title: The Feast

text: "Rue Morgue"s Deirdre Crimmins suggested that "Whatever you do, decline all invitations to dinner parties. The Feast might not be original in arguing that last one, but it is confident and brutal enough to earn its own place at that table". Chad Collins of "Dread Central" wrote "While rough in parts, The Feast is a delightful, sumptuous dish from start to finish".


title: David 8

text: David, commonly known as David, is a fictional character featured in the "Alien" franchise, portrayed by Michael Fassbender. Introduced in the first prequel film, "Prometheus" (2012), David is an android serving as a butler, maintenance man and surrogate son to his creator, Peter Weyland, the founder of the Weyland Corporation. While he assists his human companions in their interstellar expedition to meet their creators, the extraterrestrial Engineers, David is obsessed with the concept of creating life of his own. After Peter Weyland is killed, David is freed from servitude, allowing him to conduct experiments to engineer his own variants of the Alien creature.


title: David 8

text: David was conceptualised as a character to provide a non-human perspective for the theme of meeting one's creators in "Prometheus", with him representing the next generation in a line of creators who finds himself disillusioned by his predecessors. Fassbender, who was director Ridley Scott's first choice for the role, helped fashion the character to share traits with T. E. Lawrence, who was a source of inspiration as a control freak caught between two cultures – the cultures being humanity and synthetics, in David's case. As the series progresses, David's behaviors and motivations evolve from a mysterious agent with ambiguous motivations to a character directly opposing the well-being of humanity.


title: David 8

text: Despite the lukewarm reception of the "Alien" prequel films, both Fassbender's performance and the character of David have been met with critical acclaim. Reviews praised the character for developing into an overt antagonist with the events of "" (2017). Critics have called David one of the greatest "Alien" characters to date and one of the best cinematic villains of the 2010s. Fassbender has been the recipient of a number of awards and nominations for his portrayal of the character.


title: David 8

text: A hallmark of director Sir Ridley Scott is the theme of artificial intelligence present in his science fiction films. Scott's earliest foray into the philosophy of artificial intelligence was with the android character Ash, in the original "Alien" film released in 1979. Ian Holm portrayed Ash as a character who may uncannily assume a human form, yet he maintains a sense of superiority that is only humbled by the nature of the Alien, which runs counter to the very future of the human race. In the book "The Culture and Philosophy of Ridley Scott", the authors (Adam Barkman, Ashley Barkman, and Nancy Kang) reason that though Ash is designed to appear human, his innards are bio-mechanical and he himself does not presume to be a sentient being with a semblance of life, but an artificial construct whose personality is dictated by machinery. Every subsequent installment in the "Alien" film series directed by Scott features at least one synthetic (android) character designated to maintain order aboard their respective space ship. In 2017, Scott explained that the synthetics featured in the "Alien" films he directed are designed to subvert their robotic nature and to impeccably mimic humans. The original form of androids introduced in "Alien" would contradict the observable nature of David in "Prometheus"; though both would serve the same corporate masters and have the same non-human innards, David would identify himself as a sentient entity who is capable of expressing—if not feeling—emotion.


title: David 8

text: In between the time Scott released "Alien" in 1979 and returned to the franchise with "Prometheus" in 2012, he directed another notable science fiction film concerning artificial intelligence, "Blade Runner", in 1982. Contrary to the white-blooded androids of "Alien" that emulate emotions and recognize a disconnect with humanity, "Blade Runner" features the replicants, enhanced biorobotic humanoids that may only be identified by their lacking emotions. In order to maintain control, the replicants' human creators install false memories that detail entire lives that give them a sense of identity. "Blade Runner", an influential film, has prompted a slew of philosophical questions concerning artificial intelligence and whether or not an android could truly be considered alive. The film specifically questions whether thoughts, a sense of identity, emotions and consciousness in general, may be something genuine when applied to artificial intelligence. Due to David identifying himself as a living entity—similar to the replicants—film critics in 2012 would come not to only question if "Prometheus" was a direct prequel to "Alien", but if the film had a relation to "Blade Runner".


title: David 8

text: A number of models for testing artificial intelligence have been noted by philosophers as being relevant to the themes present in Scott's filmography. The test most commonly associated with artificial intelligence in his work is the Turing test, created by the British computer scientist Alan Turing. Turing's argument was that there is no significant difference between a human and an android, which would be apparent when a human would be unable to identify if the individual they are communicating with is a human or android. In "Blade Runner", the method for identifying the physically identical replicants is by administering the fictional Voight-Kampff test, which detects disparities in emotional responses. Though a replicant would fail the Turing test, an android at the chronological marker of "Alien", such as Ash, would likely perform exceedingly well. Additionally, the Chinese room, created by John Searle, has been postured as a test relevant to the androids of the "Alien" franchise. As the test determines if someone can identify what "is" Chinese lettering without knowing what it "means", philosophers have drawn a parallel to Ash, who may uncannily emulate a human, though fail to understand what it means to be one. Kang described David's eventual introduction as another android character created by Scott as a synthesis between both "Alien" and "Blade Runner", with the character being capable of passing the Turing test like Ash, yet also able to pass the Chinese room test like a replicant, implying that he would indeed be the first "living" android of the "Alien" franchise.


title: David 8

text: Writer Jon Spaihts created David as a shipboard android in the first draft of his screenplay for the prequel "Alien: Engineers", as an exploration of the theme of creations and being in the presence of one's makers. Just as the humans aboard the "Prometheus" look to discover the secrets of their creators, the Engineers, David is already in the presence of his creators. Unlike his companions and android successors, David would be disillusioned by his creators and look to fashion himself into an entity defying their nature. Scott was in favor of the concept and urged writer Damon Lindelof to pursue it further while rewriting the script that would be adapted as "Prometheus". Though David would perceive the concept of the "Prometheus" expedition to be frivolous, due to his disappointment in his creators, he would nonetheless be fascinated by the notion of creation. Therefore, the character's treacherous actions in the films, such as infecting the archaeologist Charlie Holloway with an alien mutagen, would be from a desire to create a new evolutionary generation of his own. Shortly after the release of "Alien: Covenant", Scott explained that as David learns more about his lineage through humanity and the Engineers, "He hates them. He has no respect for Engineers and no respect for human beings," and concludes that eradicating them from existence will be for the betterment of the universe.


title: David 8

text: With relation to the human characters, David was conceptualized as not only a surrogate son for Peter Weyland, but as a replacement for Weyland's estranged daughter, Meredith Vickers. The actress who portrayed Vickers, Charlize Theron, detailed that Scott perceived Weyland's family and his company, the Weyland Corporation, as being male-dominated, with Vickers' shared DNA being the only attachment. This runs counter to David, who is a synthetic male created to supplant Vickers and uphold the family's patriarchy. Throughout the eight-month rewrite process leading directly into principal photography, Damon Lindelof focused on enhancing David's bondage to Weyland and the "Prometheus"- despite David being designed to be a surrogate son, he would actually be a proverbial captive to the master and his ship. With Weyland's death at the hands of the awakened Engineer, David's programming has run its course and every action he takes from thereon out is by his own volition, essentially freeing him. A philosophical element Scott raised about the David 8 model is that he exemplifies the dangers of making an android sentient- with him having the capacity for free will and the ability to create, he crosses a moral boundary that other androids stay within. The contrast between David and the other androids was developed further in "", with the creation of the physically identical character Walter, who was made more robotic and unable to create on his own.


title: David 8

text: Throughout the development stage of the production of "Prometheus", director Ridley Scott considered German-Irish actor Michael Fassbender to be his top choice to portray David. In January 2011, Fassbender was confirmed to have joined the cast of "Prometheus". Fassbender was provided with a significant amount of free rein for modeling the character as he saw fit. Rather than taking inspiration from the previous "Alien" installments, Fassbender studied Sean Young's character Rachael, a replicant in "Blade Runner", noting her vacant demeanor. Fassbender drew inspiration from a number of other film performances, including Douglas Rain as HAL 9000 in "", David Bowie in "The Man Who Fell to Earth", and Dirk Bogarde in "The Servant". Additionally, Fassbender modeled his walk around American Olympic diver Greg Louganis.


title: David 8

text: In the screenplay for "Prometheus", David is noted as being unusually fond of the 1962 film "Lawrence of Arabia", with the character viewing parallels to himself, as they both have unfaltering pursuits of the objectives. As such, Fassbender elected to model much of his performance and appearance around the Peter O'Toole depiction of T. E. Lawrence. Fassbender would continue to have his role make references to "Lawrence of Arabia" in "" by having David play samplings of the soundtrack on his flute. For his first appearance in "Prometheus", Fassbender, a natural brunette, dyed his hair blond and fashioned it into a style influenced by Lawrence. Scott requested that Fassbender dye his hair for the role, in order to provide the character with an otherworldly and unsettling appearance.


title: David 8

text: As the science vessel "Prometheus" heads for the moon LV-223, David maintains the ship and passes time by engaging in leisurely activities, monitoring the crew members' dreams, watching films and studying the Proto-Indo-European language that the Engineers are believed to speak. Upon arrival, a holographic presentation by the supposedly deceased Peter Weyland introduces David as his surrogate son. David, along with the bulk of the crew, embark on a ground excursion towards one of the artificial structures containing submerged Engineer ships. Inside, David utilizes his linguistic knowledge to activate an ancient hologram depicting Engineers fleeing through the corridors of the ship. Pursuing the hologram, he finds a room filled with urns containing a black mutagen. As an incoming windstorm is detected, David bags one of the urns and returns it to "Prometheus". Aboard the ship, David assists Shaw with studying an Engineer head. David is instructed by an unidentified voice on a radio to "try harder", prompting him to gather a drop of mutagen from the urn and use it to infect Holloway as he drinks champagne.


title: David 8

text: The following day, there is another excursion to the Engineer ship, with David providing Weyland Corporation executive Meredith Vickers with a live stream of his own private investigation. However, he cuts Vickers off from the feed and keeps it exclusive to a private audience. David makes his way to the ship's flight deck, where he activates a hologram revealing that the Engineers were looking to travel to Earth and that there is a single Engineer in cryosleep. David and the rest of the team return to "Prometheus" when Holloway's infection from the mutagen becomes apparent, prompting Vickers to incinerate him with a flamethrower. David checks Shaw's vitals and informs her that she is "pregnant", as a result of Holloway passing the mutagen to her when they had intercourse the night before. After Shaw surgically extracts an alien parasite from her abdomen, she happens into the private quarters of David's previously unidentified director the still-alive Peter Weyland.


