title: Density of states

text: In optics and photonics, the concept of local density of states refers to the states that can be occupied by a photon. For light it is usually measured by fluorescence methods, near-field scanning methods or by cathodoluminescence techniques. For different photonic structures, the LDOS have different behaviors and they are controlling spontaneous emission in different ways. In photonic crystals, the near-zero LDOS are expected and they cause inhibition in the spontaneous emission.


title: Density of states

text: The LDOS are still in photonic crystals but now they are in the cavity. In this case, the LDOS can be much more enhanced and they are proportional with Purcell enhancements of the spontaneous emission.


title: Density of states

text: However, in disordered photonic nanostructures, the LDOS behave differently. They fluctuate spatially with their statistics are proportional to the scattering strength of the structures.


title: Density of states

text: In addition, the relationship with the mean free path of the scattering is trivial as the LDOS can be still strongly influenced by the short details of strong disorders in the form of a strong Purcell enhancement of the emission.


title: Density of states

text: and finally, for the plasmonic disorder, this effect is much stronger for LDOS fluctuations as it can be observed as a strong near-field localization.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: Bruce Lee: The Fighter is a 2015 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film directed by Sreenu Vaitla who co-wrote the film with Kona Venkat and Gopimohan. Produced by D. V. V. Danayya under the banner DVV Entertainments, the film stars Ram Charan, Rakul Preet Singh, Arun Vijay, Sampath Raj, Nadiya Moidu and Kriti Kharbanda. The film features music composed by S. Thaman, while Manoj Paramahamsa took charge of the film's cinematography and M. R. Varma edited the film. It follows Kartik who sacrifices his studies for his sister and becomes a stuntman. Often mistaken for an undercover policeman, he helps to unearth the evil designs of drug dealers Deepak Raj and his father Jayaraj.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: Srinu Vaitla narrated the script to Charan in March 2014, and planned to work on the storyline post the release of "Aagadu" (2014). The film was launched on 5 March 2015, and the principal photography of the film took place on 16 March, which was ended on 6 October. Filmed across Hyderabad, Spain and Bangkok, The film was shot in 110 working days with 15 working hours per day.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: "Bruce Lee: The Fighter" was released on 16 October 2015, coinciding with Dasara. Originally shot in Telugu, it was dubbed and released in Tamil and Malayalam. The film mainly received mixed reviews from critics and audience with praise for the film's music, cast performances and action sequences but criticism for the writing, lack of humour and dialogues. The film was a commercial failure. One of the sub-plots of the film where the protagonist Karthik (Ram Charan) is mistaken for a police officer by Ria (Rakul Preet Singh) was reportedly inspired from the 2006 French film The Valet. It was remade in Bangladeshi Bengali as "Beporowa" (2019).


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: Karthik and Kavya are the children of Rama Chandra Rao. Rama Chandra Rao wants to make Karthik as an IAS officer. The only problem is that Kavya wants to become a collector as well, but Rama Chandra Rao cannot afford to pay for both of their studies. Because of this, Karthik sacrifices his exams so that his sister can join Delhi Public School in order to become a collector.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: Years later, Karthik aka "Bruce Lee" is a stunt performer working under Dangerous David, and Kavya is studying for CSE Exam. Once, Karthik goes in the middle of a shoot to a hotel to save his friend's sister, who was being kidnapped. Ria is a game designer, who came there to meet a cop for marriage sees Karthik in his police costume and mistakes him for a cop. She becomes his fan and rejects the other cop, as he is corrupt.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: Some days later, Karthik finds out that Ria uploaded the video of him fighting in a police costume on Facebook. When he goes to meet her, he falls for her and finds out that she is designing a video game called "Super Cop" based on him. From then on, Ria spends time with him continuously, while Karthik is still afraid of revealing his identity as he fears that she might leave him. Meanwhile, a terrorist attack occurs in a hotel where Karthik's cousin brother Ravi finds evidence to prove that it was not a terrorist attack but an attempt to kill two IB officers by a businessman named Deepak Raj.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: Ravi goes to Commissioner Marthand, but Marthand is actually in cahoots with Deepak, who knocks Ravi unconscious. Ria keeps getting Karthik into fights thinking that he is an undercover cop. Kavya writes her final exams needed and while she is returning, Deepak drugs her forcefully and arrests her to trick Ram Gopal to think that the kidnapped girl was his daughter. Karthik learns of the incident and thrashes up Deepak, sending him into a coma and returns in time for Kavya's engagement with Rahul, the son of Jayaraj and Vasundhara who are bosses of Rama Chandra Rao.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: It is revealed that Deepak is the first son of Jayaraj with an unofficial wife, Malini. Later, Ria takes Karthik to meet her family and father is IB Chief Bharadwaj, who knows Karthik's identity and reveals Jayaraj's background to Karthik where they start a mission to bust and capture Jayaraj and Deepak. Following the plan, he joins Jayaraj's company as his assistant and uses Suzuki Subramanyam, an undercover cop, to reveal Jayaraj's secrets to Vasundhara, causing her to leave him. During Kavya's marriage, Karthik and Bharadwaj gathers evidence against Jayaraj-Deepak with Ravi's help (who was rescued by the officials).


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: Karthik reveals to Ria about his real identity, who forgives him and they reunite. Meanwhile, Deepak captures and shoots Karthik and orders their henchmen to pack him in a plastic bag and drop him on a nearby canal. His henchman carries out his order. Later, Jayaraj, with his men, tries to kill Vasundhara, Rahul and Kavya. Karthik arrives and reveals that he was aware of all of Deepak's plans, Because they had replaced G. Ramji, a corrupt inspector who is David's lookalike with David himself. Karthik was actually wearing a bulletproof vest and blood bombs in the shirt.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: Deepak's shots caused the bombs to burst and also had escaped from the plastic bag. In the ensuring fight, Karthik kills Deepak and takes his body to Jayaraj, revealing his identity. Driven by vengeance, Jayaraj kidnaps Ria and stabs Rama Chandra Rao in front of him after he tells all about Karthik's sacrifices for his family. Karthik admits Ramachandra to the hospital and calls actor Chiranjeevi for help, who is busy filming "Khaidi No. 150". Chiranjeevi arrives and thrashes up the goons and saves Ria. In the meantime, Suzuki arrests Jayaraj, finishing his last mission before he retires. During a celebration, Ria asks Karthik to fill up a form and become an actual police officer, to which everyone starts laughing.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: Sreenu Vaitla narrated a storyline to Ram Charan in late March 2014 and post the latter's approval, Vaitla planned to start work on the film's script after completing "Aagadu" (2014). D. V. V. Danayya, who produced Ram Charan's "Naayak" (2013), announced in late July 2014 that he would produce this film under the banner Universal Media and the pre-production works would begin soon. The production was expected to start in November 2014. The film was shelved post the release of "Aagadu" and was revived in late October 2014. After returning from a holiday in Kerala, Charan gave his nod in early December 2014 and Vaitla was busy giving final touches to the script which was said to be a fast-paced action comedy.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: Charan informed the media that the film's production would commence in February 2015. "My Name is Raju", a phrase picked up from the popular song of "Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari" (1990) starring Chiranjeevi and Sridevi, was considered as the film's title. The makers announced that the film would be a family drama and would be bankrolled by Danayya under his new banner DVV Entertainments. The film was launched officially on 5 March 2015 at Danayya's office in Hyderabad. The film was said to be have been inspired from the plot of the Telugu film "Vijetha" (1985). The makers contemplated to title the film as "Bruce Lee" in mid May 2015 considering the protagonist's character being a stuntman acting as a body double for actors, which was confirmed in late August 2015.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: Post the release of "" (2014) and before the release of "Lingaa" (2014), its female leads Kriti Sanon and Sonakshi Sinha were rumored to sign this film as the female leads. Shruti Haasan was approached in late July 2014 to play the female lead. Her inclusion was almost confirmed, considering her previous collaboration with Charan in "Yevadu" (2014). Both D. V. V. Danayya and Ram Charan reportedly insisted Vaitla to cast Prakash Raj in a crucial role with whom Vaitla had differences in the past. A source from the film's unit told Indo-Asian News Service on 1 January 2015 that Samantha Ruth Prabhu was finalised as one of the female leads and the second female lead was yet to be decided.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: Vaitla was reported to abstain from casting Brahmanandam in this film making it his fourth film not featuring Brahmanandam after "Nee Kosam" (1999), "Sontham" (2002) and "Anandamanandamaye" (2004). Gopimohan later confirmed Brahmanandam's inclusion in the film adding that the character written for him would be one of the highlights of the film. Vaitla reportedly wanted to re-shoot Brahmanandam's scenes with N. Santhanam for the Tamil dubbed version similar to the act of S. S. Rajamouli for the casting of "Eega" (2012) as Chiranjeevi suggested to replace Brahmanandam with Santhanam.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: Samantha was replaced by Rakul Preet Singh at the same time. While the lack of dates to accommodate was cited as one reason, budgetary reasons were cited as the other reason. Vaitla considered Ramya Krishnan, Tulasi and Jeevitha from Telugu cinema and also searched for yesteryear heroines in Tamil and Kannada cinema for the role of Charan's mother which was very crucial for the film's story. Kriti Kharbanda made a comeback to Telugu cinema with this film after the makers narrated her character sketch and the film's story. The second female lead was yet to be finalised. Nadhiya and Kashmera Shah were confirmed as a part of the film's cast in early June 2015. Impressed by his performance in "Velaiilla Pattadhari" (2014), the makers cast Amitash Pradhaan to play a supporting role marking his Telugu debut. Similarly, Tamil Actor Arun Vijay was chosen to play the film's lead antagonist making his debut in Telugu after the makers were impressed with his performance in "Yennai Arindhaal". Brahmaji inclusion in the film's cast was confirmed in late June 2015. Rao Ramesh confirmed his inclusion in the film's cast in early August 2015 before leaving for Bangkok for the film's shoot. Days later, Prudhviraj confirmed his inclusion in the film's cast. On 20 August 2015, Vaitla confirmed that Chiranjeevi would make a cameo appearance in the film. He added that Chiranjeevi would appear for fifteen minutes in the film. Tisca Chopra was signed to play a supporting role marking her debut in Telugu cinema.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: Charan hired Priyanka Chopra's trainer Samir Jaura in mid-July 2014 to get into shape for this film by following an intensive training program designed by Jaura lasting for four-five months along with a strict diet. Jaura reached Hyderabad and accompanied Charan to the film sets where he worked out before or after the shoot of "Govindudu Andarivadele" (2014). Vaitla said in an interview that he wanted to put Charan's comic skills to the fore with this film, adding that the film would have a "good blend of humour and punch dialogues".


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: He was later confirmed to be seen as an action choreographer sporting a rugged look for which he had to shed weight by following a tough fitness regimen for four hours a day at his farmhouse in Bangalore. For further training, he left to Bangkok in mid April 2015 where he trained with Jaika stunt team. Action choreographer Kecha Khamphakdee supervised his training which consisted mainly of mixed martial arts. Videos showing Charan's kick boxing training sessions were released by Jaika Stunt team on 23 April 2015. He also began learning Karate for his role since mid May 2015. For the role, he sported a tattoo of Bruce Lee on his hand.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: Kriti Kharbanda was signed in on to play Charan's sister in the film. Danayya said that her character would be an important one in the film. She said in an interview that she would play a courageous girl-next-door and added that she was asked by Vaitla to be herself and extremely talkative. Vaitla envisioned a middle aged woman running a manufacturing firm as Charan's mother in the film. Amitash Pradhan was signed to play a businessman. While Nadhiya plays his mother, Kriti would play his love interest. He added that his role would be a positive one, unlike his character in "Velaiyilla Pattathari". Brahmaji would play the role of a lead actor sporting different attires throughout the film to whom Charan would be seen as a body double sporting the same attires. Arun Vijay called his character a powerful one and would sport a stylish look. Rao Ramesh played the role of Charan's father in the film. During the promotions of "Kick 2" (2015), Rakul Preet Singh said that she would play the role of a graphic designer in this film. Chopra was signed to play the role of a "strong woman, a very wealthy and stylish one at that".


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: Vaitla was rumored to collaborate with the writer duo Kona Venkat-Gopimohan for this film with whom he had differences in the past. Kona Venkat-Gopimohan were working on the film's script in United States in late November 2014. S. Thaman and Sameer Reddy were reported to be the music director and cinematographer of the film respectively. Kona Venkat confirmed that he would be working with Vaitla again for this film after Charan convinced him to put aside their personal differences adding that he discussed the script with Vaitla and got an approval from Charan.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: Gopimohan confirmed the same adding that this film's script would have no traces of their past works. Anirudh Ravichander was signed in on to compose the film's music marking his debut in Telugu cinema and also making this film the third Charan's film to have music composed by a Tamil music composer. He met Charan at his house in Hyderabad in early February 2015 and Danayya, Vaitla and others were also present during the meeting. He accepted to be a part of the film after liking the film's script.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: Manoj Paramahamsa was signed in on as the film's director of photography. The makers announced that Kona Venkat would pen the dialogues and co-write the film's script along with Gopimohan while Vaitla himself would pen the film's screenplay. Anirudh walked out of the project in late March 2015 and was subsequently replaced by S. Thaman who collaborated with Vaitla for "Dookudu" (2011), "Baadshah" (2013) and "Aagadu" (2014). Thaman confirmed the same through his Twitter page later.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: Principal photography began on 16 March 2015 at Hyderabad and the film's principal cast participated in the shoot. In late April 2015, Rakul Preet Singh's manager told media that she has allotted 15 days per month for the upcoming three months for this film's shoot. Charan was reported to join the film's sets on 27 April 2015 after returning from Bangkok. That schedule was dropped and a fresh schedule began from 21 May 2015 to shoot two duets on Charan and Rakul Preet Singh in Spain till 30 May 2015. The next schedule began from 3 June 2015 at Hydeabad which was announced last till the completion of the film's shoot.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: Initially, few action sequences were shot in the old city area of Hyderabad. On 15 June 2015, Charan revealed through his official Facebook page that filming of two songs, interval fight sequences and a few scenes have been completed till then. After a month, the makers revealed that 40% of the film's shoot is complete. Filming continued at Bangkok where crucial scenes on the film's principal cast were shot till 12 August 2015. The next schedule began at Hyderabad from the next day. The song "Mega Meter" was shot at Hyderabad in late September 2015. Charan participated in the song's shoot for 17 hours continuously and despite being injured in her back while rehearsing, Rakul Preet Singh completed her portions in the song in three days.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: By then, the film's principal photography was wrapped up except for two songs and patchwork. Post-production activities were carried out in tandem. Chiranjeevi joined the film's sets on 21 September 2015, and completed filming for his cameo appearance in three days. Charan and Rakul Preet Singh participated in the shoot of the song "Bruce Lee" for 24 hours continuously. Upon its completion, principal photography was wrapped up on 4 October 2015. By then, Charan completed dubbing for his character in the film's first half and completed the rest in two days. The film was shot in 110 working days with 15 working hours per day, thus turning the fastest big budget Telugu film featuring a big star cast in the recent times.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: The film's soundtrack is composed by S. Thaman and featured five tracks with lyrics written by Sri Mani and Ramajogayya Sastry. Initially, the makers planned to release the soundtrack on 11 September 2015, with Shilpakala Vedika in Hyderabad, being fixed as the venue. However, the makers pushed the audio launch due to some reasons. On 25 September 2015, the makers released the audio soundtrack, at a grand ceremony held at the Hitex Convention Centre in Madhapur, Hyderabad, with the presence of the film's cast and crew and Chiranjeevi being the chief guest. The soundtrack album was marketed and released by Zee Music Company, thus making its debut in Telugu.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: The album opened to mostly positive reviews. "The Times of India", stated that "the album is sure to strike a chord with the masses", and gave 3 out of 5 stars. "Behindwoods" gave 2.75 out of 5 and stated "Bruce Lee stays true to the massy combination of Srinu Vaitla- Thaman". "Indiaglitz" gave 3 out of 5 stating "A star album ably elevated by Thaman, catering to all kinds of audiences". "123Telugu" stated "Thaman does his best and manages to churn out a peppy album."


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: The teaser trailer of the film was released on 21 August 2015, coinciding the eve of Chiranjeevi's birthday, without revealing the film's title and was released with the tentative title "#RC9". The makers revealed the title as "Bruce Lee: The Fighter" and the poster of the film was unveiled on 28 August 2015.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: On 21 September 2015, Srinu Vaitla unveiled two posters, through his official Twitter account. The first poster features Ram Charan Teja's stunt seen as holding guns in both the hands and chasing someone, while the second poster of "Bruce Lee" features lead couple - Ram Charan Teja and Rakul Preet Singh, featured in the picture taken from a song sequence. The theatrical trailer of the film was unveiled on 25 September 2015, during the film's audio launch.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: Dil Raju bought the theatrical rights in the Nizam region for 12.85 crore. Ceded rights were sold to Brahma Films for 8.10 crore. The Vizag theatrical rights were sold to Sri Kanthi Krishan Films for 5.40 crore. Godavari East and West rights were sold for Anushri Films and Aditya Films for 2.50 crore and 2.60 crore respectively. S Creations bought the theatrical rights for 6.75 crore and released in the Krishna and Guntur regions. Hari Films bought the theatrical rights for 1.90 crore in the Nellore region, thus the makers spent crore on theatrical rights in the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana regions. The film's Karnataka rights were sold to Ramu Films for 6.75 crore. Bhadrakali Films bought the distribution rights for Tamil Nadu (also for its Tamil dubbed version) for 2 crore. Remya Films bought the Kerala rights for 0.5 crore and rest of India rights were sold to 0.6 crore. The overseas theatrical distribution rights were acquired by Great India Films in mid July 2015, for a price of 6 crore. The film made a pre-release business of crore, and inclusive of the satellite rights and with theatrical rights of the film being sold for crore.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: Danayya planned to release the film on 15 October 2015, a week ahead of the Dusherra festival, which falls on 22 October 2015. The film was speculated to clash with Mahesh Babu-starrer and "Brahmotsavam" and Nandamuri Balakrishna-starrer "Dictator". On 8 September 2015, Danayya confirmed 16 October 2015 as the film's release date. Due to a few action sequences, the film was passed with a U/A certificate instead of a U certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: "Bruce Lee: The Fighter" opened up in more than 2000 screens across the world, with 1200 screens across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, On 14 October, Ram Charan hosted a special premiere for 400 visually impaired children at the Prasad IMAX multiplex in Hyderabad. It was simultaneously released in Tamil under the title "Bruce Lee 2", and in Malayalam under the same name. It was dubbed in Hindi under the title "Bruce Lee".


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: "Bruce Lee" opened in more than 360 centres in the overseas region (USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Europe, Middle East, Tokyo, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Botswana, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand) and in more than 500 screens. In USA the film released about more than 202 locations and more than 360 theatres. The premiere shows of "Bruce Lee" was held in US on 15 October.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: The television broadcast rights of the original and Hindi dubbed versions were acquired by Zee Cinema. The film's premiere took place on Zee Telugu on 14 February 2016. The satellite rights of the Malayalam version were given to Zee Keralam. The satellite rights of the Tamil dubbed version went to Star Vijay.


