title: Nicholas Brendon

text: In 2007, Brendon began appearing on the TV series "Criminal Minds" in the recurring role of FBI technical analyst Kevin Lynch. He appeared in episodes in each subsequent season through the tenth season.


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: In late 2010, he premiered his web comic "Very Bad Koalas", co-created with animation director/producer Steve Loter. The comic follows the journey of two sheltered and innocent koalas experiencing a variety of people and places while on the run from the law in a 1958 Cadillac El Dorado.


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: Also in 2010, Brendon began a four-episode arc on ABC's "Private Practice" playing Lee McHenry, a mentally disturbed man who assaults Charlotte King.


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: Brendon had a recurring role in "Untitled Web Series About a Space Traveler Who Can Also Travel Through Time" along with Sylvester McCoy, Robert Picardo, Mayim Bialik, Chase Masterson, Rosearik Rikki Simons, Carrie Keranen.


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: He enjoys painting and photography and has sold his own original artwork. Brendon started to tour gallery shows of his artwork in 2019. He released a "Fall Art Collection" in 2020.


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: Brendon has struggled for many years with depression and alcoholism, leading to many run-ins with the law and multiple arrests and several convictions for destruction of property, vandalism, theft and domestic violence. At a "Buffy" fan convention in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2004, he announced that he had voluntarily entered rehab for alcoholism.


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: In 2010, Brendon was tased and arrested by Los Angeles police, who confronted him in response to a call about an intoxicated individual. He allegedly swung his fists at the officers and attempted to run away, and was arrested for felony vandalism. Brendon was later charged with four misdemeanors, including one count of resisting arrest, two counts of battery against a police officer, and one count of vandalism. In May 2010, he again checked himself into rehab to address his addiction to alcohol and sleeping pills. Brendon pleaded no contest to all four charges in June 2010 and received a one-year suspended jail sentence, was placed on probation for 36 months, and was required to perform 10 days of community service.


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: While participating in the Tree City Comic Con, Brendon was arrested on October 17, 2014 in a Boise, Idaho hotel lobby for misdemeanor charges of malicious injury to property and resisting or obstructing officers. Brendon subsequently made a public apology and stated that the incident was "embarrassing" and the result of drinking alcohol while taking pain medication for a knee problem.


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: Brendon married Moonda Tee in Las Vegas in 2014, one week after proposing. Brendon announced their separation via social media five months later in February, 2015. Tee claimed in a video posted to social media that this was because Brendon had cheated on her.


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: Brendon was arrested on suspicion of grand theft by Fort Lauderdale police in February 2015 after he reportedly trashed his hotel room and refused to pay the bill. He had been in Fort Lauderdale for a local comic convention. His spokesman released a statement shortly after the incident: "Nicholas is, unfortunately, battling a disease that many of us don't understand. ... he's sorry for his actions. ... we are aware that Nicholas' actions are of a much deeper origin—and we are working toward creating a healthy environment for him to thrive in. The past several months have been trying, and Nicholas' disease is damaging and consistently misunderstood. We are doing everything in our power at camp Nick to assure his recovery." Brendon was arrested again for destroying another hotel room after demanding an upgrade. In an interview the next day, he blamed his behaviour on a recent change in medication and said he would see a doctor to have it reviewed. Due to his arrest, Brendon missed the first day of the ALT*Con conference, apologising to fans.


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: Brendon appeared on "Dr. Phil" to discuss his recent arrests and alcoholism in August 2015. However, he walked off the show soon after the interview began. Brendon later explained on his Facebook page that he had been drinking before the interview and had felt unprepared to "lay [out] the darkest parts of myself on national TV". Brendon returned to "Dr. Phil" in December that year to discuss his arrests and mental health struggles, including several suicide attempts.


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: Brendon was arrested in Saratoga Springs, New York in October 2015 for choking his girlfriend in a hotel room. He was charged with felony third-degree robbery, criminal mischief and obstruction of breathing. He pleaded guilty to criminal mischief, a misdemeanor. As part of his plea deal, Brendon avoided a custodial sentence if he completed drug and alcohol counselling and one year of probation. Brendon subsequently entered a rehab facility in California for a 90-day residential treatment program.


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: Brendon was arrested for assaulting another girlfriend at a hotel bar in Palm Springs, California in October 2017. He was charged with felony corporal injury to a spouse


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: in April 2019 and pleaded not guilty a month later. Brendon subsequently agreed to a plea deal to avoid a potential four-year prison sentence for felony domestic violence and violation of active protective orders issued by two states, in which Brendon was allowed to be near the woman, but prohibited him from harassing, threatening, injuring or assaulting her. On February 28, 2020, he was sentenced to three years' probation and 20 hours of community service, and was required to complete a 52-week domestic violence course.


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: On February 15, 2021, Brendon revealed on Instagram that he was in the hospital undergoing a spinal surgery after slipping earlier that month. Several days later, during a Facebook Live stream from his hospital room, Brendon addressed the allegation that his former co-star Charisma Carpenter made against Joss Whedon, stating that “I love and support [her] very much and I know that story, and it’s not a kind story,” further stating that although he “love[s] both Carpenter and Whedon," he acknowledged that his relationship with Whedon hadn't been entirely friendly, ultimately saying that it was "kinda hard to give a statement" given his relationship with the people involved.


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: Brendon was arrested in Terre Haute, Indiana in August 2021 for failure to identify and obtaining a prescription by fraud. He was pulled over while driving erratically and police found bags with crystal residue powder in them. A search by K9 dogs found secret compartments cut out of the floor of the car, and more bags with residue powder. This arrest is a violation of his current probation for domestic assault.


title: Bir Tawil

text: Its " status results from a discrepancy between the straight political boundary between Egypt and Sudan established in 1899, and the irregular administrative boundary established in 1902. Egypt asserts the political boundary, and Sudan asserts the administrative boundary, with the result that the Triangle is claimed by both and by neither. In 2014, author Alastair Bonnett described as the only place on Earth that was habitable but was not claimed by any recognised government.


title: Bir Tawil

text: On 19 January 1899, an agreement between the United Kingdom and Egypt relating to the administration of Sudan defined "Soudan" as the "territories south of the 22nd parallel of latitude". It contained a provision that would give Egypt control of the Red Sea port of , but an amendment on 10 July 1899 gave Suakin to Sudan instead.


title: Bir Tawil

text: On 4 November 1902, the UK drew a separate "administrative boundary", intended to reflect the actual use of the land by the tribes in the region. was grazing land used by the tribe based near , and thus was placed under Egyptian administration from Cairo. Similarly, the Triangle to the northeast was placed under the British governor of Sudan, because its inhabitants were culturally closer to Khartoum.


title: Bir Tawil

text: Egypt claims the original border from 1899, the 22nd parallel, which would place the Triangle within Egypt and the area within Sudan. Sudan, however, claims the administrative border of 1902, which would put within Sudan, and within Egypt. As a result, both states claim and neither claims the much less valuable area, which is only a tenth the size, and has no permanent settlements or access to the sea. There is no basis in international law for either Sudan or Egypt to claim both territories, and neither nation is willing to cede . With no third state claiming the neglected area, is one of the few land areas of the world not claimed by any recognised state.


title: Bir Tawil

text: is in size. The length of its northern and southern borders are and respectively; the length of its eastern and western borders are and respectively. In the north of the area is the mountain (), with a height of . In the east is , with a height of . In the south is the (), also called .


title: Bir Tawil

text: 's climate is, according to the Köppen climate classification, a very hot desert climate (Bwh). During the summer months, approximately three-quarters of the year, temperatures can exceed , while its hottest three months (June–August) can see it as high as . During the brief winters, however (December and January being its mildest months), can experience milder temperatures, with as its usual temperature peak.


title: Bir Tawil

text: Because the territory is far from the ocean (being at least away from the Red Sea), the diurnal temperature range throughout the region is large, varying from , year-round.


title: Bir Tawil

text: Due to its status as " unclaimed territory, a number of individuals and organizations have attempted to claim as a micronation. However, none have been taken seriously by the international community, and due to the remoteness and hostile climate of the region, the vast majority of these claims have been by declarations posted online from other locations. None of these claims, or any others, have been recognized, officially or otherwise, by any government or international organization.


title: Bir Tawil

text: Bir Tawil has no settled population, but members of the Ababda and Bishari tribes pass through the region.


title: Zoolander 2

text: Zoolander 2 (promoted as Zoolander No. 2) is a 2016 American action-comedy film directed by Ben Stiller and written by John Hamburg, Justin Theroux, Stiller, and Nicholas Stoller. It is the sequel to the 2001 film "Zoolander" and the final installment. It stars Stiller, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell, Penélope Cruz, and Kristen Wiig.


title: Zoolander 2

text: Filming took place from April to July 2015, in Rome, Italy. The film was released on February 12, 2016, by Paramount Pictures, to mostly negative reviews from critics and earned $56 million against a $55 million budget.


title: Zoolander 2

text: At Fashion Interpol, a secret agent, Valentina Valencia examines the expressions of recently assassinated pop singers' last images and believes they match Derek Zoolander's signature look, "Blue Steel". A flashback reveals that the "Derek Zoolander Center For Kids Who Can't Read Good" collapsed, killing Matilda Jeffries and injuring Hansel McDonald two days after the events of the first film. Derek later lost custody of his son, Derek Zoolander Jr., and announced his retirement from modeling and subsequent reclusion.


title: Zoolander 2

text: Derek now lives alone in "extreme northern" New Jersey. Billy Zane visits and gives him an invitation to the House of Atoz fashion show by the "Queen of Haute Couture", Alexanya Atoz, and persuades him to return to a regular lifestyle in order to regain custody of his son. In the "uncharted Malibu territories", Hansel returns to his home after dinner and is informed by his orgy that they are all pregnant and that he is the father. He is later given the same invitation by Zane.


title: Zoolander 2

text: At the fashion show, Derek and Hansel are surprised to find that the ever-changing fashion world is now dominated by the likes of Don Atari and the non-binary All. They are put on the runway in "Old" and "Lame" outfits and are doused by a large bucket of prunes. Afterwards, Alexanya congratulates them on their performance.


