title: Raid on Entebbe (film)

text: Other aircraft used in "Raid on Entebbe" include an Airbus A300B2 F-BVGA (seen in archive footage); a Boeing 707, two Douglas DC-8-31s, 10 North American F-86 Sabre (1/2 scale models representing the Ugandan Air Force MiGs), North American FJ-3 Fury and Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter.


title: Raid on Entebbe (film)

text: Principal photography on "Raid on Entebbe" took place in November 1976, with the training for the raid that took place using a replica of the Entebbe Airport. The actual airport had been built by an Israeli construction company and their involvement led to an accurate mockup being built to test out tactics devised for the raid.


title: Raid on Entebbe (film)

text: "Raid on Entebbe" received initially good reviews. Capitalizing on its strong all-star ensemble cast, a film version was released theatrically in the UK and Europe in early 1977.


title: Raid on Entebbe (film)

text: In May 1977, local Thai authorities banned the film from being shown in Thailand. They argued it presented a one-sided image of the Middle East conflict and posed a risk to the nation's relations with Arab states.


title: Panhala Fort

text: Panhala fort (also known as Panhalgad and Panhalla (literally "the home of serpents")), is located in Panhala, 20 kilometres northwest of Kolhapur in Maharashtra, India. It is strategically located looking over a pass in the Sahyadri mountain range which was a major trade route from Bijapur in the interior of Maharashtra to the coastal areas. Due to its strategic location, it was the centre of several skirmishes in the Deccan involving the Marathas, the Mughals and the British East India Company, the most notable being the Battle of Pavan Khind. Here, the queen regent of Kolhapur, Tarabai Ranisaheb, spent her formative years. Several parts of the fort and the structures within are still intact. It is also called as the 'Fort of Snakes' as it is zigzagged in shape.


title: Panhala Fort

text: Panahala fort was built between 1178 and 1209 CE, one of 15 forts (others including Bavda, Bhudargad, Satara, and Vishalgad) built by the Shilahara ruler Bhoja II. It is said that aphorism Kahaan Raja Bhoj, kahan Gangu Teli is associated with this fort. A copper plate found in Satara shows that Raja Bhoja held court at Panhala from 1191–1192 CE. About 1209–10, Bhoja Raja was defeated by Singhana (1209–1247), the most powerful of the Devgiri Yadavas, and the fort subsequently passed into the hands of the Yadavas. Apparently it was not well looked after and it passed through several local chiefs. In 1376 inscriptions record the settlement of Nabhapur to the south-east of the fort.


title: Panhala Fort

text: It was an outpost of the Bahamanis of Bidar. Mahmud Gawan, an influential prime minister, encamped here during the rainy season of 1469. On the establishment of the Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur in 1489, Panhala came under Bijapur and was fortified extensively. They built the strong ramparts and gateways of the fort which, according to tradition, took a hundred years to build. Numerous inscriptions in the fort refer to the reign of Ibrahim Adil Shah, probably Ibrahim I (1534–1557).


title: Panhala Fort

text: In 1659, after the death of the Bijapur general Afzal Khan, in the ensuing confusion Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj took Panhala from Bijapur. In May 1660, to win back the fort from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Adil Shah II (1656–1672) of Bijapur sent his army under the command of Siddi Johar to lay siege to Panhala. Shivaji Raje fought back and they could not take the fort. The siege continued for 5 months, at the end of which all provisions in the fort were exhausted and Shivaji Raje was on the verge of being captured.


title: Panhala Fort

text: Under these circumstances, Shivaji Raje decided that escape was the only option. He gathered a small number of soldiers along with his trusted commander Veer Baji Prabhu Deshpande and, on 13 July 1660, they escaped in the dead of night to flee to Vishalgad. Veer Baji Prabhu and a barber, veer Shiva Kashid, who looked like Shivaji Raje, kept the enemy engaged, giving them an impression that veer Shiva Kashid was actually Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. In the ensuing battle ("see Battle of Pavan Khind"), almost three quarters of the one thousand strong force died, including Veer Baji Prabhu himself. The fort went to Adil Shah. It was not until 1673 that Shivaji Raje could occupy it permanently.


title: Panhala Fort

text: Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's son and successor to the throne Shivaji Raje met his brave son after he escaped from the Camp of Diler Khan after executing his father political agenda to bring Aurangzeb's successor over to the Maratha's. He escaped from here along with his wife on 13 December 1678 and attacked Bhupalgad. He returned to Panhala, however, on 4 December 1679 to reconcile with his father just before his father's death on 4 April 1680. At the height of Shivaji's power in 1678, Panhala housed 15,000 horses and 20,000 soldiers.


title: Panhala Fort

text: When Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj died, Sambhaji Raje was able to convince the garrison at Panhala to join him in overthrowing his stepbrother Rajaram Raje thus becoming the Chhatrapati (king) of the Maratha Empire. In 1689, when Sambhaji was imprisoned by Aurangzeb's general Mukkarab Khan at Sangameshwar, the Mughals came to possess the fort. However, it was re-captured in 1692 by Kashi Ranganath Sarpotdar under the guidance of Parshuram Pant Pratinidhi a Maratha garrison commander of the fort of Vishalgad. In 1701 Panhala finally surrendered to Aurangzeb, who came for it in person. On 28 April 1692 the Mughal Emperor famously received the English ambassador Sir William Norris at Panhala fort. Norris spent "300 pounds in fruitless negotiation" with Aurangzeb but the details of what was being discussed were not disclosed. Within a few months the fort was retaken by the Maratha forces under Ramchandra Pant Amatya.


title: Panhala Fort

text: In 1693, Aurangzeb attacked it again. This led to another long siege in which Rajaram escaped disguised as a beggar to Gingee Fort, leaving his 14-year-old wife Tarabai Ranisaheb in Panhala. As Aurangzeb pursued Rajaram Raje, Tarabai Ranisaheb would stay at Panhala for almost five years before meeting her husband again. During this formative period of her life, Tarabai Ranisaheb looked after the administration of the fort, resolved disputes, and gained the respect of the people. The time she spent at Panhala provided her with experience in courtly matters and the support of her officers, which would influence later events. Rajaram Raje did send reinforcements from Gingee, and Panhala came into Maratha's hands in October 1693.


title: Panhala Fort

text: In 1700, Rajaram Raje, died leaving behind a 12-year-old son—Shivaji II—by his wife Tarabai. In 1705, Tarabai asserted her autonomy by founding an independent dynasty in the name of her son Shivaji II and ruling it as regent with Panhala as her headquarters. In Tarabai Ranisaheb's war with Shahuji of Satara in 1708, Shahu took Panhala and Tarabai fled to Malvan in Ratnagiri. Shortly after, in 1709, Tarabai again took Panhala, established a separate state (Kolhapur


title: Panhala Fort

text: Rajaram Raje by his second wife Rajasbai Ranisaheb succeeded to the throne. He died without issue in 1760. His widow Jijabai Ranisaheb adopted the son of a Sahaja Bhonsle of Canvas. Thus, Jijabai Ranisaheb became the acting regent during the time that her adopted son was a minor. She came to believe that to prevent the fall of Panhala, the Mahakali shrine at the fort had to be ritually offered human blood for the appeasement of Goddess Kali. She would periodically send out her soldiers at night to scour the neighboring villages for victims. This practice would continue until her death in 1772. One of the towers near were these sacrifices occurred is still called the Kali tower. There were reports of Jijabai Ranisaheb bestowing a plot of land to an oilman or Teli in return for the grant of his daughter-in-law to be buried alive under one of the Panhala towers. A shrine to the Teli's daughter-in-law (Gangubai) was subsequently erected and it is still a pilgrimage site for the people of the Teli community.


title: Panhala Fort

text: In 1782, the seat of the Kolhapur government was moved from Panhala to Kolhapur. In 1827, under Shahaji I (1821–1837), Panhala and its neighboring fort Pavangad were given over to the British Raj. In 1844, during the minority of Shivaji IV (1837–1860), Panhala and Pavangad were taken by rebels who seized Colonel Ovans, the Resident of Satara, when he was on tour and imprisoned him in Panhala. A British force under General Delamotte was sent against the rebels and on 1 December 1844 breached the fort wall, took it by storm and dismantled the fortifications. Thereafter, a British garrison was always left to guard the fort. The administration of the fort remained with Kolhapur until 1947.


title: Panhala Fort

text: It is one of the largest forts in the Deccan, with a perimeter of and 110 lookout posts. It is above sea level. This fort is built on the Sahyadris, rising more than above its surrounding plain. Numerous tunnels stretch out from underneath the fort, one of which is almost 1 km long. Most of the architecture is of the Bijapuri style with the peacock motif of the Bahmani Sultanate prominently visible on several structures. Some of the older bastions also have the lotus motif of Bhoja II. There are several monuments at the fort which are considered notable by the Archaeological Survey of India.


title: Panhala Fort

text: More than 7 km of fortifications ("Tatabandi") define the approximately triangular zone of Panhala fort. The walls are protected for long sections by steep escarpments, reinforced by a parapet with slit holes. The remaining sections have high ramparts without a parapet, strengthened by round bastions the most notable of which is Rajdindi. (See later section)


title: Panhala Fort

text: Whenever an army besieged a fort, their first action was to poison the main water source of the fort. To counter this, Adil Shah commissioned the building of the Andhar Bavadi (Hidden Well). This is a three-storey structure with winding staircases that conceal the well which was the main water source for Panhala fort. There are recesses in the wall so that soldiers can be permanently stationed. Several hidden escape routes in the Andhar Bavai lead outside the fort. With its own water source, living quarters and its own exit routes, likely this structure was designed like a fort within a fort with the intention of making it an emergency shelter in case the main fort fell.