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: "Bruce Lee: The Fighter" received mixed reviews from critics. Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of "The Hindu" wrote "Ram Charan dances like a dream, as always, and shows marked improvement as an actor. But what he needs is a project that will not belittle the huge fan base in the garb of masala. When the entire antagonist track opens with an illogical act, probably one shouldn't expect much." Writing for "The Times of India", Karthik Pasupulate gave 3 out of 5 and wrote "The film is a bit melodrama and sadly the gags turn out to be the dampener. There is a surfeit of funny characters as well. How much you'll love this film depends on how big Chiranjeevi fan you are." Writing for "India Today", Kirubhakar Purushothaman gave 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "There are films which exactly pan out in a way you predict they would, without any disarray, and still they don't disappoint you. Bruce Lee The Fighter fits that bill". A critic from "Sify" gave 3 out of 5 stars stating "Chiranjeevi appearing in the climax in his real life character of a movie star, Charan dancing like a dream in songs, and a decent first half are the only saving grace of this run-of-the-mill movie." "Bangalore Mirror" noted that it "Bruce Lee-The Fighter is strictly passable fare where Srinu Vaitla fails to really entertain us convincingly" giving it a 2.5 out of 5. "Behindwoods" gave 2.75 out of 5 stating "Bruce Lee-The fighter would have been a lot more original and different, If the director had not adhered to the age old model of commercial cinema and capitalized more on the action part, but due to the situational based comedy, non-exaggerated climax, Srinu delivers another winner that is sure to entertain." "123Telugu" gave 3.25 out of 5 stars stating "Bruce Lee is a decent family entertainer".


title: Bruce Lee: The Fighter

text: "Bruce Lee: The Fighter" collected more than 20 crore, on its opening day, registering the highest opening day collection of Charan's film. The film collected more than 39.10 crore gross at the worldwide box office in the first weekend, and a share of 22 crore to its distributors. At the end of seven days, the film collected more than 77 crore gross, and a share of 27.30 crore. The film lost majority of screens due to the release of "Kanche", which received a strong word of mouth upon its initial release. Within 10-days, the film earned a share of 38.29 crore, with a gross of 55.55 crore. The film was a commercial failure.


title: Pull-up (exercise)

text: A pull-up is an upper-body strength exercise. The pull-up is a closed-chain movement where the body is suspended by the hands, gripping a bar or other implement at a distance typically wider than shoulder-width, and pulled up. As this happens, the elbows flex and the shoulders adduct and extend to bring the elbows to the torso.


title: Pull-up (exercise)

text: Pull-ups build up several muscles of the upper body, including the latissimus dorsi, trapezius, and biceps brachii. A pull-up may be performed with overhand (pronated), underhand (supinated)—sometimes referred to as a chin-up—neutral, or rotating hand position.


title: Pull-up (exercise)

text: Pull-ups are used by some organizations as a component of fitness tests, and as a conditioning activity for some sports.


title: Pull-up (exercise)

text: Beginning by hanging from the bar, the body is pulled up vertically. From the top position, the participant lowers their body until the arms and shoulders are fully extended. The end range of motion at the top end may be chin over bar or higher, such as chest to bar.


title: Pull-up (exercise)

text: Pull-ups are a closed-chain, compound movement involving flexion at the elbow and adduction or extension of the shoulder joint. The trapezius, infraspinatus, and brachialis muscles are most active at the beginning of the pull-up; the latissimus dorsi, teres major, and biceps brachii reach peak activity during the middle of the movement, and the triceps brachii and subscapularis experienced maximum activity at the top of the movement. There is similarity to the pull-down in terms of the muscle activation.


title: Pull-up (exercise)

text: A 2017 study found that pronated grip activated the middle trapezius more than the neutral grip, but that overall the muscle activation of different grip variants was similar. Muscle activation is significantly different depending on whether the pull-up is completed individually or in a set without resting between repetitions, which is more efficient due to muscle and tendon strech-shortening rebound.


title: Pull-up (exercise)

text: Overhead movements such as pull-ups reduce the subacrominal space and create a risk of shoulder impingement. According to one study, the pronated grip pull-up with hands at shoulder width apart led to less risk of impingement than other variations studied.


title: Pull-up (exercise)

text: Pull-ups can be done with a supinated, neutral, or pronated grip; devices allow the grip to rotate during the pull-up. The pull-up performed with an supinated grip is sometimes called a chin-up. A pull-up may be completed using different widths of hand position; studies have found that participants freely choose a grip that is between 20 and 50 percent wider than shoulder width. A grip that is too wide could increase the injury risk or reduce the number of repetitions able to be completed due to lengthening the lever arm.


title: Pull-up (exercise)

text: Pull-ups are commonly performed using a bar; doorway mounted bars are sold for use in home gyms. They can also be completed by grasping towels, rotating handles or gymnastics rings.


title: Pull-up (exercise)

text: Pull-ups are a common way to measure upper body strength, endurance, and strength-to-weight ratio. The strength to do a pull-up is correlated with job-related tasks in some careers such as firefighting, police, and military.


title: Pull-up (exercise)

text: Pull-ups are used as a conditioning activity for many sports, especially those that require pulling strength, including rock climbing, gymnastics, rope climbing, rowing, and swimming. They are also used by police and military to increase muscular strength among their members.


title: Pull-up (exercise)

text: Some organizations allow women to use a flexed arm hang as a substitute for a pull up in fitness tests after discovering that few female recruits could complete a pull-up. According to a 2003 study in college-age women, one third of participants were able to complete a pull-up after a twelve-week full-body strength training program.


title: Pull-up (exercise)

text: The Guinness World Record for the most consecutive pull-ups was set by Japan Coast Guard diver Kenta Adachi in 2022 with 651 pull-ups, taking 87 minutes. The Guinness World Record for the maximum amount of weight added to a weighted pull-up was set by David Marchante of Spain in 2016, with 104.55 kg (230.49 lb).


title: Daddy's Little Girls

text: Daddy's Little Girls is a 2007 American film written and directed by Tyler Perry and produced by Perry and Reuben Cannon. The film stars Idris Elba, Gabrielle Union, Louis Gossett Jr., and Tracee Ellis Ross. It tells the story of a lawyer who helps a mechanic in a custody battle against his mean-spirited ex-wife over who will get custody of their daughters.


title: Daddy's Little Girls

text: "Daddy's Little Girls" was released on February 14, 2007 by Lions Gate Entertainment. This is the first of six films directed by Perry that he does not appear in (the other five being "Acrimony", "For Colored Girls", "", "Nobody's Fool" and "A Jazzman's Blues") as well as the first of Perry's films to not be based on any of the filmmaker's stage plays.


title: Daddy's Little Girls

text: In Edgewood, Atlanta, Monty James (Idris Elba) is a mechanic working for Willie (Louis Gossett Jr.) who dreams of owning his own shop. His three daughters, Sierra (Sierra McClain), Lauryn (Lauryn McClain), and China (China Anne McClain) have been cared for by their elderly maternal grandmother Kat (Juanita Jennings) with frequent visits from Monty along with financial support. Before her death from lung cancer, Kat asks Monty to take custody of them since her daughter/Monty's ex-wife Jennifer (Tasha Smith) has little to no interest in her daughters, having not visited them in several months prior to her mother’s death. She is preferably more involved in the business activity of her live-in boyfriend Joe (Gary Anthony Sturgis), the main drug dealer in the neighborhood who people are afraid of testifying against or else he'll have them killed.


title: Daddy's Little Girls

text: Following Kat's funeral, Jennifer arrives with Joe and his thugs upset that no one notified her of her mother’s death. Jennifer tries to physically take the girls from Monty demanding that they leave with her and Joe, but her aunt Rita (Cassi Davis) steps in and stops her. She leaves, but informs Monty that she intends to seek full custody of the girls.


title: Daddy's Little Girls

text: In an effort to earn extra money, Monty accepts a job as a driver for Julia Rossmore (Gabrielle Union), an attorney, at the recommendation of his next-door neighbor Maya (Malinda Williams) who works as her assistant. When Monty and Julia meet, she insists they refrain from fraternizing and keeps a strict schedule. Monty has to work later than expected one night after Julia’s friends, Brenda (Terri J. Vaughn) and Cynthia (Tracee Ellis Ross), set Julia up on a blind date with Byron (Craig Robinson) who turns out to be an unemployed and obnoxious aspiring rapper. While driving Julia home, Monty receives a call that his children were involved in a house fire. Without explanation to Julia, Monty immediately heads to the hospital against the protest of an uninformed Julia who fires him.


title: Daddy's Little Girls

text: When Monty arrives at the hospital, it is revealed that Sierra accidentally started a fire and that the girls were home alone with no adult supervision until Maya rescued them. Julia follows Monty into the hospital to demand she be driven home in time to hear the Social Services representative Laurie Bell (Donna Biscoe) who was notified by the hospital, make the decision based on the circumstances, to grant immediate temporary custody to their mother, setting a date for a custody hearing. Monty drives Julia home and they part ways. Julia hires a replacement driver and Monty returns to work as a mechanic. Meanwhile, the girls face constant abuse and neglect from Joe and Jennifer.


title: Daddy's Little Girls

text: Monty is called to Sierra's school after she is caught with drugs according to the principal (Bennet Guillory). Sierra explains to Monty that Joe and Jennifer are forcing her to sell drugs under the threat of hurting Monty if she refused. Jennifer and Joe arrive and are enraged that the school contacted Monty. Joe threatens Monty during a brief altercation in the principal's office. Aware that Joe can afford a high-power attorney for the custody hearing, Monty goes to Julia for help. Julia knows that he cannot afford to hire the firm and turns him away, interpreting his actions as an attempt to use her to get custody so he can use the girls to get government assistance. Feeling insulted, Monty leaves after telling Julia to get a life and a man.


title: Daddy's Little Girls

text: Julia goes on another blind date with the attorney Christopher (Brian J. White) who she thinks is perfect for her until his wife and kids expose him. On the day of Monty’s custody hearing, Julia is leaving a different courtroom and overhears Monty’s failing attempt to represent himself. After listening to Monty try to inform the judge that the girls are living with a drug dealer, she steps in as his attorney and is able to get the hearing delayed. Julia agrees to represent him provided that case preparation occurs after office hours. Later, while preparing for the hearing, Julia asks Monty if there is anything bad she should know about him so that she is not surprised in court. They are interrupted by a phone call and the question goes unanswered.


title: Daddy's Little Girls

text: Upon discovering it's her birthday and that Julia has no plans, Monty takes her to the jazz club in his neighborhood where they drink with his friends and dance. Julia kisses Monty and asks him to spend the night. Monty obliges, but a drunken Julia vomiting in the bathroom changes her mind and tells him to go home.


title: Daddy's Little Girls

text: Over the next few weeks, they begin to have strong romantic feelings for each other. Monty invites her to meet his daughters at his apartment during his visitation. She continues to spend time with Monty and his girls and they take a trip to the aquarium. Julia runs into Brenda, who met Monty previously when he was Julia’s driver and figures out that they are now a couple. Brenda pulls Julia to the side and berates Monty, stating that he is beneath her status. Monty overhears Julia’s friend and is hurt. Julia later opens up to Monty and tearfully tells him about her last relationship that ended in betrayal. Monty promises that he won’t betray her and they continue dating.


title: Daddy's Little Girls

text: Monty goes to work and finds Willie has been injured in a robbery. Willie is ready to retire and offers to sell the shop to Monty for a $10,000 deposit that can be paid on a payment schedule. Monty accepts his offer.


title: Daddy's Little Girls

text: At the child custody hearing, Julia argues that it would be in the children's best interest for Monty to be awarded custody and provided the court with a written statement from Jennifer’s deceased mother stating the same. Jennifer's lawyer (Mark Oliver) fights back and claims that Monty is not suitable to raise the girls due to a conviction of statutory rape that occurred 16 years prior. Julia is disgusted and feels betrayed as Monty never told her this information. She refuses to provide him further assistance with his case and leaves. Julia is later comforted by her friends.