title: Zoolander 2

text: After reuniting, Derek and Hansel are tracked down by Valentina, who asks them to help Interpol uncover who is behind the systematic assassinations. With Valentina's help, Derek discovers his son is residing at a local orphanage. They find him, but Derek is distraught by his son's obesity. After Matilda's ghost asks him to protect their son, Hansel convinces Derek to accept Derek Jr. After meeting the Headmaster, Derek takes his son around Rome. However, Derek Jr. becomes disgruntled with his father and returns to the orphanage.


title: Zoolander 2

text: Hansel receives an anonymous call, requesting that he travel to St. Peter's Basilica at midnight. He, Derek, and Valentina go to the church and meet with Sting, who tells them the tale of Adam and Eve and the little-known Steve, a secret that many popstars have died to protect. It is said that Steve is the common ancestor of all models and that he and his closest descendant (Derek Jr.) holds the bloodline of the Fountain of Youth. Derek returns to the orphanage, only to find it in disrepair and his son and the Headmaster gone.


title: Zoolander 2

text: Jacobim "Mugatu" Moogberg tricks him into trading places with him so he can escape. Mugatu leaves on a helicopter while Hansel stows away by hiding on top of the rotor. Derek and Valentina swim back to Rome while Hansel infiltrates the House of Atoz. He witnesses Mugatu reuniting with Alexanya and killing Don Atari.


title: Zoolander 2

text: Hansel finds Derek Jr. imprisoned and reunites with Derek and Valentina at the IncrediBALL. They enter a bathhouse through a rear entrance and witness Derek Jr. strapped to a sacrificial table. Mugatu and many of the world's fashion designers prepare to cut out Derek Jr.'s heart and consume his blood, believing it to grant them eternal youth as it contains the blood of Steve. Derek, Hansel, and Valentina stop Mugatu from proceeding and he reveals that he brought together the world's fashion designers to kill them as revenge for leaving him imprisoned.


title: Zoolander 2

text: Alexanya, who is actually Katinka Ingaborgovinananananana in disguise, attacks Valentina, and they start "sexy fighting," while Mugatu tells Derek that he was behind the destruction of his Center by hiring the construction crew to build a faulty base. He then throws an explosive towards the lava. Derek manages to stop it with "Magnum", but he struggles to keep it suspended in mid-air. Sting arrives and reveals that he is Hansel's father, and they, along with Derek Jr. releasing the look, "El Niño", successfully hurl the explosive back at Mugatu, presumably killing him in process.


title: Zoolander 2

text: Derek Jr. forgives his father for his mother's death and Derek and Valentina confess their love for each other. Matilda's ghost gives them her blessing and says that Mugatu live-streamed the event. Six weeks later, Derek and Hansel have returned to modeling. Hansel returns to living with his orgy and is now the father of 10 children. Derek and Valentina have a daughter named Darlene V. Zoolander, while Derek Jr. becomes the next hot model and is now in a relationship with Malala Yousafzai. As the end credits start rolling, Derek and Hansel celebrate their heroism with their friends, Derek's family, and a newly reformed Mugatu, who survived the explosion.


title: Zoolander 2

text: In December 2008, Stiller confirmed that he wanted to make a sequel to "Zoolander", saying: "I've been trying to get "Zoolander 2" together and we've had a few scripts. I feel that is the sequel I really would like to do some day because I like the original and I would make sure it was something new and worthy of it first." When interviewed on the May 15, 2009 episode of "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross", Stiller said he was looking at a number of scripts. By February 2010, Justin Theroux, who also co-wrote "Tropic Thunder" with Stiller, was hired to write and direct the sequel. By the following month, Stiller confirmed he would be co-writing the script, stating, "We're in the process of getting a script written, so it's in the early stages. But yeah, it's going to happen." At some later, unspecified point, Stiller had taken over as director. On the December 17, 2010 episode of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno", Owen Wilson said a "Zoolander" sequel would likely be made, tentatively titled "Twolander".


title: Zoolander 2

text: In January 2011, Stiller confirmed that the script had been completed, and described the plot: "It's ten years later and most of it is set in Europe... it's basically Derek and Hansel... though the last movie ended on a happy note a lot of things have happened in the meantime. Their lives have changed and they’re not really relevant anymore. It's a new world for them. Will Ferrell is written into the script and he's expressed interest in doing it. I think Mugatu is an integral part of the Zoolander story, so yes, he features in a big way." In July 2012, Stiller described a difficult development process: "We have a script, as we've had for a little while, and [the film] is not quite coming together right now but I hope it does. I would like to do it at some point in the future." In September 2014, Ferrell said of the sequel, "We are actually supposed to do a read-through of a sequel script soon, and Mugatu is a part of it."


title: Zoolander 2

text: By November 20, 2014, Penélope Cruz had joined the cast, and by January 29, 2015, Christine Taylor was confirmed to reprise her role as Matilda Jeffries. By February 9, 2015, it was announced filming was set to commence at Rome's Cinecittà studios in the spring of 2015. On March 10, 2015, Stiller and Wilson appeared at the Paris Fashion Week in character as Derek Zoolander and Hansel McDonald. On April 13, 2015, it was revealed Cyrus Arnold had been cast as Zoolander's son. On April 21, 2015, Fred Armisen joined the cast. In May 2015, Stiller revealed via Instagram the casting of Kyle Mooney, Beck Bennett, and Nathan Lee Graham.


title: Zoolander 2

text: Principal photography began on April 7, 2015, and ended on July 13, 2015. The film was shot at Cinecittà studios in Rome, Italy. During production, a 96 camera bullet time rig was used to catch the end sequence, but the footage was not used.


title: Zoolander 2

text: Paramount partnered with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to feature Derek Zoolander on their advertising campaign for the Fiat 500X. Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson walked in character as Zoolander and Hansel at the Valentino show at 2015 Paris Fashion Week, and Stiller and Penélope Cruz also appeared in character in the February 2016 issue of "Vogue."


title: Zoolander 2

text: "Zoolander 2" was released in theaters on February 12, 2016. The world premiere was held in London, England on February 6, 2016, and the North American premiere was held in New York City on February 9, 2016. During the London premiere, Stiller set the "Guinness World Record" for the longest selfie stick, at 8.56 meters (28 feet, 1 inch) long.


title: Zoolander 2

text: On November 20, 2015, shortly after the release of the second trailer, the film received controversy from LGBT community over Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal of All, a non-binary model, which was deemed by the community as "an over-the-top, cartoonish mockery of androgyne/trans/non-binary individuals", with the community calling for a boycott of the film over the transgender character. In a December 7, 2015 interview with "The Wrap", Justin Theroux said of the transgender boycott, stating that it "hurts my feelings", comparing it to the 2008 protest by disabled groups of the film "Tropic Thunder" in which Robert Downey Jr.'s character uses the "R" word. Will Ferrell defended Cumberbatch's portrayal in an December 21, 2015 interview on BBC 1's "Newsbeat". In a January 28, 2022 interview with "Variety" as part of its "Actors on Actors" with co-star Penelope Cruz, Cumberbatch stated that if the film had been made today, he wouldn't have played All, believing that the role should be played by a trans actor or a non-binary actor instead.


title: Zoolander 2

text: "Zoolander 2" grossed $28.8 million in the U.S. and Canada and $27.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $56.7 million against a budget of $50 million.


title: Zoolander 2

text: In the United States and Canada, pre-release tracking suggested the film would gross $17–20 million from 3,300 theaters in its opening weekend, trailing "Deadpool" ($55–65 million projection) but similar to fellow newcomer "How to Be Single". The film made $750,000 from its Thursday night previews and $4.9 million on its first day. It went on to gross $14 million in its opening weekend, finishing fourth at the box office, behind "Deadpool" ($132.8 million), "Kung Fu Panda 3" ($19.8 million), and "How to Be Single" ($17.9 million). In its second weekend, the film grossed $5.5 million (a 60.3% drop), finishing seventh at the box office.


title: Zoolander 2

text: In a February 2022 interview with "Esquire", Ben Stiller said he was glad the film flopped at the box office, stating that if the film had performed well at the box office, he wouldn't have been able to pursue doing more serious, non-comedic work such as "Escape at Dannemora" and "Severance".


title: Zoolander 2

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 22% based on reviews from 232 critics, with an average rating of 4.42/10. The site's critical consensus reads, ""Zoolander No. 2" has more celebrity cameos than laughs – and its meager handful of memorable gags outnumbers the few worthwhile ideas discernible in its scattershot rehash of a script." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 34 out of 100 based on reviews from 42 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale, the same grade earned by its predecessor.


title: Zoolander 2

text: Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote: "Zoolander 2 sweats its silly ass off to please. The results are scattershot. But when it works — oh, baby. There's a bit with Justin Bieber and a selfie that, well, no spoilers."


title: Zoolander 2

text: Justin Chang of "Variety" gave it a negative review: "The results may delight those who believe recycled gags and endless cameos to be the very essence of great screen comedy, but everyone else will likely recognize Stiller’s wannabe Magnum opus as a disappointment-slash-misfire, the orange mocha crappuccino of movie sequels."


title: Barfi!

text: Barfi! is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy drama film directed by Anurag Basu and produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur under UTV Motion Pictures. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as the eponymous lead, alongside Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D'Cruz in lead roles, with Saurabh Shukla, Ashish Vidyarthi, Haradhan Bandopadhyay and Jisshu Sengupta in supporting roles. Set in 1970s Darjeeling and Kolkata, the film is about Murphy "Barfi" Johnson, a deaf-mute young boy who develops a special bond with two young girls Shruti Ghosh and Jhilmil Chatterjee, while often being chased by a local police officer Inspector Sudhanshu Dutta for his nuisances.


title: Barfi!

text: Made on a budget of approximately , "Barfi!" opened worldwide on 14 September 2012. The film received widespread critical acclaim, with critics praising the cast performances, direction, screenplay, cinematography, music and the positive portrayal of physically disabled people. The film was a major box-office success, becoming one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of 2012 in India and overseas. The film went on to gross over 1.75 billion rupees (US$25 Million) worldwide.


title: Barfi!

text: The film was selected as India's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film nomination for the 85th Academy Awards. "Barfi!" won several awards and nominations at various award ceremonies across India. At the 58th Filmfare Awards, "Barfi!" received a leading 12 nominations including Best Director (Basu), Best Actress (Chopra) and Best Supporting Actress (D'Cruz), and won a leading 7 awards including Best Film, Best Actor (Kapoor), Best Female Debut (D'Cruz) and Best Music Director (Pritam).


