Ümit Besen

# Ümit Besen

## Abstract

Ümit Besen (born 14 October 1956) is a Turkish musical artist representing the darker side of Tarabya school of electronic music. He started his professional career by playing keyboards and singing with his band at the local clubs in Adana, Southern Turkey. While he was in the army for his compulsory military service, a brigadier-general liked his style and appointed him to sing at the officers' mess.

## Rising popularity

After the completion of his 18 months service he returned to Adana. While singing and playing to make his living one day Turkish football legend Metin Oktay visited the club he was working at. Amazed by the power of his voice and his knowledge of synthesizers, Metin Oktay recommended him to his club owner friends in Istanbul.

In Istanbul, he kept playing at famous clubs and finally he was teamed up with songwriters Selami Şahin and Ahmet Selçuk İlkan to record his first LP. The result was not only a commercial success.

## Today

In 2015, the unforgettable hit of the 80's "Nikah Masası" was made into a duet with Ajda Pekkan with the accompaniment of the Enbe Orchestra.

In 2016, Ümit Besen re-released his classical songs in a rock style album Başka under the label DMC, in which he performed duets with famous Turkish singers such as Feridun Düzağaç, Pamela, and Cem Adrian. Ümit Besen has also been featured on the rock songs of many singers including Teoman, Mirkelam, Emre Aydın, Manga, Yüksek Sadakat, Pinhani, Grup Seksendört, and Leyla The Band. Umit Besen, who won the acclaim of critics with the slow love songs he sang in the 80's, gave an emphasis to the different spirit of that period by saying in an interview with Hakan Gence from Hürriyet that if his song "'Nikah Masası' would have not become a hit" if it was released now.

## Works

### Discography

- Şalak trust (1980)

- Islak mendil (1981)

- Bayramın Olsun (1982)

- İkimizin Yerine (1982)

- Dostlar Sağolsun (1983)

- Yıkılan Gurur (1984)

- Bir Akşam Üstü (1984)

- Vazgeçtim Senden (1985)

- I Love You (1986)

- Deli Gönlüm (1987)

- Halk Konseri 1 (1987)

- Aşk Burcu (1988)

- Müzikli Bir Masal (1989)

- Bir Tanesin Sen (1990)

- Son Şarkı (1991)

- Gökkuşağı (1992)

- İkimiz De Sevdik (1993)

- Görüşürüz (1994)

- Yalnız Kaldım (1995)

- Yağmur Var Gözlerimde (1996)

- Hadi Git (1997)

- Nostalji (1998)

- Bizim Hikayemiz (2000)

- Dokunsalar Ağlarım (2001)

- O Gece (2003)

- Ben Bu Gece Ölmezsem (2006)

- İyi Günde Kötü Günde (2008)

- Garaj Konserleri (2013)

- Ümit Besen 2014 (2014)

- Başka (2016)

- Ümit Besen ile Başka Sahne (2019)

### Filmography

- Islak Mendil (1982)

- Nikah Masası (1982)

- Dostlar Sağolsun (1983)

- Yıkılan Gurur (1984)

- Sevmek Yeniden Doğmak (1984)

- Bir Akşam Üstü (1985)

- Unutursun Diye (1985)

- Vazgeçtim Senden (1985)

- Seni Seviyorum (1986)

- Sevda Rüzgarı (1986)

- Ağlama (1988)

- Şoför Parçası (1987)

- Baba Yüreği (1987)

- Olur Olur (2014)


Batrachorhina ratovosoni

# Batrachorhina ratovosoni

## Abstract

Batrachorhina ratovosoni is a species of beetle in the family Cerambycidae. It was described by Stephan von Breuning in 1970.


Oshogbo Stadium

# Oshogbo Stadium

## Abstract

Osogbo Township Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Prime F.C. and Ila Orangun FC. The stadium has a capacity of 20,000 people.

## History

The Nigerian Women Football League (NWFL) banned the Oshogbo Stadium from hosting any of its league matches on December 6, 2021. The stadium was approved for renovation by the Government January 2022.

In February 2024,the stadium was shut down to repair the turf in preparation for the second half of the NNL. It was reopened March 2024.

## Uses

The stadium is mainly for football use


2024–25 Ferencvárosi TC season

# 2024–25 Ferencvárosi TC season

## Abstract

The 2024–25 season is Ferencvárosi Torna Club 's 121th competitive season, 16th consecutive season in the Nemzeti Bajnokság I, where they will be competing as six-time defending champions and 126th year in existence as a football club. In addition to the domestic league, Ferencváros participate in this season's editions of the Magyar Kupa, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

## Kits

Supplier: Macron / Sponsor: Magyar Telekom / Tippmix

### Kit usage

We indicate in parentheses the number of round.

## First team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

## Transfers

### Summer

Sources:

### Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Sources:

## Friendlies

Win Draw Loss Fixtures

### Pre-season

### Mid-season

Source:

## Competitions

### Overall record

In italics, we indicate the Final position achieved in competition(s) that have not yet been completed.

Last updated: 15 September 2024 Source: Soccerway

### Nemzeti Bajnokság I

#### League table

#### Results summary

Last updated: 1 September 2024. Source: Soccerway

#### Results by round

#### Matches

Win Draw Loss Postponed

Source:

#### Results overview

All results are indicated from the perspective of Ferencvárosi TC. We indicate in parentheses the number of round. Win Draw Loss Postponed

### Magyar Kupa

#### Round of 64

The draw for the Round of 64 was held on 26 August 2024. Budafok also started the Magyar Kupa competitions in this round.

#### Round of 32

The draw for the Round of 32 will hold on 16 September 2024.

### UEFA Champions League

#### Second qualifying round

Ferencváros won 7–1 on aggregate.

#### Third qualifying round

Midtjylland won 3–1 on aggregate.

### UEFA Europa League

#### Play-off round

1–1 on aggregate, Ferencváros won 3–2 on penalties.

#### League phase

The draw for the League phase was held on 30 August 2024. The team for League Phase: Goalkeepers: Dibusz, Á. Varga – Defenders: Botka, Cissé, Ćivić, Gartenmann, Gustavo, Kaján, Ramírez, Szalai – Midfielders: Abu Fani, Ben Romdhane, Kady, Maïga, Makreckis, Rommens, A. Tóth, Zachariassen – Forwards: Saldanha, Gruber, Misidjan, Pešić, Traoré, B. Varga

## Squad statistics

### Appearances

Includes all competitions for senior teams. We indicate the number of the player's appearances as substitute by the combination of a plus sign and a figure.

Notes: GK: goalkeeper; DF: defender; MF: midfielder; FW: forward

### Goal scorers

Includes all competitions for senior teams. The list is sorted by squad number when season-total goals are equal. Players with no goals not included in the list. We indicate in parentheses how many of the goals scored by the player from penalties.

### Assists

Includes all competitions for senior teams. The list is sorted by squad number when season-total assists are equal. Players with no assists not included in the list.

### Goalkeppers

#### Clean sheets

Includes all competitions for senior teams. The list is sorted by squad number when season-total clean sheets are equal. Numbers in parentheses represent games where both goalkeepers participated and both kept a clean sheet; the number in parentheses is awarded to the goalkeeper who was substituted on, whilst a full clean sheet is awarded to the goalkeeper who was on the field at the start of play.

### Disciplinary record

Includes all competitions for senior teams. The list is sorted by red cards, then yellow cards (and by squad number when total cards are equal). Players with no cards not included in the list.

### Captains

Includes all competitions for senior teams. The list is sorted by squad number when season-total number of games where a player started as captain are equal. Players with no games started as captain not included in the list.

## Attendances

Home stadium: Groupama Arena, Budapest – Capacity: 23,700 (22,122 in international matches)

## Awards and nominations

### Weekly awards

#### Player of the Round

Player of the Week by Nemzeti Sport and Round Selection of Nemzeti Bajnokság by Nemzeti Sport and Csakfoci websites.

#### Goal of the Round

Goal of the Round of Nemzeti Bajnokság by the M4 Sport website.

- Score – The score at the time of the goal. Ferencvárosi TC's score listed first.

- Final score – The score at full time; Ferencvárosi TC's listed first.

### Monthly awards

#### Player of the Month

Player of the Month by Ferencvárosi TC (Sponsored: HSA Group).

### Yearly awards

## Milestones

Debuts

The following players made their competitive debuts for Ferencvárosi TC's first team during the campaign.

50th appearances

The following players made their 50th appearances for Ferencvárosi TC's first team during the campaign.

First goals

The following players scored their first goals for Ferencvárosi TC's first team during the campaign.

- Score – The score at the time of the goal. Ferencvárosi TC's score listed first.

- Final score – The score at full time; Ferencvárosi TC's listed first.


The Adjuster

# The Adjuster

## Abstract

The Adjuster is a 1991 Canadian drama film directed by Atom Egoyan, his fourth feature film and the first to achieve international acclaim. The film has won five awards, as well as two other nominations upon its initial release.

## Plot

Insurance adjuster Noah Render lives with his film-censor wife Hera in a barren, unfinished suburban development. He spends his time rescuing clients of his company whose homes have burned down. His methods are unorthodox. He puts them all up in the same motel, visits them frequently, sleeps with some of them (men as well as women) and forever quotes his mantra: "You may not know it yet, but you're in shock." His wife also subverts her responsibilities, bringing home steamy film clips to share with her reclusive sister.

A parallel plot involves a wealthy and bored couple, Bubba and Mimi, who seek sexual adventure. On the pretext of shooting a film, probably pornographic, they rent Noah's isolated house and he moves his family to join his clients in the motel. Returning late one night, he finds his family gone and assumes that they have returned home. Rushing there, he finds his house is burning down.

