title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: Carter was surprised by the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, as the consensus of the U.S. intelligence community during 1978 and 1979 was that Moscow would not forcefully intervene. CIA officials had tracked the deployment of Soviet soldiers to the Afghan border, but they had not expected the Soviets to launch a full-fledged invasion. Carter believed that the Soviet conquest of Afghanistan would present a grave threat to the Persian Gulf region, and he vigorously responded to what he considered a dangerous provocation. In a televised speech, Carter announced sanctions on the Soviet Union, promised renewed aid to Pakistan, and articulated the Carter doctrine, which stated that the U.S. would repel any attempt to gain control of the Persian Gulf. Pakistani leader Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq had previously had poor relations with Carter due to Pakistan's nuclear program and the execution of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, but the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and instability in Iran reinvigorated the traditional Pakistan–United States alliance. In cooperation with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Carter increased aid to the mujahideen through the CIA's Operation Cyclone. Carter also later announced a U.S. boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow and imposed an embargo on shipping American wheat to the Soviet Union. The embargo ultimately hurt American farmers more than it did the Soviet economy, and the United States lifted the embargo after Carter left office.


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan brought a significant change in Carter's foreign policy and ended the period of detente that had begun in the mid-1960s.


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: Returning to a policy of containment, the United States reconciled with Cold War allies and increased the defense budget, leading to a new arms race with the Soviet Union. U.S. support for the mujahideen in Afghanistan would continue until the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989.


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: On taking office, Carter decided to attempt to mediate the long-running Arab–Israeli conflict. He sought a comprehensive settlement between Israel and its neighbors through a reconvening of the 1973 Geneva Conference, but these efforts had collapsed by the end of 1977. Carter did convince Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat to visit Israel in 1978. Sadat's visit drew the condemnation of other Arab League countries, but Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin each expressed an openness to bilateral talks. Begin sought security guarantees; Sadat sought the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Sinai Peninsula and home rule for the West Bank and Gaza, Israeli-occupied territories that were largely populated by Palestinian Arabs. Israel had taken control of the West Bank and Gaza in the 1967 Six-Day War, while the Sinai had been occupied by Israel since the end of the 1973 Yom Kippur War.


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: Seeking to further negotiations, Carter invited Begin and Sadat to the presidential retreat of Camp David in September 1978. Because direct negotiations between Sadat and Begin proved unproductive, Carter began meeting with the two leaders individually. While Begin was willing to withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula, he refused to agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state. Israel had begun constructing settlements in the West Bank, which emerged as an important barrier to a peace agreement. Unable to come to definitive settlement over an Israeli withdrawal, the two sides reached an agreement in which Israel promised to allow the creation of an elected government in the West Bank and Gaza. In return, Egypt became the first Arab state to recognize Israel's right to exist. The Camp David Accords were the subject of intense domestic opposition in both Egypt and Israel, as well as the wider Arab World, but each side agreed to negotiate a peace treaty on the basis of the accords.


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: On March 26, 1979, Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in Washington, Carter's role in getting the treaty was essential. Author Aaron David Miller concluded the following: "No matter whom I spoke to — Americans, Egyptians, or Israelis — most everyone said the same thing: no Carter, no peace treaty." Carter himself viewed the agreement as his most important accomplishment in office.


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, had been a reliable U.S. ally since the 1953 Iranian coup d'état. During the years after the coup, the U.S. lavished aid on Iran, while Iran served as a dependable source of oil exports. Carter, Vance, and Brzezinski all viewed Iran as a key Cold War ally, not only for the oil it produced but also because of its influence in OPEC and its strategic position between the Soviet Union and the Persian Gulf. Despite human rights violations, Carter visited Iran in late 1977 and authorized the sale of U.S. fighter aircraft. That same year, rioting broke out in several cities, and it soon spread across the country. Poor economic conditions, the unpopularity of Pahlavi's "White Revolution", and an Islamic revival all led to increasing anger among Iranians, many of whom also despised the United States for its support of Pahlavi and its role in the 1953 coup.


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: By 1978, the Iranian Revolution had broken out against the Shah's rule. Secretary of State Vance argued that the Shah should institute a series of reforms to appease the voices of discontent, while Brzezinski argued in favor of a crackdown on dissent. The mixed messages that the Shah received from Vance and Brzezinski contributed to his confusion and indecision. The Shah went into exile, leaving a caretaker government in control. A popular religious figure, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, returned from exile in February 1979 to popular acclaim. As the unrest continued, Carter allowed Pahlavi into the United States for medical treatment. Carter and Vance were both initially reluctant to admit Pahlavi due to concerns about the reaction in Iran, but Iranian leaders assured them that it would not cause an issue. In November 1979, shortly after Pahlavi was allowed to enter the U.S., a group of Iranians stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took 66 American captives, beginning the Iran hostage crisis. Iranian Prime Minister Mehdi Bazargan ordered the militants to release the hostages, but he resigned from office after Khomeini backed the militants.


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: The crisis quickly became the subject of international and domestic attention, and Carter vowed to secure the release of the hostages. He refused the Iranian demand of the return of Pahlavi in exchange for the release of the hostages. His approval ratings rose as Americans rallied around his response, but the crisis became increasingly problematic for his administration as it continued. In an attempt to rescue the hostages, Carter launched Operation Eagle Claw in April 1980. The operation was a total disaster, and it ended in the death of eight American soldiers. The failure of the operation strengthened Ayatollah Khomeini's position in Iran and badly damaged Carter's domestic standing. Carter was dealt another blow when Vance, who had consistently opposed the operation, resigned. Iran refused to negotiate the return of the hostages until Iraq launched an invasion in September 1980. With Algeria serving as an intermediary, negotiations continued until an agreement was reached in January 1981. In return for releasing the 52 captives, Iran was allowed access to over $7 billion of its money that had been frozen in the United States. Iran waited to release the captives until 30 minutes after Carter left office on January 20, 1981.


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: Released in 2017, a declassified memo produced by the CIA in 1980 concluded "Iranian hardliners – especially Ayatollah Khomeini" were "determined to exploit the hostage issue to bring about President Carter’s defeat in the November elections." Additionally, Tehran in 1980 wanted "the world to believe that Imam Khomeini caused President Carter's downfall and disgrace"


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: Since the 1960s, Panama had called for the United States to cede control of the Panama Canal. The bipartisan national policy of turning over the Canal to Panama had been established by presidents Johnson, Nixon, and Ford, but negotiations had dragged on for a dozen years. Carter made the cession of the Panama Canal a priority, believing it would implement Carter's call for a moral cleaning of American foreign policy and win approval across Latin America as a gracious apology for American wrongdoing. He also feared that another postponement of negotiations might precipitate violent upheaval in Panama, which could damage or block the canal.


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: The Carter administration negotiated the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, two treaties which provided that Panama would gain control of the canal in 1999. Carter's initiative faced wide resistance in the United States, and many in the public, particularly conservatives, thought that Carter was "giving away" a crucial U.S. asset. Conservatives formed groups such as the Committee to Save the Panama Canal in an attempt to defeat the treaties in the Senate, but Carter made ratification of the treaties his top priority. During the ratification debate, the Senate crafted amendments that granted the U.S. the right to intervene militarily to keep the canal open, which the Panamanians assented to after further negotiations. In March 1978, the Senate ratified both treaties by a margin of 68-to-32, narrowly passing the two-thirds margin necessary for ratification. The Canal Zone and all its facilities were ultimately turned over to Panama on December 31, 1999.


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: Carter hoped to improve relations with Cuba upon taking office, but any thaw in relations was prevented by ongoing Cold War disputes in Central America and Africa. In early 1980, Cuban leader Fidel Castro announced that anyone who wished to leave Cuba would be allowed to do so through the port of Mariel. After Carter announced that the United States would provide "open arms for the tens of thousands of refugees seeking freedom from Communist domination", Cuban Americans arranged the Mariel boatlift. The Refugee Act, signed earlier in the year, had provided for annual cap of 19,500 Cuban immigrants to the United States per year, and required that those refugees go through a review process. By September, 125,000 Cubans had arrived in the United States, and many faced a lack of adequate food and housing. Carter was widely criticized for his handling of the boatlift, especially in the electorally important state of Florida.


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: The Carter administration continued the Nixon and Ford administration's policy of supporting the "New Order" in Indonesia under Suharto. Whilst the regime was largely classified as a dictatorship by foreign observers, it was still supported by the U.S. due to its strong opposition to Communism. The Carter administration continued to support the regime, even in spite of its violation of human rights in the December 1975 invasion and occupation of East Timor.


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: Continuing a rapprochement begun during the Nixon administration, Carter successfully achieved closer relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC). The two countries increasingly collaborated against the Soviet Union, and the Carter administration tacitly consented to the Chinese invasion of Vietnam. In 1979, Carter extended formal diplomatic recognition to the PRC for the first time. This decision led to a boom in trade between the United States and the PRC, which was pursuing economic reforms under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping. After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Carter allowed the sale of military supplies to China and began negotiations to share military intelligence. In January 1980, Carter unilaterally revoked the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty with the Republic of China (ROC), which had lost control of mainland China to the PRC in the Chinese Civil War, but was now based offshore on the island of Taiwan. Carter's abrogation of the treaty was challenged in court by conservative Republicans, but the Supreme Court ruled that the issue was a non-justiciable political question in "Goldwater v. Carter". The U.S. continued to maintain diplomatic contacts with the ROC through the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act.


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: One of Carter's first acts was to order the withdrawal of troops from South Korea, which had hosted a large number of U.S. military personnel since the end of the Korean War. Carter believed that the soldiers could be put to better use in Western Europe, but opponents of the withdrawal feared that North Korea would invade South Korea in the aftermath of the withdrawal. South Korea and Japan both protested the move, as did many members of Congress, the military, and the State Department. After a strong backlash, Carter delayed the withdrawal, and ultimately only a fraction of the U.S. forces left South Korea. Carter's attempt to remove U.S. forces from South Korea weakened the government of South Korean President Park Chung-hee, who was assassinated in 1979.


