prompt_front: Answer the question based on the given passages. Only give me the answer and do not output any other words.

Question: Thirukkalacherry is a village in which Indian town?

The following are given passages.
Context 1: Passage 1:
Masilamaniswara Temple, Thiruvaduthurai
Masilamaniswara Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Hindu god Shiva, located in the village of Thiruvaduthurai, located 22 km from the South Indian town, Kumbakonam and 14 km from Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu  It is one of the shrines of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams  The temple is referred to in the verses of Tevaram, the 7th century Tamil Saiva canon by Tirugnana Sambandar, Appar and Sundarar  The temple is associated with the legend of Saivite saint Tirumular (6th century CE) 
The temple is believed to have been built by Cholas during 9th century A D and with significant additions from later Chola kings and by the subsequent ruling empires  It houses five-tiered gateway towers known as gopurams  The temple has numerous shrines, with those of Masilamaniswarar and Oppilamulai Nayagi Amman being the most prominent  The temple has six daily rituals at various times from 6:30 a m  to 8:30 p m , and three yearly festivals on its calendar  The temple is maintained and administered by the Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam, whose headquarters is located inside the temple 

Legend
Legend associates the temple with the saivite saint Tirumular (6th century CE)  Tirumular saw a herd of cows lamenting the death of their herdsmen named Moolan  Being a siddha, he entered into the body of Moolan, came back alive to serve as the herdsman  It is believed that he was coming from North to South India to meet sage Agastya  When he went back to the place where he left his original body, he did not find it  Considering it as a divine play, he continued to remain in the body of Moolan for the rest of his life As per another legend, Parvathi was cursed to become a cow and she worshipped Shiva to attain her original form  The legend is closely associated with this temple, but is also associated with other temples like Thenupuriswarar Temple at Patteswaram, Aavoor Pasupatheeswaram and Tirukogarnam near Pudukkottai 

History
The temple is counted as one of the earliest temples built during the regime of Parantaka I  An inscription in the temple indicates record of grants to pipers, land endowments, flower gardens, carriers of sacred water during his third regnal year  Another inscription from his 38th regnal year recorded as 143 of 1925 indicates  gift of 500 kalanjus of gold for the construction of the kudapadai upwards  Historians believe that the temple was built by Tirukaralippichan and was completed during the regime of Parantaka  There are other inscriptions that indicate donation of gold and silver vessels to the temple  The inscriptions from Rajaraja I recorded as 104 and 107 of 1925 indicate similar gift of metal images to the temple  This is counted as the first mention of portrait installation indicated in an inscription, with the other ones being in Konerirajapuram and Thiruvisanallur temples  The temple has been maintained and administered by the Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam, whose headquarters is located inside the temple 

Architecture
The temple is located 12 km away from Mayiladuthurai and 24 km away from Kumbakonam  The temple has a five tiered Rajagopuram with elevated stone walls separating the second, third and fourth precinct  The images of the presiding deity, Masilamaniswarar, in the form of Shiva lingam occupies the main sanctum facing east  The shrine of the consort of Masilamaniswarar, Oppilamulaiyar faces west  The third prakaram has a separate shrine for the saivite saint Tirumular  The temple has three water bodies located at various places inside the temple  The Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam is located in the premises outside the fourth precinct 

Religious significance
The temple is revered in the verses of Tevaram, the 7th century Saivite canonical work by the three saint poets, namely, Appar, Sambandar and Sundarar   The temple is reverred by Sambandar in the third Tirumurai in one verse, Appar in five and Sundarar in two verses 
"இடரினும் தளரினும் எனதுறுநோய்
தொடரினும் உனகழல் தொழுதெழுவேன்
கடல்தனில் அமுதொடு கலந்தநஞ்சை
மிடறினில் அடக்கிய வேதியனேஇதுவோஎமை ஆளுமா றீவதொன்றெமக் கில்லையேல்
அதுவோவுன தின்னருள் ஆவடுதுறை அரனே "
translating to

"when I am undergoing sufferings 
when I am depressed in spirits 
when my big karmams follow me I shall wake up from sleep worshipping your feet 
Civaṉ who gave out the Vētams and who controlled the poison which was mixed with the nectar in the ocean of milk and made it stay in the neck!
Civaṉ in Āvaṭutuṟai!
if there is nothing to give to us 
is this way you admit us as your protege?
is your sweet grace like that?" Sambandar is believed to obtained gold coins from the presiding deity for performing Yagna by his father  Sundarar was relieved off his curse after praying the presiding deity  Thirumoolar, a Sidhha saint, is believed to have sung 3,000 in praise of the presiding deity in the temple  Thirumaligai Devar, another Siddha, is believed to have performed many wonders in the temple  The Samathi of both the Siddhas are in the precinct of the temple  The temple is counted as one of the temples built on the banks of River Kaveri 

Worship practices
The temple priests perform the puja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis  Like other Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the Shaiva community, a Brahmin sub-caste  The temple rituals are performed six times a day; Ushathkalam at 6:30 a m , Kalasanthi at 8:00 a m , Uchikalam at 12:00 a m , Sayarakshai at 5:00 p m , and Ardha Jamam at 8:00 p m  Each ritual comprises four steps: abhisheka (sacred bath), alangaram (decoration), naivethanam (food offering) and deepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for both Masilamaniswarar and Kodiyidai Nayagi  The worship is held amidst music with nagaswaram (pipe instrument) and tavil (percussion instrument), religious instructions in the Vedas (sacred texts) read by priests and prostration by worshipers in front of the temple mast  There are weekly rituals like somavaram (Monday) and sukravaram (Friday), fortnightly rituals like pradosham and monthly festivals like amavasai (new moon day), kiruthigai, pournami (full moon day) and sathurthi  
Brahmotsavam during the Tamil month of somavaram (September – October), Thiruvadhirai during the month of Margazhi (December – January) and Annabhishekam during the Tamil month of Masi are the major festivals celebrated in the temple  Saiva Sithantham philosophy is promulgated in the temples owned by Atheenam  Tevaram is recited during all the six daily rituals 
Passage 2:
Bylakuppe
Bylakuppe is an area in Karnataka which is home to the Indian town Bylakuppe and several Tibetan settlements (there are several Tibetan settlements in India), established by Lugsum Samdupling (in 1961) and Dickyi Larsoe (in 1969)  Bylakuppe is the second largest Tibetan settlement in the world outside Tibet after Dharamshala  It is located to the west of Mysore district in the Indian state of Karnataka which is roughly 80 km from Mysore city 

History
In 1960, the Government of Mysore (as Karnataka was called at that time) allotted nearly 3,000 acres (12 km2) of land at Bylakuppe in Mysore district in Karnataka and the first ever Tibetan exile settlement, Lugsung Samdupling came into existence in 1961  A few years later another settlement, Tibetan Dickey Larsoe, also called TDL, was established  This was followed by the establishment of three more settlements in Karnataka state making it the state with the largest Tibetan refugee population  
The Government of India built special schools for Tibetans that provide free education, health care and scholarships for those students who excel in school  There are a few medical and civil engineering seats reserved for Tibetans  Tibetans live in India with a stay permit which is processed through a document called Registration Certificate (RC)  It is renewed every year, or half-year in some areas  Every Tibetan refugee above the age of 16 must register for the stay permit  RCs are not issued to new arrival refugees  The Indian Government also issues "Yellow Books" after one years' processing with a RC, which allow Tibetans to travel abroad which is an Identity Certificate 

Population
The town is mainly inhabited by Tibetans who, according to a demographic survey carried out by the Central Tibetan Administration's Planning Commission in 1998, accounted for 50,727 individuals at that time  However, it is unclear whether these figures included the Vajrayana Buddhist monks living there  Today, an estimated 70,000 Tibetans live in the settlements; these were established on land leased by the state government to accommodate some of the Tibetan expatriates who came to resettle in India after 1959  Bylakuppe consists of a number of agricultural settlements, colonies are close to each other, and has number of monasteries and temples in all the major Tibetan Buddhist traditions  Most notable among them are the large educational monastic institution Sera Monastery, the smaller Tashi Lhunpo Monastery (both in the Gelug tradition) and Namdroling Monastery (in the Nyingma tradition)  Bylakuppe also has many Buddhist universities for advanced Buddhist practices 

Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries and Study Centres of Bylakuppe
Namdroling Monastery of Nyingma Also known as Golden Temple
Drigung Kagyud Monastery
Sakya Monastery
Sera je Monastery
Sera Mey Monastery
Tashi Lhunpo monastery in Bylakuppe was newly built  Inaugurated by Dalai Lama in 2016 

Facilities
Bylakuppe is a small town  It has a police station, commercial banks, a telephone exchange, a post office, lodges and hotels  Transport facilities such as buses, auto-rickshaws and taxis are also available  PAP (Protected Area Permit) is mandatory for foreigners to stay here overnight, which can take up to three months to be issued 

Accessibility
Bylakuppe is situated on the state highway 88 (now NH 275) and is well connected to most of the major cities in south-India  Bus facilities are available from major towns like Mysuru, Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Chennai, Panaji, etc  Following are the distances between Bylakuppe and other cities in kilometers: Kushalanagar(05),Mysuru (82), Bengaluru  (222), Mangaluru (172), Mandya (122), Chennai (582), Hassan (80), Madikeri (36), Kasaragod (145), Kozhikode (190) 

Main attractions
Ingalakere: Largest lake in Mysore district
Namdroling Monastery (Golden Temple)
Sera Monastery
Other Buddhist monasteries, schools and settlements

Image gallery
Climate
Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as tropical wet and dry (Aw) 

See also
Kaveri Nisargadhama
Dubare Elephant camp
Kushalanagar
Passage 3:
Birgunj
Birganj (Nepali: वीरगञ्ज) is a metropolitan city in Parsa District in Madhes Pradesh of southern Nepal  It lies 135 km (84 mi) south of the capital Kathmandu, attached in the north to Raxaul in the border of the Indian state of Bihar  As an entry point to Nepal from Patna, Birganj is known as the "Gateway of Nepal"  It is also called "Commercial capital of Nepal"  The town has significant economic importance for Nepal as most of the trade with India is via Birganj and the Indian town of Raxaul  Tribhuvan Highway links Birgunj to Nepal's capital, Kathmandu  
Birganj was one of the first three municipalities formed during the rule of Prime Minister Mohan Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana  It was declared a Metropolitan City on 22 May 2017 along with Biratnagar and Pokhara  Birganj is one of the largest city in Nepal and largest in Madhesh Province  Birganj is the fifth most populated metropolis of the nation 

Etymology
Birgunj was established as a conglomerate of several villages in and around Gahawa Mai Temple  Gahawa Mai Temple remains the epicenter of the town  The settlement was named after the Rana Prime Minister Bir Shamsher, thus acquiring the name Birgunj 

History
Ancient
Before the establishment of Birgunj, the main center of Parsa district was Alau (near Dryport), Nepal  In July 1959 From Sugauli King Rajendra Bikram Shah has a history of setting up a military camp in Alau of Parsa district Birgunj was founded in 1897 by 11th Rana Prime Minister Bir Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana; the ancient name was Gahawa  Before the establishment of Birgunj Bazar, the surrounding villages Bagahi, Alau, Barewa, Kalaiya, Parsauni, Inaruwa, Chhapkaiya existed  To establish Birgunj Bazar in a forest covered area, Bir Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana appointed his trusted duo Siddhvir Mathema and Dhadjavir Mathema (two brothers) respectively in Birgunj as the ruler of Mal Ada and Kath Mal Ada  In this connection, Siddhvir Mathema distributed free land and timber and provided cash assistance to the homeowners in Birgunj  The act had subsequently required Siddhvir Mathema to pay the death penalty 
After the death of Bir Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, Dev Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana became Prime Minister, but within three months Chandra Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana had driven Dev Shamsher and made himself Prime Minister  The people of Late Bir Shamsher Rana and Dev Shamsher Rana did not tolerate Chandra Shamsher Rana  Bir Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana'special man Siddhivir Mathema, was accused of conducting an inspection of a reservoir treaty and carrying out three lakh irregularities on his forehead  When Siddhivir showed the calculations he had spent on setting up Birganj Bazar, he was declared invalid and an order was issued to pay the money immediately  After answering that he could not pay for what he did, As a punishment, the signboard was stick on his chest and move it around the market  The verbal verdict of the death sentence was decided to cut off and kill  After hearing about verbal of death sentence to Mathema who worked day and night to establish Birgunj Bazar, Late Bir Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana's wife has paid 3 lakh and rescued Mathema from the death penalty 
Chandra Shamsher also wanted to displace Birgunj Bazar, which his brother had established  He wanted to remove the Birgunj bazaar from there and set it in Rautahat  According to the move to displace the market, In 1959, it raided the main market from Raxaul to Birgunj and extended the rail line service to Amalekhganj  From the link, the train used to run around the houses, exploding and terrorizing the residents  Later, the rail link was moved to the east of the market (outside the market)  The Raxaul city in India, which is currently connected to Birgunj as the main gateway to Nepal, was not established  At that time Indian trains operated only till Sugauli 

Modern
On 18 May 2006, the parliament of Nepal declared that the country would become a secular state  Birgunj was the main center from where Madhes movement started twice both in 2007 and 2013 

Geography
Topography, Geology and Soils
Birgunj is located in the Terai plain which is the northern part of the Indo-Gangetic plain  Birgunj metropolitan city has an elongated shape  The variation in altitude is in the range of 78 m to 95 m when moving from south to north of Birgunj  Although the range of altitude variation is small, but there is a high micro-topographical variation  The city lies about 90 m above sea level  Quaternary sediments are mainly found in the area  Soil is very fertile that consists the mixture of clay, silt and sand 

Climate
The climatic condition is sub-tropical monsoon with a very hot and humid summer  The mean annual temperature ranges from 23 8 to 24 5 °C (74 8 to 76 1 °F)  The annual rainfall ranges from about 1,300 to 2,800 mm (51 to 110 in) with an average of 1,800 mm (71 in)  Majority of the precipitation occurs during June, July, August and September 

Surface and Ground Water
Sirsiya in the west and Singaha in the east are the two major rivers in Birgunj  Both rivers flow from north to south  During monsoon, these rivers are flooded and river bank cutting at the bends is common  The water level is very low in these rivers during winter  The depth of groundwater table is approximately between 9–15 m (30–49 ft) deep with 1–2 m (3 ft 3 in – 6 ft 7 in) fluctuation during wet and dry season 

Demographics
According to the 2021 Census, Birgunj had a population of 268,273  It is the second biggest city in Terai and the fifth biggest city in Nepal after Kathmandu, Pokhara, Bharatpur, and Lalitpur  It serves as the headquarters of the Parsa District 
At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, Birgunj Metropolitan City had a population of 244,086  Of these, 78 6% spoke Bhojpuri, 6 5% Nepali, 5 5% Maithili, 3 1% Urdu, 1 9% Rajasthani, 1 5% Newar, 0 7% Tharu, 0 6% Hindi, 0 4% Rai, 0 1% Bengali, 0 1% Magar, 0 1% Punjabi, 0 1% Tamang, 0 1% Uranw/Urau, and 0 1% other parties as their first language In terms of ethnicity/caste, 18 1% were Musalman, 9 6% Kurmi, 6 5% Yadav, 6 4% Kanu, 3 6% Hill Brahmin, 3 6% Teli, 3 2% Dhanuk, 3 1% Sonar, 3 1% Thakuri, 3 0% Kalwar, 2 9% Chamar/Harijan/Ram, 2 8% Koiri/Kushwaha, 2 3% Newar, 2 2% Marwadi, 2 1% Kathabaniyan, 2 1% Kayastha, 1 9% Chhetri, 1 9% Dusadh/Paswan/Pasi, 1 8% Terai Brahmin, 1 6% Baraee, 1 6% Mallaha, 1 4% Nuniya, 1 4% other Terai, 1 3% Rajput, 1 2% Hajjam/Thakur, 1 2% Lohar, 1 2% Tatma/Tatwa, 1 1% Dhobi, 0 9% Sanyasi/Dasnami, 0 7% Kumal, 0 7% Musahar, 0 5% Kumhar, 0 5% Rai, 0 4% Halkhor, 0 4% Tamang, 0 3% Dom, 0 3% Magar, 0 3% Mali, 0 2% Badhaee, 0 2% Bengali, 0 2% Bin, 0 2% Halwai, 0 2% Kahar, 0 2% Kewat, 0 2% Natuwa, 0 2% Rajbhar, 0 2% Thakuri, 0 1% Damai/Dholi, 0 1% Gaderi/Bhedihar, 0 1% Gurung, 0 1% Jhangad/ Dhagar, 0 1% Kami, 0 1% Majhi, 0 1% Punjabi/Sikh, 0 1% Sudhi, 0 1% Yakkha and 0 1% others In terms of religion, 81 1% were Hindu, 17 9% Muslim, 0 4% Buddhist, 0 1% Christian, 0 1% Kirati, 0 1% Sikh and 0 2% others In terms of literacy, 66 5% could read and write, 2 4% could only read and 31 0% could neither read nor write 

Economy
Birgunj is the Industrial and Commercial Capital of Nepal  Birgunj Chamber of Commerce & Industries is the leading and the oldest Chamber of Commerce & Industries in Nepal  
In 1964 when Birgunj Sugar Factory Ltd  was established by the Government of Nepal in collaboration with the Soviet Union (at present, Russia) with initial crushing capacity of 1,000 metric tons which later increased to 1,500 metric tons (Rajak, 2006)  This was the first sugar mill established in the public sector  Later on, this mill was liquidated due to heavy losses 
Birgunj is a major business centre of Nepal, especially for trade with India  Almost all trade with India occurs through this route  The Indian border town of Raxaul has become one of the busiest towns for heavy transportation due to high trade volume  With a large number of industries set on the Birgunj-Pathlaiya industrial corridor, Birgunj produces a wide range of products such as pharmaceuticals, textiles, vegetable ghee, plastic, steel, plastic, cigarettes, aluminium, among others  Almost 56% of the total products of Birgunj are exported to the Indian state of Bihar Birgunj Customs holds a major contribution in terms of revenue earnings in the nation  On 16 July 2004 Birganj Inland Dry Port came in operation to improve trade operation and address the concerns in handling the large volume of goods 
The India-Nepal oil pipeline construction that began on March 9, 2018, saw its completion up to 13 km (8 1 mi)  The 69-kilometre (43 mi) Amlekhgunj-Raxaul oil pipeline connecting the two countries has been laid along the Pathlaiya-Simara-Jitpur, Parwanipur and Birgunj bypass roadway  According to the reports, major part of the pipeline alignment is covered in the Birgunj-Pathlaiya commercial highway 

Tourism
Birgunj is main entry to Nepal  So, the city is widely visited by the Indians  There are good three-star hotels in the main centre of the city  These hotels operate some mini casinos as well 

During Chhath festival, Ghadiarwa Pokhari is visited by numerous people from different parts of the country  Vishwa Buddha Vihar is another religious place which is located in the out-skirts of the city  Vishwa is actually shaped like a stupa and has engravings of Buddha facing the cardinal directions of the universe  This place has a tranquil ambience and it attracts those tourists who want to flee the bustling life of the city  The term vishwa is derived from the word vicchu-wa, which is translated as a resting place for Bikshu(s) or Buddhist monks and means a resting place  In the ancient times, the pilgrims stopped at Birgunj in the midst of their journey between Lumbini and Bodh Gaya (India)  The mound is protected by a boundary wall, and future excavations may well tell us about the history of not just Birgunj but also its importance to Buddhism 2,500 years ago 
Parsa National Park which is 33 km (21 mi) from the city, known for inhabiting Royal Bengal Tigers (Panthera tigris tigris), Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), One-horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), Common Leopard (Panthera pardus) and also various species of mammals, birds and reptiles  The park can visited by one hour drive by bus from the city 

Transport
Birgunj was built as the closest Nepalese city connecting the capital Kathmandu with India  Birgunj railway station was connected by the Nepal Government Railway (NGR) to Raxaul station in Bihar across the border with India  The 47 km (29 mi) railway extended north to Amlekhganj in Nepal  It was built in 1927 by the British but discontinued beyond Birgunj in December 1965 Rail
Trains run to major cities of India from Raxaul station (in India, adjacent to Birgunj) and Sugauli station (17 miles from Raxaul) including the Satyagrah Express to Delhi, Mithila Express to Kolkata, Lokmanya Tilak express to Mumbai, and HYD-RXL express to Hyderabad  Thus, Birgunj has direct connectivity to major Indian cities like – Patna, Varanasi, Haridwar, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Allahabad, Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai, Bhopal, Amritsar, Guwahati, Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Ranchi, Raipur, Nagpur, Hyderabad, etc  The Raxaul-Birgunj-Kathmandu railway survey report has been ready and in coming future the further work will be started soon 
Air
Birgunj is served by Simara Airport, which lies 9 miles north of the city  Regular flights operate to Kathmandu & Pokhara, and   The second International Airport of Nepal is under construction at Nijgadh (22 miles from Birganj)  There are plans to connect the new airport, Birgunj and Kathmandu via a "Fast track" expressway after its completion  This is expected to reduce travel times between the capital and the commercial capital, Birgunj 
Buses
There are regular bus services to all major cities and towns in Nepal including Kathmandu, Pokhara, Patan, Bhaktapur, Biratnagar, Dharan, Butwal, Nepalgunj, Dhangadhi, Kakarvitta, Janakpur, Bhairahawa (Lumbini), Bharatpur (Chitwan), etc 
Local bus services provide transportation inside the city and into its vicinity  Night buses from Birgunj to Kathmandu are the most luxurious bus services in all over Nepal  Birgunj bus park is the centre to find buses for any route,
Tanga
Horse driven carts locally called Tanga have historically been the mode of transport for the Madheshi people  Today it survives as a popular transportation vehicle between Birgunj and its sister city Raxaul 
Cargo
The 6 km (3 7 mi) railway track from Raxaul to Birgunj was converted to broad gauge two years after the Indian railways converted the track to Raxaul inside India to broad gauge  Now, broad gauge railway line connects Raxaul to the Sirsiya (Birgunj) Inland Container Depot (ICD) that became fully operational in 2005  Talks have been held to reopen the railway route from Birgunj to Amlekhganj in Nepal by converting it to broad gauge because of its socio-economic importance 
Goods are transported to and from India via Birgunj dry port, which is the key terminal of surface cargo delivery to Nepal  This cargo point on the south connects the heart of the country, Kathmandu, via another key industrial city, Hetauda  It is also served by Tribhuvan Highway, extending from the Indian border at Raxaul through Birgunj and Hetauda to Kathmandu with frequent bus service  Simara Airport — 9 mi (14 km) north near the highway in Pipara Simara, Bara district—offers scheduled flights to Kathmandu 
India and Nepal have an open border with no restrictions on the movement of their citizens  There is a customs checkpoint for the movement of goods between the two countries 

Sports
The city has its own stadium, Narayani Stadium which is Nepal's second largest stadium after Dasarath Rangasala built on 1981  The stadium has capacity of 15,000 seats  At Present, the stadium is in poor condition 
A national level Cricket Ground is also located beside the Narayani Stadium  The cricket ground has top class outfield and a better cricket pitch  National level and Regional level cricket tournament are regularly held here  Every year day night T20 Cricket tournament is held using temporary flood light towers  Day night cricket match in Nepal was first played here  Nepal national cricket team's players Haseem Ansari, Aarif Sheikh, Avinash Karn and Irshad Ahmed hail from Birgunj  Cricket is the most popular sport and is played more than any other games and sports 

Education
Birgunj has a history in education  Education was started in town with the establishment of Trijuddha School by Mahavir Prasad and Raghubir Ram during the regime of Juddha Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana which was among the first three schools to be established in Nepal  Currently, Trijuddha School is the second oldest school in Nepal  It serves classes in both English and Nepali Medium and also conducts diplomas for civil engineering 
Thakuram Multiple Campus, located in the city was the first campus o be established outside Kathmandu Valley as well as in the Narayani zone  This city has made rapid development in the field of education by the establishment of many schools and colleges  Notable institutions include Gyan Jyoti School, Moonlight English Boarding School and Gautam School 

