general, metric spaces are a tool used in many different branches of mathematics. Many types of mathematical objects have a natural notion of distance and therefore admit the structure of a metric space, including Riemannian manifolds, normed vector spaces, and graphs. In abstract algebra, the "p"-adic numbers arise as elements of the completion of a metric structure on the rational numbers. Metric spaces are also studied in their own right in metric geometry and analysis on metric spaces.


title: Metric space

text: Many of the basic notions of mathematical analysis, including balls, completeness, as well as uniform, Lipschitz, and Hölder continuity, can be defined in the setting of metric spaces. Other notions, such as continuity, compactness, and open and closed sets, can be defined for metric spaces, but also in the even more general setting of topological spaces.


title: Metric space

text: To see the utility of different notions of distance, consider the surface of the Earth as a set of points. We can measure the distance between two such points by the length of the shortest path along the surface, "as the crow flies"; this is particularly useful for shipping and aviation. We can also measure the straight-line distance between two points through the Earth's interior; this notion is, for example, natural in seismology, since it roughly corresponds to the length of time it takes for seismic waves to travel between those two points.


title: Metric space

text: The notion of distance encoded by the metric space axioms has relatively few requirements. This generality gives metric spaces a lot of flexibility. At the same time, the notion is strong enough to encode many intuitive facts about what distance means. This means that general results about metric spaces can be applied in many different contexts.


title: Metric space

text: Like many fundamental mathematical concepts, the metric on a metric space can be interpreted in many different ways. A particular metric may not be best thought of as measuring physical distance, but, instead, as the cost of changing from one state to another (as with Wasserstein metrics on spaces of measures) or the degree of difference between two objects (for example, the Hamming distance between two strings of characters, or the Gromov–Hausdorff distance between metric spaces themselves).


title: Metric space

text: The real numbers with the distance function formula_7 given by the absolute difference form a metric space. Many properties of metric spaces and functions between them are generalizations of concepts in real analysis and coincide with those concepts when applied to the real line.


title: Metric space

text: The Euclidean plane formula_8 can be equipped with many different metrics. The Euclidean distance familiar from school mathematics can be defined by


title: Metric space

text: and can be thought of as the distance you need to travel along horizontal and vertical lines to get from one point to the other, as illustrated at the top of the article.


title: Metric space

text: formula_12) because if it was then the fact that formula_13 is a Banach space would imply that it converges (a contradiction).


title: Metric space

text: For a given set "X", two metrics formula_14 and formula_15 are called "topologically equivalent" ("uniformly equivalent") if the identity mapping


title: Metric space

text: For example, if formula_17 is a metric, then formula_18 and formula_19 are metrics equivalent to formula_20


title: Martingale (betting system)

text: A martingale is a class of betting strategies that originated from and were popular in 18th-century France. The simplest of these strategies was designed for a game in which the gambler wins the stake if a coin comes up heads and loses if it comes up tails. The strategy had the gambler double the bet after every loss, so that the first win would recover all previous losses plus win a profit equal to the original stake. Thus the strategy is an instantiation of the St. Petersburg paradox.


title: Martingale (betting system)

text: Since a gambler will almost surely eventually flip heads, the martingale betting strategy is certain to make money for the gambler provided they have infinite wealth and there is no limit on money earned in a single bet. However, no gambler has infinite wealth, and the exponential growth of the bets can bankrupt unlucky gamblers who chose to use the martingale, causing a catastrophic loss. Despite the fact that the gambler usually wins a small net reward, thus appearing to have a sound strategy, the gambler's expected value remains zero because the small probability that the gambler will suffer a catastrophic loss exactly balances with the expected gain. In a casino, the expected value is negative, due to the house's edge. Additionally, as the likelihood of a string of consecutive losses is higher than common intuition suggests, martingale strategies can bankrupt a gambler quickly.


title: Martingale (betting system)

text: The martingale strategy has also been applied to roulette, as the probability of hitting either red or black is close to 50%.


title: Martingale (betting system)

text: The fundamental reason why all martingale-type betting systems fail is that no amount of information about the results of past bets can be used to predict the results of a future bet with accuracy better than chance. In mathematical terminology, this corresponds to the assumption that the win–loss outcomes of each bet are independent and identically distributed random variables, an assumption which is valid in many realistic situations. It follows from this assumption that the expected value of a series of bets is equal to the sum, over all bets that could potentially occur in the series, of the expected value of a potential bet times the probability that the player will make that bet. In most casino games, the expected value of any individual bet is negative, so the sum of many negative numbers will also always be negative.


title: Martingale (betting system)

text: The martingale strategy fails even with unbounded stopping time, as long as there is a limit on earnings or on the bets (which is also true in practice). It is only with unbounded wealth, bets "and" time that it could be argued that the martingale becomes a winning strategy.


title: Martingale (betting system)

text: The impossibility of winning over the long run, given a limit of the size of bets or a limit in the size of one's bankroll or line of credit, is proven by the optional stopping theorem.


title: Martingale (betting system)

text: However, without these limits, the martingale betting strategy is certain to make money for the gambler because the chance of at least one coin flip coming up heads approaches one as the number of coin flips approaches infinity.


title: Martingale (betting system)

text: Let one round be defined as a sequence of consecutive losses followed by either a win, or bankruptcy of the gambler. After a win, the gambler "resets" and is considered to have started a new round. A continuous sequence of martingale bets can thus be partitioned into a sequence of independent rounds. Following is an analysis of the expected value of one round.