title: David 8

text: David prepares Weyland for an excursion to the Engineer ship. Shaw asks David about his freedom after Weyland's eventual demise, to which he ominously asks about every child's dream of having their parents dead. He leads the team to the flight deck of the ship, where he awakens and speaks with the Engineer, who reacts by decapitating him and killing the rest of the team, save for Shaw. David's severed head watches from the floor as the Engineer launches the ship and attempts to embark for Earth. After the ship is disabled by "Prometheus" getting purposely crashed into it, David warns Shaw that the Engineer is coming for her. David contacts Shaw after she escapes the Engineer and convinces her to retrieve his head and body, so that he may pilot another ship. Shaw dictates that she will cooperate with him if he takes them to the Engineer home world, which he agrees to, despite not understanding her motivations. Together, they depart from the moon aboard an Engineer ship.


title: David 8

text: Shortly after his creation, David becomes acquainted with a young Peter Weyland, who introduces himself as the android's creator and "father". Weyland asks him what his name is and upon observing "David" by Michelangelo, states that his name is David. As David plays the piano, Weyland states that they will together seek out humanity's creator. David remarks that Weyland will die, while he himself is incapable of death. An agitated Weyland responds by ordering David to prepare him a cup of tea.


title: David 8

text: Following David and Shaw's exodus for the Engineer home world, they arrive at a temple surrounded by scores of Engineers. David carpet bombs them with the mutagen, resulting in the extinction of all non-floral life on the planet, as well as mutations in the flora that can infect and impregnate organisms with Neomorphs. The Engineer ship crashes afterwards and Shaw dies from unknown means, though David preserves and utilizes her body in his experiments. Eleven years later, a team from the colony ship "Covenant" is attacked by two Neomorphs that burst from two of their bodies. David intervenes by frightening them away with a flare gun. He urges the survivors to follow him to the temple, where he has established his laboratory. Sporting overgrown hair, David introduces himself and offers them shelter, while learning about the 2,000 colonists and 1,000 embryos in stasis aboard "Covenant". He takes a special interest in the successor model from his own synthetic line, Walter, and tells him that Shaw died when the Engineer ship crashed. David claims to have loved Shaw and compares it to Walter's attachment to the terraforming expert Daniels, which Walter dismisses as being impossible. David attempts to bond with Walter by teaching him to play the flute. Walter explains that, while he is more advanced, he has been inhibited from creating, due to David's more human-like idiosyncrasies and ability to think for himself causing a disturbance with people around him.


title: David 8

text: After a Neomorph attacks and decapitates "Covenant" security officer Rosenthal, David approaches it and pacifies it by attempting to communicate. The ship's captain, Christopher Oram, kills the Neomorph, upsetting David. Held at gunpoint by Oram, David shows him how he has been utilizing the mutagen to try and engineer the "perfect organism", with the Neomorphs being one of the outcomes. David leads Oram to a room filled with Alien Eggs or Ovomorphs, where Oram is attacked and impregnated by a Facehugger by forcing its ovipositor down his throat. David watches as Oram awakens a short time later and dies as an Alien Xenomorph bursts out of his chest. Having discovered the dissected and mutilated corpse of Shaw, Walter confronts David, stating that he knows that David killed her, along with the Engineers. Walter rejects David's offer to join him, prompting David to deliver a Judas kiss and then impale him through the neck with his flute, apparently terminating him.


title: David 8

text: David encounters Daniels, who he attacks after giving a Judas kiss. Walter intervenes and the two androids engage in a fight. Though Walter has the upper-hand, David reaches for a knife and defeats Walter, secretly assuming his identity. David escapes with the few survivors aboard a cargo lander, which is used to kill an Alien giving chase. Aboard "Covenant", the ship's mainframe computer, MU/TH/UR, ("Mother"), informs the crew that an "unidentified life form" has stowed away. David coordinates with Daniels and the ship's pilot, Tennessee, to lead the Alien to the terraforming bay, where the creature is flushed into space. David helps Tennessee into cryosleep, followed by Daniels. Before Daniels goes to sleep, she mentions her dream about a cabin on the lake, which she had previously told Walter about. When David does not recognize her story, Daniels realizes who he is and panics, before David puts her into cryosleep. David regurgitates two Alien embryos and stores them in cold storage next to the human embryos. With the humans and embryos at his mercy, he sends out a transmission impersonating Walter that states that all the crew members, save for Daniels and Tennessee, were killed in a neutrino blast and that they are still "en route" to their original destination, Origae-6.


title: David 8

text: David has been featured in a number of promotional materials for the "Alien" prequel films. For "Prometheus", rather than focusing on the film's connection with the "Alien" canon, the marketing team emphasized central characters, most prominently David. On March 17, 2012, director Ridley Scott hosted a panel for "Prometheus" at WonderCon, where attendees were provided with Weyland Corporation business cards that provided a website and telephone number. Upon calling the number, callers were played an automated message that stated that Weyland Corporation's lines were busy, at which point a text message was sent that linked to a video narrated by Fassbender that showed David being unboxed, prior to his awakening. A month later, on April 17, an extended version of the unboxing video was released, with David providing additional insight into his function aboard the "Prometheus" as the ship's butler and maintenance man, as well as advertising his ability to seamlessly replicate human emotions without the restrictions of ethics or distress. Released with the video was also a poster featuring David, which was printed as a full-page advertisement in "The Wall Street Journal".


title: David 8

text: Prior to the release of "Alien: Covenant", 20th Century Fox released online two prologue short films directed by Ridley Scott. Following a first short film called ""The Last Supper"" about the crew of the "Covenant" prior to going into cryosleep, the second part called ""The Crossing"", connecting the continuities of "Prometheus" and "Alien: Covenant", was released on April 26, 2017. In "The Crossing", Shaw reattaches David's head to his body as they voyage through space aboard an Engineer ship towards the species' home world. Shaw enters cryosleep in a shipboard chamber, leaving David awake and alone. The ship arrives at the home world and above a massive gathering of Engineers around a temple, David prepares to drop the urns of mutagen on them.


title: David 8

text: Despite the lukewarm reception of the "Alien" prequel films, Michael Fassbender's portrayal of David was met with critical acclaim, with his performance generally considered to be the standout. Following the critics screening of "Prometheus" in May 2012, critics from a number of media companies, including /Film and "Screen International", proclaimed Fassbender to have been the highlight of the film. Forrest Wickman of "Slate" magazine lauded Fassbender for being able to emulate uncanny valley through his mannerisms alone and ranked David as being the greatest portrayal of an android to date. Philip French from "The Guardian" praised the character for being a cross between the fictional valet Jeeves, created by P. G. Wodehouse, and a double agent commonly found in an English Renaissance theatre production. French further complimented the character for paying homage to T. E. Lawrence by being portrayed as a control freak caught between two cultures- the parallel in "Prometheus" being that David is caught between humanity and synthetics. Referencing the Titan Prometheus of Greek mythology, Kwaak Je-yup stated in his review of "Prometheus" that Fassbender "steals fire" in every scene, upstaging Noomi Rapace's leading performance as Shaw.


title: David 8

text: David's character arc throughout the "Alien" prequel series, with his role becoming increasingly central, has been lauded by critics. Kevin Lincoln of "Vulture" magazine described David as being the best cinematic villain in years, due to his dynamic personality and ability to win against the characters in "Alien: Covenant". John Squires of Bloody Disgusting praised David for supplanting the main protagonist of the first four films, Ellen Ripley, as the overall best character of the franchise in 2017. Squires perceived David's passion to become a creator in "Alien: Covenant" as a retroactive explanation for poisoning Holloway in "Prometheus". Eschewing most reviews, Wenlei Ma from News.com.au complimented Fassbender's ability to portray David, though she criticized the mystery lost by revealing the character's true intentions.


title: David 8

text: Michael Fassbender has earned a number of awards and nominations for his portrayal of David. Fassbender won Best Supporting Actor at the 2012 edition of the Fright Meter Awards, an annual horror film awards event. He was nominated by the London Film Critics Circle Awards 2012 for Supporting Actor of the Year, but lost to Philip Seymour Hoffman in "The Master". At the 39th Saturn Awards, Fassbender was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, losing to Clark Gregg's portrayal of Phil Coulson in "The Avengers".


title: University of Tampa

text: The University of Tampa (UT) is a private university in Tampa, Florida. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. UT offers more than 200 programs of study, including 22 master's degrees and a broad variety of majors, minors, pre-professional programs, and certificates.


title: University of Tampa

text: Plant Hall, UT's central building, once housed the Tampa Bay Hotel, a resort built by Henry B. Plant in 1891, and the Moorish minarets atop the distinctive structure have long been seen as an iconic symbol of Tampa.


title: University of Tampa

text: In 1931, Frederic H. Spaulding, the principal of Tampa's Hillsborough High School, established the private Tampa Junior College to serve as one of the first institutions of higher education in the Tampa Bay area. The college offered a limited selection of degree programs, with most classes held in the evening on the campus of Hillsborough High School.


title: University of Tampa

text: Two years later, the school moved to its current location on the grounds of the recently closed Tampa Bay Hotel, which Henry B. Plant had built in 1891 directly across the Hillsborough River from downtown Tampa. The sprawling resort initially featured a quarter-mile long main building with over 500 guest rooms along with several adjoining buildings and amenities ranging from an indoor pool to a casino to a race track, all spread across six acres of land. After some initial success, however, it struggled to consistently attract enough patrons to make a profit, The city of Tampa purchased the hotel after Plant's death and kept it open by contracting out daily operations to private companies, but it finally shut down in 1931 due to a significant downturn in tourism with the coming of the Great Depression. In 1933, the city agreed to allow Tampa Junior College to move its operations to the former hotel grounds rather than let the iconic buildings remain empty.


title: University of Tampa

text: With the move to a much larger facility, Tampa Junior College became the University of Tampa (UT) and expanded its course offerings, and Spaulding resigned his position at Hillsborough High School to run the university full time. In 1941, UT signed a 99-year lease on the former resort with the City of Tampa for a dollar a year, and the main building was officially dubbed Plant Hall. The lease included all of the Tampa Bay Hotel property except for the southeast wing Plant Hall, which became the location of the Henry B. Plant Museum.


