in which volume tristam shandy finally recount his birth

As its title suggests, the book is ostensibly Tristram's narration of his life story. But it is one of the central jokes of the novel that he cannot explain anything simply, that he must make explanatory diversions to add context and colour to his tale, to the extent that Tristram's own birth is not even reached until VolumeÂ III.

The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (or Tristram Shandy) is a novel by Laurence Sterne. It was published in nine volumes, the first two appearing in 1759, and seven others following over the next seven years (vols. 3 and 4, 1761; vols. 5 and 6, 1762; vols. 7 and 8, 1765; vol. 9, 1767). It purports to be a biography of the eponymous character. Its style is marked by digression, double entendre, and graphic devices.

Sterne had read widely, which is reflected in Tristram Shandy. Many of his similes, for instance, are reminiscent of the works of the metaphysical poets of the 17th century,[1] and the novel as a whole, with its focus on the problems of language, has constant regard to John Locke's theories in An Essay Concerning Human Understanding.[2] Arthur Schopenhauer cited Tristram Shandy as one of the greatest novels ever written.[3]

Consequently, apart from Tristram as narrator, the most familiar and important characters in the book are his father Walter, his mother, his Uncle Toby, Toby's servant Trim, and a supporting cast of popular minor characters, including the chambermaid, Susannah, Doctor Slop, and the parson, Yorick, who later became Sterne's favourite nom de plume and a very successful publicity stunt. Yorick is also the protagonist of Sterne's second work of fiction A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy.

Most of the action is concerned with domestic upsets or misunderstandings, which find humour in the opposing temperaments of Walter—splenetic, rational, and somewhat sarcastic—and Uncle Toby, who is gentle, uncomplicated, and a lover of his fellow man.

In between such events, Tristram as narrator finds himself discoursing at length on sexual practices, insults, the influence of one's name, and noses, as well as explorations of obstetrics, siege warfare, and philosophy as he struggles to marshal his material and finish the story of his life.

Though Tristram is always present as narrator and commentator, the book contains little of his life, only the story of a trip through France and accounts of the four comical mishaps which shaped the course of his life from an early age. Firstly, while still only a homunculus, Tristram's implantation within his mother's womb was disturbed. At the very moment of procreation, his mother asked his father if he had remembered to wind the clock. The distraction and annoyance led to the disruption of the proper balance of humours necessary to conceive a well-favoured child. Secondly, one of his father's pet theories was that a large and attractive nose was important to a man making his way in life. In a difficult birth, Tristram's nose was crushed by Dr. Slop's forceps. Thirdly, another of his father's theories was that a person's name exerted enormous influence over that person's nature and fortunes, with the worst possible name being Tristram. In view of the previous accidents, Tristram's father decreed that the boy would receive an especially auspicious name, Trismegistus. Susannah mangled the name in conveying it to the curate, and the child was christened Tristram. According to his father's theory, his name, being a conflation of "Trismegistus" (after the esoteric mystic Hermes Trismegistus) and "Tristan" (whose connotation bore the influence through folk etymology of Latin tristis, "sorrowful"), doomed him to a life of woe and cursed him with the inability to comprehend the causes of his misfortune.

Finally, as a toddler, Tristram suffered an accidental circumcision when Susannah let a window sash fall as he urinated out of the window because his chamberpot was missing.

Sterne incorporated into Tristram Shandy many passages taken almost word for word from Robert Burton's The Anatomy of Melancholy, Francis Bacon's Of Death, Rabelais and many more, and rearranged them to serve the new meaning intended in Tristram Shandy.[4] Tristram Shandy was highly praised for its originality, and nobody noticed these borrowings until years after Sterne's death. The first to note them was physician and poet John Ferriar, who did not see them negatively and commented:[4][5]

If [the reader's] opinion of Sterne's learning and originality be lessened by the perusal, he must, at least, admire the dexterity and the good taste with which he has incorporated in his work so many passages, written with very different views by their respective authors.

Victorian critics of the 19th century, who were hostile to Sterne for the alleged obscenity of his prose, used Ferriar's findings to defame Sterne, and claimed that he was artistically dishonest, and almost unanimously accused him of mindless plagiarism.[4] Scholar Graham Petrie closely analysed the alleged passages in 1970; he observed that while more recent commentators now agree that Sterne "rearranged what he took to make it more humorous, or more sentimental, or more rhythmical", none of them "seems to have wondered whether Sterne had any further, more purely artistic, purpose". Studying a passage in Volume V, chapter 3, Petrie observes: "such passage...reveals that Sterne's copying was far from purely mechanical, and that his rearrangements go far beyond what would be necessary for merely stylistic ends".[4]

A major influence on Tristram Shandy is Rabelais' Gargantua and Pantagruel.[4][6] Rabelais was by far Sterne's favourite author, and in his correspondence he made clear that he considered himself Rabelais's successor in humorous writing. One passage Sterne incorporated pertains to "the length and goodness of the nose".[7][8][9] Sterne had written an earlier piece called A Rabelaisian Fragment that indicates his familiarity with the work of the French monk and doctor.

Sterne was no friend of gravitas, a quality which excited his disgust. Tristram Shandy gives a ludicrous turn to solemn passages from respected authors that it incorporates, as well as to the Consolatio literary genre.[4][10]

Among the subjects of such ridicule were some of the opinions contained in Robert Burton's The Anatomy of Melancholy, a book that mentions sermons as the most respectable type of writing, and one that was favoured by the learned. Burton's attitude was to try to prove indisputable facts by weighty quotations. His book consists mostly of a collection of the opinions of a multitude of writers (he modestly refrains from adding his own) divided into quaint and old-fashioned categories. It discusses everything, from the doctrines of religion to military discipline, from inland navigation to the morality of dancing schools.[10]

Much of the singularity of Tristram Shandy's characters is drawn from Burton. Burton indulges himself in a Utopian sketch of a perfect government in his introductory address to the reader, and this forms the basis of the notions of Tristram Shandy on the subject. And Sterne parodies Burton's use of weighty quotations.[10] The first four chapters of Tristram Shandy are founded on some passages in Burton.[10]

In Chapter 3, Volume 5, Sterne parodies the genre of consolatio, mixing and reworking passages from three "widely separated sections" of Burton's Anatomy, including a parody of Burton's "grave and sober account" of Cicero's grief for the death of his daughter Tullia.[4]

His text is filled with allusions and references to the leading thinkers and writers of the 17th and 18th centuries. Pope and Swift were major influences on Sterne and Tristram Shandy. Satires of Pope and Swift formed much of the humour of Tristram Shandy, but Swift's sermons and Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding also contributed ideas and frameworks Sterne explored throughout the novel. Other major influences are Cervantes, and Montaigne's Essays, as well as the significant inter-textual debt to The Anatomy of Melancholy,[4] Swift's Battle of the Books, and the Scriblerian collaborative work, The Memoirs of Martinus Scriblerus.[11]

The shade of Cervantes is present throughout Sterne's novel. The frequent references to Rocinante, the character of Uncle Toby (who resembles Don Quixote in many ways) and Sterne's own description of his characters' "Cervantic humour", along with the genre-defying structure of Tristram Shandy, which owes much to the second part of Cervantes' novel, all demonstrate the influence of Cervantes.[12]

The novel also makes use of John Locke's theories of empiricism, or the way we assemble what we know of ourselves and our world from the "association of ideas" that come to us from our five senses. Sterne is by turns respectful and satirical of Locke's theories, using the association of ideas to construct characters' "hobby-horses", or whimsical obsessions, that both order and disorder their lives in different ways. Sterne borrows from and argues against Locke's language theories (on the imprecision and arbitrariness of words and usage), and consequently spends much time discussing the very words he uses in his own narrativeâ€”with "digressions, gestures, piling up of apparent trivia in the effort to get at the truth".[2]

There is a significant body of critical opinion that argues that Tristram Shandy is better understood as an example of an obsolescent literary tradition of "Learned Wit", partly following the contribution of DÂ W Jefferson.[13]

Some of Sterne's contemporaries did not hold the novel in high esteem, but its bawdy humour was popular with London society. Through time, it has come to be seen as one of the greatest comic novels in English. Schopenhauer, in particular, considered it the acme and crowning of the novel form, one of the "four novels at the top of their class", along with Goethe's Wilhelm Meister, Rousseau's Nouvelle Héloïse, and Cervantes' Don Quixote.[14] In 1825 Schopenhauer even approached his publisher F.A. Brockhaus offering to translate it into German (an offer which Brockhaus rejected).[15]

Samuel Johnson in 1776 commented, "Nothing odd will do long. Tristram Shandy did not last."[16][17] Schopenhauer privately rebutted Samuel Johnson, saying: "The man Sterne is worth 1,000 Pedants and commonplace-fellows like Dr.J."[18] The young Karl Marx was a devotee of Tristram Shandy, and wrote a short humorous novel, Scorpion and Felix, which remains unpublished, which was obviously influenced by it.[14][19] Goethe praised Sterne in Wilhelm Meister's Journeyman Years, which in turn influenced Nietzsche.[14][20]

Tristram Shandy has also been seen by formalists and other literary critics as a forerunner of many narrative devices and styles used by modernist and postmodernist authors such as James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Carlos Fuentes, Milan Kundera and Salman Rushdie.[21]

The success of Sterne's novel got him an appointment by Lord Fauconberg as curate of St Michael's Church in Coxwold, Yorkshire, which included living at Sterne's model for Shandy Hall. The medieval structure still stands today, and is under the care of the Laurence Sterne Trust since its acquisition in the 1960s. The gardens, which Sterne tended during his time there, are daily open to visitors.

The novel's success has resulted in permanent additions to the English lexicon;[22] within the text of Tristram Shandy Sterne describes the novel as "Shandean," coining a term which still carries the meaning that Sterne originally attached to it when he wrote, "I write a careless kind of a civil, nonsensical, good humoured Shandean book..."[23] Strongly influenced by Cervantes' Don Quixote, Sterne's Tristram Shandy also gave rise to the term "cervantic," (which Sterne at the time spelled "cervantick").[24]

In 1766, at the height of the debate about slavery, Ignatius Sancho wrote to Laurence Sterne[25] encouraging the writer to use his pen to lobby for the abolition of the slave trade.[26] "That subject, handled in your striking manner, would ease the yoke (perhaps) of many — but if only one — Gracious God! — what a feast to a benevolent heart!" he wrote.

In July 1766 Sancho's letter was received by Reverend Laurence Sterne shortly after he had just finished writing a conversation between his fictional characters Corporal Trim and his brother Tom in Tristram Shandy, wherein Tom described the oppression of a black servant in a sausage shop in Lisbon, which he had visited.[27] Laurence Sterne's widely publicised 27 July 1766 response to Sancho's letter became an integral part of 18th-century abolitionist literature.