title: Panhala Fort

text: The name of this building, which is also called "Nayakini Sajja", literally means "Courtesans' Terrace room". It stands on the east side of the fort close to the rampart. By 1886, it had become a complete wreck with only traces of ornamental work on the ceiling. This was used during the occupation of the fort by the Bahmani Sultanate as a Rang Mahal(residences for the ladies of the court)


title: Panhala Fort

text: The Amberkhana, situated in the center of the fort, were three granaries built in the Bijapuri style of architecture. They enabled Shivaji to withstand a 5-month siege by Siddhi Johar. It consists of three buildings called the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati Kothis. The Ganga kothi, which was the largest, had a capacity of 25,000 khandis (with one khandi being 650 lbs). It covers an area of 950 sq m and is 10.5 m high. Rice, nachni and warai were the major provisions stored. Stairs on both sides lead the top of the buildings. It has sixteen bays each with its own flat vault with a hole on top through which grain used to be passed. The eastern entrance has a domed chamber with a balcony and plasterwork of the Bijapuri style.


title: Panhala Fort

text: This was an additional granary next to the three granaries that constituted the Amberkhana. It was a stone building 55 feet by 48 feet by 35 feet high. This has an entrance and a staircase that leads to the terrace. Grain was distributed from here to the needy.


title: Panhala Fort

text: Sajja Kothi is a one-storey structure built by Ibrahim Adil Shah in 1500 CE. It is also built in the Bijapuri style. Sajja Kothi was constructed as a viewing pavilion looking over the valley below. The domed upper chambers have faceted pendentives with the balconies hanging over the ramparts of the fort.


title: Panhala Fort

text: The Teen Darwaza was one of the three double gateways of the fort - the others being the Char Darwaja and Wagh Darwaja. The Char Darwaza was destroyed when during the British siege. The Teen Darwaja gate which is the main entrance to the fort is located north of the Andhar Bavai on the West side of the fort. It is a double gate with a court in between that has arcades. The outer gate has an ornate chamber on top with decorated eaves. The inner gate from the court is highly decorated with the lintel having finely carved motifs, including one of Ganesh. The latter has been placed by the Marathas during their occupation of the fort. There are three Persian inscriptions—one on top and one each on either side. All three declare that the gate "was built in the reign of Ibrahim Adil Shah I by Malik Daud Aki son of Minister Ahmed" in 954 AH (1534 CE).


title: Panhala Fort

text: This was another entrance to the fort. It was designed to elude invaders such that they would get trapped into a small courtyard and could then be easily neutralized. It has an elaborate Ganesh motif at the entrance.


title: Panhala Fort

text: The Rajdindi bastion was one of the hidden exits of the fort to be used in times of an emergency. It was used by Shivaji to escape to Vishalgad during the Battle of Pavan Khind. Rajdindi is still intact.


title: Panhala Fort

text: There are temples devoted to Sambhaji II, Someshwar and Ambabai in addition to the Mahakali temple. The Ambabai temple is very old and it was here that Shivaji would make offerings before embarking on major expeditions. The mausoleum of Jijabai lies opposite to that of her husband, Sambhaji II. Ramchandra Pant Amatya (who wrote "Adnyapatra", a treatise on Maratha policy) was the youngest minister in Shivaji's fort. He died at Panhala fort and a mausoleum was erected here for him and his wife. The mausoleums were covered with rubble till 1941 and till 1999 had not undergone any restoration work. Also a mausoleum to Moropant an 18th-century Marathi poet who wrote poetry in the adjacent Parashar caves can be seen. A shrine to a Muslim saint Sadhoba is also present.


title: Panhala Fort

text: The palace of Tarabai, arguably the fort's most famous resident, is still intact. It is now used to house a school, several government offices and a boys' hostel. there are two buildings for food storage .The rest of the fort is in ruins though the structures within the fort are frequented by tourists who visit Panhala town- a major hill station. It has been declared as a protected monument by the government. The Masai Pathar behind Panhala fort was chosen as an alternative location to shoot Padmaavat film.


title: America's Got Talent (season 13)

text: The thirteenth season of American talent show competition series "America's Got Talent" was broadcast on NBC from May 29 to September 19, 2018. There were no major changes to the program during the season; the guest judges for this season's Judge Cuts episodes were Ken Jeong, Olivia Munn, Martina McBride, and Chris Hardwick.


title: America's Got Talent (season 13)

text: The thirteenth season was won by close-up magician Shin Lim, with acrobatic group Zurcaroh finishing second, and electric violinist Brian King Joseph placing third. During its broadcast, the season averaged around 11.15 million viewers.


title: America's Got Talent (season 13)

text: Open auditions were held in late 2017 within Orlando, Cincinnati, Savannah, Milwaukee, Houston, Las Vegas, New York City, Nashville, and Los Angeles (while online auditions were accepted). As in previous years, the judges' auditions were held and filmed in March 2017 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Los Angeles. The Judge Cuts episodes included actor Ken Jeong, actress Olivia Munn, singer Martina McBride and comedian Chris Hardwick appearing as guest judges. Simon Cowell interrupted the performances of two singers during the Judge Cuts asking them to sing a different song because he disliked their original choice.


title: America's Got Talent (season 13)

text: Thirty-six of the participants auditioning secured a place in the live quarter-finals, with twelve quarter-finalists appearing in each of the shows. Among the contestants: acrobatic group Zurcaroh, singer Michael Ketterer, singer Courtney Hadwin, singer Amanda Mena, and singer Makayla Phillips who had each received a golden buzzer from the main judges and host; choir Voices of Hope, choir Angel City Chorale, ballroom dancers Quin and Misha, and rapper Flau’jae who had each received a Golden Buzzer from the guest judges; opera singer Daniel Emmet, novelty water-spitting act Human Fountains, and multimedia performance group Front Pictures who were chosen as Wildcard quarter-finalists. Twenty-two quarter-finalists advanced and appeared in two semi-finals (eleven in each show), including Front Pictures which was chosen again by the judges (as the Wildcard semi-finalist); ten semi-finalists securing a place in the finals. The chart below lists the results of each participant's overall performance in this season:


title: America's Got Talent (season 13)

text: The following ratings are based upon those published by Nielsen Media Research after this season's broadcast:


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: Persona 4 Arena is a fighting video game co-developed by Atlus and Arc System Works for arcades, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360; the game is a spin-off from the "Persona" series, itself part of the larger "Megami Tensei" franchise. The game was published by Atlus in Japan and North America in 2012, and by Zen United in Europe in 2013. Gameplay follows standard fighting game conventions, with matches between two characters with individual movesets, and special expendable abilities. The storyline is told through visual novel segments.


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: "Persona 4 Arena" is set two months after the events of "Persona 4", and two years after its predecessor "Persona 3". The Investigation Team of "Persona 4" is drawn into a new mystery involving the P-1 Grand Prix, a fighting tournament within the Midnight Channel dimension that pits the Investigation Team against the Shadow Operatives, a group formed by the surviving SEES of "Persona 3". The groups must work together to solve the mysteries behind the P-1 Grand Prix and Labrys, a humanoid robot discovered by the Shadow Operatives. The story is directly continued with "Persona 4 Arena Ultimax".


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: "Persona 4 Arena" was the first title in the "Persona" series outside the role-playing genre. Development of "Arena" began in 2010 after Atlus approached the company to collaborate on a fighting game based on "Persona 4". Reviews for the game were positive, with critics praising the gameplay and graphics employed, with criticism going towards the length of the story mode. The success of "Arena" and its sequel prompted the development of further spin-off titles, including "" and "".


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: "Persona 4 Arena" is a fighting video game in which players take the role of 13 characters from "Persona 4" and its predecessor "Persona 3". The game is divided between several modes; the single-player-exclusive Story mode which has fights scattered between long visual novel segments, Training mode which acts as a tutorial, Challenge mode featuring fights against selected characters, the original Arcade mode that features three-round ranked fights and truncated story segments, and a Score Attack mode where players fight strengthened opponents to raise their score. Players can also fight each other in matches through local and online multiplayer.


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: Gameplay in fights has two characters fighting each other on a 2D plane in a themed arena. Actions are divided between four buttons, with two being assigned to light and heavy attacks. While characters are able to perform attacks on their own, they are also able to call their Personas to assist them during battles. Should the Persona be attacked by the opponent, the player will lose a blue card situated below the health bar. Following four attacks, the player will be unable to use Persona for a short time. There are also status ailments which can be inflicted on opponents, such as stunning them to slow or halt movement, and poisoning them to reduce health.


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: Through specific button combinations, characters are able to perform a series of special attacks as well as defend themselves for a prolonged time. The strongest attack is the "Instant Kill" which can immediately defeat the opponent if the attack connects. These techniques are limited as a result of using the "SP Gauge" which is at the bottom of the screen in the form of blue bars. When the character has low life left, they enter into the "Awakening State" that refills the SP Gauge and increases the character's defence. Below the life bar there is the Burst Gauge which gives access to other forms of the Persona Attacks as well as refill the SP Gauge depending on how it is used. When first starting the game, only four character campaigns are available, requiring the player to complete to unlock more.


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: "Persona 4 Arena" takes place in the "Persona" universe, revolving around groups of people who harness Personas—physical manifestations of their inner psyche—and use them to fight rogue psyches born from humanity's collective unconsciousness called Shadows. "Arena" is set two months after the events of "Persona 4", and three years after its predecessor "Persona 3". The location is the rural town of Inaba, the main setting of "Persona 4". A key location in the story is the TV World, a metaphysical realm influenced by the wills of Inaba's population.


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: The story is split into two parallel narratives following the Investigation Team of "Persona 4" (Yu Narukami, Yosuke Hanamura, Chie Satonaka, Yukiko Amagi, Kanji Tatsumi, Rise Kujikawa, Naoto Shirogane, and Teddie), a group of friends who investigated a serial murder case involving the TV World; and the Shadow Operatives (Aigis, Mitsuru Kirijo, and Akihiko Sanada), a covert group formed by former SEES members from "Persona 3" to fight Shadows. The main protagonists of "Persona 4 Arena" are "Persona 4" protagonist Yu Narukami—a character blessed with the "Wild Card" power to summon multiple Personas; and new character Labrys, an Anti-Shadow weapon used by the Shadow Operatives.


