title: The Mechanic (2011 film)

text: The Mechanic is a 2011 American action thriller film directed by Simon West, starring Jason Statham, Ben Foster, Tony Goldwyn, Donald Sutherland, James Logan, Mini Andén, Jeff Chase, and Christa Campbell. Written by Lewis John Carlino and Richard Wenk, it is a remake of the 1972 film of the same name. Statham stars as Arthur Bishop, a professional assassin who specializes in making his hits look like accidents, suicides and petty criminals's acts.


title: The Mechanic (2011 film)

text: It was released in the U.S. and Canada on 2011 where it was praised for its action sequences and Statham's performance. A sequel, "", was released on August 26, 2016.


title: The Mechanic (2011 film)

text: Hitman Arthur Bishop sneaks into the home of a Colombian cartel boss and drowns him in his own pool. Upon returning home to Louisiana, he meets with his friend and mentor Harry McKenna, who pays Bishop for his work. Bishop is then assigned to kill Harry. Bishop's employer Dean confirms by phone that the contract is correct, whereupon Bishop requests a face-to-face meeting. Dean tells him about a failed mission in South Africa, in which several assassins were killed. Dean reveals that only he and Harry knew the details of the mission, and that Harry had been paid for the contract details. Reluctantly, Bishop kills Harry with the latter's own gun and makes it look like a carjacking. At the funeral, Bishop encounters Harry's son Steve, where he stops from trying to kill a would-be carjacker in a misguided attempt at vengeance.


title: The Mechanic (2011 film)

text: Following this, Steve asks Bishop to train him as a hitman. Adopting a chihuahua, he instructs Steve to take the dog with him to a coffee shop each day at the same time. As Steve settles into a routine, Bishop escalates their training, taking him to observe a contract killing. The target, Burke frequents the coffee shop and eventually invites Steve out for drinks. Bishop instructs Steve to slip a large dose of Rohypnol into Burke's drink to cause an overdose, but Steve ignores the instructions and goes with Burke to his apartment. When Burke begins to undress, Steve attempts to strangle him with a belt as he had seen Bishop do on a former assignment. Burke fights back, using his size advantage and experience, but Steve manages to kill Burke after a lengthy fight. Dean expresses disapproval of Bishop's usage of Steve, which violated the rules of contract arrangement.


title: The Mechanic (2011 film)

text: Bishop's next contract is to kill cult leader Andrew Vaughn, whom he plans to inject with adrenaline to simulate a heart attack, for which the paramedics would administer a fatal dose of epinephrine. While Bishop and Steve are preparing for the hit, Vaughn's doctor arrives and administers an IV of ketamine, which would inhibit the adrenaline's effects. The two decide to suffocate him instead, but are discovered after killing Vaughn and are forced into a shootout with the guards. After the hit, Bishop and Steve fly home separately. At the airport, Bishop finds a supposed victim of the mission that Harry allegedly sold out. He confronts the hitman, who tells Bishop that he was paid by Dean to kill the others in South Africa and fake his own death, so that Dean could engineer the failed mission to cover up his own shady dealings. He also reveals that Dean framed Harry and tricked Bishop into killing him. He then attempts to kill Bishop, who ultimately kills him in the ensuing struggle.


title: The Mechanic (2011 film)

text: Bishop is later ambushed by Dean's henchmen, and after killing them, he discovers that Dean was behind the hit. Bishop calls Steve, only to find that Steve has been ambushed. After Bishop helps Steve to kill his attackers, he finds his father's gun and realizes that Bishop killed Harry. Bishop and Steve kill Dean in an ambush. When they stop for gas, Steve floods the ground with fuel while pretending to fill the tank before shooting the gas, blowing up the truck with Bishop seemingly still inside. Steve returns to Bishop's house and performs two actions that Bishop told him not to do: play a record on the turntable and take the 1966 Jaguar E-Type. As he drives away, Steve finds a note from Bishop and realizes that the car is rigged with a bomb, Steve gives one last laugh before the car explodes, killing him. Bishop's house is then destroyed by an explosion. Back at the gas station, a security video reveals that Bishop had escaped from the truck, seconds before the explosion. Bishop gets into a spare truck and drives away.


title: The Mechanic (2011 film)

text: Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff, producers of the 1972 original Mechanic, sought to make an update. Pre-rights to the remake were sold in February 2009 at the Berlin Film Festival. ("Variety" reported that the screenplay was written by Karl Gajdusek.)


title: The Mechanic (2011 film)

text: Director Simon West and Jason Statham were announced as part of the project three months later. Ben Foster and Donald Sutherland were cast alongside Statham in October 2009.


title: The Mechanic (2011 film)

text: Filming began in New Orleans, Louisiana on and lasted for nine weeks. Filming locations included St. Tammany Parish, the World Trade Center in downtown New Orleans and the Algiers Seafood Market.


title: The Mechanic (2011 film)

text: "The Mechanic" was released in the United States and Canada on , 2011. Millennium Films sold U.S. distribution rights to CBS Films for the release. It was expected to perform well with male audiences, with its release a week before Super Bowl XLV. In the United Kingdom, the distribution rights were sold to Lionsgate.


title: The Mechanic (2011 film)

text: In June 2011 the UK's Advertising Standards Authority banned an advertisement for the film from being broadcast on British television. The ban followed complaints from 13 viewers regarding a screening of the advert during the teen show "Glee". In its ruling, the authority found that although the advert was shown post-watershed, it was likely that a large number of viewers under the age of 16 would have been watching "Glee" at the time, and criticized the "stream of violent imagery" portrayed in the advert.


title: The Mechanic (2011 film)

text: The film grossed on its opening weekend in the U.S. and Canada. It ended with a North American gross of and in other territories, for a worldwide total of $76.3 million.


title: The Mechanic (2011 film)

text: "The Mechanic" received mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 53%, based on 156 reviews, with a rating average of 5.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Jason Statham and Ben Foster turn in enjoyable performances, but this superficial remake betrays them with mind-numbing violence and action thriller cliches."


title: The Mechanic (2011 film)

text: On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 49 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".


title: The Mechanic (2011 film)

text: Roger Ebert awarded the film two out of four stars and said, "Audiences have been drilled to accept noise and movement as entertainment. It is done so well one almost forgets to ask why it has been done at all."


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: The compound hydrogen chloride has the chemical formula and as such is a hydrogen halide. At room temperature, it is a colourless gas, which forms white fumes of hydrochloric acid upon contact with atmospheric water vapor. Hydrogen chloride gas and hydrochloric acid are important in technology and industry. Hydrochloric acid, the aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride, is also commonly given the formula HCl.


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: Hydrogen chloride is a diatomic molecule, consisting of a hydrogen atom H and a chlorine atom Cl connected by a polar covalent bond. The chlorine atom is much more electronegative than the hydrogen atom, which makes this bond polar. Consequently, the molecule has a large dipole moment with a negative partial charge (δ−) at the chlorine atom and a positive partial charge (δ+) at the hydrogen atom. In part because of its high polarity, HCl is very soluble in water (and in other polar solvents).


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: Upon contact, and HCl combine to form hydronium cations and chloride anions through a reversible chemical reaction:


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: The resulting solution is called hydrochloric acid and is a strong acid. The acid dissociation or ionization constant, "K", is large, which means HCl dissociates or ionizes practically completely in water. Even in the absence of water, hydrogen chloride can still act as an acid. For example, hydrogen chloride can dissolve in certain other solvents such as methanol:


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: Hydrogen chloride can protonate molecules or ions and can also serve as an acid-catalyst for chemical reactions where anhydrous (water-free) conditions are desired.


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: Because of its acidic nature, hydrogen chloride is a corrosive substance, particularly in the presence of moisture.


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: Frozen HCl undergoes phase transition at 98.4 K. X-ray powder diffraction of the frozen material shows that the material changes from an orthorhombic structure to a cubic one during this transition. In both structures the chlorine atoms are in a face-centered array. However, the hydrogen atoms could not be located. Analysis of spectroscopic and dielectric data, and determination of the structure of DCl (deuterium chloride) indicates that HCl forms zigzag chains in the solid, as does HF (see figure on right).


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: The infrared spectrum of gaseous hydrogen chloride, shown on the left, consists of a number of sharp absorption lines grouped around 2886 cm (wavelength ~3.47 µm). At room temperature, almost all molecules are in the ground vibrational state "v" = 0. Including anharmonicity the vibrational energy can be written as.


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: To promote an HCl molecule from the "v" = 0 to the "v" = 1 state, we would expect to see an infrared absorption about "ν" = "ν" + 2"x""ν" = 2880 cm. However, this absorption corresponding to the Q-branch is not observed due to it being forbidden by symmetry. Instead, two sets of signals (P- and R-branches) are seen owing to a simultaneous change in the rotational state of the molecules. Because of quantum mechanical selection rules, only certain rotational transitions are permitted. The states are characterized by the rotational quantum number "J" = 0, 1, 2, 3, ... selection rules state that Δ"J" is only able to take values of ±1.


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: The value of the rotational constant "B" is much smaller than the vibrational one "ν", such that a much smaller amount of energy is required to rotate the molecule; for a typical molecule, this lies within the microwave region. However, the vibrational energy of HCl molecule places its absorptions within the infrared region, allowing a spectrum showing the rovibrational transitions of this molecule to be easily collected using an infrared spectrometer with a gas cell. The latter can even be made of quartz as the HCl absorption lies in a window of transparency for this material.


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: Naturally abundant chlorine consists of two isotopes, Cl and Cl, in a ratio of approximately 3:1. While the spring constants are nearly identical, the disparate reduced masses of HCl and HCl cause measurable differences in the rotational energy, thus doublets are observed on close inspection of each absorption line, weighted in the same ratio of 3:1.


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: In the 17th century, Johann Rudolf Glauber from Karlstadt am Main, Germany used sodium chloride salt and sulfuric acid for the preparation of sodium sulfate in the Mannheim process, releasing hydrogen chloride. Joseph Priestley of Leeds, England prepared pure hydrogen chloride in 1772, and by 1808 Humphry Davy of Penzance, England had proved that the chemical composition included hydrogen and chlorine.


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: As the reaction is exothermic, the installation is called an HCl oven or HCl burner. The resulting hydrogen chloride gas is absorbed in deionized water, resulting in chemically pure hydrochloric acid. This reaction can give a very pure product, e.g. for use in the food industry.


