title: On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences

text: The speech was shocking in its day. There are reports that the audience reacted with applause and laughter at several points. There are also reports that some of those present suffered heart attacks and others later took their own lives due to shock at the revelations of Stalin's use of terror. The ensuing confusion among many Soviet citizens, raised on panegyrics and permanent praise of the "genius" of Stalin, was especially apparent in Georgia, Stalin's homeland, where the days of protests and rioting ended with the Soviet army crackdown on 9 March 1956. In the West, the speech politically devastated organised communists; the Communist Party USA alone lost more than 30,000 members within weeks of its publication.


text: The speech was cited as a major cause of the Sino-Soviet split by China (under Chairman Mao Zedong) and Albania (under First Secretary Enver Hoxha) who condemned Khrushchev as a revisionist. In response, they formed the anti-revisionist movement, criticizing the post-Stalin leadership of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union for allegedly deviating from the path of Lenin and Stalin. Mao strengthened his own cult of personality equivalent to Stalin. In North Korea, factions of the Workers' Party of Korea attempt to remove Chairman Kim Il-sung by criticizing him for not "correcting" his leadership methods, developing a personality cult, distorting the "Leninist principle of collective leadership" and "distortions of socialist legality" (i.e. using arbitrary arrest and executions) and use other Khrushchev-era criticisms of Stalinism against Kim Il-sung's leadership. The attempt to remove Kim failed and the participants were arrested and later executed, allowing Kim to further strengthen his own cult of personality as well.


text: The speech was a milestone in the Khrushchev Thaw. It possibly served Khrushchev's ulterior motives to legitimize and consolidate his control of the Soviet Union's party and government after political struggles with Georgy Malenkov and firm Stalin loyalists such as Vyacheslav Molotov, who were involved to varying degrees in the purges. The Khrushchev report's "Secret Speech" name came because it was delivered at an unpublicized closed session of party delegates, with guests and members of the press excluded. The text of the Khrushchev report was widely discussed in party cells in early March, often with the participation of non-party members. The official Russian text was not openly published until 1989, during the "glasnost" campaign of the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.


text: The issue of mass repressions was known to Soviet leaders well before the speech. The speech itself was prepared based on the results of a special party commission (chairman Pyotr Pospelov, P. T. Komarov, Averky Aristov and Nikolai Shvernik), known as the Pospelov Commission, arranged at the session of the Presidium of the Party Central Committee on 31 January 1955. The direct goal of the commission was to investigate the repressions of the delegates of the 17th Congress of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) in 1934.


text: The 17th Congress was selected for investigations because it was known as "the Congress of Victors" in the country of "victorious socialism" and so the enormous number of "enemies" among the participants demanded explanation. The commission presented evidence that in 1937 and 1938 (the peak of the period known as the Great Purge), over one-and-a-half million individuals, the majority being long-time CPSU members, were arrested for "anti-Soviet activities", of whom over 680,500 were executed.


text: The public session of the 20th Congress had come to a formal end on 24 February 1956, when word was spread to delegates to return to the Great Hall of the Kremlin for an additional "closed session" to which journalists, guests and delegates from "fraternal parties" from outside the Soviet Union were not invited. Special passes were issued to those eligible to participate, with an additional 100 former party members, who had been recently released from the Soviet prison camp network, added to the assembly to add moral effect.


text: Premier Nikolai Bulganin, chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union and then an ally of Khrushchev, called the session to order and immediately yielded the floor to Khrushchev, who began his speech shortly after midnight on 25 February. For the next four hours, Khrushchev delivered "On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences" before stunned delegates. Several people became ill during the tense report and had to be removed from the hall.


text: Khrushchev read from a prepared report, and no stenographic record of the closed session was kept. No questions or debate followed Khrushchev's presentation and delegates left the hall in a state of acute disorientation. The same evening, the delegates of foreign communist parties were called to the Kremlin and given the opportunity to read the prepared text of the Khrushchev speech, which was treated as a top secret state document.


text: On 1 March, the text of the Khrushchev speech was distributed in printed form to senior Central Committee functionaries. That was followed, on 5 March, by a reduction of the document's secrecy classification from "Top Secret" to "Not for Publication". The Party Central Committee ordered that Khrushchev's Report be read at all gatherings of Communist and Komsomol local units, with non-party activists invited to attend the proceedings. Therefore, the "Secret Speech" was read publicly at literally thousands of meetings, making the colloquial name of the document something of a misnomer. The full text was officially published in the Soviet press in 1989.


text: Shortly after the conclusion of the speech, reports of its delivery, and its general content, were conveyed to the West by Reuters journalist John Rettie, after a Soviet acquaintance briefed him about the speech a few hours before Rettie left for Stockholm on holiday. It was therefore reported in the Western media in early March. Rettie came to believe the information came from Khrushchev himself, via the intermediary.


text: The text of the speech was only slowly disclosed in Eastern Europe. It was never disclosed to Western communist party members by the nomenklatura, and most Western communists only became aware of the details of the text after "The New York Times" (5 June 1956), "Le Monde" (6 June 1956), and "The Observer" (10 June 1956) published versions of the full text.


text: The content of the speech reached the West through a circuitous route. A few copies of the speech were sent by order of the Soviet Politburo to leaders of the Eastern Bloc countries. Shortly after the speech had been disseminated, a Polish-Jewish journalist Wiktor Grajewski, visited his girlfriend, Łucja Baranowska, who worked as a junior secretary in the office of the First Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party, Edward Ochab. On her desk was a thick booklet with a red binding, with the words: "The 20th Party Congress, the speech of Comrade Khrushchev". Grajewski had heard rumours of the speech and, as a journalist, was interested in reading it. Baranowska allowed him to take the document home to read.


text: As it happened, Grajewski had made a recent trip to Israel to visit his sick father, and resolved to emigrate there. After he read the speech, he decided to take it to the Israeli embassy, and gave it to Yaakov Barmor, who had helped Grajewski undertake his trip. Barmor, a Shin Bet representative, took photographs of the document and sent them to Israel.


text: By the afternoon of 13 April 1956, the Shin Bet in Israel had received the photographs. Israeli intelligence and United States intelligence had secretly agreed previously to co-operate on security matters. The photographs were delivered to James Jesus Angleton, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) head of counterintelligence, and in charge of the clandestine liaison with Israeli intelligence. On 17 April 1956, they reached the CIA chief, Allen Dulles, who quickly informed US President Dwight D. Eisenhower. After determining that the speech was authentic, the CIA leaked the speech to "The New York Times" in early June.


text: While Khrushchev was not hesitant to point out the flaws in Stalinist practice in regard to the purges of the army and party and the management of the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet Union's involvement in World War II, he was very careful to avoid any criticism of Stalin's industrialization policy or party ideology. Khrushchev was a staunch party man and lauded Leninism and communist ideology in his speech as often as he condemned Stalin's actions. Stalin, Khrushchev argued, was the primary victim of the deleterious effect of the cult of personality, which, through his existing flaws, had transformed him from a crucial part of the victories of Lenin into a paranoiac man who was easily influenced by the "rabid enemy of our party", Lavrentiy Beria.


text: On 30 June 1956, the Central Committee of the party issued a resolution, "On Overcoming the Cult of the Individual and Its Consequences", which served as the party's official and public pronouncement on the Stalin era. Written under the guidance of Mikhail Suslov, it did not mention Khrushchev's specific allegations. "Complaining that Western political circles were exploiting the revelation of Stalin's crimes, the resolution paid tribute to [Stalin's] services" and was relatively guarded in its criticisms of him.


text: Khrushchev's speech was followed by a period of liberalization, known as the Khrushchev Thaw, into the early 1960s. In 1961, the body of Stalin was removed from public view in Lenin's mausoleum and buried in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis.


text: Polish philosopher Leszek Kołakowski criticized Khrushchev in 1978 for failing to make any analysis of the system Stalin presided over, stating:""Stalin had simply been a criminal and a maniac, personally to blame for all the nation's defeats and misfortunes. As to how, and in what social conditions, a bloodthirsty paranoiac could for twenty-five years exercise unlimited despotic power over a country of two hundred million inhabitants, which throughout that period had been blessed with the most progressive and democratic system of government in human history—to this enigma the speech offered no clue whatever. All that was certain was that the Soviet system and the party itself remained impeccably pure and bore no responsibility for the tyrant's atrocities"."Western historians also tended to take a somewhat critical view of the speech. J. Arch Getty commented in 1985 that "Khrushchev's revelations [...] are almost entirely self-serving. It is hard to avoid the impression that the revelations had political purposes in Khrushchev's struggle with Molotov, Malenkov, and Kaganovich". The historian Geoffrey Roberts said Khrushchev's speech became "one of the key texts of western historiography of the Stalin era. But many western historians were sceptical about Khrushchev's efforts to lay all the blame for past communist crimes on Stalin".


title: Phylogenetics

text: In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups of organisms. These relationships are determined by phylogenetic inference methods that focus on observed heritable traits, such as DNA sequences, protein amino acid sequences, or morphology. The result of such an analysis is a phylogenetic tree—a diagram containing a hypothesis of relationships that reflects the evolutionary history of a group of organisms.


title: Phylogenetics

text: The tips of a phylogenetic tree can be living taxa or fossils, and represent the "end" or the present time in an evolutionary lineage. A phylogenetic diagram can be rooted or unrooted. A rooted tree diagram indicates the hypothetical common ancestor of the tree. An unrooted tree diagram (a network) makes no assumption about the ancestral line, and does not show the origin or "root" of the taxa in question or the direction of inferred evolutionary transformations.


title: Phylogenetics

text: In addition to their use for inferring phylogenetic patterns among taxa, phylogenetic analyses are often employed to represent relationships among genes or individual organisms. Such uses have become central to understanding biodiversity, evolution, ecology, and genomes.


title: Phylogenetics

text: Taxonomy is the identification, naming and classification of organisms. Classifications are now usually based on phylogenetic data, and many systematists contend that only monophyletic taxa should be recognized as named groups. The degree to which classification depends on inferred evolutionary history differs depending on the school of taxonomy: phenetics ignores phylogenetic speculation altogether, trying to represent the similarity between organisms instead; cladistics (phylogenetic systematics) tries to reflect phylogeny in its classifications by only recognizing groups based on shared, derived characters (synapomorphies); evolutionary taxonomy tries to take into account both the branching pattern and "degree of difference" to find a compromise between them.


title: Phylogenetics

text: Usual methods of phylogenetic inference involve computational approaches implementing the optimality criteria and methods of parsimony, maximum likelihood (ML), and MCMC-based Bayesian inference. All these depend upon an implicit or explicit mathematical model describing the evolution of characters observed.


title: Phylogenetics

text: Phenetics, popular in the mid-20th century but now largely obsolete, used distance matrix-based methods to construct trees based on overall similarity in morphology or similar observable traits (i.e. in the phenotype or the overall similarity of DNA, not the DNA sequence), which was often assumed to approximate phylogenetic relationships.


title: Phylogenetics

text: Prior to 1950, phylogenetic inferences were generally presented as narrative scenarios. Such methods are often ambiguous and lack explicit criteria for evaluating alternative hypotheses.


title: Phylogenetics

text: The term "phylogeny" derives from the German , introduced by Haeckel in 1866, and the Darwinian approach to classification became known as the "phyletic" approach.


title: Phylogenetics

text: During the late 19th century, Ernst Haeckel's recapitulation theory, or "biogenetic fundamental law", was widely accepted. It was often expressed as "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny", i.e. the development of a single organism during its lifetime, from germ to adult, successively mirrors the adult stages of successive ancestors of the species to which it belongs. But this theory has long been rejected. Instead, ontogeny evolves – the phylogenetic history of a species cannot be read directly from its ontogeny, as Haeckel thought would be possible, but characters from ontogeny can be (and have been) used as data for phylogenetic analyses; the more closely related two species are, the more apomorphies their embryos share.


title: Phylogenetics

text: Phylogenetic tools and representations (trees and networks) can also be applied to studying the evolution of languages, in the field of quantitative comparative linguistics.


title: Weapon systems officer

text: A Weapon Systems Officer (WSO), nicknamed "Wizzo", is an air flight officer directly involved in all air operations and weapon systems of a military aircraft.


title: Weapon systems officer

text: Historically, aircrew duties in military aircraft were highly specialised and rigid, because the relevant controls, instruments/displays, and/or weapons were concentrated in front of particular seats, panels or positions. That included two-seat variants of fighter or attack/strike aircraft (including late 20th century types such as the F-4 Phantom II, A-6 Intruder, F-111 Aardvark, F-14 Tomcat, Panavia Tornado, Su-24 Fencer and Su-30MK Flanker-C, Dassault Mirage 2000N/2000D).


title: Weapon systems officer

text: From the 1970s onward an aircraft with two-member crews, such as the F-15E Strike Eagle, F/A-18F Super Hornet or Su-34 Fullback and Dassault Rafale B have often featured programmable multi-function displays. These programs allow roles to be more flexible than previous generation aircraft. Multiple crew members can be responsible for detecting, targeting and engaging air-to-air or ground targets, communications, datalinks and/or defensive systems. Roles can be customized based on experience, expertise, workload, tactics, and weapons being employed. Pilots usually retain the responsibility for flying the aircraft in tactical situations. However, the crews of dedicated bomber aircraft usually retain distinct, rigidly-defined and conventional roles.


title: Weapon systems officer

text: In the Royal Air Force, a WSO is a commissioned officer that operates aircraft mission systems formerly on the Tornado GR4, however now on the Reaper, Sentinel R1 drones, the Boeing Rivet Joint, Boeing E-3 Sentry and the Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.


title: Weapon systems officer

text: Non-commissioned Aircrew can serve as a WSOp (Weapon Systems Operator), an umbrella term for the various specialist aircrew responsible for assisting the pilot in operating the mission systems of the aircraft (e.g. linguists, loadmasters, crewman).


title: Weapon systems officer

text: In the United States Navy, WSOs are naval flight officers responsible for manning the weapon systems of the F/A-18F Super Hornet strike fighter from that jet's aft seat. Prior to the introduction of the F/A-18F, they were known as Radar Intercept Officers (RIO) in the aft seats of the F-4 Phantom II and F-14 Tomcat; as Bombardier/Navigators (B/N) in the right seat of the A-6 Intruder and the A-3 Skywarrior and in the aft seat in the A-5 Vigilante; and Reconnaissance Attack Navigators (RAN) in the aft seat of the RA-5C Vigilante.


title: Weapon systems officer

text: In the United States Marine Corps, "WSO" refers to naval flight officers serving as the aft crew member of the F/A-18D Hornet. Prior to the introduction of the F/A-18D, they also served as Radar Intercept Officers (RIO) in the aft seat of the F-4 Phantom II, Reconnaissance Systems Officers (RSO) in the aft seat of reconnaissance aircraft such as the RF-4B Phantom II and as Bombardier/Navigators (B/N) in the right seat of the A-6 Intruder. Until mid-2019, the Marines also employed Naval Flight Officers in the EA-6B Prowler, where they were known as Electronic Countermeasures Officers (ECMO, pronounced “EK-mo”).


title: Weapon systems officer

text: In U.S. Naval Aviation (USN & USMC), when designated as the mission commander (MC), the WSO is responsible for all phases of the assigned mission, especially if there are multiple aircraft involved. For example, the aircraft pilot could be the junior member of a flight crew such as a USN lieutenant, junior grade/USMC 1st lieutenant or USN lieutenant/USMC captain, and the weapon systems officer could be a senior officer such as a USN lieutenant commander, commander or captain, or a USMC major, lieutenant colonel, or colonel; this would likely make the WSO the mission commander.


title: Weapon systems officer

text: In the U.S. Air Force, "WSO" also refers to a USAF combat systems officer (CSO, formerly USAF navigator) who is the aft crew member in the F-15E Strike Eagle. In the B-52, the CSO crew members on the lower deck of the aircraft who were previously designated as navigator and radar navigator (bombardier) are now known as weapon systems officers while the CSO on the upper deck is an electronic warfare officer. In the B-1B Lancer bomber, there are 2 weapon systems officers manning crew positions aft of the pilot and co-pilot. They are known as the Offensive Systems Officer (OSO), and the Defensive Systems Officer (DSO). WSOs also flew in the now-retired F-111 Aardvark strike bomber, flown by the US Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force, and the now retired USAF EF-111A Raven airborne jammer. In the F-111, the WSO (EWO in the EF-111) was seated directly to the right of the pilot/aircraft commander. The WSO integrates with the pilot to collectively achieve and maintain crew efficiency, situational awareness and mission effectiveness. In the U.S. Air Force fighter aircraft such as the F-15E Strike Eagle, the WSO can pilot the aircraft when required, although this is typically during non-tactical portions of the mission (e.g., en route to mission area or returning to base). When designated as the mission commander (MC), the WSO is also responsible for all phases of the assigned mission, especially if there are multiple aircraft involved. For example, the aircraft pilot could be the junior member of a flight crew such as a first lieutenant or captain, and the weapon systems officer could be a senior officer such as a major, lieutenant colonel, or colonel; regardless of rank, the WSO would be the mission commander if he/she is qualified.


title: Weapon systems officer

text: Currently, all USN WSOs begin their training as student naval flight officers (SNFO) at NAS Pensacola, Florida. Training begins with Introductory Flight Screening, where the WSO flies a Cessna 172 or Piper PA-28 variant to show they are competent enough in aviation to continue the rigorous training ahead. Then the SNFO starts the U.S. Navy indoctrination course called Aviation Preflight Indoctrination (API) with their student naval aviator (pilot) counterparts. After six weeks of ground school and basic water survival training during API, future SWSOs (Student WSOs), at that point known as student naval flight officers (SNFO) check into the primary Training Squadron for SNFOs, the VT-10 Wildcats.


title: Weapon systems officer

text: Training begins with several weeks of ground school followed by remnants of the "super-fo" program from the U.S. Navy where the SNFO takes front seat of the new T-6 Texan II for six "contact" flights where the student will become familiar with the T-6. The SNFO is treated like a pilot training student for these six flights. After Contacts, the SNFO goes back to academics to learn instrument flying rules. Primary ends with a final instrument checkride. After primary the SNFO is compared to his or her shipmates and selected for either land-based naval aircraft or tailhook aircraft. Those SNFOs destined for the carrier-based E-2C or E-2D Hawkeye will be known as air control officers and combat information center officers, while those destined for the EA-18G Growler (USN only) will be electronic warfare officers (EWO). Those destined for the F/A-18F Super Hornet (USN Only) or the F/A-18D Hornet (USMC only) will become WSOs.


title: Weapon systems officer

text: Intermediate picks up where Primary ends for USAF SWSOs. After the instrument phase of training, students move to visual navigation (VNAV) "low levels" at 2000'AGL, and finish in the T-6 with a final training block called "forms" (formation flying). Forms consist of four flights of learning the basics of close in formation flying. After forms, SWSOs head back to ground school to learn an entirely new aircraft, the USN T-39 Sabreliner. The T-39 is used as an intermediate instrument and low-level trainer for SWSOs, where they receive a total of eight flights. Students are required to learn the aircraft in a two-week ground school period before they go flight side. In contrast, T-6 ground school is four weeks. Training ends at either VT-10 or VT-4 with the "i-grad" ceremony and top graduate award.


title: Weapon systems officer

text: VT-86 is where all the training comes together to culminate in the SWSO receiving his or her wings of gold. In the T-45C, a USN single-engine jet trainer, SWSOs learn advanced instrument flying, radar navigation, and composite visual/radar navigation. SWSOs also receive instruction in Air-to-Ground strike training, Air-to-Air intercept training, Basic Fighter Maneuvering, and Close Air Support. A/G Training takes place on both VR and IR routes that criss-cross the south east United States. After completion of the syllabus, track selection takes place. Navy SWSOs select either the F/A-18F Super Hornet, or the E/A-18 Growler. Marine SWSOs by default select the F/A-18D Hornet. The final three months of some of the hardest training at Pensacola will leave the SWSO F/A-18 selectee with their wings of gold. Air Force WSOs no longer train at VT-86.


title: Weapon systems officer

text: Following the winging ceremony, USN and USMC WSOs will proceed to a Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) and USAF WSOs to a Formal Training Unit (FTU) to complete advanced ground school and flight training to prepare them for their "operational" combat aircraft in the deployable operating forces.


title: Weapon systems officer

text: All USAF aviators with parachutes on the aircraft attend this three-day course at NAS Pensacola, Florida. During the course, USAF WSOs learn the basics of surviving an aircraft ejection over water, obtaining food and drinkable water when stranded at sea, combat evasion at sea, and how to be successfully rescued by boat or helicopter. For USN and USMC WSOs, this program was previously completed at NAS Pensacola during their Aviation Preflight Indoctrination (API) training.


title: Weapon systems officer

text: This one-day course located at Brooks City-Base, San Antonio, Texas, tests USAF WSOs selected for the F-15E in their ability to withstand the g-forces routinely experienced by fighter aircrew.


title: Weapon systems officer

text: The Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) training course trains all USAF aircrew basic survival skills, combat evasion, and techniques to resist exploitation if captured. WSOs also learn how to survive an aircraft ejection over land. For USAF personnel, the three-week course is taught at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington and the surrounding areas. The counterpart course for USN and USMC WSOs is taught at NAS North Island (academics) and Warner Springs, California (field exercise) for Pacific Fleet personnel and at Brunswick, Maine for Atlantic Fleet personnel.


title: Weapon systems officer

text: USAF WSOs selected for the F-15E learn basic fighter maneuvers (BFM) and surface attack in the T-38C at Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals (IFF). WSOs complete this training at either the 435th Fighter Training Squadron at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas or the 49th Fighter Training Squadron at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. WSOs also learn about the culture of being a young aircrew member in a USAF fighter squadron. The course lasts approximately eight weeks.


title: Weapon systems officer

text: USAF WSOs selected for the B-1B, B-52H, and some F-15E selectees will become electronic warfare officers (EWOs) by attending this 12-week training program at the 563d Flying Training Squadron at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. A similar program for USN EWOs in the EA-18G and USMC ECMOs in the EA-6B is conducted at the Center for Information Dominance at Corry Station, Florida. In both programs, students learn the basics of radar theory, electronic attack, and electronic defense.


title: Khonshu (Marvel Comics)

text: Khonshu is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in "Moon Knight" #1 (Nov. 1980), created by Doug Moench and Bill Sienkiewicz, and is based on the Egyptian lunar god Khonsu. He is a member of the Heliopolitan pantheon and the patron of the superhero Moon Knight.


title: Khonshu (Marvel Comics)

text: Khonshu appears in the live-action Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) miniseries "Moon Knight", performed by Karim El-Hakim and voiced by F. Murray Abraham.


title: Khonshu (Marvel Comics)

text: While Khonshu possessed Moon Knight during the hero's time with the West Coast Avengers, Khonshu was often shown as a largely benevolent god who wanted to assist the team. He was at times shown to be conflicted as to whether he should reveal his powers and what was worthy of it. He was able to effortlessly resist being controlled by the mutant The Voice.


title: Khonshu (Marvel Comics)

text: However, he is shown to become more and more of an antagonistic role to Moon Knight starting in the 2006 series, where he would later become the main antagonist of the 2016 Moon Knight series, and the age of Khonshu storyline in Jason Aaron's run.


title: Khonshu (Marvel Comics)

text: Moon Knight volume #4 initially treats Khonshu in a rather different way, portraying him as a harsh and unforgiving god of vengeance who is strengthened by the fear that his avatar inspires. Accordingly, he is quite prepared to manipulate Marc Spector's allies and enemies in order to revive Moon Knight's career, and is highly critical of Spector. As with many Moon Knight stories, the line between reality and hallucination is sometimes intentionally blurred, but aspects of the art and story do strongly suggest that Khonshu's actions are entirely real. Khonshu also appears as a statue, but primarily converses with Moon Knight in the mutilated form of the Bushman, a villain who was killed when Spector carved off his face. Khonshu calls this his 'greatest work.' Moon Knight eventually breaks the influence of Khonshu, seeing the god as a scale in line with a cockroach.


title: Khonshu (Marvel Comics)

text: Chons, better known as Khonshu, was said to be the son of Atum (known to the Egyptian gods as Ammon Ra) and of Amaunet, air goddess of the Ogdoad pantheon. Another account stated that Khonshu was the adopted son of Amon Ra. He was the brother of Montu, and possibly Bes and Ptah, and was brother or half-brother to Bast and Sekhmet. According to Knull, Khonshu was actually an "elder shadow, dressed in local legend".


title: Khonshu (Marvel Comics)

text: Around the year 1,000,000 BC, Khonshu was offended by not having been offered membership of the Stone Age Avengers and chose a mortal avatar - the first known Moon Knight - to enforce his will on Earth and antagonize the Avengers on his behalf, eventually leading to the establishment of the Cult of Khonshu and a succession of Moon Knights. Khonshu and Ra have been warring against each other for millenia, having been reborn again and again through earthly avatars, with Khonshu beating Ra in every instance.It was later revealed that Khonshu is the God of Time as well as Vengeance.


title: Khonshu (Marvel Comics)

text: In Ancient Egypt, Khonshu posed as a human pharaoh at the Egyptian city of Thebes, the seat of worship of Ammon Ra, at the same time Osiris posed as a mortal ruler in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis. Kang the Conqueror arrived in Ancient Egypt looking for the God of Time Seeking three artifacts joined together in a staff from Khonshu to gain dominion over time, Kang's plot is hampered when the staff is broken, scattering the three components he needs.


title: Khonshu (Marvel Comics)

text: Khonshu visited Marc Spector, a young boy whose mind was broken and split into different personalities, and chose him as his avatar. However, Spector's family sent him to Putnam Psychiatric Hospital for treatment. After his father's death, Spector was allowed to leave the hospital temporarily to attend the funeral and a late luncheon, but ran away after hearing Khonshu's voice.


title: Khonshu (Marvel Comics)

text: In the modern day, Khonshu later resurrected Marc Spector and blessed him with superhuman powers and abilities under the Moon. When Spector and Marlene travelled to Egypt, she was kidnapped by Jellim Yussaf, who hoped to find the treasure hidden in the Tomb of Seti II. Moon Knight tracked them down and during the fight he found the lost chamber, falling into the arms of a statue of Khonshu. The deity sent a gust of wind, allowing Moon Knight to glide down to knock out Yussaf. Spector decided to retire as a vigilante and sold his statue of Khonshu which was bought by Anubis the Jackal, a former enemy of the Moon Deity. Khonshu visited Spector in his dreams, hoping to bring him back as his champion on Earth. Spector gave in and travelled to Egypt. There he met the Priests of Khonshu, who gave him weapons and a suit designed by the time travelling Hawkeye thousands of years earlier. They informed him that his powers were affected by the phases of the moon and would be strongest at the moon's fullest. Using his newfound power, Spector defeated Anubis and took back the statue of Khonshu, which protected him when the temple collapsed.


title: Khonshu (Marvel Comics)

text: Khonshu has the conventional powers of the Ennead (the Heliopolitan gods), such as superhuman strength (Khonshu can bench press 60 tons), superhuman durability (he can withstand unspecified levels of injury), regenerative healing factor (Khonshu can be injured, but heals much faster and better than the healthiest human), immortality (he is immune to disease and aging), magic manipulation (Khonshu can manipulate mystic energies for supernatural effects such as interdimensional teleportation, telepathy, healing, resurrection, causing earthquakes and granting superhuman powers to mortal beings such as the Moon Knight), lunakinesis (manipulating objects made out of moonrocks, including Uru) and power absorption (Khonshu stole the powers of various heroes and stored them inside some Ankhs).


title: Khonshu (Marvel Comics)

text: In the Universe X saga it is suggested that Uatu the Watcher who lives on the moon was the original inspiration for the Egyptian moon god Khonshu.


title: Danube Delta

text: The Danube Delta (, ; , ) is the second largest river delta in Europe, after the Volga Delta, and is the best preserved on the continent. The greater part of the Danube Delta lies in Romania (Tulcea County), with a small part in Ukraine (Odessa Oblast). Its approximate surface area is , of which is in Romania. With the lagoons of Razim–Sinoe ( with water surface), located south of the main delta, the total area of the Danube Delta is . The Razim–Sinoe lagoon complex is geologically and ecologically related to the delta proper; the combined territory is listed as a World Heritage Site.


title: Danube Delta

text: The modern Danube Delta began to form after 4000 BCE in a bay of the Black Sea when the sea rose to its present level. A sandy barrier blocked the Danube bay where the river initially built its delta. Upon filling the bay with sediment, the delta advanced outside this barrier-blocked estuary after 3500 BCE, building several successive lobes: the St. George I (3500–1600 BCE), the Sulina (1600–0 BCE), the St. George II (0 BC–present) and the Chilia or Kilia (1600 CE–present). Several other internal lobes were constructed in the lakes and lagoons bordering the Danube Delta to the north (Chilia I and II) and toward the south (Dunavatz). Much of the alluvium in the delta and major expansion of its surface area in the form of lobes resulted from soil erosion associated with the clearing of forests in the Danube basin during the 1st and 2nd millennium. Geologist Liviu Giosan told "The New York Times":


title: Danube Delta

text: Probably 40 percent of the Delta was built in the last 1000 years. Finding that was like a eureka moment.


title: Danube Delta

text: At present, the delta suffers from a large sediment deficit, after the construction of dams on the Danube and its tributaries in the later half of the 20th century. However, construction of a dense network of shallow channels in the delta over the same period, a sedimentation enhancing strategy, attenuated the deficit on the delta plain but increased erosion along the coast The Danube Delta is a low alluvial plain, mostly covered by wetlands and water. It consists of an intricate pattern of marshes, channels, streamlets and lakes. The average altitude is 0.52 m, with 20% of the territory below sea level, and more than half not exceeding one meter in altitude. Dunes on the most extensive strand plains of the delta (Letea and Caraorman strand plains) stand higher (12.4 m and 7 m respectively). The largest lakes are lakes Dranov (21.7 km), Roșu (14.5 km) and Gorgova (13.8 km).


title: Danube Delta

text: The Danube branches into three main distributaries into the delta, Chilia, Sulina, and Sfântul Gheorghe (Saint George). The last two branches form the Tulcea channel, which continues as a single body for several kilometers after the separation from the Chilia. At the mouths of each channel gradual formation of new land takes place, as the delta continues to expand.


title: Danube Delta

text: Chilia, in the north, the longest, youngest, and most vigorous, with two secondary internal deltas and one microdelta in full process of formation at its mouth (to Ukraine).


title: Danube Delta

text: Sulina, the central and thus the shortest arm, which consequently led to its extensive use for traffic and severe transformation. At its mouth is located the main port and a single settlement with urban characteristics of the Romanian part of the delta. Because of the alluvium deposited at its mouth, a channel gradually advancing into the sea (presently it has 10 km) was built in order to protect navigation.


title: Danube Delta

text: Sfântul Gheorghe (Saint George in English), in the south, is the oldest and most sparsely populated. Its alluvium has led to the creation, beginning in 1897, of the Sacalin Islands, which today measure 19 km in length.


title: Danube Delta

text: The climate of the Danube Delta is continental, with strong influences from the vicinity of the Black Sea and its prevalent amphibian environment. It is the driest and sunniest region of Romania. The mean annual temperature is 11 °C (−1 °C in January and 22 °C in July), with mean precipitation between 400 mm/year and 300 mm/year, decreasing from west to east. Evaporation is around 1,000 mm/year, amplified by strong and frequent winds, resulting in long periods of drought in the summer. The northwest winds cause frequent storms in spring and autumn. In the interior of the delta, the continental character of the climate is very pronounced.


title: Danube Delta

text: The Danube Delta falls within the Pannonian steppe ecosystem of eastern Europe, with Mediterranean influences. As a young region in full process of consolidation, the Danube Delta represents a very favourable place for the development of highly diverse flora and fauna, unique in Europe, with numerous rare species. It hosts 23 natural ecosystems, but due to the extent of wetlands an aquatic environment is prevalent; a terrestrial environment is also present on the higher grounds of the continental levees, where xerophile ecosystems have developed. Between the aquatic and terrestrial environments is interposed a swampy, easily flooded strip of original flora and fauna, with means of adaptation to water or land, depending on the season or hydrological regime. At the contact between freshwater and sea water, some special physical, chemical and biological processes take place, which have led biologists to consider this area as a very different ecosystem called beforedelta. Musura Gulf, north of Sulina, and Saint George Gulf are considered the most representative of this type of ecosystem.


title: Danube Delta

text: Situated on major migratory routes, and providing adequate conditions for nesting and hatching, the Danube Delta is a magnet for birds from six major ecoregions of the world, including the Mongolian, Arctic and Siberian. There are over 320 species of birds found in the delta during summer, of which 166 are hatching species and 159 are migratory. Over one million individual birds (swans, wild ducks, coots, etc.) winter here.


title: Danube Delta

text: This comprises the arms of the Danube, and a series of its more important streamlets and channels. It is an environment rich in plankton, worms, molluscs, grubs, and sponges, with numerous species of fish, such as the carp, pike, pike perch, sheat-fish, and freshwater sturgeons (sterlet, Vyza and Danube mackerel).


title: Danube Delta

text: This environment includes the lakes, and various ponds, streamlets and channels. It is characterized by a rich floating and submerse flora ("Myriophyllum", "Ceratophyllum", "Vallisneria" etc., under the water; "Nymphaea alba", "Nuphar lutea", "Trapa natans", "Alisma plantago" etc., floating plants with roots near the lakes' borders; and "Salvinia natans", "Stratiotes aloides", "Spirogyra" etc., floating plants without roots, having negative effect for aquatic bioproductivity). Of the fish, the most important are Tench ("Tinca tinca"), common bream ("Abramis brama"), common rudd ("Scardinius erythropthalmus"), Prussian carp ("Carassius auratus gibelio"), wels catfish ("Silurus glanis"), European perch ("Perca fluviatilis"), and northern pike ("Esox lucius").


title: Danube Delta

text: Reed plants and floating reed islands (called plaur in Romania) are the most common and well known components of the Danube Delta. Vegetation of this ecosystem consists of the common reed ("Phragmites communis") and, on near river banks, mace reed/cattail ("Typha latifolia", "Typha angustifolia"), sedge ("Carex dioica", "Carex stricta"), Dutch rush ("Scirpus radicans", "Schoenoplectus lacustris"), and brook mint ("Mentha aquatica"), etc. They provide ideal spawning and nesting grounds. The plaur are a mixture of reed roots, grass and soil, usually floating or anchored to the riverbed. As a rule, the reed surrounds the lakes and ponds, and slowly invades the water surface.


title: Danube Delta

text: This type of ecosystem is noted for its variety and large population of birds, some of them very rare. The most important are the tufted duck ("Aythya fuligula"), red-crested pochard ("Netta rufina"), mallard ("Anas platyrhynchos"), greylag goose ("Anser anser"), pygmy cormorant ("Microcarbo pygmeus"), purple heron ("Ardea purpurea"), great white egret ("Egretta alba"), little egret ("Egretta garzetta"), Eurasian spoonbill("Platalea leucorodia"), great white pelican ("Pelecanus onocrotalus"), Dalmatian pelican ("Pelecanus crispus"), mute swan ("Cygnus olor"), and glossy ibis ("Plegadis falcinellus"). A recent and welcomed newcomer is the pheasant ("Phasianus colchicus").


title: Danube Delta

text: Among the mammals, there is the Eurasian otter ("Lutra lutra"), European mink ("Mustela lutreola"), little ermine ("Mustela erminea aestiva"), wild boar ("Sus scrofa"), and wild cat ("Felis silvestris"), in winter the European hare ("Lepus europaeus") and, on the brink of disappearing from the delta, the wolf and the fox. The East Asian raccoon dog ("Nyctereutes procyonoides"), bizam/introduced muskrat ("Ondatra zibethica"), and to some extent South American nutria ("Myocastor coypus"), are recent species that have successfully adapted.


title: Danube Delta

text: The firm land of the delta used to be covered with large groves of willow trees, which have been cut down almost entirely and replaced with Canadian poplars. On the river banks kept in their natural state, small groves of willow trees ("Salix alba", "Salix fragilis", "Salix purpurea", "Salix pentandra", "Salix triandra" etc.) can still be found, mixed with white poplar ("Populus alba"). Occasionally, the willow trees form corridors along the arms and bigger channels of the Danube. On the levees of Letea and Caraorman, mixed forests of oak ("Quercus robur", "Quercus pedunculiflora") with various trees ("Fraxinus pallisiae", "Ulmus foliaceae", "Populus tremula"), shrubs ("Prunus spinosa", "Crataegus monogyna", "Rosa canina", "Berberis vulgaris" etc.), and vines ("Vitis sylvestris", "Hedera helix", "Humulus lupulus", "Periploca graeca", which reaches up to 25m) grow on sand dune areas. On the Letea levee, these exotic-looking forests grow especially in the depressions between the sand dunes, in small groves called hasmace. Fauna of this region include the meadow viper ("Vipera ursinii"), osprey ("Pandion haliaetus"), and Eurasian eagle owl ("Bubo bubo"), etc.


title: Danube Delta

text: The Danube Delta is perhaps the least inhabited region of temperate Europe. On the Romanian side live about 20,000 people, of whom 4,600 live in the port of Sulina, which gives an average density of approx. two inhabitants per km. The rest of the population is scattered among 27 villages, of which only three, all situated marginally, had more than 500 people in 2002. The city of Tulcea, at the western edge of the delta, has a population of 92,000 (in 2002); it represents the node of the region and the gate to the delta.


title: Danube Delta

text: Its acute isolation and harsh conditions of living, based mainly on subsistence, made the Danube Delta a place of emigration, or transit at least. Very few of those born in the region stay there through adulthood; at the same time, the origins of its inhabitants vary widely, as people from many parts of Romania can be found in the delta. The total population has remained more or less constant throughout the 20th century; there were 12,000 inhabitants in the 1890s, and 14,000 before the Second World War. Romanians account for approximately 80% of the population, and Ukrainians for 10%. Other people living in the delta include ethnic minorities such as Greeks, Turks and Bulgarians (in 1992). Distinctive to the region, but very rare as an ethnic entity, are the Lipovans, descendants of the Orthodox Old Rite followers who fled from religious persecution in Russia during the 18th century.


title: Danube Delta

text: On the Ukrainian side, located at the northern edge of the delta, the town of Izmail has a population of 85,000, Kiliya a population of 21,800, and Vilkovo, the main center of the Lipovan community, a population of 9,300.


title: Danube Delta

text: Recorded history notes that the Dacians lived in the Danube Delta before it was conquered by the Romans. After later invasion by the Goths, the region changed hands many times. During the 15th century, the Danube Delta became part of the Ottoman Empire. In 1812, following the Russo-Turkish War, the borders of the Ottoman and Russian Empires were set by the Kilia and Old Stambul Channels of the Danube, and in 1829 by the St George Channel. The Treaty of Paris of 1856, which ended the Crimean War, assigned the Danube Delta to the Ottoman Empire and established an international commission which undertook a series of works to help navigation. In 1878, following the defeat of Ottoman Empire by Russia and Romania, the border between the two countries was set by the Kilia and Old Stambul Channels.


title: Danube Delta

text: In 1991, the Romanian part of the Danube Delta became part of UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites. Around 2,733 km of the delta are strictly protected areas.


title: Danube Delta

text: In 1998, under UNESCO's Programme on Man and the Biosphere, the 6,264.03 km of the Danube Delta were established as a biosphere reserve, shared by Romania and Ukraine.


title: Danube Delta

text: In Ukraine, the Danube branch of the Black Sea State Reserve was established in 1973. In 1981, it was reorganized into the Natural Reserve "Danube Fluxes", and in 1998, it was extended into the Danube biosphere reserve.


title: Danube Delta

text: Large-scale works began in the Danube Delta as early as the second half of the 19th century. First corrections of the Sulina arm began in 1862, and they continued throughout the 20th century. As a result, the length of the Sulina arm was reduced from 92 to 64 km, and its flow more than doubled, thus making it suitable for large-vessel navigation. Correcting the six large meanders on its course thereby reduced the length of the Sfântu Gheorghe branch from 108  to 70 km, and its flow also increased somewhat. Both these increases were made to the detriment of the Chilia arm, which at present remains the most unspoiled arm of the main three. These corrections, as well as the digging of various secondary channels throughout the body of the delta, have had a serious impact on the ecosystem. Natural environments have been altered, the breeding pattern of fish has been disrupted, and the flows in the main arms have increased, with serious consequences regarding the discharge of alluvia and the erosion of banks.


title: Danube Delta

text: Reed was intensively harvested during the Communist era. The regime had plans to transform the delta into a large agro-industrial zone. Although the first modern agricultural exploitation dates from 1939 (Ostrovul Tãtaru), only after 1960 were large areas drained and converted, to the detriment of the wetlands. In 1991 agricultural land in the delta surpassed 100,000 hectares, and more than a third of its surface has been affected by crop cultivation, forest plantation, or pisciculture. As a result of these changes, along with the increasing pollution and eutrophication of the waters of the Danube, and decades of exploitation and poor fishing regulations, the fish population has been visibly reduced.


title: Danube Delta

text: In 2004, Ukraine inaugurated work on the Bistroe Channel that would provide an additional navigable link from the Black Sea to the populous Ukrainian section of the Danube Delta. However, because of the negative impact which this new channel might have on the fragile ecosystem of the delta, the European Union advised Ukraine to shut down the works. Romanian officials threatened to sue Ukraine at the International Court of Justice. Under the presidency of Kuchma, Ukraine had responded that Romania was only afraid of the competition that the new channel would bring, and continued working on the channel. Under the presidency of Yuschenko, who visited Romania in 2005, both sides agree that professionals should decide the fate of the channel. In the long run, Ukraine plans to build a navigation channel, if not through Bistroe Channel, then through another channel.


title: Cats Don't Dance

text: Cats Don't Dance is a 1997 American animated musical comedy-drama film directed by Mark Dindal (in his feature directorial debut). It is the only fully animated feature produced by Turner Feature Animation, which was merged during the post-production of "Cats Don't Dance" into Warner Bros. Feature Animation after the merger of Time Warner with Turner Broadcasting System in 1996. Turner Feature Animation had previously produced the animated portions of "The Pagemaster" (1994).


title: Cats Don't Dance

text: The film features the voices of Scott Bakula, Jasmine Guy, Matthew Herried, Ashley Peldon, John Rhys-Davies, Kathy Najimy, Don Knotts, Hal Holbrook, Betty Lou Gerson (in her final film role), René Auberjonois, George Kennedy, and Dindal. Its musical numbers were written by Randy Newman and includes Gene Kelly's contributions as choreographer, before his death in 1996. The film was Kelly's final film project and is dedicated to his memory.


title: Cats Don't Dance

text: "Cats Don't Dance" was released theatrically in the United States on March 26, 1997, by distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures under its Warner Bros. Family Entertainment label. Similar to other Warner Bros. films at the time, it was a box office bomb, grossing $3.5 million domestically due to lack of marketing and promotion. Despite this, the film received generally positive reviews, with praise for its animation, humor, characters, voice performances, and musical numbers.


title: Cats Don't Dance

text: In 1939, in a world where humans and anthropomorphic animals coexist, Danny, an optimistic 18-year-old cat from Kokomo, Indiana, travels to Hollywood in hopes of starting an acting career there. After meeting a young penguin named Pudge, Danny is selected by agent Farley Wink to feature in a film that is in production at Mammoth Pictures called "Li'l Ark Angel", alongside Wink's secretary, a beautiful yet cynical female white cat named Sawyer. Upon joining fellow animals; Tillie the hippo, Cranston the goat, Frances the fish, and T.W the tortoise, Danny is dismayed on learning how minor his role is and tries to weasel his way into more time in the spotlight. Danny unwittingly ends up angering Darla Dimple, a popular yet spoiled child actress and star of the film; she promptly assigns her 36-foot tall Frankenstein-like gorilla butler Max to intimidate Danny into no longer trying to enlarge his part.


title: Cats Don't Dance

text: Danny learns from the studio's mascot Woolie that human actors are normally given more important roles than animals, whereas animals themselves end up getting minor and often thankless roles to the point of having little to no leverage in show business. Longing for the spotlight, Danny tries to make a plan that will encourage humans to provide animal actors with better scenarios; Danny's ideas include assembling a massive cluster of animals and putting on a musical performance for the humans.


title: Cats Don't Dance

text: Later, Danny is given advice by Darla on how to interest and satisfy audiences. He takes this information to heart and groups the animals for an audition on the Ark, hoping to attract the humans' attention. However, Darla, fearing that the animals will jeopardize her spotlight, has Max help her flood the stage with 100,000 gallons of water while L.B. Mammoth, the head of Mammoth Pictures, and Flanigan, the film's director, are giving an interview, getting the animals blamed and dismissed for the collateral damage. The animals are depressed at being barred from acting in Mammoth Pictures, especially Danny, who was convinced by Darla that she was trying to help the animals. Woolie advises Danny to return to Kokomo. Later that night, everyone is at a diner, upset with Danny for ruining everything for them, while Sawyer sings a song about Danny trying to keep their dreams alive. Overhearing Sawyer singing, Tilly suggests Sawyer to follow Danny. Sawyer arrives to the bus stop, just seconds after Danny left, finding his hat and to-do list behind.


title: Cats Don't Dance

text: However, after a comment from the bus driver and seeing Pudge wander the streets, Danny stops the bus and comes up with another plan. He secretly invites Sawyer, Woolie, Tillie, Cranston, Frances and T.W. to the premiere of "Lil' Ark Angel". After the screening and a battle with Max that sends Max flying away on a Darla Dimple balloon, Danny calls the audience's attention, only to be mocked by Darla. However, upon bringing Sawyer and the others backstage to help him and Pudge and after convincing them not to give up on their dreams no matter what the humans have said or done, the eight animals put on a musical performance that entertains and impresses the viewers. Meanwhile, Darla tries to sabotage the show by tampering with the set and special effects equipment, but her attempts instead cause her to enhance the performance.


title: Cats Don't Dance

text: Darla furiously yells at the animals for foiling her plan when her voice is amplified over the theater's sound system due to a boom mic she had been tangled up with, unintentionally revealing the truth about the incident to the audience, including L.B. and Flanigan. Darla tries to hide her true colors by kissing and hugging Danny, but Pudge sends her down a trapdoor. The animals achieve their dreams for larger roles, Danny and Sawyer admit their feelings for each other, and Darla is demoted to a janitor.


title: Cats Don't Dance

text: The film was launched in 1993 as a vehicle for Michael Jackson, who would produce, star, and be a consultant in the music and choreography. It would have been a hybrid live-action/CGI film. However, by 1994, Jackson had ceased to be involved in the film. In its earlier stages, the film concerned less anthropomorphic stray cats that live among the sets and studio backlots. At one point, David Shire and Richard Maltby Jr. composed songs for the film before Randy Newman was hired.


title: Cats Don't Dance

text: Turner Animation was run by David Kirschner, and had originated as the feature division of Hanna-Barbera, where Kirschner was CEO. The Turner Animation writing department added cat characters based on stories about the filming of Warner Bros. Studios productions like "Casablanca" (1942), "East of Eden" (1955), and "The Music Man" (1962); stagehands would feed feral cats, which dominated the back lot for decades. Producers David Kirschner and Paul Gertz then decided to have dance numbers in the vein of classic musical films like "Singin' in the Rain" (1952). Kershner felt the style would appeal to a wide audience. An old Hollywood backdrop also inspired the premise of anthropomorphic animals being allegories of those who did not look and/or sound mainstream struggling to gain attention in Hollywood in the early 20th century.


title: Cats Don't Dance

text: Kirschner contacted Mark Dindal to be director of the project a year after the two met and while Dindal was working on "The Rocketeer" (1991). Around the same time, Brian McEntee joined as art director, Randy Newman joined as composer, and Gene Kelly joined as dance consultant. Dindal, Kirschner, and McEntee noticed the improving animation technology and were excited to see how it would be incorporated with traditional animation in "Cats Don't Dance"; McEntee himself worked on the computer-animated ballroom scene in "Beauty and the Beast" (1991). The team watched old musical films for reference before asking Kelly, who instantly joined due to his interest in the story. One meeting took place at Kelly's house between him and Dindal, and he vividly remembered how the films he starred in were choreographed.


title: Cats Don't Dance

text: During production, management at Turner Feature Animation changed repeatedly and each head that came in attempted to take drastic revisions, including updating the setting to the 1950s rock-and-roll era. "It's pretty hard to try and keep what you have finished so far, and then suddenly transition into a different period of time or introduce a different character or have a completely different ending that doesn't seem to fit the beginning you have," said Dindal.


title: Cats Don't Dance

text: Dindal's portrayal of Max was initially a scratch track and was never intended to be heard on the film. Dindal wanted Max to be voiced by a professional actor, but as the film started running out of money, he kept his own vocals in.


title: Cats Don't Dance

text: Steve Goldstein composed much of the score. For the film, Randy Newman composed songs inspired by the classic songs of the Golden Age of Hollywood, including "Danny's Arrival Song", "Little Boat On The Sea", "Animal Jam Session", "Big and Loud", "Tell Me Lies", and "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now", while the opening and ending pop song "Our Time Has Come" was written by Martin Page and the end credits song "I Do Believe" was written by Simon Climie and Will Downing. Goldstein and Newman gathered a couple of nominations at the Annie Awards, with the latter winning the award for the musical numbers written and composed by him.


title: Cats Don't Dance

text: New Line Cinema, which was a sister company to Turner Feature Animation at the time, expressed interest in distributing the film. However, when Turner Broadcasting merged with Time Warner in 1996, the film fell into the ownership of Warner Bros. Pictures. "Pullet Surprise", a newly produced "Looney Tunes" short film featuring Foghorn Leghorn, preceded the film's theatrical release, and "The Big Sister", a "Dexter's Laboratory" "What a Cartoon!" short, followed the film in its original home video release.


title: Cats Don't Dance

text: "Cats Don't Dance" had its first home video release on VHS and LaserDisc on August 19, 1997, by Warner Home Video. To promote the release, Warner Home Video partnered with Continental Airlines, in which the buyer received an in-pack coupon worth $125 in savings on a Continental flight.


title: Cats Don't Dance

text: The film had also its first DVD release on September 3, 2002 in a pan-and-scan format with bonus features. A re-release of the same DVD, but bundled with "Quest for Camelot" (1998), was released on May 2, 2006. Internationally, in July 2008, "Cats Don't Dance" was released on DVD in widescreen in Germany, Spain, and the Benelux countries. A widescreen DVD was released for the first time in North America on November 1, 2016 via the Warner Archive Collection. The original widescreen presentation is also available digitally for rental or purchase through Google Play and also through Amazon Video.


title: Cats Don't Dance

text: "Cats Don't Dance" received a 74% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The site consensus reads, ""Cats Don't Dance", but they should easily entertain all-ages audiences thanks to some colorful animation, sharp humor, and a catchy soundtrack."


title: Cats Don't Dance

text: Todd McCarthy of "Variety" wrote: "Decked out with sharp and colorful design work, some well-drawn characters and six snappy Randy Newman tunes, this first entry from Turner Feature Animation goes down very easily but lacks a hook." Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" gave the film three stars out of four. He wrote the film "is not compelling and it's not a breakthrough, but on its own terms, it works well. Whether this will appeal to kids is debatable; the story involves a time and a subject they're not much interested in. But the songs by Randy Newman are catchy, the look is bright, the spirits are high and fans of Hollywood's golden age might find it engaging." John Petrakis, reviewing for the "Chicago Tribune", noted "Cats Don't Dance" would appeal more for adults than children, but provided a good moral lesson on prejudice. He further wrote the film has "the sharp irreverence of the brilliant "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". There are plenty of clever asides and witty one-liners, not to mention a few terrific supporting characters".


title: Cats Don't Dance

text: Lawrence Van Gelder of "The New York Times" summarized in his review: "While the animated characters, bright colors and an appealing Randy Newman score may keep the children content, "Cats Don't Dance" is no saccharine fantasy. Its Hollywood references and dark satire constitute its real strengths." Jack Mathews, reviewing for the "Los Angeles Times", described the film as a "startling miscalculation." He next wrote: "It has lots of cute animals, some jaunty Randy Newman songs and solid, if uninspired, animation work. But blending parody and nostalgia about an era half a century removed from the lives of the core audience seems a foolish indulgence." Rita Kempley of "The Washington Post" wrote the film was "colorful, but unimaginatively drawn". Also from "The Washington Post", Jane Horwitz felt children "won't get the references to old movies or stars like Bette Davis and Clark Gable. Still, the action (however confusing), the music and the characters should hold even toddlers for a while."


title: Cats Don't Dance

text: "Cats Don't Dance" became a casualty of the merger between Turner and Time Warner. It received a traditional theatrical release on March 26, 1997, but without fanfare and did not draw an audience. The film grossed $3.5 million in the United States and Canada against its $32 million production budget. Dindal and Kirschner told the "Los Angeles Times" they were both frustrated with Warner Bros. over the lack of advertising and the failed marketing campaign.


title: Cats Don't Dance

text: Despite mostly positive reception, the Stinkers filed the film under the Founders Award in 1997 (which lamented the year's biggest studio disgraces), citing it as "loud, unfunny, and completely over the heads of its intended audience." On the other hand, when it comes to positive accolades, although failing in gathering any Oscar nominations, it became historically the first non-Disney animated film to win the Best Animated Feature at the Annie Awards.


title: Interstate 75

text: Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from State Road 826 (SR 826, Palmetto Expressway) and SR 924 (Gratigny Parkway) on the Hialeah–Miami Lakes border (northwest of Miami, Florida) to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Canadian border. It is the second-longest north–south Interstate Highway (after I-95) and the seventh-longest Interstate Highway overall.


title: Interstate 75

text: I-75 passes through six different states. The highway runs the length of the Florida peninsula from the Miami area and up the Gulf Coast through Tampa. Farther north in Georgia, I-75 continues on through Macon and Atlanta before running through Chattanooga and Knoxville and the Cumberland Mountains in Tennessee. I-75 crosses Kentucky, passing through Lexington before crossing the Ohio River into Cincinnati, Ohio. In Ohio, the highway runs up the western side through Dayton and Lima before crossing into Michigan north of Toledo. I-75 runs northeasterly along the Lake Erie shoreline and Detroit River into the city of Detroit before turning northwesterly and northward to the Mackinac Bridge where the freeway crosses the strait between Lakes Huron and Michigan. Farther north, I-75 approaches the Canadian border at Sault Ste. Marie, downriver from Lake Superior, from its origins near the subtropical Atlantic Ocean.


title: Interstate 75

text: I-75 starts at an interchange with SR 924 and SR 826 on the Hialeah–Miami Lakes border in suburban Miami. After an intersection with the Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike and an interchange with I-595 and the Sawgrass Expressway (SR 869), the Interstate leaves the Miami metropolitan area and turns westward to travel through the Everglades along the tolled Alligator Alley, which brings the highway to the Gulf Coast and Naples, where it again heads north. Passing through Bonita Springs, Fort Myers, and Sarasota, I-75 is six lanes all the way to Georgia. The freeway enters the Tampa Bay area before the interchange with I-275 northbound, which handles St. Petersburg-bound traffic. Within the Tampa metro are three more major junctions: one with the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway which carries traffic into Downtown Tampa, one with I-4 (a turbine interchange) which carries traffic across the center of the state to the East Coast, and another as I-275 traffic defaults back onto northbound. The freeway proceeds to enter suburban portions of Pasco, Hernando, and Sumter counties on its way to Ocala and Gainesville. At Lake City, Florida, I-10, intersects with I-75. Afterward, the northmost stretch of I-75 in Florida exits the Sunshine State into southern Georgia.


title: Interstate 75

text: I-75 (unsigned State Route 401 [SR 401] within Georgia) enters Georgia near Lake Park, and it continues northward through the towns of Valdosta, Tifton, and Cordele until it reaches the Macon area, where it intersects with I-16 eastbound toward I-75's route. After Macon, it passes the small town of Forsyth. The freeway reaches no major junctions again until in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The first metropolitan freeway met is I-675, then followed by I-285, Atlanta's only beltway dubbed as the Perimeter Beltway. It crosses inside the I-285 beltway and heads north several miles toward Downtown Atlanta. I-75 then runs concurrently with I-85 due north over the Downtown Connector through the central business district of Atlanta, where it intersects with I-20. The areas where I-85 and I-75 run concurrently are some of the most traffic-prone Interstate Highways in the nation. After the two Interstates split, I-75 diverts from I-85 and heads toward the northwest suburbs of Atlanta, with the major cities being Marietta and Kennesaw that it bypasses. To the northwest of Marietta, the highway runs concurrently with I-575. After the interchange with I-575, the highway leaves the Atlanta metro area and traverses the Blue Ridge Mountains in the north Georgia region as it heads toward Chattanooga.


title: Interstate 75

text: The freeway enters Tennessee directly in the Chattanooga metropolitan area, where it intersects with I-24. Exiting Chattanooga to the northeast, I-75 passes through an area known for dense fog. Twelve people were killed and 42 were injured in a 1990 I-75 fog disaster on that stretch of I-75 in heavy fog on December 11, 1990. I-75 does not meet any other freeways until it overlaps I-40 near Farragut and heads eastbound. Together, they enter the outskirts of Knoxville, where I-75 overlaps itself with a different road, this time I-640, but only for a short time. When the two meet I-275, I-75 encounters some of its highest points of elevation through the Cumberland Mountains, cutting through the uppermost peaks and ridges.


title: Interstate 75

text: I-75 continues northbound through the hilly terrain of the Cumberland Plateau region of Kentucky, passing through London and Richmond and eventually reaching Lexington, where it briefly runs concurrently with I-64 before splitting off in the direction of Georgetown. Afterward, the route heads in the direction of Ohio. Near Walton, I-71 runs concurrently with I-75 for the next or so and heads toward Cincinnati. The two concurrent Interstates then make an interchange with I-275, the Cincinnati beltway. After passing through Covington, the I-71/I-75 highway traverses the Ohio River via the lower level of the Brent Spence Bridge and continues into Downtown Cincinnati.


title: Interstate 75

text: Immediately after entering Cincinnati, I-75 diverges from I-71, remaining generally due north through the Cincinnati metro area while I-71 curves more to the east and northeast through downtown Cincinnati and its surrounding suburbs. I-74, Ohio State Route 562, and Ohio State Route 126 all intersect the freeway as it makes its way northward. After another interchange with the I-275 beltway, the freeway continues within the metro area, passing through Middletown and heading toward Dayton, where I-675, I-70, and U.S. Route 35 have interchanges with I-75. The interchange of I-75 with I-70 is known as the Freedom Veterans Crossroads. After exiting the city of Dayton, I-75 makes its way northbound through Ohio, passing through smaller cities of Troy, Wapakoneta, Lima, Findlay and Bowling Green before finally reaching Toledo located on the western shore of Lake Erie and the border of Michigan. I-75 meets the I-475 interchange in the southern suburbs of Toledo in Perrysburg and then I-80, I-90, and the Ohio Turnpike. As the interstate highway passes through downtown Toledo, I-475 meets with I-75 again just north of the downtown area of Toledo. It then continues through some industrial areas as it progresses north before approaching I-280, which is the last major junction in Ohio. I-75 then passes by the Lake Erie neighborhoods of Shoreland and Point Place, just before entering the US state of Michigan with the sign welcoming motorists to Michigan.


title: Interstate 75

text: Upon entering Michigan, I-75 follows the northwestern shore of Lake Erie, passing through the residential neighborhoods of Toledo and Luna Pier until about Monroe in which it then heads northeast to enter Detroit. The freeway makes an interchange with I-275 in northern Monroe County. On a further note, it does not meet with any major junctions until in Downtown Detroit. Once near downtown, I-75 meets several interchanges: an interchange that leads into Canada via the Ambassador Bridge (international bridge border crossing) to Windsor, Ontario; an interchange with I-375; I-94; I-96; M-10; M-8. I-696 also intersects I-75 in the northern metro area. When the freeway reaches Pontiac, there is a junction with M-59 and in Flint further northward. It meets I-475 and I-69 and overlaps U.S. Route 23 (US 23). The Interstate then heads north toward Saginaw where I-675 acts as a spur route into the city. Further north in Bay City, US 10 provides access to Midland as well as downtown Bay City. When it nears Standish, US 23 diverts from I-75 to Lake Huron, where it heads further north. The last major interchange in the state of Michigan before it crosses the international border into Canada is at 4 Mile Road just south of Grayling where US 127 ends with traffic merging onto northbound I-75 and southbound taking drivers through the center of the state. At Mackinaw City, I-75 makes an interchange with US 31 and US 23 before crossing the Mackinac Bridge to reach the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I-75 is the only Interstate located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and it continues until it crosses the Canadian border via the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge.


title: Interstate 75

text: This limited access highway that was planned in the 1950s roughly follows the general route of many older at-grade highways, including US 2, US 27, US 25, and US 41, among others. Some of these older US Highways (several of which are still in existence) previously had replaced the eastern route of the old Dixie Highway.


title: Interstate 75

text: I-75 was planned to end in Tampa, Florida, in the original plan for of Interstate Highways. However, beginning in the 1960s, there was a huge growth in the population of Southwest Florida (Sarasota, Fort Myers, Naples, Cape Coral, etc.), hence the need for new highways, especially a north–south freeway, as well as one connecting Florida's Gulf Coast to South Florida. At first, Florida state legislators proposed a toll in the new highway, and, by 1968, it was decided that the federal government would pay 90 percent toward the extension of I-75 to southwestern and southeastern Florida. This included subsuming a toll highway from Naples to the Fort Lauderdale area, the Alligator Alley, and furthermore to connect this expressway with I-95 in North Miami—though due to some local opposition, I-75 presently ends a few miles short of I-95.


title: Interstate 75

text: I-75 was completed in Kentucky in 1970. The last segment in Michigan opened to traffic on November 1, 1973. The last section of I-75 in Tennessee was completed on December 20, 1974. On December 21, 1977, I-75 was completed from Tampa to Sault Ste. Marie with its final segment opening between northern Marietta, Georgia, and Cartersville, Georgia. It was estimated to have cost $3.5 billion in 1977 dollars (equivalent to $ in ) to build the original section. The final stretch of I-75 in South Florida was completed in 1986 in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, and the last stretch to receive the signs for I-75 was the reconstructed (rebuilt and widened) Alligator Alley on November 25, 1992.


title: Montblanc (company)

text: Montblanc ("UK:" /ˌmɒ̃ˈblɒ̃(k)/, "US:" /ˌmɑnˈblɑŋk/) is a German manufacturer and distributer of luxury goods, founded in Berlin in 1906, and currently based in Hamburg. The company is most known for its luxury pens and also designs and distributes bags, small leather goods, and watches. Since 1993, Montblanc has been part of the Swiss Richemont group.


title: Montblanc (company)

text: A Hamburg banker, Alfred Nehemias, and a Berlin engineer, August Eberstein, produced simple pens in 1906. After a short period of time Wilhelm Dziambor, Christian Lausen, and later Claus Johannes Voss took over the business. Their first model was the "Rouge et Noir" in 1909 followed in 1910 by the pen that was later to give the company its new name, Montblanc. The Meisterstück name (, the name used for export) was used for the first time in 1924. Today, the Montblanc brand is on other goods besides pens, including watches, jewellery, fragrances, leather goods, and eyewear.


title: Montblanc (company)

text: The company was founded in 1906 as Simplizissiumus-Füllhalter in Berlin, and in 1907, moved to Hamburg and changed its name to Simplo Filler Pen Co. GmbH; it was incorporated under that name in 1908. Its current name was adopted in 1934.


title: Montblanc (company)

text: Montblanc was acquired by Alfred Dunhill Ltd. in 1977, following which lower price pens were dropped, and the brand was used on a wide range of luxury goods other than pens.


title: Montblanc (company)

text: In 1993, Montblanc became part of the Swiss Richemont group. Its sister companies include luxury brands Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Chloé, and Baume et Mercier. Montblanc is owned, through Richemont, by the South African Rupert family.


title: Montblanc (company)

text: In October 2014 the first blocking order against trademark infringing consumer goods was passed against the major UK Internet service providers (ISPs) by Montblanc to block several domains selling trademark infringing products.


title: Montblanc (company)

text: Montblanc is most known for its luxury pens and also designs and distributes bags, small leather goods, and watches. In 2022, the company began collaborating with streetwear brand BAPE and lifestyle brand Maison Kitsuné to broaden its leather goods portfolio and attract a younger audience. CEO Nicolas Baretzki told "Vogue Business" in 2022 he believes leather goods will become one of the company's biggest categories, possibly even overtaking pens.


title: Montblanc (company)

text: Montblanc makes several models of pens, with the Meisterstück (fountain pen) representing the cornerstone model. Each is slightly different, however Meisterstück models created after 1990 have a serial number located on the ring at the top of the clip, and under the clip is usually has "Pix" engraved. The barrels of pens made of black 'precious resin' will reveal a reddish hue under strong lighting; if the pen in question does not have these attributes then it is possibly a fake.


title: Montblanc (company)

text: A trademark identified with Montblanc is the white stylized six-pointed snowcap with rounded edges, representative of the Mont Blanc snowcap from above, the symbol being adopted in 1913. The number "4810", the mountain's height in metres, is also a commonly recurring theme.


title: Montblanc (company)

text: In January 2014, Hugh Jackman was announced as Montblanc's Global Brand Ambassador, outside of the United States.


title: Montblanc (company)

text: In November 2019, Montblanc launched their partnership with The Webster for a limited-edition, capsule collection.


title: Jim Keller (engineer)

text: James B. Keller (born 1958/1959) is a microprocessor engineer best known for his work at AMD and Apple. He was the lead architect of the AMD K8 microarchitecture (including the original Athlon 64) and was involved in designing the Athlon (K7) and Apple A4/A5 processors. He was also the coauthor of the specifications for the x86-64 instruction set and HyperTransport interconnect. From 2012 to 2015, he returned to AMD to work on the AMD K12 and Zen microarchitectures.


title: Jim Keller (engineer)

text: He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University which he earned in 1980.


title: Jim Keller (engineer)

text: Jim Keller joined DEC in 1982, and worked there until 1998, where he was involved in designing a number of processors, including the VAX 8800, the Alpha 21164 and the Alpha 21264 processors. Prior to DEC, he had worked at Harris Corporation on microprocessor boards. In 1998 he moved to AMD, where he worked to launch the AMD Athlon (K7) processor and was the lead architect of the AMD K8 microarchitecture, which also included designing the x86-64 instruction set and HyperTransport interconnect mainly used for multiprocessor communications.


title: Jim Keller (engineer)

text: In 1999, he left AMD to work at SiByte to design MIPS-based processors for 1 Gbit/s network interfaces and other devices. In November 2000, SiByte was acquired by Broadcom, where he continued as chief architect until 2004.


title: Jim Keller (engineer)

text: In 2004 he moved to serve as the Vice President of Engineering at P.A. Semi, a company specializing in low-power mobile processors. In early 2008 Keller moved to Apple. P.A. Semi was acquired by Apple shortly afterwards, reuniting Keller with his prior team from P.A. Semi. The new team worked to design the Apple A4 and A5 system-on-a-chip mobile processors. These processors were used in several Apple products, including iPhone 4, 4S, iPad and iPad 2.


title: Jim Keller (engineer)

text: In August 2012, Jim Keller returned to AMD, where his primary task was to lead development of new generation of x86-64 and ARM microarchitectures called Zen and K12. After years of being unable to compete with Intel in the high-end CPU market, the new generation of Zen processors has restored AMD's ability to do just that. On September 18, 2015, Keller departed from AMD to pursue other opportunities, ending his three-year employment at AMD.


title: Jim Keller (engineer)

text: In April 2018, Keller joined Intel, where he served as Senior Vice President. He resigned from Intel June 2020 officially citing personal reasons. Though later it was reported that he left over a dispute on whether the company should outsource more of its production.


title: Jim Keller (engineer)

text: Jim Keller's wife, Bonnie, is the sister of Canadian author and clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson.


title: Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

text: "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" is a 1953 novelty song, with lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy and music by Nat Simon. It was written on the 500th anniversary of the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans. The lyrics humorously refer to the official renaming of the city of Constantinople to Istanbul. The song's original release, performed by The Four Lads, was certified as a gold record. Numerous cover versions have been recorded over the years, most famously a 1990 rock version by They Might Be Giants.


title: Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

text: The song is said to be a response to "C-O-N-S-T-A-N-T-I-N-O-P-L-E" recorded in 1928 by Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra.


title: Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

text: "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" was originally recorded by the Canadian vocal quartet The Four Lads on August 12, 1953. This recording was released by Columbia Records as catalog number 40082. It first reached the "Billboard" magazine charts on October 24, 1953, and it peaked at #10. It was the group's first gold record.


title: Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

text: This recording may have been from a radio broadcast performance and not originally released on record.


title: Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

text: Frankie Vaughan's 1954 version for HMV reached the UK charts that year with a peak position of No. 11.


title: Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

text: Col Joye's backing band recorded an instrumental version on the Festival Records label, which peaked No. 16 in November 1960 according to the former brand of the ARIA Charts, ending up as No. 95 for the 1961 year-end ranking.


title: Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

text: One of the best-known versions of "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" is the cover by the alternative rock band They Might Be Giants (TMBG), who released it on their album "Flood" in 1990. It was released as the second single from that album in the same year. TMBG's version is at a faster tempo than the original. The music video was featured in the first season of MTV's "Liquid Television". TMBG's version of the song is prominently featured in the "Tiny Toon Adventures" episode "Tiny Toon Music Television", as the soundtrack to a segment featuring Plucky Duck as a private detective hired to find a missing statue. It was also used as the theme in the thriller "Black Magic" (1992 film) starring Judge Reinhold. In recent years, it appears in the first season of the Netflix series "The Umbrella Academy", as well as an ending to an episode of "The Simpsons", "Mobile Homer". The single reached number 61 on the UK Singles Chart in 1990. TMBG later recorded an electronic version of the song for their 2011 compilation album, "Album Raises New and Troubling Questions".


title: Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

text: A Spanish language version called "Estambul" was recorded by Argentine synth-pop trio The Sacados in 1990. The song was included on their debut album "Te pido + respeto" (1990).


title: Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

text: Electro Swing duo Bart & Baker covered the song for their album "The Jet Lag EP" (2012). Another version called "Istanbul 2016" was included on their curation album "Best Of Electro Swing By Bart & Baker" (2016).


title: Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

text: The Duke's Men of Yale, an all-male a cappella group at Yale University, perform the song at the end of most of their concerts. The song has been in the repertoire of the Duke's Men since 1953.


title: Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

text: During the 2000s, the song was performed live by Australian Klezmer/Gypsy Jazz band Monsieur Camembert, appearing on the album "Live on Stage".


title: Heroine (2012 film)

text: Heroine () is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed, written, and co-produced by Madhur Bhandarkar. Revolving around the life of a once-successful film actress whose career is on the decline, the film features Kareena Kapoor as the protagonist along with actors Arjun Rampal and Randeep Hooda. Additionally, the film also stars Shahana Goswami, Raqesh Bapat, Divya Dutta, Helen, Shilpi Sharma, Mugdha Godse and Lillete Dubey in supporting roles.


title: Heroine (2012 film)

text: "Heroine" released on 21 September 2012 across 2000 screens, coinciding with Kapoor's 32nd birthday. Despite mixed critical opinions on the film, Kapoor's performance was highly acclaimed and is considered to be one of her best. Kapoor received a Best Actress nomination at the 58th Filmfare Awards for her performance in the film.


title: Heroine (2012 film)

text: A journalist reports on the life of Mahi Arora, a renowned actress and film heroine, describing her as unstable and problematic, but damaged and lonely due to childhood trauma, and bipolar disorder. Through a flashback, we are shown Mahi's relationship with leading actor, Aryan. Aryan is going through a divorce with his wife whilst dating Mahi. The couple makes a sex tape of themselves. When Mahi learns of an intimate scene Aryan is shooting for a movie, she creates a scene on the set, which upsets Aryan. The couple reconciles but Mahi is repeatedly insulted by Aryan's wife. While driving back from a party with Aryan, she raises the topic of his wife, which results in her being thrown out of the car.


title: Heroine (2012 film)

text: Realising her place in Aryan's life, Mahi goes into depression, putting her career in decline. A friend convinces Mahi to leave the past behind her and re-enter the industry so Mahi decides to rejuvenate her career. She employs a public relations manager, Pallavi, who uses sensationalist tactics to reinvent Mahi's image. Mahi starts a relationship with the Vice Captain of the Indian National Cricket team, Angad Paul. Soon, her personal and professional life is stable once again. On the advice of Pallavi, she uses Angad's connections to get a role in a big budget film. The lead actor of the film, Abbas Khan, a married playboy, attempts to initiate an affair with her. She rejects him, which causes him to seek revenge. He demands that the director re-edit the movie so that story becomes about him and an item girl. Mahi is dissatisfied despite the film being a success, and in a desperate attempt to prove her acting skills, works in a low-budget art film for months. Angad proposes to her but she feels that they should concentrate on their careers. This causes their relationship to end. The art film never completes, and Mahi goes into depression again. She is also denied the opportunity to adopt a child, due to her history of alcoholism and psychiatric problems. Since she cannot get a role in big-budget productions, she decides to work on a low-budget film with newcomers.


title: Heroine (2012 film)

text: Mahi meets Aryan at a wedding, and he apologises. The two rekindle their relationship. Aryan says that he wants her to do a big budget film with him but the director is reluctant to cast her as she has lost her appeal. Mahi becomes obsessed with the thought of losing the role to another heroine. At a poorly-attended press conference for an upcoming film, Mahi is mocked by journalists who inform her that the director has cast another actress opposite Aryan. Distraught, Mahi and Pallavi decide to create controversy by leaking the sex tape of her and Aryan. The video becomes a viral sensation and as a result, the low-budget film becomes an instant hit.


title: Heroine (2012 film)

text: Mahi's success is short-lived. She starts questioning her career and life choices. She finally decides to leave the industry after her agent Rashid Bhai, a father figure to her, quits, and Shagufta Rizvi, a veteran actress she respected and admired, dies. At the end, Mahi is shown walking alone in a foreign country, and on being asked if she is Mahi Arora, she replies she is not.


title: Heroine (2012 film)

text: Following the completion of his film, "Jail" (2009), Bhandarkar began toying with the idea of making a project on the Hindi film industry. Along with writer Niranjan Iyengar, the director began developing the story about the life of an actress and later approached UTV Motion Pictures with whom he had worked on several occasions. Bhandarkar, who was keen on using the title "Heroine" for his film, donated to Guddu Dhanoa's charity. He later explained that he had been subconsciously preparing for the movie ever since he joined the industry.


title: Heroine (2012 film)

text: Pre-production work on the film was expected to commence during the summer of 2010 but was put on hold due to Kapoor being busy with other commitments. During this period, Bhandarkar announced that he would be making another project while putting "Heroine" on hold. Though speculated to be based on the lives of yesteryear divas like Madhubala and Marilyn Monroe, Bhandarkar denied the reports saying that the movie is a "contemporary film which reveals the underbelly of the movie industry and its well-kept secrets". In an attempt to prepare his protagonist for the film, the director prepared a three-hour documentary on Hollywood actresses Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardner and Vivien Leigh. Designer Manish Malhotra was signed on to design the costumes. Choreography of the movie was done by Remo D'Souza, Ganesh Acharya and Jasmin Oza.


title: Heroine (2012 film)

text: Production for the film was marred by the kidnapping and brutal murder of Meenakshi Thapar by a co-star, Amit Jaiswal, who like Thapar, only had a minor role in the film. Thapar was strangled in her hotel room in Gorakhpur and her body dumped into a water tank and severed head thrown out of the window of a moving bus.


title: Heroine (2012 film)

text: The first look of the movie was released as part of the 64th Cannes Film Festival. A promotional poster was released during a press conference in which Ronnie Screwvala of UTV Motion Pictures, Madhur Bhandarkar, and Aishwarya Rai officially announced the movie. The director said, "The movie is a glamorous yet bold story of the internal journey of a superstar. I am certain it will appeal to audiences across the globe and Aishwarya was a perfect choice for the role. In fact, no one could've played it better." Screwvala stated "With "Heroine", we plan to take things to the next level. When you watch the film, you will feel that the role was written with someone as talented and stunning as Aishwarya in mind." The actress too admitted that she was "looking forward to this new journey in the movie." It was also announced that Rai will have a wardrobe of more than 40 outfits designed by Manish Malhotra in the film. Explaining why he was launching the project in Cannes, Screwvala alluded to Rai's star power saying, "She is the brand ambassador for India and for Indian cinema when it comes to the French Riviera." The actress was quick to deny any reference to her personal life being portrayed in the movie and said that the entire idea was a result of Bhandarkar's conceptualisation. The official press release distributed as a part of the announcement stated that "The film is based on the life and times of a superstar heroine, Mahi from the dream factory we call 'Bollywood'. The film is a daring, shocking, glamorous, scandalous behind-the-scenes account of the reality behind the world of glitz and glamour that our film stars inhabit. For a country obsessed with films and film stars, "Heroine" will take audiences on a voyeuristic journey to see what really goes on in the lives of India's sweethearts."


title: Heroine (2012 film)

text: The director initially planned to put-forth the theatrical trailer attached to the release of "Rowdy Rathore" on 1 June 2012. However, there were several matured content featuring Kareena Kapoor, which were essential and must be there to retain the motive of the film title, as per the director. The Central Board of Film Certification awarded an 'A' certificate to the trailer but chopped off Kapoor's smoking scenes and lovemaking scenes from the trailer. The trailer was then scheduled for a 6 July 2012 release, as it would be releasing alongside "Bol Bachchan", although it was then postponed to 20 July 2012. It was once again delayed so it did not clash with the late Rajesh Khanna's chautha. On 22 July 2012, 2 of the first look posters were revealed on the micro blogging site, Twitter, and received an amazing response in just 8 hours. The trailer was released on 25 July 2012 online and with "Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum" on 27 July 2012 in theatres. The trailer crossed over 1 million hits on YouTube within 2 days.


title: Heroine (2012 film)

text: The trailer was released on 25 July 2012. After the release of the trailer, a controversy arose. In the film's promo, a dialogue of Kareena Kapoor: "If a heroine buys a car, it's gifted to her by a businessman. If she goes to LA (Los Angeles), she's getting plastic surgery done and, god forbid, if she goes to Dubai, you people make a rate-card for her," was not appreciated by the people of Dubai. To avoid hurting sentiments, director Madhur Bhandarkar has had the offending statement censored in the Dubai version. He clarified, "We have censored it. There are some people who have raised objections. But we did not mean to demean anyone, Dubai is my personal favourite city."


title: Heroine (2012 film)

text: It was announced that music director duo Salim–Sulaiman, who had earlier worked with Madhur Bhandarkar in "Fashion" (2008), will be composing the songs for "Heroine".


title: Heroine (2012 film)

text: During the shooting of the film, Bhandarkar revealed that there would be 2 big item numbers in the film, both to be picturized on the leading lady. One of them, "Halkat Jawani", sung by Sunidhi Chauhan was released as a single track release on 17 August 2012. "Musicperk.com" rated the album 7/10 quoting "Although songs like 'Halkat Jawani', 'Khwahishein' and 'Tujhpe Fida' sound nice and enthusiastic as independent tracks, others probably would need to rely on the picturization of the song for the required effect to be created".


title: Heroine (2012 film)

text: The film grossed on its opening day. "Heroine" had an average weekend of nett. The film had collected a fair in its first week. The film had a heavy fall in second week and managed only nett. It collected Rs. 144 million.


title: Heroine (2012 film)

text: "Heroine" received mixed reviews, with most critics praising the story, music and the cast performances, while the screenplay garnered predominantly negative reviews.


title: Heroine (2012 film)

text: On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 30% with an average score of 5.0/10, based on 6 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "A brief snapshot of a much bigger picture, this is an interesting film as far as it goes but, like its subject, not all that unusual."


title: Heroine (2012 film)

text: Taran Adarsh of "Bollywood Hungama" gave the film a rating of 3.5 out of 5 while saying "Watch "HEROINE" for Madhur's imposing direction, for Kapoor' superlative performance, watch it also for its fearless, inspiring and enlightening storyline divulging the scandalous realities of the movie industry. Try not to miss it!". Shomini Sen of "Zee News" gave it a score of 3 out of 5 and said "Does "Heroine" work? Yes, but only because of Kareena Kapoor. From doing the raunchy act in 'Halkat Jawani' to the scenes where she is battling depression and popping pills, Kapoor makes Mahi memorable and lovable. "Heroine" is absolutely Kapoor's film, not Bhandarkar's. 2 for the film and 1 extra for Bebo! 3 cheers for the film!". Aniruddha Guha of "DNA" gave "Heroine" 2 out 5 stars while commenting, "The characters are all caricatured and the screenplay meanders along aimlessly, it being nothing more than an assemblage of scenes – each disjointed from the other – strung together in a long, sleep-inducing and pointless narrative". Saibal Chatterjee of "NDTV" rated it 2 out of 5 stars, noting "The film that Bhandarkar has made is indeed disappointingly mechanical. Mercifully, Kapoor does demonstrate that she has a feel for the character. But, then, why wouldn't she? After all she plays herself in "Heroine"".


title: Heroine (2012 film)

text: Rajeev Masand of "CNN-IBN" rated the film 2 out of 5 and said "Despite an entertaining first-half, thanks to all the unintentional laughs, "Heroine" slips into a slush of melodrama post-interval. By this point, it feels interminably long and boring". Sukanya Verma of "Rediff.com" gave it 2 out of 5 stars, remarking "There's nothing innovative about Bhandarkar's "Heroine". I am not sure if this is Bhandarkar's idea of comic relief but the hall roared with laughter. What's not funny is just how stunning Kapoor looks or gives to her role as Mahi Arora". Roshni Devi of "Koimoi" gave the film 1.5 out 5 stars, reviewing ""Heroine" irritates more than entertains, but some of the performances are nice. Kapoor does a good job and, heck, you even get to see her in a pseudo-lesbian scene along with other steamy scenes. If that's enough to drag you to see "Heroine", go ahead. Give it a miss otherwise".


title: Aran Islands

text: The Aran Islands ( ; , ) or The Arans ("na hÁrainneacha" ) are a group of three islands at the mouth of Galway Bay, off the west coast of Ireland, with a total area around . They constitute the historic barony of Aran in County Galway.


title: Aran Islands

text: From west to east, the islands are: Inishmore ("Árainn" / "Inis Mór"), which is the largest; Inishmaan ("Inis Meáin"), the second-largest; and Inisheer ("Inis Oírr"), the smallest. There are also several islets.


title: Aran Islands

text: The population of 1,226 (as of 2016) primarily speak Irish, the language of local placenames, making the islands a part of the Gaeltacht. Most islanders are also fluent or proficient in English. The population has steadily declined from around 3,500 in 1841.