title: Martingale (betting system)

text: Let "q" be the probability of losing (e.g. for American double-zero roulette, it is 20/38 for a bet on black or red). Let "B" be the amount of the initial bet. Let "n" be the finite number of bets the gambler can afford to lose.


title: Martingale (betting system)

text: The probability that the gambler will lose all "n" bets is "q". When all bets lose, the total loss is


title: Martingale (betting system)

text: The probability the gambler does not lose all "n" bets is 1 − "q". In all other cases, the gambler wins the initial bet ("B".) Thus, the expected profit per round is


title: Martingale (betting system)

text: Whenever "q" > 1/2, the expression 1 − (2"q") < 0 for all "n" > 0. Thus, for all games where a gambler is more likely to lose than to win any given bet, that gambler is expected to lose money, on average, each round. Increasing the size of wager for each round per the martingale system only serves to increase the average loss.


title: Martingale (betting system)

text: Suppose a gambler has a 63-unit gambling bankroll. The gambler might bet 1 unit on the first spin. On each loss, the bet is doubled. Thus, taking "k" as the number of preceding consecutive losses, the player will always bet 2 units.


title: Martingale (betting system)

text: With a win on any given spin, the gambler will net 1 unit over the total amount wagered to that point. Once this win is achieved, the gambler restarts the system with a 1 unit bet.


title: Martingale (betting system)

text: With losses on all of the first six spins, the gambler loses a total of 63 units. This exhausts the bankroll and the martingale cannot be continued.


title: Martingale (betting system)

text: In this example, the probability of losing the entire bankroll and being unable to continue the martingale is equal to the probability of 6 consecutive losses: (10/19) = 2.1256%. The probability of winning is equal to 1 minus the probability of losing 6 times: 1 − (10/19) = 97.8744%.


title: Martingale (betting system)

text: Thus, the total expected value for each application of the betting system is (0.978744 − 1.339118) = −0.360374 .


title: Martingale (betting system)

text: In a unique circumstance, this strategy can make sense. Suppose the gambler possesses exactly 63 units but desperately needs a total of 64. Assuming "q" > 1/2 (it is a real casino) and he may only place bets at even odds, his best strategy is bold play: at each spin, he should bet the smallest amount such that if he wins he reaches his target immediately, and if he does not have enough for this, he should simply bet everything. Eventually he either goes bust or reaches his target. This strategy gives him a probability of 97.8744% of achieving the goal of winning one unit vs. a 2.1256% chance of losing all 63 units, and that is the best probability possible in this circumstance. However, bold play is not always the optimal strategy for having the biggest possible chance to increase an initial capital to some desired higher amount. If the gambler can bet arbitrarily small amounts at arbitrarily long odds (but still with the same expected loss of 10/19 of the stake at each bet), and can only place one bet at each spin, then there are strategies with above 98% chance of attaining his goal, and these use very timid play unless the gambler is close to losing all his capital, in which case he does switch to extremely bold play.


title: Martingale (betting system)

text: The previous analysis calculates "expected value", but we can ask another question: what is the chance that one can play a casino game using the martingale strategy, and avoid the losing streak long enough to double one's bankroll.


title: Martingale (betting system)

text: As before, this depends on the likelihood of losing 6 roulette spins in a row assuming we are betting red/black or even/odd. Many gamblers believe that the chances of losing 6 in a row are remote, and that with a patient adherence to the strategy they will slowly increase their bankroll.


title: Martingale (betting system)

text: In reality, the odds of a streak of 6 losses in a row are much higher than many people intuitively believe. Psychological studies have shown that since people know that the odds of losing 6 times in a row out of 6 plays are low, they incorrectly assume that in a longer string of plays the odds are also very low. In fact, while the chance of losing 6 times in a row in 6 plays is a relatively low 1.8% on a single-zero wheel, the probably of losing 6 times in a row (i.e. encountering a streak of 6 losses) "at some point" during a string of 200 plays is approximately 84%. Even if the gambler can tolerate betting ~1,000 times their original bet, a streak of 10 losses in a row has an ~11% chance of occurring in a string of 200 plays. Such a loss streak would likely wipe out the bettor, as 10 consecutive losses using the martingale strategy means a loss of 1,023x the original bet.


title: Martingale (betting system)

text: These unintuitively risky probabilities raise the bankroll requirement for "safe" long-term martingale betting to infeasibly high numbers. To have an under 10% chance of failing to survive a long loss streak during 5,000 plays, the bettor must have enough to double their bets for 15 losses. This means the bettor must have over 65,500 (2^15-1 for their 15 losses and 2^15 for their 16th streak-ending winning bet) times their original bet size. Thus, a player making $10 bets would want to have over $655,000 in their bankroll (and still have a ~5.5% chance of losing it all during 5,000 plays).


title: Martingale (betting system)

text: When people are asked to invent data representing 200 coin tosses, they often do not add streaks of more than 5 because they believe that these streaks are very unlikely. This intuitive belief is sometimes referred to as the representativeness heuristic.


title: Martingale (betting system)

text: In a classic martingale betting style, gamblers increase bets after each loss in hopes that an eventual win will recover all previous losses. The anti-martingale approach, also known as the reverse martingale, instead increases bets after wins, while reducing them after a loss. The perception is that the gambler will benefit from a winning streak or a "hot hand", while reducing losses while "cold" or otherwise having a losing streak. As the single bets are independent from each other (and from the gambler's expectations), the concept of winning "streaks" is merely an example of gambler's fallacy, and the anti-martingale strategy fails to make any money. If on the other hand, real-life stock returns are serially correlated (for instance due to economic cycles and delayed reaction to news of larger market participants), "streaks" of wins or losses do happen more often and are longer than those under a purely random process, the anti-martingale strategy could theoretically apply and can be used in trading systems (as trend-following or "doubling up").