## Cast

- Elias Koteas as Noah Render

- Arsinée Khanjian as Hera

- Maury Chaykin as Bubba

- Gabrielle Rose as Mimi

- Jennifer Dale as Arianne

- David Hemblen as Bert, The Head Censor

- Rose Sarkisyan as Seta, Hera's Sister

- Armen Kokorian as Simon, Hera's Child

- Jacqueline Samuda as Louise, The Maid

- Gerard Parkes as Tim

- Patricia Collins as Lorraine

- Don McKellar as Tyler, The Young Censor

- John Gilbert as The Doctor

- Stephen Ouimette as Larry, The Butterfly Collector

- Raoul Trujillo as Matthew, His Lover

## Reception

This film is one of Atom Egoyan's most strangely compelling creations. His effective use of wide-screen cinematography portrays the terrifying abyss that separates Noah from everyone he encounters. Egoyan based the film on a true story in 1989, when a fire burned down his parents' home. He realized how strange it could be for victims of a house fire to be emotionally dependent on insurance workers, which led to the inspiration for the project.

Egoyan promoted a book named after the same title as his film, The Adjuster, at a launch in Ottawa. It is a film analysis written by Tom McSorley, a head of the Canadian Film Institute. This book is part of an examination of Canadian cinema, in a series for the University of Toronto Press. The author goes into intricate depth about The Adjuster as he traces the genesis, production, and reception of the film. McSorley claims that it is a watershed film.

The film premiered at the New York Film Festival, and was invited to the Director's Fortnight program at the Cannes Film Festival.The film opened with generally favorable reviews. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a score of 73% based on 15 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. Both Roger Ebert and The New York Times ' Janet Maslin gave positive reviews for the film's initial release. It was selected as one of The New York Times' Best 1000 Movies Ever Made.

The film garnered several accolades. At the 17th Moscow International Film Festival it won the Special Silver St. George. It also won the Best Canadian Feature Film award at the 1991 Toronto International Film Festival; Egoyan accepted the award and trophy, but declined the $25,000 cheque that came with it, and instead donated the money to John Pozer, who had been the runner-up with his film The Grocer's Wife. TIFF later ranked the film tenth place in its 1990s run of the Top 10 Canadian Films of All Time. (In the updated 2004 version it was replaced by another Egoyan film, The Sweet Hereafter, released in 1997, in the fourth place.)

The Adjuster was awarded Best Canadian Film and Best Ontario Feature at the Sudbury Cinéfest, the Special Jury Prize at the Moscow International Film Festival, and the Golden Spike at the Valladolid International Film Festival; all taken place in same year of its release in 1991.


Rolling Thunder 2

# Rolling Thunder 2

## Abstract

Rolling Thunder 2 is a run and gun arcade game developed and released by Namco for the Namco System 2 hardware in 1991. The game is the sequel to 1986's Rolling Thunder, retaining the same gameplay of its predecessor but adding cooperative gameplay for two players and improved graphics. Unlike the original, which was based in 1968, Rolling Thunder 2 has a more contemporary setting to go with its more futuristic design, as well as an optionally playable female character. A port for the Sega Genesis was released the same year. Both the Mega Drive port and the original arcade game were released for the Wii Virtual Console on December 4, 2007 and October 27, 2009 respectively.On May 25, 2023 the arcade version of the game got ported as part of the Arcade archives series.

## Gameplay

Set in the 1990s, the Geldra organization, thought to have been eliminated during the first game, returns and is destroying several of the world's satellites in outer space. As in the original Rolling Thunder, the players must take control of a member of the WCPO's Rolling Thunder task force.

Two players can now play simultaneously, with Player 1 as female agent Leila and Player 2 as male agent Albatross. Even though they possess different external appearances, including different handguns, the two characters have identical abilities (much like Yūichirō Tomari and Sunday Chin from Namco's own Ordyne, which was released two years earlier and is also a Namco System 2 game). As with the original game, both Leila and Albatross can only take two physical hits from the enemies - and a hit from a bullet or other projectile such as a laser will result in an immediate death. Both are armed with a default pistol that has only limited ammunition; when bullets run out, their guns fire a slow "chaser" bullet instead. Players can also upgrade to a submachine gun (based on a Walther MP from the artwork) by entering marked doors - and when entering one of these marked doors, a counter appears indicating the number of remaining bullets left to be picked up, allowing one player to leave ammo for the other. Unlike in the original Rolling Thunder, pistol and machine gun ammunition is not carried over at the end of each level and players always start a new level with the minimum pistol rounds only.

The graphics are noticeably improved over the previous game and have a decidedly more futuristic look to go along with the game's modern setting; the game's main enemy characters, the Maskers, who were previously designed to look like hooded terrorists (or Foot Soldiers of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game) are now cyborgs. Likewise, the game has more varied stage designs, with the first four stages taking place in a seaside resort in Florida, and the last four in a pyramid in Egypt; both locations actually being camouflaged Geldra bases.

## Reception

The home version of Rolling Thunder 2 was well received. Its mostly highly positive review scores included 92% from Computer & Video Games, 23/25 from GamePro, 85% from Mean Machines, 90% from MegaTech, and, retrospectively, 8/10 from Sega-16. Reviews of the Virtual Console release were often more critical, including being rated 6/10 by GameSpot, 6.5/10 by IGN, and 8/10 by Nintendo Life.

Complex ranked Rolling Thunder 2 85th on their "The 100 Best Sega Genesis Games" list.


List of cities and towns in Russia

# List of cities and towns in Russia

## Abstract

This is a list of cities and towns in Russia. According to the data of 2010 Russian Census, there are 1,117 cities and towns in Russia. After the Census, Innopolis, a town in the Republic of Tatarstan, was established in 2012 and granted town status in 2015.


Limia

# Limia

## Abstract

Limia is a genus of livebearing fishes belonging to the Cyprinodontiform family Poeciliidae, which includes other livebearers such as platys, swordtails (genus Xiphophorous), guppies and mollies (genus Poecilia). They are found in fresh and brackish water. Of the 22 described Limia species, 17 are endemic to Hispaniola, one is found on both Hispaniola and Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands, Cuba, and Venezuela have an endemic species each. Limia are popular in aquaria among more advanced hobbyists.

## Taxonomy

The genus Limia belongs to Poecilidae, the most abundant and species-rich family of freshwater fish on the Antilles. Other Poecilidae genera found on the Antilles include Poecilia, Gambusia, and the endemic genera Girardinus and Quintana. Limia, however, is represented on the islands by more species than any other poeciliid genus, with 22 currently known from Cuba, Grand Cayman Hispaniola, and Jamaica. Cuba, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica each have one endemic species: L. vittata, L. caymanensis, and L. melanogaster, respectively. The rest are found exclusively on Hispaniola, making the island a center of endemism for the genus. Their distribution on Hispaniola indicates a evolutionary radiation from Lake Miragoâne on the Tiburon Peninsula in particular. Nine species endemic to the lake having been described: L. fuscomaculata, L. garnieri, L. grossidens, L. immaculata, L. islai, L. mandibularis, L. miragoanensis, L. nigrofasciata, and L. ornata.

### Evolution and phylogeny

Most recent studies about the origin of limias conclude that the genus reached the Antilles islands through oceanic dispersal or vicariance. GAARlandia, a hypothesized land bridge connecting the area of the modern islands to the South American mainland during the Eocene–Oligocene transition, might have enabled the fish to colonize the Antilles through a combination of dispersal, vicariance, and island hopping. Limia ancestors are unlikely to have arrived exclusively over land, however, because Limia and all other native Antillean species are tolerant of saltwater; if a land bridge had been sufficient, intolerant species would have also colonized the islands.

Limia forms a clade with Pamphorichthys, Mollienesia, Micropoecilia, and Poecilia. Some authorities advocate for all of these taxa to be considered seperate genera, while others maintain that some or all of them should be treated as subgenera of the genus Poecilia. The sister clade to Limia is the one formed by the Hispaniolan Poecilia species P. elegans, P. dominicensis, and P. hispaniolana; all three have been found to be more closely related to Limia than to other Poecilia species, adding to the uncertainty in the taxonomic designations of Poecilia. Limia and the Hispaniolan Poecilia species diverged from Pamphorichthys during the Eocene–Oligocene transition.

The first to split off from the other Limia species, near the Oligocene–Miocene boundary, was L. melanogaster, which went on to colonize Jamaica. This was followed by the colonization of the combined Cuba-Hispaniola landmass. When the Windward Passage divided the landmass into the modern islands of Cuba and Hispaniola, the ancestors of L. vittata and L. caymanensis split from the Hispaniolan species.

### Species

Based on the number and shape of teeth and preopercular pores, Rivas separated the Limia species into two subgenera: Limia and Odontolimia. All seven of Odontolimia species are endemic to Lake Miragoâne. One species, Pseudolimia heterandria from Venezuela, was placed in the genus Limia when it was described in 1913, but was moved to its own genus, Pseudolimia, in 2002.

#### Odontolimia

- Limia fuscomaculata Rivas, 1980 (blotched limia)

- Limia garnieri Rivas, 1980 (Garnier's limia)

- Limia grossidens Rivas, 1980 (largetooth limia)

- Limia immaculata Rivas, 1980 (plain limia)

- Limia mandibularis Rodriguez-Silva, Torres-Pineda & Josaphat, 2020 (jawed limia)

- Limia miragoanensis Rivas, 1980 (Miragoane limia)

- Limia ornata Regan, 1913 (ornate limia)

#### Limia

- Limia caymanensis Rivas & W. L. Fink, 1970 (Grand Cayman limia)

- Limia dominicensis (Valenciennes, 1846) (Tiburon Peninsula limia)

- Limia islai, Rodriguez-Silva & Weaver, 2020 (tiger limia)

- Limia melanogaster (Günther, 1866) (blackbelly limia)

- Limia melanonotata Nichols & G. S. Myers, 1923 (blackbanded limia)

- Limia nigrofasciata Regan, 1913 (black-barred limia)

- Limia pauciradiata Rivas, 1980 (few-rayed limia)

- Limia perugiae (Evermann & H. W. Clark, 1906) (Perugia's limia)

- Limia rivasi L. R. Franz & G. H. Burgess, 1983 (Rivas's limia)

- Limia sulphurophila Rivas, 1980 (sulfur limia)

- Limia tridens (Hilgendorf, 1889)

- Limia versicolor (Günther, 1866) (varicolored limia)

- Limia vittata (Guichenot, 1853) (Cuban limia)

- Limia yaguajali Rivas, 1980 (Yaguajal limia)

- Limia zonata (Nichols, 1915) (striped limia)

## Ecology

Most Limia species inhabit inland waters such as rivers, springs, and lakes. Some are confined to relatively cool mountain streams. While most are found in freshwater habitats, some species inhabit karst environments high in dissolved inorganic salts or in saline lakes. A few are even found in hypersaline coastal lagoons.

Most Limia species prefer to feed on detritus and algae, with some Hispanionalan species, such as L. nigrofasciata, showing a specialization in detrivory. A trend towards a limnivore diet has also been recorded in the genus. Widespread species such as L. perugiae, L. versicolor, and L. zonata have been found to have a more generalized diet, which (especially in the wet season) includes aquatic invertebrates.

## Reproduction

Limias are livebearers. Courtship display may have evolved on two separate occasions in the genus.

## Hybrids

Fertile hybrids have been obtained between L. melanogaster and both L. nigrofasciata and L. vittata.

John Dawes in the UK, in his book Livebearing Fishes, reported a L. melanogaster x L. nigrofasciata hybrid male has been mated to female green sailfin molly. Two hybrid fry were obtained, one was raised to maturity, ending up as a molly-like fish swimming with its head up at an angle of 45 degrees and was unable to maintain an even keel. This hybrid fails to inseminate molly females provided and no further hybrid offspring resulted.


The Alphabet Killer

# The Alphabet Killer

## Abstract

The Alphabet Killer is a 2008 thriller - horror film, loosely based on the Alphabet murders that took place in Rochester, New York between 1971 and 1973. Eliza Dushku stars alongside Cary Elwes, Michael Ironside, Bill Moseley and Timothy Hutton. The film is directed by Rob Schmidt, director of Wrong Turn, also starring Dushku, and written by Tom Malloy, who also acted in a supporting role.

## Plot

Megan Paige, an investigator for the Rochester Police Department, is investigating the murder of a young girl named Carla Castillo. Her body was found in the nearby village of Churchville, New York, along with traces of white cat hair. Opposing her colleagues and boyfriend Kenneth Shine, Megan insists that the murder is the work of a serial killer. Despite Megan's considerable efforts, she fails to catch the killer. Stress and obsession over the investigation causes Megan to hallucinate the victim's image. She ultimately has a nervous breakdown after being kicked off the case and tries to commit suicide.

Following two years of medical treatment and attending a support group headed by a wheelchair-using man named Richard Ledge, Megan rejoins the police department in an office job. Following a similar murder of another young girl, Wendy Walsh, whose body is found in Webster along with some white cat hair, Megan successfully lobbies to rejoin the investigation. Partnered with Steven Harper, they try to find links between the victims.

Then another girl, Melissa Maestro, is killed in Macedon. They find a number of commonalities between Wendy and Melissa but fail to connect these to the first victim. The Webster Police Department, who has jurisdiction over the latest murder but are uncooperative, receive a call from 19-year-old Elizabeth Eckers who tells them she is being held hostage in a house. Megan is convinced the suspect is not the Alphabet Killer and breaks procedure to preempt a police raid. Megan almost defuses the situation but an officer shoots the suspect through a window and kills him. Webster police declare that the Alphabet Killer is dead and announce the discovery of white cat hair in the house. Megan spirals into another nervous breakdown.

Certain that the Webster police planted the evidence in order to justify killing an innocent, Megan continues the investigation on her own. Megan discovers that all three girls attended St. Michael's Church in Rochester. Still suffering from hallucinations of the victims, Megan visits the church and tries to question the pastor but has another breakdown and is hospitalized.

Megan escapes the hospital and takes refuge in Ledge's home. There, she finds out that he used to work as the math teacher for the St. Michael's Church, which finally reveals that he is the Alphabet killer. Before she can act, he leaps from his wheelchair – having only pretended to be disabled – and attacks her. Ledge knocks her unconscious and drives to a remote spot near the Genesee River to drown her. Before Ledge can inject her with a sedative and dump her into the river, Megan breaks free and, after a struggle, shoots him in the foot with his own gun. Ledge falls into the river just past a large waterfall, though it's unclear if he is dead or not. Unsure whether Ledge is dead and confused by her surroundings, Megan is driven by the intense situation to another, longer breakdown.

Megan is again hospitalized and kept under intensive psychiatric care. The final scenes of the film show Megan wearing a patient gown, heavily sedated and strapped to a bed in a psychiatric ward. There is no one else in the room, but in her state, she envisions the spirits of the victims waiting for her to return and seek justice for them.

The final scenes of Megan are intercut with scenes of a survived Ledge altering his appearance. He is shown in church, receiving communion and exchanging glances with a potential victim. It is unclear if these scenes of Ledge are actually occurring or are part of Megan's psychosis.

A title card announces: "In 2006, police exhumed a fireman's body and posthumously cleared him as a suspect. To date, the Alphabet Killer has not been found."

## Cast

- Martin Donovan as Jim Walsh

- Eliza Dushku as Megan Paige

- Cary Elwes as Kenneth Shine

- Andrew Fiscella as Len Schafer

- Timothy Hutton as Richard Ledge

- Michael Ironside as Nathan Norcoss

- Melissa Leo as Kathy Walsh

- Carl Lumbly as Dr. Ellis Parks

- Tom Malloy as Steven Harper

- Bill Moseley as Carl Tanner

- Tom Noonan as Captain Gullikson

- Bailey Garno as Carla Castillo

## Production

From 1970 to 1973, three girls in and around Rochester, New York, were brutally raped and strangled, their bodies dumped in neighboring villages. Each girl's first and last names started with the same letter and matched the initial of the name of the village where their body was found. The film deviates significantly from established facts, most evident by establishing a modern-day setting.

The filmmakers chose to focus on the personal aspect of the story and its impact on the lead character instead of police procedure in the investigation. Writer Tom Malloy developed the script with the help of a homicide investigator who had worked on the original case. The writer noted that he saw the film as a cross between A Beautiful Mind and Zodiac.

Dushku was an immediate choice for the lead role. The filmmakers also deliberately chose certain actors who had earlier played the role of a killer in other films. The film was shot in and around Rochester. The climactic scene was shot near the High Falls of Genesee River.

## Reception

### Release

The film was screened at multiple film festivals, including the Screamfest Horror Film Festival. The film had a limited theatrical release in the United States on November 7, 2008, when it was released in 2 theaters, only in New York. As of December 14, 2008, the film's domestic earnings are $29,784 while it grossed $76,812 in the foreign markets for a worldwide total of $106,596.

### Critical response

The film was panned by critics, earning a 13% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times commended the actors' performances but thought the end was very unsatisfactory. LA Weekly ' s Luke Thompson said the plot was quite predictable, but he also said that the presence of multiple supporting characters keeps viewers guessing, which made the film very interesting. Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times praised Dushku's skills and Schmidt's choice to be "more interested in facts than in frights".


San Diego Surf Riders

# San Diego Surf Riders

## Abstract

The San Diego Surf Riders are an American professional Twenty20 cricket team based in San Diego, California, that competes in Minor League Cricket (MiLC). The team's home ground is Canyonside Park, located in the community of Rancho Peñasquitos. The Surf Riders began play in the 2021 season.

## Franchise history

The Surf Riders were formed in 2020 as part of 24 original teams to compete in Minor League Cricket. The team is co-owned by Rajinder Ghai, Gangaram Singh, Sanjit Menezes, Jimmy Anklesaria, and Ram Madabushi.

### Background

Talks of an American Twenty20 league started in November 2018 just before USA Cricket became the new governing body of cricket in the United States. In May 2021, USA Cricket announced they had accepted a bid by American Cricket Enterprises (ACE) for a US$ 1 billion investment covering the league and other investments benefitting the U.S. national teams.

In an Annual General Meeting on February 21, 2020, it was announced that USA Cricket was planning to launch Major League Cricket in 2021 and Minor League Cricket that summer, but it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and due to the lack of high-quality cricket stadiums in the USA. Major League Cricket was pushed to a summer-2023 launch and Minor League Cricket was pushed back to July 31, 2021.

USA Cricket CEO Iain Higgins also pointed out cities such as New York City, Houston and Los Angeles with a large cricket fanbase, and targeted them among others as launch cities for Minor League Cricket.

### Exhibition league

In July 2020, the player registration for the Minor League Cricket exhibition league began. On August 15, 2020, USA Cricket announced the teams participating in the exhibition league matches, also listing the owners for each team. The draft for the exhibition league began on August 22, 2020, with the Surf Riders releasing their squad on August 24. Marty Kain was later named as captain for the Surf Riders for the exhibition league.

### 2021 season

After the conclusion of the exhibition league, USA Cricket announced that they were planning to launch the inaugural season of Minor League Cricket in spring 2021. Ahead of the official season, which was announced to kick off on July 31, the Lashings announced Marty Kain to continue his role as captain with Mrunal Patel helming vice-captain duties.