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: As Yu Narukami returns Inaba for Golden Week, he and his friends, Yosuke Hanamura, Chie Satonaka and Yukiko Amagi, witness a commercial on the Midnight Channel for a fighting tournament, the "P-1 Grand Prix", seemingly hosted by another of their friends, Teddie. The tournament not only involves them, but also their companions Kanji Tatsumi, Naoto Shirogane, and Rise Kujikawa. With their friends Rise, Kanji and Teddie missing, and Naoto absent, the remaining members decide to reassemble the Investigation Team and search for answers.


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: The following day, they enter the TV World, only to find themselves separated and stuck in a place resembling Yasogami High School (though, in Kanji's case, he accidentally fell into the TV World earlier and believes the tournament is a dream).


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: Meanwhile, former members of SEES, Mitsuru Kirijo, Akihiko Senada, and Aigis, now part of the Shadow Operatives (an organization formed after the events of "Persona 3 FES" that battles Shadows), track one of their Anti-Shadow weapons, Labrys, that went missing when Mitsuru's plane was hijacked, to Yasoinaba and enter the TV World; they are joined by Naoto, who is in close pursuit, having been hired by public safety to spy on the Kirijo group. As a result, they become involved in the P-1 Grand Prix as well.


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: During the tournament, both groups are forced to fight each other, while an impersonator of Teddie, named General Teddie, acts as the host, and an impersonator of Rise provides commentary for the fights (subsequently, the real Teddie and Rise were trapped inside the TV World prior to the tournament). The participants also meet a mysterious girl without a Persona, that has entered the TV World and claims to be the student council president of Yasogami High. They suspect her Shadow is responsible for the tournament. Additionally, an unknown entity starts tricking fighters into believing it is their Shadows. Furthermore, during the fights, Yu and Aigis meet a woman named Elizabeth, who wishes to test their skills with the ability known as the Wild Card, in order to obtain a new power.


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: After defeating all the opponents, the groups learn that the mysterious girl is, in fact, Labrys, and that General Teddie is Labrys' Shadow in disguise. It is revealed that she was forced to fight other models of her series at the Kirijo Ergonomics lab, but grew close to one of her sisters, only to be forced to destroy her, too. As a result, she escaped the lab, but was later recaptured and sealed away. After being abducted from Mitsuru's plane, Labrys was tossed into the TV World, and brainwashed into thinking that she was human. Her dungeon in the TV World took the form of Yasogami High, and she adopted a false personality based on that of an unknown girl in her memories; her Shadow, meanwhile, was formed by both her desire to be understood and accepted as a normal girl, and the trauma suffered from being forced to kill her fellow Anti-Shadow weapons. Labrys' Shadow created the tournament to make others feel what she felt. Upon Shadow Labrys' defeat, Labrys accepts her Shadow, which turns into the Persona, Ariadne.


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: The final part of the storyline, titled "Cliffhanger", starts after the defeat of Shadow Labrys in the tournament. As the Investigation Team and Shadow Operatives converge and prepare to leave, the true mastermind behind the events prior to the tournament takes control of Labrys to attack everyone. The mastermind reveals they have been working with the entity imitating the Persona users' Shadows, to weaken them mentally, so that their Personas would revert to Shadows. Upon their defeat, Labrys is freed, though they ultimately escape. Before going back to investigate the culprit, Mitsuru tells the Investigation Team group to forget about everything. Labrys decides to join Mitsuru's group, while Aigis offers to help Labrys search for the girl in her memories. After the Shadow Operatives depart, Yu also reveals his intentions, that the Investigation Team should continue working towards the same goal as Mitsuru.


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: Atlus staff member Kazuhisa Wada had longer wanted to branch the "Persona" series out into other genres besides role-playing so as to reach a wider audience. This wish was shared by series producer Katsura Hashino and character designer Shigenori Soejima, and the three came up with a draft for a fighting game spin-off due to their mutual liking for the genre. The team chose to contact Arc System Works, developers of the "BlazBlue" fighting game series, due to their similar work ethics and proficiency in developing for the fighting genre. Mori was shocked when Atlus first approached them, and they were highly motivated during development as many staff members were fans of the "Persona" series. Rather than Arc System Works developing the game in isolation, Atlus requested that the two studios co-develop the game. Arc System Works director Takumi Iguchiya worked closely with the "Persona" team on the project.


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: Production began in 2010. "Arena" was the "Persona" team's first collaboration with another studio over a game. During earlier discussions, Iguchi assumed it was a small-scale production focusing on the characters, but Hashino and Wada's enthusiasm changed his mind. The original music was composed by Atsushi Kitajoh. Stage themes were based on original themes by series composer Shoji Meguro. The opening theme was performed by Yumi Kawamura, the vocalist of "Persona 3". While the gameplay was managed by Arc System Works, the "Persona" team handled the game's scenario and visual design. While designing the gameplay, the team worked to incorporate elements of the role-playing original, ranging from character moves to status effects. During development, Mori asked Atlus whether they could include non-playable characters such as Nanako and Ryutaro Dojima in the roster, but their requests were firmly declined. Mori speculated that it was because of their relative obscurity compared to the main cast.


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: The story was designed from the outset as a canonical sequel to "Persona 4". The game's script was primarily written by Teppei Kobayashi. Wada created the basic scenario draft, which was challenging for him due to both the genre differences and fan expectations. The scenario was managed by Yuichiro Tanaka. Tanaka also supervised the spin-off novel "Persona x Detective Naoto", and references to the novel were included in the scenario of "Arena". The character of Labrys was originally mentioned in an earlier "Persona 3" audio drama. To help distinguish the character, Labrys was given a Kansai accent in the Japanese version.


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: Soejima returned to design the new characters. The game presented a number of firsts for Soejima's style, including drawing characters with damaged clothing and in energetic poses. Soejima helped design key art, though another artist Hanako Oribe also contributed to the artwork including the cover illustration. She had previously worked on supporting artwork for a number of "Megami Tensei" titles. Arc System Works were constantly adjusting the background designs based on Atlus's instructions, resulting in them taking twice as long to develop as their other titles. The cutscenes were animated by Madhouse. The studio were brought in after their work on the opening of "Persona 4 Golden", which impressed Atlus. The opening was designed to have a different tone to the opening of "Persona 4 Golden", as "Arena" was a different genre.


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: "Persona 4 Arena" was first announced in August 2011 alongside "Persona 4 Golden". The arcade version was set for release first in 2012, with PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions following the same year. The arcade version began distribution in Japan on March 1, 2012. It was released for Taito Type X2 arcade models. Originally scheduled for console release in August, the date was changed to July 26.


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: The game was localised for the West by Atlus USA. It had the same team as the mainline "Persona" series, led by Yu Namba. Namba supervised the whole process, and according to him they focused more on being consistent with the narrative localizion than appealing to a particular player demographic. The Western title was considerably shorter than its Japanese one, as the team thought it sounded "awkward". The game also dropped the ""Shin Megami Tensei"" moniker used for "Persona 4" and other "Megami Tensei" titles as it made the title too long. For the localization, Atlus USA did its best to bring in all the original voice cast, but due to what they described as "unspecified circumstances", the team decided to recast a couple of roles. These were the characters Teddie, with Sam Riegel replacing Dave Wittenberg due to scheduling conflicts; and Chie, where Erin Fitzgerald replaced Tracey Rooney after the latter decided to decline the role when Atlus offered it to her again.


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: A North American release of the console versions. was announced in February 2012. The game released in North America on August 7, 2012. The PS3 version was region locked, the second game for the console to have this feature. According to Atlus, this was done due to price differences between regions potentially affecting sales. Despite the region locking, online servers remained global.


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: A European release was announced in May 2012. Due to lacking a branch in the region, Atlus went through a third-party publisher; in this case, they partnered with Zen United. Originally scheduled for 2012, the game was substantially delayed. This was explained by Zen United as being due to testing and development due to regional differences related to the game's online elements. The game eventually released in the region on May 10, 2013. Standard and limited editions were released. The PS3 version was delisted by Sony at Zen United's request when digital publishing rights were returned to Atlus. The European version was eventually re-released by Atlus on PSN.


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: Japanese magazine "Famitsu" enjoyed the story mode, praising its volume and structure. "Game Informer"s Jason Oestreicher said that the story would be a "treat" for fans of "Persona 3" and "Persona 4", "Eurogamer"s Matt Edwards favourably compared the writing to the mainline "Persona" games despite noting its slow pace, and "Edge" positively noted the story mode's use of the thirteen-character roster and its alternate interweaving paths. Maxwell McGee of "GameSpot" said the narrative's presentation style "will quickly bore all but the most enthusiastic". "GamesRadar"s Lucas Sullivan enjoyed the extensive narrative, but noted that those who had not played "Persona 4" would be spoiled on story events by the narrative of "Arena". Vince Ingenito of "IGN" said that the narrative was "aimed squarely at fans of the series", and "Joystiq"s Jordan Mallory praised the game's treatment of its characters and evolution of its narrative after a clichéd opening. Phillip Kollar, writing for Polygon, felt that the story mode was enjoyable but that it dragged on with story segments up to half an hour long between fights.


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: The artwork and sprites were praised by "Famitsu", who noted the smooth animations and anime cutscenes. Edwards praised the combination of 2D and 3D graphical elements, which he felt continued Arc System Works' legacy in game graphic design. Oestreicher echoed Edward's sentiments, calling the sprite graphics "a fresh take on an already slick style". McGee was highly positive about the sprite animations and art design, though found the visual novel segments dragged down the narrative despite their strong visual presentation. Sullivan called the sprite graphics "a feast for the eyes". Ingenito positively cited the graphics, and praised the soundtrack for combining elements from both "Persona" and previous Arc System Works games.