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: Farewell My Concubine is a 1993 Chinese historical drama film directed by Chen Kaige, starring Leslie Cheung, Gong Li and Zhang Fengyi. Adapted for the screen by Lu Wei based on the novel by Lilian Lee, the film is set in a politically tumultuous 20th-century China, from the early days of the Republic of China to the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution. It chronicles the troubled relationships between two Peking opera actors and lifelong friends Cheng Dieyi (Cheung) and Duan Xiaolou (Zhang), and Xiaolou's wife Juxian (Gong).


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: The film's themes include confusion of identity and blurred lines between real life and the stage, portrayed by the revered opera actor Dieyi, whose unrequited love for Xiaolou persists throughout. Scholar Ying notes that in order "[to] attract the international audience, Chinese history and Peking Opera are drawn close while homosexuality, individual perversities and moral dilemmas are transposed distant". Commentators also noted themes of political and societal disturbances in 20th-century China, which is typical of the Chinese Fifth Generation cinema.


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: "Farewell My Concubine" premiered on January 1, 1993, in Hong Kong. Upon release, the film received generally positive reviews from contemporary critics and won the Palme d'Or at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first Chinese-language film to achieve the honour. It further won accolades including a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film and a BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language, and received two nominations at the 66th Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Foreign Language Film.


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: A few weeks following its China release, the film was abruptly banned by the politburo unless and until major changes be made. While allowing a premiere in Beijing but forbidding release in other cities, the government objected to the representation of homosexuality, the suicide of a leading character and a description of the turmoil during the Communist period in China.


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: The film was allowed to resume public showings in September 1993, less than a year after its original release. Upon its return the Chinese censors had made numerous cuts, removing 14 minutes. Chinese officials felt that a re-release as opposed to maintaining a full ban would silence ever-growing international backlash and also help their bid to host the Olympic games in Beijing in 2000.


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: "Farewell My Concubine" is considered one of the landmark films of the Fifth Generation movement that brought Chinese film directors to world attention. In 2005, the film was selected as one of the "100 Best Films in Global History" by "Time" magazine.


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: In the winter of 1924, Douzi, a boy endowed with feminine features, is taken by his prostitute mother to an all-boys Peking opera troupe supervised by Master Guan. Douzi has an extra finger causing Master Guan to reject him from joining the troupe. Shortly after, Douzi's mother cuts the extra finger off with a knife, returns him to the troupe with his hand still bleeding, and abandons him. Douzi befriends a fellow student, Shitou.


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: In 1932, a teenage Douzi is trained to play "dan" (female roles), while Shitou learns "jing" (painted face male roles). When practicing the play "Dreaming of the World Outside the Nunnery", Douzi accidentally substitutes "I am by nature a boy, not a girl," for the line "I am by nature a girl, not a boy" and is disciplined severely by the instructors. Douzi, along with another student, Laizi, attempts to run away, but Douzi decides to pursue acting seriously after witnessing an opera performance in a theatre. Upon returning, they find the entire troupe being punished for their desertion, and Douzi is beaten. As a result, Laizi hangs himself.


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: An agent who provides funding for opera plays, visits the troupe seeking potential actors. When Douzi repeats his previous mistake in front of the agent, Shitou commands him to start over. Douzi finally whispers, "I am by nature a girl, not a boy." He delivers the entire monologue successfully, to the joy of the troupe, and secures the agent. The troupe is invited to perform for eunuch Zhang. Shitou and Douzi are brought to Zhang's house where they find a finely crafted sword, which Douzi promises to give to Shitou one day. Zhang asks to meet Douzi in his room and sexually assaults him. Douzi does not mention this to anyone, but Shitou implicitly knows what happened. On their way home, Douzi adopts an abandoned baby, who later comes under Master Guan's training.


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: In 1937, on the eve of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, Douzi and Shitou become Peking opera stars under stage names Cheng Dieyi and Duan Xiaolou, respectively. Their signature performance is the play "Farewell My Concubine", where Dieyi plays the concubine Consort Yu and Xiaolou plays the hero Xiang Yu. Their fame attracts the attention of Yuan Shiqing, a reputable person who attends their performances, and who is enamoured with Dieyi. During a meeting, Dieyi discovers Yuan Shiqing now owns Zhang's sword, which he gifts to Dieyi. Yuan Shiqing compliments his performance but Dieyi is hesitant to develop a romantic relationship with him. The adult Dieyi has an unrequited love for Xiaolou, but Xiaolou marries Juxian, a headstrong courtesan at an upscale brothel, and Dieyi and Xiaolou's relationship begins to fall apart. A love triangle between Dieyi, Xiaolou, and Juxian leads to jealousy and betrayal, which is further complicated by the successive political upheavals following the Second Sino-Japanese War. When Master Guan dies, the abandoned baby, now Xiao Si, comes under Dieyi's training to continue learning "dan" roles.


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: When the communist forces win the civil war, Xiao Si becomes an avid follower of the new government. Dieyi's addiction to opium affects his performances, but he ultimately rehabilitates with the help of Xiaolou and Juxian. Xiao Si nurtures resentment against Dieyi because of his rigorous teaching and usurps his role in "Farewell My Concubine" during one performance, without anyone warning Dieyi beforehand. Devastated by the betrayal, Dieyi secludes himself and refuses to reconcile with Xiaolou. As the Cultural Revolution continues, the entire opera troupe is put on a struggle session by the Red Guards where, under pressure, Dieyi and Xiaolou accuse each other of counterrevolutionary acts. Dieyi also tells the guards that Juxian was a prostitute. To protect himself from further prosecution, Xiaolou swears that he does not love her and will "make a clean break" with her. Juxian is heartbroken and commits suicide. Afterward, Xiao Si is caught by the Red Guards when he is singing Consort Yu's lines to the mirror alone in a practice room.