There is a strange coincidence, Sancho, in the little events (as well as in the great ones) of this world: for I had been writing a tender tale of the sorrows of a friendless poor negro-girl, and my eyes had scarce done smarting with it, when your letter of recommendation in behalf of so many of her brethren and sisters, came to me — but why her brethren? — or yours, Sancho! any more than mine? It is by the finest tints, and most insensible gradations, that nature descends from the fairest face about St James’s, to the sootiest complexion in Africa: at which tint of these, is it, that the ties of blood are to cease? and how many shades must we descend lower still in the scale, ere mercy is to vanish with them? — but ’tis no uncommon thing, my good Sancho, for one half of the world to use the other half of it like brutes, & then endeavor to make ’em so.[27]

Tristram Shandy has been adapted as a graphic novel by cartoonist Martin Rowson.[28] Michael Nyman has worked sporadically on Tristram Shandy as an opera since 1981.[citation needed] At least five portions of the opera have been publicly performed and one, "Nose-List Song", was recorded in 1985 on the album, The Kiss and Other Movements.

The book was adapted on film in 2006 as A Cock and Bull Story, directed by Michael Winterbottom, written by Frank Cottrell Boyce (credited as Martin Hardy, in a complicated metafictional twist), and starring Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, Keeley Hawes, Kelly Macdonald, Naomie Harris, and Gillian Anderson. The movie plays with metatextual levels, showing both scenes from the novel itself and fictionalised behind-the-scenes footage of the adaptation process, even employing some of the actors to play themselves.

In February 2014, a theatrical adaptation by Callum Hale was presented at the Tabard Theatre in Chiswick.[29][30]

Tristram Shandy has been translated into many languages, including German (repeatedly, beginning in 1769), Dutch (repeatedly, by Munnikhuisen, 1779; Lindo, 1852 and Jan & Gertrude Starink, 1990), French (repeatedly, beginning in 1785; by Guy Jouvet, 2004), Russian (repeatedly, beginning 1804-1807; by Adrian Antonovich Frankovsky, 1949), Hungarian (by Győző Határ, 1956), Italian (by Antonio Meo, 1958), Czech (by Aloys Skoumal, 1963), Spanish (by José Antonio López de Letona, 1975; Ana María Aznar, 1976 and Javier Marías, 1978), Portuguese (by José Paulo Paes, 1984), Norwegian (by Bjørn Herrman, 1995–96), Finnish (by Kersti Juva, 1998).

Well known in philosophy and mathematics, the so-called paradox of Tristram Shandy was introduced by Bertrand Russell in his book The Principles of Mathematics to evidentiate the inner contradictions that arise from the assumption that infinite sets can have the same cardinality[31]â€”as would be the case with a gentleman who spends one year to write the story of one day of his life, if he were able to write for an infinite length of time. The paradox depends upon the fact that "the number of days in all time is no greater than the number of years".

A historic site in Geneva, Ohio, called Shandy Hall, is part of the Western Reserve Historical Society. The home was named after the house described in Tristram Shandy.

The Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Bogus Books" involves a bookseller selling stolen copies of rare books, in particular a first edition of Tristram Shandy.

In Anthony Trollope's novel Barchester Towers, the narrator speculates that the scheming clergyman, Mr Slope, is descended from Dr Slop in Tristram Shandy (the extra letter having been added for the sake of appearances). Slope is also called "Obadiah", a reference to another character in Sterne's novel.

Russian writer Alexander Zhitinsky made multiple references to Tristram Shandy in his novel The Flying House, or Conversations with Milord (the "milord" of the title being Sterne).

In Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis refers to Tristram Shandy in the context of trying to describe his interactions with his own father:

My father â€” but these words, at the head of a paragraph, will carry the reader's mind inevitably to Tristram Shandy. On second thoughts I am content that they should. It is only in a Shandean spirit that my matter can be approached. I have to describe something as odd and whimsical as ever entered the brain of Sterne; and if I could, I would gladly lead you to the same affection for my father as you have for Tristram's.[32]

(The text of Tristram Shandy uses the phrase "my father" at the head of a paragraph fifty-one times.)

In the Hermann Hesse novel "The Journey to the East", Tristram Shandy is listed as one of the co-founders of The League.

A short story Oh Most Cursed Addition Engine by H.S. Donnelly was published in the Canadian Science Fiction magazine On Spec #86. In it, Walter Shandy attempts to build an Addition Engine, while Toby and Corporal Trim re-enact in miniature Wellington's great victory at Vitoria.[33]

Trim was the adventurous pet cat of the explorer Matthew Flinders, named after Corporal Trim, and a minor character in Bryce Courtenay's novel Matthew Flinders' Cat.

In the 1976 film "The Missouri Breaks" with Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson, Braxton, a rancher, has just hanged an alleged cattle rustler without a trial and is defending himself to his daughter who vehemently disproves of the hanging. Finishing his justification he prepares to relax in his library and asks his daughter to fetch him his copy of "Tristram Shandy".


who is the well known photographer of telangana

Bandi Rajan Babu was born at Korutla, in the Karimnagar district of Telangana.  Starting his career as a lecturer at JNTU Fine Arts College, he went on to establish his own school and master the craft of â€˜pictorial photography'. He was a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, an Associate of the Federation of International Photographic Art, France, and an Honorary Fellow of the AP State Akademi of Photography.

Bandi Rajan Babu

Bandi Rajan Babu (9 February 1938 â€“ 25 August 2011) was an Indian photographer,[1] known for his black and white pictures of tribal people. He also owned the Rajan School of Photography.[2]

Rajan took to serious photography in 1960 after joining the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, and became a pictorial, fashion and glamour, industrial and advertising photographer.  He drew inspiration from Raja Triambak Raj Bahadur, the first one from  erstwhile Andhra Pradesh to be honoured with the status of Associate of Britain's Royal Photographic Society.  Rajan, who was on the faculty of JNTU, got his first international honour from Belgium, received the APRS honour in 1983, and followed it up with the Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society in 1987.

Rajan Babu wanted to become a painter and he was all set to become one until given a Kodak. â€œOne of my cousins presented me with a camera when I was in my seventh class and I casually clicked some photos that were appreciated by all and that was the seeding of a photographer in me. Later, when I joined the five-year diploma course in commercial art, I came across Raja Triambak Raj Bahadur, a pioneer in pictorial photography.  It was he who inspired me to wield the camera. And here I am today from a painter to a photographer."

Starting his career as a lecturer in photography in Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, he later worked as a scientific photographer in International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics. He opened his studio in 1978 and has, thereafter, been one among the leading photographers in India.
Apart from winning a number of national and international awards he is the only Fellow of Royal Photographic Society from AP.

He also married and had three kids. He has 5 grand children.


when is the new season of daredevil coming out

The season is expected to be released in 2018.

Daredevil (season 3)

The third season of the American web television series Daredevil, which is based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, follows Matt Murdock / Daredevil, a blind lawyer-by-day who fights crime at night. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films and other television series of the franchise. The season is produced by Marvel Television in association with ABC Studios, with Erik Oleson serving as showrunner, and series creator Drew Goddard acting as consultant.

Charlie Cox stars as Murdock, with Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, and Vincent D'Onofrio also returning from previous seasons; Wilson Bethel and Jay Ali join them. The season was ordered in July 2016, with Oleson announced as new showrunner for the season in October 2017. Filming began the following month and ended by June 2018, with the season adapting elements from the "Born Again" comic storyline.

Toa Fraser and Alex Garcia Lopez directed episodes in the season.[1][2]

At San Diego Comic-Con International 2016, Marvel and Netflix revealed the series had been renewed for a third season, with the expectation that Doug Petrie and Marco Ramirez would return as showrunners from the second season.[10] In October 2017, it was announced that Erik Oleson would replace Petrie and Ramirez as showrunner for the season.[3] The season had yet to be scheduled for release by the end of July 2018, and television critics wondered whether the quality of the season was to blame on this. Netflix VP Cindy Holland responded that the scheduling of the various Marvel Netflix series, especially the crossover miniseries The Defenders which required cast members from all of the series to come together, was to blame for the delay, and that the company had no issue with the quality of the season; on the contrary, Holland described the season as "fantastic" and felt it was a "real return to form" for the series.[11]

The ending of the miniseries The Defenders, which sees Matt Murdock waking up in a convent surrounded by nuns after being presumed dead, implied elements of the season would be inspired by the "Born Again" story arc.[12][13] Charlie Cox was excited to adapt "Born Again", calling it "an amazing story" and that the implications of the story on the season "would be very exciting". He cautioned, however, that it would not be a "page-for-page" adaptation, "because if you do [that], then you become a foregone conclusion. There may be elements from "Born Again", but I'm sure there will be elements that are unfamiliar and surprising and different in order for the show to be compelling to fans who know the comics very well."[14]

Cox, Woll, Henson, and D'Onofrio all return in the season, reprising their roles as Matt Murdock / Daredevil, Karen Page, Franklin "Foggy" Nelson, and Wilson Fisk / Kingpin, respectively.[3] In November 2017, Wilson Bethel was cast as a new series regular, an FBI agent,[4] and in January 2018, Joanne Whalley was revealed to have been cast as Maggie, a nun who cares deeply about Murdock's safety,[15] and was mentioned at the end of The Defenders.[12] Jay Ali was cast as Rahul "Ray" Nadeem, another FBI agent, by March.[5]

Amy Rutberg also reprises her role as Marci Stahl in the season,[6] as does Danny Johnson as Benjamin Donovan.[7] Annabella Sciorra appears in the season as Rosalie Carbone, following up on her character's introduction in the second season of Luke Cage.[8]

Filming for the season began on November 13, 2017, in New York City.[16] A week of filming for the season in March 2018 took place in the town of Windham, New York, with set photos revealing that the town was representing Fagan Corners, Vermont,[17] the hometown of Karen Page in the comics.[18] The production paid for the renovation of a local store to portray a diner for the series, and used the town's emergency helicopter pad. Additional filming locations for the week included nearby ski areas and a country club.[17] Filming for the season was completed by mid-June 2018.[19]

The third season of Daredevil is scheduled to be released in 2018 on the streaming service Netflix, worldwide,[10][3] in Ultra HD 4K.[20] Initially thought to be releasing in 2017,[10] Netflix COO Ted Sarandos stated in July 2016 that the season would not debut until 2018 at the earliest, after The Defenders released on August 18, 2017.[21][22] Cox was hopeful the season would debut in 2018,[14] and in October 2017, Marvel revealed the season was indeed expected to release in 2018.[3]

By mid-June 2018, discussions were underway regarding the season being promoted at San Diego Comic-Con that year.[19]


what kind of animal is binky from arthur

Shelley "Binky" Barnes (Bruce Dinsmore) is a yellow bulldog who usually wears an orange shirt, blue jeans, and brown shoes. He is in the third grade for a second time after failing third grade and having to retake it.[3] He is a member of the Tough Customers group of bullies (George being his most frequent target), but has a soft side. He plays the clarinet, catches butterflies, and enjoys ballet. It is revealed that he has a severe allergy to peanuts. Binky has an adopted baby sister from China named Mei-Lin. In the episode "What's in a Name?", Binky discovers that his real name is Shelley and that he is named after his great-grandfather who saved a circus.