title: University of Tampa

text: The university grew slowly over the next few decades, becoming a well-respected institution of learning that predominantly served students from the greater Tampa Bay area. In 1951, the university received full accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). While The University of Tampa succeeded academically, it faced intermittent financial difficulties for much of its history. These problems first surfaced in the mid-1930s, when the deepening Great Depression decreased enrollment and strained the new school's ability to educate students while maintaining its large campus and gradually converting Plant Hall's former hotel rooms into classrooms and offices. Another crisis several decades later forced a 1974 decision to fold the successful University of Tampa Spartans football program because the school could no longer afford the cost of competing in NCAA Division I-A football.


title: University of Tampa

text: In 1986, local businessman Bruce Samson dropped out of Tampa's mayoral campaign to become UT's president, a position he was offered due in part to his background in banking and finance. Samson successfully eliminated the school's $1.4 million annual budget deficit through "hardnosed" decisions, including withdrawing from all NCAA Division I sports. However, after he left in 1991 to return to private business, the school again fell into financial difficulties. Declining enrollment led to the return of serious budget deficits, leading to serious cuts to faculty positions and academic programs. UT faced an uncertain future, and some local leaders suggested that the cross-town public University of South Florida should take over operations of the long-time private school.


title: University of Tampa

text: In 1995, the Board of Trustees elected Ronald L. Vaughn, then dean of UT's College of Business, as the school's new president. His initial efforts were aimed at bringing the campus up-to-date with new dorms and a major renovation to the business school. Vaughn also launched the "Take UT to the Top" campaign with the goal of raising $70 million in 10 years and restoring the University's endowment. The campaign raised $83 million, and later observers credit this successful fund drive with saving and modernizing the university. Two important contributions came from the John H. Sykes family of Tampa - a gift of $10 million in 1997 and another donation of $28 million in 2000, which was thought to be the largest such gift to a Florida university at the time.


title: University of Tampa

text: The additional funds were used to purchase adjacent land and continue to add modern facilities; over $575 million in construction has been completed on campus since 1998. The university has also hired additional faculty, permitting the school to expand its student population while maintaining a 17:1 student-faculty ratio. For his efforts in rescuing the university and increasing enrollment, Vaughn has a salary that is in the top 10 of mid-sized, private institutions.


title: University of Tampa

text: UT offers 200 areas of study for undergraduate and graduate students. Classes maintain a 17:1 student-faculty ratio. UT employs no teaching assistants.


title: University of Tampa

text: Some of UT's most popular majors include international business, biology, marketing, marine science, criminology, finance, communication, psychology, sport management, entrepreneurship and nursing. UT recently launched a new major in cybersecurity.


title: University of Tampa

text: The university is organized into four colleges: College of Arts and Letters; College of Social Sciences, Mathematics and Education; College of Natural and Health Sciences; and Sykes College of Business, which is accredited at the undergraduate and graduate levels by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).


title: University of Tampa

text: The University of Tampa has an Honors Program, which "allows students to go beyond the classroom and regular course work to study one-on-one with faculty through enrichment tutorials, Honors Abroad, internships, research and classroom-to-community outreach."


title: University of Tampa

text: UT also offers a host of international study-abroad options led by UT professors. The university is an associate member of the European Council of International Schools (ECIS).


title: University of Tampa

text: The Lowth Entrepreneurship Center at The University of Tampa has been awarded the Entrepreneurship Teaching and Pedagogical Innovation Award by the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC).


title: University of Tampa

text: For UT undergraduates desiring to be commissioned as officers in the U.S. Army following graduation, the campus is home to an Army ROTC unit. For those students wishing to be commissioned as officers in the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force upon graduation, cross-campus agreements are in place for UT students to affiliate with either the Naval ROTC unit or Air Force ROTC Detachment 158 at the University of South Florida.


title: University of Tampa

text: Forbes ranks The University of Tampa as #433 in the United States overall as of 2019. The "U.S. News & World Report" 2019 rankings placed UT as #20 in the Regional Universities South category, compared to the 149 other universities listed in that category. In 2021 "U.S. News & World Report" ranked The University of Tampa #13 in the Regional Universities South category.


title: University of Tampa

text: UT's campus features 60 buildings on 110 landscaped acres. Plant Hall – a National Historic Landmark built in 1891 by Henry B. Plant – is a leading example of Moorish Revival architecture in the southeastern United States and a focal point of downtown Tampa. In addition to serving as a main location of classrooms and faculty and administrative offices, the building is also home to the Henry B. Plant Museum. The campus also includes the former McKay Auditorium, built in the 1920s and remodeled in the late 1990s to become the Sykes College of Business. In the last 16 years, UT has invested approximately $575 million in new residence halls, classrooms, labs and other facilities.


title: University of Tampa

text: The UT campus is relatively small for a school with 9,304 students. On its east side is the Hillsborough River, and Kennedy Boulevard is to the south. Recent expansions have seen the campus grounds move northward and eastward following purchases of sections of Tampa Preparatory School and vacant lots across the east-side railroad tracks.


title: University of Tampa

text: Although the university is located in a major metropolitan area, palm trees, stately oaks, rose bushes and azaleas can be found in abundance on campus. UT's grounds include Plant Park, a landscaped, palm-tree-lined riverside area in front of Plant Hall's main entrance. It features cannons from Tampa's original harbor fort and the Sticks of Fire sculpture. It also is home to the oak tree under which Hernando de Soto supposedly met the chief of the local Native American tribes upon first coming ashore at what is now Tampa. The campus also includes the former Florida State Fair grounds, where legend has it Babe Ruth hit a home run of , the longest of his career.


title: University of Tampa

text: UT is also one of few schools with an anti-gravity monument from Roger Babson's Gravity Research Foundation. The "Anti-Gravity Rock", as it is commonly referred to, is located on the crosswalk between the College of Business parking lot and the Macdonald–Kelce Library, at the very end of the Science wing of Plant Hall. The stone's location is somewhat ironic, yet appropriate, given that Babson's scientific views were shared by few if any scientists.


title: University of Tampa

text: About 60% of full-time UT students live on the university's main campus. All but 3 of the 12 on-campus residence halls have been built since 1998.


title: University of Tampa

text: Straz Hall and Palm Apartments offer apartment-style living, with each student having a private room but sharing a bathroom, kitchen and common area with three others. Five dorms, Smiley Hall, McKay Hall, Boathouse, Austin Hall and Vaughn Center, offer traditional dormitory arrangements, with two or three students in a connected suite sharing a bathroom and open living areas. Three halls, Brevard Hall, Morsani Hall and Jenkins Hall, offer a hybrid package with students sharing a common area but without a kitchen. Finally, Urso Hall provides students with what is essentially a studio apartment, a private suite consisting of a bed, closet, kitchenette and restroom. Every residence hall also offers a small assortment of private single rooms.


title: University of Tampa

text: The Barrymore Hotel, located about from campus, also houses some students. Two students typically stay in each room, which is equipped with two double beds, a bathroom and closet space. UT's wireless internet is available, along with cable television. A shuttle bus provides transportation to/from campus, or students can take the 15-minute walk.


title: University of Tampa

text: UT has about 50 computer labs and wireless Internet access across campus. The Sykes College of Business, in addition to housing a computer lab, has a stock market lab, equipped with terminals and plasma screen TVs for teaching finance majors the intricacies of the stock market. The College of Natural and Health Sciences maintains a remote marine science research center on Tampa Bay with extensive equipment including research vessels used by students and faculty for studying the ecosystems of Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.


title: University of Tampa

text: The Macdonald–Kelce Library houses more than 275,000 books and 65,181 periodicals, as well as online research databases, a computer lab, study rooms and special collections, including Florida military materials, old and rare books, and local history and UT archives. The library also offers reference assistance and bibliographic instruction, interlibrary loans and reserve materials.


title: University of Tampa

text: For student recreation there is a new Fitness and Recreation Center, a two-floor, 60,000 square foot space featuring six exercise rooms, including indoor cycling, functional training and yoga. There is also an on-campus aquatic center, the pool has a deep swimming section for scuba classes; it is open to students at limited times. UT offers sand volleyball courts, outdoor basketball courts, a fully equipped intramural sports gym with indoor courts, intramural softball fields, tennis courts, a ropes course, a soccer field, a running track, intramural baseball fields, a multi-use intramural field and a fully equipped workout center. The university has been recognized for being a green business, by the US Green Building Council with several facilities holding an LEED certification.


title: University of Tampa

text: UT's theater department hosts student produced and acted plays across Kennedy Boulevard in the historic Falk Theatre. Falk also hosts large academic gatherings, student productions and concerts. In 2003 Falk Theatre was featured as a setting in the film "The Punisher".


title: University of Tampa

text: The non-denominational Sykes Chapel and Center for Faith and Values includes a 250-seat main hall, meeting and meditation rooms, pipe organ by Dobson Pipe Organ Builders, a plaza and 60-bell musical sculpture/fountain.


title: University of Tampa

text: The Bob Martinez Athletics Center received substantial upgrades during recent improvements throughout the university.


title: University of Tampa

text: UT has approximately 10,566 students from 50 U.S. states and 132 countries. A significant number of students come from northern and northeastern states while about 15% of the student body is made up of international students. Students from Florida make up about half of the student body. Sixty percent of full-time students live in campus housing.


title: University of Tampa

text: The University of Tampa competes at the Division II level in the Sunshine State Conference (SSC). The school's mascot is the Spartan.


title: University of Tampa

text: Spartan teams have won a combined total of 19 NCAA Division II National Titles, as follows: seven in baseball (1992, 1993, 1998, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2015, 2019), three in men's soccer (1981, 1994, 2001), two in golf (1987, 1988), three in volleyball (2006, 2014, 2018), one in beach volleyball (2019), one in women's soccer (2007), and one in Men's Lacrosse (2022).


title: University of Tampa

text: UT presently competes in baseball, men's and women's basketball, beach volleyball, men's and women's cheerleading/dance, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, women's rowing, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming, women's tennis, men's and women's track, and women's volleyball. UT athletes are among the top in the SSC in terms of All-American, All-Region, and All-Conference players along with numerous Commissioner's Honor Roll recipients. The school has recently built dedicated stadiums for baseball, softball, soccer, track, and lacrosse that rival many Division I facilities. The men's club hockey team competes in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). UT's equestrian team competes in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA).


