title: Rebreather

text: A helium reclaim system (or push-pull system) is used to recover helium based breathing gas after use by the diver when this is more economical than losing it to the environment in open circuit systems. The recovered gas is passed through a scrubber system to remove carbon dioxide, filtered to remove odours, and pressurised into storage containers, where it may be mixed with oxygen to the required composition for re-use, either immediately, or at a later date.


title: Rebreather

text: The life support system provides breathing gas and other services to support life for the personnel under pressure in the accommodation chambers and closed diving bell. It includes the following components:


title: Rebreather

text: The life support system for the bell provides and monitors the main supply of breathing gas, and the control station monitors the deployment and communications with the divers. Primary gas supply, power and communications to the bell are through a bell umbilical, made up from a number of hoses and electrical cables twisted together and deployed as a unit. This is extended to the divers through the diver umbilicals.


title: Rebreather

text: The accommodation life support system maintains the chamber environment within the acceptable range for health and comfort of the occupants. Temperature, humidity, breathing gas quality, sanitation systems, and equipment function are monitored and controlled.


title: Rebreather

text: An atmospheric diving suit is a small one-man articulated submersible of roughly anthropomorphic form, with limb joints which allow articulation under external pressure while maintaining an internal pressure of one atmosphere.


title: Rebreather

text: Breathing gas supply may be surface supplied by umbilical, or from a rebreather carried on the suit. An emergency gas supply rebreather may also be fitted to a suit with either surface supply or rebreather for primary breathing gas.


title: Rebreather

text: As the internal pressure is maintained at one atmosphere, there is no risk of acute oxygen toxicity. This is an underwater diving application, but has more in common with industrial applications than with ambient pressure scuba rebreathers.


title: Rebreather

text: Mountaineering rebreathers provide oxygen at a higher concentration than available from atmospheric air in a naturally hypoxic environment. They need to be lightweight and to be reliable in severe cold including not getting choked with deposited frost. A high rate of system failures due to extreme cold has not been solved. Breathing pure oxygen results in an elevated partial pressure of oxygen in the blood: a climber breathing pure oxygen at the summit of Mt. Everest has a greater oxygen partial pressure than breathing air at sea level. This results in being able to exert greater physical effort at altitude. The exothermic reaction helps keep the scrubber contents from freezing, and helps reduce heat loss from the user.


title: Rebreather

text: Both chemical and compressed gas oxygen have been used in experimental closed-circuit oxygen systems – the first on Mount Everest in 1938. The 1953 expedition used closed-circuit oxygen equipment developed by Tom Bourdillon and his father for the first assault team of Bourdillon and Evans; with one "dural" 800l compressed oxygen cylinder and soda lime canister (the second (successful) assault team of Hillary and Tenzing used open-circuit equipment).


title: Rebreather

text: Similar requirement and working environment to mountaineering, but weight is less of a problem. The Soviet IDA71 rebreather was also manufactured in a high altitude version, which was operated as an oxygen rebreather.


title: Rebreather

text: Anaesthetic machines can be configured as rebreathers to provide oxygen and anaesthetic gases to a patient during surgery or other procedures that require sedation. An absorbent is present in the machine to remove the carbon dioxide from the loop.


title: Rebreather

text: Both semi-closed and fully closed circuit systems may be used for anaesthetic machines, and both push-pull (pendulum) two directional flow and one directional loop systems are used. The breathing circuit of a loop configured machine has two unidirectional valves so that only scrubbed gas flows to the patient while expired gas goes back to the machine.


title: Rebreather

text: The anaesthetic machine can also provide gas to ventilated patients who cannot breathe on their own. A waste gas scavenging system removes any gasses from the operating room to avoid environmental contamination.


title: Rebreather

text: One of the functions of a space suit is to provide the wearer with breathing gas. This can be done via an umbilical from the life-support systems of the spacecraft or habitat, or from a primary life support system carried on the suit. Both of these systems involve rebreather technology as they both remove carbon dioxide from the breathing gas and add oxygen to compensate for oxygen used by the wearer.


title: Rebreather

text: Space suits usually use oxygen rebreathers as this allows a lower pressure in the suit which gives the wearer better freedom of movement.


title: Rebreather

text: Submarines, underwater habitats, bomb shelters, space stations, and other living spaces occupied by several people over medium to long periods on a limited gas supply, are equivalent to closed circuit rebreathers in principle, but generally rely on mechanical circulation of breathing gas through the scrubbers.


title: Rebreather

text: There are several safety issues with rebreather equipment, and these tend to be more severe in diving rebreathers.


title: Rebreather

text: Some of the hazards are due to the way the equipment works, while others are related to the environment in which the equipment is used, as rebreathers are usually used where no breathable ambient atmosphere is available.


title: Rebreather

text: Hypoxia can occur in any rebreather which contains enough inert gas to allow breathing without triggering automatic gas addition.


title: Rebreather

text: In an oxygen rebreather this can occur if the loop is not sufficiently purged at the start of use. Purging is the replacement of the original gas content by fresh gas, and may have to be repeated to completely remove inert gas. Purging should be done while breathing off the unit so that the inert gas in the user's lungs and body tissues that finds its way into the loop is also removed from the system.


title: Rebreather

text: Carbon dioxide buildup will occur if the scrubber medium is absent, badly packed, inadequate or exhausted. The normal human body is fairly sensitive to carbon dioxide partial pressure, and a buildup will be noticed by the user. However, there is not often much that can be done to rectify the problem except changing to another breathing gas supply until the scrubber can be repacked. Continued use of a rebreather with an ineffective scrubber is not possible for very long, as the levels will become toxic and the user will experience extreme respiratory distress, followed by loss of consciousness and death. The rate at which these problems develop depends on the volume of the circuit and the metabolic rate of the user at the time.


title: Rebreather

text: Carbon dioxide buildup can also occur when a combination of exertion and work of breathing exceeds the capacity of the user. If this occurs where the user cannot reduce exertion sufficiently, it may be impossible to correct. This problem is more likely to occur with diving rebreathers at depths where the density of the breathing gas is severely elevated.


title: Rebreather

text: Industrial rebreathers are often used where the ambient air is contaminated, and may be toxic. Parts of the loop will be at a slightly lower than external ambient pressure during inhalation, and if the circuit is not airtight external gases may leak in. This is a particular issue around the edge of a full-face mask, where the rubber mask skirt must seal against the user's face.


title: Rebreather

text: High partial pressures of oxygen greatly increase fire hazard, and many materials which are self-extinguishing in atmospheric air will burn continuously in a high oxygen concentration. This is more of a hazard for terrestrial applications such as rescue and firefighting than for diving, where the ignition risk is relatively low.


title: Rebreather

text: The term "break-through" means the failure of the scrubber to continue removing sufficient carbon dioxide from the gas circulating in the loop. This will inevitably happen if the scrubber is used too long, but can happen prematurely in some circumstances.


title: Rebreather

text: Around 1620, Cornelius Drebbel discovered that heating saltpetre (potassium nitrate) would generate oxygen.


title: Rebreather

text: The first basic rebreather based on carbon dioxide absorption was patented in France in 1808 by Pierre-Marie Touboulic from Brest, a mechanic in Napoleon's Imperial Navy. This early rebreather design worked with an oxygen reservoir, the oxygen being delivered progressively by the diver and circulating in a closed circuit through a sponge soaked in limewater, a solution of calcium hydroxide in water. Touboulic called his invention "Ichtioandre" (Greek for 'fish-man'). There is no evidence of a prototype having been manufactured.


title: Rebreather

text: In 1853 Professor T. Schwann presented a rebreather at the Belgian Academy of Science. It had a large back mounted oxygen tank with working pressure of about 13.3 bar, and two scrubbers containing sponges soaked in a caustic soda solution.


title: Rebreather

text: The first commercially practical closed-circuit scuba was designed and built by the diving engineer Henry Fleuss in 1878, while working for Siebe Gorman in London. His self-contained breathing apparatus consisted of a rubber mask connected to a breathing bag, with (estimated) 50–60% O supplied from a copper tank and CO scrubbed by rope yarn soaked in a solution of caustic potash; the system giving a duration of about three hours. Fleuss tested his device in 1879 by spending an hour submerged in a water tank, then one week later by diving to a depth of 5.5 m in open water, upon which occasion he was slightly injured when his assistants abruptly pulled him to the surface.


title: Rebreather

text: His apparatus was first used under operational conditions in 1880 by Alexander Lambert, the lead diver on the Severn Tunnel construction project, who was able to travel 1000 feet in the darkness to close several submerged sluice doors in the tunnel; this had defeated his best efforts with standard diving dress due to the danger of the air supply hose becoming fouled on submerged debris, and the strong water currents in the workings.


title: Rebreather

text: Fleuss continually improved his apparatus, adding a demand regulator and tanks capable of holding greater amounts of oxygen at higher pressure. Sir Robert Davis, head of Siebe Gorman, improved the oxygen rebreather in 1910 with his invention of the Davis Submerged Escape Apparatus, the first practical rebreather to be made in quantity. While intended primarily as an emergency escape apparatus for submarine crews, it was soon also used for diving, being a handy shallow water diving apparatus with a thirty-minute endurance, and as an industrial breathing set.


title: Rebreather

text: The rig comprised a rubber breathing/buoyancy bag containing a canister of barium hydroxide to scrub exhaled CO and, in a pocket at the lower end of the bag, a steel pressure cylinder holding approximately 56 litres of oxygen at a pressure of 120 bar. The cylinder was equipped with a control valve and was connected to the breathing bag. Opening the cylinder's valve admitted oxygen to the bag and charged it to the pressure of the surrounding water. The rig also included an emergency buoyancy bag on the front of to help keep the wearer afloat. The DSEA was adopted by the Royal Navy after further development by Davis in 1927. Various industrial oxygen rebreathers such as the Siebe Gorman Salvus and the Siebe Gorman Proto, both invented in the early 1900s, were derived from it.


title: Rebreather

text: Professor Georges Jaubert invented the chemical compound Oxylithe in 1907. It was a form of sodium peroxide (NaO) or sodium superoxide (NaO). As it absorbs carbon dioxide in a rebreather's scrubber it emits oxygen. This compound was first incorporated into a rebreather design by Captain S.S. Hall and Dr. O. Rees of the Royal Navy in 1909. Although intended for use as a submarine escape apparatus, it was never accepted by the Royal Navy and was instead used for shallow water diving.