National Infotech College

Media
Birgunj has many FM Community radio stations including Narayani FM 103 8Mhz, Terai FM, Radio Birgunj, Bhojpuriya FM, Indreni FM, Radio Bindas, Birgunj Musical FM, City FM, Aawaz FM, Public FM etc  It has also different television stations: My Television, TV Birgunj and Birgunj Television (BTV)  Many local newspapers like Prateek, Loktimes Daily, Kripa, Bhojpuri Time, Birgunjsanjal, Jana Aawaz etc  are published 
Some popular online news site like Yatra daily, Nepal Post Daily, Aapan Birgunj, etc  are from Birgunj  TEDxBirgunj was successfully held on 17 December, that was the first ever TED event conducted in Terai region of Nepal 

Health
Narayani Hospital is one of the oldest government hospital of Nepal  It is the central hospital of government of Nepal  National Medical College under TU and Kedia Dental College also under TU are two major institutions providing health facilities   There are many other big and small hospitals, and international standard diagnostic centres throughout the city such as Asharam Hospital, Gandak hospital, Advance Medicare Hospital, Kedia eye hospital, Bhawani Hospital, Mangalam Diagnostic Centre, Vision Diagnostic Private Limited, Vayodha Hospital etc  The area extending from Chhapakaiya ward No  3 up to Gandak is full of private nursing homes and clinics  Mostly the people of Nepal from Parsa, Bara, Rautahat, Sarlahi and other districts along with the people from Raxaul and different districts of India come here for medical check ups & treatments 

Culture
Ganesh Chaturthi, Holi, Teej, Krishna Janmasthami, Maha Shivaratri, Durgapuja, Chhath, Dipawali and Ram Navami are major festivals celebrated in Birgunj  Small proportion of the religious diversity of Birgunj is occupied by Buddhists  Thus Buddha Jayanti is also celebrated throughout the city  The culture of this city is not limited to religious diversity but ethnic diversity is found too  People of Madheshi ethnicity occupies greater portion of population which includes castes such as Chaurasiya, Jaiswal, Gupta, Sah, Singh, Kushwaha, Yadav, Mahato, Rauniyar, Patel, and others from the Hindu community  There is also a presence of Marwari, Agrawal, Kedia, Sarawagi, Golchha, and Sharma, people who migrated from Rajasthan 

Cuisine
The cuisine of Birgunj has influence of both Nepali and Indian culture  Dal, bhat, roti, vegetable curry, and achar (pickle) are the most widely consumed food items  Tibetan cuisine such as momo and chowmein are also popular among the youths and the elderly  A place named Adarsh Nagar has established its name as the center for street food where food vendors sell varieties of street food during evening time  Food such as Pav Bhaji (bread and vegetable curry) and Chaat (snack made with potato as the main ingredient) are relatively popular 

Notable people
Ranu Devi Adhikari— Nepalese singer
Usha Khadgi— winner of Miss Nepal 2000
Anju Kumari— politician
Ruby Rana— winner of Miss Nepal 1994
Samragyee RL Shah— actress
Aarif Sheikh— cricketer
Prakash Shrestha— singer

Places of interest
Gadhimai Temple
Maisthan Mandir
Narayani Stadium
Parsa National Park
Ramtole
Simraungadh

Gallery
See also
Pokhara
Butwal
Dharan
Janakpur
2022 Birgunj municipal election
Passage 4:
Pasupatheeswarar Temple, Aavoor
Pasupatheeswarar Temple, Avoor or  Avoor Pasupatheeswaram is a Hindu temple dedicated to Hindu god Shiva, located in the village Avoor, located 12 km south of South Indian town, Kumbakonam,  Tamil Nadu, India  The temple is one of the 70 madakoil built by 2nd century Chola king, Kochengat Chola  The temple is known for the Panchabairavar, the five images of Bhairavar  The temple is revered in the verses of Tevaram, the 7th century Tamil Saiva canon by Tirugnana Sambandar 
There are various inscriptions associated with the temple indicating contributions from Cholas  The present masonry structure was built during the Chola dynasty in the 9th century, while later expansions are attributed to Thanjavur Nayaks during the 16th century 
The temple is built in Dravidian architecture with a three-storied gopuram, the gateway tower  The temple has numerous shrines, with those of Padikasunathar and Soundaranayagi being the most prominent  The temple complex houses many halls and two precincts  The temple has four daily rituals at various times from 6:30 a m  to 8 p m , and two yearly festivals on its calendar 
The major festivals celebrated in the temple are Shivratri during the Tamil month of Vaikaasi (May - June), Annabhishekam during Aippasi (October - November) and Thiruvadhirai in Margazhi (December - January) 

Legend
Pasupatheeswarar indicates God of cows  Shiva is believed to have descended for the holy cow Kamadenu that prayed to him by ablution with their milk on the Shivalingam to get relief from the curse of sage Vashista  A sculpture indicating the legend is present in the walls of the second precinct of the temple  Another legend associates the temple with the saivite saint Tirumular (6th century CE)  Tirumular saw a herd of cows lamenting the death of their herdsmen  Being a siddha, he entered into the body of dead herdsman, came back alive to serve as the herdsman and sung 3000 verses in praise of Shiva  The legend is closely associated with Gomukteswarar temple at Tiruvadurai, but is also associated with other temples like Thenupuriswarar Temple at Patteswaram and Tirukogarnam near Pudukkottai As per another legend, sage Vasishtha cursed the sacred cow Kamadhenu  To relieve off the curse, Kamadhenu sought the advice of Brahma who asked her to perform penance at this place  It is also believed that the presiding deity is believed to have been worshipped by the Devas, Saptarishi, Indra, Surya and Navagrahas, the nine planetary deities  As per a local legend, Vayu, the god of wind, in a contest with Adisesha, brought two hillocks, one of which was installed here and other at Nallur 

Maadakovil
Avur was a fort during the 2nd century rule of Cholas  Kochengat Chola was a Chola king and one of the 63 nayanmars (saivite saints) of saivism  He is believed to have attained spiritual rebirth of a spider that fought with an elephant in its previous birth over the worship of the Hindu god Shiva  He had red eyes during birth as he remained in his mother's womb a little longer  His mother, looking into the babies red eyes said Kochengkannano (in Tamil ko=king, cheng=red, kan=eyes), which literally means king with red eyes and hence he was named Kochengat Cholan  After becoming a king, he followed saivism and built 70 Maadakovils, temples with elevated structure where elephants cannot reach the sanctum, in the Chola empire  The temple has an inscription (181 of 1911) dating from the 3rd year of the rule of Rajendra Chola III (1246-1279 CE) indicating grants of land to the temple  The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu 

Architecture
The temple is located 10 km away from Kumbakonam, 6 km east of Tirukarugavoor and 30 km south of Thanjavur  The temple has a five tiered Rajagopuram with an elevated structure for the main shrine  The temple is a Maadakoil, a series of 70 temples which were built by Kochengat Chola with the major shrines of the temple located in the elevated structure  The images of the presiding deity, Pasupatheeswarar, in the form of Shiva lingam occupies the main sanctum  The consort of Pasupatheeswarar, Mangalanayagi and Pangajavalli occupy twin sanctums facing west  The images of Panchabairavar, the five Bairavar statues are found in the corner facing the main sanctum  The second prakaram downstairs has a separate shrine for the Hindu god Murugan in the form Dhanush Subramaniyar  Muruga sports a dhanush (bow) instead of his regular weapon, the vel  The temple has a small tank called Braham Tirtham located outside the main entrance  The image of Mangalanayagi was found in the temple tank  The temple is counted as one of the temples built on the banks of River Kaveri  It is located on the banks of Kudamurutti, a tributary of river Kaveri 

Literary mention
It is one of the shrines of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams  The temple is revered in the verses of Tevaram, the 7th century saivite canonical work by the three saint poets namely, Appar, Sambandar and Sundarar   The temple is revered by Sambandar in the first Tirumurai in eleven verses  He refers to the temple as Avoor Pasupatheeswaram 
"புண்ணியர் பூதியர் பூதநாதர் புடைபடு வார்தம் மனத்தார்திங்கட்
கண்ணிய ரென்றென்று காதலாளர் கைதொழு தேத்த விருந்தவூராம்
விண்ணுயர் மாளிகை மாடவீதி விரைகமழ் சோலை சுலாவியெங்கும்
பண்ணியல் பாடல றாதவாவூர்ப் பசுபதி யீச்சரம் பாடுநாவே "translating to

This is the place where the blessed devotees of Shiva
who are rich and where Shiva has raised in the temple in such a place called Avoor Pasupatheeswaram 
The place is surrounded by beautiful gardens, palaces and where Shiva's name is frequently uttered 
Let my tongue praise Avoor Pasupatheeswaram" 

Worship practices
The temple priests perform the puja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis  Like other Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the Shaiva community, a Brahmin sub-caste  The temple rituals are performed four times a day; Kalasanthi at 8:00 a m , Uchikalam at 10:00 a m , Sayarakshai at 5:00 p m , and Ardha Jamam at 8:00 p m  Each ritual comprises four steps: abhisheka (sacred bath), alangaram (decoration), naivethanam (food offering) and deepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for both Pasupatheeswarar and Mangalambikai  The worship is held amidst music with nagaswaram (pipe instrument) and tavil (percussion instrument), religious instructions in the Vedas (sacred texts) read by priests and prostration by worshippers in front of the temple mast  There are weekly rituals like somavaram (Monday) and sukravaram (Friday), fortnightly rituals like pradosham and monthly festivals like amavasai (new moon day), kiruthigai, pournami (full moon day) and sathurthi 
The major festivals celebrated in the temple are Shivratri during the Tamil month of Vaikaasi (May - June), Annabhishekam during Aippasi (October - November) and Thiruvadhirai in Margazhi (December - January) 

Citations
Passage 5:
Tharangambadi
Tharangambadi (Tamil: [t̪aɾaŋgambaːɖi]), formerly Tranquebar (Danish: Trankebar, pronounced [ˈtsʰʁɑŋkəˌpɑˀ]), is a town in the Mayiladuthurai district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu on the Coromandel Coast  It lies 15 kilometres (9 3 mi) north of Karaikal, near the mouth of a distributary named Uppanar of the Kaveri River  Tranquebar was established on 19 November 1620 as the first Danish trading post in India  King Christian IV had sent his envoy Ove Gjedde who established contact with Raghunatha Nayak of Tanjore  An annual tribute was paid by the Danes to the Rajah of Tanjore until the colony of Tranquebar was sold to the British East India Company in 1845 Tharangambadi is the headquarters of Tharangambadi taluk  Its name means "place of the singing waves"; the old designation Trankebar remains current in modern Danish  Tharangambadi is located at the distance of 285 km from Chennai  The nearest airport is at Tiruchirapalli international airport at 172 km and the nearest port is at Karaikal at 26 km  It is served by Tharangambadi railway station 

History
The place dates back to the 14th century  Masilamani nathar (Shiva) temple was built in 1306, in a land given by Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I  As of now, this temple is the oldest monument  Until 1620, when the Danes came, the place was under Thanjavur Nayak kingdom  Danish admiral Ove Gjedde felt the place would be a potential trading centre, made a deal with Raghunatha Nayak and built a fort, which is known as Fort Dansborg A Jesuit Catholic congregation in Tranquebar predated the arrival of the Danes by several decades  This congregation descended from Tamil fishermen converted by Portuguese missionaries  There was also a sizable population of Indo-Portuguese due to their presence nearby in Nagapattinam  The Catholic church was probably demolished to build the fort  This fort was the residence and headquarters of the governor and other officials for about 150 years  It is now a museum hosting a collection of artifacts from the colonial era 

Among the first Protestant missionaries to set foot in India were two Lutherans from Germany, Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg and Heinrich Pluetschau, who began work in 1705 in the Danish settlement of Tranquebar  Ziegenbalg translated the Old and New Testaments into Tamil, imported a printing press, and printed the New Testament in Tamil in 1714 

Bible translations into the Tamil language started with the arrival of Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg at Tranquebar in 1706  He was a member of the Lutheran clergy who responded to the appeal of King Frederick IV of Denmark to establish a mission for the natives of Tranquebar  They also established a printing press, which within a hundred years of its establishment in 1712 had printed 300 books in Tamil  At first they only made little progress in their religious efforts, but gradually the mission spread to Madras, Cuddalore and Tanjore  Today Bishop of Tranquebar is the official title of a bishop in the Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church (TELC) in South India which was founded in 1919 as a result of the German Lutheran Leipzig Mission and Church of Sweden Mission   The seat of the Bishop, the Cathedral and its Church House ("Tranquebar House") is in Tiruchirappalli 
The Zion church was consecrated in 1701, which is the oldest Protestant church in India  In 1718, The New Jerusalem Church was constructed  Moravian Brethren missionaries from Herrnhut, Saxony established the Brethren's Garden at Porayar near Tranquebar and operated it as a missionary centre for a number of years  An Italian Catholic Father Constanzo Beschi, who worked in the colony from 1711 to 1740, found himself in conflict with the Lutheran pioneers at Tranquebar, against whom he wrote several polemical works Tranquebar was occupied by the British in February 1808 during the Napoleonic Wars but was restored to Denmark following the Treaty of Kiel in 1814  Along with the Danish settlement of Serampore in Bengal, it was sold to the British in 1845  Tranquebar was then still a busy port, but it later lost its importance after a railway was opened to Nagapattinam The Subrahmanya Temple, Perambur, located in the outskirts of the town is one of the most prominent Murugan temples in the region 

Tranquebar Museum
The 17th and 18th century antiquities and relics from the Vijayanagara empire and Thanjavur Nayak kingdom, which authorised, allowed, and sanctioned the aforementioned Danish port township connected with the colonial period and Danish settlement at Tharangampadi are exhibited  The museum contains porcelain ware, Danish manuscripts, glass objects, Chinese tea jars, steatite lamps, decorated terracotta objects, figurines, lamps, stones, sculptures, swords, daggers, spears, sudai (stucco) figurines and wooden objects  There is also part of a whale skeleton, a giant sawfish rostrum and small cannonballs 

New Jerusalem Church
The New Jerusalem Church was built in 1718 by the Royal Danish missionary Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg in the coastal town of Tranquebar, India which was at that time a Danish India colony  The church is located on King Street, and church services are conducted every Sunday  The church, along with other buildings of the Tranquebar Mission was damaged during the tsunami of 2004, and were renovated at a cost of ₹ 7 million, and re-consecrated in 2006 

Fort Dansborg
Construction of Fort Dansborg started in 1620  Many parts of the fort have been reconstructed several times  Dansborg is the second largest Danish fort ever constructed, with Kronborg in Helsingør being the largest  The rampart wall is a fairly large four sided structure, with bastions at each cardinal point  A single storied building was constructed along three inner sides of the rampart, with barracks, warehouse, kitchen, and jail  The rooms on the southern side remain in good condition, but the rooms on the western and northern sides have been substantially damaged  On the eastern side of the fort, there was a two storied building facing the sea  It was the main building of the fort  The vaulted lower storey served as a magazine and a warehouse, while the vaulted upper storey contained the church and the lodgings of the governor, the senior merchants, and the chaplain  The sea on the eastern and western side protected the fort  The fort was surrounded by a moat, access to the fort being over a drawbridge  The moat has completely disappeared  Interestingly, today, none of the fort’s door openings and windows have doors in them  It is believed that during the end of their colonisation period, the Danish ran into financial issues  To make ends meet, they pulled out the metal doors, molded them into weapons and sold them 

Demographics
As of 2001 India census, Tharangambadi had a population of 20,841  Males constitute 48% of the population and females 52%  Tharangambadi has an average literacy rate of 74%, similar to than the national average of 74 5%: male literacy is 79%, and female literacy is 69%  In Tharangambadi, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age 

Notable people
Kavignar Meenavan (1933–2012), Tamil poet, writer and activist

Gallery
See also
India portal
 Denmark portal
 Norway portal
Passage 6:
Thirukkalacherry
Thirukkalachery is a small village in Mayiladuthurai District, Tranquebar (Tharangambadi) Taluk, Tamil Nadu, India 
See: The Taluk Map of Tranquebar (Tharangambadi)

Transport and communication
Thirukkalachery is well-connected with other major towns in the region, such as Porayar which is the nearest town and links with Karaikal, Mayiladuthurai, Sirkali, Nagapattinam and Tiruchirappalli 
The nearest international airport is at Tiruchirapalli, which is 150 kilometres from Thirukkalachery and Chennai International Airport is approx  300 kilometers away  There are regular government and private bus services to Chennai  Nearest Railway Junction is also at Mayiladuthurai 

Economy
Agriculture is the main activity in this area as this is a cultivation rich land  Rice, sugarcane, Coconut and banana plantation are the main products  This is a small village with about ten to twenty shops along Thirukkalachery's Main Road 

Landmark
*the famous #sri seethala devi Mariyaman temple situated here  One of grand temple  

The famous naganathaswamy temple also situated here (the Siva temple) 
The famous petti kaliyaman temple also situated here 
The famous Vinayagar temple situated here 
Mohaideen Andavar Mosque - This is the biggest mosque (also called Pallivasal) in Mayiladuthurai District Experiment ideas Tamil YouTube channel  foundation office  in situated here  
Fashion tailor Shop situated here  

Schools
There are four Schools in this village:-

Aided Elementary School, Thirukkalachery 
Aiyas Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Thirukkalachery 
Hameediya Higher Secondary School, Thirukkalachery 
Hameediya Free Nursery & Primary School, Thirukkalachery 

Adjacent communities
Passage 7:
Suryanar Kovil
Suryanar Kovil (also called Suryanar Temple) is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Hindu Sun-God, located in Suryanar Kovil, a village near the South Indian town of Kumbakonam Thanjavur District in Tamil Nadu, India  The presiding deity is Suriyanar, the Sun and his consorts Ushadevi and Pratyusha Devi  The temple also has separate shrines for the other eight planetary deities  The temple is considered one of the nine Navagraha temples in Tamil Nadu  The temple is one of the few historic temples dedicated to Sun god and is also the only temple in Tamil Nadu which has shrines for all the planetary deities The present masonry structure was built during the reign of Kulottunga Choladeva (1060-1118 CE) in the 11th century with later additions from the Vijayanagar period  Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple has a five-tiered rajagopuram, the gateway tower and a granite wall enclosing all the shrines of the temple It is believed that the planetary deities were cursed by Brahma to dwell in Vellurukku Vanam, the white wild flower jungle and were blessed by Shiva to make it their abode to devotees  The temple has six daily rituals at various times from 5:30 a m  to 9 p m , and two yearly festivals on its calendar  The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu 

Legend
As per Hindu legend, Sage Kalava was suffering from serious ailments along with leprosy  He prayed to the Navagrahas, the nine planet deities  The planets were pleased by his devotion and offered cure to the sage  Brahma, the Hindu god of creation, was angered as he felt that the planets have no powers to provide boons to humans  He cursed the nine planets to suffer from leprosy and were sent down to earth in Vellurukku Vanam, the white wild flower jungle  The planets prayed to Shiva to relieve them off the curse  Shiva appeared to them and said that the place belonged to them and they would have to grace the devotees worshipping them from the place  This is the only temple where there are separate shrines for each of the planet deities  It is also the only temple among the nine planetary temples where Shiva is not the presiding deity 

History
It is stated in one of the inscriptions found in the temple that it was built in the reign of Kulottunga Choladeva (1060-1118 CE) and was called Kulottungachola-Marttandalaya  In modern times, the temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu  The temple is mentioned in the songs of Muthuswami Dikshitar, who has composed a song starting with "Suryamurthe" in Saurashatra ragam 

Architecture
Suriyanar Temple is located at the distance of 15 km from Kumbakonam in west, 2 km from Aduthurai, 8 km from Thiruppanandal and 58 km (36 mi) from Thanjavur  The temple can be accessed by road through Aduthurai in Kumbakonam - Mayiladuthurai road and Thiruppanandal in Kumbakonam - Chennai road  The temple has a rectangular plan with compound walls, pierced by a five-tiered raja gopuram (entrance tower)  The central shrine is of Surya, the Sun God, is built on an elevated structure  The central shrine houses the image of Surya and his consorts Usha and Chhaya  The hall leading to the central shrine has images of Viswanathar, Visalakshi, Nataraja, Sivakami, Vinayagar and Murugan  On the axial line in front of the central shrine, there is an image of Guru (Jupiter), one of the planetary deities  There are separate shrines for all the other seven planet deities namely Budha (Mercury), Shani (Saturn), Sukran (Venus), Soma (Moon), Angaragan (Mars), Rahu and Ketu  All the other eight shrines of the Navagrahas are arranged facing the shrine of Suryanar  Guru is depicted performing pooja to Shiva 

Worship and festivals
The temple priests perform the pooja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis  Like other Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the Shaivaite community, a Brahmin sub-caste  The temple rituals are performed six times a day; Ushathkalam at 5:30 a m , Kalasanthi at 8:00 a m , Uchikalam at 10:00 a m , Sayarakshai at 6:00 p m , Irandamkalam at 8:00 p m  and Ardha Jamam at 10:00 p m  Each ritual comprises four steps: abhisheka (sacred bath), alangaram (decoration), neivethanam (food offering) and deepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for Surya, Usha and Chhaya  The worship is held amidst music with nadaswaram (pipe instrument) and tavil (percussion instrument), religious instructions in the Vedas  read by priests and prostration by worshippers in front of the temple mast  There are weekly rituals like somavaram and sukravaram, fortnightly rituals like pradosham and monthly festivals like amavasai (new moon day), kiruthigai, pournami (full moon day) and sathurthi 

Religious importance
The temple is one of the nine Navagraha temples of Tamil Nadu and is a part of the popular Navagraha pilgrimage in the state - it houses the image of Surya (Sun)  The planets are believed to influence the horoscope computed based on time of one's birth and subsequently influence the course of life  Each of the planets are believed to move from a star to another during a predefined period and thus sway over an individual's fortunes  Kol vinay theertha Vinayagar is an important deity inside the temple and should be worshiped first before worshiping Lord Suriyan and other planets
  The Navagrahas, as per Hindu customs, are believed to provide both good and bad effects for any individual and the bad effects are mitigated by prayers  As in other Navagraha temples, the common worship practises of the devotees include offering of cloth, grains, flowers and jewels specific to the planet deity  Lighting a set of lamps is also commonly followed in the temple  As per contemporary Saivite belief, the energies distributed cyclically by Navagrahas can be channeled based on remedial measures  As per local legends, Shiva, the overlord of the nine planetary deities, allowed them to freely grant wishes based on devotion of the devotees According to Hindu legend, Mahalingaswamy is the centre of all Shiva temples in the region and the Saptha Vigraha moorthis (seven prime consorts in all Shiva temples) are located at seven cardinal points around the temple, located in various parts of the state  The seven deities are Nataraja in Chidambaram Nataraja Temple at Chidambaram, Chandikeswarar temple at Tirucheingalur, Vinayagar in Vellai Vinayagar Temple at Thiruvalanchuzhi, Muruga in Swamimalai Murugan Temple at Swamimalai, Bhairava in Sattainathar Temple at Sirkali, Navagraha in this temple and Dakshinamoorthy in Apatsahayesvarar Temple at Alangudi, Nannilam  The temple is counted as one of the temples built on the northern banks of River Kaveri 
Passage 8:
Sawaare Sabke Sapne    Preeto
Sawaare Sabke Sapne Preeto (SSSP) is an Indian television series that premiered on Imagine TV on 4 July 2011 and ended abruptly on 12 April 2012  The story is located against a Punjabi backdrop and is based on the lives of five sisters  Set in the picturesque north Indian town of Amritsar, which is also an Indian Air Force base, this is the story of the quirky, lovable Dhillon family  They live in a run-down mansion, having moved to India from Pakistan after the Partition, a generation ago  In many ways the Dhillon family is a typical lower-middle-class Indian family 
At the head of the family is retired school master Gangandeep Dhillon, who lives with his wife Kanwal and five daughters 