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: The industrial production of hydrogen chloride is often integrated with the formation of chlorinated and fluorinated organic compounds, e.g., Teflon, Freon, and other CFCs, as well as chloroacetic acid and PVC. Often this production of hydrochloric acid is integrated with captive use of it on-site. In the chemical reactions, hydrogen atoms on the hydrocarbon are replaced by chlorine atoms, whereupon the released hydrogen atom recombines with the spare atom from the chlorine molecule, forming hydrogen chloride. Fluorination is a subsequent chlorine-replacement reaction, producing again hydrogen chloride:


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: The resulting hydrogen chloride is either reused directly or absorbed in water, resulting in hydrochloric acid of technical or industrial grade.


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: Small amounts of hydrogen chloride for laboratory use can be generated in an "HCl generator" by dehydrating hydrochloric acid with either sulfuric acid or anhydrous calcium chloride. Alternatively, HCl can be generated by the reaction of sulfuric acid with sodium chloride:


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: This reaction occurs at room temperature. Provided there is NaCl remaining in the generator and it is heated above 200 °C, the reaction proceeds further:


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: Hydrogen chloride can also be prepared by the hydrolysis of certain reactive chloride compounds such as phosphorus chlorides, thionyl chloride (), and acyl chlorides. For example, cold water can be gradually dripped onto phosphorus pentachloride () to give HCl:


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: Most hydrogen chloride is used in the production of hydrochloric acid. It is also used in the production of vinyl chloride and many alkyl chlorides. Trichlorosilane is produced using HCl:


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: Around 900, the authors of the Arabic writings attributed to Jabir ibn Hayyan (Latin: Geber) and the Persian physician and alchemist Abu Bakr al-Razi (c. 865–925, Latin: Rhazes) were experimenting with sal ammoniac (ammonium chloride), which when it was distilled together with vitriol (hydrated sulfates of various metals) produced hydrogen chloride. It is possible that in one of his experiments, al-Razi stumbled upon a primitive method to produce hydrochloric acid. However, it appears that in most of these early experiments with chloride salts, the gaseous products were discarded, and hydrogen chloride may have been produced many times before it was discovered that it can be put to chemical use.


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: One of the first such uses was the synthesis of mercury(II) chloride (corrosive sublimate), whose production from the heating of mercury either with alum and ammonium chloride or with vitriol and sodium chloride was first described in the "De aluminibus et salibus" ("On Alums and Salts"), an eleventh- or twelfth century Arabic text falsely attributed to Abu Bakr al-Razi and translated into Latin by Gerard of Cremona (1144–1187).


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: Another important development was the discovery by pseudo-Geber (in the "De inventione veritatis", "On the Discovery of Truth", after c. 1300) that by adding ammonium chloride to nitric acid, a strong solvent capable of dissolving gold (i.e., "aqua regia") could be produced.


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: After the discovery in the late sixteenth century of the process by which unmixed hydrochloric acid can be prepared, it was recognized that this new acid (then known as "spirit of salt" or "acidum salis") released vaporous hydrogen chloride, which was called "marine acid air". In the 17th century, Johann Rudolf Glauber used salt (sodium chloride) and sulfuric acid for the preparation of sodium sulfate, releasing hydrogen chloride gas (see production, above). In 1772, Carl Wilhelm Scheele also reported this reaction and is sometimes credited with its discovery. Joseph Priestley prepared hydrogen chloride in 1772, and in 1810 Humphry Davy established that it is composed of hydrogen and chlorine.


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: During the Industrial Revolution, demand for alkaline substances such as soda ash increased, and Nicolas Leblanc developed a new industrial-scale process for producing the soda ash. In the Leblanc process, salt was converted to soda ash, using sulfuric acid, limestone, and coal, giving hydrogen chloride as by-product. Initially, this gas was vented to air, but the Alkali Act of 1863 prohibited such release, so then soda ash producers absorbed the HCl waste gas in water, producing hydrochloric acid on an industrial scale. Later, the Hargreaves process was developed, which is similar to the Leblanc process except sulfur dioxide, water, and air are used instead of sulfuric acid in a reaction which is exothermic overall. In the early 20th century the Leblanc process was effectively replaced by the Solvay process, which did not produce HCl. However, hydrogen chloride production continued as a step in hydrochloric acid production.


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: Historical uses of hydrogen chloride in the 20th century include hydrochlorinations of alkynes in producing the chlorinated monomers chloroprene and vinyl chloride, which are subsequently polymerized to make polychloroprene (Neoprene) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), respectively. In the production of vinyl chloride, acetylene () is hydrochlorinated by adding the HCl across the triple bond of the molecule, turning the triple into a double bond, yielding vinyl chloride.


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: The "acetylene process", used until the 1960s for making chloroprene, starts out by joining two acetylene molecules, and then adds HCl to the joined intermediate across the triple bond to convert it to chloroprene as shown here:


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: This "acetylene process" has been replaced by a process which adds to the double bond of ethylene instead, and subsequent elimination produces HCl instead, as well as chloroprene.


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: Hydrogen chloride forms corrosive hydrochloric acid on contact with water found in body tissue. Inhalation of the fumes can cause coughing, choking, inflammation of the nose, throat, and upper respiratory tract, and in severe cases, pulmonary edema, circulatory system failure, and death. Skin contact can cause redness, pain, and severe chemical burns. Hydrogen chloride may cause severe burns to the eye and permanent eye damage.


title: Hydrogen chloride

text: The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have established occupational exposure limits for hydrogen chloride at a ceiling of 5 ppm (7 mg/m), and compiled extensive information on hydrogen chloride workplace safety concerns.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: The Mahājanapadas (, from "maha", "great", and "janapada" "foothold of a people") were sixteen kingdoms or oligarchic republics that existed in ancient India from the sixth to fourth centuries BCE during the second urbanisation period.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: The 6th–5th centuries BCE is often regarded as a major turning point in early Indian history; during this period India's first large cities arose after the demise of the Indus Valley civilization. It was also the time of the rise of sramana movements (including Buddhism and Jainism), which challenged the religious orthodoxy of the Vedic period.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: Two of the Mahājanapadas were most probably s (oligarchic republics) and others had forms of monarchy. Ancient Buddhist texts like the "Anguttara Nikaya" make frequent reference to sixteen great kingdoms and republics which had developed and flourished in a belt stretching from Gandhara in the northwest to Anga in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent. They included parts of the trans-Vindhyan region, and all had developed prior to the rise of Buddhism in India.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: Archaeologically, this period has been identified as corresponding in part to the Northern Black Polished Ware culture.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: The term "Janapada" literally means the "foothold of a people". The fact that "Janapada" is derived from "Jana" points to an early stage of land-taking by the Jana people for a settled way of life. This process of settlement on land had completed its final stage prior to the times of the Buddha and Pāṇini. The Pre-Buddhist northern Indian sub-continent was divided into several Janapadas, demarcated from each other by boundaries. In Pāṇini's "Ashtadhyayi", "Janapada" stands for country and "Janapadin" for its citizenry. Each of these Janapadas was named after the Kshatriya people (or the Kshatriya Jana) who had settled therein. Buddhist and other texts only incidentally refer to sixteen great nations ("Solasa Mahajanapadas") that existed prior to the time of the Buddha. They do not give any connected history except in the case of Magadha. The Buddhist Anguttara Nikaya, at several places, gives a list of sixteen great nations:


title: Mahajanapadas

text: Another Buddhist text, the "Digha Nikaya", mentions twelve Mahajanapadas from the above list and omits four of them (Assaka, Avanti, Gandhara, and Kamboja).


title: Mahajanapadas

text: "Chulla-Niddesa", another ancient text of the Buddhist canon, adds Kalinga to the list and substitutes Yona for Gandhara, thus listing the Kamboja and the Yona as the only Mahajanapadas from Uttarapatha.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: The "Vyākhyāprajñapti" (or the "Bhagavati Sutra"), a sutra of Jainism, gives a different list of sixteen Mahajanapadas:


title: Mahajanapadas

text: The author of the "Bhagavati Sutra" (or the "Vyākhyāprajñapti") has a focus on the countries of Madhydesa and of the far east and south only. He omits the nations from Uttarapatha like the Kamboja and Gandhara. The more extended horizon of the "Bhagvati" and the omission of all countries from Uttarapatha "clearly shows that the Bhagvati list is of later origin and therefore less reliable."