In their first match of the season, the Surf Riders defeated the Master Blasters by 5 wickets in a low-scoring game, but then lost to the Lashings by 4 wickets the same day. The Surf Riders, however, only won three times after their opening match victory, once against the Thunderbolts, once against the Master Blasters, and once against the Irving Mustangs. They lost against the Thunderbolts, the Strikers twice, the Blazers twice, the Lashings, Hurricanes, and the Athletics. The Surf Riders finished on top of the Master Blasters, and finished 6th, thus not qualifying for the finals.

### 2022 season

Ahead of the 2022 season, Major League Cricket announced that the draft for that season would take place on May 12.

## Current squad

Marty Kain is helming captaincy duties, with American cricketer Mrunal Patel helming vice-captain duties. Americans Sri Krishna A and Timil Patel lead the batting and bowling leaderboards for the team, with 344 runs and 18 wickets.

- Players with international caps are listed in bold.


The American Friend

# The American Friend

## Abstract

The American Friend (German: Der amerikanische Freund) is a 1977 neo-noir film written and directed by Wim Wenders, adapted from the 1974 novel Ripley's Game by Patricia Highsmith. It stars Dennis Hopper as career-criminal Tom Ripley and Bruno Ganz as Jonathan Zimmermann, a terminally ill picture framer whom Ripley coaxes into becoming an assassin. The film uses an unusual "natural" language concept: Zimmermann speaks German with his family and his doctor, but English with Ripley and while visiting Paris.

## Plot

Tom Ripley is a wealthy American living in Hamburg, Germany. He is involved in an artwork forgery scheme, in which he drives up auction prices of supposedly newly-found—but really newly-produced—paintings by an artist who has faked his own death. At an auction he is introduced to Jonathan Zimmermann, a picture framer who is dying of leukemia. Zimmermann refuses to shake Ripley's hand when introduced, coldly saying, "I've heard of you,” before walking away.

Raoul Minot, a French criminal, asks Ripley to murder an American gangster. Ripley declines, but, to get even for Zimmermann's slight, suggests Minot use Zimmermann for the job. Ripley spreads rumors that Zimmermann's illness has suddenly worsened, and Minot offers Zimmermann a great deal of money to kill the gangster. Zimmermann initially turns Minot down, but fearing that he might not have long to live, he joins Minot on a trip to France to get a second medical opinion. Minot has the results falsified to make Zimmermann expect the worst, and Zimmermann agrees to shoot the gangster in a Paris Métro station to provide for his wife Marianne and his son Daniel. Ripley visits Zimmermann in his shop before and after the shooting, ostensibly to get a picture framed. Zimmermann is unaware of Ripley's involvement in the murder plot, and the two begin to form a bond, after Zimmermann apologizes for being rude to Ripley when they first met.

Minot visits Ripley to report his satisfaction with Zimmermann's performance. Ripley, who has grown to like Zimmermann, is appalled when Minot wants Zimmermann to kill another American gangster in order to trigger a gang war among his rivals. This time, however, he will be on an international express train, using a garrote. This gangster gets the jump on Zimmermann, but Ripley appears out of the shadows and overpowers the man. Zimmermann and Ripley jointly execute the target and his bodyguard and throw the bodies from the train. Back in Hamburg, Ripley confesses to suggesting Zimmermann to Minot. When Zimmermann offers him the money for the second hit, he declines and asks Zimmermann not to divulge his involvement.

Leading a double life causes tension in Zimmermann's marriage, as Marianne does not believe his cover stories of traveling and getting paid for experimental treatments. Marianne eventually leaves with Daniel, causing him to collapse. Minot arrives to find out if Zimmermann knows why his flat was recently bombed. When Zimmermann mentions that "we" killed the man on the train, he suspects Ripley has turned on him.

Zimmermann calls Ripley, who takes Zimmermann to his mansion to wait for the assassins that he expects will soon appear. He and Zimmermann ambush and kill the American gangsters that arrive. Minot, who has been captured and beaten by the Americans, escapes in the chaos. Ripley piles the bodies into the ambulance the gangsters brought, but before he and Zimmermann can leave to dispose of them, Marianne arrives and tells Zimmermann that the French medical reports are fake. Ripley says there will be plenty of time to settle everything later, but he and Zimmermann could use her help with their current situation. The trio head to the sea, Ripley in the ambulance, and Marianne driving her exhausted husband in their car. On an isolated beach, Ripley douses the ambulance with gasoline and sets it on fire. Zimmermann gets in the driver's seat of his car and speeds away with Marianne, abandoning Ripley. Moments later, he dies at the wheel and the car goes out of control, but Marianne pulls the emergency brake and survives. At the beach, Ripley says to himself, "Oh well. We made it anyway, Jonathan. Be careful."

## Cast

- Dennis Hopper as Tom Ripley

- Bruno Ganz as Jonathan Zimmermann

- Lisa Kreuzer as Marianne Zimmermann, Jonathan's wife

- Gérard Blain as Raoul Minot, a French gangster

- Nicholas Ray as "Derwatt", an artist

- Samuel Fuller as The American, a gangster

- Peter Lilienthal as Marcangelo, the gangster killed on the train

- Daniel Schmid as Igraham, the gangster killed in the subway

- Sandy Whitelaw as Doctor in Paris

- Jean Eustache as Friendly Man, who bandages Jonathan's head

- Lou Castel as Rodolphe, Minot's henchman

- Andreas Dedecke as Daniel Zimmermann, Jonathan and Marianne's son

- David Blue as Allan Winter, who buys the painting at the auction

- Stefan Lennert as Auctioneer

- Rudolf Schündler as Gantner, Marianne's boss at the auction house

- Gerty Molzen as Old Lady, a customer of Jonathan's framing business

- Heinz Joachim Klein as Dr. Gabriel

- Heinrich Marmann as Man on the Train with a dog

- Satya De La Manitou as Angie, The American's henchman

- Axel Schiessler as Lippo, Marcangelo's bodyguard

- Adolf Hansen as Conductor

- Rosemarie Heinikel as Mona, a woman involved with The American

## Production

Wenders was a fan of Patricia Highsmith and wanted to make a film based on one of her novels, especially The Cry of the Owl or The Tremor of Forgery. When he learned that the rights to these novels, and Highsmith's others, had been sold, he met with the author, and she offered him the unpublished manuscript of Ripley's Game, which was published in 1974. Although he did not have the rights to do so, Wenders also incorporated elements from the previous Ripley novel, Ripley Under Ground, in the film.

Disliking the title Ripley's Game, Wenders shot the film under the title Framed. Another title considered was Rule Without Exception. Wenders credits Hopper's performance and onscreen relationship with Ganz with inspiring the title The American Friend.

Initially, Wenders wanted to cast John Cassavetes as Ripley, but he declined, suggesting Hopper for the part. After casting Hopper, an experienced director, Wenders decided to cast all of the gangster roles with directors, including Gérard Blain, Samuel Fuller, Peter Lilienthal, and Daniel Schmid. Additionally, Nicholas Ray was cast as the artist, and Jean Eustache was cast as a friendly Frenchman.

American popular music is heard or referenced at several points in the film. Ripley quotes the song " Ballad of Easy Rider " from Easy Rider (1969), a film Hopper directed and starred in, and Bob Dylan 's " One More Cup of Coffee " and " I Pity the Poor Immigrant ". Zimmermann plays or sings the songs "Too Much on My Mind" and "Nothin' in the World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'Bout That Girl", both by the Kinks, in his shop; Summer in the City (1970), Wenders's first full-length feature film, was dedicated to the Kinks. Also, Ripley tells Zimmermann that he is "bringing the Beatles back to Hamburg," and Zimmermann quotes the band's song " Drive My Car " later in the film.

## Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 88% of 25 critics' reviews of the film are positive, with an average score of 7.3/10; the site's "critics consensus: reads: " The American Friend is a slow burning existential thriller that does justice to the Patricia Highsmith source novel." Roger Ebert gave the film three stars out of four, writing: " challenges us to admit that we watch (and read) thrillers as much for atmosphere as for plot. And then he gives us so much atmosphere we're almost swimming in it." David Nusair of Reel Film Reviews had a more mixed reaction, calling the film "occasionally thrilling" and praising "Ganz's subtle, thoroughly compelling performance", but criticizing what he called a "disastrous final half hour."

In A Girl and a Gun: The Complete Guide to Film Noir, David N. Meyer says of the film: "Though the plot may not make a whole lot of sense the first time around—and the thick European accents of a couple of the major actors doesn't help— The American Friend is worth the effort. Few movies from any era or genre offer such rich characters, realistic human relationships, gripping action sequences, or sly humor." In Out of the Past: Adventures in Film Noir, Barry Gifford writes: "Of all the 'homage' films made since the 1940s and '50s meant to evoke noir, The American Friend succeeds more than most because of the spaces, the sputters, and sudden shifts of energy that allow the characters to achieve veracity."

Highsmith initially disliked the film, but later changed her mind. Joan Schenkar's biography of the author, The Talented Miss Highsmith: The Secret Life and Serious Art of Patricia Highsmith, quotes Wenders as saying: "I was really happy with the picture and couldn't wait to have Patricia see it. But then, to my great disappointment, she was quite disturbed by it, didn't conceal that either and didn't have anything good to say about it after the screening. I left utterly frustrated. Months later, I got a letter from her. She said she had seen the film a second time, this time in a public screening on the Champs-Élysées during a visit in Paris. And she had much better feelings about it now.... And she was full of praise for Dennis Hopper, too, whom she had flat-out rejected the first time. She now wrote that my film had captured the essence of that Ripley character better than any other films. You can guess how relieved I was!" In an interview in 1988, Highsmith praised the film's "stylishness" and said the scenes on the train were "terrific."

The film was entered into the 1977 Cannes Film Festival. It was selected as the West German entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 50th Academy Awards, but was not chosen as one of the five final nominees. The film was also nominated for Best Foreign Language Film by the U.S. National Board of Review.

## Other Ripley films

The American Friend is the second big-screen adaptation of one of Highsmith's Ripley novels, after Purple Noon (1960). It was followed by The Talented Mr. Ripley in 1999, Ripley's Game in 2002, and Ripley Under Ground in 2005. These films (all written and directed by different people) do not form an official series, and none were made with the intention of explicitly preceding or following the others.


Bill Shores

# Bill Shores

## Abstract

William David Shores (May 26, 1904 – February 19, 1984) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1928 to 1936 for the Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago White Sox, and New York Giants.

Shores was the first major league player to wear uniform number 13, while playing for the A's in 1931. The number 13 was not routinely issued to players, except by request.


Giovanna d'Aragona

# Giovanna d'Aragona

## Abstract

Giovanna d'Aragona (1502– September 11, 1575) was a patron of the arts, printers and religious reform in Naples during the Renaissance.

## Family

She was the oldest daughter of Duke Ferdinando of Malteno and Castellana de Cardona. Her father was a younger, illegitimate son of Ferdinand I of Naples by Diana Guardato. Giovanna was a celebrated beauty of her time. She was described as "beautiful, but cold". In 1518, the year of her engagement to Ascanio Colonna, Constable of Naples, Cardinal Bibbiena, papal ambassador to the French court, commissioned a portrait of her from the workshop of his friend Raphael as a gift for the King.

## Life

Her parents had fled to the island Ischia after French troops had overrun Naples. Constanza d'Avalos resided here as well and gathered a literary circle around her. Amongst them was her sister-in-law, the poet Vittoria Colonna, wife of Constanza's nephew, Fernando d'Ávalos.

In 1521, Giovanna married Vittoria's brother Ascanio. Upon marriage they became Duke and Duchess of Tagliacozzo. The marriage was unhappy, and after giving birth to six children, Giovanna asked Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor for the means to live apart from her husband. He granted her 3,000 scudi a year. Ascanio left for Lombardy, and she, pretending to go to the baths of Pozzuoli, with all Ascanio's possessions, and her children, went to Ischia. The emperor then directed her to the Castel dell'Ovo.

Given the rank of the parties involved, the matter stirred up controversy among the Italo-Spanish nobility and in the papal court. Ignatius of Loyola sent Nicholas Bobadilla to attempt to persuade her to return to her husband. When this failed, he, himself visited her in Alvita, but to no avail. In this she was supported by her son, Marcantonio. Nonetheless, she donated to the Jesuits land on the Quirinal Hill to build their first seminary; now the site of Sant'Andrea al Quirinale.

Despite all this, she remained close to Vittoria and together with Giovanna's sister Maria and Constanza d'Avalos, they supported the religious writer Juan de Valdés. In 1541, when Pope Paul III raised the price of salt, she tried to intercede for her husband, who refused to pay the "salt tax". She also gathered arms and men, and sold jewels for the defense of Paliano. In spite of her mediation, the pope's forces attacked Ascanio's lands and he was imprisoned by an envoy of Charles V.

Like Pope Paul III, Pope Paul IV was an enemy of the Colonna family. In 1556, he held Giovanna under house arrest in Rome and forbade her to arrange marriages for her daughters, perhaps intending them for his nephews. His treatment of Giovanna drew negative comment from Venice because she had long been a patron of artists and writers. She escaped by wearing servants' clothes and fled to Tagliacozzo with her children and servants. In 1560, after the death of Paul IV, she returned to Rome and became a prominent figure in Italy's political and religious life.

The poet Girolamo Ruscelli paid tribute to her in an anthology with work from many contemporary Italian poets.

Giovanna d'Aragona died in Rome on 11 September 1575.


Grendel Grendel Grendel

# Grendel Grendel Grendel

## Abstract

Grendel Grendel Grendel is a 1981 Australian animated film written, directed and designed by Alexander Stitt and starring Peter Ustinov. It was based on John Gardner 's novel Grendel. The music was composed and conducted by Bruce Smeaton and has been released on the 1M1 Records label.

Like Gardner's novel, the film is a retelling of part of the epic poem Beowulf from the monster Grendel 's point of view. Grendel (voiced by Ustinov) is by turns a thoughtful and contemplative character and a rampaging monster who attacks the mead hall of an early Danish kingdom, biting the head off of one would-be defender. This was the second full-length fully animated film ever made in Australia (coming after 1972's Marco Polo Junior Versus the Red Dragon).

## Plot

Initially narrated by the titular character through a flashback, Grendel (Peter Ustinov), the "Great Boogey", recounts how he first left his cave as a child and encountered the Danish King Hrothgar (Ed Rosser) and his thegns. After being rescued by his mother, Grendel pondered over the similarities he shared with the Danes, yet lamented on their not being able to understand his language. He watched as Hrothgar's power and wealth grew, disgusted at his excesses and the royal Shaper 's (Keith Michell) revision of history, presenting the king's underhanded and brutal achievements as glorious victories. Desperate to find meaning in life, Grendel encountered the dragon (Arthur Dignam), who informed Grendel that his sole purpose in life is to terrify humanity, thus stimulating human imagination and encouraging social cohesion.

Grendel accepts his new role and regularly visits the king's mead hall to frighten Hrothgar's people and devour them. He stops short of killing the king himself and the warrior Unferth (Ric Stone), whose delusions of grandeur and passive opposition to the king amuse Grendel. Feeling sympathy for Hrothgar's miserable wife Wealhtheow, who is also the object of Unferth's secret affection, Grendel decides to finally kill Hrothgar and take her to his lair. Before Grendel can arrive, the meadhall is visited by the hero Beowulf (also voiced by Dignam), who kills Unferth on the increasingly paranoid Hrothgar's orders. Beowulf then ambushes Grendel and tears off his arm, leaving the monster to die outside, pondering over the accidental nature of his death.

## Voices

- Peter Ustinov - Grendel

- Keith Michell - The Shaper

- Arthur Dignam - The Dragon, Beowulf

- Ed Rosser - King Hrothgar

- Bobby Bright - Additional Voices

- Ric Stone - Unferth

- Ernie Bourne - Additional Voices

- Rho Schepisi - Additional Voices

- Colin McEwan - Additional Voices

- Alison Bird - Wealhtheow

- Barry Hill - Additional Voices

- Peter Aanensen - Additional Voices

- Jack Brown - Additional Voices

- Julie McKenna - The Shaper's Boy

### Uncredited

- Phillip Adams - Narrator

## Production and release

Stitt acquired the film rights to Grendel in 1978, and work was commenced at Melbourne Al et al. Studios the following year. The film was conceived as a coproduction with producer Phillip Adams, under the banner of Animation Australia. Although completed in 1981, it was not released in US theatres until the spring of 1982. Because of its limited appeal, broadcasting of the film was largely restricted to art theatres in urban centres.


Zinin reaction

# Zinin reaction

## Abstract

Zinin reaction or Zinin reduction involves reduction of nitro aromatic compounds to the amines using sodium sulfide. It is used to convert nitrobenzenes to anilines. The reaction selectively reduces nitro groups in the presence of other easily reduced functional groups (e.g., aryl halides and C=C bonds) are present in the molecule.

## Reaction mechanism and example

The reaction requires water, with thiosulfate being formed as a by-product. A possible stoichiometry for the reaction is:

Mechanistic studies have implicated a role for disulfide that is generated in situ. Nitrosobenzenes (ArNO) and phenylhydroxylamine (ArNHOH) are probable intermediates.

Dinitrobenzenes can often be reduced selectively to the nitroaniline, for example in the synthesis of 3-nitroaniline from 1,3-dinitrobenzene

## History

The reaction was discovered by a Russian organic chemist Nikolay Zinin (Russian: Николай Николаевич Зинин) (25 August 1812, Shusha – 18 February 1880, Saint Petersburg).


4-H

# 4-H

## Abstract

4-H is a U.S.-based network of youth organizations whose mission is "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development". Its name is a reference to the occurrence of the initial letter H four times in the organization's original motto head, heart, hands, and health, which was later incorporated into the fuller pledge officially adopted in 1927. In the United States, the organization is administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). 4-H Canada is an independent non-profit organization overseeing the operation of branches throughout Canada. There are 4-H organizations in over 50 countries; the organization and administration varies from country to country.

The goal of 4-H is to develop citizenship, leadership, responsibility and life skills of youth through experiential learning programs and a positive youth development approach. Though typically thought of as an agriculturally focused organization as a result of its history, 4-H today focuses on citizenship, healthy living, science, engineering, and technology programs. Clubs in today's 4-H world consist of a wide range of options each allowing for personal growth and career success. The 4-H motto is "To make the best better", while its slogan is "Learn by doing" (sometimes written as "Learn to do by doing"). As of 2016, the organization had nearly 6 million active participants and more than 25 million alumni.

## History

The foundations of 4-H began in 1902 with the work of several people in different parts of the United States. The focal point of 4-H has been the idea of practical and hands-on learning, which came from the desire to make public school education more connected to rural life. Early programs incorporated both public and private resources. 4-H was founded with the purpose of instructing rural youth in improved farming and farm-homemaking practices. By the 1970s, it was broadening its goals to cover a full range of youth, including minorities, and a wide range of life experiences.

During this time, researchers at experiment stations of the land-grant universities and USDA saw that adults in the farming community did not readily accept new agricultural discoveries. However, educators found that youth would experiment with these new ideas and then share their experiences and successes with the adults. As a result rural youth programs became a way to introduce new agriculture technology to the adults.

Club work began wherever a public-spirited person did something to give rural children respect for themselves and their ways of life and it is very difficult to credit one sole individual. Instances of work with rural boys and girls can be found all throughout the 19th century. In the spring of 1882, Delaware College announced a statewide corn contest for boys, in which each boy was to plant a quarter of an acre, according to instructions sent out from the college, and cash prizes, certificates, and subscriptions to the American Agriculturalist were rewarded.

In 1892, in an effort to improve the Kewaunee County Fair, Ransom Asa Moore, the president of the Kewaunee Fair, the Agricultural Society, and Superintendent of the Kewaunee County Schools in Wisconsin, organized a "youth movement", which he called "Young People's Contest Clubs", in which he solicited the support of 6,000 young farm folks to produce and exhibit fruits, vegetables, and livestock. The fairs were quite successful. In 1904, while working for the University of Wisconsin–Madison and trying to repeat what he had accomplished in Kewaunee County over a decade before but with different intentions, "Daddy" R.A. Moore convinced R.H. Burns, then Superintendent of Schools of Richland County, Wisconsin, to have the Richland County Boys and Girls organize and assist in a corn-project activity to help market and distribute improved seeds to the farmers in the state of Wisconsin (and beyond).

A. B. Graham began one of the youth programs in Clark County, Ohio, in 1902, which is also considered one of the births of the 4-H program in the United States. The first club was called "The Tomato Club" or the "Corn Growing Club". T.A. "Dad" Erickson of Douglas County, Minnesota, started local agricultural after-school clubs and fairs also in 1902. Jessie Field Shambaugh developed the clover pin with an H on each leaf in 1910, and, by 1912, they were called 4-H clubs. Early 4-H programs in Colorado began with youth instruction offered by college agricultural agents as early as 1910, as part of the outreach mission of the Colorado land grant institutions.

The national 4-H organization was formed in 1914, when the United States Congress created the Cooperative Extension Service of the USDA by passage of the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, it included within the CES charter the work of various boys' and girls' clubs involved with agriculture, home economics and related subjects. The Smith-Lever Act formalized the 4-H programs and clubs that began in the midwestern region of the United States. Although different activities were emphasized for boys and girls, 4-H was one of the first youth organizations to give equal attention to both genders (cf., erstwhile Boys Clubs of America). The first appearance of the term "4-H Club" in a federal document was in "Organization and Results of Boys' and Girls' Club Work," by Oscar Herman Benson (1875–1951) and Gertrude L. Warren, in 1920. By 1924, the clubs were organized as 4-H clubs, and the clover emblem was adopted. Warren expanded the scope of girls' activities under the program (promoting garment making, room decorating, and hot lunches), and wrote extensive training materials.

The first 4-H camp was held in Randolph County, West Virginia. Originally, these camps were for what was referred to as "Corn Clubs". Campers slept in corn fields in tents, only to wake up and work almost the entirety of each day. Superintendent of Schools G. C. Adams began a boys' corn club in Newton County, Georgia, in 1904.

4-H membership hit an all-time high in 1974 as a result of its popular educational program about nutrition, Mulligan Stew, shown in schools and on television across the country. Today, 4-H clubs and activities are no longer focused primarily on agricultural activities, instead emphasizing personal growth and preparation for lifelong learning. Participation is greatest during the elementary school years, with enrollment in programs and activities peaking in the 4th grade.

In the southern United States during the mid-1960s 4-H began to broaden its programming to cover life experiences unrelated to agriculture. It merged its segregated AfricanAmerican and white programs, but full-fledged integration proved elusive. 4-H was successful in removing gender-based restrictions on participation.

The organization is funded by the USDA and by state and local governments. The National 4-H Council's programs are also supported by a number of corporations including Google, Verizon, Microsoft, Land O'Lakes Inc., and Tractor Supply Co.

Past Honorary Chairmen of Council have included U.S. Presidents Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.

## Pledge

The 4-H pledge is:

I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service, and my health to better living, for my club, my community, my country, and my world.

Otis E. Hall wrote the original pledge of Kansas in 1918. Some California 4-H clubs add either "As a true 4-H member" or "As a loyal 4-H member" at the beginning of the pledge. Minnesota and Maine 4-H clubs add "for my family" to the last line of the pledge. Initially, the pledge ended in "and my country," but in 1973, "and my world" was added.

It is a common practice to involve hand motions to accompany these spoken words. While reciting the first line of the pledge, the speaker points to their head with both of their hands. As the speaker recites the second line, they place their right hand over their heart much like during the Pledge of Allegiance. For the third line, the speaker presents their hands, palm side up, before them. For the fourth line, the speaker motions to their body down their sides. For the final line, the speaker usually places their right hand out for the club, left hand for the community, brings them together for the country, and then brings their hands upwards in a circle representing the world.

## Emblem

The official 4-H emblem is a green four-leaf clover with a white H on each leaf standing for Head, Heart, Hands, and Health. The stem of the clover always points to the right.

The idea of using the four-leaf clover as an emblem for the 4-H program is credited to Oscar Herman Benson (1875–1951) of Wright County, Iowa. He awarded three-leaf and four-leaf clover pennants and pins for students' agricultural and domestic science exhibits at school fairs.

The 4-H name and emblem had U.S. federal protection, previous under federal code 18 U.S.C. 707. The federal protection made it a mark unto and of itself with protection that supersedes the limited authorities of both a trademark and a copyright. The Secretary of Agriculture is given responsibility and stewardship for the 4-H name and emblem, at the direct request of the U.S. Congress. These protections placed the 4-H emblem in a unique category of protected emblems, also along with the U.S. Presidential Seal, Red Cross, Smokey Bear, and the Olympic rings. Protections for the 4-H emblem were repealed by Title XI of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.

## Youth development research

Through the program's tie to land-grant institutions of higher education, 4-H academic staff are responsible for advancing the field of youth development. Professional academic staff are committed to innovation, the creation of new knowledge, and the dissemination of new forms of program practice and research on topics like University of California 's study of thriving in young people. Youth development research is undertaken in a variety of forms including program evaluation, applied research, and introduction of new programs.

## Volunteers

Over 540,000 volunteer leaders help to coordinate the 4-H program at the county level. Volunteers plan and conduct 4-H related activities, develop and maintain educational programs, or assist in fundraising. Activities include youth development programs, project groups, camps, conferences, or animal shows. The volunteers' goal is to help youth achieve greater self-confidence and self-responsibility, learn new skills, and build relationships.

Volunteers are directed by 4-H's professional staff.

The National 4-H Hall of Fame honors 4-H volunteers, extension professionals and staff employees, donors and others, according to a criterion of "significant impact on the 4-H program and/or 4-H members through the contribution of time, energy, financial resources, etc.". The hall of fame was established in 2002 by the National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals (NAE4-HYDP).

## Additional programs

### After-school

4-H Afterschool helps 4-H and other youth-serving organizations create and improve programs for students in communities across the U.S. 4-H Afterschool is an extension-enhanced program that:

- Offers youth a safe, healthy, caring and enriching environment.

- Engages youth in long-term, structured learning in partnership with adults.

- Addresses the interests of youth and their physical, cognitive, social and emotional needs.

4-H Afterschool programs utilize experimental and cooperative learning activities and provide interaction with competent adults. Results of retrospective pre/post-surveys indicate that children enrolled in the program showed life skill gain over time, and that gains on specific life skills differed as a function of age, gender, and ethnicity.

The life skills gained through 4-H Afterschool give children the tools they need for perceiving and responding to diverse life situations and achieving their personal goals. Participation in these quality programs which use experiential and cooperative learning have all been found to contribute to children's social development and academic success.

### Camping

Each state runs its own camping program. The world's first 4-H camp was held in July 1915 on the Crouch family farm along the Tygart Valley River near Elkwater, West Virginia. The youth in attendance named the location Camp Good Luck.

The first state 4-H camp was held at Jackson's Mill outside of Weston, West Virginia. 4-H camping programs in most states are run through land-grant institutions, such as Washington State University, which runs the Washington program, and Pennsylvania State University runs Pennsylvania's. The Georgia 4-H camping program has the largest youth center in the world, called Rock Eagle.

On July 8, 2015, to mark the centennial of 4-H camping, youth from Randolph County, West Virginia traveled back to the original Camp Good Luck site for a special commemoration and campfire program. A stone marker honoring Camp Good Luck had been placed adjacent to US 219 near the site, but was moved to a spot off of Bell Crouch Rd. for greater safety and accessibility through the efforts of Randolph County 4-H volunteers and the West Virginia Division of Highways.

### Five- to eight-year-old youth

Some states offer programs for youth in grades K-2 called Cloverbuds, Cloverkids, 4-H Adventurers, Primary Members, or Mini 4-H. Some states prohibit this age group from competition due to research in child development demonstrating that competition is unhealthy for youth ages five to eight.

### Collegiate

Many colleges and universities have collegiate 4-H clubs. Usually members are students who are 4-H alumni and want to continue a connection to 4-H, but any interested students are welcome. Clubs provide service and support to their local and state 4-H programs, such as serving as judges and conducting training workshops. They are also a service and social group for campus students. The first collegiate 4-H club started in 1916 on the Oklahoma State University - Stillwater campus.

### All Stars

Finding its roots in the early 4-H movement in West Virginia, the 4-H All-Star program strives to recognize and challenge 4-H members and volunteers. State 4-H Club Leader William H. "Teepi" Kendrick sought to develop youth to "be yourself at your best" and to "make the best better" through a fourfold personal development pattern involving the head, hands, heart, and, at that time, hustle. It was with this philosophy, in collaboration with others, that the 4-H emblem was born. In an attempt to harbor further individual growth, Kendrick recognized excellence with pins bearing one, two, three, and four H's. Recognition for outstanding participation was rewarded from 1917 to 1921 with trips to a Prize Winner's Course at West Virginia University. Members who demonstrated outstanding qualities at these courses were awarded five-pointed red pins with five H's, with this additional H to symbolize honor. The recipients of these pins were referred to by Kendrick as "All Stars". It was following the pin consecration ceremony in 1919 that the official West Virginia 4-H All Stars organization was chartered, becoming the Alpha Chapter of the nationwide 4-H honorary.

The symbol of the All Stars is a red star enveloping a gemstone chip over the 4-H emblem. Each point of the star represents a pillar of character: "Beauty, Fortitude, Service, Truth, and Love".

Many states have All Star programs, although All Star programs vary from state to state. Selection as a 4-H All Star is a recognition of achievement. In California for example, it is the highest achievement award at the county level and is a position awarded annually. Similarly, the capstone award in Texas 4-H is the Gold Star Award, which is given to Seniors who have shown outstanding leadership and proficiency in their project areas.

In Virginia, on the other hand, All-Stars are not simply those who have achieved an All-Star award, but are those who have gained membership into the Virginia All-Stars organization. After reaching the age of 15, 4-H members are eligible to apply for membership into the All-Stars organization, which promotes the continuation of 4-H principles.

## Conferences

Many conferences are held at various levels of the 4-H program for youth and adults. The National 4-H Conference, which was held at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center in Chevy Chase, Maryland, until it was sold in 2021, is the USDA Secretary's premier youth development opportunity to engage youth in developing recommendations for the 4-H Youth Development Program. The Conference still meets annually in and around Washington, DC. The 2024 National 4-H Conference will be held in Arlington, VA.

The National 4-H Congress is an annual educational conference that brings together 4-H delegates between the ages of 14 and 19 from across America to share cultural experiences and discuss important issues facing youth. This five-day event is typically held during the weekend of Thanksgiving and has been hosted in Atlanta, since 1998. Throughout the conference, 4-H delegates attend numerous workshops, participate in community service activities, and listen to speakers in an effort to develop compassion and increase social awareness.

Citizenship Washington Focus is a week-long conference offered for high school-aged students. At the conference, students have the opportunity to learn how to be citizen leaders in their communities. Throughout the week in Washington, D.C, participants visit monuments, meet with members of Congress, and develop communication, leadership and citizenship skills.

The following national conferences are held yearly, and are focused on specific activities inside of 4-H:

- National 4-H Dairy Conference

- Eastern National 4-H Horse Roundup

- Western National 4-H Horse Roundup

- National 4-H Shooting Sports Invitational Match

- National 4-H True Leaders in Equity Institute

- National 4-H Youth Summit Series STEM Summit Healthy Living Summit Agri-science Summit

- STEM Summit

- Healthy Living Summit

- Agri-science Summit

Other conferences are held by regional and state entities for youth, for volunteer development, or for professional development for staff.

## Use of Native American terminology

For many years, use of Native American names and certain themed activities was part of the summer camping programs of some eastern states. However, the practice was considered to be offensive and protests were raised. A complaint to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Civil Rights in 2002 and an ensuing investigation that threatened to cut off funds to the state's program prompted the West Virginia University Extension Service to abandon offensive and stereotypic practices such as face-painting, and use of imagery not a part of the culture of local Native people, such as tepees and totem poles. They also eliminated the practice of having children wear feather headdresses, and stopped having campers engage in "stereotypical motions and dances," including chanting "Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!". However, the state program deemed the dividing of campers into groups, called "tribes" named after actual Indian Nations, to be respectful and acceptable. In the same year, the Virginia Extension Service removed all references to symbols or camp "traditions" related to Native Americans, including the decades-long practice of dividing campers into "tribes" using names of nations considered native to Virginia, replacing the group names with animal names.

## Alumni

Some 4-H alumni credit the program with helping them in later life.

In 2021, Minnesota-based photographer R. J. Kern, along with writer Alison Nordström, published The Unchosen Ones: Portraits of an American Pastoral. The book highlights portraits of dozens of youth, who spent a year raising and training their animal and then entered into a 4-H livestock competition, but were unsuccessful in winning the top award in their competitions, then revisits the same youth four years later, and asked the young subjects what they had carried forward from their previous experience.


The Assistant (2019 film)

# The Assistant (2019 film)

## Abstract

The Assistant is a 2019 American drama film written, directed, produced, and edited by Kitty Green. The film stars Julia Garner as a junior assistant at a film production company. Matthew Macfadyen, Makenzie Leigh, Kristine Froseth, Jon Orsini, and Noah Robbins also star.

The Assistant premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2019, and was released in the United States on January 31, 2020, by Bleecker Street. It was well-received by critics, who especially praised Garner's performance and the film's claustrophobic depiction of office life.

## Plot

The film takes place over the course of a single day in the life of Jane, a junior assistant who has been working at a film production company in New York City for five weeks. She arrives before dawn and performs various menial administrative tasks. Her job's long hours and demanding tasks keep her busy and stressed. During a phone call with her mother, Jane learns that she forgot to call her father on his birthday.

As Jane's day progresses, it becomes clear that her boss has been having sex in his office with women and facilitating a culture of sexual harassment at the company. Many of the male executives make snide comments about the boss's affairs while the female executives handle their own workloads and discuss the possibility of transferring to other departments. Whenever Jane does something her boss deems a mistake, he verbally abuses her over the phone as her two male junior assistant coworkers watch silently. Throughout the day, a variety of people from the boss's life interact with Jane, including his wife, his children's nanny, a famous actor, and a group of Chinese film producers.

In the afternoon, a young, inexperienced woman named Sienna arrives from Idaho, saying she has been offered a job as a junior assistant. Concerned for Sienna's well-being, Jane goes to the human resources department to file a report after dropping Sienna off at a five-star hotel being paid for by the company. Wilcock, the head of HR, encourages Jane to share her concerns, but later makes clear that he is turning a blind eye to her harassment claims, before demeaning her, speaking down to her, and calling her jealous. He also implies that filing a formal complaint would accomplish nothing. As Jane leaves his office, he reminds her that she has nothing to worry about, as Jane is not the boss's "type". Visibly upset, Jane receives a call from her boss when she returns to her desk. He has been informed about her visit to HR and demands she write an email apology addressed to him, which she does. He replies saying that he is especially "tough" on Jane because he knows how great she is.

Toward the end of the day, Sienna arrives at the office so Jane can teach her how to use the phone systems. As night falls, Jane prepares a microwave dinner for herself while other employees leave; her boss stays late in his office with a young actress. Over the intercom, he tells Jane he no longer needs her for the day. Jane goes to a coffee shop across the street and calls her father as she eats a muffin. After she hangs up, she sees a silhouette in her boss's window appearing to have sex.

## Cast

- Julia Garner as Jane, a junior assistant at a film production company

- Matthew Macfadyen as Wilcock, the head of the HR department at Jane's company

- Makenzie Leigh as Ruby, an aspiring actress

- Kristine Froseth as Sienna, a newly hired junior assistant

- Alexander Chaplin as Max

- Juliana Canfield as Sasha

- Dagmara Domińczyk as Ellen

- Bregje Heinen as Tatiana

- Clara Wong as Tess

- Patrick Breen as Roy

- Jon Orsini and Noah Robbins as Jane's fellow junior assistants

- Purva Bedi as an executive assistant and Jane's immediate boss

- Migs Govea and Daoud Heidami as film executives

- Patrick Wilson as famous actor (uncredited)

- Jay O. Sanders as boss (voice)

## Production

In September 2018, it was announced Kitty Green would write and direct the film with James Schamus and Scott Macaulay producing under their Symbolic Exchange banner. Green was inspired to make the film while she was promoting her documentary Casting JonBenét at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017. Members of the press and festival organizers assumed Green got her ideas for the documentary from her male colleagues. The experience nearly led her to leave filmmaking, but she instead decided to "explore the underlying sexism she was exposed to, a subject that initially took the form of sexual misconduct on college campuses but pivoted when the Weinstein story broke."

To prepare for the film, Green spoke with people who had "worked under toxic, often predatory bosses" in the entertainment industry. Her interviews included former assistants at film studios, agencies, and production companies, some of whom had worked at the Weinstein Co. Green "picked up on patterns of women feeling disempowered, threatened or ignored, incorporating them into the screenplay." She said she experienced some early difficulties in getting the film made because it was critical of the film industry. Green said there were several female executives "who really loved it" and said they would recommend it to their colleagues, but then Green received emails back from these executives that said their colleagues were "refusing to even read it".

In December 2018, Julia Garner joined the film's cast. Green cast Garner after seeing her on the TV series The Americans and needing someone "striking" to contrast with the mundanity of the office tasks in the film. In April 2019, Matthew Macfadyen, Kristine Froseth, Makenzie Leigh, Noah Robbins and Dagmara Domińczyk joined the cast. Production concluded that month in New York City.

Although the boss figure is a looming presence in the film, he is never actually seen. Green said, "I was always more interested in the machinery. We know what happens when the door is closed. We've read those stories. … What I was more interested in was what's on the other side of the door: what people knew, what was going on, the culture in an environment like that." Green also eschewed the use of a score, saying, "the cultural silence is something we were exploring. That quiet was really important to me."

## Release

The Assistant premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2019. Shortly afterward, Bleecker Street acquired its distribution rights and released it in theaters on January 31, 2020. It also screened as an official Spotlight selection at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.

## Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 93% based on 242 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Led by a powerhouse performance from Julia Garner, The Assistant offers a withering critique of workplace harassment and systemic oppression." On Metacritic, which assesses films on a score out of 100, The Assistant holds a score of 79 based on reviews from 43 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Writing for The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw called The Assistant "a claustrophobic, intimately unsettling movie" and wrote, "it can claim to be the first drama that addresses the #MeToo issue". In a similarly positive review, Moira Macdonald of the Seattle Times lauded Julia Garner's performance and said the film shone "a light on a malevolent shadow". She also called it "wound taut and perfectly controlled", just like its protagonist, making for an experience that "feels entirely real".

Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times called the film "less a #MeToo story than a painstaking examination of the way individual slights can coalesce into a suffocating miasma of harassment", and wrote that Garner's performance "makes the slow draining of Jane's soul almost visible". Justin Chang of NPR concluded that "it's the rigorous understatement of The Assistant that makes it so powerful in its vision of how easily the Harvey Weinsteins of the world could exploit their absolute authority for years with little fear of consequence."


Julio Cascante

# Julio Cascante

## Abstract

Julio César Cascante Solórzano (born 3 October 1993) is a Costa Rican professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Major League Soccer club Austin FC.

## Career

Following a career in his native Costa Rica with Orión, Universidad de Costa Rica and Deportivo Saprissa, Cascante signed with MLS side Portland Timbers on 2 January 2018.

Cascante was traded from Portland Timbers to MLS expansion side Austin FC in exchange for $250,000 in general allocation money on December 13, 2020.

## Honours

Saprissa

- Liga FPD: 2016–17


Reds

# Reds

## Abstract

Reds may refer to:

## General

- Red (political adjective), supporters of Communism or socialism

- Reds (film), a 1981 American film starring and directed by Warren Beatty

- Reds (January Uprising), a faction of the Polish insurrectionists during the January Uprising in 1863

- USSR (or, to a lesser extent, China) during the Cold War by many US newspapers

- Secobarbital, a barbiturate derivative drug

- Red Arrows or The Reds, the Royal Air Force's aerobatics display team

- Reds Bassman (1913–2010), American football player

## Sports teams

### Officially known as the Reds

- Cincinnati Reds, a Major League Baseball team

- Queensland Reds, a professional rugby union team based in Brisbane, Australia

- Salford Reds, now Salford Red Devils, a professional rugby league team based in Salford, England

- Sarasota Reds, a single-A baseball affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds

- WA Reds, a professional rugby league team based in Perth, Western Australia

### Unofficially known as the Reds

- Aberdeen F.C.

- Adelaide United FC

- Barnsley F.C.

- Canada men's national soccer team (usually in French as "Les Rouges")

- Cliftonville F.C.

- CSKA Sofia (Chervenite)

- Hannover 96 (Die Roten)

- Hyde United F.C.

- Liverpool F.C.

- Manchester United F.C. (usually as Red Devils)

- Nottingham Forest F.C.

- Persepolis F.C. (Sorkhpoushan)

- Shelbourne F.C.

- S.L. Benfica (Encarnados)

- South Korea national football team

- Sport Club Internacional, known as The Red (Colorado)

- Standard Liège (Les Rouges)

- Toronto FC

- Urawa Red Diamonds, a football team based in Saitama, Japan

- Workington A.F.C.

- Wydad AC


Dog Man (film)

# Dog Man (film)

## Abstract

Dog Man is an upcoming 2025 American animated superhero comedy film based on Dav Pilkey 's children's graphic novel series Dog Man, produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. A spin-off and story within a story of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017) and the second film in the Captain Underpants franchise, it is being directed by Peter Hastings.

DreamWorks Animation announced a film adaptation of Dog Man in December 2020, with Hastings set to direct after his experience with Pilkey's works from The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants (2018–2020). Karen Foster joined as a producer in January 2024.

Dog Man is scheduled to be released in the United States on January 31, 2025.

## Premise

When a human police officer and a dog are injured together on the job, a life-saving surgery changes the course of history when Dog Man is born. Dog Man must protect and serve as he doggedly pursues the feline Petey the Cat, but the unexpected arrival of Lil Petey changes their dynamic.

## Production

On December 9, 2020, DreamWorks Animation announced that an animated superhero comedy film based on the Captain Underpants spin-off graphic novel series Dog Man was in development, with Peter Hastings attached to direct after his experience with Dav Pilkey 's works from The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants (2018–20). On October 6, 2023, the film was confirmed to be released in 2025, while it was also confirmed that Dog Man and Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie would be animated entirely at partner studios (excluding Sony Pictures Imageworks who was named as the animation partner for The Bad Guys 2), similar to Jellyfish Pictures for Spirit Untamed (2021) and Mikros Animation for Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017). On January 29, 2024, following the release date announcement, DreamWorks announced that Karen Foster would serve as producer.

## Marketing

In May 2024, it was announced that Jakks Pacific and its costume division Disguise entered into a partnership with Dav Pilkey to make merchandise based on the Dog Man film along with the comic book series.

## Release

Dog Man is scheduled to be released in the United States on January 31, 2025.

As part of Universal's long-term deal with Netflix, the film will stream on Peacock for the first four months of the pay-TV window, before moving to Netflix for the next ten, and returning to Peacock for the remaining four.


Walt Disney Home Video (VHS)

# Walt Disney Home Video (VHS)

## Abstract

Walt Disney Home Video is a discontinued video line launched to release Disney animated features on home video. This was done by a division of the same name under the parent Walt Disney Telecommunications and Non-Theatrical Company (WDTNT). As an entity, the name Walt Disney Home Video is now known as Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. The scope of this list is mostly limited to Disney's North American live action movie releases. Cartoon collections were concurrently released as Walt Disney Cartoon Classics which include the "Limited Gold Editions". The initial price for early Disney cassettes at the time was "prohibitory expensive" for many, this changed in the mid-1980s when VCRs became affordable.

## History

Disney started out by establishing its own video distribution operation in 1980 as part of Walt Disney Telecommunications and Non-Theatrical Company (WDTNT) with Jim Jimirro as its first president. WDTNT Co. also handled marketing of other miscellaneous ancillary items such as short 8 mm films for home movies. When Disney started with video cassettes, "Home video" was not considered to be a major market by them at the time. Their first releases on videotape were 13 titles that were licensed for rental to Fotomat on March 4, 1980. Disney was unusual among the major studios in offering a program for authorized rentals. Most of the other studios involved in the videocassette market at the time were trying to find ways to stop dealers from renting out their movie tapes. Magnetic Video (with titles from 20th Century Fox and others) ceased doing business with Fotomat after Fotomat began renting Magnetic Video cassettes without authorization.

The switchover from rental to sales was a "thorny" issue that was solved by giving dealers an option on the type of outlet they desired. For those who just wanted to rent video cassettes, a title was given (for US$52) on a 13-week cycle. The dealer could then set the price as many times as they wanted in those 13 weeks before purchasing a new title from Disney. Video cassette rentals were more "functionally" packaged with a heavier box and less elaborately detailed illustrations. For those who wanted to sell video cassettes, a "fairly straightforward" program involved 4 color packaging and a suggested retail price. In order to separate the two mediums, the cassette either featured " FOR RENTAL ONLY/Not intended for Sale " or "FOR SALE ONLY/Not intended for Rental". The 13 titles that had been licensed for rental to Fotomat subsequently became available for purchase.

Throughout their release history, "Walt Disney Home Video" cassettes were promoted by Disney. An early example is the 1981 release of "A Walt Disney Christmas" where a "Free Mickey Mouse Plush Toy" was offered as an incentive. Disney later offered a promotion for Summer 1982 called "Disney's American Summer", where they sold some of their live action movies for the first time. At the time this promotion was done in an effort to make video cassettes more affordable, and boosted the video software involved. Marketing included a 7 foot tall gazebo which was set up in stores and a free mug as an incentive. Towards the end of 1984, Disney did a “Wrapped And Ready to Give” christmas promotion which included 7 newly released titles on video cassette. Later promotions include Disney's 1986 "Wonderland Campaign" as a further attempt to bring prices down.

When the Disney Channel was launched on April 18, 1983 it gave the company an opportunity to air made for TV films such as Tiger Town and Gone Are the Dayes, both of which were released to home video in 1984. During that same year Disney also started releasing their animated feature films under the Walt Disney Classics line starting with Robin Hood. On March 8, 1985 Disney released " Love Leads the Way " which became their first title that went straight to Home Video. The Walt Disney Home Video division was legally incorporated as Buena Vista Home Video on February 13, 1987. This name change however, did not stop some VHS releases under the Walt Disney Home Video line from being released throughout the year.

## North American releases

## Worldwide releases

Disney first offered Dumbo, Mary Poppins, Mi Amigo El Dragon (Pete's Dragon), Su Mas Fiel Amigo (Old Yeller), La Montana Embrujada (Escape to Witch Mountain), Los Tres Caballeros (The Three Caballeros), Mickey's Christmas Carol, and 2 cartoon collections in Spanish on November 30, 1985 In the United Kingdom, titles from the "Walt Disney Home Video" product line such as Mary Poppins, Pete's Dragon and Bedknobs and Broomsticks were not released to video cassette until November 26, 1988. Additional VHS releases in other countries under the "Walt Disney Home Video" are possible, but need further sourcing.

## Rarity

In terms of consignment, Heritage Auctions has placed in their "Vintage VHS Tapes Value Guide" that the most desirable VHS tapes released between 1979 and 1990 are still in their original factory shrink wrap. When VCRs were first released in 1977, they were priced between $1,000 to $1,400 which would roughly equal $4,900 to $6,900 in 2023 USD. As this amount was initially unattainable for most homes fewer people were buying VHS tapes, which in turn meant fewer copies being produced. A "likely sum of money for a video cassette at the time was between $80 and $100 or $400+ in 2023 USD. These higher costs lasted until 1985 when VCRs finally began dropping in price. While this meant more tapes were produced, it did not mean that they became any less of a rarity.

In regard to Disney "Only the earliest of Disney VHS cassettes produced prior to 1985 hold any value to most collectors." Titles such as "Tron" which remains "elusive" for early copies have sold for high amounts in mint condition. Things to look for in general include a sealed tape, a studio logo on the shrink-wrap, and if the latest year listed on the back of the cover is prior to 1986.