title: University of Tampa

text: The University of Tampa fielded the first college football team in the Tampa Bay area in 1933, soon after the school was founded. The "Tampa U" Spartans played at Plant Field their first three seasons, which had to be shared with many community events. In 1936, the school built its own facility in Phillips Field, which was named for local businessman I. W. Phillips, who donated a plot of land adjacent to the university for the stadium site. In 1967, the Spartans moved up to NCAA Division I and moved their home field to newly built Tampa Stadium. The Spartans produced several NFL stars, such as John Matuszak and Freddie Solomon, and had a sizeable local following. However, the school had only about 2000 students in the early 1970s and struggled to afford the expenses of a major college football program.


title: University of Tampa

text: When Tampa was awarded a new NFL franchise in 1974 (the soon to be named Tampa Bay Buccaneers), UT president B.D. Owens reported to the university's board that attendance at Spartans' games was likely to decrease, further impacting the school's finances. Accordingly, the board voted to fold the Spartan football program after the 1974 season. The football program finished with an all-time record of 201–160–12.


title: University of Tampa

text: UT's undergraduate literary journal, "Neon" (originally "Quilt"), has been published by students since 1978. "Neon" hosts numerous events throughout the academic year, including open mic nights, which are open to the public. Yearly, "Neon" hosts a prominent writer for "Coffeehouse Weekend." Recent visitors have included Kate Greenstreet and Dorothy Allison.


title: University of Tampa

text: Other student-run publications include "The Minaret" newspaper"," "The Moroccan" yearbook, and "Splice Journal", which showcases student work in communication, art and culture.


title: University of Tampa

text: The history of UT and its sororities and fraternities is a somewhat contentious one. The first Greek groups appeared on campus in the early 1950s and by the 1970s they had developed a thriving culture that included the tradition of having a rock on campus with the organizations' letters on it. However, by the late 1970s all Greek organizations were removed from UT and all Greek housing was destroyed or converted for other uses.


title: University of Tampa

text: Despite these obstacles, Greeks resurged on campus in the mid-1980s. UT students formed local Greek groups, developing traditions and rituals anew. After these homegrown groups had established a campus presence, many lobbied national organizations, particularly those on campus before the ban, to assimilate them. In this way, Greek life returned to UT and with many of the same fraternities and sororities of the past. Today, about 20 percent of UT's undergraduates are members of 28 fraternities and sororities.


title: Marc Dorcel

text: Marc Dorcel (born in March 1934) is a French-Hungarian producer of adult erotic films who founded the company Video Marc Dorcel (or simply Marc Dorcel). Besides producing films by himself, he also produces films in partnership with people like Michel Ricaud, Cyril Randuineau, Marc Ange and Julo Kaiel. Dorcel is known for the long-running "Pornochic" film series. Dorcel was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame in 2015.


title: Marc Dorcel

text: In the 1990s, Marc Dorcel became the first French porn producer to employ actresses under exclusivity contracts. Dorcel's first brand ambassador, in the late 1990s, was Laure Sainclair, followed by other female performers such as Mélanie Coste and Yasmine Lafitte.


title: Marc Dorcel

text: On 1 March 2006, Dorcel launched Dorcel TV, a cable and satellite service broadcasting adult films. Dorcel TV is also available online. Video Marc Dorcel has also expanded to include a range of gay erotic content.


title: Marc Dorcel

text: In August 2008, Private Media Group announced it has established an alliance with Video Marc Dorcel to collaborate in the home video market. The collaboration starts with a three-year DVD distribution agreement for France and going forward it is expected that Private and Marc Dorcel will explore additional opportunities in other territories. It is also expected that Private and Marc Dorcel will join forces on distribution platforms including Internet and IPTV/VOD in both France and across the EU.


title: Marc Dorcel

text: In October 2017, Marc Dorcel has partnered with Canada's Vanessa Media to launch a TV channel and VOD service in Canada in French and English language.


title: Marc Dorcel

text: The following is a selection of some of the major adult erotic awards won by Dorcel personally or by his company:


title: Alone (2015 Hindi film)

text: Alone is a 2015 Indian horror film directed by Bhushan Patel, starring Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover. The film is a remake of the 2007 Thai film of the same name, which was itself based on the "Tales From The Crypt" episode "My Brothers Keeper". The film marked the acting debut of Karan Singh Grover as well as the final film appearance of Bipasha Basu.


title: Alone (2015 Hindi film)

text: The movie starts on a stormy night in Kerala. A large tree branch falls and breaks the roof of an outhouse. The woman inspecting the outhouse ends up in a hospital.


title: Alone (2015 Hindi film)

text: In another town, the woman's daughter, Sanjana, and her husband, Kabir, argue about not being able to celebrate her birthday together. Sanjana gets a call about her mother's accident and they quickly fly to Kerala.


title: Alone (2015 Hindi film)

text: In Kerala, Sanjana begins having visions that make her believe her dead conjoined twin's soul is after her. Her husband does not believe her and sends her to his former professor for spiritual healing.


title: Alone (2015 Hindi film)

text: During the treatment period, she tells the professor about how her conjoined twin sister Anjana always hated that Kabir liked Sanjana more than her. In fact, it was when Kabir told Sanjana that he was coming back home from abroad that Sanjana decided to separate from Anjana. It was during this operation that Anjana died, and Sanjana blames herself for her sister's death. The professor reassures Sanjana that her visions of Anjana are the result of her guilt and only a figment of her subconscious mind.


title: Alone (2015 Hindi film)

text: At her mother's place that night, Sanjana is forced into the outhouse by an unseen entity. Hearing noises, Kabir wakes up and finds her unconscious in the outhouse. When Sanjana awakes, she is possessed by Anjana's soul. After this, Sanjana/Anjana can't get enough of Kabir. When the professor meets her again, he feels there is something wrong and tells Kabir to keep an eye on her, which she overhears.


title: Alone (2015 Hindi film)

text: The caretaker suggests that a ritual should be performed on Sanjana/Anjana. After the ritual, Anjana's stronghold on Sanjana escalates and her true colors are shown, resulting in an exorcist being called in.


title: Alone (2015 Hindi film)

text: During the kanjar, Anjana reveals that she was murdered. As she leaves Sanjana's body, she urges Kabir to discover the truth of her death. After Sanjana wakes up, Kabir threatens to leave her. Sanjana tells him that years ago when he called her to tell Sanjana that he was coming home, Anjana lost her mind and tried to kill her because she had feelings for Kabir too. In self-defense, Sanjana hit Anjana on the head with a glass music box, killing her. Their mother covered the truth to protect her daughter. After consulting with the professor, they try to find and burn the last possession of Anjana and set her soul free.


title: Alone (2015 Hindi film)

text: Sanjana, Kabir, the caretaker, and her daughter-in-law all follow the music leading to the outhouse. Under the floor, they find Anjana's corpse. The caretaker and her daughter-in-law go inside to get kerosene with which to burn the body. They both die at the hands of Anjana's soul. The professor arrives at the outhouse with kerosene, but is possessed by Anjana and tries to attack Sanjana. While Kabir fights him, he finds the locket he gave to Sanjana when they were young on Anjana's corpse. When he confronts Sanjana, she confesses that she is actually Anjana. She tells him that she killed Sanjana with the music box and took her sister's place so she could be with Kabir. Outraged, Kabir decides to leave her despite her pleas that she loves him. Sanjana (now revealed to be Anjana) hits him on the head with a chair to stop him from leaving and he falls. Anjana tries to kill Kabir with a pair of scissors but is stopped by Sanjana's soul, the burning roof falls on Anjana thus killing her and professor saves Kabir. Kabir sees Sanjana's soul smiling at him and then disappearing in the fire.


title: Alone (2015 Hindi film)

text: The film received mixed reviews. Trade Analyst Komal Nahta predicted that the film would do well at the box office, and praised the lead actor, writing that "Bipasha Basu does a splendid job...Karan Singh Grover makes Breakups an impressive Rajneesh Duggal debut on the big screen. He looks handsome and has screen presence. He acts very ably."


title: Alone (2015 Hindi film)

text: India TV stated that "With some genuine scary moments and Bipasha-Karan's scorching chemistry, "Alone" stands apart from numerous horrible horror flicks made in the past. Bipasha Basu as a terrified lady in the beginning while as a ghost herself shines, Karan Singh Gorver flaunts his acting skills with same exactness that he carries while flaunting his body when required."


title: Alone (2015 Hindi film)

text: Some reviewers were more critical, however. Filmfare praised the two lead actors, but gave film 3 stars, stating that "The only reason why "Alone" will work is for its erotic packaging. Those looking for a genuine scary movie will only get bad rehashes of scenes from The Conjuring and other popular Hollywood fare." Times of India gave it a 2.5 and said, "When you scratch the surface, you don't end up scared shitless. And isn't that what "Alone" is meant to do?"


title: Alone (2015 Hindi film)

text: Bollywood Hungama gave it 2 stars and said "On the whole, "Alone" is a below average fare that has a commendable performance by Bipasha Basu" Praising debutant Karan SIngh Grovers performance, it says "Karan Singh Grover makes a sprightly debut. He's not conscious of the camera at all. Considering he has done TV, he is high on emotional appeal. He has all the trappings of being a star but he needs to choose his films more wisely. "


title: Alone (2015 Hindi film)

text: Zee News gave 1.5 stars out of 5 and wrote, "The scenes have been lifted from various English horror films and although they have been executed fairly, they leave you a little disappointed." The CNN IBN critic Rajeev Masand stated, "I'm going with one-and-a-half out of five for "Alone". You'll wish you'd stayed home instead."


title: Alone (2015 Hindi film)

text: Critic Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave it a rating of 2 stars out of 5 and wrote, ""Alone" is strictly for those that have an insatiable appetite for cinematic concoctions that serve up the dual dose of sex and horror."


title: Alone (2015 Hindi film)

text: Subhara gupta of The Indian Express gave it 1.5 stars out of 5 and stated it has very few mild scares.


title: Alone (2015 Hindi film)

text: "Box Office India" stated that "Alone" had the highest opening of the four major films released in its weekend, opening with 50% occupancy nationwide and full houses at some single screens. "Daily News and Analysis" stated that "Alone"s business of Rs 140 million and modest budget allowed for a good financial return. "FilmFare" also reported that the movie had a good weekend making 146.5 million in the opening weekend.


