document_title: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

question_text: voices of the transformers revenge of the fallen

text: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

text: Plot[edit]

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text: In 17,000 B.C., the Seven Primes travel the galaxy to create Energon with star-absorbing machines named Sun Harvesters. The Primes followed a rule: never destroy planets with life; however, one of them, Megatronus Prime, later known as The Fallen, defies this and establishes a Sun Harvester on Earth. He is confronted by the other Primes, who imprison him before he can harvest the planet's Sun with the Matrix of Leadership. The Primes then sacrifice themselves to hide the Matrix in an unknown location.

text: In the present day, two years after Megatron's defeat, the Autobots have formed the Non-Biological Extraterrestrial Species Treaty (NEST), a classified international military task force dedicated to eliminate the surviving Decepticons. In Shanghai, the Autobots intercept two Decepticons, Demolisher and Sideways. They send in new recruits: Sideswipe, Skids, Mudflap, Arcee, Chromia, and Elita One to hunt them down. Sideswipe successfully kills Sideways, while Optimus Prime kills Demolisher, but not before he warns them of the Fallen's return. At NEST's headquarters in Diego Garcia, National Security Adviser Theodore Galloway scolds the task force sarcastically for their tactics, reminding them that Megatron's corpse is still at the bottom of the Laurentian Abyss and the last known AllSpark shard is locked up in the base. Soundwave hacks into a U.S. military satellite, overhears the information, and sends Ravage to retrieve the shard.

text: Meanwhile, Sam Witwicky is preparing to attend college, leaving his girlfriend Mikaela Banes and guardian Bumblebee behind. He finds a smaller AllSpark shard and picks it up, causing him to see Cybertronian symbols and accidentally brings multiple kitchen appliances to life. After Bumblebee destroys the rampaging appliances (along with part of the Witwicky's house), Sam gives the shard to Mikaela, who later captures the Decepticon Wheelie when he attempts to steal it. The Constructicons resurrect Megatron by brutally ripping apart the smallest Constructicon Scrapmetal to provide parts for him, as well as using the stolen shard. Megatron then travels to one of Saturn's moons, where he reunites with his master, the Fallen, who orders him to capture Sam alive and kill Optimus, as he is the only Transformer who can defeat the Fallen. Sam, Mikaela and his college roommate, Leo are attacked by Alice, a Decepticon Pretender who is posing as a college student. After killing her, they are captured by the Decepticon Grindor and taken to an abandoned factory. Megatron reveals that the symbols in Sam's mind will lead the Decepticons to a new Energon source before the Autobots arrive to rescue the trio. Optimus rescues Sam before he engages Megatron, who is accompanied by Starscream, and Grindor. Initially overpowered, Optimus manages to injure Starscream by cutting off his arm before killing Grindor. Megatron then ambushes Optimus and blasts his spark, destroying it and leaving him fatally wounded; Optimus dies shortly after telling Sam to run without him. The other Autobots arrive and repel the Decepticons, forcing Megatron and Starscream to retreat. The Decepticons launch devastating simultaneous attacks around the world, destroying ships in the Second Fleet and damaging Paris. The Fallen hijacks Earth's telecommunications systems, demanding that Sam be handed to him.

text: Sam, Mikaela, and Leo enlist the help of former Sector 7 agent, Seymour Simmons, who reveals that the Transformers visited Earth eons ago and the most ancient, known as Seekers, live in secret. With help from Wheelie, they track down a Decepticon Seeker named Jetfire. They use their shard to revive Jetfire, who teleports the group to Egypt and orders them to locate the Matrix of Leadership, which will revive Optimus. He and Wheelie turn against the Decepticons. Sam's group finds the Matrix in Petra, but it disintegrates into dust in Sam's hands. Undeterred, Sam stuffs the Matrix's remains into his sock. Meanwhile, NEST forces and the Autobots land near the Giza pyramid complex but are attacked by a large force of Decepticons. During the battle, many Constructicons combine to form Devastator, who destroys one of the pyramids, revealing the Sun Harvester inside, before he is killed by a battleship's railgun called in by Simmons. On Megatron's orders, the Decepticons Rampage and Ravage spring a trap with Sam's parents as bait in order to force Sam to give them the Matrix, but Bumblebee interferes and kills both Decepticons. Lennox and Epps call in an airstrike, which kills a large portion of the Decepticon ground forces. However, Megatron manages to shoot Sam, seemingly killing him, before retreating upon getting attacked. Nearing his death, the Primes contact Sam through a vision, telling him the Matrix is not found, but earned and that he earned the right to bear it. They restore Sam's life and the Matrix, which is used to revive Optimus.

text: The Fallen teleports to their location and steals the Matrix from Optimus, then returns to the pyramid with Megatron and activates the Sun Harvester. The human soldiers attempt to stop them, but are unsuccessful. Jetfire, who was wounded by Scroponok but did manage to kill his attacker, sacrifices himself in order for Optimus to gain his parts, which give him immense strength and the ability to fly. Optimus knocks the Fallen and Megatron off the pyramid, destroying the Sun Harvester in the process. In the battle, Optimus disables Megatron and kills the Fallen; vowing vengeance, Megatron retreats with Starscream. The victorious Autobots and their allies then return to the United States, having saved the world.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky
A recent high school graduate who is unwittingly drawn again into the Autobot cause to unravel an ancient mystery implanted into his mind by the now-destroyed AllSpark.
Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes
Sam's girlfriend who he trusted the All Spark fragment to
Josh Duhamel as Maj. William Lennox
An Army Rangers Major who establishes the NEST movement to help the Autobots with their battle against the remaining Decepticons.
Tyrese Gibson as CMSgt. Robert Epps
A U.S. Air Force sergeant in Lennox's team who leads NEST's SWAT unit.
John Turturro as Seymour Simmons
A former agent of the recently terminated Sector Seven division who now runs a meat shop in New York City with his mother.
Ramón Rodríguez as Leo Spitz
A college roommate of Sam's who runs an online conspiracy blog and is obsessed with the Transformers.
Kevin Dunn as Ron Witwicky
Sam's father.
Julie White as Judith Witwicky
Sam's mother.
Isabel Lucas as Alice
A female pretender sent to spy on Sam in college who transforms into an Alice in Wonderland android.
John Benjamin Hickey as Theo Galloway
A national security adviser who often chastises NEST for their destructive tactics.
Glenn Morshower as U.S. Marine Corps General Morshower
The supervisor of NEST.
Matthew Marsden as Graham
A NEST officer.
Rainn Wilson as Prof. R. A. Colan
Sam and Leo's astronomy teacher.
Marc Evan Jackson as Commander
U.S. Central Command
Katie Lowes as April the Residential Assistant

tag: ul

text: Voices[edit]

text:
Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime
The leader of the Autobots who transforms into a blue and red 1994 Peterbilt 379 semi-trailer truck. He is said to be the only Transformer capable of defeating The Fallen.
Mark Ryan as Jetfire
An ancient Decepticon-turned-Autobot Seeker who transforms into a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird.[a]
Reno Wilson as Mudflap
An Autobot infiltrator and Skids' twin who transforms into a red 2007 Chevrolet Trax.
Jess Harnell as Ironhide
The Autobot weapons specialist and Optimus' new second-in-command who transforms into a black 2006 GMC Topkick C4500.
Robert Foxworth as Ratchet
The Autobot medical officer who transforms into a yellow 2004 search and rescue Hummer H2 ambulance.
André Sogliuzzo as Sideswipe
The Autobot combat instructor who transforms into a silver 2009 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray.
Grey DeLisle as Arcee
A female Autobot who transforms into a pink Ducati 848.[b]
Hugo Weaving as Megatron
The Fallen's apprentice and the leader of the Decepticons who transforms into a Cybertronian hover tank.
Tony Todd as The Fallen
A rogue Prime who is the first and founder of the Decepticons, as well as the master of Megatron.
Charlie Adler voices Starscream
Megatron's second-in-command who transforms into a Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.
Frank Welker as

Soundwave
The Decepticon communications officer who transforms into a Cybertronian satellite.
Devastator
A massive Decepticon who is the combination of nine Constructicons.
Reedman, a razor-thin Decepticon composed of thousands of minuscule bead-like Decepticons.[c]

Tom Kenny as

Wheelie
A former Decepticon drone and later an Autobot who transforms into a blue radio-controlled toy monster truck.
Skids
An Autobot messenger and Mudflap's twin who transforms into a green 2007 Chevrolet Beat.

