The MIT  Senseable City Laboratory is a digital laboratory within MIT's City Design and Development group, within the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, which works in collaboration with the MIT Media Lab. The lab aims to investigate and anticipate how digital technologies are changing the way people live and their implications at the urban scale.

History and description
Director Carlo Ratti founded the Senseable City Lab in 2004.

Its mission statement says that it seeks to creatively intervene and investigate the interface between people, technologies and the city. The Lab's work draws on diverse fields such as urban planning, architecture, design, engineering, computer science, natural science and economics to capture the multi-disciplinary nature of urban problems and deliver research and applications that empower citizens to make choices to make a better liveable urban experience. Among the Lab's partners are a group of corporations, including AT&T, General Electric, Audi, ENEL, SNCF  as well as cities such as Copenhagen, London, Singapore, Seattle, and Florence.

Projects have included "The Copenhagen Wheel", which debuted at the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, "Trash_Track" shown at the Architectural League of New York and the Seattle Public Library,  "New York Talk Exchange" featured in the MoMA The Museum of Modern Art, and Real Time Rome, included in the 2006 Venice Biennale of Architecture.

In 2010 the lab opened a new research center in Singapore as part of a $35 million MIT-led initiative on the Future of Urban Mobility.

Approach
The Senseable City Lab begins its project and research work with a vision for an urban future, or "urban demo". This vision is tailored to a particular city's needs and can be motivated by the challenges a place may be confronting, or by opportunities for providing new experiences or services due to advances in digital technologies. Urban demos are designed to be showcased at large public events and exhibitions to stimulate debate between citizens, public administrators, and industry. Following an urban demo, the Lab typically engages in more traditional academic research - analyzing the data that has been collected and producing research papers.

Achievements

Since 2004, the Senseable City Lab has grown rapidly reaching 35 completed projects by 2009 with a turnover of 63 researchers from all over the world. Lab researchers have produced 166 scientific publications in high-impact academic journals such as "Eigenplaces: analysing cities using the space-time structure of the mobile phone network". The Lab's design work has been exhibited in some of the world's leading venues including the Venice Biennale, MoMA The Museum of Modern Art, the 2008 Zaragoza World Expo, the Architectural League of New York, Design Museum Barcelona, the Canadian Centre for Architecture and the MIT Museum. The Lab's work have been recognized in TIME Magazine's Best Invention of the Year 2007, Esquire Magazine's Best and Brightest 2008, Blueprint Magazine's List of 25 Who Will Change the World of Design in 2010, and Thames and Hudson's 2009 List of Innovators Shaping Our Creative Future. In January 2009, Director Carlo Ratti represented the Lab as a delegate to the World Economic Forum in Davos. In 2011, he presented at TED in Longbeach.

Treepedia
Treepedia is a Senseable City Lab project whose goal is to raise awareness of urban forests. It uses digital vision techniques based on Google Street View images. Its focus is on street trees rather than those in parks. The open-source library, stored on GitHub, includes all the Python programming code to allow anyone to use it to calculate tree cover (measured as Green View Index, or GVI) for their own city or region.

References

External links
MIT Senseable City Lab

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Urban studies and planning schools

MIT Senseable City Lab


Kristopher Michael Pooley (born October 30, 1976) is an American rock musician from Detroit. He toured with Gwen Stefani as her keyboardist, programmer, and musical director. He is also the music director for Katy Perry, Kesha, Demi Lovato, Adam Lambert, Børns, Rita Ora and has toured with Jane's Addiction, Kenna, Justincase, Liz Phair, Siouxsie Sioux, Nick Lachey, The Vandals, Smashing Pumpkins, Morrissey, and Melissa Etheridge. Also a TV music producer, he has produced music for Glee, The American Bible Challenge, American Horror Story, The Glee Project, and The New Normal. On February 1, 2015, he was the music director for Super Bowl XLIX halftime featuring Katy Perry.

He married Smashing Pumpkins bassist Ginger Reyes in Los Angeles on June 22, 2008. He played with the Smashing Pumpkins during their fall 2008 tour including their performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Scream Awards on G4.

It was announced in January 2018 that Kris Pooley is the new music director for American Idol on ABC.

References

External links

Living people
1976 births
Musicians from Detroit
American rock keyboardists
21st-century American keyboardists
American Idol

Kristopher Pooley


Bulong is an abandoned town in Western Australia located  east of Perth in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.

In 1893 a group of prospectors, Hogan, Henry, Holmes, Kennedy and Turnbull, discovered gold on a lease they were granted called IOU.

A surveyor named G. Hamilton was given instructions to design the town layout in 1894, which was to be named IOU. Hamilton suggested the name be changed to the Indigenous Australian name of a nearby spring called Bulong.

The townsite was gazetted in 1895.

On the back of gold mining the population of the town grew to 620 by 1900, and it boasted large number of businesses including several hotels, bakeries, accountants, butchers and stores. The town also had a hospital, school, police station, telegraph station and post office. The town's water supply was obtained from Lake Yindarlagooda, condensed on the lake's banks then pumped to the top of Mount Stuart to gravity feed to the town. It had its own newspaper, the Bulong Bulletin, from 1897 to 1898. Hotels included the Bulong Hotel (on the corner of Reid and Colin Streets), the Court Hotel, Globe Hotel and Grand Hotel. Bulong Post Office opened on 2 January 1896, was downgraded to a receiving office on 1 July 1921 and again to a telephone office on 1 October 1924, and closed on 30 August 1956.

A nickel mine and processing plan, the Bulong Nickel Mine, operated near the old town site and was sold to Lionore in 2005. Lionore planned to upgrade the plant to process 10,000 tonnes of ore per year but were also investigating using water based technology to process 40,000 tonnes per year.

Bulong had its own local government at its height: the Municipality of Bulong existed from 1896 to 1909 and the Bulong Road District from 1899 to 1911.

References

Goldfields-Esperance
Ghost towns in Western Australia

Bulong, Western Australia


Apple Card is a credit card created by Apple Inc. and issued by Goldman Sachs, designed primarily to be used with Apple Pay on an Apple device such as an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac. Currently, it is available only in the United States, with 6.7 million American cardholders in early 2022.

History
On August 6, 2019, invitations to an early preview started being sent to randomly selected users who had previously signed up for email notifications ahead of Apple Card's official launch. It was released in the United States on August 20, 2019. Additional cardholders and joint accounts were not supported at its launch.

The card features a number of consumer-friendly features including no fees, software that encourages users to avoid debt or pay it down quickly, the industry's lowest interest rate range for comparable cards, and a mandate to approve as many iPhone users as possible. These features are seen as being risky for a bank to take on, and led other banks with established consumer credit card operations including Apple's long time partner Barclays, along with Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Synchrony, to turn down Apple's proposal. Goldman Sachs defended the terms of the deal saying they were "thrilled" with the partnership and seeking "to disrupt consumer finance by putting the customer first."

Apple Card was announced at an Apple Special Event on March 25, 2019. Unlike previous special events which have historically served as platforms to announce upcoming hardware, this event focused on new internet software and services. Other services announced at the event include Apple TV+, Apple News+, and Apple Arcade.

On April 20, 2021, Apple announced that it would be introducing joint accounts and additional cardholders. These features have been introduced under the brand Apple Card Family. Individuals 18 years and older can be co-owners of the account, while individuals 13 years and older can be additional cardholders. Up to five individuals may be additional cardholders or co-owners.

In January 2023, Bloomberg reported that Goldman Sachs suffered $1 billion in losses because of the card.

On , Apple began offering a high-yield savings account backed by Goldman Sachs to Apple Card users.
The Wall Street Journal reported in June 2023 that Goldman Sachs had entered into discussions with American Express to explore the possibility that American Express might take over the partnership, replacing Goldman.

Enrollment

Instant issuance
Users can apply for an Apple Card directly from within the Wallet app. Upon approval, a digital Apple Card is made available immediately on all of the user's devices. Users also can order a physical card for use at locations that do not accept contactless payments.

The physical card does not display numbers on the front; instead, users receive a 16-digit virtual card number for websites and apps that do not accept Apple Pay. Apple Card details are accessible in the user's iCloud Keychain and can be auto-filled into online forms.

Titanium card
Apple has designed a titanium Apple Card for shopping at locations where Apple Pay contactless payment is not accepted. The logos on the card are engraved, and the cardholder's name is laser-etched onto the card. The card has no card number, CVV security code, expiration date, or signature printed on the card.

On delivery, users with the iPhone XS and above can activate the physical card by moving their phone near a NFC tag concealed within the card's packaging. Users with an iPhone X or earlier need to open the Wallet app before tapping the phone against the card.

Features

Cashback
Regular purchases made using the physical card earn 1%, purchases made with Apple Pay earn 2%, and purchases at Apple Stores and selected partners earn 3%. Cashback on eligible purchases is deposited into the customer's Apple Cash account, or deposited in the customer's Apple Card Savings Account, or applied as a statement credit.

Fees
Apple Card does not charge late, foreign transaction, returned payment, or annual credit card fees, but it does generate interest fees when carrying a balance and interchange fees charged to the vendor.

Apple Card Savings

Launched on April 17, 2023, it allows Apple Card owners & co-owners to open a 4.15% savings account to deposit their Daily Cash, with no fees and no minimum balance.

Card management
The Wallet app collates Apple Card transactions by category and provides weekly and monthly activity summaries. Apple Maps is used to provide a colour-coded category, map location, and contact details for the merchant (where available).

Privacy and security

A unique card number is created for each device and is stored in a secure element which is used by Apple Pay to handle transactions and on-device cryptographic functions. Each transaction uses its own one-time dynamic security code and is authorized with Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode.

As with Apple Cash, transaction history for Apple Card is stored on and synced across devices using iCloud and encrypted such that only the authorized account holder can view it. Two-factor authentication must be enabled on the user's Apple ID account in order to apply for Apple Card.

Partnerships
For Apple Card's initial US launch, Goldman Sachs assumed the role of the issuing bank, while Mastercard served as the payment network.

Reception
In March 2020, about 3.1 million Americans held the Apple Card. That number has grown to 6.7 million cardholders as of early 2022. Six in ten Apple Card users use it as their primary credit card.