title: Rebreather

text: In 1912 the German firm Dräger began mass production of their own version of standard diving dress with the air supply from a rebreather. The apparatus had been invented some years earlier by Hermann Stelzner, an engineer at the Dräger company, for mine rescue.


title: Rebreather

text: In the 1930s, Italian sport spearfishers began to use the Davis rebreather; Italian manufacturers received a licence from the English patent holders to produce it. This practice soon came to the attention of the Italian Navy, which developed an extensively upgraded model designed by Teseo Tesei and that was used by its frogman unit Decima Flottiglia MAS with good results during World War II.


title: Rebreather

text: During the Second World War, captured Italian frogmen's rebreathers influenced improved designs for British rebreathers. Many British frogmen's breathing sets used aircrew breathing oxygen cylinders salvaged from shot-down German Luftwaffe aircraft. The earliest of these breathing sets may have been modified Davis Submerged Escape Apparatus; their fullface masks were the type intended for the Siebe Gorman Salvus, but in later operations different designs were used, leading to a fullface mask with one big face window, at first circular or oval and later rectangular (mostly flat, but the sides curved back to allow better vision sideways). Early British frogman's rebreathers had rectangular counterlungs on the chest like Italian frogman's rebreathers, but later designs had a square recess in the top of the counterlung so it could extend further up toward the shoulders. In front they had a rubber collar that was clamped around the absorbent canister. Some British armed forces divers used bulky thick diving suits called Sladen suits; one version of it had a flip-up single faceplate for both eyes to let the user get binoculars to his eyes when on the surface.


title: Rebreather

text: The Dräger rebreathers, especially the DM20 and DM40 model series, were used by the German helmet divers and German frogmen during World War II. Rebreathers for the US Navy were developed by Dr. Christian J. Lambertsen for underwater warfare. Lambertsen held the first closed-circuit oxygen rebreather course in the United States for the Office of Strategic Services maritime unit at the Naval Academy on 17 May 1943.


title: Rebreather

text: During and after WWII, needs arose in the armed forces to dive deeper than allowed by pure oxygen. That prompted, at least in Britain, design of simple constant-flow "mixture rebreather" variants of some of their diving oxygen rebreathers (= what is now called "nitrox"): SCMBA from the SCBA (Swimmer Canoeist's Breathing Apparatus), and CDMBA from the Siebe Gorman CDBA, by adding an extra gas supply cylinder. Before a dive with such a set, the diver had to know the maximum or working depth of his dive, and how fast his body used his oxygen supply, and from those to calculate what to set his rebreather's gas flow rate to.


title: Rebreather

text: The diving pioneer Hans Hass used Dräger oxygen rebreathers in the early 1940s for underwater cinematography.


title: Rebreather

text: Due to the military importance of the rebreather, amply demonstrated during the naval campaigns of the Second World War, most governments were reluctant to issue the technology into the public domain. In Britain rebreather use for civilians was negligible, and the BSAC formally prohibited rebreather use by its members. The Italian firms Pirelli and Cressi-Sub at first each sold a model of sport diving rebreather, but after a while discontinued those models. Some home made rebreathers were used by cave divers to penetrate cave sumps.


title: Rebreather

text: Most high-altitude mountaineers use open-circuit oxygen equipment; the 1953 Everest expedition used both closed-circuit and open-circuit oxygen equipment: see bottled oxygen.


title: Rebreather

text: Eventually the Cold War ended, and in 1989 the Communist Bloc collapsed, and as a result the perceived risk of sabotage attacks by combat divers dwindled, and Western armed forces had less reason to requisition civilian rebreather patents, and automatic and semi-automatic recreational diving rebreathers with oxygen partial pressure sensors started to appear.


title: Marko Jarić

text: Marko Jarić (, ; ; born 12 October 1978) is a Serbian former professional basketball player. Standing at 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in), he mainly played the shooting guard position. He also represented the senior FR Yugoslavian national basketball team internationally. Jarić was an All-EuroLeague First Team member in 2002.


title: Marko Jarić

text: Jarić was born in Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia, the son of Srećko Jarić, a well-known Yugoslav professional basketball player, who played as a point guard for Radnički Belgrade, and was regarded by head basketball coach Dušan Ivković as, the "biggest talent that he ever had under his charge". Jarić began playing basketball with the youth teams of the Serbian club Red Star Belgrade.


title: Marko Jarić

text: Jarić began his professional career in the 1996–97 season, with the Greek Basket League club Peristeri. With Peristeri, he played two seasons in the European-wide 3rd tier level FIBA Korać Cup. He then spent the next 4 seasons playing in Europe's top-tier level EuroLeague, with the Italian clubs Fortitudo Bologna and Virtus Bologna.


title: Marko Jarić

text: He became the first player ever to win back-to-back Italian League championships, on two teams. He won the Italian League championship in 2000, with Fortitudo Bologna, and in 2001, with Virtus Bologna.


title: Marko Jarić

text: Jarić was selected as the 30th overall draft pick, by the Los Angeles Clippers, in the 2000 NBA draft. After playing in 3 NBA seasons with the Clippers, he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, on 12 August 2005, along with Lionel Chalmers, by the Clippers, in exchange for Sam Cassell and a future first-round draft pick. He was traded to the Grizzlies, on 26 June 2008, in an eight-player deal, involving rookie shooting guard O. J. Mayo, and rookie power forward Kevin Love.


title: Marko Jarić

text: For the 2009–10 NBA season, Jarić and the Memphis Grizzlies, mutually agreed that Jarić would not attend the team's training camp, or any of their preseason games. Jarić was granted permission to seek a new team, and a possible contract buyout, for the remaining 2 years and $15 million of his contract. Jarić's final NBA game was played on April 15th, 2009 in a 98 - 90 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. In his final game, he played for 23 minutes and recorded 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals but no points.


title: Marko Jarić

text: After securing his release from the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies, Jarić then signed with Spanish Liga ACB club Real Madrid, on 22 December 2009. On 14 January 2011, he signed with the Italian LBA club Montepaschi Siena, through the end of the 2010–11 season.


title: Marko Jarić

text: In October 2012, Jarić signed with the NBA's Chicago Bulls. However, he was waived on 24 October. In September 2013, he signed with the Brooklyn Nets. However, he was waived on 15 October. He then retired from playing professional basketball.


title: Marko Jarić

text: As a junior FR Yugoslavia national team player, Jarić won the gold medal at the 1998 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship.


title: Marko Jarić

text: As a member of the senior FR Yugoslavia national basketball team, Jarić won gold medals at both the 2001 EuroBasket and the 2002 FIBA World Championship. He also played with them at the 2003 EuroBasket and the 2005 EuroBasket. He represented the senior Serbian national basketball team at the 2007 EuroBasket.


title: Marko Jarić

text: Jarić has an older sister named Tamara, and a younger brother named Nikola (b. 1987), who lives and plays basketball in Switzerland.


title: Marko Jarić

text: On 12 June 2008, Jarić became engaged to Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima. The couple wed in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA, on Valentine's Day 2009. They have two daughters. The couple announced their separation on 2 May 2014, after five years of marriage. The divorce was finalized in March 2016.


title: Marko Jarić

text: Jarić also holds Greek citizenship, under the name Marko Latsis (Greek: Μάρκο Λάτσης), which was the name he played basketball under in Greece.


title: Phenomenon (film)

text: Phenomenon is a 1996 American romantic fantasy drama film directed by Jon Turteltaub, written by Gerald Di Pego, and starring John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, Forest Whitaker, Robert Duvall, and Jeffrey DeMunn.


title: Phenomenon (film)

text: In the film, an amiable, small-town everyman is inexplicably transformed into a genius with telekinetic powers. The original music score was composed by Thomas Newman.


title: Phenomenon (film)

text: George Malley is a kind, average man who works as an auto mechanic in a small town in Northern California. George has a crush on a single mother in town, Lace. He lets her sell her handmade chairs at his shop, but he secretly buys them and keeps them at his house. She is very closed off and rebuffs George's advances. After celebrating his 37th birthday at a local bar with his best friend, Nate, and father figure, Doc Brunder, he notices a ball of shining bright white lights in the sky. It grows closer and appears to hit him, making a loud sound and knocking him down. Nobody else saw the lights or heard the sound.


title: Phenomenon (film)

text: George begins to exhibit remarkable levels of intelligence. He easily absorbs vast amounts of information, formulates new, revolutionary ideas, and develops telekinesis. Not needing sleep, he spends each night reading multiple books.


title: Phenomenon (film)

text: George tries to use his new intelligence for the good of his community. He develops a powerful fertilizer, improves solar panel designs, and predicts an earthquake without any equipment. When Doc is called to aid a sick Portuguese man, George learns the language in minutes and helps translate. He then uses his telekinesis to rescue the man's young relative. George also sets a plan to help Nate get together with the mother of the Portuguese boy he rescued. Nate has a shortwave radio hobby. While visiting him, George decodes and responds to a signal, though Nate asks him to forget about it out of fear that they might be picking up information from a nearby air force base.


title: Phenomenon (film)

text: The townsfolk become wary, but George finds support from Doc, Nate and from a growing relationship with Lace, and her children, Al and Glory. George invites Lace to join him on a trip to UC Berkeley to meet with seismologist Professor Ringold about George's earthquake prediction. Before he can go, the FBI takes George and Nate into custody over his code-breaking. He breaks more codes, then astounds Dr. Nierdof by answering a series of difficult quizzes and exams, and shows him his telekinesis. When George threatens to talk to the press, he is finally released. The FBI instructs Dr. Ringold not to let George meet with anyone at Berkeley.


title: Phenomenon (film)

text: Returning to the local bar, George becomes frustrated with friends' questions about his abilities, and he causes a large mirror to break via telekinesis.


title: Phenomenon (film)

text: Lace visits him to provide a shave and a haircut. Their innocent intimacy scares her since she has tried so hard to not like him, but it encourages him to stop avoiding the townsfolk. He goes to the county fair to ease fear with a demonstration of his powers, but the crowd goes into a frenzy, demanding his attention and his perceived healing powers. George is knocked to the ground, where he again sees the flashing balls of light before losing consciousness.