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: In sharp contrast to Nixon and Ford, Carter gave priority to sub-Sahara Africa. Southern Africa especially emerged as a Cold War battleground after Cuba sent a large military force that took control of Angola in 1976. The chief policy person for Africa in the Carter administration was Andrew Young, a leader in the black Atlanta community who became Ambassador to the United Nations. Young opened up friendly relationships with key leaders, especially in Nigeria. A highly controversial issue was independence of Namibia from Union of South Africa. Young began United Nations discussions which went nowhere, and Namibia would not gain independence until long after Carter left office. Young advocated strong sanctions after the murder by South African police of Steve Biko in 1977, but Carter refused and only imposed a limited arms embargo and South Africa ignored the protests. The most important success of the Carter administration in Africa was helping the transition from white-dominated Southern Rhodesia to black rule in Zimbabwe.


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: OMB Director Bert Lance resigned his position on September 21, 1977, amid allegations of improper banking activities prior to his becoming director. The controversy over Lance damaged Carter's standing with Congress and the public, and Lance's resignation removed one of Carter's most effective advisers from office. In April 1979, Attorney General Bell appointed Paul J. Curran as a special counsel to investigate loans made to the peanut business owned by Carter by a bank controlled by Bert Lance. Unlike Archibald Cox and Leon Jaworski who were named as special prosecutors to investigate the Watergate scandal, Curran's position as special counsel meant that he would not be able to file charges on his own, but would require the approval of Assistant Attorney General Philip Heymann. Carter became the first sitting president to testify under oath as part of an investigation of that president. The investigation was concluded in October 1979, with Curran announcing that no evidence had been found to support allegations that funds loaned from the National Bank of Georgia had been diverted to Carter's 1976 presidential campaign.


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: Carter's brother Billy generated a great deal of notoriety during Carter's presidency for his colorful and often outlandish public behavior. The Senate began an investigation into Billy Carter's activities after it was disclosed that Libya had given Billy over $200,000 for unclear reasons. The controversy over Billy Carter's relation to Libya became known as "Billygate", and, while the president had no personal involvement in it, Billygate nonetheless damaged the Carter administration.


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: In April 1978, polling showed that Carter's approval rating had declined precipitously, and a Gallup survey found Carter trailing Ted Kennedy for the 1980 Democratic nomination. By mid-1979, Carter faced an energy crisis, rampant inflation, slow economic growth, and the widespread perception that his administration was incompetent. In November 1979, Kennedy announced that he would challenge Carter in the 1980 Democratic primaries. Carter's polling numbers shot up following the start of the Iran hostage crisis, and his response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan further boosted his prospects in the Democratic primaries. Carter dominated the early primaries, allowing him to amass an early delegate lead. Carter's polling numbers tumbled in March, and Kennedy won the New York and Connecticut primaries. Though Carter developed a wide delegate lead, Kennedy stayed in the race after triumphing in Pennsylvania and Michigan. By the day of the final primaries, Carter had registered the lowest approval ratings in the history of presidential polling, and Kennedy won just enough delegates to prevent Carter from clinching the nomination.


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: After the final primaries, Carter met with Kennedy in the White House. Partly because Carter refused to accept a party platform calling for the establishment of a national health insurance program, Kennedy refused to concede. He instead called for an "open convention", in which delegates would be free to vote for the candidate of their choice regardless of the result in the primaries. Carter's allies defeated Kennedy's maneuverings at the 1980 Democratic National Convention, and Carter and Vice President Mondale won re-nomination. Despite Kennedy's defeat, he had mobilized the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, which would give Carter only weak support in the general election.


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: The 1980 Republican presidential primaries quickly developed into a two-man contest between former Governor Ronald Reagan of California and former Congressman George H. W. Bush of Texas. Bush, who referred to Reagan's tax cut proposal as "voodoo economics", won the Iowa Caucus but faded later in the race. Reagan won the presidential nomination on the first ballot of the 1980 Republican National Convention and named Bush as his running mate. Meanwhile, Republican Congressman John B. Anderson, who had previously sought the Republican presidential nomination, launched an independent campaign for president. Polls taken in September, after the conclusion of the party conventions, showed a tied race between Reagan and Carter. The Carter campaign felt confident that the country would reject the conservative viewpoints espoused by Reagan, and there were hopeful signs with regards to the economy and the Iranian hostage crisis. Seeking to unite Democrats behind his re-election campaign, Carter decided to focus on attacking Reagan's supposed ideological extremism rather than on his own policies.


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: A key strength for Reagan was his appeal to the rising conservative movement, as epitomized by activists like Paul Weyrich, Richard Viguerie, and Phyllis Schlafly. Though most conservative leaders espoused cutting taxes and budget deficits, many conservatives focused more closely on social issues like abortion and homosexuality. Developments of the 1970s, including the Supreme Court case of "Roe v. Wade" and the withdrawal of Bob Jones University's tax-exempt status, convinced many evangelical Protestants to become engaged in politics for the first time. Evangelical Protestants became an increasingly important voting bloc, and they generally supported Reagan in the 1980 campaign. Reagan also won the backing of so-called "Reagan Democrats", who tended to be Northern, white, working-class voters who supported liberal economic programs but disliked policies such as affirmative action. Though he advocated socially conservative view points, Reagan focused much of his campaign on attacks against Carter's foreign policy, including the SALT II treaty, the Torrijos–Carter Treaties, and the revocation of the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty. Reagan called for increased defense spending, tax cuts, domestic spending cuts, and the dismantling of the Department of Education and the Department of Energy.


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: Polling remained close throughout September and October, but Reagan's performance in the October 28 debate and Carter's failure to win the release of the Iranian hostages gave Reagan the momentum entering election day. Reagan won 50.7 percent of the popular vote and 489 electoral votes, Carter won 41 percent of the popular vote and 49 electoral votes, and Anderson won 6.6 percent of the popular vote. Reagan carried all but a handful of states, and performed especially well among Southern whites. The size of Reagan's victory surprised many observers, who had expected a close race. Voter turnout reached its lowest point since the 1948 presidential election, a reflection of the negative attitudes many people held towards all three major candidates. In the concurrent congressional elections, Republicans won control of the Senate for the first time since the 1950s. Carter, meanwhile, was the first elected president to lose re-election since Herbert Hoover in 1932.


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: Polls of historians and political scientists have generally ranked Carter as a below-average president. A 2018 poll of the American Political Science Association's Presidents and Executive Politics section ranked Carter as the 26th best president. A 2017 C-SPAN poll of historians also ranked Carter as the 26th best president. Some critics have compared Carter to Herbert Hoover, who was similarly a "hardworking but uninspiring technocrat."


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: Jimmy Carter is much more highly regarded today than when he lost his bid for reelection in 1980. He has produced an exemplary post-presidency, and today there is an increased appreciation for the enormity of the task he took on in 1977, if not for the measures he took to deal with the crises that he faced. Carter took office just thirty months after a President had left the entire federal government in a shambles. He faced epic challenges—the energy crisis, Soviet aggression, Iran, and above all, a deep mistrust of leadership by his citizens. He was hard working and conscientious. But he often seemed like a player out of position, a man more suited to be secretary of energy than president. Carter became President by narrowly defeating an uninspiring, unelected chief executive heir to the worst presidential scandal in history. The nomination was his largely because in the decade before 1976, Democratic leadership in the nation had been decimated by scandal, Vietnam, and an assassination.


title: Presidency of Jimmy Carter

text: It was Carter's fate to attempt to navigate the nation between the rock of traditional Democratic constituencies and the hard place of an emerging conservative movement whose emphasis was more on social and cultural values than on the economic concerns of the Democratic Party. It was also Carter's misfortune that he led the nation at a time of staggering inflation and growing unemployment, compounded by an oil shock over which he had little control... At the same time, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that Carter's was a mediocre presidency and that this was largely his own doing. He was smart rather than shrewd. He was not a careful political planner. He suffered from strategic myopia. He was long on good intentions but short on know-how. He had lofty ideals, such as in the area of human rights, which had symbolic and long-lasting importance, but they often blinded him to political realities. He was self-righteous. He was an administrator who micro-managed, but not well. Most important, he was a president who never adequately defined a mission for his government, a purpose for the country, and a way to get there.


title: L'Origine du monde

text: Art historians had speculated for years that Courbet's model for was his favourite model, Joanna Hiffernan, also known as Jo. Her lover at the time was the American painter James Whistler, a friend of Courbet.


title: L'Origine du monde

text: Hiffernan was the subject of a series of four portraits by Courbet titled "Jo, la belle Irlandaise" ("Jo, the beautiful Irishwoman") painted in 1865–66. The possibility that she was the model for or that she was having an affair with Courbet might explain Courbet's and Whistler's brutal separation a short while later. In spite of Hiffernan's red hair contrasting with the darker pubic hair of , the hypothesis that Hiffernan was the model continues. Redhead Jacky Colliss Harvey puts forward the idea that the woman's body-hair suggests a more obvious candidate might be the brunette painted with Hiffernan in Courbet's "Le Sommeil"; and that the identification with Hiffernan has been greatly influenced by the eroticised and sexualised image of the female redhead.


title: L'Origine du monde

text: In February 2013, "Paris Match" reported that Courbet expert Jean-Jacques Fernier had authenticated a painting of a young woman's head and shoulders as the upper section of which according to some was severed from the original work. Fernier has stated that because of the conclusions reached after two years of analysis, the head will be added to the next edition of the Courbet catalogue raisonné. The Musée d'Orsay has indicated that "L'Origine du monde" was not part of a larger work. "The Daily Telegraph" reported that "experts at the [French] art research centre CARAA (Centre d'Analyses et de Recherche en Art et Archéologie) were able to align the two paintings via grooves made by the original wooden frame and lines in the canvas itself, whose grain matched." According to CARAA, it performed pigment analyses which were identified as classical pigments of the 2nd half of the 19th century. No other conclusions were reported by the CARAA. The claim reported by "Paris Match" was characterized as dubious by "Le Monde" art critic Philippe Dagen, indicating differences in style, and that canvas similarities could be caused by buying from the same shop.