title: Mahajanapadas

text: The first reference to the Angas is found in the Atharvaveda where they find mention along with the Magadhas, Gandharis and the Mujavats, apparently as a despised people. The Jaina Prajnapana ranks Angas and Vangas in the first group of Aryan people. It mentions the principal cities of ancient India. It was also a great center of trade and commerce and its merchants regularly sailed to distant Suvarnabhumi. Anga was annexed by Magadha in the time of Bimbisara. This was the one and only conquest of Bimbisara.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: The country of Assaka or the Ashmaka tribe was located in "Dakshinapatha" or southern India. It included areas in present-day Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. In Gautama Buddha's time, many of the Assakas were located on the banks of the Godavari River (south of the Vindhya mountains). The capital of the Assakas was Potana or Potali, which corresponds present-day Bodhan in Telangana and Paudanya of Mahabharata. In Maharashtra its capital is located in Potali which corresponds to present day Nandura, Buldhana district. The Ashmakas are also mentioned by Pāṇini. They are placed in the north-west in the "Markendeya Purana" and the "Brhat Samhita". The river Godavari separated the country of the Assakas from that of the Mulakas (or Alakas). The country of Assaka lay outside the pale of Madhyadesa. It was located on a southern high road, the "Dakshinapatha". At one time, Assaka included Mulaka and abutted Avanti.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: The country of the Avantis was an important kingdom of western India and was one of the four great monarchies in India in the post era of Mahavira and Buddha, the other three being Kosala, Vatsa and Magadha. Avanti was divided into north and south by the river Narmada. Initially, Mahishamati (Mahissati) was the capital of Southern Avanti, and Ujjaini (Sanskrit: Ujjayini) was of northern Avanti, but at the times of Mahavira and Buddha, Ujjaini was the capital of integrated Avanti. The country of Avanti roughly corresponded to modern Malwa, Nimar and adjoining parts of today's Madhya Pradesh. Both Mahishmati and Ujjaini stood on the southern high road called "Dakshinapatha" which extended from Rajagriha to Pratishthana (modern Paithan). Avanti was an important centre of Buddhism and some of the leading "theras" and "theris" were born and resided there. King Nandivardhana of Avanti was defeated by king Shishunaga of Magadha. Avanti later became part of the Magadhan empire.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: The Chedis, Chetis or Chetyas had two distinct settlements of which one was in the mountains of Nepal and the other in Bundelkhand near Kausambi. According to old authorities, Chedis lay near Yamuna midway between the kingdom of Kurus and Vatsas. In the mediaeval period, the southern frontiers of Chedi extended to the banks of the river Narmada. Sotthivatnagara, the Sukti or Suktimati of Mahabharata, was the capital of Chedi. The Chedis were an ancient people of India and are mentioned in the Rigveda, with their king Kashu Chaidya.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: The location of the capital city, Suktimati, has not been established with certainty. Historian Hem Chandra Raychaudhuri and F. E. Pargiter believed that it was in the vicinity of Banda, Uttar Pradesh. Archaeologist Dilip Kumar Chakrabarti has proposed that Suktimati can be identified as the ruins of a large early historical city, at a place with the modern-day name Itaha, on the outskirts of Rewa, Madhya Pradesh.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: The wool of the Gandharis is referred to in the Rigveda. The Gandharas and their king figure prominently as strong allies of the Kurus against the Pandavas in the Mahabharata war. The Gandharas were furious people, well-trained in the art of war. According to Puranic traditions, this Janapada was founded by "Gandhara", son of Aruddha, a descendant of Yayati. The princes of this country are said to have come from the line of Druhyu who was a famous king of the Rigvedic period and one of the five sons of king Yayati of lunar dynasty. The river Indus watered the lands of Gandhara. Taksashila and Pushkalavati, the two cities of this Mahajanapada, are said to have been named after Taksa and Pushkara, the two sons of Bharata, a prince of Ayodhya and younger brother of Lord Rama. According to Vayu Purana (II.36.107), the Gandharas were destroyed by Pramiti (a.k.a. Kalika) at the end of "Kali Yuga". Pāṇini mentioned both the Vedic form Gandhari as well as the later form Gandhara in his Ashtadhyayi. The Gandhara kingdom sometimes also included Kashmira. Hecataeus of Miletus (549-468) refers to Kaspapyros (Kasyapura or Purushapura, i.e., modern day Peshawar) as a Gandharic city. According to Gandhara Jataka, at one time, Gandhara formed a part of the kingdom of Kashmir. The Jataka also gives another name "Chandahara" for Gandhara.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: Gandhara Mahajanapada of Buddhist traditions included territories of east Afghanistan, and north-west of the Panjab (modern districts of Peshawar (Purushapura) and Rawalpindi). Its later capital was Taksashila (Prakrit for Taxila). The Taksashila University was a renowned centre of learning in ancient times, where scholars from all over the world came to seek higher education. Pāṇini, the Indian genius of grammar and Kautiliya are the world-renowned products of Taxila University. King Pukkusati or Pushkarasarin of Gandhara in the middle of the 6th century BCE was the contemporary of king Bimbisara of Magadha. Gandhara was located on the grand northern high road (Uttarapatha) and was a centre of international commercial activities. According to one group of scholars, the Gandharas and Kambojas were cognate people. It is also contended that the Kurus, Kambojas, Gandharas and Bahlikas were cognate people. According to Dr T. L. Shah, the Gandhara and Kamboja were nothing but two provinces of one empire and were located coterminously, hence influencing each other's language. Naturally, they may have once been a cognate people. Gandhara was often linked politically with the neighboring regions of Kashmir and Kamboja.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: Kambojas are also included in the Uttarapatha. In ancient literature, the Kamboja is variously associated with the Gandhara, Darada and the Bahlika (Bactria). Ancient Kamboja is known to have comprised regions on either side of the Hindukush. The original Kamboja was located in eastern Oxus country as neighbor to Bahlika, but with time, some clans of the Kambojas appear to have crossed the Hindukush and planted colonies on its southern side also. These latter Kambojas are associated with the Daradas and Gandharas in Indian literature and also find mention in the Edicts of Ashoka. The evidence in the Mahabharata and in Ptolemy's Geography distinctly supports two Kamboja settlements. The cis-Hindukush region from Nurestan up to Rajauri in southwest of Kashmir sharing borders with the Daradas and the Gandharas constituted the "Kamboja" country. The capital of "Kamboja" was probably "Rajapura" (modern Rajori) in the south-west of Kashmir. The "Kamboja Mahajanapada" of the Buddhist traditions refers to this cis-Hindukush branch of ancient Kambojas.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: The trans-Hindukush region including the Pamirs and Badakhshan which shared borders with the Bahlikas (Bactria) in the west and the Lohas and Rishikas of Sogdiana/Fergana in the north, constituted the Parama-Kamboja country. The trans-Hindukush branch of the Kambojas remained pure Iranian but a large section of the Kambojas of cis-Hindukush appears to have come under Indian cultural influence. The Kambojas are known to have had both Iranian as well as Indian affinities.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: The Kambojas were also a well known republican people since Epic times. The Mahabharata refers to several (or Republics) of the Kambojas. Kautiliya's Arthashastra attestes the Kambojas republican character and Ashoka's Edict No. XIII also testifies the presence of the Kambojas along with the Yavanas. Pāṇini's Sutras, though tend to convey that the Kamboja of Pāṇini was a Kshatriya monarchy, but "the special rule and the exceptional form of derivative" he gives to denote the ruler of the Kambojas implies that the king of Kamboja was a titular head ("king consul") only. According to Buddhist texts, the first fourteen of the above Mahajanapadas belong to Majjhimadesa ("Mid India") while the last two belong to Uttarapatha or the "north-west" division of Jambudvipa.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: In a struggle for supremacy that followed in the 6th/5th century BCE, the growing state of the Magadhas emerged as the predominant power in ancient India, annexing several of the Janapadas of the Majjhimadesa. A bitter line in the Puranas laments that Magadhan emperor Mahapadma Nanda exterminated all Kshatriyas, none worthy of the name Kshatriya being left thereafter. This obviously refers to the Kasis, Kosalas, Kurus, Panchalas, Vatsyas and other neo-Vedic tribes of the east Panjab of whom nothing was ever heard except in the legend and poetry. (The Nandas usurped the throne of Shishunaga dynasty c. 345 BCE, thus founding the Nanda Empire.)