title: Phenomenon (film)

text: George awakens in a hospital. With Lace and Nate there for support, Doc explains that George has a deadly brain tumor. This has caused the lights and stimulated George's phenomenal brain functions. They have called Dr. Wellin, a leading brain surgeon, to see if an operation can save George's life. Dr. Wellin determines there is only a 1 in 500 chance of survival but wants to proceed with an invasive operation solely to do research on George's living brain. When George refuses, saying he still has work to do, the doctor has him declared mentally unfit and held against his will.


title: Phenomenon (film)

text: George escapes from the hospital and returns home. He spends time with Nate, then goes to Lace's to spend time with her and her children. The FBI agent shows up, but Lace persuades him to let George die in peace.


title: Phenomenon (film)

text: Professor Ringold arrives at Lace's house, only to learn that he is too late. Lace gives him George's research materials, so he can finish George's breakthrough work.


title: Phenomenon (film)

text: A year later, George's friends are gathered for what would have been his 38th birthday. Nate, now fluent in Portuguese, is married to a pregnant Ella. Other signs of George's phenomenal impact on the town and its people are seen all around.


title: Phenomenon (film)

text: The film grossed more than $16,000,000 on its opening weekend, debuting in third position and later climbing up to second. It finally grossed $104,636,382 in the US and $47,400,000 elsewhere, grossing approximately $152,000,000 overall.


title: Phenomenon (film)

text: On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 49% based on reviews from 37 critics. On Metacritic it has a score of 41% based on reviews from 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Roger Ebert of "The Chicago Sun Times" gave the film three out of four stars, questioning if it could have been more challenging but remarking, "But that's not what it's about. It's about change, acceptance and love, and it rounds those three bases very nicely, even if it never quite gets to home."


title: Phenomenon (film)

text: Janet Maslin of "The New York Times", complimented the concept but said "during the grimness of the film's final half hour, jaws may drop. A whopping wrong turn throws this lightweight, benign-looking movie terminally off course." "Empire" magazine's Angie Errigo rated the film three out of five stars. She complained about the film's tendency to overexplain itself, but complimented Travolta's performance.


title: Phenomenon (film)

text: Travolta and Whitaker both won a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for their performances in 1997. Whitaker also received an Image Award. In the same year the film was nominated for a Saturn Award. Travolta was nominated for an MTV Movie Award for his performance, as well as for Best Kiss with Kyra Sedgwick. Eric Clapton was nominated for his song "Change the World" and won an ASCAP Award and the BMI Film & TV Award. Thomas Newman also received a BMI Film & TV Award for the score.


title: Phenomenon (film)

text: A sequel-remake, titled "Phenomenon II", was developed for television as part of "The Wonderful World of Disney" series (1995–2005). The film was released in Season 48, Episode 3 and aired November 1, 2003. The TV movie was directed by Ken Olin and written by Gerald Di Pego. The movie stars:


title: The Wire (season 3)

text: The third season of the television series "The Wire" of 12 episodes first aired in the United States on HBO in 2004, from September 19 to December 19. It introduces Baltimore's local politicians and the upstart drug dealing Stanfield organization while continuing to examine the Barksdale Organization and the Baltimore Police Department.


title: The Wire (season 3)

text: The third season aired on Sundays at 9:00 pm ET in the United States to widespread critical acclaim. The season was released on DVD as a five disc boxed set under the title of "The Wire: The Complete Third Season" on August 8, 2006 by HBO Video.


title: The Wire (season 3)

text: Following the death of Robert F. Colesberry, director Joe Chappelle joined the production staff as a co-executive producer and continued to regularly direct episodes. "Baltimore Sun" writer and political journalist William F. Zorzi joined the writing staff in the third season and brought a wealth of experience to the show's examination of Baltimore politics.


title: The Wire (season 3)

text: David Simon had originally hoped to create a city hall spinoff show, which would run in tandem with subsequent seasons of "The Wire", and had even written scripts for it. But HBO declined, according to Simon: "HBO said, 'No, we only want one show that nobody is watching in Baltimore, not two!'."


title: The Wire (season 3)

text: The third season returned with the focus on investigating the Barksdale Organization and introducing new characters such as the rival Stanfield Organization and local politicians. The returning cast consisted of Dominic West as Detective Jimmy McNulty, whose insubordinate tendencies and personal problems continued to overshadow his ability; Lance Reddick as Lieutenant Cedric Daniels, now commanding his own unit; Kima Greggs, played by Sonja Sohn, now McNulty's new partner within the unit; Clarke Peters as Lester Freamon; and Deirdre Lovejoy as Assistant State's Attorney Rhonda Pearlman.


title: The Wire (season 3)

text: Wood Harris reprised his role as incarcerated drug kingpin Avon Barksdale. Idris Elba's character Stringer Bell continued to run the Barksdale Organization in Avon's absence. Andre Royo returned as Bubbles, who continued to indulge his drug addiction and act as an occasional informant.


title: The Wire (season 3)

text: Deputy Commissioner of Operations William Rawls (John Doman) and Acting Commissioner Ervin Burrell (Frankie Faison), the two commanding officers, seem to be more concerned with politics and their own careers than actual police work. Wendell Pierce portrayed veteran homicide detective Bunk Moreland.


title: The Wire (season 3)

text: The new season saw several previously recurring characters assuming larger starring roles, including Seth Gilliam as Sergeant Ellis Carver, Domenick Lombardozzi as Detective Thomas "Herc" Hauk, Detective Leander Sydnor (Corey Parker Robinson), Detective Roland Pryzbylewski (Jim True-Frost), Bodie Broadus (J.D. Williams), Omar Little (Michael K. Williams), and Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin (Robert Wisdom).


title: The Wire (season 3)

text: Colvin commanded the Western district where the Barksdale organization operated, and nearing retirement, he came up with a radical new method of dealing with the drug problem. Herc and Carver joined the Western District Drug Enforcement Unit under Colvin's command. Sydnor, a rising young star in the police department in season 1, returned to the cast as part of the major crimes unit along with Pryzbylewski.


title: The Wire (season 3)

text: Bodie had been seen gradually rising in the Barksdale organization since the first episode; he was born to their trade and showed a fierce aptitude for it. Omar had a vendetta against the Barksdale organization and gave them all of his lethal attention. A new starring character was also introduced in the third season: Tommy Carcetti (Aidan Gillen), an ambitious city councilman.


title: The Wire (season 3)

text: Several members of the second season starring cast did not return for the third season with the change in focus and the termination of some characters' storylines. Chris Bauer (Frank Sobotka), Paul Ben-Victor (Spiros Vondas) and Amy Ryan (Beadie Russell) all left the starring cast with the third season. Ryan returned as a guest star for a short scene at the end of the season.


title: The Wire (season 3)

text: Many guest stars from the earlier seasons reprised their roles. Proposition Joe (Robert F. Chew), the East Side's cautious drug kingpin, became more cooperative with the Barksdale Organization. His lieutenant "Cheese" (Method Man) became involved in the Major Crimes Unit investigation. Brother Mouzone (Michael Potts) returned to Baltimore looking for revenge. Hassan Johnson reprised his role as incarcerated Barksdale enforcer Wee-Bey Brice. Tray Chaney continued to portray Barksdale crew chief Poot Carr. Leo Fitzpatrick returned as hapless drug addict Johnny Weeks.


title: The Wire (season 3)

text: Michael Hyatt and Shamyl Brown reprised their respective roles as Brianna Barksdale and Donette with both characters dealing with the loss of D'Angelo Barksdale. Michael Kostroff returned as the Barksdales' retainered defense attorney Maurice Levy. Isiah Whitlock, Jr. reprised his role as corrupt State Senator Clay Davis, who continued to be involved with Barksdale money. Stringer continued to use Shamrock (Richard Burton) to insulate himself from investigation. Background characters like Barksdale enforcers Tank and Country also returned. Omar Little's crew continued to rob the Barksdale Organization and consisted of his boyfriend Dante (Ernest Waddell), partners Tosha Mitchell (Edwina Findley) and Kimmy (Kelli R. Brown), and advisor Butchie (S. Robert Morgan).


title: The Wire (season 3)

text: Many guest stars also reprised their characters from the police department. Returning guest stars in the homicide unit include Delaney Williams as Sergeant Jay Landsman, Ed Norris as Detective Ed Norris, and Brian Anthony Wilson as Detective Vernon Holley. Al Brown and Jay Landsman reprised their roles as patrol division officers Stan Valchek and Dennis Mello. Michael Salconi recurred as veteran Western patrolman Michael Santangelo.


title: The Wire (season 3)

text: New recurring characters in the third season were also spread between the Street and the Law. The upstart Stanfield Organization introduced several new roles: Marlo Stanfield (Jamie Hector), a ruthless leader seeking to challenge Avon's dominance; Chris Partlow (Gbenga Akinnagbe), Stanfield's chief enforcer; Felicia "Snoop" Pearson (Felicia Pearson), Partlow's protege; Norris Davis as rimshop owner and advisor Vinson; Brandon Fobbs as crew chief Fruit; and Melvin T. Russell and Justin Burley as young drug dealers Jamal and Justin. The Barksdale Organization also found several new recruits: Slim Charles (Anwan Glover), Avon's new chief enforcer; Bernard (Melvin Jackson, Jr.), responsible for procuring disposable cell phones; and Dennis "Cutty" Wise (Chad Coleman), a newly released convict uncertain of his future.


title: The Wire (season 3)

text: The introduction of a political storyline brought many new characters. Glynn Turman played Mayor Clarence Royce, the incumbent whom Carcetti planned to unseat. Cleo Reginald Pizana portrayed Coleman Parker, Royce's chief-of-staff. Brandy Burre appeared as Theresa D'Agostino, a political campaign consultant. Frederick Strother performed as Odell Watkins, a state delegate and political king-maker. Christopher Mann played Carcetti's city council colleague Anthony Gray.


title: The Wire (season 3)

text: Several new police characters also debuted with the third season. Gregory L. Williams played Michael Crutchfield, a cantankerous homicide detective. Joilet F. Harris had a small role as Caroline Massey, a new officer in the Major Crimes Unit. The focus on Colvin's command of the Western District introduced several new characters both in Carver's Drug Enforcement Unit and in the Patrol Division. Carver's squad included Kenneth Dozerman (Rick Otto), Anthony Colicchio (Benjamin Busch), Lloyd "Truck" Garrick (Ryan Sands), and Lambert (Nakia Dillard). New rookie patrol officer Aaron Castor (Lee Everett Cox), Brian Baker (Derek Horton) and Officer Turner (Darrell M. Smith) also featured.


title: The Wire (season 3)

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 100% with an average score of 10 out of 10 based on 21 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "In its third season, "The Wire"s taut, unflinching examination of Baltimore expands from the criminal underworld to the top of the political machine." The season holds a score of 98/100 indicating "universal acclaim" on Metacritic.