Calvin Wimmer voices Demolishor (credited as "Wheelbot")
A huge Constructicon who transforms into a red and white Terex O&K RH 400 excavator. He hides out in Shanghai with the Decepticon Sideways.
John DiCrosta as Scalpel (credited as "Doctor")
A spider-like Decepticon who transforms into a microscope.
Michael York as Prime #1
One of the Seven Primes.
Kevin Michael Richardson as

Prime #2
One of the Seven Primes.
Rampage (credited as "Skipjack")
A Constructicon who transforms into a red Caterpillar D9T bulldozer. He forms the left leg of Devastator.

Robin Atkin Downes as Prime #3
One of the Seven Primes

text: Non-speaking characters[edit]

text:
Jolt
An Autobot technician who transforms into a blue Chevrolet Volt.
Sideways
A Decepticon surveillance agent who transforms into a silver Audi R8; he hides out in Shanghai alongside Demolishor.
Scorponok
A scorpion-like Decepticon who was a minion of Blackout in the previous installment; he makes a cameo in this film.
Scrapper
A Constructicon who transforms into a yellow Caterpillar 992G scoop loader. He forms the right arm of Devastator.
Mixmaster
A Constructicon who transforms into a black and silver Mack concrete mixer truck. He forms the head of Devastator.
Scrapmetal
A Constructicon who transforms into a yellow Volvo EC700C crawler excavator fitted with a Stanley UP 45SV attachment. His spare parts are used to resurrect Megatron.
Long Haul
A Constructicon who transforms into a green Caterpillar 773B dump truck. He forms the right leg of Devastator.
Scavenger
A large Constructicon who shares the same model of Demolishor; Scavenger is not seen in robot mode. He forms the torso of Devastator.
Hightower
A Constructicon who transforms into a yellow KOBELCO CKE2500 II crawler crane; Hightower is not seen in robot mode. He forms the left arm of Devastator.
Overload
A Constructicon who transforms into a red KW Dart D4661 Tractor Truck articulated dump truck; Overload is not seen in robot mode. He forms the lower torso of Devastator.
Ravage
A feline-like beast sent down by Soundwave to steal the spark from the NEST HQ in order to revive Megatron.

text: Several clones of Scrapper, Mixmaster, Bonecrusher, Long Haul and Rampage are seen during the final battle in Egypt. An unnamed Decepticon bulldozer and dump truck, possibly clones of Rampage and Long Haul, were seen combining to form Devastator's left hand and left leg, respectively.

text:
Jump up ^ Mark Ryan also voices Bumblebee, but the character is not listed in the credits.
Jump up ^ Grey DeLisle also voices Chromia and Elita-One, but the characters are not listed in the credits.
Jump up ^ Frank Welker also voices Ravage and Grindor, but the characters are not listed in the credits.

tag: ol

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: Major hurdles for film's initial production stages included the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike as well as the threat of strikes by other guilds. Prior to a potential Directors Guild of America strike, Bay began creating animatics of action sequences featuring characters rejected for the 2007 film. This would allow animators to complete sequences if the Directors Guild of America went on strike in July 2008, which ultimately did not happen.[4][5] Bay considered making a small project in between Transformers and its sequel, but decided against the idea, saying "you have your baby and you don't want someone else to take it".[6]

text: Screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, who had written the first film, originally passed on the opportunity to write a sequel due to schedule conflicts. The studio began courting other writers in May 2007, but were unimpressed with other pitches and eventually convinced Orci and Kurtzman to return.[4] The studio also hired Ehren Kruger, who had impressed Bay and Hasbro president Brian Goldner with his knowledge of the Transformers mythology.[7] The writing trio were paid $8 million.[4] Screenwriting was interrupted by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, but to avoid production delays, the writers spent two weeks writing a treatment, which they handed in the night before the strike began.[8] Bay then expanded the outline into a 60-page scriptment,[9] which included more action, humor, and characters.[8][10] The three writers spent four months finishing the screenplay while "locked" in two hotel rooms by Bay; Kruger wrote in his own room and the trio would check on each other's work twice a day.[11]

text: Orci described the film's theme as "being away from home", with the Autobots contemplating living on Earth as they cannot restore Cybertron, while Sam goes to college.[12] He wanted the focus between the robots and humans "much more evenly balanced",[13] "the stakes [to] be higher", and more focused on the science fiction elements.[14] Orci added he wanted to "modulate" the humor more,[15] and felt he managed the more "outrageous" jokes by balancing them with a more serious plot approach to the Transformers' mythology.[16] Bay concurred that he wanted to please fans by making the tone darker,[17] and that "mums will think it[']s safe enough to bring the kids back out to the movies."[18] Two elements were added late into the film: the Autobot Jolt—as General Motors wanted to advertise the Chevrolet Volt—and the railgun that kills Devastator, a new acquisition by the U.S. Military.[19]

text: In September 2007, Paramount announced a late June 2009 release date for the sequel to Transformers.[20] The film was given a $200 million budget, which was $50 million more than the first film,[21] and some of the action scenes rejected for the original were written into the sequel.[22] Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura later stated the studio proposed filming two sequels simultaneously, but he and Bay agreed that the idea was not the right direction for the series.[23]

text: Prior to the first film's release, producer Tom DeSanto had "a very cool idea" to introduce the Dinobots,[24] while Bay was interested in including an aircraft carrier, which was dropped from the 2007 film.[25] Orci claimed they did not incorporate these characters into Revenge of the Fallen because they could not think of a way to justify the Dinobots' choice of form,[12] and were unable to fit in the aircraft carrier.[26] Orci also admitted he was dismissive of the Dinobots because he does not like dinosaurs, saying "I recognize I am weird in that department."[27] However, he became fonder of them during filming because of their popularity with fans.[28] He added "I couldn't see why a Transformer would feel the need to disguise himself in front of a bunch of lizards. Movie-wise, I mean. Once the general audience is fully on board with the whole thing, maybe Dinobots in the future."[29] When asked on the subject, Michael Bay said he hated the Dinobots and they had never been in consideration for being featured in the movies.[30]

text: During production, Bay attempted to create a misinformation campaign to increase debate over what Transformers would be appearing in the film, as well as to try to throw fans off from the story of the film; however, Orci confessed it was generally unsuccessful.[26] The studio went as far as to censor MTV and Comic Book Resources interviews with Mowry and Furman, who confirmed Arcee and The Fallen would be in the picture.[31] Bay told Empire that Megatron would not be resurrected, claiming his new tank form was a toy-only character,[21] only for Orci to confirm Megatron would return in the film in February 2009.[32] Bay also claimed he faked the leaking of daily call sheets from the first week of filming, that revealed Ramón Rodríguez's casting,[33] and the appearance of Jetfire and the twins.[34]

text: Filming[edit]

text: Inspired by its use in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, three action sequences in Revenge of the Fallen were shot using IMAX cameras.[17] Although screenwriter Roberto Orci suggested that the IMAX footage would be 3D,[35] Bay later said he found 3D too "gimmicky". Bay added that shooting in IMAX was easier than using stereoscopic cameras.[36]