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: "Famitsu" praised the gameplay for its depth, incorporating of elements from the "Persona" series, and ease of use for newcomers. One reviewer found it overly similar to Arc System Works' other fighting games. Edwards praised the controls as being easier to use than earlier Arc System Works titles while retaining their distinctive style, while "Edge" summed up the battle system as "thoughtfully designed". Oestreicher, while finding the gameplay and modes enjoyable, felt that newcomers would struggle with the system. McGee generally enjoyed the gameplay and different modes, but found the tutorials lacking and noted some inconveniences when sorting matches. Sullivan lauded the roster balance, but felt that there was too much capacity for oversuing automatic combo attacks. Ingenito compared the game favorably to other Arc System Works titles, noting its inclusion of RPG mechanics. Mallory likewise praised the gameplay and general depth, though he felt the online mode lacked features. Kollar enjoyed playing through the various modes, praising the gameplay versatility and strategic depth. Its ease of play was lauded by some reviewers, while others said it was too intimidating or overwhelming for genre newcomers. The North American 360 version was criticised by multiple Western outlets due to performance issues in the online mode prior to a patch released by Atlus to address the issue.


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: During its debut week, the PS3 version of "Arena" reached second place in gaming charts, with sales of 128,485 units. The 360 version also reached the charts in eighteenth place, with sales of over 9,800 units. The game outsold all other fighting games available at the time, with both versions selling through over 90% of its initial shipments. According to Media Create's 2013 summary of 2012 game sales, the PS3 version had sold over 192,700 units, while the 360 version sold nearly 13,000. The game surpassed Atlus's sales projections, with official total sales reaching 220,000 units as of October 2012. Its success contributed to a positive fiscal year for Atlus's then-parent company Index Corporation.


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: Although "Arena" was designed as a standalone project, Wada always anticipated continuing the narrative into a second game. Following the success of "Arena", a sequel was greenlit with the same staff, with the aim being to expand the roster and improve gameplay based on feedback from the first game. Titled "Persona 4 Arena Ultimax", the version released for Japanese arcades in 2013, and was published worldwide for PS3 and 360 in 2014 by Atlus and Sega.


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: A manga adaptation was published in "Dengeki Maoh". The manga was authored by Aiyakyuu, who encountered scheduling problems during production of the manga's second volume. The manga was published in three volumes between May 2013 and February 2014. A Japanese stage play based on the game was performed between December 19 to December 23.


title: Persona 4 Arena

text: The success of "Persona 4 Arena" prompted Atlus to expand the "Persona" series with further spin-off titles; these included the dungeon crawler "" in 2013 and the rhythm game "" in 2014. Both of these games were followed by sequels.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: Open Network for Digital Commerce, abbreviated ONDC, is a private non-profit Section 8 company established by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) of Government of India to develop open e-commerce. It was incorporated on 31 December 2021 with initial investment from Quality Council of India and Protean eGov Technologies Limited (formerly NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Limited). ONDC is not an application, an intermediary, or software, but a set of specifications designed to foster open interchange and connections between shoppers, technology platforms, and retailers. Technological self reliance, demand for level playing field mainly from small retailers, lower the barrier of entry and discovery online, adoption of open digital ecosystem across key sectors and fixing the non-competitive behavior of big ecommerce firms like Amazon and Flipkart to capture the US$810 billion domestic retail market led to its creation. Designed to keep check on Big Tech companies from violating Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) (Amendment) Rules, 2021 due to concentration of market power by integrating them into an open-source decentralised network where data portability will break data silos while data interoperability will allow innovation.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: On 5 July 2021, a nine-member Advisory Council was constituted by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). The Quality Council of India (QCI) was tasked with incubating the ONDC based on open source methodologies using open specifications and network protocols. It will incorporates inventory, logistics, dispute resolution and is planning to cover 25% of domestic digital commerce within two years of launch. ONDC will unbundle delivery services so that customers can choose their own logistics provider. Till 26 October 2021, QCI established a team of experts and on-boarded some small and medium size industries as volunteers for project execution while DPIIT approved ₹10 crore as initial investment.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: From November 2021 to March 2022, various public and private sector entities picked up stakes in ONDC by investing seed money to become early promoters. This includes Punjab National Bank (9.5% for ₹25 crore). State Bank of India (7.84% for ₹10 crore). Axis Bank (7.84%). Kotak Mahindra Bank (7.84%). BSE Investments (5.88%). Central Depository Services (6.78%). ICICI Bank (5.97% for ₹10 crore). Small Industries Development Bank of India (7.84% for ₹10 crore). On 23 March 2022, Common Service Centres (CSC) under Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) announced that it will promote ONDC for ecommerce and logictics in rural areas through 3 Lakh Grameen e-Stores. National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) and National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) committed funding for ONDC as promoters. On 31 August 2022, Ministry of Finance and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cleared NPCI to acquire 10% stake at ONDC by investing ₹10 crore. Bank of India acquired 5.56% stake by investing ₹10 crore.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: As of July 2022, more than 20 organisations have committed investment into the project such as UCO Bank, HDFC Bank. Bank of Baroda etc. HDFC Bank acquired 7.84% stake of ONDC. In April, ONDC had received ₹157.5 crore for first stage of the project from 17 banks and financial institutions. For the pilot project, eSamudaay will help in dealing with consumer facing interface, Gofrugal Technologies supplied enterprise resource planning software, GrowthFalcons for digital marketing and SellerApp will help sellers with automation and provide digital insight on sales. On 9 August 2022, SIDBI signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with ONDC to bring small industries on the network. To make transition to ONDC easier, Yes Bank is working with SellerApp for business enterprise customers.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: As per Nandan Nilekani, the Account Aggregator Network (AAN) will work alongside ONDC which will allow everyone in the supply chain to access formal credit in an efficient manner. ONDC signed MoU with Jammu and Kashmir Trade Promotion Organization (JKTPO) on 25 August 2022 to increase eCommerce adaptation in Jammu and Kashmir. Union government is planning to integrate One District One Product scheme with ONDC. IDFC First Bank joined ONDC on 8 September 2022 and will push its current account holders to use the network for business transaction. During talks at Stanford University Piyush Goyal clarified that through ONDC India is interested in creating multiple unicorns instead of few trillion dollar eCommerce companies. ONDC signed MoU with Government of Madhya Pradesh on 22 November 2022 to increase local adoption, sprint programming and software development. ONDC will incorporate mobility, hospitality and travel sectors.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: The pilot phase was launched on 29 April 2022 in five cities; New Delhi, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Shillong and Coimbatore. In April, Bengaluru based Woolly Farms received an order from buyer application Paytm. This was the first transaction on ONDC.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: Restaurant management platform Petpooja partnered with marketing agency GrowthFalcons to onboard food and beverage brands on ONDC network. They help restaurants with discovery and demand analytics. On 5 May 2022, GrowthFalcons, Paytm and logistics company LoadShare successfully completed the first live cascaded transaction on ONDC. The delivery happened on Petpooja point of sale (PoS) terminal.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: By August 2022 all systems will become operational. ONDC will start servicing 100 cities and will also open for wider public use in Bengaluru, New Delhi, Coimbatore, Bhopal and Shillong where pilot projects are ongoing. By the end of 2022, ONDC will go live at national level covering the entire country. ONDC expanded to Noida, Faridabad, Lucknow, Bijnor, Bhopal, Chhindwara, Kolkata, Pune, Chennai, Kannur, Thrissur, Udupi, Kanchipura, Pollachi, Mannar and Ramnathpuram on 18 July 2022.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: ONDC activated ecommerce in agriculture domain on 20 June 2022 with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). ONDC is attempting to integrate all Agri-tech and Non Agri-tech ecommerce platforms into common network while these companies build solutions that can further accelerate the adoption and establish market linkage for Farmer Producer Organizations.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: Government of Uttar Pradesh started actively promoting One District One Product (ODOP) scheme on ONDC. DPIIT will initiate integration of Union Government Ministries and various departments under State Governments with ONDC. The platform will try to rectify issues registered with National Consumer Helpline like delivery of wrong, defective, damaged goods, non-delivery or delayed delivery, failed refunds or violation of service agreements. Government is planning to leverage the incubators under Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) to build applications for ONDC with vernacular language support for greater accessibility. ONDC restricted referral commission of sending a buyer to a shopper at 3% compare to 30% in major eCommerce platforms.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: From 21 cities, ONDC pilot phase moved to 51 cities by third week of August. The Economic Times reported that ONDC is facing teething troubles with respect to address and geolocation APIs. From September, Bengaluru will become the first city to get all user access. By 2024, ONDC is planning to bring 3 crore sellers and 30 crore shoppers on the network. On 31 August 2022, government announced that ONDC will move to beta-testing phase for general public. ONDC will charge fee from sellers for maintenance and development of the network.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: The public beta was rolled out on 30 September 2022 in Bangalore Urban district. On the first day, LoadShare processed 100 orders. Paytm app faced issue over missing order option. There is also one order cancellation from merchant side. As per government, ONDC will charge 8-10% of the selling price of the product compare to 18-40% charged by Amazon and Flipkart. The commission rate is not fixed and will be decided by market forces. Small retailers are also less to fear that the platform will open dark stores. Restaurants will have access to customer data. From 15 October 2022, ONDC initiated outreach program for restaurants and cloud kitchens in Bengaluru. From December 2022, public beta will rollout in Delhi and Mumbai.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: ONDC will start testing B2B commerce from December 2022. Network participants initiated ONDC process integration from November.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: The primary role of the advisory council is to watch over ONDC implementation in the country. The members were selected based on their experience in fields such as technology, finance, commerce etc. Members included Nandan Nilekani co-founder of Infosys, Anjali Bansal founder of Avaana Capital, R S Sharma Chief Executive Office National Health Authority, Adil Zainulbhai Chairman of Quality Council of India and Capacity Building Commission, Arvind Gupta Co-founder and Head of Digital India Foundation, Dilip Asbe Managing Director and chief executive officer at National Payment Corporation of India, Suresh Sethi Managing Director and chief executive officer at National Securities Depository Limited, Praveen Khandelwal Secretary-General of Confederation of All India Traders and Kumar Rajagopalan Chief Executive Office at Retailers Association of India. Convener of the ONDC Advisory Council is Anil Agrawal Additional Secretary from Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade under Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Some of the members are volunteers of ISPIRT. Supriyo Ghosh is the chief architect behind ONDC.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: As per ONDC Advisory Council, a total of seven apps that include one from buyer side, five from seller side and one from logistics service provider side completed cascaded transactions in the pilot phase for grocery, food and beverage segment using Beckn Protocol as of 23 June 2022 in all the five cities. ONDC Advisory Council tasked to increase awareness and initiate a pilot phase among offline traders, handicraft artisans to prioritise their on-boarding. From 24 June 2022, ONDC Advisory Council started working on network expansion, governance and upgrade for the platform before nationwide rollout.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: The ONDC uses "free softwared methodology, open specifications and open network protocol". On the ONDC, the consumers and merchants can transact goods and services independent of platform or application. Beckn will provide the technology and specification layer on which ONDC will design the network policies, network trust, network grievance handling and network reputation system. ONDC plans on implementing dynamic pricing model, digitised inventory management and optimise the delivery cost to help reduce cost of doing business for everyone on the platform. ONDC will work on a hyper local search engine model based on GPS proximity data as default setting. The buyer can independently select the seller and logistics partner to complete the order.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: The backend of the ONDC is built on Beckn Protocol, an open and interoperable protocol for decentralised digital commerce. Beckn Gateways provides anonymised aggregated data generated from the network. The interoperability achieved by unbundling packet transmission layer from experience layer so that the core of commercial transactions such as discovery, order booking, payment, delivery and fulfillment can happen in a standardised manner. It can be customised based on the requirement of customer and provider by taking modular approach. Beckn is not ecommerce specific and can be used in other area of digital public infrastructure like healthcare, mobility etc.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: Nandan Nilekani, Pramod Varma and Sujith Nair developed Beckn Protocol in partnership with ISPIRT. The project is supported by Beckn Foundation. Beckn brand is owned by Open Shared Mobility Foundation in which Nandan Nilekani is the sole investor. It facilitates the third layer of public digital infrastructure that is the digital transaction layer in an open digital ecosystem. This helps promote market competition and regulate anti-competitive behavior. The development came after failure of US standard bodies to set new standards and left it to Big Tech companies to solve the issue. Beckn Protocol is a substitute for and compatible with the similar protocols developed by US that are in use globally for transactions and sending information between computers. Success of UPI gave further impetus to develop more open-source ecosystem in other areas at national scale.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: Microsoft and Oracle Corporation are looking for partnership to supply technology solutions which can add value to base ONDC network by helping companies scale up their operations. They are part of an industry working group for developing buyers, sellers and logistics provider registry, network reputation index and online dispute resolution framework. To ease on-boarding process, Microsoft started providing sellers toolkit. Oracle is designing a neutral, transparent reputation index for sellers. Amazon is working with ONDC to digitise Kirana stores. Sequoia Capital, SoftBank Group and Indian Venture Capital Association started pushing portfolio companies they invested in to actively take part in ONDC.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: Microsoft announced that it is going to join ONDC to introduce social commerce in India and will also launch a shopping app for buyers to help them in price discovery. From August 2022 to January 2024, PhonePe will invest $15 million for developing ecommerce platform on the network. Amazon is exploring how to integrate with the network. Zoho Corporation will provide technical support and facilitate live chat among buyers and sellers.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: Industry is raising concerns on the liability of network participants for consumer complaints and the implementation of ecommerce rules on various stakeholders. There is also pertaining questions regarding third-party network policy audits and whether it will include search algorithms. Experts are discussing how stakeholders can make sure that any entity developing both buyer and seller side app on ONDC must be stopped from gaming the system. Companies and ONDC are also trying to resolve the issue of network disruption liability and uptime guarantee. Private sector is waiting for traction before they make any big, long term investment on ONDC.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: According to JM Financial, ONDC getting data, algorithms of customer buying behavior from larger e-commerce players is a challenge. ONDC framework limits data usage and storage which affects interoperability. As per CEO T Koshy, ONDC will not subsidize pricing for customers using shareholders money. Instead it will focus more on innovation and special value addition to product. Government told ONDC to prepare detail report on grievance redressal mechanism and submit it by the end of September 2022. The system needs to be robust and competitive. Third-party agency will handle Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) by checking digital trail left by individual orders. Customers can check complaint status and how many are resolved. It will involved in the final rating of the merchants. ONDC will record all complaints filed against a merchant which will be linked directly to the network-wide reputation index that tabulates percentages of complaints raised, resolved or not resolved, as well as those that consumers may choose to take to consumer courts. The draft ODR policy will published by an expert committee of NITI Aayog. ONDC dashboard will publish monthly statistics of complaints received by seller side apps. On 2 September 2022, ONDC invited public feedback on Issue and Grievance Management Structure (IGMS) resolving buyer and seller complaints. The mechanism will be similar to what non-profit company Sahamati uses for their Account Aggregator Network but much faster and traceable.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: As of 12 May 2022, Flipkart, Reliance Retail and Amazon started talks with ONDC officials. As Logistics Network Partners (LNP), Ekart and Dunzo joined ONDC. Paytm and PhonePe which is in advance stage of integration will act as Payment Network Partners (PNP) for ONDC. PhonePe planning to join ONDC both from buyers and sellers side. Till 15 May 2022, 24 ecommerce platforms are joining ONDC. Paytm Mall confirmed joining ONDC network with primary focus on exports. As of July 6, 200 sellers are active in grocery, and food and beverage category. To access ONDC, a seller has to join a seller platform.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: After the success of Tez atop Unified Payment Interface (UPI), Google initiated talks with ONDC to integrate Google Shopping with the platform.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: FMCG companies and brands such as ITC Limited, Hindustan Unilever, Dabur and Nivea started talks on joining the network. Shopify also started showing interest on ONDC platform. Ecom Express and Shiprocket are at the final stages of integration as LNP.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: On 21 June 2022, National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) initiated talks with officials from ONDC. Initially some large and small restaurants will join the network as pilot project and work on technology standardization. Restaurant Network Partners (RNP) under ONDC will help in on-boarding process and act as an aggregator. Post on-boarding, RNP will educate and train the restaurants on online delivery business, maintain packaging and hygiene norms and ensure that food preparation is as per service level agreements to protect consumer interest. Building consumer pipeline and delivery infrastructure will not come under RNP.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: Products with geographical indicator tags, Khadi and those made by Scheduled Tribes will be promoted on the platform for national level market access and community development. Paytm from buyer side, GoFrugal, SellerApp, Growth Falcon, eSamudaay, Digiit from seller side and LoadShare from logistics side are successfully integrated with ONDC. Snapdeal will go live on ONDC by end of August 2022. It will deal on fashion, home and beauty, and personal care categories connecting 2,500 cities. The company will take help of LNP for last mile delivery. StoreHippo started testing of ONDC connected marketplace for small and medium-sized enterprises. Grab integrated as LNP for hyper local intercity delivery on 1 August 2022. As of August, Titan Company, Zoho Corporation, retail intelligence platform Bizom are on advance stages of integration with the network. IDBI Bank, India Post, Marico, Airtel are also interested in joining ONDC. Dunzo for Business (D4B) has joined ONDC as LNP on 4 August to provide last mile delivery for business to business (B2B) transaction.