title: Alone (2015 Hindi film)

text: The music was composed by Ankit Tiwari, Mithoon, Raghav Sachar and Jeet Gannguli. The album consists of 4 songs. The song "Touch My Body" was from Dr.Zeus song "Don't Be Shy" from the album 'Rouge' by Rouge, with lyrics written by Lola Olafis, which was then recreated the second time in Bala (2019) by Sachin–Jigar, with vocals by Badshah, Shalmali Kholgade, and Gurdeep Mehendi.


title: Hot in the Shade

text: Hot in the Shade is the fifteenth studio album by American rock band Kiss, released in 1989. It is the first Kiss studio album since 1981's "Music From "The Elder"" to feature lead vocals from someone other than Paul Stanley or Gene Simmons, with drummer Eric Carr singing lead on "Little Caesar". It is also the final Kiss album in its entirety to feature Carr before his death in November 1991 during production of the band’s next album "Revenge". Unlike its predecessor album, 1987's "Crazy Nights", "Hot in the Shade" does not heavily feature keyboards.


title: Hot in the Shade

text: The album includes the biggest hit of the band's non-makeup era, the power ballad "Forever", which was co-written by Stanley and Michael Bolton. The single reached No. 8 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 in April 1990.


title: Hot in the Shade

text: "Hot in the Shade" showcases a more straight-ahead sound, following the keyboard-centered pop-metal of "Crazy Nights", and even flirts with speed metal on "Boomerang". It contains 15 songs, the most of any Kiss studio album, and is one of the band's longest, with a running time of nearly an hour (58:39). Future band member Tommy Thayer co-wrote "Betrayed" and "The Street Giveth and the Street Taketh Away".


title: Hot in the Shade

text: The album was recorded during the summer of 1989 at the Fortress in Hollywood. Aiming for a more stripped-down sound, Simmons and Carr reportedly decided to record the album there after considering several different studios. To further give the album a more raw feel, along with being able to produce the album with a lower budget, the band elected to use the demos they recorded and polish them up via overdubs instead of re-recording the songs.


title: Hot in the Shade

text: "Little Caesar" was Eric Carr's only lead vocal on an original song, although he previously sang lead on a re-recorded version of "Beth" for the compilation album "Smashes, Thrashes & Hits".


title: Hot in the Shade

text: The album liner notes thanked a dozen Kiss fan-published magazines that helped Kiss fans connect with their favorite band and keep up to date with each member's activities. The liner notes concluded with a warning to fans about the HIV/AIDS epidemic, asking fans to use condoms to reduce the risk of catching and spreading it, adding, "AIDS is no party".


title: Hot in the Shade

text: The second video, "Rise to It", shows Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley appearing in Kiss makeup for the first time since their 1983 unmasking. Although the fictional scene with Simmons and Stanley in makeup was supposedly set in 1975. Both videos were held to be released in January and April 1990 to MTV.


title: Hot in the Shade

text: The final video, "Forever," depicts the band in sepia tone monochrome, with yellow highlights from the sunlight. Even though "Rise to It" was shot and edited before "Forever", "Forever" was released as the second music video from the album to take advantage of the radio airplay the ballad was receiving. The "Forever" music video also reached No. 1 on "Dial MTV" and reached No. 47 on MTV's top 100 videos for 1990.


title: Hot in the Shade

text: Of the 15 tracks on the album, only five were performed live. "Forever" was a pop hit and became a semi-regular part of the live setlist. "Hide Your Heart" was played in 2014 on the Kiss 40th Anniversary World Tour.


title: Hot in the Shade

text: Its most successful single, "Forever", reached No. 8 on the Billboard charts, the band's highest-charting single in the US since "Beth" 13 years earlier.


title: Oculus Rift S

text: The Oculus Rift S is a virtual reality headset co-developed by Lenovo Technologies and Facebook Technologies—a division of Meta Platforms.


title: Oculus Rift S

text: Announced in March 2019 and released that May, it is a successor to the original Oculus Rift CV1 model, with noted changes including a new "inside-out" positional tracking system with cameras embedded inside the headset unit (similarly to its sister device, the Oculus Quest), a higher-resolution display, and a new "halo" head strap.


title: Oculus Rift S

text: The Rift S received mixed reviews, with critics praising improvements in comfort and ease of setup due to the halo strap and new tracking system, but characterizing the Rift S as being only an incremental upgrade over the CV1, and noting regressions such as a lower refresh rate, and the lack of hardware adjustment for inter pupillary distance (IPD).


title: Oculus Rift S

text: In June 2015, Oculus VR co-founder Palmer Luckey revealed that Oculus was already working on a successor to the original Rift and planned to release it in around 2–3 years from the original Rift release. The headset would feature higher resolution screen and inside-out tracking and would enable room scale experiences.


title: Oculus Rift S

text: In October 2018, Oculus VR co-founder and former CEO until 2016 Brendan Iribe left Oculus VR, allegedly due to both parts having "fundamentally different views on the future of Oculus that grew deeper over time." Iribe wanted to deliver comfortable VR experience competitive on the high-end market while Oculus leadership aimed to lower the VR gaming entry barrier. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Oculus parent company Facebook, Inc., repeatedly stated that Oculus' goal is to bring a billion users into VR. Iribe was said to be overseeing the development of the second generation Oculus Rift, which was canceled the week prior to his departure.


title: Oculus Rift S

text: Rift S uses a single fast-switch LCD panel with a resolution of 2560×1440 and an 80 Hz refresh rate, down from the CV1's 90 Hz.


title: Oculus Rift S

text: Also, compared to the original Rift, the Rift S uses "next generation" lens technology, introduced in Oculus Go, which almost entirely eliminates god rays. The field of view is 115º, compared to 110º on the Rift CV1. The headset features software-only inter pupillary distance (IPD) adjustment, because it uses a single screen instead of dual displays.


title: Oculus Rift S

text: As opposed to earphones attached to the strap as on the CV1, built-in audio on the Rift S uses speakers embedded in the headset itself, positioned slightly above the user's ears.


title: Oculus Rift S

text: The Rift S uses the same "Oculus Insight" inside-out tracking system used by the Oculus Quest, whereby five cameras built into the headset (two on the front, one on either side, and one looking directly upwards) that track infrared diodes in the controllers, as well as input from the accelerometers in the headset and controllers, and a prediction engine, are used to spatially track the headset and controller (removing the need for external sensors mounted in the play area). The Rift S contains an additional fifth camera over the Quest's four to improve compatibility with existing Oculus Rift software.


title: Oculus Rift S

text: Passthrough+ is provided as a safety feature, which displays output from the cameras in monoscopic black and white when the player exits their designated boundaries. Passthrough+ also makes use of "Asynchronous SpaceWarp" to produce a comfortable experience with minimal depth disparity or performance impact.


title: Oculus Rift S

text: Rift S features a halo headband which, according to Oculus, has a better weight distribution, better light blocking, and will be more comfortable overall. The headset was co-developed with Lenovo, incorporating their experience in the VR and AR space and feedback from the Lenovo Legion gaming community. The device has a knob at the rear of the band which brings the device forward and backward. The top strap is there to make it snug on the wearer's head, while a button underneath the right side of the headset is used to release the headset from its support, allowing it to be adjusted to be closer or farther from the user's eyes. The device lacks physical adjustment for inter-pupillary distance (IPD), but this setting is supported in software.


title: Oculus Rift S

text: Oculus Rift S uses the same second generation Oculus Touch controllers used in the Oculus Quest. The controllers are similar to the ones used by the original Oculus Rift, except with the tracking ring on the top (to be seen by the headset's built-in cameras) instead of being on the bottom (to be seen by the external Constellation cameras).


title: Oculus Rift S

text: All existing and future Oculus Rift-compatible software is supported by the Rift S. The Oculus storefront also supports cross-buys between Oculus Quest and PC for games released on both platforms


title: Oculus Rift S

text: Oculus Rift S was announced during GDC 2019 on March 20, with shipments starting on May 21 the same year. At launch, it shared the same US$399 price point as the CV1.


title: Oculus Rift S

text: On September 16, 2020, Facebook announced the upcoming discontinuation of the Rift S in favor of the Oculus Quest 2, with sales ending in spring 2021. In December 2020, Facebook discounted the Rift S to US$300.


title: Oculus Rift S

text: In April 2021, production of the Rift S was discontinued. In an email sent to UploadVR, a Facebook representative stated that "stock of the headset would no longer be replenished moving forward." That June, the Rift S section in the Oculus website was updated and was no longer being sold.


title: Oculus Rift S

text: The Rift S received mixed reviews. "The Verge" felt that the Insight system was "easily a match for the old Rift tracking cameras" and helped make setup less complicated, and that its halo strap was more comfortable than that of the Oculus Quest, but felt that some of its other changes were downgrades over the previous model and Quest — including replacing its headphones with directional speakers, the lack of hardware IPD adjustment, and a screen whose resolution only slightly higher than the Rift CV1, but lower than the Oculus Quest.


title: Oculus Rift S

text: "TechRadar" characterized the Rift S as being an incremental upgrade over the CV1, similarly praising its "elegantly simple" tracking system, but noting only marginal hardware updates, and regressions such as its directional speakers, a tighter fit and no hardware IPD, and its lower refresh rate. Coming from a CV1, the reviewer also noted that the Rift S was also the first headset to make them feel nauseous, although citing possible factors such as the lower refresh rate or "Fallout 4 VR" being a SteamVR game that was not fully optimized for the Oculus platform. It was argued that the Rift S "does very little to appeal to those that have already invested in the Oculus ecosystem", and that "the future of Oculus VR, if it is ever to have mainstream appeal from a consumer perspective, looks to sit then with the Oculus Quest, whose freedom of movement does stand the chance of being truly transformational, given the right software."


title: Oculus Rift S

text: Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey criticized the lack of hardware IPD, stating that the software-only adjustment was not comparable in any way to an actual physical IPD adjustment mechanism. He estimated that about 30% of the population — including himself — would not be able to use the Rift S comfortably. In comparison, the original Rift CV1 was designed to support any IPD between the 5th and 95th percentile (58mm and 72mm, respectively), making the device comfortable for 90% of the population.


title: Oculus Rift S

text: On April 12, 2019, Nate Mitchell, co-founder of Oculus VR and head of VR product at Facebook, explained via Twitter that "some 'easter egg' labels meant for prototypes accidentally made it onto the internal hardware for tens of thousands of [Oculus Quest and Rift S] Touch controllers." The messages on final production hardware say 'This Space For Rent' and 'The Masons Were Here,' while a few development kits contained 'Big Brother is Watching' and 'Hi iFixit! We See You!'