Plot
Sawaare Sapke Sapne Preeto is the story of Preeto, third among the five Dhillon sisters  The eldest sister is Jasmeet (Meeta) who is lovable and plump, second is Ishmeet (Ishu) who is quiet and respectful and is considered the prettiest, third is Manpreet (Preeto) who is respectful but always speaks her mind, fourth is Gurbaani (Bani) who is in college and like partying, and the youngest is Sonu who is in school and is everybody's favorite  Their father's income is not enough to maintain the entire family  Preeto's mother often regrets that she does not have a son who could have supported them all  Hence Preeto decides to contribute to the family income by designing and stitching clothes for clients  Her dream is to get her older sisters married and the younger ones educated 
Meeta is engaged to Bobby but he tries to take advantage of Ishu and the wedding is called off  At her friends' wedding, Preeto meets Rajbeer, an air force officer and they develop feelings for each other  Dhruv, another air force officer, falls in love with Ishu  Dhruv and Ishu's wedding is fixed and Preeto and Rajbeer confess their love to each other  But Preeto's father meets with an accident and loses his job  Preeto decides to break up with Rajbeer to focus on arranging money for Ishu's wedding 
However, Dhruv's parents are unhappy with the wedding  At a family outing in Manali, Rajbeer saves Dhruv's sister Simran and she falls in love with him  In Amritsar, Bani falls in love with a man named Ranjeet but he only wants to destroy Rajbeer  He sells Bani off to some goons but Preeto and Rajbeer are able to save her and expose Ranjeet's true intentions  Meanwhile, Preeto's Biji finds out about Preeto and Rajbeer and encourages Preeto to fight for her love 
Dhruv and Simran's mother, Neelam, blackmails Preeto that if she confesses her love to Rajbeer, Neelam would make sure Dhruv divorces Ishu  Conflicted, Preeto decides to fake marriage with Sunny, a cousin of Pankaj's (Meeta's husband) who loves Preeto but knows about her feelings for Rajbeer  But one day Rajbeer overhears Preeto talking to herself and realizes that her marriage is fake and she still loves him 

Cast
Main
Ankita Sharma as Manpreet "Preeto" Dhillon: Kavaljit and Gagandeep's third daughter; Meeta, Ishu, Bani and Sonu's sister; Rajbeer's lover (2011–2012)
Aditya Redij as Rajbeer Singh: Preeto's lover (2011–2012)

Recurring
Ira Soni as Ishmeet "Ishu" Ahluwalia: Kavaljit and Gagandeep's second daughter; Preeto, Meeta, Bani and Sonu's sister; Dhruv's wife (2011−2012)
Divya Bhatnagar as Jasmeet "Meeta" Ambrela: Kavaljit and Gagandeep's eldest daughter; Ishu, Preeto, Bani and Sonu's sister; Pankaj's wife (2011–2012)
Devoleena Bhattacharjee as Gurbani "Bani" Dhillon: Kavaljit and Gagandeep's fourth daughter; Meeta, Ishu, Preeto and Sonu's sister (2011−2012)
Mahima Makwana as Sonam "Sonu" Dhillon; Kavaljit and Gagandeep's youngest daughter; Meeta, Ishu, Preeto and Bani's sister (2011−2012)
Kanan Malhotra as Dhruv Ahluwalia: Neelam and Kulbhushan's son; Simmi's brother; Ishu's husband (2011–2012)
Rohit Mehta as Mr  Kumar administrative officer (2012)
Pavitra Punia as Simran "Simmi" Ahluwalia: Neelam and Kulbhushan's daughter; Dhruv's sister (2011−2012)
Sailesh Gulabani as Pankaj Ambrela: Sunny's cousin; Meeta's husband (2011−2012)
Shresth Kumar as Shivansh "Sunny" Ambrela: Pankaj's cousin; Preeto's ex-fiancé (2012)
Ujjwal Rana as Baljeet "Bobby" Singh: Meeta's former fiancé (2011−2012)
Susheel Parashar as Gagandeep Dhillon: Kavaljit's husband; Meeta, Ishu, Preeto, Bani and Sonu's father (2011–2012)
Nitika Anand as Kavaljit Kaur Dhillon: Gagandeep's wife; Meeta, Ishu, Preeto, Bani and Sonu's mother (2011–2012)
Ritwika Gupta as Aisha Sood: Simmi's friend (2011–2012)
Vijay Aidasani as Kulbhushan Ahluwalia; Dhruv and Simmi's father (2011−2012)
Aradhana Uppal as Neelam Ahluwalia: Kulbhushan's wife; Dhruv and Simmi's mother (2011−2012)

Guest stars
Himesh Reshammiya as himself for the promotion of Bodyguard and Damadamm! (2011)
Passage 9:
Buckingham Archeological Site
Buckingham Archeological Site is an archaeological site near Berlin in Worcester County, Maryland   It is one of the few known Woodland period village sites in the coastal marsh areas of the Atlantic Coast section of Maryland  The site falls within the general vicinity of an Assateague Indian town  It is located four miles east of the Sandy Point Site, both including the southernmost reported occurrence of Townsend Series ceramics on the coastal section of the Eastern Shore It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 
Passage 10:
Paravakkal
Paravakkal is a town in the Kadungapuram village of the Puzhakkattiri panchayath, located in the Malappuram district, in the state of Kerala, southeast India  It was the homeland of Valluvanad, an erstwhile kingdom in Malabar  Perinthalmanna, Malappuram, and Kottakkal are some of the major towns nearby 
There is a tradition known as Nercha and Pooram which is a symbol of unity among various religions in the area 

Geography
The town is 12 km (7 5 mi) from Perinthalmanna, the taluk headquarters, and 11 km (6 8 mi) from the district headquarters at Malappuram  The town is midway between Perinthalmanna and Kottakkal road  The Paravakkal Lake is located north of the town, which lays close south to National Highway 213  The land is mostly dry and flat, few hills obstruct the nearby fields  An abundant amount of trees and shrubbery lie to the south of the town 

People
Paravakkal consists of 1723 people, 838 of which are male, and 885 female 

Culture
Paravakkal village is a predominantly Muslim populated area  Hindus exist in comparatively smaller numbers  So the culture of the locality is based upon Muslim traditions  Duff Muttu, Kolkali and Aravanamuttu are common folk arts of this locality  There are many libraries attached to mosques giving a rich source of Islamic studies  Most of the books are written in Arabi-Malayalam which is a version of the Malayalam language written in Arabic script  People gather in mosques for the evening prayer and continue to sit there after the prayers discussing social and cultural issues  Business and family issues are also sorted out during these evening meetings  The Hindu minority of this area keeps their rich traditions by celebrating various festivals in their temples  Hindu rituals are done here with a regular devotion like other parts of Kerala 

Transportation
Paravakkal village connects to other parts of India through Perinthalmanna town  National highway No 66 passes through Tirur and the northern stretch connects to Goa and Mumbai  The southern stretch connects to Cochin and Trivandrum  Highway No 966 goes to Palakkad and Coimbatore  The nearest airport is at Kozhikode  The nearest major railway station is at Tirur 
Context 3: Passage 1:
Coca-Cola FEMSA
Coca-Cola FEMSA, S A B  de C V , known as Coca-Cola FEMSA or KOF, is a Mexican multinational beverage company headquartered in Mexico City, Mexico  It is a subsidiary of FEMSA which owns 47 8% of its stock, with 27 8% held by wholly owned subsidiaries of The Coca-Cola Company and the remaining 25% listed publicly on the Mexican Stock Exchange (since 1993) and the New York Stock Exchange (since 1998)  It is the largest franchise Coca-Cola bottler in the world, the company has operations in Latin America, although its largest and most profitable market is in Mexico 

History
Coca-Cola FEMSA began as a joint venture with The Coca-Cola Company in 1991 with FEMSA initially owning 51% of the stock  It started expanding its international operations in 2003 when it acquired Panamerican Beverages (Panamco), another Mexican Coca-Cola bottler with operations in Central America, Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil  It later acquired additional bottling companies in Brazil (its second largest market) as well as the main Coca-Cola bottler in the Philippines in 2013, until 2018 when the company was then renamed to Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines In 2007, Coca-Cola FEMSA acquired Jugos del Valle in a joint venture with The Coca-Cola Company  In June 2008, Coca-Cola FEMSA acquired Refrigerantes Minas Gerais In 2011, the company merged Grupo Tampico and Corporación Los Angeles  Later that same year, Coca-Cola FEMSA acquired Grupo Industrias Lacteas in a joint venture with The Coca-Cola Company Coca-Cola FEMSA merged beverage operations with Grupo Fomento Queretano in 2012  In 2013, the company merged more bottling operations with Grupo Yoli as well as acquiring Brazilian companies Companhia Fluminense de Refrigerantes and Industria Brasileira de Bebidas In 2015, Coca-Cola FEMSA opened two $500 million bottling plants in Itabirito, Brazil, and Tocancipa, Colombia  The company completed its $1 billion acquisition of VONPAR in Brazil in 2016  Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola FEMSA also bought the AdeS brand from Unilever in a joint venture that same year In 2018, Coca-Cola FEMSA acquired Guatemalan bottlers ABASA and Los Volcanes as well as MONRESA in Uruguay 

See also
List of companies traded on the Bolsa Mexicana de Valores
List of companies of Mexico
Economy of Mexico
Passage 2:
Cornelio Velásquez
Cornelio H  Velásquez (born September 28, 1968, in Panama City, Panama) is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing  He was introduced to horse racing at age fifteen by trainer Carlos Salazar Guardia in his native Panama and enrolled in the national jockey school  In his first year of racing he was his country's top apprentice jockey and was the leading rider again in 1994 and 1995 
In 1996 Cornelio Velasquez emigrated to the United States to race at Elmont, New York's Belmont Park  During the ensuing ten years he competed at meets at tracks in Kentucky and Florida, winning several riding titles  His big break came in 2003 when he won his first Breeders' Cup on Cajun Beat in the Breeders' Cup Sprint  A two-time winner of Breeders' Cup races, in 2005 Velasquez rode Closing Argument to a second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby and in 2007 is scheduled to compete on the well-regarded colt, Nobiz Like Shobiz 
Passage 3:
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational corporation founded in 1892, best known as the producer of Coca-Cola  The drink industry company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, and alcoholic beverages  The company's stock is listed on the NYSE and is part of the DJIA and the S&P 500 and S&P 100 indexes 
The soft drink was developed in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton  At the time it was introduced, the product contained cocaine from coca leaves and caffeine from kola nuts which together acted as a stimulant  The coca and the kola are the source of the product name, and led to Coca-Cola's promotion as a "healthy tonic"  Pemberton had been severely wounded in the American Civil War, and had become addicted to the pain medication morphine  He developed the beverage as a patent medicine in an effort to control his addiction 
In 1889, the formula and brand were sold for $2,300 (roughly $71,000 in 2022) to Asa Griggs Candler, who incorporated the Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta in 1892  The company has operated a franchised distribution system since 1889  The company largely produces syrup concentrate, which is then sold to various bottlers throughout the world who hold exclusive territories  The company owns its anchor bottler in North America, Coca-Cola Refreshments 

History
In July 1886, pharmacist John Stith Pemberton from Columbus, Georgia invented the original Coca-Cola drink, which was advertised as helpful in the relief of headache, to be placed on sale primarily in drugstores as a medicinal beverage  Pemberton had made many mixing experiments and reached his goal during the month of May, but the new product was as yet unnamed and uncarbonated  Pemberton's bookkeeper, Frank Mason Robinson, is credited with naming the product and creating its logo  Robinson chose the name Coca-Cola because of its two main ingredients (coca leaves and kola nuts) and because it is an alliteration  John Pemberton had taken a break and left Robinson to make, promote, and sell Coca-Cola on his own  Robinson promoted the drink with the limited budget that he had, and succeeded American businessman Asa Griggs Candler purchased the Coca-Cola formula and brand, forming the Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta in 1892  By 1895, Coca-Cola was being sold nationwide  In 1919, the company was sold to Ernest Woodruff's Trust Company of Georgia Coca-Cola's first ad read "Coca Cola  Delicious! Refreshing! Exhilarating! Invigorating!" Candler was one of the first businessmen to use merchandising in his advertising strategy  As of 1948, Coca-Cola had claimed about 60% of its market share  By 1984, the Coca-Cola Company's market share decreased to 21 8% due to new competitors 

Acquisitions
Coca-Cola acquired Minute Maid in 1960 for an undisclosed amount  In 1982, it acquired the movie studio Columbia Pictures for $692 million  Coca-Cola then launched a series of entertainment takeovers, namely Merv Griffin Enterprises and Embassy Communications in the mid-1980s, forming the Entertainment Business Sector, which would later merge with Tri-Star Pictures to start out Columbia Pictures Entertainment, with CPE holding a stake in the company  Coca-Cola sold Columbia to Sony for $3 billion in 1989  In 1986, Coke sold off two assets, namely Presto Products and Winker-Flexible Products to an investment group led by E O  Gaylord for $38 million The company acquired the Indian cola brand Thums Up in 1993, and Barq's in 1995  In 1999, Coca-Cola purchased 50% of the shares of Inca Kola for $200 million, subsequently taking control of overseas marketing and production for the brand  In 2001, it acquired the Odwalla brand of fruit juices, smoothies, and bars for $181 million  It announced Odwalla's discontinuation in 2020  In 2007, it acquired Fuze Beverage from founder Lance Collins and Castanea Partners for an estimated $250 million The company's 2009 bid to buy Chinese juice maker Huiyuan Juice Group ended when China rejected its $2 4 billion bid, on the grounds the resulting company would be a virtual monopoly  Nationalism was also thought to be a reason for aborting the deal In 2011, it acquired the remaining stake in Honest Tea, having bought a 40% stake in 2008 for $43 million  In 2013, it finalized its purchase of ZICO, a coconut water company  In August 2014, it acquired a 16 7% (currently 19 36% due to stock buy backs) stake in Monster Beverage for $2 15 billion with an option to increase it to 25%, as part of a long-term strategic partnership that includes marketing and distribution alliance, and product line swap  In 2015, the company took a minority stake ownership in the cold pressed juice manufacturer, Suja Life LLC  In December 2016, it bought many of the former SABMiller's Coca-Cola operations  The Coca-Cola Company owns a 68 3% stake in Coca-Cola Bottlers Africa   Coca-Cola Bottlers Africa's headquarters located in Port Elizabeth South Africa 
The Coca-Cola Company acquired a 40% stake in Chi Ltd on January 30, 2016  The Coca-Cola Company acquired the remaining 60% stake in Chi Ltd on January 30, 2019 
In 2017, the Coca-Cola Company acquired Mexican sparkling water brand Topo Chico On August 31, 2018, it agreed to acquire Costa Coffee from Whitbread for £3 9bn  The acquisition closed on January 3, 2019  During August 2018, The Coca-Cola Company acquired Moxie for an undisclosed amount  On August 14, 2018, the Coca-Cola Company announced a minority interest in Body Armor  On September 19, 2018, the Coca-Cola Company acquired Organic & Raw Trading Co  Pty Ltd the manufacturer of MOJO Kombucha in Willunga, Australia 

Revenue and sales
According to the Coca-Cola Company's 2005 annual report, it had sold beverage products in more than 200 countries that year  The 2005 report further states that of the approximately 50 billion beverage servings of all types consumed worldwide, daily, beverages bearing the trademarks owned by or licensed to Coca-Cola account for more than 1 3 billion  Of these, beverages bearing the trademark "Coca-Cola" or "Coke" accounted for approximately 55% of the company's total gallon sales In 2010, it was announced that Coca-Cola had become the first brand to top £1 billion in annual UK grocery sales  In 2017, Coca-Cola sales were down 11% from the year before due to consumer tastes shifting away from sugary drinks 

Stock
Since 1919, Coca-Cola has been a publicly traded company  Its stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "KO"  One share of stock purchased in 1919 for $40, with all dividends reinvested, would have been worth $9 8 million in 2012, a 10 7% annual increase adjusted for inflation  A predecessor bank of SunTrust received $100,000 for underwriting Coca-Cola's 1919 public offering; the bank sold that stock for over $2 billion in 2012  In 1987, Coca-Cola once again became one of the 30 stocks which makes up the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which is commonly referenced as a proxy for stock market performance; it had previously been a Dow stock from 1932 to 1935  Coca-Cola has paid a dividend since 1920 and, as of 2019, had increased it each year for 57 years straight 

Staff and management
The following are key management as of March 2023 (excluding VP positions and regional leaders):

The following are all directors as of March 2023:

Bottlers
In general, the Coca-Cola Company and its subsidiaries only produce syrup concentrate, as well as sourcing beverage base including coffee beans, tea leaf, juices, etc , which is then sold to various bottlers throughout the world who hold a local Coca-Cola franchise  Coca-Cola bottlers, who hold territorially exclusive contracts with the company, produce the finished product in packages from the concentrate and beverage base, in combination with filtered water and sweeteners  The bottlers then sell, distribute, and merchandise the Coca-Cola product to retail stores, vending machines, restaurants, and food service distributors  Outside the United States, these bottlers also control the fountain business Since the 1980s, the company has actively encouraged the consolidation of bottlers, with the company often owning a share of these "anchor bottlers "In January 2006, the company formed the Bottling Investments Group (BIG), by bringing company-owned bottling operations together to strategically invest in select bottling operations, temporarily taking them under Coca-Cola ownership, and utilizing the leadership and resources of the company  Also, the company has accelerated refranchising both company-owned bottlers and independent bottling partners to consolidate their operations and move away from the capital-intensive and low-margin business of bottling, with maintaining minor share ownership of these consolidated bottlers and secure the right to nominate directors and/or executives through shareholders agreement and/or capital and business alliance agreement As a result of the refranchising and bottler consolidations, multi-national/large-scale bottlers and three U S -based bottlers now dominate the manufacturing and distribution of the company's products except the territories managed by BIG bottlers 
Multi-national/large-scale bottlers

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PLC: Headquartered in the UK, operates 29 countries in Western Europe, Oceania, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea  The company owns 19 36% 
Coca-Cola FEMSA: Headquartered in Mexico, operating in Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, and Venezuela  The company owns 27 8% 
Arca Continental: Headquartered in Mexico, operating in Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, and the southwestern U S  (Texas and parts of New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Arkansas)  (Independent)
Embotelladora Andina (Coca-Cola Andina): Headquartered in Chile, operating in Argentine, Chile, Brazil, and Paraguay  The company owns 14 7% of series A common stock outstanding & 14 7% of series B common stock outstanding 
Coca-Cola HBC AG: Headquartered in Switzerland, operating 28 countries in Western, Central, and Eastern Europe, Russia, and Nigeria  The company owns 23 2% 
Coca-Cola Icecek: Headquartered in Turkey, operates in the Middle East and Central Asian Countries (Turkey, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Iraq, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Jordan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Syria)  The company owns 20 1% 
Swire Coca-Cola: Headquartered in Hong Kong, operates in 11 provinces and Shanghai municipality in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Vietnam, Cambodia, and 13 states in the U S 
COFCO Coca-Cola: Operates 19 provinces and municipalities in China, a joint venture between COFCO Corporation and The Coca-Cola Company with 35% ownership 
Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Holdings: Headquartered and operates in Japan, covering ~90% of the volume sold in Japan  The company owns 18 88% Bottlers headquartered and operated in the U S 

Coca-Cola Bottling Co  Consolidated, based in Charlotte, North Carolina  the company owns 34 8% and is listed on NASDAQ 
Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast, based in Bedford, New Hampshire, and owned by Kirin Holdings 
Coca-Cola Bottling Company United,  based in Birmingham, Alabama (independent)
Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, based in Tampa, Florida, and is a certified Minority owned business Company-owned bottling operation is now managed under BIG, which covers operations in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Singapore, and Sri Lanka as well as eastern African operation by Coca-Cola Beverages Africa in Port Elizabeth, South Africa  In 2021, the company announced its intention to list Coca-Cola Beverages Africa as a publicly traded company   However, in June 2022 it announced that it was delaying this plan, pending an evaluation of macroeconomic conditions 

Consumer relations and civic involvement
After Martin Luther King Jr  won the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize, plans for an interracial celebratory dinner in still-segregated Atlanta were not initially well supported by the city's business elite until Coca-Cola intervened 
J  Paul Austin, the chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola, and Mayor Ivan Allen summoned key Atlanta business leaders to the Commerce Club's eighteenth-floor dining room, where Austin told them flatly, 'It is embarrassing for Coca-Cola to be located in a city that refuses to honor its Nobel Prize winner  We are an international business  The Coca-Cola Company does not need Atlanta  You all need to decide whether Atlanta needs the Coca-Cola Company ' Within two hours of the end of that meeting, every ticket to the dinner was sold 
Throughout 2012, Coca-Cola contributed $1,700,500 to a $46 million political campaign known as "The Coalition Against The Costly Food Labeling Proposition, sponsored by Farmers and Food Producers"  This organization was set up to oppose a citizen's initiative, known as Proposition 37, demanding mandatory labeling of foods containing genetically modified ingredients In 2012, Coca-Cola was listed as a partner of the (RED) campaign, together with other brands such as Nike, Girl, American Express, and Converse  The campaign's mission is to prevent the transmission of the HIV virus from mother to child by 2015 (the campaign's byline is "Fighting for an AIDS Free Generation") 

Criticism
Since the early 2000s, the criticisms over the use of Coca-Cola products as well as the company itself, escalated with concerns over health effects, environmental issues, animal testing, economic business practices and employee issues  The Coca-Cola Company has been faced with multiple lawsuits concerning these various criticisms 

Plastic production and waste
The Coca-Cola Company produces over 3 million tonnes of plastic packaging each year including 110 billion plastic bottles The company has been referenced as "the worst plastic polluter in the world" pumping out 200,000 plastic bottles a minute  Problems have also arose in places such as Samoa where Coca-Cola switched away from reusable glass bottles to one time use plastic bottles  Residents of Samoa have seen an increase in plastic pollution since this switch has been made  Alternatives to plastic such as aluminum have also been overlooked with Coca-Cola releasing a new plastic bottle slightly bigger than a can size 
The magazine Forbes has labeled Coca-Cola as the world's most polluting brand  The company's global chief executive stated that "Coca-Cola has no plans to reduce its use of plastic bottles" and opposes bottle bill legislation  as consumers prefer the plastic bottles that "reseal and are lightweight"  They also contribute to plastic waste producing up to 3 million tons of plastic packaging a year including over 110 billion plastic bottles In 2018, Coca-Cola pledged to use 50% recycled materials in its packaging and to recycle the equivalent of 100% of its packaging by 2030  That same year, the company started to sell reusable bottles in Brazil, which customers could return to the point of sale for a discount of subsequent purchases  The initiative was expanded to several other South American countries by 2022  In 2019, the company's Swedish branch marked the first to fully transition to recyclable bottles 

Energy usage of corn syrup manufacturing
Coca-Cola using high fructose corn syrup has a lower sustainability compared to producing sugary dinks with sugar cane  High fructose corn syrup is carbon intensive due to the substantial amounts of fossil fuels required to power heavy machinery  Turning corn into high fructose corn syrup is an energy intensive process requiring large amounts of carbon to be expended especially during corn growth  Burning fossil fuels releases CO2 and CH4 which is the main source of energy for producing high fructose corn syrup  The environmental impact of corn production can be attributed to three primary effects of field emissions, irrigation and grain decay 

Water usage
Coca-Cola has also been under fire for depleting water sources through their high water usages  Local villagers have testified that Coca-Cola's entry in Kaladera Rajasthan intensified lower water sources  Documents from the government's water ministry reveal water levels remained stable from 1995 until 2000, when the Coca-Cola was first operational  Water levels then dropped by almost ten meters during the next five years  Other communities in India that are located around Coca-Cola's bottling plants are experiencing water shortages as well as environmental damage taking heavy tolls on harvests as well as drying up wells 

Racial discrimination
In November 2000, Coca-Cola agreed to pay $192 5 million to settle a class action racial discrimination lawsuit and promised to change the way it manages, promotes, and treats minority employees in the US  In 2003, protesters at Coca-Cola's annual meeting claimed that black people remained underrepresented in top management at the company, were paid less than white employees, and fired more often  In 2004, Luke Visconti, a co-founder of DiversityInc, which rates companies on their diversity efforts, said: "Because of the settlement decree, Coca-Cola was forced to put in management practices that have put the company in the top 10 for diversity "In March 2012, 16 workers of color sued Coca-Cola, claiming they had to work in a “cesspool of racial discrimination ”In February 2021, recordings of an employee training course were leaked on social media  The course instructed employees to "be less white", which the course equated with being less "arrogant" and "oppressive "