title: Daddy's Little Girls

text: At 3:00 am, Monty's daughters arrive at his house and inform him that Joe has been hitting them, proving it by revealing that China's back is bruised while Jennifer just watched and did nothing about it when China was crying. While his daughters are asleep, a livid Monty flashes back to his arrest. Then he drives away and crashes into Jennifer and Joe's car after which he mercilessly beats Joe. The rest of the neighborhood gathers to watch, as Joe's thugs arrive and begin to attack Monty. Having had enough of Joe's terrorism, the neighbors attack Joe's thugs as Monty continues attacking Joe. Julia sees a news report about the police having stopped a near-riot while learning Monty was wrongfully convicted of the supposed rape charges when he was among those arrested. Upon hearing this, Julia rushes to help Monty.


title: Daddy's Little Girls

text: Jennifer and Joe face drug charges in court as the district attorney (Leland L. Jones) stated that drugs were found in Joe's car and house. All of the neighbors decide to testify against Jennifer, Joe, and his thugs as the judge (Giulia Pagano) has them taken into custody with no bond. Monty is then charged with domestic battery toward Joe. Julia walks in to represent Monty, apologizing for not hearing his side of the story. The witnesses refuse to testify against Monty, so the judge dismisses the case. Monty tells Julia that he loves her.


title: Daddy's Little Girls

text: Monty's daughters greet him and Julia at the auto shop that now bears his name, as the rest of the neighborhood celebrates that Monty now owns the auto shop with full custody of his daughters, along with Jennifer, Joe, and his thugs finally being locked away.


title: Daddy's Little Girls

text: The film opened at #5 on Valentine's Day 2007 behind "Ghost Rider", "Bridge to Terabithia", "Norbit"s second weekend, and "Music and Lyrics", and has grossed $31,609,243 worldwide, making it Tyler Perry's lowest-grossing film.


title: Daddy's Little Girls

text: On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 26% based on 54 reviews, with an average rating of 4.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads: ""Daddy's Little Girls" boasts fine performances and a poignant message, but is ultimately let down by amateurish filmmaking." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 49 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.


title: Daddy's Little Girls

text: Atlantic Records released "Music inspired by the film: Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls," in stores and online on January 16, 2007. Among the highlights of the album is "Family First," the first-ever recording by the Houston Family -- Whitney Houston, Dionne Warwick, and Cissy Houston. The song "Can't Let You Go" by Anthony Hamilton is not on the soundtrack. Also, the song "Beautiful" by Meshell Ndegeocello is featured in the movie.


title: Sanjjanaa Galrani

text: Sanjjanaa Galrani is an Indian model and actress who made her film debut in the 2005 Telugu film Soggadu. She is known for her role in the Kannada film "Ganda Hendathi" (2006). She played a supporting role in the 2008 Telugu film "Bujjigadu" starring Prabhas. In 2017, she played Chandri in the Kannada crime drama "Dandupalya 2".


title: Sanjjanaa Galrani

text: Brought up in Bangalore, Galrani is of Sindhi origin. When she was doing her PUC, she received her first modelling offer. She continued her studies while working as a part-time model. She appeared in over 60 television advertisements, the most notable being a Fastrack advertisement with John Abraham. She has a sister, Nikki Galrani, who is also an actress.


title: Sanjjanaa Galrani

text: After appearing in advertisements and as child artist in roles in the films "Soggadu" and "Panduranga Vittala", she got her first starring role in "Ganda Hendathi".


title: Sanjjanaa Galrani

text: Her first release, however, was the Tamil feature film, "Oru Kadhal Seiveer". S R Ashok Kumar of "The Hindu" noted that Galrani, then credited under her birth name, was "very beautiful but has to work on her acting".


title: Sanjjanaa Galrani

text: "Ganda Hendathi", a Kannada remake of the Hindi film "Murder" (2004), itself an adaptation of the Hollywood film "Unfaithful" (2002). The film was released in Telugu as "Mogudu Pellam O Boy Friend". While Sify wrote, "Sanjjanaa has made a decent debut and she is extremely daring and does justice to her role".


title: Sanjjanaa Galrani

text: In 2008, she made her official Telugu film debut in Puri Jagannadh's "Bujjigadu", in which she played the role of Kangana alongside Prabhas and Trisha Krishnan. Although this was a supporting role, it gained her considerable attention and popularity. In 2010, she was seen in the Telugu film "Police Police", which was followed by a cameo role in "Huduga Hudugi". Her final release of that year was "Mylari" with Shivrajkumar, in which she played a journalist and was featured in a special song opposite Shivrajkumar. The film's success gained her offers in Kannada cinema. She won the Bangalore Times Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role Female in 2012 for "I Am Sorry Mathe Banni Preethsona".


title: Sanjjanaa Galrani

text: In January 2012, she played one of the lead female roles in "Casanova", her maiden Malayalam venture. Reportedly the costliest Malayalam production of all time, and co-starring Mohanlal and Shriya Saran, the film saw Galrani portray a salsa dancer. Director Rosshan Andrrews signed her for the particular role, since she was trained in salsa. Her last release is her second Malayalam film, the Shaji Kailas directed "The King & the Commissioner", co-starring Mammooty and Suresh Gopi. Later in 2012 she appeared in films including "Narasimha", "Ondu Kshanadalli", "Sagar", all of which being Kannada projects, and "Yamaho Yama".


title: Sanjjanaa Galrani

text: In 2013 she appeared in "Jagan Nirdoshi" in Telugu which was made under Padmalaya Films and in "Mahanadhi" in Kannada, which was her first heroine-centric film. She was then seen in "Nenem…Chinna Pillana?" She is currently filming for a Telugu film, "Saradha", directed by RP Patnaik.


title: Sanjjanaa Galrani

text: Galrani was arrested by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the Karnataka Police on 8 September 2020 in connection with the investigation into the drug racket involving the Kannada film industry. She is the second actor to be arrested by the CCB after Ragini Dwivedi. Her bail application was denied several times by the courts, with the CCB claiming that she has admitted to being part of the drug racket. She was later granted bail after spending 3 months in prison.


title: Valais

text: Valais ( , , ; ; ), more formally the Canton of Valais, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion. The flag of the canton is made of thirteen stars representing the districts, on a white-red background.


title: Valais

text: Valais is situated in the southwestern part of the country. It borders the cantons of Vaud and Bern to the north, the cantons of Uri and Ticino to the east, as well as Italy to the south and France to the west. It is one of the three large southern Alpine cantons, along with Ticino and the Grisons, which encompass a vast diversity of ecosystems. It is a bilingual canton, French and German being its two official languages. Traditionally, the canton is divided into Lower, Central, and Upper Valais, the latter region constituting the German-speaking minority.


title: Valais

text: Valais essentially coincides with the valley of the Rhône from its headwaters to Lake Geneva, essentially separating the Pennine Alps from the Bernese Alps, the two largest mountain ranges of the canton. A major wine region, the canton is simultaneously one of the driest regions of Switzerland in its central Rhône valley and among the wettest, having large amounts of snow and rain upon the highest peaks found in Switzerland, such as Monte Rosa and the Finsteraarhorn. Although a major hydroelectricity producer, Valais is essentially renowned for its tourism industry and its numerous Alpine resort towns, notably Crans-Montana, Saas Fee, Verbier, and Zermatt. Overlooking the latter town, the Matterhorn has become an iconic landmark of the canton.


title: Valais

text: In 1529, Valais became an associate member of the Swiss Confederation. After having resisted the Protestant Reformation and remained faithful to the Roman Catholic Church, it became a republic under the guidance of the prince-bishop of Sion in 1628. In 1815, Valais finally entered the Swiss Confederation as a canton. In 1878, the Simplon Railway connected most of Valais with the cities of the Swiss Plateau. The canton was further opened up by the Lötschberg Railway in 1913.


title: Valais

text: The canton is also officially referred to by its long name "République et canton du Valais" (French) or "Republik und Kanton Wallis" (German). This translates into "Republic and Canton of Valais".


title: Valais

text: The Romans called the upper Rhône valley "Vallis Poenina". The "Vallis Poenina" was conquered by the Romans after the Battle of Octodurus (now known as Martigny) in 57 BC and became part of the Gallo-Roman cultural sphere. According to a tradition that can be traced back to the middle of the 8th century, the Theban legion was martyred at Agaunum (now Saint Maurice) about 285 or 302. From 888 onwards the lands were part of the kingdom of Jurane Burgundy.


title: Valais

text: Valais formed part of the kingdom of Transjurane Burgundy, which fell to the Holy Roman Empire in 1032. It became part of the duchy of Burgundia Minor, which was held by the emperors by the house of Zähringen (which became extinct in 1218). In 999, King Rudolph III of Burgundy gave all temporal rights and privileges to the Bishop of Sion, who was later styled "praefect and count of Valais" and is still a prince of the Holy Roman Empire. The count-bishops then struggled to defend their area against the Zähringer and then the dukes of Savoy, so that the medieval history of Valais is inextricably linked with that of the diocese of Sion. The Dukes of Savoy, however, succeeded in winning most of the land west of Sion (Lower Valais), while in the upper part of the valley (Upper Valais) there were many feudal lords, such as the lords of Raron, those of La Tour-Châtillon, and the counts of Visp.


title: Valais

text: About the middle of the 13th century, the large communities (Zenden or tithings) began to develop independence and grow in power. The name "Zenden" or tithings probably came from a very ancient division of the bishop's manors for administrative and judicial purposes. In the same century the upper part of the valley was colonized by Germans from Hasli () in the Canton of Bern. The locals became German-speaking, though many Romance local names remain. In 1354 the liberties of several of the seven "Zenden" (Sion, Sierre, Leuk, Raron, Visp, Brig and Conches) were confirmed by the Emperor Charles IV.


title: Valais

text: By the late 14th century, the counts of Savoy acquired the bishopric of Sion. The Zenden resisted his attempts to gather both spiritual and secular power in the valley. In 1375–76, Zenden forces defeated the army of the house of La Tour-Chatillon, and in 1388 routed the forces of the bishop, the count, and his nobles at Visp. The German-speaking Zenden spread further into the valley. Starting in 1384 the Morge stream (a little below Sion) was recognized as the boundary between Savoyard, French-speaking Lower Valais and German-speaking episcopal Upper Valais.