title: Barfi!

text: Murphy "Barfi" Johnson is a deaf-mute young boy who lives in Darjeeling and is known as a troublemaker as he cuts down street-lampposts or plays practical jokes on innocent people and is often chased by Inspector Sudhanshu Dutta. Soon, Barfi meets Shruti Ghosh, an educated young girl who is new in Darjeeling. He is smitten by her heavenly beauty and charm, thus falling in love with her. However, Shruti's mother advises her over avoiding to marry him due to his disabilities and lack of money. Shruti unwillingly agrees to her mother's advice, marries Ranjeet Sengupta, and leaves Darjeeling, breaking all contact with Barfi. Shortly after Shruti's departure, Barfi's father suffers from kidney failure and is hospitalized, and Barfi is asked to arrange ₹7000 for his surgery. Meanwhile, Barfi's autistic childhood friend Jhilmil Chatterjee suddenly gets kidnapped and her wealthy father Durjoy Chatterjee asks Inspector Dutta to search for her. After an unsuccessful attempt of robbing a local bank, Barfi finds Jhilmil in an abandoned van and drives away along with her. He hides her in his apartment and sends a ₹7000 ransom note to Jhilmil's family. Her father hands over the ransom to Barfi but his father unfortunately dies just after he makes the hospital payment. A dejected Barfi leaves Jhilmil at her caretaker's house but she refuses to stay over there and makes him take her away from there. Later, Barfi cleverly escapes from Inspector Dutta along with Jhilmil and the two soon move to Kolkata.


title: Barfi!

text: 6 years later, Barfi unexpectedly reunites with Shruti who is unhappy with her marriage with Ranjeet. She rekindles her friendship with Barfi and they begin to grow closer again, much to the jealousy of Jhilmil who then goes missing. Shruti files a missing report of Jhilmil in the police. Soon, Inspector Dutta learns about Jhilmil's loss, travels to Kolkata, and bumps into Barfi. After a comedic and entertaining chase, Inspector Dutta manages to arrest Barfi and take him to Darjeeling. Over there, another demand of ransom is made during the process of interrogation at the police station. However, Jhilmil is apparently killed during the exchange of the ransom even though her dead body is not found. The police frame Barfi for Jhilmil's murder in order to conclude the case. Inspector Dutta who grew fond of Barfi after chasing him for his nuisances, asks Shruti to take him away, offering him a second chance in life. Shruti takes Barfi back to Kolkata, hoping that she can now finally be with him due to the loss of Jhilmil. However, Barfi discovers Jhilmil's special-care home address from the scribbles that she had made at his house. He takes Shruti at the special-care home where it is revealed that both the kidnappings of Jhilmil were fabricated by her father in order to embezzle much money from her trust fund. In his second attempt, he faked her death to let her live in the special-care home, away from her alcoholic mother. Barfi and Jhilmil have a happy reunion over there and the two end up getting married.


title: Barfi!

text: 34 years later, an elderly Barfi is shown to be severely ill in the hospital where Jhilmil lies with him on the hospital bed and they die together. Shruti narrates how they died peacefully, not wanting to leave each other behind in life or death. The film ends with the happy days of Barfi and Jhilmil being shown and the credits roll.


title: Barfi!

text: During the production of his previous directorial venture "Kites" (2010), director Anurag Basu wrote a two-page short story which was later developed into the script of "Barfi!". The film script that Basu wrote alternated between two time periods, and he retained the nonlinear narrative structure. He said that the script required a 30-year time span for the characters' love to grow and thus set the backdrop of the film in the 1970s.


title: Barfi!

text: In June 2010, Anurag Basu confirmed that his film would feature three lead roles, a deaf-mute man, a mentally challenged girl, and a narrator. With former titles like "Khamoshi" or "Silence", media reports said the story was grim or dark. However, Basu stated that on the contrary, the film was happy. According to Basu, he paid homage to Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin by adding scenes inspired by the era of silent cinema and using physical comedy in the film, involving silent portions.


title: Barfi!

text: Ranbir Kapoor was the first choice of director Anurag Basu and Katrina Kaif was the first choice for the role of the narrator. In March 2010, "The Times of India" reported that Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif were signed to play lead roles in the film, then titled "Khamoshi" and later "Silence", which Basu confirmed.


title: Barfi!

text: Basu wanted to cast a new girl from Kolkata for the autistic character. Basu's wife, Tani suggested Chopra's name for the role. However, Basu feared that audience would see "the Priyanka Chopra" and not the character due to Chopra's stardom. Basu explained "I had the fear that I would see Priyanka Chopra in the character and Jhilmil wouldn’t work. This has happened in many films where known faces have harmed the character." Priyanka Chopra was cast to play the part but, the development was not announced as Basu wanted to workshop first and see how it goes. After three days of workshop, Basu was convinced that Chopra could play the autistic part and reflected that he was glad that he chose Chopra for the role. Later, Basu revealed that he did not approach any actress other than Chopra for the autistic part. After Chopra was cast in the film, Kaif left the project for unknown reasons. Media reported that she may have opted out of the film because Chopra had been given a stronger role. Later, media reported that Asin Thottumkal was approached to play the role of the narrator, replacing Kaif. However, Asin was never signed to the project. Media reported that no other actress wanted to sign for the film because according to them, the autistic part was stronger. In July 2010, "Mumbai Mirror" reported that Chopra was ready to play the role of narrator and leave the autistic role, so that another actress could be cast in the film; Chopra did not want the film to stall. Basu confirmed this development and said, "It's true we’ve been unable to cast the other part." After facing several casting problems, Basu chose to cast a completely new fresh face to play the second female role. In early December 2010, Ileana D'Cruz, a popular actress from South Indian films, was finalised for the second female lead, featuring as narrator and Kapoor's first love interest in the film, thus making her debut in Bollywood with the film.


title: Barfi!

text: Kapoor played the role of a deaf and mute man in the film. According to Kapoor, he took inspiration from screen legends such as Roberto Benigni, Charlie Chaplin and his grandfather Raj Kapoor. Due to the protagonist's physical disability, Basu did not want to use any sign-language but, some behavioral patterns in the film. Kapoor described his character as a regular, happy-go-lucky and good hearted guy.


title: Barfi!

text: Chopra played the role of Jhilmil. Basu described Chopra's role as the "toughest" in the film. In order to prepare for the role, Chopra visited several mental institutions and spent time with autistic people. She said she had to research a little for the role because in India awareness about autism is very low. Chopra told that she had to let go of every inhibition probably that she had as a Hindi film heroine and play Jhilmil without thinking of it. She explained that she needed two moments to become Jhilmil because she didn't identify with her character due to difference between her thought and behavior.


title: Barfi!

text: D'cruz, who portrayed the narrator and first love interest of the protagonist said "Shruti, is such a sensitive role to play as she goes to different phases in the film."


title: Barfi!

text: According to Basu, after Kapoor, Chopra and D'cruz's characters, Saurabh Shukla's character as Inspector Dutta was the most important. Basu described the role as "amazing" character, who makes others cry when he laughs.


title: Barfi!

text: Principal photography commenced in March 2011. "Barfi!" was shot between June 2011 and February 2012, mostly in Darjeeling. In March 2011, Basu visited Kolkata to finalize the locations within the city. Filming in Mumbai began on 20 March 2011 and continued until May 2011. In June 2011, the cast and crew shot in Darjeeling. In December 2011, some scenes were filmed on the outskirts of Coimbatore, especially Pollachi and Ooty. The scenes in which Kapoor's character is chased by policemen over the roof tops were shot in Kolkata at the end of January 2012. Shooting was completed by April 2012, except for some scenes featuring Chopra. The producers postponed the release from 13 July to 31 August 2012 as the September 2011 shooting schedule was cancelled and was waiting to be shot. However, Basu began working on D'Cruz's dubbing portions by end of April 2012, because D'Cruz was unfamiliar with the Hindi language and wanted to learn it whilst filming.


title: Barfi!

text: The music and background score of the film is composed by Pritam Chakraborty, and lyrics were written by Swanand Kirkire, Ashish Pandit, Neelesh Misra and Sayeed Quadri. The soundtrack album has six original songs which released on 9 August 2012. The soundtrack was influenced by Brazilian Bossa nova. Priyanka Chopra was supposed to sing a track for the film, but her contract with Universal Music prevented her from taking the offer. The soundtrack album also contains a song titled "Fatafati", sung by Pritam Chakraborty, Arijit Singh & Nakash Aziz. which was not be used in the film, but the song was released as a promotional single on YouTube on 10 September 2012 with a video which contains some behind-the-scenes footage and the additional vocals are sung by Ranbir Kapoor. The song also has some Bengali lyrics written by Amitabh Bhattacharya.


title: Barfi!

text: The official trailer of the film was launched on 2 July 2012 featuring all the actors. It included no dialogue, portraying comedy through gestures and actions, and was well received by critics and audiences. Chopra's character was kept under wraps in the trailers as the makers were not willing to reveal much about her character to increase curiosity among the audiences and was only revealed around the release of the film. Shikha Kapur, the executive director (marketing) of UTV explained "Priyanka plays a very special character in Barfi, so we want to keep her mystery intact. In the first trailer, Barfi – played by Ranbir – will be unveiled. We don't plan to reveal Priyanka until the film releases."


title: Barfi!

text: UTV Motion Pictures created a YouTube application called "The Flavour of Barfi", designed for the marketing the film. The application features Ranbir Kapoor as his character from the film and allows users to type actions, which Kapoor acts out. The application features two zones: one asks users to change Barfi's mood and the other gives users the chance to watch him flirt. The film was promoted in various cities across India. While promoting the film at the Phoenix Mall, Bangalore, the crowds broke through the barricades.


title: Barfi!

text: "Barfi!" was released on 14 September 2012 on 1300 screens in 700 theatres in India. Reliance Home Entertainment released "Barfi!" on DVD and Blu-ray in mid-November 2012 across all regions in a one-disc pack complying with the NTSC format. The DVD and the Blu-ray discs contained bonus content, including making of the film, "FatafatiBehind The Scenes" and Deleted Scenes. The Video CD version was released at the same time. The exclusive right to broadcast the film was bought by Zee Network and UTV Movies. The deal includes premiere rights of the film along with the several other UTV productions. The rights are for a period of seven-year, consisting the premiere (for both channels) of the film. Zee Network will have multiple runs while UTV Movies will have selected runs rights. The price of the deal was not revealed by the production company. The film is also available on Netflix.


title: Barfi!

text: In Japan, the film released in August 2014. It was released on ten screens in six Japanese cities: Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya Osaka, Kyoto and Fukuoka.


title: Barfi!

text: On 12 September 2012, British manufacturer Murphy Radio claimed that its trademark Murphy baby logo from its 1970s print advertisements has been used in "Barfi!" without permission. Producer Siddharth Roy Kapur said that he had received a legal notice from Murphy but said that there is nothing wrong in the intention, as the brand in question has been shown in a "very positive light".


title: Barfi!

text: After the film's release, several blogs and users of social media websites Twitter, Facebook and YouTube accused the director of plagiarism. Media further alleged that Basu had not tried to credit the original sources. Several videos were uploaded to YouTube showing side-by-side comparisons with Hollywood films like "Cops", "The Adventurer", "City Lights", "Singin' in the Rain", "Project A", "The Notebook" and "Benny & Joon". They also accused "Barfi!"s music director Pritam of copying the background music from the French film "Amélie".


title: Barfi!

text: Basu defended the film by saying that he was inspired by these works and that "Barfi!" contains an original plot, screenplay, characters and situations. He said that he was paying homages to Keaton and Chaplin. "Barfi!"s Oscar selection for Best Foreign Language Film was criticized because of plagiarism, but Oscar selection committee chief Manju Borah defended the film by saying, ""Barfi!" deserves to be sent outside. The selection was a very open process with three to four rounds of severe discussions and came down to the best film of the final three."


title: Barfi!

text: "Barfi!" received widespread critical acclaim upon release, with critics praising the cast performances, direction, screenplay, cinematography, music and the positive portrayal of physically disabled people. "Zee News" gave the film 5 out of 5 stars and said, "[a]ll in all, Anurag Basu's "Barfi!" is a perfect sweet treat for his audience. Like it has been discussed, those film makers who have been portraying the handicapped as dull and boring in their films must take a lesson from "Barfi!". Madhureeta Mukherjee of "The Times of India" gave the film a 4/5 rating and said, "Kapoor, in the most challenging performance of his career leaves us 'dumbstruck'. Without use of conventional crutches of cool-catchphrases, dhamaakedaar-dialogbaazi, bare-bodies, and other 'items'; he stuns you in every single frame. For Chopra, there's only one wordBRAVO! In a role where she needs to under-emote, she does so brilliantly (delivering an incredible performance)."


title: Barfi!

text: Roshni Devi of "Koimoi" said, ""Barfi!" leaves you with that warm, cuddly, magical feeling with a few tears to match. It's really worth a watch" and gave it an overall score of 3.5 stars out of 5.


title: Barfi!

text: Taran Adarsh of "Bollywood Hungama" gave the film 4 out of 5 stars and said, ""Barfi" is akin to a whiff of fresh air. Its foremost triumph is that it leaves you with a powerful emotion: Happiness!" "Indo-Asian News Service" gave the film 4 out of 5 stars and said, ""Barfi!" comes as close to being a modern masterpiece as cinematically possible. To miss it would be a crime. To embrace it is to serenade the sublime". Aniruddha Guha of "Daily News and Analysis" rated the film 4 out of 5 and remarked that movie "engages you at a personal level", and further added that, ""Barfi" cannot be missed. It demands patience, but the payoff is incredible".


title: Barfi!

text: Pratim D. Gupta of "The Telegraph" said, "The brilliance of "Barfi!" is that it's no story and all storytelling. It's about a director at the top of his game orchestrating terrific talent into a bravura crescendo. Only someone who has showed death the door can open windows to life like this." "Filmfare" gave the film 4 out of 5 stars and stated, ""Barfi!" is that rare film that can make you smile and make you cry in the same scene. Its technical brilliance is only outdone by its emotional complexity and depth. Pritam's music adds a nice silent-era charm to this already fantastic story, making it an occasion when words simply aren't enough." Raja Sen of "Rediff.com" has given 3.5/5 stars and wrote, ""Barfi!" is a well-crafted script with an intriguing back-and-forth narrative but it all goes south towards the end."


title: Barfi!

text: Anupama Chopra writing for "Hindustan Times" gave it 3 out 5 stars and wrote, "[t]his is a film made with love, bolstered by wonderfully etched vignettes, Kapoor and Chopra's stupendous performances and a gorgeous soundtrack by Pritam. And yet, for me, "Barfi!" was a singularly frustrating experience there was so much to like, but the film never became more than the sum of its parts". Rajeev Masand of "CNN-IBN" gave 3 out of 5 stars and said, ""Barfi!" had the potential to be great cinema, but as it stands it's a respectable film that's still better than a lot else you're likely to see." On the contrary, Namrata Joshi of "Outlook" felt that "The flashback within flashback narrative gets way too clumsy and turgid, the thriller twist absolutely pointless [...] appears much too crafted and self-consciously gorgeous, and feels eminently facile and plastic".


title: Barfi!

text: The film received high critical acclaim overseas as well. Rachel Saltz of "The New York Times" said, "Bollywood isn't afraid to be mawkish. "Barfi!" is at times, though not noticeably more so than most Hindi movies, despite its premise of special lovers with a special lesson to teach." Lisa Tsering "The Hollywood Reporter" called the film "a refreshingly non-commercial exercise" and added that "poignant Bollywood romantic comedy". On the performances of the cast, she wrote, "[...] Basu has guided Kapoor, and especially Chopra, to turn in exceptionally restrained, organic performances."" Ronnie Scheib of "Variety" wrote, "Unlike Michel Hazanavicus’ black-and-white silent homage ""The Artist"", Basu's film bursts with sound and color; only the speaking- and hearing-impaired Basu is condemned to silence." Gary Goldstein of the "Los Angeles Times" was more critical of the film, despite praising aspect including "the hard-working cast, a lush score, exotic location shooting and scattered warmth", called it as "more of an endurance test than entertainment."


title: Barfi!

text: "Barfi!" has received various awards and nominations in categories ranging mostly from recognition of the film itself, to its cinematography, direction, screenplay, and music, to the cast's performances. The film was selected as India's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film nomination for the 85th Academy Awards. The film received a leading 13 nominations at the 58th Filmfare Awards, and won a leading 7 awards, including Best Film, Best Actor (Kapoor), Best Female Debut (D'Cruz) and Best Music Director (Pritam). "Barfi!" received a leading 23 nominations at the 19th Screen Awards, winning 9, including Best Director (Basu), Best Actor (Kapoor), and Jodi No. 1 (Kapoor and Chopra). At the 14th Zee Cine Awards, "Barfi!" received 9 nominations, and won 8 awards, including Best Film, Best Director (Basu) and Best Actress (Chopra).


title: Barfi!

text: Upon its release, "Barfi!" started strongly at multiplexes throughout India, with around 80–90% occupancy, but had lower opening takings because of a limited release. The film grossed on its opening day. Its second day saw an increase of around 35% occupancy and collected . In its opening weekend, the film grossed . In its first week, "Barfi!" collected nett, and by its eighth day had earned despite the release of "Heroine". Barfi! earned in its second weekend. "Barfi!" had a good second week where it has collected nett. In the third week, the film's takings rose to nett. and it took in its fourth week. During its cinematic release period, "Barfi!" earned a gross total of in India. The all-India distributor share of the film was . The film became one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of 2012 in India, and was declared a ""Super Hit"" after its three-week run by Box Office India. The film went on to gross worldwide. Internationally, "Barfi" earned around in its opening weekend, slightly exceeding "Raajneeti"which had collected By the end of its run, "Barfi!" had grossed $6.25 million outside India, and it became one of the highest overseas grossing Bollywood films of 2012.


title: Shotacon

text: , abbreviated from , is, in Japanese contexts, the attraction to young (or young-looking) boy characters, or media centered around this attraction. The term refers to a genre of manga and anime wherein prepubescent or pubescent male characters are depicted in a suggestive or erotic manner, whether in the obvious role of object of attraction, or the less apparent role of "subject" (the character the reader is designed to associate with).


title: Shotacon

text: In some stories, the young male character is paired with a male, usually in a homoerotic manner, which is most common in yaoi/Boys' Love (BL) works meant for female readers, but some of these works are male-oriented, such as "Boku no Pico". In others, he is paired with a female, which the general community would call "straight shota." In some works, the "shota" character is paired with an older girl or woman, which is known as "oneshota" (おねショタ), a blend of "onē-san" (お姉さん, older sister) and "shota". A cutoff of "about 15" has been suggested as the dividing line between shotacon and BL. It can also apply to post-pubescent (adolescent or adult) characters with neotenic features that would make them appear to be younger than they are. The phrase is a reference to the young male character from "Tetsujin 28-go" (reworked in English as "Gigantor"). The equivalent term for attraction to (or art pertaining to erotic portrayal of) young girls is lolicon.


title: Shotacon

text: The usage of the term in both Western and Japanese fan cultures includes works ranging from explicitly pornographic to mildly suggestive, romantic, or in rare cases, entirely nonsexual, in which case it is not usually classified as "true" shotacon. As with lolicon, shotacon is related to the concepts of "kawaii" (cuteness) and "moe" (in which characters are presented as young, cute or helpless in order to increase reader identification and inspire protective feelings). As such, shotacon themes and characters are used in a variety of children's media. Elements of shotacon, like yaoi, are comparatively common in shōjo manga, such as the popular translated manga "Loveless", which features an eroticized but unconsummated relationship between the 12-year-old male protagonist and a twenty-year-old male, or the young-appearing character Honey in "Ouran High School Host Club". Seinen manga, primarily aimed at otaku, which also occasionally presents eroticized adolescent males in a non-pornographic context, such as Yoshinori "Yuki" Ikeda, the cross-dressing 14-year-old boy in "Yubisaki Milk Tea".


title: Shotacon

text: Some critics claim that the shotacon genre contributes to actual sexual abuse of children, while others claim that there is no evidence for this, or that there is evidence to the contrary.