title: L'Origine du monde

text: Documentary evidence however links the painting with Constance Quéniaux, a former dancer at the Paris Opera and a mistress of the Ottoman diplomat Halil Şerif Pasha (Khalil Bey) who commissioned the painting. According to the historian Claude Schopp and the head of the French National Library's prints department, Sylvie Aubenas, the evidence is found in correspondence between Alexandre Dumas fils and George Sand. Another potential model was Marie-Anne Detourbay, who also was a mistress of Halil Şerif Pasha.


title: L'Origine du monde

text: Halil Şerif Pasha (Khalil Bey), an Ottoman diplomat, is believed to have commissioned the work shortly after he moved to Paris. Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve introduced him to Courbet and he ordered a painting to add to his personal collection of erotic pictures, which already included ("The Turkish Bath") from Ingres and another painting by Courbet, "Le Sommeil" ("The Sleepers"), for which it is supposed that Hiffernan was one of the models.


title: L'Origine du monde

text: After Khalil Bey's finances were ruined by gambling, the painting subsequently passed through a series of private collections. It was first bought during the sale of the Khalil Bey collection in 1868, by antique dealer Antoine de la Narde. Edmond de Goncourt hit upon it in an antique shop in 1889, hidden behind a wooden pane decorated with the painting of a castle or a church in a snowy landscape. According to Robert Fernier, who published two volumes of the Courbet catalogue raisonné and founded the Musée Courbet, Hungarian collector Baron Ferenc Hatvany bought it at the Bernheim-Jeune gallery in 1910 and took it with him to Budapest. Towards the end of the Second World War the painting was looted by Soviet troops, but later ransomed by Hatvany. Hatvany left Hungary, which was on the brink of a Communist takeover, in 1947. He was allowed to take only one art work with him, and he took to Paris.


title: L'Origine du monde

text: In 1955 was sold at auction for 1.5 million francs, about US$4,285 at the time. Its new owner was the psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan. He and his wife, actress Sylvia Bataille, installed it in their country house in Guitrancourt. Lacan asked André Masson, his stepbrother, to build a double bottom frame and draw another picture thereon. Masson painted a surrealist, allusive version of .


title: L'Origine du monde

text: The New York public had the opportunity to view in 1988 during the "Courbet Reconsidered" show at the Brooklyn Museum; the painting was also included in the exhibition "Gustave Courbet" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2008. After Lacan died in 1981, the French Minister of Economy and Finances agreed to settle the family's inheritance tax bill through the transfer of the work ( in French law) to the Musée d'Orsay; the transfer was finalized in 1995.


title: L'Origine du monde

text: During the 19th century, the display of the nude body underwent a revolution whose main activists were Courbet and Manet. Courbet rejected academic painting and its smooth, idealised nudes, but he also directly recriminated the hypocritical social conventions of the Second Empire, where eroticism and even pornography were acceptable in mythological or oneiric paintings.


title: L'Origine du monde

text: Courbet later insisted he never lied in his paintings, and his realism pushed the limits of what was considered presentable. With , he has made even more explicit the eroticism of Manet's "Olympia". Maxime Du Camp, in a harsh tirade, reported his visit to the work's purchaser, and his sight of a painting "giving realism's last word".


title: L'Origine du monde

text: By the very nature of its realistic, graphic nudity, the painting still has the power to shock and triggers censorship.


title: L'Origine du monde

text: Although moral standards and resulting taboos regarding the artistic display of nudity have changed since Courbet, owing especially to photography and cinema, the painting remained provocative. Its arrival at the Musée d'Orsay caused high excitement. According to postcard sales, in 2007 was the second most popular painting in the Musée d'Orsay, after Renoir's "Bal du moulin de la Galette".


title: L'Origine du monde

text: Some critics maintain that the body depicted is not (as has been argued) a lively erotic portrayal of a female but of a corpse: ""L'Origine" does not represent a full female body but rather a slice of one, cut off by the frame [...]. The pallidness of the skin and the mortuary gauze surrounding the body suggest death."


title: L'Origine du monde

text: The explicitness of the picture may have served as an inspiration, albeit with a satirical twist, for Marcel Duchamp's last major work, "Étant donnés" (1946–1966), a construction also featuring the image of a woman lying on her back with her legs spread.


title: L'Origine du monde

text: In 1989, French artist Orlan created the cibachrome "L'origine de la guerre" ("The Origin of War"), a male version of "L'origine du monde" showing a penile erection.


title: L'Origine du monde

text: Brazilian artist Vik Muniz created two versions of the famous painting. "The first [1999] is a photograph made of dust or dirt, which plays with the common moralist association between female genitalia and filth. In the second piece [2013], Muniz remakes "L'Origine" from an assemblage of journal clippings that are reminiscent of the anatomic and artistic procedure of cutting that produced [...] the female body."


title: L'Origine du monde

text: "Two Origins of the World" (2000) by Mexican artist Enrique Chagoya "recycles "L'Origine du monde" as a spectral backdrop behind three solid black, blue and white squares of canvas in three of the corners of the painting. In the foreground of the bottom right corner, an indigenous man sits at a fourth canvas, this one on an easel, apparently 'interpreting' the Courbet painting."


title: L'Origine du monde

text: In 2002, American artist Jack Daws created an homage to the painting. Entitled "Origins of the World", it is a collection of various photographs of vulvas, taken from pornographic magazines, and framed in montage.


title: L'Origine du monde

text: The British artist Anish Kapoor created an installation in 2004 called "L'Origine du monde", which references Courbet's painting. The piece is in the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa in Japan.


title: L'Origine du monde

text: The image is also referenced as inspiring Catherine Breillat's filming of the female genitalia in her 2004 film ("Anatomy of Hell").


title: L'Origine du monde

text: The Serbian performance artist Tanja Ostojić parodied the work in a poster in 2005, informally called the "EU panties" poster. Like Courbet's painting, the poster proved controversial, and was ultimately removed from the art exhibition in which it was originally displayed.


title: L'Origine du monde

text: The French artist Bettina Rheims closes "The Book of Olga" (2008) with a photo of protagonist Olga Rodionova depicting "L'Origine du monde" almost completely. The few differences represent the evolution of tastes from the 19th to the 21st centuries: perfectly depilated genitalia with clitoral piercing jewelry and an intimate tattoo of Olga Rodionova, in comparison to natural hairy look of Constance Quéniaux. The controversial book gained wide fame and became the subject of a legal fight in Russia.


title: L'Origine du monde

text: On 23 February 2009 in Braga, Portugal, the police confiscated the book "Pornocratie" by Catherine Breillat, displayed in bookshops using as its cover. A great deal of controversy was sparked by the police action. The reason given was the need to maintain public order. Also, the book title incorrectly hinted at pornographic content. Portuguese law forbids public displays of pornography.


title: L'Origine du monde

text: In 2010, British composer Tony Hymas composed a musical suite dedicated to the picture as well as relations between Courbet and the Paris Commune, based on texts by Courbet himself, Charles Baudelaire and Pierre Dupont.


title: L'Origine du monde

text: The German-born Turkish artist Taner Ceylan has painted a work named "1879 (From the Lost Paintings Series)" (2011) in which a veiled Ottoman noblewoman stands before the framed canvas of "L'Origine du monde".


title: L'Origine du monde

text: On 29 May 2014, a Luxembourg performance artist, Deborah De Robertis, sat on the floor in front of the painting and mimicked the view of the subject. This resulted in security guards closing the room and her arrest.


title: L'Origine du monde

text: US artist Candice Lin recreated "L'Origine du monde" in a video of her an audiovisual sculpture "Hunter Moon / Inside Out" (2015). In it, "Courbet's L'Origine du monde with eyes" "looks back at the onlookers." From a feminist point of view, Lin's work challenges "the asymmetry of power [...] between those who look and those who are seen."


title: L'Origine du monde

text: In February 1994, the novel ("Perpetual Adorations") by reproduced on its cover. Police visited several French bookshops to have them withdraw the book from their windows. A few proprietors maintained the book, but others complied, and some voluntarily removed it.


title: L'Origine du monde

text: In February 2011, Facebook censored after it was posted by Copenhagen-based artist Frode Steinicke, to illustrate his comments about a television program aired on DR2. Following the incident, many other Facebook users defiantly changed their profile pictures to the Courbet painting in an act of solidarity with Steinicke. Facebook, which originally disabled Steinicke's profile, finally re-enabled it without the picture. As the case won media attention, Facebook deleted other pages about the painting.


title: L'Origine du monde

text: In October 2011, again, a complaint was lodged against Facebook with the Tribunal de grande instance de Paris (Paris court of general jurisdiction) by a French Facebook user after his profile was disabled for showing a picture of . The picture was a link to a television program aired on Arte about the history of the painting. As he got no answer to his emails to Facebook, he decided to lodge a complaint for "infringement of freedom of expression" and against the legality of Facebook's terms which define the courts located in Santa Clara County, California, as the exclusive place of jurisdiction for all litigating claims. In February 2016, the Paris court ruled that Facebook could be sued in France.


title: L'Origine du monde

text: In 2018 the French court ruled that Facebook had been wrong to close his account. Facebook has changed its policies to allow naked images in art works, and made a donation to a French street art association.


title: Shill

text: A shill, also called a plant or a stooge, is a person who publicly helps or gives credibility to a person or organization without disclosing that they have a close relationship with said person or organization. Shills can carry out their operations in the areas of media, journalism, marketing, politics, sports, confidence games, cryptocurrency, or other business areas. A shill may also act to discredit opponents or critics of the person or organization in which they have a vested interest.


title: Shill

text: In most uses, "shill" refers to someone who purposely gives onlookers, participants or "marks" the impression of an enthusiastic customer independent of the seller, marketer or con artist, for whom they are secretly working. The person or group in league with the shill relies on crowd psychology to encourage other onlookers or audience members to do business with the seller or accept the ideas they are promoting. Shills may be employed by salespeople and professional marketing campaigns. "Plant" and "stooge" more commonly refer to a person who is secretly in league with another person or outside organization while pretending to be neutral or part of the organization in which they are planted, such as a magician's audience, a political party, or an intelligence organization (see double agent).


