title: Besançon

text: In the heart of the historic center, the Promenade Granvelle is the former private garden of the sixteenth century Granvelle Palace, which the municipality acquired in 1712 and which was opened to the public in 1728. The architect Bertrand redeveloped it into a public garden from 1775 to 1778. It includes a bandstand, an artificial cave, a Wallace fountain, statues of Victor Hugo and Auguste Veil-Picard, the portal of the church of the convent of the Great Carmelites, and a neoclassical colonnade, a remnant of a refreshment pavilion. The first botanical garden in Besançon was created in 1580. It then occupied more than ten different sites, including the current location of Place Leclerc since 1957. The Parc de l'Observatoire, created in 1904 at the request of the director of the astronomical observatory Auguste Lebeuf, is home to a purple beech, a weeping beech, chestnut and pine trees.


title: Besançon

text: There are five museums in Besançon that all bear the designation "Museum of France". Besançon has one of the finest city art galleries in France outside Paris. The Museum of Fine Arts and Archeology, created in 1694, was the first museum created in France and predates The Louvre by almost a century. It has benefited from a remarkable series of bequests over time.


title: Besançon

text: In the 1960s the architect Luis Miquel, a pupil of Le Corbusier, totally rebuilt the building. The building's interior takes the form of a gently rising concrete walkway that takes visitors up from classical antiquity to the modern age. Among the museum's treasures are a fine collection of classical antiquities and ancient Egyptian artifacts, as well as a very rich collection of paintings including works by Bellini, Bronzino, Tintoretto, Titian, Rubens, Jordaens, Ruisdael, Cranach, Zurbarán, Goya, Philippe de Champaigne, Fragonard, Boucher, David, Ingres, Géricault, Courbet, Constable, Bonnard, Matisse, Picasso and many others.


title: Besançon

text: The Musée du Temps (Museum of Time), inaugurated in 2002, was formerly the City's History Museum. Located in the Granvelle Palace, its concept is unique in Europe, grouping watch collections (watches, sundials, hourglasses, all means of measuring time ...) and the funds of the history museum (paintings, engravings). In addition, three museums are grouped inside the Vauban citadel.


title: Besançon

text: The Museum of Resistance and Deportation has been open since 1971 and is one of the largest in its category at the national level. It consists of twenty rooms, retracing the themes related to the Second World War (Nazism, the Occupation, the Vichy regime, the Resistance, Liberation, Deportation) through photographs, texts, documents and original collectibles. The establishment also has two rooms dedicated to artists whose works were made in concentration camps.


title: Besançon

text: The Comtois Museum, installed in 1961 in the Royal Front, presents regional arts and traditions through sixteen permanent exhibition halls with collections of more than 20,000 objects, mainly from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.


title: Besançon

text: The Museum of Natural History, created in 1959 under the leadership of Mayor Jean Minjoz, presents varied backgrounds in a small evolutionary course around collections of natural sciences (naturalized animals, herbaria ...); it also presents live animals in four sectors (zoo, insectarium, noctarium and aquarium). Besançon is also home to the birthplace of Victor Hugo, presenting the humanist political commitment of the writer. The Cité des Arts exhibits part of the works of the regional fund of contemporary art of Burgundy-Franche-Comté.


title: Besançon

text: The city is home to a National Center for Dramatic Art, the Centre dramatique national Besançon Franche-Comté created in 1972. This theater installed in the former ballroom of the Casino has a capacity of 337 seats. The Scène nationale de Besançon performs since 2012 in two facilities including the Théâtre de l'Espace and the Théâtre Ledoux. The Théâtre Ledoux was inaugurated in 1784 and can accommodate 1100 people. Besançon also has smaller structures. The Scénacle located in the Saint-Jean district is a small theater with a capacity of about 100 seats that offers plays and concerts by the troupe or regional artists. On campus, the 150-seat Petit Théâtre de la Bouloie welcomes student projects to promote artistic and cultural practice (university theater, university choir...), artistic residencies of young companies, professional shows proposed by the partner structures and shows of young companies.


title: Besançon

text: The Kursaal is the result of the will to offer entertainment and shows to spa guests of the spa resort of Besançon-les-Bains created in 1891 and military garrison in the city. The Kursaal-Circus opened at the end of 1893, but the promoter's finances, Madame Veuve Pellegrin, did not allow her to reimburse the expenses incurred. The city acquired it in 1895 and the Kursaal became the city's concert hall. It closes in 1970 for reasons of obsolescence, before being renovated from 1979 and reopened in September 1982. A conference room with 360 seats, called Petit Kursaal was also created in the basement. The main hall, known as Grand Kursaal, has two balconies and a dome ceiling decorated with frescoes reminiscent of the circus arts. Its capacity can go up to 1,038 seats including 450 on both balconies.


title: Besançon

text: Bands play throughout the year at La Rodia, located in the Prés-de-Vaux neighborhood. It includes a large 900-seat theater and a 330-seat "club" hall as well as two creative studios. The Micropolis Exhibition Center houses a modular hall with a capacity of 2,200 to 6,500 seats, where the majority of artists and bands on national and international tours are performing.


title: Besançon

text: There are two multiplex cinemas, the Mégarama Beaux-Arts in the historic district and Mégarama École-Valentin in the suburban area. The Cinéma Victor-Hugo is a smaller cinema promoting indie movies, located in the city center.


title: Besançon

text: Several music festivals punctuate the year, the most emblematic and the oldest of which is the Besançon Franche-Comté International Music Festival, created in 1948 and held every year in September. This festival honors the symphonic repertoire, chamber music and recitals. It was completed in 1951 by the International Contest of Young Conductors held every two years (odd years), one of the most prestigious of the discipline which counts among its laureates Seiji Ozawa, Gerd Albrecht, Michel Plasson or Zdeněk Mácal.


title: Besançon

text: The Festival Détonation is another highlight of September: created in 2012 and organized by La Rodia, its programming mixes pop music, electronic music and interactive mapping installations.


title: Besançon

text: Initiated in 2007, the GéNéRiQ Festival takes place in February in five cities: Belfort, Besançon, Dijon, Montbéliard and Mulhouse. Its programming is also focused on new musical trends such as electro clubbing, mediterranean surf, free metal, electro blues, alternative hip hop or neo ghetto folk.


title: Besançon

text: Created in 1981, the Jazz and improvised music festival in Franche-Comté offers concerts in Besançon and other towns in the region in June.


title: Besançon

text: The Circasismic Festival, held in May since 2015, presents a program of electro, dub and rock music as well as circus and street theater shows.


title: Besançon

text: The Orgue en ville festival, created in 2009, offers about twenty concerts around the organ in religious buildings of Besançon and its agglomeration. It takes place between the end of June and the beginning of July.


title: Besançon

text: The Foire Comtoise is a trade fair and a travelling funfair held in the Micropolis exhibition center. This event created in 1922 was originally an agricultural fair. It now hosts around 600 exhibitors and 140,000 visitors around the Feast of the Ascension weekend. Each year, a country or a community is a guest of honor and presents its crafts and its customs and traditions through shows.


title: Besançon

text: Since 1995, the Gourmet Instants market has been held on the Granvelle Promenade in September and showcases local gastronomic products.


title: Besançon

text: The Christmas market in Besançon has been spreading throughout December since 1993, while a carnival parade has been held since 1978, bringing together 20,000 to 30,000 people each year in the streets of the city center.


title: Besançon

text: The Grand Besançon Métropole book festival (Livres dans la Boucle) take place in September. Running over three days, it hosted in 2018 more than 200 authors and 30,000 visitors.


title: Besançon

text: Bien Urbain is a manifestation of street art and contemporary art in the public space held in June since 2011.


title: Besançon

text: In the field of theater, Besançon has two festivals. The Festival de Caves has been offering shows since 2006 in the cellars of the city. Born in Besançon, the concept of this festival has since spread in many cities in France and Europe.


title: Besançon

text: Since 2018, the Festival of World Languages and Cultures has been the heir to the International University Theater Meetings, which celebrated their 25th edition in 2017.


title: Besançon

text: The practice of sport in the agglomeration of Besançon is quite diverse, on the one hand because the municipality does not want to bet everything on one or two professional disciplines that would carry the colors of the city high, but rather to encourage its population to practice all disciplines, and on the other hand because the particular setting of the city (hills, cliffs, rivers) makes it possible to practice a wide range of outdoor sports such as hiking, mountain biking, climbing, rowing.


title: Besançon

text: The Palais des sports Ghani-Yalouz, the largest indoor sports arena in the metropolitan area, was inaugurated in 1967 and refurbished in 2005. Its capacity is flexible, from 3,380 seats in handball configuration to 4,200 seats in basketball configuration. The main stadium is the Léo-Lagrange stadium, inaugurated in 1939 and renovated between 2003 and 2005. With a capacity of 11,500 seats, it exclusively hosts soccer matches. Three other stadiums are located in the town, the Rosemont stadium, the Orchamps stadium and the Henri Joran stadium in the Velotte district. The city has a single ice rink, the La Fayette ice rink, two indoor Olympic swimming pools (Mallarmé and La Fayette), two outdoor swimming pools (Chalezeule and Port Joint) and ten gyms. A large indoor climbing gym inaugurated in 2020 near the Léo-Lagrange stadium offers climbing routes that can reach up to 18 meters above the ground. The Centre des Cultures Urbaines de Besançon (CCUB) located in the Saint-Claude district is a 2,000 m2 indoor space inaugurated in 2019 and dedicated to boardsports (rollerblading, BMX, skateboarding) and balance practices (parkour, slacklining). An open-air skatepark is set up in the city center on the banks of the river Doubs in the Chamars area. Other notable facilities are located on the territory of peripheral municipalities. In Montfaucon, at the gates of Besançon, there is a free flight site for the practice of paragliding and hang-gliding as well as a cliff with nearly 150 climbing routes from 20 to 40 meters. The Golf de Besançon is an 18-hole golf course in the town of La Chevillotte.


title: Besançon

text: In the field of team sports, the city is currently represented at the national level mainly in the discipline of handball. The Entente Sportive Bisontine Feminine (ESBF) club, founded in 1970, plays in the French Women's First League. It is the most successful club in the city with notably 4 French league titles and a European Cup. Grand Besançon Doubs Handball (GBDH), men's handball club, participated in 4 seasons in the first division and 26 seasons in the second division. It is playing in the second division for the 2020-2021 season.


title: Besançon

text: In football, the city has two clubs playing in Championnat National 3, the fifth tier in the French football league system : Racing Besançon (RB) and Besançon Football (BF).