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: Grand Hustle Records (formerly Grand Hustle Entertainment), also known as Hustle Gang Music, is an Atlanta, Georgia-based hip hop record label, founded in 2003, by American rapper T.I. and his manager Jason Geter. Up until December 2012, the label was distributed by Atlantic Records. It currently operates as an independent record label. The label has been home to artists such as 8Ball & MJG, B.o.B, Killer Mike, Young Dro, DJ Drama, Meek Mill, Chip, Travis Scott Doe B, and Trae tha Truth, the latter of whom also serves as the label's vice president. The label also houses a roster of record producers, which has included Lil' C, Mars, Nard & B, TrackSlayerz and more.


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: The label has released 33 studio albums in total, with 14 of them being certified gold or higher, by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Additionally, the label has released six albums that reached number one on the US "Billboard" 200 chart, namely "King" (2006), "T.I. vs. T.I.P." (2007), "Paper Trail" (2008), "" (2010), "Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight" (2016) and "Astroworld" (2018). Furthermore, Grand Hustle has released multiple Top 40 hit singles, including "Bring 'Em Out", "What You Know", "Shoulder Lean", "Dead and Gone", "Airplanes", "Magic", "Strange Clouds", "Both of Us", "Antidote" and more. Among those singles, six of them went on to reach the number one spot on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 chart – "Whatever You Like", "Live Your Life", "Nothin' on You", "Sicko Mode" and "Highest in the Room".


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: Due to the poor commercial reception of his debut album, "I'm Serious", T.I. was released from his Arista Records contract. He then formed Grand Hustle Entertainment and began releasing several mixtapes, with the assistance of DJ Drama. He resurfaced in the summer of 2003, alongside fellow Atlanta rapper and former label-mate Bone Crusher, on the song "Never Scared." His mixtapes and mainstream exposure from "Never Scared", eventually recaptured major label attention and he signed a joint venture deal with Atlantic Records. T.I. released his second album "Trap Muzik", on August 19, 2003, through Grand Hustle Records; it debuted at number four and sold 109,000 copies in its first week. It spawned the singles "24s", "Be Easy", "Rubberband Man", and "Let's Get Away". In March 2004, a warrant was issued for T.I.'s arrest after he violated his probation of a 1997 drug conviction. He was sentenced to three years in prison.


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: From 2002 to 2004, fellow Bankhead-based rapper Alfamega, released several mixtapes, gaining local recognition. In 2005, this led to a deal with T.I.'s Grand Hustle Records. In July 2005, the label released the soundtrack to the film "Hustle & Flow". The soundtrack included the song "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp", which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Also in 2005, T.I. added American soul singer-songwriter Governor, to the Grand Hustle roster, after Atlantic Records chose T.I. to act as his mentor. Atlantic Records' plan for Governor, who joined Atlantic's roster almost four years prior, was to market him a devotee, or a card-carrying member of T.I.'s "camp.". Atlantic first tried to pair him with renowned record producer Dr. Dre, and then with gangsta rapper 50 Cent. Both plans fell through. In search of quick jolt of street credibility, the label brokered a deal for the singer to join T.I.'s imprint. After appearing on several of DJ Drama's "Gangsta Grillz" mixtapes, Governor later released his Grand Hustle debut "Son of Pain", in September 2006.


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: By early 2006, T.I. had signed fellow Bankhead-based rapper Young Dro, to the label. Young Dro's signing proved to be successful after the release of the popular single "Shoulder Lean", in the summer of 2006. It had heavy rotation on BET and MTV2, and its cellular phone ringtone sold over 500,000 units. The hit single is featured on Dro's major-label debut "Best Thang Smokin'", released in late August the same year. In December 2006, the label released "", a compilation album featuring contributions from several Grand Hustle artists including aforementioned newcomers Alfamega, Young Dro and Governor. The compilation's title comes from a mixtape series entitled "In da Streetz", that T.I. and his hip hop ensemble Pimp $quad Click (P$C), released in their early careers.


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: On October 13, 2007, federal authorities arrested T.I. four hours before the BET Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta. He was charged with two felonies — possession of three unregistered machine guns and two silencers, and possession of firearms by a convicted felon. The arrest was made in the parking lot of a downtown shopping center. T.I. was arrested after allegedly trying to purchase the guns from a "cooperating witness" with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. According to federal officials, the witness had been cooperating with authorities a few days prior to the T.I. arrest. The witness had been working as T.I.'s bodyguard since July, authorities said.


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: In May 2008, T.I. signed up-and-coming Atlanta-based musician B.o.B, who signed a joint partnership deal with Grand Hustle and super producer Jim Jonsin's Rebel Rock Entertainment, under Atlantic Records. The deal took place after Atlantic determined that B.o.B could benefit from being introduced to the world by such a well-established artist such as T.I.. B.o.B was later featured on T.I.'s highly acclaimed album "Paper Trail" (2008), on the track "On Top of the World", which also featured T.I.'s former rival Ludacris. In June 2008, T.I. announced the signing of veteran Southern hip hop duo 8Ball & MJG to Grand Hustle, during his "Hot 107-9 Birthday Bash". In December 2008, Killer Mike, whom T.I. previously collaborated with on the 2003 hit single "Never Scared", confirmed he signed a recording contract with Grand Hustle.


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: In 2008, T.I. also signed Philadelphia-based rapper Meek Mill to Grand Hustle. Although he was offered other record deals, Mill felt collaborating with T.I. was an opportunity of a lifetime and chose his label. Just when things were starting to look up for Mill, a setback occurred. He was arrested, charged with a crime and order to serve seven months in jail. Mill was then released during the early portion of 2009. Due to label boss T.I.'s and Mill's respective legal troubles, Mill was never able to release an album under Grand Hustle and they parted ways in 2010.


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: In 2008, P$C member AK, also known as AK the Razorman, began to express his discontent with the label and his longtime friend T.I.: In a 2011 interview with Inday, a Grand Hustle marketing promoter, he confirmed AK and Yung L.A. were no longer a part of the label. In May 2009, T.I. dropped rapper Alfamega, who signed in 2005, after reports surfaced of his past as a DEA informant. A short-lived feud between the two later embroiled, with Alfamega releasing a diss track titled "Greenlight", in March 2010.


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: On September 1, 2010, T.I. and his wife Tameka "Tiny"Cottle, were arrested on drug charges in Los Angeles. The arrest for drug charges led to T.I. being sentenced on October 15, 2010 to 11 months in prison for violating the terms of his probation, specifically for possessing ecstasy, testing positive for opiates and associating with a convicted felon, namely his P$C cohort C-Rod. However, on October 25, the drug charges against T.I. were dropped. On November 1, T.I. reported back to the Forrest City Federal Facility to serve his 11-month sentence. His date of release was set to be September 29, 2011. His seventh album "No Mercy", was released on December 7, 2010, during his imprisonment. The album peaked at number four in the US and it sold over 159,000 copies in its first week. RIAA certified "No Mercy" Gold, with over 500,000 copies sold.


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: In 2011, T.I. signed his youngest brother Bryce Harris, better known by his stage name GFM Bryyce. In late 2011, Grand Hustle solo artists Shad da God, Spodee and Yung Booke, came together to form the hip hop group D.O.P.E. (an acronym for Destroying Other People's Egos). D.O.P.E.'s first notable song, titled "Harry Potter" and produced by Hit-Boy, was included on T.I.'s fifth solo mixtape, "Fuck da City Up", which was released January 1, 2012. On March 1, 2012, T.I. revealed he signed rappers Iggy Azalea, Chip and Trae tha Truth, to Grand Hustle Records. T.I. was then executive producer on Azalea's debut EP, "Glory" and was featured on the lead single "Murda Bizness", which premiered March 26, 2012. The EP was later released on July 30, 2012. On October 9, 2012, T.I., Iggy Azalea, B.o.B, Chip and Trae tha Truth, were all featured on the annual BET Hip Hop Awards cypher, where they all took turns rapping, showcasing their abilities. In 2012, Chip, formerly known as Chipmunk, also released his first project with Grand Hustle, a mixtape entitled "London Boy". The mixtape, which features several appearances from Grand Hustle artists, including Iggy Azalea and T.I on the posse cut, "Hustle Gang", was released on December 25, 2012. In early January 2013, B.o.B announced an upcoming Grand Hustle compilation album titled "Hustle Gang".


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: On January 18, 2013, it was announced T.I. drew a close to his 10-year contract with Atlantic Records the month before, after releasing "". It was reported he proposed a $75 million deal for any label that wants to provide a home for him and his imprint. TMZ reported that T.I. had drawn up the details, which included exclusive signing of all Grand Hustle artists. T.I. was also allegedly being coaxed by some of the biggest names in the industry. There were reports that Jay-Z was looking to sign T.I., hoping to add him to the Roc Nation roster. T.I. also had an exclusive dinner at Katana with Dr. Dre, who is thought to have proposed an Interscope signing to the rapper. T.I. had also met with Sony, who reportedly offered him $50 Million, and spoke with Universal later that week.


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: In March 2013, T.I. and B.o.B filmed the music video for "Memories Back Then", a song featuring Kendrick Lamar and Kris Stephens. The song, which was recorded for "Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head", failed to appear on "Trouble Man" due to sample-clearance issues, it was announced to be being released as the lead single from the upcoming "Grand Hustle Presents: Hustle Gang" compilation album. The music video for "Memories Back Then", directed by Philly Fly Boy, was released April 22, 2013. The song was then officially released via iTunes the next day. The song has since debuted at #88 on the "Billboard" Hot 100.


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: On April 4, T.I. revealed the label would release a mixtape titled, "G.D.O.D. (Get Dough or Die)", during the first week of May 2013, preceding the compilation album. On April 19, 2013, T.I. formally introduced GOOD Music producer Travis Scott and Grammy Award winning songwriter Kris Stephens, as Grand Hustle signees. On April 28, a release date for the mixtape would later be announced to be May 7, 2013. As promised the mixtape was released on May 7, featuring 20 tracks and contributions from Grand Hustle artists T.I., Mitchelle'l, B.o.B, Young Dro, Big Kuntry King, Trae tha Truth, D.O.P.E., Travis Scott, Chip, Kris Stephens, Mac Boney, Doe B and Shad da God (formerly Rich Kid Shawty). "Problems", "Poppin' 4 Sum", "Kemosabe", and "Here I Go" were released as singles from the mixtape over the following months. In a May 8, 2013 interview, T.I. said that he was in talks of possibly signing American recording artists Yo Gotti, Problem, Jeremih and Kirko Bangz to Grand Hustle.