title: Shill

text: Shilling is illegal in many circumstances and under many jurisdictions because of the potential for fraud and damage. However, if a shill does not place uninformed parties at a risk of loss, the shill's actions may be legal. For example, a person planted in an audience to laugh and applaud when desired (see claque), or to participate in on-stage activities as a "random member of the audience", is a legal type of shill.


title: Shill

text: The origin of the term "shill" is uncertain; it may be an abbreviation of "shillaber". The word originally denoted a carnival worker who pretended to be a member of the audience in an attempt to elicit interest in an attraction. Some sources trace the usage back to 1914, or as far back as 1911. American humorist Benjamin Penhallow Shillaber (1814–1890), who often wrote under the guise of his fictional character Mrs. Ruth Partington, the American version of Mrs. Malaprop, is a possible source.


title: Shill

text: In online discussion media, shills make posts expressing opinions that further interests of an organization in which they have a vested interest, such as a commercial vendor or special interest group, while posing as unrelated innocent parties. For example, an employee of a company that produces a specific product might praise the product anonymously in a discussion forum or group in order to generate interest in that product, service, or group. Web sites can also be set up for the same purpose. In addition, some shills use sock puppetry, where one person poses as multiple users.


title: Shill

text: In some jurisdictions and circumstances, this type of activity is illegal. The plastic surgery company Lifestyle Lift ordered their employees to post fake positive reviews on websites. As a result, they were sued, and ordered to pay $300,000 in damages by the New York Attorney General's office.


title: Shill

text: Reputable organizations may prohibit their employees and other interested parties (contractors, agents, etc.) from participating in public forums or discussion groups in which a conflict of interest might arise, or will at least insist that their employees and agents refrain from participating in any way that might create a conflict of interest.


title: Shill

text: Both the illegal and legal gambling industries often use shills to make winning at games appear more likely than it actually is. For example, illegal three-card monte and shell-game peddlers are notorious employers of shills. These shills also often aid in cheating, disrupting the game if the "mark" is likely to win. In a legal casino, however, a shill is sometimes a gambler who plays using the casino's money in order to keep games (especially poker) going when there are not enough players. The title of one of Erle Stanley Gardner's mystery novels, "Shills Can't Cash Chips", is derived from this type of shill. This is different from "proposition players" who are paid a salary by the casino for the same purpose, but bet with their own money.


title: Shill

text: In marketing, shills are often employed to assume the air of satisfied customers and give testimonials to the merits of a given product. This type of shilling is illegal in some jurisdictions, but almost impossible to detect. It may be considered a form of unjust enrichment or unfair competition, as in California's Business & Professions Code § 17200, which prohibits any "unfair or fraudulent business act or practice and unfair, deceptive, untrue or misleading advertising".


title: Shill

text: People who drive prices in favor of the auctioneer with fake bids in an auction are called "shills" or "potted plants" and seek to provoke a bidding war among other participants. Often they are told by the seller precisely how high to bid, as the seller does not lose money if the item does not sell, paying only the auction fees. Shilling has a substantially higher rate of occurrence in online auctions, where any user with multiple accounts can bid on their own items. One detailed example of this has been documented in online auto auctions. The online auction site eBay forbids shilling; its rules do not allow friends or employees of a person selling an item to bid on the item, even though eBay has no means to detect if a bidder is related to a seller or is in fact the seller.


title: Shill

text: In his book "Fake: Forgery, Lies, & eBay", Kenneth Walton describes how he and his cohorts placed shill bids on hundreds of eBay auctions over the course of a year. Walton and his associates were charged and convicted of fraud by the United States Attorney for their eBay shill bidding.


title: Shill

text: With the proliferation of live online auctions in recent years, shill bidding has become commonplace. Some websites allow shill bidding by participating auctioneers. These auctioneers are able to see bids placed in real time and can then place counter bids to increase the amount. One Proxibid auctioneers' website states, "At the request of the auction company, this auction permits bids to be placed by the seller or on the seller's behalf, even if such bids are placed solely for the purpose of increasing the bid."


title: Thirteen Reasons Why

text: Thirteen Reasons Why (stylized as TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY) is a young adult novel written by Jay Asher in 2007, that follows the story of Hannah Baker, a high school freshman, and the thirteen reasons why she dies by suicide. Following her death, Hannah leaves behind a series of 7 double-sided cassette tapes detailing the 13 specific people and events that she blames for her demise. Two weeks after her death these cassette tapes are mailed out with directions to pass the tapes on to the next person on the tape. Hannah's life story is conveyed through these tapes, which are narrated by Hannah herself, and through the point of view of Clay, her classmate and the ninth person to receive the tapes. The inspiration behind the main character, Hannah Baker, comes from author Jay Asher's close relative who attempted suicide.


title: Thirteen Reasons Why

text: Since the novel's publication in 2007, "Thirteen Reasons Why" has received much recognition. As of 2014 "Thirteen Reasons Why" had been a New York Times bestseller for over 3 years and published in multiple countries. The novel's success has also been met with backlash, becoming the third-most banned book in the United States between 2010 and 2019. Additionally, in March 2017 a Netflix original series was released based on the book.


title: Thirteen Reasons Why

text: Jay Asher's career as a children's author started in his first year of college when he wrote and sent three children's books to be published. Although none of his children's books sold over the course of nine years, he continued to write. Asher continued to write children's books, while he simultaneously started the three-year process of writing "Thirteen Reasons Why" — Asher's first entrance into teen literature. After facing twelve rejections, "Thirteen Reasons" "Why" was finally accepted and published on his thirteenth attempt. The inspiration behind Hannah Baker's story came from a family member of a similar age who attempted to take her own life. After hearing her story of how she saw suicide as the only escape from her pain, Asher was deeply affected. To ensure he fully captured the emotions of the story's main character, Hannah Baker, he gathered information from women about their high school experiences. After travelling to Las Vegas and attending an audio tour, he found the structure that he wanted his novel to be told through — cassette tapes. Asher wants readers to understand that it was a conscious decision not to make any mention of mental health issues, as his story is more about how we treat people.


title: Thirteen Reasons Why

text: The novel was published in trade paperback format by Penguin Young Readers Group, a division of Penguin Random House, on June 14, 2011. "Thirteen Reasons Why" had remained in hardcover long past the usual one-year release-to-paperback schedule due to its continued grassroots popularity and sales fuelled by author participation.


title: Thirteen Reasons Why

text: On December 27, 2016, the Tenth Anniversary Edition of "Thirteen Reasons Why" was published in hardcover, also by Penguin Young Readers Group. This edition includes new content including but not limited to, the author's original unpublished ending for the book, a new introduction, an essay from the author, and pages from the notebook that the author used while writing this novel.


title: Thirteen Reasons Why

text: High school student Clay Jensen receives a mysterious package in the mail with seven cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, a classmate who recently died by suicide. The tapes had also been sent to several other classmates, instructing each of them to visit each person mentioned and to pass them on to the person following them on the tapes. As he listens to the cassettes, Clay learns that there is a side of the tapes for each person to whom Hannah attributes her reasons for killing herself. After sending the tapes to the next person, Clay returns to school and runs into his classmate Skye Miller, whom he suspects is also suicidal. The novel ends with Clay reaching out to Skye.


title: Thirteen Reasons Why

text: Since its release, the novel has received both praise and criticism. Despite the mixed critical reviews, the novel became a bestseller after its release, holding a spot at number 16 on "USA Today"s list of Top 100 Books of 2017 after the release of the Netflix adaptation earlier that year. While the show's popularity increased interest in the novel, its notoriety among suicide prevention groups drew criticism of the novel's premise. After the show's release, school psychologists criticized the novel's premise for failing to address mental illness and making Hannah's death seem like the result of "stressors or coping challenges."


title: Thirteen Reasons Why

text: Due to its depictions of sexual assault, in particular, another question about the novel is whether it should be given a warning label to alert readers of the content. Alev Scott, a writer from the Financial Times, takes up this question, arguing that adding a precaution at the beginning of the piece could create a negative mindset that readers will carry with them into the reading, even if they might not have initially this mindset. Nevertheless, especially after the release of the Netflix show, critics are revisiting the novel to question whether it glorifies suicide.


title: Thirteen Reasons Why

text: Ali Jan Maqsood, a writer at the DELTA school, suggests that this should be a book all young adults should read to inform them about how life events have the ability to transfer to negative thoughts which can lead to cynical views about one's life.


title: Thirteen Reasons Why

text: "Thirteen Reasons Why" has frequently been challenged and removed from schools and libraries, according to the American Library Association. The book landed on the ALA's Top 10 Most Challenged Books lists in 2012, 2017, and 2018. Ultimately, it became the third-most challenged book between 2010 and 2019. The book has been challenged because it addresses teen suicide; is sexually explicit; includes drugs, alcohol, and smoking; and is unsuited for the age group.


title: Thirteen Reasons Why

text: Another concern of critics is how the novel's subjects of bullying and suicide impact young adult readers. Despite its controversial subject matter, Festus High is one example of a school that supports the novel. Principal, Diana Allen, made it known that, “If we don't talk about it, we're hiding from it," and that she wants students to have conversations about the book and to be aware that counsellors are there to support them. Further, educators James Chisholm and Brandie Trent argue that incorporating the novel into school curricula can not only increase students' reading comprehension and analytic skills but their ability to apply the themes of the novel in their own lives as well. Other proponents of teaching the novel claim that its use in school anti-bullying efforts benefits young adult readers who are close in age to the characters; the author encourages high schools to adopt the novel as a means of starting conversations on bullying. More generally, the novel has been hailed by adults outside the classroom as being a supplement to local initiatives in starting the conversation between parents and their children about suicide.