title: Open Network for Digital Commerce

text: By the end of August, SellerApp will onboard 3,000+ retail stores from Bengaluru. Livestream shopping platform Kiko Live will start operation from September 2022 starting with grocery, stationary items, medicine, gifts and novelty, flowers, fashion and cosmetics, electronics, electrical and hardware, dairy products and fresh meat. Innoviti Payment Solutions is integrating seller side app for small merchants on ONDC to publish their goods and offer credit to buyers. Business banking solution provider Zyro joined ONDC from seller side. They will help small retailers create digital stores on the network. Blowhorn integrated itself with ONDC as logistics network partner to perform last mile delivery and is in final phase of testing. They will go live from fourth week of September 2022. Menson will onboard 11,500 restaurants on ONDC. Crowdsourced third-party logistics platform Shadowfax integrated with ONDC on 19 October 2022. Kochi Open Mobility Network (KOMN) will integrate with ONDC to make transporters in Kerala discoverable on the network. On 23 November 2022, Meesho joined the network and started the pilot project in Bengaluru.


title: Hammett equation

text: The Hammett equation in organic chemistry describes a linear free-energy relationship relating reaction rates and equilibrium constants for many reactions involving benzoic acid derivatives with meta- and para-substituents to each other with just two parameters: a substituent constant and a reaction constant. This equation was developed and published by Louis Plack Hammett in 1937 as a follow-up to qualitative observations in a 1935 publication.


title: Hammett equation

text: The basic idea is that for any two reactions with two aromatic reactants only differing in the type of substituent, the change in free energy of activation is proportional to the change in Gibbs free energy. This notion does not follow from elemental thermochemistry or chemical kinetics and was introduced by Hammett intuitively.


title: Hammett equation

text: relating the equilibrium constant, "K", for a given equilibrium reaction with substituent R and the reference "K" constant when R is a hydrogen atom to the substituent constant σ which depends only on the specific substituent R and the reaction constant ρ which depends only on the type of reaction but not on the substituent used.


title: Hammett equation

text: The equation also holds for reaction rates k of a series of reactions with substituted benzene derivatives:


title: Hammett equation

text: In this equation "k" is the reference reaction rate of the unsubstituted reactant, and k that of a substituted reactant.


title: Hammett equation

text: A plot of log("K"/"K") for a given equilibrium versus log("k"/"k") for a given reaction rate with many differently substituted reactants will give a straight line.


title: Hammett equation

text: The starting point for the collection of the substituent constants is a chemical equilibrium for which the substituent constant is arbitrarily set to 0 and the reaction constant is set to 1: the ionization of benzoic acid or benzene carboxylic acid (R and R' both H) in water at 25 °C.


title: Hammett equation

text: Having obtained a value for K, a series of equilibrium constants (K) are now determined based on the same process, but now with variation of the para substituent—for instance, p-hydroxybenzoic acid (R=OH, R'=H) or p-aminobenzoic acid (R=NH, R'=H). These values, combined in the Hammett equation with K and remembering that ρ = 1, give the para substituent constants compiled in table 1 for amine, methoxy, ethoxy, dimethylamino, methyl, fluorine, bromine, chlorine, iodine, nitro and cyano substituents. Repeating the process with meta-substituents afford the meta substituent constants. This treatment does not include ortho-substituents, which would introduce steric effects.


title: Hammett equation

text: The σ values displayed in the Table above reveal certain substituent effects. With ρ = 1, the group of substituents with increasing positive values—notably cyano and nitro—cause the equilibrium constant to increase compared to the hydrogen reference, meaning that the acidity of the carboxylic acid (depicted on the left of the equation) has increased. These substituents stabilize the negative charge on the carboxylate oxygen atom by an electron-withdrawing inductive effect (-I) and also by a negative mesomeric effect (-M).


title: Hammett equation

text: The next set of substituents are the halogens, for which the substituent effect is still positive but much more modest. The reason for this is that while the inductive effect is still negative, the mesomeric effect is positive, causing partial cancellation. The data also show that for these substituents, the meta effect is much larger than the para effect, due to the fact that the mesomeric effect is greatly reduced in a meta substituent. With meta substituents a carbon atom bearing the negative charge is further away from the carboxylic acid group (structure 2b).


title: Hammett equation

text: This effect is depicted in "scheme 3", where, in a para substituted arene 1a, one resonance structure 1b is a quinoid with positive charge on the X substituent, releasing electrons and thus destabilizing the Y substituent. This destabilizing effect is not possible when X has a meta orientation.


title: Hammett equation

text: Other substituents, like methoxy and ethoxy, can even have opposite signs for the substituent constant as a result of opposing inductive and mesomeric effect. Only alkyl and aryl substituents like methyl are electron-releasing in both respects.


title: Hammett equation

text: Of course, when the sign for the reaction constant is negative (next section), only substituents with a likewise negative substituent constant will increase equilibrium constants.


title: Hammett equation

text: Because the carbonyl group is unable to serve a source of electrons for -M groups (in contrast to lone pair donors like OH), for reactions involving phenol and aniline starting materials, the "σ" values for electron-withdrawing groups will appear too small. For reactions where resonance effects are expected to have a major impact, a modified parameter, and a modified set of "σ" constants may give a better fit. This parameter is defined using the ionization constants of "para" substituted phenols, via a scaling factor to match up the values of "σ" with those of "σ" for "non-anomalous" substituents, so as to maintain comparable ρ values: for ArOH ⇄ ArO + H, we define formula_3.


title: Hammett equation

text: Likewise, the carbonyl carbon of a benzoic acid is at a nodal position and unable to serve as a sink for +M groups (in contrast to a carbocation at the benzylic position). Thus for reactions involving carbocations at the α-position, the "σ" values for electron-donating groups will appear insufficiently negative. Based on similar considerations, a set of "σ" constants give better fit for reactions involving electron-donating groups at the "para" position and the formation of a carbocation at the benzylic site. The "σ" are based on the "rate" constants of the S1 reaction of cumyl chlorides in 90% acetone/water: for , we define formula_4. Note that the scaling factor is negative, since an electron-donating group speeds up the reaction. For a reaction whose Hammett plot is being constructed, these alternative Hammett constants may need to be tested to see if a better linearity could be obtained.


title: Hammett equation

text: With knowledge of substituent constants it is now possible to obtain reaction constants for a wide range of organic reactions. The archetypal reaction is the alkaline hydrolysis of ethyl benzoate (R=R'=H) in a water/ethanol mixture at 30 °C. Measurement of the reaction rate k combined with that of many substituted ethyl benzoates ultimately result in a reaction constant of +2.498.


title: Hammett equation

text: Reaction constants are known for many other reactions and equilibria. Here is a selection of those provided by Hammett himself (with their values in parenthesis):


title: Hammett equation

text: The reaction constant, or sensitivity constant, "ρ", describes the susceptibility of the reaction to substituents, compared to the ionization of benzoic acid. It is equivalent to the slope of the Hammett plot. Information on the reaction and the associated mechanism can be obtained based on the value obtained for "ρ". If the value of:


title: Hammett equation

text: These relations can be exploited to elucidate the mechanism of a reaction. As the value of "ρ" is related to the charge during the rate determining step, mechanisms can be devised based on this information. If the mechanism for the reaction of an aromatic compound is thought to occur through one of two mechanisms, the compound can be modified with substituents with different "σ" values and kinetic measurements taken. Once these measurements have been made, a Hammett plot can be constructed to determine the value of "ρ". If one of these mechanisms involves the formation of charge, this can be verified based on the ρ value. Conversely, if the Hammett plot shows that no charge is developed, i.e. a zero slope, the mechanism involving the building of charge can be discarded.


title: Hammett equation

text: Hammett plots may not always be perfectly linear. For instance, a curve may show a sudden change in slope, or "ρ" value. In such a case, it is likely that the mechanism of the reaction changes upon adding a different substituent. Other deviations from linearity may be due to a change in the position of the transition state. In such a situation, certain substituents may cause the transition state to appear earlier (or later) in the reaction mechanism.


title: Hammett equation

text: The latter two influences are often treated together as a composite effect, but are treated here separately. Westheimer demonstrated that the electrical effects of π-substituted dipolar groups on the acidities of benzoic and phenylacetic acids can be quantitatively correlated, by assuming only direct electrostatic action of the substituent on the ionizable proton of the carboxyl group. Westheimer's treatment worked well except for those acids with substituents that have unshared electron pairs such as –OH and –OCH3, as these substituents interact strongly with the benzene ring.


title: Hammett equation

text: Reactivity of 4-substituted bicyclo[2.2.2]octane-1-carboxylic acids and esters were measured in 3 different processes, each of which had been previously used with the benzoic acid derivatives. A plot of log(k) against log(K) showed a linear relationship. Such linear relationships correspond to linear free energy relationships, which strongly imply that the effect of the substituents are exerted through changes of potential energy and that the steric and entropy terms remain almost constant through the series. The linear relationship fit well in the Hammett Equation. For the 4-substituted bicyclo[2.2.2.]octane-1-carboxylic acid derivatives, the substituent and reaction constants are designated σ’ and ρ’.


title: Hammett equation

text: Reactivity data indicate that the effects of substituent groups in determining the reactivities of substituted benzoic and bicyclo[2.2.2.]-octane-1-carboxylic acids are comparable. This implies that the aromatic π-electrons do not play a dominant role in the transmission of electrical effects of dipolar groups to the ionizable carboxyl group Difference between ρ and ρ’ for the reactions of the acids with diphenylazomethane is probably due to an inverse relation to the solvent dielectric constant D


title: Hammett equation

text: For meta-directing groups (electron withdrawing group or EWG), σ and σ are more positive than σ’. (The superscript, c, in table denotes data from Hammett, 1940.) For ortho-para directing groups (electron donating group or EDG), σ’ more positive than σ and σ. The difference between σ and σ’ (σ – σ’) is greater than that between σ and σ’(σ − σ’). This is expected as electron resonance effects are felt more strongly at the p-positions. The (σ – σ’) values can be taken as a reasonable measurement of the resonance effects.


title: Hammett equation

text: The plot of the Hammett equation is typically seen as being linear, with either a positive or negative slope correlating to the value of rho. However, nonlinearity emerges in the Hammett plot when a substituent affects the rate of reaction or changes the rate-determining step or reaction mechanism of the reaction. For the reason of the former case, new sigma constants have been introduced to accommodate the deviation from linearity otherwise seen resulting from the effect of the substituent. σ+ takes into account positive charge buildup occurring in the transition state of the reaction. Therefore, an electron donating group (EDG) will accelerate the rate of the reaction by resonance stabilization and will give the following sigma plot with a negative rho value.


title: Hammett equation

text: σ- is designated in the case where negative charge buildup in the transition state occurs, and the rate of the reaction is consequently accelerated by electron withdrawing groups (EWG). The EWG withdraws electron density by resonance and effectively stabilizes the negative charge that is generated. The corresponding plot will show a positive rho value.


title: Hammett equation

text: In the case of a nucleophilic acyl substitution the effect of the substituent, X, of the non-leaving group can in fact accelerate the rate of the nucleophilic addition reaction when X is an EWG. This is attributed to the resonance contribution of the EWG to withdraw electron density thereby increasing the susceptibility for nucleophilic attack on the carbonyl carbon. A change in rate occurs when X is EDG, as is evidenced when comparing the rates between X = Me and X = OMe, and nonlinearity is observed in the Hammett plot.


title: Hammett equation

text: The effect of the substituent may change the rate-determining step (rds) in the mechanism of the reaction. A certain electronic effect may accelerate a certain step so that it is no longer the rds.


title: Hammett equation

text: A change in the mechanism of a reaction also results in nonlinearity in the Hammett plot. Typically, the model used for measuring the changes in rate in this instance is that of the SN2 reaction. However, it has been observed that in some cases of an SN2 reaction that an EWG does not accelerate the reaction as would be expected and that the rate varies with the substituent. In fact, the sign of the charge and degree to which it develops will be affected by the substituent in the case of the benzylic system.


title: Hammett equation

text: For example, the substituent may determine the mechanism to be an SN1 type reaction over a SN2 type reaction, in which case the resulting Hammett plot will indicate a rate acceleration due to an EDG, thus elucidating the mechanism of the reaction.


title: Hammett equation

text: Another deviation from the regular Hammett equation is explained by the charge of nucleophile. Despite nonlinearity in benzylic SN2 reactions, electron withdrawing groups could either accelerate or retard the reaction. If the nucleophile is negatively charged (e.g. cyanide) the electron withdrawing group will increase the rate due to stabilization of the extra charge which is put on the carbon in the transition state. On the other hand, if the nucleophile is not charged (e.g. triphenylphosphine), electron withdrawing group is going to slow down the reaction by decreasing the electron density in the anti bonding orbital of leaving group in the transition state.


title: Hammett equation

text: Other equations now exist that refine the original Hammett equation: the Swain–Lupton equation, the Taft equation, the Grunwald–Winstein equation, and the Yukawa–Tsuno equation. An equation that addresses stereochemistry in aliphatic systems has also been developed.


title: Hammett equation

text: Core-electron binding energy (CEBE) shifts correlate linearly with the Hammett substituent constants ("σ") in substituted benzene derivatives.


title: Hammett equation

text: Consider para-disubstituted benzene p-F-CH-Z, where Z is a substituent such as NH, NO, etc. The fluorine atom is para with respect to the substituent Z in the benzene ring. The image on the right shows four distinguished ring carbon atoms, C1(ipso), C2(ortho), C3(meta), C4(para) in p-F-CH-Z molecule. The carbon with Z is defined as C1(ipso) and fluorinated carbon as C4(para). This definition is followed even for Z = H. The left-hand side of () is called CEBE shift or ΔCEBE, and is defined as the difference between the CEBE of the fluorinated carbon atom in p-F-CH-Z and that of the fluorinated carbon in the reference molecule FCH.


title: Hammett equation

text: The right-hand side of Eq. is a product of a parameter "κ" and a Hammett substituent constant at the para position, "σp". The parameter is defined by eq. :


title: Hammett equation

text: where and are the Hammett reaction constants for the reaction of the neutral molecule and core ionized molecule, respectively. ΔCEBEs of ring carbons in p-F-CH-Z were calculated with density functional theory to see how they correlate with Hammett σ-constants. Linear plots were obtained when the calculated CEBE shifts at the ortho, meta and para carbon were plotted against Hammett "σ, σ" and "σ" constants respectively.


title: Hammett equation

text: Hence the approximate agreement in numerical value and in sign between the CEBE shifts and their corresponding Hammett "σ" constant.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: Natan Sharansky (; ; , born Anatoly Borisovich Shcharansky on 20 January 1948) is an Israeli politician, human rights activist and author who spent nine years in Soviet prisons as a refusenik during the 1970s and 1980s. He served as Chairman of the Executive for the Jewish Agency from June 2009 to August 2018. Sharansky currently serves as chairman for the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP), an American non-partisan organization.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: Sharansky was born into a Jewish family on in the city of Stalino (now Donetsk) in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: His father, Boris Shcharansky, a journalist from a Zionist background who worked for an industrial journal, died in 1980, before Natan was freed.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: His mother, Ida Milgrom, visited him in prison and stubbornly waged a nine-year battle for her son's release from Soviet prison and labor camps. She was permitted to follow her son to Israel six months after he left the Soviet Union.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: He was attending physics and mathematics high school No.17 in Donetsk. As a child, he was a chess prodigy. He performed in simultaneous and blindfold exhibitions, usually against adults. At the age of 15, he won the championship in his native Donetsk. Sharansky graduated with a degree in applied mathematics from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. When incarcerated in solitary confinement, he claims to have maintained his sanity by playing chess against himself in his mind. Sharansky beat the world chess champion Garry Kasparov in a simultaneous exhibition in Israel in 1996.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: After Sharansky graduated from university, he began working for a secret state research laboratory. Sharansky lived near Sokolniki Park, on Kolodezniy Pereulok (Water-well Lane). In his spare time, Sharansky would coach young chess players at the famous chess club in the park.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: He took his current Hebrew name in 1986 when he was freed from Soviet incarceration as part of a prisoner exchange and received an Israeli passport with his new name.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: Natan Sharansky is married to Avital Sharansky and has two daughters, Rachel and Hannah. In the Soviet Union, his application to marry Avital was denied by the authorities. They were married in a friend's apartment, in a ceremony not recognized by the government, as the USSR only recognized civil marriage and not religious marriage.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: Sharansky was denied an exit visa to Israel in 1973. The reason given for denial of the visa was that he had been given access, at some point in his career, to information vital to Soviet national security and could not now be allowed to leave. After becoming a refusenik, Sharansky became a human rights activist, working as a translator for dissident and nuclear physicist Andrei Sakharov, and spokesman for the Moscow Helsinki Group and a leader for the rights of refuseniks.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: On 15 March 1977 Sharansky was arrested by the KGB, then headed by Yuri Andropov, on multiple charges, including high treason and spying for several Americans. The accusation stated that he passed to the West lists of over 1,300 "refuseniks", many of whom were denied exit visas because of their knowledge of state secrets, which resulted in a publication by Robert C. Toth, "Russ Indirectly Reveal 'State Secrets': Clues in Denials of Jewish Visas". High treason carried the death penalty. The following year, in 1978, he was sentenced to 13 years of forced labor.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: Sharansky spent time in Moscow's Lefortovo Prison, followed by Vladimir and Chistopol prisons, where for part of the time he was placed in solitary confinement. His health deteriorated, to the point of endangering his life. Later he was detained in Perm 35, a post-Stalin-Gulag-type so-called "strict regimen colony" in Perm Oblast.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: During his imprisonment, he embarked on hunger strikes to protest confiscation of his mail, and he was force-fed at least 35 times, which he describes as "a sort of torture". Sharansky later opposed force-feeding of Palestinian detainees.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: Sharansky appeared in a March 1990 edition of "National Geographic" magazine. The article, "Last Days of the Gulag" by Mike Edwards, profiles through photographs and text one of the few remaining Soviet prison labor camps. The article featured a photo of Natan Sharansky and his wife Avital in their home in Israel viewing photos of the same Gulag where he had been imprisoned, but as it appeared in 1990. Sharansky remarked in the article that after viewing images of the prisoner's faces, he could discern that the protocol of oppression was still at work. The author also showed Sharansky a photo of the cold isolation cell where he had himself been confined. Sharansky commented with irony that conditions had improved slightly: the stark cell now featured a thin bench bolted to the middle of the floor. He said that if that bench had existed when he was there, he could have slept on it, albeit uncomfortably.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: As a result of an international campaign led by his wife, Avital Sharansky (including assistance from East German lawyer Wolfgang Vogel, New York Congressman Benjamin Gilman, and Rabbi Ronald Greenwald), Sharansky was released on 11 February 1986 as part of a larger exchange of detainees. He was the first political prisoner released by Mikhail Gorbachev.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: Sharansky and three low-level Western spies (Czech citizen Jaroslav Javorský and West German citizens Wolf-Georg Frohn, and Dietrich Nistroy) were exchanged for Czech spies Karl Koecher and Hana Koecher held in the United States, Soviet spy Yevgeni Zemlyakov, Polish spy Marian Zacharski, and East German spy Detlef Scharfenorth (the latter three held in West Germany). The men were released in two stages, with Sharansky freed first then whisked away, accompanied by the United States Ambassador to West Germany, Richard R. Burt. The exchange took place on the Glienicke Bridge between West Berlin and East Germany, which had been used before for this purpose.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: Sharansky immediately emigrated to Israel, adopting the Hebrew name "Natan" and eventually simplifying his surname to Sharansky.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: Due to his age and poor health, he was exempted from the standard compulsory three years' IDF service, but had to undergo three weeks of military training and do a stint in the Civil Guard.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: In 1988, he wrote "Fear No Evil", a memoir of his time as a prisoner. He founded the Zionist Forum, an organization of Soviet immigrant Jewish activists dedicated to helping new Israelis and educating the public about integration issues, known in Israel as "klita" (lit. "absorption"). Sharansky also served as a contributing editor to "The Jerusalem Report" and as a board member of Peace Watch.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: In 1995, Sharansky and Yoel Edelstein founded the Yisrael BaAliyah party (a play of words, since "aliya" means both Jewish emigration to Israel and "rise", thus the party name means "(People of) Israel immigrating (to the State of Israel)", as well as "Israel on the rise"), promoting the absorption of the Soviet Jews into Israeli society. The party won seven Knesset seats in 1996. It won 6 seats in the 1999 Israeli legislative election, gaining two ministerial posts, but left the government on 11 July 2000 in response to suggestions that Prime Minister Ehud Barak's negotiations with the Palestinians would result in a division of Jerusalem. After Ariel Sharon won a special election for Prime Minister in 2001, the party joined his new government and was again given two ministerial posts.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: In the January 2003 elections, the party was reduced to just two seats. Sharansky resigned from the Knesset and was replaced by Edelstein. However, he remained party chairman and decided to merge it into Likud (which had won the election with 38 seats). The merger went through on 10 March 2003, and Sharansky was appointed Minister of Jerusalem Affairs.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: From March 2003 – May 2005, he was Israel's Minister without Portfolio, responsible for Jerusalem's social and Jewish diaspora affairs. Under this position, Sharansky chaired a secret committee that approved the confiscation of East Jerusalem property of West Bank Palestinians. This decision was reversed after an outcry from the Israeli left and the international community.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: Previously he served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Israel, Minister of Housing and Construction since March 2001, Interior Minister of Israel (July 1999 – resigned in July 2000), Minister of Industry and Trade (1996–1999).


title: Natan Sharansky

text: He resigned from the cabinet in April 2005 to protest plans to withdraw Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: He was re-elected to the Knesset in March 2006 as a member of the Likud Party. On 20 November 2006, he resigned from the Knesset.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: In 2019 Natan Sharansky became the Chairman for the Institute for the study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP). ISGAP is an international interdisciplinary research center with entities in Canada, the United States, the UK, Europe, and Israel. ISGAP carries out high caliber research on contemporary antisemitism and policy, including at Oxford University, La Sapienza University in Rome, Stanford University, the University of Miami, and more. More information available at www.isgap.org


title: Natan Sharansky

text: In June 2009, Sharansky was elected to the chair of the executive of the Jewish Agency for Israel by the Jewish Agency Board of Governors. In September 2009 Sharansky secured $6 million from the Genesis Philanthropy Group for educational activities in the former Soviet Union.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: In 1997, Sharansky was the focus of a 2.5-hour-long episode of "Chaim SheKa'ele" ("What A Life"), the Israeli version of "This Is Your Life". The episode focused mainly on his experiences as a Soviet dissident, and featured many of his family and acquaintances. In 2005, Sharansky participated in "They Chose Freedom", a four-part television documentary on the history of the Soviet dissident movement, and in 2008 he was featured in Laura Bialis' documentary "Refusenik". In 2014, he took part in Natella Boltyanskaya's documentary "Parallels, Events, People". He was number eleven on the list of "Time" magazine's 100 most influential people of 2005 in the "Scientists and thinkers" category. He won the 2018 Israel Prize for his lifetime achievements and special contributions to the State of Israel in the fields of Immigration and Absorption. He was awarded the 2020 Genesis Prize for his "lifelong struggle for human rights." He donated the $1 million prize money to organizations combating the coronavirus.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: Sharansky is the author of three books. The first is the autobiographical "Fear No Evil", which dealt with his trial and imprisonment. The book was awarded the 1989 National Jewish Book Award for Biography.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: His second book, "The Case for Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror" was co-written with Ron Dermer. George W. Bush offered praise for the book:


