Li Anqi (李安期) was an official of the Chinese Tang Dynasty who briefly served as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozong.

Background
It is not known when Li Anqi was born.  He came from a line of famed officials, as his grandfather Li Delin served as a high-level official under Emperor Wen of Sui, and his father Li Baiyao served as an official of both the Sui Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty.  Li Baiyao also completed the Book of Northern Qi, the official history of Northern Qi, the dynasty under which Li Delin started his career, which Li Delin started.

Li Anqi himself was said to be intelligent and articulate in his youth, and he was able to begin interpreting texts when he was six years old.  Late in the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui (r. 604–618), Li Baiyao had been demoted to be the military advisor to the governor of Shi'an Prefecture (始安, roughly modern Guilin, Guangxi), when he was intercepted by agrarian rebels near Lake Tai, and the rebels were about to put him to death, when Li Anqi wept and kneeled, asking the rebels to spare his father and to kill him instead.  The rebels took pity on Li Anqi and spared them both.

Early in the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Anqi, who had become a low level governmental official, served as the official in charge of the imperial seals and staffs.  He participated in the editing of the official history of the Jin Dynasty (266–420), the Book of Jin, a project headed by the chancellor Fang Xuanling, and after the book was completed, he became an official at the ministry of ceremonies, serving as the deputy head of the department in charge of supplying the descendants of the imperial houses of Tang's predecessors Sui and Northern Zhou.

During Emperor Gaozong's reign
During the Yonghui era of Emperor Taizong's son and successor Emperor Gaozong, Li Anqi served as a mid-level official at the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng), and later served as Huangmen Shilang (黃門侍郎), the deputy head of the examination bureau (門下省, Menxia Sheng).  As of 666, when Emperor Gaozong was offering sacrifices to heaven and earth at Mount Tai, Li Anqi was serving as the deputy minister of civil service, and Emperor Gaozong had him author the text for the monument at the altar.

It was said that Li Anqi had the ability to find talented people. Around 667, on one occasion, Emperor Gaozong rebuked his officials for not recommending talented people to be officials. Most of the officials were silent and unable to defend themselves, but Li responded:

Emperor Gaozong agreed, and he soon made Li the deputy head of the examination bureau again (now with the title of Dong Tai Shilang (東臺侍郎), as the examination bureau had been renamed Dong Tai (東臺)), and in summer 667 gave him the designation Tong Dong Xi Tai Sapin (同東西臺三品), making him a chancellor de facto.  However, four months later, he was no longer chancellor, as he was sent to serve as the secretary general at Jing Prefecture (荊州, roughly modern Jingzhou, Hubei). He did not appear to have returned to central government service, and he was said to have died early in Emperor Gaozong's Xianheng era (670–674).

References
 Old Book of Tang, vol. 72.
 New Book of Tang, vol. 102.
 Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 201.

Sui dynasty people
Chancellors under Emperor Gaozong of Tang
670s deaths
Tang dynasty historians
7th-century Chinese historians
Year of birth unknown

Li Anqi


A key-recovery attack is an adversary's attempt to recover the cryptographic key of an encryption scheme. Normally this means that the attacker has a pair, or more than one pair, of plaintext message and the corresponding ciphertext. Historically, cryptanalysis of block ciphers has focused on key-recovery, but security against these sorts of attacks is a very weak guarantee since it may not be necessary to recover the key to obtain partial information about the message or decrypt message entirely. Modern cryptography uses more robust notions of security. Recently, indistinguishability under adaptive chosen-ciphertext attack (IND-CCA2 security) has become the "golden standard" of security. The most obvious key-recovery attack is the exhaustive key-search attack. But modern ciphers often have a key space of size  or greater, making such attacks infeasible with current technology.

KR advantage
In cryptography, the key-recovery advantage (KR advantage) of a particular algorithm is a measure of how effective an algorithm can mount a key-recovery attack. Consequently, the maximum key-recovery advantage attainable by any algorithm with a fixed amount of computational resources is a measure of how difficult it is to recover a cipher's key. It is defined as the probability that the adversary algorithm can guess a cipher's randomly selected key, given a fixed amount of computational resources. An extremely low KR advantage is essential for an encryption scheme's security.

References

External links
cseweb.ucsd.edu paper MIT Lecture Notes on Cryptography

Cryptographic attacks
Theory of cryptography

Key-recovery attack


Flammability or inflammability means that something can be set on fire easily. It will burn easily. The words come from Latin. The word at the base is in-flammare (late Latin). It means something like "to put fire to a thing".

Inflammable and flammable are used to mean the same thing. People sometimes get confused and think that inflammable means "not flammable" because the prefix in is often used to mean not. For example, something that is inhuman is not human. Since many people do not know that inflammable means "burns easily", flammable is used more often in public places as a warning.

Flammability can be tested. Paper, for example, is more flammable than wood, and less flammable than natural gas.

Thermodynamics

Flammability


In the Talmud, commentary on the Torah is divided into two parts. Midrash Halacha and Midrash Aggada. The first one explains Jewish Law known as halacha. The second is explaining and building on the stories of the Hebrew Bible and is also sometimes called The Midrash. The stories of the Midrash are called Midrashim.

Jewish literature

Midrash


"Mack the Knife" or "The Ballad of Mack the Knife" () is a song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht for their 1928 music drama The Threepenny Opera (). The song tells of a knife-wielding criminal of the London underworld from the musical named Macheath, the "Mack the Knife" of the title.

The song has become a popular standard recorded by many artists after it was recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1955. The most popular version of the song was by Bobby Darin in 1959, whose recording became a number one hit in the US and UK and earned him two Grammys. Ella Fitzgerald also received a Grammy for her performance of the song in 1961.

The Threepenny Opera

A Moritat is a medieval version of the murder ballad performed by strolling minstrels. In The Threepenny Opera, the  singer with his street organ introduces and closes the drama with the tale of the deadly Mackie Messer, or Mack the Knife, a character based on the dashing highwayman Macheath in John Gay's The Beggar's Opera (who was in turn based on the historical thief Jack Sheppard). The Brecht-Weill version of the character was far more cruel and sinister whose crimes included rape and murder, and transforming him into a modern antihero.

The song was a last-minute addition that was inserted before its premiere in 1928 because Harald Paulsen, the actor who played Macheath, demanded that Brecht and Weill add another number that would more effectively introduce his character. However, Weill and Brecht decided the song should not be sung by Macheath himself, opting instead to write the song for a street singer in keeping with the  tradition. At the premiere, the song was sung by Kurt Gerron, who played Police Chief Brown. Weill intended the Moritat to be accompanied by a barrel organ, which was to be played by the singer. At the premiere, though, the barrel organ failed, and the pit orchestra (a jazz band) had to quickly provide the accompaniment for the street singer.

The  singer introduces the play, first comparing Macheath to a shark:

This is followed by tales of his crimes including a murder on the Strand, the disappearance of a wealthy man and theft of his money, a fatal stabbing of a woman, an arson that killed seven children in Soho, and the rape of a young widow.

The final stanza – not included in the original play, but added by Brecht for the 1931 film – expresses the theme and compares the glittering world of the rich and powerful with the dark world of the poor:

French translation
The song was translated into French as "" by André Mauprey and Ninon Steinhoff and popularized by Catherine Sauvage.

1954 Blitzstein translation

The song was introduced to American audiences in 1933 in the first English-language production of The Threepenny Opera. The English lyrics were by Gifford Cochran and Jerrold Krimsky. That production, however, was not successful, closing after a run of only ten days. The best-known English translation of the song comes from the Marc Blitzstein's 1954 version of The Threepenny Opera, which played Off-Broadway for over six years. The opening stanza reads:
Oh, the shark has pretty teeth, dear,
And he shows them pearly white
Just a jack-knife has Macheath, dear
And he keeps it out of sight

Blitzstein's version is a loose translation of the German lyrics; some lines on the crimes of Macheath have been omitted, and he included a verse not in the original, giving a list of female characters in the drama. The lyrics were further sanitized in the original Broadway cast recording (with Gerald Price as the ballad singer) with two stanzas on Macheath's assaults on women replaced. Blitzstein's translation provides the basis for most of the popular versions heard today, including those by Louis Armstrong (1955) and Bobby Darin (1959; Darin's lyrics differ slightly), and most subsequent swing versions. In Armstrong's recording, the name of Weill's widow, Lotte Lenya, who was the star of both the original 1928 German production and the 1954 Blitzstein Broadway version, was added to the lyrics ("Look out, Miss Lotte Lenya"). The Armstrong version was later used by Bobby Darin.

1976 Manheim–Willett extension ("")
In 1976, a brand-new interpretation of "Mack the Knife" by Ralph Manheim and John Willett was used in the New York Shakespeare Festival's production of The Threepenny Opera, starring Raul Julia as Macheath. This version, simply known as "", is an extension of the story with completely new lyrics that expound upon the tales of Macheath's trail of activity. Here is an excerpt:
See the shark with teeth like razors.
All can read his open face.
And Macheath has got a knife, but
Not in such an obvious place.