title: Thirteen Reasons Why

text: On October 29, 2015, it was announced that Netflix would be making a television adaptation of the book with Selena Gomez serving as an executive producer instead of the main character. Tom McCarthy was hired to direct the first two episodes. The series is produced by Anonymous Content and Paramount Television with Gomez, McCarthy, Joy Gorman, Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Mandy Teefey, and Kristel Laiblin serving as executive producers. Katherine Langford replaced Gomez for the role of Hannah Baker but left after two seasons. The series currently has four seasons extending the original plot from the novel.


title: Thirteen Reasons Why

text: In the book: Justin Foley, Alex Standall, Jessica Davis, Tyler Down, Courtney Crimson, Marcus Cooley, Zach Dempsey, Ryan Shaver, Clay Jensen, Jenny Kurtz, Bryce Walker, Mr. Porter.


title: Thirteen Reasons Why

text: In May 2017, the curriculum director in Mesa County School District in Colorado ordered librarians to stop circulating the book due to a rash of student suicides. After three hours of deliberation by librarians and counselors, the books were returned to circulation when it was determined that the book was not as graphic as the TV series. Notices were sent to parents within the school district alerting them to the possible influence of the series.


title: Life Is Strange 2

text: Life Is Strange 2 is an episodic graphic adventure game developed by Dontnod Entertainment and published by Square Enix's European subsidiary. It’s five episodes were released between September 2018 and December 2019 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One and later for macOS and Linux. The main sequel in the "Life Is Strange" series, the game's plot features Hispanic American brothers Sean and Daniel as they travel along the US West Coast as fugitives from the police after the younger brother discovers his telekinetic abilities. In the game, which is played from a third-person perspective, Sean must make crucial decisions that will lead to different branches in the storyline, while serving as a surrogate parent for Daniel.


title: Life Is Strange 2

text: Following the unexpected success of the original "Life Is Strange", development of the sequel started in 2016 after the team completed the retail edition of the first game. The primary creative team behind the original returned for the sequel. The team chose a road movie structure in contrast to the original game, and was inspired by films and novels like "Into the Wild" and "Of Mice and Men". While the game features supernatural elements, the story is mostly grounded in reality, and the team used the opportunity to explore contemporary social issues such as racism, gun violence, and bigotry. The sequel development was revealed in May 2017 and free demo, "The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit", was released in June 2018 prior to the main game in order to introduce the new setting.


title: Life Is Strange 2

text: The game received generally positive reviews upon release. Critics praised the story, the relationship between Sean and Daniel, and the choice-based gameplay, while reception of the portrayed political themes was divergent. The sparse episodic release schedule and the dialogue were criticized. It received nominations for multiple year-end accolades. The series' next main game, "", which was developed by Deck Nine, was released in September 2021 and Dontnod stated to have shifted its focus to develop their own intellectual properties in May 2021.


title: Life Is Strange 2

text: "Life Is Strange 2" is a graphic adventure game played from a third-person view. The player takes control of a teenager named Sean Diaz (Gonzalo Martin), who is on the run with his younger brother, Daniel (Roman Dean George), following a tragic incident. Throughout the game, the two brothers encounter various non-playable characters who interact with Sean via dialogue trees. Sean must make choices during crucial moments of the game, which lead to different branches in the storyline. Sean's actions and interactions with Daniel in particular affect Daniel's morality and the state of brotherhood between the two characters. For instance, encouraging Daniel to be rude will prompt him to swear more later in the game. Daniel will grow to resent Sean if his actions do not align with his advice, and he may no longer follow Sean's lead if he is not able to maintain an adequate level of brotherhood with Daniel. Staying morally sound and being a caring and trusting brother may not always be compatible with each other in the scenarios presented in the game. The game tracks how many players selected which option and lets the player compare their choices to the rest of the player base. While the main events of the story remain the same regardless of the player's decision, the game features several different endings.


title: Life Is Strange 2

text: Sean can interact with the environment and obtain objects, which can then be stored in Sean's backpack and used later. When Sean picks up an object, he will comment on them, providing players the backstory for each item and adding context to the world. Sean's backpack can also be decorated with souvenirs he collects in the world. As Sean and Daniel explore various locations, Sean can also enjoy moments of calmness at designated locations and sketch the environment around him.


title: Life Is Strange 2

text: In 2016, 16-year-old Sean Diaz lives with his 9-year-old brother Daniel and father Esteban (Amador Plascencia) in Seattle, after Sean's mother Karen (Jolene Andersen) left them following Daniel's birth. The day the game begins, Sean intervenes when their neighbor Brett (Robert Shearer) harasses Daniel, inadvertently injuring Brett as a police officer passes by. Esteban arrives at the scene and is shot and killed by the officer. A sudden explosion damages the environment, and Sean flees with Daniel before more police arrive. Now fugitives, Sean aims to take them to their father's Mexican hometown of Puerto Lobos. Near Mount Rainier, the brothers are recognized by the owner of a gas station, but escape with the help of travel blogger Brody Holloway (Bolen Walker). Brody arranges a motel room for the brothers, where Daniel learns of Esteban's death and becomes angry, revealing he has latent telekinetic abilities that were the cause of the explosion in Seattle.


title: Life Is Strange 2

text: The brothers then spend a month at an abandoned cabin, where Sean helps train Daniel's ability. After Daniel falls ill, Sean decides to take him to their maternal grandparents, Claire (Nancy Cronig) and Stephen Reynolds (John O'Connell), in nearby Beaver Creek, Oregon. At Beaver Creek, Claire and Stephen accept the brothers, despite resenting Karen's abandonment. Daniel also befriends Chris (Chandler Mantione), an imaginative boy that lives next door, after using his powers to save him from falling from his treehouse; Chris comes to think he has superpowers. Daniel coerces Sean into breaking into Karen's old room to learn more about her. The police soon arrive on word that Sean and Daniel have been sighted in public or traced by making a phone call. Claire, Stephen, and Chris then help the brothers to escape.


title: Life Is Strange 2

text: Sean and Daniel join freighthoppers Finn (Matthew Gallenstein) and Cassidy (Sarah J. Bartholomew) traveling to California, and the four secure paying jobs at a cannabis farm in Humboldt County, California for a cultivator named Merrill (Ben Jurand). Sean spends more time with their new friends, leaving Daniel frustrated with being unable to show his powers. One payday, Merrill discovers Daniel snooping around, resulting in Daniel revealing his powers to the others and Merrill refusing to pay the group. Finn secretly coerces or Sean accepts his plan for Daniel to use his powers to steal money from Merrill. The heist fails and Merrill threatens them with a shotgun. In a panic rage, Daniel destroys Merrill's house with his powers, knocking out everyone else and causing Sean's left eye to be impaled.


title: Life Is Strange 2

text: Sean wakes from a coma two months later under FBI custody. He finds a letter from Jacob (David Valdes), one of the farmworkers, which states Jacob found Daniel after the accident and took him to his hometown of Haven Point, Nevada. Sean escapes from custody and travels to Haven Point. There, he finds Daniel has been taken in by Lisbeth (Victoria Hansen), the leader of a religious cult who is presenting Daniel's powers as a divine gift to convert her followers. After an initial attempt to recover Daniel, Sean meets Karen, whom Jacob had also contacted for help. Sean and Karen begin to reconnect and establish a plan with Jacob to save him. They ultimately convince Daniel to come with them, but Karen may burn down the church in the process.


title: Life Is Strange 2

text: Sean and Daniel travel with Karen to the secluded community of Away, Arizona, where Sean makes the last arrangements to cross into Mexico. Sean befriends David Madsen (D.W. McCann), a former security officer from Arcadia Bay, Oregon, who suggests that Sean turn himself over to the authorities for a better outcome for him and Daniel. Authorities have tracked their location, but Karen allows her sons to escape by staying behind to be arrested. They arrive at the Mexico–United States barrier, which Daniel breaks open with his powers. Before they can cross, Daniel is wounded by a bullet from two vigilantes, and the group is soon captured by the local police. Daniel breaks Sean out of interrogation and the two flee to a Mexican port of entry, but find it blockaded by FBI and United States Border Patrol agents.


title: Life Is Strange 2

text: Sean must decide whether to surrender or attempt to cross the border, with the outcome depending on whether he raised Daniel with high or low societal morality through his past choices. If Sean chooses to surrender, he is either taken into custody while Daniel lives with Claire and Stephen before a reunion fifteen years later after Sean is released from prison, or he is killed when Daniel forces them to cross the border which causes Daniel to grow up in Puerto Lobos alone and become a career criminal. If Sean chooses to cross the border, he will cross into Mexico with help from Daniel, who then either surrenders to the FBI and lives with Claire and Stephen while Sean lives in Puerto Lobos either alone or with Cassidy or Finn, or stays with Sean in crossing the border where the brothers open a garage in Puerto Lobos like their father had and use Daniel's powers to become career criminals.


title: Life Is Strange 2

text: "Life Is Strange 2" was developed by French developer Dontnod Entertainment, which started the game's production after it shipped the retail edition of the first game in 2016. It was decided early that the sequel would feature a cast of new characters, with director Michel Koch likening the franchise to TV series such as "True Detective" or "American Horror Story" in 2015. The development team believed that the franchise was about common people that players can relate to, and stories that are grounded in reality and reflective of the player's own experience. By introducing new characters, the team can try something different and explore different themes. According to the team, the story of Max and Chloe (the protagonists of the first game) has already been completed. David, a returning character, makes a small appearance in Episode 5. The team included him in the sequel because he always survives the events of the first game and that through him, players can discover "little hints" regarding the fate of Max and Chloe. The team avoids giving too many details about their fates, as the first game does not have a canon ending and featuring them too heavily in the story may displease fans who are heavily invested in fan fiction. David's appearance helps connect the sequel to the first game without confusing new audiences.


