title: Nazia Hassan

text: Hassan was born in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, and brought up in Karachi and London. She was the daughter of Basir Hassan, a businessman, and Muniza Basir, an active social worker. She was the sister of singers Zoheb Hassan and Zara Hassan.


title: Nazia Hassan

text: Hassan's professional music career started at the age of fifteen; she met film director Feroz Khan at a party in the United Kingdom, who later requested that she audition with Biddu, a London-based Indian music composer, for his film "Qurbani". Biddu then signed her up for "Aap Jaisa Koi", a song he composed for the film. The song turned to be a huge success in India, and Hassan quickly gained recognition and acclaim. In 1981, Hassan won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback for the song, becoming the youngest to win at age 15 as well as being the first Pakistani to win the award.


title: Nazia Hassan

text: Hassan promptly collaborated with Biddu on numerous other projects; in 1981, she became the first playback singer to release an album. Her first album was "Disco Deewane". The album broke sales records in Pakistan and India and even topped the charts in the West Indies, Latin America and Russia, becoming an international success. The album became a mega-hit and Hassan became an established pop singer in Pakistan; the album also featured vocals by her brother Zohaib Hassan. Nazia and Zoheb were signed by EMI Group and were the first South Asian singers to be signed by an international music company. At the height of "Disco Deewane" fever, she frequently drew large crowds, such as 50,000 to 100,000 people greeting her at Calcutta Airport.


title: Nazia Hassan

text: After the release of "Disco Deewane", Biddu offered Zoheb and her a chance to act in the movie "Star" in 1982, but they refused and instead chose to perform the soundtrack. The soundtrack album, "Star/Boom Boom", was released. She was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer, although this time she did not win. The album was successful and increased the popularity of Hassan and Zohaib in Pakistan and India.


title: Nazia Hassan

text: Hassan's third album, "Young Tarang", was released in 1984. It was the first album in Pakistan to feature music videos, which were made in London by David Rose and Kathy Rose. The album became one of the most popular in Asia. "Ankhien Milane Wale" was a popular song from the album. After the release of "Young Tarang", she returned to singing for Bollywood movies as a playback singer. Her fourth album, "Hotline" was released in 1987. "Aa Haan" was the most popular song of the album. In 1988, she and her brother Zohaib appeared with music maestro Sohail Rana in his television program, "Sung Sung".


title: Nazia Hassan

text: In 1989, she and Zohaib hosted the show "Music '89". The show was produced by Shoaib Mansoor. It was the first-ever all pop-music stage show to be aired on television. The show launched the careers of many new rising bands and singers and became popular in Pakistan. She hosted another show, "Dhanak" on PTV in the same year.


title: Nazia Hassan

text: In 1991, Hassan and her brother Zohaib recorded her fifth album, "Camera Camera". Before the album's release, she and Zohaib announced that it would be their last album. The album was released in 1992. After the album's release, she left her singing career to focus on her personal life. Biddu composed a song, "Made in India" and he wanted Nazia to sing it. But the retired Hassan refused to sing a song that might offend Pakistan. The song was then offered to Alisha Chinai.


title: Nazia Hassan

text: Hassan received her Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Economics from the Richmond American University in London. In 1991, she became an intern in the Women's International Leadership program at the United Nations. Later, she went on to work for the United Nations Security Council. She held a London University Law (LLB) degree.


title: Nazia Hassan

text: Nazia Hassan married Karachi-based businessman Mirza Ishtiaq Baig on March 30, 1995. It was an arranged marriage. Hassan's marriage was full of problems and difficulties. She divorced her ex-husband Mirza Ishtiaq Baig 3 months before her death by exercising her Islamic right to divorce. She accused her ex-husband of physical abuse and for poisoning her in a testimony given to the UK High Court before her death. In recent years Baig started misapprehension through social media about Nazia Hassan's private life. Mirza Ishtiaq Baig claims that Nazia Hassan was his wife until death. Nazia's fans upraised grave concerns about Baig's moral values and fidelity towards her.


title: Nazia Hassan

text: On June 21, 2000, Pakistan's highly acclaimed News Paper Daily Jang published an interview of Nazia Hassan. In the interview Hassan opened up for the first time about difficulties she faced during her marriage. She accused her husband of cheating on her with a Pakistani actress. She revealed how her ex-husband forced her to give statements to the media that they were living happily. In a similar Interview Hassan stated that her husband denied to bear expenses of cancer treatment and she was looked after by her parents. Hassan said that she would rather die than live with Ishtiaq Baig as he caused her more pain than cancer.


title: Nazia Hassan

text: It was Ishtiaq Baig's third marriage with Nazia Hassan. He has a son Imran Baig (Born in 1984) with his first wife Hazel who was a Filipino dancer. Ishtiaq Baig was also married to Pakistani actress Shazia which ended soon due to Baig's mental health. These marriages were kept a secret from Nazia Hassan's family.


title: Nazia Hassan

text: In an interview later, her brother Zoheb Hassan related that Nazia's personal life was filled with turmoil and she fought personal battles incessantly.


title: Nazia Hassan

text: Hassan used her abilities to promote social causes. She especially worked for children, youth and women in distress residing in the underprivileged areas of Karachi. She supported the Inner Wheel Club of India and helped raise funds for it. In Pakistan, she established the organization "BAN" (Battle Against Narcotics) and became an active member of organizations such as Voice of Women, National Youth Organisation (Pakistan). She is credited for her part in the introduction of mobile clinics in Lyari Town, to make medicine more accessible to those deprived- and in dire need of it.


title: Nazia Hassan

text: Hassan worked with Javed Jabbar, former Information minister, to raise funds for children in Tharparkar and Rajasthan. She went to a very large number of schools to hand out toys to poor children and gave talks on the subject of social awareness for the under privileged. Hassan never forgot the love and support of all the schools and always spoke about them with great affection. The worthy staff and the students of St Joseph's Convent School, Mama Parsi School and many others had gone out of their way to help the cause.


title: Nazia Hassan

text: In 1991, she joined the United Nations Security Council at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City and worked there for two years. In her third year, she offered her services at UNICEF. Her social and academic excellence won her a scholarship in Columbia University’s Leadership Program, but she was unable to take up the offer because around this time she was diagnosed with cancer.


title: Nazia Hassan

text: In 2003, Hassan’s parents created the Nazia Hassan Foundation to further their daughter’s efforts to make the world a better place for everyone, regardless of caste, creed and religion; they decided to open school for street children would help in the grooming and education of working street children.


title: Nazia Hassan

text: Nazia Hassan died of lung cancer in London on 13 August 2000 at the age of 35. She had been admitted to the North London Hospice three days earlier when her condition deteriorated. She showed signs of mild recovery the day before she died and it was thought that the doctors would allow her to go home.


title: Nazia Hassan

text: The next day, her mother Muniza was called to the hospital where her daughter had started coughing heavily at around 9:15 am. She died within minutes of a pulmonary embolism. Following a Namaz-e-janaza at Golders Green Crematorium, Nazia was buried at Hendon Cemetery, London (Muslim Section) on 5th September 2000 as per Islamic rites. In an interview with "The Express Tribune", her brother Zoheb revealed "She died an unhappy person, she died in pain."


title: Nazia Hassan

text: Pakistan's vibrant contemporary pop music scene owes itself to Nazia Hassan's redefinition of pop; for her contributions to the genre, she has since been referred to as the "Queen of Pop" in South Asia. She is also known as the "Sweetheart of Pakistan". She is frequently compared to Princess Diana, as she was known to possess a "heart of gold". "India Today" magazine voted her as one of the top 50 influential people. "She set – well ahead of its time – the personal album trend in India, spawning the likes of Alisha Chinai, Lucky Ali and Shweta Shetty", the magazine noted at the time.


title: Nazia Hassan

text: On 9 March 2002, Nazia Hassan Tribute Concert was held in Karachi, the classic line-up of Vital Signs and Jupiters performed together on stage – for the first time in almost 7 years. The concert was attended by an enthusiastic audience. In 2007, Ahmad Haseeb created the documentary "A Music Fairy" in a tribute to Hassan which was screened at Kara Film Festival and University of Ankara. In 2009, Director Faraz Waqar paid a tribute to Nazia for her work in music and making Pakistan proud.


title: Nazia Hassan

text: On 31 October 2014, Global Voices Online named her as "Young, Independent women who made a space for themselves in Pakistan Music Industry". On 9 November 2014, the Delhi Pop line, showed at the TDAP's Aalishan Pakistan fashion show in Delhi paid ode to Nazia Hassan. On 16 November 2014, "Coke Studio Pakistan" paid a tribute to Nazia Hassan in "season seven" with the song "Jaana" sung by Zoheb Hassan and Zoe Viccaji. The song was well received by critics and audiences alike. The song was high on the music charts and is popular on music channels and radio stations. On 17 November 2014, Hassan was named as one of ARY News's "one of the 11 female pioneers of Pakistan." Also in 2014, the posthumous honorary degree of doctorate from Richmond American University, London, was received by her son Arez Hassan in her honor.


title: Nazia Hassan

text: An "India Today" article titled "Nazia makes a lovely comeback" celebrated Nazia Hassan's music appearing in the cult 2012 film, "Miss Lovely" that had premiered at the Cannes Film Festival: "The film has made the audience nostalgic over Ahluwalia's use of the song "Dum dum de de" from Hassan's 1984 album, "Young Tarang"." "Miss Lovely" director, Ashim Ahluwalia, described keeping the original track untouched: "The song symbolises the '80s and the lyrics of the song were in sync with the mood of the film. [We] retained the original voice of Nazia. We didn't want to remix this song because the original was perfect."


title: Nazia Hassan

text: In 2018, Google honoured her with a doodle on what would have been her 53rd birthday that "imagines her performing with her famous flowing hair and dupatta, and the disco balls of the 80s glinting behind her." It was shown to Google users in Australia, Canada, Iceland, New Zealand and Pakistan. In 2020, actress Meesha Shafi covered Hassan's single "Boom Boom" in her memory, which was praised by Zoheb.


title: Nazia Hassan

text: Hassan received a Filmfare Award in 1980 for Best Female Playback Singer, as well as another nomination for the same award in 1983. She is also the recipient of the Pride of Performance, an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people who have made "an especially meritorious contribution to the field of literature, art, sports, science and education". The award was presented to Muniza Basir, Hassan's mother, from the President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf in an official ceremony held at Islamabad in 2002. She is also the recipient of a Golden Disc Award.