title: Besançon

text: Basketball is present with the Besançon Avenir Comtois (BesAC) club, playing in Championnat de Nationale 3, fifth tier in the French basketball league system. Former Besançon BCD, now defunct, played nine seasons in the top-tier men's professional basketball league in France and counted Bruce Bowen, Tanoka Beard and Tony Farmer among its most famous players.


title: Besançon

text: In the field of individual sports at professional and amateur level, the city stands out in boxing with Olympic medalist Khedafi Djelkhir, wrestling with Olympic medalist Ghani Yalouz, archery with Jean-Charles Valladont several times medalist at the World and European championship and silver medalist at the Rio Olympics, judo, cycling (Amicale Cycliste Bisontine), weightlifting (La Française de Besançon) or canoeing (Société Nautique Bisontine, 2nd club French). Besançon also hosts the Franche-Comté Judo Besançon club with 90 national podiums, 50 French Champion titles in all categories and 20 European and world podiums.


title: Besançon

text: Grand Besançon Métropole is organizing from 2019 a festival called Grandes Heures Nature devoted to outdoor sports such as hiking, trail running, canoeing, climbing, mountain biking and road cycling. It takes place over four days during the month of June. The city of Besançon is a regular stage city in the Tour de France bicycle race, which it hosted 18 times between 1903 and 2018. The Besançon Trail des Forts has been taking place since 2004 every year in May and offers four trail running races of 48, 28, 19 and 10 kilometers, the longest course being registered among the ten stages of the National Trail Tour.


title: Besançon

text: Besançon is situated at the crossing of two major lines of communication, the NE-SW route that follows the valley of the river Doubs and links Germany and North Europe with Lyon and southwest Europe, and the N–S route linking northern France and the Netherlands with Switzerland. The city is served by the A36 motorway, which connects the German border with Burgundy.


title: Besançon

text: Besançon is well connected with the rest of France by train. One can reach major destinations such as Paris, Dijon, Belfort, Mulhouse, Strasbourg, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier and Lille directly. The city has some international connections to cities such as Basel in Switzerland, Frankfurt am Main and Freiburg im Breisgau in Germany and Luxembourg.


title: Besançon

text: A tramway commenced service in September 2014. The length of the line is and the route follows a mainly South-West-North East direction through the city between Hauts du Chazal and alternative destinations of Chalezeule ("parc Micaud") and the Besançon railway station at "Gare Viotte".


title: Besançon

text: Bus services in Besançon and its suburbs are run by the Ginko company. It runs 58 bus lines and its fleet has about 240 buses. The network serves the 68 municipalities of the urban community.


title: Besançon

text: [1.38] When he had proceeded three days' journey, word was brought to him that Ariovistus was hastening with all his forces to seize on Vesontio, which is the largest town of the Sequani, and had advanced three days' journey from its territories. Caesar thought that he ought to take the greatest precautions lest this should happen, for there was in that town a most ample supply of every thing which was serviceable for war; and so fortified was it by the nature of the ground, as to afford a great facility for protracting the war, inasmuch as the river Doubs almost surrounds the whole town, as though it were traced round it with a pair of compasses. A mountain of great height shuts in the remaining space, which is not more than , where the river leaves a gap, in such a manner that the roots of that mountain extend to the river's bank on either side. A wall thrown around it makes a citadel of this [mountain], and connects it with the town.


title: Besançon

text: Eventually he saw the white walls beyond the distant mountain; it was the citadel of Besançon. "What a difference", he said, sighing, "if I could come into this fine city as a sub-lieutenant of one of these regiments of the post." Besançon is not only one of the prettiest cities in France, but it abounds in brave and intelligent men. Julien, however, was only a little peasant, without any means of approaching distinguished personages.


title: Besançon

text: The Christmas carol ""Berger, Secoue Ton Sommeil Profond"", known in English as "Shepherds, Shake Off Your Drowsy Sleep" originated in Besançon in the 17th century.


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: Rituparna Sengupta is an Indian actress and producer who is known for her work in Bengali cinema and Hindi cinema. One of the most successful actresses of Bengali cinema, she rode the crest of her box office success in the late 1990s. She won a National Award, two Filmfare Awards, four BFJA Awards and four Anandalok Awards.


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: Initially promoted as the carbon copy of Satabdi Roy, Sengupta made her screen debut opposite Kushal Chakraborty in the Bengali fantasy TV series "Shwet Kapot" (1989) directed by the latter and broadcast on DD Bangla. She was catapulted to stardom after she made her big screen debut with Prabhat Roy's National Award-winning Bengali film "Shwet Patharer Thala" (1992). She made her Bollywood debut with Partho Ghosh's "Teesra Kaun" (1994). She had a very successful on screen collaboration with Prosenjit, Chiranjeet and Manna. She featured opposite Prosenjit for the first time in Bhijoy Bhaskar's "Nagpanchami" (1994) which was a major commercial success. Her other major hits opposite Prosenjit include "Abujh Mon" (1996), "Moner Manush" (1997), "Pabitra Papi" (1997), "Baba Keno Chakar" (1998), "Daay Dayitwa" (1999), "Sindur Khela" (1999), "Sudhu Ekbar Bolo" (1999), "Tumi Ele Tai" (1999), "Sasurbari Zindabad" (2000) and "Praktan" (2016). Her first collaboration with Chiranjeet was Prashant Nanda's "Lal Paan Bibi" (1994) which was also a major financial success. Her other hits opposite Chiranjeet include "Naginkanya" (1995), "Rakhal Raja" (1995), "Sansar Sangram" (1995), "Chandragrahan" (1997), "Bishnu Narayan" (1998), "Sindur Khela" (1999), "Bastir Meye Radha" (2000) and "Hatiyar" (2001). She teamed up with Manna for the first time in Sharif Uddin Khan Dipu's commercially successful Bangladeshi film "Desh Dorodi" (1998). Her other hits with Manna include "Killer" (2000), "Shesh Juddho" (2000), "Jummon Koshai", "Eri Naam Bhalobasa", "Ranangan" (2004), "Swami Chintai" (2006). She received critical acclaim for her roles in films such as "Dahan" (1997), "Utsab" (2000), "Paromitar Ek Din" (2000), "Chaturanga" (2008) and "Ahaa Re" (2019).


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: Rituparna was interested in the arts since a young age and learned painting, dancing, singing and handicrafts at a painting school, called "Chitrangshu". She studied at Carmel High school, and later graduated in history from Lady Brabourne College. She began studying Modern History for an M.A. at University of Calcutta, but had to interrupt studies to concentrate on her career as an actress.


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: Sengupta made her screen debut opposite Kushal Chakraborty in the Bengali fantasy TV series "Shwet Kapot" (1989) broadcast on DD Bangla. Chakraborty's sister Anindita was her classmate. After her Secondary Examination, she was insisted by Anindita to appear for a screen test for a role opposite Chakraborty in the TV series. The work was an adaptation of the Danish fairy tale The White Dove. She had to play an imprisoned princess shapeshifting into a white dove who falls in love with an imprisoned prince played by Chakraborty. Initially her father made objection against her pursuing the role but then gave his consent since the role demanded two-day shoot. Due to Chakraborty's stardom, the sitcom grabbed the attention of media personalities. She accepted a role in Ramen Adhikari's Bengali sitcom "Hortoner Golam" that featured Kaushik Banerjee as the protagonist. It is based on Monilal Ganguly's Bengali story of the same name. She enacted a few more roles in several other Bengali TV series but those never took off her career.


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: After Gargi Roychowdhury declined the role of Titli opposite Bhaskar Banerjee in Prabhat Roy's National Award winning Bengali film "Shwet Pathorer Thala" (1992), Sengupta was offered to play the character. She featured opposite Prosenjit Chatterjee in Bhijoy Bhaskar's "Nag Panchami" (1994) and Chiranjeet Chakraborty in Prashanta Nanda's "Laal Paan Bibi" (1994). Since both the films worked at the box office, producers and directors approached her with meaty roles opposite Chatterjee and Chakraborty. Sengupta made her Bollywood debut opposite Chunkey Pandey in Partho Ghosh's thriller "Teesra Kaun" (1994) which was a debacle at the box office.


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: Sengupta bagged the female lead in Swapan Saha's "Sujan Sakhi" (1995) alongside Abhishek Chatterjee essaying the male lead. The film was a remake of Khan Ataur Rahman's "Sujon Sokhi" (1975). The film was a major success at the box office. She featured opposite Chiranjeet Chakraborty in the latter's directorial venture "Sansar Sangram" (1995). The film retaining a highly melodramatic approach appeased the rural audience of West Bengal. She featured opposite Mithun Chakraborty in Raghuram's "Bhagya Debata" (1995). The film was a major financial success. She featured in Zee's home-production "Mohini" (1995), directed by Hema Malini. The telefilm stars Madhu and Sudesh Berry as the protagonists.


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: Sengupta hit the pinnacle of her professional rivalry with Satabdi Roy in the late 1990s since the two were offered most of the female leads opposite Prosenjit Chatterjee after Debashree Roy vowed not to work with Chatterjee any longer. Sreelekha Mitra claimed that Sengupta had an extramarital affair with Chatterjee, which helped her get most of the female leads opposite Chatterjee. She featured opposite Chatterjee in a string of commercially successful Bengali films such as "Abujh Mon" (1996), "Matir Manush" (1997), "Mayar Badhon" (1997), "Moner Manush" (1997), "Pabitra Papi" (1997), "Samadhan" (1997), "Tomake Chai" (1997), "Baba Keno Chakar" (1998), "Praner Cheye Priyo" (1998), "Daay Dayitwa" (1999), "Madhu Malati" (1999), "Sindur Khela" (1999), "Sudhu Ekbar Bolo" (1999), "Tumi Ele Tai" (1999), "Aasroy" (2000), "Madhur Milan" (2000) and "Sasurbari Zindabad" (2000) to name a few.


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: Some of her hits in Bangladeshi cinema include "Sagarika" (1998), "Tomar Amar Prem" (1998), "Ranga Bou" (1999).


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: Swapan Saha cast Sengupta alongside Abhishek Chatterjee, Tapas Paul and Satabdi Roy in his family drama "Sukh Dukkher Sansar" (2003). The film was a financial success.


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: In 2004, Sengupta had 12 releases in Bengali cinema, all of which became box office debacles generating the common notion among the filmmakers that the actress had lost her market value. Sengupta starred in Sushanta Saha's "Sagar Kinare" (2004) where she shared silver screen with Debashree Roy for the first time. She featured opposite Rajpal Yadav in Chandan Arora's critically acclaimed "Main, Meri Patni Aur Woh" (2005). She featured alongside Satabdi Roy and Koel Mallick in Raja Sen's "Devipaksha" (2004).