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: In 1977, Dieyi and Xiaolou reunite, seeming to have mended their relationship. They once again practice "Farewell My Concubine"; Xiaolou begins with the line "I am by nature a boy," to which Dieyi makes the same mistake of finishing with "I am not a girl." As they finish their performance, Dieyi takes Xiaolou's sword and cuts his own throat, paralleling the concubine's final act in the opera. Xiaolou turns around in shock, and calls out Dieyi's name, and before the screen fades to black, he meekly whispers Dieyi's childhood name: Douzi.


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: Chen Kaige was first given a copy of Lilian Lee's novel in 1988, and although Chen found the story of the novel to be "compelling", he found the emotional subtext of the novel "a bit thin". After meeting with Lee, they recruited Chinese writer Lu Wei for the screenplay, and in 1991 the first draft of the screenplay came about. The director chose the heroic suicide of Dieyi over original story's banality in order to present the "Lie nu" image of Dieyi to emphasize the women's liberation which was commonly found in the Fifth Generation films.


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: Jackie Chan was originally considered for the role of Cheng Dieyi, but he declined the offer. John Lone later lobbied for the role but failed to progress past contractual negotiations with producer Hsu Feng.


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: Hong Kong actor Leslie Cheung was used in the film to attract audiences because melodramas were not a popular genre. It was believed that it was the first film where Cheung spoke Mandarin Chinese. However, for most of the movie Cheung's voice is dubbed by Beijing actor Yang Lixin. Director Chen left Cheung's original voice in two scenes, where Cheung's voice is distorted by physical and mental distress. Due to Gong Li's international stardom, she was cast as one of the main characters in the film.


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: The historical background of the film is multi-layered and complicated, which contributes to the motif and the form of the film. The 1990s period saw China trying to do damage control to the country's image after the massacre that happened during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. David Shambaugh talks about the government's new agenda that focused on "restoring the appearance of unity in the leadership, ensuring the loyalty of the military, reestablishing social order, reasserting central control over the provinces, recentralizing and retrenching the economy, and redefining China's role in a post-Cold War international environment". In addition to the mentioned changes in the political climate, at the time of the film's release, the atmosphere around the criticism of Cultural Revolution shifted. As Luo Hui notes "criticizing the Cultural Revolution had become permissible, even fashionable", allowing the film to highlight the devastation the world of art, as well as other aspects of Chinese society like medicine and education, suffered at the hands of the Cultural Revolution movement.


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: The film premiered in Shanghai in July 1993 but was removed from theatres after two weeks for further censorial review and subsequently banned in August. Because the film won the Palme d'Or at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival, the ban was met with international outcry. Feeling there was "no choice" and fearing it hurt China's bid for the 2000 Summer Olympics, officials allowed the film to resume public showings in September. This release was censored; scenes dealing with the Cultural Revolution and homosexuality were cut, and the final scene was revised to "soften the blow of the suicide".


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: The film was released to three theaters on 15 October 1993, and grossed $69,408 in the opening weekend. Its final grossing in the US market is $5,216,888.


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: In 2005, some 25,000 Hong Kong film-enthusiasts voted it their favorite Chinese-language film of the century (the second was Wong Kar-wai's "Days of Being Wild").


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: The international perspective was put into question by critics who are concerned that the film's visual and artistic settings are too culturally inherent. On the other hand, the contents are internationally applicable. The enriching contexts, symbols and political icons are turned into colorful Oriental spectacles that arouse Westerner's fantasies. China's image is used as an object of signification, a cultural exhibition on display and a major selling point. Thus, they charge the film for dancing to the tunes set forth by the Western cultural imaginary about China.


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: Some critics point to the fact that Chen had engineered the film to fit domestic and international audiences' taste, as Chen understands the international audience's perceptions and attitudes towards Chinese history, and sexuality.


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: At Cannes, the film was awarded the highest prize, the Palme d'Or. Miramax Films mogul Harvey Weinstein purchased distribution rights and removed fourteen minutes, resulting in a 157-minute cut. This is the version seen theatrically in the United States and United Kingdom.


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: According to Peter Biskind's book, "Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance and the Rise of Independent Film", Louis Malle, Cannes jury president that year, said: "The film we admired so much in Cannes is not the film seen in this country [the U.S.], which is twenty minutes shorter – but seems longer because it doesn't make any sense. It was better before those guys made cuts."


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: Roger Ebert awarded the film four stars, praising the plot as "almost unbelievably ambitious" and executed with "freedom and energy". "The New York Times" critic Vincent Canby hailed it for "action, history, exotic color", positively reviewing the acting of Gong Li, Leslie Cheung and Zhang Fengyi. In "New York", David Denby criticized the "spectacle" but felt it would be worthy of excelling in international cinema, portraying a triumph of love and culture despite dark moments. Hal Hinson, writing for "The Washington Post", highlighted "its swooning infatuation with the theater- with its colors, its vitality and even its cruel rigors". Desson Howe was less positive, writing the first half had impact but gives way to "novel-like meandering", with less point.