title: Mahajanapadas

text: The Kambojans and Gandharans, however, never came into direct contact with the Magadhan state until Chandragupta and Kautiliya arose on the scene. But these nations also fell prey to the Achaemenids of Persia during the reign of Cyrus (558–530 BCE) or in the first year of Darius. Kamboja and Gandhara formed the twentieth and richest satrapy of the Achaemenid Empire. Cyrus I is said to have destroyed the famous Kamboja city called Kapisi (modern Begram) in Paropamisade.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: The kingdom was located in the region around its capital Varanasi, bounded by the Varuna and Asi rivers in the north and south which gave Varanasi its name. Before Buddha, Kasi was the most powerful of the sixteen Mahajanapadas. Several "jataka tales" bear witness to the superiority of its capital over other cities in India and speak highly of its prosperity and opulence. These stories tell of the long struggle for supremacy between Kashi and the three kingdoms of Kosala, Anga and Magadha. Although King Brihadratha of Kashi conquered Kosala, Kashi was later incorporated into Kosala by King Kansa during Buddha's time. The Kashis along with the Kosalas and Videhans find mention in Vedic texts and appear to have been a closely allied people. The "Matsya Purana" and "Alberuni" spell Kashi as "Kausika" and "Kaushaka" respectively. All other ancient texts read Kashi.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: The country of Kosala was located to the north-west of Magadha, with its capital at Ayodhya. Its territory corresponded to the modern Awadh (or Oudh) in Central and Eastern Uttar Pradesh. It had the river Ganges for its southern, the river Gandak (Narayani) for its eastern, and the Himalaya mountains for its northern boundary. It finds mention as the center of Vedic Dharma. Its kings allied with the Devatas in various wars against the Daityas, Rakshas, and Asuras. Koshala and Ayodhya hold a central place in the Hindu scriptures, Itihas, and Purana. Raghuvansha-Ikshvakuvansha was the longest continuous dynasty; Lord Rama was a king in this dynasty. Other great kings were Prithu, Harishchandra, and Dilip, who are each mentioned in different Puranas, Ramayan, and Mahabharat. According to these texts, Koshala was the most powerful and biggest kingdom ever in the recorded history.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: Later, the kingdom was ruled by the famous king Prasenajit during the era of Mahavira and Buddha, followed by his son Vidudabha (Virudhaka). King Prasenajit was highly educated. His position was further improved by a matrimonial alliance with Magadha: his sister was married to Bimbisara and part of Kasi was given as dowry. There was, however, a struggle for supremacy between king Pasenadi (Prasenajit) and king Ajatashatru of Magadha which was finally settled once the confederation of Liccavis became conquered by Magadha. Kosala was ultimately merged into Magadha when Vidudabha was Kosala's ruler. Ayodhya, Saketa, Banaras, and Sravasti were the chief cities of Kosala.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: The Puranas trace the origin of Kurus from the "Puru-Bharata" family. Kuru was born after 25 generations of Puru's dynasty, and after 15 generations of Kuru, Kauravas and Pandavas were born. Aitareya Brahmana locates the Kurus in "Madhyadesha" and also refers to the Uttarakurus as living beyond the Himalayas. According to the Buddhist text Sumangavilasini, the people of Kururashtra (the Kurus) came from the Uttarakuru. Vayu Purana attests that "Kuru", son of Samvarsana of the Puru lineage, was the eponymous ancestor of the Kurus and the founder of Kururashtra (Kuru Janapada) in Kurukshetra. The country of the Kurus roughly corresponded to the modern Thanesar, state of Delhi, and Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh. According to the Jatakas, the capital of the Kurus was Indraprastha (Indapatta) near modern Delhi which extended seven leagues. At Buddha's time, the Kuru country was ruled by a titular chieftain (king consul) named Korayvya. The Kurus of the Buddhist period did not occupy the same position as they did in the Vedic period but they continued to enjoy their ancient reputation for deep wisdom and sound health. The Kurus had matrimonial relations with the Yadavas, the Bhojas, Trigratas, and the Panchalas. There is a Jataka reference to king Dhananjaya, introduced as a prince from the race of Yudhishtra. Though a well known monarchical people in the earlier period, the Kurus are known to have switched to a republican form of government during the 6th to 5th centuries BCE. In the 4th century BCE, Kautiliya's Arthashastra also attests the Kurus following the "Rajashabdopajivin" (king consul) constitution.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: The Magadha was one of the most prominent and prosperous of mahajanapadas. The capital city Pataliputra (near present day Patna, Bihar) was situated on the confluence of major rivers like the Ganga, Son, Punpun and Gandak. The alluvial plains of this region and its proximity to the copper and iron rich areas of Bihar and Jharkhand helped the kingdom to develop good quality weapons and support the agrarian economy. Its location at the centre of the highways of trade of those days contributed to its wealth. All these factors helped Magadha to emerge as the most prosperous state of that period.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: The kingdom of the Magadhas roughly corresponded to the modern districts of Patna and Gaya in southern Bihar and parts of Bengal in the east. The capital city of Pataliputra was bound in the north by the river Ganges, in the east by the river Champa, in the south by the Vindhya mountains and in the west by the river Sona. During Buddha's time its boundaries included Anga. Its earliest capital was Girivraja or Rajagaha (modern Rajgir in the Nalanda district of Bihar). The other names for the city were Magadhapura, Brihadrathapura, Vasumati, Kushagrapura and Bimbisarapuri. It was an active center of Jainism in ancient times. The first Buddhist Council was held in Rajagaha in the Vaibhara Hills. Later on, Pataliputra became the capital of Magadha.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: The Mallakas are frequently mentioned in Buddhist and Jain works. They were a powerful people dwelling in Northern India. According to Mahabharata, Panduputra Bhimasena is said to have conquered the chief of the Mallakas in the course of his expedition in Eastern India. During the Buddhist period, the Mallakas Kshatriya were a republican people with their dominion consisting of nine territories corresponding to the nine confederated clans. These republican states were known as s. Two of these confederations – one with Kushinagar (modern Kasia near Gorakhpur) as its capital and the second with Pava (modern Fazilnagar, southeast of Kushinagar) as the "capital" – had become very important at the time of Buddha. Kuśināra is very important in the history of Buddhism since Lord Buddha took last meal at Pava. Buddha was taken ill at Pava and died at Kusinara. It is widely believed that Lord Gautam died at the courtyard of King Sastipal Mall of Kushinagar. Kushinagar is now the centre of the Buddhist pilgrimage circle which is being developed by the tourism development corporation of Uttar Pradesh.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: The Mallakas, like the Licchavis, are mentioned by Manusmriti as Vratya Kshatriyas. They are called Vasishthas (Vasetthas) in the Mahapparnibbana Suttanta. The Mallakas originally had a monarchical form of government but later they switched to one of Samgha (republic), the members of which called themselves "rajas". The Mallakas appeared to have formed an alliance with the Licchhavis for self-defense but lost their independence not long after Buddha's death and their dominions were annexed to the Magadhan empire.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: The country of the Matsya or Macchā tribe lay to the south of the Kurus and west of the Yamuna, which separated them from the Panchalas. It roughly corresponded to the former state of Jaipur in Rajasthan, and included the whole of Alwar with portions of Bharatpur. The capital of Matsya was at "Viratanagara" (modern Bairat) which is said to have been named after its founder king Virata. In Pali literature, the Matsyas are usually associated with the Surasenas. The western Matsya was the hill tract on the north bank of the Chambal. A branch of Matsya is also found in later days in the Vizagapatam region. The Matsyas had not much political importance of their own during the time of Buddha.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: The Panchalas occupied the country to the east of the Kurus between the mountains and river Ganges. It roughly corresponded to modern Budaun, Farrukhabad and the adjoining districts of Uttar Pradesh. The country was divided into Uttara-Panchala and Dakshina-Panchala. The northern Panchala had its capital at Adhichhatra or Chhatravati (modern Ramnagar in the Bareilly District), while southern Panchala had its capital at Kampilya or Kampil in the Farrukhabad District. The famous city of Kanyakubja or Kanauj was situated in the kingdom of Panchala. Originally a monarchical clan, the Panchals appear to have switched to republican corporation in the 6th and 5th centuries BCE. In the 4th century BCE, Kautiliya's Arthashastra also attests the Panchalas as following the "Rajashabdopajivin" (king consul) constitution.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: The country of the Surasenas lay to the east of Matsya and west of Yamuna. This corresponds roughly to the Brij region of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan. and Gwalior region of Madhya Pradesh. It had its capital at Madhura or Mathura. Avantiputra, the king of Surasena, was the first among the chief disciples of Buddha, through whose help Buddhism gained ground in Mathura country. The Andhakas and Vrishnis of Mathura/Surasena are referred to in the Ashtadhyayi of Pāṇini. In Kautiliya's Arthashastra, the Vrishnis are described as "sangha" or republic. The Vrishnis, Andhakas and other allied tribes of the Yadavas formed a "sangha" and Vasudeva (Krishna) is described as the "sangha-mukhya". Mathura, the capital of Surasena, was also known at the time of Megasthenes as the centre of Krishna worship. The Surasena kingdom had lost its independence on annexation by the Magadhan empire.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: or was a confederacy of neighbouring clans including the Licchavis and one of the principal mahājanapadas of Ancient India. The area they ruled constitutes the region of Mithila in Nepal and northern Bihar and their capital was the city of Vaishali.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: Both the Buddhist text "Anguttara Nikaya" and the Jaina text "Bhagavati Sutra" ("Saya" xv "Uddesa" I) included Vajji in their lists of "solasa" (sixteen) mahājanapadas. The name of this mahājanapada was derived from one of its ruling clans, the Vṛjis. The Vajji state is indicated to have been a republic. This clan is mentioned by Pāṇini, Chanakya and Xuanzang.


title: Mahajanapadas

text: The Vatsas or Vamsas are called to be a branch of the Kurus. The Vatsa or Vamsa country corresponded with the territory of modern Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh. It had a monarchical form of government with its capital at Kausambi (identified with the village Kosam, 38 miles from Allahabad). Kausambi was a very prosperous city where a large number of wealthy merchants resided. It was the most important entrepôt of goods and passengers from the north-west and south. Udayana was the ruler of Vatsa in the 6th-5th century BCE. He was very powerful, warlike and fond of hunting. Initially king Udayana was opposed to Buddhism, but later became a follower of Buddha and made Buddhism the state religion. Udayana's mother, Queen Mrigavati, is notable for being one of the earliest known female rulers in Indian history.


title: Mike Wheeler (Stranger Things)

text: Michael "Mike" Wheeler is a fictional character from the Netflix science fiction horror series "Stranger Things". He is one of the central characters in the series, acting as the leader of the main group of kids. Mike is portrayed by Finn Wolfhard.


title: Mike Wheeler (Stranger Things)

text: Noah Schnapp originally auditioned to play Mike in the show. Mike was designed by series creators Matt and Ross Duffer to be a prototypical 80s main character who is loyal and energetic while also innocent due to his young age. His progression through the show was a coming of age arc that is also similar to other 80s TV shows and movies that the Duffer brothers used as inspiration.


title: Mike Wheeler (Stranger Things)

text: At the beginning of the series, Mike is playing Dungeons & Dragons with his best friends, Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin), and Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) on November 6, 1983. That night, Will mysteriously disappears. The next day, Mike, Dustin, and Lucas find a girl with a shaved head named Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). They take Eleven back to Mike's house and hide her in his basement. Later, Will's corpse is apparently found in a local quarry, but the boys are convinced that Will is alive and in a parallel dimension, which they call the “Upside Down”.


title: Mike Wheeler (Stranger Things)

text: When an assembly for Will is held at school, the boys and Eleven witness school bullies Troy and James snickering during a staff member’s speech, angering Mike. At the end of the assembly, Mike confronts the bullies, and pushes Troy. This leads Troy to retaliate, but he stops in his tracks. He then begins to urinate, to the amusement of the students; this is revealed to be the work of Eleven, who walks away before she is suspected.


title: Mike Wheeler (Stranger Things)

text: After Will's funeral, the boys ask their science teacher, Mr. Clarke, about alternate dimensions. Mr. Clarke tells them that a gate to another dimension would have, among other things, a strong electromagnetic field. The boys then figure out that they can use a compass to find the gate, and thus Will. However, after looking for Will for hours, the boys find out that Eleven is tampering with their compasses to keep them from going to Hawkins National Laboratory. Eleven accidentally knocks Lucas unconscious after he attacks Mike, and runs away from the boys after Mike and Dustin express their shock.


title: Mike Wheeler (Stranger Things)

text: Later, while looking for Eleven, Mike and Dustin are attacked by Troy and James in retribution for the incident at the assembly. Troy grabs Dustin and threatens to maim him if Mike doesn't jump off a nearby cliff. To the bullies’ surprise and Dustin’s horror, Mike jumps; however, he is saved and pulled to safety by an unseen force, which is revealed to be Eleven. After injuring the bullies and forcing them to flee, Eleven apologizes to Mike and Dustin, who reassure her and reaffirm their friendship.


title: Mike Wheeler (Stranger Things)

text: The group eventually build a makeshift sensory deprivation tank at Hawkins Middle School to allow Eleven to amplify her powers to find Will. While at the school, Mike asks Eleven to a school dance, and the two share their first kiss. Soon after, government forces enter the school and attempt to recapture Eleven. After subduing the agents, Eleven focuses her attention on the entity responsible for Will’s disappearance, a monstrous creature nicknamed the “Demogorgon.” She telekinetically holds the Demogorgon to a wall and expends the last of her energy to annihilate it, making both her and the creature disappear. Mike and his friends call for Eleven, but to no avail. This leads them to believe that she is truly gone; this particularly affects Mike, who longs to see Eleven once again.


title: Mike Wheeler (Stranger Things)

text: Dustin and Lucas become infatuated with new student Maxine "Max" Mayfield (Sadie Sink) and attempt to get her to join their group. Mike disagrees and abandons Dustin, Lucas, and Max on Halloween Night, taking Will along with him. The next day at school, Dustin reveals the new creature he discovered which he calls D'Artagnan. After seeing the creature, Will confides to Mike that the creature is from the Upside Down. At the same time as Mike confronts his feelings towards Max, Will undergoes an episode where he is possessed by "the Mind Flayer." Mike and Will witness Hawkins Lab agents torching parts of the Upside-Down from underground tunnels, causing Will to begin screaming and convulsing on the ground. Will is then taken to Hawkins Lab so he can be treated. After they escape Demodogs at Hawkins Lab, they reunite with Dustin, Lucas, Max, Nancy, Will's brother Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) and Nancy's ex-boyfriend Steve Harrington (Joe Keery).


title: Mike Wheeler (Stranger Things)

text: The Byers house is surrounded by Demodogs and Eleven arrives and eradicates them. Mike is relieved that Eleven is alive. She leaves to close the gate at Hawkins Lab. The group enter the tunnels and douse the hub with gasoline. Months after Eleven closes the gate to the Upside Down, Mike attends the school Snow Ball with Eleven, leading to the two sharing a dance and a kiss.