title: Valais

text: During the Raron affair rebellion from 1414 to 1420, some cantons of the Swiss Confederation took sides in the conflict. Lucerne, Uri and Unterwalden supported the Upper Valais rebels, while Bern supported the noble Raron family. The uprising was successful in driving out the Rarons and almost brought the Confederation to civil war.


title: Valais

text: Following the Raron affair, the canton was the location of the Valais witch trials between 1428 and 1447 in which at least 367 men and women were put to death. This event marks one of the earliest witch scares in late medieval Europe. The phenomenon later spread to other parts of the continent.


title: Valais

text: With the election of Walther von Supersax of Conches as bishop in 1457, the German-speaking part of the valley finally attained supremacy. At the outbreak of the Burgundian Wars in 1475, the bishop of Sion and the Zenden made a treaty with Bern. In November of the same year, they seized all Lower or Savoyard Valais up to Martigny. In March 1476, after the victory of Grandson, they advanced and captured St Maurice, Évian, Thonon and Monthey. They had to give up the last three districts in 1477 but won them again in 1536. In the treaty of Thonon in 1569, Monthey, Val-d'llliez, and Le Bouveret were permanently annexed to Valais. These conquered districts in the Lower Valais were ruled as subject lands by the bishop and the Tithings of the Upper Valais until 1798. On March 12, 1529, Valais became an associate member ("Zugewandter Ort") of the Swiss Confederation.


title: Valais

text: In the early 17th century, the aristocratic governors of the districts in the Upper Valais pressured the prince-bishop of Sion to abdicate secular power, which was achieved temporarily in 1613 and then permanently in 1634, when the country became the federal Republic of the Seven Tithings under the rule of a "Landeshauptmann". The republic in its original form existed until 1798, when the districts of the Lower Valais, until then ruled as subjects, successfully revolted against the Seven Tithings and achieved equal status within the republic. During the French invasion of the Swiss Confederacy in the same year, Valais was incorporated into the Helvetic Republic until 1802 when it became the separate Rhodanic Republic.


title: Valais

text: In 1810 the Rhodanic Republic was annexed by the First French Empire as the departement of Simplon. The department was occupied by Austrian troops in late 1813, and on 4 August 1815 Valais finally entered the Swiss Confederation as a canton. In 1845, Valais joined the Catholic separatist league ("Sonderbund") which led to what is called the Sonderbund War. 99,000 Swiss Federal troops under General Henri Dufour were faced by 79,000 Separatists, but in the end, Valais chose not to fight.


title: Valais

text: The beginning of the modern history of Valais essentially coincides with the exploration of the High Alps, the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865 marking the end of the golden age of alpinism. The boom of tourism followed in the late 19th century. In 1878, the Simplon Railway connected Brig, the last town before the Simplon Pass, from Lausanne and Geneva and other major cities of the Swiss Plateau.


title: Valais

text: Valais is the third largest canton of Switzerland by area. It is also one of its westernmost and southernmost cantons while being adjacent to central Switzerland. With a few exceptions, it lies almost entirely in the Rhône basin, more precisely in the wide Alpine Rhône Valley, above Lake Geneva. The main settlements are all along the Rhône or in its proximity, the largest city being Sion, followed by Martigny, Monthey, Sierre, and Brig-Glis. The canton is traditionally divided into three regions: Lower Valais (French: "Bas-Valais"), Central Valais (French: "Valais central"), and Upper Valais (German: "Oberwallis"), with the linguistic border of the canton being at Pfynwald, between the two latter regions. While the more populous Lower and Central Valais are French-speaking, Upper Valais is German-speaking.


title: Valais

text: The Rhône Valley is a central Alpine valley, i.e. it lies well within the Alps and is shut off from both northern and southern plains. Valais is separated from the Swiss Plateau to the north by the Bernese Alps and from the Po plains to the south by the Valais Alps, respectively north and south of the Rhône. Valais is also one of the three large southern cantons lying partially in the Po basin, therefore south of the Alps, along with Ticino and the Grisons. However, contrary to those two cantons, very few settlements are on the south side of the Alps, and they are all well above the plains. The largest regions not drained by the Rhône are the Simplon Valley (Po basin) and two uninhabited areas north of the Sanetsch and the Gemmi Pass (Rhine basin).


title: Valais

text: Valais is the highest canton in terms of absolute, relative, and mean elevation. Therefore, its topography is extremely rugged, with the notable exception of the wide, glacial, Rhône valley. The latter valley dominates the geography of the canton. Many side valleys are branching off the main valley, often perpendicularly. These vary from narrow and remote to reasonably populous. On the south side of the Rhône, in the Valais Alps, some of the largest side valleys are (from east to west): the Mattertal (including the Saastal), the Val d'Anniviers, the Val d'Hérens, the Val de Bagnes and the Val d'Entremont. On the north of the Rhône, in the Bernese Alps, the Lötschental is the only large valley. East of Brig is the valley of Goms, the highest section of the Rhône Valley. The Rhône itself flows in the main valley from east to west from the Rhône Glacier down to Martigny, then at a right angle north to its mouth in Lake Geneva. After the town of Saint-Maurice, the eastern banks of the river belong to the canton of Vaud, although the western banks remain in Valais, down to Le Bouveret, on the shores of Lake Geneva. The main valley is bounded by the Bernese Alps in the north and the Valais Alps in the south, both ranges including numerous over 4,000 metre-high mountains, which are the highest in the country. Notables mountains include Monte Rosa (highest), reaching , and the Finsteraarhorn (most prominent), reaching . Other iconic mountains are the Matterhorn and the Jungfrau, for a complete list, see list of mountains of Valais. Located there are numerous glaciers including several of the largest in the Alps, such as the Aletsch Glacier and the Gorner Glacier. Other ranges situated partially in Valais are the Chablais Alps, the Mont Blanc Massif, the Uri Alps, the Gotthard Massif, and the Lepontine Alps.


title: Valais

text: Lake Geneva is the only truly large lake in the canton, although only a small fraction of it (about 10  km) is in Valais, the plain of the Rhône comprehending only small lakes. There are however numerous sizable lakes in the high Alps, mostly artificial. The largest is Lac des Dix, closely followed by the Lac d'Emosson. Other large high-elevation lakes are Lac de Mauvoisin, Mattmarksee, lac de Salanfe, Lac de Moiry and Lac de Tseuzier (see list of mountain lakes of Switzerland for a more complete list). All these lakes are used for hydroelectricity production, but they are also popular for their scenic views over the Alps.


title: Valais

text: Due to the high mountains surrounding the plains of the Rhône, the climate of central Valais is particularly dry, much drier than in the rest of Switzerland. While locations at high elevations are highly exposed to rainfall and snowfall, average rainfall per year is only about 600  mm in Sion, corresponding to 50% of that of Lucerne (north of the Alps) and 30% of that of Locarno (south of the Alps). Officially, the driest location in Valais and Switzerland is Stalden, with 545  mm of rainfall per year. Valais is often described as "semi-arid", although it is not in the climatic sense of the term. Therefore, in some areas, such as Les Follatères, are found plants that are uncommon or absent in the rest of Switzerland, such as cactuses. On the lower south-facing slopes of the Bernese Alps, numerous vineyards are cultivated, between Fully and Leuk. Unlike in the rest of the country, irrigated agriculture is common in Valais.


title: Valais

text: The canton is renowned for its numerous towns and villages in the high Alps. In the Mattertal and adjoining Saastal are Zermatt and Saas Fee. Other popular resorts are Verbier, Les Marécottes, Champéry, Grimentz, Zinal, Anzère, Crans-Montana, Evolène, Leukerbad and Fiesch. All of them are tourist destination in both summer and winter seasons.


title: Valais

text: The area of the canton is and only about half of the total area is considered productive. Valais shares borders with four other cantons: to the north are the cantons of Vaud and Bern and to the east are the cantons of Uri and Ticino. The canton shares international borders as well: to the south are the Italian regions of Aosta Valley and Piedmont and to the west is the French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.


title: Valais

text: Valais is divided into 13 districts, with the district of Raron being further divided into two half-districts. The districts are listed here in geographical order:


title: Valais

text: The western part of Valais (Central and Lower Valais) is French-speaking, while the eastern part (Upper Valais) is German-speaking. The language border crosses the Rhône between the towns of Sierre and Salgesch and follows the mountain ridge including Bella Tola, Weisshorn, and Dent Blanche. At the 2000 census, 62.8% of the population of Valais spoke French or Arpitan, 28.4% spoke German or Walser German, 2.2% spoke Italian and 6.6% spoke other languages. Only 114 people reported speaking Romansh.


title: Valais

text: The canton is sparsely populated. Its population (as of ) is . , the population included 57,061 foreigners, or about 19.1% of the total population. The largest towns are the capital Sion ("Sitten"), Monthey, Sierre, Martigny and Brig-Glis. There is no major city located in the canton. As of 2017, 77% of total population was Roman Catholic, while only 6% were members of Swiss Reformed Church.


title: Valais

text: Wines and fruit brandies, e.g. "Williamine" and "Abricotine" are some of the main production of the canton. Agriculture is often irrigated, notably through small open-air wooden canals bringing the water from the glaciers above. These are called "bisses" in French and "Suonen" in German. They also constitute popular hiking routes because of their low declivity. Vineyards are grown on terraces, typically on the south-facing slopes overlooking the Rhône Valley, where they have become an integral part of the landscape. The wine industry of the canton is the largest in Switzerland. There are also a large number orchards in the area, among which apricot trees. The apricot has become the emblematic fruit of the canton. In Mund, saffron is also gathered.


title: Valais

text: Agriculture in Valais also consists of cattle breeding in the mountains and dairy farming in the plains. The canton is notable for its cheese and dried meat production. The Hérens cattle are also used in organised cow fights.


title: Valais

text: Europe's tallest gravity dam is located at Grande Dixence in the canton, closely followed by the Mauvoisin Dam. Hydroelectric power plants from the canton produce about a quarter of Swiss electricity.


title: Valais

text: The west part and the most industrial region of the canton is called Chablais. The area is very important for the economy. The lands from Lake Geneva to the town of St-Maurice are located in the Chablais. There are a lot of factories, the most important are the subsidiaries of Novartis and Syngenta, in Monthey. In the town of Collombey-Muraz, there is an oil refinery.