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: The film was included in "The New York Times" list of The Best 1000 Movies Ever Made in 2004 and "Time"s list of Best Movies of All Time in 2005. It was ranked  97 in "Empire" magazine's "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema" in 2010, and No. 1 in "Time Out"'s "100 Best Mainland Chinese Films" feature in 2014. The film has an 87% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 38 reviews, with an average rating of 7.60/10. The critics consensus reads, "Chen Kaing's epic is grand in scope and presentation, and, bolstered by solid performances, the result is a film both horrifying and enthralling." The BBC placed the film at number 12 on its 2018 list of the 100 greatest foreign language films. It ranked at number 55 on the Hong Kong Film Awards Association (HKFAA)'s list of the Best 100 Chinese-Language Motion Pictures in 2005. The public ranked "Farewell My Concubine" atop a 2005 poll of the most beloved films in Hong Kong conducted by Handerson ArtReach.


title: Farewell My Concubine (film)

text: At Cannes, the film tied for the Palme d'Or with Jane Campion's "The Piano" from New Zealand. "Farewell My Concubine" remains the only Chinese-language film to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.


title: Server Message Block

text: Server Message Block (SMB) is a communication protocol originally developed in 1983 by Barry A. Feigenbaum at IBM and intended to provide shared access to files and printers across nodes on a network of systems running IBM's OS/2. It also provides an authenticated inter-process communication (IPC) mechanism. In 1987, Microsoft and 3Com implemented SMB in LAN Manager for OS/2, at which time SMB used the NetBIOS service atop the NetBIOS Frames protocol as its underlying transport. Later, Microsoft implemented SMB in Windows NT 3.1 and has been updating it ever since, adapting it to work with newer underlying transports: TCP/IP and NetBT. SMB implementation consists of two vaguely named Windows services: "Server" (ID: codice_1) and "Workstation" (ID: codice_2). It uses NTLM or Kerberos protocols for user authentication.


title: Server Message Block

text: In 1996, Microsoft published a version of SMB 1.0 with minor modifications under the Common Internet File System (CIFS ) moniker. CIFS was compatible with even the earliest incarnation of SMB, including LAN Manager's. It supports symbolic links, hard links, and larger file size, but none of the features of SMB 2.0 and later. Microsoft's proposal, however, remained an Internet Draft and never achieved standard status. Microsoft has since discontinued use of the CIFS moniker but continues developing SMB and making subsequent specifications publicly available.


title: Server Message Block

text: Server Message Block (SMB) enables file sharing, printer sharing, network browsing, and inter-process communication (through named pipes) over a computer network. SMB serves as the basis for Microsoft's Distributed File System implementation.


title: Server Message Block

text: SMB relies on the TCP and IP protocols for transport. This combination potentially allows file sharing over complex, interconnected networks, including the public Internet. The SMB server component uses TCP port 445. SMB originally operated on NetBIOS (over IEEE 802.2 and IPX/SPX) and later on NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT), but Microsoft has since deprecated these protocols. (NetBIOS has not been available since Windows Vista.) On NetBT, the server component uses three TCP or UDP ports: 137 (NETBIOS Name Service), 138 (NETBIOS Datagram Service), and 139 (NETBIOS Session Service).


title: Server Message Block

text: In Microsoft Windows, two vaguely named Windows services implement SMB. The "Server" service (ID: codice_1) is in charge of serving shared resources. The "Workstation" service (ID: codice_2) maintains the computer name and helps access shared resources on other computers. SMB uses the Kerberos protocol to authenticate users against Active Directory on Windows domain networks. On simpler, peer-to-peer networks, SMB uses the NTLM protocol.


title: Server Message Block

text: Windows NT 4.0 SP3 and later can digitally sign SMB messages to prevent some man-in-the-middle attacks. SMB signing may be configured individually for incoming SMB connections (by the "LanmanServer" service) and outgoing SMB connections (by the "LanmanWorkstation" service). The default setting for Windows domain controllers running Windows Server 2003 and later is to not allow unsigned incoming connections. As such, earlier versions of Windows that do not support SMB signing from the get-go (including Windows 9x) cannot connect to a Windows Server 2003 domain controller.


title: Server Message Block

text: SMB supports opportunistic locking (see below) on files in order to improve performance. Opportunistic locking support has changed with each Windows Server release.


title: Server Message Block

text: In the SMB protocol, opportunistic locking is a mechanism designed to improve performance by controlling caching of network files by the client. Unlike traditional locks, opportunistic lock (OpLocks) are not strictly file locking or used to provide mutual exclusion.


title: Server Message Block

text: The use of the SMB protocol has often correlated with a significant increase in broadcast traffic on a network. However the SMB itself does not use broadcasts—the broadcast problems commonly associated with SMB actually originate with the NetBIOS service location protocol. By default, a Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 server used NetBIOS to advertise and locate services. NetBIOS functions by broadcasting services available on a particular host at regular intervals. While this usually makes for an acceptable default in a network with a smaller number of hosts, increased broadcast traffic can cause problems as the number of hosts on the network increases. The implementation of name resolution infrastructure in the form of Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS) or Domain Name System (DNS) resolves this problem. WINS was a proprietary implementation used with Windows NT 4.0 networks, but brought about its own issues and complexities in the design and maintenance of a Microsoft network.


title: Server Message Block

text: Since the release of Windows 2000, the use of WINS for name resolution has been deprecated by Microsoft, with hierarchical Dynamic DNS now configured as the default name resolution protocol for all Windows operating systems. Resolution of (short) NetBIOS names by DNS requires that a DNS client expand short names, usually by appending a connection-specific DNS suffix to its DNS lookup queries. WINS can still be configured on clients as a secondary name resolution protocol for interoperability with legacy Windows environments and applications. Further, Microsoft DNS servers can forward name resolution requests to legacy WINS servers in order to support name resolution integration with legacy (pre-Windows 2000) environments that do not support DNS.