title: Mike Wheeler (Stranger Things)

text: Mike and Eleven have been dating for seven months. Both of them keep kissing all the time, much to the dismay of Eleven's adoptive father, Jim Hopper. An annoyed Jim threatens Mike not to meet El regularly and will end their relationship if Mike disagrees. This leads Mike to lie to Eleven and she later breaks up with him. Mike and Will have an argument where Mike says, "It's not my fault you don't like girls." Will reveals to his friends that he has been sensing the Mind Flayer. The group attempt to figure out how to get rid of the Mind Flayer for good and travel to Eleven and Hopper's house where Mike blurts out that he loves her and cannot lose her again. Eleven finds the Mind Flayer and Mike attempts to share his feelings with Eleven, but is interrupted by Dustin, who calls Mike on his walkie-talkie saying that he is in danger, but is unable to give his location before the batteries run out. Eleven finds him and his group at Starcourt Mall.


title: Mike Wheeler (Stranger Things)

text: Mike, Lucas, and Will reconcile with Dustin. Mike, Eleven, and Max are separated from everybody else; they manage to hide before Lucas, Will, Nancy, and Jonathan distract the Mind Flayer. Billy finds Mike, Eleven, and Max on his own. He knocks Mike and Max unconscious, and brings Eleven to the center of the mall, where the Mind Flayer has returned. Mike and Max regain consciousness to see the Mind Flayer about to kill Eleven, but Billy sacrifices his life to save Eleven. Joyce and Hopper close the gate. Three months later a now powerless Eleven, who has been living with the Byers, prepares to move out of Hawkins. Eleven tells Mike that she loves him and the two share a kiss before promising to visit each other during Thanksgiving.


title: Mike Wheeler (Stranger Things)

text: Mike is now part of Hellfire, a Dungeons and Dragons club at his school, alongside Dustin and Lucas, which is run by Eddie Munson. He visits Eleven and Will in California where Eleven claims to be happy and Mike disparages Will when he explains that Eleven is being bullied. The two then witness Eleven assault her main bully and get arrested. She is then intercepted by Dr. Sam Owens and taken to the NINA project. Mike joins Will, Jonathan, and Argyle to find Eleven after the US army attacks the house, and Suzie, Dustin's girlfriend, helps them find the coordinates for NINA. Will shows Mike a painting of the group fighting a dragon and tells Mike that he makes Eleven not feel like a mistake and that the painting was her idea, but when Mike is not paying attention Will breaks down crying. They all reunite with Eleven and help her telepathically fight Vecna using an isolation tank, and when she struggles, Mike helps her overpower Vecna by telling her he loves her. Mike then returns to Hawkins where he reunites with his family before Will senses a presence and they all discover the Upside Down infiltrating Hawkins.


title: Mike Wheeler (Stranger Things)

text: While ranking the characters in the show, Evan Romano of "Men's Health" said that Mike is "a really great character and is a blast to watch on the screen." In a review for season 3 of "Stranger Things", Judy Berman of "Time" said Wolfhard gets "better every season." Darren Franich of "Entertainment Weekly" enjoyed the transition of Mike from a child to a teenager in the third season. Ritwik Mitra of "Screen Rant" said of Wolfhard: "the character he portrays is one of the best parts of the show" and that "from teenage angst to developing a protective mindset — Mike is definitely a model child in every way and a great part of the show." Liz Shannon Miller, Steve Greene, Hanh Nguyen, Ben Travers of "IndieWire" said that "his...tenacity to keep ...is a credit to his character. It’s no wonder that he’s the one whom Will confides in and that attempts to fight off the Mind Flayer. Mike’s just a good guy to have in your corner, no matter what the circumstances." "BuzzFeed" said that he "really had a great thought process when it came to helping his friends and taking down the Mind Flayer."


title: Jung Joon-young

text: Jung Joon-young (born February 21, 1989) is a South Korean former singer-songwriter, radio DJ, host, actor, and television personality.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: Jung first gained recognition in the 2012 season of the musical reality competition television show "Superstar K", where he finished in third place. In October 2013 he released his debut mini album, "1st Mini Album", which won him the "New Male Solo Artist" award at the 3rd Gaon Chart Music Awards. On June 26, 2014, he released his self-produced 2nd mini album, "Teenager". On February 7, 2017, he released his studio album "The First Person". From 2015 to March 2019, Jung was the lead vocalist of the rock band JJY Band, which was renamed Drug Restaurant in 2016.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: In 2013, he joined the KBS2 variety show "2 Days & 1 Night" as its youngest member and would be a cast member on the show until 2019. He hosted his own radio program titled "Jung Joon-young's Simsimtapa" on MBC FM from 2014 to 2015 and made his film debut in "Love Forecast" in 2015.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: In March 2019, Jung retired from the entertainment industry after admitting that he had "filmed women without their consent and shared it in a chatroom" in the Jung Joon-young KakaoTalk chatrooms, which were first revealed in the Burning Sun scandal. On November 29, 2019, Jung was sentenced to six years in prison for the rape of multiple drunk unconscious women and the unwitting filming and sharing sexual images of his victims without their consent. The sentence was reduced to five years by the Seoul High Court in May 2020.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: Jung Joon-young was born on February 21, 1989, in South Korea. He then grew up in Indonesia, China, Japan, France and Philippines. He is the youngest son of Jung Hak-chun and Choi Jong-sook. His father was an international businessman who travelled to many countries for his business. Jung learned to speak English, Chinese, and Korean fluently. He could not enroll in a regular school due to frequent moves. He took private lessons for subjects such as Math and English, as well as violin, and piano. He also got his fourth-degree black belt in Taekwondo.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: When Jung turned 17, he went to the Philippines to do missionary work. He taught Taekwondo and music to the local children. He was a member of the choir that performed for the former president of the Philippines, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. He stated that he got inspired by Kurt Cobain and was determined to become a rock star after he watched Nirvana's "MTV Unplugged" Show when he was a teenager.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: Jung moved to South Korea the next year to start his musical career and soon signed to an entertainment agency, supposedly Danal Entertainment which released Jung's solo EP titled "Rock Trip" in 2010 as well as the digital single "환상 Fantasy" in 2012.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: After "Superstar K4", Jung had been doing concerts, TV and radio programs, modelling for cars, clothes, games, N-screen, and beer. From May 6, he worked as a DJ for MBC FM4U's "Close Friend" until September 1. He has appeared in several TV shows including KBS2's "", "Happy Together", MBC's "Radio Star", and "We Got Married". He has been featured in KBS's "2 Days & 1 Night" Season 3 since December 1.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: After signing with CJ E&M, Jung released his debut single "Spotless Mind (병이에요)" with two versions of the music video being released: the N version and the S version on October 1. Just an hour after release, "Spotless Mind" gained the number one on Mnet, Bugs, and Soribada.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: On October 10, Jung made his debut with the release of "Jung Joon Young 1st mini album". The EP contained a total of six tracks, including the title track, "The Sense of an Ending" (이별 10분 전), and two songs that he participated in writing and composing: "Missed Call" (아는 번호) and "Take off Mask". The EP was a moderate success, ranking number one on both the daily and weekly chart of Synnara Record during its first week. In addition, "Spotless Mind" (병이에요) landed at the third place and "The Sense of an Ending" (이별 10분전) also took second place on MBC's "Music Core".


title: Jung Joon-young

text: He visited Taiwan in order to promote his first EP on December 8 and greeted 1,000 Taiwanese fans and had an autograph signing event with his song performances for those who had purchased a special limited edition of his album.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: Jung earned the award for New Male Solo Artist for "이별 10분전 (The Sense of an Ending)" and Most Popular Karaoke Song of the Year for "먼지가 되어 (Becoming Dust)" at the 3rd Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards. He also earned Star of the Year at the MBC Entertainment Awards.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: On January 2, he released an OST for "Pretty Man" called "하루만 (I'm Nobody)" written and composed by himself that contains two versions such as an American rock style version and a British pop style drama version. The rock ballad "I'm Nobody (하루만)" has topped Bugs Chart and Mnet Chart within its first five days of release.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: On March 12, Jung released an official cheer song, "Always Reds", which was collaborated with the hip hop group Soul Dive, a track on the Red Devils' official cheer album "We are the Reds" for 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: Jung joined hands with Younha for the duet song "달리함께 (Just the way you are)" which encourages people to gain confidence. The song combines both the rock spirit and ballad. Upon its release on May 29, it ranked top on several music charts such as Mnet, Bugs, and Olleh Music.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: Jung returned with his second EP, "Teenager", on June 26. All the tracks in the album were composed and produced by Jung and he also participated in the design and production of the album's concept, cover picture, and all other minor details regarding the album. The theme of the album was "the adult who dreams" and contained his wish for people who are exhausted by the world to start dreaming again. It ranked third on Gaon Album Chart in its first week of release.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: On July 19, Jung joined the cast of "Pretty Man" as a guest performer for the drama concert in Japan. Jung Joon-young appeared at KCON Los Angeles, California as one of hosts as well as a guest performer from August 9 to 10 and made his American concert debut by performing his singles, including self-created rock single "Teenager". He also entertained the audience by covering his own version of Michael Jackson's "Black or White". After having a showcase in Taiwan, he held a concert tour, titled "2014 Demo Live Tour with Jung Joon-young," in China, beginning on November 14 in Beijing, followed by Shenzhen on November 15 and Shanghai on November 16.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: On August 1, Jung Joon-young's rep stated Jung Joon-young will be taking on the challenge of a movie through "Love Forecast" starring alongside Lee Seung-gi and Moon Chae-won in which Jung Joon-young's character has a one-sided love towards Moon Chae-won's character.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: Jung Joon-young participated in the OST for SBS's "Modern Farmer", singing the song "Same Place" which is a rock ballad that tells a heart-breaking love story. Shortly after "Same Place" was released on December 5, the soundtrack of "Blade & Soul" "Show Time" was released on December 17.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: Thanks to his appearances on KBS2's "2 Days & 1 Night season 3", he won the "Top Entertainer Award in a Variety Show" at the 2014 KBS Entertainment Awards.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: Jung Joon-young made his big screen debut through a light-hearted romantic comedy film Love Forecast, which was released on January 15. Jung next starred in "The Lover", a 19+ drama aired by Mnet, playing an unknown musician who is both living with and dating a woman 12 years his senior. Later, he had a cameo in the 10th episode of the drama The Producers, with Roy Kim as an anti-fan.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: Jung debuted with the rock band JJY Band, releasing their first album, Escape to Hangover, and the title track "OMG" on May 27. "OMG" was composed by Jung and Vanilla Unity's Lee Seung-joo. Their debut album received positive reviews from music fans and critics.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: Jung next joined a new variety show called "Old House, New House" aired by JTBC as a cast member. The show features celebrities paired up with professional designers to provide home decoration and improvement, where each week, two groups will compete with each other to see which home makeover is the best.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: A representative from CJ E&M announced that their contract with Jung expired in November 2015. Jung decided to not renew his contract with CJ E&M. On January 5, 2016, C9 Entertainment announced that Jung and his band officially signed an exclusive contract with their label, REALIVE.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: On February 19, Jung announced his comeback with the single album, "공감 (Sympathy)". He picked soft rock as the main sound for his new solo album. "공감 (Sympathy)", the title track, is a duet song recorded with Korean singer, . It was written, composed, and produced by Jung. He also wrote, composed, and produced another track in the album and included his broad musical abilities in the album. Jung unveiled his new songs for the first time during JJY Band's concert on February 20 and 21 at the Art Hall of Lottecard Art Center in Seoul. "공감 (Sympathy)" was released on February 24 along with the music video of the title track. On February 26, Jung released the music video for the second track in the album, "Amy".