title: Valais

text: The Lonza Group has large factories in Visp. Near Visp there is a large aluminium processing plant. Other metal products and chemicals are produced around Visp and Sierre, including Swiss Diamond International aluminum cookware.


title: Valais

text: Valais has a long touristic tradition. Hoteliers were at the base of the development of Valais Tourism. Many of them, such as César Ritz, spent time and money to satisfy a clientele from around the world. The canton is nowadays a year-round destination, renowned for its wild landscapes and numerous tourist facilities. In winter, skiing and other snow-related sports are the most popular activities. In summer, hiking and trekking are particularly popular. Climbing and mountaineering can be practised year-round, with the highest mountains of western Europe surrounding Valais. Many of the huts owned by the Swiss Alpine Club are located in the canton.


title: Valais

text: The Matterhorn near Zermatt is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the Swiss mountains, as is its sister valley immediately east Saas Fee. Other parts of the mountains of the canton further west are popular as well, such as the more French-speaking resorts near Verbier and the Evolene and Arolla region. The resorts on the north side of the main Rhône valley are popular, looking out southwards towards the Peninne Alps and still part of the southern slope of the Bernese Alps, such as the family-oriented resort of Crans-Montana. The resorts in the Goms (district) are slightly less known, yet also receive attention during the summer hiking season and the winter ski season.


title: Valais

text: The only natural low-elevation access to Valais is via the banks of Lake Geneva, which have several railways and highways leading towards Martigny, Sion, and the rest of the canton. The major axis is on the north side of the lake and passes via Lausanne and Vevey in the canton of Vaud. From there runs the A9 motorway and the Simplon Railway, ultimately leading to Italy via the Simplon Pass and Simplon Tunnel respectively. On the south side of Lake Geneva, from the French border, is only a highway and the historical Tonkin Railway, now operating in Valais only.


title: Valais

text: The canton is surrounded by high mountains, but some major mountain passes connect it with the rest of Europe. The main road passes are those of the Grimsel (towards the canton of Bern and the Swiss Plateau), the Furka (Uri), the Nufenen (Ticino), the Simplon and the Great St. Bernard (Italy), and the Forclaz and the Morgins (France). Also notable are the historical and pedestrian passes of the Sanetsch, Rawil, Gemmi, and the Lötschberg, connecting Valais with the Swiss Plateau, through the Bernese Oberland.


title: Valais

text: The Lötschberg, together with the Simplon, is one of the main north-south axes of Switzerland. The historical Lötschberg Railway opened in 1913. It connects directly Brig to the Swiss Plateau across the Bernese Alps, via Spiez in the canton of Bern, through the high-elevation Lötschberg Tunnel. In 2007, the importance of that axis was further increased with the opening of the low-elevation Lötschberg Base Tunnel, the first high-speed railway connecting Valais to Bern, following essentially the same route, but at the level of the plains. The Lötschberg Base Tunnel was the longest land tunnel in the world when opened, and seen as a revolution, finally opening up Valais to northern Switzerland. The summit railway, through the historical tunnel, is still used for regional traffic and car transportation across the Lötschberg. The old train line is popular for its highly scenic sections in both cantons on either side of the old tunnel.


title: Valais

text: Another railway axis connects Valais with central and eastern Switzerland. This is a metre-gauge railway owned by the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn, which ultimately leads to Disentis and Chur, from Zermatt via Visp and Brig. The main railway goes through the Furka Base Tunnel in the extreme east of the canton, with the older Furka Summit Tunnel being popular for its highly scenic sections as well. The Glacier Express connects directly Zermatt with St. Moritz, using both Mattherhorn Gotthard Bahn and Rhaetian Railway network.


title: Valais

text: The canton comprehends a very extensive road network, with elevations ranging from that of Lake Geneva at Le Bouveret to that of the Nufenen Pass, the highest paved road in Valais. The A9, the only motorway, serves the valley up to Sierre, the extension towards Brig being currently built. All inhabited side valleys are accessible to motorized transport since the 1960s; the high-elevation reservoirs built during those years, notably the Grande Dixence, necessitating paved roads as well. As in most other cantons, localities are essentially served by PostBus Switzerland, which also operates numerous tourist lines on the Alpine passes and to the high-elevation lakes. Martigny, Sion, Sierre and Brig are hubs of public transportation. The winding mountain roads of Valais are very popular with drivers, bikers, and cyclists for their spectacular scenery and are the highlights of competitions such as Tour de Suisse and the Rallye International du Valais. For a list of high-elevation paved roads, see list of highest paved roads in Switzerland.


title: Valais

text: Because of tourism, there are many railways and cable cars in the mountains. Railways serving side valleys are the Aigle–Ollon–Monthey–Champéry railway, the Martigny–Orsières Railway (notably serving Verbier), the Martigny–Châtelard Railway (serving the Trient Valley) and the Visp-Zermatt railway. Above Zermatt, the Gornergrat Railway and the Klein Matterhorn cable car are respectively the highest open-air railway and highest public transport in Europe.


title: Valais

text: In Valais are two ports on Lake Geneva served by the CGN: St. Gingolph and Le Bouveret. The largest airport is located at Sion.


title: Valais

text: The size and particular geographical situation of the canton within the Alps helped Valais develop a culture that is distinct from that of the cantons of the Swiss Plateau and the northern Alpine foothills. As a bilingual canton, Valais itself includes some cultural diversity as well. The most common denominator is a strong mountain culture, symbolized by the archetypal tenacious and austere mountain dweller facing the difficult conditions and dangers of nature.


title: Valais

text: Many monuments dot the Valais landscape. The best known are the Valère Basilica, where the oldest organ in the world still playable is found, and the territorial Abbey of Saint-Maurice, which dates from the 6th century. Valais has several castles of historical importance, frequently built-in formerly strategic locations: Tourbillon Castle, Saint-Maurice Castle, Stockalper Palace, La Bâtiaz Castle, Majorie Castle, the episcopal Leuk Castle etc. Amongst religious buildings are several churches that present quality architecture, in particular, those due to the architect Ulrich Ruffiner (16th century) who left many buildings between Sion and the Goms valley: Saint-Théodule church in Sion, the church of Raron and church of Ernen. In the valley of Goms, are also several notable baroque churches. Contemporary religious architecture has also given rise to interesting buildings, such as the works of the Genevan architect Jean-Marie Ellenberger (1913-1988) in Sierre (Sainte-Croix church) or Verbier.


title: Valais

text: In the civil architecture, two hospices, each located at one of the passes leading to Italy, formerly provided food for pilgrims who went to Rome and travelers in general: the Great St. Bernard Hospice and the Simplon Hospice. There are also interesting Roman remains, such as the amphitheater in Martigny. Sion is also a major site of European prehistory. In particular, are the dolmens of Le Petit-Chasseur, a group of large collective burials dating back to the 3rd millennium BC. Bridges are also an important element of the Valais-built landscape. Due to its mountainous terrain which requires crossing many natural obstacles, the canton has several bridges, old or modern, often daring, including the Gueuroz Bridge which was once the highest bridge in Europe, and the Ganter Bridge, on the Simplon road.


title: Valais

text: Visible from central Valais, the statue of Christ the King in Lens recalls the Catholic tradition of the canton.


title: Valais

text: Among the most important museums in the canton, the Gianadda Foundation in Martigny attracts many visitors from all over Switzerland and neighboring countries. The canton also owns several large museums in Sion, the Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts, the Cantonal History Museum, and the Cantonal Museum of Natural History. Other museums owned by the canton are the Vine and Wine Museum in Salgesch and the Museum of Traditions and Boats of Lake Geneva in St. Gingolph.


title: Valais

text: Traditional food products of Valais are wines, cheeses, dried meat, and rye bread. Wines are essentially produced in the Rhone Valley, but also in the lateral valleys, up to Visperterminen, which has the highest vineyards in the canton. Wines are typically white. Some of the most popular are Fendant, Petite Arvine, Humagne Blanche, Syrah and Pinot Noir. The numerous cheeses notably include raclette, which is both a variety of cheese and a dish. Along with fondue, the latter has become an emblematic dish associated with mountain culture. Other dishes of Valais include the Cholera, a pastry containing various ingredients, and the , a simple dish consisting of roasted chestnuts eaten along with various local cheeses and charcuterie. The latter is often served in autumn near the chestnut groves of the canton.


The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois were held on November 8, 2022, to elect the 17 U.S. representatives from Illinois, one from each of the state's 17 congressional districts (reduced from 18 in the redistricting cycle following the 2020 United States Census). The elections coincided with the 2022 U.S. Senate race in Illinois, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, other elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. On November 23, 2021, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the Illinois Congressional Redistricting Act of 2021, which established the new boundaries of the districts, into law.


title: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois

text: The incumbent is Democrat Bobby Rush, who was re-elected with 73.8% of the vote in 2020. The boundaries of the district will be determined during the 2020 redistricting cycle.


text: On January 3, 2022, Rush announced that he would retire rather than seek a 16th term in office. Rush was expected to endorse a successor, but did not do so immediately. On January 5 Chicago City Council alderwoman Pat Dowell, who had previously been running a long-shot bid for Illinois Secretary of State, announced that she would run for the seat. Dowell was considered the race's presumptive frontrunner, as her Secretary of State campaign meant she had a ready-built campaign apparatus.


text: On January 9 Karin Norington-Reaves, the CEO of a Chicago-based jobs agency, entered the race. Norington-Reaves had known Rush was retiring prior to his announcement, and "Chicago Sun-Times" journalist Lynn Sweet considered it likely that she would receive Rush's endorsement. Rush endorsed Norington-Reaves at a press conference on January 13. On January 28 Jonathan Jackson, a business professor and the son of Jesse Jackson, announced a bid for the seat. Jackson was considered by "Politico's" Shia Kapos as potentially having a strong base of support among labor unions, as his experience as owner of a construction company meant he had close contact with said unions.


text: The incumbent is Democrat Robin Kelly, who was re-elected with 78.8% of the vote in 2020. The boundaries of the district will be determined during the 2020 redistricting cycle.


