Loetoeng Kasaroeng is a 1926 fantasy film from the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia) which was directed and produced by L. Heuveldorp. An adaptation of the Sundanese folktale Lutung Kasarung (The Lost Lutung), the film tells of a young girl who falls in love with a magical lutung and stars the children of noblemen. Details on its performance are unavailable, although it is known to have been of poor technical quality and thought to have performed poorly. It was the first film produced in the country and the first to feature a native-Indonesian cast. It is likely a lost film.

Plot
Purbasari and Purbararang are sisters and in competition. Purbararang, the elder sister, teases Purbasari about the latter's lover, a lutung named Guru Minang; Purbarang's boyfriend, Indrajaya, is a handsome human. However, the girls discover that Guru Minang is actually a god who is more handsome than Indrajaya.

Production

The first showing of films in the Dutch East Indies was in 1900, and over the next twenty years foreign productions – generally from the United States – were imported and shown throughout the country. Domestic production of documentaries had begun in 1911 but were unable to compete with imported works. By 1923 a local feature film production spearheaded by the Middle East Film Co. was announced, but the work was not completed.

Under pressure from imported works, in 1926 N.V. Java Film, a production house based in Batavia (modern-day Jakarta) which had previously produced a single documentary, Inlanders op de Krokodillenjacht (Native Crocodile Hunters), chose to make a feature film based on the Sundanese folktale Lutung Kasarung. The company's owner, L. Heuveldorp served as director and producer, while its laboratory head G. Krugers handled cinematography and processing. Little biographical information is available regarding the background of both men, although it was reported that Heuveldorp had previous experience from working in the United States.

The cast was drawn entirely from the priyayi (noble) class, under the coordination of school headmaster Raden Kartabrata. Among the cast were children of Wiranatakusumah V, the regent of Bandung; he had agreed to help fund the film to promote Sundanese culture, and had previously brought the story to the stage. Further subsidies had come from the Ministry of Defence, which donated trucks to ease filming.

Filming had begun by August 1926, when several scenes were shot in a cave that had been excavated for the production on Karang Hill. Heuveldorp, unable to force the actors to play their roles seriously, shot several scenes with them acting as they wished before showing them the results; upon realising that their acting had been disappointing, the cast began to listen to stage directions. Afterwards they began rehearsing each scene at least twice, with Kartabrata standing behind the cinematographer and giving directions.

Release and reception
The film was screened on 31 December 1926 at the Oriental and Elita Theatres in Bandung, making it the first domestically-produced feature film and the first with a native cast. The advertisements were in both Dutch- and Malay-language publications. The film was screened for only a week, with live Sundanese gamelan performances providing music, after which Loetoeng Kasaroeng was replaced with Hollywood films. From 14 to 17 February 1927, the film was screened in the Mignon cinema in Cheribon. Although its box office performance is not recorded, it is thought to have been poor.

A review by "Bandoenger" in Panorama magazine considered the film of poor technical quality compared to imported films, suggesting that the production was underfunded; the review states that some actors were not paid for their work. Reporting on a private screening of the film for the governor-general, the Buitenzorg correspondent of the Java-Bode wrote: "The shots were out of focus and the entire film made a murky and dark impression. The directing was clumsy, the sets and costumes paltry. Of the many participants, not one drew attention by acting well." The Indonesian film historian Misbach Yusa Biran wrote that Loetoeng Kasaroeng would have been poorly received outside of West Java, owing to Sundanese culture and dance not being considered interesting to other ethnic groups, particularly the Javanese. William van der Heide, a lecturer on film studies at the University of Newcastle in Australia, notes that the tendency of European filmmakers to depict natives as primitives may also have influenced the poor ticket sales.

Legacy
Although Heuveldorp is not recorded as being involved in any more fiction film productions, Krugers went on to direct several films, including the area's first talkie, Karnadi Anemer Bangkong (1931), before leaving the country in 1936. At least one of the cast members, Oemar, is recorded as continuing to act. Lutung Kasarung was adapted to film twice further, in 1952 and 1983.

After Loetoeng Kasaroeng was released, numerous domestic films were made. The second domestic production, Eulis Atjih (1927), was directed by Krugers and received a wider release. With the release of Lily van Java (Lily of Java) in 1928, ethnic Chinese became involved in the industry; by 1940 native directors had become common. However, the first truly Indonesian film is considered to be Usmar Ismail's Darah dan Doa (The Long March) in 1950, released after the Dutch recognised Indonesia's independence in 1949.

Loetoeng Kasaroeng is likely a lost film. The American visual anthropologist Karl G. Heider wrote that all Indonesian films from before 1950 are lost. However, JB Kristanto's Katalog Film Indonesia (Indonesian Film Catalogue) records several as having survived at Sinematek Indonesia's archives, and Biran writes that several Japanese propaganda films have survived at the Netherlands Government Information Service.

See also
List of films of the Dutch East Indies
List of lost films

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

External links

1926 films
Dutch black-and-white films
Indonesian black-and-white films
Dutch East Indies films
Films shot in Indonesia
Dutch silent feature films
Lost Indonesian films
Films based on Indonesian myths and legends
Dutch fantasy films
1920s fantasy films
1926 lost films
Lost fantasy films

Loetoeng Kasaroeng


SYRIZA (Greek: ΣΥΡΙΖΑ) is a left-wing party in Greece. The name stands for  Synaspismós Rizospastikís Aristerás - Proodeftikí Symmachía (which translates to  Coalition of the Radical Left - Progressive Alliance). It started in 2004 as an associaton of different parties. In 2014, it was made a party in its own right. In 2015, it won the most votes, more than its rival Nea Dimokratia. Alexis Tsipras is the head of the party. He was prime minister from 2015 to 2019.

Political parties in Greece

SYRIZA


Shirley Thompson vs. the Aliens is a 1972 Australian film directed by Jim Sharman and starring Jane Harders and Helmut Bakaitis. It is the first feature-length film from Sharman, who subsequently directed The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975).

Plot
In 1950s Sydney, Shirley and her gang discover that aliens have attacked Australia but no one believes them. Shirley is assumed to be insane and is committed to a lunatic asylum.

Cast
Jane Harders as Shirley Thompson
June Collis as Dr Leslie Smith
Tim Elliot as Dr George Talbot
Marion Johns as Rita Thompson
John Llewellyn as Reg Thompson
Marie Nicholas as Narelle Thompson
Helmut Bakaitis as Harold
John Ivkovitch as Bruce
Bruce Gould as Blake
Kate Fitzpatrick as nurse
Alexander Hay as Alien
Ron Haddrick as replica of Prince Philip
Phil Kitamura as gang member
Candy Raymond as gang member
Julie Rodgers as gang member
Georgina West as gang member
Max Hess as gang member
Sue Moir as gang member

Production
The film was shot on 16mm. Sharman paid for the movie with his own money. It was written as a tribute to old B movies.

Sharman later said "it was made quite impulsively and not without passion".