Advertising
Coca-Cola advertising has "been among the most prolific in marketing history," with a notable and major impact on popular culture and society as a whole  The company in recent years has spent approximately an annual $4 billion globally to promote its drinks to the public; and spent approximately $4 24 billion on advertising in fiscal year 2019, the lion's share of which was spent to advertise Coca-Cola Coca-Cola advertises through direct marketing, web-based media, social media, text messaging, and sales promotions  The company also markets via mobile marketing in text messages, e g  viral marketing campaigns Fan engagement spans 86 million globally across social media channels: online interaction, and social, cultural, or sporting events In the retail setting, direct store beverage delivery trucks (mobile advertising) as well as point of sale coolers and vending machines have bright red logo blazoned branding  In terms of foodservice, Coca-Cola is a food pairing suggestion that is now ingrained as a food match, e g , for popcorn, hamburgers, french fries, and hot dog combos 

Products and brands
As of 2020, the Coca-Cola Company offers more than 500 brands in over 200 countries  In September 2020, the company announced that it would cut more than half of its brands, as a result of the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic 

Non-food assets
Columbia Pictures
Coca-Cola bought Columbia Pictures in 1982, owing to the low monetary value of the studio  The film company was the first and only studio ever be owned by Coca-Cola  During its ownership of the studio, Columbia released many popular films including Ghostbusters, Stripes, The Karate Kid, and some others  However, two years after the critical and commercial failure of the 1987 film Ishtar, Columbia was spun-off and then sold to Tokyo-based Sony in 1989 

World of Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola operates a soft drink themed tourist attraction in Atlanta, Georgia; the World of Coca-Cola is a multi-storied exhibition  It features flavor sampling and a history museum, with locations in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Lake Buena Vista, Florida 

Brands
Other soft drinks
The Coca-Cola Company also produces a number of other soft drinks including Fanta (introduced circa 1941) and Sprite  Fanta's origins date back to World War II during a trade embargo against Germany on cola syrup, making it impossible to sell Coca-Cola in Germany  Max Keith, the head of Coca-Cola's German office during the war, decided to create a new product for the German market, made only from products available in Germany at the time, which they named Fanta  The drink proved to be a hit, and when Coke took over again after the war, it adopted the Fanta brand as well  Fanta was originally an orange-flavored soft drink that can come in plastic bottles or cans  It has become available in many different flavors now such as grape, peach, grapefruit, apple, pineapple, and strawberry 
In 1961, Coca-Cola introduced Sprite, a lemon-lime soft drink, another of the company's bestsellers and its response to 7 Up 
Tab was Coca-Cola's first attempt to develop a diet soft drink, using saccharin as a sugar substitute  Introduced in 1963, the product was sold until fall 2020, although its sales had dwindled since the introduction of Diet Coke Coca-Cola South Africa also released Valpre Bottled "still" and "sparkling" water 
In 1969, the company released Simba, which was a take on Mountain Dew, and had packaging that was African desert-themed, replete with an African Lion as the symbol of the brand   The tagline was "Simba – It Conquers the African Thirst "
Also in 1969, the company released a line of products under the name of Santiba, which was targeted for mixing cocktails and party usage, products including Quinine water and Ginger Ale   Like the above-mentioned Simba, the Santiba line of products was short-lived in the marketplace 

BreakMate
No longer manufactured, the Coca-Cola BreakMate was a three-flavor dispenser introduced by Coca-Cola and Siemens in 1988  Intended for use in offices with five to fifty people, its refrigerated compartment held three individual one-litre plastic containers of soda syrup and a CO2 tank  Like a soda fountain, it mixed syrup in a 1:5 ratio with carbonated water  In North America, Coca-Cola discontinued spare BreakMate parts in 2007 and stopped distributing the syrup in 2010 

Healthy beverages
During the 1990s, the company responded to the growing consumer interest in healthy beverages by introducing several new non-carbonated beverage brands  These included Minute Maid Juices to Go, Powerade sports beverage, flavored tea Nestea (in a joint venture with Nestlé), Fruitopia fruit drink, and Dasani water, among others  In 2001, the Minute Maid division launched the Simply Orange brand of juices including orange juice  In 2016, Coca-Cola India introduced Vio to enter into the value-added dairy category  The product lays the foundation for Coca-Cola's new segment after carbonated beverages, water and juices In 2004, perhaps in response to the burgeoning popularity of low-carbohydrate diets such as the Atkins diet, Coca-Cola announced its intention to develop and sell a low-carbohydrate alternative to Coke Classic, dubbed C2 Cola  C2 contains a mix of high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, sucralose, and Acesulfame potassium  C2 is designed to more closely emulate the taste of Coca-Cola Classic  Even with less than half of the food energy and carbohydrates of standard soft drinks, C2 is not a replacement for zero-calorie soft drinks such as Diet Coke  C2 went on sale in the U S  on June 11, 2004, and in Canada in August 2004; it was replaced in 2013 by Coca-Cola Life 
Starting in 2009, the Coca-Cola Company invested in Innocent Drinks, first with a minor stake, increasing to 90% in the first quarter of 2013 It was in May 2014 when Finley, a sparkling fruit-flavored drink, was launched in France  It was launched in other countries later, including Belgium and Luxembourg in September 2014  Coca-Cola first started developing the drink in Belgium in 2001  As of 2014, the drink is targeted for adults, and is low in sugar with four flavors 

Best selling
Coca-Cola is the best-selling soft drink in most countries, and was recognized as the number one global brand in 2010  While the Middle East is one of the few regions in the world where Coca-Cola is not the number one soda drink, Coca-Cola nonetheless holds almost 25% market share (to Pepsi's 75%) and had double-digit growth in 2003  Similarly, in Scotland, where the locally produced Irn-Bru was once more popular, 2005 figures show that both Coca-Cola and Diet Coke now outsell Irn-Bru  In Peru, the native Inca Kola has been more popular than Coca-Cola, which prompted Coca-Cola to enter in negotiations with the soft drink's company and buy 50% of its stakes  In Japan, the best selling soft drink is not cola, as (canned) tea and coffee are more popular  As such, the Coca-Cola Company's best selling brand there is not Coca-Cola, but Georgia  In May 2016, the Coca-Cola Company temporarily halted production of its signature drink in Venezuela due to sugar shortages  Since then, the Coca-Cola Company has been using "minimum inventories of raw material" to make their signature drinks at two production plants in Venezuela 

Information
On July 6, 2006, a Coca-Cola employee and two other people were arrested and charged with trying to sell trade secret information to the soft drink maker's competitor PepsiCo for $1 5 million  The recipe for Coca-Cola, perhaps the company's most closely guarded secret, was never in jeopardy; instead, the information was related to a new beverage in development  Coca-Cola executives verified that the trade secret documents in question were genuine and proprietary to the company  At least one glass vial containing a sample of a new drink was offered for sale, court documents said  The conspiracy was revealed by PepsiCo, which notified authorities when it was approached by the conspirators 

Green tea
The company announced a new "negative calorie" green tea drink, Enviga, in 2006, along with trying coffee retail concepts Far Coast and Chaqwa



ground_truth: Tharangambadi

prompt_front: Answer the question based on the given passages. Only give me the answer and do not output any other words.

Question: Which of the movie which has Rich Lee 3-D previsualizations was directed by Francis Lawrence?

The following are given passages.
Context 2: Passage 1:
Kristof Konrad
Kristof Konrad (born Krzysztof Wojslaw, April 26, 1962) is a Polish-American film, television, theatre, and voice actor, acting coach, voice coach, movement specialist and the Alexander Technique teacher  For over twenty years, he has successfully worked in film and television in both the United States and Europe, working with directors such as Kenneth Branagh, Francis Lawrence, Ron Howard, and Roland Emmerich and working opposite actors such as Jennifer Lawrence, Robin Wright, Kerry Washington, Jennifer Garner, and many more  He currently resides in Los Angeles and works internationally 

Early life
Kristof Konrad (birth name Krzysztof Wojsław) was born on April 26, 1962, in Gizycko, Poland  His father, Mieczyslaw, was a working-class man, and his mother, Jadwiga, a school teacher  He studied to become an electrical engineer, but at the age of 23, he decided to pursue a career in acting  For the next two years (1985-1987), Konrad attended the Alexander Zelwerowicz National Dramatic Academy in Warsaw, Poland  While there, he studied and worked with theatre and film masters Jerzy Grotowski and Andrzej Wajda  Upon graduating, he moved to Rome, Italy, where he studied with Alessandro Fersen at The Fersen Studio until 1992 

Career
Acting
After studying and working in Europe for seven years, Konrad moved to Hollywood in 1992  For over twenty years, he has successfully worked in film and television in the United States and Europe  He began his film career with a role in Independence Day directed by Roland Emmerich, followed by roles in Hotel California, Angels & Demons, Chernobyl Diaries, and many more  Some of his television credits include: Scorpion, Zoo, Agents of S H I E L D , House of Cards, Scandal, Nikita, Alias, and many more Konrad appeared as Dimitri Ustinov, opposite Jennifer Lawrence, in the spy thriller Red Sparrow (2018), directed by Francis Lawrence and based on Jason Matthews' book of the same name  It follows Dominika Egorova (Lawrence), a Russian intelligence rookie who is assigned to seduce a CIA officer; she later falls in love with the officer and considers being a double agent Konrad will play Igor Zavarov in the upcoming Il ragazzo invisibile - Seconda generazione 

Movement specialist and acting coach
Early in his career, Konrad discovered the Alexander Technique while working in the U S  He was fascinated by its "effectiveness in improving the level of acting and helping one cope with the stresses of performing and everyday life " He spent three years training as an Alexander Technique teacher with Jean-Louis Rodrigue and many others at Alexander Training Institute of Los Angeles, where he also received his certification Konrad has taught for the Berlin International Film Festival, Verbier Festival & Academy in Switzerland, and the UBS Verbier Junior Orchestra  He teaches acting in Film and Alexander Technique Intensive Workshops in New York, Los Angeles, Milan, Berlin, Toronto, and Vancouver  He collaborates with Jean-Louis Rodrigue at the Larry Moss Studio, Howard Fine Acting Studio, UCLA Extension Entertainment Studies, Theatricum Botanicum, and Media Access Konrad worked with the cast of King Lear and The Seagull of The Royal Shakespeare Company; helped Sharon Lawrence to create Vivien Leigh in Orson's Shadow at the Pasadena Playhouse; worked with the cast of Electricidad at the Mark Taper Forum, and worked with the artists of Cirque du Soleil’s Ka on improving performance and preventing injuries Konrad coached Lymari Nadal in embodying Eva, the love interest of Denzel Washington in American Gangster 

Filmography (selection)
Film
Television
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (one episode, 1995) - Chip Off The Old Clark as Rebel Leader
High Incident (one episode, 1996) - Christmas Blues as Kronsky
JAG (one episode, 1997) -  Cowboys & Cossacks as Russian Communications Officer
Beverly Hills, 90210 (one episode, 1998) - The Fundamental Things Apply as Alex Veselic
Ryan Caulfield: Year One (one episode, 1999) - Sex and St  Michael as Lako
V I P  (one episode, 2001) - A I  Highrise as Vanderwall
Son of the Beach (one episode, 2001) - From Russia, with Johnson as Sergei
The Agency (one episode, 2001) - Deadline as Major
Alias (two episodes, 2002) - The Box: Part 1 and The Box: Part 2 as Endo
The District (one episode, 2004) - On Guard as Gregor Bukantz
E-Ring (one episode, 2006) - War Crimes as Ivan
Gilmore Girls (one episode, 2007) - I'm a Kayak, Hear Me Roar as Stefan
The Unit (one episode, 2007) - Bedfellows as Customer One
Raising the Bar (one episode, 2008) - Bagels and Locks as Andrei Markova
Burn Notice (one episode, 2009) - Friends Like These as Milovan Dragas
Gigantic (one episode, 2010) - Pilot: Part 2 as Gustav
Nikita (one episode, 2010) - 2: 2 0 as Mirko Dadich
Undercovers (one episode, 2010) - Crashed as Borz
Scandal (one episode, 2012) - Sweet Baby as Polish Ambassador
Intelligence (one episode, 2014) - The Grey Hat as Torbin Salvi
House of Cards (one episode, 2015) - Chapter 32 as Boris Litsky
Agents of S H I E L D  (one episode, 2016) - Parting Shot as General Androvich
Zoo (two episodes, 2016) - The Contingency & The Yellow Brick Road as Leonid Ivankov
Scorpion (one episode, 2017) – Episode #4 2 as Manager Anton Eksteritsky
Homecoming (two episodes, 2018) -Episode #1 2 and Episode 1 10 as Mr  Heidl
I Am the Night (one episode, 2019) - "Episode #1 6" as Rachmaninoff
FBI: Most Wanted (one episode, 2022) - A Man Without a Country as Aleksander Pavlishchev
Chicago Med (four episodes, 2023) as Pawel Wapniarski
Passage 2:
Justin Timberlake videography
American entertainer Justin Timberlake has released four video albums and has been featured in thirty-seven music videos, seventeen films, fifteen television shows, and six commercials  He achieved early fame when he appeared in the Disney Channel television series The All-New Mickey Mouse Club, alongside singers Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera and actor Ryan Gosling  Timberlake rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the boy band NSYNC  In 2002, he launched his solo career and released his solo debut single "Like I Love You", the music video for which was directed by Bucky Chrome  Francis Lawrence directed the video for "Cry Me a River"  The video features Timberlake's character as he spies on a former lover, who according to the director portrays his former romantic interest Spears  At the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, the video won the accolades for Best Male Video and Best Pop Video In 2005, Timberlake starred in the thriller Edison alongside Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey  The film received negative reviews from film critics and was a box office bomb  He then portrayed Frankie Ballenbacher in the crime drama Alpha Dog (2006); it received mixed responses from critics and attained box office success  The same year, Timberlake released his second studio album FutureSex/LoveSounds—four music videos for singles from the album were shot  Samuel Bayer directed the music video for "What Goes Around    Comes Around" (2007) in which American actress Scarlett Johansson plays Timberlake's love interest  From 2007 until 2009, he appeared in the music videos for his collaborations with other artists including 50 Cent ("Ayo Technology"), Madonna ("4 Minutes") and T I  ("Dead and Gone") 
Timberlake starred in the 2010 drama The Social Network, in which he portrayed Sean Parker, the first president of Facebook  The film received acclaim from critics and was a box office success  In 2011, he starred in the comedies Bad Teacher and Friends with Benefits alongside Cameron Diaz and Mila Kunis respectively  Both films were financial successes  The music videos for his songs "Mirrors" and "Suit & Tie" were released in 2013  They earned him a MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year and a Grammy Award for Best Music Video, respectively  Timberlake has also hosted Saturday Night Live five times, being both host and musical guest three times  In film, he released Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids and voiced Branch in Trolls (2016) as well as its sequel Trolls World Tour (2020) 

Music videos
As a performer
Guest appearances
Video albums
Filmography
Film
Television
Commercials
Notes
Passage 3:
Rich Lee
Richard "Rich" Lee is an American music video and commercial director  He has directed music videos for Eminem, Lana Del Rey, Maroon 5, The Black Eyed Peas, Norah Jones, Michael Bublé and The All-American Rejects  Rich Lee started his professional career as a sculptor and fabricator for Broadway shows in New York City  He later moved on to computer graphics and created 3-D previsualizations for big budget Hollywood feature films such as the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films, I Am Legend, Minority Report and Constantine  From the encouragement of feature film directors he moved into directing music videos and commercials  He has directed commercials for brands like Fiat, Hyundai, Honda, Beats by Dre etc 

Videography
Television
NotesA  – Directed with Marc Webb 
B  – Skylar Grey does not appear in the music video 
C  – "Imma Be" and "Rock That Body" combined into one video 
D  - Video currently in production 
Passage 4:
What's So Different?
"What's So Different?" is a song by American R&B singer Ginuwine  It was co-written and produced by Timbaland for his second album 100% Ginuwine (1999)  The song is built around a sample of "Valleri" (1968) by American band The Monkees  Due to the inclusion of the sample, Thomas Boyce and Bobby Hart are also credited as songwriters  Released as the album's second single, "What's So Different?" reached the top ten of the UK Singles Chart and entered the top twenty in New Zealand  It the United States, the song peaked at number three on the Rhythmic chart, also reaching number 21 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs 

Lyrical content and music video
"What's So Different" lyrically describes the narrator questioning his lover who is cheating on her boyfriend to be with him  He claims that if she is cheating on another man to be with him, she may also cheat on him to be with someone else  The music video was directed by Francis Lawrence  "What's So Different" samples the Monkees' 1968 hit "Valleri" 

Track listing
Notes

^a  denotes additional producerSample credits

"What's So Different?" contains an interpolation of "Valleri" (1968) as performed by The Monkees 

Credits and personnel
Credits lifted from the liner notes of 100% Ginuwine 
Thomas Boyce – writer (sample)
Bobby Hart – writer (sample)
Ginuwine – vocals, writer
Timbaland – producer, writer

Charts
Passage 5:
Constantine (film)
Constantine is a 2005 American superhero horror film directed by Francis Lawrence in his directorial debut  Written by Kevin Brodbin and Frank Cappello from a story by Brodbin, it is loosely based on the DC Comics/Vertigo Comics Hellblazer graphic novels  The film stars Keanu Reeves as John Constantine, a cynical exorcist with the ability to perceive and communicate with half-angels and half-demons in their true forms and to travel between Earth and Hell  Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Tilda Swinton, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Djimon Hounsou, Gavin Rossdale, and Peter Stormare also feature 
Constantine was released theatrically in the United States on February 18, 2005  It grossed $230 9 million worldwide against a production budget between $70–100 million, but met with a mixed reception from film critics  In the following years, it has been considered as a cult film  In 2022, a sequel was announced and is currently in development 

Plot
In Mexico, a scavenger recovers the tip of the spear that pierced Jesus Christ from a ruined church and, after becoming possessed, takes it to Los Angeles  There, cynical occult expert John Constantine exorcises a demon from a young girl after witnessing its attempt to come through her to Earth, something that should be impossible because of a treaty between Heaven and Hell  Suffering from terminal lung cancer, Constantine meets with the half-breed angel Gabriel to request an extension to his life in exchange for his work deporting Hell's forces  Gabriel responds that performing good deeds for selfish reasons will not secure his way into Heaven 
Elsewhere, detective Angela Dodson is investigating the death of her twin sister Isabel who leaped from a psychiatric hospital roof  Angela refuses to believe her sister, a devout Catholic, would commit suicide and condemn herself to Hell  Watching security footage, Angela hears Isabel say "Constantine", and seeks out his assistance  He refuses to help until he witnesses demons pursuing Angela and fends them off  He uses a ritual to see Isabel in Hell and confirms she killed herself  Constantine tells Angela that he committed suicide as a teenager because he was traumatized by seeing supernatural creatures and, though he was revived, when he dies he is condemned to Hell 
At the morgue, Constantine's friend Father Hennesy discovers a symbol on Isabel's wrist but is killed by the half-breed demon Balthazar  Constantine and Angela discover Hennesy carved the symbol into his hand for them to find  Angela also finds a clue hidden in Isabel's hospital room concerning a chapter of Hell's bible  Before being killed by Balthazar, Constantine's ally Beeman tells the pair the symbol represents the antichrist Mammon, Lucifer's son, and the chapter prophesies him usurping his father and conquering the Earth, using a powerful psychic and divine assistance; the psychic, Isabel, killed herself to stop Mammon  Angela reveals she possessed powers like Isabel's but repressed them to avoid being deemed insane like her sister  Constantine helps Angela reawaken her powers by inducing a near-death experience, and she uses them to find Balthazar 
Constantine interrogates Balthazar and learns that the blood of Christ on the spear tip is Mammon's divine assistance, and Angela has been chosen as his new host  An unseen entity destroys Balthazar and abducts Angela who becomes possessed by Mammon  With the help of witch doctor Papa Midnite, Constantine induces visions to locate Angela at the psychiatric hospital  Alongside his driver and apprentice, Chas Kramer, Constantine arms himself and assaults the building, battling through hordes of demons to Angela  Constantine and Chas seemingly exorcise Mammon from her, but Chas is killed by the unseen force, revealed to be Gabriel  Resentful at God's favoritism for humanity and forgiveness for even the most wicked, Gabriel intends to unleash Hell on Earth so that those who survive will become truly "worthy" of His love  Gabriel tosses Constantine away and prepares to pierce Angela with the spear tip to unleash Mammon 
Desperate, Constantine commits suicide by slitting his wrists, knowing that Lucifer will personally come to collect him  Time pauses and Constantine convinces Lucifer to intervene and stop Mammon  Gabriel ineffectually attempts to smite Lucifer, revealing God has abandoned them, and Lucifer burns away Gabriel's wings before banishing Mammon to Hell  Lucifer offers to restore Constantine to life for his assistance, but he instead asks that Isabel be sent to Heaven  Lucifer releases Isabel, but Constantine begins ascending to Heaven for his selfless sacrifice  Infuriated, Lucifer restores Constantine to life and removes his cancer, believing that, in time, he will prove he belongs in Hell  Constantine punches the now-mortal Gabriel before leaving and entrusts Angela with securing the spear tip  In a post-credits scene, Constantine visits Chas's grave and witnesses Chas in an angelic form 

Cast
Keanu Reeves as John Constantine: A chain-smoking cynic with the ability to perceive the true visage of half-angels and half-demons on the human plane  John believes himself damned to Hell for attempting suicide—a mortal sin—and has terminal lung cancer 
Connor Dylan Wryn as young John Constantine
Quinn Buniel as child John Constantine
Rachel Weisz as Angela Dodson: A troubled LAPD detective investigating the suicide of her twin sister Isabel (also portrayed by Weisz) 
Weisz also portrays Mammon, the son of Lucifer who has no patience for his father's rule of Hell and uses Angela's body as a means of escaping to rule over Earth 
Shia LaBeouf as Chas Kramer: Constantine's driver and apprentice  Chas has a strong interest in the occult and helps Constantine whenever possible in order to gain knowledge and experience from him 
Tilda Swinton as Gabriel: A "half-breed" Archangel with a disdain for humanity who plots to free Mammon as a means to unleash Hell on the Earth 
Pruitt Taylor Vince as Father Hennessy: An insomniac, alcoholic priest with the ability to communicate with the dead  He wears a protective charm in order to "keep the voices out" 
Djimon Hounsou as Papa Midnite: A former witch-doctor who once fought against Hell  After swearing an oath of neutrality—unless one side should tip the balance of power—he opened a nightclub to serve as neutral meeting ground for both sides of the war between Heaven and Hell 
Gavin Rossdale as Balthazar: A "half-breed" demon with a special interest in, and personal history with, Constantine 
Peter Stormare as Lucifer: A fallen Archangel who is in a proxy war with God for the souls of all mankind and ruler of Hell, feared on Earth as Satan or The Devil  Lucifer loathes Constantine with such vigor that Constantine's soul is the only one he would ever come to personally collect 
Max Baker as Beeman: A friend of Constantine's with extensive knowledge of exotic occult materials and insects  He supplies Constantine with both holy objects and information 
Francis Guinan as Father Garret: A priest Angela talks to about getting Isabel a Catholic burial 
José Zúñiga as Det  Weiss: Angela's partner 
Jesse Ramirez as Manuel: A scavenger and treasure hunter who finds the Spear of Destiny in the ruins of a church in Mexico that grants various powers and places him in a trance-like state in which he travels to Los Angeles 
April Grace as Dr  Archer: Constantine's doctor 
Tanoai Reed as the bouncer at Midnite's club Additionally, Michelle Monaghan filmed several scenes as Ellie, a half-breed demon Constantine sleeps with and asks for information, who is based on a succubus of the same name in the Hellblazer comics  In the finished film, however, the role consists of two brief shots and one line of dialogue ("Holy water?") during Constantine's climactic confrontation with the group of half-breeds in the hospital  Director Francis Lawrence said Ellie's relationship with Constantine was cut to make him more of a lonely character 