title: Server Message Block

text: Network designers have found that latency has a significant impact on the performance of the SMB 1.0 protocol, that it performs more poorly than other protocols like FTP. Monitoring reveals a high degree of "chattiness" and a disregard of network latency between hosts. For example, a VPN connection over the Internet will often introduce network latency. Microsoft has explained that performance issues come about primarily because SMB 1.0 is a block-level rather than a streaming protocol, that was originally designed for small LANs; it has a block size that is limited to 64K, SMB signing creates an additional overhead and the TCP window size is not optimized for WAN links. Solutions to this problem include the updated SMB 2.0 protocol, Offline Files, TCP window scaling and WAN optimization devices from various network vendors that cache and optimize SMB 1.0 and 2.0.


title: Server Message Block

text: Barry Feigenbaum originally designed SMB at IBM in early 1983 with the aim of turning DOS INT 21h local file access into a networked file system. Microsoft made considerable modifications to the most commonly used version and implemented the SMB protocol in the LAN Manager operating system it had started developing for OS/2 with 3Com around 1990, and continued to add features to the protocol in Windows for Workgroups () and in later versions of Windows. LAN Manager authentication was implemented based on the original legacy SMB specification's requirement to use IBM "LAN Manager" passwords, but implemented DES in a flawed manner that allowed passwords to be cracked. Later, Kerberos authentication was also added. The Windows domain logon protocols initially used 40-bit encryption outside of the United States, because of export restrictions on stronger 128-bit encryption (subsequently lifted in 1996 when President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 13026).


title: Server Message Block

text: SMB 1.0 (or SMB1) was originally designed to run on NetBIOS Frames (NetBIOS over IEEE 802.2). Since then, it has been adapted to NetBIOS over IPX/SPX (NBX), and NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT). Also, since Windows 2000, SMB runs on TCP using TCP port 445, a feature known as "direct host SMB". There is still a thin layer (similar to the Session Message packet of NetBT's Session Service) between SMB and TCP. Windows Server 2003, and legacy NAS devices use SMB1 natively.


title: Server Message Block

text: SMB1 is an extremely chatty protocol, which is not such an issue on a local area network (LAN) with low latency. It becomes very slow on wide area networks (WAN) as the back and forth handshake of the protocol magnifies the inherent high latency of such a network. Later versions of the protocol reduced the high number of handshake exchanges. One approach to mitigating the inefficiencies in the protocol is to use WAN optimization products such as those provided by Riverbed, Silver Peak, or Cisco. A better approach is to upgrade to a later version of SMB. This includes upgrading both NAS devices as well as Windows Server 2003. The most effective method to identify SMB1 traffic is with a network analyzer tool, such as Wireshark. Microsoft also provides an auditing tool in Windows Server 2016 to track down devices that use SMB1.


title: Server Message Block

text: Microsoft has marked SMB1 as deprecated in June 2013. Windows Server 2016 and Windows 10 version 1709 do not have SMB1 installed by default.


title: Server Message Block

text: In 1996, when Sun Microsystems announced WebNFS, Microsoft launched an initiative to rename SMB to Common Internet File System (CIFS) and added more features, including support for symbolic links, hard links, larger file sizes, and an initial attempt at supporting direct connections over TCP port 445 without requiring NetBIOS as a transport (a largely experimental effort that required further refinement). Microsoft submitted some partial specifications as Internet Drafts to the IETF. These submissions have since expired.


title: Server Message Block

text: Microsoft introduced a new version of the protocol (SMB 2.0 or SMB2) in 2006 with Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. Although the protocol is proprietary, its specification has been published to allow other systems to interoperate with Microsoft operating systems that use the new protocol.


title: Server Message Block

text: SMB2 reduces the 'chattiness' of the SMB 1.0 protocol by reducing the number of commands and subcommands from over a hundred to just nineteen. It has mechanisms for pipelining, that is, sending additional requests before the response to a previous request arrives, thereby improving performance over high-latency links. It adds the ability to compound multiple actions into a single request, which significantly reduces the number of round-trips the client needs to make to the server, improving performance as a result. SMB1 also has a compounding mechanism—known as AndX—to compound multiple actions, but Microsoft clients rarely use AndX. It also introduces the notion of "durable file handles": these allow a connection to an SMB server to survive brief network outages, as are typical in a wireless network, without having to incur the overhead of re-negotiating a new session.


title: Server Message Block

text: SMB2 includes support for symbolic links. Other improvements include caching of file properties, improved message signing with HMAC SHA-256 hashing algorithm and better scalability by increasing the number of users, shares and open files per server among others. The SMB1 protocol uses 16-bit data sizes, which amongst other things, limits the maximum block size to 64K. SMB2 uses 32- or 64-bit wide storage fields, and 128 bits in the case of file-handles, thereby removing previous constraints on block sizes, which improves performance with large file transfers over fast networks.


title: Server Message Block

text: Windows Vista/Server 2008 and later operating systems use SMB2 when communicating with other machines also capable of using SMB2. SMB1 continues in use for connections with older versions of Windows, as well various vendors' NAS solutions. Samba 3.5 also includes experimental support for SMB2. Samba 3.6 fully supports SMB2, except the modification of user quotas using the Windows quota management tools.