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: Brittany ( ; ); Gallo: "Bertaèyn" ) is the westernmost region of Metropolitan France. It covers about four fifths of the territory of the historic province of Brittany. Its capital is Rennes. It is one of the two Regions in Metropolitan France that does not contain any landlocked departments, the other being Corsica.


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: Brittany is a peninsular region bordered by the English Channel to the north and the Bay of Biscay to the south, and its neighboring regions are Normandy to the northeast and Pays de la Loire to the southeast. "Bro Gozh ma Zadoù" is the anthem of Brittany. It is sung to the same tune as that of the national anthem of Wales, "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau", and has similar words. As a region of France, Brittany has a Regional Council, which was most recently elected in 2021.


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: The region of Brittany was created in 1941 from four of the five departments constituting the territory of traditional Brittany. The other is Loire-Atlantique, which is included in the region of Pays de la Loire, whose capital, Nantes, was a historical capital of the Duchy of Brittany.


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: Part of the reason Brittany was split between two present-day regions was to avoid the rivalry between Rennes and Nantes. Although Nantes was the principal capital of the Duchy of Brittany until the sixteenth century, Rennes had been the seat of the Duchy's supreme court of justice between 1560 and 1789. Rennes had also been the administrative capital of the Intendant of Brittany between 1689 and 1789, and Intendances were the most important administrative units of the kingdom of France in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. As for the provincial States of Brittany, a legislative body which had originally met every two years in a different city of Brittany, that had met in Rennes only between 1728 and 1789, although not in the years 1730, 1758, and 1760. Despite that, the "Chambre des comptes" had remained in Nantes until 1789. However, from 1381 until the end of the fifteenth century Vannes ("Gwened" in Breton) had served as the administrative capital of the Duchy, remaining the seat of its "Chambre des comptes" until the 1490s, and also the seat of its "Parlement" until 1553 and then again between 1675 and 1689.


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: Although there were previous plans to create regions out of the departments, like the Clémentel plan (1919) or the Vichy regionalisation programme (1941), these plans had no effect or else were abolished in 1945. The current French regions date from 1956 and were created by gathering departments together. In Brittany, this led to the creation of the new region of Brittany, which included only four out of the five historical Breton departments. The term "région" was officially created by the Law of Decentralisation (2 March 1982), which also gave regions their legal status. The first direct elections for regional representatives took place on 16 March 1986.


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: A majority of people in administrative Brittany and in Nantes continue to protest against the division of the traditional territory of Brittany, hoping to see the department of Loire-Atlantique reunited with the administrative region of Brittany. However, such a reunification raises other questions: first, what to do with the remainder of the present region of Pays de la Loire, and second, which city should be chosen as the capital of such a reunified Brittany.


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: Brittany, lying in the west-northwest corner of France, is one of the historic provinces of France. The most Atlantic of France's regions, Brittany is noted for its Celtic heritage, which sets it apart from the rest of France. It enjoys a mild climate somewhat warmer though not necessarily drier than the climate of the southwest of England.


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: The name "Brittany" derives from the Britons, an Insular Celtic (Brythonic) people who inhabited most of Great Britain during the Roman and Sub-Roman periods. During the migration period of the Early Middle Ages the Britons were displaced from most of what is now England by the Anglo-Saxon invasions, leading many to settle in western Armorica, today's Brittany. As a result the modern Bretons have strong historical, cultural and linguistic ties with those areas of Great Britain which remained Brythonic into the modern era: Wales and Cornwall.


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: Initially divided into several small petty kingdoms, Brittany as a united political entity emerged in the 9th century as the Kingdom of Brittany. In the early 10th century the kingdom was devastated by Norse raids and occupation and from the mid-10th century became a vassal state of France as the Duchy of Brittany. The level of control exerted by the French kings varied over time; at various points Brittany was either subject to, aligned with or heavily influenced by the English Kings; at others it was "de facto" independent.


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: Following the Breton defeat at the hands of the French army in 1488, the duchy was forced into a dynastic union with the French crown in 1491; in 1547 it was formally incorporated as a province of France.


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: Following the French Revolution the French provinces were dissolved and replaced with departments; what had been Brittany became the Côtes-du-Nord (22) (renamed Côtes-d'Armor in 1990) in the north, Finistère (29) in the far west, Morbihan (56) in the south, Ille et Vilaine (35) in the east and Loire-Inférieure (44) (renamed Loire-Atlantique in 1957) in the southeast.


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: When the modern regions were established, Loire-Inférieure (44), which includes the historic capital Nantes, became part of Pays de la Loire, while the other four departments became part of the Brittany region. The capital city of the modern Brittany region is Rennes, located in the central eastern part of the region; most of the major lines of communication between Brittany and Paris pass through Rennes, which is a large industrial and university city. Other important cities in the region are Brest, one of the two most important French naval ports, Saint-Malo, an imposing walled city on the north coast, and Vannes, the capital of the Morbihan, with an attractive old town centre. Quimper, the capital of the Finistère, and Saint-Brieuc, the capital of the Côtes-d'Armor, are less important. Lorient, in the Morbihan, was once a major shipping port trading with – as its name suggests – the Orient; but its shipping and shipbuilding industries have largely declined, and like other ports on the south coast of Brittany, is better known today for its yachting and yacht-building industry. It is also the venue for Brittany's annual Interceltiques music and culture festival.


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: Despite its limited size, Brittany is quite a diverse region; the north and west coasts, open to the force of the North Atlantic, are rugged and rocky, with sandy coves and beaches. The south coast, facing onto the Bay of Biscay, is flatter, much milder, and has a number of large sandy beaches. There are also many inlets on the south coast, such as La Trinité sur Mer, which in the past have been ports and commercial harbours, but today are more popular with yachtsmen and a dwindling fishing industry. The sea here is warmer in summer. The backbone of Brittany is a granite ridge stretching from east to west, peaking in the Monts d'Arrée. But most of inland Brittany is farming country, a region known for its milk and butter and its early crops.


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: As a holiday region, it is Brittany's coasts that attract the greatest number of visitors; the inland regions have attracted many second-home owners from other parts of France, and from Britain.


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: In cultural terms, Brittany has its own language and Celtic cultural tradition that set it apart from the rest of France. The Breton language, though not much used in everyday life, and not understood by most of the modern population, has made a comeback in recent years, and is taught in many schools. Celtic traditions are reflected in Breton folk music, its Celtic festivals, and its prehistoric monuments.


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: The name of Brittany derives from settlers from Great Britain, who fled the island in the wake of the Anglo-Saxon conquest of England between the fifth and seventh centuries. Unlike the rest of France and Brittany, Lower Brittany (roughly, west of a boundary from Saint Brieuc to Vannes) has maintained a distinctly Celtic language, Breton, which is related to Cornish and Welsh. It was the dominant language in Lower, or western, Brittany until the mid-20th century. It has been granted regional language status and revival efforts are underway. In Upper, or eastern, Brittany, the traditional language is Gallo, an Oïl language, which has also received regional recognition and is in the process of being revived.


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: The French administration now allows for some Breton or Gallo to be used by the region and its communes, in road signs and names of towns and cities, alongside the official French language version. The two regional languages are also taught in some schools, and many folklore associations and clubs are trying to revive them.


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: Brittany has historically been a stronghold of the Roman Catholic Church, and its rates of church attendance have tended to be considerably higher than the national average. However, in recent years the influence of the church has declined.


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: The region was a traditionally conservative and Christian democratic region, with the notable exception of the department of Côtes-d'Armor, a longtime stronghold of the political left. However, the whole of Brittany has recently been moving towards the left, in 2004 electing Jean-Yves Le Drian as its first Socialist regional president, and in the 2007 presidential election voting for Socialist Ségolène Royal. The centrist candidate François Bayrou also polled relatively highly in the region and Fougères elected a MoDem deputy to the National Assembly (he has since joined the pro-UMP New Centre). The French Communist Party's support is largely concentrated in the south-west of the Côtes-d'Armor and north-west of Morbihan. The Greens and other environmentalist parties have traditionally been strong in the region, especially in urban areas such as Rennes or Quimper. The region was one of the few which voted "Yes" to the European constitution in the 2005 referendum, and Brittany continues, along with Alsace, to be a strongly pro-European region.


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: The Socialist Part controls three general councils (Ille-et-Vilaine, Côtes-d'Armor, and Finistère), while the centrist MoDem controls that of Morbihan, in a coalition with the right.


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the region was 99.5 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 4.2% of French economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 26,700 euros or 89% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 100% of the EU average.


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: There are several (Rennes, Brest, Lorient...) serving destinations in Europe. TGV train services link the region with cities such as Paris in 1h27 thanks the LGV Bretagne-Pays de la Loire, Lyon, Lille and the largest French cities. TER Bretagne is the regional rail network serving Brittany in order to link the cities of Brittany to each other. OUIBUS coach services link the region with the largest cities in France at low cost. In addition there is Brittany Ferries that take passengers, vehicles and freight to the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Spain and Condor Ferries to the Channel Islands.


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: The following table is the list of communes in Brittany with a population over 15,000 inhabitants. Rennes is situated in the east of Brittany, being the capital of the region, the capital of the Ille-et-Vilaine department, as well as the most populous metropolitan area in Brittany with 700,000 inhabitants (2013).


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: The Atlantic Ocean and the English Channel provide Brittany with an oceanic climate. Prevailing northwest winds reduce variations of temperature in the region. The climate is drier in southern sections. The extreme northwest has up to 10 days with temperatures above 25 °C, while southeastern Brittany can have up to 50.