This version was performed by Lyle Lovett on the soundtrack of the 1994 film Quiz Show. Darin's version plays over the opening credits and Lovett's over the closing credits. This interpretation was performed by Sting on Hal Willner's 1985 Weill tribute album Lost in the Stars and also recorded by Nick Cave in the late 1990s.

1994 translation
A much darker translation by Robert David MacDonald and Jeremy Sams into English was used for the 1994 Donmar Warehouse theatrical production in London. The new translation attempted to recapture the original tone of the song:
Though the shark's teeth may be lethal
Still you see them white and red
But you won't see Mackie's flick knife
Cause he slashed you and you're dead.

Popular recordings

Louis Armstrong version
A number of early artists recorded the song, including the cast recording and a jazz version by Sidney Bechet, but it was Louis Armstrong who first introduced the vocal version of "Mack the Knife" to the United States hit parade. George Avakian, a producer at Columbia Records, whose wife Anahid Ajemian gave a recital of Weill's Violin Concerto in 1954, became interested in Weill's music, in particular the song from the off-Broadway production of Three Penny Opera that he had seen. He spent a few months trying to interest various jazz artists from his label to record "Mack the Knife", eventually persuading Turk Murphy to record. Murphy also suggested Armstrong to Avakian for the recording, and made an arrangement of the song for him.

Armstrong recorded an instrumental together with a vocal version on September 28, 1955, while Murphy also recorded both instrumental version and vocal versions himself as well as one in German with Lotte Lenya on September 22, 1955. The lyrics of Armstrong's version were based on the Broadway cast recording, but Avakian suggested changing Blitzstein's lyrics by using the word "drooping" instead of "dropping", as well as including the name of Lotte Lenya in the recording. Armstrong gave a shout-out in the song to Lenya who was invited to the recording session by Avakian. Lenya also joined Armstrong to record a duet version which was not released commercially. Armstrong's released version was spliced together from the instrumental recording and the vocal version.

The song titled "A Theme from The Threepenny Opera (Mack the Knife)" was released in late 1955 together with an instrumental version by Murphy, both by Columbia. The song, however, faced an initial ban on the song by radio stations for lyrics perceived as glorification of a criminal, although it sold well. Armstrong's recording reached Billboards Top 100 chart in February 1956, peaking at No 20 on March 17, 1956. An instrumental version released by Dick Hyman charted higher. Armstrong's version also reached No. 8 in the UK.

In 1997, the 1955 recording of the song by Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars on Columbia Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Armstrong's recording was inducted by the Library of Congress in the National Recording Registry in 2016.

Charts

Bobby Darin version

The song, however, is most closely associated with Bobby Darin, who recorded his version on December 19, 1958 for his album That's All. Darin had performed the song in his act before, and wanted to include the song in an album of standards. The song was arranged by Richard Wess. Musicians on the song included Don Lamond on drums, Milt Hinton on bass, and Doc Severinsen on trumpet. with Tom Dowd engineering the recording. Darin performed with the song lyrics similar to Armstrong's version with small changes, such as using the word "babe" instead of "dear', and he ended the song with a reprise of the sixth verse instead of the first. Darin recorded the song in around three takes, performing the song with an up-tempo bouncy beat and modulating up a semitone every verse starting with the third verse, from B-flat to B to C to D-flat to E-flat.

The song was released as a single in August 1959, even though Darin was reluctant to release the song as a single. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number six on the Black Singles Chart. It was listed as a Cash Box Top 100 number one single in 1959 for eight weeks. Dick Clark had advised Darin not to record the song because of the perception that, having come from an opera, it would not appeal to the rock and roll audience; he subsequently acknowledged his error.

Reception
Frank Sinatra, who recorded the song with Quincy Jones on his L.A. Is My Lady album, called Darin's the "definitive" version.

{{Quote|text=Bobby Darin took the song by the scruff of the neck and turned it into the swing classic widely known today. Unlike the Brecht-Weill original, which remains in the same key throughout, Darin's version changes key, chromatically, no fewer than five times, ratcheting up the tension. – Financial Times}}Billboard ranked this version as the No. 2 song for 1959. In 2003, the Darin version was ranked No. 251 on Rolling Stones "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list. Darin's version of the song was featured in the films Quiz Show and What Women Want.

The song earned Darin two Grammy Awards in 1959, for Record of the Year and first ever Best New Artist. Darin's version was also inducted by the Library of Congress in the National Recording Registry at the same time as Armstrong's in 2016. It was ranked as No. 15 in the list of Songs of the Century by the Recording Industry of America and the National Endowment for the Arts.

In 1999, the 1959 release of the song by Bobby Darin on the Atco Records label was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Charts

Ella Fitzgerald version

On February 13, 1960, Ella Fitzgerald performed the song live for the first time in a concert at Deutschlandhalle in Berlin. Fitzgerald, however, forgot the lyrics after the first stanza, and she improvised new lyrics, including name-checking Louis Armstrong and Bobby Darin. The song was included on the album Ella in Berlin: Mack the Knife released in July.

The song was released as a single in April 1960.  This version made the US Hot 100, peaking at No. 27 in June 1960. This song was Fitzgerald's best performing song in the 1960s, and she included the song in all her subsequent shows.

The performance earned Fitzgerald a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 3rd Annual Grammy Awards.

Charts

Other versions

An instrumental version of "Mack the Knife" titled "Moritat – A Theme From "The Three Penny Opera"" was recorded by Dick Hyman, and it performed better than Louis Armstrong's vocal version that charted around the same time, reaching No. 9 on Billboards Top 100. It also reached No. 9 on the Cashbox chart, as well as No. 9 on the UK chart in 1956. A number of other instrumental versions also appeared on The Top 100 at the same time: Richard Hayman and Jan August (No. 12), Lawrence Welk (No. 31), Billy Vaughn (No. 37), and Les Paul and Mary Ford (No.49). Billy Vaughn also reached No. 12 in the UK.

Frank Sinatra added the song to his repertoire in 1984 in an arrangement by Frank Foster; In the performance included in his album L.A. Is My Lady, Sinatra similarly name-checked Armstrong and Darin, as well as adding members of his backing band. Sinatra and Jimmy Buffett recorded a duet of the song for Sinatra's final album Duets II (1994).

Nick Cave and Spanish Fly performed the song for the video September Songs – The Music of Kurt Weill in 1994, released as an album in 1997. while Sting and Dominic Muldowney recorded it for the 1985 tribute album Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill.

Other notable versions include performances by Mark Lanegan, Dave Van Ronk, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Tony Bennett, Anita O'Day (in an arrangement by Jimmy Giuffre), Bing Crosby, Marianne Faithfull, Brian Setzer, Dr. John, Ute Lemper, King Kurt, Kevin Spacey, The Psychedelic Furs, David Cassidy (in At the Copa), Westlife, and Michael Bublé. Swiss band The Young Gods radically reworked the song in industrial style on their 1991 album The Young Gods Play Kurt Weill, while jazz legend Sonny Rollins recorded an instrumental version entitled simply "" in 1956. A 1959 instrumental performance by Bill Haley & His Comets was the final song the group recorded for Decca Records. Ray Conniff recorded a version for orchestra and chorus in 1962 for the album, The Happy Beat. Deana Martin recorded "Mack the Knife" on her second studio album, Volare, released in 2009 by Big Fish Records. Robbie Williams recorded the song on his 2001 album Swing When You're Winning. Hildegard Knef recorded a German version, "Mackie Messer".

Salsa musician Rubén Blades recorded an homage entitled "Pedro Navaja" (Razor Pete). Brazilian composer Chico Buarque, in his loose adaptation of Threepenny Opera'' (), made two versions called "" and "", with lyrics in Portuguese. Liberace performed the song in five styles: as originally written, in the style of the "Blue Danube Waltz", as a music box, in a bossa nova rhythm, and in boogie-woogie.

See also
 List of 1920s jazz standards
 List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1950s
 Mac Tonight, marketing figure for McDonald's in the late 1980s using this song

References

Sources

External links
 , sung by Lotte Lenya (3:39)
  (2:48)
 Bobby Darin "Mack the Knife" website
 "What's the story behind 'Mack the Knife'?", The Straight Dope, 1 April 2004

 Lyrics

1928 songs
1920s jazz standards
1955 singles
1959 singles
Songs with music by Kurt Weill
Songs with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht
Songs with lyrics by Marc Blitzstein
Opera excerpts
Murder ballads
Songs from musicals
Louis Armstrong songs
Bobby Darin songs
Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Cashbox number-one singles
UK Singles Chart number-one singles
Columbia Records singles
Atco Records singles
London Records singles
Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Pop standards
United States National Recording Registry recordings
Jazz songs

Mack the Knife


The Battle of Aqaba was a major battle during World War I. It was fought on July 6, 1917 between the Ottoman Empire and Arab Revolt, who part of the Central Powers and Allied Powers in the same order. The city of Aqaba, Jordan was an important coastal city and port controlled by the Ottomans. Even though the city was heavily defended on the coast, there was little defense inland. This was because the Ottomans thought the Arabian Desert outside the city was impossible to cross. Led by Arab chief Auda Abu Tayi and British officer T. E. Laurence, the Arab Revolt marched across the Arabian Desert to Aqaba. This surprised the Ottomans and the Arab Revolt captured the city.

World War I

Battle of Aqaba


The twelve leverage points to intervene in a system were proposed by Donella Meadows, a scientist and system analyst who studied environmental limits to economic growth.

History
The leverage points, first published in 1997, were inspired by Meadows' attendance at a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) meeting in the early 1990s, where she realized a very large new system was being proposed but the mechanisms to manage it were ineffective. Meadows, who worked in the field of systems analysis, proposed a scale of places to intervene in a system.  Awareness and manipulation of these levers is an aspect of self-organization and can lead to collective intelligence. Her observations are often cited in energy economics, green economics and human development theory.

Meadows started with the observation that there are levers, or places within a complex system (such as a firm, a city, an economy, a living being, an ecosystem, an ecoregion) where a "small shift in one thing can produce big changes in everything" (compare: constraint in the sense of the theory of constraints).

She claimed we need to know about these shifts, where they are, and how to use them. She said most people know where these points are instinctively, but tend to adjust them in the wrong direction. A greater understanding would help solve global problems such as unemployment, hunger, economic stagnation, pollution, resources depletion, and conservation issues.

Meadows started with a nine-point list of such places, and expanded it to a list of twelve leverage points with explanations and examples, for systems in general. She describes a system as being in a certain state, consisting of a stock and flow, with inflows (amounts entering the system) and outflows (amounts leaving the system). At a given time, the system is in a certain perceived state. There may also be a goal for the system to be in a certain state. The difference between the current state and the goal is the discrepancy.

Leverage points to intervene in a system
The following are in increasing order of effectiveness.

12. Constants, parameters, numbers
Parameters are points of lowest leverage effects. Though they are the most clearly perceived among all leverages, they rarely change behaviors and therefore have little long-term effect.

11. The size of buffers and other stabilizing stocks, relative to their flows
A buffer's ability to stabilize a system is important when the stock amount is much higher than the potential amount of inflows or outflows.  In the lake, the water is the buffer:  if there's a lot more of it than inflow/outflow, the system stays stable.

Buffers can improve a system, but they are often physical entities whose size is critical and can't be changed easily.

10. Structure of material stocks and flows (such as transport network, population age structures)
A system's structure may have enormous effect on operations, but may be difficult or prohibitively expensive to change. Fluctuations, limitations, and bottlenecks may be easier to address.

9. Length of delays, relative to the rate of system changes
Information received too quickly or too late can cause over- or underreaction, even oscillations.

8. Strength of negative feedback loops, relative to the effect they are trying to correct against
A negative feedback loop slows down a process, tending to promote stability. The loop will keep the stock near the goal, thanks to parameters, accuracy and speed of information feedback, and size of correcting flows.

7. Gain around driving positive feedback loops

A positive feedback loop speeds up a process. Meadows indicates that in most cases, it is preferable to slow down a positive loop, rather than speeding up a negative one.

6. Structure of information flow (who does and does not have access to what kinds of information)
Information flow is neither a parameter, nor a reinforcing or slowing loop, but a loop that delivers new information. It is cheaper and easier to change information flows than it is to change structure.

5. Rules of the system (such as incentives, punishment, constraints)
Pay attention to rules, and to who makes them.

4. Power to add, change, evolve, or self-organize system structure
Self-organization describes a system's ability to change itself by creating new structures, adding new negative and positive feedback loops, promoting new information flows, or making new rules.

3. Goal of the system
Changing goals changes every item listed above: parameters, feedback loops, information and self-organization.

2. Mindset or paradigm that the system — its goals, structure, rules, delays, parameters — arises from
A societal paradigm is an idea, a shared unstated assumption, or a system of thought that is the foundation of complex social structures. Paradigms are very hard to change, but there are no limits to paradigm change. Meadows indicates paradigms might be changed by repeatedly and consistently pointing out anomalies and failures in the current paradigm to those with open minds.
A current paradigm is "Nature is a stock of resources to be converted to human purpose". What might happen to the lake were this collective idea changed ?

1. Power to transcend paradigms
Transcending paradigms may go beyond challenging fundamental assumptions, into the realm of changing the values and priorities that lead to the assumptions, and being able to choose among value sets at will.

See also
Complexity, Problem Solving, and Sustainable Societies — Joseph Tainter
 Earth's atmosphere
 Focused improvement
 Leverage Point Modeling
 Nature
 Stock and flow
 Systemantics — John Gall
 Theory of Constraints

References

 "Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System," Reproduced original work, archived at the Donella Meadows Institute
 "Places to Intervene in a System," by Donella Meadows, published in a software development context
 Meadows, Donella H. 2008. Thinking in Systems : A Primer, Chelsea Green Publishing, Vermont, pages 145–165.

Futures studies
Systems theory
Theory of constraints

Twelve leverage points


In religious studies, an ethnic religion is a religion or belief associated with a particular ethnic group. Ethnic religions are often distinguished from universal religions, such as Christianity or Islam, in which gaining converts is a primary objective and, therefore, are not limited in ethnic, national or racial scope.

Terminology
A number of alternative terms have been used instead of ethnic religion. Another term that is often used is folk religion. While ethnic religion and folk religion have overlapping uses, the latter term implies "the appropriation of religious beliefs and practices at a popular level." The term folk religion can therefore be used to speak of certain Chinese and African religions, but can also refer to popular expressions of more multi-national and institutionalized religions such as Folk Christianity or Folk Islam.

In Western contexts, a variety of terms are also employed. In the United States and Canada, a popular alternative term has been nature religion. Some neopagan movements, especially in Europe, have adopted ethnic religion as their preferred term, aligning themselves with ethnology. This notably includes the European Congress of Ethnic Religions, which chose its name after a day-long discussion in 1998, where the majority of the participants expressed that Pagan contained too many negative connotations and ethnic better described the root of their traditions in particular nations. In the English-language popular and scholarly discourse Paganism, with a capital P, has become an accepted term.

Usage
Ethnic religions are defined as religions which are related to a particular ethnic group, and often seen as a defining part of that ethnicity's culture, language, and customs. Diasporic groups often maintain ethnic religions as a means of maintaining a distinct ethnic identity such as the role of  African traditional religion and African diaspora religions among the African diaspora in the Americas.

Some ancient ethnic religions, such as those historically found in pre-modern Europe, have found new vitality in neopaganism. Moreover, non-ethnic religions, such as Christianity, have been known to assume ethnic traits to an extent that they serve a role as an important ethnic identity marker, a notable example of this is the Serbian "Saint-Savianism" of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and the religious and cultural heritage of Syriac Christianity branch of the Assyrian people.

List of ethnic religions

See also

 Animism
 Ancestor worship
 Chinese ancestral worship
 Endogamy
 Ethnoreligious group
 Gavari
 Judaism
 National god
 Shamanism
 Slava (tradition)
 Totemism

References

Ethnology

Ethnic religion


The Patterson Hotel  was a prominent and luxurious hotel located in Bismarck, North Dakota, United States, that was home to the Nonpartisan League and well known for its continued construction that lasted over twenty years. The hotel was a major hotspot for politicians throughout the 1960s.

First named the McKenzie Hotel, the structure was constructed by Alexander McKenzie and opened on New Year's Day, 1911. At the time it opened, the ten-story, 150-room hotel was the tallest structure in Bismarck, and would retain this distinction until the new North Dakota State Capitol was completed in 1934. Edward Patterson, a close friend of McKenzie, would later purchase the hotel. Patterson had constructed the adjacent Soo Hotel, also listed on the National Register, in 1906. The hotel was renamed the Patterson Hotel in 1927, shortly after the death of Alexander McKenzie.

Continued Construction
One of the hotel's most well-known facts is that construction continued on the structure long after it opened. Construction was finally completed in the 1930s, more than twenty years after it first began. State law at the time stated that until construction was completed, the property was exempt from property taxes, and because of this loophole, Edward Patterson continued the construction to avoid paying taxes.  In the end, the hotel had grown from its original seven stories to ten stories.

Political Hotspot
Alexander McKenzie was an influential person in local politics, and is often credited with moving the capital of Dakota Territory to Bismarck. Edward Patterson was also involved in politics, having served two terms as mayor. The Patterson Hotel became the headquarters for the Nonpartisan League when it was founded in 1915. This, in addition to McKenzie and Patterson's political connections, would make the hotel the unofficial political headquarters of North Dakota for decades. After the North Dakota capitol burned in 1930, the entire second floor of the Patterson was leased to house several state agencies until the new capitol was completed.

Prominent Visitors
In addition to his business ventures, Edward Patterson was also an amateur boxer. Because of this, the hotel was visited by such boxing legends as Gene Tunney, Jack Dempsey, and Joe Louis. Several presidents had also paid a visit to the Patterson Hotel, including Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon Johnson.

At times it also housed local businessmen, including Eugene Wachter, part of the Wachter family of Bismarck and manager of the state's largest deeded ranch.