title: Server Message Block

text: When SMB2 was introduced it brought a number of benefits over SMB1 for third party implementers of SMB protocols. SMB1, originally designed by IBM, was reverse engineered, and later became part of a wide variety of non-Windows operating systems such as Xenix, OS/2 and VMS (Pathworks). X/Open standardized it partially; Microsoft had submitted Internet-Drafts describing SMB2 to the IETF, partly in response to formal IETF standardization of version 4 of the Network File System in December 2000 as IETF RFC 3010.; however, those SMB-related Internet-Drafts expired without achieving any IETF standards-track approval or any other IETF endorsement. (See http://ubiqx.org/cifs/Intro.html for historical detail.) SMB2 is also a relatively clean break with the past. Microsoft's SMB1 code has to work with a large variety of SMB clients and servers. SMB1 features many versions of information for commands (selecting what structure to return for a particular request) because features such as Unicode support were retro-fitted at a later date. SMB2 involves significantly reduced compatibility-testing for implementers of the protocol. SMB2 code has considerably less complexity since far less variability exists (for example, non-Unicode code paths become redundant as SMB2 requires Unicode support).


title: Server Message Block

text: Apple migrated to SMB2 (from their own Apple Filing Protocol, now legacy) starting with OS X 10.9 "Mavericks". This transition was fraught with compatibility problems though. Non-default support for SMB2 appeared in fact in OS X 10.7, when Apple abandoned Samba in favor of its own SMB implementation called SMBX. Apple switched to its own SMBX implementation after Samba adopted GPLv3. MacOS also has supported the IETF Network File System (NFS) for many years (and continues to do so as of 2021).


title: Server Message Block

text: SMB 2.1, introduced with Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2, introduced minor performance enhancements with a new opportunistic locking mechanism.


title: Server Message Block

text: SMB 3.0 (previously named SMB 2.2) was introduced with Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012. It brought several significant changes that are intended to add functionality and improve SMB2 performance, notably in virtualized data centers:


title: Server Message Block

text: It also introduces several security enhancements, such as end-to-end encryption and a new AES based signing algorithm.


title: Server Message Block

text: SMB 3.0.2 (known as 3.02 at the time) was introduced with Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2; in those and later releases, the earlier SMB version 1 can be optionally disabled to increase security.


title: Server Message Block

text: SMB 3.1.1 was introduced with Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016. This version supports AES-128 GCM encryption in addition to AES-128 CCM encryption added in SMB3, and implements pre-authentication integrity check using SHA-512 hash. SMB 3.1.1 also makes secure negotiation mandatory when connecting to clients using SMB 2.x and higher.


title: Server Message Block

text: The specifications for the SMB are proprietary and were initially closed, thereby forcing other vendors and projects to reverse-engineer the protocol to interoperate with it. The SMB 1.0 protocol was eventually published some time after it was reverse engineered, whereas the SMB 2.0 protocol was made available from Microsoft's Open Specifications Developer Center from the outset.


title: Server Message Block

text: In 1991, Andrew Tridgell started the development of Samba, a free-software re-implementation (using reverse engineering) of the SMB/CIFS networking protocol for Unix-like systems, initially to implement an SMB server to allow PC clients running the DEC Pathworks client to access files on SunOS machines. Because of the importance of the SMB protocol in interacting with the widespread Microsoft Windows platform, Samba became a popular free software implementation of a compatible SMB client and server to allow non-Windows operating systems, such as Unix-like operating systems, to interoperate with Windows.


title: Server Message Block

text: As of version 3 (2003), Samba provides file and print services for Microsoft Windows clients and can integrate with a Windows NT 4.0 server domain, either as a Primary Domain Controller (PDC) or as a domain member. Samba4 installations can act as an Active Directory domain controller or member server, at Windows 2008 domain and forest functional levels.


title: Server Message Block

text: Package managers in Linux distributions can search for the "cifs-utils" package. The package is from the Samba maintainers.


title: Server Message Block

text: NSMB (Netsmb and SMBFS) is a family of in-kernel SMB client and server implementations in BSD operating systems. It was first contributed to FreeBSD 4.4 by Boris Popov, and is now found in a wide range of other BSD systems including NetBSD and macOS. The implementations have diverged significantly ever since.


title: Server Message Block

text: The macOS version of NSMB is notable for its now-common scheme of representing symlinks. This "Minshall-French" format shows symlinks as textual files with a extension and a magic number, always 1067 bytes long. This format is also used for storing symlinks on naive SMB servers or unsupported filesystems. Samba supports this format with an option. Docker on Windows also seems to use it.


title: Server Message Block

text: NQ is a family of portable SMB client and server implementations developed by Visuality Systems, an Israel-based company established in 1998 by Sam Widerman, formerly the CEO of Siemens Data Communications. The NQ family comprises an embedded SMB stack (written in C), a Pure Java SMB Client, and a storage SMB Server implementation. All solutions support the latest SMB 3.1.1 dialect. NQ for Linux, NQ for WinCE, iOS, Android, VxWorks and other real-time operating systems are all supported by the configurable NQ solution.


title: Server Message Block

text: MoSMB is a proprietary SMB implementation for Linux and other Unix-like systems, developed by Ryussi Technologies. It supports only SMB 2.x and SMB 3.x.


title: Server Message Block

text: Fusion File Share by Tuxera is a proprietary SMB server implementation developed by Tuxera that can be run either in kernel or user space. It supports SMB 3.1.1 and all previous versions, additionally advanced SMB features like continuous availability (persistent handles) scale-out, RDMA (SMB Direct), SMB multichannel, transparent compression, shadow copy.