title: Life Is Strange 2

text: Unlike the first game, which is set in one place, "Life Is Strange 2" is structured like a road movie. The team did not want to develop a retread of the first game, and wanted the sequel to significantly deviate from the original's formula. The team was inspired by films and novels such as "Into the Wild", "Stand By Me", "Of Mice and Men", and "On the Road". Dontnod conducted field research on the West Coast of the United States, meeting people and taking pictures. The drifters (Finn and Cassidy) featured in the game were inspired by the photography of Mike Brodie, a freighthopper who took photos of the people he had encountered throughout his journey, and his book "A Period of Juvenile Prosperity". In particular, his series of photos about a child who grew up on the road served as the foundation of the game's characters who become "outcasts living on the outskirts of society". The team hoped that through exploring their stories, they can show players that there are many ways for people to live their lives.


title: Life Is Strange 2

text: Writing the characters was a challenge for lead writer Jean Luc-Cano. Unlike the first game, which gives an ample amount of time for characters to develop, characters in the sequel have to be introduced quickly due to the road film structure. The players must decide if they should trust these characters within a short period of time. Like the first game, animal symbolism is featured heavily in this game, as the team believed that these animal symbols and metaphors help to "[bring] something visual for players". The story was first written in French by a team led by Cano, and the script was then passed to American writer Christian Divine who helped refine its tone and accuracy.


title: Life Is Strange 2

text: One of the game's main themes is education: Sean must be a role model for Daniel, who will learn from Sean and follow what he does. Ultimately, Daniel's actions and personality are tied to the player's decisions throughout the game. While Daniel's telekinetic powers are not the game's focus, its inclusion allows players to understand the consequences of their actions, such as how Daniel utilizes his powers is directly linked to how Sean nurtures him. The game's ending is reflective of what Daniel learns from Sean throughout the five episodes. The team did not create a perfect ending for the characters because such an ending is often non-existent in the real world. To ensure that the educational aspect of the game is genuine, the team read books and documents produced by psychologists and sociologists to gain more insight. The team also spent an extensive amount of time developing Daniel's artificial intelligence to ensure that he is "believable, sensible, and sometimes super-cute". The developers recognised that brotherly bonding is rarely perfect and relationships between siblings can be tense. Sean, as a teenager, wants to find people around him to develop his own life and does not want his younger brother around him. Throughout the game, players need to balance Sean's personal interests, like spending time with the new characters Sean meets, with caring for Daniel. The team spent a lot of time finding the right balance to ensure that the relationship between the two brothers are not obnoxious and that players do not grow to dislike Sean as the story progresses. Cano used his own personal experience interacting with his elder brother and daughter while developing the brotherhood relationship between Sean and Daniel, as well as the educational aspect of the game.


title: Life Is Strange 2

text: As the story is grounded in reality, the team explored various real-world social issues such as racism, alcoholism, gun violence, and bigotry. While the game takes place in the United States, director Raoul Barbet states that these problems are universal and their depictions in the game allow players to reflect on their own experiences. He adds that the team did not want to "gamify a difficult subject", and worked to ensure that characters evolve naturally throughout the story. Superpowers were included to add a sense of urgency. The team wanted the story to inspire players to "talk more to other people when they meet someone that's different from them". They also hoped that players would ultimately feel a sense of loss when the story concludes, as they would have related to the experiences of Sean and Daniel. The team worked to show that the world is a violent one, as they believed that brotherhood between the two protagonists can develop as they face various adversities together. Homelessness is also one of the game's main themes, and the team consulted various charity organisations to ensure that its portrayal was accurate. In November 2019, Square Enix collaborated with charity Centrepoint for their "We Will Be Heard" campaign about awareness of services for young homeless people.


title: Life Is Strange 2

text: The game also introduces various gameplay improvements. Players are no longer locked in a cutscene while interacting with people or objects, and Sean can now walk around while conversing with others. The game uses Unreal Engine 4 and has improved lip syncing and facial animation compared to the original. Jonathan Morali returned to compose the score for the sequel. The music contains both original and licensed tracks. Licensed tracks include, among others, songs from Phoenix, The Streets, Sufjan Stevens, and First Aid Kit.


title: Life Is Strange 2

text: The developers announced that Dontnod was working on a new "Life Is Strange" game on 18 May 2017 via a short video. Prior to the reveal of the game, free demo game, "The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit," was released on 25 June 2018, which served as an introduction to the new scenario and features a character from the game named Chris. The game was officially unveiled at Gamescom on 20 August 2018 by publisher Square Enix along the release date of the first episode, which adopted an episodic format similar to the first game. Microsoft announced the game's first episode to be become available to Xbox Game Pass subscribers on Xbox consoles in January 2019, with the other episodes following soon after. In March 2019, Dontnod explained the game had a more complicated development due to its road film structure, as each episode features a new set of characters and new environments. They could not reuse assets created for earlier episodes, and had to organize auditions and castings for each episode. The episodes took longer to develop when compared to the first game, resulting in a more sparse release schedule, which the team believed may have affected players' investment in the story and the characters, possibly resulting in a more muted audience response when compared to the first game. Retail editions of the game were released in Europe on 3 December 2019 and in North America on 4 February 2020. Feral Interactive released all five episodes for macOS and Linux on 19 December 2019. On 18 September 2020, Episode 1: Roads was made free for all platforms.


title: Life Is Strange 2

text: The game received "generally positive reviews"—except for PC version, which was met with "mixed or average reviews"—according to review aggregator Metacritic. Its portrayal of Hispanic Americans and relation to racial issues in the US was debated.


title: Life Is Strange 2

text: The game's themes received generally positive reviews. In their complete season review, "The Verge"'s Andrew Webster described the game as a powerful and compelling experience, and believed that it is a rare video game that tackles the realities of modern life. Webster described the game as a "powerful statement about American politics during a very tense time". "Washington Post"s Elise Favis lauded its incorporation of political themes for enriching the story and prompting players to empathize with the characters, adding that it brings "a nuance to the world and a reflection of the real lives of others in modern America". Caty McCarthy from "USgamer" described the game as an earnest attempt by Dontnod to explore contemporarily American social issues, but she was disappointed by its execution. She added that as the season progresses, the exploration of these issues becomes formulaic. Alistair Jones from "PC Gamer" believed that the game's focus on political and social issues compromised its central themes, such as family and brotherhood. Gita Jackson from "Kotaku" praised the game for being heartfelt, adding that in each episode, the game "pleads with you to care about the kinds of people you’d normally overlook". However, Joe Juba from "Game Informer" described the side characters as stereotypical, and remarked that some of the encounters were "contrived".


title: Life Is Strange 2

text: The game's story received generally positive reviews from critics. McCarthy remarked that the game is at its best when Daniel and Sean are bonding with each other. While she lamented that other side characters have limited roles, she was able to relate to the experiences of the two brothers and often eagerly anticipated where the story takes them. She further praised the choice-based gameplay for being "tangible", as Daniel's behaviors and actions are the embodiment of the choices Sean has made. Joshua Rivera, also from "Kotaku", described the game as a "heartbreakingly accurate brotherhood simulator" due to the educational themes in the game. Ozzie Mejia from "Shacknews" described the education aspect of the game as its most captivating element. He praised how small choices contributed to the game's endings, and remarked that it was a significant improvement over the first game. Tom Phillips, writing for "Eurogamer", also enjoyed guiding the two characters throughout the season, adding that each plot thread helps enhance and progress Daniel and Sean' relationship. According to Phillips, the game "marks a more intimate and accomplished return for a studio keen to tackle tough issues with honest characters". "VentureBeat"s Dean Takahashi likewise applauded the character and the setting, calling them real and interesting, but remarked that Daniel has an annoying personality. Jones, however, believed that the road trip structure rendered most of the choices made within an episode meaningless, as Sean and Daniel will move on from a location and most characters would not be seen again. He was also critical of the main gameplay mechanic being effectively out of the player's hands.


title: Life Is Strange 2

text: Webster enjoyed the quiet scenes featured in the game and applauded Dontnod for finding a balance between drama and peaceful moments. He added that this pacing made the game "powerful without being exhausting". Dylan Burns from "IGN" agreed, adding that by slowing down the story to offer times that are more contemplative, the game manages to create beautiful and memorable moments. Takahashi, however, remarked that the slow moments can be so slow that they grind the game to a halt. Jackson noted that the dialogue was a marked improvement over the first game, though it still had the original's "almost embarrassing earnestness", while Meija praised the voice cast for making the most out of a script that can occasionally be "cheesy". Juba remarked the dialogue and the performance can be "stilted" at times, though it did not stop him from caring for Sean and Daniel. He further applauded Dontnod for successfully creating relatable characters. Jones believed that the sparse episodic release format was detrimental to the game's narrative pacing, remarking that much of the story happens off-screen, and it can be difficult for players to remain engaged.


title: Life Is Strange 2

text: Heather Wald of "GamesRadar+" said Episode 1 was a "slow start", while having well-constructed moments do not "hang together particularly well". In response to Episode 2, "GameStar"s Maurice Weber said the episode did not have enough momentum to delight him, while having dramatic story elements and difficult decisions in the right moments. Weber's view is that the game's biggest issue is its predecessor and that while at its best it comes close to its predecessor, the game doesn't consistent play in its class. Writing for "Game Informer", Elise Favis said Episode 3 has an explosive conclusion but "painfully stereotypical" characters and poor pacing. "GameSpot"s Jess McDonell said Episode 4 has exceptional character development, but the storyline feels cliche and the episode's villain "two-dimensional". "JeuxVideo" said the final episode is a strong one and while having at least as much contemplation as interactivity, swings between pure levity and the worst of humans.


title: Life Is Strange 2

text: The PlayStation 4 version of "Life is Strange 2" was the fifteenth bestselling retail game during its first week of release in Japan, with 4,471 physical copies being sold.


title: Life Is Strange 2

text: In a 2019 interview, Dontnod Entertainment expressed interest in the future of the franchise while noting they would opt for new characters again, but explained that the rights belong to Square Enix and that decisions on the future of the franchise lay with them. Dontnod has since shifted their focus to develop their own intellectual properties in recent years according to an interview on 13 May 2021. The series' next main entry, "", was developed by "" developer Deck Nine and was released non-episodically in September 2021.