On October 1, 2019, MarketWatch published an article stating that Goldman Sachs is not reporting payments to the credit reporting agencies.  The article suggests that Apple and Goldman Sachs rushed development of the card, and that the companies would fix the issue over time.

On November 7, 2019, David Heinemeier Hansson posted on Twitter that he was given 20 times the credit limit than was offered to his wife despite her having a better credit score. He accused Goldman Sachs of gender discrimination by using algorithms to determine a person's credit limit. Apple's co-founder Steve Wozniak also tweeted that he received ten times the credit limit that his wife was offered. In response to Hansson's tweets, the New York State Department of Financial Services launched an investigation into Goldman Sachs's practices.

On March 23, 2021, the New York State Department of Financial Services issued a report summarizing its findings after investigating consumer complaints about the Apple Card. The investigation, which included a review of several thousand pages of records and written responses from Goldman Sachs Bank and Apple, interviews of witnesses and Apple Card applicants, and analysis of underwriting data for approximately 400,000 New York State applicants for the Apple Card, did not produce evidence of unlawful discrimination against applicants under fair lending law.

References

External links

Financial services companies established in 2019
2019 introductions
Apple Inc. services
Contactless smart cards
Credit cards in the United States

Apple Card


Ana Guțu (born 13 March 1962) is a Moldovan politician, who served as Member of the Parliament of Moldova from 2009 to 2014.

Biography
Ana Guțu was born on 13 March 1962 in the village of Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Cahul, Cahul District in the family of Romanian language and history teachers Valentina Petrov-Sârghi and Pavel Petrov. In 1979 she graduated secondary school No.2 with gold medal, currently Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu high school in Cahul. In 1984 she graduated the Faculty of Foreign Languages with special mention, the French language and literature specialty, the State University of Moldova (USM), in 1985-1990 the Doctorate at the USM, the Department of French Philology. The theme of the doctoral thesis is "The systemic and functional aspect of the antonyms (based on French literary works)", under the scientific wand of the doctor habilitat professor Grigore Cincilei.

Political activity
Guțu has been a member of the Parliament of Moldova since May 2009 until 2014 during the XVII, XVIII and XIXth legislatures. She was elected in April 2009 election and July 2009 election.

She has been a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe since 28 September 2009. From October 2009 until June 2011 he was the head of the Delegation of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), and from May 2011 the head of the Delegation of the Moldovan Parliament to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie. From 22 January 2013, she is Deputy Chairman of the PACE Commission for the Regulation, Immunities and Institutional Affairs, in 2014 becomes the Chair of the Committee on Culture, Education, Research and Media, PACE, and from May 2013 until 2014 was Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission for Foreign Policy and European integration.

Since June 2013, Ana Gutu is the vice-president of the PACE Alliance of Liberals and Democrats.

In January 2013, the political crisis related to the hunting in the Princely Forest broke out, where Sorin Paciu was shot. As a result of this crisis, the Second Filat Cabinet falls, and PL leader Mihai Ghimpu refuses to vote for a new pro-European government on the eve of the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where Moldova was to sign the Association Agreement with the EU. 7 deputies from the Liberal Party split out of the 12 and vote for the pro-European government headed by Iurie Leanca. They are expelled from the Liberal Party and later founded the Liberal Reformist Party.

Awards
 Professor Magna cum Laudae al ULIM, 1999;
 Ordinul ULIM 2002,
 Ordinul "Gloria Muncii", 2002;
 Medalia "ULIM - 15 ani de ascensiune", 2007.
 Order Star of Romania, 2014
 Ordinul Republicii, 2014

References

External links

 Ana GUȚU
 Mme Ana GUȚU
 Site-ul Parlamentului Republicii Moldova
 Site-ul Partidului Liberal
 Personal blog

1962 births
Romanian people of Moldovan descent
Living people
Moldova State University alumni
Liberal Party (Moldova) MPs
Moldovan MPs 2009–2010
Moldovan MPs 2009
Moldovan female MPs
Recipients of the Order of Work Glory
Romanian Popular Party politicians
21st-century Moldovan women politicians
Women philologists
Moldovan philologists

Ana Guțu


Ghent (; , ; , ; an umwhile Gaunt in Inglis; frae the Classic Laitin term Candia or Gandia meanin landlock bi the confluence o rivers bi the union o the Celtic term "Cand" an Laitin "ia" land) is a ceity an a municipality locatit in the Flemish Region o Belgium. It is the caipital an biggest ceity o the East Flanders province. The ceity stairtit as a dounset at the confluence o the Rivers Scheldt an Lys an in the Middle Ages became ane o the lairgest an richest ceities o northren Europe. The day it is a busy ceity wi a port an a universite.  Awtho mony o Belgium's visitors owerleuk Ghent, its beauty is aften compared tae the mair well-kent Bruges.

The municipality comprises the ceity o Ghent proper an the touns o Afsnee, Desteldonk, Drongen, Gentbrugge, Ledeberg, Mariakerke, Mendonk, Oostakker, Sint-Amandsberg, Sint-Denijs-Westrem, Sint-Kruis-Winkel, Wondelgem an Zwijnaarde. Wi 262,219 indwallers in the beginnin o 2019, Ghent is Belgium's seicont lairgest municipality bi nummer o indwallers. The metropolitan aurie, includin the ooter commuter zone, covers an aurie o 1,205 km2 (465 sq mi) an haes a tot population o 594,582 as o 1 Januar 2008, which ranks it as the fowert maist muckle in Belgium.

History

Airchaeological evidence shows human presence in the region o the confluence o Scheldt an Lys goin back as far as the Stane Age an the Iron Age. Maist historians believe that the aulder name for Ghent, 'Ganda', is derived frae the Celtic wird 'ganda' which means confluence. Thare are nae written records o the Roman period but airchaeological research confirms that the region o Ghent wis further inhabitit.

When the Franks invadit the Roman territories (frae the end o the 4t century an well intae the 5t century) thay brocht thair leid wi them an Celtic an Laitin wur replaced bi Auld Dutch.

Aroond 650 Saunt Amand foondit twae abbeys in Ghent: the Saunt Peter Abbey an the St. Bavo's Abbey. The ceity grew frae several nuclei, the abbeys an a commercial centre. Aroond 800 Louis the Pious, son o Charlemagne, appointit Einhard, the biographer o Charlemagne, as abbot o baith abbeys. In 851 an 879 the ceity wis housomeivver attacked an plundered twice bi the Vikings.

The ceity recovered an flourished frae the 11t century on. Till the 13t century Ghent wis the biggest ceity in Europe efter Paris; it wis bigger than Lunnon, Cologne or Moscow. Athin the ceity waws lived up tae 65,000 fowk. The day, the belfry an the touers o the Saunt Bavo Cathedral an Saunt Nicholas' Kirk are juist a few ensaumples o the skyline o the period.

The rivers flowed in an aurie whaur a lot o land wis periodically inundatit. Thir richly grassed 'meersen' ("water-meadows": a wird relatit tae the Inglis 'marsh', but no meanin exactly the same: a 'meers' is no permanently unner water) wur ideally suitit for herdin sheep, the oo o which wis uised for makkin cloth. In fact, Ghent wis, durin the Middle Ages, the maist important ceity for cloth.

The oo industry, orieeginally established at Bruges, creatit the first European industrialized zone in Ghent in the Heich Middle Ages. The mercantile zone wis sae heichlie developed that oo haed tae be importit frae Scotland an Ingland. This wis ane o the reasons for Flanders' guid relationship wi Scotland an Ingland. Ghent wis the birthplace o John o Gaunt, Duke o Lancaster. The tred wi Ingland (but no Scotland) suffered significantly durin the Hunder Years' War.

The ceity recovered in the 14t century, while Flanders wis unitit wi neighbourin provinces unner the Dukes o Burgundy. Heich taxes led tae a rebellion an eventually the Battle o Gavere in 1453, in which Ghent suffered a terrible defeat at the haunds o Philip the Guid. Aroond this time the centre o poleetical an social importance in the Law Kintras stairtit tae shift frae Flanders (Bruges–Ghent) tae Brabant (Antwerp–Brussels), awtho Ghent wad continue tae play an important role.

In 1500 Juana o Castile gae birth tae Charles V, who became Holy Roman Emperor an Keeng o Spain. Awtho native tae Ghent, he punished the ceity efter the 1539 Revolt o Ghent an obliged the ceity's nobles tae walk in front o the emperor barefuit wi a noose (Dutch: strop) aroond the neck; syne this incident, the fowk o Ghent hae been cried "Stroppendragers" (noose bearers). The Saunt Bavo Abbey wis abolished, torn doun, an replaced wi a fortress for Spainyie troops. Anerlie a sma portion o the abbey wis spared demolition.

The late 16t an the 17t century brocht devastation acause o the Releegious wars. At ane time Ghent wis a Calvinistic republic, but eventually the Spainyie airmy reinstatit Catholicism. The wars endit the role o Ghent as a centre o internaitional importance. In 1745 the ceity wis captured bi French forces durin the War o the Austrian Succession afore bein returned tae Austrick follaein the Treaty o Aix-la-Chapelle.

In the 18t an 19t century the textile industry flourished again in Ghent. In 1800 Lieven Bauwens, haein smuggled the plans oot o Ingland, introduced the first mechanical weavin machine on the European continent.

Ghent wis the steid o the signin o the Treaty o Ghent which formally endit the War o 1812 atween Breetain an the Unitit States an aw. Efter the battle o Waterloo Ghent became a pairt o the Unitit Kinrick o the Netherlands for 15 years. In this period Ghent established its awn universite (1817) an a new connection tae the sea (1824–27).

Efter the Belgian Revolution, wi the loss o port access tae the sea for mair nor a decade, the local economy collapsed an the first Belgian tred-union oreeginatit in Ghent. In 1913 thare wis a Warld exhibition in Ghent. As a preparation for thir festivities, the Sint-Pieters railway station wis completit in 1912.