Sharman subsequently worked again with both Jane Harders and Kate Fitzpatrick when he directed the original 1973 Sydney stage production of The Rocky Horror Show, which starred Harders as Janet, with Fitzpatrick as Magenta. Cast member Helmut Bakaitis went on to international notoriety for his role as "The Architect" in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. The film marks the first screen credit for Sharman's longtime collaborator, designer Brian Thomson, who worked with Sharman on many notable theatre and stage musical productions, including the original Sydney stage productions of Jesus Christ Superstar and The Rocky Horror Show, and Sharman's later films The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Shock Treatment. It was also the first feature film credit for distinguished producer Matt Carroll - a friend of Sharman and Thomson from their student days at the University of New South Wales - who went on to produce many notable Australian feature films and TV series including Sunday Too Far Away, Breaker Morant, the TV miniseries True Believers, Turtle Beach, the acclaimed TV medical drama series G.P., and the science fiction TV series Farscape.

Release
The film was previewed at the National Film Theatre in London in March 1972 and had its premiere at the Sydney Film Festival in June and received limited release. In 1976 Sharman re-edited it substantially, cutting some 25 minutes of footage from the original 1972 version, which ran 104 minutes.

References

External links

Shirley Thompson vs the Aliens at Australian Screen Online
Shirley Thompson versus the Aliens at Oz Movies

1972 films
Australian science fiction comedy films
Films directed by Jim Sharman
Alien invasions in films
Films set in psychiatric hospitals
1972 directorial debut films
1970s English-language films

Shirley Thompson vs. the Aliens


David Mark Berger (May 24, 1944 – September 6, 1972) was an American and Israeli Olympic weightlifter, and one of the 11 Israeli Olympians taken hostage and killed by the Palestinian group Black September during the Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics. Born and raised in the United States, Berger was a lawyer by education and had emigrated to Israel after taking part in the 1969 Maccabiah Games, where he won a gold medal.

Early life and athletic success
David Mark Berger was born in Cleveland, Ohio on May 24, 1944. His mother was Dorothy Berger, (née Davidson), and his father was Benjamin Berger, who was a well known physician. A high school honors student as well as an athlete, Berger graduated from Shaker Heights High School in 1962. He attended Tulane University in New Orleans from 1962 to 1966 where he was an honors student. While studying at Tulane, he continued weightlifting training at the New Orleans Athletic Club. As a junior at Tulane, he won the NCAA weightlifting title in the 148-pound class. Berger earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Tulane in 1966. He went on to enroll in a combined MBA-law degree program at Columbia University in New York, from which he graduated in 1969. While working toward his degrees, Berger continued to devote time to weightlifting, training at the McBurney YMCA in Midtown Manhattan. During his time in New York, Berger competed in the middleweight division. In 1968, competing as a middleweight, he finished fourth in the U.S. Olympic trials. His father, Benjamin, was once quoted as saying, "I used to tell him 'You may not be the best weightlifter in the world, but you're certainly the smartest!'"

After winning a gold medal in the middleweight weight-lifting contest in the 1969 Maccabiah Games, Berger emigrated to Israel, intending to open a law office in Tel Aviv after completing his compulsory military service. Berger continued competing in weightlifting, but moved up in body weight to the lightheavy class. He won a silver medal at the 1971 Asian Weightlifting Championships, and achieved a long time dream when he was chosen to represent Israel as a member of the 1972 Israeli Olympic team. In late August of that year, Berger flew to Munich with his teammates. On September 2, 1972, Berger competed, but was eliminated in an early round.

Death

Early on the morning of September 5, 1972, Palestinian terrorists took Berger and his five roommates hostage, after having earlier broken into the Olympic Village and seized six officials in another apartment as well as wounding wrestling coach Moshe Weinberg in the face. While the athletes were being moved to the first apartment, Weinberg grappled with the intruders, allowing flyweight wrestler Gad Tsobari to escape but resulting in Weinberg's death by gunfire. As the remaining hostages and terrorists entered the officials' apartment, weightlifter Yossef Romano also attempted to overpower the intruders. Romano was cut nearly in half by automatic fire (his corpse was left all day at the feet of the hostages, who were tied to beds), and Berger was shot in his left shoulder, a wound seen by German officials later in the day. It is believed that Berger, being physically one of the largest of the hostages, was also beaten in order to intimidate the other hostages.

After all-day negotiations, the terrorists and their tied-up hostages were transferred from the Olympic Village via helicopter to Fürstenfeldbruck airbase outside of Munich, where the terrorists believed they would be flown to a friendly Arab nation. Instead, the German border guards and Munich police attempted to ambush the terrorists and free the hostages. After a two-hour gunfight, one of the terrorists turned on the helicopter in which Berger was sitting and sprayed it with machine-gun fire. The other three hostages in the helicopter were killed instantly, but somehow Berger only received two non-lethal wounds in his legs. However, the terrorist then detonated a hand grenade inside the helicopter, causing a huge explosion and fire. An autopsy found that Berger had died of smoke inhalation. The five hostages in the other helicopter were all shot to death by another terrorist.

While the 10 other Israeli Olympians were flown to and buried in Israel, David Berger's body was returned to the United States on an Air Force jet personally ordered by President Richard Nixon. Berger is buried at the Mayfield Cemetery in his hometown of Cleveland.

Memorials
David Berger National Memorial in Beachwood, Ohio, honors the memory of Berger and his fallen teammates.
In 2002, New Orleans renamed "Avenger Field," located in Audubon Park, "David Berger - Avenger Field" in memory of Berger and the other victims of terrorism."
Berger, along with the other ten members of the 1972 Israeli Olympic team killed in Munich, was inducted into the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
The Shaker Heights High School weight room is named after Berger.
The David Berger Memorial Weightlifting Tournament is held every year at the Lost Battalion Hall in Rego Park, Queens, NY.
David Berger AZA #1823 is a BBYO chapter in Cleveland, Ohio, named in honor of him.
David Berger AZA #2059 is a BBYO chapter named for him in Dallas, Texas.
David Berger is also the name of a street in Ashkelon, Israel.
David Berger mural of the Shaker Heights High School

See also
List of select Jewish weightlifters

References

Further reading
 Perrin, Warren A. (Opelousas, LA, 2023) The Weight of History, the Power of Apology: Remembering Lifter David Berger 50 Years after the Munich Olympics, Andrepont Publishing.