title: F(x) (musical group)

text: f(x) (; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment in 2009. The group is composed of Victoria, Amber, Luna, Krystal and previously Sulli until her departure from the group in August 2015. f(x) officially debuted in September 2009 with the release of the digital single "La Cha Ta".


title: F(x) (musical group)

text: Their debut studio album, "Pinocchio" (2011), and their two extended plays "Nu Abo" and "Electric Shock" produced three number-one singles on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart. Their acclaimed second studio album, "Pink Tape" (2013), was the only K-pop album on US music channel Fuse's "41 Best Albums of 2013", the only idol album to be featured in Korean critics' definitive list of "Top 100 Classic Albums of All Time", and was named "Greatest K-pop Album of the 2010s" by "Billboard". The group's third and fourth albums, "Red Light" (2014) and "4 Walls" (2015), were commercially successful and well received by music critics. Following the release of the SM Station single "All Mine" in 2016, the group halted group promotions and the members have embarked on individual music, acting, and modelling careers. In August 2019, f(x) officially reunited as a three-piece (without Victoria) and performed at the three-night SM Town Live 2019 in Tokyo concert.


title: F(x) (musical group)

text: Known for their eclectic, electropop-based sound, f(x) is one of the first few recognized K-pop groups internationally, becoming the first K-pop act to perform at SXSW. In 2017, "Billboard" ranked f(x) at number seven on their "Top 10 K-pop Girl Groups of the Past Decade" list.


title: F(x) (musical group)

text: f(x) is the notation of a function from mathematics, which means that they would carry out various activities, based on the various talents and attractiveness of the members, like the formula whose results change depending on the value of x. In addition, "f" symbolizes flower and "x" symbolizes 'X' on the female chromosome XX which, taken together, symbolizes "flower reminiscent of women."


title: F(x) (musical group)

text: Krystal was scouted by SM Entertainment in 2000 while on a family visit to Korea, along with her sister Jessica (who would go on to be a member of Girls' Generation). She subsequently appeared in a small role in Shinhwa's music video for the song "Wedding March" ("너의 곁에서 2"). Sulli was a child actress, making her first television appearance in 2005 as the young Princess Seonhwa of Silla in SBS's "Ballad of Seodong". Luna was recruited by SM following her 2006 appearance on the reality television program "Truth Game". Victoria was scouted through a Beijing dance competition in September 2007 after winning first place. In 2008, Amber was cast through S.M. Global Auditions in Los Angeles, California.


title: F(x) (musical group)

text: f(x) was first introduced as a five-member dance-focused pop group in a teaser clip released on August 24, 2009. Their debut single "LA chA TA" was released on September 1, with a showcase held the following day at Samseong Fashion Center in Gangnam. The group's broadcast debut was on September 5, on MBC's "Music Core". Shortly after their debut, f(x) featured in promotions of the LG Chocolate cell phone alongside Girls' Generation. Both groups released versions of the song "Chocolate Love"; f(x)'s being an electropop version released on October 8. They also released their first physical single, "Chu~♡", on November 9. A month later, the group appeared as special guests at Girls' Generation's Into The New World concert at the Olympic Fencing Gymnasium, Seoul.


title: F(x) (musical group)

text: At the start of 2010, f(x) collaborated with the Chinese boy band M.I.C. to promote the LG Cyon cell phone, releasing a Chinese cover of "Lollipop". In April they appeared in their documentary reality programme, "Hello f(x)". On May 4, the group released their first extended play, "Nu ABO". The lead single "Nu ABO" was a commercial success in Korea and become a number-one single on the Gaon Chart. In June, Amber went on hiatus due to an ankle injury, while the remaining members continued group activities without her for the remainder of the year. They promoted the single "Mr Boogie" as a follow-up single from their EP and participated in the SMTown Live '10 World Tour, as well as filming their second documentary reality show, "f(x)'s Koala". Towards the end of 2010 it was announced that f(x)'s albums would be distributed under Japanese label Avex Entertainment in Japan, Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong. Amber returned to the group in early 2011.


title: F(x) (musical group)

text: f(x) released their first full-length studio album "Pinocchio" in April 2011, with the lead single "Pinocchio (Danger)". The single peaked at number one on the Gaon digital single chart, and the group went on to take eight music show wins. On June 14, "Pinocchio" was re-released under the title "Hot Summer". The repackaged album contained the title track "Hot Summer" (a remake of a Monrose song produced by Thomas Troelsen and Remee), as well as three previously released digital singles: "LA chA TA", "Chu~♡", and "Is It Ok?". "Hot Summer" peaked at #2 on the Gaon digital single chart and was downloaded over 375,000 times in the week of release. The song went on to become one of the most successful singles of 2011 in South Korea, selling 2,909,384 copies by the end of the year. In August, the group released a song called "Garagabana" for the game "Bust-a-Move" and in December they released a song in English, titled "1, 2, 3", as part of the "2011 Winter SMTown – The Warmest Gift" album.


title: F(x) (musical group)

text: The group released their second EP "Electric Shock" on June 10, 2012. It was met with critical acclaim and they achieved nine music show wins with the title track "Electric Shock". In November, the group won the 'Best Dance Performance - Female Group' award for "Electric Shock" at the 2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Hong Kong. In January 2013, two songs from the EP, "Electric Shock" and "Jet", were nominated for 'Best Dance and Electronic Song' at the 10th Annual Korean Music Awards, with "Electric Shock" going on to win the award.


title: F(x) (musical group)

text: In 2013, f(x) was awarded the Digital Bonsang award at the Golden Disk Awards and Seoul Music Awards, as well as the 'MBC Music Star Award' at the Melon Music Awards. In March they became the first K-pop artists to perform at SXSW in Austin, Texas. During their visit to the US, the group collaborated with actress Anna Kendrick for a comedy skit for Funny Or Die. On July 29, the group released their second full-length album "Pink Tape" with the lead single "Rum Pum Pum Pum", and held a showcase titled "f(x) Music Spoiler - Play! Pink Tape" through Naver Music. The album was a success both in Korea and the US, peaking at number one on Billboard's K-pop Hot 100 and World Albums Charts and the Gaon Albums Chart. It was the only Korean album to appear on Fuse's '41 Best Albums of 2013'. A track from the album, "Airplane", was also ranked third on Billboard's '20 Best K-Pop Songs of 2013'.


title: F(x) (musical group)

text: In 2014, the group won the 'Group Artist' award at the 20th Korean Entertainment Arts Awards, the 'Disk Bonsang' at the 28th Golden Disk Awards, and the 'Best Overseas Artist Performance' award at the Yin Yue Feng Yun Bang Awards in China. On July 7, they released their third studio album, "Red Light", with the electronic house title track of the same name. The music video gained 2 million hits on YouTube within a day and was again well-received overseas. Shortly after the album was released, it was announced that Sulli was unable to perform with the group for health reasons, and that she would be taking a temporary hiatus.


title: F(x) (musical group)

text: On July 22, 2015, f(x) released a Japanese physical single album, "Summer Special Pinocchio / Hot Summer", which debuted at #23 on Oricon's weekly chart. In August, it was announced that Sulli had officially left the group to focus on acting. The remaining four members continued as a group, releasing their fourth studio album, "4 Walls," in October. The album sold 66,000 copies upon its first week of release and was well received by critics. To promote the album's release, the group starred in a web reality program titled "f(x)=1cm". In December, they released the single "12:25 (Wish List)" as part of S.M Entertainment's Christmas project, Winter Garden. At the year-end 2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards, f(x) performed with Pet Shop Boys, and won the 'Global Fans Choice' award.


title: F(x) (musical group)

text: In January 2016, the group won the Disk Bonsang award at the 2016 Golden Disk Awards and commenced their first concert tour, Dimension 4 – Docking Station, in Seoul which continued with six concerts in Japan in February. On January 31, they announced their official fan club name, "MeU". On July 22, 2016, f(x) released a new single, "All Mine", through the SM Station project. The song was accompanied by a music video, directed and edited by Amber. On November 2, 2016, f(x) released their second Japanese physical single album, "4 Walls / Cowboy," including a Japanese version of "4 Walls", along with a new song titled "Cowboy", which was performed live on the same day at the group's encore concert in Yokohama. On October 16, the music video for "Electric Shock" surpassed 100 million views on YouTube, making f(x) the third Korean girl group, and sixth Korean group overall to reach this milestone.


title: F(x) (musical group)

text: From 2016, f(x) halted group promotions and the members have embarked on individual music, acting, and modelling careers.


title: F(x) (musical group)

text: In an interview with Krystal on January 19, 2018, she stated that the members frequently discussed making a comeback but timing never worked out.


title: F(x) (musical group)

text: In August 2019, f(x) officially reunited and performed together at the three-night SM Town Live 2019 in Tokyo concert as a three-piece (without Victoria).


title: F(x) (musical group)

text: On September 1, 2019, Amber announced via her social media accounts that she had not renewed her contract with SM Entertainment. On September 5, SM Entertainment shared that Luna had also not renewed her contract with the company; Victoria also announced her departure from SM on her Instagram, but SM instead reported that Victoria's contract with them was still under discussion. Victoria was eventually reported to remain in SM in some capacity.


title: F(x) (musical group)

text: On October 12, 2020, it was announced that Krystal had officially left SM, and had signed an exclusive contract with H& Entertainment.


title: F(x) (musical group)

text: On April 23, 2021, during a review video of her activities from debut to present, Luna expressed confusion over f(x) being referred to in the past tense, stating that the group had not yet disbanded.


title: F(x) (musical group)

text: In an industry focused more on mini-albums, f(x)'s discography leaned more towards full-length studio albums, releasing four internationally acclaimed albums during their time as a group. In 2015, while reviewing "4 Walls", American music magazine "Spin" called f(x) the "world’s greatest living pop group" at the time. In 2017, "Billboard" ranked f(x) at number seven on their "Top 10 K-pop Girl Groups of the Past Decade" list.