title: Bharathiraja

text: Bharathiraja (born 17 July 1941) is an Indian film director and actor who works mainly in the Tamil film industry. Making his debut in 1977 with "16 Vayathinile", he is known for realistic and sensitive portrayals of rural life in his films. As of 2017, he has won six National Film Awards, four Filmfare Awards South, two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and a Nandi Award. He has also directed films in Telugu and Hindi. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri award, India's fourth-highest civilian honour, in 2004 for his contribution to the film industry. In 2005, he was conferred with the Doctor of Letters (honorary degree) from Sathyabama University.


title: Bharathiraja

text: Bharathiraja started his film career as an assistant to Kannada filmmaker Puttanna Kanagal. Later, he assisted P. Pullaiah, M. Krishnan Nair, Avinasi Mani and A. Jagannathan. His first film "16 Vayathinile", for which he wrote the script, broke the then existing convention to create a new genre of village cinema. The film is now regarded as a milestone in the history of Tamil Cinema. About the film, Bharathiraja said: "This movie was meant to be a black & white art film produced with the help of National Film Development Corporation", but turned out to be a commercially successful colour film and a starting point for several important careers. His next film "Kizhake Pogum Rail" produced similar results and eventually brought in criticisms that Bharathiraja was capable of catering only to village audiences. This led him to make "Sigappu Rojakkal", about a psychopathic woman-hater that was totally westernized in terms of both conception and production.


title: Bharathiraja

text: Bharathiraja confirmed his versatility and refusal to be tied down to one particular genre with an experimental film "Nizhalgal" (1980), and the action thriller "Tik Tik Tik" (1981). But undoubtedly, rural themes proved to be his strong suit as his biggest hits in the 1980s: "Alaigal Oivathillai" (1981), "Mann Vasanai" (1983) and "Muthal Mariyathai" (1985) were strong love stories in a village backdrop. "Muthal Mariyathai" starred Sivaji Ganesan in the lead, playing a middle-aged village head. Radha is a poor young woman who moves into his village for a living. The love that bonds these two humans separated not just by age but also by caste and class, is told by Bharathiraja with poetic touches.


title: Bharathiraja

text: "Vedham Pudhithu" dealt with the caste issue in a stronger manner. The film's narrative was seamless and starred Sathyaraj as Balu Thevar. It contains some of Bharathiraja's trademark touches as well as several ground-breaking scenes. However, it does follow the anti-Brahmin trend common in Tamil films – in this respect it departed from his earlier success "Alaigal Oiyvadhillai", where the caste and religion factor was given a more balanced treatment. Bharathiraja has successfully managed to modernise his film-making techniques for the 1990s. The commercial success of "Kizhakku Cheemaiyile" and the awards that "Karuththamma" garnered stand as testimony to his ability to thrill the younger generation as well. Bharathiraja was on the same stage in 1996 to receive another National Award for "Anthimanthaarai".


title: Bharathiraja

text: In late 1996, Bharathiraja was signed on to direct two films, with the Sarathkumar-starrer "Vaakkapatta Bhoomi" announced in October. The following month, he began work on a film titled "Siragugal Murivadhillai", starring Napolean, Heera Rajagopal and Prakash Raj. Both films were later shelved. He planned to revive "Vaakkapatta Bhoomi" with Cheran during late 2004, but the collaboration did not materialise.


title: Bharathiraja

text: His 2001 film "Kadal Pookal" won him that year's National Film Award for Best Screenplay. The well-known Tamil film director Bhagyaraj was one of his assistant directors. In 2008, Bharathiraja made his television debut with series "Thekkathi Ponnu" which aired on Kalaignar TV. He went on to direct two other series "Appanum Aathaalum" and "Muthal Mariyathai" for the same channel.


title: Bharathiraja

text: During early 2016, Bharathiraja was embroiled in a legal tussle with director Bala on making a film titled "Kutra Parambarai", though neither filmmaker eventually made their respective films. He later moved on to plan a film starring director Vasanth's son, Ritwik Varun, and Vikram's nephew, but the film was dropped after two schedules. In 2018, Bharathirajaa was working on a film titled "November 8, Iravu 8 Mani" starring Vidharth, which narrates events following the decision to demonetise certain banknotes in India.


title: Bharathiraja

text: When the old era was dominated by films shot inside studios, Bharathiraja directed village themed films that inspired Tamil cinema to capture live locations. Array of village films in Tamil cinema started after his trendsetting film "16 Vayathinile." He changed the attire of male lead role as simple and without much cosmetics and female leads in his films as dusky looking which were before dominated by fair skinned ladies. He started the style of directors speaking to the audience with his famous dialogue "En Iniya Thamizh Makkale (My sweet Tamil people)". Bharathiraja is revered as one of the best directors of Indian cinema. His ideas were original and his subjects were complex ideas expressed in a manner every common man could understand.


title: Bharathiraja

text: He is also known for introducing a number of new faces to the film industry. He has introduced many actors as new faces notable among them are Karthik, Radha, Revathi, Raadhika, and Vijayashanti. Apart from lead actors, he has introduced a bunch of supporting actors. Notable among them include Janagaraj, Vadivukkarasi, Chandrasekhar, Pandiyan, and Napoleon. As an experimental initiative he used to give new actors a small role in his films later they becoming popular among people and turning to busy actors. Many present day directors who were unknown to people turned into actors after playing a debut petty role in his films: K. Bhagyaraj, Manivannan, Manobala, Thiagarajan, and Ponvannan are among them. He was also instrumental in portraying Sathyaraj for the first time in lead role.


title: Bharathiraja

text: Bharathiraja inspired many young film makers and runs a school called Bharathi Raja International Institute of Cinema (BRIIC) on film making.


title: Bharathiraja

text: Bharathiraja directed socially themed films with special emphasis on women and their complicated interpersonal relationships. He addressed other social evils like caste discrimination in his films.


title: Bharathiraja

text: Bharathiraja was born as Chinnasamy to parents Periyamayathevar and Karuthammal. He married ChandraLeela in 1974 and has two children Manoj Bharathiraja (born 1976) and Janani (born 1979).


title: Bharathiraja

text: Manoj is an actor who was introduced in "Tajmahal" and he married actress Nandana. Janani is married to Malaysian Rajkumar Thambiraja. Bharathiraja's brother-in-law Manojkumar has directed films such as "Mannukkul Vairam", "Vandicholai Chinraasu", "Vaanavil" and "Guru Paarvai". His brother Jayaraj made his acting debut with "Kaththukkutti". His relative Stalin is a television actor who acted in serials such as "Saravanan Meenatchi" and "7C".


title: 2022 Goa Legislative Assembly election

text: Legislative Assembly elections were held in Goa on 14 February 2022 to elect 40 members of the Eighth Goa Legislative Assembly. The votes were counted and the results were declared on 10 March 2022.<section end="Lead"/>


title: 2022 Goa Legislative Assembly election

text: The tenure of Goa Legislative Assembly is scheduled to end on 15 March 2022. The previous assembly elections were held in February 2017 to elect the members of the Seventh Goa Legislative Assembly. After the election, a coalition of Bharatiya Janata Party, Goa Forward Party and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party formed the state government, with Manohar Parrikar becoming the Chief Minister.


title: 2022 Goa Legislative Assembly election

text: After the death of Manohar Parrikar, Pramod Sawant was sworn in as the Chief Minister on 19 March 2019.


title: 2022 Goa Legislative Assembly election

text: AAP CM candidate Amit Palekar contested from St. Cruz. Former CM and AITC leader Churchill Alemao contested from Benaulim. BJP CM candidate and incumbent CM Pramod Sawant contested from Sanquelim. Former CM and INC leader Digambar Kamat contested from Margao. Former CM Laxmikant Parsekar contested from Mandrem as an independent candidate after he was denied ticket by BJP.


title: 2022 Goa Legislative Assembly election

text: BJP has launched a movement to collect suggestions, ‘Sankalp Peti’ from all across the state to prepare their manifesto for the Assembly Election. The Sankalp Peti, which is flagged off on December 21, will travel across the state till January 5.


title: 2022 Goa Legislative Assembly election

text: AAP decided to carry out every project with citizen's consent. AAP has also promised to increase the remuneration provided to women in Goa under a state-sponsored scheme and also promised financial assistance to women not covered under it.


title: 2022 Goa Legislative Assembly election

text: The Election Commission banned the media from publishing exit polls between 7 AM on 10 February 2022 and 6:30 PM on 7 March 2022. Violation of the directive would be punishable with two years of imprisonment. Accordingly, these exit polls were published in the evening of 7 March 2022.


title: 2022 Goa Legislative Assembly election

text: BJP became the single largest party with 20 seats in the hung assembly and decided to take support from 2 independents and MGP.


title: 2022 Goa Legislative Assembly election

text: In September 2022, 8 out of 11 MLAs from Congress joined BJP, increasing the strength of BJP to 28 seats in the Goa Legislative Assembly.


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: Konkona Sen Sharma (born 3 December 1979) is an Indian actress and filmmaker who works primarily in Hindi and Bengali films. She has received two National Film Awards and four Filmfare Awards. The daughter of filmmakeractress Aparna Sen, Sen Sharma appears primarily in arthouse independent films, and her achievements in the genre have established her as one of the leading actresses of contemporary parallel cinema. She has also acted in mainstream films like "Laaga Chunari Mein Daag" for which too she has received awards.


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: Making her debut as a child artist in the film "Indira" (1983), Sharma debuted as an adult in the Bengali thriller "Ek Je Aachhe Kanya" (2000). She first gained attention with the English-language film "Mr. and Mrs. Iyer" (2002), which was directed by her mother, and received the National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance. Her appearance in the drama "Page 3" (2005) got her wider recognition, and she has since starred in a number of films, most of which have won her praise rather than commercial success. She won two consecutive Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actress for her performances in "Omkara" (2006) and "Life in a... Metro" (2007), respectively. Her performance in the former won her a second National Award under the Best Supporting Actress category. She was the first recipient of the Best Actress award at the Filmfare Awards East for her work in the Bengali film "Goynar Baksho" (2014).


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: In 2017, her directorial debut film "A Death in the Gunj" was released and she won the Filmfare Award for Best Debut Director. In the same year she starred in "Lipstick Under My Burkha", which won her numerous international awards.


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: Sen Sharma was born on 3 December 1979. Her father Mukul Sharma was a science writer and journalist and her mother Aparna Sen an actress and film director. She has an elder sister, Kamalini Chatterjee. Sen Sharma's maternal grandfather, Chidananda Dasgupta, was a film critic, scholar, professor, writer and one of the co-founders of the Calcutta Film Society. Her grandmother Supriya Dasgupta was a cousin of legendary modern Bengali poet Jibanananda Das.


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: Sen Sharma has a degree in English from St Stephen's College, Delhi, which she received in 2001. She was a student of the Modern High School for Girls.