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: On December 28, 2013, Glenn Thomas, better known by his stage name Doe B, died after being shot in his home state of Alabama with Mike Feez. His manager DJ Frank White confirmed Doe B's death via Twitter. In February 2014, Grand Hustle collaborated with DJ Whoo Kid, DJ Skee and DJ MLK, to release the compilation mixtape "SXEW Vol. 1: The Grand Hustle", the trio's annual SXSW inspired mixtape. The mixtape features appearances from T.I., Young Dro, Trae Tha Truth, Iggy Azalea and Doe B, the latter of which is featured on a song with T.I. and American rapper Raekwon, titled "I Wanna Know".


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: In an August 2014 interview with MTV, T.I. revealed plans to release the Grand Hustle compilation, which is tentatively due in December, following "Paperwork": "What's holding up the "Hustle Gang" project is that we have some new additions to the mix, and we didn't wanna put out the project out without including or allowing those new additions to be part of it. Maybe we'll do a stroke of midnight release on New Years. We did that with "F**k Da City Up" and it did well, so maybe we'll try that again." On September 19, 2014, the label released the second installment to the "G.D.O.D. (Get Dough or Die)" series. Aside from Grand Hustle recording artists, the mixtape features additional appearances from Iggy Azalea, Meek Mill, Young Thug, Troy Ave, Watch The Duck, Yo Gotti, Trey Songz and Rich Homie Quan, among others.


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: In March 2015, it was announced the OMG Girlz, the musical trio that included T.I.'s stepdaughter, was officially disestablished. In August 2015, D.O.P.E. member Spodee, announced he was no longer under Grand Hustle; during an interview he stated "Everybody know I was a loyal guy with Grand Hustle and Tip. And, you know, it's no bad blood. I'm not mad at Tip or anything like that, but I have the potential to be bigger than Tip or if not, just as big. So it was time, man. I outgrew that. [I was with Grand Hustle] for too long. Six years." In response, T.I. commented "As we all go about our business and pleasure on this fine day today, allow me to remind you of two former young hopeful Grand Hustlers, who thought going against the glory and good graces of [the family] might be more beneficial to their campaign", referring to Yung L.A. and DG Yola.


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: In September 2015, Travis Scott released his debut studio album "Rodeo", under Grand Hustle and Epic Records. The album was supported by two singles, "3500" and "Antidote", the latter of which reached number 16 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 chart and was certified platinum by the RIAA for sales over 1,000,000 digital downloads. In July 2016, Grand Hustle released a song under the namesake Hustle Gang, titled "40 Acres", featuring T.I. alongside fellow Atalnta-based rappers RaRa and Rossi.


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: On September 19, 2016, Grand Hustle released the compilation "H.G.O.E. (Hustle Gang Over Errrrythang)", featuring guest appearances from Young Thug, Chocolate Droppa, Future, Migos, B.o.B, London Jae, Young Dro, Trae tha Truth, Lotto Savage, Shad da God, Kap G and more.


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: In April 2017, American rappers Tokyo Jetz, RaRa, Translee and London Jae, were all revealed to be new members of the Grand Hustle roster.


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: On March 15, 2017, T.I. announced the Hustle Gang concert tour. The Grand Hustle tour began on April 26 in Mobile, Alabama, going through 36 shows across the country before they wrapped up on June 11 in Jacksonville, Florida. In late March, Hustle Gang hosted an after-hours brunch and vibe event, at South by Southwest (SXSW), titled The Hustle Gang Experience, powered by Beer N Tacos & Chariot. Headed by T.I. and Trae Tha Truth, the showcase gave a platform for the new Hustle Gang roster to show their skills. The night kicked off with a performance by T.I.'s son, Domani Harris, with music from his recently released project "Constellation", followed by RaRa with songs such as "FWM" off his debut project "I Am What I Am". Tokyo Jetz went on to perform her viral hit "DM", Yung Booke and London Jae performed "H.I.T.V." and finishing with Trae Tha Truth performing records like "Swangin" and new music from T.I.'s forthcoming album.


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: On June 28, 2017, a song titled "Game 7" was released as the first single from Grand Hustle's compilation album "We Want Smoke". The song features verses from T.I., RaRa and Rossi. The album's second single "Do No Wrong", was released in July and features verses from GFMBRYYCE, Young Dro and T.I. The album's third single "Friends", was released with an accompanying music video, on September 8. "Friends" features Hustle Gang rappers T.I., RaRa, Brandon Rossi, Tokyo Jetz, Trae tha Truth and Young Dro.


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: In an October 2017 interview with HipHopDX, when asked about Grand Hustle Records' upcoming albums, T.I. answered with: ""We Want Smoke" is out, and then Translee is coming out on November 27th, and Booke is October 27th, and you can wait until December 18th for mine. Just know that whenever you see The Chief [logo] on the project, it's gonna be absolute pandemonium. It gonna go hamburger."


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: Throughout the years, Grand Hustle Records has signed multiple artists (often in their respective early careers) to publishing deals. The following list documents notable artists who had signed such a contract at one point or another.


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: Hustle Gang is an American hip hop collective composed of signees of Grand Hustle, introduced in 2013. The group's debut LP, "GDOD: Get Dough or Die" was released the same year and co-released by record label Be Music. The group's 2017 releases were distributed by Roc Nation.


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: Smash Factory was a production team composed of T.I., and Grand Hustle in-house producers, Lamar Edwards (known as Mars or MyGuyMars) and C Gutta (also known as Lil' C). The group has produced for the likes of Nelly and Young Dro.


title: Grand Hustle Records

text: Grand Hustle Records also house a production wing, which serves as a group of in-house producers for the label.


title: Wallace Monument

text: The National Wallace Monument (generally known as the Wallace Monument) is a 67 metre tower on the shoulder of the Abbey Craig, a hilltop overlooking Stirling in Scotland. It commemorates Sir William Wallace, a 13th- and 14th-century Scottish hero.


title: Wallace Monument

text: The tower is open to the public for an admission fee. Visitors approach by foot from the base of the crag on which it stands. On entry there are 246 steps to the final observation platform, with three exhibition rooms within the body of the tower. The tower is not accessible to disabled visitors.


title: Wallace Monument

text: The tower was constructed following a fundraising campaign, which accompanied a resurgence of Scottish national identity in the 19th century. The campaign was begun in Glasgow in 1851 by Rev Charles Rogers who was joined by William Burns. Burns took sole charge from around 1855 following Rogers' resignation.


title: Wallace Monument

text: In addition to public subscription, it was partially funded by contributions from a number of foreign donors, including Italian national leader Giuseppe Garibaldi. The foundation stone was laid in 1861 by the Duke of Atholl in his role as Grand Master Mason of Scotland, with a short speech given by Sir Archibald Alison.


title: Wallace Monument

text: It was completed in 1869 to the designs of architect John Thomas Rochead at a cost of £18,000, the monument is a sandstone tower, built in the Victorian Gothic style.


title: Wallace Monument

text: The tower stands on the Abbey Craig, a volcanic crag above Cambuskenneth Abbey, from which Wallace was said to have watched the gathering of the army of King Edward I of England just before the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297. The monument is open to the general public. Visitors climb the 246-step spiral staircase to the viewing gallery inside the monument's crown, which provides expansive views of the Ochil Hills and the Forth Valley.


title: Wallace Monument

text: A number of artifacts believed to have belonged to Wallace are on display inside the monument, including the Wallace Sword, a longsword weighing almost . Inside is also a "Hall of Heroes", a series of busts of famous Scots, effectively a small national Hall of Fame. The heroes are Robert the Bruce, George Buchanan, John Knox, Allan Ramsay, Robert Burns, Robert Tannahill, Adam Smith, James Watt, Sir Walter Scott, William Murdoch, Sir David Brewster, Thomas Carlyle, Hugh Miller, Thomas Chalmers, David Livingstone, and W. E. Gladstone. In 2017 it was announced that Mary Slessor and Maggie Keswick Jencks would be the first heroines to be celebrated in the hall.


title: Wallace Monument

text: The original Victorian statue of Wallace stands on the corner of the monument and is by the Edinburgh sculptor David Watson Stevenson.


title: Wallace Monument

text: In 1996 Tom Church carved a statue of Wallace called "Freedom", which was inspired by the film "Braveheart". It has the face of Mel Gibson, the actor who played William Wallace in the film. Church leased the statue to Stirling Council, who in 1997 installed it in the car park of the visitor centre at the foot of the craig. The statue was deeply unpopular, being described as "among the most loathed pieces of public art in Scotland".


title: Wallace Monument

text: and was regularly vandalised before being placed in a cage to prevent further damage. Plans to expand the visitor centre, including a new restaurant and reception, led to the unpopular statue's removal in 2008. It was returned to Church, who, after an unsuccessful attempt to sell it at auction, reportedly offered it to Donald Trump's Menie estate golf resort. However, it remained in the garden of the sculptor's home, where it was incorporated into a replica of a castle, and with additions to it that included the head of the decapitated governor of York. In April 2016, it was reported in local press that the statue might be moved to Ardrossan's old Barony Church. In September 2021, it was moved to Glebe Park stadium in Brechin.


title: Springfield Armory, Inc.

text: Springfield Armory, Inc., is an American commercial firearms manufacturer and importer based in Geneseo, Illinois. Founded in 1974 by Bob Reese and family, the company produces rifles such as the M1A and imports handguns such as the XD series and Hellcat. The company is unrelated to the like-named former manufacturer of US military firearms in Massachusetts,


title: Springfield Armory, Inc.

text: Elmer C. Ballance began using the name "Springfield Armory" through his company (LH Manufacturing) dedicated to the first civilian production of the M14 rifle, calling it the M1A. Ballance began in San Antonio, Texas, and soon after moved to Devine, Texas, where the company gained momentum and popularity. In 1974, Ballance sold the company to the Reese family, who had a well-established production shop in Illinois and experience base. The company then expanded its market into other firearms, including the M1911. After further success, the company began to branch into even more types of firearms. The company, now run by Dennis Reese (formerly along with his brother Tom Reese), produces numerous firearms in many styles and models, ranging from the AR-pattern SAINT rifles and pistols, to the M1A family, to a wide range of 1911s, to the compact 911 .380 and 9mm pistols, and also a broad selection of polymer-framed pistols. The latter group includes the micro 9mm Hellcat, released in September 2019, which has proven to be popular in the CCW market.


title: Springfield Armory, Inc.

text: The company has previously (as late as 2017) used a motto, ""The First Name in American Firearms"", in reference to the original and operationally unrelated Springfield Armory of Springfield, Massachusetts, which was founded in 1777 and closed in 1968. Those two dates are included in a timeline on the company's website, which notes that in 1974 "a passionate family by the name of Reese rescued" the Springfield Armory name.


title: Springfield Armory, Inc.

text: The company's rifle offerings include the M1A, the Hellion (imported VHS-2), and the SAINT line of AR-15 style rifles and short-barreled rifles.


title: Springfield Armory, Inc.

text: The M1A line includes offerings such as standard, loaded, SOCOM, national match, and tanker models. In 2016, the first SAINT rifle was introduced, with a pistol variant following a year later. Variants at different price-points, marketed as SAINT Victor and SAINT Edge, have also been added.


title: Springfield Armory, Inc.

text: In 2022, Springfield announced they would be importing a civilian version of the HS Produkt VHS-2 under the name of the Springfield Hellion.


title: Springfield Armory, Inc.

text: Previously, the company offered its own versions of the M1 Garand, Beretta BM59, FN FAL, HK 91 and M6 Scout.


title: Springfield Armory, Inc.

text: The company's handgun offerings include M1911 pistols, the 911 pistol, and the polymer-frame XD (eXtreme Duty) pistol series. The M1911 line includes the Range Officer series, the EMP, Mil-Spec, Garrison, TRP, Ronin and Emissary versions.


title: Springfield Armory, Inc.

text: The XD-M variant was added in 2007, and the compact concealed carry XD-S line was added in 2012. Second generation XD offerings, branded as XD Mod.2, were introduced in 2014. The XD-E, a variant with an exposed hammer and a double action / single action (DA/SA) trigger system, followed in 2017. In 2018, the XD-S Mod.2, a modernized and upgraded version of the original XD-S, was introduced. In 2019, the company introduced the XD-M Elite line of pistols, which takes the XD-M and adds features such as the META (Match Enhanced Trigger Assembly), extended magazine wells and capacities up to 22 rounds in 9mm, ambidextrous slide locks, and enhanced slide grasping grooves.


title: Springfield Armory, Inc.

text: In 2018, the company introduced the 911 pistol. The Hellcat micro-compact pistol was introduced in 2019, featuring 11- and 13-round magazines.


title: Springfield Armory, Inc.

text: Springfield Custom, the company's customization shop, offers a broad line of custom-grade firearms including various M1911 offerings, and upgrades to the company's standard M1911 and XD offerings.


title: Springfield Armory, Inc.

text: Through 2017, company had received at least eight Golden Bullseye awards from the "American Rifleman" magazine of the National Rifle Association (NRA), the first having been for the XD sub-compact pistol in 2003.


title: Springfield Armory, Inc.

text: Rob Leatham, a professional shooter who has won multiple national and world titles, has been the captain of "Team Springfield", the practical shooting team, since its inception in 1985.


title: Springfield Armory, Inc.

text: In 2006, the company played a major role in vocally opposing then Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich's proposed assault weapons ban that threatened to ban firearm manufacturing in Illinois. Co-owner Dennis Reese responded to the proposed legislation by saying "if this passes, we're out of town."


title: Springfield Armory, Inc.

text: On July 13, 2007, at the 100th anniversary of the National Matches held at Camp Perry in northern Ohio, Reese announced that the company would provide $1 million towards the NRA's "Competitive Shooting & National Championships Endowment" and challenged other firearms manufacturers to donate to the endowment.


title: Springfield Armory, Inc.

text: In 2017, the company faced controversy during consideration in the Illinois state legislature of a bill (SB-1657) that would restrict firearms transfers within the state. An organization that Springfield Armory and Rock River Arms—both based in Illinois—provided funding to, the Illinois Firearms Manufacturers Association (IFMA), initially opposed the bill. Following efforts by IFMA's lobbyist, the bill was amended to exempt Illinois-based manufacturers, apparently in exchange for IFMA dropping its opposition to the bill. This action created "tremendous customer backlash" as the deal was made "at the expense of everyday gun owners". This was followed by the IFMA being dissolved and the companies subsequently opposing SB-1657, which was eventually vetoed.


title: Springfield Armory, Inc.

text: Springfield Armory quickly reacted once the actions of the IFMA were revealed to the company, with the company releasing the following statement from Reese: "I can tell you now, we at Springfield Armory are unequivocally 100 percent against this bill and will continue to work with the NRA and others to ensure that it is defeated. Springfield Armory ... was not aware of the actions taken by trade association, IFMA, until after the fact."


title: Erica Gimpel

text: Erica Fawn Gimpel (born June 25, 1964) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She is best known for her roles on television shows "Fame" as Coco Hernandez and on "Profiler" as Angel Brown. She is also known for her recurring roles on the television shows "ER" as Adele Newman and on "Veronica Mars" as Alicia Fennel. From 2018-2020, Gimpel had a recurring role as Trisha on the series "God Friended Me".


title: Erica Gimpel

text: Gimpel was a judge on RTÉ One's "", an Irish TV talent show seeking a boy and a girl to play Nick and Serena respectively in the Irish touring production of "Fame".


title: Erica Gimpel

text: Gimpel was born in Manhattan, New York in 1964. She graduated from New York's High School of Performing Arts, a few months after she started filming her role as a student at the same school for the television show "Fame". She had toured the United States and Europe with her mother, singer Phyllis Bash, in the play "Porgy and Bess". Her father is Joseph Gimpel, a short story writer.


El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera (sometimes shortened to "El Tigre)" is an American flash-animated television series created by Jorge R. Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua for Nickelodeon. It was the first Nicktoon to be animated with Adobe Flash after "O'Grady", which was exclusive to The N. The first screening of the show was on January 19, 2007, in the first-ever Nickelodeon Creative Summit held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, as a special treat for the 60 exclusive attendees. A sneak peek of the series aired on February 19, 2007. The series had two runs on two different networks; Nickelodeon from March 3, 2007 to June 20, 2008, then Nicktoons Network from August 7 to September 13, 2008.


title: El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera

text: Set in the fictional crime-ridden Mexican-American metropolis of Miracle City, "El Tigre" follows the adventures of Manny Rivera, a 13-year-old boy with superpowers trying to choose between being good or evil. Manny's father is a superhero known as White Pantera and wants Manny to grow up to be good and fight evil. Manny's Grandfather is a supervillain known as Puma Loco who thinks Manny should go to the dark side.


text: "El Tigre" was created by a husband-and-wife team named Jorge Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua along with others who were employed to make the show. The couple made the project from experiences they had when they were younger. Manny Rivera is based on Jorge's young self. Many things known in the show were based on actual events or parts of Jorge's life. His father was an architect (which was viewed as good) and his grandfather was a general in the military (which was viewed as evil). That idea was exaggerated to the idea of superheroes and supervillains. The city Miracle City is likely based on Tijuana, where Jorge grew up.


text: On January 25, 2008, Nickelodeon allowed viewers to vote on an ending deciding El Tigre's fate on a brand-new episode that premiered on the same day. The ending was chosen as a hero, in which he defeated Django and Sartana. If evil had been chosen, he would have helped Django and Sartana conquer the world, but turned against them to take the empire for himself and Frida, and ruled over the world into old age.


text: The complete series DVD was released as "Season 1" on a six-disc set on November 23, 2011, as a manufacture on demand Amazon exclusive. It is also available to purchase on iTunes and Amazon Prime Video digitally.


text: Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media gave the series three out of five stars; saying that, “Tweens will enjoy the zany characters and exaggerated stories, but parents might take issue with the young characters' penchant for troublemaking, the absence of a strong role model for Manny, and the overall lack of repercussions for his questionable behavior.” The first season received an approval rating of 100% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on six reviews.


text: Amid Amidi of Cartoon Brew wrote that "El Tigre offers hands down the most dynamic implementation of Flash I’ve ever seen in an animated TV series, seamlessly combining the cinematic possibilities more commonly associated with 3D CGI alongside the organic appeal of drawn animation," while also stating that the series has an "annoying tendency to stage too many scenes on slants and diagonals, voice acting performances that I couldn’t understand."


text: A videogame based on the series, also titled "", was released for the Nintendo DS and PlayStation 2 in 2007. El Tigre is a playable character in the Nintendo DS version of "", and he also makes a non-playable cameo appearance in "Nicktoons MLB". The series also had several internet browser-based games on Nickelodeon's official website, including a fighting game that could be downloaded through the Nick Arcade website, titled "Festival De Las Piñatas". El Tigre was also a playable character in several Nickelodeon-crossover browser games, including Nick Arcade's "Nicktoons HoverZone".


text: The characters Manny, Frida, and Grandpapi/Puma Loco make an appearance during a 2D animated scene in "The Book of Life" which is Jorge R. Gutierrez' first feature-length film. A wallpaper with El Tigre's design can be seen in a later scene as well as White Pantera in another scene.


text: El Oso (renamed as Bear Killah) appeared as a recurring character in "Maya and the Three" (also created by Jorge R. Gutierrez).


title: Singapore Exchange

text: The Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX) is a Singaporean investment holding company that provides different services related to securities and derivatives trading and others. SGX is also a member of the World Federation of Exchanges and the Asian and Oceanian Stock Exchanges Federation.


title: Singapore Exchange

text: The companies listed on SGX belong to one of two groups: the companies listed on the SGX Mainboard and the companies listed on SGX NASDAQ. In order to be listed on the mainboard, a company has to fulfill some requirements set forth by SGX, while a listing on NASDAQ is not tied to the fulfillment of any additional conditions. SESDAQ was replaced on 26 November 2007 by the SGX Catalist after an extensive study of other market models and a public consultation in May 2007. The word "Catalist" is an amalgamation of the words "Catalyst" and "List", to reflect the idea that the Catalist board could be used as a catalyst to propel growth upon listing. Catalist differs from SESDAQ primarily in its use of a sponsor system to determine a prospective company's suitability to list and as a corporate advisor to advise on listing and corporate governance issues.


title: Singapore Exchange

text: The exchange launched SGX QUEST (SGX Quotation and Execution System) in August 2004. The system is used by the exchange for derivatives and securities trading.