External links
David Berger AZA website
David Mark Berger website

1944 births
1972 deaths
Columbia Business School alumni
Columbia Law School alumni
Israeli male weightlifters
American male weightlifters
American terrorism victims
Maccabiah Games medalists in weightlifting
Competitors at the 1969 Maccabiah Games
Deaths by smoke inhalation
Jewish American sportspeople
Jewish Israeli sportspeople
Jewish weightlifters
American people murdered abroad
Male murder victims
Murdered American Jews
Sportspeople from Cleveland
Tulane University alumni
Weightlifters at the 1972 Summer Olympics
American emigrants to Israel
Olympic weightlifters for Israel
Sportspeople from Shaker Heights, Ohio
Victims of the Munich massacre
Maccabiah Games gold medalists for the United States
Burials at Mayfield Cemetery
Naturalized citizens of Israel
20th-century American Jews

David Berger (weightlifter)


To distort is to change the shape of something. Distortion may refer to:

Distortion in electrical signal
Distortion, a type of musical effect that can be controlled using an effect pedal
Distortion (economics), a state where the agent does not maximize its profit or utility
Cognitive distortion, irrational thought patterns
In statistics, the bias of an estimator is sometimes called distortion
In medicine, a Strain (injury) is called distortion

Distortion


The Little Prince () is a children's book by the French author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It was first published in the United States in English and French in 1943. It was published in France after Saint-Exupéry went missing in 1944.

The story is about a young prince who visits some planets, including Earth, and thinks about important things in life like friendship and love.

Story
The narrator, who is a grown-up, talks about his childhood. When he was six years old, he read a book about wild animals in the jungle. Then he drew a picture of a snake eating an elephant. However, the grown-ups around him thought he drew a hat.

The narrator grows up and becomes a pilot. One day, his airplane crashes in the Sahara. He has enough water to survive for 8 days. He meets a little boy (the prince) who traveled to Earth from a small planet. The prince tells the narrator about his travels.

At the end, the prince asks a snake to bite him. He says it will look like he is dead, but he will actually go back to his home planet. Then the narrator fixes his airplane and leaves the Sahara.

1943 books
French children's books

The Little Prince


Moccasin Dam is a small dam on Moccasin Creek in Tuolumne County, California, in the town of Moccasin, west of Yosemite. It holds the Moccasin Reservoir. The dam, reservoir and associated hydroelectric power plant are part of the Hetch Hetchy Project, which provide water and power to the city of San Francisco. The dam is located near the junction of Highway 120 and Highway 49.

History
In 1914 Congress approved the Raker Act, allowing San Francisco to construct a dam and reservoir in the Hetch Hetchy Valley of Yosemite National Park for the purpose of public water supply. Due to the large elevation drop between Hetch Hetchy and the city, several hydroelectric power stations were constructed along the  long Hetch Hetchy aqueduct. Construction of the Moccasin Powerhouse began in 1921 and was completed on August 14, 1925. The Moccasin Dam was completed in 1930 as a regulating afterbay for the Moccasin Powerhouse.

The Moccasin Creek Fish Hatchery was constructed downstream of the dam in 1954, and raises trout for stocking in high elevation streams in the Tuolumne River watershed, and for the nearby, much larger Lake Don Pedro. In 1969, a new powerhouse with more efficient turbines was constructed to replace the original power plant.

A March 2018 storm caused the Moccasin Reservoir to become overburdened with water and debris. The dam started to leak and evacuations were issued for a small number of houses and a campground downstream before water levels subsided. Although interim repairs are still ongoing, the California Division of Dam Safety allowed the dam to resume normal operations on June 6, 2019.

Specifications
Moccasin Dam is a rockfill dam, with a structural height of  and a length of , containing  of material. The elevation at the dam crest is  above sea level. The Moccasin Reservoir has a storage capacity of , and a surface area of . The reservoir has a natural catchment area of ; however, most of its water is imported through the Hetch Hetchy Project pipelines. In order to protect the high-quality Hetch Hetchy water, local flows from Moccasin Creek are captured upstream and routed through a bypass system that discharges downstream of Moccasin Dam. The bypass includes a small hydroelectric plant with a capacity of 2.9 megawatts (MW).

The main Moccasin Powerhouse is situated at the eastern (upstream) end of the reservoir, and consists of two units with a total capacity of 100 megawatts. In 2004, the powerhouse generated 391 million Kilowatt hours (KWh). In 2009, it generated 348 million KWh. Moccasin is the furthest downstream of San Francisco's three hydroelectric plants (the others are Kirkwood, near Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Holm near Cherry Lake). Operations at all three plants are coordinated from the control room at Moccasin.

See also

List of dams and reservoirs in California

References

Dams in California
Dams completed in 1930
Rock-filled dams
Hydroelectric power plants in California
Hetch Hetchy Project
Reservoirs in Tuolumne County, California
1930 establishments in California

Moccasin Dam


Louis-Philippe Normand,  (September 21, 1863 – June 27, 1928) was a Canadian physician and politician.

Born in Trois-Rivières, Canada East, the son of Télesphore-Eusèbe Normand and Alphonsine Giroux, he received his Doctor of Medicine from Université Laval in 1886. A practicing physician, he was also mayor of Trois-Rivières. In 1911, he ran for the House of Commons of Canada in the Quebec riding of Three Rivers and St. Maurice as the Conservative candidate and was defeated. In September 1921, he was appointed President of the Privy Council in the cabinet of Arthur Meighen. He was defeated in the 1921 federal election which was held in December.

In 1922, Normand was appointed as President of the Medical Council of Canada.

He married Graziella Beaulieu and had nine children.

In 1916, a geographic township in the Mékinac Regional County Municipality was named after him, which in turn gave its name to a lake and the Lac-Normand unorganized territory.

References

External links

1863 births
1928 deaths
Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) candidates for the Canadian House of Commons
Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada
Mayors of Trois-Rivières
Université Laval alumni

Louis-Philippe Normand


The Arecibo message was a short radio message sent into space to celebrate the remodeling of the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico in 1974. It was aimed at the globular star cluster M13, about 25,000 light years from Earth. M13 was chosen because it was the right size, and was in the sky at the right time and place for the ceremony.

Dr. Frank Drake, then at Cornell University and creator of the famous Drake equation, wrote the message, with help from Carl Sagan, among others. The message was in seven parts which show:
The numbers one (1) to ten (10)
The atomic numbers of the elements hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and phosphorus, which make up deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
The formulas for the sugars and bases in the nucleotides of DNA
The number of nucleotides in DNA, and a graphic of the double helix structure of DNA
A figure of a human, the size of an average man, and the human population of Earth
The Solar System
The Arecibo Observatory and the diameter of the transmitting antenna dish

It will take 25,000 years for the message to reach the stars, and at least another 25,000 years to get any reply. This means the Arecibo message was a show of human technological achievement, not a real attempt to talk to extraterrestrial life.  The stars of M13 that the message was aimed at will no longer be in that location when the message arrives. Cornell University said on November 12, 1999, the real purpose of the message was not to make contact, but to show the power of the new equipment. (Cornell University had built and operated the radio telescope for the United States National Science Foundation.)

The message consisted of 1679 binary digits, about 210 bytes. It was transmitted at a frequency of 2380 MHz and modulated by shifting the frequency by 10 Hz, with a power of 1000 kW. The "ones" and "zeros" were transmitted by frequency shifting at the rate of 10 bits per second. The total broadcast was less than three minutes.

The cardinality of 1679 was chosen because it is a semiprime. It can be arranged as a rectangle of 73 rows by 23 columns. The other arrangement, 23 rows by 73 columns, does not produce a meaningful result. The message forms the image shown on the right, or its inverse, when translated into graphics characters and spaces.

In 2009 the band Boxcutter made an album called the Arecibo Message, which has a lot of short songs.

References

Other websites
 Arecibo Observatory Home Page

Astronomy
Telecommunications
1974 in the United States
20th century in Puerto Rico

Arecibo message


Predator 2 is a 1990 American science fiction action film written by brothers Jim and John Thomas, directed by Stephen Hopkins, and starring Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Ruben Blades, María Conchita Alonso, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Peter Hall. It is the second installment of the Predator franchise, and sequel to 1987's Predator, with Kevin Peter Hall reprising the title role of the Predator. Set ten years after the events of the first film, in Los Angeles, the film focuses on a disgruntled police officer and his allies battling a malevolent and technologically advanced extraterrestrial Predator.

Upon release, the film received generally negative reviews and earned a moderate box office return, grossing $57 million worldwide, compared to the previous film's $98 million gross on a smaller production budget. The film has been viewed more positively over time, especially for Danny Glover's performance, the direction, and the musical score, and has gained a cult following.

Plot
In 1997, Los Angeles is experiencing a heat wave and a turf war occurs between heavily armed Colombian and Jamaican drug cartels. A Predator watches a shootout between the police, Jamaicans, and Colombians, observing as Lieutenant Michael R. Harrigan charges into the firefight to rescue two wounded officers and drive the Colombians back into their hideout. The Predator assaults the Colombians, causing a disturbance that prompts Harrigan and detectives Leona Cantrell and Danny Archuleta to defy orders and enter the hideout, where they find the slaughtered Colombians. On the roof, Harrigan shoots the crazed gang leader and catches a glimpse of the camouflaged Predator, but dismisses it as a consequence of the extreme heat and his acrophobia.

At the station, Harrigan is reprimanded by his superiors for his disobedience and introduced to Special Agent Peter Keyes, leader of a task force investigating the cartels, and Detective Jerry Lambert, the newest member of Harrigan's team.

Later that evening, Jamaicans invade the Colombian drug lord's penthouse and murder him before they are murdered in turn by the Predator. Upon their arrival, Harrigan's team notes the similarities between the current crime scene and the earlier Colombian massacre until Keyes's team arrives and removes them.

Archuleta returns to conduct a solo investigation, finding one of the Predator's spear tips before the creature kills him. As an enraged Harrigan vows to stop Archuleta's killer, forensic analysis reveals the spear tip is not composed of any known element on the periodic table. Seeking answers, Harrigan meets with Jamaican drug lord King Willie, a voodoo practitioner who believes the killer is supernatural and that he should prepare himself for battle against it. Harrigan leaves before the Predator kills King Willie, taking his head as a trophy. Tracing a lead indicating Archuleta's killer had recently been in a slaughterhouse, Harrigan arranges to meet his team at the warehouse district to investigate.

Cantrell and Lambert take the subway there, but are ambushed by the Predator, who kills Lambert and numerous armed passengers but spares Cantrell after its helmet's scanners indicate that she is pregnant. Arriving in time to see it claim Lambert's head, Harrigan chases the fleeing Predator, but is intercepted by Keyes's men. Keyes reveals that the monster is an extraterrestrial hunter with infrared vision and active camouflage that has been hunting humans for sport throughout several armed conflicts, most recently one decade prior in Central America. Keyes and his team have set a trap in a nearby slaughterhouse, using thermally insulated suits with mounted ultraviolet lights and cryogenic weapons to capture it for study. Upon arrival, the suspicious Predator uses its scanners to track, outmaneuver, and slaughter Keyes's men via their lights.

Harrigan attacks and wounds the Predator, but it destroys his weapon. It nearly kills him before Keyes tries to freeze the creature, only to be bisected by the Predator's Smart Disc. The Predator chases Harrigan to the roof, where they clash until they are left hanging from a ledge. The creature activates a self-destruct device on its forearm, which Harrigan severs with the disc, disarming it. The Predator falls into an apartment, where it treats its wounds and flees. Harrigan pursues it to a spacecraft hidden underground and engages combat with the Predator before eventually killing the Predator with its disc. A group of Predators emerge to collect their dead comrade and give Harrigan an antique flintlock pistol as a trophy. As the ship takes off, Harrigan escapes to the surface and meets with the remainder of Keyes's team. Despite their lost opportunity to capture the creature, Harrigan privately muses that the Predators will return.

Cast

 Danny Glover as Lieutenant Mike Harrigan, an LAPD Officer who is investigating rival Jamaican and Colombian drug cartels. He is stubborn and often is criticized by the superior officers for not obeying orders.
 Kevin Peter Hall as City Hunter / The Predator, a member of an alien warrior race that hunts aggressive members of other species for sport, uses active camouflage and a plasma weapon, and can see in the infrared spectrum. Hall also played the Elder Predator, the leader of the Predators at the end of the film.
 Hal Rayle provides the voice of the Predator, replacing Peter Cullen from the first film.
 Gary Busey as Special Agent Peter Keyes, posed as a DEA agent leading a special task force investigating a drug conspiracy as a cover for his attempts to capture the Predator. The character is a replacement for Dutch, the protagonist of the first film, after Arnold Schwarzenegger declined to reprise the role.
 Rubén Blades as Detective Danny Archuleta, a member of Harrigan's team and a long-time friend of his.
 María Conchita Alonso as Detective Leona Cantrell, an LAPD cop involved in the Jamaican-Colombian gang wars
 Bill Paxton as Detective Jerry Lambert, an LAPD cop, transferred from another precinct into Metro Command. His role is often that of comic relief.
 Lilyan Chauvin as Dr. Irene Edwards, the chief medical examiner and forensic pathologist of Los Angeles.  She aids Harrigan, though being completely cut out of the official investigation by Keyes's team.
 Robert Davi as Deputy Chief Phil Heinemann.
 Adam Baldwin as Agent Adam Garber, a member of Keyes's task force.
 Kent McCord as Captain Brent Pilgrim, an LAPD cop, and Harrigan's immediate boss.
 Steve Kahan as Sergeant Neil Reeger, an LAPD SWAT Sergeant.
 Henry Kingi as "El Scorpio", a violent member of the Colombian Scorpions. Kingi previously appeared in the first film as an insurgent pursued by Dutch Schaefer.
 Morton Downey Jr. as Tony Pope, a journalist who reports the gruesome and murderous homicides left by the Predator. He is constantly criticized by the police for interfering with investigations.
 Calvin Lockhart as Willie "King Willie", the boss of the Jamaica Voodoo Posse. He appears to be psychic because of his voodoo beliefs.
 Sylvia Kauders as Ruth Albright, an elderly lady.
 Billy "Sly" Williams as Jackson, a paramedic.
 Jsu Garcia (Credited as Nick Corri) as Dvorkin, an LAPD detective.
 Michael Wiseman as Zinck, an LAPD officer.
 Teri Weigel as Mary, Ramon Vega's Colombian mistress.
 Thomas Rosales Jr. as El Scorpio Gang Member
 Michael Papajohn as Gang member in the subway.
 Casey Sander as an OWLFP Member
 Pat Skipper as an OWLFP Member
 Jim Ishida as A Reporter
Elpidia Carrillo reprises her role as Anna Gonsalves from the first film in a cameo appearance. She aids government agents in a videotape, showing the devastating after-effects of the first Predator's self-destruct device to the U.S. Army. Carrillo filmed an additional scene in which she talks to the camera and describes the events of the first film, but this scene was cut.

Production
Once 20th Century Fox approached Predator screenwriters Jim and John Thomas to write a sequel, they pitched six ideas, one of which was "putting the creature in an urban jungle", which the studio liked. The eventual setting was Los Angeles, blighted by gang warfare during a severe heat wave, creating the ideal "hot spot" in which the Predator hunts targets. The script was then developed in just three weeks. A goal of the sequel was to expand on the Predator's origins and motives, showing the creature has been visiting the planet for centuries, is not psychopathic, but just interested in hunting, and exploring its spacecraft's interior.

Producer Joel Silver invited director Stephen Hopkins, who drew his interest while directing A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child. As Hopkins joined production before the screenplay was finished, he worked closely with the Thomases in the script revisions and storyboarding the sequences they had written. For the lead role of LAPD police officer Harrigan, Hopkins had originally envisioned Patrick Swayze playing the role, teaming up with a returning Arnold Schwarzenegger, who starred as Dutch in the first film. Hopkins also met with Steven Seagal for the role; although the actor was interested in starring in the film and had his own ideas about the character, wanting to portray him as a CIA psychiatrist and martial arts expert, Hopkins ultimately decided against it, as he wanted the character to be an Average Joe type. Due to a dispute over salary, Schwarzenegger declined to return to the sequel, and Silver brought in three actors he had worked with in Lethal Weapon: Gary Busey, Steve Kahan, and Danny Glover, in the role of Harrigan. Production was split between location shooting, mostly at night, and soundstage filming.

The main Predator was designed to look more urban and hip than its predecessor. Design changes included tribal ornamentation on the forehead, which is steeper and shallower, brighter skin coloration, and a greater number of fangs. Describing the new Predator's design, Stan Winston said, "Broad concept's the same. The difference is, this is a different individual. A different individual of the same species. As in a snake is a snake, but different snakes are different. Their colorings are different, different parts of their characteristics, their facial structures, subtle differences." Production designer Lawrence Paull said that with the Predator ship, he attempted "a space vehicle unlike anything that had ever been designed before", a snail-shaped vessel whose interior was "both technological and reptilian, where the creature and its ship blend and work together". Given the Alien franchise is also by Fox with effects work by Winston, the crew added an Alien head among the trophy skulls in the Predator ship.

Predator 2 is set ten years after the original, which was the then-future of 1997, leading to some developments like new video technology and a nonexistent subway in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Metro Rail started operating the same year of the film's release. For the set design, Paul aimed for a "kind of retrograde future that's equal parts Brazil and Blade Runner mixed in with modern-day technology", with "big and outrageous" structures but simpler prop design, such as boxy and colorless cars.

The MPAA initially gave Predator 2 an NC-17 rating, so several cuts were made to bring it down to an R rating.

Toward the end of filming, a short unofficial music video was made, with Danny Glover dancing with the Predator and others.

Music

Alan Silvestri returned to score the sequel, conducting the Skywalker Symphony Orchestra. Whereas the first film did not have its music released until years later, a soundtrack album for the sequel was issued on December 11, 1990, from Varèse Sarabande. On December 1, 2014, the label issued Predator 2: The Deluxe Edition.

Release

Home media
Predator 2 was released on VHS and LaserDisc in 1991, on DVD in 2003, a two-disc special edition in January 2005, on Blu-ray on June 9, 2009, in North America, and 4K UHD Blu-Ray on August 7, 2018.

Reception

Box office
Released on November 21, 1990, Predator 2 was #4 at the US box office in its opening weekend, with a gross of over $8 million behind the films Dances with Wolves, Three Men and a Little Lady, Rocky V, and Twentieth Century Fox's own film Home Alone. The film grossed a total of $57 million, $30 million of which was from the United States. The worldwide box office revenue totaled $57,120,318 in ticket sales. The film became the lowest-grossing film in the Predator franchise.

Critical response

In 1990, the film's reviews were generally negative, though reviewers were generally impressed by the casting of Danny Glover as an action hero. On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film received an approval rating of 30% based on 37 reviews, with an average rating of 5/10. The site's consensus states: "The thrill of the hunt is gone in this hackneyed sequel." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 46 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.

The reviewers for The Washington Post were split: Rita Kempley enjoyed the film, saying that it had "the dismal irony of RoboCop and the brooding fatalism of Blade Runner", and that Glover "brings an unusual depth to the action-adventure and proves fiercely effective as the Predator's new nemesis". Desson Howe said the film was "blithely unoriginal" and numbingly violent, but also praised Glover's ability to bring warmth to the center of a cold film.

In her review for The New York Times, Janet Maslin called the film "an unbeatable contender" for the "most mindless, mean-spirited action film of the holiday season". Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert, in giving the film two out of four stars, suggested that it represents an "angry and ugly" dream. He said that the creatures' design had racist undertones where "subliminal clues [...] encourage us to subconsciously connect the menace with black males".

Legacy

Several retrospective reviews have considered the film underrated, and it has gained a cult following.

Later, director Stephen Hopkins said: "It's so over the top. I just sort of went for it and made the biggest, boldest, loudest movie I could make. I was only 29 years old – I was like a rampant child, running around Los Angeles, blowing the shit out of everything and making things as bloody as possible." About the modest reception at the box office and the cult status since its release, he added "It had a big initial opening weekend if I remember correctly – but I think many people were disappointed that Arnold wasn't in it. A lot of people like the film and some prefer it to the original – just because it's in a city and more contemporary."

Danny Glover was proud of his performance, saying:
I have two films I've done that I feel that I was bigger than life in, in which I felt that I could control the space. Silverado for me, and Predator 2. In Predator 2, it was like 'who's the baddest cat in your space, and the baddest cat says 'I'm gonna challenge you.' Mano y mano. I was the baddest guy in his space. What happens? I kill him, and then the others come around, and I'm like 'alright... who's next?' I was about 42, 43.. in the best shape in my life, best shape I've been in. I was running on the beach, had my training, I was lifting weights a lot more than I am now. I was really feeling it in that movie.

Other media
A third main film titled Predators was released in 2010. A fourth, The Predator in 2018, is set between the events of Predator 2 and Predators. A prequel titled Prey was released in 2022, which takes place in 1719.

A novelization written by Simon Hawke was released on December 1, 1990, by the publishing company Jove. It briefly covers the fate of Dutch from the first film. Keyes recalls memories of speaking with the battered Major while infirmed in a hospital, suffering from radiation sickness. Dutch is said to have escaped from the hospital, never to be seen again. It tells a great deal of the story from the Predator's point of view, such as its humiliation of having its mask removed by Harrigan and its reasoning for not killing Cantrell due to its discovery of her pregnancy.