title: Server Message Block

text: Likewise developed a CIFS/SMB implementation (versions 1.0, 2.0, 2.1 and NFS 3.0) in 2009 that provided a multiprotocol, identity-aware platform for network access to files used in OEM storage products built on Linux/Unix based devices. The platform could be used for traditional NAS, Cloud Gateway, and Cloud Caching devices for providing secure access to files across a network. Likewise was purchased by EMC Isilon in 2012.


title: Server Message Block

text: CIFSD is an open source in-kernel CIFS/SMB server implementation for the Linux kernel. It has the following advantages over user-space implementations: it provides better performance, and it makes it easier to implement some features such as SMB Direct. It supports SMB 3.1.1 and previous versions.


title: Server Message Block

text: Over the years, there have been many security vulnerabilities in Microsoft's implementation of the protocol or components on which it directly relies. Other vendors' security vulnerabilities lie primarily in a lack of support for newer authentication protocols like NTLMv2 and Kerberos in favor of protocols like NTLMv1, LanMan, or plaintext passwords. Real-time attack tracking shows that SMB is one of the primary attack vectors for intrusion attempts, for example the 2014 Sony Pictures attack, and the WannaCry ransomware attack of 2017. In 2020, two SMB high-severity vulnerabilities were disclosed and dubbed as SMBGhost (CVE-2020-0796) and SMBleed (CVE-2020-1206), which when chained together can provide RCE (Remote Code Execution) privilege to the attacker.


title: Bellingham, Washington

text: Bellingham ( ) is the most populous city in, and county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It lies south of the U.S.–Canada border in between two major cities of the Pacific Northwest: Vancouver, British Columbia (located to the northwest) and Seattle ( to the south). The city had a population of 92,314 as of 2019.


title: Bellingham, Washington

text: The city of Bellingham, incorporated in 1903, consolidated four settlements: Bellingham, Whatcom, Fairhaven, and Sehome. It takes its name from Bellingham Bay, named by George Vancouver in 1792, for Sir William Bellingham, the Controller of Storekeeper Accounts of the Royal Navy during the Vancouver Expedition.


title: Bellingham, Washington

text: Today, Bellingham is the northernmost city with a population of more than 90,000 people in the contiguous United States. It is a popular tourist destination known for its easy access to outdoor recreation in the San Juan Islands and North Cascades. More than of former industrial land on the Bellingham waterfront is undergoing redevelopment, with plans for a hotel, conference center, condos, retirement housing, retail and commercial development.


title: Bellingham, Washington

text: Bellingham is the homeland of Coast Salish peoples of the Lummi (or Lhaq'temish) People and neighboring tribes. People of Lummi ancestry continue to live in and around Bellingham Bay, particularly on the nearby Lummi Nation reservation.


title: Bellingham, Washington

text: The first European immigrants reached the area about 1852 when Henry Roeder and Russel Peabody set up a lumber mill at Whatcom, now the northern part of Bellingham. Lumber cutting and milling continues to the present in Whatcom county. At about the same time, Dan Harris arrived, claiming a homestead along Padden Creek, and after acquiring surrounding properties, platted the town of Fairhaven in 1883. In 1858, the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush caused a short lived population growth that established the community.


title: Bellingham, Washington

text: Coal was mined in the Bellingham Bay area from the mid-19th to the mid-20th centuries starting when Henry Roeder's agents discovered coal south of Whatcom Creek, in an area called Sehome, now downtown Bellingham, in 1854. They sold the coal-bearing land to San Francisco investors who established the Bellingham Bay Coal Company, eventually a subsidiary of the Black Diamond Coal Mining Company. After a hundred years of extensive mining beneath present-day Bellingham, the last mine closed in 1955.


title: Bellingham, Washington

text: In the early 1890s, three railroad lines arrived, connecting the bay cities to a nationwide market of builders. In 1889, Pierre Cornwall and an association of investors formed the Bellingham Bay Improvement Company (BBIC). The BBIC invested in several diverse enterprises such as shipping, coal, mining, railroad construction, real estate sales and utilities. Even though their dreams of turning the cities by the bay into a Pacific Northwest metropolis never came to fruition, the BBIC made an immense contribution to the economic development of Bellingham.


title: Bellingham, Washington

text: BBIC was not the only outside firm with an interest in the bay area utilities. The General Electric Company of New York purchased the Fairhaven Line and New Whatcom street rail line in 1897. In 1898, the utility merged into the Northern Railway and Improvement Company which prompted the Electric Corporation of Boston to purchase a large block of shares.


title: Bellingham, Washington

text: In 1890, Fairhaven developers bought the tiny community of Bellingham. Whatcom and Sehome merged in 1891 to form New Whatcom (1903 act of the State legislature dropped "New" from the name.) At first, attempts to combine Fairhaven and Whatcom failed, and there was controversy over the name of the proposed new city. Whatcom citizens would not support a city named "Fairhaven", and Fairhaven residents would not support a city named "Whatcom". They eventually settled on the name "Bellingham", which remains today. Voting a second time for a final merger of Fairhaven and Whatcom into a single city, the resolution passed with 2163 votes for and 596 against.


title: Bellingham, Washington

text: Bellingham was officially incorporated on December 28, 1903, as a result of the incremental consolidation of the four towns initially situated on the east of Bellingham Bay during the final decade of the 19th Century. Whatcom is today's "Old Town" area and was founded with Roeder's Mill in 1852. Sehome was an area of downtown founded with the Sehome Coal Mine in 1854. Bellingham was further south near Boulevard Park, founded in 1883 and purchased in 1890 by Fairhaven. Fairhaven was a large commercial district with its own harbor, founded in 1883, by Dan Harris, around his initial homestead on Padden Creek.