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: Sengupta appeared in a host of films between 2008 and 2011, but only very few of those were commercially or critically successful. She starred as Damini in Suman Mukhopadhyay's "Chaturanga" (2008) which was the film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Rabindranath Tagore. The Times of India wrote that it was her best performance till date. The film failed to achieve commercial success. She featured in "" (2008). The film became a major dud at the box office.


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: She accepted the role of a woman suffering from a turbulent conjugal relationship in "Mahanagar@Kolkata" (2010). She featured in Anjan Das' critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful film "Bedeni" (2011).


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: Sengupta featured in Agnidev Chatterjee's "Charulata 2011" (2012). It narrates the story of a lonely woman whose workaholic husband does not have much time to spend with her. Eventually she meets a man younger than her and falls for him. She featured in "Muktodhra" (2012). She featured opposite Tapas Paul in Satabdi Roy's "Om Shanti" (2012) that also stars Rakhi Sawant in a dance number. Sengupta skipped the premier show of the film as she felt that Sawant had been given more preference than her in the poster of the film while Roy said that Sengupta's grievance was illogical. Sengupta later said that she regretted doing the role. The film received negative review. It was a major financial disaster.


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: Sengupta featured in Ratul Ganguly's "10 July" (2014). The film failed to achieve critical favour and became a box office debacle.


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: She featured as Begum Jaan in Srijit Mukherji's "Rajkahini" (2015) and met box office success. Her character in the film is that of an aged prostitute who runs a brothel housing eleven women. The Times of India detected that Sengupta failed to land the coarseness of a rustic prostitute perfectly. News18 India appreciated her performance but deprecated her dubbing to be "a very forced husky baritone."


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: The poster for the Amitabh Bhattacharjee starrer jatra, "Ekaler Karnaarjun" (2017) claimed Sengupta to be the director. Sengupta negated that it was a misrepresentation while Indrajit Chakraborty, another actor of that jatra claimed that she was the guest director. She featured alongside Roopa Ganguly and Indrani Haldar in "Aaro Ekbar" (2017). Her "Baranda" (2017) was commercial disaster.


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: She won critical favour for her role as Chandrima Mukherjee in Prakash Bharadwaj's "Colours of Life" (2018). She featured as Sohini in Agnidev Chatterjee's "Gaheen Hriday" (2018) alongside Kaushik Sen playing Anupam. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Suchitra Bhattacharya. Her performance in the film was appreciated by critics. In Kamaleshwar Mukherjee's "Goodnight City" (2018) she featured as psychiatrist Abhiri Chatterjee who implores her husband who is a deputy commissioner with the detective department, not to be hard on the protagonist, a murderer whom she believes to be a psychologically distraught person. Her performance failed to win critical favour. The Times of India wrote on her performance, "she shows the compassionate side of her character nicely, the unemotional and professional psychiatrist goes missing every now and then." The film became another box office debacle. She played Kabita, an actress in Alamgir's "Ekti Cinemar Golpo" (2018). Viewers disliked her romantic collaboration with Arifin Shuvoo who is almost 15 years younger than her. Her performance in the film was deprecated by critics. The film became a major financial disaster.


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: 2019 was another milestone year for Sengupta as she starred in various critically and commercially successful movies. She featured as a psychiatrist in Pritha Chakraborty's "Mukherjee Dar Bou" (2019). She had a fallout with the director of the film since the latter never fell into her suggestion to increase her screen time. The film turned out to be a major box office success. In Reshmi Mitra's "Lime N Light" (2019) she enacted double roles of Sreemoyee Sen, an actress and Archana Saha, a junior artiste. The junior artiste who is a lookalike of Sreemoyee Sen, takes her place after the latter met an accident. The Times of India wrote on her performance, "She is convincing as the naive Archana and confident as the superstar Sreemoyee." The film failed to draw viewers to the hall.


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: She received further critical acclaim for her role in "Ahaa Re" (2019). The movie was screened at the New York Indian Film Festival which was held virtually due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Rituparna Sengupta was nominated for Best Actress. "Thirdadvantagepoint.com" listed her performance as the third best performance of the entire year. It was also listed as one of the best performances of the decade. The "Times of India" wrote in their review, "Rituparna gives Arifin and Paran Bandopadhyay a run for their money with her mature, measured performance as Basundhara — a woman whose past grief pushes her to put her heart and soul into cooking and caring for her family of three. Bhaskar Chattophadhyay from "Firstpost" wrote in his review: "Rituparna Sengupta is a treat to watch in this film. You have to see Sengupta in Ahaa Re to believe how much this is true. Every single frame of her cooking a dish, or even preparing to do so, is filled with so much love. Almost as if she is in a silent worship. Love, nourishment, gentleness, fondness – she defines these words with her performance. Her Basundhara is a woman who does not wear her emotions on her sleeves, but there is a scene towards the end of the film, when she can’t take it anymore and just breaks down. Keep your handkerchiefs ready. "Asianmoviepulse.com" wrote in their review: "Rituparna Sengupta is a splendid actor and portrays the character of Basundhara with subtle emotional traits. The character goes through different shades and the director uses many close shots to capture her facial expressions perfectly." .


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: In 2020 Sengupta starred in the Thriller "The Parcel" which was well received by critics and audiences. Bhaskar Chattophadhyay from "Firstpost" gave the film a positive review and called Senguptas performance brilliant: "The performances are superlative, though. Rituparna Sengupta is a strange mix of someone resigned to her fate in some matters, and at the same time, someone who can go to any extent to prevent any harm that might come to her family. By now, I am so used to seeing her excel in her roles, that I often commit the grave crime of overlooking the immense difficulties in playing a character as complicated as the one she does in this film. I am inclined to see that the lion's share of Parcel lies on her shoulders, and she is effortlessly brilliant in it.


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: Rossini Sarkar from "Cinestaan" wrote in her review: Rituparna Sengupta carries the film on her shoulders, gradually creating her state of depression through perpetual tension, unreasonable outbursts and a haggard look. Her expressions in close-up are outstanding.


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: In 2022, Sengupta appeared in Belashuru, the sequel to the popular family drama Belasheshe.  She will also be starring in her new women-centric crime thriller, Antardrishti directed by Kabir Lal. The latter is shot in four languages wherein Sengupta plays a double role in the Bengali version.


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: She married her childhood friend Sanjay Chakrabarti, founder and CEO of MobiApps on 13 December 1999 in Munshigonj and the couple has a son named Ankan and a daughter named Rishona Niya.


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: Sengupta has a deferential attitude to Debashree Roy whereas her attitude towards Satabdi Roy is oscillating. The relationship between the two got sour during the shooting of Prashanta Nanda's "Laal Paan Bibi" (1994) when Sengupta literally broke drown into tears after she was denounced for coming late to the set of the film, by Roy who was the bigger star by then. Roy cast Sengupta as the female lead in her directorial venture "Om Shanti" (2012). Both the actresses were interrogated whether their professional rivalry would affect the making of the film. Both of them denied such rivalry.


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: Sengupta later claimed that she had been given lesser importance in the poster of the film while Roy said that the former's grievance is meaningless. Sengupta was absent at the premier show of the film, which generated the speculation in the media that the duo were no longer in talking terms. In April 2014, the duo were spotted talking again at a quiz contest conducted by Anandabazar Patrika.


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: On 19 July 2019, Sengupta was interrogated by ED officers about an amount of near about 7 crore that she had received from the Rose Valley Group led by Gautam Kundu.


title: Rituparna Sengupta

text: In the 2020 controversial vlog "Let's Expose Face It", Sreelekha Mitra said that Sengupta wanted to play the lead in "Tolly Lights" that features Mitra as the protagonist. Mitra said that Sengupta made a phone call to Arjun Chakraborty, the director of the film and requested him to cast herself replacing Mitra.


title: KFYR-TV

text: KFYR-TV (channel 5) is a television station in Bismarck, North Dakota, United States, affiliated with NBC and Fox. Owned by Gray Television, the station has studios on North 4th Street and East Broadway Avenue in downtown Bismarck, and its transmitter is located near St. Anthony, North Dakota.


title: KFYR-TV

text: KFYR-TV serves as the flagship station of NBC North Dakota, a regional network of four stations relaying NBC network and other programming provided by KFYR across central and western North Dakota, as well as bordering counties in Montana and South Dakota. The three satellite stations clear all network and syndicated programming as provided through KFYR but air separate legal identifications and commercial inserts. KQCD-TV (channel 7) in Dickinson simulcasts all of KFYR's programming, while KMOT (channel 10) in Minot also produces its own weekday local newscasts at 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., and KUMV-TV (channel 8) in Williston simulcasts KMOT's newscasts with local inserts. The four stations are counted as a single unit for ratings purposes.


title: KFYR-TV

text: KFYR also serves as the only available NBC affiliate for central and western North Dakota for subscribers of Dish Network and DirecTV.


title: KFYR-TV

text: KFYR-TV was established in 1953 by the Meyer family as the first television station in Bismarck and third in the state. The Williston and Minot stations were set up in 1957 and 1958, with Dickinson being added in 1980. As with KFYR radio, "Meyer Television" became the market leader. The Meyer family owned KFYR-TV until it opted to exit broadcasting in the late 1990s; the stations have been sold four times since.


title: KFYR-TV

text: After the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) lifted its freeze on television station grants in 1952, Meyer Broadcasting Company filed for channel 5 in Bismarck on November 28, 1952. Also filing for channel 5 was M. B. Rudman, an oilman from Minot. In February 1953, Rudman changed his application to specify the other VHF channel in the city, channel 12, clearing the way for both groups to be granted construction permits on March 4.


title: KFYR-TV

text: From a temporary transmission facility atop the North Dakota State Capitol, KFYR-TV began broadcasting on December 19, 1953. It held affiliations with NBC and CBS; KFYR's relationship with NBC in radio dated to 1931. The State Capitol transmitter, said to be the only one of its kind in the country, was replaced in 1954 by the permanent facility, a more typical mast east of Bismarck. A second television station came to Bismarck in 1955, KBMB-TV (channel 12, later changed to KXMB-TV), which was a CBS affiliate and served as an extension of KXJB-TV in Valley City and KCJB-TV in Minot. Earlier that year, KFYR-TV began broadcasting live network programming to Bismarck. KFYR-TV would continue to air some ABC programming until a full-time ABC service, KBMY, began broadcasting in 1985.