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: Three Breton clubs play in Ligue 1, the top flight of French football: Stade Rennais, Stade Brestois, and FC Lorient. Another historical club, En Avant Guingamp, plays in Ligue 2, and Vannes OC plays in the third tier Championnat National. In rugby union, RC Vannes currently plays in the second level, Pro D2.


title: Brittany (administrative region)

text: The Brest Albatros Hockey is a Brest ice hockey club that play in FFHG Division 1. The plays in LNH Division 1. The Brest Bretagne Handball plays in French Women's Handball Championship. The plays in . The Fortuneo–Vital Concept cycling pro team participate every year at the Tour de France, the Bretagne Classic, and the Route Adélie de Vitré. Gaelic games are also a growing sport in the region, particularly Gaelic football where the region has multiple teams that compete in Gaelic Games Europe.


title: Doodle Champion Island Games

text: Doodle Champion Island Games is a 2021 role-playing browser game developed by Google in partnership with Studio 4°C. The game acted as an interactive Google Doodle in celebration of the 2020 Summer Olympics and 2020 Summer Paralympics as well as Japanese folklore and culture. The story follows Lucky the Ninja Cat as she competes in sport events across Champion Island to become the champion of the island, whilst completing multiple side quests such as helping people who are in need. The Doodle was removed on 6 September 2021 by Google but can still be played in Google Doodle archives.


title: Doodle Champion Island Games

text: The game features seven different mini-games themed around sports that appeared at the Olympics, including table tennis, skateboarding, archery, rugby, artistic swimming, sport climbing, and marathon.


title: Doodle Champion Island Games

text: Doodle Champion Island is a role-playing video game with elements of a sports game. The player controls a cat named Lucky around an island with seven different regions that resemble different Japanese locations and geography, such as bamboo forests and mountains. In each region, there are features of seven island champions who all specialise in a specific sport. The sports themselves are mini-games, where Lucky earns a Sacred Scroll upon winning the mini-game. By beating all seven champions and earning their scrolls, the player is named "Island Champion". The player can also join one of 4 teams each represented by a color and a creature from Japanese mythology. By competing in the mini-games, players accumulate points that are tallied onto a Global Leaderboard, with the highest-scoring team being rewarded the title of winner by the end of the Olympics.


title: Doodle Champion Island Games

text: All the mini-games cover different genres of video games. For example, the Artistic Swimming event takes the form of a Dance Dance Revolution style rhythm game, whilst the Skateboarding event features a trick system similar to "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater".


title: Doodle Champion Island Games

text: Additionally, each region holds plenty of side quests for the player to seek out. These side quests involve Lucky helping out the residents of the island in a variety of tasks such as item fetching and trade sequences. Some side quests can also unlock harder versions of the original mini-games. All these side quests can earn the player a trophy which can be viewed in a house in the center of the island, named The Trophy House, with 24 to collect in total as of the Paralympics update.


title: Doodle Champion Island Games

text: As of the Summer Paralympic Games 2020, two new side quests have been added, with one leading to an advanced version of Rugby. There is also an advanced version of archery made available from the beginning. Players may also reset their progression (for instance, to switch teams) by 'leaving the Champion Island' (after talking to the Komainu gatekeepers present at the pier to Lucky's boat once all 7 scrolls have been obtained and side-quests completed, with the game's credits then being shown as Lucky departs the island on her boat) or simply selecting “Start a new game” in Settings.


title: Doodle Champion Island Games

text: At the start of the game, Lucky arrives by boat at Champion Island, a place where athletes from around the globe compete with each other. She is then confronted by two Komainu, who challenge her to a match of Table Tennis to test her skills. Once Lucky beats the pair, they believe her to be The Chosen One, and tell her of the seven champions of the island and that beating them would restore order to the island and make her the Island Champion.


title: Doodle Champion Island Games

text: Lucky can then choose the order to compete against the champions and beating each champion will earn her one of seven Sacred Scrolls. These are:


title: Doodle Champion Island Games

text: After obtaining all seven Sacred Scrolls and beating all the champions of the island, a large cherry blossom tree bursts into bloom in the center of the island, and falling petals rain over the island. The people of the island then congratulate Lucky on becoming the Island Champion.


title: Doodle Champion Island Games

text: If Lucky collects 23 of the 24 trophies, selecting the podium with no trophy reads the message "don't trust the bird", activating the final side quest. Lucky is then tasked with finding the true trophy master, who is revealed to be Momo, the black cat from "Magic Cat Academy", the Google Doodle for Halloween 2016 and 2020. This changed when the Paralympics made their debut, and anyone who has completed the 22 previous side quests and plays the Paralympic game without starting afresh can complete the 23rd and 24th quests without losing history of the last quest.


title: Doodle Champion Island Games

text: The Doodle team collaborated with Studio 4°C to help produce the many anime-styled cutscenes throughout the game. In the early stages of development, the team researched for several Japanese folk stories and legendary characters, as well as mythical beings from Japanese folklore. As a result, the main character, Lucky (a calico cat), was made as it depicts luckiness. Each sport champion also features a legendary or mythical character.


title: Doodle Champion Island Games

text: Art lead for Google Doodle, Nate Swinehart, said: "We wanted to make the Doodle for the Champion Island Games to really create an opportunity for the world to compete globally together and to learn Japanese culture at the same time."


title: Doodle Champion Island Games

text: The game's soundtrack was composed by Qumu, a music artist known for remixing video game music on YouTube, with 246,000 subscribers as of July 2022.


title: Beloved (1998 film)

text: Beloved is a 1998 American psychological horror drama film directed by Jonathan Demme and starring Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, and Thandiwe Newton. Based on Toni Morrison's 1987 novel of the same name, the plot centers on a former enslaved person after the American Civil War, her haunting by a poltergeist, and the visitation of her reincarnated daughter. This was first film produced by Harpo Films.


title: Beloved (1998 film)

text: Despite being a box office bomb, "Beloved" received an Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design for Colleen Atwood, the film received mostly positive reviews, and both Danny Glover and Kimberly Elise received praise for their performances.


title: Beloved (1998 film)

text: Sethe is a former slave living on the outskirts of Cincinnati, Ohio shortly after the Civil War. An angry poltergeist residing in the family home terrorizes Sethe and her three children, an act which causes two of them to run away forever.


title: Beloved (1998 film)

text: Eight years later, Sethe lives alone with her daughter, Denver. Paul D., an old friend from Sweet Home, the plantation Sethe had escaped from years earlier, finds Sethe's home, where he drives off the angry spirit that inhabits it. Afterwards, Paul D. proposes that he should stay and Sethe responds favorably. Shortly after Paul D. moves in, a clean young woman who appears to have a cognitive delay named Beloved finds her way into Sethe's yard and is taken in by her.


title: Beloved (1998 film)

text: Denver is initially happy to have Beloved around, but learns that she is Sethe's reincarnated daughter. Nonetheless, she chooses not to divulge Beloved's origins to Sethe. One night, Beloved, aware that Paul D. dislikes her, immobilizes him with a spell and rapes him. Paul D. resolves to tell Sethe what happened, but instead asks her to have a baby with him. When Stamp Paid, a co-worker of Paul D who has known Sethe for many years, learns of Paul D.'s plans for a family with Sethe, he pulls a newspaper clipping featuring Sethe and tells her story to the illiterate Paul D.


title: Beloved (1998 film)

text: Years ago, Sethe was raped by the nephews of Schoolteacher, the owner of Sweet Home. She complained to Mrs. Garner, Schoolteacher's sister-in-law, who confronted him. In retaliation, Schoolteacher and his nephews brutally whipped Sethe, leaving a "tree" of keloid scars on her back. Heavily pregnant with her fourth child, Sethe planned to escape. Her other children were sent off earlier to live with Baby Suggs, Sethe's mother-in-law, but Sethe stayed behind to look for her husband, Halle. Sethe was assaulted while searching for him in the barn. The Schoolteacher's nephews held her down, raped her, and forcibly took her breast milk.


title: Beloved (1998 film)

text: When Halle failed to appear, Sethe ran off alone. She crossed paths with Amy Denver, a white girl who treated Sethe's injuries and delivered Sethe's child, whom Sethe named Denver after Amy. Sethe eventually reached Baby Suggs' home, but her initial happiness was short-lived when Schoolteacher came to claim Sethe and her children. In desperation, Sethe slit her older daughter's throat, and attempted to kill her other children. Stamp Paid managed to stop her and the disgusted Schoolteacher departed. Sethe is detained for an unknown amount of time, and it is later revealed to Denver that she was saved from being hanged by an intervention from the Bodwins, a prominent Cincinnati family who knew Baby Suggs.


title: Beloved (1998 film)

text: Paul D., horrified by the revelation and suddenly understanding the origin of the poltergeist, confronts Sethe. Sethe justifies her decision without apology, claiming that her children would be better off dead than enslaved. Paul D. departs shortly thereafter in protest. After Paul D.'s departure, Sethe realizes that Beloved is the reincarnation of her dead daughter. Feeling elated yet guilty, Sethe spoils Beloved with elaborate gifts while neglecting Denver. Beloved soon throws a destructive tantrum and her malevolent presence causes living conditions in the house to deteriorate. The women live in squalor and Sethe is unable to work, having become physically and mentally drained by Beloved's parasitic nature. Denver becomes depressed yet, being inspired by a memory of her grandmother's confidence in her, she eventually musters the courage to leave the house and seek employment.


title: Beloved (1998 film)

text: After Denver finds employment with the Bodwins, women from the local church visit Sethe's house at the request of her new co-worker to perform an exorcism. Their motive for doing so is partly tempered with guilt; years before, they failed to warn Sethe of Schoolteacher's impending arrival. The women from the church comfort the family, and they are praying and singing loudly when Denver's new employer arrives to pick her up for work. Sethe sees him and, reminded of Schoolteacher's arrival, tries to attack him with an icepick, but is subdued by Denver and the women. During the commotion, Beloved disappears completely and Sethe, freed from Beloved's grip, becomes permanently bedridden.


title: Beloved (1998 film)

text: Some months later, Paul D. encounters Denver at the marketplace. He notices she has transformed into a confident and mature young woman. When Paul D. later arrives at Sethe's house, he finds her suffering from a deep malaise. He assures Sethe that he and Denver will now take care of her. Sethe tells him that she doesn't see the point, as Beloved, her "best thing", is gone. Paul D. disagrees, telling Sethe that she herself is her own best thing.


title: Beloved (1998 film)

text: Prior to Morrison's receipt of the Pulitzer Prize for "Beloved", Winfrey purchased the rights to the novel in 1987; the translation to film then occurred a decade later. There was a conflict over screenplay credit with Akosua Busia demanding sole credit and saying Adam Brooks and Richard LaGravenese got too much. WGA gave credit to all three. Busia said they were all little more than script doctors.


title: Beloved (1998 film)

text: Street scenes were filmed in the Old City and Manayunk neighborhoods of Philadelphia. Some other scenes were shot on a soundstage in the city's disused (and later demolished) Civic Center.


title: Beloved (1998 film)

text: Shooting also took place on the north side of the Schuylkill River within Valley Forge National Historical Park in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, and at the Landis Valley Museum in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.


title: Beloved (1998 film)

text: Shooting was done in a field in Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area in Cecil County, Maryland, at a spot just east of Big Elk Creek and just south of the border with Chester County, Pennsylvania. The State of Maryland subsequently compiled a location map and photographs of the buildings constructed for the film in Fair Hill NRMA.


title: Beloved (1998 film)

text: During promotion of the film, Thandie Newton said to "Vogue" magazine, "Here we were working on this project with the heavy underbelly of political and social realism, and she managed to lighten things up ... I've worked with a lot of good actors, and I know Oprah hasn't made many films. I was stunned. She's a very strong technical actress and it's because she's so smart. She's acute. She's got a mind like a razor blade."


title: Beloved (1998 film)

text: "Beloved" was a box office bomb and could not come close to surpassing its $80 million budget. It grossed only $8,165,551 on its opening weekend, ranking #5 and being beat out by the horror movie "Bride of Chucky" which ranked #2 and grossed approximately $11,830,855 the same weekend. Oprah Winfrey has gone on public record stating that she ate 30 pounds of macaroni and cheese when she was informed the Saturday after the movie opened that "we got beat by something called "Chucky"." She also claimed that "Beloved"'s failure at the box office was the worst moment in her career and brought her into a major depression. "It was the only time in my life that I was ever depressed, and I recognised that I (was) depressed because I've done enough shows (on the topic). 'Oh, this is what people must feel like who are depressed.'"


title: Beloved (1998 film)

text: Director Jonathan Demme has commented, ""Beloved" only played in theaters for four weeks. It made $22 million dollars—I think that's a lot of money. And the only reason it left theaters after a month was because the Disney corporation that released the picture wanted all the "Beloved" theaters—where we were doing very well, in a number of situations—but the Walt Disney company wanted those theaters for Adam Sandler's "Waterboy". So, we were told that they were gonna bring us back at the end of the year, and they didn't. But the picture did very respectfully. It was in the top ten its whole life."


title: Beloved (1998 film)

text: The film remained in theaters into the holiday season, and by 27 December 1998 had grossed $22,746,521. The film later returned to theaters for two weeks in March 1999, grossing an additional $110,000. It was also no longer listed in the top 10 on the box office chart by the November 6–8 weekend and had dropped to the rank of 12 on the chart by this point in time.


title: Beloved (1998 film)

text: In 2013, Winfrey reflected on the film, saying: "To this day I ask myself, was it a mistake? Was it a mistake to not try and make [it] a more commercial film? To take some things out and tell the story differently so that it would be more palatable to an audience? Well, if you wanted to make a film that everybody would see, then that would be a mistake. But at the time, I was pleased with the film that we did because it represented to me the essence of the "Beloved" book."


title: Beloved (1998 film)

text: On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, "Beloved" is currently assigned a 72% "fresh" rating based on 127 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.5 out of 10. The site's consensus states, "A powerful, emotional and successful film adaptation of the original novel." It has a weighted average score of 57 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 24 critic reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale.


title: Beloved (1998 film)

text: Film critic Roger Ebert awarded the film 3½ stars out of 4, praising its cast and emotional weight of the storylines. He wrote that its nonlinear narrative "coils through past and present, through memory and hallucination, giving us shards of events that we are required to piece back together. It is not an easy film to follow. ... The complexity is not simply a stylistic device; it is built out of Sethe's memories, and the ones at the core are so painful that her mind circles them warily, afraid to touch."


title: Beloved (1998 film)

text: Comparing the film and the novel to the Henry James' novella "The Turn of the Screw", he noted the use of supernatural elements "to touch on deep feelings" as well as the deliberate lack of a final explanation. He added, "Spirit manifestations come from madness and need not follow logical agendas. It is a remarkable and brave achievement for Demme and his producer and star, Winfrey, to face this difficult material head-on and not try to dumb it down into a more accessible, less evocative form."


title: Beloved (1998 film)

text: He also expressed that some of the audience "will not like it–will find it confusing or too convoluted. And it does not provide the kind of easy lift at the end that they might expect. Sethe's tragic story is the kind where the only happy ending is that it is over."


title: Narayana

text: Narayana (Sanskrit: नारायण, IAST: "Nārāyaṇa") is one of the forms and names of Vishnu, who is in yogic slumber under the celestial waters, referring to the masculine principle. He is also known as Purushottama, and is considered the Supreme Being in Vaishnavism.


title: Narayana

text: L. B. Keny proposes that Narayana was associated with the Dravidian, and ultimately, the Indus Valley Civilisation, prior to his syncretism with Vishnu. To this end, he states that the etymology of the deity is associated with the Dravidian "nara", meaning water, "ay", which in Tamil means "to lie in a place", and "an", which is the masculine termination in Dravidian languages. He asserts that this is also the reason why Narayana is represented as lying on a serpent in the sea. He quotes, "This Nārāyana of the Āryan pantheon seems to be the supreme being of the Mohenjo-Darians, a god who was probably styled Ān, a name still kept in Tamil literature as Āndivanam, the prototype of the historic Siva".


title: Narayana

text: Narayan Aiyangar states the meaning of the Sanskrit word 'Narayana' can be traced back to the Laws of Manu (also known as the Manusmriti, a Dharmaśāstra text), which states:


title: Narayana

text: This definition is used throughout Vedic literature such as the Mahabharata and Vishnu Purana. 'Narayana' is also defined as the 'son of the primeval man', and 'Supreme Being who is the foundation of all men'.


title: Narayana

text: In the Vedas and Puranas, Narayana is described as having the divine blackish-blue color of water-filled clouds, four-armed, holding a Padma (lotus), Kaumodaki (mace), Panchajanya shankha (conch), and the Sudarshana Chakra (discus).


title: Narayana

text: As per texts like the "Vishnu Purana, Bhagavata Purana, Garuda Purana, and the Padma Purana", Narayana is Vishnu himself who incarnates in various avatars.


title: Narayana

text: According to the Bhagavad Gita, he is also the "Guru of the Universe". The Bhagavata Purana declares Narayana as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who engages in the creation of 14 worlds within the universe Brahma who is Deity of rajas-guna, himself sustains, maintains and preserves the universe as Vishnu by accepting sattva-guna. Narayana himself annihilates the universe at the end of "Maha-Kalpa" as Kalagni Rudra who is presiding deity of tamas-guna.


title: Narayana

text: According to the Bhagavata Purana, Purusha Sukta, Narayana Sukta, and Narayana Upanishad from the Vedas, he is the ultimate soul.


title: Narayana

text: According to Madhvacharya, Narayana is one of the five vyuhas of Vishnu, which are cosmic emanations of God in contrast to his incarnate avatars. Madhvacharya separates Vishnu's manifestations into two groups: Vishnu's vyuhas (emanations) and His avataras (incarnations). The Vyuhas have their basis in the Pancharatras, a sectarian text that was accepted as authoritative by both the Vishishtadvaita and Dvaita schools of Vedanta. They are mechanisms by which the universe is ordered, was created, and evolves. Narayana possesses the chatur-vyuha aspects of Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha, who evolve one after the other in the development of the universe.In the "Mahabharata", Krishna is also synonymous with Narayana and Arjuna is referred to as Nara. The epic identifies them both in plural 'Krishnas', or as part incarnations of the earlier incarnations of Vishnu, recalling their mystical identity as Nara-Narayana.


title: Narayana

text: Narayana is also described in the Bhagavad Gita as having a universal form ("Vishvarupa") which is beyond the ordinary limits of human perception or imagination.


title: Narayana

text: In the Narayana Sukta, Narayana is essentially the supreme force and/or essence of all: "'Nārāyaṇa parabrahman tatvam Nārāyaṇa paraha'."


title: Narayana

text: Narayana's eternal and supreme abode beyond the material universe is Vaikuntha which is a realm of bliss and happiness called Paramapadha, which means final or highest place for liberated souls, where they enjoy bliss and happiness for eternity in the company of the supreme lord. Vaikuntha is situated beyond the material universe and hence, cannot be perceived or measured by material science or logic. Sometimes, Ksheera Sagara where Narayana or Vishnu rests on Ananta Shesha is also perceived as "Vaikuntha" within the material universe.


title: Narayana

text: The Śruti texts mention Narayana as the primordial being , who was present even when Brahma and Ishana (Shiva) were not present. Thus, He is the Supreme Soul.


title: Narayana

text: The "Mahāsamaya Sutta" (DN 20) of the Pali Canon mentions a deity by the name "Veṇhu" (Sanskrit: "Viṣṇu"), though the text suggests that this name may also signify a class of deva. He also appears in the "Veṇḍu Sutta" (SN 2.12) as "Veṇḍu" where he addresses Gautama Buddha by celebrating the joy experienced by those who follow the Dhamma. He also makes brief mention of Manu.


title: Narayana

text: Mahayana Buddhism elaborates on the character of this deity, where is often called "Nārāyaṇa" (; ) or more rarely, "Narasiṃha" () and "Vāsudeva" (). Literature often depicts him as a Vajradhara (). He is present in the Womb Realm Mandala and is among the twelve guardian devas of the Diamond Realm Mandala. He is associated with Śrāvaṇa in esoteric astrology. His queen consort is Nārāyaṇī. He is said to have been born from Avalokiteśvara's heart. The Buddhas are sometimes described as having a firm body like Nārāyaṇa.


title: Narayana

text: The Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra describes him as having three faces with a greenish-yellow complexion. He holds a wheel in his right hand and rides upon a garuḍa. Chapter 6 of the Yiqiejing Yinyi explains that he belongs to the Kāmadhātu and is veneration for the acquisition of power. Chapter 41 adds that he has eight arms that wield various "Dharma weapons" ("dharmayuda") with which he subjugates the asuras.


title: Narayana

text: He appears as an interlocutor in several Mahayana sutras, including the "Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra", "Sarvapuṇyasamuccayasamādhi Sūtra" and the "Nārāyaṇaparipṛcchā Dhāraṇī".


title: Narayana

text: He is also mentioned in several places in the Lalitavistara Sūtra, one of the Sutras that describe the life of Gautama Buddha. It is said that The Buddha "is endowed with the great strength of Nārāyaṇa, he is called the great Nārāyaṇa himself."


title: Narayana

text: Balabhadra and "Narayana" are mighty half brothers, who appear nine times in each half of the time cycles of the Jain cosmology and jointly rule half the earth as half-chakravarti. Ultimately "Prati-naryana" is killed by "Narayana" for his unrighteousness and immorality. Narayana are extremely powerful and are as powerful as 2 Balabhadras. Chakravartins are as powerful as 2 Narayanas. Hence Narayanas become half-chakravartins. Tirthankaras are much more powerful than Chakravartins. In Jain Mahabharta, there is a friendly duel between cousin brothers Neminatha (Tirthankara) and Krishna (Naryana) in which Neminath defeats Krishna without any effort at all. There is also a story of Neminath lifting Conch of Krishna and blowing it without any effort. In Jain Mahabharat, the main fight between Krishna and Jarasandha is described, who is killed by Krishna.


title: Narayana

text: Narayana is hailed in certain parts of Vedas like the Narayana Suktam and Vishnu Suktam. He Narayana is also hailed in selective Vaishnava Upanishads like the Narayana Upanishad, Maha Narayana Upanishad, and the Narasimha Tapani Upanishad.


title: Narayana

text: The Padma Purana relates an episode where Narayana grants Rudra (Shiva) a boon. The destroyer deity seeks two boons. Firstly, he wishes to be the greatest of the devotees of Narayana, as well as bearing the reputation of the same throughout the world. Secondly, he desires the ability to offer salvation to whoever seeks refuge in him.


title: Narayana

text: Ramanuja's prayer of surrender to Narayana in the "Sharanagati Gadya" of the Tiruvaymoli was and is significant to his Sri Vaishnava adherents, as it became a model prayer for future generations. In this prayer, Ramanuja describes Narayana to be the "beloved consort of Sri and of Bhumi and NIla". He is stated to reside in his abode of Vaikuntha, where he assumes the role of the creation, preservation, as well as the destruction of the universe. Narayana is extolled to be the same as the Ultimate Reality, Brahman. He is regarded to be the refuge of all creation, the master of spiritual as well as material entities, as well as the dispeller of the miseries of his devotees. He ends his prayer by saluting Narayana and his consort Sri, to whom he surrenders to his "lotus-like feet".


title: Trevor Slattery

text: Trevor Slattery is a character portrayed by Ben Kingsley in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). An actor hired to portray the legendary terrorist leader of the Ten Rings dubbed "the Mandarin", he first appeared in the film "Iron Man 3" (2013) and reprised the role in the Marvel One-Shot "All Hail the King" (2014) and in the film "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" (2021), which features the real leader of the Ten Rings, Wenwu. He will also appear in the upcoming "Wonder Man" series. General response to the character was mixed, with many comic fans criticizing the character and how his reveal affected the film's Mandarin portrayal, while others defended the twist by noting its social commentary and how it avoided the racist caricature of the comics' Mandarin.


title: Trevor Slattery

text: Slattery is a washed-up, drug-addicted actor hired by Aldrich Killian and the think tank Advanced Idea Mechanics (AIM) to portray the Mandarin, a persona influenced by many modern terrorists and named after a supposed legendary Chinese title. Slattery stars in propaganda videos that are broadcast to the world as a cover for AIM's explosive Extremis experiments. Slattery lives oblivious to the true meaning of his actions, surrounded by wealth and drugs provided by AIM, until he is discovered by Tony Stark. Slattery is arrested following Stark's defeat of Killian, but was pleased by the publicity he received as he was arrested.


title: Trevor Slattery

text: In Seagate Prison, Slattery lives luxuriously, with his own personal "butler" and adoring fans among the other inmates, until he is broken out by Jackson Norriss, a Ten Rings terrorist posing as a documentary filmmaker, who explains that the real "Mandarin" is angered with Slattery's use of the title, and wishes to take it back.


title: Trevor Slattery

text: Following the events of "All Hail the King", Slattery was sentenced to death by the Ten Rings but Xu Wenwu, the real leader of the Ten Rings, made Slattery his "court jester" within his compound after Slattery entertained him with his Shakespeare monologues. While imprisoned, Slattery becomes sober and more refined, and befriends a captured hundun that he names Morris. Some time later after the Blip took place, Slattery escapes the compound with the help of Wenwu's children Shang-Chi and Xialing as well as Shang-Chi's friend Katy, and travels with them to Morris' home, Ta Lo. Slattery helps defend the mystical village from the Ten Rings and later the forces of the Dweller-in-Darkness. After the Dweller's defeat, Slattery and Morris are present among the Ta Lo warriors at the funeral ceremony for those who were lost in the battle.


title: Trevor Slattery

text: While writing the screenplay for "Iron Man 3", Shane Black and Drew Pearce wanted to thematically reflect "the idea for Tony <nowiki>[</nowiki>Stark<nowiki>]</nowiki> of false faces and the idea of the dual personality of Tony as an out superhero who is basically using his self-definition through the false face of Iron Man." Pearce pitched, "what if the Mandarin is an actor?" to Black, and the character was developed from there. Ben Kingsley entered negotiations for the role in April 2012, and had joined the cast of "Iron Man 3" by September, when he stated, "Quite soon I'll be with everybody and we'll be discussing the look and the feel and the direction of the character. It's very early days yet, but I'm so thrilled to be on board."


title: Trevor Slattery

text: The idea for a Marvel One-Shot centered on Slattery was conceived on the "Iron Man 3" set by Pearce and producer Stephen Broussard. Marvel Studios and consultant Joss Whedon were positive about the short, reliant on Kingsley's involvement. In October 2013, Kingsley said he was working on a secret project with Marvel involving "many members of the crew that were involved in "Iron Man 3"." This was later revealed to be the short, written and directed by Pearce. Though some of the dialogue is written in response to critics of "Iron Man 3"s Mandarin portrayal, the story was written simply as an extension of the Ten Rings and Mandarin storyline featured throughout the "Iron Man" films. Pearce wrote the short to be ambiguous enough that the storyline could be further explored in future films or television series.


title: Trevor Slattery

text: For his performance as Slattery as the Mandarin, Kingsley "wanted a voice that would disconcert a Western audience. I wanted a voice that would sound far more homegrown and familiar—a familiarity like a teacher's voice or a preacher's voice. The rhythms and tones of an earnest, almost benign, teacher—trying to educate people for their own good." Black explained that part of altering the character from the comics was to avoid the Fu Manchu stereotype, and instead say that he "draws a cloak around him of Chinese symbols and dragons because it represents his obsessions with Sun Tzu in various ancient arts of warfare that he studied." The videos where the Mandarin gives historical background to the "attacks" show how he was created by "a think tank of people trying to create a modern terrorist", and so "represents every terrorist in a way," from South American insurgency tactics to the videos of Osama bin Laden. Colonel Kurtz from "Apocalypse Now" was also an influence for the Mandarin.


title: Trevor Slattery

text: The reveal of Trevor Slattery in "Iron Man 3", after only his terrorist Mandarin persona had been marketed, was met with mixed responses, as many fans of the comics opposed the changes made to the original character. Matt Singer of "Business Insider" defended the twist, saying, "They are not upset with the movie because it's bad—that would be a legitimate complaint—they're upset because it's good, but not in the same way that the original comic books were good." Singer felt that the film "rather brilliantly evades that minefield [of the comics' racist caricature] by using it as the fuel for satire; revealing the Kingsley Mandarin's mish-mosh of Orientalist imagery as a construction designed to play into ignorant people's fears. Black suggests we should be far more worried about the well-dressed, amoral CEO than the vaguely defined "Other" of so many bad pieces of pop culture...Part of what I liked about "Iron Man 3" was the fact that it did something different. Where some readers saw a slap in the face, I saw a refreshing change."


title: Trevor Slattery

text: Devin Faraci at "Birth.Movies.Death." found the character more "satisfying" than a more faithful version of the character could have been, stating, "the reveal of the truth behind The Mandarin would be worthless if it was handled poorly. Thankfully Black has cast Sir Ben Kingsley in the role, and he demolishes the part. As The Mandarin he's a heart of darkness, a stylized amalgamation of four decades' worth of demagogues and terrorists. As Trevor Slattery ... he's a comic dream, a dissolute mess into which Kingsley just hilariously collapses. It's a brilliant performance". Joey Esposito, writing for IGN, was "totally shocked" by the fan backlash to the character, feeling that the update was an improvement by avoiding "the traditional portrayal of the character[, that] being the perpetuation of a stereotype that has no place in modern society." Esposito thought that even the film's initial depiction of the Mandarin was "ridiculous and silly", and that the Slattery reveal "redeemed" that part of the film for him.


title: Trevor Slattery

text: In response to the fan controversy, Pearce said, "I'm unbelievably proud of what we did, and also the fact that we actually snuck a surprise into a big summer movie, which is, on a logistical level alone, really hard to do, now. I was surprised at the small but vocal group's venom about [the character change], but...I could see how that surprise might be a bit of a shock. And I'm sorry that it pissed people off, but I'm also like, it's kind of our job to push the boundaries and surprise and hopefully delight." Black, also responding to the controversy, said, "What was of use about the Mandarin's portrayal in this movie, to me, is that it offers up a way that you can sort of show how people are complicit in being frightened ... hopefully, by the end you're like, 'Yeah, we were really frightened of the Mandarin, but in the end he really wasn't that bad after all.' In fact, the whole thing was just a product of this anonymous, behind-the-scenes guy" rather than the "available and obvious target", "a message that's more interesting for the modern world".


title: Trevor Slattery

text: Reviewing "All Hail the King", Cliff Wheatley, also at IGN, described the short as "a return to the loveable personality of the hapless Trevor ... that should satisfy both lovers and haters" of the character. He added that "Kingsley once again shines in the role of Slattery, aloof and ignorant, but more than happy to slide back into Mandarin mode if it will please his adoring fans." Faraci felt that the character "was used the perfect amount in "Iron Man Three", and giving him more screen time here, in a side project, feels the right way to return to him. Kingsley is having a blast, delivering plenty of wonderful jokes and sinking right into the clueless, egocentric character who represents all of our worst stereotypes of actors."


title: Potluck

text: A potluck is a communal gathering where each guest or group contributes a different, often homemade, dish of food to be shared.


title: Potluck

text: Other names for a "potluck" include: potluck dinner, pitch-in, shared lunch, spread, faith supper, carry-in dinner, covered-dish-supper, fuddle, Jacob's Join, bring a plate, and fellowship meal.