Production
The character of John Constantine was introduced by comic book writer/creator Alan Moore in The Saga of Swamp Thing #37, released in June 1985  In 1988, the character was given his own comic book title, Hellblazer, published by DC Comics 
Producer Lauren Shuler Donner began developing the film in 1997  Paul Hunter was attached to direct in 1999, and he was replaced by Tarsem Singh in 2001  Warner Bros  hoped to begin filming in 2002 with Nicolas Cage in the lead role, but Singh dropped out, resulting in opposing lawsuits filed by himself and Warner Bros  Keanu Reeves became attached to the film in 2002  Alan Moore, the original creator of John Constantine, was disappointed by the previous adaptations of his comics From Hell and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and refused to be credited or associated with this film, asking that his royalties be distributed among the other creators of the character 
Constantine incorporated some elements of Garth Ennis's "Dangerous Habits" story arc from the comic (issues #41–46), and others, such as the inclusion of Papa Midnite, from the Original Sins trade paperback  The film's title was changed from Hellblazer to Constantine to avoid confusion with Clive Barker's Hellraiser films  In fact, the comic series was originally going to be titled Hellraiser, but was also retitled to avoid confusion with the first Hellraiser film, which was released a year before the debut of Hellblazer The film changed several aspects of the source material  For one, it was set in Los Angeles, rather than England, which director Francis Lawrence justified by claiming that the comic book was not exclusively set in London  Reeves played the role of John Constantine with his real-life American accent and black hair, while the character in the comics was drawn to resemble the blond musician Sting and came from Liverpool  For the film, Constantine was also given the psychic ability to see "half-breeds" as they truly are, and this led him to attempt suicide, causing his damnation, which, in the comics, was punishment for summoning a demon that killed a young girl  Additionally, the resolution of the lung cancer plotline in the film was amended so that Lucifer willingly saves the redeemed Constantine to give him a second chance at falling, rather than being tricked into doing so 
Director Lawrence decided to base the film's conception of Hell "on the geography of what's around us now"  He further explained:

That was actually a combination of me and the visual effects supervisor and the production designer sitting down and sort of coming up with the biological growth that's growing all over the cars and what that looks like and the color palette  And we started to look at the nuclear test films from the 1940s of the nuclear blasts and just decided that it would be great if the landscape was not only violent with these creatures, but also the atmosphere  So we decided that it was kind of an eternal nuclear blast except nothing ever really gets obliterated because it's eternal and it's constantly going 

Music
Soundtrack
Constantine: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released on February 15, 2005  It is an orchestral compilation of songs from the film, performed by The Hollywood Studio Symphony & The Hollywood Film Chorale and composed by Brian Tyler, the composer for films such as Eagle Eye and Fast & Furious, and Klaus Badelt  Two songs heard in the film, "Passive" by A Perfect Circle (heard as Constantine walks through Midnite's bar) and "Take Five" by The Dave Brubeck Quartet (heard on a record played by Constantine), were not included on the soundtrack 
The album was panned by Allmusic, who referred to it as "clichéd and religiously formulaic" 

Release
Theatrical
The original release date for the film was September 17, 2004, but was subsequently pushed back to February 2005  Although the film was intended to be rated PG-13, it received an R-rating from the MPAA, which Lawrence attributed to its religious overtones 

Home media
The film was released on VHS and DVD in 2005  Warner Home Video intended to release the film on HD DVD on March 28, 2006, making it one of the earliest titles released on that media format, but, following delays to the launch of HD DVD, it actually debuted on June 6 the same year  It was released on Blu-ray Disc by Warner Home Video on October 14, 2008 

Reception
Box office
Constantine opened in 3,006 theaters in the United States on February 18, 2005, earning $29 8 million in its opening weekend and ranking second behind Hitch's second weekend  It ended its run on June 16, having grossed $76 million in the United States and Canada, and $154 9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $230 9 million, against a production budget of $70–100 million 

Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 46% based on the reviews of 230 critics, and an average rating of 5 5/10; the site's consensus states: "Despite solid production values and an intriguing premise, Constantine lacks the focus of another spiritual shoot-em-up, The Matrix"  On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average, it has a score of 50 out of 100 based on the reviews of 41 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews"  Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale Richard Corliss of Time magazine called the film "a one-of-a-kind hybrid: a theological noir action film"  He cited Keanu Reeves' ability to "retain his charisma in a weird-silly moment" as proof that he is a "movie star", and referred to Tilda Swinton as "immaculately decadent"  Corliss also praised the variety of camera placements employed by Francis Lawrence  He was, however, critical of the climax of the film, referring to it as "irrevocably goofy" 
Ella Taylor of LA Weekly wrote: "Constantine, which opts in the end for what I can only describe as a kind of supernatural humanism, is not without its spiritual satisfactions"  Carina Chocano of the Los Angeles Times said that "Keanu Reeves has no peer when it comes to playing these sort of messianic roles—he infuses them with a Zen blankness and serenity that somehow gets him through even the unlikeliest scenes with a quiet, unassuming dignity" Pete Vonder Haar of Film Threat gave the film three stars out of five, writing that "the film (barely) succeeds, thanks to impressive visuals, the idea of an uncaring God wagering with Satan for souls, and two immensely enjoyable scenes (one with Weisz, one with Stormare) in which Reeves actually plays his character as the cynical asshole he really is" Jack Mathews of the New York Daily News gave the film 2 out of 4 stars: "For all its spiritual angst, Constantine is about as silly as fantasies get"  Michael Sragow of The Baltimore Sun also gave the film 2 stars out of 4: "It all comes off as a case of filmmakers wanting to have their communion wafer and eat it, too"  Desson Thomson, a writer for The Washington Post, had similar sentiments of the film, specifically criticizing its differences from the comic book:

If you are a fan of the Hellblazer comic book series, on which this movie is based, you'll definitely need a distraction  The relation between Constantine and its source material is, at best, superfluous  The disparity starts with the original John Constantine (Reeves's character) being from Liverpool, England  Reeves from the city of John and Paul? As if 
Leonard Maltin's annual publication Movie Guide gave the film a BOMB rating, describing it as "dreary, to put it mildly" 
Film critic Roger Ebert gave it 1 5 out of 4 stars, panning the depiction of Hell ("a post-nuclear Los Angeles created by animators with a hangover"), the premise of the film itself ("you would think that God would be the New England Patriots of this contest, but apparently there is a chance that Satan could win"), plot holes, inconsistencies, and general actions depicted throughout the film  He was not particularly critical of the acting, only mentioning it by stating: "Reeves has a deliberately morose energy level in the movie, as befits one who has seen Hell, walks among half-demons, and is dying  He keeps on smoking"  Ebert added the film to his list of "most hated" films 

Novelization and video game
To tie-in to the film's release, a novelization by John Shirley and a video game adaption were produced  The novelization states that the buildings in Hell are built with the souls of the damned, rather than brick, and lined with blood, rather than mortar 

Sequel
In 2011, director Francis Lawrence stated, regarding a sequel:

It's interesting that over the years, Constantine seems like it's become     like it has this sort of cult following, which has been great  It's been embraced  It would be great to figure out a sequel, and if we did, and we've been trying to figure one out, it would be great to do the really dark, scary version  We got caught in that weird PG-13–R no man's land, and we should do the hard-R scary version, which I would love to do 
In November 2012, Guillermo del Toro signed a deal to write and direct a Justice League Dark film centered around DC Comics' supernatural characters, John Constantine among them Reeves said in 2019 and 2021 that he is open to reprise the role in the future In November 2020, Stormare announced in a post on Instagram that a sequel was "in the works", though neither representatives for Warner Bros  nor Reeves immediately responded to requests for comment In September 2022, Deadline Hollywood reported that Warner Bros  will develop a Constantine sequel, with Keanu Reeves set to return in the lead role  Francis Lawrence will return as the film's director, with Akiva Goldsman writing the screenplay  Goldsman will also produce, alongside J  J  Abrams & Hannah Minghella 
Passage 6:
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 is a 2014 American dystopian science fiction war film directed by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by Peter Craig and Danny Strong, based on the 2010 novel Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins  The sequel to The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013), it is the third installment in The Hunger Games film series  It stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci, and Donald Sutherland  In the film, Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) joins Alma Coin (Moore), the renegade leader of the underground District 13, in a mass rebellion against the Capitol 
Development on a third Hunger Games film was announced in May 2012, after Lionsgate announced Collins' novel would be split into two parts  Lawrence was confirmed to return to direct the final two installments that November, which would be filmed back-to-back  Most of the main cast was rounded out by September 2013 when principal photography began, lasting until June 2014, with filming locations including Boston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Paris, and Berlin  The film faced controversy after its content was used in political protests in 2014 and 2015 
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square in London on November 10, 2014, and was released in the United States on November 21, by Lionsgate  The film generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its acting, music, and political subtext, but criticism for its pacing and the decision to split the novel into two films  It grossed over $755 million worldwide, becoming the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2014; it set the record for the largest opening day and opening weekend of 2014 
Among its accolades, Mockingjay – Part 1 was nominated for Best Science Fiction Film at the 41st Saturn Awards, while Lawrence was nominated Best Actress in an Action Movie at the 20th Critics' Choice Awards  The song "Yellow Flicker Beat" by Lorde, the lead single from its soundtrack, was nominated for Best Original Song at the 72nd Golden Globe Awards and Critics' Choice Awards 
The film was followed by the main series' final film, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, in 2015 

Plot
After being rescued from the destroyed arena in the 75th Hunger Games, tributes Katniss Everdeen, Beetee, and Finnick Odair are taken to District 13, a below-ground district isolated from Panem that has been spearheading the rebellion  Katniss is reunited with her mother and sister Prim and is introduced to President Alma Coin, the rebel leader  Katniss is told that her arrow destroying the forcefield led to riots in over half the districts, joining District 13 in the rebellion, which caused Snow to bomb District 12 in retaliation  Coin asks her to become the "Mockingjay"—a symbol of the rebellion—as part of a "hearts and minds" strategy  Katniss reluctantly agrees after seeing Peeta being manipulated on state television to quell the rebellion  She visits the ruins of District 12, her old house somehow untouched with white roses from President Snow inside 
Katniss meets her film team and is given Effie Trinket as a stylist and close friend, Gale, as a bodyguard  They go to District 8 where Katniss is filmed being saluted by dozens of wounded civilians at a hospital; Snow, seeing the footage, orders an airstrike at the hospital, killing everyone inside  The crew films Katniss and Gale shooting down two Capitol hovercraft and Katniss' rage-filled threat: "If we burn, you burn with us " Afterwards, loggers in District 7 revolt, shouting the same phrase and killing Peacekeepers by detonating land mines 
Katniss and her team travel to District 12 to film her sing "The Hanging Tree"  Hundreds of protesters in District 5, singing the same anthem, launch a suicidal human wave attack against a hydroelectric dam that is the Capitol's primary source of electricity  The attack successfully implodes and breaches the dam, causing a blackout that forces the Capitol to revert to secondary generators  That night, Katniss watches Peeta being interviewed by Caesar Flickerman, the Games' former presenter, when Coin and Beetee hijack the signal to air a clip of Katniss  After seeing it, Peeta suddenly shouts a warning that the Capitol is about to attack District 13  Coin orders a mass evacuation into deep, underground shelters, and the facility survives the attack  Upon emerging, Katniss discovers the area littered with white roses; she concludes that Snow orchestrated this to inform her that whenever she condemns the Capitol, they will torture Peeta in retaliation 
Coin dispatches an elite special-forces team to rescue Peeta and remaining victors Johanna Mason, Enobaria, and Annie Cresta from their prison  Beetee hijacks the Capitol's defense system with a "propo" narrated by Finnick to convince more districts to side with the rebellion in which Finnick reveals that Snow would force "desirable" tributes (including Finnick himself) into prostitution with the threat of killing their families if they refused (which happened to Johanna) and that Snow only became the leader of Panem because he poisoned his opponents  When the propo proves not to be enough, Katniss communicates directly with Snow as a further distraction to buy enough time  Gale's team rescues the victors and escapes the Capitol easily, indicating the Capitol reduced its security on purpose  When Katniss greets Peeta, he unexpectedly attacks and strangles her into unconsciousness before being knocked out by Boggs 
Katniss wakes up and is informed that Peeta has been "hijacked"—brainwashed into trying to kill her, which explains why the Capitol allowed them to escape with him  Peeta is placed in solitary confinement, while a serum is developed to reverse the hijacking effects  Coin announces that the rebels' next objective is the Capitol's principal military stronghold in District 2—now the only district remaining loyal to the Capitol 

Cast
Production
Pre-production
On July 10, 2012, Lionsgate announced that the third and final installment in the series, Mockingjay, would be split into two parts  The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 was released on November 21, 2014, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 was released on November 20, 2015  Many directors, including Rian Johnson, Francis Lawrence and Alfonso Cuarón were considered for the job  On November 1, 2012, Lawrence, director of Catching Fire, announced he would return to direct both final parts in the series On December 6, 2012, Danny Strong announced that he would be writing the third and fourth films  On February 15, 2013, Lionsgate confirmed the script for Part 1 was written by Strong, giving him permission to write Part 2  Later in August, Hemsworth confirmed that shooting of the film would begin in September 2013 The film's production began on September 16, 2013, in Boston, Atlanta, and Los Angeles  Studio Babelsberg co-produced and oversaw production services for the film 

Casting
On August 26, 2013, it was announced that actress Stef Dawson had joined the cast and would portray Annie Cresta  Lionsgate announced on September 13, 2013, that Julianne Moore had joined the cast of both Mockingjay's parts to play President Alma Coin  Over the next month, Patina Miller, Mahershala Ali, Wes Chatham, and Elden Henson joined the cast as Commander Paylor, Boggs, Castor, and Pollux, respectively  There was a casting call for extras on September 23  Robert Knepper was cast as Antonius, a character who does not appear in the books and is an addition to the adaptation  Knepper has stated that during his audition he knew that the lines he received were not what he would end up doing, adding that "they [Lionsgate] are so secretive about this " Wyatt Russell was originally offered a role in both parts of Mockingjay, but his father Kurt confirmed in September 2013 that he turned down the offer to star in 22 Jump Street 

Filming
Shooting began on September 23, 2013 in Atlanta and concluded on June 20, 2014 in Berlin  Part 1 was filmed back-to-back with Part 2  In mid-October, the crews were spotted filming in Rockmart  The crew and cast took a break to promote The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and filming resumed on December 2, 2013  On December 14, 2013, shooting took place at the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta, Georgia  On December 18, shooting began at Caldwell Tanks in Newnan, Georgia Philip Seymour Hoffman died on February 2, 2014  Lionsgate released a statement stating that Hoffman had completed filming most of his scenes prior to his death  A dedication to him appears ahead of the closing credits 
On April 18, 2014, producer Nina Jacobson announced that filming in Atlanta had just wrapped up, followed by director Francis Lawrence announcing the next day about moving production to Europe  It was announced that they would be filming battle scenes in Paris and at Berlin Tempelhof Airport in Berlin  They began filming in the streets of Paris and in the city of Ivry-sur-Seine on May 7, where Lawrence and Hemsworth were spotted during the filming of some scenes among extras On May 9, it was reported that filming was taking place in Noisy le Grand, Paris where Lawrence, Hemsworth, Hutcherson, and Claflin were spotted on the set which re-created the world of Panem  It is the same location where Brazil was filmed in 1984 

Costumes
Christian Cordella, a costume illustrator on the first movie, returned to sketch the outfits for District 13 

Music
The music was created to convey the dark feel of the film  On October 9, 2014, it was revealed that the Trinity School boys' choir recorded tracks for the score, written by James Newton Howard  Jennifer Lawrence performed the film's version of the song "The Hanging Tree", originally featured in the novel, but was not thrilled about having to sing and cried the day of the performance  As of the evening of November 25, 2014, the song was #4 on the Apple's iTunes top 150 list  "The Hanging Tree" also peaked at #1 in Austria and Hungary and peaked at #12 on Billboard Hot 100 in the U S 

Score
Marketing
Tim Palen, the head of marketing for Lionsgate said, "When we started, we decided to look at this as one big movie that's eight hours long  Otherwise, it's going to be kind of overwhelming to do a new campaign for each movie " He also added that he saw the biggest potential in international growth and that they matched Iron Man 3 domestically, but were aiming to improve internationally for the two Mockingjay films  He revealed in an interview with Variety that there would be reveals of the marketing campaign at the Cannes Film Festival in May and San Diego Comic Con in July On May 14, 2014 TheHungerGamesExclusive com was launched  It featured three stills from the movie, featuring Woody Harrelson, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Jeffrey Wright with an additional behind-the-scenes still of director Francis Lawrence and Mahershala Ali  The website also featured other content, including a short GIF image of Julianne Moore as President Coin and a video interview with Moore  There was also an in-depth interview with director Francis Lawrence, producer Nina Jacobson and screenwriter Peter Craig  A page from the script of Part 1 was also released in addition to a motion poster, with the tagline, "Fire burns brighter in the darkness "On May 17, 2014, while principal photography was underway in Paris, some of the cast and crew including Lawrence, Hutcherson, Hemsworth, Claflin, Moore, Sutherland, Lawrence, and Jacobson attended the 2014 Cannes Film Festival for a photo shoot and party bash to excite international investors  Co-chairman of Lionsgate Rob Friedman said in response to why they would incur such big expense even though the film isn't actually playing at the festival that it was convenient as the cast were in Europe already and that "it's a big opportunity for our international distributors to actually hear what the worldwide plans are for the film, which opens in November  Cannes is the best publicity opportunity from an international penetration perspective "Kabam announced their partnership with Lionsgate to create a mobile game based on The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, to tie in with the film's release  Kabam produced an exclusive role playing, card collection mobile game  In the game, players assume the identity of District members sent on a mission in order to build their alliance, liberate their District, and rebuild Panem  "Lionsgate has an unparalleled track record of developing and producing blockbuster movie franchises like The Hunger Games," said Kabam Chief Operating Officer Kent Wakeford  "Partnering with Lionsgate, Kabam will build a mobile game that's as much fun to play as the movie is to watch  The game will be developed in Kabam's China studio, the same place where the hit film-based game The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies was created and went on to generate more than $100 million in revenue during its first year "The film was not listed on the schedule for San Diego Comic-Con International 2014, which raised questions on their absence by fans and the press  Lionsgate announced on July 18, 2014, a week before the event, that the film would have a presence at the convention  Lionsgate partnered up with Samsung to debut the (including the viral videos which were considered 'teasers', third) teaser trailer on Samsung's new Galaxy Tab S at a special event on Friday, July 25, which was being hosted off-site at the Hard Rock Hotel  The partnership allowed Samsung users to view the trailer before the online release, download the first two movies for free as well as be given a free complimentary ticket to the movie  On July 28, the teaser trailer officially debuted online through the movie's official Facebook page and YouTube account   Within minutes, #MockingjayTeaserTrailerToday, #OurLeadertheMockingjay, and #OfficialTeaserTrailer became trending topics worldwide on Twitter  A full worldwide official trailer was released on September 15 

Viral marketing
A viral marketing campaign began on June 21, 2014, with the return of TheCapitol PNOn June 25, TheCapitol PN viral site released a video titled "President Snow's Address - 'Together As One'" featuring a speech by Donald Sutherland, in character as President Snow addressing the citizens of Panem and warning them that if they fight the system, they will be the ones to face the repercussions  The video also briefly features Josh Hutcherson, in character as Peeta Mellark, who at the final events of the previous film was taken hostage by the Capitol  The video went viral on YouTube becoming the most watched trailer during the last week of June in the US while trending as the most "Popular Video on YouTube" in Australia and Canada  The video, billed as a teaser trailer, was attached to screenings of Transformers: Age of Extinction beginning June 28 Two weeks later on July 9, Capitol TV released a second viral video titled 'President Snow's Address — Unity' featuring again another speech by President Snow with Peeta Mellark standing beside him, but this time accompanied by Jena Malone in character as Johanna Mason, who was also captured by the Capitol at the end of the previous film, and a group of peacekeepers  The speech was interrupted by Jeffrey Wright, in character as Beetee Latier, a technician from District 13, to announce that "the Mockingjay lives " Within minutes, #TheMockingjayLives and '#2 - Unity' became the top two trending topics worldwide on Twitter  The video, billed as the second teaser trailer for the film, was played with screenings of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes On July 24, shortly before the trailer's official release, a teaser poster for the movie was posted on The Capitol's Instagram account, but was quickly deleted  Shortly after the removal of the poster, the account issued an apology "[for the] technical issues", presenting the poster's posting as a hack from the District 13 rebellions On August 6, after few clues given on the official Facebook page, www district13 co in was launched  The website introduced new posters for the District 13 characters including Beetee, Coin, Plutarch, Finnick, Haymitch and Effie 

Political ramifications
On November 20, 2014, some showings were reportedly canceled in Thailand because protestors were using the three-finger salute at demonstrations against the country's military government On November 24, 2014, it was reported that in relation to the Ferguson unrest following the shooting of Michael Brown, a protester had scrawled graffiti reading "If we burn, you burn with us" on an arch in St  Louis, Missouri On September 11, 2015, some Catalan pro-independence protesters used the three-finger salute at the Free Way to the Catalan Republic against Spain's government 

Release
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 was released on November 19, 2014, in 9 territories including France, Greece, Scandinavia and Brazil, and then expanded to a further 59 on November 20, 2014, including the UK, Germany, Australia, Italy, Mexico and South Korea  With 17 more released on November 21, 2014, including the United States, the total launch was in 85 markets, making it the biggest release of the year and Lionsgate's widest release ever  This was surpassed by its sequel across 87 markets in 2015  The film was released in China on February 8, 2015, in 2D and 3D, making it the first film in the franchise to be released in 3D in any territory and debuted in more than 4,000 screens   Director Francis Lawrence stated: "we recently saw the 3-D version of Mockingjay – Part 1 before its release in China, and the new level of immersion was really fantastic " The film was dedicated to the memory of Philip Seymour Hoffman 

Home video
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 was released on Digital HD on February 17, 2015, and was followed by a Blu-ray/DVD release on March 6, 2015  It topped the home video sales chart for two consecutive weeks despite facing competition from Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb  The film's home video sales earned a $73 1 million with 4 5 million copies sold, making it the fifth best-selling title of 2015  The entire Hunger Games series was released on 4K UHD Blu-Ray on November 8, 2016 

Reception
Box office
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 grossed $337 1 million in the USA & Canada, and $418 2 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $755 4 million against $125 million budget ($190 million including promotion and advertising costs)  Calculating in all expenses, Deadline Hollywood estimated that the film made a profit of $211 61 million  Worldwide, it is the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2014  Its worldwide opening of $273 8 million is the sixteenth-largest of all time, the second-largest opening of 2014 behind Transformers: Age of Extinction ($302 1 million), and the largest among The Hunger Games franchise 

North America
In the U S  and Canada, the film was released across 3,200 theaters on Thursday night, November 20, 2014, and was widened to 4,151 theaters on Friday, November 21, 2014  The film earned $17 million from Thursday night previews which is the biggest of 2014 but was lower than its two predecessors  It earned $55 million in its opening day which is the largest opening day of 2014 and the sixth-largest in November but nevertheless still lower than its predecessors  It is the fifteenth film to debut on Friday with $50 million or more, and the nineteenth film to earn $50 million or more in a single day  The film topped the box office in its opening weekend with $121 9 million, and became the biggest opening of 2014 surpassing the $100 million record of Transformers: Age of Extinction as well as becoming the fifteenth-largest,  the 28th film to debut atop with over $100 million, and the only franchise to have three films earn over $100 million in a weekend  Its opening weekend is also the sixth-largest of November  Its opening weekend gross was still relatively lower than the openings of The Hunger Games ($152 million) and Catching Fire ($158 million)  In its second weekend the film remained at the summit earning $56 9 million and set a record for the third-highest 5-day Thanksgiving gross with $82 6 million behind The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ($109 9 million) and Frozen ($93 6 million) and the fifth-highest 3-day Thanksgiving gross with $56 9 million  The film topped the box office for three consecutive weekends before being overtaken by Exodus: Gods and Kings in its fourth weekend  The film passed the $300 million mark in its 6th weekend (37 days later) and became the second film of 2014 to earn over $300 million at the box office after Guardians of the Galaxy  On Wednesday, January 21, 2015, sixty-one days after its initial release, the film surpassed Guardians of the Galaxy and became the highest-grossing film of 2014 in North America until it was surpassed by American Sniper in the next two months It earned $337 1 million at the North American box office making it the third-highest-grossing film in The Hunger Games franchise, the second-highest-grossing film of 2014 (behind American Sniper), the fourth-highest-grossing science fiction film based on a book, the fourth-highest-grossing young-adult adaptation  and the 36th-highest-grossing film in North America  It is also the first film to cross the $300 million mark without 3D or IMAX since Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), and also the highest-grossing non-3D, non IMAX film since Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) 

