title: Blancmange

text: The origins of the blancmange have long been believed to lie in the introduction of rice and almonds in early medieval Europe by Arab traders. Recently, it has been shown that there have been similar Arab dishes from that period. Variants of the dish appear in numerous European cultures with closely related names including in Italy and in Spain. Additionally, related or similar dishes have existed in other areas of Europe under different names, such as the 13th-century Danish ("white mush"), and the Anglo-Norman ("white Syrian dish"); Dutch (from Latin , "to strain") was known in English as and in French as , and was based on cooked and then strained poultry. The oldest recipe found so far for blancmange is from a copy of the oldest extant Danish cookbook, written by , who died in 1244, which dates it to the early 13th century at the latest. The Danish work may be a translation of a German cookbook, which is believed to have been based on a Latin or Romance vernacular manuscript from the 12th century or even earlier.


title: Blancmange

text: The "whitedish" (from the original Old French term ) was an upper-class dish common to most of Europe during the Middle Ages and early modern period. It occurs in countless variations from recipe collections from all over Europe and was one of the few truly international dishes of medieval and early modern Europe. It is mentioned in the prologue to Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" and in an early 15th-century cookbook written by the chefs of Richard II. The basic ingredients were milk or almond milk, sugar, and shredded chicken (usually capon) or fish, often combined with rosewater and rice flour, and mixed into a bland stew. Almond milk and fish were used as substitutes for the other animal products on fast days and Lent. It was also often flavoured with spices like saffron or cinnamon and the chicken could be exchanged for various types of fowl, like quail or partridge. Spices were often used in recipes of the later Middle Ages since they were considered highly prestigious.


title: Blancmange

text: On festive occasions and among the upper classes, whitedishes were often rendered more festive by various colouring agents: the reddish-golden yellow of saffron; green with various herbs; or sandalwood for russet. In 14th-century France, parti-colouring (the use of two bright contrasting colours on the same plate) was especially popular and was described by (also known as ), one of the primary authors of the later editions of . The brightly coloured whitedishes were one of the most common of the early entremets: edibles that were intended to entertain and delight through a gaudy appearance as much as through flavour.


title: Blancmange

text: In the 17th century, the whitedish evolved into a meatless dessert pudding with cream and eggs, and later, gelatin. In the 19th century, arrowroot and cornflour were added, and the dish evolved into the modern blancmange.


title: Blancmange

text: The word blancmange derives from Old French . The name "whitedish" is a modern term used by some historians, though the name historically was either a direct translation from or a calque of the Old French term. Many different local or regional terms were used for the dish in the Middle Ages:


title: Blancmange

text: Though it is fairly certain that the etymology is indeed "white dish", medieval sources are not always consistent as to the actual colour of the dish. Food scholar Terence Scully has proposed the alternative etymology of , "bland dish", reflecting its often mild and "dainty" (in this context meaning refined and aristocratic) taste and popularity as a sick dish.


title: Observation

text: Observation is the active acquisition of information from a primary source. In living beings, observation employs the senses. In science, observation can also involve the perception and recording of data via the use of scientific instruments. The term may also refer to any data collected during the scientific activity. Observations can be qualitative, that is, only the absence or presence of a property is noted, or quantitative if a numerical value is attached to the observed phenomenon by counting or measuring.


title: Observation

text: The scientific method requires observations of natural phenomena to formulate and test hypotheses. It consists of the following steps:


title: Observation

text: Observations play a role in the second and fifth steps of the scientific method. However, the need for reproducibility requires that observations by different observers can be comparable. Human sense impressions are subjective and qualitative, making them difficult to record or compare. The use of measurement was developed to allow recording and comparison of observations made at different times and places, by different people. The measurement consists of using observation to compare the phenomenon being observed to a standard unit. The standard unit can be an artifact, process, or definition which can be duplicated or shared by all observers. In measurement, the number of standard units which is equal to the observation is counted. Measurement reduces an observation to a number that can be recorded, and two observations which result in the same number are equal within the resolution of the process.


title: Observation

text: Human senses are limited and subject to errors in perception, such as optical illusions. Scientific instruments were developed to aid human abilities of observation, such as weighing scales, clocks, telescopes, microscopes, thermometers, cameras, and tape recorders, and also translate into perceptible form events that are unobservable by the senses, such as indicator dyes, voltmeters, spectrometers, infrared cameras, oscilloscopes, interferometers, Geiger counters, and radio receivers.


title: Observation

text: One problem encountered throughout scientific fields is that the observation may affect the process being observed, resulting in a different outcome than if the process was unobserved. This is called the "observer effect". For example, it is not normally possible to check the air pressure in an automobile tire without letting out some of the air, thereby changing the pressure. However, in most fields of science, it is possible to reduce the effects of observation to insignificance by using better instruments.


title: Observation

text: Considered as a physical process itself, all forms of observation (human or instrumental) involve amplification and are thus thermodynamically irreversible processes, increasing entropy.


title: Observation

text: In some specific fields of science, the results of observation differ depending on factors that are not important in everyday observation. These are usually illustrated with "paradoxes" in which an event appears different when observed from two different points of view, seeming to violate "common sense".


title: Observation

text: The human senses do not function like a video camcorder, impartially recording all observations. Human perception occurs by a complex, unconscious process of abstraction, in which certain details of the incoming sense data are noticed and remembered, and the rest is forgotten. What is kept and what is thrown away depends on an internal model or representation of the world, called by psychologists a "schema", that is built up over our entire lives. The data is fitted into this schema. Later when events are remembered, memory gaps may even be filled by "plausible" data the mind makes up to fit the model; this is called "reconstructive memory". How much attention the various perceived data are given depends on an internal value system, which judges how important it is to the individual. Thus two people can view the same event and come away with entirely different perceptions of it, even disagreeing about simple facts. This is why eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreliable.


title: Observation

text: Human observations are biased toward confirming the observer's conscious and unconscious expectations and view of the world; we ""see what we expect to see"". In psychology, this is called confirmation bias. Since the object of scientific research is the discovery of new phenomena, this bias can and has caused new discoveries to be overlooked; one example is the discovery of x-rays. It can also result in erroneous scientific support for widely held cultural myths, on the other hand, as in the scientific racism that supported ideas of racial superiority in the early 20th century. Correct scientific technique emphasizes careful recording of observations, separating experimental observations from the conclusions drawn from them, and techniques such as blind or double blind experiments, to minimize observational bias.


title: Observation

text: Modern scientific instruments can extensively process "observations" before they are presented to the human senses, and particularly with computerized instruments, there is sometimes a question as to where in the data processing chain "observing" ends and "drawing conclusions" begins. This has recently become an issue with digitally enhanced images published as experimental data in papers in scientific journals. The images are enhanced to bring out features that the researcher wants to emphasize, but this also has the effect of supporting the researcher's conclusions. This is a form of bias that is difficult to quantify. Some scientific journals have begun to set detailed standards for what types of image processing are allowed in research results. Computerized instruments often keep a copy of the "raw data" from sensors before processing, which is the ultimate defense against processing bias, and similarly, scientific standards require preservation of the original unenhanced "raw" versions of images used as research data.


title: Observation

text: Observation in philosophical terms is the process of filtering sensory information through the thought process. Input is received via hearing, sight, smell, taste, or touch and then analyzed through either rational or irrational thought.


title: Observation

text: For example, let us suppose that an observer "sees" a parent beat their child and consequently may observe that such an action is either good or bad. Deductions about what behaviors are good or bad may be based on preferences about building relationships, or the study of the consequences resulting from the observed behavior. Over time, impressions stored in the consciousness about many, together with the resulting relationships and consequences, permit the individual to build a construct about the moral implications of behavior.


title: Belladonna of Sadness

text: It follows the story of Jeanne, a peasant woman who makes a faustian deal with the devil after she is raped by the local nobility on the night of her wedding day. It is notable for its erotic, violent, and psychedelic imagery and considered a cult film.


title: Belladonna of Sadness

text: Jeanne and Jean are newlyweds in a rural village in Medieval France. But on Jeanne's wedding night, she is brutally gang-raped in a ritual deflowering by the local baron and his courtiers. She returns to Jean terrified, and he attempts to calm her by saying they can start over from that moment. Shortly after they embrace, however, Jean strangles Jeanne to a state of unconsciousness. Ashamed, he flees outside their home.


title: Belladonna of Sadness

text: That night, Jeanne begins to see visions of a phallic-headed spirit who promises her power. The spirit tells her it heard her calling for help, and that it can grow as big and powerful as she wants it to. As a result, the couple's fortunes rise even as famine strikes the village, and the baron raises taxes to fund his war effort. Formerly exhausted by his life of menial labor, Jean is elevated to the role of tax collector. But the baron cuts off Jean's hand as punishment when he could not extract enough money from the village, leaving him miserable and drunk.


title: Belladonna of Sadness

text: The spirit visits Jeanne once again (having grown in size) and rapes her in exchange for more riches. Although she submits her body, she attests that her soul still belongs to Jean and to God. Shortly after, Jeanne takes out a large loan from a usurer and sets herself up in the same trade, eventually becoming the true power in the village. The baron returns victorious from his war, and his wife, envious of the respect and admiration Jeanne received, calls her a witch and turns the villagers against her. Running from the mob, Jeanne tries to return home to Jean, but he refuses to open the door and she is assaulted.


title: Belladonna of Sadness

text: That evening, when soldiers come to arrest her, she flees into the nearby forest. In the wilderness, she finally makes a pact with the spirit, who reveals himself to be the Devil. She is granted magical powers, and returns to find the village has been infected with the Bubonic plague. Jeanne uses her powers to create a cure for the disease, and the village flocks to her for aid. Having won their favor, Jeanne presides over orgiastic rites among the villagers.


title: Belladonna of Sadness

text: A page, who falls in love with the baron's wife, begs Jeanne to help him seduce her. She gives him a love potion that causes the baron's wife to accept his advances, but the baron catches his wife sleeping with the page and kills them both. Perturbed by Jeanne's power, the baron sends Jean to invite her to a meeting. The couple reconciled, and Jeanne accepts the invitation. In exchange for sharing her cure for the plague, the baron offers to make Jeanne the second-highest noble in the land, but she refuses, saying she wishes to take over the entire world.


title: Belladonna of Sadness

text: Angered at her refusal, the baron orders Jeanne burnt at the stake. Jean is killed by the baron's soldiers when he tries to retaliate, which angers the villagers. As Jeanne is burned, the faces of the villagers transform into Jeanne's, fulfilling a priest's warning that if a witch is burnt while her pride is intact, the evil in her soul will survive and spread to influence everyone around her. Centuries later, the influence of Jeanne's spirit initiates The French Revolution.


title: Belladonna of Sadness

text: Directed and co-written by Eiichi Yamamoto and inspired by Jules Michelet's 1862 non-fiction book "La Sorcière". It is the only film in the "Animerama" trilogy to have been neither written or co-directed by Osamu Tezuka (he left during the film's early stages in 1971 to concentrate on his manga, and his conceptual-stage contribution is uncredited). "Belladonna" is also of a more serious tone than the more comedic first two Animerama films. According to Jason DeMarco of Paste Magazine, Its visuals consist mostly of still paintings panned across "with occasional expressive bursts of color and movement scattered throughout." Jasper Sharp of Midnight Eye also observed that its visuals, designed by illustrator Kuni Fukai, resemble modernist and Art Nouveau painters such as Gustav Klimt, Odilon Redon, Alphonse Mucha, Egon Schiele and Félicien Rops. Production of the film lasted from 1967 to 1973. The film was a commercial failure and contributed to Mushi Pro going bankrupt by the end of the year. The film was entered into the 23rd Berlin International Film Festival.


title: Belladonna of Sadness

text: The film had general releases in some mainland European countries as well as Japan, and some one-off screenings the United States, including in 2009, and underwent a 4K digital restoration for theatrical release in May 2016. Hat & Beard Press on August 26, 2016, released a companion book containing illustrations, script outtakes, film stills and staff interviews.


title: Belladonna of Sadness

text: The restoration was screened on July 10, 2015, in a preview at Japan Cuts, and then played on September 24, 2015, at Fantastic Fest in Austin before a theatrical run beginning May 6, 2016, in New York City and San Francisco.


title: Belladonna of Sadness

text: Because of the film's obscurity, various sources list its running time as anywhere from 86 to 93 minutes. Cinelicious Pics clarified in May 2016 that its 86-minute restoration represented the correct running time, saying that this length had been cut down by approximately eight minutes for an unsuccessful re-release in Japan in 1979 (with the addition of the brief ending shot of Eugène Delacroix's painting "Liberty Leading the People", which was not in the original version, but Cinelicious left it in the restored version). Cinelicious restored the censored footage from the sole surviving 35 mm release print of the full-length version at the Cinematek in Belgium, which agreed to do a 4K scan of the missing sections from their print.


title: Belladonna of Sadness

text: "Belladonna of Sadness" holds a 90% approval rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes based on 41 reviews, with an average rating of 7.80/10. The site's critical consensus reads: ""Belladonna of Sadness" has more than enough brilliant visual artistry to keep audiences enraptured even as the film's narrative reach slightly exceeds its grasp." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 70 out of 100 based on 12 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".


title: Belladonna of Sadness

text: In 2016, Charles Solomon of the "Los Angeles Times" reviewed the film, calling it dated by today's standards, saying that it "looks exploitative and misogynistic 43 years later."


Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia (; 21 April 1992) was the Head of the Imperial Family of Russia, a position which he claimed from 1938 to his death.


title: Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia

text: Vladimir was born Prince Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia at Porvoo in the Grand Duchy of Finland, the only son of Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich and Grand Duchess Viktoria Feodorovna ("née" Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha). Vladimir's paternal grandparents were Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna ("née" Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin). His maternal grandparents were Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia.


text: Vladimir's family had fled to Finland after the Russian Revolution of 1917. His family left Finland in 1920, moving to Coburg, Germany. On 8 August 1922 Vladimir's father declared himself Curator of the Russian throne. Two years later on 31 August 1924 his father went a step further and assumed the title "Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias". With his father's assumption of the Imperial title Vladimir was granted the title of Tsesarevich (heir apparent) and Grand Duke with the style of "Imperial Highness". In 1930 his family left Germany for Saint-Briac, France where his father set up his court.


text: In the 1930s Vladimir lived for a period in England studying at the University of London and working at the Blackstone agricultural equipment factory in Lincolnshire. He later returned to France moving to Brittany where he became a landowner.


text: On the death of his father on 12 October 1938, Vladimir assumed the Headship of the Imperial Family of Russia. In 1938 there were suggestions that he would be made regent of Ukraine but he rebuffed the idea, saying he would not help dissolve Russia.


text: During World War II, Vladimir was living in Saint-Briac-sur-Mer in Brittany. On June 26, 1941, he issued this statement: "In this grave hour, when Germany and almost all the nations of Europe have declared a crusade against Communism and Bolshevism, which has enslaved and oppressed the people of Russia for twenty-four years, I turn to all the faithful and loyal sons of our Homeland with this appeal: Do what you can, to the best of your ability, to bring down the Bolshevik regime and to liberate our Homeland from the terrible yoke of Communism." In 1942, Vladimir and his entourage were placed in a concentration camp at Compiègne after he refused to issue a manifesto calling on Russian émigrés to support Nazi Germany's war against the Soviet Union.


text: In 1944 the German army moved the family inland out of fear of an invasion from the coast. The Germans were taking them to Paris when an order to drive to Vittel was given. Even Vittel proved to be unsafe, so they were moved to Germany. Vladimir lived in a castle belonging to the husband of his elder sister Maria Kirillovna in Amorbach, Bavaria until 1945. After Germany's defeat, Vladimir's fear of being captured by the Soviets prompted relocation to Austria and next to the border of Liechtenstein. He tried to move with General Boris Smyslovsky's army and cross the border, but neither Liechtenstein nor Switzerland would issue him an exit visa, so he stayed in Austria where he lived in the American occupation zone.


text: Vladimir's maternal aunt, Infanta Beatrice of Orléans-Borbon, secured for him a Spanish visa. He subsequently lived with her in Sanlúcar de Barrameda.


text: After the war he spent most of his time in Madrid, with frequent stays at his property in Brittany, as well as in Paris.


text: Vladimir married Princess Leonida Georgievna Bagration-Moukhransky on 13 August 1948 in Lausanne. Pre-revolutionary Romanov house law dictated that only those born of an "equal marriage" between a Romanov dynast and a member of a "royal or sovereign house", were included in the Imperial line of succession to the Russian throne; children of morganatic marriages were ineligible to inherit the throne or dynastic status. The family to which Princess Leonida belonged, the Bagrationi dynasty, had been kings in Georgia from the medieval era until the early 19th century, but no male line ancestor of hers had reigned as a king in Georgia since 1505 and her branch of the Bagrations, the House of Mukhrani, had been naturalised among the non-ruling nobility of Russia after Georgia was annexed to the Russian empire in 1801. Yet the royal status of the House of Bagration had been recognized by Russia in the 1783 Treaty of Georgievsk and was confirmed by Vladimir Kirillovich on 5 December 1946 as claimed head of the Russian imperial house. However the last ruling emperor of Imperial Russia Nicholas II had deemed marriage in this family of Princess Tatiana Constantinova in 1911, as morganatic. Some controversy therefore arises as to whether Vladimir's marriage to Leonida was equal or morganatic, and whether his claim to the Imperial throne validly passed to his daughter Maria, to some other dynast, or to no one upon his death.


text: Following Vladimir's public designation of his daughter as "curatrix of the throne", in anticipation that she would eventually succeed him as head of the dynasty in exile, the heads of three of the other branches of the imperial family—the Princes Vsevolod Ioannovich (Konstantinovichi), Roman Petrovich (Nikolaevichi) and Andrei Alexandrovich (Mihailovichi) -- wrote to Vladimir in 1969, asserting that the dynastic status of his daughter was no different from that of their own children (Vsevolod Ioannovich was childless, but Roman Petrovich had two sons by Countess Prascovia Sheremetyev, while Andrei Alexandrovich had two sons by Donna Elisabeth Ruffo of a Russian branch of the Princes di San Sant' Antimo) and that his wife was of no higher status than the wives of the other Romanov princes.


text: In 1952 he called on the Western powers to wage war against the Soviet Union. On 23 December 1969 Vladimir issued a controversial decree whereby in the event he predeceased the living male Romanovs that he recognised as dynasts then his daughter Maria would become the "Curatrix of the Imperial Throne". This has been viewed as an attempt by Vladimir to ensure the succession remained in his branch of the imperial family, while the heads of the other branches declared that Vladimir's actions were illegal.


text: Vladimir was able to visit Russia in November 1991 when he was invited to visit St Petersburg by its Mayor Anatoly Sobchak.


text: Grand Duke Vladimir died while addressing a gathering of Spanish-speaking bankers and investors in Northern Trust Bank Miami in the United States on 21 April 1992. His body was returned to Russia and he was buried with full pomp and splendour in the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg, the first Romanov to be honoured in this way since before the revolution. The press noted that the funeral "was regarded by civic and Russian authorities as an obligation to the Romanov family rather than a step toward restoration of the monarchy." As he was only a great-grandson of a recognized Russian emperor, his claimed title of "Grand Duke of Russia" caused problems as to what to put on his tombstone.


text: After his death, his daughter Maria Vladimirovna assumed the headship of the Imperial Family of Russia according to his branch's interpretation of the Russian house laws. This was disputed by Nicholas Romanov, Prince of Russia who had been chosen president of the self-styled "Romanov Family Association" prior to the death of Grand Duke Vladimir.


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne is a 2003 third-person shooter video game developed by Remedy Entertainment and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sequel to 2001's "Max Payne" and the second game in the "Max Payne" series. Set two years after the events of the first game, the sequel finds Max Payne working again as a detective for the New York City Police Department (NYPD), while struggling with nightmares about his troubled past. After being unexpectedly reunited with contract killer Mona Sax, Max must work with her to resolve a conspiracy filled with death and betrayal, which will test where his true loyalties lie.


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: The game is played from a third-person perspective. Throughout the single-player campaign, players mainly control Max, with Mona being playable in a few select levels. Both playable characters have access to a wide variety of weapons to eliminate enemies, as well as a bullet-time ability, which slows down time during combat. The bullet-time mechanic has been upgraded in "Max Payne 2" to allow players to move faster as they kill more enemies, as well as reload weapons instantly. Due to the Havok physics engine being used, the game also features improved ragdoll physics. The story is again told mostly through graphic novel panels with voice-overs, although several traditional cutscenes are also used. Whereas the first game's plot was inspired by Norse mythology and traditional hard-boiled detective novels, the sequel is mostly based on tragic love stories like those seen in films noir, with Max and Mona's relationship being central to the game's narrative.


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: "Max Payne 2" was released in October 2003 for Microsoft Windows, in November for the Xbox, and in December for the PlayStation 2. It received highly positive reviews from critics and, like its predecessor, has been cited as one of the greatest video games ever made. Praise focused on its action and story, while criticism targeted its short length. Despite the positive reception, the game sold poorly, leading Rockstar Games' parent company Take-Two Interactive to cite "Max Payne 2"s sales as a cause for the company's reforecast finances of 2004. "Max Payne 2" received several industry awards, including Outstanding Art Direction at the Golden Satellite Awards 2004, and Editors' Choice Awards from "GamePro", IGN, and GameSpy. A sequel, "Max Payne 3", was released by Rockstar in May 2012. A remake is in development for Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: "Max Payne 2" is a third-person shooter featuring linear levels spread across three distinct chapters. Throughout the majority of the game, the player assumes the role of returning protagonist Max Payne; in several levels from the second and third chapters, the player controls secondary protagonist Mona Sax. Initially, the player's weapon is a 9mm pistol. As they progress, the player gains access to more powerful weapons including other handguns, shotguns, submachine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, and hand-thrown weapons. To move the game along, the player is told what the next objective is through Max's internal monologue, in which Max iterates what his next steps should be.


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: When first played, the game offers one difficulty level that is adjusted automatically if the game is too difficult for the player. For example, if the player's character dies too many times, the enemies' artificial intelligence is made less effective, while more health in the form of painkillers is made available. After completing the game once, other difficulty levels are unlocked. Two special game modes are also activated: New York Minute and Dead Man Walking. In New York Minute, the player is given a score based on the time taken to complete each level. The Dead Man Walking mode places Max in one of five scenarios, in which he must survive for as long as possible while fighting off endlessly respawning enemies.


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: "Max Payne 2" allows the player to enable bullet-time, a mode that slows time, while still allowing the player to aim in real-time, to give the player more time to determine what they want to do. In this mode, the screen's color changes to a sepia tone to act as a visual cue. When in use, the bullet time meter will decrease until it is either empty or the player disables bullet time mode. The meter will eventually increase when not in use, and can be replenished quickly by killing enemies. To simulate the bullet time effect, Max can also execute a shoot-dodge maneuver. When the maneuver is performed, Max jumps in a direction specified by the player, and although bullet time is activated while Max is in mid-air, this will not deplete the bullet time meter. The combat system has been improved for "Max Payne 2"; the player can arm Max with a secondary weapon such as a grenade or Molotov cocktail, and when near an enemy, Max can pistol whip them. AI companions can occasionally come to Max's aid, although their deaths do not affect the gameplay or story.


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: Two years after the events of the first game, Max Payne (James McCaffrey) has been acquitted of the charges against him and reinstated in his old job as a detective for the NYPD, thanks to his connections to the Inner Circle secret society. The story is narrated from Max's perspective, who recalls the events of the past few days. The first flashback takes place in the hospital, where Max is recovering from a gunshot wound. Several assassins raid the hospital to try and kill him, but Max avoids them and makes his way to the morgue, where he finds the body of a woman he has recently killed. The game then goes back further in time, to a few nights prior.


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: While investigating a gunfight at a warehouse owned by his ally, Russian mobster Vladimir "Vlad" Lem (Jonathan Davis), Max encounters a group of hitmen called "the Cleaners", who raided the warheouse for guns. Max is also surprised to run into contract killer Mona Sax (Wendy Hoopes), who he thought had died two years ago. Max heads to Vlad's restaurant to question him about the raid, only to find him under attack by gangsters led by their mutual enemy, Vinnie Gognitti (Fred Berman). After saving Vlad, he claims that Vinnie, now the underboss of the New York Mafia, is trying to monopolize the black market gun trade and sees Vlad as a threat.


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: After evading an attack by the Cleaners in his apartment, Max tracks Mona to an abandoned funhouse and learns that the Cleaners are trying to eliminate anyone who knows about the Inner Circle. While tracking down Mona's contact within the Inner Circle, Max discovers that he has been killed by the Cleaners, and Mona is arrested by the NYPD for being a wanted suspect in the murder of a senator. While at the police station, Max overhears his colleague, Valerie Winterson (Jennifer Server), talking on the phone about Mona, moments before the Cleaners attack the station to kill Mona. She manages to escape and, after fighting off a Cleaner attack on her hideout, sets out to hunt down those responsible with Max's help.


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: Their search leads them to a construction site, which Max and Mona discover is being used as a base by the Cleaners. After killing most of them, Winterson arrives and holds Mona at gunpoint. Mona claims that Winterson is there to kill her, while Winterson insists that she is simply trying to arrest a fleeing fugitive. After several moments of consideration, Max fatally shoots Winterson, allowing Mona to escape. Before she dies, Winterson shoots Max, hospitalizing him. The game then returns to the earlier hospital scene, where Max eliminates the Cleaners trying to kill him and escapes. He decides to visit Senator Alfred Woden (John Braden), the leader of the Inner Circle, who reveals that Vlad is also a member and the one who hired the Cleaners to eliminate his opposition in order to take over both the Inner Circle and New York's criminal underworld.


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: Now aware of Vlad's deception, Max raids his restaurant, but finds that Vlad has already left to kill Vinnie. He also discovers that Winterson was Vlad's mistress and was secretly helping him. Max manages to save Vinnie from Vlad's men, and the two head to Mona's hideout to seek her help. However, Vlad ambushes them, killing Vinnie and injuring Max, though not before revealing that Mona is working for Woden. After Mona rescues Max, the two head to Woden's mansion to save him from Vlad. After eliminating Vlad's men, Mona suddenly betrays Max and attempts to follow her orders to kill him, but finds herself unable to do so because of her feelings for him. Realizing this, Vlad shoots Mona, then kills Woden when the latter confronts him. Max fights Vlad as the mansion burns around them, and eventually kills him. As the police arrive at the scene, Max returns to Mona, who dies in his arms. Despite this, Max has come to terms with all the tragedy in his life, and is ready to move on. In an alternate ending unlocked on the highest difficulty, Mona survives, and she and Max kiss.


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: Take-Two Interactive issued a press release on 5 December 2001 that announced its acquisition of the "Max Payne" franchise from Remedy Entertainment and 3D Realms for US$10 million in cash and 970,000 shares of common stock, and its plans to release "Max Payne 2". On 22 May 2002, Take-Two announced that they agreed to pay up to $8 million as incentive payments to 3D Realms and Remedy Entertainment to develop "Max Payne 2". On 3 September 2003, Take-Two officially announced a release date of 15 October 2003 for the game.


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: Originally modeled in "Max Payne" after the game's writer Sam Lake, Max's appearance was remodeled after professional actor Timothy Gibbs for "Max Payne 2"; James McCaffrey returned as the voice of Max. The game's plot was written by Lake, who decided to write it as a "film noir love story", as he felt that it suited Max's persona the best. Lake hoped that the story would break new ground, noting, "At least it's a step into the right direction. I'd like nothing better than to see new and unexpected subject matters to find their way to games and stories told in games." Lake remarked that basic, archetypal film noir elements found in many classics of the genre "can go a long way" when telling a story, and gave examples that included a hostile, crime-ridden city; a story that takes place late at night with heavy rain; and a cynical, hard-boiled detective down on his luck. Lake considered writing a sequel to "Max Payne" an "art of its own". Since the setting and characters were already established, Lake decided that the primary goal of the sequel was "to keep what's good and fix what was not so good", and to take the story in surprising directions. The screenplay for the sequel ended up being three times longer than the one for "Max Payne". Lake predicted that the more complex story would add to the game's replay value.


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: The story, sometimes told through in-game dialogue, is pushed forward with comic panels that play during cut scenes. The developers found comic panels to be more effective and less costly to use in the cut scenes than fully animated cinematics. They also noted that the graphic novel format allowed the player to interpret each panel for themselves, explaining "the nuances are there in the head of the reader, and it would be much harder to reach that level with in-game or even prerendered cinematics." The developers also found it easier to reorganize the comic panels if the plot needed to be changed while developing the game.


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: "Max Payne 2" uses the same game engine as the one used in "Max Payne", but with several significant upgrades. Even though the game only supports DirectX 8.1, the graphics in "Max Payne 2" mimic those generated by DirectX 9 by making optimal use of effects such as reflection, refraction, shaders, and ghosting. The developers considered one particular scene in which effects are used well: When Max has lucid dreams, the screen appears fuzzy and out of focus. Since "Max Payne", the polygon count (the number of polygons rendered per frame) has been increased, which smooths out the edges of character models. In addition, characters have a much greater range of expressions. Previously, Max had only one expression available; in "Max Payne 2", he often smirks and moves his eyebrows to react to different scenarios.


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: The game uses the Havok physics engine, which the developers chose because it was "hands-down the best solution to our needs". They found that a dedicated physics engine was vital to create Max's combat scenes, which "Max Payne" was known for, "with increased realism and dramatic, movielike action". The physics engine made several situations seem more realistic. For example, when in combat, the player can take cover behind boxes; however, when enemy bullets impact the boxes, they will topple over, in which case the player will have to find another suitable object to use for cover. When an enemy is hidden behind a wall divider, the player can throw a grenade next to it to send the cover flying through the air, rendering the enemy unprotected. The Havok engine was tweaked to make weapons, bombs, and Molotov cocktails act more naturally, and the audio was updated to make them sound more realistic. The new physics engine allowed for certain actions that could not happen in "Max Payne"; boxes can be moved and follow the laws of gravitation, and explosion detonations make enemy bodies fall realistically.


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: The bullet time mode that "Max Payne" was known for was improved; the developers referred to it as "version 2.0". The mode, which allows Max to move in slow motion to react and kill enemies more easily, was enhanced to give Max a refill of a portion of the Bullet Time gauge, as well as slowing down the passage time even further, as Max moves further "into the zone" with each consecutive kill. This was done to encourage players to aggressively dive head-on into dangerous situations rather than crouching at a safe distance and waiting for enemies to come to them. A new reload animation was also introduced, which, when Max reloads while in Bullet Time, allows him to duck to avoid bullets, spin around to survey the combat situation, and briefly pause to give the player a moment to think of a strategy. Development tools were made available for "Max Payne 2" by Rockstar Games and Remedy Entertainment to allow players to create modifications for the game. Modifications can perform several functions, such as the ability to add new weapons, skills, perspectives, surroundings, and characters.


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: Music composers Kärtsy Hatakka and Kimmo Kajasto returned to compose the game's soundtrack. It features cello performances by Apocalyptica member Perttu Kivilaakso. The game's end credits feature the song "Late Goodbye" by the band Poets of the Fall, the lyrics of which were based on a poem by Sam Lake. It was their first single and reached #14 on the Finnish Singles Chart as well as #1 on "Radio Suomipop's Top 30" chart. It is referenced many times in the game, usually by characters singing or humming it.


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: "Max Payne 2" was critically acclaimed. Praise focused on its action and story, while criticism targeted its length, which was considered short.


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: Steve Polak of the Australian "The Daily Telegraph", who enjoyed the first "Max Payne" game, also praised "Max Payne 2", calling it an "outstanding" game that "keeps alive the sense of atmosphere and engaging gunplay-oriented action that was so exciting in the first release." He lauded the game for better production values compared to the first game, including its more polished story, more professional scripts, and better acting and graphics. The complexity of Max's character was a welcomed element by Polak, who found that games often created heroes that were simplistic. The "Sydney Morning Herald"s Dan Toose described the game's experience as "brutal, yet beautiful gun-blazing gaming".


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: Jon Minifie of "The New Zealand Herald" appreciated the game's story, calling it an "entertainingly dark third-person shooter with a well-crafted, noir storyline". In particular, Minifie praised Remedy for what he deemed a successful port of the game to consoles, especially for the Xbox, noticing that the version features visuals that look similar to those on the PC. However, he found that the PlayStation 2 port was only "an okay job" that resulted in quality that was "considerably less easy on the eye", and asserted that it is outperformed by more powerful platforms. The "Sunday Times"s Steven Poole observed that "Max Payne 2" does "exactly the same [things as the first game], only better." He found that enemies react convincingly to damage taken from bullets, thanks to the physics engine. Ultimately, however, Poole described the game as "entertaining but not earth-shattering".


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: "The Toronto Sun"s Steve Tilley, who believed that Remedy did a "killer job" on "Max Payne 2", felt that the company kept what was great about the previous game, "while everything else has been tweaked, overhauled and juiced up". He was a fan of the Bullet Time from the first game, and therefore appreciated seeing it return in the sequel, with "even more impressive" visuals. Tilley found that the game's "lifelike physics engine" was easily its best aspect, and noted that while playing the game, he threw a grenade across a room, which resulted in an explosion that sent enemies flying through the air in a realistic fashion. In addition, Tilley applauded Remedy for listening to fan complaints and resolving issues from the previous game, including improved dream sequences in "Max Payne 2". He was, however, disappointed with the general linearity of the game, and noted that players who are not interested in film noir themes will not enjoy them in "Max Payne 2". Concluding, Tilley commented that the game "has enough polish, cinematic flair and outright mayhem to thrill those who like their Sopranos with a dash of John Woo and a touch of Frank Miller."


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: The game's action was praised by several reviewers. GameZone called it cinematic and action-packed, noting that the final scene was worthy of the big screen. Similarly, GameSpy described the action as "adrenaline-pumping", and considered it comparable to what was available in film. The story was both applauded and criticized. Tom McNamara of IGN enjoyed playing in the film noir setting and believed that it adds dramatic depth to Max and Mona's story, "somehow [making] what's going on more important and interesting. Wreaking havoc is nice, but it's great to also have a love interest complicating things, and Mona Sax is definitely up to the task." However, he was turned off by some of the "hammy" dialogue. In contrast, 1UP.com cited the final boss as an ending that inadequately completed an otherwise excellent game, and the "Sunday Times" Poole called the story "pungently cheesy". "Max Payne 2"s length disappointed critics, including GameSpot and IGN, which complained about the short story. Toose of the "Sydney Morning Herald" was also critical of the short single-player experience, but found that the higher difficulty levels and special "survivor" modes helped improve the game's replay value.


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: "Max Payne 2" was the recipient of several industry awards, including Outstanding Art Direction at the Golden Satellite Awards 2004, Editors' Choice Awards from GamePro, IGN, GameSpy, and GameSpot, and Game of the Month from "Game Informer".


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: Despite a positive reception, "Max Payne 2" sold poorly, leading Rockstar Games' parent company Take-Two Interactive to cite the "continued disappointing sales of "Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne"" as one of the causes for the company's reforecasted sales for 2004.


title: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

text: In April 2022, Remedy announced that it is remaking "Max Payne" and "Max Payne 2" on its Northlight game engine, with funding from Rockstar. The two remakes are set to be released as a compilation for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.


title: Ultraviolet (film)

text: Ultraviolet is a 2006 American dystopian science fiction action film written and directed by Kurt Wimmer and produced by Screen Gems. The film stars Milla Jovovich as Violet Song, Cameron Bright as Six, and Nick Chinlund as Ferdinand Daxus. It was released in North America on March 3, 2006 to negative reviews and performed poorly at the box office. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on June 27, 2006.


title: Ultraviolet (film)

text: Violet Song Jat Shariff, a woman infected with hemoglophagia (a fictional vampire-like disease), lives in a future dystopia where anyone infected with the contagious disease is immediately sentenced to death. With her advanced martial arts skills, a group of rebel hemophages, and a boy named Six, whose blood may contain a cure for the disease, Violet goes on a mission to overthrow the futuristic government and defeat Ferdinand Daxus.


title: Ultraviolet (film)

text: A novelization of the film was written by Yvonne Navarro, with more back-story and character development. The book differs from the film in a number of ways, including a more ambiguous ending and the removal of some of the plot twists. An anime series titled "" was released by the Japanese anime satellite television network Animax, and created by Madhouse.


title: Ultraviolet (film)

text: In the mid-21st century, an accident occurs in an illegal U.S. biotechnological laboratory, where they tried to create super-soldiers to subjugate the 3rd world, but the project goes wrong. As a result, part of the Earth's population becomes infected with a virus that overwrites and replaces DNA, mutating into hemophages, creatures with vampire fangs that are stronger, faster and smarter than humans, but have very short lifespans due to genetic unravelling.


title: Ultraviolet (film)

text: Humanity starts a war against the hemophages, and they subsequently go underground. As law enforcement agencies are unable to stop the infection, sovereign nations collapsed, human rights are abolished, and due to the state of emergency on the planet, governments establish the ArchMinistry, a powerful corporation and joint world government that usurps the UN and WHO. Hemophage supersoldier Violet Jat Shariff is part of the rebel resistance underground, looking for ways to fight back.


title: Ultraviolet (film)

text: Violet is tasked with stealing supposedly human-made anti-mutant weapons. Using her superpowers, she alone on a motorcycle attacks the center ("Blood Bank"), where a superweapon is hidden that can destroy hemophages. However, the 9-year-old boy Six turns out to be in the weapons container – a clone of Vice Cardinal Ferdinand Daxus (president of the world) and a carrier of a virus dangerous for hemophages. Violet delivers the boy to the base, but, in a fit of sentimentality, prevents him from being killed by the hemophages.


title: Ultraviolet (film)

text: Violet and her allies plan to create a vaccine that would return her and the hemophages to the human world, but the vice-cardinal's special forces and the hemophages are after her. It is revealed that majority of hemophages have decided to collude with the vice-cardinal, who himself turns out to be a secret hemophage. In the resistance labs, Violet learns that Six does not pose a danger to the hemophages, but for the vice-cardinal he has a mysterious value. Violet eventually learns that Daxus wants to increase his wealth through a new epidemic. an antidote for which people will need to buy daily. Six is the key to these insidious designs. She later finds out that it was Daxus who, in the past, once worked as a laboratory assistant, deliberately arranged an accident in the laboratory in order to subsequently take advantage of the situation to lead the world government. Violet goes through multiple battles, rescuing Six and reviving him as a hemophage, before managing to kill Daxus. Violet swears to protect the world from the hatred in society as she and Six ride off into the sunset.


title: Ultraviolet (film)

text: Production began in early February 2004 and was shot in various cities across China, most notably Hong Kong and Shanghai. Production was finished in late June 2004. The film was shot digitally on high-definition video using a Sony HDW-F900.


title: Ultraviolet (film)

text: In 2005, the film's trailer was leaked on the internet. Director Kurt Wimmer then visited several message boards and demanded all clips be removed in order to keep the film's plot a secret. The online fan community responded well to this, and all the clips were removed from distribution until the theatrical trailer was publicly released in January 2006. It uses "Clubbed to Death (Kurayamino Edition)" by Rob Dougan as the soundtrack as well as "24" by Jem.


title: Ultraviolet (film)

text: Jovovich was not pleased with the film, having been locked out of the editing processes despite promises to include her input on her performance.


title: Ultraviolet (film)

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a approval rating based on reviews, with an average rating of . The site's critical consensus states: "An incomprehensible and forgettable sci-fi thriller, "Ultraviolet" is inept in every regard." On Metacritic the film has a score of 18 out of 100 based on reviews from 19 critics, indicating "Overwhelming dislike". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade D+ on scale of A to F.


title: Ultraviolet (film)

text: Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter called it "The latest entry in the 'This film is so bad we're not screening it for critics' genre." He also criticizes the action scenes "Although extravagantly staged, they're more than a little derivative" and "Other sequences are rather more ridiculous".


title: Ultraviolet (film)

text: Robert Koehler of "Variety magazine" wrote: "Pic is hermetically sealed in a synthetic wrapping that's so total – Sony's top-flight high-def cameras, visibly low-budget CG work, exceptionally hackneyed and imitative action and dialogue – that it arrives a nearly lifeless film."


title: Ultraviolet (film)

text: "Ultraviolet" was released in North America on March 3, 2006. The film grossed $9,064,880 in its opening weekend in fourth place. It grossed $18,535,812 domestically and $12,534,399 internationally, which brings the worldwide total of $31,070,211. With budget of $30 million, the film was a box office bomb.


title: Ultraviolet (film)

text: The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 27, 2006, in North America. There are two versions of the film, an unrated version (94 minutes long) and a PG-13 version (88 minutes long). Additionally, the rough cut of the movie was originally close to two hours long; only 6 minutes of this lost half-hour was restored for the unrated cut. The North American, European, South American, Hong Kong, Korean Blu-ray is the PG-13 version of the film. This is because Sony previously would not allow Unrated or NC-17 content to be released on the then-newly released Blu-ray format, a clause which has since been lifted. However, the Japanese Blu-ray that was released on January 1, 2007, does contain the 94 minute Unrated version of the film, along with all the extras that appeared on the DVD, excluding a few trailers. The film performed quite well in the DVD market, grossing over $35.1 million in rental sales. In the end the film turned in a healthy profit of over $36 million. Despite this, there are no plans for a true restored Director's Cut.


title: Ultraviolet (film)

text: The DVD includes a four-part documentary: "UV Protection: The Making of "Ultraviolet"" and an audio commentary with Jovovich. Some editions additionally feature some deleted scenes which were cut from the final release. But not all footage from the unrated extended edition was in the deleted scenes feature.


title: Ultraviolet (film)

text: The extended DVD version includes additional footage, increasing the running time and adding more to the storyline / plot. In this release there are additional scenes which include:


title: Rumen Radev

text: Rumen Georgiev Radev ( ; born 18 June 1963) is a Bulgarian politician and former major general who is the current president of Bulgaria since 22 January 2017.


title: Rumen Radev

text: Radev previously served as higher commander of the Bulgarian Air Force. He won the 2016 presidential election, as an independent candidate supported by the Bulgarian Socialist Party, defeating GERB candidate Tsetska Tsacheva in the second round. He won a second consecutive term in the 2021 election, with 66% of the vote in the second round.


title: Rumen Radev

text: Radev was born on 18 June 1963 in Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria. His family is from Slavyanovo in the Haskovo region. In 1982 he graduated from the Mathematical School in Haskovo with a gold medal. He graduated from the Georgi Benkovski Bulgarian Air Force University in 1987 as the top graduate. In 1992, he graduated from the US Air Force Squadron Officer School at Maxwell AFB. From 1994 to 1996, he studied at the Rakovski Defence and Staff College, where he was also the top graduate. He holds a Doctor of Military Sciences degree in the field of improvement of tactical training of flight crews and simulation of air combat.


title: Rumen Radev

text: In 2003 he graduated from Air War College or Air University at Maxwell AFB in the United States with a Master of Strategic Studies with honors.


title: Rumen Radev

text: In August 2016, the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party and the Alternative for Bulgarian Revival (ABR) officially nominated Radev as a candidate for the November 2016 presidential election. In the same month, ABR withdrew its presidential nomination of General Radev in favour of Ivaylo Kalfin.


title: Rumen Radev

text: On the first round of the election, conducted on 6 November 2016, Radev came first with 25.44% of the vote. He faced GERB candidate Tsetska Tsacheva in the runoff the following Sunday 13 November. He defeated her, winning 59.37% of the popular vote.


title: Rumen Radev

text: On 1 February 2021, he officially announced that he and Iliana Yotova would run for a second term. The presidential election happened on 14 November 2021. Prior to the election, several parties declared their support for Radev, including ITN, PP and BSPzB. Radev received 1,322,385 votes in the first round, alongside his running partner Iliana Yotova, 49.42% of the vote. This led to a second round run-off with the GERB-supported candidate Anastas Gerdzhikov, who got 22.83% of the vote in the first round. Radev won in the run-off, with 66.7% of the vote, starting his second term as president.


title: Rumen Radev

text: Since his election into office, Radev has frequently criticised Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, whom Radev views as permitting corruption through a 'reckless leadership style', as well as attempting to strangle his political opposition. This led Radev to frequently veto legislative proposals submitted by Borisov's GERB party to Bulgarian Parliament, issuing a total of 19 vetoes in this first two and a half years of his presidency. Borisov, on the other hand, often accused Radev of 'sabotaging the government's work', as well as supporting the opposition Socialist Party during campaign periods.


title: Rumen Radev

text: In his 2019 New Year's address to the Bulgarian People, broadcast on almost all Bulgarian TV channels, Radev stated that he believed that Borisov's Government had failed in addressing corruption, placed the country in economic stagnation with price increases and low wages, undermined the fairness of elections, as well as 'retreated' from law and justice.


title: Rumen Radev

text: In June 2019, Radev vetoed a major government contract for the acquisition of several F-16 Fighting Falcons from the United States at a cost of around 2bln lev. Radev strongly criticised the deal, accusing the government of authoritarianism and stated that he believed it had agreed to downgrades in the jets' avionics and armament, in order to get a lower purchasing price, which he also deemed too high for what they are worth. He added, that as a former pilot and airforce commander, he didn't believe that the deal was in Bulgaria's best interests. The pro-government majority in Bulgaria's national assembly overruled Radev's veto and the deal was nonetheless concluded.


title: Rumen Radev

text: In November 2019, Radev refused to sign the decree appointing Ivan Geshev to the post of Chief Public Prosecutor of Bulgaria, following the latter's election to the post by Bulgaria's Supreme Judicial Council. He did not officially declare the motive for his refusal in written form, instead deciding to explain it personally to the media. Radev remarked that Geshev was the only candidate for the post and opined that the single-candidate nature of his election was supported by Borisov's government. He expressed the opinion that Geshev's candidacy had been supported only by government-controlled institutions and not by civic ones, which in his eyes led to a lack of public confidence in the institution. The Supreme Judicial Council refused to revise their decision and voted in favour of Geshev a second time, which triggered a constitutional requirement for Radev as president to sign the decree. Stating that he would refuse to violate the constitution, Radev did so following a meeting with Geshev, but called for changes to Bulgaria's constitution.


title: Rumen Radev

text: The relations between Radev and the newly appointed general prosecutor quickly soured, as Geshev released what he stated was a wiretap of Radev discussing his involvement in alleged criminal activities. Geshev further appealed to the Constitutional Court of Bulgaria to have Radev's legal immunity revoked. The general prosecutor's actions backfired in the eyes of the Bulgarian people and were widely viewed as an attempt to suppress and censor the president – either as 'revenge' for the president's initial veto of Geshev's appointment, or as a preparation for a move to remove Radev from his post as president. In response, Radev accused Geshev's prosecution of being controlled by Borisov's government, whom he accused of using both the prosecution, the secret services and the National Police Service to crush dissent.


title: Rumen Radev

text: Borisov swore that he had not ordered Radev to be wiretapped, but Radev doubled down – noting that the agency responsible for wiretapping in Bulgaria, the State Agency for National Security, was directly responsible to the government and the prime minister. He further questioned the motives as to why it appeared to him as though the general prosecutor "saw crime and corruption in everything, except for the council of ministers".


title: Rumen Radev

text: On 4 February 2020, Radev announced that he had formally withdrawn confidence in Borisov's government. He pointed out that there was, in his opinion, a strong crisis in the governance of all levels, a lack of will to reform and fight corruption, and a state of morally-questionable lawlessness in the country. Borisov accused Radev of trying to "take over" the country and stated that his government did not depend on Radev for confidence, adding that he believed the presidency to be a useless post, holding only 'symbolic councils', which he asserted never decided anything.


title: Rumen Radev

text: After the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria, Radev and Borisov's government initially appeared to thaw their relations for the sake of national unity during a time of crisis. This détente, however, was not to last – the two entered into another conflict shortly thereafter, with Radev partially vetoing a law passed by the Bulgarian government imposing additional measures in relation to the coronavirus pandemic. Radev objected to a paragraph criminalizing the spread of "fake news" with a fine of up to 5,000 euros. Surprisingly, Radev also vetoed a paragraph added on the insistence of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, which was supposed to impose price controls on essential goods. The veto sparked anger in Borisov, who accused Radev of populism and political opportunism. Despite this, Borisov ordered his parliamentary group to accept the veto on the two paragraphs – removing both the fake news fine and the socialist-added price control paragraphs from the final version of the law. The amended bill, however, still featured a paragraph which obligated telecom providers to track and store their user's data for up to 6 months and provide it upon request of the authorities, with the stated goal of tracking the movements of quarantined citizens.


title: Rumen Radev

text: The two continued to clash over the coming days, with Radev frequently criticising the government for its handling of the state of emergency and accusing it of quote mining the World Health Organization for political gains. In reply, Borisov accused Radev of sabotaging the state of emergency and compared Radev to a "dirty old hag of a mother-in-law, the nasty kind", expressing bewilderment at "how Radev was able to make [political] inflammatory statements on the day, in which his own [Radev's] father had passed away". Radev concluded, however, that the conflict was "only in Borisov's head", stating that he had never called for the state of the emergency to be lifted and merely disagreed with the government's handling of it. In October 2020, Radev attended an investment forum in Estonia, but his visit was cut short after it was revealed that he had been exposed to a COVID-19 positive individual while in Bulgaria. Some sources alleged that Radev had been aware of that prior to travelling, while the president accused political opponents of deliberately orchestrating a campaign against him in order to tarnish his image, displaying a negative PCR test he had obtained prior to his official trip.


title: Rumen Radev

text: In June 2020, photographs emerged that purported to show what appeared to be Prime Minister Borisov lying half-naked on a bed, next to a nightstand featuring a handgun and stacks of euro banknotes. Borisov confirmed that the room in which the photos were taken was his, but denied the gun and money, stating that the images could have been manipulated. Borisov accused President Radev of flying a consumer drone into his residence in order to take the pictures. He also accused former Ombudswoman Maya Manolova, TV star Slavi Trifonov and his own former second in command Tsvetan Tsvetanov (who had just left and condemned the ruling party) of involvement in a plot to take photos of him while he was sleeping in a "KGB-Style" kompromat operation. Radev condemned the leaks and called it an "insane" invasion of the prime minister's privacy. He added that he owns a drone, but that the accusation that he personally piloted it into the prime minister's residence to take pictures was part of Borisov's "fantasy and paranoia".


title: Rumen Radev

text: In July 2020, agents of Chief Prosecutor Geshev entered the presidency and detained several of the president's advisors. This, alongside the photo scandal and an incident on a Burgas beach significantly impacted the credibility of Borisov's government, leading to the beginning of large-scale anti-government protests, which Radev openly supported. Radev made a televised address to the nation, in which he demanded that both the entire government and the chief prosecutor resign, openly calling them "mafia".


title: Rumen Radev

text: In February 2017, Radev condemned and called for an end to the EU sanctions against Russia, while at the same time describing the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation as a "violation of international law".


title: Rumen Radev

text: On 17 March 2017, Radev condemned as 'absolutely unacceptable' what he described as a Turkish intervention in Bulgaria's 2017 parliamentary election after the Turkish ambassador to Bulgaria was found to have appeared in a campaign clip for one of Bulgaria's political parties and after Turkish Social Affairs minister was found to have agitated and offer incentives for Bulgarian Turks in Turkey to cross the border in an organized voting campaign and vote for the same party. Radev stated that he had referred the matter to the European Union. He met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan several months later in July, following which he described Turkey as an "important neighbour, partner and ally", while at the same time stating that this status hinged on Turkey's respect for Bulgaria's "internal political process, regarding Bulgaria's political parties and electoral system". He also became the only EU head of state to attend Erdogan's inauguration, stating that his mandate was not given to him by either the European Commission or the Bulgarian Government, but by the Bulgarian people.


title: Rumen Radev

text: On 24 January 2018, Radev condemned the Turkish invasion of northern Syria aimed at ousting U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds from the enclave of Afrin, and insisted that the European Union should intervene to stop it.In April 2018, he criticised the 2018 missile strikes against Syria, instead calling for "less weapons and more dialogue".


title: Rumen Radev

text: In February 2019, Radev condemned the Bulgarian Government's recognition of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president of Venezuela during the 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis, adding that he believed the government had overstepped its authority in recognizing the opposition leader as interim president. Radev further criticised the EU's recognition of Guaido, urging both the country and the EU to remain neutral and refrain from recognizing Guaido, as he viewed such recognition as imposing an ultimatum, which he deemed would only aggravate the crisis in Venezuela.


title: Rumen Radev

text: In April 2022, Radev broke ranks with the Petkov Government, declaring that he is fully opposed to Bulgaria providing weapons to Ukraine in relation to Russia's invasion of the latter, characterizing it as a step towards the direct involvement of Bulgaria in the conflict and seeing it as contrary to the pursuit of a peaceful solution.


title: Rumen Radev

text: Radev has enjoyed positive approval ratings for the vast majority of his presidency. Having been elected with around 60% of the vote in the autumn 2016 election, he managed to keep that figure as his approval rating through to 2018.


title: Rumen Radev

text: His approval then rose to 67% by May 2018, before falling to around 56% by autumn 2019. It is noteworthy, however, that even after this fall in his popularity, he was still considered the most popular and approved of Bulgarian politician, as well as one of the only two Bulgarian politicians (the other being Maya Manolova) with a higher percentage of approval than disapproval.


title: Rumen Radev

text: By April 2020, Radev's approval ratings stood at about 49%. Radev began his second term as president with an approval rating of 58.5%, according to a Gallup poll.


title: Rumen Radev

text: Radev joined the Bulgarian Communist Party in the 1980s. He later stated that his primary reason for joining the party had been so that he would be deployed to fly in a supersonic jet, but also added that he was not ashamed of his past and was proud of the things he did. He left the party in 1990, when a newly enacted law forbade members of the country's armed forces from being members of political parties. He has not been a member of any political parties since and his candidacy in the 2016 elections was supported by an independent initiative committee affiliated with the Bulgarian Socialist Party, rather than by a formal nomination by any party.


title: Rumen Radev

text: Radev has two children from his first marriage to Ginka Radeva, which ended in a divorce in 2014: a daughter Darina, born in 2001 and a son Georgi, born in 2003. He later married Desislava Gencheva, who was previously married to the BSP MP Georgi Svilenski. Apart from Bulgarian, Radev is also fluent in Russian, German and English. Radev's father died on 6 April 2020.


title: Rumen Radev

text: Rumen Radev was awarded numerous medals and prizes, including the sign "For loyal service under the flags" – III degree, and Honorary sign of the Ministry of Defence "Saint George" – II degree.


title: Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST

text: The Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST ("Quiet SuperSonic Technology") is an American experimental supersonic aircraft being developed at Skunk Works for NASA's Low-Boom Flight Demonstrator project. Preliminary design started in February 2016, with the X-59 to be delivered to NASA in 2021 for flight testing in 2022. It is expected to cruise at at an altitude of , creating a low 75 Perceived Level decibel (PLdB) thump to evaluate supersonic transport acceptability.


title: Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST

text: In February 2016, Lockheed Martin was awarded a preliminary design contract, aiming to fly in the 2020 timeframe.


title: Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST

text: A 9% scale model was to be wind tunnel tested from Mach 0.3 to Mach 1.6 between February and April 2017.


title: Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST

text: While NASA received three inquiries for its August 2017 request for proposals, Lockheed was the sole bidder.


title: Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST

text: On April 2, 2018, NASA awarded Lockheed Martin a $247.5 million contract to design, build and deliver in late 2021 the Low-Boom X-plane.


title: Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST

text: On June 26, 2018, the US Air Force informed NASA it had assigned the X-59 QueSST designation to the demonstrator.


title: Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST

text: By October, NASA Langley had completed three weeks of wind tunnel testing of an 8%-scale model, with high AOAs up to 50° and 88° at very low speed, up from 13° in previous tunnel campaigns.


title: Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST

text: Testing was for static stability and control, dynamic forced oscillations, and laser flow visualization, expanding on previous experimental and computational predictions.


title: Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST

text: From November 5, 2018, NASA was to begin tests over two weeks to gather feedback: up to eight thumps a day at different locations will be monitored by 20 noise sensors and described by 400 residents, receiving a $25 per week compensation.


title: Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST

text: To simulate the thump, an F/A-18 Hornet is diving from to briefly go supersonic for reduced shock waves over Galveston, Texas, an island, and a stronger boom over water.


title: Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST

text: This will be followed by high speed wind tunnel tests to verify inlet performance predictions with a 9.5%-scale model at NASA Glenn Research Center.


title: Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST

text: The critical design review was successfully held on September 9–13, before the report to NASA's Integrated Aviation Systems Program by November. Then, 80–90% of the drawings should be released to engineering.


title: Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST

text: After flight-clearance testing at the Armstrong Flight Research Center, an acoustic validation will include air-to-air Schlieren imaging backlit by the Sun to confirm the shockwave pattern until September 2022.


title: Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST

text: NASA will conduct flight tests over U.S. cities to verify the safety and performance of the X-59's quiet supersonic technologies and evaluate community responses for regulators, which could enable commercial supersonic travel over land.


title: Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST

text: Community-response flight tests starting in 2023–2025 will be used for ICAO's Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection meeting (CAEP13) establishing a sonic boom standard. The results of the community overflights will be delivered to the ICAO and the FAA in 2027, allowing for a decision to be made to revise the rules on commercial supersonic travel over land in 2028.


title: Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST

text: NASA reported the installation of the General Electric F-414-GE-100 engine on the X-59, which took place at Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works in Palmdale, California early November 2022. The engine is 13 ft. long and "packs 22,000 pounds of propulsion energy."


title: Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST

text: The Low-Boom X-plane will be long with a wingspan for a maximum takeoff weight of . Propelled by a General Electric F414 engine, it should reach a maximum speed of Mach 1.5 or , and cruise at Mach 1.42 or at .


title: Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST

text: The cockpit, ejection seat and canopy come from a Northrop T-38 and the landing gear from an F-16. With afterburner its engine will provide of thrust.


title: Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST

text: The ground noise is expected to be around 60 dB(A), about 1/1000 as loud as current supersonic aircraft. This is achieved by using a long, narrow airframe and canards to keep the shock waves from coalescing.


title: Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST

text: It should create a 75 Perceived Level decibel (PLdB) thump on ground, as loud as closing a car door, compared with 105-110 PLdB for the Concorde.


title: Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST

text: The central engine has a top-mounted intake for low boom, but inlet flow distortion due to vortices is a concern.


title: Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST

text: The flush cockpit means that the long and pointed nose-cone will obstruct all forward vision. The X-59 will use an enhanced flight vision system (EVS), consisting of a forward 4K camera with a 33° by 19° angle of view, which will compensate for the lack of forward visibility.


title: Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST

text: United Technologies subsidiary Collins Aerospace was selected to supply its Pro Line Fusion Cockpit avionics, displaying the boom on the ground, and EVS with long-wave infrared sensors.


title: Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST

text: The Collins EVS-3600 multispectral imaging system, beneath the nose, is used for landing, while the NASA external vision system (XVS), in front of the cockpit, is giving a forward view.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu (), also known by the initialism SVSC, is a 2013 Indian Telugu-language family drama film written and directed by Srikanth Addala. It was produced by Dil Raju's Sri Venkateswara Creations, and stars Venkatesh, Mahesh Babu, Anjali and Samantha, while Prakash Raj, Jayasudha, Rao Ramesh, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Abhinaya and Rohini Hattangadi play supporting roles.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: In addition to directing the film, Addala worked on the script for three years after the release of his directorial debut, "Kotha Bangaru Lokam" (2008). He wrote the screenplay, and Ganesh Patro wrote the film's dialogue. Mickey J. Meyer and Mani Sharma composed the soundtrack and score, respectively. Marthand K. Venkatesh edited the film and K. V. Guhan was its cinematographer. Production began on 6 October 2011 in Hyderabad; principal photography began on 18 January 2012 in Visakhapatnam, and finished on 24 December. In addition to Hyderabad, scenes were filmed in coastal Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: It was considered the first major multi-starrer film in Telugu cinema at the time after a gap of twenty to thirty years. "Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu" was released worldwide on 11 January 2013 to generally positive reviews. The film was commercially successful, earning a distributor share of 51 crore on a budget of 40 crore, and was the second-highest-grossing Telugu film of the year (after "Attarintiki Daredi"). It received seven nominations at the 61st Filmfare Awards South and eleven nominations at the 3rd South Indian International Movie Awards, winning two awards at each: Best Actor Male — Telugu (Mahesh Babu) and Best Playback Singer Female — Telugu (K. S. Chithra). The film won four Nandi Awards, including the Award for Best Home-viewing Feature Film.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: A kind-hearted man addressed as Relangi Mavayya by his near and dear after his hometown Relangi lives with his close-knit family comprising his wife, mother, and three children—two sons Peddodu (the "elder") and Chinnodu (the "younger") and a daughter Chinni, niece Seetha who is the daughter of Relangi Mavayya's late sister and her husband. Peddodu is in an introverted person who lives life on his own terms while Chinnodu is a talkative, flirtatious and brilliant person. Peddodu resigns from his job at the company of a relative Brahmananda Rao for being insulted due to his stubborn attitude. Everyone thinks that Seetha and Peddodu would marry and Seetha to have hidden feelings for Peddodu but is unhappy with the fact that Peddodu has never addressed her with the name and rather addresses her as "Hey" and "Oye".


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: After attending the wedding of Geetha's elder sister, Chinnodu falls for Geetha, younger daughter of Seetha's paternal uncle who is a highly self-centered personality and constantly denigrates the economic status of Relangi Mavayya and unemployment of his sons. Geetha's elder sister recommends a marriage proposal to Chinni with relatives of her in-laws. At the wedding, Peddodu and Geetha's father argue over the latter's sarcasm further intensifying the tensions between families. Days later, Peddodu and Chinnodu leave for city to find employment and Geetha invites Chinnodu for lunch in a restaurant, hiding the fact that her whole family is there. Chinnodu receives a lukewarm welcome and argues with Geetha's father when he demeans Peddodu and Relangi Mavayya. When Geetha tries to cool Chinnodu, Peddodu spots them together and feels upset about their relationship. He leaves to his village and Chinnodu's relationship with Geetha is ruined.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: Geetha's father finds her a proposal but her grandmother refuses to let her marry until Seetha is married. When Relangi Mavayya visits them, Geetha's father discourages his interest in getting Peddodu married to Seetha and finds a proposal for the latter. Seetha is pressured to accept her marriage but the alliance gets spoiled. Relangi Mavayya is injured in an accident while protecting a young boy and gets hospitalized but survives with minor injuries. As the young boy is the nephew of Brahmananda Rao, the latter offers job to Peddodu for second time. Peddodu and Chinnodu's rift widens.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: Relangi Mavayya attends the annual Kalyanam of Rama and Sita in Bhadrachalam with his family where to their surprise, Geetha and her family too arrive. The guest of honour, A MLA requests Relangi Mavayya to lead the procession having had a good impression of him in their last meeting surprising Geetha's father. A short circuit takes place and people at the place panic. Setting their differences aside, Peddodu and Chinnodu rescue Geetha's family and other devotees who attended the Kalyanam from danger. Relangi Mavayya praises the brothers and remind them of their love for each other and tells them about the importance of adjusting, brotherhood and family. This changes their attitude and they reconcile. Geetha's father who overheard their conversation realizes his mistake. Peddodu addresses Seetha by her name indicating that he is ready to marry her.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: Geetha's father gets them married and plan to get Chinnodu married to Geetha. Peddodu and Chinnodu, having secured jobs buy their paternal grandmother bangles as she desired earlier.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: After the release of his directorial debut, "Kotha Bangaru Lokam" (2008), Srikanth Addala worked for three years on "Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu" script. After "Vedam" release, in June 2010 Dil Raju began planning a film directed by Addala and featuring Venkatesh and Pawan Kalyan as the male leads. Scripting began, and the film's title was announced in September. When the project stalled, Addala approached Mahesh Babu with its script in June 2011.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: Babu agreed to act in the film after Addala met him to read the script during pre-production for "Dookudu" (2011). He and Venkatesh cited the script's emotional depth and realistic approach as the reason they signed for the film. Addala approached Ganesh Patro in Chennai to write the film's dialogue. Patro used the dialect spoken in the Godavari region of Andhra Pradesh, edited by Addala. It was his final project as a dialogue writer before his death in January 2015. K. V. Guhan, who worked on the previous Babu films "Athadu" (2005) and "Dookudu", was signed as "Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu" cinematographer.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: Mickey J. Meyer, who worked with Addala on the director's debut, composed the film's soundtrack and Mani Sharma composed its score. Sharma had composed the score for Raju's 2011 production, "Oh My Friend", whose soundtrack was composed by Rahul Raj. Although production began in Hyderabad on the eve of Vijayadasami (6 October 2011) with a launch ceremony, Venkatesh and Babu did not attend due to previous film commitments. "Simple but beautiful" was announced as the film's advertising slogan in June 2012.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: "Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu" is considered the first Telugu star-studded film in the last two or three decades. After listening to Addala's narration, Venkatesh felt that they could work more on the film's script and the director agreed. The actor agreed to the film because he considered it a safe bet which would appeal to a family audience. Raju was interested in casting Babu as the lead for two reasons: the film, revolving around two brothers, required two popular actors as the leads and the producer again wanted to work with the actor after "Murari" (2001), "Takkari Donga" (2002), "Okkadu" (2003) and "Athadu". Guhan told "The Hindu" that Venkatesh's and Babu's unnamed characters would simply be called Peddodu and Chinnodu, respectively. The film is considered to be the first multi-starrer of Telugu cinema in recent decades.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: Samantha Ruth Prabhu was signed to play Babu's love interest in the film, and Raju asked her to allow 40 days for shooting. After Trisha, Bhumika Chawla and Anushka Shetty were considered for the other female lead, Amala Paul was signed in mid-December 2011. After a photo shoot and the beginning of principal photography, Paul left the project in late January 2012 and Raju replaced her with Anjali.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: Prakash Raj was cast in a principal role as the brothers' father. When he failed to join the film unit in Kutralam, it was rumoured that he had walked out of the film due to differences with Raju but Raju denied the reports. Jayasudha and Rohini Hattangadi were signed for supporting roles, and Hattangadi said that she would play the brothers' grandmother. Rao Ramesh played Samantha's father in the film.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: Miss Dabur Gulabari 2011 second runner-up Tejaswi Madivada was signed for a supporting role in her acting debut, and Abhinaya was cast as Babu's sister in the film. Rama Prabha, Tanikella Bharani, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Brahmanandam and Ahuti Prasad later joined the film's supporting cast. Traditional and formal costumes were supplied by the clothing chain Kalamandir.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: Principal photography began on 18 January 2012 in Visakhapatnam, where several of Venkatesh's scenes were filmed near the Andhra University campus and on the Ramakrishna Mission Beach. The next shooting schedule began in Kutralam, Tamil Nadu, on 6 February 2012 and filming continued in Hyderabad during March. In Sanathnagar a crowd disrupted shooting, and the film's crew chose an undisclosed location to resume. Samantha joined the film unit on 28 March. After shooting was disrupted three times in Hyderabad by crowds, Babu suggested that Raju move production to Chennai (where several wedding scenes were filmed at a coconut plantation). Rain increased production costs.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: Part of the song "Yem Cheddaam" was shot at the Sabarmati Riverfront in mid-April, the riverfront's first appearance in a Telugu film. In addition to the riverfront, scenes were filmed over a fifteen-day schedule in shopping malls and gardens around Ahmedabad. Addala chose the city for its developing infrastructure, friendly people and climatic similarity to Hyderabad. On 31 May 2012, Raju told the media that 35 percent of "Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu" filming was completed and the next shooting schedule would begin at Ramoji Film City. A house set worth 10 million was built at the studio under the supervision of A. S. Prakash. Venkatesh and Anjali began a four-day shooting schedule at Ahobilam on 4 July. After several key scenes were filmed in Relangi, near Tanuku, a new schedule began in Bhadrachalam on 16 July.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: Filming was delayed when Samantha became ill, resuming on 19 August after her recovery. By mid-September, the producers had filmed for nearly 80 working days. Wedding and other crucial scenes were filmed in Chennai. By then the shooting of five songs was completed, with work on two more songs and detail work pending. Raju planned two shooting schedules: one from 28 September to 12 October, and the other from 15 November to the end of the month. Filming continued on 2 October 2012 at Ramanaidu Studios. The film's climactic scenes were shot in mid-November 2012 on a custom-built Bhadrachalam Temple set at Ramoji Film City, and the dialogue was wrapped up on 17 November.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: A song featuring Babu and Samantha was shot in Magarpatta, Pune, in early December, and scenes following Chinni's wedding were filmed in Dwaraka Tirumala. Another song featuring Venkatesh and Anjali was shot in Kerala under the supervision of Prem Rakshith; its completion marked the end of principal photography on 24 December.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: On 6 October 2012, a "pooja" commemorated the beginning of the film's dubbing. Post-production was planned simultaneously for a December 2012 release. On 23 October, Samantha began dubbing her role in the film. This was the first time she dubbed for herself in a Telugu film; her roles had previously been dubbed by the singer Chinmayi. Babu began dubbing his role on 10 December; Venkatesh had completed most of his dubbing work by then, with only a few reels remaining.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: In mid-December, Samantha said that she had dubbed 40 percent of her role and the producers would decide if her voice would be retained; Chinmayi and Dubbing Janaki were later chosen to dub for Prabhu and Hattangadi. Babu finished dubbing his role by early January 2013, and post-production ended on 3 January. The first copy of the film was sent to the Central Board of Film Certification on 7 January, and it was cleared by the Board the following day.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: Raju said in early October 2011 that "Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu" would be a family drama; its title focuses on the family system in India, a part of the Indian ideology of one world family. According to Addala, "Seethamma" stands for the goddess Sita, "Vakitlo" for India and "Sirimalle Chettu" for the Indian family. The mentality of a person who does not smile at a fellow human but preaches the need for change in society and improvement in human relations was the basis of the film's script. The director tells the story of two brothers of different ages who are not expressive, showing them safeguarding their identities but having a deep love and respect for each other.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: Addala travelled to Yanam and other places in East Godavari district to study the mentality and behaviour of the local people. He noticed that about 80 percent of the families had good fathers, and their sons (who were struggling to find jobs and establish themselves) reconciled easily after small disagreements. Addala decided to convey in the film that life would be easier if small problems can be corrected. Most of the characters, except Seetha, are drawn from real life; Babu's character represents youth, and Venkatesh and Prakash Raj's characters exemplify an elder brother and a middle-class father.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: "Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu" soundtrack was composed by Mickey J Meyer, with lyrics by Ananta Sriram and Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry. Aditya Music acquired its marketing rights in early June 2012, and the soundtrack was released at an event at Ramanaidu Studios in Nanakramguda, Hyderabad, on 7 December 2012. A critical and commercial success, it was certified triple platinum at a 19 January 2013 ceremony at Shilpakala Vedika in Hyderabad.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: In late April 2012 the producers planned a worldwide release on 28 September, three weeks before the release of "Cameraman Gangatho Rambabu". "Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu" release was expected to be postponed because of a filming delay after Samantha had an adverse drug reaction. Raju later announced that the film would be released on 21 December for Christmas, but due to production delays its release was postponed to 11 January 2013 for the three-day Sankranthi holiday. At Babu's suggestion a statewide premiere was planned a day before the general theatrical release, with the producers hoping to earn 10 million from the premiere.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: "Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu" was released on 101 screens (considered a record) in the United States and on eight screens in Canada. The film was released in New York, New Jersey, the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. "Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu" was the first South Indian film to be released in Manhattan, premiering on 10 January 2013 at the Times Square AMC Empire 25 theatre. The film opened worldwide on 1,500 screens. In Hyderabad and Secunderabad, it was released on 85 screens and the cities' eight multiplexes scheduled 100 shows per day; tickets for the first week sold out in one day. Raju scheduled screenings for women only on 14, 15 and 16 January.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: A Tamil remake proved cost-prohibitive, leading to an announcement of the Tamil-dubbed version "Anandam Anandame" in early October 2013. Viji Creations acquired the dubbing rights and P. Rajarajan wrote the dialogue for the dubbed version. It was also later dubbed and released in Tamil again under the title "Nenjamellam Pala Vannam" which was released in 2018.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: The film's first-look teaser was released on 31 May 2012. Within a day of its release the teaser attracted 227,319 views on YouTube, and 9,416 members shared it on Facebook. First-look posters saying "Happy birthday to my brother Mahesh Babu", signed by Venkatesh, were released on 8 August. Publicist B. A. Raju announced that another teaser would be released on 12 December, the day before Venkatesh's birthday, since the producers of "Businessman" (2012) had released a first-look poster featuring Babu on 11 November 2011. The film's theatrical trailer was released on 13 December. Red Label and Mega Mart entered into a co-branding partnership for the film.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: "Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu" television broadcast rights were sold for 85 million to an undisclosed channel in early June 2012. Theatrical distribution rights for Krishna district were sold for 27.5 million in late October 2012. Vintage Creations and Srinikethan Films acquired the theatrical distribution rights for East Godavari and Nellore districts for 28.3 million and 18.5 million, respectively. 14 Reels Entertainment, in association with FICUS, acquired the film's overseas theatrical distribution rights in late November 2012.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: "Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu" Indian VCD, DVD and Blu-ray discs were marketed by Aditya Videos. Overseas DVD and Blu-ray discs were released in June 2013 by Bhavani Videos, and global television broadcast rights were acquired by MAA TV. After its global television premiere, "Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu" registered a TRP rating of 20.00, the second highest rating ever for a Telugu film after "Magadheera" (2009) which registered 22.00. It retained that spot until the global television premiere of "" (2015) and "Srimanthudu" (2015). They registered the TRP ratings of 21.84 and 21.24 respectively, pushing "Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu" to the fourth spot. The film's premiere took place on MAA TV on 9 June 2013.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: "Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu" received generally positive reviews. Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of "The Hindu" called the film a "delightful family drama with its celebration of family bonds, love and marriage laced with laughter", and Addala "wants to leave his audience with a thought, wants them to reflect on their relationships and overlook skirmishes that can sour family bonds". Dundoo cited Guhan's cinematography as one of the film's highlights, and praised its performances. Mahalakshmi Prabhakaran of "Daily News and Analysis" called the film a "heartwarming watch that has its emotions and underlying message in the right place". Calling Guhan's cinematography and its music wonderful, Prabhakaran also praised the film's cast.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: According to IANS, "It is very unlikely to point out a single dull moment in this crowd-pleasing, tear-jerking healthy family entertainer that presents a story akin to every household". The reviewer added that the film "may or may not inspire one and all, but it will definitely send everybody back home with a smile". Shekhar of Oneindia Entertainment called the film a "good family entertainer", adding that the audience would immerse themselves in the film and "feel like they are watching some real life sequences from in and around their house". IndiaGlitz called the film a "heart-tugging family entertainer": "If Mahesh Babu seems to be the most important star, be it in terms of the screen time or the number of lines he gets to speak, it is Venkatesh who takes a lion's share in SVSC's story. It is around Peddodu that Srikanth Addala weaves a drama full of modest emotional highs and lilting moments".


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: Karthik Pasupulate of "The Times of India" gave "Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu" 3.5 out of five stars, calling it a "good old fashioned family drama sans the usual masala" and adding that it is "pleasant, well intended, and has some tender moments as well, but does it pack enough entertainment value". Pasupulate praised the performances, calling them understated like the rest of the film. Sify gave the film 3.25 out of five stars: ""Seethamma Vaakitlo Sirimalle Chettu" definitely makes you moist-eyed as you walk out from the theatre but it runs on a flimsy story. It is a film that reinforces the great Indian family values and is also a manipulative film like most Sooraj Barjatya films." The reviewer praised the film's climax, adding that Babu's performance, the score, cinematography and its later scenes overshadowed its flaws.


title: Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

text: Radhika Rajamani of Rediff gave the film three out of five stars: "While it cruises along smoothly, delving into relationships within the family, without too many conflicts or twists and turns, one feels an emotional disconnect sometimes because society has changed so much from what is portrayed on screen". She added, "The storyline is realistic, in that it is all about the happenings in a middle class home, but it's more about situations and doesn't develop as a story. So if you want to see a non-violent, family values kind of film, this one is for you. It's just that it seems a little out of date." B. V. S. Prakash of "Deccan Chronicle" gave the film 2.5 out of five stars, calling it a "dampener" and its scenes repetitive and tedious. Prakash praised the performances, however, especially those of Venkatesh and Babu.