Illegal Activities
The Patterson Hotel secretly served alcohol during prohibition, and even set up an elaborate alarm system to keep out "unwanted guests". The hotel also once hosted illegal gambling, and was rumored to house prostitutes. It is also rumored that a tunnel once connected the hotel with the nearby train depot.

The Patterson Today
Until the completion of Interstate 94 in 1965, all major eastbound traffic was served by U.S. Highway 10, which ran straight through downtown Bismarck. However, with the opening of the interstate, all traffic was shifted to the north, and it directly affected all types of business in downtown Bismarck, including hotels. The Patterson ceased hotel operations sometime in the 1970s, and the rooms were converted into senior housing. The main lobby now houses the Peacock Alley American Grill and Bar.

See also
Soo Hotel, also associated with Patterson, and NRHP-listed

References

1910 establishments in North Dakota
Hotel buildings completed in 1910
Hotels established in 1910
Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in North Dakota
Towers in North Dakota
National Register of Historic Places in Bismarck, North Dakota
Nonpartisan League

Patterson Hotel


Sebastián de Aparicio y del Pardo (20 January 1502 – 25 February 1600) was a Spanish colonist in Mexico shortly after its conquest by Spain, who after a lifetime as a rancher and road builder entered the Order of Friars Minor as a lay brother. He spent the next 26 years of his long life as a beggar for the Order and died with a great reputation for holiness. He has been beatified by the Catholic Church.

Early life
Aparicio was born in A Gudiña, Ourense, in the Galician region of Spain. He was the third child and only son of Juan de Aparicio and Teresa del Prado, who were poor, but pious peasants, and spent his childhood tending sheep and cattle and in service to those of means. He learned his prayers from his parents, but had no schooling, and was not able to read or write. Despite his illiteracy, he had absorbed how to lead a pious and holy life so that he could emulate models in hagiographic texts. According to his own account, his life was saved in a seemingly-miraculous way during an outbreak of the bubonic plague in his town in 1514. Forced to isolate him from the community in quarantine, his parents built a hidden shelter for him in the woods, where they left him. While lying there helpless, due to his illness, a she-wolf found the hiding spot and, poking her head into his hiding spot, sniffed and then bit and licked an infected site on his body, before running off. He began to heal from that moment.

When Aparicio was older, he determined to seek work outside his region in order to help support his family and to provide dowries for his sisters. He traveled east to Salamanca and then as far south as Sanlúcar de Barrameda, where he became the overseer of a large farm. Apparently, due to his good looks, he was frequently the target of sexual advances by women, which violated his determination to live a life of chastity. He finally decided to escape the situation and to improve his fortune by traveling to the newly conquered Americas.

Mexico

Successful Entrepreneur
Aparicio sailed from Spain in 1533, landing in Veracruz later that year. With the growth of the cattle trade introduced to the Americas by the Spanish and the landgrants offered to colonists by the Spanish government, he decided to move farther inland to Puebla de los Ángeles, recently founded by the Franciscan friar, Toribio de Benavente Motolinia, one of the Twelve Apostles of Mexico who came to New Spain in 1524 to evangelize the Indians.

Once settled in Puebla, Aparicio began to cultivate indigenous maize but also European wheat. He was one of the first Spaniards who raised and trained cattle, another European import, to use in plow farming and transportation. He got permission to ride out into the brush and round up wild cattle which he then trained to pull a cart. As a result, he is considered to be the first Mexican "cowboy" or charro. He realized the difficulty of transporting supplies in Mexico, which before the conquest had no domesticated animals to move goods and difficult terrain, which meant that transport between growing Spanish settlements impeded economic expansion.  The burden the lack of decent roads fell on both the native peoples and animals forced to bear the loads on poor and uneven surfaces through the mountains cutting the countryside. He then conceived the idea of building roads from Puebla to the port of Veracruz, Mexico's main link to Spain. He recruited a fellow Spaniard as a partner in the enterprise, and they approached the colonial authorities for a grant to undertake this construction. Successful in this, they began building the roads which began to connect Spanish communities of Mexico. After several years, he promoted the building of a highway to connect the silver mining city of Zacatecas with Mexico City. The discovery of silver in Mexico in the 1540s was a major event in the economic consolidation of the colony.  Aparicio established the transport system which sent agricultural products to Spain and brought necessary items to the residents of New Spain.

Aparicio prospered, becoming a wealthy man, but he decided to sell his transport business in 1552. He then bought an expanse of land (hacienda de labor) near Zacatecas, where he farmed and ranched cattle. He began to teach the native people how to use a plow for their farms. He showed them how to domesticate horses and oxen, introduced by the Spanish and unfamiliar to the indigenous population, and how to build wagons for transporting their goods, as wheels had also previously been unknown.  He, however, had never lost his commitment to a life of faith. He followed a very ascetic way of life. His charity extended to all, giving much of his wealth to those in need, and lending money without asking anything in return. Eventually feeling pressured to marry, at the age of 60 he became engaged to a young woman who had no hopes of finding a husband, due to her lack of a dowry. They agreed to practice a white marriage, not consummating the union. Though she was much younger, his wife died a year later. He married again two years after that, with one María Esteban, with the same arrangement, only to lose his second wife by the time he was 70.

Friar
Shortly after being widowed for the second time, Aparicio grew seriously ill and began to re-assess his life. He began to dress very simply and to spend long hours in church. Feeling a call to enter the consecrated life, he frequently visited the Franciscan friars in Tlalnepantla. Added to his own doubts were those of a number of the friars as to his ability to follow their life. Finally his confessor made a suggestion: Aparicio would donate his fortune to the first Monastery of Poor Clares in Mexico, founded a few years earlier, and would live as a volunteer on the grounds, serving the external needs of the nuns. He accepted this suggestion, and signed a deed to this effect on 20 December 1573.

The following year, despite considerable advice against this from his friends, given his advanced age, Aparicio finally decided to apply to the friars to be admitted as a lay brother. After a year of following the routine of service and prayer followed by nuns, the superiors of the friars decided to accept him, and he received the religious habit of a friar on 9 June 1574, aged 72, at the novitiate of the Order in Mexico City. During the following year of probation, he experienced continued trials, both with the difference in age between himself and his classmates, and in what he experienced as demonic attacks upon his resolve. These ended with his profession of religious vows on 13 June 1575. As he was still illiterate, his document of commitment had to be signed by a fellow friar, Alfonso Peinado.

After this, Aparicio was assigned to serve at the friary in Santiago, Tecali, near Puebla. He felt a blessing in this location, dedicated as it is to St. James the Great, the patron saint of his native Galicia, to whom he prayed constantly throughout his life. At the friary, over the course of the following year, he held a number of offices: cook, sacristan, gardener and porter.
He was then assigned to the large community of friars in the city of Puebla, at that time consisting of about 100 friars, most of whom were doing their studies or were retired or recovering from illness. He was appointed to be the quaestor of the community, the one assigned to travel throughout the local community, seeking food and alms for the upkeep of the friars and those who came to them for help. The builder of Mexico's highway system had become a beggar on it. Despite his advanced age, he felt the vigor needed for the task.

Aparicio was given an oxcart with two oxen to travel through the city and the surrounding villages. He lived on the road for days, sleeping on the ground under the cart in bad weather. He would spend his time meditating on the Passion and on the teachings and example of St. Francis of Assisi. He would hold a rosary in one hand and the reins in the other. He soon became a familiar sight throughout Mexico, known for his cry, Guárdeos Dios, hermanos, ¿hay qué dar, por Dios, a San Francisco? (May God keep you, brothers. Do you have anything to give, for the love of God, to St. Francis?) He spent the last 26 years of his life in this way. He was seen to be a model friar and people declared that wherever Friar Sebastian went, "the angels accompanied him". From his many years of handling them, even animals followed his orders. Just by his slightest command, horses, oxen and mules would obey his words. The integrity of his life spoke of simplicity and of Christ to the people of the region.

Aparicio's level of health, even at the end of his life, was attested to in an incident which occurred while he was on the road. One time,  as he was returning to the friary with the cart filled with donations,  a wheel started to come off. The friar dismounted and unhooked the oxen from the cart. He then lifted it himself, while he repaired the wheel. The laborer who saw this swore that it would normally have taken four men to lift that cart. He was aged 95 at the time of the incident.

Death

Though he had long suffered from a hernia, Aparicio marked his 98th birthday on the road, apparently in good health. On the following 20 February, he developed what was to be his final illness, as the hernia became entangled. He began to feel pain and nausea, and, upon arrival at the friary, was immediately sent to the infirmary. It was the first time he had slept in a bed in 25 years. As his condition worsened, he became unable to swallow. His only regret was that, due to this, he was unable to receive Holy Communion. As he lay dying, he was consoled by the friars' fulfilling his request that they bring the Blessed Sacrament to his cell.

On the evening of 25 February, Aparicio asked to be laid on the ground to meet his death, in imitation of St. Francis. He soon died in the arms of a fellow Galician, Friar Juan de San Buenaventura, with his last word being "Jesus". When his body lay in state, the crowds that gathered were large, and the miracles wrought were so numerous, that he could not be buried for several days. His habit had to be replaced repeatedly, as mourners would snip a piece of it off to keep as the relic of a saint.

When authorities exhumed Aparicio's body six months later, they found that it had not decomposed. Two years later when they exhumed his body again, it still remained incorrupt. After an investigation by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico City, in which nearly 1,000 miracles at his intercession were reported, Pope Pius VI beatified him in 1789 and today his incorrupt body can be seen at the Church of San Francisco in Puebla.

Blessed Sebastian of Aparicio is the Patron Saint of travelers.

Notes

References

1502 births
1600 deaths
People from the Province of Ourense
Colonial Mexico
Mexican cattlemen
Spanish Friars Minor
Roman Catholic missionaries in New Spain
Deaths from hernias
Burials in Mexico
Beatified Roman Catholic religious brothers
Spanish beatified people
Franciscan beatified people
Mexican beatified people
Beatifications by Pope Pius VI
Venerated Catholics

Sebastián de Aparicio


Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) is a manufacturing process, used to reduce the porosity of metals and increase the density of many ceramic materials. This improves the material's mechanical properties and workability.

The process can be used to produce waste form classes. Calcined radioactive waste (waste with additives) is packed into a thin walled metal canister. The adsorbed gases are removed with high heat and the remaining material compressed to full density using argon gas during the heat cycle. This process can shrink steel canisters to minimize space in disposal containers and during transport. It was invented in the 1950s at the Battelle Memorial Institute and has been used to prepare nuclear fuel for submarines since the 1960s. It is used to prepare inactive ceramics as well, and the Idaho National Laboratory has validated it for the consolidation of radioactive ceramic waste forms. ANSTO (Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation) is using HIP as part of a process to immobilize waste radionuclides from molybdenum-99 production.

The HIP process subjects a component to both elevated temperature and isostatic gas pressure in a high pressure containment vessel. The pressurizing gas most widely used is argon. An inert gas is used so that the material does not chemically react. The choice of metal can minimize negative effects of chemical reactions. Nickel, stainless or mild steel, or other metals can be chosen depending on the desired redox conditions. The chamber is heated, causing the pressure inside the vessel to increase. Many systems use associated gas pumping to achieve the necessary pressure level. Pressure is applied to the material from all directions (hence the term "isostatic").

For processing castings, metal powders can also be turned to compact solids by this method, the inert gas is applied between  and , with  being most common. Process soak temperatures range from  for aluminium castings to  for nickel-based superalloys. When castings are treated with HIP, the simultaneous application of heat and pressure eliminates internal voids and microporosity through a combination of plastic deformation, creep, and diffusion bonding; this process improves fatigue resistance of the component. Primary applications are the reduction of microshrinkage, the consolidation of powder metals, ceramic composites and metal cladding. Hot isostatic pressing is thus also used as part of a sintering (powder metallurgy) process and for fabrication of metal matrix composites,
often being used for postprocessing in additive manufacturing.

References

External links
 European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA) - Hot Isostatic Pressing EPMA HIP info page

Industrial processes
Metallurgical processes
Metalworking

Hot isostatic pressing


The Lamborghini Urraco is a 2+2 sports car manufactured by Italian automaker Lamborghini, introduced at the Turin Auto Show in 1970, marketed for model years 1972-1979, and named after a line of Miura-bred fighting bulls.

History

The car is a 2+2 coupé with body designed by Marcello Gandini, at the time working for Carrozzeria Bertone. Rather than being another range topping sports car, like the Lamborghini Miura, the Urraco was intended to be more affordable and an alternative to the contemporary Ferrari Dino and Maserati Merak.

When production ceased in 1979, 791 Urracos had been built, of which 21 were Urraco P111s (P250 Tipo 111s) for the American market. In order to comply with American regulations, these cars had larger front bumpers and emissions controls, the latter resulting in less horsepower. The other Urraco versions were the Urraco P200, Urraco P250 and Urraco P300 with 2-litre, 2.5-litre, and 3-litre V8s respectively.

The Lamborghini Silhouette, with its detachable roof panel, and its successor the Lamborghini Jalpa, with a 3.5 litre V-8 engine, were based upon the Urraco.

Specifications and performance
The Urraco initially featured a 2-litre single overhead cam crossplane V8. The later 2.5-litre and 3-litre V8s employed dual overhead cams.

References

Sources

 Lamborghini Registry

Urraco
Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicles
Cars introduced in 1970
Group 4 (racing) cars
Cars discontinued in 1979

Lamborghini Urraco


The Passion Flower Hotel is a novel by Rosalind Erskine (real name Roger Erskine Longrigg). It was published by Jonathan Cape in 1962. The story concerns a young girl going to an English girls' boarding school. In the dormitory, the girls discuss losing their virginity and decide that the best way is to set up a "service" for the local boys' school situated across the lake from them. The subject is treated in a light manner.

A sequel, Passion Flowers in Italy, was published by Simon & Schuster in 1964.

Stage adaptation
It was adapted into a musical with music by John Barry, lyrics by Trevor Peacock and a book by Wolf Mankowitz. It was produced by Gene Gutowski, premiered at the Palace Theatre, Manchester, England, on 30 July 1965, transferring to the Prince of Wales Theatre, London, on 24 August 1965, and ran for 148 performances. The cast included Francesca Annis and Jeremy Clyde, as well as future stars such as Michael Cashman, Pauline Collins, Bill Kenwright, Nicky Henson, Hilary Dwyer, and Barry's future wife Jane Birkin.

Film adaptation
A film loosely based on the story was made in 1978 in German under the title of Leidenschaftliche Blümchen starring Nastassja Kinski.  A dubbed version was released in English under the title Passion Flower Hotel.

References

 Kurt Ganzl: The British Musical Theatre

West End musicals
1962 British novels
1965 musicals
Jonathan Cape books
British musicals
British novels adapted into films
Works published under a pseudonym
Novels set in boarding schools
Prostitution in England
Works about virginity
Novels about British prostitution

The Passion Flower Hotel


Lewe is a town in the Naypyidaw Union Territory of central Myanmar.

Location and population

Lewe is one of  the administrative township in Naypyidaw Union territory, Myanmar. It is about ten miles southwest from Pyinmana Township. It is not only laid on the way of Pyinmana -Kyaukpandaung Railway Road, but also on Yangon-Mandalay Highway Road. As its focal point in trade network, bulk of local goods such as agricultural products flow are fast. Although Lewe Township was formerly part of Mandalay Division, it was designated as one of the original townships constituting the new capital region of Naypyidaw on 26 November 2008 by the Ministry Of Home Affairs. According to official data of the 2014 census, Lewe township has a population of 284,393 while the urban population is just 30,208.

History

At first, in Burma, in the year 191, it was because of "'Mg-Ngwet '" (မောင်နွဲ့ )founded Lewe on a small hill called initially "Nga-Ngwet-Gone or Nga-Ngwe-Gone" (ငနွဲ့ကုန်း ခေါ် ငနွယ်ကုန်း), later to become "Wa-Ngwe-Gone" (ဝါးနွယ်ကုန်း). Name terms often change according to a change of era. The site of the old town was located around "Myoh-Gone Village" from southwest of new Lewe. The old town was about 1050 feet long from east to west and wide about 840 feet from north to south. According to the expression of ancient historical records, it was known that each brick high-wall of the town was 15-feet high with a moat around the high-wall.

"Min-Nagar (မင်းနဂါး) :King of Dragons" ruled " Wa-Ngwe-Gone" as Duke till Burma Year 191. In the beginning of year 202, when he reigned as King of Taung-Dwin-Gyi, he appointed to MP U Shwe-Lou as Duke of Wa-Ngwe-Gone. Such old town, Wa-Ngwe-Gone, was ruled by successive rulers.

Madam Khin-Oo, mother of Da-Bin-Shwe-Htee, who reigned in Kay-Tu-Ma-Ti, Taungoo in the beginning of the Burma year 892, was also a daughter of the Head of Wa-Ngwe-Gone Region. From the beginning of the year 1788 to nowadays, also called Lewe or Leiway.

Since the time of excavation to Sin-Own-Lake, agricultural sector such as rice cultivation improved widely in the whole region and rice mills and oil mills were established. As Lewe is a forested region, timber production flourished.

Urban area

Lewe Township consists of 7 Wards and is composed by 60 villages and 261 Sub-village groups, according to the 2014 census data.

Boundaries

Lewe is bounded by Pyinmana Township in the east, Yedashe Township in south, Taungdwingyi Township in west, and Dekkhinathiri and Pyinmana Township in the north. Its length is 47.02 miles from east to west, 18.64 miles long across north to south, and more than 872,248 square miles in area.

Geography, climate and vegetation

Lewe is located between mountains of Bago Yoma in the west and of Shan Yoma ranges in the east. There is no plain land in the region. Its lowest altitude is 210 feet above sea level and highest altitude is 2090 feet. Lewe is in monsoon climate region with maximum temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature is 22 degrees Celsius. Its current environmental conservation condition is covered by forest over 75 percent, one of the reserves is to protect the forest and the rest cover 68 percent. Vegetation in the region are valuable timber, the tip, cab, sal tree, hardwood and other kinds of wood plants, and also a variety of bamboo.

Economy

Lewe, as part of NayPyiTaw Administrative body, its communication path is close and placed on the intersection to the main road transportation. Agricultural and livestock products are mainly traded and the second business is services.

In the agricultural sector, there are farms, upland, lowland, branches, garden, pasture lands. Mainly cultivating crops are corn, pulses, Oilseed, Industrial crops for raw materials. Orchards grow a variety of crops as well as other seasonal crops upon the market sector.

There are Township level 2-livestock zones in which  bulk of chickens, pork, buffalo, Cow, Sheep, goats, quail, Dairy cattle and fish. The shrimp farming industry. tourism, transaction services, Industries, furniture industry, transport and other shopping stores are working in Lewe area.

Healthcare

Lewe is served by a public hospital: 100-bed Lewe General Hospital, 3 of circuit hospitals, 10 of Rural Healthcare Sub-divisions and 9 of private clinics.

Education

Totally, in educational infrastructure there are 11 basic education high schools, 16 middle schools, 226 primary schools, 9  nursery schools and 11 monastic schools. Literacy index of Lewe is 99.95.

Gallery

Main sights

Lewe Township's landmarks and main sights are;
Phaung-Daw-Chat-Ma Pagoda
Phaung Taw Oo Pagoda
Yan Aung Myin Shwe Lett Hla Pagoda
Sama Taung
Yat-Kan-Zin Hill

References

External links
Satellite map at Maplandia.com

Township capitals of Myanmar
Populated places in Mandalay Region

Lewe


First Among Equals is a 1984 novel by British author Jeffrey Archer, which follows the careers and personal lives of four fictional British politicians (Simon Kerslake, MP for Coventry Central and later Pucklebridge; Charles Seymour, MP for Sussex Downs; Raymond Gould, MP for Leeds North; and Andrew Fraser, MP for Edinburgh Carlton) from 1964 to 1991, with each vying to become Prime Minister. Several situations in the novel are drawn from Archer's own early political career in the British House of Commons, and the fictional characters interact with actual political figures from the UK and elsewhere including Winston Churchill, Alec Douglas-Home, Harold Wilson, Edward Heath, Margaret Thatcher, Douglas Hurd, Muammar al-Gaddafi, Gary Hart and Queen Elizabeth II.

The title is a literal translation of the Latin term Primus inter pares, a term used to refer to either the most senior member of a group of equals (peers) or to refer to someone who claims to be just one member of a group of equals when in reality he or she completely dominates said group. This phrase is used to describe the official constitutional status of the British Prime Minister within the Cabinet.

US and UK plot differences
When published in the United States, the novel was rewritten to eliminate the character of Andrew Fraser. The Fraser character eventually departs the Labour Party to join the breakaway Social Democratic Party. According to Archer, the change was made because the publisher did not believe an American audience could understand a multi-party political system. As a result, several plot elements revolving around Fraser were transferred to other characters, notably Simon Kerslake, who suffered through a change of heart toward a prospective marriage partner and the later loss of a child.

The ending of the novel differed in the US version, with both the winner of the ultimate election and the manner in which the contest was decided changing from one version to the next. In an interview, Archer joked that he found his American friends were generally more supportive of Kerslake, while his British readers backed Gould.

The original UK version was later released in the United States as well.

Television serial

First Among Equals was adapted into a Granada Television serial transmitted by ITV in 1986.

Characters

Charles Gurney Seymour

The Honourable Charles Gurney Seymour is the second son of the Earl of Bridgwater. When the novel was first published in the United States, the character's name was altered to "Charles Gurney Hampton". As he is the younger of twins (by a mere nine minutes), he does not inherit his father's peerage, shares in a merchant bank, a castle in Scotland or the 20,000-acre (80 km2) family estate.  Missing out on such opulence, wealth and power to his harmless brother Rupert whom he despises (a feeling which his brother does not appear to share) leaves him bitter.

Education
Charles went to Eton College. After leaving school he progressed to Christ Church at the University of Oxford to read history. One night he heard a speech given by then-Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. He was so inspired by the speech that he decided to do everything he could to become Prime Minister.

Early political career
An implacably ambitious and scheming man, Charles was elected the Conservative Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Sussex Downs with a majority in excess of 20,000 votes in the 1964 United Kingdom general election. He set about making himself stand out amongst the new intake of Conservative MPs. He ruthlessly backed Edward Heath for the leadership of the Conservative Party following the resignation of Sir Alec Douglas-Home simply because Heath was most likely to lead the party. His tactics paid off; Heath was elected leader and Charles was rewarded by being elevated to the front bench. His early posts included a stint in the Shadow Chief Whip's Office and the Shadow Local Government and Housing Department.

Political rival
Charles Seymour always predicted Simon Kerslake was "the only one of his contemporaries who could prevent him from leading the party."  He therefore set about to wreck Kerslake's career. He tried to bankrupt him, leaked any scandals he could find about Kerslake, abused his powers as Junior Whip to ensure that Kerslake was absent on crucial votes in the House of Commons, thus causing him to lose favour with the leader, and unsuccessfully attempted to block Kerslake's bid to return to the Commons after his seat was abolished by boundary changes.

Cabinet career
Although he did not support her in the leadership election following the forced resignation of Edward Heath, Charles later served under Margaret Thatcher as Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary.

Leadership contest
Charles attempted to succeed Thatcher as Conservative Leader following her resignation. He stood against Kerslake and the foppish MP Alec Pimkin for the leadership. He topped the first ballot with an insufficient majority, prompting a run-off vote, which he lost. He lost the second ballot largely thanks to the defeated Alec Pimkin deciding to vote for Kerslake (he later confessed that he wanted to go to his grave knowing he done at least one decent thing).

Seymour was also damaged by the donation of a famous and expensive family portrait of the First Earl of Bridgewater to the British Museum.  The move was perceived by members as being opportunistic, and contributed to Seymour getting a lower 2nd ballot total than on the first ballot.

In reality, the portrait was stolen from him by his ex-wife Fiona, who wanted to inflict maximum personal hurt on Seymour.  She made the donation in the midst of the leadership contest knowing Seymour could not politically ask for the portrait to be returned to him.

First Ballot (held on Tuesday 16 May 1989)

1. Charles Seymour 138 votes

2. Simon Kerslake 135 votes

3. Alec Pimkin 15 votes

Second Ballot (held on Tuesday 23 May 1989)

1. Simon Kerslake 158 votes

2. Charles Seymour 130 votes

Post-front bench career
Charles was depressed about losing the leadership contest.  His fate was sealed when his embittered ex-wife sold his story to the tabloid News of the World revealing all his underhand tactics. Kerslake was not bitter, however, and made Charles (who at this point was aging rapidly) numerous offers to return to the front bench. Charles declined them all and at his request became the Speaker of the House of Commons.  As Speaker, he hosted a historic dinner at which Queen Elizabeth II revealed her intention to abdicate.

Family
Charles had a poor relationship with his mother, he detested his brother the Earl, and his two marriages both ended in divorce. Yet he showed a tremendous devotion to his son Harry, and was devastated when his ex-wife implied that Harry might not be his child (he was delighted when a blood type test suggested that he was, albeit not conclusively).

In the ITV television adaptation of First Among Equals, Charles was played by Jeremy Child.

Simon Kerslake

Simon Kerslake is a British Conservative Party politician, representing the Coventry Central and later Pucklebridge constituencies, who served under Prime Ministers Edward Heath and Margaret Thatcher. There is a certain amount of autobiographical influence in the character, as he shares Archer's politics, sporting history and a financial scandal that threatens his political career.

Personal life
Simon is a devoted family man married to Elizabeth (née Drummond), a gynaecologist, with two children, Peter and Michael (in the American edition, Peter and Lucy). His desire to look after his family nearly costs him his political career in the British House of Commons: anxious to give his family the lifestyle he felt they desired, he makes some risky investments, accumulates a lot of debt and only narrowly avoids bankruptcy.

Political career
Kerslake is a centrist Conservative, hard-working and honourable (despite his poor business judgment).

With only a few political missteps, Kerslake rises steadily through the Conservative Party during his 30-year career. Boundary changes lead to the abolition of his constituency at the February 1974 general election but he finds another and returns to the Commons at the October 1974 general election. He is badly injured by an IRA bomb while serving as Minister of State for Northern Ireland. He serves in a number of other Cabinet posts, including Secretary of State for Defence.

Simon's biggest rival is Charles Gurney Seymour, an aristocratic Conservative MP who does everything he can to stymie and sidetrack him. Simon narrowly survives each attempt to bring him down, and ultimately defeats him in a closely fought contest to be elected Leader of the Conservative Party.

The novel culminates in an extremely close general election in 1991 (the novel was published in 1984). The Labour Party leader, Raymond Gould, becomes Prime Minister in the original British edition of the novel, which ends with King Charles III inviting Kerslake to Buckingham Palace and informing him that he intends to make Gould his first Prime Minister. However, in the US edition, Gould is invited to Buckingham Palace. Charles III then informs him that in fact, Kerslake is to become the Prime Minister.

References

External links
 Jeffrey Archer's official website

1984 British novels
British political novels
Novels by Jeffrey Archer
Hodder & Stoughton books
British novels adapted into television shows

First Among Equals (novel)


Hiram Mulero (September 16, 1983) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is best known under his ring name, Hiram Tua, which he has used in several of Puerto Rico's promotions, including the International Wrestling Association, the World Wrestling Council and the World Wrestling League.

Career

Early career
Mulero began his career in the independent promotion, Caribbean Wrestling Association. His first gimmick being that of a Samoan wrestler named Airan Anoy Tua. It was in this company that he won his first two titles, the CWA Cruiserweight Championship and the CWA Tag Team Championship with Roger Díaz. Continuing to perform in the independent circuit, Mulero entered the Extreme Wrestling Organization, where he first adopted the ring name Hiram Tua. His gimmick was the "owner of space", which emphasized aerial style wrestling. He also wrestled in the Puerto Rico Wrestling Association.

Mulero debuted in the International Wrestling Association on November 4, 2005, wrestling against Díaz in a losing effort. His first win took place a month after in a mixed tag team match. He wrestled Díaz twice during the following month, losing both contests. Mulero's first singles victory was over Armando Gorbea on January 14, 2006. Throughout the rest of the year he continued competing on alternate dates, challenging cruiserweights with mixed results. On November he entered a tournament for the IWA Cruiserweight Championship, but was eliminated in the opening round.

At Histeria Boricua 2007, Mulero was teamed with Díaz in a 3 on 3 match. Due to their ability to perform flashy aerial maneuvers, Jack Melendez decided to book them as a tag team that eventually became known as  Los Aereos. Mulero occasionally wrestled in single contests even winning the Hardcore Championship on January 27, 2007, despite being mostly a tag team contender. On February 3, 2007, the team was officially named following a contest with then main eventer Joe Bravo. The following week, Mulero dropped the title. In April 2007, Los Aereos entered a feud with NWA Tag Team Champions, Los Luchas. Their subsequent feud was with top heel faction La Revolución Dominicana, which saw them unsuccessfully challenging for the IWA World Tag Team Championship in a ladder match. In a rematch, Los Aereos won the titles. Los Aereos continued rising in the tag team division, eventually entering a feud with the Naturals, dropping the belts. After failing to regain them from the Naturals, they defeated Los Dueños de la Malicia, Dennis Rivera and Noel Rodríguez, for the first contenders spot, but once again lost the titular match.

On October 13, 2007, he won the Cruiserweight Championship, holding on to it until leaving it vacant. The angle with La Malicia continued until early 2008, when Los Aereos left the IWA following an event that broke the promotion's administration in two conflicting bands, Miguel Peréz against Mario Savoldi. Los Aereos remained inactive for several months, until Tua joined EWO for a brief stint. On October 31, 2008, they debuted in the World Wrestling Council. The team entered a short feud against The Texas Outlaws upon arriving in the promotion, which saw them lose a first contenders match for the WWC World Tag Team Championship. This was followed by a series of contests with Gorbea and Ricky Reyes, which saw both teams trade victories. Upon defeating Gorbea and Reyes in a rubber match, Los Aereos went on to unsuccessfully challenge Thunder and Lightning for the championship.

On July 26, 2009, Mulero turned on Díaz, adopting a heel persona known as "El Dueño del Espacio" Hiram Tua, a throwback to his EWO gimmick. He entered a feud with Díaz before joining Orlando Colón in a stable, which saw both of them portray a single character, La Pesadilla. Following Aniversario 2009, where Colón lost his mask, the two created a tag team that became known as Los Traidores.  He continued to feud with Díaz, eventually being revealed as La Sombra. However, their partnership was short lived and Los Aereos eventually reunited as a face team. This was followed by a feud against Idol Stevens and King Tonga Jr., who had won the titles. Los Aereos won the Championships from them on April 10, 2010, dropping them back a three weeks later. The final match of this angle took place at Aniversario 2010, in which they were victorious. Subsequently, both were separated in order to pursue single storylines. Mulero feuded with José "Black Pain" Torres and Hideo Saito for the WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship, but eventually faded from WWC programming.

Mulero's next appearance was in the IWA, where he challenged Noel Rodríguez, losing an IWA Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship eliminatory. Immediately afterwards, he entered a feud with Eric Pérez, which extended for several months. On April 2, 2011, Mulero defeated Pérez to win his first IWA Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship. Mulero then joined a group led by Savio Vega, who invaded WWC's Aniversario 2011 in the first interpromotional angle between both companies. He held on to the title for four months, eventually entering a feud against an stable known as the Academy. At Summer Attitude, he dropped the title to Academy member and undefeated Intercontinental Champion, Chris Angel. Later in the same event, he was among the wrestlers that defended the IWA from a counter-invasion from WWC's talent.  A month later, Mulero was fired from the IWA by Miguel Pérez as part of a storyline. He subsequently explained this action, stating that he intended to retire from the Puerto Rican circuit in order to pursue an international wrestling career. Mulero completed previous compromises with independent companies EWO and New Professional Wrestling to conclude his local run. He was ranked in the 150th slot in Pro Wrestling Illustrated's 2011 PWI 500, making him the highest rated wrestler that competed exclusively in Puerto Rico that year.

On November 11, 2011, he made his foreign debut for East Coast Professional Wrestling. Mulero won this contest, going over Billy Daly. He returned to ECPW on April 13, 2012, participating in a three-way match, he picked the pinfall following a shooting star press after throwing his second opponent outside the ring. In early 2012, Mulero became tied to Amaro Productions, who went on to form a stable that also included Díaz. He abandoned his local retirement for one night, briefly reforming Los Aereos in a charity card named "Un Junte para la Historia". Mulero returned to New Jersey in autumn, wrestling there for National Pro Wrestling Superstars on October 26–27, 2012. On his first date, he teamed with Frankie Flow to face a team known as Absolutely Latino. Mulero defeated "The Latin Lover" Chachi in a singles match the following night. On June 8, 2013, Mulero performed in La Guerra, an event held prior to the Puerto Rican Day Parade, defeating Bestia 666.

World Wrestling League (2014-2016)
Mulero returned to local wrestling on December 13, 2014 on Navidad Corporativa, aiding El Sensacional Carlitos, by attacking Mr. 450, but later turning on Carlitos by attacking him. On January 6, 2015 in Guerra De Reyes, he interfered in a match between El Sensacional Carlitos and Mr. 450, costing Carlitos the match by pushing the ladder and throwing Carlitos of the top rope.

On August 15, 2015, "El Sensacional" Carlitos and "El Dueño del Mundo" Hiram Túa faced off to determine the First Mega Champion of the TV of the WWL. Both Carlitos and Túa, launched their entire arsenal of movements. Túa ended up winning and being the First Mega Champion of the TV of the WWL.

Health issues (2018)
On September 26, 2018, Mulero announced that he was forced to take "Time Off" from Wrestling due to "health issues" which forced him to cancel appearances for CWA and CKCW among others. A reunion of Los Aéreos scheduled for November would mark his final match. On October 3, 2018, Mulero (who had back problems preceding his career).

With his future in wrestling still uncertain, Mulero saw action at Hugo Savinovich's MysterManía winning an obstentible opportunity for the Wrestling Superstar World Tag Team Championship along Star Roger. Mulero entered a hiatus while recovering from his back injury. His prognosis improved, allowing him to return to the ring.

CWA, OIL/GZW (2021–present)

Tua got medically cleared and joined the CWA full-time.

Tua restarted his rivalry against Star Roger, formerly known as El Sensacional Carlitos, which ended up with them teaming up to challenge the CWA Tag Team Champions, Los Fugitivos Alejandro Niche Marrero and Wilfredo Lynx Rivera. On CWA Aniversario 11, on July 20, 2019, The Aereos, Hiram Tua and Star Roger defeat Los Fugitivos and became the new CWA Tag Team Champions.

Mulero joined Organización Internacional de Lucha (OIL) as part of a heel group known as Black and White. When the administration splintered and several left to join Ground Zero Wrestling (GZW) in 2022, he was among the talents that migrated there, being placed in a feud with heavyweight champion Bryan Idol.

On Saturday, April 29, 2023, the CWA and CWS presented the first Tomás Marin "El Martillo" cup at the San Juan Bosco auditorium in Cantera, Santurce, where Tua returns to the CWA and defeats "El Mejor" Dimes to become CWA Champion for the first time.

Championships and accomplishments
International Wrestling Association (Puerto Rico)
IWA Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
IWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Sensacional Carlitos
IWA Hardcore Championship (2 times)
IWA Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)
World Wrestling Council
WWC World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Sensacional Carlitos
Caribbean Wrestling Association
CWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
CWA Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship (1 time, current)
CWA Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)
CWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Sensacional Carlitos
Championship Wrestling School
CWS World Championship (1 time)
United Wrestling Alliance
UWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
World Wrestling League
WWL World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
WWL Television Championship (1 time)
Wrestling Superstar
WS World Tag Team Championship (1 time)
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
PWI ranked him # 150 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 2011

See also
Professional wrestling in Puerto Rico

References

External links

Puerto Rican male professional wrestlers
Living people
1983 births
People from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico

Hiram Tua


Misery is a 1990 American psychological thriller film directed by Rob Reiner, based on Stephen King's 1987 novel of the same name, starring James Caan, Kathy Bates, Lauren Bacall, Richard Farnsworth, and Frances Sternhagen. The plot centers around an author who is held captive by an obsessive fan who forces him to rewrite the finale to his novel series.

The film was released in the United States on November 30, 1990, by Columbia Pictures. It received highly positive reviews and was a box office success. Bates' performance drew widespread praise from critics and won her the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 63rd Academy Awards, making Misery the only film based on a Stephen King novel to win an Oscar. King himself has stated that Misery is one of his top ten favorite film adaptations.

Plot

Famed novelist Paul Sheldon is the author of a successful series of Victorian romance novels featuring a character named Misery Chastain. Wanting to focus on more serious stories, he writes a manuscript for a new novel that he hopes will launch his post-Misery career. While traveling from Silver Creek, Colorado, to his home in New York City, Paul is caught in a blizzard and crashes his car, rendering him unconscious. A nurse named Annie Wilkes finds him and brings him to her remote home.

Paul regains consciousness and finds himself bedridden with broken legs and a dislocated shoulder. Annie claims to be his "number one fan" and constantly praises him and his novels. She offers to care for him until the telephone lines are re-connected and the local roads re-open following the blizzard. Out of gratitude, Paul lets her read his new manuscript. She angrily criticizes the profanity in his new work, disturbing him, but she quickly apologizes. When she reads the latest Misery novel and discovers that Misery dies at the end, she flies into a rage, revealing to Paul that nobody knows where he is and that she had never informed any kind of authority or his agent that she had rescued him, effectively holding him prisoner in her secluded home.

Annie forces Paul to burn the only copy of his new manuscript. She also provides a second-hand typewriter and orders him to begin writing a new novel titled Misery's Return, in which he brings the character back to life. Paul uses a bobby pin to unlock his door and leave his room. He begins stockpiling his painkillers and tries drugging Annie during dinner by spiking her wine with crushed painkillers, but his plan is foiled after she accidentally knocks over her glass. He later finds a scrapbook of newspaper clippings about Annie's past and learns Annie was tried for the deaths of several infants in the hospital where she worked, but the trial collapsed due to lack of evidence. Annie had quoted lines from his Misery novels during her trial. Annie soon discovers that Paul has been sneaking out of his room and breaks his ankles with a sledgehammer to prevent him from escaping again.

The local sheriff, Buster, is investigating Paul's disappearance. Clues lead him to pay Annie a visit, but she murders him with a shotgun when he finds Paul drugged in the basement; she then attempts to kill Paul in a murder-suicide, but Paul, concealing a can of lighter fluid in his pocket, convinces her to let him live long enough to finish the novel in order to "give Misery back to the world."

When the manuscript is done, Paul asks for a cigarette and champagne, and Annie complies. However, to her horror, Paul uses the lighter to set the manuscript on fire, telling her, "I learned it from you." Paul then strikes Annie with the typewriter after she tries futilely to save the manuscript, and they engage in a violent struggle, with Paul suffering a gunshot wound to the shoulder from her revolver. He trips her, causing her to strike her head on the typewriter, then crawls out of the room, but Annie recovers and attacks again. Paul grabs a metal doorstop and bashes Annie in the face, finally killing her.

Eighteen months later, Paul, now walking with a cane, meets his agent, Marcia, in a restaurant in New York City. The two discuss his first post-Misery novel, and Marcia tells him about the positive early buzz. Paul replies that he wrote the novel for himself as a way to help deal with the horrors of his captivity. Marcia asks if he would consider a non-fiction book about his captivity, but Paul—who suffers psychological trauma from the experience—declines. Paul then sees a waitress approaching him, whom he hallucinates as Annie, commenting that he still thinks about her once in a while. The waitress tells Paul that she is his number one fan, causing Paul to meekly reply, "That's very sweet of you."

Cast
 James Caan as Paul Sheldon
 Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes
 Richard Farnsworth as Sheriff Buster
 Frances Sternhagen as Deputy Virginia
 Lauren Bacall as Marcia Sindell
 Graham Jarvis as Libby
 Jerry Potter as Pete
J. T. Walsh makes an uncredited cameo appearance as State Trooper Sherman Douglas. Director Rob Reiner also makes an uncredited appearance as a helicopter pilot.

Production
Producer Andrew Scheinman read Stephen King's novel Misery on an airplane, and later recommended it to his director partner at Castle Rock Entertainment, Rob Reiner. Reiner eventually invited writer William Goldman to write the film's screenplay.

In the original novel, Annie Wilkes severs one of Paul Sheldon's feet with an ax. Goldman loved the scene and argued for it to be included, but Reiner insisted that it be changed so that she only breaks his ankles. Goldman subsequently wrote that this was the correct decision as the visual depiction of an amputation would cause the audience to hate Annie instead of sympathizing with her madness.

The part of Paul Sheldon was originally offered to William Hurt (twice), then Kevin Kline, Michael Douglas, Harrison Ford, Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Richard Dreyfuss, Gene Hackman, and Robert Redford, but they all turned it down. Warren Beatty was interested in the role, wanting to turn him into a less passive character, but eventually had to drop out as post-production of Dick Tracy extended. Eventually someone suggested James Caan, who agreed to play the part. Caan commented that he was attracted by how Sheldon was a role unlike any of his others, and that "being a totally reactionary character is really much tougher." Anjelica Huston and Bette Midler were both offered the role of Annie Wilkes, but both of them turned it down. Midler would later say that she deeply regretted this decision. According to Reiner, it was Goldman who suggested that Kathy Bates, then unknown, should portray Annie Wilkes.

Music

The film's score was composed by Marc Shaiman. Three recordings by Liberace, Annie Wilkes's favorite musician, are featured in the film, as is "Shotgun" by Junior Walker and the All-Stars, which plays before Paul's car accident.

Release

Home media
Nelson Entertainment and its parent company, New Line Home Video, first released Misery on VHS on July 11, 1991, and New Line re-released it in 1992, after Nelson went bankrupt. The film was later re-released on VHS again by PolyGram Video and on DVD on December 22, 1998 by MGM Home Entertainment. A 25th anniversary edition DVD and Blu-ray was released on September 8, 2015 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and MGM Home Entertainment. Currently, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (Castle Rock Entertainment's sister company) re-issued home video rights under the license from MGM. The Shout! Factory released a collector's edition Blu-ray under their Scream Factory label on November 28, 2017. A 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray was released through Kino Lorber on October 12, 2021.

Reception

Box office
Misery grossed $10,076,834 on its opening weekend, finishing second at the box office behind Home Alone. It eventually finished with $61 million domestically.

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Misery has an approval rating of 91% based on 74 reviews, with an average rating of 7.60/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Elevated by standout performances from James Caan and Kathy Bates, this taut and frightening film is one of the best Stephen King adaptations to date." At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating to reviews, the film has a score of 75 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a rating of three stars out of four, stating that "it is a good story, a natural, and it grabs us." Variety called it "a very obvious and very commercial gothic thriller, a functional adaptation of the Stephen King bestseller." Derek Malcolm of The Guardian gave it a positive review, writing that it "plays enough tricks on us so that we don't ever treat anything quite seriously and Goldman's script has enough good lines and situations to keep one interested in exactly what is coming next", and praised the cast, especially Bates, writing that her "demented devotee in Misery is inspired casting." Vincent Canby of The New York Times praised Kathy Bates' performance, calling it "a genuinely funny performance as the mad Annie, as gaudily written in Mr. Goldman's screenplay as it is in Mr. King's novel."

King himself has stated that Misery is one of his top ten favorite film adaptations, in his 2009 collection Stephen King Goes to the Movies. In his 2000 memoir called On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, King references the movie adaptation of the book, saying:

In the early 1980s, my wife and I went to London on a combined business/pleasure trip. I fell asleep on the plane and had a dream about a popular writer (it may or may not have been me, but it sure to God wasn't James Caan)...

In 2003, Annie Wilkes was ranked #17 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains list. The "hobbling" scene in the film, in which Annie breaks Paul's ankles with a sledgehammer, was ranked #12 on Bravo's 2004 program The 100 Scariest Movie Moments. In 2009, Chris Eggertsen of Bloody Disgusting ranked Misery fourth place in his list of "10 Claustrophobic Horror Films".

Accolades

See also

References

External links

1990s American films
1990s English-language films
1990 films
1990 horror films
1990s psychological thriller films
American horror thriller films
American psychological horror films
American psychological thriller films
Castle Rock Entertainment films
Columbia Pictures films
Films about fandom
Films about kidnapping
Films about nurses
Films about missing people
Films about writers
Films based on American horror novels
Films based on works by Stephen King
Films directed by Rob Reiner
Films featuring a Best Actress Academy Award-winning performance
Films featuring a Best Drama Actress Golden Globe-winning performance
Films set in Colorado
Films scored by Marc Shaiman
Films with screenplays by William Goldman
Two-handers
American serial killer films

Misery (film)