List of Arthur characters

This is a list of characters featured in the PBS Kids television show Arthur. The show is based on the book series by Marc Brown.

Arthur, the title character, is the main character of the series. The main supporting characters are D.W., Buster, Francine, Muffy, Binky, the Brain, Mr. Ratburn, and Arthur's parents. Over the years, the roles of each character have changed as more episodes focused on characters besides Arthur or D.W., most notably Buster, Francine, Muffy, Binky, and the Brain. Minor supporting characters such as Sue Ellen, George, and Fern have also had expanded roles in the series.

Arthur Timothy Read (voiced by Michael Yarmush 1996-2000; Justin Bradley 2001; Mark Rendall 2002-2003, 2001 redub; Cameron Ansell 2004-2007; Dallas Jokic 2008-2012; Drew Adkins 2012-2014; William Healy 2014-2016; Jacob Ursomarzo 2016-present) is an aardvark[1] who attends third grade at Lakewood Elementary in Elwood City. He has two younger sisters, D.W. and Kate, and a dog named Pal. He plays the piano. He wears a yellow cotton sweater, white dress shirt, blue jeans, and signature round brown glasses.

Dora Winifred Read, usually known as D.W. (voiced by Michael Caloz 1996–1999; Oliver Grainger 1999–2001; Jason Szwimmer 2002–2006; Luciano Rauso 2006, Robert Naylor 2007–2012; Jake Beale 2012–2014; Andrew Dayton 2014–2016; Christian Distefano 2016-present), is the brown-haired middle child of the Read family who usually wears a white long-sleeved blouse and a pink sleeveless knee-length dress. She attends preschool and enjoys watching Mary Moo Cow and listening to Crazy Bus, much to Arthur's annoyance. D.W.'s other interests include science & music. Many of the series' episodes revolve around tensions between D.W. and Arthur.

Buster Baxter (voiced by Daniel Brochu) is Arthur's best friend and sidekick. He is a white rabbit who wears a turquoise long-sleeve shirt and dark jeans. He suffers from asthma, is obsessed with aliens, is interested in comedy and action figures, is an amateur private investigator, and plays the tuba. He loves eating, practices gardening, and keeps expired food in his room and school desk. He is an only child whose parents divorced when he was younger. He created and celebrates a no-frills holiday called "Baxter Day". His father travels the world from working as a pilot, and as a result they were given a spin-off series, Postcards from Buster. Buster is also depicted as a slacker, often preferring to have fun rather than study; one such instance nearly leads to him flunking third grade before cramming at the last minute.

Francine Alice Frensky (voiced by Jodie Resther) is a tomboyish and sporty monkey who has short brown hair tied with a barrette, wears blue jeans, and a maroon sweater. She plays the drums, and enjoys bowling and playing soccer. Her family is devoutly Jewish, and are seen observing Yom Kippur and Hanukkah and attending a cousin's Bar Mitzvah in some episodes. Her best friend is Muffy, who shares her middle name. She has an older sister named Catherine.

Alan "Brain" Powers (voiced by Luke Reid 1996–1999; Steven Crowder 2000–2001; Alex Hood 2002–2005; Paul-Stuart Brown 2004–2007; James Buckholder 2006; Lyle O'Donohue 2008–2012; Siam Yu 2012–2014; Max Friedman Cole 2014–present) is a bear of Senegalese descent,[2] and celebrates Kwanzaa.  He usually wears a grey sweater. Highly academic, holding an A average and well-educated on a multitude of subjects, his classmates call him "The Brain" or simply, "Brain," and his knowledge is largely tied to his personal identity, as evidenced in when he tried to hide the fact that he had to repeat kindergarten. He has an innate interest in science, and does not believe in any theory until it is proven with concrete evidence. His family owns an ice cream parlor, where his classmates frequently visit after school and on weekends.

Mary Alice "Muffy" Crosswire (Melissa Altro) is a monkey who has long red hair, which she wears in two braids adorned with purple bows that match her purple and white dress. She's one of two children born to Ed Crosswire, the owner of the used car dealership Crosswire Motors, and his wife, Millicent Crosswire, the other being her brother, Chip. Muffy is the quintessential daddy's girl, with Ed believing his daughter can do no wrong and constantly buying her expensive, trendy items such as cell phones and designer clothing. Because of her upbringing, Muffy sometimes shows herself to be rude and haughty, and having lived in a mansion and waited on by servants her entire life, she has no sense of what it means to be lower or middle class. She is best friends with Francine Frensky, despite the two both having similar strong-willed personalities, and oftentimes, it's Francine who will reign Muffy in when her rudeness reaches an unacceptable level.

Kate Read (Tracy Braunstein) is Arthur and D.W.'s baby sister. Although she can't talk to older people yet, she can communicate with Pal, Mei-Lin Barnes, Killer, Toady and Mr. Toad, Amigo, Nemo, and Pepe the Flea. She has started to become more mature, and is starting to lose communication with Pal and some of her friends, but is also starting to understand Arthur, D.W., and Mr. and Mrs. Read's speech more and more.

Sue Ellen Armstrong (voiced by Patricia Rodriguez 1997–2003;
Jessica Kardos 2004–present) is a third-grader cat at Arthur's school, Lakewood Elementary. She officially moved to Elwood City in the winter of her third grade school year (but has appeared in Mr. Marco's second grade class). Her father is a diplomat, so her family has lived in various spots around the world. Unlike Tommy, Timmy, and Emily, she traveled with her parents. She is very close to nature, and became a vegetarian later in the series. She also has a deep interest in World culture, and is skilled in the martial arts. She practices karate (taekwondo in earlier seasons), and plays the saxophone. Sue Ellen was born as an only child, and keeps in touch with her brother-like pen pal in Asia. She is depicted with a cream vest, a teal dress, and now has curly orange hair contained in two ponytails. She was originally designed with another hair style in the Arthur Adventure books prior to Arthur's TV Trouble.

George Lundgren (formerly George Nordgren before season 11) is a moose of Norwegian and Swedish descent, celebrating Winter Solstice, and wearing an orange shirt with khaki pants (voiced by Mitchell Rothpan 1996–2002, Evan Smirnow 2003, Samantha Reynolds 2008–2010, Eleanor Noble 2004–2007; 2010–present). It is revealed in season 6 that he has dyslexia, which explains why he is seen daydreaming in "Arthur's Substitute Teacher Trouble". He is also feared because of his nosebleeds and his clumsiness. Despite this, he is capable of building items such as marionettes as well as winning talent contests by bouncing on a pogo stick. He is also very shy and introverted, but as the series goes on, it shows that George is generally accepted by the others.

Fern Walters (voiced by Holly G. Frankel) is a light brown dog and one of Arthur's classmates. She enjoys reading poetry and novels (especially Sherlock Holmes and Frankenstein's Monster). She has written many poems and stories of her own, most notably the Detective Virgule Watteau (a parody of Hercule Poirot). She is knowledgeable about computers, holds group poetry readings at the library, and is an amateur detective. Fern is usually a very shy and nervous person. Fern's mother, Doria Walters, is constantly trying to get Fern to become more extroverted. Even Fern herself sometimes worries she is "too quiet". She usually wears a purple long-sleeved blouse with yellow collars and cuffs, yellow pants, and a red ribbon on her head. It is also noted that Fern is close friends with George, as they both have similar personalities and sometimes act like detectives.

Ladonna Compson (Krystal Meadows) is Bud's sister who first appeared in season 16, in the two-part episode entitled "Based on a True Story". She is a new student at Lakewood Elementary. Ladonna is a rabbit with brownish-tan complexion who speaks with a dominant southern accent, and is native to New Orleans, Louisiana. She is the first new main character of the series since 9 Story Media Group began animating it.

Prunella Deegan[4] (Tamar Kozlov) is a girl of unobvious species. In 2011, PBS said she was a rat,[5] but in 2013 Marc Brown, confirmed that she is a poodle.[6] She is in the fourth grade.[7] She is interested in yoga, fortune telling, and paranormal phenomena. She loves Henry Skreever (based on Harry Potter) and has studied Braille. She is a 4th grader who wears a blue dress with a white collar and a purple bow in her hair.

Timmy Tibble and Tommy Tibble are identical twin bear brothers who are the same age as D.W. (four, with Tommy being two minutes elder) who routinely exasperate Arthur, D.W., and mostly everyone with their destructive antics. Tommy wears a red scarf and Timmy wears a blue scarf. They stay with their grandmother. In the Arthur Adventure books, the Tibble family are humans instead of bears. Their unseen parents work overseas and travel the world, giving them souvenirs and gifts.

Emily (Vanessa Lengies Season 1-7, Sally Taylor-Isherwood Season 8-Present) is a white rabbit with blonde hair, wearing a pink dress before season 6, and a blue dress since season 6. She is an expert in gymnastics and is knowledgeable in French culture. Her parents travel around the world. She stays at home with her French nanny, Marie Hélène.

Jenna Morgan (Brigid Tierney) is one of Arthur's classmates. She is a grey cat that wears a pink dress with yellow buttons. She is lactose intolerant, plays badminton, helps coach soccer, and received an "Athlete of the Year" award from Michelle Kwan. Jenna is rather shy and hates being the center of attention and dreaded an invitation to Muffy's slumber party because she feared kids discovering that she suffered from Nocturnal enuresis.

Adil Akyuz (Aaron Grunfeld) is Arthur's Turkish pen pal who was introduced in "Dear Adil". He is a dark brown bear. His father owns a grocery store.

Ayse Akyuz is the Turkish counterpart of D.W. Read.

Alberto Molina is a teenage boy who is one of a family of four, who are Arthur's neighbors. He is a dark brown cat. He became a character during season six, following the departure of Mr. Sipple. Alberto and his family hail from Ecuador. He practices kendo in his spare time, and is very good at golf. In a continuous storyline spanning throughout the entire Season 14, his soccer ball, lost by Francine, makes a prolonged journey around the world, and can be spotted as it appears in every episode. He was voiced by Johnny Griffin in "Follow the Bouncing Ball," Benjamen Israel in "The Long Road Home," and is currently voiced by Daniel DeSanto.