text: During the 2020 redistricting process, the Illinois General Assembly decided to create a second Latino-influenced district. As such, the 3rd congressional district has no incumbent. The district is approximately 47% Latino and unites heavily Latino communities from Chicago to Elgin. Among potential voters, the communities in the district include 63.4% White, 25.2% Latino, 6.2% Black, and 4.7% Asian people. It includes parts of the Chicago neighborhoods of West Town, Logan Square, Humboldt Park, Belmont Cragin, Portage Park, Irving Park, Albany Park, Montclare, Dunning, and all or parts of the suburbs of Elmwood Park, River Grove, Franklin Park, Bensenville, Elk Grove Village, Wood Dale, Addison, Glendale Heights, Wheaton, West Chicago, Wayne, Bartlett, Hanover Park, and Elgin.


text: The incumbent is Democrat Jesús "Chuy" García, who was re-elected with 84.1% of the vote in 2020. The boundaries of the district will be determined during the 2020 redistricting cycle.


text: The incumbent is Democrat Mike Quigley, who was re-elected with 70.8% of the vote in 2020. The boundaries of the district will be determined during the 2020 redistricting cycle.


text: Due to redistricting, the borders of several districts in the Chicago area changed dramatically. 3rd District Incumbent Marie Newman was drawn into the Latino-majority 4th District. As a result, Newman decided to switch to the redrawn 6th district and announced that she would be running against 6th district incumbent Sean Casten. The new district contains about 40% of Newman's old district and about 25% of Casten's. In the opening stages of the campaign both Casten and Newman declared an intent to run on their legislative records, and declared that they would not campaign negatively against each other.


text: The incumbent is Democrat Danny Davis, who was re-elected with 80.4% of the vote in 2020. He is running for re-election.


text: The incumbent is Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi, who was re-elected with 73.2% of the vote in 2020. The boundaries of the district will be determined during the 2020 redistricting cycle.


text: The incumbent is Democrat Jan Schakowsky, who was re-elected with 71.0% of the vote in 2020. The boundaries of the district will be determined during the 2020 redistricting cycle.


text: The incumbent is Democrat Brad Schneider, who was re-elected with 63.9% of the vote in 2020. The boundaries of the district will be determined during the 2020 redistricting cycle.


text: The incumbent is Democrat Bill Foster, who was re-elected with 63.3% of the vote in 2020. The boundaries of the district will be determined during the 2020 redistricting cycle.


text: The incumbents are Republican Mike Bost, who was re-elected with 60.4% of the vote in 2020, and Republican Mary Miller who was redistricted from the 15th Congressional District.


text: The incumbent is Democrat Lauren Underwood, who was re-elected with 50.7% of the vote in 2020. The 14th district as drawn during the 2020 redistricting cycle includes all or parts of Aurora, DeKalb, Granville, Joliet, Montgomery, Naperville, Oswego, Ottawa, Peru, Plainfield, Shorewood, Spring Valley, Sugar Grove, and Sycamore.


text: Incumbent Republican Mary Miller currently represents the 15th congressional district, and is running for re-election in the district. Due to redistricting, Republican Rodney Davis, who represents the 13th congressional district, resides in the 15th district and has opted to run in the new 15th district rather than the more Democratic 13th. The new 15th district, located in western and central Illinois, includes all or parts of Adams, Bond, Brown, Calhoun, Cass, Coles, DeWitt, Edgar, Greene, Hancock, Henderson, Jersey, Logan, Macon, Madison, Mercer, Menard, Montgomery, Morgan, Pike, Sangamon, Schuyler, Scott, Shelby, Christian, Vermillion, and Warren counties.


text: The incumbents are Republican Adam Kinzinger, who was re-elected with 64.7% of the vote in 2020, and Republican Darin LaHood who was redistricted from the 18th Congressional District. Kinzinger chose to retire, while LaHood chose to run in his new district.


text: The incumbent is Democrat Cheri Bustos, who was re-elected with 52.0% of the vote in 2020. She is not seeking re-election in 2022. The boundaries of the district will be determined during the 2020 redistricting cycle.


text: The new 17th was drawn to be more Democratic-leaning than its predecessor. The new district contains nearly all of its Democratic-leaning urban portions of its former territory, while most of the Republican-leaning areas of the old 17th were drawn into the neighboring 15th and 16th districts. Had the new 17th existed in the 2020 election, Joe Biden would have carried it by eight points, whereas Donald Trump carried the old 17th by two points in 2020.


title: Castle of Mey

text: The Castle of Mey (also known for a time as Barrogill Castle) is located in Caithness, on the north coast of Scotland, about west of John o' Groats. In fine weather there are views from the castle north to the Orkney Islands.


title: Castle of Mey

text: The lands of Mey belonged to the Bishops of Caithness. The Castle of Mey was built between 1566 and 1572, possibly on the site of an earlier fortification, by the 4th Earl of Caithness. According to a February 2019 report: "The castle was probably built between 1566 and 1572 by George Sinclair, 4th Earl of Caithness [and] includes a dominating tower with a series of tall ranges to the side and rear creating a three-sided courtyard open to the north and the sea."Originally a Z-plan tower house of three storeys, it had a projecting wing at the south-east, and a square tower at the north-west. The castle passed to Lord Caithness's younger son William, founder of the Sinclairs of Mey, although it later became the seat of the Earls. The castle's name was changed to Barrogill, and the structure was extended several times, in the 17th and 18th centuries, and again in 1821 when Tudor Gothic style alterations were made, to designs by William Burn. Barrogill passed out of the Sinclair family in 1889, on the death of the 15th Earl, when it passed to F. G. Heathcote (Sinclair). In 1929 it was purchased by Captain Frederic Bouhier Imbert-Terry.


title: Castle of Mey

text: The castle was used as an officers' rest home during the Second World War, and in 1950 the estate farms were sold off. By that time, only the tower was inhabitable.


title: Castle of Mey

text: Barrogill Castle was in a semi-derelict state when, in 1952, the estate was purchased by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, the widow of George VI, who had died earlier that year.


title: Castle of Mey

text: The Queen Mother set about restoring the castle for use as a holiday home, removing some of the 19th-century additions, and reinstated the castle's original name. As part of the restoration, the castle was for the first time supplied with electricity and water.


title: Castle of Mey

text: Other work done in 1953–1954 included making the castle weathertight and habitable, as well as painting and plastering. The castle interior was also refurbished over the next few years. The west wing restoration was not completed until 1960.


title: Castle of Mey

text: The Queen Mother hung several portraits of the previous owners, the Earls of Caithness, around the castle. She regularly visited it in August and October from 1955 until her death in March 2002; the last visit was in October 2001.


title: Castle of Mey

text: In July 1996, the Queen Mother made the property, the policies and the farm over to the Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust, which has opened the castle and garden to the public regularly since her death. It is now open seven days a week from 1 May until 30 September each year, with a closed period of ten days at the end of July and the beginning of August, when King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, usually stay at Mey. The Trust opened a new Visitor Centre in early 2007, and the visitor numbers for that year topped 29,000.


title: Castle of Mey

text: The Castle of Mey Trust was established by a Deed of Trust executed on 11 June 1996. Its president was the then Prince of Wales. The Trust would manage the property; its mandate was "to secure the future of the building, advance historical and architectural education, to develop the native breeds of Aberdeen Angus and Cheviot sheep and to undertake projects for the benefit of the local community", according to one report. After 2002, the Trust opened the castle for five months each summer to generate revenue that would sustain the property. In 2018, nearly 30,000 visits were recorded.


title: Castle of Mey

text: As of March 2014, the Trustees included Ashe Windham (chairman), the 20th Earl of Caithness, the 3rd Viscount Thurso, and Sir Ian Grant. There are also a number of Honorary Patrons associated with the trust: Lady Elizabeth Anson, Ken Bruce, Susan Hampshire, Kirsty King, Khalid bin Mahfouz, and Alan Titchmarsh (who is noted as being the first Honorary Patron). The trust together with the Friends and Patrons helped to maintain and promote the castle and all fundraising events.


title: Castle of Mey

text: Maintenance work completed by the Trust in 2018, including roof repairs, rewiring of the interior and lime harling of the exterior.


title: Castle of Mey

text: On 1 January 2019, stewardship of the Trust passed to The Prince's Foundation. The president of the Foundation is Charles III. Since 1 January 2019, he has been not only the president of the Castle of Mey Trust but also its sole Trustee, through the Foundation. The Foundation stated its intention to retain the Trust's goals: "...the preservation of buildings and monuments; the promotion of historical and architectural education; the preservation of the Aberdeen Angus breed of cattle, and the championing of wider benefits to the community, while the Duke of Rothesay and The Prince's Foundation is certain to make the continuation of his grandmother’s legacy a priority."


title: Castle of Mey

text: In early May 2019, the Prince of Wales (now Charles III) formally opened a new building, Granary Lodge, as a 10-bedroom bed and breakfast on the castle grounds. This building combined the previous stables and granary. During the planning stages, it was decided to have "eco-heating" and to use local materials and craftsmen where possible.


title: Castle of Mey

text: Granary Lodge is one of the first ventures under the stewardship of The Prince's Foundation. The business is owned and operated by the Trust and planned to accept guests starting on 15 May 2019. Profits will go to maintaining and operating the estate as a tourist destination.


title: Castle of Mey

text: The ruins of Barrogill Castle are the scene of a black mass in the Nick Carter novel "Spy Castle" (1966)


title: Castle of Mey

text: The Queen Mother's purchase of the castle is featured in the Netflix show "The Crown" (episode 8 of the first series).


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all-concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks. The track is billed as the "World's Fastest Half-Mile"


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: Bristol Motor Speedway is the fourth-largest sports venue in America and the tenth largest in the world, seating up to 153,000 people. The speeds are far lower than is typical on most NASCAR oval tracks, but they are very fast compared to other short tracks due to the high banking. Those features make for a considerable amount of car contact at the NASCAR races as the initial starting grid of 40 vehicles each in the Cup and Xfinity Series, and 32 in the Truck Series, extends almost halfway around the track, meaning slower qualifiers begin the race almost half a lap down.


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: The drag strip at this facility has long been nicknamed "Thunder Valley". Both NASCAR Cup Series races held at Bristol are for 500 laps; the spring race (historically a day race; however, the 2006 race ended under nighttime conditions because of Standard Time and the late afternoon start) is sponsored by area grocery chain Food City and considered one of NASCAR's top 10 annual races. The late summer race (the popular night-time race, considered "the toughest ticket in NASCAR" to obtain) has rotated among several sponsors. From 2001 to 2015, Newell Rubbermaid sponsored the race, first under its Sharpie brand (2001–2009) and then its Irwin Tools brand (2010–2015). From 2016 to 2021, Bass Pro Shops became primary sponsor of the summer race, with the National Rifle Association as a secondary sponsor. In 2022, Bass Pro Shops became the sole entitlement sponsor of Bristol's September NASCAR Playoff Race.