Outside North America
Outside North America, Mockingjay – Part 1 was also released on the same day in 85 other markets, with the notable exceptions of China, Japan, and India, making it the widest release of any film in 2014  The film earned over $33 million in two days (Wednesday–Thursday) and $67 5 million in three days (Wednesday–Friday) from 17,000 screens  In its opening weekend overseas, the film earned $154 3 million from 17,963 screens in 85 markets which is 4% higher than Catching Fire  The film remained at number one in its second and third weekend overseas earning $67 million and $32 9 million, respectively  In its fourth weekend, the film fell to number two as a result of being overtaken by The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies The film's top openings occurred in the UK, Ireland and Malta ($19 9 million), Germany ($13 7 million), Mexico ($12 1 million), Russia and the CIS ($11 1 million), France ($10 5 million), Australia ($10 1 million), Brazil ($8 8 million) and India ($5 1 million)  The film also grossed $3 9 million in the Philippines  In China, where the film was released over two and a half months later—on February 8, 2015, it had a strong opening day with $9 87 million and went on to earn $31 4 million through its opening week, which is more than what Catching Fire earned through its entire run  The film had an unsuccessful opening in Japan with $500,000 debuting at eighth place at the Japanese box office and ended up making a mere $1 6 million after its run It became the highest-grossing Hunger Games film of all time in 31 countries including Brazil, Italy, Chile, Venezuela, Central America, and Portugal 

Critical response
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise aimed at its political subtext and acting performances (particularly that of Lawrence), but criticism for its lack of action and the makers' splitting the source material for two separate adaptations  Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 69% approval rating, based on 304 reviews, with an average score of 6 3/10  The site's consensus reads: "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 sets up the franchise finale with a penultimate chapter loaded with solid performances and smart political subtext, though it comes up short on the action front " The film holds a Metacritic score of 64 out of 100, based on 46 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews"  Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an "A−" grade, indicating positive reactions from paying viewers Cath Clarke of Time Out gave the film four out of five stars  She praised the politics as "tensely gripping" and felt it had a lot to say about the "ethical ambiguities of war " She praised Lawrence's performance as "strong, smart, stubborn, angry and full of heart" and noted it had grown "deeper and darker " Kevin Harley, who reviewed the film for Total Film, also awarded the film four out of five stars  He felt the film held up due to Lawrence's performance and solid supporting cast  He also offered praise to the action scenes and diverse story telling  He concluded that the movie was "gutsy" and managed to successfully divide the novel into a film "less on scraps than strategy" and "less on action than debates" though he noted this threatened to "distance viewers "Robbie Collin awarded the film three out of five stars  In his review for The Telegraph, he praised the film for being "intense, stylish, topical, well-acted" and declared that it "remains one of the most fascinating, vividly realised fantasy landscapes in recent cinema " Despite praising Lawrence and Hoffman's performance, he felt that it was overcrowded with "two hours of preamble with no discernible payoff " He concluded that the film "fell short" and "could not be called satisfying " Henry Barnes of The Guardian also gave the film three out of five stars  He felt it offered "thrills" despite "lacking a solid structure" and featured "limp special effects " He was also critical of the "creaky script" and felt it lacked some of the "terror" of the previous installments, but praised Lawrence for her performance Todd McCarthy, who reviewed the film for The Hollywood Reporter, felt the installment was "disappointingly bland and unnecessarily protracted " He was critical of the film's leisurely pace and noted it felt "like a manufactured product through and through, ironic and sad given its revolutionary theme " Richard Corliss of Time felt the film was a placeholder for the second installment and noted "Lawrence isn't given much opportunity to do anything spectacularly right here "

Accolades
Sequel
On July 10, 2012, Lionsgate announced that the second part of the Mockingjay adaptation was set for a release on November 20, 2015   Francis Lawrence announced that he would return to direct the final part as well 
Passage 7:
The Hunger Games (film series)
The Hunger Games film series is composed of science fiction dystopian adventure films, based on The Hunger Games trilogy of novels by American author Suzanne Collins  The films are distributed by Lionsgate and produced by Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik  The series feature an ensemble cast including Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark, Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne, Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy, Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket, Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman, and Donald Sutherland as President Snow 
The first three films set various box office records  The Hunger Games (2012) set records for the opening day and the biggest opening weekend for an original IP  Catching Fire (2013) set the record for biggest opening weekend of November  Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) had the largest opening day and weekend of 2014  The films, including Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015), were praised for their themes and Lawrence's performance 
The Hunger Games is the 21st-highest-grossing film franchise of all time, having grossed over US$2 97 billion worldwide 
A prequel film, titled The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, based on the eponymous novel, is set to be released on November 17, 2023 

Background
Following the release of Suzanne Collins's novel The Hunger Games, on September 14, 2008, Hollywood film studios began looking to adapt the book into film  In March 2009, Color Force, an independent studio founded by producer Nina Jacobson, bought the film rights to the book : 12  She then sought out production company Lionsgate to help her produce the film  Collins was also attached to adapt the novel; she began the first draft after completing the third novel in the series, Mockingjay (2010)  The search for a director began in 2010 with three directors in the running; David Slade, Sam Mendes, and Gary Ross  Ross was ultimately chosen to direct  By the time Collins had finished the script, Ross decided to go through the script with Collins and screenwriter Billy Ray 
In October 2010, scripts were sent to the actors, and casting occurred between March and May 2011  The first role cast was of the protagonist, Katniss Everdeen  As many as thirty actresses were in talks to play the part, with Jennifer Lawrence, Hailee Steinfeld, Abigail Breslin, and Chloë Grace Moretz being mentioned most  The role was given to Lawrence The roles of Peeta Mellark, Katniss' fellow tribute, and Gale Hawthorne, her best friend, began casting later that month  Top contenders for Peeta included Josh Hutcherson, Alexander Ludwig (later cast as Cato), Hunter Parrish, Evan Peters, and Lucas Till  Contenders for Gale included Robbie Amell, Liam Hemsworth, David Henrie, and Drew Roy  On April 4, it was reported that Hemsworth had been cast as Gale, and Hutcherson had been cast as Peeta 

Films
The Hunger Games (2012)
Every year, in the ruins of what was once North America, the Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of the 12 districts to send a boy and girl tribute between the ages of 12 and 18 to compete in the Hunger Games: a nationally televised event in which the 'tributes' fight each other to the death until one survivor remains  When Primrose Everdeen is "reaped," her older sister Katniss volunteers in her place as tribute to enter the games and is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts and knowledge when she's pitted against highly trained and fierce "tributes" from all of the other districts and has to think quickly on her feet to survive 

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
Along with fellow District 12 victor Peeta Mellark, Katniss Everdeen returns home safely after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games  Winning means that they must leave their loved ones behind and embark on a Victory Tour throughout the districts for a couple of days  Along the way Katniss senses a rebellion simmering upon the Capitol - one that she and Peeta may have sparked  - but the Capitol is still under control as President Snow prepares for the 75th Hunger Games - the Third Quarter Quell in which past victors will be reaped - that could change Panem forever 

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay (2014–2015)
Part 1 (2014)
Following her rescue from the devastating Quarter Quell, Katniss Everdeen awakes in the complex beneath the supposedly destroyed District 13  Her home, District 12, has been reduced to rubble by the Capitol  Peeta Mellark was kidnapped by the Capitol and is now brainwashed and being held captive by President Snow  Snow wants Peeta to forget everything he had loved about Katniss  At the same time, Katniss also learns about a secret rebellion spreading throughout Panem - a rebellion that places her at the center of attention, and compels her to turn the tables on President Snow 

Part 2 (2015)
Realizing the stakes are no longer just for survival, Katniss Everdeen teams up with her closest friends, Peeta Mellark, Gale Hawthorne, and Finnick Odair, on the ultimate mission for peace  Together, they leave District 13, to liberate citizens from a war that tears Panem apart more than ever  President Snow becomes obsessed with destroying Katniss Everdeen and everyone and everything she loves  Ahead lie mortal traps, dangerous enemies, and moral choices that will determine the future of millions 

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)
In August 2017, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer expressed interest in spin-offs of The Hunger Games, with intentions to create a writers room to explore the concept  In June 2019, Chairman of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Joe Drake, announced that the company is communicating and working closely with Suzanne Collins in options to adapt the prequel to the original trilogy, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which was released on May 19, 2020 By April 2020, a film adaptation was announced to be officially in development  Francis Lawrence will return as director, with a script written by Michael Arndt, from a story adaptation by Suzanne Collins  Nina Jacobson will return as producer, alongside Brad Simpson  The project will be developed by Color Force, and distributed by Lionsgate  In August 2021, Drake stated that the film was expected to start production during the first half of 2022 for a projected late 2023 or early 2024 release date, and was reportedly in pre-production  In April 2022, it was revealed that the film would be released on November 17, 2023  In June 2022, filming for the film began in Berlin with Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler shooting their roles 

Cast and crew
Additional crew
Production
Development
Filming for the franchise began on May 23, 2011, and finished on June 20, 2014 : 138 Suzanne Collins and Louise Rosner acted as executive producers on the first two films  Other executive producers of the first film include Robin Bissell and Shantal Feghali  Co-producers are Diana Alvarez, Martin Cohen, Louis Phillips, Bryan Unkeless, and Aldric La'auli Porter  Color Force and Lionsgate collaborated on all four films  It was announced on November 1, 2012, that the studio had decided to split the final book, Mockingjay (2010), into two films: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015), much like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) and 2 (2011), and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (2011) and 2 (2012) 

Directors
Gary Ross directed the first film (The Hunger Games), and despite initially stating otherwise on April 10, 2012, Lionsgate announced that Ross would not return to direct the sequel  On April 19, 2012, it was confirmed that Francis Lawrence would direct the sequel instead, and on November 1, 2012, it was confirmed that Lawrence would return and direct the final two films in the series, based on the novel Mockingjay 

Scripts
Suzanne Collins began adapting the first book to film after she finished writing Mockingjay  Collins had experience in writing screenplays after writing Clifford's Puppy Days and other children's television shows  When Gary Ross was announced as director for the film in 2010, he began to work with Collins and veteran writer Billy Ray to bring the novel to life  After Francis Lawrence took over as director, he brought in Simon Beaufoy and Michael Arndt to write the script for Catching Fire  The final two films of the series were written by Danny Strong and Peter Craig 

Casting
Once the three leads were cast, casting shifted to the other tributes  Jack Quaid was cast as Marvel, Leven Rambin as Glimmer, Amandla Stenberg as Rue, and Dayo Okeniyi as Thresh  Alexander Ludwig (who auditioned for Peeta) was cast as Cato, Isabelle Fuhrman (who auditioned for Katniss) as Clove, and Jacqueline Emerson as Foxface  Following the casting of tributes, the adult cast began to come together  Elizabeth Banks was cast as Effie Trinket, the District 12 escort  Woody Harrelson was cast as Haymitch Abernathy, District 12's mentor  Lenny Kravitz was cast as Cinna, Katniss' stylist  Wes Bentley was cast as game maker Seneca Crane  Stanley Tucci was cast as Caesar Flickerman, Panem's celebrity host  Donald Sutherland was cast as Coriolanus Snow, Panem's president  Willow Shields was cast as Primrose Everdeen, Katniss' younger sister In July 2012, the cast for the second film was announced  Jena Malone would play Johanna Mason  Philip Seymour Hoffman would play Plutarch Heavensbee, Sam Claflin would play Finnick Odair  It was later announced that Jeffrey Wright was cast as Beetee, Alan Ritchson as Gloss, Lynn Cohen as Mags, and Amanda Plummer as Wiress 
In August and September 2013, it was revealed that Stef Dawson would play Annie Cresta, Natalie Dormer would play Cressida, Evan Ross would play Messalla, and Julianne Moore would play President Alma Coin in the final two films 
In May 2022, it was announced that Tom Blyth was cast as the younger version of Coriolanus Snow in the prequel film  Later the same month, Rachel Zegler was cast in the role of Lucy Gray Baird  The following month, Josh Andrés Rivera, Hunter Schafer and Jason Schwartzman were cast in the roles of Sejanus Plinth, Tigris Snow and Lucretius "Lucky" Flickerman  respectively 

Filming
Principal photography for The Hunger Games began on May 24, 2011, and concluded on September 15, 2011  Charlotte, NC was used for the Capitol scenes  An abandoned village in Hickory, NC was the filming location for District 12  The arena scenes were filmed on the outskirts of Wilmington, NC Principal photography for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire began on September 10, 2012, in Atlanta, Georgia and concluded in April 2013  In November 2012, production moved to Hawaii to film the arena scenes  Filming took a Christmas break before filming resumed for two weeks in mid-January  In March 2013, the film went back to Hawaii for re-shoots  Atlanta was used for all Capitol scenes  Hawaii for the arena scenes, and Oakland, New Jersey, for District 12 scenes 
Principal photography for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay began on September 23, 2013 and concluded on June 20, 2014  Majority of filming for the Mockingjay films was filmed in soundstages in a studio in Atlanta, until April 18, 2014  Production then moved to Paris, with filming beginning there on May 5, 2014 
Philip Seymour Hoffman, who portrays Plutarch Heavensbee, died on February 2, 2014  At the time of his death, he had completed filming his scenes for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and had a week left of shooting for Part 2  Lionsgate released a statement stating that, since the majority of Hoffman's scenes were completed, the release date for Part 2 would not be affected 

Reception
Box office performance
All the Hunger Games films finished first at the North American box office during both their opening and second weekend  In North America, The Hunger Games film series is the second highest-grossing film series based on young adult books, after the Harry Potter series, earning over $1 4 billion  Worldwide, it is the third highest-grossing film series based on young-adult books after the film series of Harry Potter and The Twilight Saga, respectively, having grossed over $2 9 billion  In North America, it is the eighth highest-grossing film franchise of all time  Worldwide, it is currently (11 April 2022) the 21st highest-grossing film franchise of all time 

Critical and public response
Each  installment of the Hunger Games series received positive reviews from critics  The first two installments (notably the second) were critically acclaimed, while the last two films were met with generally positive  responses from critics  All The Hunger Games films received a "Fresh Rating" (>60%) on the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, with the first two films receiving a "Certified Fresh" rating (>75%) 

Accolades
Music
Soundtracks
Singles
"Safe & Sound"
"Eyes Open"
"Atlas"
"We Remain"
"Elastic Heart"
"Who We Are"
"Everybody Wants to Rule the World"
"Meltdown"
"All My Love"
"Yellow Flicker Beat"
"The Hanging Tree"

See also
Battle Royale (film)
Battle royale genre
Context 3: 

Glaceau
On May 25, 2007, Coca-Cola announced it would purchase Glaceau, a maker of flavored vitamin-enhanced drinks (vitamin water), flavored waters, and Burn energy drinks, for $4 1 billion in cash 

Huiyuan Juice
On September 3, 2008, Coca-Cola announced its intention to make cash offers to purchase China Huiyuan Juice Group Limited (which had a 42% share of the Chinese pure fruit juice market) for US$2 4bn (HK$12 20 per share)  China's ministry of commerce blocked the deal on March 18, 2009, arguing that the deal would hurt small local juice companies, could have pushed up juice market prices, and limited consumers' choices 

Coke Mini can
In October 2009, Coca-Cola revealed its new 90-calorie mini can that holds 7 5 fluid ounces  The mini can is often sold in 8 packs  Despite costing nearly 30 percent more per ounce, the mini cans have been met with positive sales figures 

Holiday can
In November 2011, Coca-Cola revealed a seasonal design for its regular Coke cans as part of a partnership with the World Wildlife Fund  However, it was withdrawn only a month after release due to consumer complaints about a similar look to the silver cans commonly used for Diet Coke  There were also complaints about deviating from traditional red as the color of Coca-Cola cans previously 

Stake in Monster Beverage
It was announced on August 14, 2014, that the Coca-Cola Company was making a cash payment of $2 15 billion for a 16 7 percent stake in Monster Beverage Corp to expand its market for energy drinks, with Coke to transfer ownership in Full Throttle and Burn to Monster and Monster to transfer its ownership in Hansen's Natural Sodas, Peace Iced Tea,  and Blue Sky Soda to the Coca-Cola Company  Muhtar Kent, Coke's former chief executive officer, stated that the company has the option to increase its stake to 25 percent but could not exceed that percentage in the next four years 

Alcoholic beverages
In 2021, the Coca-Cola Co used its Mexican sparkling mineral water brand Topo Chico to launch a range of vegan friendly alcoholic hard seltzers in the United Kingdom and in the United States 

Front groups
As part of its corporate propaganda campaign to deflect public attention away from the harmful health effects of its sugary drinks, the Coca-Cola Company has funded front organizations  The company funded creation of the front organization the Global Energy Balance Network (GEBN) to address the growing evidence that the company's products are a leading cause of the epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States and the growing number of Americans, including children, with type 2 diabetes  GEBN designed its own studies to arrive at conclusions set in advance and cherry picked data to support its corporate public relations agenda  After an August 2015 investigative report exposed the GEBN as a Coca-Cola Company front organization, GEBN was shut down Three years after the shutdown of GEBN, the company, together with several other junk food giants, was revealed to be behind an initiative in China called "Happy 10 Minutes," funded through a group called the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI)  The aim of the initiative was to address decades of research on diet-related diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes and hypertension, by promoting physical exercise to the population but avoiding discussion of the link between such diseases and junk foods, including sugary drinks  ILSI through the 1980s and 1990s had been promoting the tobacco industry's agenda in Europe and the United States 

Sponsorship
Coca-Cola's advertising expenses accounted for US$3 256 billion in 2011 

Sports
Coca-Cola sponsored the English Football League from the beginning of the 2004–05 season (beginning August 2004) to the start of 2010–11 season, when the Football League replaced it with NPower  Along with this, Coca-Cola sponsored the Coca-Cola Football Camp, that took place in Pretoria, South Africa during the 2010 FIFA World Cup Other major sponsorships include the AFL, NHRA, NASCAR, the PGA Tour, NCAA Championships, the Olympic Games, the NRL, the FIFA World Cups, Premier League and the UEFA European Championships  The company partnered with Panini to produce the first virtual sticker album for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and they have collaborated for every World Cup since  Each fall, Coca-Cola is the sponsor of the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola held at the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia  The Tour Championship is the season ending tournament of the PGA Tour  In the Philippines, it has a team in the Philippine Basketball Association, the Powerade Tigers In 2017, Major League Baseball signed a multi-year deal with Coca-Cola to be the official soft drink, replacing Pepsi  Nineteen MLB teams (Los Angeles Angels, Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, Atlanta Braves, St  Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, Washington Nationals, San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers, Tampa Bay Rays, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox ) have Coca-Cola products sold in their ballparks 
Since the season of 2019 is the title sponsor of the Uzbekistan Super League in football, and this league is officially called Coca-Cola Uzbekistan Super League 
Coca-Cola has also sponsored the Overwatch league since season two  They also sponsor all major Overwatch tournaments such as the world cup
  In February 2020, Coca-Cola became the title sponsor for the eNASCAR iRacing series  In October 2018, Coca-Cola started sponsoring the Formula 1 team McLaren with several 1 year deals being signed since then 

Television
The company sponsored the popular Fox singing-competition series American Idol from 2002 until 2014 Coca-Cola was a sponsor of the nightly talk show on PBS, Charlie Rose in the US Coca-Cola is also an executive producer of Coke Studio (Pakistan)  It was a franchising that started in Brazil, broadcast by MTV Brasil and there are various adaptations of Coke Studio such as Coke Studio (India), Coke Studio Bangla and Coke Studio (Africa) 

Theme parks
While not necessarily having naming rights to anything in all locations, the company does sponsor and provide beverages in many theme parks, usually in an exclusive capacity  This includes the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Merlin Entertainment, Universal Destinations & Experiences, Six Flags, Cedar Fair, and SeaWorld Entertainment which are six of the nine largest theme park operators worldwide (it is unknown whether OCT Parks China, the Chimelong Group, or Fantawild, the fourth, seventh, and eighth largest theme park operators respectively, use Coca-Cola) The company also directly sponsors, with naming rights, the Coca-Cola London Eye and formerly, the Coca-Cola Orlando Eye The company also operates "Coca-Cola" visitor centers in Israel, Belgium and Turkey 

See also
List of assets owned by the Coca-Cola Company
Stepan Company – produces coca leaf extract
Passage 4:
FEMSA
Fomento Económico Mexicano, S A B  de C V , doing business as FEMSA, is a Mexican multinational beverage and retail company headquartered in Monterrey, Mexico  It operates the largest independent Coca-Cola bottling group in the world and the largest convenience store chain in Mexico  It is also  shareholder of Heineken N V 
FEMSA reported revenues of US$26 9 billion for 2019, making it the fifth largest company of Mexico  It has operations in Latin America mainly through bottling plants, convenience stores, drugstores, fuel stations, and third-party logistic services, and in the United States, where it participates in the jan-san distribution industry  It is well known in Mexico for its convenience store chain Oxxo, it previously owned Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery (exchanged in 2010 for a 20% stake in Heineken N V ), and for being the owner of the C F  Monterrey, a Mexican First-Division football team 
FEMSA has been listed  on the Mexican Stock Exchange since 1978 and on the NYSE through ADRs since 1998  It is a constituent of the IPC, the main benchmark index of the Mexican Stock Exchange, and of the S&P Latin America 40, which includes leading, blue chip companies from Latin America 

History
Cuauhtémoc brewery was established in 1890 In 1985, Cuauhtémoc merged with Moctezuma to form Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma  FEMSA was established from Grupo Visa in 1988 In 1993, Coca-Cola purchased a 30 percent stake in FEMSA, creating the Coca-Cola FEMSA division In January 2006, FEMSA Cerveza acquired Kaiser Cervejarias from Molson Coors Brewing Co On December 19, 2006, Coca-Cola FEMSA announced its attempt to buy out Mexican juice producer Jugos del Valle  It was acquired in 2007 
On December 20, 2007, Cascade Investments LLC, whose main partner is Bill Gates, announced it would invest $390 million in FEMSA  The Reuters news agency stated that after this investment, "Gates owns a 1 2 percent stake in Femsa's Series B shares, a 5 percent stake in Series D-B shares, and a 5 percent stake in Series D-L shares " This investment caused the Bill and Melinda Gates' foundation to become the institutional holder possessing the most shares of FEMSA On January 11, 2010, the Dutch brewing company Heineken International purchased FEMSA Cerveza (Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma), the beer operations of FEMSA, in a stock swap that left FEMSA a 20% owner in the Heineken In 2011, Coca-Cola FEMSA acquired  regional Mexican Coke bottler Grupo Cimsa for 11 billion MXN (US$838 million) In July 2012, Coca-Cola FEMSA announced that it had purchased Lácteos Santa Clara, one of the largest dairy bottlers in Mexico In August 2015, FEMSA, through its subsidiary FEMSA Comercio entered the drugstore business in South America by acquiring a majority interest in Socofar, a leading South American drugstore operator based in Santiago, Chile In March 2017, FEMSA's Imbera division announced their shift to hydrocarbons in manufacturing their Coke beverage coolers  The company enacted the manufacturing shift in order to meet higher efficiency standards  In October 2017, FEMSA Logistica rebranded to Solistica In early 2019, FEMSA, through its subsidiary FEMSA Comercio, acquired Ecuadorean company Corporacion GPF  In September 2019, FEMSA signed a deal to acquire a minority stake in Jetro Restaurant Depot  In November 2019, FEMSA Logistics subsidiary Solistica completed their acquisition of Brazilian company AGV  Also in November 2019, FEMSA Comercio closed the acquisition of a 50 percent stake in Raizen Conveniencias In March 2020, FEMSA acquired a majority stake in WAXIE Sanitary Supply and North American Corporation, to form a new platform within the Jan-San, Packaging and Specialized distribution industry in the United States 

Divisions
FEMSA Comercio
Proximity division
FEMSA Comercio operates OXXO, the leading convenience store chain in Mexico and a growing portfolio of other small-format retail chains in Latin America OXXO, a subsidiary of FEMSA, was established in 1978  In 2010, OXXO, a subsidiary of FEMSA Comercio, partnered with Heineken Mexico  OXXO's ten-year agreement with Heineken Mexico was renegotiated in early 2019 In 2013 the FEMSA group acquired an 80% holding in the Mexican arm of restaurant chain Gorditas Doña Tota for US$120 million, their interest being limited to operations within Mexico  Operations within the United States remain in the hands of the original business owners  The company operates as a subsidiary of Femsa Comercio S A  de C V  As of 2017 the company claims more than 200 restaurants in 60 Mexican cities and towns  Gorditas Doña Tota started in 1952 when Carlota Murillo of Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas began selling gorditas on the street, from a cart on the sidewalk 

Health division
In November 2012, FEMSA announced it had purchased a 75 percent controlling stake in convenience store Farmacias Yza  In May 2013, FEMSA announced the acquisition of another convenience store, Farmacias FM Moderna In September 2015, FEMSA Comercio acquired a controlling stake in SOCOFAR  In December 2015, FEMSA, through FEMSA Comercio, acquired SOCOFAR, a Chilean drugstore company operating the Cruz Verde drugstore network in Chile and Colombia  SOCOFAR was founded in the 1980s and is the largest drugstore chain in Chile, a strong presence in Colombia In September 2018, FEMSA, through FEMSA Comercio, announced the acquisition of Ecuadorian drugstore chains Fybeca and SanaSana In May 2019, FEMSA Comercio completed its acquisition of Fybeca  FEMSA Comercio announced in December 2019 plans to acquire the remaining 40 percent minority stake of SOCOFAR  FEMSA acquired the remaining stake in SOCOFAR in January 2020 

Fuel division
OXXO Gas is an affiliate of OXXO, and as of 2020 operates approximately 550 stations in 17 Mexican states 

Coca-Cola FEMSA
FEMSA owns 47 9% of the world's largest bottler of Coca-Cola by volume, Coca-Cola FEMSA, S A  de C V  (NYSE: KOF), which operates in ten countries covering the metropolitan area of Mexico City, southeast Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Philippines 
Coca-Cola FEMSA is the anchor bottler of Coca-Cola and its related soft drink products in much of Latin America   The company is an important part of the Coca-Cola System   During 2019, the company produced and sold 11 1% of Coca-Cola's volume worldwide   This makes it the largest Coca-Cola bottler in the world The company is owned 47 9% by FEMSA, 28 1% by The Coca-Cola Company and the remaining interest trades on the New York Stock Exchange and the Mexico City Stock Exchange   The company is headquartered in Monterrey 
The company is the bottler of Coca-Cola in half of Mexico (including Mexico City, Oaxaca, Tabasco, Guanajuato, Querétaro, Veracruz, Puebla and Michoacan) the Buenos Aires region of Argentina, São Paulo and other areas of Brazil, greater Guatemala City, Guatemala, most of Colombia, and all of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Venezuela and the Philippines (until 2018) 
The company also distributes beer and bottled water in some of its territories 
On 29 June 2011, was announced that FEMSA will merge to the bottling division of Grupo Tampico, agreeing to pay 9 3 billion  pesos (790 million  dollars) in stock for the Coke bottling operations of Grupo Tampico  In September 2011, Coca-Cola FEMSA acquired Grupo Cimsa, a Coke bottler in Morelos, Mexico, Guerrero and Michoacan 

FEMSA Negocios Estratégicos
FEMSA Negocios Estratégicos (formerly known as FEMSA Insumos Estratégicos) provides logistics, point-of-sale refrigeration solutions and plastics solutions to FEMSA's business units and third-party clients  It is subsequently divided into:

Solistica
Solistica is a third-party logistics provider for a number of industries, including pharmaceuticals, automotive, technology, and consumer goods  Solistica manages primary distribution for Coca-Cola FEMSA and Heineken and secondary distribution for FEMSA Comercio's Proximity Division 

Imbera
Imbera manufactures equipment for the soft drink, beer and food service industries, including coolers, food processing, storage and weighing equipment  Imbera has manufacturing plants in Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil 

Plásticos Técnicos Mexicanos (PTM)
PTM provides solutions and develops "plastic transformation projects" tailored to FEMSA Enterprises and third-party clients in terms of materials handling, automobiles, and food/beverages  Their capacity includes the different plastic manufacturing processes: blowing, injecting, heat forming, and extrusion 

See also
Beer in Mexico
Heineken International
Mexican Coke, pertaining to the importation of Mexican Coca-Cola products containing cane sugar into other North American markets, including those of FEMSA
List of companies traded on the Bolsa Mexicana de Valores
List of Mexican companies
Economy of Mexico
Passage 5:
Alle tiders kupp
Alle tiders kupp is a 1964 Norwegian comedy film directed by Øyvind Vennerød, starring Rolf Just Nilsen, Arne Bang-Hansen, Henki Kolstad and Inger Marie Andersen  Three men rob an outlet of the government owned alcoholic beverage retailer Vinmonopolet  They then run into problems getting rid of the 50,000 bottles of liquor they have stolen 

External links
Alle tiders kupp at IMDb
Alle tiders kupp at Filmweb no (Norwegian)
Passage 6:
Carlos Salazar Lomelín
Carlos Salazar Lomelín (born April 1951) is a Mexican businessman who serves as chief executive officer of Coca-Cola FEMSA since 1 January 2000 

Early life
Salazar graduated with a bachelor's degree in Economics (1973) and an MBA (1989) from the Monterrey Institute of Technology (ITESM)   He also undertook executive courses in Business Administration and Economic Development at Instituto di Studi per lo Sviluppo Economico in Naples, and at IPADE, in Mexico City 

Career
During his studies in Italy he interned at Cassa di Risparmio delle Provincie Lombarde Salazar joined Femsa in 1973 and rose through the ranks as director-general of Grafo Regia, commercial planning officer of Femsa and chief executive officer of Femsa Cerveza  On 1 January 2000 he was appointed chief executive officer of Coca-Cola Femsa Aside from his business activities, Salazar has lectured in Economics at the Monterrey Institute of Technology, where he also served as president of the corporate advisory board of EGADE Business School (2009-2010) In June 2011 it was rumored that he would succeed Rafael Rangel Sostmann as rector of that university 
Passage 7:
Carlos Salazar (actor)
Rustico Roldan (October 26, 1931 – April 7, 2022), professionally known as Carlos Salazar  was a Filipino actor and a matinee idol in the 1950s  A contemporary of the likes of Delia Razon, Rosa Rosal, Jaime Dela Rosa and Nestor de Villa, Roldan took up the screen name of Carlos Salazar and began his career with LVN Pictures, and made several hit movies  After making 15 films for the said studio, Salazar made one film under Champion Pictures entitled Objective: Patayin si Magsaysay, and one film under Larry Santiago Production for Student Canteen 
His first film under Sampaguita Pictures was Madaling Araw, an Amalia Fuentes and Juancho Gutierrez movie, followed by Alaalang Banal ("Sacred Memory"), which starred Gloria Romero 
Then he made another film with Lolita Rodriguez and Luis Gonzales under the title of Talipandas ("Traitor") 

Later career
Salazar remained active as a film actor up to mid-1990s 
He also produced and directed films for his brother-in-law, action star Eddie Fernandez   Salazar's last television appearance was on Be Careful with My Heart in 2014 

Personal life
Salazar was married to model Carmen "Menchu" Fernandez until her death in 2013   They had seven children   He died peacefully on April 7, 2022 at home in Quezon City 

Filmography
1952 – Tia Loleng
1952 – Digmaan ng Damdamin
1953 – Philippine Navy
1953 – Ganyan Lang ang Buhay
1953 – Dalagang Nayon
1954 – Abarinding
1954 – Mabangong Kandungan
1954 – Hiram Na Kasintahan
1955 – Tagapagmana
1955 – Pasikat
1955 – Ang Ibong Adarna
1955 – Karnabal
1955 – Salamangkero
1956 – May Araw Ka Rin
1956 – Abandonado
1957 – Objective: Patayin si Magsaysay
1957 – Student Canteen
1958 – Madaling Araw
1958 – Alaalang Banal
1958 – Talipandas
1988 – Ang Anino ni Asedillo
Passage 8:
Juan Carlos Salazar
Juan Carlos Salazar may refer to:

Juan Carlos Salazar (musician), Venezuelan singer and cuatro player
Juan Carlos Salazar Gómez, secretary-general of the International Civil Aviation Organization
Passage 9:
Carlos Salazar Herrera
Carlos Salazar Herrera (1906–1980) is a Costa Rican writer, journalist, engraver and sculptor  He was born in San José, Costa Rica, where he attended primary and secondary school  He wrote his first short story at the age of 9, named "The Three Captains of a Ship"  At the age of 14, he received his first award for an essay entitled "El café"  In 1928 he participated in a contest in which he presented his work about renewing Costa Rican art, and in the same year, he received the second place award for his story "La Piedra de Toxil" in a literary contest organized by Editorial de Costa Rica  
In 1930 he started working at the Repertorio Americano where he published around 20 short stories  In 1934 he began doing wood etchings on caboa and other kinds of wood  In 1935 he got another reward due to the sculpture he made(el motivo or the motive) 
Passage 10:
Vinmonopolet
Vinmonopolet (English: The Wine Monopoly), symbolized by Ⓥ and colloquially shortened to Polet, is a government-owned alcoholic beverage retailer and the only company allowed to sell beverages containing an alcohol content higher than 4 75% in Norway As the arm of the Norwegian government policy to limit the citizens' consumption of alcohol, primarily by means of high cost and limited access, the primary goal of Vinmonopolet is to responsibly perform the distribution of alcoholic goods while limiting the motive of private economic profit from the alcohol industry  Equally significant is the social responsibility of Vinmonopolet, to prevent the sale of alcohol to minors and visibly inebriated customers 
Outlets, located across the country from cities to smaller communities, typically close business earlier than other shops, typically weekdays at 6 pm and Saturdays at 4 pm  In 2020 Vinmonopolet sold 115 million litres (30 million US gallons) of beverages 

Foundation
The institution was founded in 1922 as a government-owned company as the result of trade negotiations with wine exporters, mainly in France  The ban on alcohol was lifted, and sale was allowed through outlets run by Vinmonopolet Since 1939 the state, initially through the Norwegian Ministry of Finance and later the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services, has been the sole owner, buying out the private shareholders while remaining a stock company The company's import and production activities ceased in 1996 when the EFTA ruled that the monopoly was in violation of the EEA agreement, the company divided into the created company entity Arcus which continued all production, import and distribution activity of spirits, leaving Vinmonopolet as a sole retail monopoly In 1999 the format of the outlets was restructured, making nearly all stores self service from the previous format of sales over the counter, and internet sales began in 2002 

Special shops
Initially, two Vinmonopolet outlets were launched in 2005–06 as "special stores" category A, located in Oslo (Briskeby, relocated to Vika in March 2010) and Bergen (Valkendorfsgaten), and a branch of smaller category B stores in were added during 2012–13 in Oslo west, Sandnes, Hamar, Sandefjord and Trondheim  In February 2014 the Bergen Valkendorfsgaten store was adjusted to category B on a par with the other five limited special stores, leaving Oslo Vika the sole category A special store, and the sale of fine wine and beer in Sandnes was divided between two outlets, Sentrum and Kvadrat  In January 2015 the flagship specialty store moved its location from Vika to Aker Brygge The special stores arrange major launches of new products on six occasions annually, to supplement a special selection (of approximately 750 products at category A level) that is not available in the ordinary product list, of wines, fortified wines or beers, described to be "either innovative, of limited availability or of an exceptionally high quality"  Each launch carries a theme, and while there may be changes from year to year, regular fixtures are the launch of wines from Bordeaux in December, wines from Burgundy in February, wines from Germany in April, Champagne and Chablis in May, and beer and U S  wines in October  Smaller groups of products that fall outside the launch themes may appear at any other time during the year  As with all wine purchases in the normal outlets, Vinmonopolet guarantees the provenance of these uncommon wines, and the customer retains the regular right to return faulty wine for the money back within five years of purchase Though the available quantities of the special release wines can be very limited, some wines so sparse they entail minimal purchasing quotas in order to reach a wider public, prices may be as low as ⅓ or ¼ of world market value  As a result of considerable enthusiasm surrounding these product launches, the trends of customer behaviour has come under criticism for sinking to an uncivilised level 

Vinmonopolet is not established on Svalbard  Instead the government can license private alcohol shops, of which there is only one, "Nordpolet" in Longyearbyen  In addition mining companies can sell alcohol to employees  There are monthly sales quotas on Svalbard  The taxes and therefore prices are much lower on Svalbard than mainland Norway 

Wine auctions
In December 2008, Vinmonopolet announced plans to implement a system of arranging auctions of second-hand wine, similar to the model in use by Swedish Systembolaget  Under Norwegian law, it was illegal to sell alcohol by auction, until a resolution by Stortinget changed this law in April 2011, effective from 1 January 2012  While Vinmonopolet is to draw no profit from these activities, the process of selecting a collaborating auction house resulted in the tender eventually awarded to the auction house Blomqvist in Oslo, with the first wine auction of Norway held on 25 November 2013, and simultaneously an expanded Internet auction was arranged due to the unexpected scale of interest 

Consumer relations
In a 2008 survey by Norsk Kundebarometer, customers of the monopoly were 81 5% satisfied with the company, ranking it 4th in Norway, a figure that rose to 88% in 2009  There were critical voices such as Tom Marthinsen, then wine critic of Dagens Næringsliv, that questioned the institution's selection process of allowing a small self-recruited group, termed "the taste bureaucracy", make the wine buying decisions on behalf of the entire Norwegian people Surveys from the mid 90s, indicated a majority of the Norwegian population were in support of dissolving the monopoly arrangement, and allowing for the sale of wine by the private sector  Since the restructuring of 1996, the consumer satisfaction has increased  A 2013 TNS Gallup poll showed that 74% of the population wanted to keep the monopoly while 22% wanted to dissolve it Economists have praised Vinmonopolet for being a well-working monopoly that offers good customer service Robert Lie, then sommelier of Bagatelle, has stated, "I am among the supporters  In recent years Vinmonopolet has had great impact on the wine interest of the average Norwegian  To my knowledge there are no wine stores in the world with an equal selection  There are also fairly good prices for more expensive wines  For highly coveted wines one must pay much more in London " Torkjell Berulfsen, presenter of considerable TV programming with focus on alcoholic goods, has stated, "These days I praise Vimonopolet into the clouds  I bless it! I don't dare imagine some zitty, unmotivated 25-year-old 'red wine supervisor' at Rimi!"Arne Ronold MW has pointed to the formats of UK and Denmark as successful alternatives that offer good selections in supermarkets and specialty stores, while stating that the present situation offers a wide selection for consumers in certain areas but with considerably more limited options for some other areas, and while more costly wines may be less expensive in the Vinmonopolet format, this is a "positive side-effect of a market that doesn't work, being of little benefit to the average consumer"  He acknowledges "a near-revolution in that at present there are more than 10,000 products available, which is wonderful", adding, "I have been among the most ardent critics but have mildened somewhat  I am adequately satisfied with Vinmonopolet as it is now  But they still have some way to go concerning aged wine and the second hand market  In this, access is poor " Ronold's publication Vinforum which 1986 founding was motivated by the perceived poor performance of Vinmonopolet, whose Italian wine selection then totalled 14 labels including reds, whites and sparkling  By 2010 the category had risen past 2,000 labels, leading co-founder Ola Dybvik to declare, "we are living in paradise", continuing in context that the Norwegian population is comparative to a New York suburb, "in terms of selection, the store has moved into the definitive world elite" 

In a Dagens Næringsliv commentary, Tom Marthinsen also acknowledged the progress from the conditions of the 1990s, but was critical to the direction of applying new techniques from chain stores which led to standardization of the urban outlets, while contending that the rural stores have a "catastrophical selection", and these consumers from "the districts" would benefit from purchasing wine in their local food store  Marthinsen called upon the leadership to "set free the store buyers, reinstate the competitive element between the stores, in other words leave behind the chain store mentality and allow local creativity to flourish" The institution has not stayed clear of problems  In one instance in 2001, the published price list offered Château Latour at the incredibly priced NOK 555, where an estimate would normally be approximately NOK 2,600, causing the quickest three customers to order to buy up the entire inventory, with the intent to make a fast and considerable profit  The explanation was that the more modestly priced Château Latour à Pomerol had its name listing edited down for brevity In 2010 Vinmonopolet offered more than 12,000 products, next to 2009 figures from comparative retailers such as Systembolaget which offered ca  9,000 products, Alko of Finland with ca  3,000 products available, or British Waitrose with ca  1,500 products available  By the end of 2016, the range of products had reached near 17,000 items 

Corruption cases
In what is known as Dysthesaken (the Dysthe case) in 1930 exposed flaws in the goods acquisition procedures of Vinmonopolet, and as a consequence changes were made to the procedures  The leadership were sentenced for combining company and personal interests, and the influence and power of individuals in purchasing decisions were reduced after the process  Following this, a law of 19 July 1931 (Vinmonopolloven, the wine monoploy law) came into effect 
Ekjordsaken, (the Ekjord case) uncovered in 2005, brought new allegations of corruption against employees and leadership of Vinmonopolet  A probe led by Erling Grimstad exposed that the importer firm Ekjord A/S over the course of several years had sponsored outlet leaders by arranging luxury dining and accommodations as well as other gifts in order to influence purchases and placement of their products within the stores  Membership in this exclusive group was symbolized by the gift of a tastevin  Several Vinmonopolet leaders admitted to having received wines and other perks, which led to reprimands of 9 individuals, two of whom were dismissed The initiating factor came when  an employee who had been fired from Ekjord A/S, sued against wrongful dismissal  The scandal escalated as the media discovered the particulars of the lawsuit, with Lindin as the chief source of allegations that would result in wide consequences  During the trial the elaborate "grease culture" in the company Ekjord A/S was uncovered  Knut Grøholt withdrew from the position of CEO of Vinmonopolet later that year, and in August 2006 was replaced by Kai G  Henriksen 

Vinbladet
Having long planned to publish a magazine aimed at consumers as was already done by Systembolaget in Sweden, in 1988 Vinmonopolet launched Vinbladet ("The Wine Magazine" or "The Vine Leaf"), distributed to customers free of charge  The magazine's name had been used precisely 60 years previously for the internal publication which provided information to employees about the sold goods  The rationale was that as Vinmonopolet were in the business of selling culture, they wanted to do so with culture, making information available crucial A professional editor was engaged, and the publication printed on glossy paper contained images of a commercial nature depicting the diverse nations' wine regions and wine production, and articles on various subjects connected to food, wine and spirits  The Norwegian temperance movement reacted negatively and responded with press declarations accusing Vinmonopolet of attempting to popularise alcohol use, rather than limit it  The criticism from the temperance movement also maintained that the alcohol in wine did not distinguish itself from the alcohol in hard spirits, that "fine dining" customs functioned as a gateway to alcohol problems, and that the cultural projects of Vinmonopolet could well lead to family tragedies, destroyed lives, fear and death 

Notable past products
Rødvin
When the German occupation forces withdrew from Norway in 1945, there remained behind 400,000 litres of Bordeaux wine which became the foundation of the generic "Rødvin" ("Red wine"), the best selling wine in Norway over several decades, which is accredited as a cornerstone in "cultivating Norwegian drinking culture"  Nicknamed "Château Hasle" (from the location name of the Vinmonopolet headquarters) and  "Sekskroners" ("costing six kroner"), sales of the brand are estimated in excess of 120 million litres, it eventually ceased being the national top seller due to the arrival of inexpensive Chilean and Italian wines by 1998 The initial blends consisting of Bordeaux wines from the 1934 and 1937 vintages, along with simple German and Italian wine, were sold from 1 January 1946 for NOK total of 4 50, both Rødvin and Hvitvin (White wine), all sold out by 1947  As the successive imports of wine from Algeria, Tunisia and Chile marketed under other names failed to sell well, an initiative was made in 1949 to compose a new blended wine for the people, affordable and easily drinkable  Purchasing director Haakon Svensson was given a set budget and assigned to negotiate deals with wine producers, initially securing deals with winemakers from Le Midi, Valencia and Algeria, with an aim to produce a blended wine that could decrease the Norwegian people's vast consumption of liquor, at the time ten to one the ratio of the consumption of wine On sale from 1 February 1950 at the total price of NOK 6 (NOK 4 + 50% tax), the price remained fixed until 1968, causing it to be widely known as "the six kroner wine"  By 1970 it cost NOK 7, and by 1990 it had risen to NOK 43  Normally blended from 5 to 10 wines, from locations that later also included Cyprus and Turkey, Rødvin was in 1972 responsible for 40% of all wine sold in Norway, leading up to the peak of its popularity in the 1980s  In 1981 there was sold 3 8 million liter, while by 2000 Rødvin production had been transferred to Arcus and annual sales had decreased to 700,000 liters In August 2014 it was announced that bottles of Rødvin would be removed from the standard Vinmonopolet shelf selection by the following October, following a run of 54 vintages, after this to be available by order under the altered name "Folkets Originale Rødvin" (the people's original red wine) 

Golden Power
Golden Power was a Norwegian-produced sparkling fruit wine (not to be confused with an energy drink of the same name), made of 70% rhubarb, 20% apple and 10% grape juice, which was produced by Vingården (the Røed farm in Filtvet, in the Tofte area, in Hurum), associated with owner Frantz Michaelsen  The product was removed from Vinmonopolet selection in 2006 
Vingården was considered part of the local culture, and Golden Power deemed by some a rare, innovative Norwegian product  Traditions of winemaking were established in 1886, and Vingården came to have a production capacity of some 800,000 litres while the production process of Golden Power was claimed to last for four years  Near the end of its production, the company produced between 20,000 and 25,000 bottles annually 

See also
Alcohol monopoly



ground_truth: Constantine

prompt_front: Answer the question based on the given passages. Only give me the answer and do not output any other words.

Question: Carlos Salazar Lomelín is the CEO of which Mexican multinational beverage retailer?

The following are given passages.
Context 4:   However, poet and author Katha Pollitt notes, "It is hard to classify Anne Tyler's novels   They are Southern in their sure sense of family and place but lack the taste for violence and the Gothic that often characterizes self-consciously southern literature   They are modern in their fictional techniques, yet utterly unconcerned with contemporary moment as a subject, so that, with only minor dislocations, her stories could just as well have taken place in twenties or thirties "It is also difficult to classify Tyler in terms of themes; as she herself notes, "I don't think of my work in terms of themes   I'm just trying to tell a story "  Tyler goes on to say, "Any large 'questions of life' that emerge in my novels are accidental—not a reason for writing the novel in the first place but either (1) questions that absorb my characters, quite apart from me, or (2) on occasion, questions that may be thematic to my own life at the moment, even if I'm not entirely aware of them  Answers, if they come, come from the characters' experiences, not from mine, and I often find myself viewing those answers with a sort of distant, bemused surprise "

Characters and detailed descriptions
In Tyler's works, the characters are the driving forces behind the stories and the starting point for her writing:  "I do make a point of writing down every imaginable facet of my characters before I begin a book, trying to get to know them so I can figure out how they'll react in any situation     My reason for writing now is to live lives other than my own, and I do that by burrowing deeper and deeper     till I reach the center of those lives "The magic of her novels starts with her ability to create those characters in the reader's mind through the use of remarkably realistic details   As early as 1976, Pollitt described her skill in this way: "Tyler [is] polishing brighter and brighter a craft many novelists no longer deem essential to their purpose: the unfolding of character through brilliantly imagined and absolutely accurate detail "  Twelve years later, Michiko Kakutani, in her review of Breathing Lessons, extolled "her ability to select details that reveal precisely how her characters feel and think" and her "gift for sympathy, for presenting each character's case with humor and compassion "  Kakutani later went on to note that "each character in Saint Maybe has been fully rendered, fleshed out with a palpable interior life, and each has been fit, like a hand-sawed jigsaw-puzzle piece, into the matrix of family life " Carol Shields, also writing about her characters, observes: "Tyler has always put her characters to work  Their often humble or eccentric occupations, carefully observed and threaded with humor, are tightly sewn to the other parts of their lives, offering them the mixed benefit of tedium and consolation, as well as a lighted stage for the unfolding of their dramatic selves  She also allows her men and women an opportunity for redemption "Tyler has clearly spelled out the importance of her characters to her stories:  "As far as I'm concerned, character is everything  I never did see why I have to throw in a plot, too "  In an earlier (1977) interview, she stated that "the real joy of writing is how people can surprise one  My people wander around my study until the novel is done  It's one reason I'm very careful not to write about people I don't like  If I find somebody creeping in that I'm not really fond of, I usually take him out "  Pollitt had even earlier noted how Tyler's characters seem to take on a life of their own that she doesn't seem to totally control: "Her complex, crotchety inventions surprise us, but one senses they surprise her too "

Realism through details
Just as Tyler is difficult to categorize as a novelist, it is also challenging to label her style  Novelist Cathleen Schine describes how her "style without a style" manages to pull the reader into the story: "So rigorous and artful is the style without a style, so measured and delicate is each observation, so complex is the structure and so astute and open the language, that the reader can relax, feel secure in the narrative and experience the work as something real and natural -- even inevitable "  The San Francisco Chronicle made a similar point: "One does not so much read a Tyler novel as visit it  Her ability to conduct several conversations at once while getting the food to the table turns the act of reading into a kind of transport "  Reviewer Tom Shone put it this way: "You're involved before you ever notice you were paying attention " Joyce Carol Oates, in her review of The Amateur Marriage, perhaps described the phenomenon best: "When the realistic novel works its magic, you won't simply have read about the experiences of fictitious characters, you will have seemed to have lived them; your knowledge of their lives transcends their own, for they can only live in chronological time  The experience of reading such fiction when it's carefully composed can be breathtaking, like being given the magical power of reliving passages of our own lives, indecipherable at the time of being lived "

Focus on family and marriage
While Tyler herself does not like to think of her novels in terms of themes, numerous reviewers and scholars have noted the importance of family and marriage relationships to her characters and stories  Liesl Schillinger summarized: "Taken together, the distinct but overlapping worlds of her novels have formed a Sensurround literary record of the 20th century American family—or, at least, of the proud but troubled archetypal families that     interested her most " New York Times critic Michiko Kakutani has been reviewing Tyler's novels for over 25 years  She has frequently noted Tyler's themes with regard to family and marriage  Reviewing Noah's Compass, Kakutani states that "the central concern of most of this author's characters has always been their need to define themselves in terms of family — the degree to which they see themselves as creatures shaped by genetics, childhood memories and parental and spousal expectations, and the degree to which they are driven to embrace independent identities of their own "  This is an example of where Anne Tyler got some of her characteristics from, being able to be independent and get to know herself through her writing 
Reviewing Saint Maybe, Jay Parini describes how Tyler's characters must deal with "Ms  Tyler's oddball families, which any self-respecting therapist would call 'dysfunctional'      An inexplicable centripetal force hurls these relatives upon one another, catches them in a dizzying inward spiral of obligation, affection and old-fashioned guilt—as well as an inexpressible longing for some perfect or "normal" family in a distant past that never really was   Almost every novel by Anne Tyler begins with a loss or absence that reactivates in the family some primordial sense of itself " Larry McMurtry wrote, "in book after book, siblings are drawn inexorably back home, as if their parents or (more often) grandparents had planted tiny magnets in them which can be activated once they have seen what the extrafamilial world is like      sooner or later a need to be with people who are really familiar – their brothers and sisters – overwhelms them "Novelist Julia Glass has similarly written about Tyler's characters' families: "What makes each story distinctive is the particular way its characters rebel against hereditary confines, cope with fateful crises or forge relationships with new acquaintances who rock their world "  In the same way, Glass mentions the frequent role of marriage struggles in her work: "Once again, Tyler exhibits her genius for the incisive, savory portrayal of marriage, of the countless perverse ways in which two individuals sustain a shared existence "  McMurtry puts it this way, "The fates of [Tyler's] families hinge on long struggles between semiattentive males and semiobsessed females  In her patient investigation of such struggles, Miss Tyler has produced a very satisfying body of fiction 

Passage of time and the role of small, chance events
The role of the passage of time and its impact on Tyler's characters is always present   The stories in many of her novels span decades, if only by flashbacks   Joyce Carol Oates emphasized the role of time in this manner: "[Tyler's novels] move at times as if plotless in the meandering drift of actual life, it is time itself that constitutes "plot": meaning is revealed through a doubling-back upon time in flashes of accumulated memory, those heightened moments which James Joyce aptly called epiphanies  The minutiae of family life can yield a startling significance seen from the right perspective, as Tyler shows us "  With regard to those minutiae, Tyler herself comments: "As for huge events vs  small events: I believe they all count   They all reveal character, which is the factor that most concerns me     It does fascinate me, though, that small details can be so meaningful "Kakutani described Saint Maybe in a similar manner: "Moving back and forth among the points of view of various characters, Ms  Tyler traces two decades in the lives of the Bedloes, showing us the large and small events that shape family members' lives and the almost imperceptible ways in which feelings of familial love and obligation mutate over the years "  Again in her review of Breathing Lessons, Kakutani perceives that "she is able, with her usual grace and magnanimity, to chronicle the ever-shifting covenants made by parents and children, husbands and wives, and in doing so, to depict both the losses – and redemptions – wrought by the passage of time "
Tyler herself further weighs in upon how small events can impact relationships: "I love to think about chance -- about how one little overheard word, one pebble in a shoe, can change the universe     The real heroes to me in my books are first the ones who manage to endure "

Criticism
Tyler is not without her critics   The most common criticism is that her works are "sentimental," "sweet," and "charming and cosy "  John Blades, literary critic for the Chicago Tribune, skewered The Accidental Tourist (as well as all her earlier novels) as "artificially sweet" and "unrealistic "  The Observer's Adam Mars-Jones stated, in his review of The Amateur Marriage: "Tyler seems to be offering milk and cookies "  Kakutani has also occasionally bemoaned a "cloying cuteness," noting that "her novels—with their eccentric heroes, their homespun details, their improbable, often heartwarming plots—have often flirted with cuteness "In a 2012 interview, Tyler responded to such criticisms: "For one thing I think it is sort of true  I would say piss and vinegar for [Philip] Roth and for me milk and cookies  I can't deny it     [However] there's more edge under some of my soft language than people realize "  Because almost all of Tyler's work covers the same territory—family and marriage relationships—and are located in the same setting, she has come under criticism for being repetitive and formulaic   Reviewing The Patchwork Planet, Kakutani states: "Ms  Tyler's earlier characters tended to be situated within a thick matrix of finely nuanced familial relationships that helped define both their dreams and their limitations; the people in this novel, in contrast, seem much more like lone wolves, pulled this way and that by the author's puppet strings     Ms  Tyler's famous ability to limn the daily minutiae of life also feels weary and formulaic this time around     As for the little details Ms  Tyler sprinkles over her story     they, too, have a paint-by-numbers touch  They add up to a patchwork novel that feels hokey, mechanical     and yes, too cute Tyler has also been criticized for her male characters' "Sad Sack" nature and their "lack of testosterone "  Tyler has disagreed with this criticism: "Oh that always bothers me so much   I don't think they are wimps   People are always saying we understand you write about quirky characters, and I think, isn't everybody quirky? If you look very closely at anybody you'll find impediments, women and men both "

Work habits
Over the last couple of decades, Tyler has been quite forthcoming about her work habits—both in written articles and in interviews   She is very disciplined and consistent about her work schedule and environment   She starts work in the early morning and generally works until 2 pm   Since she moved to the Roland Park neighborhood of Baltimore, she has used a small, orderly corner room in her house, where the only distractions are the sounds of "children playing outside and birds "  She has noted that at the beginning of her day, taking the first step—that is, entering her corner room—can be difficult and daunting   She begins her writing by reviewing her previous days' work and then by sitting and staring off into space for a time   She describes this phase of writing as an "extension of daydreaming," and it focuses on her characters Over the years Tyler has kept files of note cards in which ideas and observations have been recorded   Characters, descriptions, and scenes often emerge from these notes   She says the act of putting words to paper for her is a "very mechanical process," involving a number of steps: (1) writing first in long hand on unlined paper, (2) revising long hand versions, (3) typing the entire manuscript, (4) re-writing in long hand, (5) reading into a tape-recorder while listening for "false notes," (6) playing back into a stenographer's machine using the pause button to enter changes   She can be quite organized, going so far as to map out floor plans of houses and to outline the chronology of all the characters in a given novel In 2013, Tyler gave the following advice to beginning writers: "They should run out and buy the works of Erving Goffman, the sociologist who studied the meaning of gesture in personal interactions   I have cause to think about Erving Goffman nearly every day of my life, every time I see people do something unconscious that reveals more than they'll ever know about their interiors   Aren't human beings intriguing? I could go on writing about them forever "

Bibliography
Novels
If Morning Ever Comes (1964)
The Tin Can Tree (1965)
A Slipping-Down Life (1970)
The Clock Winder (1972)
Celestial Navigation (1974)
Searching for Caleb (1975)
Earthly Possessions (1977)
Morgan's Passing (1980)
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant (1982)
The Accidental Tourist (1985)
Breathing Lessons (1988)
Saint Maybe (1991)
Ladder of Years (1995)
A Patchwork Planet (1998)
Back When We Were Grownups (2001)
The Amateur Marriage (2004)
Digging to America (2006)
Noah's Compass (2009)
The Beginner's Goodbye (2012)
A Spool of Blue Thread (2015)
Vinegar Girl (2016)
Clock Dance (2018)
Redhead by the Side of the Road (2020)
French Braid (2022)

Other
Tumble Tower (1993) A children's book illustrated by her daughter Mitra Modarressi
Timothy Tugbottom Says No! (2005) A children's book illustrated by Mitra Modarressi

Uncollected stories
Although Tyler's short stories have been published in The New Yorker, The Saturday Evening Post, Redbook, McCall's, and Harper's, they have not been published as a collection  Her stories include:

"A Street of Bugles," The Saturday Evening Post, November 30, 1963
"Dry Water," The Southern Review, Spring 1965
"I'm Not Going to Ask You Again," Harper's, September 1965
"As the Earth Gets Old," The New Yorker, October 29, 1966
"The Genuine Fur Eyelashes," Mademoiselle, January 1967
"The Tea-Machine," The Southern Review, Winter 1967
"The Feather Behind the Rock," The New Yorker, August 12, 1967
"Who Would Want a Little Boy?" Ladies Home Journal, May 1968
"The Common Courtesies," McCall's, June 1968—and The O  Henry Prize Stories 1969
"With All Flags Flying," Redbook, June 1971—and The O  Henry Prize Stories 1972
"Spending," Shenandoah, Winter 1973
"The Base-Metal Egg," The Southern Review, Summer 1973
"Neutral Ground," Family Circle, November 1974
"Half-Truths and Semi-Miracles," Cosmopolitan, December 1974
"A Knack for Languages," The New Yorker, January 13, 1975
"The Artificial Family," The Southern Review, Summer 1975
"The Geologist's Maid," The New Yorker, July 28, 1975
"Some Sign That I Ever Made You Happy," McCall's, October 1975
"Your Place Is Empty," The New Yorker, November 22, 1976—and Best American Short Stories 1977
"Holding Things Together", The New Yorker, January 24, 1977
"Average Waves in Unprotected Waters," The New Yorker, February 28, 1977
"Foot-Footing On," Mademoiselle, November 1977
"Uncle Ahmad," Quest, November–December 1977
"Teenage Wasteland," Seventeen, (1983)

Film adaptations
The Accidental Tourist (1988)
Breathing Lessons (TV) (1994)
Saint Maybe (TV) (1998)
A Slipping-Down Life (1999)
Earthly Possessions (TV) (1999)
Back When We Were Grownups (TV) (2004)

Awards
Tyler has been a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters since 1983 for Morgan's Passing (1980):

Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize for Fiction
nominated, American Book Award for Fiction
nominated, National Book Critics Circle Award for Fictionfor Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant (1982):

Finalist, Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
Finalist, PEN/Faulkner Award
Finalist, American Book Award for Fictionfor The Accidental Tourist (1985):

1985 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction
1986 Ambassador Book Award for Fiction
Finalist, Pulitzer Prize for Fictionfor Breathing Lessons (1988):

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1989)
Time's "Book of the Year"for Ladder of Years (1995):

Finalist, The Orange Prize for Fiction 1996for Digging to America (2006):

Finalist, The Orange Prize for Fiction 2007for A Spool of Blue Thread (2015):

Finalist, The Man Booker Prize 2015
Finalist, The Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction 2015for Redhead By the Side of the Road (2020):

Longlist, The Man Booker Prize 2020for Lifetime achievement:

Finalist, The Man Booker International Prize 2011
The Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence 2012
Passage 6:
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant is a 1982 novel by Anne Tyler, set in Baltimore, Maryland  It is Tyler's ninth novel  In 1983 it was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award  Tyler considers it her best work 
The book follows the lives of three siblings: Cody, Ezra, and Jenny, and explores their experiences and recollections of growing up with their mother, Pearl, after the family is deserted by their father, Beck  The novel ends with Pearl's funeral, and a surprise occurrence 
The novel examines how siblings may share the same events yet experience them differently; e g  Cody remembers his childhood as a harsh time  He blames himself for his father abandoning him and considers himself left to the mercy of an angry mother who favors Ezra  Meanwhile, Ezra remembers his childhood fondly and creates a nostalgic family-themed restaurant 

Plot
Pearl Tull is a rigid perfectionist  She has three children with her husband, traveling salesman Beck, who abandons the family  After Beck leaves, Pearl struggles to maintain a front as if nothing is wrong at all  Cody, the oldest, is wild and adventurous, but is envious of his brother Ezra, who he believes is Pearl's favorite  As they grow up, this plays out in endless pranks  Ezra is passive, and never tries to get back at Cody  He is nurturing and sweet, traits that often interest Cody's girlfriends, furthering Cody's resentment  Ezra goes to work at a restaurant, which he later manages and ultimately inherits, while Cody becomes a wealthy and successful efficiency expert  When Ezra becomes engaged to Ruth, his star cook, Cody becomes obsessed with luring her away, and ultimately succeeds, but his marriage to Ruth is not easy  Ezra never recovers, and remains at home with Pearl; he is a caregiver, both for Pearl and his customers, but this is underlain by sadness 
Jenny is the third child and the most scholarly of the Tulls, but in college, she marries on an impulse with unhappy results  Only in her third marriage to a man with six children whose wife has abandoned him does she find stability in family life and in her successful, if harried, career as a pediatrician 
A recurring scene in the novel involves Ezra's unsuccessful attempts to bring the family together for a meal at his "Homesick Restaurant", reflecting his desire to unite and mend the family  At Pearl's funeral, Beck returns to the family for the first time  However, they  never seem to be able to get through a single dinner without conflict, this time with Cody facing down his father, causing Beck to leave in the middle of the dinner  Ultimately, the entire family searches the town to find Beck, eventually bringing him back to the restaurant to finish their meal together 

Reviews
Benjamin DeMott, wrote in his 1982 New York Times book review:  "Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant is a book to be settled into fully    Funny, heart-hammering, wise, it edges deep into truth that's simultaneously (and interdependently) psychological, moral and formal - deeper than many living novelists of serious reputation have penetrated, deeper than Miss Tyler herself has gone before  It is a border crossing    
"On its face Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant is a book about the costs of parental truancy  None of the three Tull children manages to cut loose from the family past; each is, to a degree, stunted; each turns for help to Pearl Tull in an hour of desperate adult need; and Pearl's conviction that something's wrong with each of them never recedes from the reader's consciousness  But no small measure of the book's subtlety derives from its exceptional - and exceptionally wise, the word bears repeating - clarity about the uselessness of cost accounting in human areas such as these    The behavior and feelings of all three are linked somehow with the terrible, never-explained rupture: their father's disappearance    But it's also the case that what is best in each of these people, as in their mother, has its roots in the experience of deprivation that they jointly despise   We arrive at an understanding that the important lessons taught by adversity never quite make themselves known to the consciousness of the learners - remain hidden, inexpressible 
"What one wants to do on finishing such a work as Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant is maintain balance, keep things intact for a stretch, stay under the spell as long as feasible    We're speaking, obviously, about an extremely beautiful book "John Updike, in his 1982 review in The New Yorker, wrote, “[Anne Tyler's] art needed only the darkening that would give her beautifully shaped sketches solidity    In her ninth novel, she has arrived at a new level of power ”Margaret Manning of The Boston Globe thought that Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant is "a book that should join those few that every literate person should read    You surface from this marvelous novel as if from the bends, lungs nearly bursting, tears rattling on the page "
Passage 7:
Steven Zwicker
Steven Nathan Zwicker (born June 4, 1943) is an American literary scholar and the Stanley Elkin Professor in the Humanities in Arts and Sciences at Washington University in St  Louis 

Biography
Zwicker is an expert on Restoration-era English literature and politics and is the author of Dryden's Political Poetry: The Typology of King and Nation (1972), Politics and Language in Dryden's Poetry: The Arts of Disguise (1984), and Lines of Authority: Politics and English Literary Culture, 1649-1689 (1993)  He has edited six volumes and published more than two dozen essays in journals and volumes in the United States and abroad 
Zwicker was born in San Diego, California  He received his BA from the University of California, Los Angeles (1965) and his MA (1966) and PhD (1969) from Brown University  He was a Woodrow Wilson Scholar at Brown University when he earned his PhD  He has been a member of the Washington University faculty since 1969 

Bibliography
Works
Dryden's Political Poetry: The Typology of King and Nation  Providence, RI: Brown University Press, 1972 
Politics and Language in Dryden's Poetry: The Arts of Disguise  Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1984 
Lines of Authority: Politics and English Literary Culture, 1649-1689  Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1993 

As editor or contributor
Politics of Discourse: The Literature and History of Seventeenth-Century England  Edited by Kevin Sharpe and Steven N  Zwicker  Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1987 
The Cambridge Companion to English Literature, 1650-1740  Edited by Steven N  Zwicker  Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998 
Refiguring Revolutions: Aesthetics and Politics from the English Revolution to the Romantic Revolution  Edited by Kevin Sharpe and Steven N  Zwicker  Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1998 
John Dryden: A Tercentenary Miscellany  Edited by Susan Green and Steven N  Zwicker  San Marino, CA: Huntington Library, 2001 
Reading, Society, and Politics in Early Modern England  Edited by Kevin Sharpe and Steven N  Zwicker  Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003 
The Cambridge Companion to John Dryden  Edited by Steven N  Zwicker  Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004 
Passage 8:
Gwyn Avenue–Bridge Street Historic District
Gwyn Avenue–Bridge Street Historic District is a national historic district located at Elkin, Surry County, North Carolina  The district encompasses 124 contributing buildings and 1 contributing site in a predominantly residential section of Elkin   They were primarily built between about 1891 and 1955 and include notable examples of Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and Bungalow / American Craftsman architecture  Notable buildings include the Elkin Presbyterian Church (1937, 1944, 1950, 1955, 1961), First Baptist Church (1955, 1968), Alexander Martin Smith House (1893–1897) designed by George Franklin Barber, the Gwyn-Chatham-Gwyn House (c  1872, 1911, 1936), Richard Gwyn Smith House (c  1918), and Mason Lillard House (c  1910) It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007 
Passage 9:
Mrs  Ted Bliss
Mrs  Ted Bliss is a 1995 novel by American author Stanley Elkin, published by Hyperion Books  It concerns the last eventful years in the life of an old widow  Elkin won the 1995 National Book Critics Circle Award in the fiction category for this work 

Plot
Mrs  Dorothy Bliss is an old woman in her early 80s living alone in a retirement community near Miami Beach, Florida, after her husband's death due to cancer  She was born in Russia and is Jewish  Her mother bribed an immigration officer and added three years to her age on legal documents in order that she could start working in Manhattan's Lower East Side after their immigration  Her husband, Ted Bliss, had a butcher shop in Chicago and together they had three kids  Her oldest son dies of cancer at a young age and after her husband's retirement, the couple moved to Florida  She is obsessed with cleaning and also keeps records of the gifts given to her grandchildren in order to keep track and stay impartial with everyone The single life of Mrs  Bliss is now filled with expectations of finding a romance or a partner but eventually she is disappointed and heartbroken  She gets involved with Alcibiades Chitral, a drug lord who operates in her neighborhood, and starts using her and her husband's car as a front for his activities  The story keeps introducing various new men in her life, such as Hector Camerando, a jai alai pro who helps Mrs  Bliss with some tips on dogs, and Tommy Auveristas, an imposter  Junior Yellin, a once upon a time lover with whom Mrs  Bliss had had a passionate encounter in her husband's butcher shop, also makes a re-entry into her life  She eventually dies when Hurricane Andrew hits Miami and brings massive destruction 

Publication
Following Elkin's death on 31 May 1995 at age 65, the novel was released posthumously on 7 September 1995  Elkin had published ten novels, five short-story collections, and various novellas and non-fiction articles in various magazines and papers during the course of his writing career, which began in the 1950s 

Review and reception
Kirkus Reviews writes that Elkin makes readers believe that the novel has a plot when drug dealers are introduced in it  However, "there isn't so much a plot as an accumulation of detail about Mrs  Bliss"  Elkin's "long poetic sentences about seemingly mundane minutiae" later bring substance to the character of Mrs  Bliss  Walter Goodman, a television critic for The New York Times, mentions in his review that "[the book] may not be Stanley Elkin's best, but it is a smart, generous, melancholy, funny, even elegiac work by a prodigious practitioner"  Publishers Weekly writes that "Elkin is at his best here, blessed with the gift of one-liner insight and a definite, if reluctantly exercised, ability to tug on a reader's heartstrings" 

Awards
Elkin won the 1995 National Book Critics Circle Award in the fiction category for the novel  The book was nominated along with Independence Day (by Richard Ford),  Galatea 2 2 (by Richard Powers), Moo (by Jane Smiley), and The Tent of Orange Mist (by Paul West)  Elkin had earlier won in the same category for his 1982 novel George Mills 
Passage 10:
George Mills (novel)
George Mills is a 1982 novel by American author Stanley Elkin, published by E  P  Dutton  The novel, set in five parts, tells the family history of succeeding generations of characters named George Mills  The story covers more than 1,000 years from the First Crusade in Europe to the Ottoman Empire to present-day America  Elkin won the 1982 National Book Critics Circle Award in the fiction category for the novel  Elkin mentioned George Mills as one of his favorite novels  The novel is considered Elkin's "longest and most complexly organized work" : 189

Plot
The first George Mills sets out on a journey with his lord on the First Crusade  But he eventually gets lost in the Netherlands and reaches a salt mine in Poland  His lord at the mines is Guillalume, who teaches him some life lessons  Mills becomes aware of what is written in his fate and this helps him understand the walks of life in this world in a better manner  Despite having the knowledge of what would happen in the future, his timidity and powerlessness does not bring out any situation-changing effects  
The novel covers the history of succeeding family members named George Mills and all of them are aware of their fates and equally feeble and ineffective in changing their circumstances  The 43rd Mills encounters King George IV and is assigned on a diplomatic mission to Constantinople, where he first joins the Janissaries but later ends up in the Ottoman Sultan's harem doing household chores  He escapes from there and reaches America  The present-day Mills in America is a caretaker of an old woman named Judith Glazer in St  Louis, who is in the final stages of terminal cancer  Mills accompanies Glazer to Mexico and upon her death participates in her funeral together with her family 

Publication
Elkin worked for over seven years writing George Mills and by the end of its completion, he felt exhausted and insisted this would be his last fictional work  But after watching a British news report of how terminally ill children had a memorable experience at Disneyland, he wrote his next novel, The Magic Kingdom (1985), and dedicated it to his son who had died young from a medical ailment after lengthy treatments George Mills was published on 25 October 1982  In 1989, Elkin mentioned that several sections of George Mills had been adapted from the 1936 novel Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner  He also mentioned that in writing the novel, he came to realise "that I was a novelist, that anything I say is a part of this novel is a part of this novel" : 194

Review and reception
Kirkus Reviews called the novel "a leaky collection of parts rather than one whole strong book" but said it was required reading for connoisseurs of comic fiction  The New York Times reviewer Leslie Epstein complimented "the novel's fine writing, flashes of humor and memorable heroine", but felt that the plot was "out of control"  Brad Owens of The Christian Science Monitor praised the novel for its "energetic entertainment" and said that it "sometimes overpowers its more serious intentions" 

Awards
Elkin won the 1982 National Book Critics Circle Award in the fiction category for the novel   The novel was nominated along with Levitation: Five Fictions (by Cynthia Ozick), Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant (by Anne Tyler),  The Color Purple (by Alice Walker), and Shiloh and Other Stories (by Bobbie Ann Mason)  Elkin also won the award in 1995 for his novel Mrs  Ted Bliss 



ground_truth: Fomento Económico Mexicano