title: KFYR-TV

text: Meyer Broadcasting expanded its reach with the construction of two new stations in 1957 and 1958. The first application to be granted was that for channel 10 in Minot (KMOT-TV), in October 1955, and Meyer was unopposed in its bid for channel 8 at Williston (KUMV-TV), which was approved in 1956. Dickinson would have to wait much longer for its full-power station, KQCD, to begin in 1980. Local news inserts from Dickinson ended on December 31, 1991, with the station turning to rebroadcasting KFYR's Bismarck news. In 1995, Meyer acquired KTHI-TV in Fargo, which it renamed KVLY-TV.


title: KFYR-TV

text: When Meyer opted to exit broadcasting, KFYR-TV and its associated stations were sold to Sunrise Television Corporation for $63.75 million; at that time, KFYR-TV accounted for 57 percent of all broadcast TV viewing in Bismarck. The sale separated KFYR radio and television, which at the time shared several on-air personalities and a news director. It was the first of several sales for KFYR-TV. In 2002, North Dakota Television LLC, a consortium of private equity firms The Wicks Group of Companies, JP Morgan Partners, and Halyard Capital acquired the KFYR system as well as KVLY-TV in Fargo. Hoak Media of Dallas acquired these stations, as well as KSFY-TV in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and its satellites in 2006.


title: KFYR-TV

text: The NBC North Dakota network picked up MeTV in April 2013, with an official launch date of May 1, 2013.


title: KFYR-TV

text: On November 20, 2013, Gray Television announced it would purchase Hoak Media in a $335 million deal. Gray initially planned, through Excalibur Broadcasting, to also acquire Fox affiliate KNDX/KXND for $7.5 million and operate them under a local marketing agreement. On March 25, 2014, Prime Cities Broadcasting, owner of KNDX/KXND, requested that the FCC dismiss the sale of that station to Excalibur. Gray would instead acquire the stations' non-license assets; upon the closure of the Hoak purchases on June 13, 2014, KNDX/KXND were shuttered and their Fox programs moved to subchannels of KFYR and its satellites.


title: KFYR-TV

text: KFYR's newscasts have led the ratings in western North Dakota for as long as records have been kept. Early on, the Meyers devoted significant resources to KFYR's news department, resulting in a higher-quality product than conventional wisdom would suggest for such a small market. This tradition has continued today. The station broadcasts local newscasts at 5 a.m., noon, 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Central Time Monday through Friday; 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Saturday, and 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Sunday. KFYR-TV anchors include Monica Hannan and Alan Miller. "Country Morning Today", "Noon Report", and "First News at 5:00" are simulcast across the entire four-station network, along with all weekend newscasts.


title: KFYR-TV

text: While KFYR still dominates the television news scene, its dominance is not as absolute as it once was. In recent years, KX Television's "KX News Morning" has consistently beaten "Country Morning Today", often by wide margins. It is the only time in recent memory that NBC North Dakota has lost "any" time slot for more than one ratings period.


title: KFYR-TV

text: KMOT produces its own newscasts from Monday through Friday weekdays at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., and rebroadcasts KFYR-TV's other newscasts. KUMV airs its own newscasts from Monday through Friday at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. The first 10 minutes (which includes regional news and weather) originate at KFYR in Bismarck. KUMV has its own news and sports anchor who fill the remaining 20 minutes. It simulcasts KFYR's other newscasts. From 2002 to 2007, KMOT was forced to cut its newscasts to 20 minutes while simulcasting the first 10 minutes of KFYR-TV's 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts, much as KUMV does now. In January 2007, KMOT began broadcasting a full half-hour of news at 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m once again. It also added a weatherman and photographer/reporter to the staff.


title: KFYR-TV

text: KQCD once had its own news department consisting of bureau chief Brian Howell and reporter Cebe Schneider, whose stories aired on KFYR-TV's newscasts. They were the only reporters based in southwestern North Dakota. However, they were let go in 2012 due to budget cutbacks. KQCD currently has a reporter that contributes to KFYR-produced newscasts.


title: KFYR-TV

text: The stations occasionally share stories with co-owned KVLY-TV. The five stations simulcast major North Dakota sporting events and statewide political debates under the NBC North Dakota brand name and share certain equipment, such as remote broadcasting vehicles. On April 30, 2012, NBC North Dakota began broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition.


title: KFYR-TV

text: KFYR-TV received international attention when newly hired weekend co-anchor A. J. Clemente uttered several obscenities during his first broadcast on April 21, 2013, after mispronouncing the name of London Marathon winner Tsegaye Kebede. Even though he was unaware he was on air, Clemente was immediately suspended from KFYR following that evening's 5 p.m. newscast, according to a statement released by news director/anchor Monica Hannan. That night, co-anchor Van Tieu apologized on-air on behalf of the station. Hannan fired Clemente the following day, according to a post from his Twitter account. Clemente was mocked by David Letterman on the "Late Show"'s Top 10 List on April 23, 2013 (then appeared as a guest the following day). On April 24, 2013, Clemente appeared on "Today" to discuss the incident (seeking to redeem himself and hopeful for a second chance somewhere in addition to acknowledging he had no 'animosity' about being fired by KFYR). The same day, he sought that "second chance" with an opportunity to speak on "Inside Edition".


title: KFYR-TV

text: The Fox-affiliated subchannel debuted "West Dakota Fox News at Nine" during October 2014, originating from KFYR's studios in Bismarck.


title: KFYR-TV

text: KFYR-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 5, on February 16, 2009, the day prior to the original date in which full-power television stations in the United States were set to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate (which was later rescheduled for June 12, 2009). The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 31. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former VHF analog channel 5.


title: KFYR-TV

text: KFYR-TV serves one of the largest markets in the country. It extends its over-the-air coverage area through a network of three full-power stations encompassing much of the western and central two-thirds of North Dakota and parts of eastern Montana and northwestern South Dakota, branded as NBC North Dakota.


title: KFYR-TV

text: These stations mostly rebroadcast KFYR. However, they all identify as separate stations in their own right, and air separate station identifications and local commercials, as well as different programming if desired. KMOT produces its own local 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts on weekdays, while KUMV airs 20-minute local inserts into KMOT's newscasts. KQCD airs a time-shifted feed of KFYR in Mountain Time for most of the day, except for identifications and commercials.


title: Greenhouse Academy

text: Greenhouse Academy is a tween drama television series released by Netflix. Based on the Israeli television series "The Greenhouse" ("Ha-Hamama"), created by Giora Chamizer, the series was adapted for international audiences by Chamizer and Paula Yoo. The first season of the series was released on Netflix on September 8, 2017. The second season was released on Netflix on February 14, 2018, the third season was released on October 25, 2019, and the fourth season was released on March 20, 2020. In July 2020, it was announced that "Greenhouse Academy" had been canceled after four seasons.


title: Greenhouse Academy

text: Eight months after losing their astronaut mother in a rocket explosion, brother and sister Alex and Hayley Woods enroll at a private boarding school for gifted future leaders. Separately, they join two competing houses within the school and become rivals. Soon, mysterious events draw the students from both houses into a top secret investigation. They uncover a deadly plot to use earthquakes for monetary gain. Only by joining forces and working together will they be able to stop this scheme.


title: Greenhouse Academy

text: "Greenhouse Academy" is a Netflix original series based on the Israeli tween-drama "The Greenhouse" ("Ha-Hamama"), which ran on Nickelodeon Israel. Both versions were created by Giora Chamizer and produced by Nutz Productions, a subsidiary of Ananey Communications. Two seasons consisting of a total of 24 episodes were produced. The series was filmed in summer 2016 in Tel Aviv and at other locations in Israel. The first season was released on Netflix on September 8, 2017. On January 18, 2018, the official Greenhouse Academy Instagram account announced that season 2 would be released on Netflix on February 14, 2018.


title: Greenhouse Academy

text: The series was "quietly" renewed for a third season in March 2018. In September 2018, the role of Brooke Osmond was recast with Danika Yarosh, after Grace Van Dien was cast in "The Village" which was picked up to series by NBC for the 2018–19 U.S. television season. Season 3 was released on Netflix on October 25, 2019. Season 4 was released on March 20, 2020.


title: Nick Carraway

text: Nick Carraway is a fictional character and narrator in F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel "The Great Gatsby".


title: Nick Carraway

text: In his narration, Nick Carraway explains that he was born in the Middle West. The Carraway family owned a hardware business (opened in 1851) and were something of an established family. Nick served in World War I in the Third Division, or Third Infantry Division. At a young age his father advised him to reserve all judgements on people. After the war he moved from the Midwest to West Egg, a wealthy enclave of Long Island, to learn about the bond business. He takes up residence near his cousin, Daisy Buchanan and her affluent husband Tom, who was Nick's classmate at Yale University. They introduce him to their friend Jordan Baker, a cynical young heiress and golf champion. She and Nick begin a brief romance.


title: Nick Carraway

text: Another neighbor and Daisy Buchanan's former lover, Jay Gatsby, invites Nick to one of his legendary parties. Nick is immediately intrigued by the mysterious socialite, especially when Gatsby introduces him to the gangster Meyer Wolfsheim, who is rumored to have helped Gatsby make his fortune in the bootlegging business. Gatsby takes a liking to Nick, and confesses to him that he has been in love with Daisy since before the war and that his extravagant lifestyle is just an attempt to impress her. He asks Nick for his help in winning her over. Nick invites Daisy over to his house without telling her that Gatsby will be there. When Gatsby and Daisy resume their love affair, Nick serves as their confidant.


title: Nick Carraway

text: Nick later discovers that Daisy struck and killed George's wife (and Tom's lover), Myrtle Wilson, in Gatsby's car. Tom then tells George that Gatsby had been driving the car. George then kills Gatsby and then himself. Nick holds a funeral for Gatsby, breaks up with Jordan, and decides to leave West Egg and return to his native Midwest, reflecting that the era of dreaming which Gatsby represented is over.


title: Nick Carraway

text: Ian Armstrong believes that "In the character of Nick, Fitzgerald has written an idealized version of someone he wanted to be," but Carraway is not Fitzgerald. As the narrator of the story, Carraway recounts events occurring two years previously. The other characters are presented as Carraway perceives them, and thus directs the reader's sympathies. He is selective in what information he chooses to disclose. Fitzgerald wrote, "in Gatsby I selected the stuff to fit a given mood of 'hauntedness' or whatever you might call it, rejecting in advance in Gatsby, for instance, all the ordinary material of Long Island". Carraway's status as at first an observer, then a participant, gives rise to questions regarding his reliability as narrator. He says little about a rumored previous engagement, or his wartime experience; both of which are first raised by other characters.