Geography

Municipality

Efter the 1965 an 1977 fusions the ceity is made up o:
I Ghent
II Mariakerke
III Drongen
IV Wondelgem
V Sint-Amandsberg
VI Oostakker
VII Desteldonk
VIII Mendonk
IX Sint-Kruis-Winkel
X Ledeberg
XI Gentbrugge
XII Afsnee
XIII Sint-Denijs-Westrem
XIV Zwijnaarde

Neighbourin municipalities
 Wachtebeke
 Lochristi
 Destelbergen
 Melle
 Merelbeke
 De Pinte
 Sint-Martens-Latem
 Deinze
 Nevele
 Lovendegem
 Evergem
 Zelzate

Tourism

Airchitectur
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Hintle o the cety's medieval airchitectur remains intact an is remarkably well preserved an restored. Its centre is the lairgest carfree aurie in Belgium. Interestin heichlichts are the Saint Bavo Cathedral wi the Ghent Altarpiece, the belfry, the Gravensteen castle, an the splendid airchitectur alang the auld Graslei harbour. Ghent established a nice blend atween comfort o livin an history – it is no a ceity-museum. The ceity o Ghent hooses three béguinages an numerous kirks an aw, amang which the Saunt-James' kirk, the Saunt-Nicolas' kirk an the Saunt Michael's Kirk are the maist bonnie ensaumples.

In the nineteent century Ghent's maist famous airchitect, Louis Roelandt, biggit the universite haw Aula, the opera hoose an the main courthoose. Heichlichts o modren airchitectur are the universite biggins (the Boekentoren or Beuk Touer) bi Henry Van de Velde. Thare are an' a' a few theatres frae diverse periods.

The beguinages, as well as the belfry an adjacent cloth haw, wur recognised bi UNESCO as Warld Heritage Steids in 1998 an 1999.

Museums
Important museums in Ghent are the Museum voor Schone Kunsten (Museum o Fine Airts), wi paintins bi Hieronymus Bosch, Peter Paul Rubens, an mony Flemish maisters; the SMAK or Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst (Ceity Museum for Contemporary Airt), wi wirks o the 20t century, includin Joseph Beuys an Andy Warhol; an the Design Museum wi maisterpieces o Victor Horta an Le Corbusier. The Huis van Alijn (Hoose o the Alijn faimily) wis oreeginally a beguinage an is nou a museum for fowk airt whaur theatre an puppet shows for childer are presentit. The Museum voor Industriële Archeologie en Textiel or MIAT displays the industrial strength o Ghent wi recreations o wirkshops an stores frae the 1800s an oreeginal spinnin an weavin machines that remain frae the time when the biggin wis a weavin mill. STAM, the new Ghent Ceity Museum, is committit tae recordin an explainin the past o the ceity an its indwallers, an tae preserve the present for futur generations.

Restaurants an culinary traditions
As wi maist Belgian ceities, Ghent affers a rich variety o local an foreign cuisine. The ceity centre an quarter cried "Patershol" haes a huge concentration o restaurants. The "Sleepstraat" a little bit further north hooses a nummer o Turkis restaurants an fuid bars. Bi contrast, restaurants are rather spairse ayont the "historic centre".

In Ghent an ither regions o East Flanders, bakeries sell a donut-shaped bun cried a "mastel" (plural "mastellen"), which is basically a bagel. "Mastellen" are cried "Saunt Hubert bread" an aw, acause on the Saunt's feast day, which is 3 November, the bakers bring thair batches tae the early Mass tae be blessed. Tradeetionally, it is thocht that blessed mastellen immunize against rabies.

As wi mony auries o northren Belgium the diet centres aroond herty stews an soups. Flemish beef stew (stoverij) is available amaist aawhere as is "Waterzooi", a local stew oreeginally made frae freshwater fish caught in the rivers an creeks o Ghent, but nouadays aften made wi chicken insteid o fish. It is uisually served nouvelle-cuisine-style, an will be supplemented bi a lairge pot on the side.

The ceity promotes a meat-free day on Thursdays cried Donderdag Veggiedag wi vegetarian fuid bein promotit in public canteens for ceevil servants an electit cooncillors, in aw ceity fundit schuils, an promotion o vegetarian eatin options in toun (throu the distribution o "veggie street maps"). This campaign is linked tae the recognition o the detrimental environmental effects o meat production, which the Unitit Naitions' Fuid an Agricultur Organization haes established tae represent nearly ane-fift o global greenhoose gas emissions.

Festivities
The ceity is host tae some big cultural events sic as the Gentse Feesten, I Love Techno, "10 Days Off" muisical festival, Flanders Internaitional Film Festival Ghent (wi the World Soundtrack Awards) an the Gent Festival van Vlaanderen. Ivery five years, a huge botanical exhibition (Gentse Floraliën) takes place in Ghent an aw, attractin numerous visitors tae the ceity.

The Festival o Flanders haed its 50t celebration in 2008. In Ghent it opens wi the OdeGand Ceity festivities that takes place on the seicont Seturday o September. Some 50 concerts tak place in diverse locations throughoot the medieval inner-ceity an some 250 internaitional artists performs. Ither major Flemish ceities haud seemilar events, aw o which form pairt o the Festival o Flanders (Antwerp wi Laus Polyphoniae; Bruges wi MAfestival; Brussels wi KlaraFestival; Limburg wi Basilica, Mechelen an Brabant wi Novecento an Transit).

Economy
The port o Ghent, in the north o the ceity, is the third lairgest port o Belgium. It is accessed bi the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal, which ends near the Dutch port o Terneuzen on the Wastren Scheldt. The port hooses, amang ithers, big companies lik Arcelor-Mittal, Volvo Cars, Volvo Trucks, Volvo Parts, Honda, an Stora Enso.

The Ghent University an a nummer o research orientit companies are situatit in the central an soothren pairt o the ceity, sic as Ablynx, Innogenetics, Cropdesign, Bayer Cropscience.

As the biggest ceity o East-Flanders, Ghent haes mony hospitals, schuils an shoppin streets.

Tourism is increasingly becomin a major employer in the local aurie.

Transport
As ane o the lairgest ceities in Belgium, Ghent haes a heichlie developed transportation system.

Bi caur the ceity is accessible bi twa o the kintra's main roads:
The E40: connects Ghent wi Bruges an Ostend tae the wast, an wi Brussels, Leuven an Liège tae the east.
The E17: connects Ghent wi Sint-Niklaas an Antwerp tae the north, an wi Kortrijk an Lille tae the sooth.
In addition Ghent haes twa ringways an aw:
The R4: connects the ouotskirts o Ghent wi ilk ither an the surroondin veelages, an an' a' leads tae the E40 an E17 roads.
The R40: connects the different dountoun quarters wi ilk ither, an provides access tae the main avenues.
The municipality o Ghent comprises five train stations:
Gent-Sint-Pieters Station: an internaitional train station wi connections tae Bruges, Brussels, Antwerp, Kortrijk, ither Belgian touns an Lille.  The station affers a direct connection tae Brussels Airport an aw.
Gent-Dampoort Station: an interceity train station wi connections tae Sint-Niklaas, Antwerp, Kortrijk an Eeklo.
Gentbrugge Station: a regional train station in atween the twa main train stations, Sint-Pieters an Dampoort.
Wondelgem Station: a regional train station wi connections tae Eeklo ance an oor.
Drongen Station: a regional train station in the veelage o Drongen wi anerlie a leemitit nummer o trains a day.
Ghent haes an extensive wab o public transport lines, operatit bi De Lijn:
Ghent Tram (see picturs belaw):
Line 1: Flanders Expo - Sint-Pieters-Station - Korenmarkt (ceity centre) - Evergem
Line 21: Zwijnaardebrug - UZ - Sint-Pieters-Station - Zonnestraat (ceity centre) - Zuid - Melle Leeuw
Line 22: Zwijnaardebrug - UZ - Sint-Pieters-Station - Zonnestraat (ceity centre) - Zuid - Gentbrugge
Line 4: Sint-Pieters-Station - Muide - Korenmarkt (ceity centre) - Zuid - Moscou
Ceity buses (see pictur belaw):
Line 3: Mariakerke - Korenmarkt (ceity centre) - Dampoort-Station - Gentbrugge (umwhile Trolleybus (see pictur belaw))
Line 5: Van Beverenplein - Sint-Jacobs (ceity centre) - Zuid - UZ - Zwijnaarde
Line 6: Watersportbaan - Zuid - Dampoort-Station - Wondelgem - Mariakerke
Line 8: Zuid - University - Sint-Pieters-Station - Blaarmeersen
Line 9: Mariakerke - Malem - Sint-Pieters-Station - Gentbrugge
Line 17/18: Drongen - Korenmarkt (ceity centre) - Dampoort-Station - Oostakker
Line 38/39: Blaarmeersen - Korenmarkt (ceity centre) - Dampoort-Station - Sint-Amandsberg
At Sint-Pieters-Station an the Zuid bus station thare are several regional buses as well.

When arrivin in Ghent, it is best tae leave caurs in Pairk & Ride zones next tae the road. The actual ceity centre is a caur free aurie, an pairkin is difficult an expensive in the ceity. On weekends, nicht buses provide free transportation throu the nicht.

Sports
In the Belgian first fitbaa diveesion Ghent is representit bi K.A.A. Gent. Anither Ghent fitbaa club is KRC Gent-Zeehaven, playin in the Belgian fowert diveesion.

Ivery year the Sax Days o Flanders, a sax-day track cyclin race, is held in Ghent. It takes place in the Kuipke velodrome.

The ceity hosts an annual track an field meet at the Flanders Sports Arena an aw: the Indoor Flanders meetin. It is ane o the IAAF's foremaist indoor track an field events an twa-time Oleempic champion Hicham El Guerrouj set a warld record at the event in 1997.

Internaitional relations

Twin touns — Sister ceities
Ghent is twinned wi:

References

Freemit airtins

 Offeecial wabsteid,
 Offeecial Tourist wabsteid,
 Flanders Tourism Wabsteid,

Municipalities o East Flanders

Ghent


Pro tempore (abbreviated pro tem or p.t.) is a Latin phrase which means "for the time being" in English.  This phrase is often used to describe a person who temporarily acts in place of an elected or appointed official. Should the official, a mayor for example, be absent or unavailable for any reason, the pro tempore becomes the acting official (acting mayor in this case). The president pro tempore of the United States Senate has been elected by the Senate since it began 1789. In academic use a professor pro tempore is usually a temporary position. In legal use a judge pro tempore is often an attorney who has been temporarily appointed by a judge. It is also found as a phrase in many kinds of documents to simply mean "for the time being."

References

Latin phrases

Pro tempore


Oberhofen Castle is a castle in the municipality of Oberhofen of the Canton of Bern in Switzerland.  It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

History
During the High Middle Ages the Freiherr von Oberhofen built Balm Castle on a hill above the village.  In 1200, a daughter of the family, Ita, married into the von Eschenbach family and gave this family the castle and village.  In the 13th century they began a new, moated castle on the shores of Lake Thun.  One of the last owners of the castle, Walter IV von Eschenbach, was assassinated along with King Albert I in 1308 by Albert's nephew John.  In 1306 the von Eschenbach family was forced to sell Oberhofen and the castle to the Habsburgs.  The Habsburgs appointed a succession of vassals to administer the area for them, especially the Kyburgs who also owned Thun Castle.  Following the Kyburg defeat in the Burgdorferkrieg of 1383-84 and the decisive Habsburg defeat at the Battle of Sempach in 1386, Bern began to expand into the Austrian lands in the Bernese Oberland.  They occupied Oberhofen in 1386 and were finally able to purchase or usurp all the land and rights from every feudal land holder in 1397.  In the following year they sold the castle and Oberhofen Herrschaft to Ludwig von Seftigen, a citizen of Bern.

Over the following centuries the town, castle and herrschaft passed through several Bernese patrician families.  After the male line of the von Erlach family in Oberhofen died out in 1652, Bern acquired the castle and lands.  They created the bailiwick of Oberhofen and converted Oberhofen Castle into the administrative center for the bailiwick.  Following the 1798 French invasion, Oberhofen am Thunersee became part of the Helvetic Republic Canton of Oberland.  After the collapse of the Republic and 1803 Act of Mediation it joined the newly created Thun District.

The castle passed into private hands after 1803 and had several owners in the following years.  In 1849-52 the Pourtàles family renovated and expanded the castle to its present appearance.  In 1940 the American William Maul Measy established the Oberhofen Castle foundation to administer and maintain the castle.  In 1952 it became a part of the Historical Museum of Bern and two years later they opened a branch in the castle.

In the 2010s, a restaurant named the Restaurant Schloss Oberhofen, in a modern building at the water's edge, was constructed in the castle's courtyard, and it opened in 2013.

Castle site

The central keep probably dates from around 1200 and is about  with  thick walls.  The rest of the castle developed in the following centuries around this ancient keep.  A chapel was added to the first floor of the keep on the lake side in 1473.  Perhaps at the same time a tower was built in the lake.  The lake tower appears in an illustration of the castle in 1680.

After Bern took over the castle from the von Erlach family it became the seat of a Bernese bailiff and was expanded.  By 1700, the Bernese renovations were mostly complete.  The original tower was partly surrounded by new buildings done in the Bernese Baroque style.  On the lake side the Garden Room was built and the water tower demolished.  Over the next centuries, the castle remained virtually unchanged until the castle went back into private ownership.  The Neuchâtel-Prussian Count de Pourtàles rebuilt the castle in a Romantic style between 1849 and 1852.  The north-eastern side of the keep was rebuilt, as was the entire western facade.  A  park was added south of the castle.  The water tower was rebuilt and crowned with a fanciful spire.  In the interior of the castle, a dining hall and grand hall were built.  On the upper floors the ornate library and a Turkish smoking room were added.  The Turkish smoking room was based on similar rooms from wealthy houses in Cairo and built in 1853 to 1855 on plans from the Bernese architect Theodor Zerleeder.  Count Albert Alexander de Pourtalès had spent several years in Istanbul as a Prussian diplomat.

Gallery

See also
 List of castles in Switzerland

References

External links

 Oberhofen Castle website

Cultural property of national significance in the canton of Bern
Castles in the Canton of Bern
Oberhofen am Thunersee

Oberhofen Castle


Proponents and practitioners of various esoteric forms of spirituality and alternative medicine refer to a variety of claimed experiences and phenomena as being due to "energy" or "force" that defy measurement and thus are distinguished from the scientific form of energy.

Claims related to energy therapies are most often anecdotal, rather than being based on repeatable empirical evidence.

There is no scientific evidence for the existence of such energy, and physics educators criticize the use of the term "energy" to describe ideas in esotericism and spirituality as potentially confusing.

History
Concepts such as "life force", "qi" and "élan vital" existed from antiquity. In the 18th century, Franz Mesmer ignited debate with his theory of animal magnetism. Attention to vitalism grew in the 18th and 19th centuries. Interest continued into the 20th century, largely fuelled by adherents of the New Age movement.

As biologists studied embryology and developmental biology, particularly before the discovery of genes, a variety of organisational forces were posited to account for their observations. German biologist Hans Driesch (1867–1941), proposed entelechy, an energy which he believed controlled organic processes. However such ideas are discredited and modern science has all but abandoned the attempt to associate additional energetic properties with life.

It is not the scientific concept of energy that is being referred to in the context of spirituality and alternative medicine. As Brian Dunning writes:

Despite the lack of scientific support, spiritual writers and thinkers have maintained ideas about energy and continue to promote them either as useful allegories or as fact. The field of energy medicine purports to manipulate energy, but there is no credible evidence to support this.

The concept of "qi" (energy) appears throughout traditional East Asian culture, such as in the art of feng shui and Chinese martial arts. Qi philosophy also includes the notion of "negative qi", typically understood as introducing negative moods like outright fear or more moderate expressions like social anxiety or awkwardness. Deflecting this negative qi through geomancy is a preoccupation in feng shui. The traditional explanation of acupuncture states that it works by manipulating the circulation of qi through a network of meridians.

Locations
There are various sacred natural sites that people of various belief systems find numinous or having an "energy" with significance to humans. The idea that some kind of "negative energy" is responsible for creating or attracting ghosts or demons appears in contemporary paranormal culture and beliefs as exemplified in the TV shows Paranormal State and Ghost Hunters.

See also

 Aether (classical element)
 Animal Magnetism
 Ase (Yoruba)
 Aura (paranormal)
 Barakah
 Earth mysteries
 Ectoplasm (paranormal)
 Energy (psychological)
 Kundalini
 Lung (Tibetan Buddhism)
 Mana
 Manitou
 Numen
 Odic force
 Orgone
 Prana
 Qi
 Royal Commission on Animal Magnetism
 Shakti/shaktipat
 Shrine
 Silap Inua
 Vril

References

External links

Energy and instincts
Pseudoscience
Spirituality
Vitalism
Western esotericism

Energy (esotericism)


Miss South Africa 2017, the 59th edition of the Miss South Africa Pageant was held on Sunday, March 26, 2017, at the Sun City Superbowl. It was simulcast as a live broadcast on M-Net and Mzansi Magic. Twenty six semi-finalists from different provinces were selected from over nine hundred women who entered, but only 12 finalists competed for the crown. Demi Leigh Nel-Peters emerged victorious and was named as Miss SA 2017 at the conclusion of the 2 hour event. Demi-Leigh represented South Africa at Miss Universe 2017 and was crowned as the new Miss Universe. Her 1st princess Adè van Heerden competed at Miss World 2017, finishing in Top 10.

Judges
Six celebrity judges, from the industries of fashion, sport, pageants and entertainment, together with a public vote decided the winner of Miss South Africa 2017.

1. Bridget Masinga

2. Cameron van den Berg

3. Miss SA 2004, Claudia Henkel

4. Unathi Msangena

5. Maps Maponyane

6. Gisele Aymes

7. South African Public Voting

Public Voting
The South African public was invited to be the 7th judge, their vote counting for 25% of the overall score.

South Africans voted via text with the assistance of pageant sponsor Cell C.

During the Live telecast, the top six were announced in random order. The recipients were:

1. Odirile (Top 8)

2. Nicole (Top 8)

3. Shelbe (did not advance)

4. Adé (1st runner up)

5. Sháne Naidoo (Top 5)

6. Demi-Leigh (Winner)

Boipelo managed to secure 2nd-runner up, and Priyeshka made the Top 5 despite being snubbed by the South African public vote. Hot press favourite, Shelbe failed to make the first live cut.

Winner and runners-up

∞ Nel-Peters won Miss Universe 2017. Due to protocol, Nel-Peters resigned her title as Miss South Africa 2017, and the 1st Princess, Adè van Heerden, replaced her as Miss South Africa.

Contestants

References

External links

2017
2017 beauty pageants
2017 in South Africa
March 2017 events in South Africa

Miss South Africa 2017


Width or breadth is the side-to-side length, measuring across the object at right angles to the height.

For example, the distance between the left side and right side of a chair is its width.

Objects have a length and a width in two dimensions or more. In shapes such as rectangles, multiplying the length and the width equals the area of the shape.

Related pages
Height
Depth

Physical quantity

Width


Georges Adolphe Hüe (6 May 1858 – 7 June 1948) was a French composer of classical music.

Biography
Hüe was born in Versailles into a noted family of architects. His musical education included studies with Charles Gounod and César Franck. In 1879, he  won the Prix de Rome with his cantata Médée. Upon his return to Paris, the Opéra Comique produced his first stage work, Les Pantins ("The Jumping Jacks"). This plotless, two-act set-piece for four singers doubling roles completely ignored fashionable realist trends of the day, and won high acclaim. For the next twenty years, his musical career went in other directions.

Hüe returned to the stage with his first full-length opera, Le Roi de Paris, a historical drama with a subplot about unrequited love. His follow-up opera was Titania. Stimulated by fantasy and Shakespeare, this work is noteworthy for its impressionistic woodland scenes for chorus and orchestra. In 1910, the Opéra produced Le Miracle, a grand five-act work combining the mythological story of Pygmalion with a religious miracle.

Hüe's most successful work with the public was Dans l'ombre de la cathédrale, whose topical plot was driven by the conflicting ideals of socialism and Catholicism. The opera was revived several times in the 1920s. Following his own travels to the Far East, he wrote Siang-Sin, a ballet-pantomime created for a Chinese spring festival in 1924. His final stage work was based on a fairy tale by Charles Perrault.

During his lifetime, Hüe wrote a broad range of other compositions, of which his choral works are most noteworthy. Some pieces for flute are occasionally performed, including Fantaisie for flute and orchestra (composed in 1913 for flute and piano and orchestrated in 1923), written for Adolphe Hennebains, professor of the Paris Conservatory.

Hüe's music met with limited success mainly because his style did not change with the times. However, he was an often inspired composer whose works garnered the admiration of several famous colleagues, including Claude Debussy and Gabriel Fauré.

He died in Paris in 1948.

Operas
Les Pantins, opéra comique (2 acts, E. Montagne), f.p. 28 December 1881, Opéra Comique (Favart), Paris.
Le Roi de Paris, opéra (3 acts, H. Bouchut), f.p. 26 April 1901, Opéra, Paris.
Titania, opéra (3 acts, L. Gallet & A. Corneau),  f.p. 20 January 1903, Opéra Comique (Favart), Paris.
Le Miracle, opéra (5 acts, P.B. Gheusi & A. Mérane), f.p. 14 December 1910, Opéra, Paris.
Dans l'ombre de la cathédrale, opéra (3 acts, M. Léna & H. Ferrare, after Blasco Ibanez), f.p. 7 December 1921, Opéra, Paris.
Siang-Sin, ballet-pantomime (2 acts, P. Jobbé-Duval), f.p. 12 March 1924, Opéra, Paris.
Riquet à la houppe ("Prince Riquet with the Tuft") comédie-musicale (3 acts, R. Gastambide, after Perrault), f.p. 17 December 1928, Opéra Comique (Favart), Paris.

Bibliography
Richard Langham Smith: "Hüe, Georges (Adolphe)", in: Stanley Sadie (ed.): The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, vol. 2 (London & New York: MacMillan, 1992); .

References

External links

1858 births
1948 deaths
19th-century French composers
19th-century classical composers
20th-century classical composers
French male classical composers
French opera composers
Male opera composers
Impressionist composers
Musicians from Versailles
Prix de Rome for composition
French Romantic composers
20th-century French composers
20th-century French male musicians
19th-century French male musicians

Georges Hüe


Posidippus of Cassandreia (Greek: Ποσείδιππος ὁ Κασσανδρεύς, Poseidippos ho Kassandreus; 316 – c. 250 BC) was a Greek comic poet of the New Comedy.

Life
He was the son of Cyniscus, a Macedonian who lived in Athens. He produced his first play in the third year after Menander had died (289 BC).
Cooks held an important position in his list of characters.
According to Aulus Gellius, Latin comic poets had imitated Posidippus.
His success is shown in a beautiful portrait and sitting statue in the Vatican, which is considered a masterpiece of classical art.

In studying Posidippus' language, Augustus Meineke has detected some new words and old words used in a new sense, completely unknown to the best Attic writers.

Works
Suidas states that Posidippus wrote forty plays, of which the following eighteen titles (along with associated fragments) are preserved.

Ἀναβλέπων  (Anablepon) — The One Who Sees Again
Ἀποκλειομένη  (Apokleiomene) — The Barred Woman
Γαλάτης  (Galates) — The Gaul
Δήμοται  (Demotai) — Citizens
Ἑρμαφρόδιτος (Hermaphroditos) — The Hermaphrodite
Ἐπίσταθμος  (Epistathmos) — Harmost or Symposiarch
Ἐφεσία  (Ephesia) — The Ephesian Girl
Κώδων  (Codon) — The Bell
Λοκρίδες  (Locrides) — The Locrian Women
Μεταφερόμενοι  (Metapheromenoi) — The Transported Ones
Μύρμηξ  (Myrmex) — The Ant
Ὅμοιοι  (Homoioi) — People Who Resemble Each Other
Παιδίον  (Paidion) — The Little Child
Πορνοβοσκός  (Pornoboscos) — The Pimp
Σύντροφοι  (Syntrophoi) — Comrades
Φιλόσοφοι  (Philosophoi) — Philosophers
Φιλοπάτωρ  (Philopator) — The Father-loving
Χορεύουσαι  (Choreuousai) — Dancing Girls

Quotations
 But Posidippus the comic writer, in his Pornoboscus, says: "The man who never went to sea has never shipwrecked been. But we have been more miserable than monomachs."

 Now the comic poet Posidippus says of her these words, in The Woman from Ephesus (Ephesia): "Phryne was once the most illustrious of us courtesans by far. And even though you are too young to remember that time, you must at least have heard of her trial. Although she was thought to have wrought too great injury to men's lives, she nevertheless captured the court when tried for her life, and, clasping the hands of the judges, one by one, she with the help of her tears saved her life at last."

Posidippus sculpture

His statue in the Vatican is considered a masterpiece of ancient art.

References

Attribution

External links
Suidas Lexicon
Ancient Library
Graecorum comicorum fragmenta Augustus Meineke
Aulus Gellius Noctes Atticae Latin text — Attic Nights ii.23 Translation

Ancient Greek dramatists and playwrights
Writers of lost works
Roman copies of Greek sculptures
Sculptures in the Vatican Museums
Ancient Macedonian poets
Ancient Macedonians in Athens
Ancient Cassandreians
3rd-century BC Macedonians
New Comic poets
316 BC births
250s BC deaths

Posidippus (comic poet)


Amak Volcano is a basaltic andesite stratovolcano in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, United States,  from Anchorage. It is located on the eponymous island,  from Frosty Volcano and near the edge of the Alaskan Peninsula's western flank. Only boats are allowed to access the island with a certain permit.

Blocky (dotted with flat blocks of minerals and crystals) lava flows stream from its summit to its flanks. Three historical eruptions have taken place – two within the 18th century, the first from 1700 to 1710, and the latter in 1796. The earliest prehistoric eruption was believed to have taken place between 3050 and 2050 BCE.

Accessibility
Cold Bay, the city nearest Amak, is easily accessible by plane. Amak is accessible only by boat; airplanes are not permitted to land on the island. Private boat rides to Amak are available in Cold Bay, but for access to the Aleutian Islands, a permit is required from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

Geography and geology
Amak Island lies in the Bering Sea, north of the main archipelago of the Aleutians. It is one of two islands (along with Bogoslof Island) that are  north of the main range.

The United States has the most active volcanoes in the world, many of them geologically young.
In Alaska, at least 50 volcanoes, including those in the Aleutian archipelago, have erupted in historical time.
The state accounts for ~80% of the United States' volcanoes, excluding the seamounts in the area, ~8% of world volcanoes, and most of these are located among the Aleutian Islands. The Aleutian Islands arc serves as the northern boundary of the Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic activity generates earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in masses.

The volcano is basaltic-andesitic in composition. It is a modest stratovolcano, rising no more than  above sea level. The volcanic crater is distinct, and has erupted in historical times, only "blocky" lava flows. Charles Wood and Jürgen Kienle, volcanologists, propose that earlier activity, 4,000–5,000 years ago, consisted primarily of lavas of ethereal (fine) platy and thick andesite. Amak Volcano is unique in that its andesitic lavas, while composed the same as the other Aleutians, contain an abundance of potash. They also could contain more sodium carbonate and rare-earth element deposits than the Aleutian norm. Between Bogoslof, the other Aleutian island north of the main arc, and Amak, Amak's lavas are more alkalic and silicic.

Glaciation took place around the volcano roughly 6700 years BP, carving out U-shaped valleys. At the southwest flank of the island, a crater, likely a maar, can be found amid an alluvial plain.

Eruptive history
The Amak Volcano has erupted three times in historical times: circa 2550 B.C., from 1700 to 1710, and in 1796; the first of these events was identified with tephrochronology. Each eruption has been characterized by lava flows, and the two most recent eruptions included a crater eruption.

See also

References

Bibliography

External links

Volcanoes of the Aleutian Islands
Volcanoes of Aleutians East Borough, Alaska
Volcanoes of Alaska
Stratovolcanoes of the United States
Holocene stratovolcanoes

Amak Volcano


"At My Most Beautiful" is a song by the American alternative rock band R.E.M. During the song's creation, members of the group noted its similarity to the work of the Beach Boys and purposefully fashioned it to resemble that band's output. Singer Michael Stipe strove to make his lyrics the most romantic he had ever written, and the piano-driven ballad became R.E.M.'s first straightforward love song. Released on the group's 1998 album Up, it was issued as the third single from that record the following year, reaching number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.

Origin and recording
R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills stated that after he composed the piano part to "At My Most Beautiful", he felt it sounded like music the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson would have written two decades prior. Once guitarist Peter Buck received the basic tracks of the song from Mills, he too found the music reminiscent of Wilson. Instead of avoiding the comparisons, the group instead opted to "[run] toward it", in Mills' words.

"The idea for it happened driving up and down Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles when I was putting together the Patti Smith book [Two Times Intro: On the Road with Patti Smith] last year," Stipe said in 1998. "I had CDs and tape of new songs in the car. I came up with this one line, 'I found a way to make you smile.' All I knew was The Beach Boys had a record or a song called Smile – is that right? – so I was like, 'Well, this will be my gift to [bandmates and Beach Boys fans] Peter and Mike, and Bill at the time. It was hard to write. It was a high order to say, 'I found a way to make you smile.' I had to come up with, 'OK, what are those ways?' That was tough." Of the line, 'I found a way to make you smile', Stipe later recalled, "I just thought, that's the most beautiful thing in the world."

Stipe had difficulty writing lyrics for the Up album. In the case of "At My Most Beautiful", it took the singer a year to write the song's verse because he needed to figure out what one could do to prompt the action described in the opening line. The solution finally occurred to him one morning, and he finished writing the words in 45 minutes. After a conversation with Patti Smith, Stipe was convinced that he needed to be fearless in his songwriting approach. In regards to "At My Most Beautiful", he had grown tired writing ironic love songs and consequently endeavored to create "the most romantic song I'd ever written".

Following the departure of drummer and founding member Bill Berry, the dynamic of the band changed. Buck performed drums on the song; though he admitted he was not adept at playing the instrument, he stated his skill level was sufficient to perform what he referred to as the "Hal Blaine-ish" fills heard on the recording. During the final stages of production for Up in 1998, two days—June 21 and 22—were used to perform audio mixing on the song.

Composition and lyrics
"At My Most Beautiful" is performed in the key of F major. There are several main chord progressions in the song: the introduction is Fmaj7–D–G minor, while the verse follows a I–III–IV–II chord sequence and the chorus ascends using a II–III–IV–V progression. In the mix, tubular and sleigh bells are heard in the right channel (with their reverberation reaching into the left), piano and bass guitar (both played in quarter note patterns) as well as bass harmonica are heard in the left, and guitar and Mike Mills' backing vocals are centered. Additional instrumentation includes organ in the chorus and cellos in the song's coda. The notes Michael Stipe sings are typical of the vocalist, focusing on the first, third, and fourth notes of the scale he's performing.

"At My Most Beautiful" was written as a "gift" from Stipe to his bandmates, to indulge their fondness of Pet Sounds. Commenting on the song's musical similarities to the work of the Beach Boys in his book Inside Classic Rock Tracks, Rikki Rooksby wrote that "At My Most Beautiful" was "a tribute to that sound, at once conveying something of R.E.M. and Brian Wilson. In other words, it's not so much like The Beach Boys that it's a pastiche, but sufficiently like them to be a musical homage." He states that the song's use of an F chord with an A bass note in the verse follows the example of Brian Wilson's use of inversions on his band's Pet Sounds album, and that the cellos at the end heightens the section's resemblance to the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations".

In addition to being its first tribute song, "At My Most Beautiful" was also R.E.M.'s first straightforward love song. The lyrics reference leaving messages on a love interest's answering machine and what Rooksby terms "knowing obsession". He states that the song is about "the ennobling effect of love, yet is aware of its playful narcissism".

Release and promotion
"At My Most Beautiful" was released as the third single from Up in early 1999. That February, R.E.M. performed "At My Most Beautiful" for an episode of Party of Five, a television series which had included music by the band in the past; the show's producers determined the choice of song to be featured in the program. The single's promotional video was directed by Nigel Dick. The clip follows a cellist (portrayed by Rain Phoenix) experiencing a "bad day" on her way to an audition overseen by Buck, Mills, and Stipe. R.E.M. biographer David Buckley praised the narrative promo as one of the band's best. Though the song was a moderate hit, its success failed to stimulate sales of Up, which by 1999 had sold a relatively low three million copies worldwide.

Track listing
All songs were written by Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe unless otherwise indicated.

CD
 "At My Most Beautiful" (Radio Remix)
 "The Passenger" (live, Later with Jools Holland – BBC Radio Theatre, London) (Iggy Pop)
 "Country Feedback" (live, Later with Jools Holland – BBC Radio Theatre, London) (Bill Berry, Buck, Mills, and Stipe)

UK CD single
 "At My Most Beautiful" (live, BBC Radio 1, October 25, 1998)
 "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)" (live, Later with Jools Holland – BBC Radio Theatre, London) (Berry, Buck, Mills, and Stipe)

Charts

Release history

References

Bibliography
 Black, Johnny. Reveal: The Story of R.E.M. Backbeat, 2004.
 Buckley, David. R.E.M.: Fiction: An Alternative Biography. Virgin, 2002.
 Fletcher, Tony. Remarks Remade – The Story of R.E.M. Omnibus Press, 2002.
 Rooksby, Rikki. Inside Classic Rock Tracks. Backbeat, 2001.

1990s ballads
1998 songs
1999 singles
Music videos directed by Nigel Dick
R.E.M. songs
Pop ballads
Song recordings produced by Michael Stipe
Song recordings produced by Mike Mills
Song recordings produced by Pat McCarthy (record producer)
Song recordings produced by Peter Buck
Songs written by Michael Stipe
Songs written by Mike Mills
Songs written by Peter Buck
Warner Records singles
Baroque pop songs

At My Most Beautiful


Scott W. Cowger (born December 3, 1959) is an American politician, innkeeper, and engineer from Maine. A Democrat from Hallowell, Maine, Cowger spent 10 years in the Maine Legislature (1996-2006). Cowger was first elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 1996. Re-elected in 1998, 2000 and 2002, Cowger was unable to seek re-election in 2004 due to term-limits. Instead, Cowger successfully sought District 21 in the Maine Senate. He did not seek re-election in 2006.

Cowger was well known and respected for his leadership in environmental issues, and for working across party lines in crafting solutions in various legislative committees.  In his first term, he served on the Joint Standing Committee on Natural Resources.  In his second term, he became the ranking House member on Natural Resources, served on the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, and was the House Chair of the Joint Select Committee on Research and Development.  In his third term starting in 2000, he became the House Chair of the Natural Resources Committee.  In his fourth term in the Maine House, he served on the powerful Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs.  In his term in the Senate starting in 2004, he returned to the Natural Resources committee as the Senate Chair, and also served as a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Utilities and Energy.

In 1998, Cowger supported raising Maine's minimum wage.

Cowger was born on December 3, 1959 in Brunswick, Maine. He earned a B.S. from Swarthmore College in 1982. Cowger is openly gay.  Cowger and Vincent Hannan have owned and operated the Maple Hill Farm Inn and Conference Center in Hallowell, Maine since 1992.

References

1959 births
Living people
Politicians from Brunswick, Maine
People from Hallowell, Maine
Gay politicians
LGBT state legislators in Maine
Democratic Party members of the Maine House of Representatives
Democratic Party Maine state senators
21st-century American politicians

Scott Cowger


Clockwise is a motion that proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands. It may also refer to:

 Clockwise, a puzzle game for the Amiga CD32 games console
 Clockwise (band), a Swedish music project
 Clockwise (film) (1986), starring John Cleese

Clockwise (disambiguation)


Cottage to Let is a 1941 British spy thriller film directed by Anthony Asquith starring Leslie Banks, Alastair Sim and John Mills. Filmed during the Second World War and set in Scotland during the war, its plot concerns Nazi spies trying to kidnap an inventor.

The film was shot at the Lime Grove Studios in London, with sets designed by the art director Alex Vetchinsky. The film includes the first appearance of George Cole, superbly confident as a cocky young evacuee.

Plot
John Barrington (Leslie Banks) is a talented inventor, currently working on a bombsight for the Royal Air Force. who prefers to work in his own country house in the Highlands of Scotland near Loch Tay. His eccentric wife (Jeanne de Casalis) has agreed to take in child evacuees from London to be accommodated in a nearby cottage they own. However, also arriving is Charles Dimble (Alastair Sim) to whom the cottage has been let by the letting agency. To compound the confusion, Mrs. Barrington had also agreed to allow it to be converted into a military hospital. Therefore, Mrs Barrington decides she can only take one evacuee, which turns out to be cocky teenager, Ronald (George Cole).

An injured pilot who has parachuted into the nearby loch is rescued and brought to the house, becoming the first patient for the new hospital. Mrs. Barrington moves Ronald to the main house, while Dimble and the pilot remain in the cottage. After his injuries are treated by Mrs. Barrington's daughter Helen (Carla Lehmann), the pilot identifies himself as Flight Lieutenant Perry, flying Spitfires from a nearby airfield. However, when he is given a telephone to call his base, he makes the call, overheard by Helen, with the telephone disconnected from the socket.

The War Office discuss Barrington, concerned that someone is spying on his work, since his last invention, a self-sealing fuel tank, was copied by the Germans within a month of its mass production. They suspect his assistant Alan Trently (Michael Wilding), who although British was educated in Germany and still corresponds with people in Switzerland, and it is mentioned that they have sent someone to the house to investigate.

Defying the house rule, Ronald goes into the laboratory. He overcomes Barrington's initial hostility with his practical know-how and the two become friendly. Trently becomes jealous when Helen starts spending time with Perry. However, Helen resists Perry's advances and eventually lets Trently know that she prefers him.

German agents make their move and kidnap Barrington. Ronald stows away in the car used to take the captive to an isolated water mill. When Perry shows up, Ronald attacks one of the spies to help in the "rescue", but is shocked when Perry is revealed to be the agents' ringleader and intends to take Barrington to Berlin on a seaplane which is due to arrive in the loch the next night.

It turns out that Dimble is the British counter-intelligence officer sent by the War Office. He manages to infiltrate the spy ring and learn where Barrington is being held. All but one of the spies are captured and the prisoners are freed. Perry initially escapes, but is eventually tracked down and killed in a shoot-out with Dimble.

Cast
Leslie Banks as John Barrington
Alastair Sim as Charles Dimble
John Mills as Flight Lieutenant Perry
Jeanne de Casalis as Mrs. Barrington
Carla Lehmann as Helen Barrington
George Cole as Ronald
Michael Wilding as Alan Trently
Frank Cellier as Ernest Forest
Muriel Aked as Miss Fernery
Wally Patch as Evans
Muriel George as Mrs. Trimm
Hay Petrie as Dr. Truscott
Catherine Lacey as Mrs. Stokes
 Annie Esmond as Lady wrapping parcels for the bazaar (uncredited)
Peter Gawthorne as Senior RAF officer (uncredited)
Arthur Hambling as Scotland Yard Inspector (uncredited)
 Roddy Hughes as German agent (uncredited)
 Brefni O'Rorke as Scottish Police Inspector (uncredited)
 Charles Rolfe as German agent (uncredited)
 Ben Williams as Scottish fisherman (uncredited)

Bibliography
 Ryall, Tom. Anthony Asquith. Manchester University Press, 2013.

References

External links

1941 films
British black-and-white films
British spy films
British World War II propaganda films
Films directed by Anthony Asquith
World War II spy films
1940s spy films
1940s English-language films
Gainsborough Pictures films
Films shot at Lime Grove Studios
Films set in London
Films set in Scotland
English-language spy films

Cottage to Let


Babylon 5: In the Beginning is a 1998 American made-for-television film set in the Babylon 5 fictional universe. It was written by J. Michael Straczynski and directed by Michael Vejar. The film originally aired on January 4, 1998 on the TNT cable network, a couple of weeks before the fifth season of the series began.

The film tells the story of the war between humans and an alien race known as the Minbari, which forms an important part of the backstory of Babylon 5. The war begins as the result of a misunderstanding, and nearly leads to the extermination of the human race, but is halted by the Minbari leadership at the last moment for reasons that remain secret for over a decade. This near-destruction of the human race leads to the Earth Alliance commissioning the Babylon space stations as a means of preventing further wars.

Plot

In 2278, the planet Centauri Prime is in flames. Londo Mollari, the emperor of the Centauri Republic, tells two children, Luc and Lyssa, the story of the Earth-Minbari War, which took place 35 years ago while he was a diplomatic liaison to Earth.

In 2243, the human race, emboldened by recent victories, is rapidly expanding into space. Word reaches them of the mysterious Minbari. Though they are warned by Londo to leave this race alone, they send an expedition to study the Minbari, led by the starship Prometheus. The Minbari leadership—the Grey Council, led by Dukhat—are voyaging to investigate concerns that an ancient enemy, the Shadows, may be returning. The Prometheus expedition encounters the Grey Council's convoy by chance. As the Minbari ships approach the Earth ships, they open their gun ports—a sign of respect in their culture. The captain of Prometheus, interpreting this as a signal of intent to attack, opens fire. The Minbari ships are severely damaged and Dukhat is killed. In retaliation, the Grey Council declares a holy war against humanity, with Dukhat's protégée Delenn casting the deciding vote.

The war continues for several months and human forces are overwhelmed by superior Minbari technology. Lieutenant Commander John Sheridan, first officer of the Lexington, is part of a battlegroup engaging the Minbari. After Sheridan's commanding officer is killed, Sheridan assumes command of the damaged ship and lays a trap for the enemy, seeding the local asteroids with nuclear mines. The Minbari flagship Black Star closes in to finish off the Lexington but is destroyed by the mines—Earth's only real victory during the war.

The Minbari faction that feels the war has caused enough senseless bloodshed—led by Delenn, who has learned that Dukhat believed an alliance with humans would be necessary to defeat the Shadows—uses this as an opportunity to engage in peace talks with Earth. The Centauri discover that the humans are having a secret meeting that is being brokered by the Narn, rivals of the Centauri. Not understanding the purpose of the meeting, the Centauri bomb the peace conference, with neither the humans nor Minbari suspecting their intervention. All hope for peace is lost, and humanity's losses at the hands of the Minbari continue for two more years.

In a last, desperate effort, the President of Earth orders all available ships to form a "line" around the planet in an attempt to delay the Minbari to give some humans time to flee the planet. During the battle, a human pilot, Jeffrey Sinclair, is captured for interrogation. The Grey Council is startled to discover that he possesses the soul of the revered Minbari religious leader Valen. Delenn infers that the reincarnation of Valen as a human is a signal that the humans must not be destroyed, and so the Minbari surrender to the defenseless Earth forces. Because of the damage this revelation could do to their society, they keep the reason for the surrender a secret. In the wake of the war, Earth plans to create a space station that will serve as a venue for peaceful collaboration to prevent future wars; these plans will ultimately result in the creation of Babylon 5.

After the children leave him, Londo views Delenn and Sheridan being held captive in the Centauri palace. Toasting them as his friends, he begins drinking heavily and orders the prisoners to be brought to him in one hour.

Notes

External links

In the Beginning
1998 television films
1998 films
TNT Network original films
Films set in the 23rd century
American science fiction television films
Television prequel films
Films based on television series
Television films based on television series
Films about space warfare
Action television films
Films scored by Christopher Franke
1990s English-language films
Films directed by Michael Vejar
1990s American films
American prequel films

Babylon 5: In the Beginning


The rusty blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) is a medium-sized New World blackbird, closely related to grackles ("rusty grackle" is an older name for the species). It is a bird that prefers wet forested areas, breeding in the boreal forest and muskeg across northern Canada, and migrating southeast to the United States during winter.

Formerly abundant, the rusty blackbird has undergone one of the most rapid declines of any abundant bird species in North America in recent years, for reasons that are not well understood.

Description
Adults have a pointed bill and a pale yellow eye. They have black plumage with faint green and purple gloss; the female is greyer. "Rusty" refers to the brownish winter plumage. They resemble the western member of the same genus, the Brewer's blackbird; however, Brewer's has a longer bill and the male's head is iridescent green.

Habitat
Their breeding habitat is wet temperate coniferous forests and muskeg across Canada, New England, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the Adirondack Mountains in New York and Alaska. Birds usually nest at the edge of ponds and wetlands with the cup nest located in a tree or dense shrub, often over the water. Emerging dragonflies and their larvae are important food items during the summer.

These birds migrate to the eastern and southeastern United States, into parts of the Grain Belt, sometimes straying into Mexico. Additional vagrants have been reported inn Greenland and Russian Siberia.

Behavior

They forage on wet ground or in shallow water, mainly eating insects, small fish and some seeds. Their most common mode of foraging is to vigorously flip leaves and rip at submerged aquatic vegetation. The mast of small-acorn producing oaks, such as willow oak, is also important. In some areas, the nuts of planted pecans are heavily used. They very rarely will attack small passerine birds, and have been known to kill species as large as the Wilson's snipe. They feed in flocks during migration and on the wintering grounds, sometimes joining other blackbirds, both often occurring in single species flocks. They more often roost with other blackbirds; some small roosts are in brushy vegetation in old fields and others are in massive mixed flocks—sometimes in the urban areas.

The species nests relatively early for a boreal forest bird. They linger in the boreal zone to complete their molt. Their autumn migration is slow, with birds often remaining in the northern states well into December; spring migration is much more rapid. The largest wintering concentrations are found in the lower Mississippi Valley, with smaller concentrations in the Piedmont and south Atlantic coastal plain.

Fairly quiet in fall migration and most of the winter, both males and females will sing (particularly on warm days) in the late winter and spring. The song consists of gurgling and high-pitched squeaks.

Population
Rusty blackbirds have declined significantly in recent decades. The reasons are unclear, but habitat loss is likely a major contributor to the decline. The habitat loss is likely due to multiple factors, including development for oil, gas, and mining industries, hydroelectric projects, and the clearing of forests for forestry. Mercury contamination may be a problem for populations in northeastern North America. Rarer than previously believed, it was uplisted from a species of Least Concern to Vulnerable status on the 2007 IUCN Red List. Deliberate poisoning of mixed-species blackbird flocks, targeting brown-headed cowbird, common grackle and red-winged blackbird, in the southeastern U.S. may also be playing a role; there is currently no estimate of the number of rusty blackbirds killed by these poisonings. In the eastern part of its range, acid rain may be decreasing the availability of calcium-rich invertebrates that the rusty blackbird depends on for food.

Additionally, citizen science projects such as the North American Breeding Bird Survey and Christmas Bird Count have determined that rusty blackbirds have dropped 85%–98% in the past 40 years. This is very worrisome for many people, as scientists are desperately trying to figure out what exactly went wrong. Sighting submission services such as eBird are encouraging birders to keep track of rusty blackbirds. The International Rusty Blackbird Working Group has been actively coordinating and conducting research on this species since 2005.

References

External links

 The International Rusty Blackbird Working Group
 Rusty Blackbird Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
 Rusty Blackbird - Euphagus carolinus - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter

rusty blackbird
rusty blackbird
Native birds of Alaska
Birds of Canada
Birds of Saint Pierre and Miquelon
rusty blackbird
rusty blackbird

Rusty blackbird


Countess Magdalena "Malla" or "Malin" Charlotta Rudenschöld (1 January 1766 – 5 March 1823 in Stockholm, Sweden) was a Swedish lady-in-waiting and conspirator. She was a key member of the Gustavian Armfelt Conspiracy who conspired to depose the regency government of Duke Charles. She was convicted of treason, pilloried, and sentenced to life in prison.

One of the others accused in the conspiracy said of her that her mistake was, "love, this violent passion, which among so many people of all ages overwhelms reason."

Introduction to court
Magdalena Rudenschöld was born to riksråd Count Carl Rudenschöld (1698-1783) and Countess Christina Sofia Bielke (1727-1803): her mother was the granddaughter of the famous Christina Piper. When her father lost his parliament seat in 1766 and the family experienced economic difficulties, her mother received a secret allowance from the Kingdom of France in exchange for benefiting French interests through her influential connections.  In 1784, Magdalena was appointed hovfröken (maid of honor) to the King's sister, Princess Sophia Albertine of Sweden.  She replaced her older sister Caroline, a personal friend of the princess, who retired from her position after her marriage that year. Magdalena was described as beautiful, intelligent and passionate, and made a social success at court.

She was pursued by both Duke Charles, the King's brother, and by the nobleman Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt, the King's favorite.  She turned the Duke down, but fell passionately in love with Armfelt. Armfelt had married Hedvig Ulrika De la Gardie in 1785, and made Rudenschöld his mistress. Rudenschöld claimed in her memoirs, that the King, who arranged the marriage of his favorite to De la Gardie, convinced her to advice Armfelt not to refuse the marriage for her sake, and that Armfelt agreed to the marriage after she assured him that it was her wish

She is believed to have borne him two children in secret: one of them was born in Quedlingburg in Germany, where she accompanied Sophia Albertina in 1787 and the second one in 1790. Both of the children, a daughter and a son, died soon after birth

The conspiracy
In 1792, King Gustav III of Sweden was assassinated and his 14-year-old son Gustav IV (Adolf) ascended the throne.  Duke Charles became his formal regent, although the duke's favorite, Gustaf Adolf Reuterholm, became the real regent, presiding over the guardian government. Armfelt, who had hoped to take a place in the government, abandoned Rudenschöld and left the country in 1793.  He made secret plans to overthrow the guardian government with Russian assistance and install a new regime headed by himself.

After his departure, Armfelt wrote to Rudenschöld, who wanted him back as her lover, and upheld a correspondence, which became more and more political.

Armfelt instructed Rudenschöld to consult the medium Ulrica Arfvidsson, which she did three days after his departure from Sweden. Rudenschöld described the prediction in her correspondence to Armfelt. Arfvidsson consulted her coffee leaves and stated that the man of whom Rudenschöld was thinking (Armfelt) had recently left the country in anger over a child (the King) and a small man (the regent, Duke Charles), whom he would soon scare by an agreement with a woman with a non-royal crown on her head (Catherine the Great). She predicted that Armfelt risked to be revealed by the loss of a letter, which would be his ruin. As for Rudenschöld herself, Arfvidsson told her that she was observed and mentioned to Catherine the Great in letters by a fat man (Otto Magnus von Stackelberg (ambassador)), that she should be careful, and that great sorrows awaited her.

Magdalena Rudenschöld was not merely the tool of Armfelt in his plans: in their political correspondence, she expressed her own views and made her own suggestions in regard to the conspiracy  She was often the guest at receptions on the Russian embassy in Stockholm, where ambassador Stackelberg appreciated her wit and made reports about her to Empress Catherine.  At one occasion, Baron Carl Hierta made a remark about a paper claiming that the Russian monarch would turn her attention toward Sweden after having conquered Poland, and asked Rudenschöld: "Would you say we are unhappy enough to have a Swedish Potocki?", upon which she replied: "Why not? Those capable of murdering their King can also sell their country to foreign power", a remark which was evidently reported to the Russian Empress

Armfelt used Rudenschöld as a messenger, with the task to make contact with his followers, the young King and the Russian embassy.  She is confirmed to have performed at least one of these missions.

The plan was to obtain permission from the King himself, Gustav IV Adolf, to depose of his guardian government.
This permission was to be shown to the Russian Empress, who was then to support the coup with Russian military support. After the deposition of the government of Duke Charles, a new guardian government for the King would be established supported by Russia. Armfelt also promised to marry Rudenschöld.

At a ball, Magdalena Rudenschöld handed the under age monarch a letter, in which Armfelt asked for his permission to make any move necessary to assure the safety of the King. When Gustav IV Adolf asked Magdalena Rudenschöld if he could show the letter to his uncle, the regent of the guardian government Duke Charles, however, she refused and took the letter back. Upon a second attempt to obtain his permission, he turned the letter back with the words that Armfelt had his eternal friendship as long as he was loyal also to his uncle.

Magdalena Rudenschöld had been watched by the police because of her correspondence with Armfelt, who was known to belong to the opposition, and because she was known to participate in secret meetings with a group of men, of whom some were known to have acted as the spies of Armfelt during his time as the favorite of Gustav III.
This group was consistent of Johan Albrecht Ehrenström, his brother colonel lieutenant Nils Albrecht Ehrenström, colonel lieutenant Johan August Sandels, colonel lieutenant Johan Otto Lillje, the restaurant owner Forster and the writer major K. von Holthusen.
Rudenschöld was, by all accounts, the main actor of the plot in Sweden, while the others were assigned by Armfelt to act as her assistants.

The correspondence of Rudenschöld and Armfelt, however, fell into the hands of acting-regent Reuterholm and regent-in-name Duke Charles through the Hamburg post office, which had been making copies of the letters and selling them.  Reuterholm had Rudenschöld arrested on the night of 18 December 1793.  She was one of the first of the conspirators to be detained.  Rudenschöld had burned some of her papers, but love letters from the persistent Duke Charles were found amongst her remaining documents.  Armfelt's attempt to depose the government and take over had been discovered.

Trial and verdict
At first, the evidence against Rudenschöld was not convincing and she was able to defend herself with intelligence and force.  She was subjected to intense pressure and housed, she said, "in a terrifying prison, where I saw neither sun nor moon".  When Armfelt's estate was searched, however, 1,100 of her letters to him were found there.  In several of them, she expressed contempt towards Duke Charles and Reuterholm, which worsened her position.  The regent already held a grudge against her for refusing his advances and Reuterholm took offense at her judgement of him.

Eight of her love letters to Armfelt were printed and published by the regent and Reuterholm with the title, "In the old King's House imprisoned a lady, known as Magdalena Charlotta daughter of Carl, letters to the traitor Baron Armfelt, known as Gustaf Mauritz, son of Magnus, about their love adventures".  In them, she mentioned her attempt to have an abortion, with the support of Armfelt, after having been made pregnant by him.  The overwhelming hostility shown to her by the Duke and Reuterholm also gained her public sympathy, however, when Rudenschöld was confronted with better evidence in April 1794, she confessed, saying she had only participated because of her unlimited confidence in Armfelt.

Princess Sophia Albertina intervened and asked the regent to show mercy, and she avoided being charged for abortion, which had been suggested at first.

On 22 September 1794 Magdalena Rudenschöld was convicted and sentenced to death for treason, together with Armfelt, in his absence (being still abroad), and two other co-conspirators, Ehrenström and Aminoff.  Her punishment was commuted to public pillorying, followed by life imprisonment.  Chancellor Fredrik Sparre suggested that she be whipped, which was initially approved by Reuterholm, but this was met with indignation by the public, which thereafter nicknamed him "Whipping chancellor".

Punishment
She was stripped of her last name and her status as a noble, as were Armfelt and all the other accomplices that had been noble.  In prison documents she was called "Magdalena, daughter of Carl, former Lady."  The following day, Rudenschöld was taken to the gallows on the square, which was described as "a heart-aching spectacle".  She was dressed in a grey skirt and a black top and had her hair down.  She stood with her head held high and drank two glasses of water.  The audience was reported to have felt sorry for her, according to Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp, because of, "her youth, her tragic fate and possibly because of the remains of her former beauty".  After her reprieve from hanging, a carriage came to take her to jail and she fainted, according to writer Märta Helena Reenstierna "with the same grace and decorum as Mrs. Olin once had in Acus and Galathea" (the opera).  Reportedly, people were overheard saying that the regent's lover, Charlotte Slottsberg, should have been standing on the platform instead of Rudenschöld

One of Rudenschöld's own friends, Count A.F. Skjöldenbrand also described the event: "Only a few of the mob began to shout at her, but Silfverhielm (Commander of the Guard) ordered the guards to silence them".  She was supposed to have had an iron collar around her neck, but when the executioner held it up, she shivered and shrugged backwards, after which he
"let down his hands, and she stepped forward to the pole without an iron around her neck, where she stood as pale as a dead body for about twenty minutes until her sentence was commuted, after which she fainted and was taken away as if dead".

Rudenschöld wrote about her arrival in the prison workhouse:
"I was placed in a rental carriage surrounded by guards. I remained unconscious all the way to the workhouse, some distance from Hornstull, and did not open my eyes until the afternoon, where I found myself alone lying on the floor in a dark cell with a bowl of water and a glass of wine beside me. I had not eaten that whole day. When I touched the glass I heard the shout 'she is still alive!'. I looked up to the window and saw outside all the workhouse prisoners, watching me. I wanted to rise and remove myself from their sight, but found myself unable to move, and fell back to the floor."

Two-and-a-half years later, in November 1796, Rudenschöld was released from jail under Reuterholm's order, as he had wanted to release her before the young King was declared of legal majority later that year and pardoned her himself.

When she left the workhouse, she wrote on the prison wall (in French):

Later life
She was given back her name and the property, the small manor Stenstugu gård on Gotland, as compensation for her loss of a pension.  For the first year, however, she was not allowed to leave the island.

On 5 July 1798 Rudenschöld gave birth to a son, Eric Ekmansdorff Karlsson, who later became an officer in Finland. His father was Rudenschöld's servant, "a young, strong and beautiful lad", whom she openly lived with.  However, the relationship ended unhappily, and he is said to have treated her badly.  In 1801, she moved to Switzerland and was taken under the protection of Germaine de Stael, at the recommendation of Armfelt, who also arranged for her son to be educated in Saint Petersburg in Russia and supported her financially.  She was often seen in Coppet, and was described as charming but serious.

In 1812, she returned to Sweden and lived in the household of her brother, Thure Gabriel; acting as governess to his children.  Socially, she was described as easy-going but suspicious at this point and unwilling to talk about her past. Eventually, she moved to Stockholm, where she died in 1823.

In fiction
Magdalena Rudenschöld was the subject of the novel Kärleks ljuva plåga : En roman om Magdalena Rudenschöld (The Sweet Torment of Love: A novel about Magdalena Rudenschöld) by Per-Martin Hamberg (1974).

See also
 Brita Tott
 Anna Leuhusen
 Drottningens juvelsmycke

References
 Andersson,Ingvar and Beijer, Agne. Gustavianskt 1771-1810. en bokfilm. Stockholm., Wahlström & Widstrand., 1945
 Carlsson, Sten.''Den Svenska Historien; Gustav III, en upplyst envåldshärskare, Band 10"   Stockholm 1966-1968.

Notes

Further reading

1766 births
18th-century Swedish people
1823 deaths
Swedish countesses
Swedish criminals
Swedish ladies-in-waiting
People convicted of treason against Sweden
Swedish prisoners sentenced to death
Prisoners sentenced to death by Sweden
Gustavian era people
18th-century Swedish women
Court of Gustav III

Magdalena Rudenschöld


Kenneth Peter Zebrowski (November 12, 1945 – March 18, 2007) was a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly.

Early life and education
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Zebrowski received his Juris Doctor degree from the New York Law School in 1970.

Career

Zebrowski served in the Rockland County legislature for 21 years, beginning in 1973 at the age of 29.  He won five four-year terms over the next 31 years.  He was "known as a foe of overdevelopment and a friend of senior citizens".

He was elected to the State Assembly in 2004 for a two-year term (2005–2007).

Zebrowski was diagnosed with hepatitis C and died of liver and kidney failure on March 18, 2007, at the age of 61.

Family
Zebrowski was survived by his wife Linda and six children.

When his son Kenneth Paul Zebrowski graduated from law school, the two men founded the law firm of Zebrowski & Zebrowski. After Zebrowski died, Kenneth Jr. was elected his State Assembly seat.

References

American politicians of Polish descent
1945 births
2007 deaths
Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly
Politicians from Rockland County, New York
20th-century American politicians

Kenneth Zebrowski