title: Shotacon

text: The term "shotacon" is a Japanese contraction of , a reference to the young male character Shōtarō () from "Tetsujin 28-go". In the anime and manga series, Shōtarō is a bold, self-assertive detective who frequently outwits his adversaries and helps to solve cases. Throughout the series, Shōtarō develops close friends within the world. His bishōnen cuteness embodied and formed the term "shotacon", putting a name to an old sexual subculture. The word "shotacon" itself was coined in the magazine "Fan Road" in 1981.


title: Shotacon

text: Where the shotacon concept developed is hard to pinpoint, but some of its earliest roots are in reader responses to detective series written by Edogawa Rampo. In his works, a character named Yoshio Kobayashi of "Shōnentanteidan" (Junior Detective Group, similar to the Baker Street Irregulars of Sherlock Holmes) forms a deep dependency with adult protagonist Kogoro Akechi. Kobayashi, a beautiful teenager, constantly concerns himself with Kogoro's cases and well-being, and for a time moves in with the unmarried man. This nonsexual but intimate adult-boy relationship in part inspired the evolution of the shotacon community.


title: Shotacon

text: Tamaki Saitō writes that although the modern shotacon audience has a roughly even split between males and females, the genre is rumored to have roots in early 1980s dōjinshi as an offshoot of yaoi. Saitō suggests that shotacon was adopted by male readers who were influenced by lolicon; thus, he claims ""shota" texts by female "yaoi" authors are structurally identical to "yaoi" texts, while "shota" by male "otaku" clearly position these little boys as young girls with penises". Kaoru Nagayama writes that the 1995 manga anthology "U.C. BOYS: Under Cover Boys" started a boom in commercial shotacon in the second half of the 1990s. During this time, male-oriented shotacon emerged and mixed with female-oriented shotacon: "the situation was such that shota works targeting women, men and a combination of both were all in close proximity." The boom collapsed at the end of the 1990s, but male-targeted shotacon saw a small resurgence starting in 2002.


title: Shotacon

text: Shotacon stories are commonly released in semi-monthly anthologies. Sometimes, however, manga artist will publish individual manga volumes. Many shotacon stories are published as dōjinshi; , an annual convention to sell shotacon doujin material, was founded in 1995, by a group of male creators. The 2008 Shotaket had over 1000 attendees and offered work from nearly 200 circles.


title: Shotacon

text: Shotacon for women is almost exclusively yaoi, and may be published in general yaoi anthology magazines or in one of the few exclusively shotacon yaoi anthologies, such as "Shōnen Romance". Because of the possible legal issues, US publishers of yaoi have avoided material depicting notably underage characters. In 2006, Juné released an English translation of Mako Takahashi's under the title "Almost Crying", a non-erotic shotacon manga; the book contains several stories featuring pubescent male characters, but their relationships are nonsexual.


title: Shotacon

text: Shotacon for male readers may feature either homosexual or heterosexual relationships. Both gay and straight shotacon typically involve escapades between smaller, often pubescent males and young adults (older brother/sister figures), sexually frustrated authority figures (teacher/boss), significantly older "uncle/aunt" figures (neighborhood acquaintances, actual family members), or outright father or mother figures (adopted, step, or full blood relation). Outside of these tropes, stories that involve only young boys (with no older characters) are not rare, with the most common recurring theme being a classmate relation.


title: Shotacon

text: Shota stories may be published in (a subset of) general seijin (men's pornographic) manga anthologies or in the few seijin shota manga anthologies, such as "Shōnen Ai no Bigaku", which specializes in male-male stories. Some gay men's magazines which offer a particularly broad mix of pornographic material occasionally run stories or manga featuring peri-pubescent characters.


title: Shotacon

text: In 2006, the seijin shotacon OVA anime , which the producer has described as the first shotacon anime, was released. It was later followed by two sequels and an edited version of the first OVA, with content more suitable for viewers under 18, as well as a video game starring Pico and Chico, the main characters of the anime. However, three years previously an OVA based on the eroge "" was created, featuring explicit sexual acts involving young boys.


title: Bareback (sexual act)

text: Bareback sex is physical sexual activity, especially sexual penetration, without the use of a condom. The topic primarily concerns anal sex between men who have sex with men without the use of a condom, and may be distinguished from unprotected sex because "bareback sex" denotes the deliberate act of forgoing condom use.


title: Bareback (sexual act)

text: A slang term, "bareback sex" comes from the equestrian term "bareback," which refers to the practice of riding a horse without a saddle.


title: Bareback (sexual act)

text: It is not known when the term (as sexual slang) was first used, although its use did gain momentum in the 1960s with the first appearance in print (as analogous reference) occurring in 1968. The term was used by G.I.s during the Vietnam War when sex without the use of a condom was known as "going in" or "riding" bareback. The term was included in the 1972 publication, "Playboy's Book of Forbidden Words: A Liberated Dictionary of Improper English".


title: Bareback (sexual act)

text: The term appeared occasionally in print until the 1980s and then in context to the AIDS epidemic and the discussion of sexual practices. It did not have widespread use in LGBT culture until 1997, when there was an increase of discussion regarding condomless sex (as reflected in print publications).


title: Bareback (sexual act)

text: The term "bareback sex" is now used less frequently among heterosexuals. A 2009 survey by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene found that heterosexual women are more likely to have unprotected anal intercourse than gay and bisexual men.


title: Bareback (sexual act)

text: Initially used for contraceptive purposes, condoms also came to be used to limit or prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs/STDs), even after other contraceptive methods were developed. As AIDS emerged and the sexual transmission of HIV became known in the 1980s, the use of condoms to prevent infection became much more widespread, especially among men who have sex with men (MSM) who engage in anal sex. At the beginning of the AIDS crisis, in the context of the invention and development of safe sex, the uptake of condoms among Western MSM was so widespread and effective that condom use became established as a norm for sex between men. From 1995, several high-profile HIV positive men declared their refusal to wear condoms with other HIV positive men in gay publications, dubbing the practice "barebacking." While these early articulations of barebacking expressed a concern for HIV prevention, in that they generally referred to dispensing with condoms in the context of sex between people of the same HIV status, the moral panic which ensued was so pronounced that barebacking came to be framed as a rebellious and transgressive erotic practice for HIV positive and HIV negative people alike, irrespective of the risks of HIV transmission.


title: Bareback (sexual act)

text: A resurgence of barebacking in first-world gay communities during the 1990s has been a frequent topic for gay columnists and editorialists in "The Advocate", "Genre" magazine, and "Out" magazine. Many of these articles express concern over bareback sex's popularity, and liken it to irresponsible and reckless behavior, despite the fact that a third of gay men take part in the practice. An article in the online resource "The Body" lists no fewer than 22 reasons why barebacking has become increasingly acceptable in the gay community. Some of the reasons listed are: the recent perception of HIV as a treatable illness one can live with, insufficient sex education, use of drugs such as methamphetamine in sexual settings, and fetishization of bareback sex on various porn and dating sites.


title: Bareback (sexual act)

text: Academic works suggest that barebacking is a way to reach for transcendence, to overcome the boredom of everyday average life in a hyper-rationalized society. Some men are dispensing with condoms in the context of seroconcordant sex (sex between two men of the same HIV status). Early articulations of barebacking generally refer to sex between two HIV-positive men, whereby barebacking could be considered an early harm reduction strategy, similar to serosorting, which was later endorsed by some public health authorities in the USA.


title: Bareback (sexual act)

text: Bareback sex has also become more acceptable since the introduction of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). One of the most popular forms of PrEP is Truvada, a medication previously taken for HIV treatment that, when taken properly, has been shown to prevent HIV-negative users from contracting HIV from infected partners. While these drugs do not necessarily prevent the transmission of other STIs, they have stirred a discussion on what "safe" sex without the use of condoms really entails.


title: Bareback (sexual act)

text: A 2005 study by Perry N. Halkitis concluded that the resurgence of barebacking led to an increase in sexually transmitted infections among the MSM community. The study found that of the 448 men who were familiar with barebacking, nearly half reported they had bareback sex in the last three months. In the San Francisco study, fewer men reported engaging in barebacking when the behavior was defined as intentional unprotected anal intercourse with a non-primary partner. Using this definition, 14% of the 390 men who were aware of barebacking reported engaging in the behavior in the past two years. Halkitis and Richard Wolitski also found that HIV-positive MSM were more likely to have bareback sex than were HIV-negative MSM. A 2016 study by Joseph Brennan used textual analysis to read discourse on gay pornography performer Jake Lyons and his decision to perform for bareback studios. Brennan explored the stigma attached to the practice, in particular narratives of 'disposal and disgust' that became associated with the performer, and contributed to a decline in his career.


title: Bareback (sexual act)

text: An extreme form of barebacking is bugchasing, in which seronegative gay men actively seek to be infected with HIV. These men may seek to contract HIV in order to not have to constantly live in fear of becoming infected.


title: Bareback (sexual act)

text: Bareback gay pornography was standard in "pre-condom" films from the 1970s and early 1980s. As awareness of the risk of AIDS developed, pornography producers came under pressure to use condoms, both for the health of the performers and to serve as role models for their viewers. By the early 1990s new pornographic videos usually featured the use of condoms for anal sex. However, beginning in the 1990s, an increasing number of studios have been devoted to the production of new films featuring men engaging in unprotected sex. For example, San Francisco-based studio Treasure Island Media, whose work focuses in this area, has produced bareback films since 1999. Other companies that do so include Spunk Video, Lucas Entertainment, SEVP, and Eurocreme. Mainstream gay pornographic studios such as Kristen Bjorn Productions have featured the occasional bareback scene such as in "El Rancho" between performers who are real-life partners. Other studios such as Falcon Entertainment and Spunk Video have also reissued older pre-condom films. Also, mainstream studios that consistently use condoms for anal sex scenes may sometimes choose editing techniques that make the presence of condoms somewhat ambiguous and less visually evident, and thus may encourage viewers to fantasize that barebacking is taking place, even though the performers are following safer-sex protocols. (In contrast, some mainstream directors use close-up shots of condom packets being opened, etc., to help clearly establish for the viewer that the sex is not bareback.)


title: Bareback (sexual act)

text: Some bareback pornography studios say that they do not inquire whether their models are HIV positive, but assume that they are infected. For example, Hot Desert Knights (HDK) was one of the studios that initially operated on the assumption that all of their bareback models were HIV positive. However, in February 2008 HDK announced that it would begin testing its models for HIV and engage in a process of "sero-sorting", which match HIV-positive performers with other HIV-positive performers, and negative with negative. Critics suggest that sero-sorting may not prevent the development of a multi-strain HIV "superinfection". By contrast, BelAmi is one of the studios that claimed from the beginning to test their bareback models for HIV before allowing them to participate in condom-free scenes. A notice on the BelAmi website states: "all our performers are regularly tested for the presence of HIV or other communicable diseases."


title: Bareback (sexual act)

text: In addition to sexually transmitted infections, mechanical trauma are the same as in anal sex. Unprotected anal sex is a risk factor for formation of antisperm antibodies (ASA) in the recipient. In some people, ASA may cause autoimmune infertility. Antisperm antibodies can impair fertilization, negatively affect the implantation process, and impair growth and development of the embryo.


title: GNU

text: GNU () is an extensive collection of free software (383 packages as of January 2022), which can be used as an operating system or can be used in parts with other operating systems. The use of the completed GNU tools led to the family of operating systems popularly known as Linux. Most of GNU is licensed under the GNU Project's own General Public License (GPL).


title: GNU

text: GNU is also the project within which the free software concept originated. Richard Stallman, the founder of the project, views GNU as a "technical means to a social end". Relatedly, Lawrence Lessig states in his introduction to the second edition of Stallman's book "Free Software, Free Society" that in it Stallman has written about "the social aspects of software and how Free Software can create community and social justice".


title: GNU

text: "GNU" is a recursive acronym for "GNU's Not Unix!", chosen because GNU's design is Unix-like, but differs from Unix by being free software and containing no Unix code. Stallman chose the name by using various plays on words, including the song "The Gnu".


title: GNU

text: Development of the GNU operating system was initiated by Richard Stallman while he worked at MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. It was called the GNU Project, and was publicly announced on September 27, 1983, on the net.unix-wizards and net.usoft newsgroups by Stallman. Software development began on January 5, 1984, when Stallman quit his job at the Lab so that they could not claim ownership or interfere with distributing GNU components as free software.


title: GNU

text: The goal was to bring a completely free software operating system into existence. Stallman wanted computer users to be free to study the source code of the software they use, share software with other people, modify the behavior of software, and publish their modified versions of the software. This philosophy was published as the GNU Manifesto in March 1985.


title: GNU

text: Richard Stallman's experience with the Incompatible Timesharing System (ITS), an early operating system written in assembly language that became obsolete due to discontinuation of PDP-10, the computer architecture for which ITS was written, led to a decision that a portable system was necessary. It was thus decided that the development would be started using C and Lisp as system programming languages, and that GNU would be compatible with Unix. At the time, Unix was already a popular proprietary operating system. The design of Unix was modular, so it could be reimplemented piece by piece.


title: GNU

text: Much of the needed software had to be written from scratch, but existing compatible third-party free software components were also used such as the TeX typesetting system, the X Window System, and the Mach microkernel that forms the basis of the GNU Mach core of GNU Hurd (the official kernel of GNU). With the exception of the aforementioned third-party components, most of GNU has been written by volunteers; some in their spare time, some paid by companies, educational institutions, and other non-profit organizations. In October 1985, Stallman set up the Free Software Foundation (FSF). In the late 1980s and 1990s, the FSF hired software developers to write the software needed for GNU.


title: GNU

text: As GNU gained prominence, interested businesses began contributing to development or selling GNU software and technical support. The most prominent and successful of these was Cygnus Solutions, now part of Red Hat.


title: GNU

text: The system's basic components include the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC), the GNU C library (glibc), and GNU Core Utilities (coreutils), but also the GNU Debugger (GDB), GNU Binary Utilities (binutils), the GNU Bash shell. GNU developers have contributed to Linux ports of GNU applications and utilities, which are now also widely used on other operating systems such as BSD variants, Solaris and macOS.


title: GNU

text: Many GNU programs have been ported to other operating systems, including proprietary platforms such as Microsoft Windows and macOS. GNU programs have been shown to be more reliable than their proprietary Unix counterparts.


title: GNU

text: As of January 2022, there are a total of 459 GNU packages (including decommissioned, 383 excluding) hosted on the official GNU development site.


title: GNU

text: In its original meaning, and one still common in hardware engineering, the operating system is a basic set of functions to control the hardware and manage things like task scheduling and system calls. In modern terminology used by software developers, the collection of these functions is usually referred to as a kernel, while an 'operating system' is expected to have a more extensive set of programmes. The GNU project maintains two kernels itself, allowing the creation of pure GNU operating systems, but the GNU toolchain is also used with non-GNU kernels. Due to the two different definitions of the term 'operating system', there is an ongoing debate concerning the naming of distributions of GNU packages with a non-GNU kernel. (See below.)


title: GNU

text: The original kernel of GNU Project is the GNU Hurd microkernel, which was the original focus of the Free Software Foundation (FSF).


title: GNU

text: With the April 30, 2015 release of the Debian GNU/Hurd 2015 distro, GNU now provides all required components to assemble an operating system that users can install and use on a computer.


title: GNU

text: However, the Hurd kernel is not yet considered production-ready but rather a base for further development and non-critical application usage.


title: GNU

text: As of 2012, a fork of the Linux kernel became officially part of the GNU Project in the form of Linux-libre, a variant of Linux with all proprietary components removed.


title: GNU

text: The GNU Project has endorsed Linux-libre distributions, such as gNewSense, Trisquel and Parabola GNU/Linux-libre.


title: GNU

text: Because of the development status of Hurd, GNU is usually paired with other kernels such as Linux or FreeBSD. Whether the combination of GNU libraries with external kernels is a GNU operating system with a kernel (e.g. GNU with Linux), because the GNU collection renders the kernel into a usable operating system as understood in modern software development, or whether the kernel is an operating system unto itself with a GNU layer on top (i.e. Linux with GNU), because the kernel can operate a machine without GNU, is a matter of ongoing debate. The FSF maintains that an operating system built using the Linux kernel and GNU tools and utilities should be considered a variant of GNU, and promotes the term "GNU/Linux" for such systems (leading to the GNU/Linux naming controversy). This view is not exclusive to the FSF. Notably, Debian, one of the biggest and oldest Linux distributions, refers to itself as "Debian GNU/Linux".


title: GNU

text: The GNU Project recommends that contributors assign the copyright for GNU packages to the Free Software Foundation, though the Free Software Foundation considers it acceptable to release small changes to an existing project to the public domain. However, this is not required; package maintainers may retain copyright to the GNU packages they maintain, though since only the copyright holder may enforce the license used (such as the GNU GPL), the copyright holder in this case enforces it rather than the Free Software Foundation.


title: GNU

text: For the development of needed software, Stallman wrote a license called the GNU General Public License (first called Emacs General Public License), with the goal to guarantee users freedom to share and change free software. Stallman wrote this license after his experience with James Gosling and a program called UniPress, over a controversy around software code use in the GNU Emacs program. For most of the 80s, each GNU package had its own license: the Emacs General Public License, the GCC General Public License, etc. In 1989, FSF published a single license they could use for all their software, and which could be used by non-GNU projects: the GNU General Public License (GPL).


title: GNU

text: This license is now used by most of GNU software, as well as a large number of free software programs that are not part of the GNU Project; it also historically has been the most commonly used free software license (though recently challenged by the MIT license). It gives all recipients of a program the right to run, copy, modify and distribute it, while forbidding them from imposing further restrictions on any copies they distribute. This idea is often referred to as copyleft.


title: GNU

text: In 1991, the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL), then known as the Library General Public License, was written for the GNU C Library to allow it to be linked with proprietary software. 1991 also saw the release of version 2 of the GNU GPL. The GNU Free Documentation License (FDL), for documentation, followed in 2000. The GPL and LGPL were revised to version 3 in 2007, adding clauses to protect users against hardware restrictions that prevent users from running modified software on their own devices.


title: GNU

text: Besides GNU's packages, the GNU Project's licenses are used by many unrelated projects, such as the Linux kernel, often used with GNU software. A minority of the software used by most of Linux distributions, such as the X Window System, is licensed under permissive free software licenses.


title: GNU

text: The logo for GNU is a gnu head. Originally drawn by Etienne Suvasa, a bolder and simpler version designed by Aurelio Heckert is now preferred. It appears in GNU software and in printed and electronic documentation for the GNU Project, and is also used in Free Software Foundation materials.


title: GNU

text: There was also a modified version of the official logo. It was created by the Free Software Foundation in September 2013 in order to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the GNU Project.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: The Albanians of Kosovo (, ), also commonly called Kosovo Albanians, Kosovar/Kosovan Albanians or Kosovars/Kosovans, constitute the largest ethnic group in Kosovo.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: Kosovo Albanians belong to the ethnic Albanian sub-group of Ghegs, who inhabit the north of Albania, north of the Shkumbin river, Kosovo, southern Serbia, and western parts of North Macedonia. They speak Gheg Albanian, more specifically the Northwestern and Northeastern Gheg variants.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: According to the 1991 Yugoslav census, boycotted by Albanians, there were 1,596,072 ethnic Albanians in Kosovo or 81.6% of population. By the estimation in the year 2000, there were between 1,584,000 and 1,733,600 Albanians in Kosovo or 88% of population; as of 2011, their population share is 92.93%.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: Toponymical evidence suggests that Albanian was spoken in western and eastern Kosovo and the Niš region before the Migration Period. In this era, Albanian in Kosovo was in linguistic contact with Eastern Romance which was presumably spoken in contemporary eastern Serbia and Macedonia.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: Between 1246 and 1255, Stefan Uroš I had reported Albanian toponyms in the Drenica valley. A chrisobull of the Serbian Tsar Stefan Dušan that was given to the Monastery of Saint Mihail and Gavril in Prizren between the years of 1348-1353 states the presence of Albanians in the Plains of Dukagjin, the vicinity of Prizren and in the villages of Drenica.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: In the 14th century in two chrysobulls or decrees by Serbian rulers, villages of Albanians alongside Vlachs are cited in the first as being between the White Drin and Lim rivers (1330), and in the second (1348) a total of nine Albanian villages are cited within the vicinity of Prizren. Toponyms such as "Arbanaška" and "Đjake" shows an Albanian presence in the Toplica and Southern Morava regions (located north-east of contemporary Kosovo) since the Late Middle Ages. Significant clusters of Albanian populations also lived in Kosovo especially in the west and centre before and after the Habsburg invasion of 1689–1690, while in Eastern Kosovo they were a small minority. Due to the Ottoman-Habsburg wars and their aftermath, Albanians from contemporary northern Albania and Western Kosovo settled in wider Kosovo and the Toplica and Morava regions in the second half of the 18th century, at times instigated by Ottoman authorities. Causes for the Albanian emigration would be the benefits Muslim Albanians received in Kosovo, in contrast to Christian Serbs who left Kosovo to settle further north in Hungary. Some historians have challenged this and argue there was never a mass exodus of Serbs during these periods nor a vacuum that were filled by Albanians from northern Albania.Migrations into the region were slow processes rather than populations filling up vacuums And the people that revolted against Ottoman rule in Kosovo in 1690 during the Ottoman-Habsburg wars were described by Austrians as Albanians rather than Serbs. This was also noted by the Austrian scholar Johann Georg von Hahn. One early account states that in Prishtina 5,000 Arnauts, having thrown off the Turks. Among the papers of Ludwig von Baden in Karlsruhe, there is a copy of an intercepted letter, in French, written by a secretary of the English Embassy in Istanbul on 19 January 1690: it reports that the 'Germans' in Kosovo have made contact with 20,000 Albanians who have turned their weapons against the Turks.Count Veterani, the commander of the Austrian campaign in 1690, wrote in his memoirs of 20,000 Arnauts reduced to loyal obedience to the Emperor by Piccolomini. And one of Piccolominis own officers, Colonel von Strasser, reported to Ludwig von Baden that Piccolomini had gone to Prizren in order to treat with 'The Albanians, Arnauts, and others (mit den Albanesernen, Arnauten und anderen')


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: According to Noel Malcolm, a large part of the Albanian demographic growth in Kosovo was from an indigenous population within the Kosovo region itself rather than a mass immigration from northern Albania. Most of the new arrivals into Kosovo that were recorded by Ottoman officials in the early period had Slavic names rather than Albanian, many of these coming from Bosnia Kingsley (2022) argues that because an overwhelming majority of modern-day Kosovo municipalities are Slavic in their toponymy with the partial exception of Prizren and Gjakova, this suggests that the majority of contemporary Albanians in Kosovo entered the region of Kosovo following the Slavic migrations to the Balkans. By the 1600s, large parts of Western Kosovo were majority Albanian speaking and migrations from northern Albania into Kosovo at this period were relatively very small compared to the already existing Albanian population in Kosovo. The population of northern and central Albania in the early Ottoman period was also smaller than that of the population of Kosovo and it's rate of growth higher.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: In the Middle Ages, more Albanians in Kosovo were concentrated in the western parts of the region than in its eastern part. In the late 17th century, most intensively between mid-18th century and the 1840s they seem to have moved eastwards. The migrating parts of tribes maintained a tribal outlook and household structure. A 1930s Serbian study by Atanasije Urošević estimated that 90% of Kosovo Albanians in particular areas of eastern Kosovo descended from these migrating tribes; most belonged to the Krasniqi, the rest to the Berisha, Gashi, Shala, Sopi, Kryeziu, Thaçi and Bytyqi tribes. Historian Noel Malcolm has criticized the Urošević study for its broad generalization to the whole of Kosovo, as it focused on Eastern Kosovo, while omitting Western Kosovo to reach those conclusions. Malcolm also noted that commonalities of Kosovo Albanian family names with Albanian clan names is not always indicative of having Albanian Malësi clan origins, as some people were agglomerated into clans while many other Kosovo Albanians lack such names. The study also revealed that the same population figures between older and newer settlement patterns were the same for the Serb population in eastern Kosovo as most had settled in the area in the last 200 years.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: Kosovo was part of the Ottoman Empire from 1455 to 1912, at first as part of the "eyalet" of Rumelia, and from 1864 as a separate province ("vilayet"). During this time, Islam was introduced to the population. Today, Sunni Islam is the predominant religion of Kosovo Albanians.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: The Ottoman term "Arnavudluk" (آرناوودلق) meaning Albania was used in Ottoman state records for areas such as southern Serbia and Kosovo. Evliya Çelebi (1611–1682) in his travels within the region during 1660 referred to the western and central part of what is today Kosovo as "Arnavudluk" and described the town of Vučitrn's inhabitants as having knowledge of Albanian or Turkish with few speakers of Slavic languages.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: A large number of Albanians alongside smaller numbers of urban Turks (with some being of Albanian origin) were expelled and/or fled from what is now contemporary southern Serbia (Toplica and Morava regions) during the Serbian–Ottoman War (1876–78). Many settled in Kosovo, where they and their descendants are known as "muhaxhir", also "muhaxher" ("exiles", from Arabic 'muhajir'), and some bear the surname "Muhaxhiri/Muhaxheri" or most others the village name of origin. During the late Ottoman period, ethno-national Albanian identity as expressed in contemporary times did not exist amongst the wider Kosovo Albanian-speaking population. Instead collective identities were based upon either socio-professional, socio-economic, regional, or religious identities and sometimes relations between Muslim and Christian Albanians were tense.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: As a reaction against the Congress of Berlin, which had given some Albanian-populated territories to Serbia and Montenegro, Albanians, mostly from Kosovo, formed the League of Prizren in Prizren in June 1878. Hundreds of Albanian leaders gathered in Prizren and opposed the Serbian and Montenegrin jurisdiction. Serbia complained to the Western Powers that the promised territories were not being held because the Ottomans were hesitating to do that. Western Powers put pressure to the Ottomans and in 1881, the Ottoman Army started the fighting against Albanians. The Prizren League created a Provisional Government with a President, Prime Minister (Ymer Prizreni) and Ministries of War (Sylejman Vokshi) and Foreign Ministry (Abdyl Frashëri). After three years of war, the Albanians were defeated. Many of the leaders were executed and imprisoned. In 1910, an Albanian uprising spread from Pristina and lasted until the Ottoman Sultan's visit to Kosovo in June 1911. The aim of the League of Prizren was to unite the four Albanian-inhabited Vilayets by merging the majority of Albanian inhabitants within the Ottoman Empire into one Albanian vilayet. However at that time Serbs consisted about 25% of the whole Vilayet of Kosovo's overall population and were opposing the Albanian aims along with Turks and other Slavs in Kosovo, which prevented the Albanian movements from establishing their rule over Kosovo.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: In 1912 during the Balkan Wars, most of eastern Kosovo was taken by the Kingdom of Serbia, while the Kingdom of Montenegro took western Kosovo, which a majority of its inhabitants call "the plateau of Dukagjin" ("Rrafshi i Dukagjinit") and the Serbs call "Metohija" (Метохија), a Greek word meant for the landed dependencies of a monastery. Aside from many war crimes and atrocities committed by the Serbian Army on the Albanian population, colonist Serb families moved into Kosovo, while the Albanian population was decreased. As a result, the proportion of Albanians in Kosovo declined from 75 percent at the time of the invasion to slightly more than 65% percent by 1941.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: The 1918–1929 period under the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was a time of persecution of the Kosovar Albanians. Kosovo was split into four counties—three being a part of official Serbia: Zvečan, Kosovo and southern Metohija; and one in Montenegro: northern Metohija. However, the new administration system since 26 April 1922 split Kosovo among three Regions in the Kingdom: Kosovo, Rascia and Zeta.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: In 1929 the Kingdom was transformed into the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The territories of Kosovo were split among the Banate of Zeta, the Banate of Morava and the Banate of Vardar. The Kingdom lasted until the World War II Axis invasion of April 1941.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: After the Axis invasion, the greater part of Kosovo became a part of Italian-controlled Fascist Albania, and a smaller, Eastern part by the Axis allied Tsardom of Bulgaria and Nazi German-occupied Serbia. Since the Albanian Fascist political leadership had decided in the Conference of Bujan that Kosovo would remain a part of Albania they started expelling the Serbian and Montenegrin settlers "who had arrived in the 1920s and 1930s".


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: Prior to the surrender of Fascist Italy in 1943, the German forces took over direct control of the region. After numerous Serbian and Yugoslav Partisans uprisings, Kosovo was liberated after 1944 with the help of the Albanian partisans of the Comintern, and became a province of Serbia within the Democratic Federal Yugoslavia.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: The Autonomous Region of Kosovo and Metohija was formed in 1946 to placate its regional Albanian population within the People's Republic of Serbia as a member of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia under the leadership of the former Partisan leader, Josip Broz Tito, but with no factual autonomy. This was the first time Kosovo came to exist with its present boundaries. After Yugoslavia's name changed to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Serbia's to the Socialist Republic of Serbia in 1963, the Autonomous Region of Kosovo was raised to the level of Autonomous Province (which Vojvodina had had since 1946) and gained inner autonomy in the 1960s.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: In the 1974 constitution, the Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo's government received higher powers, including the highest governmental titles—President and Premier and a seat in the Federal Presidency, which made it a "de facto" Socialist Republic within the Federation, but remaining as a Socialist Autonomous Region within the Socialist Republic of Serbia. Serbo-Croat and Albanian were defined official on the provincial level marking the two largest linguistic Kosovan groups: Serbs and Albanians. The word "Metohija" was also removed from the title in 1974 leaving the simple short form, "Kosovo".


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: In the 1970s, an Albanian nationalist movement pursued full recognition of the Province of Kosovo as another Republic within the Federation, while the most extreme elements aimed for full-scale independence. Tito's government dealt with the situation swiftly, but only giving it a temporary solution.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: In 1981 the Kosovar Albanian students organised protests seeking that Kosovo become a republic within Yugoslavia. Those protests were harshly contained by the centralist Yugoslav government. In 1986, the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU) was working on a document, which later would be known as the SANU Memorandum. An unfinished edition was filtered to the press. In the essay, SANU portrayed the Serbian people as a victim and called for the revival of Serb nationalism, using both true and exaggerated facts for propaganda. During this time, Slobodan Milošević rose to power in the League of the Socialists of Serbia.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: Soon afterwards, as approved by the Assembly in 1990, the autonomy of Kosovo was revoked, and the pre-1974 status reinstated. Milošević, however, did not remove Kosovo's seat from the Federal Presidency, but he installed his own supporters in that seat, so he could gain power in the Federal government. After Slovenia's secession from Yugoslavia in 1991, Milošević used the seat to obtain dominance over the Federal government, outvoting his opponents.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: Many Albanians organized a peaceful active resistance movement, following the job losses suffered by some of them, while other, more radical and nationalistic oriented Albanians, started violent purges of the non-Albanian residents of Kosovo.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: On 2 July 1990, an unconstitutional ethnic Albanian parliament declared Kosovo an independent country, although this was not recognized by the Government since the ethnic Albanians refused to register themselves as legal citizens of Yugoslavia. In September of that year, the ethnic Albanian parliament, meeting in secrecy in the town of Kačanik, adopted the "Constitution of the Republic of Kosova". A year later, the Parliament organized the 1991 Kosovan independence referendum, which was observed by international organisations, but was not recognized internationally because of a lot of irregularities. With an 87% turnout, 99.88% voted for Kosovo to be independent. The non-Albanian population, at the time comprising 10% of Kosovo's population, refused to vote since they considered the referendum to be illegal. In the early nineties, ethnic Albanians organised a parallel state system and a parallel system of education and healthcare, among other things, Albanians organized and trained, with the help of some European countries, the army of the self-declared Kosovo republic called the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). With the events in Bosnia and Croatia coming to an end, the Yugoslav government started relocating Serbian refugees from Croatia and Bosnia to Kosovo. The OVK managed to re-relocate Serbian refugees back to Serbia..


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: After the Dayton Agreement in 1995, a guerilla force calling itself the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) started to operate in Kosovo, although there are speculations that they may have started as early as 1992. Serbian paramilitary forces committed war crimes in Kosovo, although the Serbian government claims that the Army was only going after suspected Albanian terrorists. This triggered a 78-day NATO bombing campaign in 1999. The Albanian Kosovar KLA played a major role not only in reconnaissance missions for the NATO, but in sabotaging the Serbian Army as well.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: International negotiations began in 2006 to determine the final status of Kosovo, as envisaged under UN Security Council Resolution 1244, which ended the Kosovo conflict of 1999. While Serbia's continued sovereignty over Kosovo is recognised by much of the international community, a clear majority of Kosovo's population prefers independence. The UN-backed talks, led by UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari, began in February 2006. While progress was made on technical matters, both parties remained diametrically opposed on the question of status itself. In February 2007, Ahtisaari delivered a draft status settlement proposal to leaders in Belgrade and Pristina, the basis for a draft UN Security Council Resolution that proposes 'supervised independence' for the province. As of early July 2007 the draft resolution, which is backed by the United States, United Kingdom and other European members of the United Nations Security Council, had been rewritten four times to try to accommodate Russian concerns that such a resolution would undermine the principle of state sovereignty. Russia, which holds a veto in the Security Council as one of five permanent members, has stated that it will not support any resolution that is not acceptable to both Belgrade and Pristina.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: On 26 November 2019, an earthquake struck Albania. The Kosovo Albanian population reacted with sentiments of solidarity through fundraising initiatives and money, food, clothing and shelter donations. Volunteers and humanitarian aid in trucks, buses and hundreds of cars from Kosovo traveled to Albania to assist in the situation and people were involved in tasks such as the operation of mobile kitchens and gathering financial aid. Many Albanians in Kosovo have opened their homes to people displaced by the earthquake.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: Culturally, Albanians in Kosovo are very closely related to Albanians in Albania. Traditions and customs differ even from town to town in Kosovo itself. The spoken dialect is Gheg, typical of northern Albanians. The language of state institutions, education, books, media and newspapers is the standard dialect of Albanian, which is closer to the Tosk dialect.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: The vast majority of Kosovo Albanians are Sunni Muslims. There are also Catholic Albanian communities estimated beween 60,000 to 65,000 in Kosovo, concentrated in Gjakova, Prizren, Klina and a few villages near Peja and Viti. Converting to Christianity is growing among Kosovo Albanian Muslims in Kosovo.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: Kosovafilmi is the film industry, which releases movies in Albanian, created by Kosovar Albanian movie-makers. The National Theatre of Kosovo is the main theatre where plays are shown regularly by Albanian and international artists.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: Music has always been part of Albanian culture. Although in Kosovo music is diverse (as it was mixed with the cultures of different regimes dominating Kosovo), authentic Albanian music does still exist. It is characterized by use of "çiftelia" (an authentic Albanian instrument), "mandolina", "mandola" and "percussion".


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: Modern music in Kosovo has its origin from western countries. The main modern genres include pop, hip hop/rap, rock, and jazz.


title: Kosovo Albanians

text: Education is provided for all levels, primary, secondary, and university degrees. University of Pristina is the public university of Kosovo, with several faculties and majors. The National Library (BK) is the main and the largest library in Kosovo, located in the centre of Pristina. There are many other private universities, among them American University in Kosovo (AUK), and many secondary schools and colleges such as Mehmet Akif College.


title: What's Going On (Marvin Gaye album)

text: What's Going On is the eleventh studio album by American soul singer Marvin Gaye. It was released on May 21, 1971, by the Motown Records subsidiary label Tamla. Recorded between 1970 and 1971 in sessions at Hitsville U.S.A., Golden World, and United Sound Studios in Detroit, and at The Sound Factory in West Hollywood, California, it was Gaye's first album to credit him as a producer and to credit Motown's in-house studio band, the session musicians known as the Funk Brothers.


title: What's Going On (Marvin Gaye album)

text: "What's Going On" is a concept album with most of its songs segueing into the next and has been categorized as a song cycle. The narrative established by the songs is told from the point of view of a Vietnam veteran returning to his home country to witness hatred, suffering, and injustice. Gaye's introspective lyrics explore themes of drug abuse, poverty, and the Vietnam War. He has also been credited with promoting awareness of ecological issues before the public outcry over them had become prominent ("Mercy Mercy Me").


title: What's Going On (Marvin Gaye album)

text: "What's Going On" stayed on the "Billboard" Top LPs for over a year and became Gaye's second number-one album on "Billboard"s Soul LPs chart, where it stayed for nine weeks. The title track, which had been released in January 1971 as the album's lead single, hit number two on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and held the top position on "Billboard"s Soul Singles chart five weeks running. The follow-up singles "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" and "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" also reached the top 10 of the Hot 100, making Gaye the first male solo artist to place three top ten singles on the Hot 100 from one album.


title: What's Going On (Marvin Gaye album)

text: The album was an immediate commercial and critical success, and came to be viewed by music historians as a classic of 1970s soul. Broad-ranging surveys of critics, musicians, and the general public have shown that "What's Going On" is regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time and a landmark recording in popular music. In 1985, writers on British music weekly the "NME" voted it the best album of all time. In 2020, it was ranked number one on "Rolling Stone"s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.


title: What's Going On (Marvin Gaye album)

text: By the end of the 1960s, Marvin Gaye had fallen into a deep depression following the brain tumor diagnosis of his Motown singing partner Tammi Terrell, the failure of his marriage to Anna Gordy, a growing dependency on cocaine, troubles with the IRS, and struggles with Motown Records, the label he had signed with in 1961. One night, while holed up at a Detroit apartment, Gaye attempted suicide with a handgun, only to be saved from committing the act by Berry Gordy's father.


title: What's Going On (Marvin Gaye album)

text: Gaye started to experience more international success around this time as both a solo artist with hits such as "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" and as a dual artist with Tammi Terrell, but Gaye said during this time that he felt he "didn't deserve" his success and he felt like "a puppet - Berry's puppet, Anna's puppet. I had a mind of my own and I wasn't using it." In March 1970, Gaye's singing partner Terrell died of a brain tumor. The singer responded to Terrell's death by refusing to perform onstage for several years. In January 1970, Motown released Gaye's next studio album, "That's the Way Love Is", but Gaye refused to promote the recording, choosing to stay at home. During this secluded period, Gaye ditched his previous clean-cut image to grow a beard, and preferred to wear sweatsuits instead of dress suits and sweaters.


title: What's Going On (Marvin Gaye album)

text: The singer also got back in touch with his spirituality and also attended several concerts held by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, which had been used for several Motown recordings in the 1960s. Around the spring of 1970, Gaye also began seriously pursuing a career in football with the professional football team the Detroit Lions of the NFL, even working out with the Eastern Michigan Eagles football team. However, his pursuit of a tryout was stopped after the owner of the team advised him that any future injury would derail his career. Gaye befriended three of the Lions teammates, Mel Farr, Charlie Sanders and Lem Barney, as well as then-Detroit Pistons star Dave Bing.


title: What's Going On (Marvin Gaye album)

text: While traveling on his tour bus with the Four Tops on May 15, 1969, Four Tops member Renaldo "Obie" Benson witnessed an act of police brutality and violence committed on anti-war protesters who had been protesting at Berkeley's People's Park in what was later termed as "". Benson later told author Ben Edmonds, "I saw this and started wondering 'what was going on, what is happening here?' One question led to another. Why are they sending kids far away from their families overseas? Why are they attacking their own kids in the street?" Returning to Detroit, Motown songwriter Al Cleveland wrote and composed a song based on his conversations with Benson of what he had seen in Berkeley. Benson sent the song to the Four Tops but his bandmates turned the song down. Benson said, "My partners told me it was a protest song. I said 'no man, it's a love song, about love and understanding. I'm not protesting. I want to know what's going on.


title: What's Going On (Marvin Gaye album)

text: Benson offered the song to Marvin Gaye when he participated in a golf game with the singer. Returning to Gaye's home outside Outer Drive, Benson played the song to Gaye on his guitar. Gaye felt the song's moody flow would be perfect for The Originals. Benson eventually convinced Gaye that it was his song. The singer responded by asking for partial writing credit, which Benson allowed. Gaye added new musical composition, a new melody and lyrics that reflected Gaye's own disgust. Benson said later that Gaye tweaked and enriched the song, "added some things that were more ghetto, more natural, which made it seem like a story and not a song ... we measured him for the suit and he tailored the hell out of it." During this time, Gaye had been deeply affected by letters shared between him and his brother after he had returned from service in the Vietnam War over the treatment of Vietnam veterans.