who plays the cat in the hat in the movie

The Cat in the Hat (also known as Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat) is a 2003 American family comedy film directed by Bo Welch. It is based on the 1957 Dr. Seuss book of the same name. The film stars Mike Myers in the title role of the Cat in the Hat, and Dakota Fanning as Sally. Sally's brother (who is unnamed in the book and the 1971 TV special), Conrad, is portrayed by Spencer Breslin. The film is the second feature-length Dr. Seuss adaptation after the 2000 holiday film How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

The Cat in the Hat (film)

The idea was originally conceived in 2001, with Tim Allen initially cast as the Cat, but he dropped his role due to work on The Santa Clause 2, and the role was later given to Myers. Filming took place in California for three months. While the basic plot parallels that of the book, the film filled out its 82 minutes by adding new subplots and characters significantly different from the original story.

Released on November 21, 2003, in the United States, the film grossed $134 million worldwide,[3] but was critically panned by critics. After the film's release, Seuss' widow, Audrey Geisel, decided not to allow any further live-action adaptations of Seuss' works to be produced, and as a result, a planned sequel based on The Cat in the Hat Comes Back was scrapped.

Conrad and Sally Walden live in the city of Anville with their mother, Joan. Joan works for neat-freak Hank Humberfloob, as a real estate agent, and is hosting an office party at her house. One day, she is called back to the office, leaving the kids with Mrs. Kwan, a tired babysitter, and forbidding them to enter the living room, which is being kept pristine for the upcoming party. Joan is also dating their next-door neighbor, Larry Quinn, much to Conrad's dismay. Larry is constantly on the lookout for any mischief Conrad may be up to, as he wants nothing more than to send him away to military school, as Conrad has earned the reputation of "hot-headed trouble-maker", while his sister is characterized as "perfect and well-behaved".

Once their mother leaves, Sally and Conrad meet a humanoid, oversized talking cat in a hat in their house. The Cat reveals he wants them to learn to have fun, but the children's pet fish doesn't want the Cat around when Joan is away. The Cat then leaves a trail of destruction across the house. In the process, he releases two trouble-making things, Thing 1 and Thing 2, from a crate that he explains is actually a portal to another world. The Cat tells Conrad that he only has one rule: never open the crate, then allows the Things to have fun, but they make a mess out of the house. Despite the Cat's warning, Conrad picks the lock on the crate. When the crate's lock attaches itself to the collar of the family dog, Nevins, Cat and the kids must go find him and the lock. They drive a super-powered car which Cat names it S.L.O.W. (Super Luxurious Omnidirectional Whatchamajigger) in search of Nevins and use Cat's magic hat. Conrad realizes that the Things always do the opposite to what they are told, and that this can be used to their advantage and has them stall Joan.

Meanwhile, Larry is revealed to be an unemployed slob with dentures, and is in financial debt, though claiming that he is a successful businessman in the hopes of marrying Joan for her money. Larry sees Nevins running across the street and tracks down Joan to tell her, but Things 1 and 2 have stalled her on the road, posing as police officers. Larry goes back to the house, telling Joan to meet him there.

By the time the kids and the Cat (and Larry) return to the house with the lock, a huge mess spills from the unlocked crate and enters the house, seemingly killing Larry in the process. They navigate their way through the oversized house and find the crate while cleaning up. The house is returned to its normal proportions but then immediately falls apart. The Cat tells the kids that he planned the whole day, including making not opening the crate his one rule, as he knew Conrad could not resist. The kids angrily tell the Cat to leave the house. Conrad prepares to face the consequences when Joan comes home, but Sally says she will share the blame. The Cat, having overheard this, happily returns to clean up the mess with a great cleaning contraption. named D.I.R.T. (Dynamic Industrial Renovating Tractormajigger) Afterwards The Cat says goodbye and departs as Joan is arriving. Larry returns, revealing he survived when all is restored, thinking he has busted the kids, but when Joan sees the clean house (and a messy Larry), she does not believe Larry and dumps him. After the successful party, Joan spends time with her children and the Cat finishes narrating. The film ends as he and his things decide to go on a vacation.

DreamWorks Pictures acquired rights to the original book in 1997.[4] However, production did not originally start until after the 2000 Christmas/comedy film How the Grinch Stole Christmas, based on another Dr. Seuss book of the same name, became a commercial success. Brian Grazer, who was the producer of The Grinch, stated, "Because we grew up with these books, and because they have such universal themes and the illustrations ignite such fantasy in your mind as a child — the aggregation of all those feelings — it leaves an indelible, positive memory. And so when I realized I had a chance to convert first The Grinch and then, The Cat in the Hat, into movies, I was willing to do anything to bring them to the screen."[5] Grazer contacted Bo Welch over the phone with the offer to direct the film, and he accepted.[6] When production began, songs written by Randy Newman were dropped because they were deemed inferior. Newman's cousin, David Newman, composed the score for the film. Although Welch and a publicist for Myers denied it, several people said Myers had considerable input into the film's direction, telling some of the cast (co-stars Baldwin and Preston) how to perform their scenes.[7]

Tim Allen was originally planned to play the role of the Cat. The script would be originally based on a story conceived by Allen, who admitted that as a child he was afraid of Seuss' "mischievous feline" babysitter. Allen stated, "My dream is to give it the edge that scared me."[8] However, producers did not commission a screenplay until late February 2001, when Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer, and Dave Mandel (who were also writers on Seinfeld) were hired to write the script (replacing the original draft of the film that was written a few years before),[9] so the film would not be ready to shoot before the deadline. Allen was also committed to shooting Disney's The Santa Clause 2, which was also delayed because Allen wanted a script rewrite.[10] Due to a scheduling conflict with The Santa Clause 2,[11] he dropped out his role.[12] In March 2002, the role of the Cat was given to Mike Myers,[13] even though he had an argument with Grazer about starring in a cancelled Saturday Night Live skit named Dieter.[14] Myers stated in an interview that he was a long-time fan of the original Dr. Seuss book, and that it was the first book he ever read.[15]

Makeup for the character was designed by Steve Johnson. The Cat costume was made of angora and human hair and was fitted with a cooling system. To keep Myers cool during the outdoor shoots, a portable air conditioner was available that connected a hose to the suit between shots. The tail and ears were battery operated.[16] The Fish was considered somewhat of a unique character for Rhythm & Hues (responsible for some of the effects and animation in such films as Cats & Dogs, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and Scooby-Doo), in that the character had no shoulders, hips or legs, so all of the physical performance had to emit from the eyes, head and fin motion. Sean Hayes, who provided the voice for the Fish, found the role significantly different from his usual on-camera jobs; he did not know how the final animation would look, and all of his work took place alone in a sound booth.[17]

Prior to filming, giant props for the film were stolen from the set. Local police found the props vandalized in a mall car park in Pomona, California. The props were covered with graffiti. No arrests had been made, and filming was to start the next week.[18] Principal photography took place mostly in California from October 2002 until January 2003. The neighborhood and the town centre was filmed in a rural valley near Simi Valley, where 24 houses (each 26-feet square and 52-feet tall) were constructed.[19] The downtown area outdoor shots were filmed along a Pomona street where a number of antique and gift shops are located. The community decided not to redecorate after filming ended, so the surreal paint scheme and some of the signage could still be seen as it appears in the film. Because of so much smog in the area, the sky had to be digitally replaced with the cartoon-like sky and colours of the background had to be digitally fixed.

The soundtrack was released on November 18, 2003.[20] It includes David Newman's score, plus a song by Smash Mouth ("Getting Better") and ("Hang On") that makes it the third film in a row playing a song in a film starring Mike Myers, after Shrek (2001) and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002). The soundtrack also includes a couple of songs performed by Mike Myers (the role of the Cat). Newman's score won a BMI Film Music Award.

All music composed by David Newman, except as noted.

The Cat in the Hat was released on VHS and DVD on March 16, 2004.[21] It features 16 deleted scenes, 20 outtake scenes, almost a dozen featurettes, and a "Dance with the Cat" tutorial to teach kids a Cat in the Hat dance.[22] On February 7, 2012, the film was released on Blu-ray.[23]

The Cat in the Hat opened theatrically on November 21, 2003 and earned $38,329,160 in its opening weekend, ranking first in the North American box office.[24] The film ended its theatrical run on March 18, 2004, having grossed $101,149,285 domestically and $32,811,256 overseas for a worldwide total of $133,960,541.[2]

Review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 10% approval rating based on reviews from 158 critics. The website's consensus reads: "Filled with double entendres and potty humor, this Cat falls flat."[25] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 19/100 based on 37 reviews, indicating "overwhelming dislike".[26]

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film one star, stating, "Cat, another over-blown Hollywood raid on Dr. Seuss, has a draw on Mike Myers, who inexplicably plays the Cat by mimicking Bert Lahr in The Wizard of Oz." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 2 out of 4 stars. Although he praised the production design, he considered the film to be "all effects and stunts and CGI and prosthetics, with no room for lightness and joy".[27] Ebert and co-host Richard Roeper gave the film "Two Thumbs Down". Roeper said of Myers' performance that "Maybe a part of him was realizing as the movie was being made that a live-action version of The Cat in the Hat just wasn't a great idea." Ebert had the same problem with the film that he had with How the Grinch Stole Christmas, in that "If there is one thing I've learned from these two movies is that we don't want to see Jim Carrey as a Grinch, and we don't want to see Mike Myers as a cat. These are talented comedians, let's see them do their stuff, don't bury them under a ton of technology."

Concerns were also raised over the PG rating of the film with some critics, stating that it should have instead been rated PG-13 in relation to its high amount of adult content.[28]

Leonard Maltin in his Movie Guide gave it one and a half stars out of four saying that the "Brightly colored adaptation of the beloved rhyming book for young children is a betrayal of everything Dr. Seuss ever stood for, injecting potty humor and adult (wink-wink) jokes into a mixture of heavy-handed slapstick and silliness." Maltin also claimed that the film's official title which included Dr Seuss' The Cat in the Hat was "an official insult".[29] However, Jeffrey Lyons from NBC-TV, enjoyed the film and considered it "enormously funny".[citation needed]

Baldwin addressed complaints the film received because of its dissimilarity to the source material. He expressed a belief that a film is "an idea about something" and that because Dr. Seuss' work is so unique, making a feature-length film out of one of his stories would entail taking liberties and making broad interpretations.[30]

The film also received three nominations at the Hollywood Makeup & Hairstylists Guild Awards.[32]

On the day of the film's release, Mike Myers stated in an interview that he expected a sequel where the kids meet the Cat again, since there was a sequel to the book. A sequel based on The Cat in the Hat Comes Back was in development, a little more than a month before the film's release.[33] In February 2004, Dr. Seuss' widow, Audrey Geisel, said she would never allow any further live action adaptations of her husband's works, and the sequel was eventually cancelled.[34]

On March 15, 2012, a computer animated Cat in the Hat adaptation was announced by Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment, following the success of The Lorax.[35][36][37][38][39][40][41] On January 24, 2018, Warner Animation Group announced that they have picked up the rights for the animated Cat in the Hat reboot movie, along with many of Seuss' works.[42]

The Cat in the Hat is a 2003 platformer video game released by Vivendi Universal Games and developed by Magenta Software and Digital Eclipse. It is based on the film of the same name. The game was released for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Game Boy Advance on November 5, 2003, and PC on November 9, 2003, shortly before the film's theatrical release. A version for the Nintendo GameCube was planned to be released, but it was later cancelled.

The Cat in the Hat game received mixed reviews[43][44][45][47][48][49] (except for the PC version, which received negative reviews).[46][50]


where are most almonds grown in the us

In the United States, production is concentrated in California where 1,000,000 acres (400,000Â ha) and six different almond varieties were under cultivation in 2017, with a yield of 2.25 billion lbs (1 billion kg) of shelled almonds.[22] The value of total US exports of shelled almonds in 2016 was $3.2 billion.[23]

Almond

The almond (Prunus dulcis, syn. Prunus amygdalus) is a species of tree native to the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and North Africa.

Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genus Prunus, it is classified with the peach in the subgenus Amygdalus, distinguished from the other subgenera by corrugations on the shell (endocarp) surrounding the seed.

The fruit of the almond is a drupe, consisting of an outer hull and a hard shell with the seed, which is not a true nut, inside. Shelling almonds refers to removing the shell to reveal the seed. Almonds are sold shelled or unshelled. Blanched almonds are shelled almonds that have been treated with hot water to soften the seedcoat, which is then removed to reveal the white embryo.

The almond is a deciduous tree, growing 4–10 m (13–33 ft) in height, with a trunk of up to 30 cm (12 in) in diameter. The young twigs are green at first, becoming purplish where exposed to sunlight, then grey in their second year. The leaves are 3–5 inches long,[3] with a serrated margin and a 2.5 cm (1 in) petiole. The flowers are white to pale pink, 3–5 cm (1–2 in) diameter with five petals, produced singly or in pairs and appearing before the leaves in early spring.[4][5] Almond grows best in Mediterranean climates with warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters. The optimal temperature for their growth is between 15 and 30 °C (59 and 86 °F) and the tree buds have a chilling requirement of 300 to 600 hours below 7.2 °C (45.0 °F) to break dormancy.[6]

Almonds begin bearing an economic crop in the third year after planting. Trees reach full bearing five to six years after planting. The fruit matures in the autumn, 7â€“8 months after flowering.[5][7]

The almond fruit measures 3.5–6 cm (1–2 in) long. In botanical terms, it is not a nut but a drupe. The outer covering or exocarp, fleshy in other members of Prunus such as the plum and cherry, is instead a thick, leathery, grey-green coat (with a downy exterior), called the hull. Inside the hull is a reticulated, hard, woody shell (like the outside of a peach pit) called the endocarp. Inside the shell is the edible seed, commonly called a nut. Generally, one seed is present, but occasionally two occur.

Almond in shell and shelled

The almond is native to the Mediterranean climate region of the Middle East, eastward as far as the Yamuna River in India.[9] It was spread by humans in ancient times along the shores of the Mediterranean into northern Africa and southern Europe, and more recently transported to other parts of the world, notably California, United States.[9]

The wild form of domesticated almond grows in parts of the Levant. The fruit of the wild forms contains the glycoside amygdalin, "which becomes transformed into deadly prussic acid (hydrogen cyanide) after crushing, chewing, or any other injury to the seed."[10]

Selection of the sweet type from the many bitter types in the wild marked the beginning of almond domestication.[11] It is unclear as to which wild ancestor of the almond created the domesticated species. Ladizinsky suggests the taxon Amygdalus fenzliana (Fritsch) Lipsky is the most likely wild ancestor of the almond in part because it is native of Armenia and western Azerbaijan where it was apparently domesticated.

While wild almond species are toxic, domesticated almonds are not; Jared Diamond argues that a common genetic mutation causes an absence of amygdalin, and this mutant was grown by early farmers, "at first unintentionally in the garbage heaps, and later intentionally in their orchards".[12]

Zohary and Hopf believe that almonds were one of the earliest domesticated fruit trees due to "the ability of the grower to raise attractive almonds from seed. Thus, in spite of the fact that this plant does not lend itself to propagation from suckers or from cuttings, it could have been domesticated even before the introduction of grafting".[10]

Domesticated almonds appear in the Early Bronze Age (3000â€“2000 BC) such as the archaeological sites of Numeria (Jordan),[11] or possibly a little earlier. Another well-known archaeological example of the almond is the fruit found in Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt (c. 1325 BC), probably imported from the Levant.[10]

Of the European countries that the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh reported as cultivating almonds, Germany[13] is the northernmost, though the domesticated form can be found as far north as Iceland.[14]

The word "almond" comes from Old French almande or alemande, Late Latin *amandula, derived through a form amygdala from the Greek ἀμυγδάλη (amygdálē) (cf. amygdala), an almond.[15] The al- in English, for the a- used in other languages may be due a confusion with the Arabic article al, the word having first dropped the a- as in the Italian form mandorla; the British pronunciation ah-mond and the modern Catalan ametlla and modern French amande show a form of the word closer to the original. Other related names of almond include mandel or knackmandel (German), mandorlo (Italian for the tree), mandorla (Italian for the fruit), amêndoa (Portuguese), and almendra (Spanish).[16]

The adjective "amygdaloid" (literally "like an almond") is used to describe objects which are roughly almond-shaped, particularly a shape which is part way between a triangle and an ellipse. See, for example, the brain structure amygdala, which uses a direct borrowing of the Greek term amygdalÄ“.[17]

The pollination of California's almonds is the largest annual managed pollination event in the world, with close to one million hives (nearly half of all beehives in the US) being trucked in February to the almond groves. Much of the pollination is managed by pollination brokers, who contract with migratory beekeepers from at least 49 states for the event. This business has been heavily affected by colony collapse disorder, causing nationwide shortages of honey bees and increasing the price of insect pollination. To partially protect almond growers from the rising cost of insect pollination, researchers at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have developed a new line of self-pollinating almond trees.[18] Self-pollinating almond trees, such as the 'Tuono', have been around for a while, but their harvest is not as desirable as the insect-pollinated California 'Nonpareil' almond tree. The 'Nonpareil' tree produces large, smooth almonds and offers 60â€“65% edible kernel per nut. The Tuono has thicker, hairier shells and offers only 32% of edible kernel per nut, but having a thick shell has advantages. The Tuono's shell protects the nut from threatening pests such as the navel orangeworm. ARS researchers have managed to crossbreed the pest-resistant Tuono tree with the 'Nonpareil, resulting in hybridized cultivars of almond trees that are self-pollinated and maintain a high nut quality.[19] The new, self-pollinating hybrids possess quality skin color, flavor, and oil content, and reduce almond growers' dependency on insect pollination.[18]

A grove of almond trees in central California

Almond blossoms in Iran

An almond shaker before and during a harvest of a tree

Almond trees can be attacked by an array of damaging organisms, including insects, fungal pathogens, plant viruses, and bacteria.[20]

In 2014, world production of almonds was 2.7Â million tonnes, with United States providing 57% of the total.[21] As the second and third leading producers, Spain and Australia combined contributed 13% of the world total (table).

Spain has diverse commercial cultivars of almonds grown in Catalonia, Valencia, Murcia, Andalusia, and Aragón regions, and the Balearic Islands.[24][25]

Australia is the largest almond production region in the Southern Hemisphere. Most of the almond orchards are located along the Murray River corridor in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia.[26][27]

The seeds of Prunus dulcis var. dulcis are predominantly sweet[28][29] but some individual trees produce seeds that are somewhat more bitter. The genetic basis for bitterness involves a single gene, the bitter flavor furthermore being recessive,[30][31] both aspects making this trait easier to domesticate. The fruits from Prunus dulcis var. amara are always bitter, as are the kernels from other species of genus Prunus, such as peach and cherry (although to a lesser extent).

The bitter almond is slightly broader and shorter than the sweet almond and contains about 50% of the fixed oil that occurs in sweet almonds. It also contains the enzyme emulsin which, in the presence of water, acts on soluble glucosides, amygdalin, and prunasin,[32] yielding glucose, cyanide and the essential oil of bitter almonds, which is nearly pure benzaldehyde, the chemical causing the bitter flavor. Bitter almonds may yield 4–9 mg of hydrogen cyanide per almond[33] and contain 42 times higher amounts of cyanide than the trace levels found in sweet almonds.[34] The origin of cyanide content in bitter almonds is via the enzymatic hydrolysis of amygdalin.[34]

Extract of bitter almond was once used medicinally but even in small doses, effects are severe or lethal, especially in children; the cyanide must be removed before consumption.[34] The acute oral lethal dose of cyanide for adult humans is reported to be 0.5–3.5 mg/kg of body weight (approximately 50 bitter almonds), whereas for children, consuming 5–10 bitter almonds may be fatal.[34]

All commercially grown almonds sold as food in the United States are sweet cultivars. The US Food and Drug Administration reported in 2010 that some fractions of imported sweet almonds were contaminated with bitter almonds. Eating such almonds could result in vertigo and other typical bitter almond (cyanide) poisoning effects.[35]

While the almond is often eaten on its own, raw or toasted, it is also a component of various dishes. Almonds are available in many forms, such as whole, sliced (flaked, slivered), and as flour. Almonds yield almond oil and can also be made into almond butter or almond milk. These products can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes.

Along with other nuts, almonds can be sprinkled over breakfasts and desserts, particularly muesli or ice cream-based dishes. Almonds are used in marzipan, nougat, many pastries (including jesuites), cookies (including French macarons, macaroons), and cakes (including financiers), noghl, and other sweets and desserts. They are also used to make almond butter, a spread similar to peanut butter, popular with peanut allergy sufferers and for its naturally sweeter taste. The young, developing fruit of the almond tree can be eaten whole (green almonds) when they are still green and fleshy on the outside and the inner shell has not yet hardened. The fruit is somewhat sour, but is a popular snack in parts of the Middle East, eaten dipped in salt to balance the sour taste. Also in the Middle East they are often eaten with dates. They are available only from mid-April to mid-June in the Northern Hemisphere; pickling or brining extends the fruit's shelf life.

Almond cookies, Chinese almond biscuits, and Italian ricciarelli are made with almonds.

The 'Marcona' almond cultivar is recognizably different from other almonds, and is marketed by name.[38] The kernel is short, round, relatively sweet, and delicate in texture. It has been grown in Spain for a long time and its origin is unknown; the tree is very productive, and the shell of the nut is very hard.[38] 'Marcona' almonds are traditionally served after being lightly fried in oil, and are used by Spanish confectioners to prepare a sweet called turrón.

Certain natural food stores sell "bitter almonds" or "apricot kernels" labeled as such, requiring significant caution by consumers for how to prepare and eat these products.[39]

Almonds can be processed into a milk substitute called almond milk; the nut's soft texture, mild flavor, and light coloring (when skinned) make for an efficient analog to dairy, and a soy-free choice for lactose intolerant people and vegans. Raw, blanched, and lightly toasted almonds work well for different production techniques, some of which are similar to that of soymilk and some of which use no heat, resulting in "raw milk" (see raw foodism).

Almond flour or ground almond meal combined with sugar or honey as marzipan is often used as a gluten-free alternative to wheat flour in cooking and baking.[40]

Almonds contain polyphenols in their skins consisting of flavonols, flavan-3-ols, hydroxybenzoic acids and flavanones[41] analogous to those of certain fruits and vegetables. These phenolic compounds and almond skin prebiotic dietary fiber have commercial interest as food additives or dietary supplements.[41][42]

Historically, almond syrup was an emulsion of sweet and bitter almonds, usually made with barley syrup (orgeat syrup) or in a syrup of orange flower water and sugar, often flavored with a synthetic aroma of almonds.[34]

Due to the cyanide found in bitter almonds, modern syrups generally are produced only from sweet almonds. Such syrup products do not contain significant levels of hydrocyanic acid, so are generally considered safe for human consumption.[34]

The almond is a nutritionally dense food (see chart pictured right) and a 100 gram amount is a rich source (>20% of the Daily value, DV) of the B vitamins riboflavin and niacin, vitamin E, and the essential minerals calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and zinc. The same amount is also a good source (10â€“19% DV) of the B vitamins thiamine, vitamin B6, and folate; choline; and the essential mineral potassium. They are also rich in dietary fiber, monounsaturated fats, and polyunsaturated fats, fats which potentially may lower LDL cholesterol.[43] Typical of nuts and seeds, almonds also contain phytosterols such as beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, sitostanol, and campestanol, which have been associated with cholesterol-lowering properties.[43]

Preliminary research associates consumption of almonds with elevated blood levels of high density lipoproteins and lower low density lipoproteins.[43]

Almonds may cause allergy or intolerance. Cross-reactivity is common with peach allergens (lipid transfer proteins) and tree nut allergens. Symptoms range from local signs and symptoms (e.g., oral allergy syndrome, contact urticaria) to systemic signs and symptoms including anaphylaxis (e.g., urticaria, angioedema, gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms).[44]

During the digestion process in humans, almond flour may be fermented into short-chain fatty acids, most notably butyrate which is a substrate for cells lining the large intestine.[45][46]

Almonds are a rich source of oil, with 50% of kernel dry mass as fat (table). Almond oil contains 32% monounsaturated oleic acid (an omega-9 fatty acid), 13% linoleic acid (a polyunsaturated omega-6 essential fatty acid), and 5% saturated fatty acid (USDA link in table). Linolenic acid, a polyunsaturated omega-3 fat, is not present (table). Almond oil is a rich source of vitamin E providing 261% of the Daily Value per 100 ml (table).

Oleum amygdalae, the fixed oil, is prepared from either sweet or bitter almonds, and is a glyceryl oleate with a slight odour and a nutty taste. It is almost insoluble in alcohol but readily soluble in chloroform or ether. Sweet almond oil is obtained from the dried kernel of sweet almonds.[47]

The oil is good for application to the skin as an emollient, and has been traditionally used by massage therapists to lubricate the skin during massage sessions.[48]

Almond oil can also be used as a wood conditioner for certain woodwind instruments such as: the oboe, the clarinet, and the saxophone.[49]

Almonds are susceptible to aflatoxin-producing molds.[50] Aflatoxins are potent carcinogenic chemicals produced by molds such as Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. The mold contamination may occur from soil, previously infested almonds, and almond pests such as navel-orange worm. High levels of mold growth typically appear as gray to black filament like growth. It is unsafe to eat mold infected tree nuts.

Some countries have strict limits on allowable levels of aflatoxin contamination of almonds and require adequate testing before the nuts can be marketed to their citizens. The European Union, for example, introduced a requirement since 2007 that all almond shipments to EU be tested for aflatoxin. If aflatoxin does not meet the strict safety regulations, the entire consignment may be reprocessed to eliminate the aflatoxin or it must be destroyed.[51][52]

The USDA approved a proposal by the Almond Board of California to pasteurize almonds sold to the public, after tracing cases of salmonellosis to almonds. The almond pasteurization program became mandatory for California companies in 2007.[53] Raw, untreated California almonds have not been available in the U.S. since then.

California almonds labeled "raw" must be steam-pasteurized or chemically treated with propylene oxide (PPO). This does not apply to imported almonds[54] or almonds sold from the grower directly to the consumer in small quantities.[55] The treatment also is not required for raw almonds sold for export outside of North America.

The Almond Board of California states: “PPO residue dissipates after treatment.” The U.S. EPA has reported: “Propylene oxide has been detected in fumigated food products; consumption of contaminated food is another possible route of exposure.” PPO is classified by the EPA as a “Group B2, probable human carcinogen."[56]

The USDA-approved marketing order was challenged in court by organic farmers organized by the Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based farm policy research group. According to the Cornucopia Institute, this almond marketing order has imposed significant financial burdens on small-scale and organic growers and damaged domestic almond markets. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit in the spring of 2009 on procedural grounds. In August 2010, a federal appeals court ruled that the farmers have a right to appeal the USDA regulation. In March 2013, the court vacated the suit on the basis that the objections should have been raised in 2007 when the regulation was first proposed.[57]

The almond is highly revered in some cultures. The tree originated in the Middle East,[58] and is mentioned numerous times in the Bible.

In the Hebrew Bible, the almond was a symbol of watchfulness and promise due to its early flowering. In the Bible the almond is mentioned ten times, beginning with Book of Genesis 43:11, where it is described as "among the best of fruits". In Numbers 17 Levi is chosen from the other tribes of Israel by Aaron's rod, which brought forth almond flowers. According to tradition, the rod of Aaron bore sweet almonds on one side and bitter on the other; if the Israelites followed the Lord, the sweet almonds would be ripe and edible, but if they were to forsake the path of the Lord, the bitter almonds would predominate. The almond blossom supplied a model for the menorah which stood in the Holy Temple, "Three cups, shaped like almond blossoms, were on one branch, with a knob and a flower; and three cups, shaped like almond blossoms, were on the other...on the candlestick itself were four cups, shaped like almond blossoms, with its knobs and flowers" (Exodus 25:33–34; 37:19–20).

Similarly, Christian symbolism often uses almond branches as a symbol of the Virgin Birth of Jesus; paintings and icons often include almond-shaped haloes encircling the Christ Child and as a symbol of Mary. The word "Luz", which appears in Genesis 30:37, sometimes translated as "hazel", may actually be derived from the Aramaic name for almond (Luz), and is translated as such in some Bible versions such as the NIV.[59] The Arabic name for almond is لوز "lauz" or "lūz". In some parts of the Levant and North Africa it is pronounced "loz", which is very close to its Aramaic origin.

La entrada de la flor is an event celebrated on 1 February in Torrent, Spain, in which the clavarios and members of the Confrerie of the Mother of God deliver a branch of the first-blooming almond-tree to the Virgin.[60]


where is the wind cave national park located

Wind Cave National Park is an American national park located 10 miles (16 km) north of the town of Hot Springs in Western South Dakota. Established in 1903 by President Theodore Roosevelt, it was the seventh U.S. National Park and the first cave to be designated a national park anywhere in the world. The cave is notable for its displays of the calcite formation known as boxwork. Approximately 95 percent of the world's discovered boxwork formations are found in Wind Cave. Wind Cave is also known for its frostwork. The cave is also considered a three-dimensional maze cave, recognized as the densest (greatest passage volume per cubic mile) cave system in the world. The cave is currently the sixth-longest in the world with 140.47 miles (226.06 km) of explored cave passageways.[3] Above ground, the park includes the largest remaining natural mixed-grass prairie in the United States.

Wind Cave National Park

The Lakota, Cheyenne, and other Native American tribes who traveled through the area were aware of the cave's existence, as were early Euro-American settlers, but there has been no evidence yet discovered that anyone actually entered it.[4]

The Lakota (Sioux), an indigenous people who live in the Black Hills region of South Dakota, spoke of a hole that blew air, a place they consider sacred as the site where they first emerged from the underworld where they had lived before the demiurge creation of the world.[4]

The first documented discovery of the cave by White Americans was in 1881, when the brothers Tom and Jesse Bingham heard wind rushing out from a 10-inch (25 cm) by 14-inch (36 cm) hole in the ground. According to the story, when Tom looked into the hole, the "wind" (exiting cave air) blew his hat off of his head.[5]

The caves found in the park are said to "breathe," that is, air continually moves into or out of a cave, equalizing the atmospheric pressure of the cave and the outside air. When the air pressure is higher outside the cave than in it, air flows into the cave, raising cave's pressure to match the outside pressure. When the air pressure inside the cave is higher than outside it, air flows out of it, lowering the air pressure within the cave.[5] A large cave (such as Wind Cave) with only a few small openings will "breathe" more obviously than a small cave with many large openings.

Rapid weather changes, accompanied by rapid barometric changes, are a feature of Western South Dakota weather. If a fast-moving storm was approaching on the day the Bingham brothers found the cave, the atmospheric pressure would have been dropping fast, causing the cave's higher-pressure air to rush out all available openings, creating the "wind" for which Wind Cave was named.

From 1881 to 1889, few people ventured far into Wind Cave. Then in 1889 the South Dakota Mining Company hired Jesse D. McDonald to oversee their "mining claim" on the cave site. The South Dakota Mining Company may have hoped to find minerals of value, or it may from the start have had commercial development of the cave in mind.[6]

No valuable mineral deposits were found, and the McDonald family began developing the cave for tourism. Jesse initially hired his son Alvin (age 16 in 1890) and, beginning in 1891, Alvin's brother Elmer, to explore and help develop the cave.[7] Alvin fell in love with the cave and kept a cave diary.[8] Others who worked at Wind Cave and helped explore it between 1890 and 1903 include Katie Stabler, Emma McDonald (Elmer's wife), Inez McDonald (Emma and Elmer's daughter), and Tommy McDonald (brother of Elmer and Alvin).[4]

By February 1892 the cave was open for visitors;[9] the standard tour fee was apparently $1.00,[10] which was a significant sum of money at the time.

Tourists, with their guide, explored the cave by candlelight. These early tours were physically demanding and sometimes involved crawling through narrow passages.

Like the nearby Jewel Cave National Monument, currently the third longest cave, Herb and Jan Conn played an important role in cave exploration during the 1960s.

Wind Cave National Park protects a diverse ecosystem with eastern and western plant and animal species. Many visible animals inhabit this park include raccoons, elk, bison, coyotes, skunks, badgers, ermines, black-footed ferrets, cougars, bobcats, red foxes, minks, pronghorn and prairie dogs. The Wind Cave bison herd is one of only four free-roaming and genetically pure herds on public lands in North America. The other three herds are the Yellowstone Park bison herd, the Henry Mountains bison herd in Utah and on Elk Island in Alberta, Canada. The Wind Cave bison herd is currently brucellosis-free.[5]

Several roads run through the park and there are 30 miles (48Â km) of hiking trails, so almost the entire park is accessible. The park had an estimated 617,377 visitors in 2016.[2] More than 109,000 people toured the cave itself in 2015, the most since 1968 before cave tours were limited to 40 people each.[11]

The Wind Cave Visitor Center features three exhibit rooms about the geology of the caves and early cave history, the park's wildlife and natural history, and the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the park.

Elk Mountain Campground, located in a ponderosa pine forest, is about 1.25 miles (2.0 km) from the visitor center. There are 75 sites for tents and recreational vehicles. It is open year-round with campfire programs offered in the summer and limited services available in the winter.[5] As of March 2013, the campground has been closed due to budget cuts stemming from the United States budget sequestration law. However, the decision to close the campground was reversed, and it has been available since May 24, 2013.[12]

The three levels making up the Wind Cave system are located in the upper 76 m of the Mississippian Pahasapa (Madison) Limestone.  Deposited in an inland sea, chert, gypsum, and anhydrite lenses within the limestone are evidence of high periods of evaporation.  When sea levels dropped at the end of the Mississippian, dissolution of the limestone formed a Kaskaskia paleokarst terrain, complete with solution fissures, sinkholes, and caves.  Thus, an unconformity exists between this limestone and the overlying Pennsylvanian Minnelusa Formation.  These red sands and clays filled in cavities.  Those cavities not filled in were coated in dogtooth spar.  Subsequent deposition of the Permian Opeche Shale, Permian Minnekahta Limestone, Triassic Spearfish Formation, and Tertiary White river Group followed.  Paleocene and Eocene erosion removed these overlying sediments, in the area of the caves, down to the Minnelusa.  Geologic uplift started during the Laramide Orogeny, which lowered the water table, draining the cave system and enlarging it.  Today the water level is 150 m below the surface, which amounts to a drop of 0.4 m every 1000 years.[13]

Boxwork was first noted in Wind Cave.  These calcite fins were once crack filling gypsum and anhydrite.  Calcite-gypsum pseudomorphs are common.  The released sulfuric acid weakened the bedrock, allowing it to weather faster than the calcite.  The resultant intersecting fins form open chambers and protrude from the surrounding bedrock by amounts ranging from 0.6 to 1.2 m.  Lower levels of the cave have boxworks mixed with frostwork and cave popcorn.  Helictite bushes were also first discovered in Wind Cave.  Moonmilk is found on many surfaces, while calcite rafts are found in the lower levels of the cave system.[13]:18,20-21

Calcite boxwork removed from the cave; Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago

Frostwork and popcorn formations

A prairie dog; part of an extensive colony in the park

Flora of the prairie


who wrote the guitar solo in november rain

"November Rain" is a power ballad by the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. Written by the band's lead singer Axl Rose, the song was released as a single in 1992 from their third studio album, Use Your Illusion I (1991). It features a sweeping orchestral backing and is one of Guns N' Roses' longest songs.

November Rain

"November Rain" peaked at number 3 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it the longest song in history to enter the top ten of that chart. Since its release, the song has sold over 1 million copies worldwide.

According to Tracii Guns, former L.A. Guns guitarist and founding member, Axl Rose had been working on the song since at least 1983. In an interview, he said the following about "November Rain":

When we were doing that EP for L.A. Guns, like '83? He was playing "November Rain" — and it was called "November Rain" — you know, on piano. The guitar solo is amazing. Way back then. It was the only thing he knew how to play, but it was his. He'd go, "Someday this song is gonna be really cool." And I'd go, "It's cool now." "But it's not done", you know, he used to say. And, like, anytime we'd be at a hotel or anywhere, there'd be a piano; he'd just kinda play that music. And I'd go, "When are you gonna finish that already", you know? And he'd go, "I don't know what to do with it. I need Moody's help."

In 1988, Waggle Records (Pty.) Ltd. released in Australia a two-LP set titled "November Rain"/"In Concert and Beyond" of an unidentified concert featuring a rough, acoustic version of the song.[1] This early version of the song features finger-picked acoustic guitar, Rose on lead vocals, and a chorus of vocals in the background, as in the Use Your Illusion I album version, but does not feature the extended guitar solos or the breakdown outro. As such, this live version clocks in at a running time of approximately 4:43.

Slash states in his autobiography that an 18-minute version of "November Rain" was recorded at a session with guitarist Manny Charlton (of rock band Nazareth) in 1986, before the recording sessions for Appetite for Destruction began.[2]:151

According to a story told to the audience during the 2006 leg of the Chinese Democracy Tour, none of the other band members had wanted to partake in the production of this song (or the other notable ballad "Estranged"). Slash and McKagan were particularly opposed to the drift to symphonic ballads, and felt their choice of more direct rock songs were being overlooked by Rose. However, Rose talked them into it over discussions at Can-Am studios (where some of the album was recorded and mixed). Claims of such harsh musical differences were specifically disputed by Slash in his autobiography.[2]:454

Slash has said that the solo he played in the album version of the song (it is unclear which) was the same solo he improvised upon hearing it for the first time.[2]:316[3]

At 8:57 long, it is the second-longest song on the album, the longest being the 10:14 long "Coma". It is the third-longest song by Guns N' Roses, behind the 9:24 "Estranged" from Use Your Illusion II.

Its distinct symphonic overtone owes to a sweeping string arrangement, orchestrated by Rose.[2]:318[4] Most live performances during the Use Your Illusion tour lacked the orchestral backing of the song (the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards being the best-known exception).

It is the longest song ever to reach the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.[5][6]

"November Rain" was voted #1 on the Rock 1000 2006, an annual countdown of the top 1,000 rock songs by New Zealand radio listeners. It was voted #2 on the 2007 version, being beaten out by "Back in Black" by AC/DC.[7] The song topped the 'album tracks' section of a 1993 readers' poll in GN'R fanzine Controversy, beating 'Coma'. The top ten was completed by 'Estranged', 'Civil War', 'Paradise City', 'Sweet Child o' Mine', 'Don't Cry', 'Welcome to the Jungle', 'Patience' and 'Mr. Brownstone'.[8]

The song was placed at #140 on Pitchfork Media's Top 200 Tracks of the 90s.[9] In Chile, the song was placed at #73 on Chilean radio Rock & Pop.[10]

The narrative quality of the music video accentuated the epic nature of the song. The video, directed by Andy Morahan,[11] portrays Rose marrying his then-girlfriend Stephanie Seymour, intercut with a live performance in a theater. Particularly, it can be noted for its large budget (about $1 million, including Seymour's dress) and sweeping cinematography by Mike Southon, which won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Cinematography. It is one of the most expensive music videos ever.[12] Slash is prominently featured in some of the video's most memorable scenes, including a sequence of helicopter shots swooping around him as he plays the first guitar solo and a later scene where he plays the third solo while standing on Rose's piano onstage. Casting coordinator Mark Roberton observed; "the camera-man had a lot of responsibility, as the crane-cam was so close to Slash, precariously stood atop a piano that was near the stage edge. One wrong twitch and the guitarist would've had a long drop!" The video for "November Rain" uses the full version of the song as opposed to an abridged version. The Orpheum Theater, a theater in downtown Los Angeles, was acquired for an evening shoot that went several hours into the night, and, unlike usual common practice, they did not mime for any of the takes. Between several differing versions of "November Rain", while the cameras on cranes that swooped close to Slash's frets were reviewed and set up for the next shot, the band entertained the 1,500 extras, by playing more of their songs.

For the outside shots of Slash while he is playing the first solo, Rose had originally envisioned it taking place in a "cool field" of sorts. However, since the video was shot in winter, there were no good-looking fields around, and eventually the band decided to use a church in New Mexico. Coincidentally, this was the same church used in the movie Silverado.[13]

Brad Hartmaier was the production designer for the New Mexico sequences at the Silverado Movie Ranch. Working from sketches he made while sitting in the hotel bar, Hartmaier managed to build and dress two church sets with the help of local crews. The exterior church set consisted of a dilapidated old building that was trucked out to the middle of a large prairie and turned into the prominent church in the video. Multiple crews worked for 24 hours straight building the main church and a duplicate interior church set complete with fly away walls, hand made cathedral windows and decorations befitting the southwestern region where it was shot. Hartmaier was in the church with a walkie-talkie with Slash as a helicopter circled above for the big shot. Slash asked him what he did and he replied, "I'm the production designer, "slash" art director slash prop man, slash painter, slash mad scientist. Slash quickly replied with a chuckle...'Ha ha, I'm just Slash.'" Hartmaier later said of working on the video, "It was the best experience of my life."

Nigel Phelps was the original production designer; Hartmaier was the art director for the Los Angeles video segments, then later became the production designer for the New Mexico segments after Phelps moved onto a feature film during the later part of the making of the video.

The priest in the video, an Italian man named Gianantonio, was a friend of Rose. Unbeknownst to the band, the church used for the interior shots was where the priest had performed some of his last services, eight years prior to the shooting of the video.

The music videos for "November Rain", "Don't Cry" and "Estranged" form an unofficial trilogy of sorts. While never specifically confirmed by the band, Rose and Del James have made statements supporting this idea.[14][15] The similarity in production, style and plots can be considered evidence of this intent.

As stated at the end of the video, "November Rain" is based on the short story "Without You" by Del James, available in his 1995 book The Language of Fear. The story concerns a rock star grieving over the death of his on-and-off-again girlfriend, who had committed suicide (inspired by Rose's troubled relationship with Erin Everly).

While much speculation exists about how Seymour's character in the video died, the relationship between the video clip and James' short story strongly suggests that she kills herself. She appears looking visibly troubled during one shot of the wedding and during the funeral sequence, a mirror is visible, covering over half her face, a technique used by funeral homes to allow victims of head trauma to have the appearance of a full face in the event of an open casket funeral.

The video remained popular throughout the rest of the decade. At the end of 1992, MTV placed "November Rain" at #1 on their top 100 videos of that year. Subsequently, it often appeared at #1 or in the top 10 of several future all-time MTV countdowns throughout the 1990s. In addition, the video was voted "Best Video Clip" in Metal Edge's 1992 Readers' Choice Awards.[16]

As of December 2017, the official video on Guns N' Roses' YouTube channel is the most viewed video on the site not made in the 21st century and the most viewed Guns N' Roses video on VEVO, with over 920 million views.[17]

Before release of Use Your Illusion I, the song was first played live at Deer Creek Music Center on May 29, 1991. "November Rain" has been a staple at Guns N' Roses concerts ever since it was released in 1991. The song is usually preceded by Rose, sometimes playing "It's Alright" by Black Sabbath or "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" by Elton John on piano. On the Chinese Democracy Tour, each of the guitar solos is played by a different guitarist. Robin Finck (2001) or Richard Fortus (2002–present) plays the first one, Finck (2001–2007) or DJ Ashba (2009–2015) plays the second one, and Buckethead (2001–2002) or Bumblefoot (2006–2014) plays the final solo.

The band performed a nearly nine-minute live version of the song with British musician Elton John on piano at the end of the 1992 VMAs ceremony.[18]

Guns N' Roses

Although the song peaked only at number 9 in Germany, it remained on the chart for 51 weeks.

In Australia, "November Rain" stayed in the top 10 for 22 weeks, the longest of any non-chart-topper in history, and reached number 2 on the end-of-year charts despite only reaching number 5. It was featured on the end-of-year charts in two consecutive years (1992 and 1993, where it appeared at 36).

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone


how is bobby related to sam and dean

Bobby makes his debut in the first season finale "Devil's Trap", and is revealed to be an old friend of the Winchester family. Sam and Dean Winchester seek his help when their father John is kidnapped by demons. From his extensive collection of supernatural-related literature and resources, Bobby shows the brothers how to create a devil's trap—mystical symbols capable of rendering a demon powerless—and later assists in the exorcism of the demonic Meg Masters.[2] After John's death in the second-season premiere, Bobby allows the brothers to stay at his home to rest up and rebuild the recently-crippled Impala.[3] He continues to assist them when they require additional expertise in their hunts, rescuing a demonically-possessed Sam and dealing with a Trickster.[4][5] In the second-season finale, Bobby helps Dean to locate a missing Sam, but they both watch in horror as he is fatally stabbed in the back.[6] Bobby begs Dean to bury Sam, and is distraught when he learns that Dean has sold his soul to a demon for Sam's resurrection. When the hunters learn of the demon Azazel's plan to open a Devil's Gate—a gateway to Hell—they rush to stop him. The gateway is temporarily opened, releasing hundreds of other demons into the world, before Bobby and Ellen Harvelle close it again.[7]

Bobby Singer

Robert Steven "Bobby" Singer is a fictional character in The CW Television Network's drama/horror television series Supernatural portrayed by Jim Beaver. Named after the show's executive producer, Bobby first appears in the first season finale "Devil's Trap". Although Beaver believed his role would merely be a "one-shot deal", Bobby has become a recurring character on the series, and is one of the characters who has appeared in every season of the show. The character, a "rough but warmhearted" working-class man who hunts supernatural creatures, has evolved over time into a father figure for series protagonists Sam and Dean Winchester. Critics have responded favorably to the character.

Salvager and proprietor of Singer Salvage Yard, Bobby Singer was first introduced to the supernatural world when his wife Karen became possessed by a demon. As detailed in the third-season episode "Dream a Little Dream of Me", he was uncertain of how to save her, and instead ended up being forced to kill her. Her death prompted him to dedicate his life to hunting supernatural creatures.[1] The later episode "Death's Door" expanded on this by revealing that Bobby's last conversation with his wife was an argument about his reluctance to have children, also revealing that his father was an abusive man who Bobby shot when he was a child (His mother subsequently telling him that God would punish him for this), Bobby reflecting that his father's example left him afraid of becoming one himself in case he became a parent as bad as his father.

Bobby assists the Winchesters throughout the third season in their war against the recently-escaped demons, starting with helping them defeat the Seven Deadly Sins in the premiere, as well as repairing the Colt so that they can make new bullets for it with the help of the demon Ruby in the episode "Sin City". The Winchesters save Bobby's life when he is put into a coma by a teenager using dreamroot to enter the minds of others, but this results in Bela Talbot—a thief who takes supernatural artifacts that the brothers called for help finding the dreamroot—stealing the Colt while they are unconscious. Bobby helps them track down Lilith—a powerful demon who holds the contract to Dean's deal—the night before his contract runs out. However, they are unable to stop her, and Dean is sent to Hell.[8]

When Dean mysteriously returns to life four months later in the fourth season premiere "Lazarus Rising", Bobby at first believes him to be a demon or some other type of supernatural creature. After first attempting to kill Dean and then putting him through numerous tests, Bobby helps him to reunite with his brother. While Sam later sneaks away to secretly hone his new-found demonic abilities, Bobby and Dean perform a ritual to summon whatever creature resurrected him. The being, revealed to be the angel Castiel, incapacitates Bobby before informing Dean that he was saved from Hell because Heaven has work for him to do.[9] The subsequent episode, "Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean Winchester", reveals that Dean must stop Lilith from breaking the 66 mystical seals keeping Lucifer imprisoned.[10]

In "The Rapture", Dean discovers that Sam's abilities have been amplified due to a recent addiction to demon blood; he has Bobby lock Sam inside his ghost- and demon-proof panic room—located in Bobby's basement—to recover from his dependence on demon blood.[11] Sam escapes in the subsequent episode, and, faced with the choice of either shooting him or letting him go, Bobby chooses the latter.[12] In the fourth season finale, "Lucifer Rising", Dean is furious that Sam has chosen to side with Ruby—she has been feeding Sam her blood to make him strong enough to kill Lilith—over him. Despite Dean's declaration that if Sam should leave, he should never come back, Sam chooses to go with Ruby. When Bobby learns of the ultimatum, he compares Dean's actions to those of John Winchester—years prior, John made a similar statement to Sam, which prompted him to abandon hunting and alienated him from his family. Although Bobby's words eventually convince Dean to try to reach out to Sam, he is prevented by the angels; they want to start the Apocalypse to bring paradise to the world when Lucifer is defeated, and the death of Lilith is the final seal holding the fallen angel in place. Not knowing this, Sam kill her, thus unleashing Lucifer.[13] Bobby meets up with the brothers in the fifth season premiere "Sympathy for the Devil", to help them research ways to defeat Lucifer. When Sam confesses that he broke the final seal, an angry Bobby tells him to "lose [his] number" when the Apocalypse is over. After Dean comes across a lead on the sword's location, Bobby attacks him and is revealed to be demonically possessed. However, Bobby temporarily retakes control, and stabs himself with Ruby's demon-killing knife. Although the demon dies, Bobby survives, although he is left paraplegic by his injury. At the end of the episode, he tells Sam that his earlier comments were made by the demon, and that he could never cut Sam out of his life.[14]

With Castiel's now-weakened powers leaving him unable to heal injuries, being in a wheelchair begins to take its toll on Bobby. When the brothers come across a poker-playing witch in "The Curious Case of Dean Winchester", he sees it as a chance to regain his mobility and wagers 25 years of his lifespan. Although he loses and begins to age rapidly, Sam and Dean manage to restore his lost years.[15] In "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid", Bobby's wife—and many other people buried in the local cemetery—suddenly rises from her grave and appears to be completely normal. Sam and Dean try to convince him to kill her because she is a zombie, but he refuses and orders them to leave. Over time, the other zombies begin to turn evil, and Bobby is forced to kill his wife again to prevent her from changing, too. After all the zombies are dealt with, Bobby reveals that Death orchestrated the situation; because he is one of the reasons why Sam has not yet agreed to be Lucifer's vessel, the Horseman attempted to break Bobby's spirit. Although Dean tries to comfort him by pointing out that he got to see his wife again, Bobby notes that it only made her death a thousand times worse.[16]

The brothers eventually learn that the rings of the Four Horsemen can be used to re imprison Lucifer,[17] and they manage to collect three by the episode "Two Minutes To Midnight". Still in need of Death's ring, Bobby sells his soul to Crowley—a powerful demon who also wants to stop Lucifer—in exchange for the knowledge of the final Horseman's location. Crowley promises to return his soul When the Apocalypse has been prevented, keeping it in the meantime to guarantee his safety from the Winchesters. When the deal has been made, the demon reveals that he added in a secret clause to restore Bobby's mobility. An ecstatic Bobby then joins Sam and Castiel on a mission to stop nation-wide distribution of the Croatoan virus.[18] In the fifth season finale, Sam decides to consent to Lucifer, hoping that he can maintain control long enough to throw himself into Lucifer's prison. However, the fallen angel instantly overwhelms his new vessel, and teleports away with the rings. Bobby and Castiel lose faith in their goal, but Dean convinces them to keep fighting. They learn the location of the destined battleground from the prophet Chuck, and arrive just as Lucifer and Michael prepare to fight. An angry Lucifer kills Bobby and Castiel when they interfere, and then sets his sight onto Dean. Sam is able to reassert control over his body, and uses the rings to imprison himself and Michael. With the Apocalypse over, God resurrects Castiel, who in turn brings Bobby back to life.[19]

The sixth season episode "Weekend At Bobby's" is centered on Bobby; Sam and Dean are largely relegated to a side-plot while the episode focuses on Bobby's constant working to cover other hunters while also trying to reclaim his soul from Crowley. After a year's research into Crowley's human life—allowing them to track down his mortal remains, whose destruction would 'kill' Crowley in the same manner as exorcising a ghost—Bobby eventually regains his soul by threatening to burn Crowley's human remains. Although the restored but soulless Sam attempts to kill Bobby in "Appointment in Samarra" as part of a ritual to prevent his soul returning to him—Sam being concerned about reports that the psychological damage his soul will have sustained while being tortured by Lucifer will destroy him—Bobby easily forgives Sam after his soul is restored, recognizing that Sam was not responsible though he is awkward around him at first due to his actions. Bobby then collaborates with the Winchesters in tracking down Eve, the mother of all monsters, when she is released from Purgatory by a ritual performed by dragons, even after their first attempt results in Bobby being possessed by a brain-controlling slug Eve has created and the death of his old friend and mentor Rufus in "And Then There Were None".

During a temporary change in the timeline caused by angel Balthazar saving the Titanic, Bobby is married to a still-living Ellen in "My Heart Will Go On", but this timeline is undone with only Sam, Dean and the angels remembering it.

After a time-travel mission results in the brothers and Bobby acquiring the phoenix ash needed to kill Eve, they eliminate her in "Mommy Dearest". They also realize that Castiel has been deceiving them and in "The Man Who Would Be King" deduce that he has collaborating with Crowley to open Purgatory in an attempt to acquire the power of the souls within it to use in the civil war in Heaven. Despite their best efforts, Dean, Sam and Bobby fail to stop Castiel, who uses the Purgatory souls to elevate himself to a god-like level in the sixth season finale.

Although he initially helps the Winchesters in Season 7 in their struggle against the Leviathans—God's original creations, trapped for millennia in Purgatory until they were unintentionally released by Castiel—despite the destruction of his house, even determining their new foes' vulnerability to the chemical Borax, Bobby is eventually shot in the head by Dick Roman in "How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters". He spends the next episode, "Death's Door", in a coma, trying to reawaken to reveal the Leviathan's plot. Despite efforts to save him, Bobby flatlines from his injuries; his last word being "idjits" (sic, idiots) to Sam and Dean after passing on a sequence of numbers. The episode ends with a reaper asking Bobby if he is going to become a ghost or move on to the afterlife. It's indicated that he stayed as a ghost to help the boys as there have been times since his death when the information they need inexplicably makes itself known to them, but they were initially unable to confirm or deny Bobby's possible presence. During "Party On, Garth," Sam reveals that he tried to use a talking board to contact him if he is still around, but received no response. However, Garth registers high readings on an EMF detector around Bobby's old flask, and when Dean needed a sword to slay a shojo, it inexplicably slid across the ground to him, leading him to believe that Bobby had helped him. At the end of the episode, Bobby's spirit can be seen in the brother's motel room, and he is annoyed when Dean comes in, looks right at him, and does not see him, instead grabbing his flask.

In "Of Grave Importance", the audience is fully aware of Bobby's ghostly existence and the episode revolves around his own parallel investigation with the Winchesters of a haunted house. When Annie Hawkins, a hunter friend of the three, calls for assistance before being killed by the house's ghost, Bobby follows the Winchesters via the flask and discovers Annie dead with a myriad of other ghosts unable to move on from their place of death. Determined to get out information, Bobby learns to manipulate physical objects and points Dean and Sam in the right direction, and they are able to destroy the ghost haunting the house before the ghost could destroy Bobby. At the end of the episode, having accepted Bobby's return, Bobby is now fully visible to the Winchesters and explains to them how he chose to remain behind; a choice Dean finds hard to accept.

Following their reunion, Bobby explains Dick Roman's endgame for humanity; cure humanity of all its diseases before herding them as livestock for the Leviathans to feed on. In the midst of his explanation, the brothers receive an email from a dead Frank Devereaux, who informs them that his hard drive, in Roman's possession at his headquarters, is currently being cybernetically attacked and will lead to their new aliases and safe houses being compromised. While Bobby attempts to convince the Winchesters to send in his flask, the brothers are concerned his hatred for Roman will compromise the operation and leave him out. The hacker responsible of cracking Devereaux's hard drive, Charlene Bradbury, witnesses a Leviathan eating and cloning her boss and is quickly able to be recruited to help the brothers against the Leviathans. While the operation is successful—wiping the hard drive, hacking Roman's email account and intercepting an important package—Charlene is unable to escape the building in time. Bobby, having snuck his flask into her bag, cracks the doors and begins to attack the Leviathans, breaking Charlene's arm in the process, leading to a concerned discussion between the brothers as to Bobby's self-control. Bobby later returns after having to recharge for a while and describes himself as "stronger than ever." Bobby becomes increasingly frustrated in "There Will Be Blood", which only feeds his fast-growing rage and turns him more into a vengeful spirit, culminating in his possession of a maid, whom he uses to go seek vengeance on Dick. In the seventh season finale, "Survival of the Fittest," Sam tries to stop him, but Bobby is no longer completely in control of himself and nearly strangles Sam to death. Realizing what he is doing, he regains control and leaves the maid's body. Now knowing the danger of him losing control again, Bobby requests that Sam and Dean burn his flask. They reluctantly do so, causing his ghost to disappear.

Bobby next appears in eighth season episode "Taxi Driver," in which Sam and Dean learn from rogue Reaper Ajay that instead of going to Heaven when his flask was burned, Bobby was taken to Hell on Crowley's orders. Needing to rescue an innocent soul and release it into Heaven to complete the second trial to close the Gates of Hell, Sam travels into Hell and finds Bobby who initially believes he is a demon as he is being tormented by demons pretending to be Sam and Dean all the time, but Sam convinces him with personal information only he and Dean know. The two escape into Purgatory, but find the Reaper that Ajay is missing (having been questioned and killed by Crowley). With the help of Dean's vampiric friend Benny, Sam returns to Earth with Bobby's soul, but when Bobby goes to ascend to Heaven, he is trapped by Crowley, who wants to take him back to Hell to punish him for the "damage" he has done to demons in his hunting career. However, the angel Naomi intervenes, drives Crowley off, and allows Bobby to ascend to his rightful place in Heaven, thus completing the second trial.

When Sam is in a coma and dying in the ninth season premiere "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here", his subconscious desire to give up and die manifests in the form of Bobby. "Bobby" takes Sam away from the Impala and talks to him about moving on being a good thing and something he should do before taking him to a house in the woods where he says what Sam needs is. The part of Sam's mind that wants to live promptly manifests as Dean and kills "Bobby" to try to convince Sam one last time to live, but Sam decides to go with "Bobby's" advice.

During the tenth season episode "Inside Man", Bobby is relaxing in Heaven when Sam and Castiel contact him through a séance to help break Metatron out of Heaven's prison. Though he feels himself to be rusty, Bobby agrees and escapes his Heaven, releasing all the other Bobby Singer's to create a distraction. Bobby gets Castiel into Heaven and helps him free Metatron before returning to his own Heaven. He leaves a note with Castiel for Sam, telling him not to stop searching for a cure for the Mark of Cain but to stop lying to Dean about it. He also states that helping again was the most fun he had in Heaven and he will accept any punishment for his actions. After returning to his Heaven, Bobby looks at a picture of him, Sam and Dean at his old salvage yard as Hannah and a few other angels come after him for punishment.

In season eleven's "Safe House", Sam and Dean investigate a house where Bobby and Rufus had worked a case in around 2008 or 2009 while the Winchesters were hunting Lilith to stop the Apocalypse. During the case, the two men faced off with a monster that was causing people to drop into mysterious comas and die while acting like a ghost. Bobby eventually recognized the monster as a Soul Eater, a monster that steals people's souls and takes them to its nest in a pocket dimension. Bobby had faced and trapped a Soul Eater before and he and Rufus are able to trap the one in the house they are investigating. However, Bobby briefly falls victim to the monster and is transported to its nest while his body is possessed by the monster to attack Rufus who is able to complete the trap. In the present, the trap is accidentally broken during renovations of the house and the Winchesters face the Soul Eater themselves. The Winchesters are able to kill the Soul Eater, but Dean's soul is also taken to the nest, a place outside of time and space. Moments before the souls are released from the nest by the Soul Eater's death, Dean and Bobby briefly see each other and are left wondering if the experience was real in their respective time periods. After killing the Soul Eater Bobby and Rufus had faced, the Winchesters return to the house Bobby had previously trapped a Soul Eater in and slay that monster as well to finish Bobby's old case for him.

Actor Jim Beaver described Bobby as a "rough but warmhearted" working-class man with the outlook that "sometimes there are things that need to be done and they're not fun to do, but they gotta be done anyway".[20] When the "usually level-headed" hunter must use a wheelchair in the fifth season, he becomes "frustrated and angry"; instead of being able to join the battles, he is "stuck at home manning the telephones".[21] This feeling of uselessness eventually leads to thoughts of suicide, though he deems himself too much of a coward to go through with it.[15] On the situation, Beaver commented, "Bobby lives in a world where all kinds of strange things are possible. Somewhere along the line, he has a hope that one of these strange, miraculous things might happen to him. I think he is also a realist. He understands that even when you have friends that come back from the dead, not everything that you want to happen is going to happen."[22]

Though Bobby is "fairly content, at least on the surface, to be alone in the world", he slowly comes to be a surrogate father for Sam and Dean.[20] On this relationship, Beaver feels that "Bobby's concerned about them both, with Dean's sense of self, but there's a sort of undercurrent of worry about Sam. Sam seems to have more of the heart of darkness about him than Dean does... I just sense that there's this ongoing watchful eye that Bobby's got on Sam."[23] Although he loves each of them "like a son", Bobby is willing to allow the brothers to put themselves in harm's way if it is absolutely necessary. For example, when Dean wants to detoxify Sam from his addiction to demon blood in "When the Levee Breaks", Bobby instead points out that Sam giving in to his demonic abilities could help him to prevent Lucifer's return, even though the amount of blood required to kill Lilith would "change [him] forever". Beaver noted, "Bobby is old enough that he's fairly clear-headed about what the priorities ought to be. Bobby's position is, more or less, 'if you have a family member with a drinking problem and you want to stage an intervention, you might not want to do it in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.'"[24]

Beaver had previously worked with executive producer Robert Singer on the television series Reasonable Doubts, and Singer gave him the part without viewing his audition tape.[20] The character is named after Singer, though how this came to be is uncertain. Singer himself claimed Kripke secretly slipped the name into the script for "Devil's Trap";[25] contradicting this was Beaver, who claimed that the surname was not in the script but was rather jokingly added onto a salvage-yard sign—"Singer Auto Parts"—by the set designers.[20] The actor thought his initial appearance would be a "one-shot deal", and was surprised when he was asked to return.[20] Beaver feels that his longevity on the show is due to his chemistry with Ackles and Padalecki.[26]

The first episode to delve into Bobby's backstory was the third season's "Dream a Little Dream of Me". Because the writers always knew his history would be "grounded in family",[27] the episode's teaser initially depicted the supernatural deaths of his children. However, the writers could not determine where to go from there.[28] Following writer Cathryn Humphris' earlier pitch of Bobby being an expert exorcist because of a previous failed exorcism,[27] the focus changed to Bobby's torment about killing his demonically-possessed wife.

During production of the fourth season, Beaver joined the limited series Harper's Island. Although he initially feared that it would prevent future appearances of Bobby, he was able to maintain his Supernatural "quota" with seven episodes.[30] The character's role increased for the fifth season, which made sense for the actor due to the apocalyptic storyline.[22] The season also introduced a new story arc for Bobby: his use of a wheelchair. Series creator Eric Kripke explained that it "[made] the Apocalypse matter"; the writers wanted "real stakes and real loss and real obstacles thrown in our heroes' way" to differentiate it from prior seasons.[29] Though he found it to be a challenge, Beaver enjoyed the experience because he could perform tricks on set that his wheelchair-using college roommate had taught him.[21][29] However, the actor did "[take it] very seriously", and commented, "I can get out of the chair at the end of the day and go home and I recognize that, so many people can't and I have to be considerate to them and respect that."[21]

The character's portrayal has received wide acclaim from critics. John Kubicek of BuddyTV ranked Beaver fourteenth on his list of the best supporting actors in a drama series from the 2009-2010 TV season, believing that the actor "did his best acting work ever" as Bobby.[31] Likewise, Karla Peterson of The San Diego Union-Tribune suggested, "May his trucker cap get its own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame."[32]

Tina Charles of TV Guide feels that Bobby "totally rocks", and "wouldn't mind him in every [episode]. OK, every other one".[33] She pointed out Beaver's chemistry with Ackles, and wrote, "I have always loved any scene we get that involves [Bobby and Dean]â€”they're unexpectedly emotional. When Bobby finally realized he wasn't talking to a Dean shapeshifter or revenant [in 'Lazarus Rising'], that this was the real deal, it was just awesome."[34] Charles was surprised by Bobby's paralysis storyline, but became "really interested" in finding out how it would affect him. However, she posited, "The guy's a spitfire...and it probably won't change him much."[35] IGN's Diana Steenbergen also praised Beaver, calling Bobby "a valuable member of the team" that "broadens [the Winchesters'] tight-knit unit, reminding them that there is more to family than just blood ties".[36] She found the actor to be "fantastic as the broken Bobby" in the fifth season, "despondent over his situation and feeling useless".[37] Steenbergen noted, "Bobby has been through a lot this season, and Jim Beaver has done an outstanding job portraying his journey. Not solely a surrogate father figure and keeper of random supernatural knowledge, this season Bobby has run the gamut of sacrifice, loss, anger, and determination to keep fighting."[38] After watching Bobby confess his suicidal thoughts to Dean in "The Curious Case of Dean Winchester", she felt that "Beaver conveys all of Bobby's vulnerability and also the shame that comes from being reprimanded by Dean for wanting to give up".[37]

Despite universal praise of Bobby by critics, Beaver commented on his blog that a minority of fans dislike the character. Don Williams of BuddyTV, however, defended him—he believes Bobby to be the show's "most important recurring guest star"—and noted that "people will complain about anything". In his response to the criticism—an article entitled "Why We Love Bobby Singer"—Williams wrote, "I think it's a shame when people like Jim Beaver or Eric Kripke have to step forward to address this vocal minority, especially when the minority is just a handful of people gathering at a certain TV website that's known for being snarky and negative about everything. The complaints of these supposed fans aren't even worth addressing, in my opinion."[30]


in which year was the raymomd group incorporated

Raymond Group is an Indian branded fabric and fashion retailer, incorporated in 1925. It produces suiting fabric, with a capacity of producing 31 million meters of wool and wool-blended fabrics. Gautam Singhania is the chairman and managing director of the Raymond group.[3]

Raymond Group

The group owns apparel brands like Raymond, Raymond Premium Apparel, Park Avenue, Park Avenue Woman[4] ColorPlus[5] & Parx. All the brands are retailed through 'The Raymond Shop' (TRS), with a network of over 700 retail shops spread across India and overseas, in over 200 cities.

In addition, the group also has business interests in readymade garments, designer wear, cosmetics & toiletries, engineering files and tools, prophylactics and air charter operations.


actress who plays caroline on bold and beautiful

Linsey Godfrey (born July 25, 1988) is an American actress best known for her roles on the television series, Surface, as well as in the television movie, Jack's Family Adventure. Currently, she stars as Caroline Spencer on The Bold and the Beautiful.

Linsey Godfrey

Godfrey was born July 25, 1988. She was raised in Stuart, Florida, where she lived with her mother, Char Griggs, and her step-father, Ronnie Griggs.[1]

Godfrey attended South Fork High School before she moved to Los Angeles to further her acting career. She is an accomplished angler.[1]

In 2006, Godfrey was visiting her family in Tallahassee when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. She completed treatment in seven months, and returned to Los Angeles to continue her acting career. She designed the survivor ribbon tattooed on the back of her neck.[1]

On December 5, 2013, it was announced that Godfrey was expecting her first child with boyfriend, The Young and the Restless actor Robert Adamson.[2] She gave birth to a daughter Aleda Seren Adamson, on June 12, 2014.[3] In August 2014, Godfrey helped to raise awareness of the disease ALS by participating in the Ice Bucket Challenge.[4] On August 3, 2015, after months of speculation, a representative for The Bold and the Beautiful confirmed that Adamson and Godfrey had ended their engagement, however, they would continue to raise their daughter "in a loving and amicable environment and her needs will always be their common priority".[5]

She was injured in an automobile accident on February 2, 2015, after being struck by a moving car while walking on the sidewalk in Los Angeles. While it was initially reported that both of her legs were broken, a rep for the actress said it was only her ankles that were injured and she is expected to make a full recovery.[6]

Godfrey's acting career began as a freshman at South Fork High School, when she unexpectedly replaced an ill student; she was then discovered by a talent manager at a state thespian competition. Godfrey commuted to the Los Angeles-based agency's satellite office in Titusville for a year before being allowed to visit California with her mother and audition there. Her family took out a loan, and her step-father worked three jobs to finance these visits. Eventually, her mother left her in the care of friends and her management team so she could return to work.[1]

Godfrey booked roles on One Tree Hill and Surface before being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma; she estimates cancer set her career back by two years.[1]

Upon returning to Hollywood, Godfrey booked several guest-starring roles, and landed a contract role on The Bold and the Beautiful.[1]