The film was adapted as two video games: the first for computer in 1990 and the second for Sega Genesis in 1992.

Notes

References

External links

1990 films
1990s science fiction horror films
American sequel films
American action horror films
American science fiction action films
American science fiction horror films
1990s English-language films
Fictional portrayals of the Los Angeles Police Department
Films about Colombian drug cartels
Films set in 1997
Films set in Los Angeles
Films set in the future
Films shot in California
American police detective films
Predator (franchise) films
20th Century Fox films
Davis Entertainment films
Silver Pictures films
Films directed by Stephen Hopkins
Films produced by Lawrence Gordon
Films produced by Joel Silver
Films produced by John Davis
Films scored by Alan Silvestri
Films about extraterrestrial life
Films with screenplays by Jim Thomas (screenwriter)
Films with screenplays by John Thomas (screenwriter)
1990s American films

Predator 2


Verdú is a village and municipality in the province of Lleida, in Catalonia, Spain. It is traditionally associated with the Segarra region, but in 1936 was transferred to the comarca of Urgell.

The municipality covers 36 km2. The landscape consists of rolling hills with valleys and plains cultivated with grain, vineyards, and olive and almond trees. Small forests of pine and oak are scattered throughout the area. The Segarra-Garrigues canal and the Montblanc-Tàrrega highway both bisect the municipality, passing to the west of the town.

Today Verdú is known for wine, its traditional black pottery, its historic buildings such as its Castle and the Church of Santa Maria, its notable native St. Peter Claver, and recently its toy museum, that closed in 2013 and was converted to an art gallery.

History

The town is mentioned in a document from 1273. It is believed the name is derived from a Celtic name like Virodunum, meaning a fortress. It was subject to the Poblet monastery until 1835. The population of the municipality reached a peak of 2185 in 1887 but has since declined to 1002 in 2013.

Its history is marked by its membership the Poblet Monastery for six centuries (from 1227 to 1835). The population before the flood of 1184 was located in Cercavins, the river valley, beside a fountain and around the church of Santa Magdalena. After the flood that devastated three quarters of the old town, the lady and owner of Verdu, Berengaria of Cervera, made the villagers agree to move their houses above the floodplain, around the castle, which had begun to be built a century earlier.

In return, the villagers got walls and portals built surrounding the new town. Berengaria's son, Guillem of Cervera, sold the villa in Poblet. Under the auspices of the monastery, Verdú enjoyed many privileges and advantages, which made it succeed more than the surrounding cities, for many centuries. Evidence of this prosperity include the castle, the parish church, the whole streets and stately homes.

Economy
The economy of Verdú is dominated by the town's pottery industry, and agriculture.

Its pottery industry traditionally produces water jars, known as càntirs, made from black clay. The industry goes back to Roman times and has been documented since the 13th century. It is celebrated annually in the Firacàntir Festival on the last weekend of April.

Its agriculture consists mainly of non-irrigated cultivation of grains (barley and wheat), grapes, almonds and olives. A local agricultural cooperative produces olive oil and sends grapes to wineries for cava (Spanish wine).

Raising of pigs, cattle, sheep and rabbits is also widely practiced, and the town is an important centre for livestock fairs.

Architecture
The castle is a monumental piece of architecture. It is crowned by a cylindrical tower 25 meters tall and 25 meters in diameter, constructed in 1080. Two rooms are in the romance style of the 11 century. It is the only Catalan Gothic castle that preserves three large naves superimposed on one another. The third gothic room is Copons Abbot, recently restored, and is a Catalan Civil Gothic jewel. Around the courtyard is a gallery, with Renaissance stone steps along the tower. Downstairs, the basement was commissioned by the Verdú Cooperative, the architect being Cesar Martinell, a pupil of Antoni Gaudí, a sample of modernist architecture.

The church of Santa Maria can be dated to the late 13th century. The austerity of the Cistercian Order of the self caused it to have a single nave, but population growth led to the gradual enlargement. The image that presides over the altar stone is from the 15tyh century by Andreu Pi. It also led out the door of the sacristy. The work of the altarpiece made the painter Jaume Ferrer, one of the most famous painters in Lleida. Today, the altar is in the Episcopal Museum of Vic.

The church was expanded in accordance with the needs of the population was expanded and eventually had three naves, the central one covered with a slightly pointed barrel vault and the two sides ones gibe testimony to the time they were made. Later, the Baroque Purisima, made by Agusti Pujol in 1623, made another, in Barcelona. Another highlight is the apse of the right aisle of the church dedicated to Sant Flavia. The altarpiece disappeared during the Civil War. On the left is the tombstone consecration of the church made in 1586 by the archbishop of Tarragona, Joan Terès i Borrull, son of the town.

Also the image of St. Christ, the most valuable and most revered image in Verdú is dated from the late 13th or the early 14th century and was implored by the population of Verdú during droughts and epidemics. Also, the paintings that decorate the altar were made by the painter Jaume Minguell in 1955 and 1956. The latest work in the church has been the placement of windows, dedicated to Sant Flavia, St. Peter Claver and St. Hippolytus, in the summer of 2004. The rose window is intended as a tribute to the town.

References

External links
 Official website
 Government data pages

Populated places in Urgell
Municipalities in Urgell

Verdú


Theresa of Portugal ( or Tereza, ; Archaic Portuguese: Tarasia; 11511218) was Countess of Flanders by marriage to Philip I, Count of Flanders, and Duchess of Burgundy by marriage to Odo III, Duke of Burgundy. She was the daughter of the Portuguese king Afonso I and Matilda of Savoy.  She served as co-regent of Portugal with her brother during the illness of their father Afonso I of Portugal from 1172 until 1173, and regent of Flanders in 1191 during the interim period after the death of her spouse and the accession of his heir.

Regent of Portugal

Theresa, her brother Sancho and sister Urraca were the only children of Afonso and Matilda to survive to adulthood. Named after her paternal grandmother, Countess Theresa, she was reputedly King Afonso I's favourite.

During their father's illness, Sancho at first exercised regency alone but from 1172 he shared the government with Theresa. At that time Afonso started considering to allow Theresa to succeed to the throne, and in 1173 he declared Sancho and Theresa co-heirs. As Afonso's illness progressed, the role of the siblings increased. Sancho took over military matters, while Theresa assumed administrative functions.

Due to her proximity to the throne and fears of a loss of independence, a marriage with an Iberian lord was undesirable. Theresa thus remained unmarried until relatively late.

Countess of Flanders

Around 1183 envoys came from the County of Flanders to ask for Theresa's hand in marriage to Count Philip. Perhaps because of the difficulty of pronouncing her name, she became known as Matilda. Her marriage was celebrated (in the Tournai Cathedral, Bruges) after the death of Elisabeth of Vermandois, first wife of Philip, who hadn't given him any children, and was because Philip needed an heir so that his county wouldn't fall into French hands. For its part, Portugal, a new-born country, managed to secure an important alliance with Flanders, and European recognition. Theresa brought a considerable dowry, something that helped Philip manage his war with France for a couple of more years, before making peace in 1186. A reasonable number of Portuguese immigrants (mainly merchants) also went to Flanders with the infanta.

Matilda lived in one of the most luxurious courts of Europe, in which Philip patronized Chrétien de Troyes, author of a famous cycle of Arthurian stories and one of the fathers of the Holy Grail theme in literature.  However, like Elisabeth of Vermandois, Matilda never gave birth, and after Philip's death, the county passed to his sister, Margaret I, and her husband, Baldwin VIII.

After Philip's death in August 1191, Matilda, holding extensive dower lands in southern and coastal Flanders, was powerful enough to challenge the rule of her sister-in-law and brother-in-law, provoking unrest among the public in her dower lands by raising the taxes and becoming a central figure of the part of the nobility opposing the succession of Margaret and Baldwin, but was forced to relent.

Duchess of Burgundy

In 1193, Matilda married again, this time to Odo III, Duke of Burgundy. Her second marriage produced no children, and so, she ended up being repudiated by the Duke, so that he could marry Alice of Vergy. She returned to Flanders and would be instrumental in arranging the marriage of her nephew Ferdinand to Margaret I and Baldwin VIII's granddaughter, Joan, Countess of Flanders.

She died when her carriage accidentally fell into a marsh near Veurne where she drowned.

She is celebrated in Bruges every year.

References

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1151 births
1218 deaths
House of Burgundy-Portugal
Portuguese infantas
Countesses of Flanders
Duchesses of Burgundy
People from Coimbra
12th-century Roman Catholics
13th-century Roman Catholics
12th-century Portuguese people
12th-century Portuguese women
12th-century French people
12th-century French women
12th-century women rulers
12th-century women from the county of Flanders
12th-century people from the county of Flanders
13th-century women from the county of Flanders
13th-century people from the county of Flanders
Daughters of kings
Remarried royal consorts

Theresa of Portugal, Countess of Flanders


Stanisław Warszycki of Abdank coat of arms (c. 1600 – 1680/1681) was a noble (szlachcic) and magnate in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Starosta of Piotrków, Voivode of Mazowsze (1630–1651), Castellan of Cracow (from 1651). He was known for his loyalty to his king and country, and gained fame as a good military commander and especially as a keen investor dedicated to developing his lands, but there are also many legends about his cruelty — although it is likely many of the latter were spread by his enemies. There are now several places in Poland which claim his ghost appears there.

Biography
In his youth he studied at the University of Padua.

He was known for his interest in economics of his estates. He ordered the creation of many fishing ponds and canals, as well as manufactures: his estates supported several cloth and pottery manufacturers and brick factories. He encouraged the immigration of foreign craftsman to his estates. However it also appears that he or some of his overseers were responsible for some serfs' unrest; there are also legends of his cruelty towards the peasantry.

In 1632 he married Helena Wiśniowiecka, daughter of Konstanty Wiśniowiecki. Her dowry included estates at Pilica and Smoleńsk. They had one son, Jan Kazimierz Warszycki, and two daughters, Anna Helena and Teresa.

From 1632 he fortified his village of Danków to such an extent (moat, wall with towers) that it withheld the Swedish assault during the Swedish invasion of Poland. It was possibly not attacked by them, and remained Warszycki base of operations for the duration of the war.  It was probably the only fortified village in the entire country.  In his manor at Danków he received prominent personalities of his era, including king of Poland Jan II Kazimierz, queen Ludwika Maria Gonzaga, hetman Stefan Czarniecki (however, some sources indicate he received them at Pilica or Ogrodzienic), and other senators of Poland (he, as a voivode and later castellan, was a senator himself). Danków fortifications remained a notable place long after Warszycki's death, but by the 19th century the castle was in ruins and today only ruins of outer walls remain.

In 1651 he expanded the fortifications at Pilica castle. He is generally known for constructing, rebuilding or expanding many fortifications in his dominions. He also sponsored the construction of at least one church and donated money to the Jagiellonian University.

He remained loyal to the Polish state during the war with Sweden (when many powerful magnates defected to the Swedish side). He recaptured the castle at Pilica from the Swedish commander Lindorn. He relieved his manor at Danków and forced the Swedes to retreat from Krzepice and Ogrodzieniec. He took part in the defence of Częstochowa, where Swedes laid siege to the Jasna Góra Monastery. Stanisław sent some of his men with provisions (cows) and 12 cannons to defend the monastery.

During the Polish counteroffensive against the Swedes he took part in the fights against the Swedes in Siewierszczyzna (Severia). At some point he was ambushed by another magnate, Orzechowski. Warszycki barely escaped with his life and sued Orzechowski before the Crown Tribunal.  Despite royal support for Orzechowski, Warszycki succeeded in securing a death penalty for his enemy. Although he gave Orzechowski the chance to evade the penalty if he would renounce his faith (he was a Polish brother), Orzechowski refused and consequently was executed by a firing squad.

In 1669 he bought from  for 267,000 zlotys estates at Ogrodzieniec, Bydlin, Włodowice, Kromołów, Zawiercie, and silver mines near Olkusz.  He spent much of his fortune rebuilding what was damaged during the Swedish invasion, including the castle at Ogrodzieniec.

He was known as a mediator and was active in the politics of Poland. Once, when an illness made him too weak to move, he ordered to be carried from Radom to Pilica to a Sejm (session of Polish parliament).

His and his wife's epitaphs are to be found in Jasna Góra.

Folklore
Warszycki became a rather prominent character in many legends. Danków was said to have vast dungeons filled with treasures and in contemporary Poland there were stories that Warszycki sold his soul to the Devil to enlist his help in the construction of the fortifications. The Devil supposedly took him to hell before he died.

His enemies also accused him of being cruel to his peasants; in Ogrodzienic he presumably constructed a 'cave of tortures'. Another story tells of how he became furious that his wife received a male guest, and suspecting them of an affair, blew up part of the castle.  According to a variant of that story, he immured the unfaithful wife, before blowing up that part of the castle.  Another just limits the penalty to public flagellation. An alternative reason for his cruelty against his wife is that she attempted to poison him. Yet another story describes his greedy side and how he promised his daughter, Barbara, a dowry and then gave her nothing out of greed and spite.  Or, in yet another variant, he had nothing to give because his treasures mysteriously disappeared.  Whether he hid them, or they were stolen, or the devil took them... who knows.

Many of his former possessions have legends centered around him being a ghost. He haunts especially the Ogrodzienic and Olsztyn castles, with chains, black dogs, and various accessories (sources vary).

On the other hand, there is a story about a great feast he once held for the poor people. He invited them to his castle in Pilica, ordered them to take a bath and gave them clean clothes. The source seems to indicate he also sponsored a charity in Pilica. To make matters more confusing, a female ghost immured in the castle is also rumored to appear at Pilica; her connection to Warszycki family is not known.

There is at least one story connected to his son, Jan Kazimierz, telling he was an extreme womanizer and his first wife left him on the very day of their marriage.

It is unknown if any of those stories bear much truth, they may also be connected to other members of his family, several of which also bore his name.

At least one story  gives the year 1697 for the event, thus it would most certainly be related to a later Stanisław Warszycki. This story tells how that Stanisław wanted to buy a certain village. When its owner refused, Stanisław invited him and held a series of feasts and festivals for the guests over the period of several weeks. When the other noble returned home, he discovered that Warzycki's people have moved the entire village to his lands. When he returned to complain, Warszycki paid him a good price but refused to return the villagers.

References

 WARSZYCKI STANISŁAW - zm. 1680
 Danków 3 Photos
 Legends about Warszycki - a good compilation of many legends found throughout the 'net

External links
Portrait

Secular senators of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
1600s births
1680s deaths
Polish ghosts
17th-century Polish nobility
People from Sandomierz

Stanisław Warszycki


A keystone species is a species which has a big effect on its environment relative to its numbers.  The ecosystem depends on them, and would be much changed if they were not there. This is because they affect many other organisms in the ecosystem. They affect the types and numbers of other species in the community.

Some sea stars (e.g. Pisaster ochraceus) prey on sea urchins, mussels, and other shellfish that have no other natural predators. If the sea star is removed from the ecosystem, the mussel population explodes uncontrollably. This drives out most other species. The urchin population grows likewise, and destroys coral reefs. Living coral reefs are the habitat for many hundreds of other species.

Some other examples of keystone species are the sea otter, horseshoe crab, and wolves. Sea otters and kelp depend on each other. Without the sea otter, sea urchins would destroy the kelp, and much else in the ecosystem.

References

Ecology

Keystone species


Golden Retrievers are a very popular kind of dog. When the breed was first created, they were used for hunting. Now, they are sometimes used for hunting, but a lot of people like to have them as pets because they are very friendly. People also like them because their face looks like they are smiling all the time. Because they are so friendly, Golden Retrievers cannot be used as guard dogs, but they are good as drug dogs at airports and very good as service dogs for the blind (People who cannot see). They also like people, so when they are left alone for too long, they get very sad. Golden retrievers make very good pets because they are friendly and playful.

About Goldens
Golden Retrievers are very good family dogs because they are extremely sweet and gentle with young children and do not bark very much. They are known for having a "soft mouth," and some have even been seen carrying raw eggs in their mouth without breaking them. Goldens are well known for their calm and easy-going temperament. They are great family dogs and provide good companionship. They are very smart and eager to please, which allows them to be easily trained. Golden Retrievers are very active dogs and need a lot of exercise. Goldens make wonderful pets, but they must exercise regularly to prevent weight gain and improve overall health. They require a great deal of grooming, as they shed hair daily. Goldens also enjoy the cool water.

Temperament
Goldens are reliable, outgoing, intelligent, energetic, playful, and loving, especially when socialized well from a young age. This makes them popular family pets for many. Known for their trainability, loyalty, and easy-going nature, they make a great candidate for working dog roles, such as hunting workers, assistance dogs, guides for the blind, great swimmers, therapy dogs, search-and-rescue dogs, and even bomb detectors!

Look
A good Golden Retriever has a strong body and a long coat that is mainly yellow or gold. Their fur even stops water because it has two special layers, one short and one long. They always have brown eyes and can show a lot of emotions with them. When they get old, their face turns white, but when they are young, they should not have any white on them. A normal male dog weighs 29-34 kilograms (65-75 pounds) and a normal female dog weighs 25-29 kilograms (55-65 pounds). From their front paws to their upper back, they are about 56-61 centimetres (22-24 inches) tall.

Coat
From light cream to almost red, goldens come in all shades of gold. In fact, identifying their color is one of the ways how Golden Retrievers can vary from each other. There are slight color variations between Goldens. Unlike Labradors that has three very distinct colors, Goldens tend to stay within a limited spectrum. There are generally three classifications of gold.

These include light golden (including cream-colored), golden, dark golden (but not red). This spectrum is strict, particularly for show dogs. If a Golden falls outside of this color range, it will not be registered with the American Kennel Club or it cannot compete.

Activities
As said earlier, Goldens are used a lot for people who cannot see, but they are also used for obedience trials and as assistant dogs for people who have seizures or cannot hear. They are very good at smelling things, so they are also good for hunting. The second part of their name, retriever, is very true because they love to fetch things for their people! Goldens love to catch tennis balls and frisbees. Goldens also enjoy the water.

Kinds
There are two different kinds of Golden Retrievers: show dogs and field dogs. Show dogs have very long hair and a lighter color, but field dogs have a lot more differences. They have short hair and can have any shade of hair. Because they have shorter hair, it is easier to brush them because they do not get as many things caught in it.

Health
Like a lot of purebred dogs, Goldens can have bad health. A big problem for Goldens is hip dysplasia, which makes the dog's bones hurt at its hips. Also, a lot of Goldens have skin allergies, so people have to be very careful to not wash the dog too much and make sure that it does not get fleas. It is also important to clean a Goldens ears regularly because their long ears do not give the ear canal a chance to breathe. Goldens also have problems with their eyes sometimes, but it's mostly when they get older.It is important when purchasing a new Golden Retriever puppy to review the medical history of their parents. Oftentimes "backyard breeders" have been known to over breed or breed dogs with health problems. A reputable breeder should be able to supply the most current health records for the dogs which they are breeding.

History
Golden Retrievers were developed by Lord Tweedmouth in Scotland. He took a yellow dog and another dog called a Tweed Water Spaniel, which is a dog that does not exist anymore. All Golden Retrievers are related to these two dogs. The breed was created to be stronger than other retrievers but more gentle with people so they could be trained very easily. Because of their popularity, the breed was shipped to America and Canada. There, they were evolved further, leading to cosmetic differences in the breed. Each country developed them to their liking.

In 1903, the breed was added to the list of the Kennel Club of England. The Golden Retriever became the most popular breed in the U.S. In 1925, Golden Retrievers were first registered by the American Kennel Club and in 1927, they were recognised by the Canadian Kennel Club. A little later, the Golden Retriever Club of America was founded in 1938.

Popular Golden Retrievers
Golden Retriever called 'Liberty' belonged to United States President Gerald R. Ford.  This breed was in many films and TV series, including: Air Bud and Air Bud: Golden Receiver, Full House, Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey and Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco,Fluke, Napoleon, Up, Pushing Daisies, and The Drew Carey Show.  A dog called Cash from The Fox and the Hound 2 was a mix of Golden Retriever and other breed.

References

Other websites

 Golden Retriever France "Hubac de Gaget"
 The absolute Golden Retriever guide
 Golden retriever puppies information

 Golden Retriever History
Dog breeds originating in Scotland
FCI breeds

Golden Retriever