text: The majority of interior scenes for the film were shot in the former Hughes Aircraft soundstages at Playa Vista.[37] From June 2–4, the production filmed an action sequence at the Bethlehem Steel site in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, which was used to represent a portion of Shanghai.[9][38] Afterwards, they shot at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.[39] The crew moved to Philadelphia on June 9, where they shot at a defunct PECO Richmond power station, the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, the Eastern State Penitentiary, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia City Hall, Rittenhouse Square, historic Chancellor Street (which represents a street near Place de la Concorde in Paris), and Wanamaker's.[40][41][42][43] The production moved to Princeton University on June 22.[44] Filming there angered some students at the University of Pennsylvania, believing Bay had chosen to reshoot scenes at Princeton and script Princeton's name in the film. One shot that was filmed in the University of Pennsylvania was the party scene, filmed at what students call "The Castle". "The Castle" is home to the prestigious Psi Upsilon Fraternity. However, neither the University of Pennsylvania nor Princeton gave Bay permission to be named in the film because of a scene that both institutions felt "did not represent the school" in which Sam's mother ingests marijuana-laced brownies.[45]

text: Bay scheduled a break for filming beginning on June 30, turning his attention to animation and second unit scenes because of the potential guild strike.[46] Shooting for the Shanghai battle later continued in Long Beach, California.[47] In September, the crew shot at Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The two locations were used for Qatar in Transformers and stood in for Egypt in this film.[48] A scale model in Los Angeles was also used for some close-ups of the pyramids.[21] Shooting at Tucson International Airport and the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group's aircraft boneyard took place in October under the fake working title Prime Directive (a reference to Star Trek).[49] Filming also took place at Camp Pendleton and Davis–Monthan Air Force Base.[37]

text: The first unit then shot for three days in Egypt at the Giza pyramid complex and Luxor. The shoot was highly secretive, but according to producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, a crew of 150 Americans and "several dozen local Egyptians" ensured a "remarkably smooth" shoot.[50] Bay earned the Egyptian government's approval to film at the pyramids by contacting Zahi Hawass, whom Bay said "put his arm around me and said, 'Don't hurt my pyramids.'"[37] A 50-foot-tall (15 m) camera crane was used at the location.[21] Bay stated he found the climax of the first film to be weak, partly because it was shot across five different city blocks, making the action confusing and hard to follow. On this film, the final battle in Egypt was devised to make it easier to follow the action.[51]

text: Four days were then spent in Jordan; the Royal Jordanian Air Force aided in filming at Petra, Wadi Rum and Salt because King Abdullah II is a big fan of science fiction movies.[52][53] Filming continued at the Place de la Concorde in Paris with second unit shots of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe.[54] The cast and crew finished principal photography on the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis on November 2, 2008.[55]

text: Effects[edit]

text: Hasbro became more involved in the designs of the robots than the company was for Transformers.[15] The company, along with Takara Tomy, suggested to the filmmakers that combining robots be the main draw for the sequel.[56] They insisted on keeping the alternate modes of some of the returning characters similar so that consumers would not have to buy toys of the same characters.[57] Bay used real F-16 Fighting Falcon and tank fire when filming the battles.[23] Many of the new Autobot cars supplied by General Motors were brightly colored to look distinctive on screen.[58] Revenge of the Fallen features 46 robots, while the original movie had 14.[59]

text: Scott Farrar returned as visual effects supervisor and anticipated moodier use of lighting as well as deeper roles for the Decepticons.[clarification needed] He stated that with the bigger deadline, post-production would become a "circus".[60] The producers expected that with a bigger budget and the special effects worked out, the Transformers would have a larger role. Peter Cullen recalled, "Don Murphy mentioned to me, 'Only because of the tremendous expense to animate Optimus Prime, he'll be in just a certain amount of [Transformers].' But he said, 'Next time, if the movie is a success, you're gonna be in it a ton.'"[61] Michael Bay hoped to include more close-ups of the robots' faces.[62] The heads had to be designed with more pieces in order to express emotions in a more convincing way.[59] Farrar said the animators implemented more "splashes and the hits and the fighting on dirt or moving, banging into trees, [...] things splinter and break, [the robots] spit, they outgas, they sweat, they snort." Shooting in the higher resolution of IMAX required up to 72 hours to render a single frame of animation.[63][64] While ILM used 15 terabytes for Transformers, they used 140 for the sequel.[53] Particularly problematic effects were the lighting, with scenes such as Jetfire inside the Smithsonian requiring 41 light sources, and the destruction of the pyramid, which appears in about five shots and required seven months to simulate the behavior of the blocks.[59] Orci hinted the majority of the Decepticons were entirely computer-generated in both robot and alternate modes, making it easier to write additional scenes for them in post-production.[65] Rendering the Devastator took over 85% of ILM's render farm capacity, and the complexity of the scene and having to render it at IMAX resolution caused one computer to "explode".[66]

text: Music[edit]

text: The score to Revenge of the Fallen was composed by Steve Jablonsky, who reunited with director Michael Bay to record his score with a 71-piece ensemble of the Hollywood Studio Symphony at the Sony Scoring Stage.[67] Jablonsky and his score producer Hans Zimmer composed various interpretations of a song by Linkin Park called "New Divide" for the score.[68]

text: Marketing[edit]

text: An additional $150 million was spent to market the film globally.[69] Hasbro's Revenge of the Fallen toy line included new molds of new and returning characters, as well as 2007 figures with new mold elements or new paint schemes.[70] The first wave was released on May 30, although Bumblebee and Soundwave debuted beforehand.[71] The second wave came in August 2009, which introduced toys such as 2¼-inch human action figures that fit inside the transforming robots, and non-transforming replicas of the cars that can be used on a race track. Product placement partners on the film include Burger King, 7-Eleven, LG phones, Kmart, Wal-Mart, YouTube, Nike, Inc. and M&M's, as well as Jollibee in the Philippines.[72] General Motors' financial troubles limited its involvement in promotion of the sequel, although Paramount acknowledged with or without GM, their marketing campaign was still very large and had the foundation of the 2007 film's success.[73][74][75] Kyle Busch drove a Revenge of the Fallen decorated car at Infineon Raceway on June 21, 2009,[76] while Josh Duhamel drove a 2010 Camaro at the Indianapolis 500.[77] At the movie's launch in China, a version of Bumblebee was constructed using a Volkswagen Jetta.[78]

text: Printed media[edit]

text: Chris Mowry and artist Alex Milne, who had collaborated on The Reign of Starscream comic book, reunited for IDW Publishing's prequel to the film. Originally set to be a five-part series entitled Destiny,[79] it was split into two simultaneously published series, titled Alliance and Defiance. Alliance is drawn by Milne and began in December 2008; it focuses on the human and Autobot perspectives.[80] Defiance, which started the following month, is drawn by Dan Khanna and is set before either film, showing the beginnings of the war.[81]

text: After the 2007 film, and serving as a bridge between the two films, Alan Dean Foster wrote Transformers: The Veiled Threat,[82] originally titled Infiltration. During the writing, Foster collaborated with IDW to make sure their stories did not contradict each other.[83]

text: The first printed media directly related to the second film was a 32-page coloring and activity book by publisher HarperCollins, which became available on May 5, 2009 and was the first official source to openly give out key plot points to the film.[84] On June 1, 2009 DK Publishing published a 96-page book entitled Transformers: The Movie Universe, which intended to provide factual data on the characters of the film.[85]

text: On June 10, 2009, the comic book adaptation of the film, written by Simon Furman was released.[86] Additionally, Alan Dean Foster also wrote the novelization for the film.[87] Meanwhile, Dan Jolley wrote Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: The Junior Novel, a 144-page book oriented at a younger audience than the one by Foster.[88] Lastly, a book titled Transformers: The Art of the Movies was released, documenting behind-the scenes aspects of the making of the film.

text: Other minor tie-in publications include Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: The Last Prime, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: The Reusable Sticker Book, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: Made You Look!, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: Rise of the Decepticons, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: Spot the 'Bots', Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: Mix and Match, Operation Autobot, When Robots Attack and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen 2010 Wall Calendar.

text: Video game[edit]

text: Revenge of the Fallen video games are available on the following platforms:

text:
PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 (Developed by Luxoflux and published by Activision)[89][90]
Games for Windows (Developed by Beenox), which is similar to the PS3 and Xbox 360 version[91]
Wii and PlayStation 2 (Developed by Krome Studios)[92]
PlayStation Portable (Developed by Savage Entertainment)[93]
Nintendo DS (Developed by Vicarious Visions), which is separated into two games, Autobots and Decepticons.[94]

text: Release[edit]

text: Revenge of the Fallen premiered on June 8, 2009 in Tokyo, Japan.[95] After its UK release on June 19, 2009, it was released in regular and IMAX theaters in North America on June 24[96] (though some theaters held limited-access advance screenings on June 22). The IMAX release featured additional scenes of extended robot fighting sequences, which were not seen in the regular theatre version.[97]

text: Reception[edit]

text: On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Revenge of the Fallen has an approval rating of 19% based on 244 reviews, with an average rating of 3.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a noisy, underplotted, and overlong special effects extravaganza that lacks a human touch."[98] On Metacritic gave the film an average score of 35 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[99] In CinemaScore polls, however, users gave the film a "B+", compared to the "A" that the original film had scored.[100]

text: Actor Shia LaBeouf was unimpressed with the film, stating "We got lost. We tried to get bigger. It's what happens to sequels. It's like, how do you top the first one? You've got to go bigger. Michael Bay went so big that it became too big, and I think you lost the anchor of the movie...You lost a bit of the relationships. Unless you have those relationships, then the movie doesn't matter. Then it's just a bunch of robots fighting each other."[101] Bay has admitted his disappointment with the film and has apologized, saying the film was "crap" and blaming the 2007–2008 Writers' Strike, saying "It was very hard to put (the sequel) together that quickly after the writers' strike (of 2007–08)".[102]

text: According to The Washington Post, Revenge of the Fallen was Bay's worst-reviewed film at the time of release, faring even worse than Pearl Harbor (2001).[103] Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times described the film as "in-your-face, ear-splitting and unrelenting. It's easy to walk away feeling like you've spent 2 hours in the mad, wild, hydraulic embrace of a car compactor".[104]

text: Roger Ebert, who had given the 2007 film three stars,[105] gave the sequel only one, calling it "...a horrible experience of unbearable length", a phrase which later became the title of his third bad-movie-reviews collection. Later in his review, Ebert discouraged movie-goers from seeing the film by saying "If you want to save yourself the ticket price, go into the kitchen, cue up a male choir singing the music of hell, and get a kid to start banging pots and pans together. Then close your eyes and use your imagination."[106] He later wrote on his blog about the film, "The day will come when Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will be studied in film classes and shown at cult film festivals. It will be seen, in retrospect, as marking the end of an era. Of course there will be many more CGI-based action epics, but never again one this bloated, excessive, incomprehensible, long (149 minutes) or expensive ($200 million)."[107] Ebert would continue to lambast the film (and, sometimes, the Transformers franchise in general) in other movie reviews and responses to letters and emails sent to him. Rolling Stone critic Peter Travers did not give the film any stars, considering that "Revenge of the Fallen has a shot at the title 'Worst Movie of the Decade'."[108] Which he later did name it the "worst film of the decade". Other reviewers, while still critical, were less damning of the film, The A.V. Club gave the film a "C-", complaining about the writing and length, but mentioning the effects and action scenes were impressive.[109] Among positive reviews, Robbie Collin of News of the World remarked "It's bigger. Badder. Boobier. And many other words beginning with B, including boneheadedly brilliant.",[110] Amy Biancolli of The Houston Chronicle called it "a well-oiled, loudly revving summer action vehicle that does all that's required, and then some",[111] Jordan Mintzer from Variety said it "takes the franchise to a vastly superior level of artificial intelligence",[112] and Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote that "Revenge of the Fallen may be a massive overdose of popcorn greased with motor oil. But it knows how to feed your inner 10-year-old's appetite for destruction."[113]

text: On a year-end poll administered by Moviefone, the film was voted the "worst film of 2009", and Fox's performance the worst by an actress that year.[114] Comcast ranked the film as the 4th worst sequel of all time.[115] Empire named the film the 25th worst movie ever made.[116] In June 2009, David Germain from the Associated Press called the film the "worst-reviewed $400 million hit ever".[117]

text:
"On every level this movie is as bankrupt as GM. [...] Transformers: The Revenge of The Fallen is beyond bad, it carves out its own category of godawfulness."

— Peter Travers, American film critic[108]

text: There was considerable negative reaction to the characters Mudflap and Skids, who some perceived as embodying racist stereotypes. Manohla Dargis of The New York Times said that "the characters [...] indicate that minstrelsy remains as much in fashion in Hollywood as when, well, Jar Jar Binks was set loose by George Lucas".[118] Critic Scott Mendelson said "To say that these two are the most astonishingly racist caricatures that I've ever seen in a mainstream motion picture would be an understatement."[119] Harry Knowles, founder of Ain't It Cool News, went further, asking his readers "not to support this film" because "you'll be taking [your children] to see a film with the lowest forms of humor, stereotypes, and racism around."[120] Bay (the director) has attempted to defend the film as "good clean fun" and insisted that "We're just putting more personality in."[121] Writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman responded to the controversy with "It's really hard for us to sit here and try to justify it. I think that would be very foolish, and if someone wants to be offended by it, it's their right. We were very surprised when we saw it, too, and it's a choice that was made. If anything, it just shows you that we don't control every aspect of the movie."[122]

text: Another major complaint about the film was Bay's usage of the IMAX format. Instead of using IMAX for complete unbroken sequences similar to director Christopher Nolan's approach for The Dark Knight, Bay chose to use the format primarily on a shot-by-shot basis, combining conventional 35mm footage and IMAX shots in the same sequence. That approach, combined with rapid cutting, created a jarring, highly unpleasant experience for most moviegoers.[123]

text: Box office[edit]

text: Despite mostly negative reviews from critics, the film was a box office success. Revenge of the Fallen grossed $16 million from midnight showings, at the time the most ever for a Wednesday midnight debut.[124] The film proceeded to beat Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix's record ($44.2 million) for the biggest Wednesday opening in history,[125] bringing in $62 million in total receipts on its first day (until The Twilight Saga: Eclipse topped this record with $68.5 million in 2010),[126] additionally ranking it as the second biggest opening day ever at the time, behind The Dark Knight.[127] The film grossed $108.9 million on its first weekend, the seventh-largest in history at the time, and brought in $200 million in its first five days, putting it in second place behind The Dark Knight's $203.7 million for the all-time biggest five-day opening.[128] Its gross from Friday to Sunday was also the biggest June opening weekend for one year, breaking Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban's record ($93.7 million), until Toy Story 3 claimed that record the following year ($110.3 million).[129]

text: Revenge of the Fallen remained #1 at the box office for two weeks straight by a close margin. Initial studio estimates showed a tie between it and that weekend's new release Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, but the actual totals showed Revenge of the Fallen taking the #1 spot yet again with $42,320,877.[130] Also, it was the first film of 2009 to reach the $300 million mark in North America.[131] On July 27, a month after its release, the movie reached $379.2 million in the US, which brought it into the top 10 highest-grossing movies ever in that country as of August 2009.[132] Revenge of the Fallen closed its box office run with $402,111,870 in the US & Canada and $836,303,693 worldwide, being the twenty-fifth highest-grossing film of all time domestically, and the 84th highest-grossing film of all time.[133] Among 2009 films, it was the second highest grossing in the United States and Canada, behind Avatar,[134] and fourth globally behind Avatar, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.[135] As of 2013, the film marks as the second highest-grossing Hasbro film of all time, behind only its sequel Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Box Office Mojo estimates that the film sold over 53 million tickets in the US.[136]

text: Home media[edit]

text: The film was released on October 20, 2009 in two-disc Blu-ray and DVD editions, and a single-disc DVD version.[137] Michael Bay has revealed that the Blu-ray release of the film, produced by Charles de Lauzirika, will feature variable aspect ratio for the scenes shot in IMAX format. A special IMAX edition is available exclusively at Wal-Mart.[138] Home versions include over three hours of bonus content and several interactive features, including "The AllSpark Experiment", which reveals Michael Bay's plans for a third movie in the series. At Target, the DVD and Blu-ray versions includes a transformable Bumblebee case. Both two-disc editions are the first to include Paramount's Augmented Reality feature, which allows the user to handle a 3D model of Optimus Prime on a computer by moving the package in front of a webcam.[139] First week sales of the DVD reached 7.5 million copies, making it the best-selling DVD of 2009. The Blu-ray version had the best first-week sales of 2009, with 1.2 million units.[140]

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text: Revenge of the Fallen was among the films shortlisted for the Best Visual Effects at the 82nd Academy Awards,[141] but was only nominated for Best Sound Mixing (Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson), eventually losing to The Hurt Locker.[142] The film won five Scream Awards, for Best Actress (Megan Fox), Breakout Performance-Female (Isabel Lucas), Best Sequel, Best F/X, and Scream Song of the Year ("New Divide");[143] and two Teen Choice Awards, for Choice Summer Movie Star: Female (Megan Fox) and Choice Summer Movie Star: Male (Shia LaBeouf).[144] Revenge of the Fallen was also nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film but lost to Avatar,[145] Satellite Awards for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound,[146] a VES Award for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects Driven Feature Motion Picture,[147] a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble,[148] and an MTV Movie Award for Best WTF Moment (Isabel Lucas turning into a Decepticon).[149] Shia LaBeouf, the film and Megan Fox was nominated for a Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards for Favorite Movie Actor, Favorite Movie and Favorite Movie Actress, but all lost to Taylor Lautner, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel and Miley Cyrus, respectively.

text: On the other hand, it was nominated for seven Razzie Awards including Worst Actress for Megan Fox (also for Jennifer's Body), Worst Supporting Actress for Julie White, Worst Screen Couple (for Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox) and Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel,[150] winning three in the Worst Picture, Worst Director, and Worst Screenplay categories at the 30th Golden Raspberry Awards.[151]

text: Sequels[edit]

text: The third film, Dark of the Moon was released June 29, 2011. The fourth film, Age of Extinction was released June 27, 2014. The fifth film, The Last Knight was released on June 21, 2017.


document_title: Effect of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on Thailand

question_text: where did the 2004 tsunami hit in thailand

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text: Thailand was one of the countries that was hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. Due to proximity of the Andaman coasts of Thailand situated just approximately 500 km east of the earthquake epicentre, the tsunami took just 2 hours to reach and strike the western coastline of the country. The Thai government reported 4,812[1] confirmed deaths, 8,457[1] injuries, and 4,499[1] missing after the country was hit by a tsunami caused by the Indian Ocean earthquake on the 26 of December 2004. The Thai authorities estimate that at least 8,150 are likely to have died compared to 230.000 to 280.000 that died in Aceh, Indonesia.

text: The first location where the tsunami was noticed was on the Similan Islands, a famous diving site located about 70 km from Phang Nga town in Pha Nga province or 13 km from central Khao Lak. The sea around these islands when the tsunami struck was reported to have strong currents and divers underwater felt as though they were in a washing machine. Some flooding also occurred inland, though no casualties were reported. The popular tourist resort of Phuket was badly hit. Some 250 people were reported dead, including tourists. The tsunami struck the west coast of Phuket island, flooding and causing damage to almost all the major beaches such as Patong, Karon, Kamala, and Kata beach. The smaller but increasingly popular resort area of Khao Lak some 80 km north of Phuket was hit far worse with 3,950 confirmed deaths, however, the death toll in Khao Lak may have exceeded 4,500. The severity of the situation in Khao Lak is probably explained by the fact, that unlike the high-rise hotels of Phuket, the village of Khao Lak only had low built bungalows instead of high-rise concrete hotels. There was no warning of the first wave so people had no idea it was coming. These days, Thailand is better prepared for tsunamis as they are 2 hours away from being hit again if there is a new tsunami. Khao Lak also has an extensive area of flatland only a few meters above the sea level, on which most bungalows were situated. Khao Lak experienced the highest run-up of any tsunami wave height of any location outside Sumatra. Due to the topography of the seabed, coastline and reefs offshore, the tsunami waves piled on top of themselves and in doing so, create the infamous ' disappearing sea effect ' which enticed many tourists to their deaths. This effect is also known as the tsunami drawback. Bhumi Jensen, grandson of Bhumibol Adulyadej ( HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej ) was among those killed in Khao Lak. Hundreds of holiday tourists on the Phi Phi Islands were washed out to sea. Tuk-tuk drivers were quick to offer assistance, driving victims to hospitals, higher grounds and away from the surging waters. The nearby Ko Lanta Yai, however, wasn't afflicted as badly. At some places in Phuket and Phang Nga provinces, elephants were used to move and lift heavy wreckage to search for victims and to clear roads. These included six male Indian elephants which had previously been used in making the movie Alexander. On a beach in Thailand, a man was leading an elephant to entertain tourists, when the tsunami came. The elephant's natural instinct to flee the sea saved the life of a young girl who was upon his back.

text:
Official figures as of 7 January 2005

Province
Thai deaths
Foreign deaths
Total deaths
Thai injured
Foreign injured
Total injured
Missing

Krabi
288
188
476
808
568
1,376
890

Phang Nga
1,950
2,213
4,163
4,344
1,253
5,597
2,113

Phuket
154
105
259
591
520
1,111
700

Ranong
167
2
169
215
31
246
12

Satun
6
0
6
15
0
15
0

Trang
3
2
5
92
20
112
1

Total
2,568
2,510
5,078
6,065
2,392
8,457
3,716

text: Source: Bangkok Post. The "total deaths" and "total injured" categories include dead and injured persons whose nationality is not given or has not been established. The number of "foreign injured" has been reduced by evacuations of foreign nationals. Thai sources acknowledge that the great majority of those listed as "missing" are in fact dead, and that a large majority of these are foreigners.

text: An article in the Bangkok Post on 10 January suggested that some of the figures in this table may be seriously misleading. According to this article, the estimated number of deaths among Thai nationals has been reduced from about 2,500 to about 1,800, and the estimated number of deaths among foreigners has been reduced from 2,500 to 1,300. The number of deaths whose nationality has not been established has risen correspondingly, from less than 200 to about 2,100. This is due to increasing doubts about the reliability of the classification on the basis of visual identification of badly decomposed bodies into "Thai" and "foreign" categories. All bodies of unknown origin will now be DNA tested to determine their ethnic origin.

text: Impact[edit]

text: The economic impact of the tsunami on Thailand was considerable, though not as great as in poorer countries such as Indonesia or Sri Lanka. Thailand of mild econism has a liberalised, flexible and robust economy, which has shown powers of rapid recuperation after previous setbacks. The sectors most badly damaged have been tourism and fishing. The beach resorts along the Andaman Sea coast have been extensively damaged. Many Thai-owned hotels and other small businesses have been ruined, and the Thai government provided large amounts of capital to enable the recovery of the private sector.

text: Infrastructure in general was, predictably, severely damaged, though much has been gleaned from surveying the aftermath. Reinforced concrete power poles are normally the standard in countries with high seismic risk. Addition of the tsunami's waves and associated debris demonstrated their weakness to shearing at the base. There were revelations about the height of these poles, too – the (up to) 10 meter waves submerged the shorter, older poles. And high-density polyethylene piping was found to perform exceptionally well: as roads crumbled, the subterranean flexible pipelines formed new contours and rarely separated.[2]

text: The confidence of European tourists in travelling to places such as Phuket also took some time to recover, which is one reason why Thailand has strongly backed the installed tsunami warning system. Thousands of Thais dependent on tourism-related industries have lost their jobs, not just in the south but also in the poorest part of Thailand, Isan in the north-east, where many workers in the tourism industry come from. By 12 January some of the affected resorts in the south had re-opened, and the Thai government had begun an advertising campaign to bring visitors back to the area as quickly as possible, though everyone knew it would be quite a while before Thailand was in a state of normalcy, professionals guessed around ten years.

text: The fishing industry has been damaged by the extensive destruction of fishing boats and tackle, which individual fishing families couldn't afford to replace, particularly since many have lost their homes as well. According to one report, more than 500 fishing boats and ten trawlers have been destroyed, as well as many piers, and free willy and fish-processing facilities. Again, grants or loans from the government have been essential to enable the industry to re-equip itself.

text: A further problem was the public aversion in Thailand to eating locally caught fish, for fear that the fish have fed on human dead bodies which were swept out to sea by the tsunami[citation needed]. Thais found this possibility offensive both on health grounds and for religious reasons. Fish product distributors refused to buy fish and crustaceans from Andaman Sea ports, and preferred to buy from Gulf of Thailand ports or even from Malaysia or Vietnam, so that they could assure consumers that there was no possibility of such contamination. As a result, even those fishing families who were able to fish were unable to sell their catch. The Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Dr Lee Jong-Wook, went on Thai television to say that he was eating fish every day.

text: In the long run the tsunami disaster has brought considerable benefits to Thailand, especially the southern tourist areas. European governments have pledged large sums of money to rebuild infrastructure and to fund new schools and orphanages for the Thai communities affected, as a gesture of thanks for the assistance given to their citizens by the Thai people. The destruction of many second-rate structures along the beaches have provided opportunities to rebuild popular tourist areas such as Patong Beach at Phuket in a more aesthetically and environmentally suitable way.

text: Thailand held legislative elections on 6 February, and the tsunami disaster has been drawn into the election campaign. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has accused the former Democratic Party of Thailand government of Chuan Leekpai of ignoring warnings in 1998 of the possible risk of a tsunami affecting Thailand. His allegations have been supported by the former head of the Meteorological Department, Smith Tumsaroch. Democratic Party politicians said that Smith has failed to produce any evidence for his warnings at the time, and accused Thaksin of politicising the tsunami tragedy.


document_title: Columbian Exchange

question_text: are honey bees a product of the old world or the new world

text: Columbian Exchange

text: Origin of the term[edit]

text: In 1972 Alfred W. Crosby, an American historian at the University of Texas at Austin, published The Columbian Exchange.[3] This book covers the environmental impact of Columbus' landing in the new world.[4]

text: The term has become popular among historians and journalists, such as Charles C. Mann, whose book 1493 expands and updates Crosby's original research.[5]

text: Influence[edit]

text: Crops[edit]

text: Before 1500, potatoes were not grown outside of South America. By the 1840s, Ireland was so dependent on the potato that the proximate cause of the Great Famine was a potato disease.[6] Potatoes eventually became an important staple of the diet in much of Europe. Many European rulers, including Frederick the Great of Prussia and Catherine the Great of Russia, encouraged the cultivation of the potato.[7]

text: Maize and cassava, introduced to the Portuguese from South America in the 16th century,[8] have replaced sorghum and millet as Africa's most important food crops.[9] 16th-century Spanish colonizers introduced new staple crops to Asia from the Americas, including maize and sweet potatoes, and thereby contributed to population growth in Asia.[10]

text: Tomatoes, which came to Europe from the New World via Spain, were initially prized in Italy mainly for their ornamental value (see below). From the 19th century tomato sauces became typical of Neapolitan cuisine and, ultimately, Italian cuisine in general.[11] Coffee (introduced in the Americas circa 1720) from Africa and the Middle East and sugarcane (introduced from South Asia) from the Spanish West Indies became the main export commodity crops of extensive Latin American plantations. Introduced to India by the Portuguese, chili and potatoes from South America have become an integral part of Indian cuisine.[12]

text: Before the Columbian Exchange, there were no oranges in Florida, no bananas in Ecuador, no paprika in Hungary, no potatoes in Ireland, no coffee in Colombia, no pineapples in Hawaii, no rubber trees in Africa, no chili peppers in Thailand, no tomatoes in Italy, and no chocolate in Switzerland.

text: Tomatoes[edit]

text: It took three centuries after their introduction in Europe for tomatoes to become widely accepted. Of all the New World plants introduced to Italy, only the potato took as long as the tomato to gain acceptance. In large part this was due to 16th-century physicians believing that this native Mexican fruit was poisonous and the generator of "melancholic humours." In 1544, Pietro Andrea Mattioli, a Tuscan physician and botanist, suggested that tomatoes might be edible, but no record exists of anyone consuming them at this time. On October 31, 1548 the tomato was given its first name anywhere in Europe when a house steward of Cosimo I de' Medici, Duke of Florence, wrote to the De' Medici's private secretary that the basket of pomi d'oro "had arrived safely." At this time, the label pomi d'oro was also used to refer to figs, melons, and citrus fruits in treatises by scientists.[13]

text: In the early years, tomatoes were mainly grown as ornamentals in Italy. For example, the Florentine aristocrat Giovan Vettorio Soderini wrote how they "were to be sought only for their beauty" and were grown only in gardens or flower beds. Tomatoes were grown in elite town and country gardens in the fifty years or so following their arrival in Europe and were only occasionally depicted in works of art. However, in 1592 the head gardener at the botanical garden of Aranjuez near Madrid, under the patronage of Philip II of Spain wrote, "it is said [tomatoes] are good for sauces." Besides this account, tomatoes remained exotic plants grown for ornamental purposes, but rarely for culinary use. The combination of pasta with tomato sauce was developed only in the late nineteenth century. Today around 32,000 acres (12,950 ha) of tomatoes are cultivated in Italy, although there are still areas where relatively few tomatoes are grown and consumed.[13]

text: Livestock[edit]

text: Initially, at least, the Columbian exchange of animals largely went through one route, from Europe to the New World, as the Eurasian regions had domesticated many more animals. Horses, donkeys, mules, pigs, cattle, sheep, goats, chickens, large dogs, cats and bees were rapidly adopted by native peoples for transport, food, and other uses.[14] One of the first European exports to the Americas, the horse, changed the lives of many Native American tribes in the mountains. They shifted to a nomadic lifestyle, as opposed to agriculture, based on hunting bison on horseback and moved down to the Great Plains. The existing Plains tribes expanded their territories with horses, and the animals were considered so valuable that horse herds became a measure of wealth.[15]

text: Still, the effects of the introduction of European livestock on the environments and peoples of the New World were not always positive. In the Caribbean, the proliferation of European animals had large effects on native fauna and undergrowth and damaged conucos, plots managed by indigenous peoples for subsistence.[16]

text: Disease[edit]

text: European exploration of tropical areas was aided by the New World discovery of quinine, the first effective treatment for malaria. Europeans suffered from this disease, but some indigenous populations had developed at least partial resistance to it. In Africa, resistance to malaria has been associated with other genetic changes among sub-Saharan Africans and their descendants, which can cause sickle-cell disease.[1]:164

text: Before regular communication had been established between the two hemispheres, the varieties of domesticated animals and infectious diseases that jumped to humans, such as smallpox, were substantially more numerous in the Old World than in the New due to more extensive long-distance trade networks. Many had migrated west across Eurasia with animals or people, or were brought by traders from Asia, so diseases of two continents were suffered by all occupants. While Europeans and Asians were affected by the Eurasian diseases, their endemic status in those continents over centuries resulted in many people gaining acquired immunity.

text: By contrast, "Old World" diseases had a devastating effect when introduced to Native American populations via European carriers, as the people in the Americas had no natural immunity to the new diseases. Measles caused many deaths. The smallpox epidemics are believed to have caused the largest death tolls among Native Americans, surpassing any wars[17] and far exceeding the comparative loss of life in Europe due to the Black Death.[1]:164 It is estimated that upwards of 80–95 percent of the Native American population died in these epidemics within the first 100–150 years following 1492. Many regions in the Americas lost 100%.[1]:165 The beginning of demographic collapse on the North American continent has typically been attributed to the spread of a well-documented smallpox epidemic from Hispaniola in December 1518.[16] At that point in time, approximately only 10,000 indigenous people were still alive in Hispaniola.[16]

text: Similarly, yellow fever is thought to have been brought to the Americas from Africa via the Atlantic slave trade. Because it was endemic in Africa, many people there had acquired immunity. Europeans suffered higher rates of death than did African-descended persons when exposed to yellow fever in Africa and the Americas, where numerous epidemics swept the colonies beginning in the 17th century and continuing into the late 19th century. The disease caused widespread fatalities in the Caribbean during the heyday of slave-based sugar plantation.[16] The replacement of native forests by sugar plantations and factories facilitated its spread in the tropical area by reducing the number of potential natural predators.[16] Yet, the means of the transmission was unknown until 1881, when Carlos Finlay suggested that the disease was transmitted through mosquitoes, now known to be female mosquitoes of the species Aedes aegypti.[16]

text: The history of syphilis has been well-studied, but the exact origin of the disease is unknown and remains a subject of debate.[18] There are two primary hypotheses: one proposes that syphilis was carried to Europe from the Americas by the crew of Christopher Columbus in the early 1490s, while the other proposes that syphilis previously existed in Europe but went unrecognized.[19] These are referred to as the "Columbian" and "pre-Columbian" hypotheses.[19] The first written descriptions of the disease in the Old World came in 1493.[20] The first large outbreak of syphilis in Europe occurred in 1494/1495 in Naples, Italy, among the army of Charles VIII, during their invasion of Naples.[19][21][22][23]

text: Columbian Exchange and the trans-Atlantic slave trade[edit]

text: Context and relevant history[edit]

text: Prior to the trans-Atlantic slave trade, Columbus directly participated in and championed the slave trade. Upon landing in what is now known and assumed to be San Salvador Island, Columbus encountered the Taíno. In his journal of 1492, Columbus noted that

text: It appears to me, that the people are ingenious and would be good servants and I am of opinion that they would very readily become Christians, as they appear to have no religion. They very quickly learn such words as are spoken to them. If it please our Lord, I intend at my return to carry home six of them to your Highnesses, that they may learn our language.[24]

text: The idea of enslaving the Tainos had instantly struck Columbus as plausible, even desirable. "They ought to be good servants," he continued, "and of good skill, for I see they repeat very quickly whatever was said to them."[25] As part of his journey,

text: Columbus had planned to inaugurate a regular slave trade between the Indies and Spain. With gold in short supply, the slave trade gradually took on greater urgency. Portugal and Genoa had their slave trade, why not Spain? Columbus set about establishing a slave trade including both Caribs and Tainos.[26]

text: However, it was not until the colonized lands emerged as profitable plantation lands that the use of West African people as slaves transformed the globe.

text: Following Columbus were a series of Spaniards seeking to expand the Spanish empire while at the same time increasing their own power and wealth. Such an example was explorer Hernán Cortés. Cortés was interested in expanding the Spanish-controlled lands and often disobeyed his rulers in the process. However, the Spanish royalty was struggling to accurately define the policy related to the enslavement of the Taínos and other Caribbean people. Mann notes that "obtaining the wealth of the Americas would involve subjugating people who had committed no offense against Spain".[27] Like Cortez, Columbus angered the Spanish royalty through subjugating and enslaving the native people. For example, Columbus sent 550 Taíno to Seville in 1495.[28] The parade of enslaved Taíno in Seville angered Queen Isabella to the point that she ordered the Spanish to send the enslaved people back to the Americas.[citation needed] By 1503, the Spanish solidified their policy through the implementation of the encomienda system. This system was supposed to ensure the safety and freedom of the Taíno and other indigenous populations, while also converting them to Christianity. To achieve these goals, Spaniards were appointed as trustees who oversaw the religious instruction and treatment of the people. However, the trustees did not like working with the Taíno, and the Taíno resisted the efforts of the Spaniards. For the Taíno, this system represented a "legal justification for slavery" and the Spaniards justified the enslavement of the people through arguing that the Taíno were "less human than Europeans".[29]

text: These earlier forays into the enslavement of people laid the foundation for the future trans-Atlantic slave trade. Like other enslaved people, the Taíno and other enslaved Indians had periods of rebellion. Indigenous peoples in what is now known as New Mexico resisted early Spanish colonization and enslavement, resulting in the Acoma Massacre under Juan de Oñate at Acoma Pueblo. In recounting this event, it was said,

text: [W]hat had happened was that the Indians, as soon as they saw that the forces were divided, began to attack and kill. So this witness fell back immediately with his soldiers to rejoin the maese de campo, followed by the Indians who had hitherto accompanied this witness. They paused the Spaniards in large groups, and began to hurl countless stones, arrows, and clubs, not only from the ground but from the terraces, both men and women participating in the attack.[30]

text: When the colonized lands emerged as profitable plantation lands, the Spanish and other colonizers increased the importation of Africans as enslaved laborers, altering global demographics.

text: The beginning of the trans-Atlantic slave trade[edit]

text: The trans-Atlantic Slave Trade represents the largest migration in human history. While many Europeans migrated to the Americas, it was enslaved Africans that dominated the North and South American continents. The Columbian Exchange saw the rise of luxury goods which necessitated cheap or free labor to produce the largest potential profit. One of these luxury goods was sugar. In the early history of sugar, Islamic and European-owned plantations paid relatively high wages for this labor-intensive and profitable crop. However, as time progressed the European-sugar plantation owners reconsidered the use of highly paid labor and made the transition to the exploitation of people to meet the growing global sugar demand.[31] In the 1440s, the Portuguese discovered that the Madeira Islands were suited not to the growth of wheat but rather sugarcane. It was in Madeira that the early system of Iberian slavery was transformed. Originally, the enslaved people who worked on the Madeira sugarcane plantations were convicts, Guanches (persons from the Canary Islands), Berbers (individuals from Northwest Africa), and Conversos (Iberian Jewish people). As time passed, these early enslaved people were replaced by enslaved Africans from the West-Central African regions [32]). Eventually, by the 1560s and 1570s sugarcane plantations in Brazil dominated the sugar industry and Madeira switched from sugarcane production to wine.

text: The use of slave labor was not regulated to only the sugarcane plantations. Rather, slave labor was used in coffee, tobacco and even grains such as rice. In these systems, the enslaved people had little power, however, they did have some influence in agricultural methods. For example, in the rice production there is some evidence that slaves from Africa utilized traditional methods in the production of rice. Furthermore, enslaved Africans were responsible for growing their own food. In these cases, the enslaved people preferred rice that was part of their culture as opposed to the European preference for Carolina rice. However, in a system of power and control the slaves were eventually banned from using their preferred rice [33] Therefore, the system of slavery transmitted not only the people but also their cultures to new regions.

text: Cultural exchanges[edit]

text: One of the influences related to the migration of people were cultural exchanges. For example, in the article "The Myth of Early Globalization: The Atlantic Economy, 1500–1800" Pieter Remmer makes the point that "from 1500 onward, a 'clash of cultures' had begun in the Atlantic".[34] This clash of culture transferred European values to indigenous cultures. For example, the emergence of private property in regions where there were little to no rights to lands, the concepts of monogamy and the nuclear family, the role of women and children in the family system, and the "superiority of free labor".[35] An example of this type of cultural exchange occurred during the 1500s in North America. When these early European colonizers first entered North America, they encountered fence-less lands which indicated to them that this land was unimproved. For these Europeans, they were seeking economic opportunities, therefore, land and resources were important for the success of the mission. When these colonizers entered North America they encountered a fully established culture of people called the Powhatan. The Powhatan farmers in Virginia scattered their farm plots within larger cleared areas. These larger cleared areas were a communal place for naturally growing and useful plants. As the Europeans viewed fences as "hallmarks of civilization" they set about transforming "the land into something more suitable for themselves".[36] In implementing their practices, the Europeans enslaved, murdered, and exploited indigenous populations. Furthermore, in cases of enslaved peoples (and in particular, enslaved Africans) the Europeans simultaneously implemented their value system while at the same time justifying enslaving people through a philosophy which reduced the enslaved people to property. Thus, the slave traders and some of the plantation owners used the concept of family to exploit and control the enslaved people. In other subtle ways, which had a large impact the cultural exchanges involved sharing practices and traditions. An example of this can be found in the Tobacco industry.

text: Tobacco was one of the luxury goods which was spread as a direct result of the Columbian Exchange. As is discussed in regard to the trans-Atlantic Slave trade, the Tobacco Industry resulted in increased demands for free labor and the spread of Tobacco worldwide. In discussing the widespread uses of tobacco, the Spanish physician Nicolas Monardes (1493–1588) noted that "The black people that have gone from these parts to the Indies, has taken the same manner and use of the Tobacco, that the Indians have".[37] As the European colonizers and enslaved Africans traveled the globe and came into contact with indigenous people they took the cultural practices related to tobacco, adopted them, and then spread them to additional regions. As such, there were growing demands for tobacco which were linked to the cultural exchanges and increased contact between people.

text: Organism examples[edit]

text:
Post-Columbian transfers of native organisms with close ties to humans

Type of organism
Old World to New World
New World to Old World

Domesticated animals

cat (domestic – wild species already present)
cattle
chicken
donkey
goat (the goats of the Old World, genus Capra, are different from the mountain goat of the New World, genus Oreamnos)
guineafowl
honey bee (European honey bee – other wild and domesticated species already present)
horse
rabbit (domestic)
pig
sheep (domestic)
water buffalo

alpaca
guinea pig
llama
Muscovy duck
turkey

Cultivated plants

almond
apple
apricot
asparagus
banana (including cooking banana)
barley
basil
beetroot
Brassica oleracea-derived vegetables

broccoli
Brussels sprout
cabbage
cauliflower
collard greens
kale

cantaloupe
carrot
celery
chickpea
citrus (orange, lemon, etc.)
coffee
common fig
coriander (also known as cilantro)
cucumber
cumin
eggplant
Elaeis (oil palm)
fennel
flax
garlic
ginger
hemp (including cannabis)
leek
lentil
lettuce
mango
millet
Momordica charantia (bitter melon)
oat
okra
olive
onion
opium
oregano
pea
peach
pear
pistachio
pomegranate
radish
rice
rye
sesame
sorghum
soybean
spinach
sugarcane and sugar beet
turmeric
turnip
watermelon
wheat
yam (sometimes misnamed "sweet potato")

Acca sellowiana (feijoa, pineapple guava, Brazilian guava, guavasteen)
Annona reticulata (custard apple)
agave
allspice
amaranth (as grain)
arrowroot or Maranta arundinacea
avocado
bell pepper
Calathea allouia (leren)
Canna indica (achira)
cashew
cassava (manioc, tapioca, yuca)
chili pepper
cherimoya
cocoa bean
cotton (long-staple species)
cranberry (large cranberry, or bearberry species)
cucurbita (squash)
Eryngium foetidum (culantro, Mexican coriander)
guava (common)
Helianthus (sunflower)
Jerusalem artichoke
Pachyrhizus erosus (jícama)
maize (corn)
Manilkara zapota (sapodilla)
Opuntia ficus-indica (prickly pear)
papaya
passionfruit
peanut
pecan
Phaseolus vulgaris (beans: pinto, lima, kidney, etc.)
pineapple
pitaya (dragon fruit)
potato
pumpkin
quinoa
soursop
stevia
strawberry (commercial varieties)
sugar-apple
sweet potato
tobacco
tomato
vanilla
yerba mate
yucca
zucchini (courgette)

Infectious diseases

bubonic plague
chickenpox
cholera
diphtheria
influenza
leprosy
malaria
measles
pertussis
scarlet fever
smallpox
typhoid fever
typhus
yaws
yellow fever

Chagas disease
Nonvenereal endemic syphilis
pinta
syphilis (disputed)

text: Later history[edit]

text: Plants that arrived by land, sea, or air in the times before 1492 are called archaeophytes, and plants introduced to Europe after those times are called neophytes. Invasive species of plants and pathogens also were introduced by chance, including such weeds as tumbleweeds (Salsola spp.) and wild oats (Avena fatua). Some plants introduced intentionally, such as the kudzu vine introduced in 1894 from Japan to the United States to help control soil erosion, have since been found to be invasive pests in the new environment.

text: Fungi have also been transported, such as the one responsible for Dutch elm disease, killing American elms in North American forests and cities, where many had been planted as street trees. Some of the invasive species have become serious ecosystem and economic problems after establishing in the New World environments.[38][39] A beneficial, although probably unintentional, introduction is Saccharomyces eubayanus, the yeast responsible for lager beer now thought to have originated in Patagonia.[40]

text: In addition to these, many animals were introduced to new habitats on the other side of the world either accidentally or incidentally. These include such animals as brown rats, earthworms (apparently absent from parts of the pre-Columbian New World), and zebra mussels, which arrived on ships.[41] Escaped and feral populations of non-indigenous animals have thrived in both the Old and New Worlds, often negatively impacting or displacing native species. In the New World, populations of feral European cats, pigs, horses and cattle are common, and Burmese pythons are considered problematic. In the Old World, Eastern gray squirrel have been particularly successful in colonising Great Britain and populations of raccoons can now be found in some regions of Germany, the Caucasus and Japan. Fur farm escapees such as coypu and American mink have extensive populations. Canada geese are also common.


document_title: Cheers Beacon Hill

question_text: where is the bar cheers located in boston

text: Cheers Beacon Hill

text: This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text:
Cheers Beacon Hill
Type
PrivateIndustry
Restaurants, BarsFounded
Boston, Massachusetts, bar/restaurant (1969)Founder
Tom KershawHeadquarters
Boston, Massachusetts, United StatesNumber of employees
275Website
https://cheersboston.com/

text: Cheers Beacon Hill is a bar/restaurant located on Beacon Street in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, across from the Boston Public Garden. Founded in 1969 as the Bull & Finch Pub, the bar is best remembered internationally as the exterior of the bar seen in the hit NBC sitcom Cheers, which ran between 1982 and 1993.[1]

text: History[edit]

text: The show used the Bull & Finch exterior for the series' establishing shots of the namesake bar Cheers. No interior shots were used, and the downstairs pub does not resemble the bar in any way.[1] A slightly modernized replica of the set bar has been built on the ground floor.

text: The Official Preppy Handbook published in 1980 described Quaffer's (the upstairs at the time) as "Clubby, library atmosphere, with the requisite backgammon tables. Private club, but flexible, especially for ladies."[2] The trademark, filed in 1982 has since been canceled.

text: In 1982 Boston magazine awarded the Bull & Finch the title of Boston’s best bar.[3][1]

text: On May 20, 1993, the night of Cheers series finale, there was a large party held outside of the bar to commemorate the event. Many people gathered outside the bar, and watched the finale on two large TV screens specially set up for the event. The cast of Cheers watched the finale inside the bar.[4] On the episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno that aired after the finale took place live at the party outside the bar, with many celebrities including sportscaster Bob Costas in the bar, Jay Leno walked into the bar and interviewed them. Later, Leno played many games with the Cheers cast inside the bar, and at the end of the show, the Cheers theme was played outside the bar.

text: In 2002, the Bull & Finch Pub was officially renamed "Cheers Beacon Hill".[5]

text: Since August 2001, there has been a branch location, Cheers Faneuil Hall, in Faneuil Hall.[6] To capitalize on the popularity of the TV show, this location was built with a replica of the TV bar.

text: Cheers Beacon Hill is owned by Thomas A. Kershaw, who also owns the Hampshire House restaurant upstairs and the nearby restaurant, 75 Chestnut.[7]

text: On March 10, 2009, the Boston Globe reported that longtime Cheers bartender Eddie Doyle, with a 35-year tenure that predated the sitcom Cheers, had been laid off. Owner Tom Kershaw cited the recession as the reason for the decision.[8] The block on which Cheers resides has been renamed Eddie Doyle square in his honor.[9]