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: Sen Sharma made her debut as a child artist in the Bengali film "Indira" (1983). In 2000, she made her adult debut in the Bengali film "Ek Je Aachhe Kanya", in which she played a negative character. It was followed by a role in Rituparno Ghosh's acclaimed film "Titli", opposite Mithun Chakraborty and her mother Aparna Sen.


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: In 2001, she starred in the English-language film "Mr. and Mrs. Iyer", directed by Aparna Sen. The film performed well mainly in multiplexes and was a major critical success. Sen Sharma's performance as a Tamil housewife and her mastery of the accent were received well and she was awarded the National Film Award for Best Actress. Her performance was later included in the 2010 issue of the "Top 80 Iconic Performances" by "Filmfare".


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: This was followed by the National Film Award-winning social film, "Page 3" (2005). Her role of a smart journalist drew praise and she became a more familiar face to the movie-going public.


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: Sen Sharma was offered the lead role in Mira Nair's Hollywood film, "The Namesake" (2007), but owing to clashing dates with other films, she could not commit to the project. However, she followed it with acclaimed performances as a mentally ill woman in "15 Park Avenue" (2005) and as a middle aged village woman in "Omkara" (2006). For the latter, she received both the Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actress and the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her next release "" (2006) got average reviews. In 2006, Sen Sharma made her directorial debut with an 18-minute Bengali short film titled "Naamkoron (Naming Ceremony)" for the Kala Ghoda Film Festival.


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: Following this, Sen Sharma acted in "Dosar", a Bengali art film by Rituporno Ghosh which was premiered at several international film festivals. She won the Best Actress award at Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council (MIAAC) Film Festival for her performance.


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: Her first release of 2007 was her second collaboration with Madhur Bhandarkar, a noir film named "Traffic Signal", in which she played a street prostitute. Later that year, she appeared in Anurag Basu's "Life in a... Metro". The film opened to positive reviews and performed well at the Indian box office. "Metro" depicted the lives of different individuals in Mumbai, and Sen Sharma's performance as a young and insecure woman earned her a second Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: In late 2007, Sen Sharma acted in 2 films under the Yash Raj Films banner. She noted her excitement toward these 2 projects as these were the first films in which she had to lip-sync for songs. In the first one, "Laaga Chunari Mein Daag", a drama directed by Pradeep Sarkar, she portrayed a young woman from Banaras, Shubhavari 'Shubhi/Chutki' Sahay, alongside Rani Mukerji. The film was a critical and commercial failure in India, even though her performance was well received. The second one was "Aaja Nachle", which was widely promoted as the comeback film of Madhuri Dixit. The film did not fare well critically and commercially. Rajeev Masand from "CNN-IBN" noted her performance in the film as being "...nothing short of fantastic. Her greatest strength is that she isn't afraid of making a fool of herself and she doesn't worry about being laughed at. As a result, her performance in "Aaja Nachle" is fearless and uninhibited."


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: In 2008, Sen Sharma starred in "Dil Kabaddi". She starred in a short film ("How Can It Be?") directed by Mira Nair for a movie project called "8", which was screened at several film festivals in 2008 before having a theatrical release.


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: In 2009, she appeared in the low-budget English-language film "The President Is Coming", directed by Kunaal Roy Kapur, to generally positive reviews. Nikhat Kazmi from "The Times of India" wrote, "Performance-wise, it's the uptight and complex-ridden Ms. Sen Sharma who walks away with laurels and laughs even as the film takes a healthy snigger at the desi self."


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: Sen Sharma next starred in Zoya Akhtar's "Luck by Chance", opposite Farhan Akhtar. Upon release, the film met with highly positive reviews from critics, as did her performance, but its financial income was modest. Sen Sharma's latest 2009 release was Ayan Mukerjee's coming-of-age comedy0drama "Wake Up Sid" in which she starred alongside Ranbir Kapoor. Upon release, the film received highly positive reviews, and her performance received rave reviews. Taran Adarsh of "Bollywood Hungama" wrote, "Sen Sharma is natural to the core and the best part is, she's so effortless. Here's another winning performance from this incredible performer!" "The New York Times" wrote, "Ms. Sharma has made a specialty of characters like Aisha: independent urban women, whose dreams involve careers as well as love. Her Aisha is a nuanced creation — ambitious, sympathetic, believable — and Mr. Mukerji, making his directing debut, is right to let her run away with the film."


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: In 2010, Sen Sharma starred in Ashwani Dheer's comedy "Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge" opposite Ajay Devgan and Paresh Rawal. and Neeraj Pathak's "Right Yaa Wrong" where she played a lawyer. She has completed shooting for Rituparno Ghosh's comedy film "Sunglass" and Vinay Shukla's "Mirch".


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: In 2011, Sen Sharma played the leading role in Aparna Sen's "Iti Mrinalini", reportedly a semi-autobiographical film directed by the acclaimed Indian director Aparna Sen, also Konkona's mother. She will also appear in Amitabh Verma's "Jackpot" opposite Ranvir Shorey, in Suman Mukherjee's adaptation of "Shesher Kobita" and Goutam Ghose's "Shunyo Awnko".


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: In 2013, Sen Sharma starred in Balaji Telefilms' "Ek Thi Daayan", directed by newcomer Kannan Iyer and produced by Vishal Bhardwaj and Ekta Kapoor. The film also starred Emraan Hashmi, Kalki Koechlin and Huma Qureshi, and the film itself is inspired by the short story written by her father Mukul Sharma. She has also played a lead role in Aparna Sen's "Goynar Baksho".


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: In 2015, Sharma starred in the Bengali film "Kadombori" as Tagore's sister-in-law and also played Lakshmi Das, the wife of Gour Hari Das – an Odisha freedom fighter who spent 32 years attempting to convince the government of his patriotism. In October, she played a character based on Nupur Talwar in Vishal Bhardwaj's film "Talvar", regarding the 2008 Noida Double Murder case. The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival to extensive critical acclaim for Sharma and her co-stars Irrfan Khan and Neeraj Kabi, and also became a sleeper hit in India. In the same year she played Nayantara in a short film, "Nayantara's Necklace".


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: In 2016, Sharma worked on A.R. Murgadoss' film entitled "Akira", where she was portrayed a cop alongside Sonakshi Sinha.


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: In 2017 her directorial debut "A Death in the Gunj" was released on 2 June 2017, which starred Vikrant Massey and Kalki Koechlin in pivotal roles. The film was critically acclaimed and won her the Best Director award in the New York Indian film festival and also in the MAMI film festival. In July, her long-awaited "Lipstick Under My Burkha" released, directed by Alankrita Srivastava. The film garnered positive reviews and did well at the box office too. Her next project, titled "Scholarship", alongside Kalki Koechlin is in pre-production.


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: In 2021, Sen Sharma stars in the Amazon Prime web series "Mumbai Diaries 26/11". Directed by Nikkhil Advani and produced by Emmay Entertainment, it also stars Mohit Raina, Tina Desai, and Shreya Dhanwanthary.


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: In 2022, Sen Sharma and actor Ronit Roy will share the screen together in the upcoming mystery movie "Bioscope". Director Preetam Mukherjee will make the actors from Tollywood and Bollywood tie the knot.


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: In June 2009, Sen Sharma starred onstage first time at Atul Kumar's "The Blue Mug" alongside Rajat Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey and Sheeba Chadha. In 2010, the play was toured around the nation and abroad.


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: Sen Sharma started dating actor and co-star Ranvir Shorey in 2007. The couple got married on 3 September 2010 in a private ceremony. "The Times of India" reported that Sen Sharma gave birth to her first child, Haroon, on 15 March 2011 at a South Mumbai hospital. Sen Sharma and Shorey announced their separation in September 2015. They still remain friends and share the custody of their son. The couple finally got divorced on 13 August 2020.


title: Konkona Sen Sharma

text: In March 2022, Sen Sharma said that she has always felt "gender neutral" and doesn't view herself as either a man or a woman, adding that gender is a taught concept that she doesn't relate to.


title: Allen Collins

text: Larkin Allen Collins Jr. (July 19, 1952 – January 23, 1990) was an American guitarist. He was one of the founding members and guitarists of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and co-wrote many of the band's songs with frontman and original lead singer Ronnie Van Zant. He was born in Jacksonville, Florida.


title: Allen Collins

text: Collins started playing guitar at 12 years of age, with a few lessons from his stepmother, Leila Collins, a country-and-western guitarist, teaching him a few notes, and receiving his first guitar and amplifier from his father after a falling-out between the two. Collins attended Nathan B. Forrest High School.


title: Allen Collins

text: In 1970, Collins married Kathy Johns. All of his bandmates were in his wedding party, but Kathy worried that the band's long haired appearance would disturb her parents. To solve this problem, she required all the band members to keep their hair under wigs at the wedding ceremony. The wedding reception was one of the first public performances of "Free Bird" complete with the trademark extended guitar jam at the end. Collins's family grew with the birth of his daughter Amie, followed quickly by Allison. Collins was also fond of cars, and had a fairly extensive car collection, one of his favorites being a 1932 Plymouth coupe nicknamed "Dixie Blue".


title: Allen Collins

text: Allen Collins joined Skynyrd in Jacksonville, Florida, just two weeks after its formation by Ronnie Van Zant and Gary Rossington, along with Bob Burns and Larry Junstrom. Knowing that Collins played guitar and owned his own equipment, the band decided to approach him about joining them. Van Zant and Burns both had a reputation for trouble, and Collins fled on his bicycle and hid up a tree when he saw them pull up in his driveway. They soon convinced him that they were not there to beat him up and he agreed to join the band, then known as The One Percent.


title: Allen Collins

text: Collins and lead singer Ronnie Van Zant co-wrote many of the biggest Skynyrd hits, including "Free Bird", "Gimme Three Steps", and "That Smell". The band received national success beginning in 1973 while opening for the Who on their "Quadrophenia" tour.


title: Allen Collins

text: On October 20, 1977, an airplane carrying the band crashed into a forest in Mississippi, killing three band members, including Van Zant. Collins was seriously injured in the crash, suffering two broken vertebrae in his neck and severe damage to his right arm. While amputation was recommended, Collins' father refused and he eventually recovered.


title: Allen Collins

text: During the early 1980s, Collins continued to perform on stage in the Rossington-Collins Band which enjoyed modest success, releasing two albums ("Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere", and "This Is the Way"), and charting a few singles (notably "Don't Misunderstand Me").


title: Allen Collins

text: Tragedy struck again just as the Rossington Collins Band was getting off the ground. In 1980, during the first days of the debut concert tour, Collins's wife, Kathy, suddenly died of a hemorrhage during the miscarriage of their third child. This forced the tour's cancellation. With the lingering effects of losing his friends in the plane crash, Kathy's death devastated Collins.


title: Allen Collins

text: The Rossington-Collins Band disbanded in 1982. Collins continued to pursue music, starting the Allen Collins Band, which released one album, "Here, There & Back" in 1983. The six members included two Skynyrd bandmates: keyboardist Billy Powell and bassist Leon Wilkeson, along with lead singer Jimmy Dougherty, drummer Derek Hess, and guitarists Barry Lee Harwood and Randall Hall. In 1984, Collins tried to resurrect the band, hiring Jacksonville guitarist Mike Owings and bassist Andy Ward King. Later members included guitarist-vocalist Michael Ray FitzGerald and bassist "Filthy Phil" Price.


title: Allen Collins

text: On January 29, 1986, Collins was driving a new black Ford Thunderbird when he was involved in a car accident that claimed the life of his girlfriend, Debra Jean Watts, and paralyzed the guitarist from the waist down, with limited use of his arms and hands. Collins pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter as well as driving under the influence of alcohol. He would never play guitar on stage again as a result of his injuries.


title: Allen Collins

text: Collins' last performance with Lynyrd Skynyrd was at the band's first reunion after the plane crash at the 1979 Volunteer Jam V in Nashville, Tennessee. All remaining members of Lynyrd Skynyrd reunited officially in 1987, but due to his injury, Collins only served as musical director. As part of his plea bargain for the 1986 accident, Collins addressed fans at every Skynyrd concert with an explanation of why he could not perform, citing the dangers of drinking and driving, as well as drugs and alcohol. Also because of Collins' accident, the band donated a sizable amount of concert proceeds from the 1987–88 tour to the Miami Project, which is involved in treatment of paralysis. Collins founded Roll For Rock Wheelchair Events and Benefit Concerts in 1988 to raise awareness and to provide opportunities for those living with spinal cord injuries and other physical disabilities.


title: Allen Collins

text: Allen Collins died on January 23, 1990, from chronic pneumonia, a complication of the paralysis. He is buried beside his wife in Jacksonville, Florida.


title: Allen Collins

text: In 2006, Collins was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd.


title: Allen Collins

text: In the early days of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Collins used a black Gibson Flying V. This guitar got stolen, along with Gary Rossington's white Gibson SG, when the band's van was broken into after a gig. For most of his tenure in Skynyrd, Collins used a Gibson Firebird fitted with a chrome-covered, "dog-eared" P-90 pickup in the bridge position and a Gibson "teaspoon" nickel vibrato arm. In 1976 he switched to a natural-finished korina 1958 Gibson Explorer that he had bought for about $3,000 and used that guitar throughout his tenure with the Allen Collins Band.


title: Allen Collins

text: In late 1977 Collins began occasionally playing a Gibson Les Paul Special, with a double cutaway, P-90s, a sunburst finish, and modded with a Lyre Tremolo. He continued to use this guitar into the Rossington Collins Band as well. On "Gimme Back My Bullets", "Sweet Home Alabama", "Every Mothers Son" Collins used a Sunburst Fender Stratocaster after Ed King had left. Collins has also been filmed playing an all-black Stratocaster with a rosewood fingerboard, white pickups and white control knobs.


title: Allen Collins

text: In 2003 Gibson Guitars honored Allen with a limited edition Explorer. Like his original instrument these are made of African limba wood (korina) and feature an aged finish and a Maestro vibrola.


title: Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol

text: Delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-8-THC, Δ-THC) is a psychoactive cannabinoid found in the Cannabis plant. It is an isomer of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-THC, Δ-THC), the compound commonly known as THC. ∆-THC is under preliminary research for its biological properties.


title: Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol

text: ∆-THC is moderately less potent than Δ-THC. This essentially means that it has properties similar to those of ∆-THC, although to a lesser degree per milligram of material consumed. Delta-8-THC and delta-9-THC both contain a double bond in their molecular chain, but the location is different. Delta-8-THC has the bond in the 8th carbon chain while delta-9 contains it in the 9th carbon chain.


title: Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol

text: Although ∆-THC functions similarly to Δ-THC in many ways, it appears to be only two-thirds as psychoactive. This may be because it binds differently to CB1, the cannabinoid receptor that regulates much of THC’s mind-altering effect. ∆-THC may cause increased heart rate, reddening of the eyes, dizziness, dryness of the mouth and throat, paresthesia, tinnitus, increased body awareness, weakness, muscle tension or tremor, reduced motor coordination, fatigue, sleepiness, changes in visual perception, altered visual imagery, enhancement of colors or contrasts, time distortion, changes in auditory perception, euphoria, tranquility, relaxation, racing thoughts, dreamy introspective states, or difficulty in thinking, speaking, reading, or remembering.


title: Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol

text: A 1973 study testing the effects of ∆-THC in dogs and monkeys reported that a single oral dose of 9,000 milligrams per kilogram of body mass (mg/kg) was nonlethal in all dogs and monkeys studied. The same study reported that the median lethal dose of ∆-THC in rats was comparable to that of ∆-THC. Both isomers of THC have been found to cause a transient increase in blood pressure in rats, though the effects of cannabinoids on the cardiovascular system are complex. Animal studies indicate that ∆-THC exerts many of its central effects by binding to cannabinoid receptors found in various regions of the brain, including the cerebral cortex, thalamus, basal ganglia, hippocampus, and cerebellum.


title: Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol

text: A 2021 survey of 521 people who use delta-8-THC found that the most common self-reported effects were relaxation (71%), euphoria (68%), pain relief (55%), difficulty concentrating (81%), difficulties with short-term memory (80%), and altered sense of time (74%).


title: Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol

text: The pharmacodynamic profile of ∆-THC is similar to that of ∆-THC. It is a partial agonist of CB and CB cannabinoid receptors with about half the potency of ∆-THC in most but not all measures of biological activity. ∆-THC has been reported to have a K value of 44 ± 12 nM at the CB receptor and 44 ± 17 nM at the CB receptor. These values are higher than those typically reported for ∆-THC (CB1 Ki = 40.7 nM) at the same receptors, indicating that ∆-THC binds to cannabinoid receptors less efficiently than ∆-THC.


title: Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol

text: The pharmacokinetic profile of ∆-THC is also similar to that of ∆-THC. Following ingestion in humans, hepatic cytochrome P450 enzymes including CYP2C9 and CYP3A4 first convert ∆-THC into 11-hydroxy-Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (11-OH-Δ-THC). Next, dehydrogenase enzymes convert 11-OH-Δ-THC into 11-nor-Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (11-nor-Δ-THC-9-COOH, also known as Δ-THC-11-oic acid). Finally, Δ-THC-11-oic acid undergoes glucuronidation by glucuronidase enzymes to form 11-nor-Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid glucuronide (Δ-THC-COOH-glu). This final product is then excreted in the urine.


title: Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol

text: ∆-THC is a tricyclic terpenoid. Although it has the same chemical formula as ∆-THC, one of its carbon-carbon double bonds is located in a different position. This difference in structure increases the chemical stability of ∆-THC relative to ∆-THC, lengthening shelf life and allowing the compound to resist undergoing oxidation to cannabinol over time. Like other cannabinoids, ∆-THC is very lipophilic (log "P" = 7.4). It is an extremely viscous, colorless oil at room temperature.


title: Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol

text: While ∆-THC is naturally found in plants of the "Cannabis" genus, this compound can also be produced in an industrial or laboratory setting by exposing CBD to acids and heat. Solvents that may be used during this process include methylene chloride, toluene, and hexane. Acids that may be used include tosylic acid, indium(III) triflate, trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate, hydrochloric acid, and sulfuric acid. Because it is possible for chemical contaminants to be generated during the process of converting CBD to ∆-THC, such as Δ-THC, 9-OH-HHC and other side products, as well as the potentially toxic chemical reagents used during manufacture, concern has been raised about the safety of untested or impure ∆-THC products.


title: Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol

text: ∆-THC has a double bond (a) between the carbon atoms labeled 8 and 9. ∆-THC has a double bond (a) between the carbon atoms labeled 9 and 10.


title: Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol

text: The ongoing controversy regarding the legal status of ∆-THC in the U.S. is complicated by chemical nomenclature. According to a 2019 literature review published in "Clinical Toxicology", the term "synthetic cannabinoid" typically refers to a full agonist of CB and CB cannabinoid receptors. According to the review, "The psychoactive (and probably the toxic) effects of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists are likely due to their action as full receptor agonists and their greater potency at CB receptors." Because ∆-THC and ∆-THC are partial agonists of cannabinoid receptors, rather than full agonists, these compounds are less potent and less toxic than many synthetic cannabinoids. Although it has not been definitively proven if full agonism is the reason for toxicity as ∆-THC has been shown to act as a full CB agonist on specific CB receptors located in the hippocampus section of the brain. and the synthetic cannabinoid EG-018 acts as a partial agonist The classical cannabinoid dibenzopyran structure class of drugs which includes THC interact with a different spot inside of the CB receptor than synthetic cannabinoid compounds of unrelated chemical classes such as Naphthoylindoles do which may contribute to toxicity.


title: Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol

text: The partial synthesis of ∆-THC was published in 1941 by Roger Adams and colleagues at the University of Illinois. In 1942, the same research group studied its physiological and psychoactive effects after oral dosing in human volunteers. Total syntheses of ∆-THC were achieved by 1965. In 1966, the chemical structure of ∆-THC isolated from cannabis was characterized using modern methods by Richard L. Hively, William A. Mosher, and Friedrich W. Hoffmann at the University of Delaware. A stereospecific synthesis of ∆-THC from olivetol and verbenol was reported by Raphael Mechoulam and colleagues at the Weizmann Institute of Science in 1967. ∆-THC was often referred to as "Delta-6-THC" (Δ-THC) in early scientific literature, but this name is no longer conventional among most authors.


title: Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol

text: In 1937, ∆-THC was effectively made illegal with the passage of the Marihuana Tax Act, which made cannabis illegal on the federal level. Over the course of the 1970s, 11 states decriminalized marijuana, with others reducing related penalties. President Ronald Reagan re-enacted mandatory sentences for cannabis-related offenses.


title: Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol

text: The 2018 United States farm bill signed into law in December 2018 states that, "Any cannabis containing under 0.3% Delta-9 THC is classified as “hemp” and no longer a controlled substance.", ∆-THC products partially synthesized from compliant sources (including industrial hemp and derivative cannabidiol extracts) have been sold by a range of digital vendors and a more limited array of brick and mortar retailers, including head shops. Ranging from bulk quantities of unrefined distillate to prepared edibles and atomizer cartridges suffused with cannabis-derived terpenes, they are usually marketed as federally legal alternatives to their ∆-THC counterparts. However, the legal status of ∆-THC at the federal level is in question with some believing that the Oct. 2020 DEA IFR addressing "synthetics" applied to Delta-8 and other hemp derivatives allowed by the Farm Bill. While most states have legalized ∆-THC, a handful have not, leading to confusion as to its legal status in those states.