title: Jung Joon-young

text: tvN announced on March 7 that Jung will join their cooking show, "집밥 백선생 2 (Mr. Baek The Homemade Food Master Season 2)", as one of the casts where he will learn from Baek Jong-won, a popular Korean chef, about the art of home cooking. On March 30, JTBC announced that Jung will team up with Kangin, Jeong Jinwoon, and Lee Chul Woo for a new reality show, "Hitmaker", in which they'll be travelling overseas to try other countries' sports.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: On January 31, Jung announced through his Instagram account that he would release his first full album, entitled "1인칭 (The First Person)". On February 1, C9 Entertainment announced that "나와 너 (Me and You)" was the name of the title track, it is a ballad song featuring a senior Korean singer, Jang Hye-jin. Two days later, Jung's agency revealed the tracklist of the album through their Twitter account. The album consists of nine tracks including both an intro and outro, five new songs and two songs from his previous single album, "공감 (Sympathy)". All songs in the album were written, composed and arranged by Jung. The producer of this album are Jung Joon-young and Lee Ji-hyun. The album was released digitally on February 7. The music video for his title track "나와 너 (Me and You)" was also shared on Jung's official YouTube channel. On February 18, Jung's agency announced that the Chinese version of his first full album, "The First Person", was released digitally on iTunes and KKBox that day in four countries, Taiwan, Hongkong, Singapore and Malaysia. The physical CD was released on March 17. The Chinese version consists of 12 tracks, which included the nine songs from the Korean version of the album and three Chinese versions of the tracks "Sympathy", "Amy", and "Me and You".


title: Jung Joon-young

text: On January 18, C9 Entertainment announced that Jung had joined eSports team, "Team Kongdoo", which specializes in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) as professional gamer and they held an initiation ceremony on January 17. On March 5, C9 Entertainment announced that Jung would be releasing a single at the end of the month. The single was later revealed to be titled "Fiancée" and is featured Korean rapper, Microdot. It set to be released on March 29 through digital download and CD. The song is written and composed by Jung Joon Young and Moon Kim from Royal Pirates and the rap part is written by Microdot. Jung held his solo concert, Sing on May 19 and 20 in Shinhwa Cardan Square Live Hall, Mapo, Seoul. Jung appeared in 2018 World DJ Festival Anthem Compilation, performing a new track called Fly alongside Advanced on May 28.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: It was announced that Jung was participating in the theme songs for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Jung will be singing the third track titled, "Hifive Republic of Korea" in the album called, "We, The Reds". On July 13, Jung along with BTOB's Yook Sung-jae took part on the media launch of Viu original reality show called "Hello K-Idol". It was reported that both Jung and Yook will be special mentors.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: Jung returned to Manila, Philippines on September 22 to hold his first fan meeting, "Fiancée" in the country. On October 19, Jung announced on his Instagram that he will be officially opening a restaurant which is called 'Maison de Coréein' in Paris next year after a month of running as a pop-up restaurant.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: On March 11, 2019, it was alleged that in 2015 and 2016, Jung had secretly filmed his own sexual encounters with at least 10 women, then shared the videos with friends in chat groups. The allegations surfaced during a police investigation into Seungri for allegedly providing prostitution services, and resulted in Jung being investigated as well. The following day, Jung retired from the entertainment industry, admitting to crimes that he had "filmed women without their consent and shared it in a chatroom". He apologized to the multiple women he filmed, as well as his fans, and also pledged to cooperate with police. On March 21, Jung was arrested over allegations that he illegally shared sexually explicit videos of women taken without their knowledge or consent through a social media chatroom on eleven occasions.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: On April 19, 2019, a woman came forward to SBS funE, claiming that five men including Jung had raped her in March 2016 and then shared an audio file and photos of the incident in a group chat. On May 10, 2019, Jung pleaded guilty to all eleven cases of secretly filming and sharing the videos of himself having sex with women in a chatroom, and he sought to come to legal settlements with the victims. Jung and Choi Jong-hoon were also under investigation for allegedly being involved in the gang rape of a woman in 2016.


title: Jung Joon-young

text: On November 29, 2019, Jung was sentenced to six years in prison for gang raping drunk unconscious women. Jung was additionally convicted of secretly filming himself having sex with other women and sharing the footage without their consent. On May 12, 2020, Seoul High Court reduced Jung's sentence from six years to five after he submitted documents expressing his regret. In November 2020, his personal Instagram account was deleted by the social network itself, on the grounds that it has a policy of deactivating accounts of convicted sex offenders.


title: Demons (Dostoevsky novel)

text: Demons (pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform ; sometimes also called The Possessed or The Devils is a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, first published in the journal "The Russian Messenger" in 1871–72. It is considered one of the four masterworks written by Dostoevsky after his return from Siberian exile, along with "Crime and Punishment" (1866), "The Idiot" (1869), and "The Brothers Karamazov" (1880). "Demons" is a social and political satire, a psychological drama, and large-scale tragedy. Joyce Carol Oates has described it as "Dostoevsky's most confused and violent novel, and his most satisfactorily 'tragic' work." According to Ronald Hingley, it is Dostoevsky's "greatest onslaught on Nihilism", and "one of humanity's most impressive achievements—perhaps even its supreme achievement—in the art of prose fiction."


title: Demons (Dostoevsky novel)

text: "Demons" is an allegory of the potentially catastrophic consequences of the political and moral nihilism that were becoming prevalent in Russia in the 1860s. A fictional town descends into chaos as it becomes the focal point of an attempted revolution, orchestrated by master conspirator Pyotr Verkhovensky. The mysterious aristocratic figure of Nikolai Stavrogin—Verkhovensky's counterpart in the moral sphere—dominates the book, exercising an extraordinary influence over the hearts and minds of almost all the other characters. The idealistic, Western-influenced generation of the 1840s, epitomized in the character of Stepan Verkhovensky (who is both Pyotr Verkhovensky's father and Nikolai Stavrogin's childhood teacher), are presented as the unconscious progenitors and helpless accomplices of the "demonic" forces that take possession of the town.


title: Demons (Dostoevsky novel)

text: The original Russian title is "Bésy" (, singular Бес, "bés"), which means "demons". There are three English translations: "The Possessed", "The Devils", and "Demons". Constance Garnett's 1916 translation popularized the novel and gained it notoriety as "The Possessed", but this title has been disputed by later translators. They argue that ""The Possessed"" points in the wrong direction because "Bésy" refers to active subjects rather than passive objects—""possessors"" rather than ""the possessed"". 'Demons' in this sense refers not so much to "individuals" as to the "ideas" that possess them. For Dostoevsky, 'ideas' are living cultural forces that have the capacity to seduce and subordinate the individual consciousness, and the individual who has become alienated from his own concrete national traditions is particularly susceptible. According to translator Richard Pevear, the demons are "that legion of isms that came to Russia from the West: idealism, rationalism, empiricism, materialism, utilitarianism, positivism, socialism, anarchism, nihilism, and, underlying them all, atheism." The counter-ideal (expressed in the novel through the character of Ivan Shatov) is that of an authentically Russian culture growing out of the people's inherent spirituality and faith, but even this—as mere idealization and an attempt to reassert something that has been lost—is another idea and lacks real force.


title: Demons (Dostoevsky novel)

text: In a letter to his friend Apollon Maykov, Dostoevsky alludes to the episode of the Exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac in the Gospel of Luke as the inspiration for the title: "Exactly the same thing happened in our country: the devils went out of the Russian man and entered into a herd of swine... These are drowned or will be drowned, and the healed man, from whom the devils have departed, sits at the feet of Jesus." Part of the passage is used as an epigraph, and Dostoevsky's thoughts on its relevance to Russia are given voice by Stepan Verkhovensky on his deathbed near the end of the novel.


title: Demons (Dostoevsky novel)

text: In late 1860s Russia there was an unusual level of political unrest caused by student groups influenced by liberal, socialist, and revolutionary ideas. In 1869, Dostoevsky conceived the idea of a 'pamphlet novel' directed against the radicals. He focused on the group organized by young agitator Sergey Nechayev, particularly their murder of a former comrade—Ivan Ivanov—at the Petrovskaya Agricultural Academy in Moscow. Dostoevsky had first heard of Ivanov from his brother-in-law, who was a student at the academy, and had been much interested in his rejection of radicalism and exhortation of the Russian Orthodox Church and the House of Romanov as the true custodians of Russia's destiny. He was horrified to hear of Ivanov's murder by the Nechayevists, and vowed to write a political novel about what he called "the most important problem of our time." Prior to this Dostoevsky had been working on a philosophical novel (entitled 'The Life of a Great Sinner') examining the psychological and moral implications of atheism. The political polemic and parts of the philosophical novel were merged into a single larger scale project, which became "Demons". As work progressed, the liberal and nihilistic characters began to take on a secondary role as Dostoevsky focused more on the amoralism of a charismatic aristocratic figure—Nikolai Stavrogin.


title: Demons (Dostoevsky novel)

text: Although a merciless satirical attack on various forms of radical thought and action, "Demons" does not bear much resemblance to the typical anti-nihilist novels of the era (as found in the work of Nikolai Leskov for example), which tended to present the nihilists as deceitful and utterly selfish villains in an essentially black and white moral world. Dostoevsky's nihilists are portrayed in their ordinary human weakness, drawn into the world of destructive ideas through vanity, naïveté, idealism, and the susceptibility of youth. In re-imagining Nechayev's orchestration of the murder, Dostoevsky was attempting to "depict those diverse and multifarious motives by which even the purest of hearts and the most innocent of people can be drawn in to committing such a monstrous offence." In "A Writer's Diary", he discusses the relationship of the ideas of his own generation to those of the current generation, and suggests that in his youth he too could have become a follower of someone like Nechayev. As a young man Dostoevsky himself was a member of a radical organisation (the Petrashevsky Circle), for which he was arrested and exiled to a Siberian prison camp. Dostoevsky was an active participant in a secret revolutionary society formed from among the members of the Petrashevsky Circle. The cell's founder and leader, the aristocrat Nikolay Speshnev, is thought by many commentators to be the principal inspiration for the character of Stavrogin.


title: Demons (Dostoevsky novel)

text: The first person narrator is a minor character, Anton Lavrentyevich G—v, who is a close friend and confidant of Stepan Verkhovensky. Young, educated, upright, and sensible, Anton Lavrentyevich is a local civil servant who has decided to write a chronicle of the strange events that have recently occurred in his town. Despite being a secondary character, he has a surprisingly intimate knowledge of all the characters and events, such that the narrative often seems to metamorphose into that of the omniscient third person. According to Joseph Frank, this unusual narrative point-of-view enables Dostoevsky "to portray his main figures against a background of rumor, opinion and scandal-mongering that serves somewhat the function of a Greek chorus in relation to the central action."


title: Demons (Dostoevsky novel)

text: The narrator's voice is intelligent, frequently ironic and psychologically perceptive, but it is only periodically the dominant voice, and often seems to disappear altogether. Much of the narrative unfolds dialogically, implied and explicated through the interactions of the characters, the internal dialogue of a single character, or through a combination of the two, rather than through the narrator's story-telling or description. In "Problems of Dostoevsky's Poetics" the Russian philosopher and literary theorist Mikhail Bakhtin describes Dostoevsky's literary style as polyphonic, with the cast of individual characters being a multiplicity of "voice-ideas", restlessly asserting and defining themselves in relation to each other. The narrator in this sense is present merely as an agent for recording the synchronisation of multiple autonomous narratives, with his own voice weaving in and out of the contrapuntal texture.


title: Demons (Dostoevsky novel)

text: The novel is in three parts. There are two epigraphs, the first from Pushkin's poem "Demons" and the second from Luke 8:32–36.


title: Demons (Dostoevsky novel)

text: After an almost illustrious but prematurely curtailed academic career Stepan Trofimovich Verkhovensky is residing with the wealthy landowner Varvara Petrovna Stavrogina at her estate, Skvoreshniki, in a provincial Russian town. Originally employed as a tutor to Stavrogina's son Nikolai Vsevolodovich, Stepan Trofimovich has been there for almost twenty years in an intimate but platonic relationship with his noble patroness. Stepan Trofimovich also has a son from a previous marriage but he has grown up elsewhere without his father's involvement.


title: Demons (Dostoevsky novel)

text: A troubled Varvara Petrovna has just returned from Switzerland where she has been visiting Nikolai Vsevolodovich. She berates Stepan Trofimovich for his financial irresponsibility, but her main preoccupation is an "intrigue" she encountered in Switzerland concerning her son and his relations with Liza Tushina—the beautiful daughter of her friend Praskovya. Praskovya and Liza arrive at the town, without Nikolai Vsevolodovich who has gone to Petersburg. According to Praskovya, Varvara Petrovna's young protégée Darya Pavlovna (Dasha), has also somehow become involved with Nikolai Vsevolodovich, but the details are ambiguous. Varvara Petrovna suddenly conceives the idea of forming an engagement between Stepan Trofimovich and Dasha. Though dismayed, Stepan Trofimovich accedes to her proposal, which happens to resolve a delicate financial issue for him. Influenced by gossip, he begins to suspect that he is being married off to cover up "another man's sins" and writes "noble" letters to his fiancée and Nikolai Vsevolodovich. Matters are further complicated by the arrival of a mysterious "crippled woman", Marya Lebyadkina, to whom Nikolai Vsevolodovich is also rumoured to be connected, although no-one seems to know exactly how. A hint is given when Varvara Petrovna asks the mentally disturbed Marya, who has approached her outside church, if she is Lebyadkina and she replies that she is not.


title: Demons (Dostoevsky novel)

text: Varvara Petrovna takes Marya (and Liza who has insisted on coming with them) back to Skvoreshniki. Already present are Dasha, her older brother Ivan Shatov, and a nervous Stepan Trofimovich. Praskovya arrives, accompanied by her nephew Mavriky Nikolaevich, demanding to know why her daughter has been dragged in to Varvara Petrovna's "scandal". Varvara Petrovna questions Dasha about a large sum of money that Nikolai Vsevolodovich supposedly sent through her to Marya's brother, but in spite of her straightforward answers matters don't become any clearer. Marya's brother, the drunkard Captain Lebyadkin, comes looking for his sister and confuses Varvara Petrovna even further with semi-deranged rantings about some sort of dishonour that must remain unspoken. At this point the butler announces that Nikolai Vsevolodovich has arrived. To everyone's surprise, however, a complete stranger walks in and immediately begins to dominate the conversation. It turns out to be Pyotr Stepanovich Verkhovensky, Stepan Trofimovich's son. As he is talking, Nikolai Stavrogin quietly enters. Varvara Petrovna stops him imperiously and, indicating Marya, demands to know if she is his lawful wife. He looks at his mother impassively, says nothing, kisses her hand, and unhurriedly approaches Marya. In soothing tones he explains to Marya that he is her devoted friend, not her husband or fiancé, that she should not be here, and that he will escort her home. She agrees and they leave. In the din that breaks out after their departure, the strongest voice is that of Pyotr Stepanovich, and he manages to persuade Varvara Petrovna to listen to his explanation for what has occurred. According to him, Nikolai Vsevolodovich became acquainted with the Lebyadkins when he was living a life of "mockery" in Petersburg five years earlier. The downtrodden, crippled and half mad Marya had fallen hopelessly in love with him and he had responded by treating her "like a marquise". She began to think of him as her fiancé, and when he left he made arrangements for her support, including a substantial allowance, which her brother proceeded to appropriate as though he had some sort of right to it. Varvara Petrovna is elated and almost triumphant to hear that her son's actions had a noble foundation rather than a shameful one. Under interrogation from Pyotr Stepanovich, Captain Lebyadkin reluctantly confirms the truth of the whole story. He departs in disgrace as Nikolai Vsevolodovich returns from escorting Marya home. Nikolai Vsevolodovich addresses himself to Dasha with congratulations on her impending marriage, of which, he says, he was expressly informed. As if on cue, Pyotr Stepanovich says that he too has received a long letter from his father about an impending marriage, but that one cannot make sense of it—something about having to get married because of "another man's sins", and pleading to be "saved". An enraged Varvara Petrovna tells Stepan Trofimovich to leave her house and never come back. In the uproar that follows no-one notices Shatov, who has not said a word the entire time, walking across the room to stand directly in front of Nikolai Vsevolodovich. He looks him in the eye for a long time without saying anything, then suddenly hits him in the face with all his might. Stavrogin staggers, recovers himself, and seizes Shatov; but he immediately takes his hands away, and stands motionless, calmly returning Shatov's gaze. It is Shatov who lowers his eyes, and leaves, apparently crushed. Liza screams and collapses on the floor in a faint.


title: Demons (Dostoevsky novel)

text: News of the events at Skvoreshniki spreads through society surprisingly rapidly. The main participants seclude themselves, with the exception of Pyotr Stepanovich who actively insinuates himself into the social life of the town. After eight days, he calls on Stavrogin and the true nature of their relations begins to become apparent. There was not, as some suspect, an explicit understanding between them. Rather Pyotr Stepanovich is trying to involve Stavrogin in some radical political plans of his own, and is avidly seeking to be of use to him. Stavrogin, while he seems to accept Pyotr Stepanovich acting on his behalf, is largely unresponsive to these overtures and continues to pursue his own agenda.


title: Demons (Dostoevsky novel)

text: That night Stavrogin leaves Skvoreshniki in secret and makes his way on foot to Fillipov's house, where Shatov lives. The primary object of his visit is to consult his friend Kirillov, who also lives at the house. Stavrogin has received an extraordinarily insulting letter from Artemy Gaganov, the son of a respected landowner—Pavel Gaganov—whose nose he pulled as a joke some years earlier, and has been left with no choice but to challenge him to a duel. He asks Kirillov to be his second and to make the arrangements. They then discuss philosophical issues arising out of Kirillov's firm intention to commit suicide in the near future. Stavrogin proceeds to Shatov, and once again the background to the events at Skvoreshniki begins to reveal itself. Shatov had guessed the secret behind Stavrogin's connection to Marya (they are in fact married) and had struck him out of anger at his "fall". In the past Stavrogin had inspired Shatov with exhortations of the Russian Christ, but this marriage and other actions have provoked a complete disillusionment, which Shatov now angrily expresses. Stavrogin defends himself calmly and rationally, but not entirely convincingly. He also warns Shatov, who is a former member but now bitter enemy of Pyotr Verkhovensky's revolutionary society, that Verkhovensky might be planning to murder him. Stavrogin continues on foot to a distant part of town where he intends to call at the new residence of the Lebyadkins. On the way he encounters Fedka, an escaped convict, who has been waiting for him at the bridge. Pyotr Stepanovich has informed Fedka that Stavrogin may have need of his services in relation to the Lebyadkins, but Stavrogin emphatically rejects this. He tells Fedka that he won't give him a penny and that if he meets him again he will tie him up and take him to the police. At the Lebyadkins' he informs the Captain, to the Captain's horror, that in the near future he will be making a public announcement of the marriage and that there will be no more money. He goes in to Marya, but something about him frightens her and she becomes mistrustful. His proposal that she come to live with him in Switzerland is met with scorn. She accuses him of being an imposter who has come to kill her with his knife, and demands to know what he has done with her "Prince". Stavrogin becomes angry, pushes her violently, and leaves, to Marya's frenzied curse. In a fury, he barely notices when Fedka pops up again, reiterating his requests for assistance. Stavrogin seizes him, slams him against a wall and begins to tie him up. However, he stops almost immediately and continues on his way, with Fedka following. Eventually Stavrogin bursts into laughter: he empties the contents of his wallet in Fedka's face, and walks off.


title: Demons (Dostoevsky novel)

text: The duel takes place the following afternoon, but no-one is killed. To Gaganov's intense anger, Stavrogin appears to deliberately miss, as if to trivialize the duel and insult his opponent, although he says it is because he doesn't want to kill anyone any more. He returns to Skvoreshniki where he encounters Dasha who, as now becomes apparent, is in the role of a confidant and "nurse" in relation to him. He tells her about the duel and the encounter with Fedka, admitting to giving Fedka money that could be interpreted as a down payment to kill his wife. He asks her, in an ironic tone, whether she will still come to him even if he chooses to take Fedka up on his offer. Horrified, Dasha does not answer.


title: Demons (Dostoevsky novel)

text: Pyotr Stepanovich meanwhile is very active in society, forming relationships and cultivating conditions that he thinks will help his political aims. He is particularly focused on Julia Mikhaylovna Von Lembke, the Governor's wife. By flattery, surrounding her with a retinue and encouraging her exaggerated liberal ambition, he acquires a power over her and over the tone of her salon. He and his group of co-conspirators exploit their new-found legitimacy to generate an atmosphere of frivolity and cynicism in society. They indulge in tasteless escapades, clandestinely distribute revolutionary propaganda, and agitate workers at the local Spigulin factory. They are particularly active in promoting Julia Mikhaylovna's 'Literary Gala' to raise money for poor governesses, and it becomes a much anticipated event for the whole town. The Governor, Andrey Antonovich, is deeply troubled by Pyotr Stepanovich's success with his wife and casual disregard for his authority, but is painfully incapable of doing anything about it. Unable to cope with the strange events and mounting pressures, he begins to show signs of acute mental disturbance. Pyotr Stepanovich adopts a similarly destabilizing approach toward his father, driving Stepan Trofimovich into a frenzy by relentlessly ridiculing him and further undermining his disintegrating relationship with Varvara Petrovna.


title: Demons (Dostoevsky novel)

text: Pyotr Stepanovich visits Kirillov to remind him of an "agreement" he made to commit suicide at a time convenient to the revolutionary society. He invites Kirillov, and subsequently Shatov, to a meeting of the local branch of the society to be held later that day. He then calls on Stavrogin, arriving just as Mavriky Nikolaevich, Liza's new fiancé, is angrily departing. Stavrogin, however, seems to be in a good mood and he willingly accompanies Pyotr Stepanovich to the meeting. Present are a wide variety of idealists, disaffected types and pseudo-intellectuals, most notably the philosopher Shigalyev who attempts to expound his theory on the historically necessary totalitarian social organization of the future. The conversation is inane and directionless until Pyotr Stepanovich takes control and seeks to establish whether there is a real commitment to the cause of violent revolution. He claims that this matter can be resolved by asking a simple question of each individual: in the knowledge of a planned political murder, would you inform the police? As everyone else is hurrying to assert that they would of course not inform, Shatov gets up and leaves, followed by Stavrogin and Kirillov. Uproar ensues. Pyotr Stepanovich abandons the meeting and rushes after Stavrogin. Meeting them at Kirillov's place, where Fedka is also present, Verkhovensky demands to know whether Stavrogin will be providing the funds to deal with the Lebyadkins. He has acquired proof, in the form of a letter sent to Von Lembke, that the Captain is contemplating betraying them all. Stavrogin refuses, tells him he won't give him Shatov either, and departs. Verkhovensky tries to stop him, but Stavrogin throws him to the ground and continues on his way. Verkhovensky rushes after him again and, to Stavrogin's astonishment, suddenly transforms into a raving madman. He launches into an incoherent monologue, alternately passionately persuasive and grovelingly submissive, desperately pleading with Stavrogin to join his cause. The speech amounts to a declaration of love, reaching a climax with the exclamation "Stavrogin, you're beautiful!" and an attempt to kiss his hand. Verkhovensky's cause, it turns out, has nothing to do with socialism, but is purely about destroying the old order and seizing power, with Stavrogin, the iron-willed leader, at the helm. Stavrogin remains cold, but does not actually say no, and Pyotr Stepanovich persists with his schemes.


title: Demons (Dostoevsky novel)

text: Social disquiet escalates as the day of the literary gala approaches. The Governor's assistant, under the false impression that Stepan Trofimovich is the source of the problem, orders a raid on his residence. Deeply shocked, Stepan Trofimovich goes to the Governor to complain. He arrives as a large group of workers from the Spigulin factory are staging a protest about work and pay conditions. Already in a precarious state of mind, Andrey Antonovich responds to both problems in a somewhat demented authoritarian fashion. Julia Mikhaylovna and her retinue, among whom are Varvara Petrovna and Liza, return from a visit to Skvoreshniki and the Governor is further humiliated by a public snubbing from his wife. As Julia Mikhaylovna engages charmingly with Stepan Trofimovich and the 'great writer' Karmazinov, who are to read at the Gala tomorrow, Pyotr Stepanovich enters. Seeing him, Andrey Antonovich begins to show signs of derangement. But attention is immediately diverted to a new drama: Stavrogin has entered the room, and he is accosted by Liza. In a loud voice she complains of harassment from a certain Captain Lebyadkin, who describes himself as Stavrogin's relation, the brother of his wife. Stavrogin calmly replies that Marya (née Lebyadkina) is indeed his wife, and that he will make sure the Captain causes her no further trouble. Varvara Petrovna is horrified, but Stavrogin simply smiles and walks out. Liza follows him.


title: Demons (Dostoevsky novel)

text: The much vaunted literary matinée and ball takes place the next day. Most of the town has subscribed and all the influential people are present for the reading, with the exception of the Stavrogins. Julia Mikhaylovna, who has somehow managed to reconcile Andrey Antonovich, is at the summit of her ambition. But things go wrong from the beginning. Pyotr Stepanovich's associates Lyamshin and Liputin take advantage of their role as stewards to alter proceedings in a provocative way, and allow a lot of low types in without paying. The reading starts with the unscheduled appearance on stage of a hopelessly drunk Captain Lebyadkin, apparently for the purpose of reading some of his poetry. Realizing the Captain is too drunk, Liputin takes it upon himself to read the poem, which is a witless and insulting piece about the hard lot of governesses. He is quickly followed by the literary genius Karmazinov who is reading a farewell to his public entitled ""Merci"". For over an hour the great writer plods through an aimless stream of self-absorbed fantasy, sending the audience into a state of complete stupefaction. The torture only comes to an end when an exhausted listener inadvertently cries out "Lord, what rubbish!" and Karmazinov, after exchanging insults with the audience, finally closes with an ironic ""Merci, merci, merci"." In this hostile atmosphere Stepan Trofimovich takes the stage. He plunges headlong into a passionate exhortation of his own aesthetic ideals, becoming increasingly shrill as he reacts to the derision emanating from the audience. He ends by cursing them and storming off. Pandemonium breaks out as an unexpected third reader, a 'professor' from Petersburg, immediately takes the stage in his place. Apparently delighted by the disorder, the new orator launches into a frenzied tirade against Russia, shouting with all his might and gesticulating with his fist. He is eventually dragged off stage by six officials, but he somehow manages to escape and returns to briefly continue his harangue before being dragged off again. Supporters in the audience rush to his aid as a schoolgirl takes the stage seeking to rouse oppressed students everywhere to protest.


title: Demons (Dostoevsky novel)

text: In the aftermath, Pyotr Stepanovich (who was mysteriously absent from the reading) seeks to persuade a traumatized Julia Mikhaylovna that it wasn't as bad as she thinks and that it is essential for her to attend the ball. He also lets her know that the town is ringing with the news of another scandal: Lizaveta Nikolaevna has left her home and fiancé and gone off to Skvoreshniki with Stavrogin.


title: Demons (Dostoevsky novel)

text: Despite the disaster of the reading, the ball goes ahead that evening, with Julia Mikhaylovna and Andrey Antonovich in attendance. Many of the respectable public have chosen not to attend but there is an increased number of dubious types, who make straight for the drinking area. Hardly anyone is dancing, most are standing around waiting for something to happen and casting curious glances at the Von Lembkes. A 'literary quadrille' has been especially choreographed for the occasion, but it is vulgar and stupid and merely bemuses the onlookers. Shocked by some of the antics in the quadrille and the degenerating atmosphere in the hall, Andrey Antonovich lapses back into his authoritarian persona and a frightened Julia Mikhaylovna is forced to apologise for him. Someone shouts "Fire!" and the news quickly spreads that a large fire is raging in part of the town. There is a stampede for the exits, but Andrey Antonovich screams that all must be searched, and when his distressed wife calls out his name he orders her arrest. Julia Mikhaylovna faints. She is carried to safety, but Andrey Antonovich insists on going to the fire. At the fire he is knocked unconscious by a falling beam, and although he later recovers consciousness, he does not recover his sanity, and his career as governor comes to an end. The fire rages all night, but by morning it has dwindled and rain is falling. News begins to spread of a strange and terrible murder: a certain Captain, his sister and their serving maid have been found stabbed to death in their partially burned down house on the edge of town.


title: Demons (Dostoevsky novel)

text: Stavrogin and Liza have spent the night together and they wake to the dying glow of the fire. Liza is ready to leave him, convinced that her life is over. Pyotr Stepanovich arrives to impart the news of the Lebyadkins' murder. He says the murderer was Fedka the Convict, denies any involvement himself, and assures Stavrogin that legally (and of course morally) he too is in the clear. When Liza demands the truth from Stavrogin, he replies that he was against the murder but knew it was going to happen and didn't stop the murderers. Liza rushes off in a frenzy, determined to get to the place of the murders to see the bodies. Stavrogin tells Pyotr Stepanovich to stop her, but Pyotr Stepanovich demands an answer. Stavrogin replies that it might be possible to say yes to him if only he were not such a buffoon, and tells him to come back tomorrow. Appeased, Pyotr Stepanovich pursues Liza, but the attempt to stop her is abandoned when Mavriky Nikolaevich, who has been waiting for her outside all night, rushes to her aid. He and Liza proceed to the town together in the pouring rain. At the scene of the murders an unruly crowd has gathered. By this time it is known that it is Stavrogin's wife who has been murdered, and Liza is recognized as 'Stavrogin's woman'. She and Mavriky Nikolaevich are attacked by drunk and belligerent individuals in the crowd. Liza is struck several times on the head and is killed.