title: F(x) (musical group)

text: "Rum Pum Pum Pum" and "4 Walls" were both included on "Billboard"'s "The 100 Greatest K-pop Songs of the 2010s" staff list, at numbers 33 and 9, respectively. "Billboard" also noted that "Ice Cream Cake" represents a baton pass from f(x) to Red Velvet as the best idol group alive, meaning that f(x) was the former holder of the title.


title: Drashti Dhami

text: Drashti Khemka Dhami (born 10 January 1985) is an Indian actress, model and dancer. She is one of the most popular Hindi television actresses having worked in several successful shows like "Dill Mill Gayye", "Geet", "Madhubala", "Ek Tha Raja Ek Thi Rani", "Pardes Mein Hai Mera Dil" and "Silsila Badalte Rishton Ka". In 2013, she participated in "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6" with choreographer Salman Yusuff Khan and became the winner. Dhami has also ventured into web series with "The Empire" (2021) and "Duranga" (2022).


title: Drashti Dhami

text: Dhami was born on 10 January 1985 into a Gujarati family in Mumbai, where she studied. She attended Mary Immaculate Girl's High School and also went to Mumbai's Mithibai College from where she has a degree in sociology. Before entering into modelling, Dhami was a dance instructor Dhami belongs to a conservative family. According to her interview in "The Times of India", she said:


title: Drashti Dhami

text: Dhami started her career in modelling for print and television advertisements before debuting in the entertainment industry with her appearance in the music video "Saiyyan Dil Mein Aana Re" followed by "Humko Aaj Kal Hai", "Teri Meri Nazar Ki Dori" and "Nachle Soniyo Tu" and worked in advertisements like Colgate, Lion Honey, Pulimoottil Silks, Vasan Eyecare, RKS Grand, Amul, VIP Bags, Chevrolet and Reliance.


title: Drashti Dhami

text: Dhami made her acting debut in television with Star One's poular show "Dill Mill Gayye", where she portrayed Dr. Muskaan Chadda from 2007 to 2009. In 2008, she participated in the reality show, "Kaun Jeetega Bollywood Ka Ticket" by Ekta Kapoor. In 2010, she appeared as the female lead in Star One's "Geet – Hui Sabse Parayi" opposite Gurmeet Choudhary. Dhami got recognition with her portrayal of the character Geet with this role. The show ended in December 2011 after the channel got closed."


title: Drashti Dhami

text: Dhami made an appearance on Imagine TV's reality show "Big Money: Chota Parda Bada Game" in 2010. The same year, she was also a part of another reality show, "Nachle Ve with Saroj Khan".


title: Drashti Dhami

text: In May 2012, Dhami made a guest appearance on the show "Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha". Later, she played the lead role in Colors TV's show "Madhubala – Ek Ishq Ek Junoon" opposite to Vivian Dsena from 2012 to 2014. In 2013, Dhami participated in Colors TV's popular dance reality show, "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6" and emerged as the winner alongside her choreographer Salman Yusuff Khan. In June 2014, Dhami hosted "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 7". However, she later got replaced by Manish Paul. In December 2014, Dhami participated in Sony TV's "Box Cricket League" playing in the team Mumbai Wariors.


title: Drashti Dhami

text: In 2015, Dhami played the role of Rani Gayatri in Zee TV's "Ek Tha Raja Ek Thi Rani" opposite Siddhant Karnick. While playing the role of Gayatri, Dhami said:


title: Drashti Dhami

text: In November 2016, Dhami joined Star Plus's "Pardes Mein Hai Mera Dil" as Naina Batra, opposite Arjun Bijlani. The show went off air in June 2017.


title: Drashti Dhami

text: From June to October 2018, she played Nandini, a victim of domestic violence who falls in love with her best friend's husband in Colors TV's "Silsila Badalte Rishton Ka", opposite Shakti Arora. A critic from "India Today" praised her, saying that she is equally good as another television actress Sriti Jha who also played a victim of domestic violence in the past. She quit the show in November 2018.


title: Drashti Dhami

text: In 2011, Dhami did special dance performances on shows like "Chhoti Bahu - Sawar Ke Rang Rachi", "Sajan Re Jhoot Mat Bolo" and "Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani". In 2012, she made a guest appearance on Colors TV's "Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha" to promote her show "Madhubala".


title: Drashti Dhami

text: In March 2013, she made a guest appearance on "Nach Baliye 5" to support her brother Jaisheel Dhami and sister-in-law Suhasi Dhami. In June 2014, Dhami was seen on Colors TV's "Mission Sapne" and later made another appearance on "Comedy Nights with Kapil". In September 2015, she was seen as a guest on "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 8" to support Sanaya Irani.


title: Drashti Dhami

text: Dhami was the brand ambassador for Canvironment Week 2011 and 2013 to support the cause of 'Save Our Planet'. In 2016, she was part of the Swachh Survekshan 2017 Initiative for an environmentally cleaner India (Swachh Bharat Abhiyan).


title: Drashti Dhami

text: Dhami was also the captain for Team 'D' Celebrity Championship 2016, where six teams comprising 78 television personalities competed to help kids in need of education and food. She won, and received an award from 'I HELP A KID.COM' Celebrity Championship.


title: Drashti Dhami

text: On 21 February 2015, Dhami married businessman Neeraj Khemka in a traditional Hindu ceremony. Suhasi Dhami, also an actress, is married to her elder brother Jaisheel Dhami. Dhami said that her in-laws are very supportive when it comes to her work.


title: Drashti Dhami

text: "Bombay Times" called her 'Numero Uno' actress on television. Dhami is also known for her style and fashion sense. Dhami is among the highest earning television actresses in India. In 2011, she was voted the most desirable woman on television in polls conducted by TellyChakkar.com. She is the brand ambassador of MATRIX India's hair colour brand, SoColor.


title: Drashti Dhami

text: Dhami was included in second place on "Television's Top 10 Actresses" list by Rediff. Dhami also included in the top nine list of Indian television most stylish on-screen actress by Rediff. The UK-based newspaper "Eastern Eye" placed her in their "50 Sexiest Asian Women" list. In 2012, "Eastern Eye" placed her at twelfth position. Thereafter she remained in the top three spots for three consecutive years, listed at the third spot in 2013, the second spot in 2014, the third spot in 2015, the fourth spot in 2016, sixth spot in 2017, and twelfth spot in 2018. Dhami included in list of "FHM India" 100 Sexiest women of 2014 at tenth place. In 2016, Dhami was nominated in "Sexiest Woman" list by "FHM India".


title: Drashti Dhami

text: Dhami was listed eight among the "35 Hottest Actresses in Indian Television" by MensXP.com, an Indian lifestyle website for men. She was ranked in 38th position in The Times of India's 2014 list of "50 Most Desirable Women". According to the survey in India in 2017, Dhami was voted as desirable woman opposite to Hrithik Roshan in the list.


title: Drashti Dhami

text: Dhami received an offer to participate in "Bigg Boss" but she rejected it. During her dance performance on "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6", film maker Karan Johar compared Dhami to film actress Zeenat Aman. Filmmaker Karan Johar complimented Dhami by saying that she is better than Kareena Kapoor when she performed in the song "Halkat Jawani" from the film "Heroine" on "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6". She is also known as Madhubala from her serial Madhubala – Ek Ishq Ek Junoon and as Maaneet due to her chemistry with Gurmeet Choudhary.


title: Commodity fetishism

text: In Marxist philosophy, the term commodity fetishism describes the economic relationships of production and exchange as being social relationships that exist among things (money and merchandise) and not as relationships that exist among people. As a form of reification, commodity fetishism presents economic value as inherent to the commodities, and not as arising from the workforce, from the human relations that produced the commodity, the goods and the services.


title: Commodity fetishism

text: In the first chapter of "Capital: Critique of Political Economy" (1867) commodity fetishism explicates that the social organization of labour occurs through the buying and selling of commodities (goods and services); therefore, in the marketplace, capitalist social relations among people—who makes what, who works for whom, the production-time for a commodity, etc.—are social relations among "objects", not among individual persons.


title: Commodity fetishism

text: At market, the commodities appear in a depersonalized form, as material goods and human services, which depersonalization obscures the social-relations inherent to their production. Marx explained the sociology of commodity fetishism:


title: Commodity fetishism

text: The theory of commodity fetishism () originated from Karl Marx's references to "fetishes" and "fetishism" in his analyses of religious superstition, and in the criticism of the beliefs of political economists. Marx borrowed the concept of "fetishism" from "The Cult of Fetish Gods" (1760) by Charles de Brosses, which proposed a materialist theory of the origin of religion. Moreover, in the 1840s, the philosophic discussion of fetishism by Auguste Comte, and Ludwig Feuerbach's psychological interpretation of religion also influenced Marx's development of commodity fetishism.


title: Commodity fetishism

text: Marx's first mention of fetishism appeared in 1842, in his response to a newspaper article by Karl Heinrich Hermes, which defended Germany on religious grounds. Hermes agreed with the German philosopher Hegel in regarding fetishism as the crudest form of religion. Marx dismissed that argument and Hermes's definition of religion as that which elevates man "above sensuous appetites". Instead, Marx said that fetishism is "the religion of sensuous appetites", and that the fantasy of the appetites tricks the fetish worshipper into believing that an inanimate object will yield its natural character to gratify the desires of the worshipper. Therefore, the crude appetite of the fetish worshipper smashes the fetish when it ceases to be of service.


title: Commodity fetishism

text: The next mention of fetishism was in the 1842 "Rheinische Zeitung" newspaper articles about the "Debates on the Law on Thefts of Wood", wherein Marx spoke of the Spanish fetishism of gold and the German fetishism of wood as commodities:


title: Commodity fetishism

text: In the "Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844", Marx spoke of the European fetish of precious-metal money:


title: Commodity fetishism

text: In the ethnological notebooks, he commented upon the archaeological reportage of "The Origin of Civilization and the Primitive Condition of Man: Mental and Social conditions of Savages" (1870), by John Lubbock. In the "Outlines of the Critique of Political Economy" (Grundrisse, 1859), he criticized the liberal arguments of the French economist Frédéric Bastiat; and about fetishes and fetishism Marx said: