title: West Reading, Pennsylvania

text: The Reading Hospital and Medical Center is the largest employer in the borough and one of the top five employers in Berks County. The parent company, Tower Health has its headquarters in the borough.


title: West Reading, Pennsylvania

text: The Borough of West Reading is governed by a council-manager form of government. The President of the council is Ryan Lineaweaver and the Vice President is Phillip Wert. The five other members are as follows: Christopher Lincoln, Patrick Kaag, Jennifer Bressler, Denise Drobnick, and Zachary Shaver. Each member of the council is elected to four and two-year terms which are on a rotating cycle. The Mayor of the Borough is Samantha Kaag and her main role is public safety, oversight of the Police Department, community involvement, and working hand in hand with Borough Council. The Magisterial District Judge of West Reading (and Wyomissing) is Eric J. Taylor.


title: Bada Rajan

text: Rajan Mahadevan Nair (1952 21 September 1983), popularly known in the Mumbai underworld by his moniker Bada Rajan (literally "Elder Rajan"), was an Indian mobster and underworld don from Mumbai.


title: Bada Rajan

text: Originally from Kerala, he operated a gang active in Bombay's eastern suburbs of Ghatkopar, Tilak Nagar and Chembur.


title: Bada Rajan

text: On 21 September 1983, he was shot dead by the Pathan gang because he had helped Dawood Ibrahim by instructing a gang member David Pardeshi to shoot dead Amirzada from the Pathan gang.


title: Bada Rajan

text: Rajan lived in a slum in Ghatkopar in the east Bombay. He hails from Kerala. He worked in a small factory in Thane.


title: Bada Rajan

text: With mounting expenses and greed for excess money and to get the attention of his love interest, he got into the habit of stealing branded typewriters and selling them in Chor Bazaar.


title: Bada Rajan

text: Once he was accidentally arrested by a police team in search of another criminal and served imprisonment.


title: Bada Rajan

text: When he was released, he took to full-time crime in Ghatkopar, especially black marketing of cinema tickets, spurious liquor and extortion from shopkeepers.


title: Bada Rajan

text: After a few years, a band of daring youngsters from neighbouring Tilak Nagar were released from jail. They were imprisoned on the charges of cinema ticket black marketing and beating up the police who tried to stop them. That group was led by Rajendra Nikalje alias Chhota Rajan.


title: Bada Rajan

text: To increase his muscle power and clout in the area, Rajan welcomed Nikalje in his gang and they both were known as Bada Rajan (Elder Rajan) and Chhota Rajan (Younger Rajan).


title: Bada Rajan

text: They soon took over most of the crime in Bombay's eastern suburbs of Ghatkopar, Pant Nagar, Chembur and Tilak Nagar.


title: Bada Rajan

text: The early eighties saw a tectonic shift of power in the Mumbai underworld. Haji Mastan had virtually stopped his smuggling activities and Karim Lala was focusing more on his hotel business. The vicious Pathan gang started by Karim Lala was weakened by a split between his nephew Samad Khan on one side and Dawood Ibrahim on the other. The third don, Varadarajan Mudaliar from Dharavi moved in to extend his hold over north-east Mumbai. Bada Rajan often used his clout with Varadarajan to intimidate his victims and rivals like Abdul Kunju, Yeshwant Jadhav and Philip Pandhre. Just like his mentor, Varadarajan, Bada Rajan started the Sahyadri Krida Mandal to celebrate the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in his area.


title: Bada Rajan

text: In 1982, Samad Khan and his Pathan gangsters Amirzada and Alamzeb murdered Saabir Ibrahim, elder brother of Dawood Ibrahim. Dawood plotted revenge. He offered a big supari (contract for killing) to kill Amirzada but nobody came forward. Bada Rajan saw his chance to rise in the underworld and accepted the supari. He had one of his junior gang member- an unemployed youth David Pardeshi shoot down Amirzada in the Mumbai sessions court on 6 September 1983.


title: Bada Rajan

text: Malayali don Abdul Kunju had a bitter and long-standing enmity with Bada Rajan. It all started when Bada Rajan sent his men to assault some youth in Shell Colony, Chembur, for harassing a woman typist. This developed into a deadly rivalry with Kunju. Both Kunju and Rajan had sworn to kill each other.


title: Bada Rajan

text: Aware of Rajan's enormous power in the areas between Ghatkopar and Matunga, Kunju realised that he could not fight the Rajan gang on his own. Therefore, he allied himself with Bada Rajan's rival, Philip Pandhare. Pandhare's gang was further strengthened when Vijay Sawant and Francis Xavier, also known as "Shorty", from Pestom Sagar enlisted with them.


title: Bada Rajan

text: After Amirzada Nawab Khan was killed outside the sessions court premises on 6 September 1983 by Bada Rajan's hitman, David Pardesi, Kunju switched sides and allied himself with Kalia Anthony and Mahesh Dholakia of the Karim Lala gang to murder Bada Rajan.


title: Bada Rajan

text: Kunju's neighbour, an autorickshaw driver named Chandrashekar Sapaliga, who was looking to make Rs. 5 million for his sister's wedding, was hired for the job. He was introduced to hotelier,


title: Bada Rajan

text: Mahesh Dholakia at Caesar Palace. Dholakia offered around Rs. 5 million as ""supari"" (murder contract fee) and promised to give the entire money on successful killing of Rajan. Sapaliga left with only Rs. 1,00,000. The next day, Kunju provided Sapaliga with a revolver, and converted an isolated spot near Vikhroli Park site into a firing range. He was trained for the next 15 days by Ramesh Pujari, Mangesh More and Francis a.k.a. ""Kaliya Anthony"" (Blackie Anthony).


title: Bada Rajan

text: In a daring operation, Sapaliga dressed as a naval cadet with his gun hidden in the cavity of a thick book, stalked Bada Rajan outside the Esplanade court and shot him dead. The hit was carried out on 21 September 1983, exactly 15 days after Amirzada's murder. Sapaliga was caught on the spot, but managed to escape while he was being escorted to the Thane prison and was killed by the rivals later (though the police claimed to have him dead).


title: Bada Rajan

text: The murder of Bada Rajan dealt a devastating blow to his gang. His right-hand man and successor, Chhota Rajan was shattered at the loss of his mentor and swore retribution against the assassins.


title: Bada Rajan

text: It was well known that Abdul Kunju was a cricket enthusiast and often managed a good-sized crowd to come and watch him play. This gave Chhota Rajan the opportunity to use Kunju's own passion against him. During one such match in 1985, as Kunju hit a boundary, three young gangsters dressed in T-shirts and sneakers, including Sanjay Raggad, Sadhu and Chhota Rajan himself, entered the arena on the pretext of retrieving the ball. After doing so, they walked right up to Kunju, pulled out their guns and shot him dead at point-blank range. Another report suggests that Chota Rajan sent Sanjay Raggad and Vijay to shoot down Kunju when he was watching a volleyball match. On spotting the two assailants, Kunju fled the match venue with the duo in pursuit. Eventually, Raggad and Vijay sprayed an array of bullets into Kunju's body that left him dead.


title: Bada Rajan

text: After Kunju's death, Dolakia went back on his word and refused to deliver the remaining Rs. 4.90 million, leaving the now fugitive Sapaliga helpless and on his own. In desperation, he turned to the Thane-based goon Abdul Majid for help. Majid invited him over for a treat at a bar in Thane, which in actuality was owned by Sadhu. Sapaliga got very drunk and stayed at the bar overnight. In the meanwhile, Sadhu tipped off Chhotta Rajan to his whereabouts and Sapaliga was woken up at around 4 a.m. by Rajan's henchmen. He was then driven in a Fiat car to Dawood Ibrahim's younger brother, Noora's hideout at Nagpada. There he was viciously interrogated, tortured and subsequently murdered the next day.


title: Haze

text: Haze is traditionally an atmospheric phenomenon in which dust, smoke, and other dry particulates suspended in air obscure visibility and the clarity of the sky. The World Meteorological Organization manual of codes includes a classification of particulates causing horizontal obscuration into categories of fog, ice fog, steam fog, mist, haze, smoke, volcanic ash, dust, sand, and snow. Sources for particles that cause haze include farming (ploughing in dry weather), traffic, industry, volcanic activity and wildfires.


title: Haze

text: Seen from afar (e.g. an approaching airplane) and depending on the direction of view with respect to the Sun, haze may appear brownish or bluish, while mist tends to be bluish grey instead. Whereas haze often is thought of as a phenomenon occurring in dry air, mist formation is a phenomenon in saturated, humid air. However, haze particles may act as condensation nuclei that leads to the subsequent vapor condensation and formation of mist droplets; such forms of haze are known as "wet haze."


title: Haze

text: In meteorological literature, the word "haze" is generally used to denote visibility-reducing aerosols of the wet type suspended in the atmosphere. Such aerosols commonly arise from complex chemical reactions that occur as sulfur dioxide gases emitted during combustion are converted into small droplets of sulfuric acid when exposed. The reactions are enhanced in the presence of sunlight, high relative humidity, and an absence of air flow (wind). A small component of wet-haze aerosols appear to be derived from compounds released by trees when burning, such as terpenes. For all these reasons, wet haze tends to be primarily a warm-season phenomenon. Large areas of haze covering many thousands of kilometers may be produced under extensive favorable conditions each summer.


title: Haze

text: Haze often occurs when suspended dust and smoke particles accumulate in relatively dry air. When weather conditions block the dispersal of smoke and other pollutants they concentrate and form a usually low-hanging shroud that impairs visibility and may become a respiratory health threat if excessively inhaled. Industrial pollution can result in dense haze, which is known as smog.


title: Haze

text: Since 1991, haze has been a particularly acute problem in Southeast Asia. The main source of the haze has been smoke from fires occurring in Sumatra and Borneo which dispersed over a wide area. In response to the 1997 Southeast Asian haze, the ASEAN countries agreed on a Regional Haze Action Plan (1997) as an attempt to reduce haze. In 2002, all ASEAN countries signed the Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, but the pollution is still a problem there today. Under the agreement, the ASEAN secretariat hosts a co-ordination and support unit. During the 2013 Southeast Asian haze, Singapore experienced a record high pollution level, with the 3-hour Pollutant Standards Index reaching a record high of 401.


title: Haze

text: In the United States, the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) program was developed as a collaborative effort between the US EPA and the National Park Service in order to establish the chemical composition of haze in National Parks and establish air pollution control measures in order to restore the visibility of the air to pre-industrial levels. Additionally, the Clean Air Act requires that any current visibility problems be addressed and remedied, and future visibility problems be prevented, in 156 Class I Federal areas located throughout the United States. A full list of these areas is available on EPA's website.


title: Haze

text: Haze is no longer just a confined as a domestic problem. It has become one of the causes of international disputes among neighboring countries. Haze can migrate to adjacent countries in the path of wind and thereby pollutes other countries as well, even if haze doesn't first manifest there. One of the most recent problems occur in Southeast Asia which largely affects the nations of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. In 2013, due to forest fires in Indonesia, Kuala Lumpur and surrounding areas became shrouded in a pall of noxious fumes dispersed from Indonesia, that brings a smell of ash and coal for more than a week, in the country's worst environmental crisis since 1997.


title: Haze

text: The main sources of the haze are Indonesia's Sumatra Island, Indonesian areas of Borneo, and Riau, where farmers, plantation owners and miners have set hundreds of fires in the forests to clear land during dry weather. Winds blew most of the particulates and fumes across the narrow Strait of Malacca to Malaysia, although parts of Indonesia in the path are also affected. The 2015 Southeast Asian haze was another major crisis of air quality, although there were occasions such as the 2006 and 2019 haze which were less impactful than the three major Southeast Asian haze of 1997, 2013 and 2015.


title: Haze

text: Haze causes issues in the area of terrestrial photography and imaging, where the penetration of large amounts of dense atmosphere may be necessary to image distant subjects. This results in the visual effect of a loss of contrast in the subject, due to the effect of light scattering and reflection through the haze particles. For these reasons, sunrise and sunset colors and possibly the sun itself appear subdued on hazy days, and stars may be obscured by haze at night. In some cases, attenuation by haze is so great that, toward sunset, the sun disappears altogether before even reaching the horizon.


title: Haze

text: Haze can be defined as an aerial form of the Tyndall effect therefore unlike other atmospheric effects such as cloud, mist and fog, haze is spectrally selective in accordance to the electromagnetic spectrum: shorter (blue) wavelengths are scattered more, and longer (red/infrared) wavelengths are scattered less. For this reason, many super-telephoto lenses often incorporate yellow light filters or coatings to enhance image contrast. Infrared (IR) imaging may also be used to penetrate haze over long distances, with a combination of IR-pass optical filters and IR-sensitive detectors at the intended destination.


title: 36 China Town

text: 36 China Town is a 2006 Indian Hindi-language mystery thriller comedy film directed by Abbas-Mustan and produced by Subhash Ghai. It is an official adaption of the 1992 American film "Once Upon a Crime" (which in turn is a remake of the 1960 Italian film "Crimen").


title: 36 China Town

text: The film stars an ensemble cast of Akshaye Khanna, Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Vivek Shauq, Isha Koppikar, Upen Patel (in his film debut), Paresh Rawal, Payal Rohatgi, Johnny Lever and Tannaz Irani (credited as Tanaaz Lal), while Priyanka Chopra and Tanushree Dutta make special appearances. The film follows the investigation of a police officer trying to find the killer of a wealthy casino owner, Sonia Chang.


title: 36 China Town

text: The only child of Goa's China Town multimillionaire Sonia Chang has been kidnapped. To get her son, Vicky, back, she puts out a reward of over 25 lakh Rupees. She lives in her huge mansion named "36 China Town", with a servant couple Mr. Lobo and Mrs. Lobo in Goa. Sonia is consoled by Rocky, a local flirt.


title: 36 China Town

text: The story then focuses upon Raj, a struggling actor and Priya, who ran away from home. They both meet each other after both of their dreams have been shattered. They find a child who appears to be all alone in Mumbai. They take pity on him, but after seeing a missing persons ad, they realise that the child is the son of Sonia Chang. Tempted by the reward money, they team up and decide to bring the child back home to his mom in Goa and cash in. Before leaving, they call Chang and tell her that they have her child. She was discussing the change in her will with her lawyer, Mr Dixit, when the duo inform her about her baby. Meanwhile, Raj starts falling in love with Priya.


title: 36 China Town

text: Sonia is overjoyed and calls them to Goa. At midnight, her casino is hosting some interesting people. One of them is Mr. Natwar, a notorious gambler who has come along with his wife Gracy. Natwar has pawned his four hotels to Sonia and has only one hotel left in his possession. When he loses money, he is forced to pawn the last hotel too. He keeps this a secret, but Gracy knows the fact. Another person is KK, who has come along with his wife Ruby. There is Rocky also. Rocky flirts with Ruby. Even Natwar goes inside the mansion to meet Sonia and pawn the last hotel. Upset by this, Gracy goes to 36 China Town in an angry mood and then bedroom with Rocky. Meanwhile, KK and Natwar decide to play together and they lose all of their money.


title: 36 China Town

text: Meanwhile, Raj and Priya come to Goa, where they run into a drunkard loitering near the mansion. The drunkard runs away on seeing them. On seeing the state of the house, they realise that Sonia has been robbed, but are later horrified to see Sonia dead. The duo run, but find that the child is left inside the mansion. Raj enters the mansion again to take him. He sees two eyes and legs of the killer behind a cupboard. Terrified, he gets out of the mansion with the child. Raj and Priya then inform Goa police about the murder. They keep the child inside a police van and run away. But Priya finds that she has left her suitcase inside the mansion inside which her passport is kept. Meanwhile, audience watch that Sonia's body is kept inside Priya's suitcase by somebody and kept outside the mansion. KK reaches the mansion and finds the suitcase. Thinking that it is containing lot of money, he takes it and reaches his room in hotel where Ruby is waiting for him. Meanwhile, Raj and Priya go back to the mansion to take her suitcase. Raj enters the mansion, but is arrested by Inspector Karan, the investigating officer and Ravi. Raj refuses to name Priya and it warms her heart as she watches on. Meanwhile, KK and Ruby find out that the suitcase contains a dead body, not money. They decide to dispose of the suitcase. Meanwhile, Priya takes Vicky to a church to drop him off but is seen by Rocky with the kid. As it was on the news to inform cops about a young girl with a kid, Rocky calls the police. Priya, who had wanted to help Raj, instead gets arrested and sent to jail. Priya and Raj become the prime suspects of the murder. Inside the jail, both fall for each other.


title: 36 China Town

text: Meanwhile, KK and Ruby unable to dispose of the suitcase, are arrested by police. KK tells the truth to Karan about Natwar. Karan goes to meet Natwar. Natwar lies to him that he was in his room with his wife, Gracy. Karan goes away. Natwar then finds out that Gracy was with Rocky in the room. Next day, Karan comes to meet Natwar and Gracy. Natwar tells him that it was he who was in the room and he got out from a pipe directly to the neighboring house's bedroom (Which actually Rocky did). But to his shock, the room turns to be Sonia Chang's mansion's bedroom where she was murdered. Natwar is arrested.


title: 36 China Town

text: Natwar then tells the truth to Karan about Rocky. Karan calls Rocky to the police station. But seeing Rocky's eyes, Raj recollects that it was Rocky's eyes and shoes which he had seen behind the cupboard. Rocky then tells that he was in Gracy's room that night. He had got out from the pipe to Sonia's bedroom only to find her already murdered. When he was about to get out from the house, Raj and Priya had entered with the child and started searching for Sonia. Then, when Raj had entered the mansion again to take the child, he had seen his (Rocky's) eyes and legs. Karan is able to reconstruct what actually happened that night. Based on Mr. Dixit's statement about the will and everybody's statement, Karan is able to find out the truth. First, he procures the drunkard, whom Raj and Priya believe to be the murderer. But, Karan goes on to explain that he is in fact, the kidnapper.


title: 36 China Town

text: Karan goes on to explain that the kidnapper was hired by the killer but the kidnapper lost the baby, who was then found by Raj and Priya in Mumbai. After Sonia is informed by Raj and Priya about the baby's discovery, the mastermind found that his/her plan was failing. Hence, he/she murdered Sonia, while other people incriminated themselves by fooling others to believe that it was a robbery gone wrong. The actual killer was Mr. and Mrs. Lobo, Sonia's servants. According to Sonia Chang's initial will, after her death, the person who was most close to her son (which were her servants) would inherit everything but then one day she found out about their evil intentions and decided to change her will, which led to them murdering her.


title: 36 China Town

text: The music was composed by Himesh Reshammiya. Lyrics were penned by Sameer. The music was released by Tips Music. According to the Indian trade website Box Office India, with around 12,00,000 units sold, this film's soundtrack album was the year's ninth highest-selling.


title: 36 China Town

text: The song "Aashiqui Mein Teri" was remade as "Aashiqui Mein Teri 2.0" for Reshammiya's 2020 film "Happy Hardy and Heer" and is performed by Reshammiya and singer Ranu Mondal.


title: 2012–13 UEFA Europa League

text: The 2012–13 UEFA Europa League was the 42nd season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 4th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League.


title: 2012–13 UEFA Europa League

text: The final was played at the Amsterdam Arena in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It was contested on 15 May 2013 between Portuguese club Benfica and English club Chelsea, who entered the competition at the Round of 32 after they finished in third place in the group stage of the 2012–13 Champions League. Chelsea won the final 2–1 for their first Europa League title, making them the fourth club – after Juventus, Ajax and Bayern Munich – and the first English club to have won all three major European trophies (UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and the Cup Winners' Cup).


title: 2012–13 UEFA Europa League

text: A total of 193 teams from 53 UEFA member associations participate in the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League. The association ranking based on the UEFA country coefficients is used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:


title: 2012–13 UEFA Europa League

text: The winners of the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League are given an additional entry as title holders if they do not qualify for the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League or Europa League through their domestic performance. However, this additional entry is not necessary for this season since the title holders qualified for European competitions through their domestic performance.


title: 2012–13 UEFA Europa League

text: For the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League, the associations are allocated places according to their 2011 UEFA country coefficients, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 2006–07 to 2010–11.


title: 2012–13 UEFA Europa League

text: The following changes to the default allocation system were made to compensate for these vacated spots:


title: 2012–13 UEFA Europa League

text: A Europa League place is vacated when a team qualifies for both the Champions League and the Europa League, or qualifies for the Europa League by more than one method. When a place is vacated, it is redistributed within the national association by the following rules:


title: 2012–13 UEFA Europa League

text: Matches in the qualifying, play-off, and knockout rounds may also be played on Tuesdays or Wednesdays instead of the regular Thursdays due to scheduling conflicts.


title: 2012–13 UEFA Europa League

text: In the qualifying rounds and the play-off round, teams were divided into seeded and unseeded teams based on their 2012 UEFA club coefficients, and then drawn into two-legged home-and-away ties. Teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other.


title: 2012–13 UEFA Europa League

text: The draws for the first and second qualifying rounds were held on 25 June 2012. The first legs were played on 3 and 5 July, and the second legs were played on 10 and 12 July 2012.


title: 2012–13 UEFA Europa League

text: The draw for the third qualifying rounds was held on 20 July 2012. The first legs were played on 2 August, and the second legs were played on 9 August 2012.


title: 2012–13 UEFA Europa League

text: The draw for the play-off round was held on 10 August 2012. The first legs were played on 22 and 23 August, and the second legs were played on 28 and 30 August 2012.


title: 2012–13 UEFA Europa League

text: The draw for the group stage was held in Monaco on 31 August 2012. The 48 teams were allocated into four pots based on their 2012 UEFA club coefficients, with the title holders, Atlético Madrid, being placed in Pot 1 automatically. They were drawn into twelve groups of four, with the restriction that teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other.


title: 2012–13 UEFA Europa League

text: In each group, teams played against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The matchdays were 20 September, 4 October, 25 October, 8 November, 22 November, and 6 December 2012. The group winners and runners-up advanced to the round of 32, where they were joined by the eight third-placed teams from the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League group stage.


title: 2012–13 UEFA Europa League

text: A total of 25 national associations were represented in the group stage. This was the first time a team from Azerbaijan qualified for the group stage of a UEFA competition. AEL, Anzhi, Kiryat Shmona, Levante, Marítimo, Neftçi and Videoton all appeared in the group stage of a UEFA competition for the first time.


title: 2012–13 UEFA Europa League

text: In the knockout phase, teams played against each other over two legs on a home-and-away basis, except for the one-match final. The mechanism of the draws for each round is as follows:


title: 2012–13 UEFA Europa League

text: The draws for the round of 32 and round of 16 were held on 20 December 2012. The first legs were played on 14 February, and the second legs were played on 21 February 2013.


title: 2012–13 UEFA Europa League

text: The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 15 March 2013. The first legs were played on 4 April, and the second legs were played on 11 April 2013.


title: 2012–13 UEFA Europa League

text: The draw for the semi-finals and final (to determine the "home" team for administrative purposes) was held on 12 April 2013. The first legs were played on 25 April, and the second legs were played on 2 May 2013.


title: Why there is anything at all

text: "Why is there anything at all?" (or "why is there something rather than nothing?") is a question about the reason for basic existence which has been raised or commented on by a range of philosophers and physicists, including Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Martin Heidegger, the last of whom called it "the fundamental question of metaphysics".


title: Why there is anything at all

text: The question is posed totally and comprehensively rather than concerning reasoning for the existence of anything specific, such as the universe or multiverse, the Big Bang, God, mathematical and physical laws, time or consciousness. It can be seen as an open metaphysical question, rather than a search for an exact answer.


title: Why there is anything at all

text: The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle argued that everything in the universe must have a cause, culminating in an ultimate uncaused cause. (See Four causes)


title: Why there is anything at all

text: Bertrand Russell took a "brute fact" position when he said, "I should say that the universe is just there, and that's all."


title: Why there is anything at all

text: Philosopher Brian Leftow has argued that the question cannot have a causal explanation (as any cause must itself have a cause) or a contingent explanation (as the factors giving the contingency must pre-exist), and that if there is an answer it must be something that exists necessarily (i.e., something that just exists, rather than is caused).


title: Why there is anything at all

text: Philosopher William Free argues that the only two options which can explain existence is that things either always existed or spontaneously emerged. In either scenario, existence is a fact for which there isn't a cause.


title: Why there is anything at all

text: David Hume argued that a cause may not be necessary in the case of the formation of the universe. Whilst we demand that everything have a cause because of our experience of the necessity of causes, the formation of the universe is outside our experience and may be subject to different rules.


title: Why there is anything at all

text: Philosopher Stephen Law has said the question may not need answering, as it is attempting to answer a question that is outside a spatio-temporal setting, from within a spatio-temporal setting. He compares the question to asking "what is north of the North Pole?"


title: Why there is anything at all

text: Noted philosophical wit Sidney Morgenbesser answered the question with an apothegm: "If there were nothing you'd still be complaining!", or "Even if there was nothing, you still wouldn't be satisfied!"


title: Why there is anything at all

text: Philosopher of physics Dean Rickles has argued that numbers and mathematics (or their underlying laws) may necessarily exist.


title: Why there is anything at all

text: Physicist Max Tegmark wrote about the mathematical universe hypothesis, which states that all mathematical structures exist physically, and the physical universe is one of these structures. According to the hypothesis, the universe appears fine-tuned for intelligent life because of the anthropic principle, with most universes being devoid of life.


title: Why there is anything at all

text: Physicists such as Stephen Hawking and Lawrence Krauss have offered explanations that rely on quantum mechanics, saying that in a quantum vacuum state, virtual particles and spacetime bubbles will spontaneously come into existence, which is mathematically proven by the Chinese physicists Dongshan He, Dongfeng Gao, and Qing-yu Cai.


title: Why there is anything at all

text: Nobel Laureate Frank Wilczek is credited with the aphorism that "nothing is unstable." However, physicist Sean Carroll argues that Wilczek's aphorism accounts merely for the existence of matter, but not the existence of quantum states, space-time, or the universe as a whole. Carroll concludes, as did Bertrand Russell, that "any attempt to account for the existence of something rather than nothing must ultimately bottom out in a set of brute facts; the universe simply is, without ultimate cause or explanation."


title: Why there is anything at all

text: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz attributed to God as being the necessary sufficient reason for everything that exists (see: Cosmological argument). He wrote:"Why is there something rather than nothing? The sufficient reason... is found in a substance which... is a necessary being bearing the reason for its existence within itself."Philosopher Roy Sorensen writes in the "Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy" that to many philosophers the question is intrinsically impossible to answer, like squaring a circle, and even God does not sufficiently answer it:


title: Why there is anything at all

text: The pre-Socratic philosopher Parmenides was one of the first Western thinkers to question the possibility of nothing. Many other thinkers, such as Bede Rundle, have questioned whether nothing is an ontological possibility. It can be argued that nothingness is an impossibility as there is already an existence.


title: Why there is anything at all

text: The contemporary philosopher Roy Sorensen has argued that curiosity is possible "even when the proposition is known to be a necessary truth." For instance, a ""reductio ad absurdum" proof that 1 − 1/3 + 1/5 − 1/7 + … converges to π/4" demonstrates that not converging to π/4 is impossible. However, it provides no insight into "why" not converging to π/4 is impossible. Similarly, it's legitimate to ask why non-existence or "nothingness" is impossible, even if that is the case.


title: Why there is anything at all

text: Robert Nozick outlined in the second chapter of his "Philosophical Explanations" the following possible answers to the question:


title: Murshidabad

text: Murshidabad (, or ) is a historical city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located on the eastern bank of the Bhagirathi River, a distributary of the Ganges. It forms part of the Murshidabad district.


title: Murshidabad

text: During the 18th century, Murshidabad was a prosperous city. It was the capital of the Bengal Subah in the Mughal Empire for seventy years, with a jurisdiction covering modern-day Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. It was the seat of the hereditary Nawab of Bengal and the state's treasury, revenue office and judiciary. Bengal was the richest Mughal province. Murshidabad was a cosmopolitan city. Its population peaked at 10,000 in the 1750s. It was home to wealthy banking and merchant families from different parts of the Indian subcontinent and wider Eurasia, including the Jagat Seth and Armenians.


title: Murshidabad

text: European companies, including the British East India Company, the French East India Company, the Dutch East India Company and the Danish East India Company, conducted business and operated factories around the city. Silk was a major product of Murshidabad. The city was also a center of art and culture, including ivory sculptors, Hindustani classical music and the Murshidabad style of Mughal painting.


title: Murshidabad

text: The city's decline began with the defeat of the last independent Nawab of Bengal Siraj-ud-Daulah at the Battle of Plassey in 1757. The Nawab was demoted to the status of a zamindar known as the Nawab of Murshidabad. The British shifted the treasury, courts and revenue office to Calcutta. In the 19th century, the population was estimated to be 46,000. Murshidabad became a district headquarters of the Bengal Presidency. It was declared as a municipality in 1869.


title: Murshidabad

text: Murshidabad was named after its founder, Nawab Murshid Quli Khan. "Murshid" is an Arabic term for a teacher or guide with integrity, sensibility, and maturity. The suffix "-abad" is derived from the Persian word "abad", which referred to a cultivated place.


title: Murshidabad

text: Hazarduari Palace and its associated sites in the Kila Nizamat area (forming the central area in the map alongside) is the centre of attraction in Murshidabad. Just a little away are Katra Masjid, Fauti Mosque, Jama Masjid and the Motijhil area. There is a group of attractions in the northern part of the town (as can be seen in the map alongside). Some attractions such as Khushbagh, Rosnaiganj, Baranagar, Kiriteswari Temple, Karnasuvarna and others are on the other side of the river and there are attractions in the neighbouring Berhampore area also (not shown in the map).


title: Murshidabad

text: The area was part of the Gauda Kingdom and Vanga Kingdom in ancient Bengal. The "Riyaz-us-Salatin" credited the initial development of the town to a merchant named Makhsus Khan. The merchant's role is also mentioned in the "Ain-i-Akbari".


title: Murshidabad

text: During the 17th-century, the area was well known for sericulture. In 1621, English agents reported that large quantities of silk were available in the area. During the 1660s, it became a pargana of the Mughal administration, with jurisdiction over European companies in Cossimbazar.


title: Murshidabad

text: In the early 18th-century, Murshid Quli Khan, the prime minister of Bengal Subah, had a bitter rivalry with Prince Azim-ush-Shan, the viceroy of Bengal. The latter even attempted to have Khan killed. The Mughal court in Delhi was also rapidly losing authority in much of the subcontinent. Amid the decline of the central government, the Mughal Emperor Farrukhsiyar promoted Khan to the status of a princely Nawab. As Nawab, Khan was given the opportunity to create a princely dynasty as part of the Mughal aristocracy.


title: Murshidabad

text: Murshid Quli Khan shifted the capital of Bengal from Dhaka, which lost its strategic importance after the expulsion of the Arakanese and Portuguese from Chittagong. He founded the city of Murshidabad and named the city after himself. It became the center of political, economic and cultural life in Bengal. The jurisdiction of the Nawab included not only Bengal, but also Bihar and Orissa. Murshidabad was also located centrally in the expanded jurisdiction of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.


title: Murshidabad

text: The presence of the princely court, the Mughal Army, artisans and multiethnic merchants increased the wealth of Murshidabad. Wealthy families and companies established their head offices in the city. The Murshidabad mint became the largest in Bengal, with a value amounting to two percent of the minted currency. The city witnessed the construction of administrative buildings, gardens, palaces, mosques, temples and mansions. European companies operated factories in the city's outskirts. The city was full of brokers, workers, peons, naibs, wakils, and ordinary traders.


title: Murshidabad

text: Murshid Quli Khan transformed Murshidabad into a capital city with an efficient administrative machinery for his successors. He built a palace and a caravanserai with a grand mosque, known as the Katra Masjid. The main military base was located near the mosque and formed the city's eastern gateway. The third Nawab Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan patronized the construction of another palace and military base, a new gateway, the revenue office, a public audience hall (durbar), a private chamber, the treasury and a mosque in an extensive compound called Farrabagh (Garden of Joy) which included canals, fountains, flowers, and fruit trees.


title: Murshidabad

text: Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah established a palace near the Motijhil (Pearl Lake). The Nizamat Imambara was built for Shia Muslims. The palace complex was fortified and known as the Nizamat Fort. The main entrances of the Nizamat Fort had musicians' galleries. The gates were high, imposing and tall enough for an elephant to pass through. The Khoshbagh garden was the burial place of the Nawabs. The city had a Bengali majority population, including Bengali Muslims and Bengali Hindus. There was an influential Jain community involved in trade and commerce. An Armenian community also settled and became financiers for the Nawab. The Jagat Seth were one of the prominent banking families of Murshidabad. They controlled money lending activities and served as financiers for administrators, merchants, traders, the Nawabs, the Zamindars, as well as the British, French, Armenians and Dutch. The merchants built many mansions, including the Azimganj Rajbati, Kathgola house and Nashipur house.


title: Murshidabad

text: The Nawabs of Bengal entered into agreements with numerous European trading companies allowing them to establish bases in the region. The French East India Company operated factories in Murshidabad and Dhaka. The British East India Company was based in Fort William. Murshidabad was a part of the Dutch Bengal Department. The Ostend Company of Austria established a base near Murshidabad. The Danish East India Company also set up trading posts in the Bengal Subah.


title: Murshidabad

text: The last independent Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah was overthrown in 1757. Despite receiving assurances of French support, the Nawab was betrayed by his commander Mir Jafar. The British installed Mir Jafar's family as a puppet dynasty and eventually reduced the Nawab to the status of a landlord (zamindar). The British continued to collect revenue from the area's factories. The merchant families continued to prosper under company rule in India. In 1858, the British government gained direct control of India's administration.


title: Murshidabad

text: Murshidabad was a district town of the Bengal Presidency. Warren Hastings removed the supreme civil and criminal courts to Calcutta in 1772, but in 1775 the latter courts were brought back to Murshidabad again. In 1790, under Lord Cornwallis, the entire revenue and judicial staffs were moved to Calcutta. The town was still the residence of the Nawab, who ranked as the first nobleman of the province with the style of Nawab Bahadur of Murshidabad, instead of Nawab Nazim of Bengal. The Hazarduari Palace was built in 1837 as a residence for both the Nawab and British civil servants. Murshidabad became a municipality in 1869. The population in 1901 was 15,168. The silk industry was revived with assistance from the government. The area also became notable for mango and litchi production.


title: Murshidabad

text: The city today is a center for agriculture, handicrafts and sericulture. The famous "Murshidabad Silk", much in demand for making saris and scarves, is produced here.


title: Murshidabad

text: As of 2011 Indian Census, Murshidabad had a total population of 44,019, of which 22,177 were males and 21,842 were females. Population within the age group of 0 to 6 years was 4,414. The total number of literates in Murshidabad was 32,451, which constituted 73.7% of the population with male literacy of 77.3% and female literacy of 70.1%. The effective literacy rate of 7+ population of Murshidabad was 81.9%, of which male literacy rate was 86.0% and female literacy rate was 77.9%. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes population was 13,762 and 302 respectively. Murshidabad had 9829 households in 2011.According to 2011 census the religious make-up of Murshidabd city was: Hindus (75.09%), Muslims (23.86%) and others(1.05%)


title: Murshidabad

text: Of historic interest are "Nizamat Kila" (the Fortress of the Nawabs), also known as the "Hazaarduari Palace" (Palace of a Thousand Doors), built by Duncan McLeod of the Bengal Engineers in 1837, in the Italianate style, the "Moti Jhil" (Pearl Lake) just to the south of the palace, the "Muradbagh Palace" and the "Khushbagh Cemetery", where the remains of Ali Vardi Khan and Siraj Ud Daulah are interred.


title: Murshidabad

text: Hazarduari Palace is located in the campus of Kila Nizamat of Murshidabad. It was built in the nineteenth century by architect Duncan Macleod, under the reign of Nawab Nazim Humayun Jah of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa (1824–1838). The foundation stone of the palace was laid on 9 August 1829, and that very day the construction work was started. William Cavendish was the then Governor-General. Now, Hazarduari Palace is the most conspicuous building in Murshidabad. In 1985, the palace was handed over to the Archaeological Survey of India for better preservation.


title: Murshidabad

text: The present Nizamat Imambara was built in 1847 by Nawab Nazim Mansoor Ali Khan Feradun Jah, who succeeded his father Nawab Nazim Humayun Jah in Murshidabad, India. It was built after the fires of 1842 and 1846 which burnt the wooden Imambara built by Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah. This Imambara is the largest one in India and Bengal.


title: Murshidabad

text: The Katra Masjid (also known as Katra Mosque) is a mosque and the tomb of Nawab Murshid Quli Khan built between 1723 and 1724. It is located in the north eastern side of the city. Its importance lies not only as a great centre of Islamic learning but also for the tomb of Murshid Quli Khan, who is buried under the entrance staircase. The most striking feature is the two large corner towers having loopholes for musketry. At present it is maintained and protected by the Archaeological Survey of India and the Government of West Bengal.


title: Murshidabad

text: Bacchawali Tope is a gun, rather cannon which lies in the Nizamat Fort Campus on the garden space between the Nizamat Imambara and the Hazarduari Palace and to the east of the old Madina Mosque. The cannon consists two pieces of different diameters. The cannon was made between the 12th and 14th century, probably by the Muslim rulers of Gaur. It originally lied on the sand banks of Ichaganj. However, it is unknown that how it came in Ichaganj. It was used to protect the city of Murshidabad from north-western attacks. After the 1846 fire of the Nizamat Imambara the Imambara was rebuilt, then after the completion of the new Imambara the cannon was shifted to its present site by Sadeq Ali Khan, the architect of the sacred Nizamat Imambara under the suggestion of Sir Henry Torrens, the then agent of the Governor General at Murshidabad.


title: R-60 (missile)

text: The Molniya (now Vympel) R-60 (NATO reporting name: AA-8 "Aphid") is a short-range lightweight infrared homing air-to-air missile designed for use by Soviet fighter aircraft. It has been widely exported, and remains in service with the CIS and many other nations.


title: R-60 (missile)

text: The R-60 was initially developed for the MiG-23. Work began on the weapon, under the bureau designation K-60 ("izdeliye" 62), in the late 1960s. Series production began in 1973. It entered service with the designation R-60 (NATO reporting name "Aphid-A").


title: R-60 (missile)

text: When introduced, the R-60 was one of the world's lightest air-to-air missiles, with a launch weight of . It has infrared guidance, with an uncooled "Komar" (Mosquito) seeker head. Control is by forward rudders with large rear fins. The distinctive canards on the nose, known as "destabilizers," serve to improve the rudders' efficiency at high angles of attack. The R-60 uses a small, tungsten expanding-rod surrounding a high explosive fragmentation warhead. Two different types of proximity fuze can be fitted: the standard "Strizh" (Swift) optical fuse, which can be replaced with a "Kolibri" active radar fuse. Missiles equipped with the latter fuse were designated R-60K.


title: R-60 (missile)

text: According to Russian sources, practical engagement range is about , although "brochure range" is at high altitude. The weapon was one of the most agile air-to-air missiles until the advent of thrust vectored missiles like the R-73 and AIM-9X. The R-60 can be used by aircraft maneuvering at up to 9"g" against targets maneuvering at up to 8"g". A tactical advantage is the short minimum range of only .


title: R-60 (missile)

text: Soviet practice was to manufacture most air-to-air missiles with interchangeable IR-homer and semi-active radar homing (SARH) seekers – however, an SARH version of the R-60 was never contemplated due to the small size of the missile which makes a radar-homing version with an antenna of reasonable size impractical.


title: R-60 (missile)

text: An upgraded version, the R-60M (NATO reporting name: "Aphid-B"), using a nitrogen-cooled seeker with an expanded view angle of ±20°, was introduced around 1982. Although its seeker is more sensitive than its predecessor, the R-60M has only limited all-aspect capability. Minimum engagement range was further reduced, to only . The proximity fuzes had improved resistance to ECM, although both optical and radar fuzes remained available. The export version with the "Kolibri-M" Radar-fuze are designated R-60MK (NATO reporting name: "Aphid-C"). The R-60M is longer, and has a heavier, continuous-rod warhead, increasing launch weight to . In some versions the warhead is apparently laced with about of depleted uranium to increase the penetrating power of the warhead.


title: R-60 (missile)

text: Since 1999, a modified version of the weapon has been used as a surface-to-air missile (SAM) as part of the Yugoslav M55A3B1 towed anti-aircraft artillery system. It has also been seen carried on a twin rail mount on a modified M53/59 Praga armored SPAAG of (former) Czechoslovakian origin. These missiles have been modified with the addition of a first stage booster motor, with the missile's own motor becoming the sustainer. This was done in lieu of modifying the missile's motor for ground launch, as in the case of the US MIM-72 Chaparral.


title: R-60 (missile)

text: The current Russian dogfight missile is the R-73 (AA-11 "Archer"), but large numbers of R-60 missiles remain in service.


title: R-60 (missile)

text: On 20 April 1978, two R-60 missiles were fired at Korean Air Lines Flight 902 after a navigational error had caused it to fly into Soviet airspace. One missile hit, detaching 4 meters of the left wing and killing 2 passengers. The plane made an emergency landing on a frozen lake.


title: R-60 (missile)

text: On 21 June 1978, a PVO MiG-23M flown by Pilot Captain V. Shkinder shot down two Iranian Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters that had trespassed into Soviet airspace, one helicopter being dispatched by two R-60 missiles and the other by cannon fire.


title: R-60 (missile)

text: Several Russian reports affirm the R-60 was widely used during the 1982 Lebanon war, and it was the main weapon used by the Syrians in air-to-air combat. Some Russian reports affirm that the R-60 was the most successful air-to-air missile deployed by the Syrians in Lebanon over the Bekaa Valley. According to Israeli reports, the vast majority of air-to-air combat consisted of visual range dogfights, and this has been also confirmed by Russian sources. The Russian reports also mentioned that several F-4s, F-16s, and IAI Kfirs were destroyed by R-60s among other aircraft. Israel claims some F-4s and Kfirs were lost in 1982, but lists surface-to-air missiles as responsible for all Israeli aircraft losses. However, on 9 June 1982, a Syrian MiG-21 heavily damaged an F-15 using an R-60, but the Israeli aircraft was able to make it back to its base and was subsequently repaired.


title: R-60 (missile)

text: On 11 August 1984, during the Iran–Iraq War, an Iraqi Air Force MiG-23ML shot down an Iranian F-14A piloted by Hashem All-e-Agha using an R-60.


title: R-60 (missile)

text: On 19 January 1991, during the Gulf War, Iraqi air force pilot Jameel Sayhood claimed to have shot down a Royal Air Force Panavia Tornado with an R-60 missile. However, the Royal Air Force claimed that the aircraft crashed on 22 January 1991 on a bombing mission in Ar Rutba.


title: R-60 (missile)

text: On 27 September 1987, during Operation Moduler, two Cuban FAR MiG-23MLs intercepted Captain Arthur Piercy's Mirage F1CZ, which was damaged by either an R-23 or an R-60 fired head-on by Major Alberto Ley Rivas. The explosion destroyed the aircraft's drag chute and damaged the hydraulics. Piercy was able to recover to AFB Rundu, but the aircraft overshot the runway. The impact with the rough terrain caused Piercy's ejection seat to fire, but he failed to separate from the seat and suffered major spinal injuries.


title: R-60 (missile)

text: In 1999, an Indian Air Force MiG-21 used an infrared-homing R-60 to bring down a Pakistani Navy Breguet Atlantic which intruded over Indian airspace. Part of the wreckage was found in contested territory, this incident is widely known as the Atlantic incident.


title: Citicoline

text: Citicoline (INN), also known as cytidine diphosphate-choline (CDP-Choline) or cytidine 5'-diphosphocholine is an intermediate in the generation of phosphatidylcholine from choline, a common biochemical process in cell membranes. Citicoline is naturally occurring in the cells of human and animal tissue, in particular the organs.


title: Citicoline

text: Citicoline is available as a supplement in over 70 countries under a variety of brand names: Cebroton, Ceraxon, Cidilin, Citifar, Cognizin, Difosfocin, Hipercol, NeurAxon, Nicholin, Sinkron, Somazina, Synapsine, Startonyl, Trausan, Xerenoos, etc. When taken as a supplement, citicoline is hydrolyzed into choline and cytidine in the intestine. Once these cross the blood–brain barrier it is reformed into citicoline by the rate-limiting enzyme in phosphatidylcholine synthesis, CTP-phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase.


title: Citicoline

text: Some preliminary research suggested that citicoline may reduce the rates of death and disability following an ischemic stroke.


title: Citicoline

text: However, the largest citicoline clinical trial to date (a randomised, placebo-controlled, sequential trial of 2298 patients with moderate-to-severe acute ischaemic stroke in Europe), found no benefit of administering citicoline on survival or recovery from stroke. A meta-analysis of seven trials reported no statistically significant benefit for long-term survival or recovery.


title: Citicoline

text: The effect of citicoline on visual function has been studied in patients with glaucoma, with possible positive effect for protecting vision.


title: Citicoline

text: Citicoline may have neuroprotective effects due to its preservation of cardiolipin and sphingomyelin, preservation of arachidonic acid content of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine, partial restoration of phosphatidylcholine levels, and stimulation of glutathione synthesis and glutathione reductase activity. Citicoline's effects may also be explained by the reduction of phospholipase A2 activity.


title: Citicoline

text: The brain preferentially uses choline to synthesize acetylcholine. This limits the amount of choline available to synthesize phosphatidylcholine. When the availability of choline is low or the need for acetylcholine increases, phospholipids containing choline can be catabolized from neuronal membranes. These phospholipids include sphingomyelin and phosphatidylcholine. Supplementation with citicoline can increase the amount of choline available for acetylcholine synthesis and aid in rebuilding membrane phospholipid stores after depletion.


title: Citicoline

text: Citicoline decreases phospholipase stimulation. This can lower levels of hydroxyl radicals produced after an ischemia and prevent cardiolipin from being catabolized by phospholipase A2. It can also work to restore cardiolipin levels in the inner mitochondrial membrane.


title: Citicoline

text: Citicoline may enhance cellular communication by increasing levels of neurotransmitters. The choline component of citicoline is used to create acetylcholine, which is a neurotransmitter in the human brain. Clinical trials have found that citicoline supplementation might improve focus and attention.


title: Citicoline

text: Citicoline lowers increased glutamate concentrations and raises decreased ATP concentrations induced by ischemia. Citicoline also increases glutamate uptake by increasing expression of EAAT2, a glutamate transporter, in vitro in rat astrocytes. It is suggested that the neuroprotective effects of citicoline after a stroke are due in part to citicoline's ability to decrease levels of glutamate in the brain.


title: Citicoline

text: Citicoline is water-soluble, with more than 90% oral bioavailability. Plasma levels peak one hour after oral ingestion, and a majority of the citicoline is excreted as in respiration, and again 24 hours after ingestion, where the remaining citicoline is excreted through urine.


title: Citicoline

text: Citicoline has a very low toxicity profile in animals and humans. Clinically, doses of 2000 mg per day have been observed and approved. Minor transient adverse effects are rare and most commonly include stomach pain and diarrhea. There have been suggestions that chronic citicoline use may have adverse psychiatric effects. However, a meta-analysis of the relevant literature does not support this hypothesis. At most, citicoline may exacerbate psychotic episodes or interact with antipsychotic medication.


title: Citicoline

text: Phosphatidylcholine is a major phospholipid in eukaryotic cell membranes. Close regulation of its biosynthesis, degradation, and distribution is essential to proper cell function. Phosphatidylcholine is synthesized in vivo by two pathways


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: The third season of the American television series "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.", based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D., follows Phil Coulson and his team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and Inhumans as they face new threats to the world. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and acknowledges the continuity of the franchise's films. The season was produced by ABC Studios, Marvel Television, and Mutant Enemy Productions, with Jed Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen, and Jeffrey Bell serving as showrunners.


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: Clark Gregg reprises his role as Coulson from the film series, starring alongside the returning series regulars Ming-Na Wen, Brett Dalton, Chloe Bennet, Iain De Caestecker, Elizabeth Henstridge, Nick Blood, Adrianne Palicki. They are joined by Henry Simmons and Luke Mitchell who were promoted from recurring guest roles in the second season. The third season was ordered in May 2015, and filmed from that July to the following April. It takes inspiration from the "Secret Warriors" comic, combining it with the series' Inhuman and Hydra storylines, while paralleling the film "" (2016); connections to other MCU television series are also included in the season, as are characters from previous MCU media. Glenn Hetrick created prosthetics for the less-human looking Inhumans, Legacy Effects provided additional practical effects, and FuseFX returned to create the visual effects.


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: The first episode of the season premiered in Los Angeles on September 23, 2015, with the season, consisting of 22 episodes, airing on ABC from September 29, 2015, until May 17, 2016. The premiere was watched by 4.90 million viewers, higher than any episode of the entire second half of season two. Overall, the season had generally consistent ratings, and received positive reviews. Critics felt the series had 'hit its stride' with the season, and particularly praised the risky bottle episode "4,722 Hours", though the pacing of the season received criticism for trying to do too much at times. The series was renewed for a fourth season in March 2016.


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: In March 2014, executive producer Jeffrey Bell stated at the "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." PaleyFest panel that the producers and the writers are able to read the screenplays for upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe films to know where the universe is heading, which allowed them to form a general plan for the show through the end of a third season. The series was renewed for that third season on May 7, 2015. By April 2015, Marvel had been developing a spinoff series to accompany the season, starring Adrianne Palicki and Nick Blood, but ABC opted not to go ahead with it, with entertainment president Paul Lee saying, "We thought the right thing now is to leave [Palicki and Blood] on "S.H.I.E.L.D.", because "S.H.I.E.L.D." is so strong the moment".


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: However, a pilot for the spinoff was ordered in August 2015, with the series titled "Marvel's Most Wanted". Bell and fellow "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." executive producer Paul Zbyszewski developed the series, while working on Hunter and Morse's storyline for season three, preparing them to move over to the spin-off. Bell explained that it would set up "Marvel's Most Wanted" by defining exactly who the characters are, such as Hunter and his lack of loyalty to S.H.I.E.L.D. and to ideologies—"nothing specific about the show, it's just who Hunter is"—and that while the characters are "on "S.H.I.E.L.D.", we want to take advantage of who they are, and give the audience as much of their relationship with one another, and with other people, as possible. We are aware that there is a potential imminent end, and so they won't be neglected."


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: Hunter and Morse are written off the series in the episode "Parting Shot", both leaving S.H.I.E.L.D., as Palicki and Blood "physically had to go leave to shoot the pilot ... they had to stop being on "S.H.I.E.L.D." and get ready for the pilot and then shoot the pilot and all of that, so it didn't make sense for us to have all these episodes with them and then not have them in two or three episodes, and then go, "Oh, we were just over here," and then come back and go away again." On whether they could return to the series at some point, Bell said, "I can't answer that, but I can say it would be kind of cheating to make Mack cry like that only to buy it back—not that we haven't brought characters back from the dead. We want to earn stuff."


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: In May 2015, Bell said that writing for the third season would begin the following month, with the story set six months after the events that concluded the second season. Bell stated that S.H.I.E.L.D. would be depicted as it was in the second season, underground with small "pockets" of S.H.I.E.L.D. around the world, as following the release of "" "we found we like our team ... as underdogs, as opposed to a giant, powerful, NSA organization that can do pretty much anything."


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: Regarding the characters that could appear in the season, Bell said in May 2015 that "The idea of some familiar faces with some new faces is something to look forward to. I also think finding some new Marvel characters to pull into the universe would be cool. Fans seem to respond when there are characters from the Marvel comics and Marvel Cinematic Universe." He later explained that the series has the opportunity to explore the Inhumans outside of the Royal Family (who are the major focus of the comics, television series and previously planned film). The season mentions the character Eden Fesi as an Inhuman, who is a mutant in the comics. The change was due to 20th Century Fox controlling the film and television rights to the majority of Marvel's X-Men and mutant characters.


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: When asked about possible hints made in the season two finale towards an adaptation of "Secret Warriors", Bell noted that the series does share the character Daisy Johnson with that comic, and "the idea of a team of powered people is something we've seen in the show ... I think there's a world down the road where we do our version." Elaborating on this and the series dealing with the many powered people introduced in season two, Bell said, "People seem to respond to powered people on the show and while it's not going to take over and become what the show's about, as a texture and flavor of the stories, we really enjoy that. The fact that Inhumans are now out there is something I think we need to investigate". He later clarified that characters would not have to be Inhuman to join the Secret Warriors, just powered, and that not just any powered character would be allowed to join, given that Daisy had to go through years of training on top of getting powers to join the team, and so similar rules would apply to other potential members. Executive producers Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon also discussed the Secret Warriors, the former cautioning "a very slow build" to the team, and the latter explaining, "We feel a duty to the Cinematic Universe to not hyper-accelerate how many people have powers ... We don't want it to be there's a thousand people with powers with a show that at its heart is about what it's like to not have powers in a world with powers."


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: In September 2015, Tancharoen stated the overall theme for the season explored with each character was them "trying to get back in touch with their humanity in a world where Inhumans are popping up," with Whedon adding that the nature of couples–some having broken up in previous episodes, some getting back together, and potential for new ones–would be explored. Later that month, Bell talked about some of the new character pairings in the season, saying "Putting Mack and Daisy together; putting Hunter and May together; putting Bobbi and Fitz together—suddenly you have all these different dynamics, all these different stories that you didn't have before." Tancharoen later highlighted the number of characters in the season compared to previous, stating that "There's more scale and scope, but at the same time, I think we're diving into each character's internal struggle a little bit more."


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: The second part of the season, which begins with episode 11, takes place three months after the events of episode 10. On the structure of the season and shifting the focus between the two parts, Bell stated it was the intent to follow the format from season two, by tying "a whole bunch of [interesting threads] but not all of them off by the midseason. And then we launch something exciting for the back half...the promise of more to come." Whedon added that "though we do break the season up, we feel that the season as a whole is one arc" and so the series would explore the same themes in the second half, "themes of what it means to be human and Inhuman. What does it mean to all these people when they have to live with their actions? Are they capable of the things their enemies are capable of?...What is the true nature of a person? Is everybody capable of everything if put in a terrible position? Or is there true good and a true evil?" The second half of the season sees the introduction of the comics' right-wing hate group the Watchdogs, depicted as radicals wishing to "eliminate the Inhumans", as well as a "cure" that can prevent terrigenisis in yet-to-transition Inhumans.


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: "Bouncing Back" opens with "a mysterious flash-forward to three months in the future, showing an unidentified S.H.I.E.L.D. agent seemingly dead in space." Tancharoen called it "the promise of something fairly ominous to come", and stated, "We will be uncovering things from the midseason opener all the way to the finale. We will slowly be discovering what that image is." She added that any "clues" would likely play out during present day sequences rather than further flash-forwards, such as when Daisy receives a vision of the flash-forward in "Spacetime", an episode where she learns that "she cannot change the outcome of these visions and the future is the future." Whedon discussed this idea, and that of the "theory behind the Inhumans that each one of them serves a purpose", saying, Inhumans "are made, they're not random. There's a lack of something that needs filling and an Inhuman will be created that fills that niche. It's an interesting concept we like playing with, and that plays into the idea of fate, which with our future visions, we're hitting pretty hard." On choosing Lincoln to be the one to die, which the executive producers knew going into the season when forming the arcs for Lincoln, Daisy, and Ward, Bell said he "earned it" adding that Lincoln comes to a point where he realizes what his purpose is, with Whedon noting that he understands that Daisy has a different purpose. Whedon continued that the decision was based on the fact that the series did not "want to be a body count show, but it is a real world with real stakes. What we had not done is the heroic death and the full-sacrifice death. This was a conscious decision. We also think that there’s a poetry in the fact that the person doing it doesn’t consider himself a hero. That’s the beauty of the moment—it’s not just for [Daisy], but it is, and it’s not just for him, but it is."


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: Discussing the season finale, Tancharoen stated, "This season, we've explored a lot of different themes: There's the notion of purpose. We also introduced an Inhuman who has a strong sense of faith. We talk a lot about destiny and all these things intertwine." Bennet likened the end of the season to "the end of the first book of S.H.I.E.L.D. This finale feels like the end of something bigger and the beginning of a whole new tone for the show." Whedon added, "We wanted to put a close to [Hive's] story. We knew going into this season what our plan was for both Ward and Hive. Our goal was to make it not just feel like victory—we like to get a victory and also a loss at the same time." On whether the Inhumans storyline would also be ending with the season, Whedon said, "We think of it as never closed. We like that we were able to open up that world and make Inhumans a permanent part of the universe. Now, we have a quick-fire way of introducing people with powers. It gives us a lot of leeway in our world, and it lets us explode the metaphors of what it is like to be different. We will never close that chapter." On making a six-month time jump at the end of "Ascension", Bell said that despite each character completing their arcs this season, "we still have a lot of plot. Emotionally, their arcs are done. What the jump lets you do is to do a reset ... It allows us to put down a lot of old plot and pick up a lot of new." Whedon added, "We’ve done it each season, so we just wanted to do it a little early ... we would’ve done [the time jump] in episode 1 next year but what we wanted to do was tease" things to come at the end of this season.


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: All principal cast members from the first and second seasons (Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson, Ming-Na Wen as Melinda May, Brett Dalton as Grant Ward, Chloe Bennet as Daisy Johnson (no longer going by the name of "Skye"), Iain De Caestecker as Leo Fitz, Elizabeth Henstridge as Jemma Simmons, Nick Blood as Lance Hunter, and Adrianne Palicki as Bobbi Morse) return for the third season. In May 2015, Bell said that the writers would look to incorporate the character Lincoln Campbell into the season, as he was a "nice addition" to the second season, and that they were looking forward to exploring Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie's character in new ways during the third season following his role in the second-season finale. Luke Mitchell and Henry Simmons, who recurred as Lincoln and Mack, respectively, throughout the second season, were subsequently promoted to the principal cast for the third. During the season, Grant Ward is killed. His body is possessed by the parasitic Inhuman Hive, based on a creature from the "Secret Warriors" comic, with Dalton taking on that role. Also returning from earlier in the series are Daz Crawford as Kebo, Peter MacNicol as Elliot Randolph, Blair Underwood as Andrew Garner, Alicia Vela-Bailey as Alisha Whitley, Brian Patrick Wade as Carl Creel, Adrian Pasdar as Glenn Talbot, Raquel Gardner as Carla Talbot, Titus Welliver as Felix Blake, Reed Diamond as Daniel Whitehall, and Derek Phillips as O'Brien.


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: In July 2015, the Inhuman Lash, a villainous character from the comics, was confirmed to be appearing in the season, while Andrew Howard and Constance Zimmer were cast as Luther Banks and Rosalind Price, respectively, both recurring. In August 2015, Matthew Willig was revealed to be cast as Lash, while Juan Pablo Raba was announced as another new Inhuman, Joey Gutierrez. In October, Powers Boothe was announced in the recurring role of Gideon Malick, the previously unnamed World Security Council member that he portrayed in "The Avengers". The next month, Lash was revealed to be the Inhuman form of Andrew Garner, and Mark Dacascos was announced in the "heavily recurring" role of Giyera. Tyler Ritter appeared as Grant Ward's younger brother Thomas in December 2015. The character previously appeared as a boy through flashbacks in "The Well". By February 2016, Natalia Cordova-Buckley was cast as Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez, a Secret Warrior from the comics. Axle Whitehead and John Hannah also recur as the Inhuman J.T. James / Hellfire and scientist Holden Radcliffe, respectively. Additionally, Alexander Wraith makes multiple appearances as the minor S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Anderson, while William Sadler reprises his role of President Matthew Ellis from "Iron Man 3".


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: The season introduces a new title graphic for the series, replacing the one that appeared for the first two seasons, as well as a new aircraft for the team called Zephyr One, designed by series visual effects vendor FuseFX. Glenn Hetrick again worked with the make-up and visual effects departments to design and create the more "unique"-looking Inhumans, such as Lash, after having worked on Raina during season two. Willig's Lash make-up initially took 6 hours to apply, but the make-up team was able to reduce the time to 4.5 hours. Before a new Inhuman character can be introduced, the cost of creating their powers must be weighed, with Bell saying, "Can we afford to produce this effect? Because every time last year Gordon [teleported] we went, 'Wow, that was [expensive].'" For the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents' costumes, series costume designer Ann Foley made sure to reflect the fact that they have "graduated from the ragtag group of soldiers and scientists to the more precise militaristic outfit they always imagined they were." As well, once Simmons returns from Maveth, her costumes did not feature any color, patterns, or prints, in order to reflect Simmons' emotional space.


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: Bennet cut her hair for the season, in order to further her character's transformation to the Daisy Johnson / Quake of the comics, while not cutting her hair as short as her comic counterpart. Bennet stated, "The comic book version of Daisy Johnson has very short, Miley Cyrus-esque hair. We wanted to stay true to the comic book character fans love; I wanted to please them but also make sure there was still some movement and length and sexiness in the hair." Bennet also received a new costume for the season, along with Quake's signature gauntlets. On the costume, Foley said, "It's about strength. She feels very empowered in it...I wanted to stay true to some of the designs I saw in the comics. In the style lines, I wanted to pay a little bit of a tribute to [Daisy's] tactical ability from last season, but we also incorporated the Quake symbol into her gauntlets and on the back of her suit." Legacy Effects created the gauntlets and utility belt, "out of flexible materials painted to look like metal" so as not to injure anyone during stunts.


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: After losing a hand at the end of the second season, Coulson receives a prosthetic replacement with "a few surprises hidden inside". Prop master Scott Bauer took a mold of Gregg's hand to build the prosthetic and was able to make the fingers bendable to depict Coulson holding objects. The hand evolves throughout the season, with a later iteration projecting an energy shield, inspired by a similar one used in the comics by Captain America. The energy shield was created by Cosa, one of the series' visual effects vendors.


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: Production on the season began in late July 2015, in Culver City, California, and lasted until late April 2016. Location filming for the alien planet occurred in a work quarry in Simi Valley and in Northridge, Los Angeles near the Mojave Desert.


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: With the season reinventing the series again, composer Bear McCreary expanded the sound of the score "in a big way". In addition to introducing new themes for the characters of Lash and Rosalind Price, McCreary made some changes to the orchestra: "To represent Lash, I brought in larger percussion: merciless pounding taikos that I digitally compressed and distorted. This new, mangled percussion sound is horrific, and will become increasingly important as the season progresses." McCreary also brought in trombones "to get the scariest sound possible," which resulted in the recording space being reconfigured when they were recorded. For Price, her scenes with Coulson "give the series the feeling of a dense political thriller...I really leaned into that, musically. I introduce light acoustic percussion, mostly egg shakers, to give the pulsing synths a softer edge. And I used an acoustic piano to play the "Rosalind Theme" at key moments in her scenes...her music is meant to add intrigue and suspicion, and simultaneously allow us to have some fun with their witty banter." For "Maveth", McCreary used a 90-piece orchestra rather than the series' typical 50 or 70 players.


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: On the season's potential for crossover with the rest of the MCU, Bell said in May 2015 that "I think [last] year worked really well—we got to be our own show and tell our own stories in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and do a nice hand off or a tie-in, but neither are incumbent upon the other to be a follow, and I think that's a great model for us. "Ant-Man" comes out this summer and will have come and gone before we air again in September, so whether there's anything vestigial from that or for [""] next season is to be determined. But we're in contact with the movie people and them with us, and any time we can put little easter eggs in, it's a lot of fun for die-hard fans." Bell also stated that there was a possibility of Hayley Atwell once again reprising her role as Peggy Carter in the season for an "Agent Carter" crossover, and after the series acknowledged the character's death in "Civil War", added, "Any time we can make a connection to her, whether in a flashback or dealing with what’s happening now, it makes the universe smaller."


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: In June 2015, it was revealed that the season would include the Secret Warriors team by introducing Inhuman characters inspired by the comic of the same name. The episode "Emancipation" is set in the aftermath of "Civil War", and deals with how the Secret Warriors and other Inhumans are affected by the Sokovia Accords, with some members of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team feeling "Inhumans should be registered and [others] who feel that's a first step to them being sequestered, imprisoned, exterminated." Wen noted that "The connection is there, but it’s also very tenuous at this point, because S.H.I.E.L.D. has become so isolated with what’s going on with the Avengers and them not knowing still that Coulson is alive." On how the themes of "Civil War" allowed the series to make more of a philosophical tie-in than with previous films, Whedon stated that "we do have people across the globe who have powers on our show and there would be varying reactions to that. A lot of fear, some excitement, some people wanting to use it for good, some people wanting to use it for evil. So, a lot of those same themes [from the film] will be addressed on our show." Bennet added, "we've been dealing with the bigger issues of "Civil War" on a smaller, more personal scale for a while now. It's been building. We've been having our own mini version of "Civil War"."


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: Additionally, the episode "Many Heads, One Tale" sees the season tie its Hydra and Inhuman storylines together, retconning the history of Hydra in the MCU, while the episode "Watchdogs" connects the series to several other MCU television shows: by featuring the chemical compound nitramene, which was developed by Howard Stark and seen in the "Agent Carter" episodes "Now is Not the End" and "Bridge and Tunnel"; by noting a gang war in Hell's Kitchen, as seen in the second season of "Daredevil"; and by referencing the company Damage Control, which was the focus of a potential MCU television series of the same name and later seen in "". Despite similarities between the final conversation between Daisy and Lincoln in "Ascension" and that of Steve Rogers and Carter in "", the executive producers did not mirror that scene intentionally, with Whedon stating "There’s something heartbreaking about not being able to be face-to-face with the person". "Ascension" also introduces the concept of Life Model Decoys.


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: To promote the inclusion of the Secret Warriors in the season, at San Diego Comic-Con International 2015, Marvel gave fans a chance to be a part of the team, with ambassadors roaming the convention to find the most dedicated fans and rewarding them with limited edition "Secret Warriors" pins. Fans with pins were then asked to post a photo of themselves wearing the pin to social media, for cast members of the series to select their favorites. A premiere was held for the season on September 23, 2015, at Pacific Theatres at The Grove in Los Angeles, where the first episode was shown. In early October, Marvel released a comedy video starring Dalton and Marvel Entertainment Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada discussing a potential rebranding for Hydra, which was conceived and written by Dalton. On October 9, 2015, "A Wanted (Inhu)man" was screened at New York Comic Con, and on March 26, 2016, "Watchdogs" was screened at WonderCon.


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: Also at WonderCon, a poster based on the season was made available, with art by Mike McKone. It features Daisy, her pose an homage to a well-known "Secret Warriors" cover depicting the comic version of the character, with other main characters paired behind her (Coulson and Price, the latter because "she really was a big part of the first half of the season and...her death is the thing [that] drives Coulson", according to Bell; Fitz and Simmons; Hunter and Morse; May and Garner / Lash; and Mack and Elena Rodriguez). Lincoln is featured on his own, so as not to "take a super strong female character [Daisy] and reduce her to being a part of a relationship where she won't be fulfilled until she finds her man", as are Ward / Hive and Malick, the latter with the symbol of the former upon him: "We have told you who Ward's become, and Hive is the person that Malick is really in a relationship with. So the fact that reflection is on him or in him or around him is pretty potent," explained Bell.


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: Beginning with "The Singularity", the final episodes of the season were marketed as "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Fallen Agent", a "four-episode event". Marvel released clues as to who the Fallen Agent was online in the form of "sneak peek clips, artwork and more", leading up to the final reveal in the season finale. Marvel also released a poster for the event that recreated the cover of the "iconic" "The Amazing Spider-Man" #121 that served as the first issue of the story arc "The Night Gwen Stacy Died". The poster, created by Greg Land, also appeared as a "rare 1:1000" variant cover for "Civil War II" #0. Ahead of the final two episodes of the season, Marvel released a series of videos that "memorialized" each of the potential characters who could have been the Fallen Agent, with the Fallen Agent ultimately being Lincoln Campbell.


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: The season began airing in the United States on ABC on September 29, 2015, and ran for 22 episodes. In Australia, the season aired on Fox8, rather than Seven Network with previous seasons, with a two-week delay from the U.S. airings. In the United Kingdom, the season moved to E4 after previously airing on Channel 4, and debuted on January 10, 2016.


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: The season began streaming on Netflix in the United States on June 16, 2016, and was available until February 28, 2022. It was released on Blu-ray and DVD in Region 4 on March 1, 2017. It became available on Disney+ in the United States on March 16, 2022, joining other territories where it was already available on the service.


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: The season averaged 5.52 million total viewers, including from DVR, ranking 85th among network series in the 2015–16 television season. It also had an average total 18-49 rating of 2.0, which was 47th.


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 100% approval rating with an average score of 8.19/10, based on 22 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Still evolving in its third season, "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." further hits its stride with a blend of thrills, humor, and heart."


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: Based on the premiere, Merrill Barr of "Forbes" felt that the show "has grown up a lot since its first year, and with the start of season three, it's hard to imagine what complaints any fans could possibly still have. If you want overall continuity, you got it. If you want people with super powers going crazy, it's there. If you want an ensemble cast that brings the broadcast television corner of the MCU to life, then look no further. The point is, with the new season of "S.H.I.E.L.D.", it's everything one could ask from the show." Vulture's Scott Meslow stated that the premiere was "riddled with [many] visual signifiers, highlighting the ways "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." has gradually become sharper, sleeker, and more reliant on the bones of its comic-book source material."


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: Kevin Fitzpatrick at Screen Crush said that "Laws of Nature" "feels [like] the show's most confident, ambitious swing yet, its action-packed opening minutes a clear mission statement with an even more specific focus than Season 2." Brian Lowry, reviewing the episode for "Variety", said, "Television obviously can't compete with the budgets and action found in summer blockbusters...but it has an advantage in being able to explore characters. "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." obviously possesses a core audience drawn to those attributes, and showrunners Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen have admirably kept the plot moving ahead—engaging in larger serialized narratives—while grappling with the logistics of those ancillary considerations, which include plans for an "Inhumans" movie".


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: Eric Goldman of IGN scored the season a 7.9 out of 10, feeling it "had its up and downs, mixing in elements that worked (Daisy getting her Quake on, the Fitz and Simmons drama), elements we could have used more of (Secret Warriors!) and elements that just never felt right (Lincoln and his relationship with Daisy)." Goldman also felt that the first half of the season was "the stronger, more cohesive of the two halves" as it aired the episode "4,722 Hours" which Goldman called "the best hour of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." to date." He criticized the pacing of the season, saying "some episodes felt a bit jumbled and could have benefited from slowing down a bit—or simply not trying to do so much at once. Sometimes it was just a question of including too many characters or storylines in single episodes, causing some scenarios to not have time to breathe or get the proper build up they might have with more character-focused episodes."


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: The season's connection to "Captain America: Civil War" of paralleling that film's themes and events was noted by critics.


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: Alex McCown, writing for "The A.V. Club", called the season's use of the Watchdogs as "the most topical and relevant to our real-world situation "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." has ever gotten", comparing the group to Cliven Bundy and supporters of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, and feeling that "It's heartening to see the series laying this much groundwork in anticipation of mirroring the events of "Civil War". We've all talked about how the films affect the shows, but not vice versa. This narrative means "S.H.I.E.L.D." is taking full advantage of its medium in order to tell the story the upcoming Captain America film can't: A full and fraught exploration of the need to protect freedom and privacy, even for those with extraordinary abilities."


title: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3)

text: Fitzpatrick further discussed the "downright eerie parallel to current events" the Watchdogs brought to the series, saying that "if you stare at the news long enough it starts to mirror fiction, and boy if "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." didn't terrifyingly benefit from that [in "Watchdogs"]...Sometimes, anyone in need of someone to blame for their troubles can fall in with radicals." Fitzpatrick noted other MCU tie-ins in the same episode "never felt particularly labored, but rather lived-in with a world that stretches back to "Agent Carter"-era Stark tech, drops the odd "Daredevil" Easter Egg, and helps contextualize a world where heroes create country-dropping robots...A topical bent like tonight's "Watchdogs" made for a great angle to build up that world mentality without feeling particularly subservient to the movies."


title: Liar Game

text: Liar Game (stylized as LIAR GAME) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Shinobu Kaitani. It was serialized in Shueisha's "seinen" manga magazine "Weekly Young Jump" from February 2005 to January 2015. It was adapted into a Japanese television series in 2007, with a which ran from 2009 to 2010. It was also adapted into two live action films; "" in 2010 and "" in 2012. A South Korean television series adaptation aired in 2014.


title: Liar Game

text: An uncommonly naive college student named Nao Kanzaki receives a package containing 100 million yen (about US$1 million) and a note that she is now a contestant in the Liar Game Tournament. In this fictional tournament, contestants are encouraged to cheat and lie to obtain other contestants' money, with the losers forced to bear a debt proportional to their losses. When Nao's first opponent, a trusted former teacher, steals her money, she seeks assistance from a con man named Shinichi Akiyama. Though they manage to defeat him, Nao and Akiyama decide to buy out his debt and advance through different rounds of the Liar Game Tournament against merciless contestants, while at the same time attempting to free their opponents from debt and defeat the Liar Game organization from within.


title: Liar Game

text: The purpose of the LGT Office is revealed in the last chapter. At the head of the office are those who wished to recreate the conditions in a radical political work whose last volume was confiscated in order to surmise its contents, the other members with patterned masks had participated in an initial attempt to conduct a simulation of the radical work (i.e. a first Liar Game Tournament). They agreed to return to help in the second (successful) attempt at holding a Liar Game Tournament. This second tournament is what is described in the manga.


title: Liar Game

text: "Handlers" manage individual contestants and provide information on upcoming rounds, and "hosts" carry out the actual rounds of the Liar Game and observe the contestants.


title: Liar Game

text: "Liar Game", written and illustrated by Shinobu Kaitani, was serialized in Shueisha's "Weekly Young Jump" from February 17, 2005 to January 22, 2015. Shueisha collected its chapters in nineteen "tankōbon" volumes, released from September 16, 2005 to April 17, 2015.


title: Liar Game

text: A short story "Roots of A" has been published as the title piece of a Shinobu Kaitani's anthology released in July 2008.


title: Liar Game

text: "Liar Game" was adapted into a Japanese television series: "Liar Game", a 2007 Fuji series broadcast, followed in 2009 by "". In 2010, the full-length film "" was released as a continuation of the TV series. A sequel, entitled "", was released in 2012.


title: Terry Chen

text: Chen was born in Edmonton, Alberta, to Taiwanese and Chinese parents originating from Taiwan (father) and mainland China (mother). After primary and secondary education in Edmonton and Vancouver, British Columbia, he briefly studied at the University of Calgary before later moving to Vancouver to pursue acting.


title: Terry Chen

text: Chen's breakout role was as real-life "Rolling Stone" editor Ben Fong-Torres in the 2000 Cameron Crowe film "Almost Famous". He has appeared in several television shows, including Steven Spielberg's TV miniseries "Taken", and was a series regular on "Combat Hospital". Chen has appeared in feature films "I, Robot", "The Chronicles of Riddick", "Snakes on a Plane" and had a leading role in the horror/thriller "They Wait".


title: Terry Chen

text: Chen played a recurring role in the Canadian science fiction series "Continuum", which premiered on Showcase on May 27, 2012. Chen portrayed Xander Feng in Season 2 of Netflix's "House of Cards". From 2017 to 2018 he played botanist Praxideke Meng in "The Expanse" seasons 2 and 3, and in 2018 appeared in season 2 of "Jessica Jones" as Pryce Cheng.


title: Terry Chen

text: In the film "Falling", Chen plays the understanding husband of a man (played by Mortensen) trying to care for his homophobic, misogynist and increasingly demented father.


title: Military Sealift Command

text: Military Sealift Command ships are made up of a core fleet of ships owned by the United States Navy and others under long-term-charter augmented by short-term or voyage-chartered ships. During a time charter MSC takes control of a merchant ship and operates it for the chartered amount of time. During this time the ship is crewed by civilian mariners and MSC pays for all expenses. Time chartered ships are not subject to inspections from foreign governments when in port, and MSC has operational control. Voyage chartered ships are crewed by civilian mariners, and MSC only pays the fee for transporting the cargo. These ships are chartered for the voyage, subject to inspections, and MSC does not have operational control of the ship. The Navy-owned ships carry blue and gold stack colors, are in service with the prefix USNS (United States Naval Ship), rather than in commission (with a USS prefix), have hull numbers as an equivalent commissioned ship would have with the prefix T- and are primarily civilian crewed by either civil service mariners or contract crews (see United States Merchant Marine) as is the case of the special mission ships. Some ships may have Navy or Marine Corps personnel on board to carry out communication and special mission functions, or for force protection. Ships on charter or equivalent, retain commercial colors and bear the standard merchant prefix MV, SS, or GTS, without hull numbers.


title: Military Sealift Command

text: Eight programs compose Military Sealift Command: Fleet Oiler (PM1), Special Mission (PM2), Strategic Sealift (PM3), Tow, Salvage, Tender, and Hospital Ship (PM4), Sealift (PM5), Combat Logistics Force (PM6), Expeditionary Mobile Base, Amphibious Command Ship, and Cable Layer (PM7) and Expeditionary Fast Transport (PM8).


title: Military Sealift Command

text: MSC reports to the Department of Defense's Transportation Command for defense transportation matters, to the Navy Fleet Forces Command for Navy-unique matters, and to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition) for procurement policy and oversight matters.


title: Military Sealift Command

text: On 9 January 2012, the MSC command organization was reorganized via a realignment of its structure to increase its efficiency while maintaining effectiveness. To better manage this new program structure, MSC repositioned three of its key Senior Executive Service (SES) personnel, with one SES acting as the program executive over MSC's government-operated ships, a second SES serving as the program executive over contract-operated ships, and a third SES overseeing total force manpower management for MSC worldwide operations. Also, MSC realigned two of its four mission-driven programs (Combat Logistics Force and Special Mission) and adding a fifth program (Service Support). The Prepositioning and Sealift programs are unchanged by the 2012 reorganization.


title: Military Sealift Command

text: As of June 2013, Military Sealift Command operated around 110 ships, and employed 9,800 people (88% of whom are civilians).


title: Military Sealift Command

text: In 2015, the Military Sealift Command underwent further restructuring with the relocation from the former headquarters at Washington Navy Yard to Naval Station Norfolk.


title: Military Sealift Command

text: The Combat Logistics Force was the part of the MSC most associated with directly supporting the Navy. In 1972, a study concluded that it would be cheaper for civilians to man USN support vessels such as tankers and stores ships. The CLF is the American equivalent of the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary. These MSC ships are painted haze gray and can be easily identified by the blue and gold horizontal bands around the top of their central smokestack.


title: Military Sealift Command

text: The Combat Logistics Force was formerly called the Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force. After a 2012 reorganization, this program now maintains the 32 government-operated fleet underway replenishment ships from the former Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force (NFAF). Fleet replenishment oilers form the Oilers Program N031, while the dry cargo/ammunition ships and fast combat support ships were separated to Explosive Program N036.


title: Military Sealift Command

text: Military Sealift Command's Special Mission Program controls 24 ships that provide operating platforms and services for unique US Military and federal government missions. Oceanographic and hydrographic surveys, underwater surveillance, missile flight data collection and tracking, acoustic research and submarine support are among the specialized services this program supports. Special mission ships work for several different US Navy customers, including the Naval Sea Systems Command and the Oceanographer of the Navy. These ships like those of the NFAF are painted haze gray with blue and gold stack bands.


title: Military Sealift Command

text: After a 2012 reorganization, this program now maintains all of its 24 contract-operated ships involved in missile range instrumentation, ocean surveillance, submarine and special warfare support, oceanographic survey, and navigation test support. Some of its ships were transferred to the new Service Support program.