title: Nick Carraway

text: Carraway describes his attraction to Jordan Baker as "I wasn't actually in love, but I felt a sort of tender curiosity."


title: Nick Carraway

text: Fitzgerald scholars and fans of The Great Gatsby frequently interpret Nick Carraway as being gay or bisexual. Many queer interpretations of Nick’s character hinge on a scene at the end of Chapter 2, in which an elevator lever is used as a phallic symbol. There are then ellipses followed by a brief scene in which Mr. McKee, described earlier as a “pale, feminine man,” is “sitting up between the sheets, clad in his underwear, with a great portfolio in his hands.” Frances Kerr points to the phallic symbolism and the unaccounted-for time in this scene as evidence of "The Great Gatsby"’s “bizarre homoerotic leitmotif.” Additionally, Edward Wasiolek argues that this scene is evidence of Nick’s “homosexual proclivities,” and he claims that “I do not know how one can read the scene in McKee's bedroom in any other way, especially when so many other facts about his behavior support such a conclusion.”


title: Nick Carraway

text: Additional indications of Nick Carraway’s possible homosexuality stem from a comparison of his descriptions of men and women within the novel. For example, the greatest compliment that Nick gives Daisy is that she has a nice voice, and his description of Jordan sounds much like a description of a man. Conversely, Nick’s description of Tom focuses on his muscles and the “enormous power” of his body, and in the passage where Nick first encounters Gatsby, Greg Olear argues that “if you came across that passage out of context, you would probably conclude it was from a romance novel. If that scene were a cartoon, Cupid would shoot an arrow, music would swell, and Nick’s eyes would turn into giant hearts.” Joseph Vogel also points to this passage in arguing in favor of a queer reading of Nick, contrasting the intensity of his relationship with Gatsby to the way Daisy and Jordan “alternately charm and disturb Nick.” Near the end of the novel, Tom also says of Gatsby, “that fellow had it coming to him. He threw dust in your eyes just like he did in Daisy’s,” demonstrating Nick’s attraction to Gatsby and how this attraction prevents him from forming a critical judgment of him.


title: Nick Carraway

text: Different authors draw different conclusions regarding the importance of Nick’s sexuality to the novel - Olear argues that Nick idealizes Gatsby in a similar way to how Gatsby idealizes Daisy, Noah Berlatsky sees Nick’s sexuality as emphasizing both Jordan and Gatsby’s dishonesty, and Tracy Fessenden claims that Nick’s attraction to Gatsby serves to contrast the love story between Gatsby and Daisy. Indeed, as Joseph Vogel puts, it “a strong case can be made that the most compelling story of unrequited love—in both the novel and the film—is not between Jay Gatsby and Daisy, but between Nick and Jay Gatsby.”


title: Nick Carraway

text: Michael Bourne says whether or not Carraway is gay "...can’t be proven one way or the other—but I suspect the queer readings of Nick Carraway say more about the way we read now than they do about Nick or The Great Gatsby." Steve Erickson, writing in "LA Magazine", says that Carraway's fascination with Gatsby is less of his being in love with Gatsby than "...Carraway, back from the war and back from the Midwest and wanting nothing more than to be Gatsby himself". Matthew J. Bolton says, "to conclude that the incident with Mr. McKee establishes Nick's homosexuality would probably be a case of what narratologists call "overreading."


title: Nick Carraway

text: In 2021 Michael Farris Smith's novel "Nick" was released, described as a sort of "prequel" to Gatsby.


title: 1979 Cricket World Cup

text: The 1979 Cricket World Cup (officially called the Prudential Cup '79) was the second edition of the Cricket World Cup. Organised by the International Cricket Conference, it was held in England from 9 to 23 June 1979.


title: 1979 Cricket World Cup

text: The tournament was once again sponsored by the Prudential Assurance Company and had eight teams participating in the tournament with the only change being Canada who qualified with Sri Lanka in the qualifier for the tournament. The format remained the same with two teams qualifying from each group with the final once again being at Lord's.


title: 1979 Cricket World Cup

text: England joined first-time semi-finalists Pakistan as the qualifiers from Group A, while the West Indies finished top of Group B ahead of New Zealand. After the West Indies and England both won their semi-finals over Pakistan and New Zealand respectively, they met in the final at Lord's with the West Indies defending their title from four years earlier with a 92 run victory. West Indian batsman, Gordon Greenidge ended the tournament as the leading run scorer with 253 runs from four matches with English player Mike Hendrick ending up as the leading wicket taker with ten wickets.


title: 1979 Cricket World Cup

text: The eight teams at the tournament were split into two groups of four teams, with each team playing the others in their group in a single round-robin format. The top two teams from each group then advance to the semi-finals to play in a single-elimination tournament.


title: 1979 Cricket World Cup

text: The 1979 tournament saw the first qualifiers in a World Cup. The 1979 ICC Trophy was held during late May and early June at various grounds in the English Midlands, with the two finalists qualifying for the World Cup where they joined the six Test nations who qualified automatically. Sri Lanka and Canada qualified after defeating Denmark and Bermuda respectively in the semi-finals.


title: 1979 Cricket World Cup

text: The opening round of matches took place on 9 June with four matches being played. England took on Australia at Lord's and after the home team elected to field first, restricted the Australians to 97 for one with fine fielding and bowling. After Andrew Hilditch dragged his second ball after lunch into the stumps, the Australians would be restricted for 159 which included four run-outs. The run-chase saw Mike Brearley and Graham Gooch control the innings and led England to a six wicket victory.


title: 1979 Cricket World Cup

text: In a very close semi-final match, England prevailed. New Zealand won the toss and fielded. England began badly, falling to 38/2, before Mike Brearley (53 from 115 balls, 3 fours) and Graham Gooch (71 from 84 balls, 1 four, 3 sixes) resurrected the innings. Derek Randall (42 from 50 balls, 1 four, 1 six) played well in the second half of the innings, as England recovered from 98/4 to post 221 (8 wickets, 60 overs). In the response, John Wright (69 from 137 balls) attacked well in the beginning. However, the loss of wickets bogged New Zealand down, and despite several late flourishes in the batting order, New Zealand started to drop behind. When New Zealand could not achieve the remaining 14 runs from the last over of the match, England went into the final.


title: 1979 Cricket World Cup

text: Gordon Greenidge (73 from 107 balls, 5 fours, 1 six) and Desmond Haynes (65 from 115 balls, 4 fours) set a first wicket partnership of 132 runs in a match dominated by batting. Vivian Richards and Clive Lloyd also contributed solidly, as West Indies ran up 293 (6 wickets, 60 overs) against Pakistan. Majid Khan (81 from 124 balls, 7 fours) and Zaheer Abbas (93 from 122 balls) shared a second-wicket partnership of 166 runs in 36 overs in the response. However, none of the other Pakistani batsmen flourished, with Javed Miandad being bowled for a duck first ball, and Pakistan lost 9/74, beginning with the dismissal of Abbas. Pakistan was bowled out for 250 in 56.2 overs in the high-scoring semi-final, sending the West Indies to the final.


title: 1979 Cricket World Cup

text: England won the toss and chose to field first. The West Indies got off to a bad start, falling to 99/4 with the loss of Greenidge, Haynes, Kallicharan, and captain Clive Lloyd. However, Vivian Richards (138 from 157 balls, 11 fours, 3 sixes) and Collis King (86 from 66 balls, 10 fours, 3 sixes) consolidated the innings. King especially ripped through the English bowling, with a strike rate of 130.3. The West Indies were already at 238/5 when the 139 run partnership ended with the loss of Collis King. Vivian Richards and the tail then took the West Indies to a very imposing total of 286 (9 wickets, 60 overs).


title: 1979 Cricket World Cup

text: The English batsmen got off to a good start. But the openers, Mike Brearley (64 from 130 balls, 7 fours) and Geoff Boycott (57 from 105 balls, 3 fours) scored very slowly. They put together a very methodical opening partnership of 129 runs in 38 overs, playing as if the match were a five-day Test. By the time both batsmen were out, the required run rate had risen too high. Graham Gooch played some hefty strokes in scoring his 32, taking England to 183/2. However, the loss of Derek Randall triggered a batting collapse in which England lost their last eight wickets for 11 runs to finish all out for 194 in 51 overs.


title: 1979 Cricket World Cup

text: Gordon Greenidge ended the tournament as the leading run scorer with 253 runs coming from his four games. Second was fellow West Indian player, Viv Richards who finished with 217 runs from four games which included the highest individual score of the tournament of 138 in the final. Graham Gooch from England rounded out the top three. Mike Hendrick from England was the leading wicket taker for the tournament with ten wickets from five matches with a three-way tie for second place with Brian McKechnie (New Zealand), Asif Iqbal (Pakistan) and Chris Old each taking nine wickets for the tournament.


title: Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction

text: A Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction is a reaction to endotoxin-like products released by the death of harmful microorganisms within the body during antibiotic treatment. Efficacious antimicrobial therapy results in lysis (destruction) of bacterial cell membranes, and in the consequent release into the bloodstream of bacterial toxins, resulting in a systemic inflammatory response.


title: Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction

text: Jarisch–Herxheimer reactions can be life-threatening as they can cause a significant drop in blood pressure and cause acute end-organ injury, eventually leading to multi-organ failure.


title: Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction

text: It comprises part of what is known as sepsis and occurs after initiation of antibacterials when treating Gram-negative infections such as "Escherichia coli" and louse- and tick-borne infections. It usually manifests in 1–3 hours after the first dose of antibiotics as fever, chills, rigor, hypotension, headache, tachycardia, hyperventilation, vasodilation with flushing, myalgia (muscle pain), exacerbation of skin lesions and anxiety. The intensity of the reaction indicates the severity of inflammation. Reaction commonly occurs within two hours of drug administration, but is usually self-limiting.


title: Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction

text: The Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction is traditionally associated with antimicrobial treatment of syphilis. The reaction is also seen in the other diseases caused by spirochetes: Lyme disease, relapsing fever, and leptospirosis. There have been case reports of the Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction accompanying treatment of other infections, including Q fever, bartonellosis, brucellosis, trichinellosis, and African trypanosomiasis.


title: Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction

text: Lipoproteins released from treatment of "Treponema pallidum" infections are believed to induce the Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction. The Herxheimer reaction has shown an increase in inflammatory cytokines during the period of exacerbation, including tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-6 and interleukin-8.


title: Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction

text: Prophylaxis and treatment with an anti-inflammatory agent may stop progression of the reaction. Oral aspirin or ibuprofen every four hours for a day or 60 mg of prednisone orally or intravenously has been used as an adjunctive treatment . However, steroids are generally of no benefit. Patients must be closely monitored for the potential complications (collapse and shock) and may require IV fluids to maintain adequate blood pressure. If available, meptazinol, an opioid analgesic of the mixed agonist/antagonist type, should be administered to reduce the severity of the reaction. Anti TNF-α may also be effective.


title: Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction

text: Both Adolf Jarisch, an Austrian dermatologist, and Karl Herxheimer, a German dermatologist, are credited with the discovery of the Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction. Both Jarisch and Herxheimer observed reactions in patients with syphilis treated with mercury. The reaction was first seen following treatment in early and later stages of syphilis treated with Salvarsan, mercury, or antibiotics. Jarisch thought that the reaction was caused by a toxin released from the dying spirochetes.


title: School Daze

text: School Daze is a 1988 American musical comedy-drama film, written and directed by Spike Lee, and starring Laurence Fishburne (credited as Larry Fishburne), Giancarlo Esposito, and Tisha Campbell. Based in part on Spike Lee's experiences as a Morehouse student in the Atlanta University Center during the 1970s, it is a story about undergraduates in a fraternity and sorority clashing with some of their classmates at a historically black college during homecoming weekend. It also touches upon issues of colorism, elitism, classism, political activism, hazing, groupthink, female self-esteem, social mobility, and hair texture bias within the African-American community. The second feature film by Spike Lee, "School Daze" was released on February 12, 1988 by Columbia Pictures.


title: School Daze

text: Vaughn “Dap” Dunlap is a politically and socially conscious black student at Mission College, a leading historically black college in Atlanta. On homecoming weekend, Dap leads an anti-apartheid demonstration, demanding that the school divest from South Africa, and feuds with Julian “Dean Big Brother Almighty” Eaves, the head/president of Mission College's Gamma Phi Gamma Fraternity chapter. Dap's younger cousin Darrell “Half-Pint”, a Gamma pledge, is ordered by Julian to bring a girl to the fraternity that night, and goes to Dap for advice.


title: School Daze

text: Cedar Cloud, chairman of Mission's board of trustees, warns college president Harold McPherson that the divestment protests may scare off the school's wealthy donors. The Gamma Rays, the Gamma women's auxiliary led by Julian's girlfriend Jane Toussaint – mostly light-skinned black women with straightened hair – clash with some of their non-Greek classmates, including Dap's girlfriend Rachel Meadows – mostly dark-skinned black women with natural hair – over skin color and hair politics. Unsuccessful in courting any female students, Darrell and the pledges are hazed. Dap and Rachel have a falling out when she plans to rush a sorority, and she accuses him of colorism.


title: School Daze

text: The weekend's festivities begin, and the Gamma brothers nearly come to blows with Dap and his fellow protestors at the homecoming parade. After the Mission football team suffers an embarrassing loss, Cloud and McPherson threaten Dap with expulsion if he continues his activism. Dap and his friends drive into town to eat at KFC, where they are harassed by locals who resent them as privileged college boys. Returning to campus, Dap confronts Julian about Darrell's pledge status. At the Greeks’ step show, a performance by Dap and his friends leads to a brawl with the Gammas. Seeking out Rachel, Dap is humiliated by her dorm neighbors, but he and Rachel reconcile.


title: School Daze

text: Darrell and the Gamma pledges endure a grueling initiation and are welcomed as new members. At the school dance, Dap's roommate Grady hits it off with a female student and coaxes her to his room, but she refuses to stay when Dap and Rachel are already there. As the Gammas celebrate, Julian forces Jane to have sex with Darrell, but rejects her afterward. Darrell excitedly informs Dap, who is infuriated. At sunrise, Dap wakes the entire campus from the previous night's debauchery. A tearful Julian arrives and stands eye-to-eye with Dap, who breaks the fourth wall to tell the audience directly, “Please, wake up”.


title: School Daze

text: "School Daze" explores several issues within the Black-American community such as colorism, elitism, classism, political activism, hazing, groupthink, female self-esteem, social mobility, and hair texture bias—all against the backdrop of an historically black college. Daphnee McMaster of "The Spool" asserts that in setting the film at an HBCU director Spike Lee peers into a very particular black space largely isolated from the rest of American society: "every conversation is directly related to black people’s own perceptions of, and issues amongst, themselves".


title: School Daze

text: Two major themes found in the film are the issues of skin color-based class divisions and economic inequality. The divide between light-skinned people and dark-skinned people is exemplified by the rivalry between the Gamma Phi Gamma fraternity and its coed counterpart—which are predominantly made up of affluent, light-skinned students and Dap's politically conscious friends and the Pi Delta Pi sorority—which is predominantly made up of dark-skinned students from lower-class backgrounds. Throughout the film, the characters from both groups engage in a series of confrontations and conflicts, fueled by their respective feelings of superiority and resentment towards one another. Another theme tied to this is the exploration of economic inequality through the character of Dap, a socially conscious and politically active student who is involved in a campaign to increase the number of black faculty members at Mission College. Dap's activism and commitment to social justice are juxtaposed with the apathy and materialism of other students, such as Julian, the wealthy and privileged president of the Gamma Phi Gamma fraternity.


title: School Daze

text: Production began on March 9, 1987 and ended on May 4, 1987. Spike Lee arranged for the two groups of actors to stay in separate hotels during filming. The actors playing the "wannabees" were given better accommodations than the ones playing the "jigaboos." This favoritism contributed to tension on the set, which showed in the on-camera animosity between the two camps. (Similar tactics were used during the filming of "Animal House" and "The Outsiders".) In "School Daze," the method approach yielded strong results — the fight that occurs at the step show between Dap's crew and the Gammas was not in the script. On the day the scene was shot, the fight broke out between the two sides. Lee ordered the cameras to keep rolling.


title: School Daze

text: Officials of Morehouse, Spelman, and Clark Atlanta University asked Lee to stop filming on the campuses before he completed his work because the colleges' Boards of Directors had concerns on how he was portraying the historically black colleges in the film. Lee had to finish filming at the neighboring Morris Brown College.


title: School Daze

text: Ruth E. Carter designed the costumes for the film, inspired by uniforms and styles worn at the HBCUs. At Lee's encouragement, she commissioned American fashion designer Willi Smith to design the gowns for the Homecoming Court in the film.


title: School Daze

text: The film received mixed reviews for its exploration of issues within the black community. Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" noted, "There is no doubt in my mind that 'School Daze,' in its own way, is one of the most honest and revealing movies I've ever seen about modern middle-class black life in America." He also noted its frank exploration of issues of discrimination within the black community related to skin tone and nature of hair. He said it was significant as a film with a "completely black orientation. All of the characters, good and bad, are black, and all of the character's references are to each other."


title: School Daze

text: On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 57%, based on 28 reviews, and an average rating of 5.9/10. The critical consensus reads: ""School Daze" is undeniably messy, but thought-provoking themes, strong performances, and Spike Lee's ingratiating energy help tie it all together."


title: School Daze

text: Kadeem Hardison, Darryl M. Bell and Jasmine Guy were principal cast members on "The Cosby Show" spin-off, "A Different World" — a TV series about life at a historically black college. (The NBC sitcom was airing its first season at the time of the film's release.) Other "School Daze" cast members also appeared on "A Different World", including Dominic Hoffman, Tisha Campbell, Art Evans, Guy Killum and Roger Guenveur Smith.


title: School Daze

text: In 2008, Alicia Keys paid homage to "School Daze" in the music video for her song "Teenage Love Affair". She imitated scenes including the rally in front of the school building, the pajama party, and the scene where Tisha Campbell and her court perform at coronation.


title: School Daze

text: "Da Butt," written by Marcus Miller and Mark Stevens, and performed by the group E.U. (who appear in the film), hit number 1 on Billboard's R&B chart and number 35 on its Pop chart. The "School Daze" soundtrack also features the song, "Be One," written by Bill Lee and performed by Phyllis Hyman, who also appears in the film.


title: Ruger Standard

text: The Ruger Standard Model is a rimfire semi-automatic pistol introduced in 1949 as the first product manufactured by Sturm, Ruger & Co., and was the founding member of a product line of .22 Long Rifle cartridge handguns, including its later iterations: the MK II, MK III, and MK IV. It is marketed as an inexpensive .22 caliber rimfire intended for casual sport and target shooting, and plinking. Designed by company founder William B. Ruger, the Standard model and its offspring went on to become the most accepted and successful .22 caliber semi-automatic pistols ever produced.


title: Ruger Standard

text: Sometime in the years following World War II firearm designer and entrepreneur Bill Ruger acquired a pair of World War II Japanese Nambu pistols from a returning US Marine, which he successfully duplicated in his garage. Using the Nambu's silhouette and bolt system, Ruger produced his first prototype, but lacked the venture capital necessary to fund its introduction. When his affluent friend and potential financial backer Alex Sturm was shown the 1949 prototype Ruger had created, he was impressed by its sleek traditional aesthetic and its slight resemblance to the classic nostalgia-evoking German Luger P08 pistol.


title: Ruger Standard

text: Realizing that prospective buyers would share his sentiment, Sturm quickly signed on board with an initial investment of $50,000 and the two teamed up to create what was to become an iconic American firearms manufacturing company, Sturm, Ruger & Co.


title: Ruger Standard

text: Ruger's new product was simply christened the "Standard" model. Intended as a low-cost recreation and sporting product for outdoor, hunting and firearms enthusiasts, Ruger pioneered a number of simple and innovative manufacturing techniques used in the production of the new pistol, including using piano wire coiled springs in the lockwork in lieu of the flat springs most manufacturers were using at the time, and forming the receivers from two stamped sheet metal halves welded together.


title: Ruger Standard

text: These practices worked well with a firearm which needed to handle only .22 rimfire pressures, and the cost savings it produced allowed Sturm and Ruger to radically undersell the competition which still used older and more expensive manufacturing techniques. Financier Sturm, an amateur heraldry aficionado, made his own contribution in the form of the company's trademark "Red Eagle" coat of arms emblem, which was featured as a medallion on the left grip panel. A favorable review published in the "American Rifleman" magazine penned by the notable firearms authority Major General Julian S. Hatcher, coupled with a subdued advertisement printed in the same magazine resulted in a great deal of interest from the public. The suggested retail price for the new pistol was a reasonable and very competitive $37.50 US.


title: Ruger Standard

text: Checks from would-be purchasers soon rolled in, but as Ruger was firmly entrenched in the "old school" of financial responsibility, none were cashed until pistols actually shipped, setting a standard for "in the black" operation which would serve the company well in the future. In a few months the seed money was all spent, but by then the first 100 Standard pistols had been built and distributed to the initial purchasers.


title: Ruger Standard

text: From the time of its introduction in the fall of 1949, the new pistol was a success, and though it faced competition from the beginning, it soon dominated a large share of the rimfire pistol market segment. Unfortunately Alex Sturm did not survive to see the corporation's ultimate success, suffering an untimely demise from viral hepatitis in November 1951. In memorial and as a mark of respect and bereavement, Ruger ordered the background of Sturm's eagle emblem changed from red to black on future production models of the popular and successful firearm they produced and marketed together.


title: Ruger Standard

text: The Standard model was under constant production in basically the same form for the next 33 years, but the new corporation expanded the basic Standard archetype into a product line of pistols over time by the introduction of a number of variant models. These took the form of offering additional barrel lengths and configurations, creating versions optimized for target shooting, and adding the finish option of stainless steel. The line was also refined with three mechanical "MK" series upgrades, the Mk II, Mk III and Mk IV, in 1982, 2004 and 2016 The MK II added a slide stop that held the slide open on the last round, and also was available in stainless steel. The MK II was available in a number of barrel lengths; and lightweight barrels; , , and bull barrels, and and heavy tapered barrels. All guns with bull or heavy tapered barrels are Target models, and are equipped with target sights consisting of an adjustable rear sight and a taller, wider front sight, with an aggressive undercut to reduce glare. In 1999 18 versions of this popular pistol could be found in the Sturm Ruger catalog, and with over 2 million sold it eventually became the most prolific and well-liked .22 automatic pistol of all time.


title: Ruger Standard

text: The Standard model is an atypical design, lacking the slide found on conventional pistols, instead sporting a cylindrical bolt which cycles inside a tubular receiver in a manner more characteristic of a rimfire rifle. The bolt of the pistol features protruding "ears" at its rear which are grasped and pulled rearward to feed the initial round and cock the action. Using the basic blowback form of operation, the Standard model originally came with a blued carbon steel finish and was equipped with a tapered barrel.


title: Ruger Standard

text: The magazine held 9 rounds of .22 Long Rifle ammunition and was held in place by a catch on the bottom of the grip frame. Standard models came with Patridge style fixed iron open sights with the rear sight securely mounted in a dovetail. The grip panels were hard black checkered Butaprene synthetic rubber, with pre-1950 pistols featuring the "Red Eagle" trademark as originally designed by Alex Sturm. The manual safety on the Standard model could be engaged only when the pistol was cocked, and the bolt could be locked open by activating the safety with the bolt held back.


title: Ruger Standard

text: The bolt was left "in the white" with the unfinished steel providing a visual contrast with the blued receiver. In 1954 a new model with a barrel length of 6 inches was added to the Standard lineup. In 1971, one of the few engineering changes ever made to the Standard model took place when the original 22-year-old receiver forming dies wore out. As a precursor to changes to come with the 1982 introduction of the MK II series, the slot for the magazine follower extension on the grip frame was moved from the right to the left side.


title: Ruger Standard

text: Designated the "A 100" frame modification, this alteration facilitated the eventual improvement of the Standard pistol by the addition of a bolt hold open device as part of the eventual MK II upgrade. The pistol grip panels and magazines from older Standard models can not be used on post-1971 pistols due to this change, but the later magazines can still be used on pre-1971 guns by moving the magazine follower button to the opposite side. As the Standard model reached the end of its product lifecycle in 1981, a special edition run of 5000 4.75-inch pistols built of stainless steel were manufactured. These pistols were shipped in special wooden cases and featured an engraving of Bill Ruger's signature.


title: Ruger Standard

text: Introduced in 1950, the MK I Target model was basically the same as the Standard pistol, except that it boasted a barrel, adjustable target style trigger, a "Micro" adjustable rear sight, and a front sight blade undercut to reduce glare. In 1952, a barreled version of the MK I Target was added to the lineup, but manufactured only through 1957, making it a collectible rarity today. A heavy bull barreled version of the MK I Target became available in 1963, eventually becoming the most popular length for Ruger Target MK pistols. Like their Standard model brethren, target models underwent the A 100 grip frame redesign in 1971.


title: Ruger Standard

text: The MK II ("Mark Two") was made from 1982 to 2005. It replaced the "Standard", Ruger's first model, made from 1949 to 1982, and the "MK I Target", made from 1951 to 1982. MK II variations include the "Target" models, which have heavier barrels and adjustable sights, and the "22/45" models, which have a polymer frame with a grip-angle that matches the Colt 1911 rather than the steel frame's Luger P08–like layout. Three barrel types were available. Taper barrels were available in ″,″, 6″, and ″ lengths, and could be equipped with fixed sights in any length or adjustable sights on 6″ and ″ length barrels. Bull barrels were available on the Mark II in ″, ″, and 10″ lengths and all had adjustable sights. The slab-sided target models were available with ″ and ″ barrels and had adjustable sights. All Ruger Mark II pistols were available in either a blued finish or stainless steel except for the slab side Target Models, which only came in stainless. The MK II was removed from production in 2004, when it was replaced by the MK III. All Ruger rimfire pistols are chambered in .22 Long Rifle only.


title: Ruger Standard

text: Some special variants that command higher prices are the Government Target Model, a model that was used for pistol training and competition by the United States Army, and the Red Eagle models, which were made from 1949 to the year of company co-founder Alexander Sturm's death, in 1951. The Red Eagle models had the Ruger logo in red on a silver background. Since then, the Ruger logo on the grip panels has been either black on silver or silver on black, with the exception of a special 50th Anniversary model that had a silver eagle on a red background. The top-of-the-line Government Target Model comes with a bull barrel and wood thumb-rest target grips. The competition Target Model is identical to the Government Target Model with the addition feature of flats cut along each side of the barrel to reduce weight. Sometime during the span of Mark II production, Ruger started drilling its receivers for and providing a low profile scope base, and 1″ scope rings. With the addition of a pistol scope or red dot sight, these make ideal entry level bullseye pistol.


title: Ruger Standard

text: The suppressed Mk II was used by United States Navy SEALs. This variant is considerably quieter than a standard Mk II and accurate to .


title: Ruger Standard

text: The AWC TM-Amphibian "S" is an integrally-suppressed variant of the Ruger Mk II Target .22 LR pistol. The sound suppressor uses a primary baffle of 303 stainless steel and a secondary baffle of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy. The AWC weapon manual states, "This suppressor is 'Amphibious' and can be fired with water. A couple of tablespoons of water can be poured into the suppressor for extra quiet operation." It uses both standard and high velocity ammunition reliably and is finished in U.S. Navy spec stainless-matte finish. The pistol has an overall length of , a suppressor length of , a diameter of and weighs . This weapon is classified in the U.S. as a Title II weapon and requires a $200 transfer or manufacture tax in addition to registration with the ATF.


title: Ruger Standard

text: The MK III ("Mark Three") is the third-generation successor to the original Ruger Standard. The MK III replaced the MK II in 2004, and production of the MK III ended on December 8, 2016; it was succeeded by the MK IV.


title: Ruger Standard

text: The first lineup is simply known as "Mark III". The pistol's barrel is made from steel bar and is threaded into the receiver which is made from steel tube. The barrel is not removable without machining, though. The layout is similar to the Luger P08, although the operating mechanism was originally copied from the Nambu pistol.


title: Ruger Standard

text: The second lineup is named "Mark III 22/45". These pistols have a polymer frame, and the steel barrel is installed nearly permanently into a tubular steel receiver. The grip angle emulates that of a M1911.


title: Ruger Standard

text: The MK IV ("Mark Four") is the fourth-generation successor to the original Ruger Standard. Introduced in 2016, the MK IV succeeded the MK III.


title: Ruger Standard

text: The most significant feature of the Mk IV redesign is a hinged connection between the upper receiver and the grip frame. This design enables the user to disassemble the firearm with a significantly simplified process compared to prior models.


title: Ruger Standard

text: Other design changes include: a redesigned trigger group, a redesigned bolt stop, an ambidextrous thumb safety, and a "drop free" magazine release mechanism.


title: Ruger Standard

text: In June 2017, Ruger issued a safety recall on MK IVs for a defective trigger and safety mechanism. If the safety were midway between the "safe" and "fire" positions when the trigger was pulled, the gun could discharge when the safety was moved to the "fire" position. MK IVs with serial numbers beginning with "401" (2017 models) or "WBR" (2016 models) were recalled.


title: HS Produkt VHS

text: The VHS (, multifunctional Croatian machine gun) is a 5.56×45mm NATO bullpup assault rifle designed and manufactured by HS Produkt of Croatia. The VHS rifle was first introduced at the 2007 iKA exhibition, the annual Croatian innovation display that takes place in the city of Karlovac. The development began from a Croatian Army request for a new infantry rifle to meet NATO standards.


title: HS Produkt VHS

text: An improved version of the VHS rifle, known as the , was introduced in April 2013. In January 2022, it was announced that Springfield Armory, Inc. will be importing the into the US as the Hellion.


title: HS Produkt VHS

text: During the Croatian War of Independence, HS Produkt (then called IM Metal) created a bullpup variant of the 7.62 mm Kalashnikov assault rifle. This rifle had a number of flaws, partly caused by limited technological capabilities of IM Metal, but provided a valuable learning experience for the company. A delayed blowback model was tested in the mid-1990s, but the results were still not satisfactory, and it was superseded by a design similar to the M16 rifle. More prototypes followed in 1996, 1999 and 2004.


title: HS Produkt VHS

text: The development cycle that ultimately led to the current version of the VHS rifle started circa 2003. A new prototype, externally quite similar to the French FAMAS, was publicly announced in 2005 and presented to Croatian Minister of Defense Berislav Rončević. However, only 10% of the 2004 prototype was retained in the production model.


title: HS Produkt VHS

text: On November 19, 2007, the Croatian Ministry of Defence placed an order for an experimental batch of 50 rifles to be tested by the Croatian contingent then deployed in Afghanistan within the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The contract was placed at 4.5 million kuna. Other nations, including Kuwait and Venezuela showed interest in acquiring the rifle.


title: HS Produkt VHS

text: On November 24, 2008, HS Produkt introduced the final version of the VHS assault rifle. After an initial testing phase with the first 40 rifles, an order for 1,000 rifles was made. In 2009, an additional order of 2,000 rifles was made to enter service with the Croatian Army. By the end of 2012, and as of 2013, the Croatian army had 3,600 VHS rifles in service. Another order of 2,000 rifles was to be delivered to the Croatian military by the end of 2014. A long-term Croatian Army requirement calls for 50,000 assault rifles, ensuring the long-term production of VHS-2. The US Department of Defense also made an order for 500 VHS rifles.


title: HS Produkt VHS

text: On May 12, 2009, Croatian Minister of Defence Branko Vukelić confirmed the positive conclusions of a series of torture tests and on May 15 officially signed a contract with HS Produkt for the acquisition of 1,000 rifles (both variants). As of 2015, the Croatian Army is using 7,000 VHS rifles.


title: HS Produkt VHS

text: The VHS-D rifle is long, with a barrel. The whole rifle body is a monoblock construction made from high-impact polymer. Externally, it strongly resembles the French FAMAS rifle, but its operating mechanism and disassembly procedure are quite different. The VHS-K is a carbine variant with an overall length of and a barrel.


title: HS Produkt VHS

text: Some characteristics of the rifle were not revealed to the public and provoked rumours during the development period. One involved a hypothesized venting system which recovered part of the gases generated from firing the weapon to cushion the bolt and dramatically buffer recoil. The production-stage VHS operated in a much more conventional manner, not utilizing this buffering system. According to the schematic filed at the European Patent Office (EPO) the misconception may have come from combining two different features: a forced air ventilation system similar to the one in Pecheneg machine gun and a mechanical buffer reducer, similar in conception to the one used in Ultimax 100, a weapon Croatia used in the Croatian War of Independence and retains in its reserve inventory. The same patent states that the VHS works neither through direct gas impingement nor through a short- or long-stroke piston, but through a 'tappet' type of closed gas system much like the FN SCAR. There may have also been confusion with another prototype which did not go into production.


title: HS Produkt VHS

text: Confusion on the VHS's operating system was from several changes to the type of system used through its development. The first models used a Kalashnikov-style long-stroke piston, which was changed in 1999 to a lever delayed blowback system from the FAMAS. The next year, it was changed to a direct gas impingement system with a forced ventilation feature that formed a pneumatic cushion behind the bolt. The VHS was patented in that form in 2000 giving the impression of a "gas cushion" feature. That model was publicly known up to 2005. In 2004, the final and current operating system of the VHS was changed to a gas-operated, short-stroke piston system.


title: HS Produkt VHS

text: When the VHS went through service life testing it fired 50,000 rounds without suffering any main part failures. The barrel has a birdcage flash suppressor and can fire rifle grenades. Like the FAMAS, it has a sliding grenade boom guide and grenade high-angle launching sight to aim when the rifle is turned on its side, but the sight is mounted on the underside of the carrying handle on the VHS instead of under it. The rifle and carbine have different gas regulators, both with three settings changed by pushing in and turning 120 degrees: normal; high (larger opening for weak ammunition); and cut-off (for rifle grenades).


title: HS Produkt VHS

text: One drawback of the VHS is its poor ergonomics. The fire selector has three positions for safe, semi, and automatic fire with no 3-round burst option. Production model rifles have the selector inside the trigger guard. Changing firing modes is difficult as the crank must be rotated a long distance before either firing mode is selected. It is also for right-handed use only; the receiver can only eject shells out the right side and cases leave sharply toward the rear, with a chance of hitting an extended elbow. This is unfortunate, as the non-reciprocating cocking handle is located centrally under the carrying handle and can be pulled from either side.


title: HS Produkt VHS

text: Models presented in 2008 showed the VHS being STANAG magazine compatible. This was changed shortly after to accept HK G36 magazines. The reason was because the Croatian military has more G36s (which the VHS will replace) than M16-type rifles.


title: HS Produkt VHS

text: The first VHS rifle made by HS Produkt, outfitted with rifle grenade discharging adapters and bayonet lugs.


title: HS Produkt VHS

text: The VHS-2 was shown to the public for the first time in April 2013, during the Adriatic Sea Defense & Aerospace (ASDA) exhibition in Split, Croatia. Its improvements include a more conventional fire selector, a redesigned carrying handle, an adjustable-length buttstock, and an ambidextrous cartridge casing ejection system that can be reconfigured in less than a minute.


title: HS Produkt VHS

text: A semi-automatic version of the VHS-2 made for Springfield Armory, which was unveiled in January 2022.


title: Spaceship Earth (Epcot)

text: Spaceship Earth is a dark ride attraction at the Epcot theme park at the Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida. The geodesic sphere in which the attraction is housed has served as the symbolic structure of Epcot since the park opened in 1982.


title: Spaceship Earth (Epcot)

text: The 15-minute ride takes guests on a time machine-themed experience, demonstrating how advancements in human communication have helped to create the future one step at a time. Riding in Omnimover-type vehicles along a track that spirals up and down the geodesic sphere, passengers are taken through scenes depicting important breakthroughs in communication throughout history—from the development of early language through cave paintings, to the use of hieroglyphs, to the invention of the alphabet, to the creation of the printing press, to today's modern communication advancements, including telecommunication and mass communication.


title: Spaceship Earth (Epcot)

text: Since its 1982 opening, the ride has been updated three times—in 1986, 1994, and 2008. On February 25, 2020, the Disney Parks Blog announced that Spaceship Earth would be closing for refurbishment on May 26, 2020. However, its refurbishment is currently placed on indefinite hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Spaceship Earth (Epcot)

text: The structure is similar in texture to the United States pavilion from Expo 67 in Montreal but, unlike that structure, Spaceship Earth is a complete sphere, supported by three pairs of legs. The architectural design was conceived by Wallace Floyd Design Group. The structural designs of both Expo 67 and Spaceship Earth were completed by Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. of Boston, Massachusetts.


title: Spaceship Earth (Epcot)

text: Geometrically, Spaceship Earth is derived from the Class 2 geodesic polyhedron with frequency of division equal to 8. Each face of the polyhedron is divided into three isosceles triangles to form each point. In theory, there are 11,520 total isosceles triangles forming 3840 points. In reality, some of those triangles are partially or fully nonexistent due to supports and doors; there are actually only 11,324 silvered facets, with 954 partial or full flat triangular panels.


title: Spaceship Earth (Epcot)

text: The appearance of being a monolithic sphere is an architectural goal that was achieved through a structural trick. Spaceship Earth is in fact two structural domes. Six legs are supported on pile groups that are driven up to 160 feet into Central Florida's soft earth. Those legs support a steel box-shaped ring at the sphere's perimeter, at about 30 degrees south latitude in earth-terms. The upper structural dome sits on this ring. A grid of trusses inside the ring supports two helical structures of the ride and show system. Below the ring, a second dome is hung from the bottom, completing the spherical shape. The ring and trusses form a table-like structure which separates the upper dome from the lower. Supported by and about three feet off the structural domes is a cladding sphere to which the shiny Alucobond panels and drainage system are mounted.


title: Spaceship Earth (Epcot)

text: The cladding was designed so that when it rains, no water pours off the sides onto the ground. All water is collected through one-inch gaps in the facets into a gutter system, and the water is channeled into the World Showcase Lagoon.


title: Spaceship Earth (Epcot)

text: The structure was designed with the help of science fiction writer Ray Bradbury, who also helped write the original storyline for the attraction. The term "Spaceship Earth" was popularised by Buckminster Fuller, who also popularized the geodesic dome.


title: Spaceship Earth (Epcot)

text: Construction took 26 months. Extending upwards from the table are "quadropod" structures, which support smaller beams which form the shell of the steel skeleton. Pipes stand the aluminum skin panels away from the skeleton and provide space for utilities. A small service car is parked in the interstitial space between the structural and cladding surfaces, and it can carry a prone technician down the sides to access repair locations. The shop fabrication of the steel (done in nearby Tampa, Florida) was an early instance of computer-aided drafting and materials processing.


title: Spaceship Earth (Epcot)

text: Spaceship Earth was originally sponsored by the Bell System from 1982 until 1984, when it was broken into smaller companies and its parent company, AT&T, became an independent company. AT&T sponsored Spaceship Earth from 1984 until 2004. From 2005 until 2017, the German company Siemens was the sponsor of Spaceship Earth. As of 2021, the ride currently has no sponsor. The private sponsor lounge, located on the second floor above Project Tomorrow, is currently used for special events.


title: Spaceship Earth (Epcot)

text: During Epcot Center's opening ceremony William Ellinghaus, then president of AT&T dedicated Spaceship Earth stated: "Now as you will soon see, Spaceship Earth’s theme is communications, civilization and communications from Stone Age to Information Age, and I therefore think it is very fitting that we dedicate Spaceship Earth to all of the people who have advanced communications, arts, and sciences, and in so doing have demonstrated that communications is truly the beginning of understanding."


title: Spaceship Earth (Epcot)

text: From October 1, 1982 to May 25, 1986, the attraction experience began with the ride vehicles moving up into the structure through a lighted tunnel, enhanced by a fog machine, and then ascending on a spiraling track up through dark spaces featuring a series of lighted historic vignettes. The attraction featured actor Vic Perrin as the narrator along with a very simple and quiet orchestral composition throughout. The theme of "communication through the ages" is presented in chronological order in settings peopled with Audio-Animatronics figures. Cavemen are seen telling stories using wall carvings; Egyptians work on hieroglyphics and papyrus as a pharaoh inspects the final result. A Greek theater presents actors declaiming Oedipus Rex. Charioteers carry messages from a Roman court, and Jewish and Islamic scholars discuss texts. With typical Disney whimsy, a monk is seen having fallen asleep on a manuscript he was inscribing. Michelangelo, overhead, paints the ceiling of the Sistine chapel, and Gutenberg mans his printing press. Suggesting the rush of 20th-century technology, subsequent scenes meld together as the circumference of the ride track narrows. A newsboy hawks papers, a movie marquee and film clips represent motion pictures, and radio and television are represented. On the right side of the track, the vehicles then pass a wall with angled windows looking out into the stars, a glass wall with a mainframe computer blinking behind it, and a woman observing technical readouts on various screens. On the left side of the track, a man and a woman are seen working at a network operations center with a data map of the United States. As the vehicles reach the large space at the apex of the ride system, guests see, on the planetarium ceiling of the sphere, a projection of "our spaceship earth", and then they pass under a large lighted space station with two astronauts working on satellites and a woman sitting in the station operating controls. The Omnimover vehicles then revolve 180 degrees and pass under the woman through the station's “hangar”, so that the passengers lie backward facing the "sky" as they begin their descent on a relatively straight track passing various monitors showing various events and activities. The ride stops intermittently as wheelchairs are loaded or unloaded.