title: Natan Sharansky

text: If you want a glimpse of how I think about foreign policy, read Natan Sharansky's book, "The Case for Democracy". ... For government, particularly – for opinion makers, I would put it on your recommended reading list. It's short and it's good. This guy is a heroic figure, as you know. It's a great book.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: His book "Defending Identity: Its Indispensable Role in Protecting Democracy", is a defense of the value of national and religious identity in building democracy.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: Sharansky has argued that there can never be peace between Israel and the Palestinians until there is "the building of real democratic institutions in the fledgling Palestinian society, no matter how tempting a 'solution' without them may be." In a "Haaretz" interview, he maintained the following:


title: Natan Sharansky

text: Jews came here 3,000 years ago and this is the cradle of Jewish civilization. Jews are the only people in history who kept their loyalty to their identity and their land throughout the 2,000 years of exile, and no doubt that they have the right to have their place among nations—not only historically but also geographically. As to the Palestinians, who are the descendants of those Arabs who migrated in the last 200 years, they have the right, if they want, to have their own state ... but not at the expense of the state of Israel.


title: Natan Sharansky

text: In the wake of the Arab uprisings of 2011, he told "Moment Magazine", "To sign an agreement you must have a partner who is dependent on the well-being of his people, which is what democracy means."


title: Natan Sharansky

text: In February 2022, Sharansky called on the Israeli government to take “a clear moral stand” against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine. He called the Russian invasion of Ukraine the greatest threat to the free world since World War II and said that Israel must stand firmly with the Ukrainian people.


title: Charlie Bartlett

text: Charlie Bartlett is a 2007 American comedy-drama film directed by Jon Poll. The screenplay by Gustin Nash focuses on a teenager who begins to dispense therapeutic advice and prescription drugs to the student body at his new high school in order to become popular.


title: Charlie Bartlett

text: The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on May 1, 2007, and was shown at the Cannes Film Market, the Maui Film Festival, and the Cambridge Film Festival before going into theatrical release in the United States and Canada on August 3, 2007. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed just $5 million against its $12 million budget.


title: Charlie Bartlett

text: The son of a depressed but doting mother (Hope Davis) and a father who is serving time for tax evasion, wealthy teenager Charlie Bartlett (Anton Yelchin) — after being expelled from several private academies for various infractions — enrolls in a public school run by embittered alcoholic Principal Nathan Gardner (Robert Downey Jr.), who was formerly a history teacher. Unable to fit in with most of his fellow students, Charlie is diagnosed with ADHD. He forms an alliance with school bully Murphy Bivens (Tyler Hilton) and offers him half the proceeds from the sale of a variety of prescription drugs Charlie obtains by feigning physical and emotional symptoms during sessions with different psychiatrists.


title: Charlie Bartlett

text: Before long, Charlie's natural charm and likability positions him as the school's resident therapist, offering advice and drugs within the confines of the boys' bathroom. Charlie's social life noticeably improves as he gains the confidence and admiration of the student body and begins to date the principal's rebellious daughter, Susan (Kat Dennings).


title: Charlie Bartlett

text: Complications arise when seriously depressed Kip Crombwell (Mark Rendall) attempts suicide by swallowing a handful of anti-depressants provided by Charlie. Charlie befriends Kip after having an in-depth conversation with Principal Gardner. Charlie discovers Kip is writing a play about adolescent issues and pitches it to Gardner who is, at first, unsure but agrees when Kip says that it would make him less inclined to attempt suicide again. Charlie decides to stop selling drugs to students but continues to provide free therapy.


title: Charlie Bartlett

text: One day, Charlie comes by Susan's house to pick her up for a date and he gives her a pharmacy bag. Mr. Gardner comes out and, thinking the bag contains drugs, attempts to grab Susan's to make her go into the house. Charlie warns Mr. Gardner not to touch Susan, but he pushes Charlie instead. Charlie then punches Gardner as a reflex, and even though he tries to apologize, the principal is not forgiving. Susan and Charlie drive off, and the bag turns out to contain a nicotine gum to help Susan quit smoking cigarettes.


title: Charlie Bartlett

text: That night, a large group of students are all in the student lounge when the police arrive. They arrest Charlie for assault, the kids riot and trash the lounge building to protest Charlie's arrest and as a result Principal Gardner is fired. Charlie is released, and before the play, stops by Mr. Gardner's house to invite him. Charlie finds Mr. Gardner heavily intoxicated and waving a revolver. They get into a heated argument which culminates in Charlie falling into the pool after attempting to tackle Mr. Gardner, thinking he is about to commit suicide. Mr. Gardner, appearing sober, comes to his senses and dives into the pool to save Charlie and states that he was not attempting to commit suicide because he has too many responsibilities to do such a thing. They talk over their problems about Charlie's father and Susan, and then go to the play. Mr. Gardner takes up his old job as a history teacher again (and is now much happier), and Charlie finally gains the confidence to visit his father in prison (something he had felt uncomfortable about earlier in the film). The film ends with Charlie applying for a summer internship at a psychiatric institute.


title: Charlie Bartlett

text: The film features four of the then "" cast members as Charlie's fellow students: Jake Epstein (Craig Manning), Lauren Collins (Paige Michalchuk), Drake (Jimmy Brooks), and Ishan Davé (Linus).


title: Charlie Bartlett

text: The film was shot on location in Toronto as well as at Parkwood Estate in Oshawa, Ontario and Trafalgar Castle School in Whitby, Ontario. It was also filmed at Western Technical-Commercial School, where parts of "Billy Madison", "Ice Princess", "Alley Kids Strike", "Fever Pitch" and "Being Erica" were shot.


title: Charlie Bartlett

text: On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 58% based on 132 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "With engaging performances marked by an inconsistent tone, "Charlie Bartlett" is a mixed bag of clever teen angst comedy and muddled storytelling." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score 54 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".


title: Charlie Bartlett

text: Stephen Holden of "The New York Times" wrote "If the attention span of "Charlie Bartlett" didn't wander here and there, the movie might have been a high school satire worthy of comparison with Alexander Payne's "Election". But as it dashes around and eventually turns soft, it loses its train of thought ... [and] never coalesces into the character-driven, serious comedy with heart that you want it be."


title: Charlie Bartlett

text: David Wiegand of the "San Francisco Chronicle" commented: "The script is adequate, although screenwriter Nash has created one distasteful character after another, and there's barely a ripple of relieving humor in the entire film ... The material might have worked better if the filmmakers had adopted a satirical tone, or even if they'd gone the whole "American Pie" route. Instead, the film grinds on with only a few bright moments. The big problem, though, isn't the script but rather the direction and, specifically, the plodding pace of the film. That's surprising, given that first-time director Jon Poll has a background in film editing. It may have something to do with knowing pretty much what will happen from one moment to the next, but you keep wanting Poll and his cast to get on with things, or at least, energize the film some way or another. The tone is often just turgid ... Yet, for all its problems, the film is often sincere, often earnest ... You'll find yourself rooting for the filmmakers in spite of yourself, and, more to the point, in spite of the mistakes they've made."


title: Charlie Bartlett

text: Jonathan Rosenbaum of the "Chicago Reader" called the film "a rebellious teen comedy that isn't as good or as radical as "Pump Up the Volume," but still feels like a shot in the arm and is full of irreverent energy." He added, "Despite an ineffectual subplot about the hero's absent father, there are some good satirical riffs here on adult hypocrisies (with Robert Downey Jr. especially good as the beleaguered, alcoholic school principal), a few echoes of the underrated "Mumford", and lots of high spirits."


title: Charlie Bartlett

text: Darrell Hartmann of the "New York Sun" said, "John Poll's rebellious-teen comedy falls well below the high bar set by recent genre hits "Juno" and "Superbad." An anything-goes kookiness pervades the first half, but the film then takes a trite turn that only serves to highlight its unlikely premise."


title: Charlie Bartlett

text: David Balzer of "Toronto Life", rating it three out of five stars, called it "a cool trip down teen dramedy lane, but one senses the film could be a lot smarter. Bartlett's drug selling, it turns out, is not the main subject of the movie; 'messed-up people' are, and this causes Charlie Bartlett to lean on psychobabble about disaffection that it initially tries so hard to mock. The film's use of Cat Stevens's anthem from "Harold and Maude," 'If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out,' encapsulates its problems; instead of acting as a wry expression of Bartlett's dark philosophy, the song becomes the kind of pat message of self-empowerment that drives teens to Prozac in the first place."


title: Charlie Bartlett

text: MGM Home Entertainment released the film on Region 1 DVD on June 24, 2008. Viewers have the option of watching it in fullscreen (with optional commentary by Jon Poll and Gustin Nash) or anamorphic widescreen (with optional commentary by Poll, Anton Yelchin, and Kat Dennings) format. It has audio tracks and subtitles in English and Spanish. Bonus features include "Restroom Confessionals" and a music video by Spiral Beach.


title: Papaver

text: Papaver is a genus of 70–100 species of frost-tolerant annuals, biennials, and perennials native to temperate and cold regions of Eurasia, Africa and North America. It is the type genus of the poppy family, Papaveraceae.


title: Papaver

text: The flowers have two sepals that fall off as the bud opens, and four (or up to six) petals in red, pink, orange, yellow, or lilac. There are many stamens in several whorls around a compound pistil, which results from the fusion of carpels. The stigmas are visible on top of the capsule, and the number of stigmas corresponds to the number of fused carpels.


title: Papaver

text: The ovary later develops into a dehiscing capsule, capped by the dried stigmas. The opened capsule scatters its numerous, tiny seeds as air movement shakes it, due to the long stem.