title: Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol

text: Beginning in late 2020, ∆-THC began to attract the attention of many cannabis consumers throughout the United States. Thought of as an alternative to traditional cannabis use, especially in areas where marijuana is illegal, the news of ∆-THC spread quickly via multiple media platforms which attracted a storm of social media attention. With ∆-THC starting to attract the attention of people, it has made it easy for smoke shops and dispensaries to start carrying ∆-THC infused edibles and atomizer cartridges for individuals to purchase.


title: Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol

text: Because marketing of ∆-THC products does not require special licensing (nor does cannabis-specific tax apply) they are often far cheaper than ∆-THC products purchased in a cannabis dispensary. In addition, ∆-THC's legality on the federal level facilitates its marketing across multiple US states. ∆-THC products can be sent through the mail, whereas ∆-THC products, still illegal at the federal level, cannot. As of 2021, the popularity and ease of access of ∆-THC products has birthed a new industry.


title: Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol

text: ∆-THC products have been sold in regulated recreational cannabis and medical cannabis industries within the United States for over 2 years.


title: Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol

text: ∆-THC is typically synthesized from cannabidiol extracted from hemp as the natural quantities of ∆-THC found in hemp are low. The reaction often yields a mixture that contains other cannabinoids and unknown reaction by-products. As a result, most products sold as ∆-THC are not actually pure ∆-THC. Little is known about the identity and the health effects of the impurities.


title: Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol

text: The safety profile of regular, long-term delta-8-THC use is unknown. The FDA has reported 104 adverse event reports related to delta 8 THC, including one pediatric case with a coded outcome of "death". National poison control centers received 2,362 exposure cases of delta-8 THC products between January 1, 2021 (i.e., date that delta-8 THC product code was added to database), and February 28, 2022. 58% of these exposures involve adults.


title: Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol

text: When using ∆-THC, side effects may occur, such as dry mouth (colloquially known as "cottonmouth"), fatigue, and bloodshot eyes. ∆-THC may be used as disposable vapes, edibles, or atomizer cartridges. People who consume ∆-THC edibles are more likely to experience severe side effects compared to other methods of ingesting.


title: Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol

text: ∆-THC has been studied as a potential treatment for glaucoma, corneal injury, and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Although it is a minor constituent of medical cannabis, no large clinical studies have been conducted on delta-8-THC alone as of 2022.


title: Napoleon complex

text: The "Napoleon complex", known informally as small man syndrome, is a syndrome normally attributed to people of small stature. It is characterized by overly-aggressive or domineering social behavior, such as lying about earnings, and carries the implication that such behavior is compensatory for the subject's physical or social shortcomings. In psychology, the Napoleon complex is regarded as a derogatory social stereotype.


title: Napoleon complex

text: The Napoleon complex is named after Napoleon, the first Emperor of the French. Common folklore supposes that Napoleon compensated for his lack of height by seeking power, war, and conquest. This view was fostered and encouraged by the British, who waged a propaganda campaign to diminish their enemy in print and art, during his life and after his death. In 1803, he was mocked in British newspapers as a short-tempered small man. According to some historians, he was actually tall, an inch or so above the period's average adult male height, depending on the source chosen. Other historians assert that he was because he was measured on a British island 28 years after the French adopted the metric system. Napoleon was often seen with his Imperial Guard, which contributed to the perception of his being short because the Imperial Guards were tall men. Other names for the purported condition include Napoleonic complex, Napoleon syndrome and short man syndrome.


title: Napoleon complex

text: In 2007, a study by the University of Central Lancashire concluded that the Napoleon complex (described in terms of the theory that shorter men are more aggressive to dominate those who are taller than they are) is a myth. The study discovered that short men were less likely to lose their temper than men of average height. The experiment involved subjects dueling each other with sticks, with one subject deliberately rapping the other's knuckles. Heart monitors revealed that the taller men were more likely to lose their tempers and hit back. University of Central Lancashire lecturer Mike Eslea commented that "when people see a short man being aggressive, they are likely to think it is due to his size, simply because that attribute is obvious and grabs their attention".


title: Napoleon complex

text: The Wessex Growth Study is a community-based longitudinal study conducted in the UK that monitored the psychological development of children from school entry to adulthood. The study was controlled for potential effects of gender and socioeconomic status, and found that "no significant differences in personality functioning or aspects of daily living were found which could be attributable to height"; this functioning included generalizations associated with the Napoleon complex, such as risk-taking behaviours.


title: Napoleon complex

text: Abraham Buunk, a professor at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, concluded that he had evidence of the small man syndrome. Researchers at the university found that men who were were 50% more likely to show signs of jealousy than men who were .


title: Napoleon complex

text: Singer-songwriter Mariah Carey referenced the Napoleon complex in her 2009 song "Obsessed", accusing someone of being ""all fired up with [their] Napoleon complex"""." The song is widely believed to be a response to rapper Eminem, who had made disparaging remarks about Carey in multiple previous songs. Eminem stands at .


title: Napoleon complex

text: In the visual novel "Doki Doki Literature Club!", a character named Natsuki has an after the same complex, aggressiveness offsetting for her small stature. Natsuki stands at .


title: Napoleon complex

text: In the video game "Marcello's Fun House", a character named Bambi also has an after the same complex, offsetting his low stature with a hothead personality. Bambi stands at , which is the two hotdogs height.


title: Indigo dye

text: Indigo dye is an organic compound with a distinctive blue color. Historically, indigo was a natural dye extracted from the leaves of some plants of the "Indigofera" genus, in particular "Indigofera tinctoria"; dye-bearing "Indigofera" plants were commonly grown and used throughout the world, in Asia in particular, as an important crop, with the production of indigo dyestuff economically important due to the previous rarity of some blue dyestuffs historically.


title: Indigo dye

text: Most indigo dye produced today is synthetic, constituting several thousand tons each year. It is most commonly associated with the production of denim cloth and blue jeans, where its properties allow for effects such as stone washing and acid washing to be applied quickly.


title: Indigo dye

text: The primary use for indigo is as a dye for cotton yarn, mainly used in the production of denim cloth suitable for blue jeans; on average, a pair of blue jeans requires just to of dye. Smaller quantities are used in the dyeing of wool and silk.


title: Indigo dye

text: Indigo carmine, also known as indigo, is an indigo derivative which is also used as a colorant. About 20,000 tonnes are produced annually, again mainly for the production of blue jeans. It is also used as a food colorant, and is listed in the United States as FD&C Blue No. 2.


title: Indigo dye

text: A variety of plants have provided indigo throughout history, but most natural indigo was obtained from those in the genus "Indigofera", which are native to the tropics, notably the Indian Subcontinent. The primary commercial indigo species in Asia was true indigo ("Indigofera tinctoria", also known as "I. sumatrana"). A common alternative used in the relatively colder subtropical locations such as Japan's Islands and Taiwan is "Strobilanthes cusia".


title: Indigo dye

text: Until the introduction of "Indigofera" species from the south, "Polygonum tinctorum" (dyer's knotweed) was the most important blue dyestuff in East Asia; however, the crop produced less dyestuff than the average crop of indigo, and was quickly surpassed in favour of the more economical "Indigofera tinctoria" plant. In Central and South America, the species grown is "Indigofera suffruticosa", also known as "anil", and in India, an important species was "Indigofera arrecta", Natal indigo. In Europe, "Isatis tinctoria", commonly known as woad, was used for dyeing fabrics blue, containing the same dyeing compounds as indigo, also referred to as indigo.


title: Indigo dye

text: Several plants contain indigo, which, when exposed to an oxidising source such as atmospheric oxygen, reacts to produce indigo dye; however, the relatively low concentrations of indigo in these plants make them difficult to work with, with the color more easily tainted by other dye substances also present in these plants, typically leading to a greenish tinge.


title: Indigo dye

text: The precursor to indigo is indican, a colorless, water-soluble derivative of the amino acid tryptophan. Indican readily hydrolyzes to release β--glucose and indoxyl. Oxidation by exposure to air converts indoxyl to indigotin, the insoluble blue chemical that is the endpoint of indigo dye. Indican was obtained from the processing of the plant's leaves, which contain as much as 0.2–0.8% of this compound. The leaves were soaked in water and fermented to convert the glycoside indican present in the plant to indigotin. They precipitate from the fermented leaf solution when mixed with a strong base such as lye, pressed into cakes, dried, and powdered. The powder was then mixed with various other substances to produce different shades of blue and purple.


title: Indigo dye

text: Natural sources of indigo also include mollusks; the "Murex" genus of sea snails produces a mixture of indigo and 6,6′-dibromoindigo (red), which together produce a range of purple hues known as Tyrian purple. Light exposure during part of the dyeing process can convert the dibromoindigo into indigo, resulting in blue hues known as royal blue, hyacinth purple, or tekhelet.


title: Indigo dye

text: Given its economic importance, indigo has been prepared by many methods. The Baeyer-Drewson indigo synthesis dates back to 1882. It involves an aldol condensation of o-nitrobenzaldehyde with acetone, followed by cyclization and oxidative dimerization to indigo. This route is highly useful for obtaining indigo and many of its derivatives on the laboratory scale, but proved impractical for industrial-scale synthesis. Johannes Pfleger and eventually came up with industrial mass production synthesis.


title: Indigo dye

text: The first commercially practical route of producing indigo is credited to Pfleger in 1901. In this process, "N"-phenylglycine is treated with a molten mixture of sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, and sodamide. This highly sensitive melt produces indoxyl, which is subsequently oxidized in air to form indigo. Variations of this method are still in use today. An alternative and also viable route to indigo is credited to Heumann in 1897. It involves heating "N"-(2-carboxyphenyl)glycine to in an inert atmosphere with sodium hydroxide. The process is easier than the Pfleger method, but the precursors are more expensive. Indoxyl-2-carboxylic acid is generated. This material readily decarboxylates to give indoxyl, which oxidizes in air to form indigo. The preparation of indigo dye is practised in college laboratory classes according to the original Baeyer-Drewsen route.


title: Indigo dye

text: The oldest known fabric dyed indigo, dated to 6,000 years ago, was discovered in Huaca Prieta, Peru. Many Asian countries, such as India, China, Japan, and Southeast Asian nations have used indigo as a dye (particularly for silk) for centuries. The dye was also known to ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Britain, Mesoamerica, Peru, Iran, and West Africa. Indigo was also cultivated in India, which was also the earliest major center for its production and processing. The "Indigofera tinctoria" species was domesticated in India. Indigo, used as a dye, made its way to the Greeks and the Romans, where it was valued as a luxury product.


title: Indigo dye

text: In Mesopotamia, a neo-Babylonian cuneiform tablet of the seventh century BC gives a recipe for the dyeing of wool, where lapis-colored wool ("uqnatu") is produced by repeated immersion and airing of the cloth. Indigo was most probably imported from India. The Romans used indigo as a pigment for painting and for medicinal and cosmetic purposes. It was a luxury item imported to the Mediterranean from India by Arab merchants.


title: Indigo dye

text: India was a primary supplier of indigo to Europe as early as the Greco-Roman era. The association of India with indigo is reflected in the Greek word for the dye, "indikón" (, Indian). The Romans latinized the term to "indicum", which passed into Italian dialect and eventually into English as the word indigo.


title: Indigo dye

text: In Bengal indigo cultivators revolted against exploitative working conditions created by European merchants and planters in what became known as the Indigo revolt in 1859. The Bengali play "Nil Darpan" by Indian playwright Dinabandhu Mitra was a fictionalized retelling of the revolt.


title: Indigo dye

text: The demand for indigo in the 19th century is indicated by the fact that in 1897, were dedicated to the cultivation of indican-producing plants, mainly in India. By comparison, the country of Luxembourg is .


title: Indigo dye

text: In Europe, indigo remained a rare commodity throughout the Middle Ages. A chemically identical dye derived from the woad plant "(Isatis tinctoria)" was used instead. In the late 15th century, the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama discovered a sea route to India. This led to the establishment of direct trade with India, the Spice Islands, China, and Japan. Importers could now avoid the heavy duties imposed by Persian, Levantine, and Greek middlemen and the lengthy and dangerous land routes which had previously been used. Consequently, the importation and use of indigo in Europe rose significantly. Much European indigo from Asia arrived through ports in Portugal, the Netherlands, and England. Many indigo plantations were established by European powers in tropical climates. Spain imported the dye from its colonies in Central and South America, and it was a major crop in Haiti and Jamaica, with much or all of the labor performed by enslaved Africans and African Americans. In the Spanish colonial era, intensive production of indigo for the world market in the region of modern El Salvador entailed such unhealthy conditions that the local indigenous population, forced to labor in pestilential conditions, was decimated. Indigo plantations also thrived in the Virgin Islands. However, France and Germany outlawed imported indigo in the 16th century to protect the local woad dye industry.


title: Indigo dye

text: Newton used "indigo" to describe one of the two new primary colors he added to the five he had originally named, in his revised account of the rainbow in "Lectiones Opticae" of 1675.


title: Indigo dye

text: Throughout West Africa, Indigo was the foundation of centuries-old textile traditions. From the Tuareg nomads of the Sahara to Cameroon, clothes dyed with indigo signified wealth. Women dyed the cloth in most areas, with the Yoruba of Nigeria and the Mandinka of Mali particularly well known for their expertise. Among the Hausa male dyers, working at communal dye pits was the basis of the wealth of the ancient city of Kano, and they can still be seen plying their trade today at the same pits. The Tuareg are sometimes called the "Blue People" because the indigo pigment in the cloth of their traditional robes and turbans stained their skin dark blue.


title: Indigo dye

text: In Japan, indigo became especially important during the Edo period. This was due to a growing textiles industry, and because commoners had been banned from wearing silk, leading to the increasing cultivation of cotton, and consequently indigo – one of the few substances that could dye it.


title: Indigo dye

text: In North America, indigo was introduced into colonial South Carolina by Eliza Lucas, where it became the colony's second-most important cash crop (after rice). As a major export crop, indigo supported plantation slavery there. In the May and June 1755 issues of "The Gentleman's Magazine," there appeared a detailed account of the cultivation of indigo, accompanied by drawings of necessary equipment and a prospective budget for starting such an operation, authored by South Carolina planter Charles Woodmason. It later appeared as a book. By 1775, indigo production in South Carolina exceeded 1,222,000 pounds. When Benjamin Franklin sailed to France in November 1776 to enlist France's support for the American Revolutionary War, 35 barrels of indigo were on board the "Reprisal", the sale of which would help fund the war effort. In colonial North America, three commercially important species are found: the native "I. caroliniana", and the introduced "I. tinctoria" and "I. suffruticosa".


title: Indigo dye

text: In 1865 the German chemist Adolf von Baeyer began working on the synthesis of indigo. He described his first synthesis of indigo in 1878 (from isatin) and a second synthesis in 1880 (from 2-nitrobenzaldehyde). (It was not until 1883 that Baeyer finally determined the structure of indigo.) The synthesis of indigo remained impractical, so the search for alternative starting materials at Badische Anilin- und Soda-Fabrik (BASF) and Hoechst continued. Johannes Pfleger and eventually came up with industrial mass production synthesis.


title: Indigo dye

text: The synthesis of N-(2-carboxyphenyl)glycine from the easy to obtain aniline provided a new and economically attractive route. BASF developed a commercially feasible manufacturing process that was in use by 1897, at which time 19,000 tons of indigo were being produced from plant sources. This had dropped to 1,000 tons by 1914 and continued to contract. By 2011, 50,000 tons of synthetic indigo were being produced worldwide.


title: Indigo dye

text: Indigo is a challenging dye because it is not soluble in water. To be dissolved, it must undergo a chemical change (reduction). Reduction converts indigo into "white indigo" (leuco-indigo). When a submerged fabric is removed from the dyebath, the white indigo quickly combines with oxygen in the air and reverts to the insoluble, intensely colored indigo. When it first became widely available in Europe in the 16th century, European dyers and printers struggled with indigo because of this distinctive property. It also required several chemical manipulations, some involving toxic materials, and had many opportunities to injure workers. In the 19th century, English poet William Wordsworth referred to the plight of indigo dye workers of his hometown of Cockermouth in his autobiographical poem "The Prelude". Speaking of their dire working conditions and the empathy that he felt for them, he wrote:


title: Indigo dye

text: A pre-industrial process for production of indigo white, used in Europe, was to dissolve the indigo in stale urine, which contains ammonia. A more convenient reductive agent is zinc. Another pre-industrial method, used in Japan, was to dissolve the indigo in a heated vat in which a culture of thermophilic, anaerobic bacteria was maintained. Some species of such bacteria generate hydrogen as a metabolic product, which convert insoluble indigo into soluble indigo white. Cloth dyed in such a vat was decorated with the techniques of "shibori" (tie-dye), "kasuri", "katazome", and "tsutsugaki". Examples of clothing and banners dyed with these techniques can be seen in the works of Hokusai and other artists.


title: Indigo dye

text: Two different methods for the direct application of indigo were developed in England in the 18th century and remained in use well into the 19th century. The first method, known as 'pencil blue' because it was most often applied by pencil or brush, could be used to achieve dark hues. Arsenic trisulfide and a thickener were added to the indigo vat. The arsenic compound delayed the oxidation of the indigo long enough to paint the dye onto fabrics.


title: Indigo dye

text: The second method was known as 'China blue' due to its resemblance to Chinese blue-and-white porcelain. Instead of using an indigo solution directly, the process involved printing the insoluble form of indigo onto the fabric. The indigo was then reduced in a sequence of baths of iron(II) sulfate, with air oxidation between each immersion. The China blue process could make sharp designs, but it could not produce the dark hues possible with the pencil blue method.


title: Indigo dye

text: Around 1880, the 'glucose process' was developed. It finally enabled the direct printing of indigo onto fabric and could produce inexpensive dark indigo prints unattainable with the China blue method.


title: Indigo dye

text: Since 2004, freeze-dried indigo, or instant indigo, has become available. In this method, the indigo has already been reduced, and then freeze-dried into a crystal. The crystals are added to warm water to create the dye pot. As in a standard indigo dye pot, care has to be taken to avoid mixing in oxygen. Freeze-dried indigo is simple to use, and the crystals can be stored indefinitely as long as they are not exposed to moisture.


title: Indigo dye

text: Indigo dye is a dark blue crystalline powder that sublimes at . It is insoluble in water, alcohol, or ether, but soluble in DMSO, chloroform, nitrobenzene, and concentrated sulfuric acid. The chemical formula of indigo is CHNO.


title: Indigo dye

text: The molecule absorbs light in the orange part of the spectrum ("λ" = 613 nm). The compound owes its deep color to the conjugation of the double bonds, i.e. the double bonds within the molecule are adjacent and the molecule is planar. In indigo white, the conjugation is interrupted because the molecule is non-planar.


title: Indigo dye

text: The benzene rings in indigo can be modified to give a variety of related dyestuffs. Thioindigo, where the two NH groups are replaced by S atoms, is deep red. Tyrian purple is a dull purple dye that is secreted by a common Mediterranean snail. It was highly prized in antiquity. In 1909, its structure was shown to be 6,6'-dibromoindigo (red). 6-bromoindigo (purple) is a component as well. It has never been produced on a commercial basis. The related Ciba blue (5,7,5′,7′-tetrabromoindigo) is, however, of commercial value.


title: Indigo dye

text: Indigo and its derivatives featuring intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonding have very low solubility in organic solvents. They can be made soluble using transient protecting groups such as the tBOC group, which suppresses intermolecular bonding. Heating of the tBOC indigo results in efficient thermal deprotection and regeneration of the parent H-bonded pigment.


title: Indigo dye

text: Treatment with sulfuric acid converts indigo into a blue-green derivative called indigo carmine (sulfonated indigo). It became available in the mid-18th century. It is used as a colorant for food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics.


title: Indigo dye

text: Indigo and some of its derivatives are known to be ambipolar organic semiconductors when deposited as thin films by vacuum evaporation.


title: Indigo dye

text: Indigo has a low oral toxicity, with an of 5 g/kg (0.5% of total mass) in mammals. In 2009, large spills of blue dyes had been reported downstream of a blue jeans manufacturer in Lesotho.


title: Marc Almond

text: Peter Mark Sinclair "Marc" Almond, (born 9 July 1957) is an English singer. Almond first began performing and recording in the synthpop/new wave duo Soft Cell where he became known for his distinctive soulful voice and androgynous image. He has also had a diverse career as a solo artist. His collaborations include a duet with Gene Pitney on the 1989 UK number one single "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart". Almond's career spanning over four decades has enjoyed critical and commercial acclaim, and he has sold over 30 million records worldwide. He spent a month in a coma after a near-fatal motorcycle accident in 2004 and later became a patron of the brain trauma charity Headway.


title: Marc Almond

text: He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2018 New Year Honours for services to arts and culture.


title: Marc Almond

text: Almond was born in Southport, Lancashire, the son of Sandra Mary Diesen and Peter John Sinclair Almond, a Second Lieutenant in the King's Liverpool Regiment. He was brought up nearby at his grandparents' house in Birkdale with his younger sister, Julia, and as a child suffered from bronchitis and asthma. When he was four, they left their grandparents' house and moved to Starbeck, Harrogate. Two years later they returned to Southport, and then moved to Horsforth, West Yorkshire. There, he attended Horsforth Featherbank Infant School.


title: Marc Almond

text: At the age of 11, Almond attended Aireborough Grammar School near Leeds, West Yorkshire. He found solace in music, listening to British radio pioneer John Peel. The first album he purchased was the soundtrack of the stage musical "Hair" and the first single "Green Manalishi" by Fleetwood Mac. He later became a great fan of Marc Bolan and David Bowie and got a part-time job as a stable boy to fund his musical tastes. After his parents' divorce in 1972, he moved with his mother back to Southport where he attended King George V School. He gained two O-Levels in Art and English and was accepted onto a General Art and Design course at Southport College, specialising in Performance Art.


title: Marc Almond

text: Almond applied to Leeds Polytechnic, where he was interviewed by Jeff Nuttall, also a performance artist, who accepted him on the strength of his performing skills. During his time at art college, he did a series of performance theatre pieces: "Zazou", "Glamour in Squalor", "Twilights and Lowlifes", as well as Andy Warhol inspired mini-movies. "Zazou" was reviewed by "The Yorkshire Evening Post" and described as "one of the most nihilistic depressing pieces that I have ever had the misfortune to see", prompting Almond to later refer to it as a "success" in his autobiography. He left art college with a 2:1 honours degree. He later credited writer and artist Molly Parkin with discovering him. It was at Leeds Polytechnic that Almond met David Ball, a fellow student; they formed Soft Cell in 1977.


title: Marc Almond

text: As a child, Almond listened to his parents' record collection, which included his mother's "Let's Dance" by Chris Montez and "The Twist" by Chubby Checker, as well as his father's collection of jazz, including Dave Brubeck and Eartha Kitt. As an adolescent, Almond listened to Radio Caroline and Radio Luxembourg. He listened at first to progressive music, blues, and rock, and bands such as Free, Jethro Tull, Van der Graaf Generator, The Who, and The Doors. He bought the first ever issue of "Sounds" because it contained a free poster of Jimmy Page. Almond became a fan of Bolan after hearing him on "The John Peel Show", buying the T. Rex single "Ride a White Swan". From then on, Almond "followed everything Marc Bolan did" and it was his obsession with Bolan that prompted Almond to adopt the "Marc" spelling of his name. He discovered the songs of Jacques Brel through Bowie as well as Alex Harvey and Dusty Springfield. Brel became a major influence.


title: Marc Almond

text: Almond and Dave Ball formed the synthesiser-based duo Soft Cell and signed to the Some Bizzare label. Their hits included "Tainted Love" (UK No. 1), "Bedsitter" (UK No. 4), "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" (UK No. 3), "Torch" (UK No. 2), "What!" (UK No. 3), "Soul Inside" (UK No. 16), and the club hit "Memorabilia". Soft Cell's first release was an independent record (funded by Dave Ball's mother) entitled "Mutant Moments" via Red Rhino Records in 1980.


title: Marc Almond

text: "Mutant Moments" came to the attention of music entrepreneur Stevo Pearce, who at the time was compiling a "futurist" chart for the music papers Record Mirror and "Sounds" which featured young, upcoming and experimental bands of the new wave of electronic sound. He signed the duo to his Some Bizzare label and they enjoyed a string of nine Top 40 hit singles and four Top 20 albums in the UK between 1981 and 1984. They recorded three albums in New York with producer Mike Thorne: "Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret", "Non Stop Ecstatic Dancing" and "The Art of Falling Apart". Almond became involved with the New York Underground Art Scene at this time with writer/DJ Anita Sarko, which led him to meet artists including Andy Warhol and perform at a number of Art events.


title: Marc Almond

text: "Tainted Love", a cover of a Gloria Jones Northern Soul classic, was number one in the UK and in many countries over the world, and was in the "Guinness Book of Records" for a while as the record that spent the longest time in the Billboard Top 100 chart in the US. It also won the best-single award of 1981 at the first Brit Awards. Soft Cell brought an otherwise obscure Northern Soul classic to mass public attention and their version of the song is, to date, the UK's 59th best-selling single of all time, selling over one million copies in the UK.


title: Marc Almond

text: In 1982, Almond formed Marc and the Mambas as an offshoot project from Soft Cell. Marc and the Mambas was a loose experimental collective that set the template for the artist that Almond would become. The Mambas at various times included Matt Johnson, Steve James Sherlock, Lee Jenkinson, Peter Ashworth, Jim Thirlwell and Anni Hogan, with whom Almond worked later in his solo career. Under the Mambas moniker, Almond recorded two albums, "Untitled" and the seminal double opus "Torment and Toreros". He disbanded the collective when it started to feel too much like a regular band.


title: Marc Almond

text: Soft Cell disbanded in 1984 just before the release of their fourth album, "This Last Night in Sodom", but the duo briefly reunited in 2001.


title: Marc Almond

text: Almond's first proper solo album was "Vermin in Ermine", released in 1984. Produced by Mike Hedges, it featured musicians from the Mambas outfit, Annie Hogan, Martin McCarrick and Billy McGee. This ensemble, known as The Willing Sinners, worked alongside Almond for the subsequent albums "Stories of Johnny" (1985) from which the title track became a minor hit, and "Mother Fist and Her Five Daughters" (1987), also produced by Mike Hedges. The latter album was highly acclaimed in reviews, with Ned Raggett writing that the 'Mother Fist' album "embraces classic European cabaret to wonderful effect, more so than any American or English rock album since Bowie's "Aladdin Sane" or Lou Reed's "Berlin"."


title: Marc Almond

text: McCarrick left The Willing Sinners in 1987 to join Siouxsie and the Banshees, from which point Hogan and McGee became known as La Magia. Almond signed to EMI and released the album "The Stars We Are" in 1988. This album featured Almond's version of "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart", which was later re-recorded as a duet with the song's original singer Gene Pitney and released as a single. The track reached No. 1 in the UK. It also reached number one in Germany and was a major hit in countries around the world. "The Stars We Are" became his biggest selling solo album in the US, and the single "Tears Run Rings" became his only solo single to peak inside the US "Billboard" Hot 100.


title: Marc Almond

text: Almond's other recordings in the 1980s included an album of Brel songs, called "Jacques", and an album of dark French chansons originally performed by Juliette Gréco, Serge Lama and Léo Ferré, as well as poems by Rimbaud and Baudelaire set to music. This album was released in 1993 as "Absinthe", and was initially recorded in the late 1980s then finished in Paris in the early 1990s.


title: Marc Almond

text: Almond's first release in the 1990s was the album "Enchanted", which spawned the UK Top 30 hit "A Lover Spurned". A further single from the album, "Waifs and Strays", was remixed by Dave Ball who was now in the electronic dance band The Grid. In 1991, Soft Cell returned to the charts with a new remix of "Say Hello Wave Goodbye" followed by a re-release of "Tainted Love" (with a new video). The singles were issued to promote a new Soft Cell/Marc Almond compilation album, "Memorabilia - The Singles", which collected some of the biggest hits from Almond's career throughout the previous ten years. The album reached the UK Top 10.


title: Marc Almond

text: Almond then signed to WEA and released a new solo album, "Tenement Symphony". Produced partly by Trevor Horn, the album yielded three Top 40 hits including renditions of the Jacques Brel classic "Jacky" (which made the UK Top 20), and "The Days of Pearly Spencer" which returned Almond to the UK Top 5 in 1992. Later that year, Almond played a lavish one-off show at the Royal Albert Hall in London, which featured an orchestra and dancers as he performed material from his entire career. The show was recorded and released as the CD and video "12 Years of Tears".


title: Marc Almond

text: In 1993 Almond toured Russia (including Siberia) by invitation of the British consul in Moscow. Accompanied only by Martin Watkins on piano, he played small Soviet halls and theatres, often without amplification, and ended at the "mini Bolshoi" in Moscow. Transmitted live on television Almond made a plea for tolerance of gay people. The tour was fraught with troubles, which Almond detailed in his autobiography, but it marked the beginning of his love affair with the genre of Russian folk torch songs known as Romance.


title: Marc Almond

text: Almond's next album "Fantastic Star" saw him part with WEA and sign to Mercury Records. Much of "Fantastic Star" was originally recorded in New York with Mike Thorne, but later after signing to Mercury, was reworked in London. Almond also recorded a session for the album with John Cale, David Johanson, and Chris Spedding; some made the final cut. Other songs were produced by Mike Hedges and Martyn Ware. Adding to the disjointed recording process was the fact that during recording Almond also spent several weeks attending a treatment centre in Canterbury for addiction to prescription drugs. However, on its release "Fantastic Star" gave Almond a hit single with "Adored and Explored", and also minor hits and stage favourites such as "The Idol" and "Child Star". "Fantastic Star" was Almond's last album with a major record label, and the period also marked the ending of his managerial relationship with Stevo Pearce.


title: Marc Almond

text: Almond signed to Echo records in 1998 with a more downbeat and atmospheric electronica album, "Open All Night". This featured R&B and trip hop influences, as well as torch songs for which he had become known. The album featured a duet ("Threat of Love") with Siouxsie Sioux as well as one ("Almost Diamonds") with Kelli Ali (then of the Sneaker Pimps). "Black Kiss", "Tragedy" and "My Love" were the singles from the album "Open All Night".


title: Marc Almond

text: Almond relocated in 2000 to Moscow where he rented an apartment. With the encouragement and connections of executive producer Misha Kucherenko, he embarked on a three-year recording project of Russian romance and folk songs, called "Heart on Snow". Featuring many Russian stars old and new such as Boris Grebenshchikov, Ilya Lagutenko of the Russian band Mumiy Troll, Lyudmila Zykina and Alla Bayanova and featuring The Rossiya Folk Orchestra conducted by Anatole Sobolev, it was the first time that such a project had been undertaken by a Western artist, many of the loved Soviet era songs sung in English for the first time. The album was produced by musician/arranger Andrei Samsonov. Almond performed many times at the famous now demolished Rossiya Concert Hall with Lyudmila Zykina and Alla Bayanova, and with the Rossiya Folk Orchestra.


title: Marc Almond

text: In 2001, Soft Cell reunited briefly and released their first new album in 18 years, "Cruelty Without Beauty". Two singles came out of this album, "Monoculture" and a cover of the Frankie Valli's "The Night", which led to a Top of the Pops appearance for the band, their first since the mid 1980s.


title: Marc Almond

text: In October 2004, Almond was seriously injured in a motorbike accident near St Paul's Cathedral, London. Near death and in a coma for weeks, he suffered two huge blood clots and had to undergo emergency surgery twice. He also suffered serious head injuries, multiple breaks and fractures, a collapsed lung and damaged hearing. He began a slow recovery determined to get back on the stage and in the studio.


title: Marc Almond

text: In June 2007, Almond released an album of cover songs, "Stardom Road". Picked to tell a story of his life and career, the album featured songs as diverse as "I Have Lived" by Charles Aznavour, to "Stardom Road" by Third World War, Frank Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night", and "Kitsch" by Paul Ryan. The album featured his first new song since the motorbike accident, "Redeem me (Beauty Will Redeem the World)". "Stardom Road" was to be one of three albums for the Sanctuary label, the UK's largest independent record label up until 2007 when it got itself into financial difficulty and was sold off in June 2007 to Universal Music Group. In July 2007, Almond celebrated his 50th birthday on stage at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in London and in September performed at a tribute show to Marc Bolan, his teenage hero. At the concert he dueted with Bolan's wife, Gloria Jones, on an impromptu version of "Tainted Love". In October 2007, the fashion house "Yves Saint Laurent" picked Almond's "Strangers in the Night" to represent their show at London's "Fashion Rocks". Almond performed for the event at the Royal Albert Hall.


title: Marc Almond

text: In 2008 and 2009, Almond toured with Jools Holland throughout the UK as well as guesting at shows by Current 93, Baby Dee and a tribute show to the late folk singer Sandy Denny at the Festival Hall. In October 2009, Almond released his second album of Russian Romances and Gypsy songs in an album titled "Orpheus in Exile". The album was a tribute to Russian singer Vadim Kozin, who was exiled to the gulags of the Arctic Circle. The album was produced by Alexei Fedorov and features an orchestra arranged by Anatole Sobolev.


title: Marc Almond

text: In June 2010, Almond released "Varieté", his first studio album of self written material since "Stranger Things" in 2001. The album marks Almond's 30th anniversary as a recording artist, a fact he celebrated with a new concert tour in Autumn 2010. Also in the summer of 2010 Almond was named Mojo Hero, an award given by the music magazine Mojo. The award was presented to Almond by Anohni who flew from New York for the occasion.


title: Marc Almond

text: In 2011, Almond released the "Feasting with Panthers" album, a collaboration with musician and arranger Michael Cashmore. It featured poetry set to music, including the poems of Count Eric Stenbock, Jean Genet, Jean Cocteau, Paul Verlaine and Rimbaud. Later in the same year Almond took part in a music-theatre work "Ten Plagues", held at Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre, as part of the 2011 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, from 1 to 28 August 2011. "Ten Plagues" is a one-man song cycle based on Daniel Defoe's "Journal of the Plague Year" (which dates back to 1722), with metaphors of Aids and epidemics. It was written for him by Mark Ravenhill and Conor Mitchell.


title: Marc Almond

text: In 2012, Almond took the role of the Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca in the Paris Théâtre du Châtelet's experimental rock adaptation of "Poppea", based on Monteverdi's original 17th-century opera "The Coronation of Poppea". The production also featured ex-Libertines member Carl Barât, French singer-songwriter Benjamin Biolay, Swedish singer Fredrika Stahl and was directed by ex-Clash drummer Peter Howard. Later that year, on 9 August 2012, Almond performed at Anohni's Meltdown Festival in London's Southbank Centre, reforming Marc and the Mambas to perform their second album "Torment and Toreros" live for the first time. Anohni has stated that "Torment and Toreros" was her favourite album throughout her teens and that it became the starting point for Antony and the Johnsons. Anohni joined the band on stage for one song, singing "My Little Book of Sorrows" with Almond.


title: Marc Almond

text: In 2013, Almond revived "Ten Plagues" and performed it for a month at Wilton's Music Hall in London. He also performed with Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson on stage performing Tull's concept album "Thick as a Brick" at The Royal Albert Hall. That year Almond also received The Ivor Novello Inspiration Award which was presented to him by longtime friend and co-Manager Vicki Wickham, and was also awarded the Icon Award from "Attitude".


title: Marc Almond

text: Almond released three albums throughout 2014. First was "The Tyburn Tree" with composer John Harle, a concept album about dark historical London. This was followed by "The Dancing Marquis" album, made with a number of collaborators including Jarvis Cocker, Carl Barât and Jools Holland, featuring production from Tony Visconti on some tracks. Finally, Almond released a studio recording of his 2011 show, Ten Plagues - A Song Cycle.


title: Marc Almond

text: 2015 saw the release of "The Velvet Trail", an album of original material produced by Chris Braide. Almond is currently working on a song cycle to accompany the filming of a multi media performance of "À rebours" (translated as "Against Nature") by Joris-Karl Huysmans. The score for this project has been written by Othon Mataragas with words from "Feasting with Panthers" collaborator Jeremy Reed. Reed states that he has written 15 songs for the project commenting that "Against Nature" is "still probably one of the most decadent books ever written" and that Almond had always wanted to perform it, stating that "now we're both jaded aesthetes we could do it".


title: Marc Almond

text: In 2016, Marc Almond signed his first major label deal for 20 years, signing a two-album deal with BMG Rights Management. In 2017, the compilation album "Hits and Pieces / The Best of Soft Cell & Marc Almond", debuted at number seven in the UK album chart. In September 2017 the album "Shadows & Reflections" was released, entering the UK chart at No.14.


title: Marc Almond

text: Almond's next solo album, "Chaos and a Dancing Star", also written with Braide, was released January 2020. Ian Anderson sings and plays flute on the album. During COVID-19 lockdowns, Almond and Braide wrote a new Soft Cell album, which was released on 6 May 2022. The album contained 12 new tracks, including a collaboration with the Pet Shop Boys on the track "Purple Zone".


title: Marc Almond

text: In May 2022, Almond played a Bauhaus show at the Barbican Centre with his long-term collaborator John Harle.


title: Marc Almond

text: Almond has stated that he dislikes being pigeon-holed as "a 'gay' artist", saying that such a label "enables people to marginalise your work.  I am a singer who happens to be gay".


title: Marc Almond

text: In response to being appointed OBE at the age of 60, Almond said he is still a "little bit" anti-establishment, but added: "I can't really be a rebel any more. I think it's time to leave it to younger people."


title: Spandau Prison

text: Spandau Prison was located in the borough of Spandau in West Berlin. It was originally a military prison, built in 1876, but became a proto-concentration camp under the Nazis. After the war, it held seven top Nazi leaders convicted in the Nuremberg trials. After the death of its last prisoner, Rudolf Hess, in August 1987, the prison was demolished and replaced by a shopping centre for the British forces stationed in Germany to prevent it from becoming a neo-Nazi shrine.


title: Spandau Prison

text: Spandau Prison was built in 1876 on Wilhelmstraße. It initially served as a military detention center of the Prussian Army. From 1919 it was also used for civilian inmates. It held up to 600 inmates at that time.


title: Spandau Prison

text: In the aftermath of the Reichstag fire of 1933, opponents of Hitler, and journalists such as Egon Kisch and Carl von Ossietzky, were held there in so-called protective custody. Spandau Prison became a sort of predecessor of the Nazi concentration camps. While it was formally operated by the Prussian Ministry of Justice, the Gestapo tortured and abused its inmates, as Kisch recalled in his memories of the prison. By the end of 1933 the first Nazi concentration camps had been erected (at Dachau, Osthofen, Oranienburg, Sonnenburg, Lichtenburg and the marshland camps around Esterwegen); all remaining prisoners who had been held in so-called protective custody in state prisons were transferred to these concentration camps.


title: Spandau Prison

text: After World War II the prison fell in the British Sector of what became West Berlin but it was operated by the Four-Power Authorities to house the Nazi war criminals sentenced to imprisonment at the Nuremberg Trials.


title: Spandau Prison

text: Only seven prisoners were finally imprisoned there. Arriving from Nuremberg on 18 July 1947, they were:


title: Spandau Prison

text: Of the seven, three were released after serving their full sentences, while three others (including Raeder and Funk, who were given life sentences) were released earlier due to ill health. Between 1966 and 1987, Rudolf Hess was the only inmate in the prison and his only companion was the warden, Eugene K. Bird, who became a close friend. Bird wrote a book about Hess's imprisonment titled "The Loneliest Man in the World".


title: Spandau Prison

text: Spandau was one of only two Four-Power organizations to continue to operate after the breakdown of the Allied Control Council; the other was the Berlin Air Safety Center. The four occupying powers of Berlin alternated control of the prison on a monthly basis, each having the responsibility for a total of three months out of the year. Observing the Four-Power flags that flew at the Allied Control Authority building could determine who controlled the prison.


title: Spandau Prison

text: The prison was demolished in August 1987, largely to prevent it from becoming a neo-Nazi shrine, after the death of its final remaining prisoner, Rudolf Hess. To further ensure its erasure, the site was made into a parking facility and a shopping center, named "The Britannia Centre Spandau" and nicknamed "Hessco's" after the well known British supermarket chain, Tesco. All materials from the demolished prison were ground to powder and dispersed in the North Sea or buried at the former RAF Gatow airbase, with the exception of a single set of keys now exhibited in the regimental museum of the King's Own Scottish Borderers at Berwick Barracks.


title: Spandau Prison

text: The prison, initially designed for a population in the hundreds, was an old brick building enclosed by one wall high, another of , a high wall topped with electrified wire, followed by a wall of barbed wire. In addition, some of the sixty soldiers on guard duty manned six machine-gun armed guard towers 24 hours a day. Due to the number of cells available, an empty cell was left between the prisoners' cells, to avoid the possibility of prisoners' communicating in Morse code. Other remaining cells in the wing were designated for other purposes, with one used for the prison library and another for a chapel. The cells were approximately long by wide and high.


title: Spandau Prison

text: The highlight of the prison, from the inmates' perspective, was the garden. Very spacious given the small number of prisoners using it, the garden space was initially divided into small personal plots that were used by each prisoner in various ways, usually to grow vegetables. Dönitz favoured growing beans, Funk tomatoes and Speer daisies, although the Soviet director subsequently banned flowers for a time. By regulation, all of the produce was to be put toward use in the prison kitchen, but prisoners and guards alike often skirted this rule and indulged in the garden's offerings. As prison regulations slackened and as prisoners became either apathetic or too ill to maintain their plots, the garden was consolidated into one large workable area. This suited the former architect Speer, who, being one of the youngest and liveliest of the inmates, later took up the task of refashioning the entire plot of land into a large complex garden, complete with paths, rock gardens and floral displays. On days without access to the garden, for instance when it was raining, the prisoners occupied their time making envelopes together in the main corridor.