title: Potluck

text: The word "pot-luck" appears in the 16th century English work of Thomas Nashe, and used to mean "food provided for an unexpected or uninvited guest, the luck of the pot". The modern execution of a "communal meal, where guests bring their own food", most likely originated in the 1930s during the Great Depression.


title: Potluck

text: Some speakers believe that it is an eggcorn of the North American indigenous communal meal known as a "potlatch" (meaning "to give away").


title: Potluck

text: Potluck dinners are events where the attendees bring a dish to a meal. Potluck dinners are often organized by religious or community groups, since they simplify the meal planning and distribute the costs among the participants. Smaller, more informal get-togethers with distributed food preparation may also be called potlucks. The only traditional rule is that each dish be large enough to be shared among a good portion (but not necessarily all) of the anticipated guests. In some cases each participant agrees ahead of time to bring a single course, and the result is a multi-course meal. This agreement rectifies the problem of many participants bringing the same dish. Guests may bring in any form of food, ranging from the main course to desserts.


title: The Message (1976 film)

text: The Message (, Ar-Risālah, The Message; originally known as Mohammad, Messenger of God) is a 1976 Islamic epic drama film directed and produced by Moustapha Akkad, chronicling the life and times of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through the perspective of his uncle Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib and adopted son Zayd ibn Harithah.


title: The Message (1976 film)

text: Released in separately filmed Arabic- and English-language versions, "The Message" serves as an introduction to early Islamic history. The international ensemble cast includes Anthony Quinn, Irene Papas, Michael Ansara, Johnny Sekka, Michael Forest, André Morell, Garrick Hagon, Damien Thomas, and Martin Benson. It was an international co-production between Libya, Morocco, Lebanon, Syria and the United Kingdom.


title: The Message (1976 film)

text: The film was nominated for Best Original Score in the 50th Academy Awards, composed by Maurice Jarre, but lost the award to "Star Wars" (composed by John Williams). Then-Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi provided the majority of the financial support.


title: The Message (1976 film)

text: The film begins with Muhammad sending an invitation to accept Islam to surrounding rulers: Heraclius, the Byzantine Emperor; the Patriarch of Alexandria; the Sasanian Emperor.


title: The Message (1976 film)

text: Earlier, Muhammad is visited by the angel Gabriel, which shocks him deeply. The angel asks him to start and spread Quran. Gradually, a small number of people in the city of Mecca begin to convert. As a result, more enemies will come and hunt Muhammad and his companions from Mecca and confiscate their possessions. Some of these followers fled to Abyssinia to seek refuge with the protection given by the king there.


title: The Message (1976 film)

text: They head north, where they receive a warm welcome in the city of Medina and build the first Islamic mosque. They are told that their possessions are being sold in Mecca on the market. Muhammad chooses peace for a moment, but still gets permission to attack. They are attacked but win the Battle of Badr. The Meccans, desiring revenge, fight back with three thousand men in the Battle of Uhud, killing Hamza. The Muslims run after the Meccans and leave the camp unprotected. Because of this, they are surprised by riders from behind, so they lose the battle. The Meccans and the Muslims close a 10-year truce.


title: The Message (1976 film)

text: A few years later, Khalid ibn Walid, a Meccan general who has killed many Muslims, converts to Islam. Meanwhile, Muslim camps in the desert are attacked in the night. The Muslims believe that the Meccans are responsible. Abu Sufyan comes to Medina fearing retribution and claiming that it was not the Meccans, but robbers who had broken the truce. None of the Muslims give him an audience, claiming he "observes no treaty and keeps no pledge". The Muslims respond with an attack on Mecca with very many troops and "men from every tribe".


title: The Message (1976 film)

text: Abu Sufyan seeks an audience with Muhammad on the eve of the attack. The Meccans become very scared but are reassured that people in their houses, by the Kaaba, or in Abu Sufyan's house will be safe. They surrender and Mecca falls into the hands of the Muslims without bloodshed. The pagan images of the gods in the Kaaba are destroyed, and the very first azan in Mecca is called on the Kaaba by Bilal ibn Rabah. The Farewell Sermon is also delivered.


title: The Message (1976 film)

text: Moustapha Akkad considered creating a film about Muhammad and the birth of Islam in 1967. The film's script, written by H.A.L. Craig, was approved in its entirety by Tawfiq al-Hakim, a scholar at Al-Azhar University. However, the film's approval was revoked and referred to as "an insult to Islam". Ahmed Asmat Abdel-Meguid and Mowaffak Allaf, the permanent representatives to the United Nations for Egypt and Syria, praised the film for its depiction of Islam. While creating "The Message", director Akkad, who was Muslim, consulted Islamic clerics in a thorough attempt to be respectful towards Islam and its views on portraying Muhammad. It was rejected by the Muslim World League in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.


title: The Message (1976 film)

text: $10 million was raised for the film from Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and the United States and it had a final budget of $17 million. Akkad started filming in 1974, with a crew of 300, 40 actors for both English and Arabic language versions, and over 5,000 people for crowd shots. A $700,000 replica of Mecca was built near Marrakesh and Anthony Quinn was paid $1.5 million according to Michael Ansara. Muhammad Ali wanted to play Bilal, but the role was given to Sekka instead with Sekka stating that "Akkad wanted a Moslem with acting experience to play the role" and "how could anyone believe that Ali could be tortured and abused as Bilal was?".


title: The Message (1976 film)

text: Filming in Morocco started in April 1974, but Moroccan police forced them to stop filming on August 5, as Hassan II of Morocco had been pressured by Faisal of Saudi Arabia. Akkad was granted permission to film in Libya after showing unedited film to Muammar Gaddafi and filmed from October 1974, to May 1975. Gaddafi wanted Akkad to also make a film based on the life of Omar al-Mukhtar. Akkad filmed the English and Arabic versions of the film simultaneously with different actors.


title: The Message (1976 film)

text: A light bulb on the camera was used during the scenes of characters with Muhammad to represent his immanence. Islamic scholar Khaled Abou El Fadl, who was a friend of Akkad, praised his depiction of Muhammad stating that "To figure out a way to have the prophet become a person without showing him — it was brilliant".


title: The Message (1976 film)

text: Akkad saw the film as a way to bridge the gap between the Western and Islamic worlds, stating in a 1976 interview:


title: The Message (1976 film)

text: I did the film because it is a personal thing for me. Besides its production values as a film, it has its story, its intrigue, its drama. Besides all this I think there was something personal, being a Muslim myself who lived in the west I felt that it was my obligation my duty to tell the truth about Islam. It is a religion that has a 700 million following, yet it's so little known about which surprised me. I thought I should tell the story that will bring this bridge, this gap to the west.


title: The Message (1976 film)

text: In July 1976, five days before the film opened in London's West End, threatening phone calls to a cinema prompted Akkad to change the title from "Mohammed, Messenger of God" to "The Message", at a cost of £50,000. The film was banned in Egypt, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. Irwin Yablans distributed the film in the United States.


title: The Message (1976 film)

text: As the film was scheduled to premiere in the United States, a splinter group of the black nationalist Nation of Islam calling itself the Hanafi Movement staged a siege of the Washington, D.C. chapter of the B'nai B'rith. Under the mistaken belief that Anthony Quinn played Muhammad in the film, the group threatened to blow up the building and its inhabitants unless the film's opening was cancelled. The movie was pulled from theaters on the day of its premiere, but resume playing after the siege ended. Akkad offered to show the film to the Hanafi Muslims and said that he would destroy the film if they found it offensive. The standoff was resolved after the deaths of a journalist and a policeman, but "the film's American box office prospects never recovered from the unfortunate controversy."


title: The Message (1976 film)

text: A 4K resolution restoration of the film was shown at the Dubai International Film Festival in December 2017, and it was given a theatrical release in Saudi Arabia.


title: The Message (1976 film)

text: "Sunday Times" film critic Dilys Powell described the film as a "Western … crossed with Early Christian". She noted a similar avoidance of direct depictions of Jesus in early biblical films, and suggested that "from an artistic as well as a religious point of view the film is absolutely right". "Variety" praised the "stunning" photography, "superbly rendered" battle scenes and the "strong and convincing" cast, though the second half of the film was called "facile stuff and anticlimactic." Charles Champlin of the "Los Angeles Times" thought the battle scenes were "spectacularly done" and that Anthony Quinn's "dignity and stature" were right for his role. Gene Siskel of the "Chicago Tribune" gave it two stars out of four, calling it "a decent, big-budget religious movie. No more, no less." Alexander Walker, writing for the "Evening Standard", praised the film and said that "I found myself wholly absorbed by it". Bob Thomas, writing in the "Associated Press", stated that the film "is a reverent, plodding (three hours) ultimately rewarding epic of the birth of Islam".


title: The Message (1976 film)

text: Richard Eder of "The New York Times" described the effect of not showing Muhammad as "awkward" and likened it to "one of those Music Minus One records," adding that the acting was "on the level of crudity of an early Cecil B. DeMille Bible epic, but the direction and pace is far more languid." John Pym of "The Monthly Film Bulletin" wrote: "The unalleviated tedium of this ten-million dollar enterprise (billed as the first 'petrodollar' movie) is largely due to the tawdry staginess of all the sets and the apparent inability of Moustapha Akkad ... to muster larger groups of people on any but two-dimensional planes." Derek Malcolm, writing for "The Guardian", criticized the film for its length.


title: The Message (1976 film)

text: The musical score of "The Message" was composed and conducted by Maurice Jarre and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra.


title: The Message (1976 film)

text: In October 2008, producer Oscar Zoghbi revealed plans to "revamp the 1976 movie and give it a modern twist", according to IMDb and the World Entertainment News Network. He hoped to shoot the remake, tentatively titled "The Messenger of Peace", in the cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.


title: The Message (1976 film)

text: In February 2009, Barrie M. Osborne, producer of "The Matrix" and "The Lord of the Rings" film trilogies, was attached to produce a new film about Muhammad. The film was to be financed by a Qatari media company and was to be supervised by Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi.


title: Orlando Pirates F.C.

text: Orlando Pirates Football Club (often known as "The Buccaneers") is a South African professional football club based in the Houghton suburb of the city of Johannesburg and plays in the top-tier system of Football in South Africa known as DStv Premiership. The team plays its home matches at Orlando Stadium in Soweto.