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: Bristol is a fertile ground for other levels and types of racing; NASCAR Xfinity Series races often draw more than 100,000 spectators, making it one of the best-drawing Xfinity venues, and resulted in Fox televising the race nationally from 2004 to 2006 and ABC doing the same in 2007 and 2008.


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: In 2004, it was the first Busch Series race of the season televised on broadcast network television, and the race, which had been 150 laps in 1982, 200 laps in 1984, and 250 laps since 1990, was a 300-lap race in 2006.


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: The Craftsman Truck Series ran a stand-alone race in June from 1995 to 1999 with the NASCAR Autozone Elite Division, Southeast Series. Since 2003, the race has been a midweek (Wednesday) night race as part of the August night race weekend. In 2009, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour ran a combined race prior to the truck race. In 2017, the race was for the Whelen Modified Tour after NASCAR absorbed the Southern Modified Tour into the Modified Tour prior to the 2017 season.


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: The track long advertised its banking as 36 degrees, which at one time made it the most steeply banked track used by NASCAR. However, BMS now lists its banking at 24 to 30 degrees, reflecting the results of the track's most recent resurfacing in 2007.


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: Even before the resurfacing, there was some dispute as to the accuracy of the measurement. In the 1980s, ESPN often claimed the turns were banked at 35 degrees during television telecast of events at the track. In an interview with "Stock Car Racing"'s Larry Cothren, driver Ryan Newman openly disputed the measurement of the banking of Bristol Motor Speedway's turns. Newman's crew measured the banking during a test session to aid with setups, and found that the turns were banked 26 degrees, rather than the advertised 36 degrees. A Camping World Truck Series open test noted the banking had dropped following resurfacing, to 22–27 degrees, in a variable banking configuration.


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: Another anomaly is that the short overall length means that there are two sets of pits, which also prevents a garage from being built due to limited space. Until 2002, slower starters were relegated to those on the backstretch. That year, the rules were changed to form essentially one long pit road. Thus, Bristol has unique rules about pit road — during caution, drivers who are wanting to pit must enter pit road in turn two, drive all the way down the back stretch through the apron of turns three and four and down the front stretch, exiting pit road in turn one. This rule eliminated the inherent disadvantage of pitting on the back stretch. During green flag pit stops, cars with pit stalls on the back stretch enter the pits in turn two and exit in turn three; those with pits on the front stretch enter in turn four and exit in turn one. Since the new pit rules were instituted, several drivers (most notably Jeff Gordon) have made major mistakes during green flag pit stops by driving through both pit roads when only one is necessary for green flag pit stops.


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: Bristol Motor Speedway could very easily have opened in 1961 under a different name. The first proposed site for the speedway was in Piney Flats, Tennessee, but, according to Carl Moore, who built the track along with Larry Carrier and R. G. Pope, the idea met local opposition. So the track that could have been called Piney Flats International Speedway was built up the road on U.S. Highway 11-E in Bristol. The land upon which Bristol Motor Speedway is built was formerly part of Gray's Dairy, at one point one of the largest dairies in the eastern half of the United States. Larry Carrier and Carl Moore traveled to Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1960 to watch a race and it was then that they decided to build a speedway in northeast Tennessee. However, they wanted a smaller model of CMS, something with a more intimate setting and opted to erect a facility instead of mirroring the track in Charlotte.


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: Work began on what was then called Bristol International Speedway in 1960 and it took approximately one year to finish. Carrier, Moore and Pope scratched many ideas for the track on envelopes and brown paper bags.


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: Purchase of the land on which BMS now sits, as well as initial construction of the track, cost approximately $600,000. The entire layout for BMS covered and provided parking for more than 12,000 cars. The track itself was a perfect , measuring wide on the straightaways, wide in the turns, and the turns were banked at 22 degrees. Seating capacity for the very first NASCAR race at BMS – held on July 30, 1961 – was 18,000. Prior to this race the speedway hosted weekly races. The first driver on the track for practice on July 27, 1961, was Tiny Lund in his Pontiac. The second driver out was David Pearson. Fred Lorenzen won the pole for the first race at BMS with a speed of . Atlanta's Jack Smith won the inaugural event – the Volunteer 500 – at BMS. However, Smith was not in the driver's seat of the Pontiac when the race ended. Smith drove the first 290 laps then had to have Johnny Allen, also of Atlanta, take over as his relief driver. The two shared the $3,225 purse. The total purse for the race was $16,625. Country music star Brenda Lee, who was 17 at the time, sang the national anthem for the first race at BMS. A total of 42 cars started the first race at BMS but only 19 finished.


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: In the fall of 1969, BMS was reshaped and re-measured. The turns were banked at 36 degrees and it became a oval.


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: The speedway was sold after the 1976 season to Lanny Hester and Gary Baker. In the spring of 1978, the track name was changed to Bristol International Raceway. In August that year, the first night race was held on the oval, one that would become one of the most popular and highly anticipated events on the Cup Series calendar.


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: On April 1, 1982, Lanny Hester sold his half of the speedway to Warner Hodgdon. On July 6, 1983, Hodgdon completed a 100 percent purchase of Bristol Motor Speedway, as well as Nashville Speedway, in a buy-sell agreement with Baker. Hodgdon named Larry Carrier as the track's general manager. On January 11, 1985, Hodgdon filed for bankruptcy. Afterwards, Larry Carrier formally took possession of the speedway and covered all outstanding debts.


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: For many years, teams were unable to park their transporters inside the infield, nor did the track have any significant garage area. Team transporters were parked in a lot outside of the track. During racing periods, crews and participants were landlocked by the track, and thus, unable to return to the transporters for spare parts, repairs, or rest. In the early 1990s, the infield was reconfigured and completely paved. Teams began parking the transporters in an orchestrated, extremely tight arrangement that takes several hours, and highly skilled drivers, to accomplish. Teams are now able to work out of their transporters in the same fashion as other facilities.


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: In 1992, the speedway abandoned the asphalt surface that it had used since its inception, switching to the concrete surface it is now famous for.


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: In 1995, Lights were installed around the track to run races with permanently installed lights instead of the use of trucks with temporary lighting which was used for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race from 1978 to 1994.


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: On January 22, 1996, Larry Carrier sold the speedway to Bruton Smith's Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (SMI), at a purchase price of $26 million. At the time of the sale, the facility seated 71,000. On May 28 of the same year, the track's name was officially changed to Bristol Motor Speedway. By August, 15,000 seats had been added bringing the seating capacity to 86,000.


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: BMS continued to grow and by April 1997, at 118,000 seats, it had surpassed the University of Tennessee's 102,000 seat Neyland Stadium to become the largest sports arena in Tennessee. The speedway also boasted 22 new skyboxes. For the 1998 Goody's 500, the speedway featured more than 131,000 grandstand seats and 100 skyboxes. Improvements to the speedway since Smith took possession are in excess of $50 million. Under Smith's ownership, all seating sections have been renamed for past race winners and NASCAR champions.


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: The capacity for the 2000 Food City 500 was 147,000 as the Kulwicki Terrace and Kulwicki Tower were completed. Both were named after NASCAR star Alan Kulwicki, who was the reigning Cup Series champion when he died in a plane crash in 1993 while on his way to the spring race at Bristol, which he won the previous year. As a tribute to retiring star Darrell Waltrip, the entire Turn 3 and 4 sections were renamed in his honor in 2000, including a section of seats in Turn 4 near the start-finish line marked as alcohol free. (Waltrip refused to drive for a team in 1987 because its sponsor was associated with alcoholic beverages.) Sections were also named in honor of the Allison family and David Pearson as part of the renaming of grandstands.


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: In both 2000 and 2001, the track was temporarily converted to a dirt track to host the World of Outlaws' Channellock Challenge. The conversion involved moving of red clay onto the track's surface. of sawdust were laid down first to cover the paved surface. The track was widened by to and the banking was reduced from 36° to somewhere between 22° to 24°. While the races proved to be very popular, the process of installing and removing a temporary surface required 14,000 truckloads of material to be shipped in and out of the track which wore heavily on the roads around the track.


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: As has been the case since the SMI purchase of BMS, improvements continued in and around the Speedway in 2002. The season saw the addition of a long-awaited infield pedestrian tunnel, allowing access into and out of the infield during on-track activity. Also in 2002, a new building was constructed in the infield to house driver meetings. That same year also witnessed the christening of a new BMS Victory Lane atop the newly constructed building. Kurt Busch won the 2002 Food City 500 on March 24 and became the first Cup winner in the new BMS winner's circle. Additional improvements in 2002 included new scoreboards located on the facing of the suites in Turns 2 and 3. On Monday, August 26, 2002, work began on the most ambitious construction project since SMI's purchase of BMS in 1996. The entire backstretch, including the Speedway's last remaining concrete seats, was demolished. The new backstretch increased the venue's seating capacity to more than 160,000. The new backstretch includes three levels of seating and is topped with 52 luxury skybox suites. These seats are also named for leading NASCAR figures, with Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough and Junior Johnson each having a section of the new seats named for them; Dale Earnhardt was given a section on top in his memory.


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: A 5,000 seat section of the turn 1 and 2 grandstand, on top of the Alan Kulwicki Grandstand, is now named the Rusty Wallace Tower. Additional improvements included a scoring pylon with a four-sided video screen akin to those in sports arenas hanging from their ceilings; after the 2007 Food City 500, a resurfacing of the entire concrete track along with widening the track and reshaping the turns with variable banking, which was completed for the 2007 Sharpie 500 in August and their support events in the Busch (now Xfinity Series) and Truck Series.


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: The 2006 Disney/Pixar animated film "Cars" used Bristol Motor Speedway as the inspiration for the fictional Motor Speedway of the South, featured in the film's opening scene. "Cars" director and NASCAR fan John Lasseter made it a 1-mile track, compared with Bristol's half-mile, to make the straightaways little longer for some of the scenes and allow for fans in the infield.


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: A Guinness World Record was set in August 2008 when the sell-out crowd completed the largest crowd-wave in history.


title: Bristol Motor Speedway

text: Another world record was set in August 2009 for the largest karaoke with a sold-out crowd. Later, when the race was red flagged, the crowd performed the wave again, apparently tying the world record.