Alouysious Zimmerplotz is a kid in D.W.'s preschool class who has trouble writing his long name. He is a cat with yellow square glasses and a white shirt with red jacket.

Billy Bittles and Bobby Bittles are two vegetarian[8] fraternal twins designed as bear cubs in the Preschool class with D.W. Read. They have not appeared since Season 3.

Bud Tucker Compson (Julie Lemieux) is Ladonna's younger brother, who also first appeared in "Based on a True Story". He usually wears black rain boots, blue jeans, lime T-shirt, blue vest, and red hat. He has an imaginary friend named Rapty, who everyone else sees as his beloved stuffed T-Rex. Bud is assertive, tough, and not afraid of the Tibble Twins. He attends the same preschool as D.W. Read.

Carl Gould (Dwayne Hill 2009–2010, Dylan Hoerner 2010–present) is a cream rabbit with brown hair and blue glasses. His favourite color is blue. He has been diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome and his best friend is George Lundgren.

Catherine Frensky (Patricia Rodriguez 1997–2002, Alexina Cowan 2003–2012, Robyn Thaler Hickey 2012–present) is Francine's older sister. She is in high school. Catherine is outgoing and skilled at horseback riding. She occasionally babysits for the Reads. She is embarrassed to tell people her father is a garbage man and likes to read teen magazines. She usually wears a white sleeved jean jacket with a white undershirt with black leggings, red socks, black and white shoes, and always wears her hair in a pony-tail.

Cheikh, (pronounced "Shake") (Thamela Mpumlwana) is Brain's cousin from Senegal who moves to Elwood City in the episode "In My Africa" and begins attending D.W.'s preschool. He is around D.W.'s age.

Chip Crosswire (Cory Doran) is Muffy's older brother who is a college student at Tallahassee Tech, a fictional school. He was first shown in Muffy's family portrait in the book Arthur Goes to Camp that was published in 1982, and his name was first subtly revealed on "Arthur's Perfect Christmas" (there were separate Christmas stockings for Chip and Muffy side by side in their fireplace), but was later directly mentioned in the episode "Phony Fern". He wears a blue v-neck college sweater and a white turtleneck underneath. His first appearance was in "Matchmaker, Matchbreaker" when he comes home from college, where Muffy and Francine introduce him to Francine's sister Catherine.

James MacDonald (Jesse Camacho 2003, Nicholas Wheeler-Hughes 2007,
John Flemming season 2012–2014, Christian Distefano 2014–present) (not to be confused with James MacDonald the sound effects artist) is a white rabbit that wears glasses. He is usually shy and quiet. He is in Ms. Morgan's class at preschool. He has an older sister named Molly MacDonald.

Lydia Fox (Barbara Mamabolo) is a physically disabled fox who helps Brain get over his temporary confinement to a wheelchair in "The Wheel Deal."  Through her tutoring, he learns how to play basketball in a wheelchair, and almost wins a charity game of free-throws (though Lydia winds up taking over for the last few shots). Lydia was the winning entry of a children's contest to design a new character, sent in by Connor Gordon from Savage, MN.[9] In season 14, the voice actor credits gave Lydia the last name Gordon, but season 19 reverted her name to Lydia Fox.

Maria Pappas (Stacey DePass, credited as Stacey Depasse[10]) is a rabbit in Mr. Ratburn's class. Her clothing usually consists of a striped shirt with blue dress. Her hair is brown. Maria's original character design included glasses. Maria is a participant in many clubs and activities but was never the center of attention. She appears in many episodes in the background, except for "Francine Goes To War," in which Francine insulted her, and her breakout episode, "Maria Speaks," where she talks with a stutter. Her best friend is Jenna Morgan.

Marina Datillo (voiced by Helena Evangeliou) is in 4th grade playing many sports at Mighty Mountain Elementary School. It is revealed that she is blind, and taught Prunella how to read Braille. She is a white rabbit.

Mei Lin Barnes (Carrie Finlay) is Binky's baby sister, a bear, who was adopted from China. She is also Baby Kate's friend.

Molly MacDonald (Maggie Castle) is close friends with Binky. She is a white rabbit, and a senior member of the Tough Customers. Due to being bullied at preschool, she became a bully herself, which she later avoided after she discovered she was imitated by her younger brother James. She is good at giving advice, but dislikes the fact that everybody comes to her for it. She became friends with Arthur and D.W., and is an effective babysitter for the Tibble Twins. Molly has long maroon hair that almost always covers her eyes and she often wears sleeveless shirts.

Onder (pronounced AHN-door) is the Turkish counterpart of Buster Baxter. He is a cat with a tan complexion and short brown hair.

Rattles (Scott Beaudin) is another member of the Tough Customers. Rattles has been a Tough Customer member since the first season. His species is somewhat of a mystery; he appeared as a grey cat in the earliest seasons, then was made a dog in Season 8, and then was given rounded ears, like a bear, in Season 18. He wears a backwards baseball hat, black leather jacket, green T-shirt, blue jeans and high tops. He speaks with a Northern New Jersey accent. It was revealed in "Arthur Unraveled" that he has an affinity for knitting. He is also skilled at playing chess.

Rubella Deegan (Eramelinda Boquer) is Prunella's older sister. She is very spiritual and practices psychic and paranormal phenomena. She is typically depicted as mystical, and she often talks in a very dramatic tone. She often chides in on Prunella.

Sally MacGill is Arthur's babysitter in "Crushed". She is a 16 year old bear and was hired by Arthurâ€™s parents. Arthur developed a crush on her because, of her skill in video games. Arthur was heartbroken when he found out she had a boyfriend.

Tenzin was originally a child in poverty living in Tibet that Sue Ellen had sent letters to for a while. He helped fill the void because Sue Ellen is an only child and doesn't have much in common with her friends. Sue Ellen mistakenly called him her "Little Brother". Later, he moved to Dharamsala, India where he started to email Sue Ellen. They eventually met which revealed that Sue Ellen and Tenzin are both the same age. He is a panda, and originally had black fur. This was later retconned.

Slink (Michael Yarmush) is a 4th grader rabbit. He is part of the Tough Customers. In his first episode in 1997, he convinced Arthur and Buster to be cool by doing bad things. Decades later, in 2018's "Slink's Special Talent," he was revealed to be a good paper delivery boy.

Vicita Molina (Alyson Wener) is Arthur and D.W.'s new neighbor. Her age is "three and seven eighths" and, as a result, D.W. believes herself to be a role model. Vicita and her family is from Ecuador, and moved to Elwood City in Season 6, replacing Mr. Sipple.

W.D., full name is Wilhelmina Dagmar Merkles (Raphael Cohen-Demers) is a tomboy counterpart to D.W. She is a bear. She has an imaginary friend Maxine. Her parents, Herman and Ursa, are great friends with The Reads; Meanwhile, W.D. and D.W. do not get along as much. Later, they develop a friendship despite their clashing personalities.

Cousin Cora is Arthur and D.W.'s bratty cousin who appears in "D.W. Thinks Big". She acts like a brat when she's alone with D.W. but acts like a nice girl when adults are around. Her bratty nature is later exposed at a wedding.

Monique "Mo" is Arthur's oldest cousin, whom Arthur remembers when she had been awful to him in the past reunions and tries to avoid her, until it is revealed that Mo isn't as bad as Arthur thought. She, like Arthur, plays the piano, and claims that Arthur is her favorite relative. Mo is the daughter of Loretta and has a younger athletic brother close to Arthur's age, and an even younger sister close to D.W.'s age.

Cousin Mo is voiced by Melissa Pirrera

Cousin Ricky is Mo's brother and Bud and Loretta's son. He is very athletic and somewhat bossy. His skin color changes in each episode he appears in.

Maxine is W.D.'s imaginary friend. She has an exotic purple hair style. She appears as an elephant.

Nadine Flumberghast (Hayley Reynolds) is D.W.'s imaginary friend. She portrays D.W.'s conscience, and usually appears when D.W. feels guilty, scared, or angry. Both D.W. and Nadine are aware that Nadine is imaginary. However, Kate, Mei-Lin, animals, and other characters' imaginary friends can see and communicate with her. One episode shows D.W. with her when she's much older, while another shows that D.W. does not need Nadine as much as she used to. She appears as a brownish-yellow squirrel. She has long platinum white blonde hair styled exotically in three pigtails and small buck teeth. She can create imaginary items and they can appear/disappear with magic. Her last name was revealed to be "Flumberghast" in the episode, "Read and Flumberghast".

Rapty is Bud's imaginary friend. He is a big green dinosaur He is actually a toy, although Bud imagines him as real. In "D.W. & Bud's Higher Purpose," it is shown that he can communicate and talk to Nadine.


who conducted the first bcci recognise international 20 20 cricket tournament in india

Since the ICL was conducted by Zee Telefilms, the ICL was broadcast in most domains on the Zee network.[21]

Indian Cricket League

The Indian Cricket League (ICL) was a private cricket league funded by Zee Entertainment Enterprises that operated between 2007 and 2009 in India. Its two seasons included tournaments between four international teams (World XI, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) and nine domestic teams notionally located in major Indian cities as well as the champions Lahore Badshahs who were based in Lahore, Pakistan and Dhaka Warriors based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The matches were played in the Twenty20 format. There was also a planned domestic 50-over tournament, but this did not eventuate. While its establishment pre-dated the Indian Premier League, the ICL folded in 2009. Aside from commercial factors, the ICL lacked the support of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and International Cricket Council.

The second season, which added Ahmedabad as a venue, commenced in the last quarter of 2008, with the Lahore Badshahs from Pakistan winning. Many international cricketers played in it like Imran Nazir, Abdur Razzaq, Shane Bond, Inzamam ul haq and Moin Khan was coach of Lahore Badshahs.

Each team was coached by a former international cricketer and comprised four international, two Indian and eight budding domestic players. Essel Group also planned to set up cricket academies all over the country. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was assured that it was free to draw from ICL's talent pool. The league became active in November 2007 with matches in the Twenty20 format.

Former international cricketers including Anjingsora Risora, Tony Greig, Dean Jones and Kiran More were hired as board members of the Indian Cricket League.[1] The board positions will be paid positions.[2]

Several factors have played a role in formulation of a cricket league and which may run in parallel to the current official Indian cricket control body, BCCI.

There is wide disparity between the facilities enjoyed by the national team and the regional ones. This makes the regional players far from finished products when they are called to represent their country, preventing a huge country like India from having adequate reserve strength in the national squad when key players are injured or retire. Also, the regional cricket boards depend on the BCCI for hand-outs of funds for infrastructure and grassroots development. The players who are entrenched at the top have strong backing from sports management firms and also can afford the best in personal trainers, physiotherapists and technical consultants, which are well beyond the scope of the average player.

The Essel group has expressed a keen desire to help India develop cricketing talent, as well as provide lucrative sports programming for Zee Telefilms, which lost out on the rights to broadcast all BCCI-sanctioned cricket matches in India until 2011.

Essel Group had originally launched Zee Sports earlier with the anticipation of securing at least some of the BCCI telecast rights in 2006. This was followed by Zee acquiring 50 percent in TEN Sports in November 2006 for Rs. 2.57 billion. This gave the company a few international cricket rights – West Indies, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Cricket played in India generates Rs. 10 billion in advertising and subscription revenue and Subhash Chandra has been acutely aware of his company missing out on this lucrative cricket pie.

During his battle with BCCI and ESPN Star Sports for the five-year telecast rights in August–September 2004 in the Bombay High Court, Chandra was present every day for the hearings. Despite Zee bidding the highest at $307 million, BCCI and its then president Jagmohan Dalmiya denied him the rights.

The pain of denial has been with Chandra since 2000 when the ICC World Cup rights were sold to NewsCorp's Global Cricket Corporation (GCC) for $550 million despite Zee bidding the highest at $650 million citing Zee's insufficient sports marketing experience.

In August 2005, Zee again emerged as a forerunner with a pitch of over $340 million while ESPN Star Sports, the other principal contender, is believed to have offered around $325 million. BCCI took the stance that Zee was not qualified as a specialist broadcaster and refused to consider Zee's proposal. The matter expectedly went to court and Doordarshan emerged the beneficiary.

Chandra then tried the political route too and supported Sharad Pawar's candidature as BCCI president against Dalmiya. Pawar emerged victorious but not Chandra. In the last round of bidding in February, last year, it was Nimbus who bagged BCCI's telecast rights till 2011 for $613 million with Zee trailing at $513 million.

Since there was a Zee-Nimbus alliance before the bidding, media pundits thought Nimbus' bid was a Zee front. But Nimbus chose to go its own way and launched its own sports network – NEO Sports. In 2012, Star Sports bought broadcasting rights for international and domestic matches in India for more than $550 million.

The ICL received some support from unexpected quarters. There was a fear that lack of access to infrastructure, like the premier cricket stadiums, would limit the success of the operation of the league, but support from various government bodies boosted the league. Camps were held at Mayajaal in Chennai, a private resort with adequate cricket facilities.[3] The then head of Indian Railways Lalu Prasad Yadav showed his backing by opening all the cricket stadiums controlled by the Indian Railways to the league. Describing the ICL as a "good initiative", Prasad issued a statement saying that the BCCI and ICL should each come up with a cricket team and play against each other to show who's the best.[4] The state government of West Bengal also agreed to rent its cricket grounds, notably Eden Gardens, to the league.[5] In Ahmedabad, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation provided its Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium for matches.

The BCCI refused to recognise the ICL as a cricket league, and criticised Kiran More and Kapil Dev for joining the ICL.[6] Kapil Dev's association with ICL was seen by the establishment as a conflict of interest as he was also the chairman of National Cricket Academy, a BCCI owned cricket facility.[7] On 21 August 2007 Kapil Dev was sacked from his NCA post.[8] Subhash Chandra had earlier stated that the ICL will go ahead regardless of the BCCI's stance. The International Cricket Council gave a statement through its chief executive, Malcolm Speed, that the ICC would not recognize the ICL unless the BCCI chooses to recognise it. The ICC looks at the ICL as an issue to be sorted out by the BCCI. On 25 July 2012 Kapil Dev informed BCCI that he had resigned from the ICL.[9]

Faced with the threat of young players joining the ICL, the BCCI jacked up prize money for winners, runners-up and losing semi-finalists across all tournaments. An average domestic cricketer can hope to make around Rs 35,000 per match day from the season of 2007–08: more than double the Rs 16,000 they got in 2005–06. The BCCI has also planned to do away with honorary selectors, who will be paid professionals from September 2008 onwards.[10]

The BCCI started its own international Twenty20 league. The official league, which launched in April 2008, is called the Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket. The league model is based on the franchise model of the National Football League and Major League Baseball in the US.[11]

In August 2007, the ICL filed a petition against the BCCI in the Delhi High Court accusing the BCCI of threatening and intimidating them and other state organisations, and asked the court to stop BCCI from interfering with its attempts to sign up players for its tournaments. It also petitioned that the BCCI stop trying to "out-hire" cricket stadiums in India that are owned by the state governments, in anti-competitive attempts to stop the ICL from using them to play matches.

On 27 August 2007, the Delhi High Court ruled in favour of the ICL. In its ruling, the Delhi High Court said that players should not suffer in the battle between corporate giants. The court has issued notices to all corporate sponsors, the state cricket associations & the BCCI against terminating valid contracts of players joining the ICL.[12]

The Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC) of India had asked its Director-General of Investigation to do an initial investigation into the BCCI's action against players who had joined the ICL. The investigation was based on media reports of the BCCI giving an open statement that it will ban players who join ICL. It was also reported in the media that all state associations, under direction from the BCCI, have cancelled contracts with players.[13]

In considering rejoining the ICL former England wicketkeeper Paul Nixon was said to have put his career in jeopardy because any player that signs up with the ICL, which does not have official status from the International Cricket Council, risks losing their registration.[14]

The addition of a new team from Dhaka in Bangladesh, consisting largely of Bangladesh internationals caused more controversy as the cricket board of that country banned the players for 10 years for joining the'rebel' ICL.[15] Faced with the departure of so many players the board appealed to other Bangladeshi players to reject the new ICL team, stay loyal to the board and embrace the opportunity to play for their country.[16]

The future of ICL became uncertain when BCCI banned ICL players from playing international matches. Since then many ICL players have returned to their national team including famous players like Shane Bond (now retired) and Abdul Razzaq.

BCCI after seeing the success of ICL wanted to start their own league called "IPL". So, BCCI didn't miss any chance to stop the league by banning players and stadium associated with ICL.

Shortly before the conclusion of the inaugural tournament, the ICL announced its plans for expansion, which include a fifty over tournament in February 2008, and the expansion of the ICL Indian Championship to eight teams for the second tournament, due to be held in September and October 2008.[17]

A similar initiative has been launched in United States by the PayAutoMata group but details have yet to emerge.[18]

In October 2008, the promoters of the ICL, Zee and its parent company Essel Sports Pvt. Ltd, had applied for trademark registration of T20 under Class 28 of the Trade Mark Rules, 2002.[19] [20]

Independent analysts have had difficulty gauging the financial viability of the ICL due to the lack of transparency of the league's operations. Terms of contracts are hidden and advertising revenue from match telecasts – considered to be a major contributor to revenues – have never been disclosed. Because they are unsanctioned by the ICC, the teams do not have access to the best facilities across the whole country or access to the best players, limiting their ability to generate high gate revenues. This lack of transparency leads to questions regarding the overall viability of the ICL's business model.[citation needed]

The ICL has now come to an end after all its players dropped out. This was because of the offer of amnesty given by BCCI to players choosing to leave the ICL.

In November 2008, the Bangladeshi government set a ban on the broadcasting of live matches of the ICL on the private held Diganta TV channel in the country. This would extend to the ICL World Series featuring the country's national team.[22]


where did fifth third bank name come from

On June 1, 1908, Third National Bank and Fifth National Bank merged to become the Fifth-Third National Bank of Cincinnati - the hyphen was later dropped. The merger took place when prohibitionist ideas were gaining popularity, and it is legend that "Fifth Third" was better than "Third Fifth", which could have been construed as a reference to three fifths of alcohol.[3] The name went through several changes until March 24, 1969, when it was changed to Fifth Third Bank.

Fifth Third Bank

Fifth Third Bank (5/3 Bank) is a bank headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio at Fifth Third Center. It is the principal subsidiary of Fifth Third Bancorp, a bank holding company. The bank operates 1,154 branches and 2,469 automated teller machines in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Georgia, and North Carolina. It also owns 4.9% of Worldpay Inc.[1]

The company is ranked 389th on the Fortune 500.[2] It is on the list of largest banks in the United States.

The name "Fifth Third" is derived from the names of both of the bank's two predecessor companies: Third National Bank and Fifth National Bank, which merged in 1908.

On June 17, 1858, the Bank of the Ohio Valley opened in Cincinnati. On June 23, 1863, the Third National Bank was organized. On April 29, 1871, the banks merged.

In 1994, the bank acquired Cumberland Federal Bancorp for $149 million in stock.[4]

In 1995, the bank acquired 12 branches in Dayton, Ohio from PNC Financial Services.[5] The bank also acquired Kentucky Enterprise Bancorp.[6]

In 1998, the company acquired W. Lyman Case & Company, an originator of commercial real estate loans.[7]

In 1999, the company acquired Enterprise Federal Bancorp, one of the biggest thrifts in the Cincinnati area with 11 branches, for $96.3 million.[8]

In March 1999, the company acquired Emerald Financial of Strongsville, Ohio, which owned 15 branches in Cleveland, Ohio, for $204 million.[9]

In April 1999, the bank acquired Ashland Bankshares and its subsidiary Bank of Ashland, both based in Kentucky, for $80 million.[10][11]

In June 1999, the bank acquired South Florida Bank Holding, which owned 4 branches.[12]

In July 1999, the company acquired Peoples Bank Corporation of Indianapolis for $228 million in stock.[13]

In April 2001, the company acquired Old Kent Bank, which owned over 300 branches in Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan.[14][15]

In 2002, the company acquired Franklin Financial for $240 million.[16][17]

In 2004, the company acquired First National Bankshares of naples, Florida.[18]

In November 2007, the bank acquired R-G Crown Bank of Casselberry, Florida, which owned 30 branches in Florida and 3 branches in Georgia, for $288 million.[19]

On June 2008, the bank acquired First Charter Bank of Charlotte, North Carolina, with 57 branches in North Carolina and 2 branches in Atlanta.[20][21]

On May 5, 2008, Fifth Third acquired 9 branches in Atlanta, Georgia from First Horizon National Corporation.[22]

On October 31, 2008, the bank acquired the assets of Florida-based Freedom Bank, which suffered from bank failure, from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.[23]

In November 2008, the United States Department of the Treasury invested $3.4 billion in the company as part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program and in February 2011, the company repurchased the investment from the Treasury.[24][25]

On March 30, 2009, the company sold 51% of its credit card processing business to Advent International, a private equity firm.[26][27] In 2011, the joint venture changed its name to Vantiv[28] and in 2018, it merged with to Worldpay Inc.[29]

In March 2009, the bank was rumored to be one of the front runners alongside Huntington Bancshares to buy the National City Corp. branches in the Pittsburgh and Erie, Pennsylvania regions that were being sold by PNC Financial Services as part of the National City acquisition by PNC.[30] However, PNC sold the branches to First Niagara Bank.

On October 28, 2014, the company announced plans to move its Michigan regional headquarters and 150 employees from Southfield, Michigan to 62,000 sq ft (5,800 m2) in One Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit.[31]

In April 2016, the bank sold 17 branches in the Pittsburgh area to FNB Corporation.[32]

In November 2017, the company acquired Epic Insurance Solutions Agency and Integrity HR.[33]

In February 2018, the company acquired Coker Capital Advisors, a mergers and acquisitions advisory firm.[34]

In January 2007, the bank was noted as the processor of credit card transactions for TJX Companies, which suffered a data breach.[35] It was later found that potentially 45.7 million credit card numbers were compromised. [36]

In August 2014, the company settled with the United States Department of Justice, resolving allegations that the bank engaged in a pattern of discrimination on the basis of disability and receipt of public assistance, in violation of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. The company was required to pay $1.5 million to eligible mortgage loan applicants who were asked to provide a letter from their doctor to document the income they received from Social Security Disability Insurance.[37]

Fifth Third owns the naming rights to:


who was sentenced for english translation of nil darpan

Long was closely associated with the Calcutta School-Book Society, the Bethune Society, the Bengal Social Science Association and The Asiatic Society. He also published the English translation of the play Nil Darpan by Dinabandhu Mitra, an act for which he was subsequently prosecuted for libel, fined, and briefly jailed.

James Long (Anglican priest)

James Long (1814â€“1887) was an Anglo-Irish priest of the Anglican Church. A humanist, educator, evangelist, translator, essayist, philanthropist and a missionary to India, he resided in the city of Calcutta, India, from 1840 to 1872 as a member of the Church Missionary Society, leading the mission at Thakurpukur.

James Long was born in Bandon, County Cork, Ireland in 1814, when Ireland was still a part of the United Kingdom, to John Long and his wife Anne. At the age of twelve he was enrolled at the newly opened Bandon Endowed School, where he learnt "Hebrew, Greek, Latin, French and English languages; Euclid, Algebra, Logic; Arithmetic, Book-keeping, Reading, Writing, History and Geography".[1] He proved an excellent student, distinguishing himself especially in theology and the classics.

Long's application to join the Church Missionary Society was accepted in 1838 and he was sent to the Church Missionary Society College, Islington.[2] Following two years's training at Islington the Reverend Long was sent to Calcutta to join the CMS mission there. He arrived in Calcutta in 1840, briefly returning to England in 1848 to marry Emily Orme, daughter of William Orme.[3]

From 1840 to 1848, Long taught at the school for non-Christian students run by the CMS at its premises located on Amherst Street.[4] Returning to India a married man in 1848, he was placed in charge of the CMS mission in Thakurpukur, at the time a hamlet a dayâ€™s journey out of Calcutta in the Bengal Presidency. By 1851, Long had set up a vernacular school for boys in Thakurpukur, while his wife Emily ran a corresponding school for girls. In an 1854 letter to F. J. Halliday of the Council of Education, he boasts a roll-call of "about 100 boys, Hindu, Mussulman, and Christians."[5] His work Bengali Proverbs (1851) has been called a significant addition to Bengali literature.[6] He studied Bengali proverbs and folk literature for another two decades, publishing A Catalogue of Bengali Newspapers and Periodicals from 1818 to 1855 (1855), and the Descriptive Catalogue of Vernacular Books and Pamphlets which was forwarded by the Government of India to the Paris Exposition of 1867.

In 1861, at the height of the Indigo revolt by the ryots in Bengal, Long received a copy of the Bengali play Nil Darpan (also transcribed as Neel Darpan or Nil Durpan) from its author Dinabandhu Mitra, one of Long's former students at the CMS school on Amherst Street. The play, published anonymously the previous year in Dacca, was sympathetic to the abject condition of the ryots or labourers on indigo plantations and critical of the British land-holding class who kept the ryots in slave-like conditions.[7] Long brought it to the notice of W.S. Seton-Karr, Secretary to the Governor of Bengal and ex-President of the Indigo Commission. Seton-Karr, sensing its importance, mentioned Nil Durpan in conversation with the Lieutenant Governor, J.P. Grant. Grant expressed a wish to see a translation of it and print a few copies to be circulated privately amongst friends. Long had it anonymously translated into English "By A Native" (Long refused to divulge the name of the translator to the trial court; Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay later attributed the translation to Michael Madhusudan Dutt, although this attribution remains contentious[8]) and printed in either April or May 1861.[9] In his introduction to the play, he wrote that "[i]t is the earnest wish of the writer of these lines that harmony may be speedily established between the Planter and the Ryot..."[10] Long sent the translated manuscript to Clement Henry Manuel, the proprietor of the Calcutta Printing and Publishing Press, to print five hundred copies at the cost of some three hundred rupees. Unknown to the Lieutenant Governor, Long began sending out copies in official Government envelopes to prominent Europeans both in India and abroad that had the heading: "on her Majestyâ€™s Service."[11]

The circulation of the play "generated hostility from indigo planters, who brought a lawsuit against Long on the charges that the preface of the play slandered the editors of the two pro-plantation newspapers, the Englishman and the Bengal Hurkaru, and that the text of the drama brought the planters a bad name."[12] As soon as the planters noticed the circulation of the play, W. F. Fergusson, the Secretary of the Landholders' and Commercial Association, wrote to the Governor of Bengal. He inquired as to which parties had sanctioned the play and whether the authority of the Bengal Government had given permission to publish it. He also threatened those who had circulated "foul and malicious libel on indigo planting, evoking sedition and breaches of the peace".[13] He wrote that they must be prosecuted "with an utmost rigour of the law".[14] The Lieutenant Governor replied that some officials had caused the offence; the planters, unsatisfied with the answer, decided to institute legal proceedings with a view to ascertain the authors and publishers of the Nil Durpan. The words mentioned in Long’s Introduction to the play stated that what was presented in it was "plain but true"; this was subsequently used by the planters in their prosecution of Long for publishing defamatory statements. C. H. Manuel, whose name was mentioned as printer of Nil Durpan, was indicted in the Calcutta Supreme Court on 11 June 1861. He pleaded guilty, and his counsel (acting on Long’s advice) named Long as his employer in the matter of publishing.

Long's trial lasted from 19 to 24 July 1861, at the Calcutta Supreme Court. Mr. Peterson and Mr. Cowie prosecuted, Mr. Eglinton and Mr. Newmarch appeared on behalf of the defendant, and Sir M.L. Wells presided as judge. Wells found Long guilty of libel,[15] fined him one thousand rupees and sentenced him to one month’s imprisonment, which he served in the period of July–August 1861.[16] Kaliprasanna Singha paid the fine of Long's behalf.

Following three years of home leave following the indigo controversy, Rev. and Mrs Long returned to Calcutta. Mrs Long died of amoebic dysentery while on a voyage back to England in February 1867.[17] After her death, Long shared a house in Calcutta with the Rev. Krishna Mohan Banerjee, a longtime friend and associate who had lost his wife the same year. Together the two men hosted joint Indo-British soirees—rare events in those segregated times—and generally sought to foster a rapprochement between the British colonizers and the natives. Guests included Bishop Cotton and Keshub Chunder Sen among others.

As Long continued his educational work, he developed a keen interest in Russia, which he visited for the first time in 1863, and twice after his retirement in 1872. In his paper entitled Russia, Central Asia, and British India published in London in 1865, he wrote of his optimism about the prospects of serf emancipation, and against the current attitude of paranoia towards Russia about the valuable role of the Russian government and of the Orthodox Church in propagating Christianity in central Asia to serve as a bulwark against Islam.

In 1872, Reverend James Long retired from the Church Missionary Society and left India for good. He lived for the rest of his life in London, where he continued to write and publish until his death on 23 March 1887. Long set up a posthumous endowment called the Long Lectureship in Oriental Religions in 1885, for the appointment of one or more lecturers annually to deliver lectures at certain centres of education in Britain.[18]

Rev. Long lends his name to James Long Sarani, a major thoroughfare running through Thakurpukur.


when does fiona come back in shameless uk

Most notably, the role of Stella Gallagher was recast, with Nikita Brownlee playing the character. The final ever episode saw numerous old cast members return, including Annabelle Apsion as Monica Gallagher, Anne-Marie Duff as Fiona McBride, Jody Latham as Lip Gallagher, Elliott Tittensor as Carl Gallagher, Dean Lennox Kelly as Kev Ball and Kelli Hollis as Yvonne Karib. Storylines covered in the final series included Jamie discovering that Paddy is not his biological father, and finding his new half-brother Kassi and his family; Frank's dalliance with prostitutes Sherilee and Derilee, with a hostage situation occurring at the Gallagher household when Derilee's husband Baxter finds out; Shane's brief relationship with a copper, Sgt. Randall (Thaila Zucchi), putting a strain on his relationship with his family; Mimi starting work at a primary school as a governor; and the breakdown of Kelly and Lillian's friendship after Kelly and Marty steal a large amount of money from her.

Shameless (UK TV series)

Shameless is a British comedy-drama series set in Manchester on the fictional Chatsworth council estate. Produced by Company Pictures for Channel 4, the series aired from 13 January 2004 to 28 May 2013. The comedy drama, centred on British working class culture, was accorded critical acclaim by various sections of the British media, including The Sun newspaper and Newsnight Review on BBC Two. The programme was created and partially written by Paul Abbott, who is also the programme's executive producer. In 2005, the show won "Best Drama Series" at the BAFTA TV Awards and "Best TV Comedy Drama" at the British Comedy Awards. The network Showtime adapted the series into its own American version, which debuted in 2011.

The first series of Shameless ran from 19 January to 24 February 2004. It consisted of 7 episodes.

The first series chronicled the life of the Gallagher family and their neighbours. David Threlfall was cast as alcoholic father of six, Frank Gallagher. Anne-Marie Duff was cast as his eldest daughter and "head" of the family, Fiona.[1] Jody Latham and Gerard Kearns played Gallagher brothers Lip and Ian. Twin brothers Elliott and Luke Tittensor both took on the role of youngster Carl Gallagher, whilst Rebecca Ryan was cast as Debbie Gallagher, and Liam was played by Joseph Furnace (series 1-2) and Johnny Bennett (series 3-8). Other characters included James McAvoy as Fiona's boyfriend Steve McBride. The Gallaghers' next-door neighbours Kev and Veronica, were played by Dean Lennox Kelly and Maxine Peake. Maggie O'Neill played agoraphobic Sheila Jackson, a love interest of Frank. Appearing alongside her were Rebecca Atkinson as her 15 year old wayward daughter Karen and Steve Pemberton appeared in the first two episodes as Karen's god-fearing father Eddie. Two other characters were introduced, local shopkeepers Kash and Yvonne Karib, played by Chris Bisson and Kelli Hollis. The series also debuted future regular cast members, including Jack Deam, as Veronica's arsonist brother Marty Fisher, their mother Carol, played by Marjorie Yates. The local pub landlady Jez, played by Lindsey Dawson. Samantha Siddall appeared in one episode as Mandy Maguire, whilst Anthony Flanagan and Warren Donnelly appeared together as local coppers PC Tony and Stan Waterman.

The "main" storyline during the first series was the romance between Fiona and Steve. However, many other plots took centre stage throughout the series, in particular, the sexual affair between Frank Gallagher and Sheila, the mother of Karen Jackson, who was dating Lip. The storyline ended with a violent showdown between father and son, and Karen absconding from Chatsworth. Other storylines included Ian Gallagher's homosexuality and his affair with shopkeeper Kash, Kev and Veronica's "fake" wedding, Sheila attempting to overcome her agoraphobia, and Frank's strained relationship with most of his kids. The series concluded with a "two-part story", featuring the return of the Gallaghers' absent mother Monica, played by Annabelle Apsion, and Frank's growing debts. The series concludes with Frank faking his own death to evade bailiffs and his growing debts and the announcement that Sheila, who had overcome her agoraphobia, was pregnant by Frank.

The second series ran from 4 January to 8 March 2005. It consisted of 10 regular episodes and a Christmas Special (which aired on 23 December 2004) for a total of 11 episodes.

The third series began on 3 January 2006 and ended on 21 February 2006. The series was reduced to eight episodes.

The third series was the first series to not feature Fiona or Steve who were both heavily featured in the previous series. This series saw Carl's character, who had a minor role in the first series, and a slightly larger role in the second, expanded. This series also saw the introduction of Nicky Evans as Shane Maguire, who only appeared in one episode, but would become an essential character in later series.

The series kicks off with a New Year's Day special where Debbie convinces everyone Liam has cancer to stop him getting expelled from school but things slowly get out of hand. Monica and Norma Starkey, played by Dystin Johnson, return for one episode this series. Kev and Veronica unsuccessfully trying for a baby through IVF, Mandy giving birth to Lip's baby and Frank and Sheila getting married are all storylines covered in the third series.

The fourth series, again consisting of 8 episodes, ran between 9 January 2007 until 27 February 2007. It featured the biggest cast change in the show's 9-year run, with many characters from the first three series departing and many new characters introduced to replace them. Most notably, the series saw the introduction of the Maguire family as main characters rather than the antagonists that they were in the early series. From Series 4, the Maguires would gradually become the focus of the show during its final years. Alongside Tina Malone (Mimi), Sean Gilder (Paddy) and Samantha Siddall (Mandy), new members of the Maguire family were introduced. Firstly, Ciarán Griffiths took on the role of the homosexual yet homophobic Micky Maguire. Aaron McCusker joined the cast as murderer Jamie Maguire, the oldest of the Maguire children who had been in prison for 10 years, whilst Nicky Evans, who appeared in a guest role in Series 3, returned on a regular basis as Shane Maguire. All the Gallagher family returned, with Annabelle Apsion reprising her role again as absentee mother Monica, which ultimately led to the departure of Maggie O'Neill as Sheila Jackson. Dystin Johnson as Monica's lesbian lover, Norma Starkey, also returned as a regular cast member. With the introduction of Aaron McCusker as her new love interest, Rebecca Atkinson, who has played Karen Jackson since the first series, became a more prominent character, having been a recurring character during the second and third series. The Karib family also expanded in Series 4, with the arrivals of Kash and Yvonne's children, Chesney, played by Qasim Akhtar, and Meena, portrayed by Sarah Byrne, occurring this series. The Chatsworth police became a more prominent focus in the series, with Michael Legge and Amanda Ryan portraying young police officers Tom O'Leary and Carrie Rogers, alongside original cast member Warren Donnelly as Stan Waterman.

The fifth series aired between 1 January 2008 to 15 April 2008. It consisted of 16 episodes, a big expansion from previous series.

The sixth series began on 27 January and concluded on 5 May 2009. Again, the series consisted of 16 episodes.

The series begins with Debbie's 16th birthday and her break-up from Tom. Ian recovers from amnesia after being struck by a car, and decides he wants more from life than Chatsworth has to offer. Monica is suffering from post-natal depression after the birth of her and Frank's seventh child, Stella. Mickey enrolls in college, and discovers a talent for writing erotica. Maxine Donnelly, played by Joanna Higson, a spirited young auxiliary nurse, befriends both Carl and Debbie, and moves in with the Gallaghers. A parents' meeting at Liam's primary school affirms that Frank's youngest son is a genius. A rift develops in Jamie and Karen's marriage. Ben Batt joined the cast as villainous Joe Pritchard, the captain of the local football team, who began a relationship with Mandy which ended in him becoming abusive. Additionally, he developed an obsession with Karen, leading to an affair, and when she falls pregnant in the last episode of the series, she does not know whether the father is Joe or Jamie. Chris Bisson reprised his role as Kash Karib for a single episode towards the end of the series, with his character being killed-off in a fireworks explosion at the shop as his and Yvonne's lies became apparent to their children, Chesney and Meena. Paddy is held hostage by a mystery woman who gets him addicted to heroin, but things take a sinister turn when she gets Mandy involved, ultimately resulting in tragedy. Samantha Siddall left her role as Mandy Maguire in this series after being killed-off in an explosion, coinciding with her father Paddy's heroin addiction storyline. Series 6 also saw the departures of Rebecca Ryan as Debbie Gallagher, Dystin Johnson as Norma Starkey and Sarah Byrne as Meena Karib, with Annabelle Apsion also leaving her role as Monica Gallagher, however she would return for guest stints in future series. The tone of Series 6 was noticeably darker than previous series, something which continued into Series 7.

The seventh series began on 26 January 2010 and concluded on 4 May 2010. As with series 5 and 6, the seventh series consisted of 16 episodes.

Series 7 saw the arrivals of Libby Croker, played by Pauline McLynn, the next serious love interest for Frank, and her battleaxe wheelchair-bound mother, Patty, with Valerie Lilley taking on the role. This series also introduced Maxine's brother Bruce, who would only appear during this series. Also to arrive in Series 7 was Billy Tutton (Michael Taylor), a new love interest for Mimi, who would return as a regular in the following series. Sean Gilder left his role as Paddy Maguire towards the end of Series 7, with Warren Donnelly, Joanna Higson, Gerard Kearns and Ben Batt also leaving their roles as Stan Waterman, Maxine Donnelly, Ian Gallagher and Joe Pritchard. Kelli Hollis also left her role as Yvonne Karib, however she would return in the final series. In the series finale, Mimi surprisingly gave birth to baby Cilla, a storyline which would continue into the eighth series. Karen's bipolar and her affair with Joe, Carl and Chesney being on the run for murder, and the wedding of Shane and Kelly are all prominent storylines to feature in the seventh series.

Unlike any previous series, the eighth series of 22 episodes was split into two halves. The first five episodes were aired consecutively during one week, from 10 January to 14 January 2011, to tie-in with a series-opener story-arc. After this, the series returned to its regular weekly slot, and continued for a further 7 episodes between 18 January to 8 March 2011. After a four-month break, the final 9 episodes of the eighth series began on 30 August 2011 and concluded the series on 25 October 2011. Starting with series 8 the show took a more light hearted, comedy approach, rarely taking on board the gritty realistic drama it had started out with. From this point onwards the shows storylines became increasingly farfetched and viewing figures started to drop rapidly.[citation needed]

Series 8 saw a variety of new characters arrive, including the Powell family, consisting of Emmanuel Ighodaro as Jackson, Karen Bryson as Jackson's wife Avril, and Kira Martin as their daughter Letitia. Also, Libby and Patty's relative, Aidan Croker, played by Robbie Conway, arrived to fill the hole left by Liam, following his departure in the early episodes of the series. Billy Tutton returned and is revealed as the father of Mimi's baby, Cilla, while Aysha Kala took on the role of Chesney's cousin, Sita Desai, however the character departed midway through the series. Annabelle Apsion reprised her role as Monica Gallagher for the early episodes of the series, to coincide with a storyline featuring Frank and Libby and the departure of Liam. Also departing this series was Libby, who left after realizing that Frank shows her no affection. Samantha Siddall returned as an apparition of her deceased character Mandy, who appeared as a vision to Mimi when she suffered from insomnia during this series. This series also saw the return of Jack Deam as Marty Fisher as a regular cast member, who left the show in Series 4. When Frank finds himself being framed for brutally mugging a pensioner, Kev Ball, who left the show in Series 4, returned to help, with Dean Lennox Kelly reprising the role for a single episode to mark Shameless' 100th episode.

The ninth series of Shameless began on 9 January 2012 and concluded on 13 March 2012. The ninth series, originally consisting of 22 episodes, was reduced to 11 episodes, with the remaining 11 being turned into the tenth series. Like 2011, the first two episodes aired on two consecutive nights.

The ninth series primarily featured the arrivals of Gloria Meak, played by Angeline Ball, and her brother, Dominic Meak, with former EastEnders actor Stephen Lord taking on this role. Gloria embarked on an affair with Jamie after having a catfight with Karen. Also in Series 9, Mimi's glamorous Scottish niece, Ruby Hepburn, portrayed by Kari Corbett, arrived. CiarÃ¡n Griffiths left his role as Micky Maguire during this series, with the character leaving after helping a woman give birth and agreeing to raise the baby when the woman tragically dies. Also departing this series was Carl, who made numerous guest appearances before leaving. Prominent storylines for this series include Micky being the victim of a homophobic attack, and Frank, Jamie, Shane, Ruby and Aidan being trapped underground when a plan to rob lottery tickets goes dramatically wrong.

Series 10, originally planned to be the second half of the ninth series, was reduced from 11 episodes to 10. It aired between 13 September and 1 November 2012. As with the last two series, the first two episodes aired on two consecutive nights.

The final episode of the tenth series saw three prominent characters depart: Emmanuel Ighodaro left his role as Jackson Powell when he and Avril's mounting debts and fractured marriage become too much, Kari Corbett's character Ruby Hepburn was killed-off when she took Mimi hostage which resulted in her falling out of a window to her death, and Valerie Lilley made her exit as Patty Croker, when she was told that she was dying and wanted Frank to take her to the beach to see Ireland one last time, however Frank left her to go to the pub, allowing the tide to take her away. Jamie continued his affair with Gloria in Series 10, however this stopped following a pregnancy scare, and eventually Karen discovers his deceit. Shane accidentally killed a man after running him over in a hit-and-run, and battled his conscience as he began helping the man's family through their grief.

The eleventh and final series of Shameless began on 26 February 2013 and concluded the show itself on 28 May 2013. An expansion from the last two series, the eleventh series consisted of 14 episodes. The shows final episode saw the return of several departed characters, mostly consisting of the Gallagher children.

During the eleventh series, all characters made their final appearances, however only certain characters made exits from Chatsworth. These include Sally Carman as Kelly Maguire, Jack Deam as Marty Fisher, Angeline Ball as Gloria Meak and Stephen Lord as Dominic Meak. A variety of new characters made their first appearances in the final series, including Jacqueline Boatswain as Avril's older sister Patreesha St. Rose and her daughter Mary-Mae, who would begin a relationship with Chesney. Also, Moya Brady - who played The Jockey's former landlady Cassie Western in Series 2 - returned playing Remona, who opened a pharmacy in Chesney's shop. A new family, the Blancos, arrived consisting of Kassi, played by Jalaal Hartley, Esther, portrayed by Isy Suttie, and their three children: Tam (Rhys Cadman), Thalia (Jade Kilduff) and Saul (Lewis Hardaker). Also, Sherilee and Derilee, played by Sarah Totty and Sue Vincent, appeared for a number of episodes as Frank's new prostitutes.

The Gallagher family resides at 2 Windsor Gardens on the fictional Chatsworth Estate, a deprived council estate in Stretford, Manchester.[2] Originally the show was filmed on location in West Gorton in East Manchester and at the Pie Factory Studios in Salford. Some scenes were also filmed in the Wythenshawe area in the south of the city.

After Series 5, the show was filmed at a purpose-built set on the Roundthorn Industrial Estate in South Manchester, on the site of an old Umbro warehouse, and around Wythenshawe and Sale.

Shameless initially focused on the layabout Frank Gallagher and the lives of his six children, Fiona and boyfriend Steve, Lip, Ian, Carl, Debbie and Liam, and next door neighbours, Kev and Veronica. Later the Maguire family was introduced: Paddy, his wife, Mimi, and their three sons—Jamie, Shane and Micky—and daughter, Mandy. The Maguires became the focus of the show as the Gallagher children departed. Other characters also become the focus after only starting off as minor characters, such as those from the Karib family.

In April 2005, the programme's first series won the Best Drama Series category at the British Academy Television Awards. It was also nominated for Best British Drama at the National Television Awards 2007, but lost out to Doctor Who. Shameless won an award at the Royal Television Awards Society North West Awards 2007 where it beat Coronation Street to the Best Continuing Drama Award.[citation needed]

In 2011, Owen Jones in his book Chavs criticised the fact that the show portrayed working-class people in a negative light "it fails to address how the characters ended up in their situation, or what impact the destruction of industry has had on working class communities in Manchester".

The programme has been sold overseas, where it airs on channels such as SBS One (Australia),[3] UKTV (New Zealand), Acht (Belgium), I.Sat (Brazil), Showcase (Canada), Virgin 17 (France), Nederland 3 (Netherlands), YLE FST5 (Finland), SIC Radical (Portugal), RTÉ Two (Ireland), BBC America (only aired the first series) and Sundance Channel (United States), yes+ (Israel), I.Sat (Latin America) and Jimmy (Italy).Netflix.

HBO began developing an American version of Shameless after striking a deal with John Wells.[4]

By October 2009, the development had moved to Showtime. John Wells Productions filmed a pilot episode for the cable network in January 2010. It stars William H. Macy in the Frank Gallagher role.[5] Allison Janney was cast as a romantic interest for Frank, but left after taking a job on Matthew Perry's Mr. Sunshine and was unable to be a part of both series. Academy Award nominee Joan Cusack joined the cast as the new Sheila Jackson, along with Emmy Rossum as Frank's sensible and feisty eldest daughter, and Justin Chatwin as a car thief who falls for her.[6] Showtime's Shameless cast also includes Jeremy Allen White, Cameron Monaghan, Emma Kenney, Ethan Cutkosky, Noel Fisher, Steve Howey and Shanola Hampton. The first episode of the series aired on Showtime on 9 January 2011. The American version has received critical acclaim and some of Showtime's highest recorded ratings. As of 2018 eight seasons have aired with a ninth planned, making it the network's longest running original-scripted program.

On September 14, 2017, Fox TÃ¼rkiye began airing the Turkish adaptation starring Hazal Kaya and Burak Deniz. It is titled as "bizim hikaye"

On September 24, 2017, NTV began airing a Russian Adaption titled Besstydniki Russian for Shameless.[7]


why are there so many bicycles in amsterdam

Bicycles are used by all socio-economic groups because of their convenience, Amsterdam's small size, the 400Â km of bike paths,[5] the flat terrain, and the arguable inconvenience of driving an automobile: driving a car is discouraged, parking fees are expensive, and many streets are closed to cars or are one-way for motor vehicle traffic (but not for cyclists).[6] Amsterdam's bike paths (Fietspad) are red in colour, in order to differentiate them from both the road ways and footpaths.

Cycling in Amsterdam

Amsterdam is both the most bicycle-friendly capital city in the world and, with an urban area population of over 1.1 million people, it is also the most bicycle-friendly city with over a million people in the world.[1] In Amsterdam, over 60% of trips are made by bike in the inner city and 40% of trips are made by bike overall in the greater city area.[2]

Nevertheless, though people outside of the Netherlands consider Amsterdam to be one of the most famous and important centres of bicycle culture worldwide, the city itself is actually not at the top in terms of bike-friendliness compared to many smaller Dutch cities. This is reflected in the fact that Amsterdam is not on the short-list for the Fietsstad 2014 (BikeCity 2014) awards, announced by the Dutch Fietsersbond (Cyclists' Union): the cities of The Hague, Eindhoven and Almere were nominated for the Fietsstad 2014 awards, while the Netherlands' most bicycle-friendly city of Groningen won the award back in 2001.[3] It should be made clear that for bicycle-friendliness, one must consider the Netherlands as whole.

As is common in Dutch cities, Amsterdam has a wide net of traffic-calmed streets and world-class facilities for cyclists. All around are bike paths and bike racks, and several guarded bicycle parking stations (Fietsenstalling) which can be used for a nominal fee. In 2006, there were about 1,000,000 bicycles in Amsterdam.[4]

Amsterdammers ride a wide variety of bicycles including the traditional Omafiets - the ubiquitous Dutch roadster with a step-through frame - to anything from modern city bikes, road bikes, mountain bikes, and even recumbent bikes.

Many tourists discover Amsterdam by bike, as it is the typical Dutch way to get around the city. Bicycle tour groups offers a guided bike tour through the city. Bicycle traffic, in fact traffic in general, is relatively safe: in 2007, Amsterdam had 18 traffic deaths, of all types, in total.[7]

Bike traffic has a 32% modal share, which is the largest across the city transportation solutions.[8]

Bicycle theft in Amsterdam is widespread: in 2005, about 54,000 bicycles were stolen and every year between 12,000 and 15,000 bicycles are retrieved from the canals.[9][10]

By 2012, cycling in Amsterdam had grown tremendously in popularity â€” up by some 40% in the previous twenty years.[11] The city had 490,000 fietsers (cyclists) take to the road to cycle 2 million kilometres every day according to statistics of the city council. This has caused some problems as, despite 35,000 kilometers of bicycle paths, the country's 18 million bicycles (1.3 per citizen old enough to ride) were clogging Amsterdam's streets at peak times and parked bicycles were overcrowding train stations and other areas. This is being addressed by building even more bike lanes and bicycle parking stations with much greater capacity to tackle a problem many other cities in the world would envy, that of bicycle traffic congestion. Safety is also a concern, mainly on infrastructure that does not yet conform to the modern Dutch road safety policies of Sustainable Safety. Advance stop lines or otherwise little protection at traffic lights on distributor roads is a major cause of collisions, including the death of a 7-year-old girl under a garbage truck in 2013 on a road which did not include protected cycle paths.[12]


where is the show just for laughs gags filmed

The series uses a hidden camera format, playing pranks on unsuspecting subjects while hidden cameras capture the subjects' responses; each episode presents multiple gags. While some segments have included brief dialogue, most do not contain any sound or dialogue; the audio is replaced with sound effects, a laugh track, and public domain music. Most segments are filmed in Quebec City, Montreal and Vancouver, while some have been filmed in Mexico. British and Asian versions have been produced in the UK and Singapore, respectively. In 2011 the show spawned a spinoff, Just Kidding, which consists exclusively of kids playing pranks on adults.

Just for Laughs: Gags

Just for Laughs: Gags (in French, Juste pour rire: Gags) is a Canadian silent comedy/hidden camera reality television show that is under the Just for Laughs brand. It is based on the similar American series Candid Camera.[1]
The series is also on YouTube.
In December 26, 2000, JFL: Gags began airing on French Canadian network Canal D. In the following years, the show was picked up by TVA, CBC and The Comedy Network in Canada, BBC1 in the UK, TF1 in France and ABC and Telemundo in the United States; the Canadian version (unlike the ones produced for ABC) aired in the United States in first-run syndication starting in the fall of 2015 and ended in February 2016.[2]

With its silent format and no translation required, Just for Laughs: Gags has been purchased for use in over 100 countries throughout the world as well as in airports and by airlines. Reactions to the gags range from "inane"[3] to cross-culturally funny.[4] The same distributors also distribute Surprise Sur Prise, a similar show.

In March 2011, Just for Laughs Gags entered into a partnership with Montreal-based, entertainment site, Videobash.com[5] and now have their own devoted channel there. (No video has been posted as of this writing.)

This section requires specific casting related to Just for Laughs: Gags.[6]

In the opening of each prank, the actors introduce how the prank was done and how it will be shown as well. Here are just a few illustrative examples from the thousands of pranks filmed for the 3,000+ shows include:

At the end of every prank, the hidden cameras are revealed. During the pranks, actors would also participate as victims for uninvolved bystanders or crowds.

To see the following list of pranks and its season of Just for Laughs Gags based in Canada, see List of pranks and its seasons on Just for Laughs Gags.

Radio Television of Serbia

2017 - present

Just for Laughs is an American sketch comedy show hosted by Rick Miller that shows clips from the Canadian version of the show. Good ratings during the summer airings in 2007 and a writer's union strike resulted in ABC adding the show to the network lineup as a midseason replacement for 2007-2008. It returned to the schedule on January 1, 2008, before being canceled on May 12, 2008. However, on June 4, 2009, it was announced that a third season would begin airing on June 21, 2009.[7] Program Partners will bring the show back to the United States for a fourth season beginning in fall 2015; this season will air in first-run syndication.[8]

Seasonal ratings based on average total viewers per episode of Just for Laughs on ABC: