Maesteg  is a town and community in Bridgend County Borough, Wales. Maesteg lies at the northernmost end of the Llynfi Valley, close to the border with Neath Port Talbot. In 2011, Maesteg had a population of 20,612. The English translation of Maesteg is 'fair field'.

Historically a part of Glamorgan, the growth of the town started with the opening of ironworks in the 1820s and 1830s. Once a coal mining area, the last pit closed in 1985. With the decline of the coal industry and, more recently, the closure of one large factory producing cosmetics and another manufacturing vehicle components, the valley has become a residential/dormitory area for the Port Talbot, Bridgend and Cardiff journey to work areas. 11% (1,867 out of 20,702) of the town's population speak Welsh with 27.9% of 3-15 year olds speaking the language. It is one of the few areas of Wales where the traditional Mari Lwyd is still celebrated during Christmas.

The community of Maesteg had a population of 17,580 in the 2011 census and includes Nantyffyllon. The built-up area having a population of 21,000.

History
 Before the development of industry in the 1820s, the Llynfi Valley was a sparsely populated area of scattered farms. The nearest settlement was the village of Llangynwyd, located on the hillside about two miles south of the present-day town centre of Maesteg. Close to Llangynwyd is an extensive earthwork known as Y Bwlwarcau ("the bulwarks"), an Iron Age enclosure that is probably a remnant of the earliest settlement in the Llynfi district.

During the Middle Ages, the valley was part of Tir Iarll (the Earl's Land), an area "famous for its game coverts, its woods and sparkling streams" that was set aside as a hunting reserve by Robert Fitzhamon, Earl of Gloucester, the Norman conqueror of Glamorgan. Up to the 18th century, many of the farms of the Llynfi Valley were centres of local culture. For example, Llwydarth, the home of the influential Powell family, was a centre for writers and poets in Glamorgan in the 17th century.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Maesteg was the first place in the UK where Japanese knotweed was spotted in the wild, sometime before 1886.

Industrial history

The origins of the present-day community in the Llynfi Valley date from the late 1820s, when the area's considerable coal and iron ore resources were developed on an industrial scale for the first time. In 1828, a 15-mile horse-drawn railway was completed between Porthcawl and Garnlwyd in the Llynfi Valley. This was the Dyffryn Llynfi and Porthcawl Railway (DLPR); it was extended to the Coegnant district near the head of the valley in 1830. The railway opened up the district and led to the formation of an iron company, which began building a works on Maesteg Uchaf Farm, near the site of the present-day town centre, in 1826. The company took its name from the farm, and by 1831 two blast furnaces were in operation and the first rows of workers' housing had been completed near the Maesteg Ironworks. Around the same time, one of the first zinc smelters in Wales was set up on Coegnant Farm near the northern terminus of the DLPR.

In 1839, work on a second, larger, ironworks commenced at Nantycrynwydd Farm on a site now largely occupied by the Tesco store and car park. The works, which became known as the Llynfi Ironworks (or "The New Works"), was started by the unsuccessful Cambrian Iron and Spelter Company and was bought by the ambitious Llynvi Iron Company in 1845. The Cornstores section of the Maesteg Sports Centre and the adjoining base of a blast furnace remain as links to the Llynfi Works and the valley's significant 19th century iron industry. The two ironworks, with associated collieries and new housing, transformed an area of scattered farms with a population of about 400 in 1821 into a growing township with a population of 4,000 by 1841.

The Cambrian/Llynfi Works attracted investment capital from a number of prominent figures of the early Victorian period, including the poet William Wordsworth, who was a Cambrian shareholder in the early 1840s, the gin distiller Sir Felix Booth, and the writer and radical politician Dr John Bowring. Bowring invested heavily in the Llynfi Works in the mid-1840s and, for a number of years, that part of the valley around his works was known as Bowrington. During his association with the Maesteg district, he campaigned in Parliament for a decimal system of coinage and was largely responsible for the introduction of Britain's first decimal coin, the florin or two shilling piece (now the ten pence piece). John Bowring lost his capital in the trade depression of the late 1840s, although the iron company continued trading. After his Llynfi venture, John Bowring became British Consul in Canton, China, and was Governor of Hong Kong from 1854 to 1859.

The iron industry in Maesteg continued, with varying degrees of success, until wrought iron making was replaced by the manufacture of cheaper, mass-produced steel during the 1870s. In its heyday, after the opening of the broad gauge, steam-hauled Llynfi Valley Railway in 1861, the Llynfi Works had a reputation for producing high-quality iron. In the mid-Victorian period there was a flourishing export trade to Southern Italy and Turkey; rails were exported to the United States and Llynvi "Navy Quality" No.3 Cable Iron was highly regarded by the makers of Admiralty-tested anchor chains. However, as the Llynfi site could not be adapted for the production of steel, iron making ceased in the Maesteg area in 1885.

During the mid-1880s, with the closure of the Llynfi Works and its associated collieries, the Maesteg district, with a population of about 10,000, faced an uncertain future. However, the local coal industry then began to expand with the formation of North's Navigation Collieries Ltd in 1889. The colliery company was led by Colonel North, the "Nitrate King". In 1900, another company, led by Sir Alfred Jones of the Elder Dempster shipping line, also developed collieries in the valley. Due to the expansion programme set in motion by the two mining companies, two of the local, former iron company collieries (Coegnant and Garth) were modernised, and two new large collieries were sunk at Caerau and St John's (Cwmdu). With the development of the coal industry, the local population increased from about 10,000 in 1891 to almost 30,000 in 1921.

Between 1890 and 1925, the valley gained a worldwide reputation as a producer of Admiralty-grade steam coal, high quality coking coal and what was regarded as the best house coal in South Wales. Due to the quality of the steam coal, North's Imperial Navigation coal was included on the prestigious Admiralty List of the twenty–six best Welsh steam coals. In 1908, the Cunard liner Mauretania was entirely fired by Llynfi coal when the ship established a new record for crossing the Atlantic. By the early 1920s there were over 7,000 miners at work in the valley. However, as the area depended to such a large extent on the coal export trade, it was seriously affected by the trade depression of 1928–38. During that period of acute poverty and large-scale unemployment, the population of the Llynfi Valley decreased by almost a third as many left the district to seek employment in the new light industries growing up in areas such as West London and the English Midlands.

For many years after the Second World War, the local coal industry employed well over 2,000 workers and new jobs were created in local government-built factories and in new industries in the Port Talbot and Bridgend journey-to-work areas. Due to the buoyant coal industry and the success of the new factories during the years 1950–75, the population of Maesteg and district stabilised at about 20,000, roughly the figure today. With the creation of more jobs in the Bridgend and Port Talbot districts, the Llynfi Valley gradually became a residential area, a process which speeded up with the terminal decline of the coal industry during the period 1977 to 1985.

Llynfi Valley metal-working centres

Llynfi Valley collieries

Demography

Economy

Maesteg Market
Maesteg Market was situated at the ground floor level of Maesteg Town Hall and offered a variety of goods until the final stallholder left in 2018.

Transport

Railway
Maesteg has three railway stations, all on the Maesteg Line. Services are operated by Transport for Wales and run directly to Cardiff Central via Bridgend. The services usually continue to Cheltenham Spa via Newport and Gloucester with one early morning service to Ebbw Vale Town. Previous, long-distance extensions to London Waterloo and Wrexham General were short lived. The terminus station is Maesteg; the other two stations are the most recently built , and Garth station which serves the Garth and Cwmfelin villages situated just outside Maesteg. The Rail linc bus service used to replace a withdrawn rail service from Maesteg to Caerau, but it was removed in January 2012 due to council cutbacks.

In the past, there were other railway stations in Maesteg. Llangynwyd Station used to lie on the Maesteg line a few miles east of where Garth Station is today, and Maesteg (Neath Road) was on the old Port Talbot Railway Line, but these are now closed.

The original Maesteg station was situated a few yards west of the terminus that is there today. Remains of the original station remain behind the Asda supermarket, including the platforms and the bridge joining the two platforms. The old track was removed in 2007 during a land reclamation project. The present stations were reopened by British Rail in 1992.

Buses
Maesteg bus station is situated to the rear of the town hall. First Cymru operate the majority of the services from this station. Services run to Bridgend, Swansea via Port Talbot, Caerau Park, Llangynwyd and Cymmer.

Welsh language
In common with the rest of Wales, the town has two official languages, English and Welsh. The majority of people in Maesteg are native English speakers, but there is a Welsh-speaking minority. The 2011 census reported that 11% of people over the age of 3 spoke Welsh. However, there were large discrepancies between age groups. 27.9% of 3-15 year olds spoke Welsh, 8.6% of 16-64 year olds spoke Welsh, and the lowest proportion was among the over 65s at 5.3%.

Primary and secondary education is available through the medium of Welsh, there are Welsh-language chapels, and the headquarters of Menter yr Iaith Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr is based in the town. The Welsh-language author and Welsh-medium education campaigner Norah Isaac was born and raised in Caerau. She was described as 'the most influential individual in the history of Welsh-medium education' by Iolo Wyn Williams in his book Our Children's Language: The Welsh-Medium Schools of Wales, 1939-2000. Wales' first ever Welsh-language nursery was opened in Maesteg in 1949.

Education
Maesteg has six English language state primary schools: Cwmfelin, Plasnewydd, Caerau, Nantyffyllon, Llangynwyd and Garth. Plasnewydd is one of the biggest primary schools in the Llynfi Valley, with just over 400 pupils, and is an Eco-School. There is also a Catholic primary school, St. Mary's and St. Patrick's, and a Welsh-medium school, Ysgol Cynwyd Sant.

There are two comprehensive schools in Maesteg. The English-medium Ysgol Maesteg School, previously known as Maesteg Comprehensive School, recently moved to a new site, at a cost of £17,000,000. The Welsh-medium Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Llangynwyd then relocated to the former school's previous premises.

The pupils of St. Mary's and St. Patrick's pursue their secondary education in Archbishop McGrath Catholic Comprehensive School, located in Brackla, a few miles to the south.

Maesteg Town Council
Maesteg Town Council has seventeen representatives covering the four electoral wards of Maesteg East (5), Maesteg West (5), Nantyffyllon (3) and Caerau (4). Until recently, there had been a majority of Labour members for over forty years. Following mass resignations from the local Labour Party as a result of an internal row over candidate selections, several Councillors resigned from the party and now sit as independents. The make-up of the council as of June 2019 is 9 Labour and 8 Llynfi Independents members.

Religion
The largest religion in the valley is Christianity; the majority of denominations are Nonconformist. There are many churches and chapels in the Maesteg area, several of which have been converted into flats because they are no longer used for religious purposes. There is a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in one of Maesteg's villages, Nantyffyllon.

Culture
Maesteg has a tradition of music and theatre, including a rich tradition of singing. At present, there are three male voice choirs – Cor Meibion Maesteg A'r Cylch (Maesteg and District Male Voice Choir), Cor Meibion Glerwyr Maesteg Gleemen Male Voice Choir, and Cor yr Hen Blwyf (the Old Parish Choir) – the largest of which is Cor Meibion Maesteg. There are also two women's choirs: Cor Merched Cwm Llynfi (Llynfi Valley Ladies Choir) and Harmony Ladies Choir. There are two mixed groups, Noteworthy Choir and Take Note contemporary vocal group.

Maesteg Children's Choir hosts many concerts throughout the year, and Curtain Up Youth Theatre has been performing musicals since the turn of the millennium.

The rock band Funeral for a Friend originates from Maesteg.

The Welsh national anthem "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" was first performed in Maesteg, in the vestry of the original Capel Tabor which is now Maesteg Workingmen's Club.

The artist Christopher Williams was born in Maesteg in 1873: seven of his paintings are on display in the town hall.

Media
As part of Bridgend County Borough, the local radio station is Bridge FM. Maesteg is also on the fringes of the broadcast area of the Swansea local radio stations The Wave and Swansea Bay Radio. The town is also served by three local newspapers: The Glamorgan Gazette, published weekly, has its main office in Bridgend, but prints news related to Maesteg; The Gem, formerly The Recorder, a free weekly, printed in Cowbridge, and The Llynfi News, a free monthly paper, based in Maesteg.

Sport
Maesteg is home to Maesteg Park A.F.C. an association football team founded in 1945 and affiliated to the Football Association of Wales. There are four Welsh Rugby Union teams in Maesteg. The oldest is Maesteg RFC, founded in 1877, while Maesteg Harlequins RFC was formed in the 1920s. Other rugby union teams from the area include Nantyffyllon RFC and Maesteg Celtic RFC. For a time, Maesteg was also home to the now-defunct rugby league team South Wales Scorpions.

The town is home to two cricket clubs. Maesteg Cricket Club was founded in 1846 and won the South Wales Cricket Association League Cup in 2016.  Maesteg Celtic Cricket Club is based at Garth Welfare Park; they have won the Welsh Cup three times and the first division of the South Wales Cricket Association on seven occasions, including a record four times consecutively.  Both clubs play in the South Wales Cricket Association Division 1.

Notable people
See :Category:People from Maesteg
 Billy Banks (1925-1991), Wales and Great Britain rugby league player
 Allan Bateman, Wales and British Lions rugby union and rugby league player
 Dave Bowen (1928–1995), Arsenal and Wales, footballer and football manager
 Henry Bracy (1846–1917), opera singer, director and producer
 Gwyn Evans, Wales and British Lions rugby union player
 Howell Evans (1928-2014), actor
 Chico Hopkins, Wales and British Lions rugby union and rugby league player
 Norah Isaac (1915-2003), author and pioneer of Welsh-language education
 George Jeffries (1889–1972), founder of the worldwide Elim Pentecostal Church
 Siân Lloyd (1958-), ITV weather presenter
 James Morgan (1985-), actor
 Sir Rhys Hopkin Morris (1888–1956), politician, stipendiary magistrate and first director of the Welsh Region BBC
 Sir William Beddoe Rees MP (1877–1931), Welsh chapel architect, town-planner and politician
 Brinley Richards (1904–1981), Archdruid of Wales 1972–75
 Menna Richards, Controller of BBC Wales, 2000–2011
 David Emlyn Thomas (1892–1954), politician and trade unionist
 Rees Thomas (1926-1984), rugby league player
 Thomas Llyfnwy Thomas (1912–1983), U.S.-based singer and TV personality
 Sidney Wilcox (1893–1973), cricketer
 Christopher Williams (1873–1934), painter
 John J. Williams (1948–2020), Wales and British Lions rugby union player and international athlete

References

External links

 Maesteg

Towns in Bridgend County Borough
Communities in Bridgend County Borough
Swansea Bay (region)

Maesteg


Madam White Snake (青蛇与白蛇 or 白蛇新传) is a wuxia TV drama series jointly produced by MediaCorp (Media Corporation of Singapore) and Taiwanese producer Young Pei-pei's Workshop. It was aired in 2001.

Starring a pan-Asian cast including celebrity couple Fann Wong and Christopher Lee, as well as Taiwanese actors Zhang Yuyan and Vincent Chiao, this sword fighting serial deftly explored in comic and tragic ways the politics of revenge through a well-executed and performed script.  The serial was filmed in Hengdian City, Zhejiang Province of China, which formed a beautiful backdrop for this serial.

The television serial was based on a legendary  folk tale (Madame White Snake), involving a snake spirit and her male human lover, but was adapted in this version to include the presence of a black snake who is the snake spirit's mentor and the White Snake Spirit being trapped under the pagoda for 20 years, when in the original tale she was trapped under the tower for centuries.

As for the green snake, the white snake imprisons her for a short time (a few hours) before releasing her, unlike the original where she imprisoned her for three centuries. Xu Xian is also initially a good-for-nothing who, under the white snake's guidance, becomes an official.

The serial attained high viewership ratings in Taiwan and China. It also broadcast in Indonesia (Indosiar).

Cast
 Fann Wong - Madam White Snake, White Snake spirit, Bai Suzhen, Qin Xiaoxiao, Xi Shi
 Christopher Lee - Xu Xian, Xu Shilin, Lord Wu
 Crystal Chang (张玉嬿) - Green Snake
 Vincent Chiao - Shi/Miao Junbao, Fahai

External links

 http://www.chinatownology.com/madam_white_snake.html https://www.storynory.com/madame-white-snake/

2001 Singaporean television series debuts
2001 Taiwanese television series debuts
Works based on the Legend of the White Snake
Television series set in the Southern Song
Romantic fantasy television series
Television about fairies and sprites

Madam White Snake (TV series)


Arup Kumar Raychaudhuri (born 1 January 1952) is an Indian condensed matter physicist, materials scientist and a Distinguished Emeritus Professor at the S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences. Known for his pioneering work on the interplay of disorder and interaction, Raychaudhuri is an elected fellow of all the three major Indian science academies viz. Indian Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Sciences, India and Indian National Science Academy as well as the Asia-Pacific Academy of Materials. He is a recipient of a number of awards such as Millennium Medal of the Indian Science Congress, ICS Gold Medal of the Materials Research Society of India and FICCI Award. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to physical sciences in 1994.

Biography

Born on the New Year's Day of 1952 in the Indian state of West Bengal, Arup Kumar Raychaudhuri completed his BSc from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in 1973 and MSc from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur in 1975 before proceeding to Cornell University from where he secured a PhD in 1980, working under the supervision of Robert O. Pohl. His post-doctoral studies were at Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research as an Alexander von Humboldt fellow and on his return to India in 1982, he joined the Indian Institute of Science as a lecturer. He continued at IISc until 1997 during which period, he served as an assistant professor and as an associate professor before becoming a professor in 1997. The same year, he moved to the National Physical Laboratory of India as its director on deputation for a three-year stint and returned to IISc in 2000 to resume his duties as a professor. At IISC, he also chaired the Central Cryogenic Facility from 1993 to 1997 and served as the convener of the Integrated PhD Programme from 1994 to 1997. In 2004, he returned to his home state to join S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences as a senior professor and served as its director from 2006 until his superannuation from service. Post retirement, he continues his association with S. N. Bose National Centre by holding the positions of a Distinguished Emeritus Professor and the Nodal Officer of its Technical Research Center project.

Legacy

Raychaudhuri's work have mainly been in the disciplines of material science and condensed matter physics, particularly on the physics of transition metal oxides such as perovskite oxides. Glassy state and High Tc superconductor physics and colossal magnetoresistance have been some of his other interests and his research has helped in the elucidation of the interplay of disorder and interaction. Towards the later part of his career, he worked on nanofabrications using nanolithography techniques. He is also credited with the development of an indigenous low temperature scanning tunneling microscope and a host of other experiment equipment. His studies have been documented by way of a number of articles and the online article repository of the Indian Academy of Sciences has listed 172 of them.

Raychaudhuri is known to have contributed to the development of integrated doctoral programs at IISc as the head of the program during 1994–97. He has served as a member of the Commission on Low Temperature Physics of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics and 35 doctoral researchers have been mentored by him.

Awards and honors
In 1986, The Indian Physics Association awarded the N. S. Sathyamurthy Award for young scientists to Raychaudhuri. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, one of the highest Indian science awards in 1994. He received the MRSI Medal of the Materials Research Society of India in 1996; the society would honour him again in 2002 with the MRSI-ICSC Super Conductivity and Materials Science Annual Prize. The Indian Science Congress selected him for the Millennium Medal in 2000 and three years later, he received the 2003 FICCI Award in materials science and applied sciences. The Indian National Science Academy honored him with the Homi Jehangir Bhabha Medal in 2008.

Raychaudhuri has held several research fellowships which include the Alexander von Humboldt fellowship (1980) as well as the J. C. Bose National fellowship of the Department of Science and Technology (2006) and was an Associate of the Indian Academy of Sciences (1986), Nuclear Science Centre (1996) and  National Institute of Advanced Studies (1996). The Indian Academy of Sciences elected him as a fellow in 1993, the same year as he received the honorary senior fellowship of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research. The year 2000 brought him two elected fellowships, those of National Academy of Sciences, India and Asia-Pacific Academy of Materials which was followed by the elected fellowship of Indian National Science Academy a year later. He was also selected for the honorary professorship by the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in 2000. The award orations delivered by him include Platinum Jubilee Lecture of Indian Science Congress in 1999.

Selected bibliography

See also
 Scanning probe microscopy

Notes

References

External links

Recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Physical Science
Indian scientific authors
1952 births
Fellows of The National Academy of Sciences, India
Fellows of the Indian Academy of Sciences
Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy
IIT Kharagpur alumni
Cornell University alumni
Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda alumni
Cornell University faculty
Academic staff of the Indian Institute of Science
University of Maryland, College Park faculty
Indian materials scientists
Indian condensed matter physicists
Scientists from West Bengal
Living people

Arup Kumar Raychaudhuri


Thlaspi californicum is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common name Kneeland Prairie penny-cress. It is endemic to California, where it is known from only one stretch of grassland in Humboldt County. It is threatened by development. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

The taxonomy of this species is uncertain. Authors call it Thlaspi californicum, Thlaspi montanum var. californicum, Noccaea californica, and Noccaea fendleri ssp. californica, and there are other synonyms.

This plant is a perennial herb growing roughly 10 centimeters tall, the height varying from 1 to 20 centimeters. There are spatula-shaped lower leaves a few centimeters long and a few leaves higher on the plant. The inflorescence is a raceme of mustardlike flowers with white spoon-shaped petals just under a centimeter in length. The fruit is a silique. The plant often reproduces vegetatively by cloning.

As of 2000 there was only one population of this plant. It is located adjacent to the Kneeland Airport on the Kneeland Prairie near Eureka in Humboldt County. In the area there are three colonies growing on separate serpentine outcrops on the prairie. Two of the colonies are separated by the Kneeland Airport. The plant is limited to the serpentine soils of the local landscape.

This plant is threatened by development at the airport and other facilities nearby, including roads and a helitack base. In the past few decades the amount of available habitat has been decreased 50% or more, possibly as much as 70%. It has also led to habitat fragmentation as the population is bisected by the airport and the road. Planned expansion projects at the airport, including installation of a parking lot, may reduce the amount of suitable habitat further.

References

External links
Thlaspi californicum. CalPhotos.

Brassicaceae
Endemic flora of California

Thlaspi californicum


Tullio Serafin (1 September 18782 February 1968) was an Italian conductor and former Musical Director at La Scala.

Biography
Tullio Serafin was a leading Italian opera conductor with a long career and a very broad repertoire who revived many 19th-century bel canto operas by Bellini, Rossini and Donizetti to become staples of 20th-century repertoire. He had an unparalleled reputation as a coach of young opera singers and famously harnessed and developed both Renata Tebaldi's and Maria Callas's considerable talents.

Born in Rottanova (Cavarzere), near Venice, and trained in Milan, he played viola in the Orchestra of La Scala, Milan under Arturo Toscanini, later being appointed Assistant Conductor.  He took over as Music Director at La Scala when Toscanini left to go to New York, and served 1909–1914, 1917–1918, and returned briefly after the Second World War, 1946 -1947.

He joined the conducting staff of the Metropolitan Opera in 1924, and remained for a decade, after which he became the artistic director of the Teatro Reale in Rome.  During his long career he helped further the careers of many important singers, including Rosa Ponselle, Magda Olivero, Joan Sutherland, Renata Tebaldi, and most notably Maria Callas, with whom he collaborated on many recordings.

Maestro Serafin was very appreciated in Buenos Aires. During 9 seasons at the Teatro Colón between 1914 and 1951, he conducted 368 opera performances of 63 different operas. This included many operas that are seldom performed, by composers such as Alfano, Catalani, Giordano, Massenet, Montemezzi, Monteverdi, Pizzetti, Respighi, Rimsky Korsakov, and Zandonai.

Serafin was instrumental in expanding the repertory, conducting the Italian premieres of works by Alban Berg, Paul Dukas, and Benjamin Britten.  He also conducted important world premieres by both Italian and American composers, such as Franco Alfano, Italo Montemezzi, Deems Taylor, and Howard Hanson. His goddaughter was the soprano Claudia Pinza Bozzolla.

Studio discography

Verdi Requiem (Caniglia, Stignani, Gigli, Pinza; 1939) EMI
 Un ballo in maschera (Caniglia, Barbieri, Gigli, Bechi; 1943) EMI
 Il barbiere di Siviglia (de los Ángeles, Monti, Bechi, Luise, Rossi-Lemeni; 1952) EMI
Lucia di Lammermoor (Callas, di Stefano, Gobbi, Arié; 1953) EMI
I puritani (Callas, di Stefano, Panerai, Rossi-Lemeni; 1953) EMI
Cavalleria rusticana (Callas, di Stefano, Panerai; 1953) EMI
Norma (Callas, Stignani, Filippeschi, Rossi-Lemeni; 1954) EMI
Pagliacci (Callas, di Stefano, Monti, Gobbi, Panerai; 1954) EMI
La forza del destino (Callas, Tucker, Tagliabue, Rossi-Lemeni; 1954) EMI
Aida (Callas, Barbieri, Tucker, Gobbi, Modesti, Zaccaria; 1955) EMI
Rigoletto (Callas, di Stefano, Gobbi, Zaccaria; 1955) EMI
 La traviata (Stella, di Stefano, Gobbi; 1955) EMI
 Linda di Chamounix (Stella, Valletti, Taddei, Barbieri, Capecchi, Modesti; 1956) Philips
 Moïse et Pharaon (Mancini, Danieli, Filippeschi, Lazzari, Taddei, Rossi-Lemeni, Clabassi; 1956) Philips
Turandot (Callas, Schwarzkopf, Fernandi, Zaccaria; 1957) EMI
Manon Lescaut (Callas, di Stefano, Fioravanti; 1957) EMI
Médée (Callas, Scotto, Pirazzini, Picchi, Modesti; 1957) Ricordi
 Suor Angelica (de los Ángeles, Barbieri; 1957) EMI
 Tosca (Stella, Poggi, Taddei; 1957) Philips

 L'elisir d'amore (Carteri, Alva, Panerai, Taddei; 1958) EMI
 Madama Butterfly (Tebaldi, Cossotto, Bergonzi, Sordello; 1958) Decca
 Mefistofele (Tebaldi, Danieli, del Monaco, Siepi; 1958) Decca
Lucia di Lammermoor (Callas, Tagliavini, Cappuccilli, Ładysz; 1959) EMI
La traviata (de los Angeles, Dal Monte, Sereni; 1959) EMI
 La bohème (Tebaldi, d'Angelo, Bergonzi, Bastianini, Siepi; 1959) Decca
 Cavalleria rusticana (Del Monaco, Simionato, McNeil, Satre, Di Stasio; 1959) Decca
Norma (Callas, Ludwig, Corelli, Zaccaria; 1960) EMI
Otello (Rysanek, Vickers, Gobbi; 1960) RCA Victor
 Il trovatore (Stella, Cossotto, Bergonzi, Bastianini; 1962) Deutsche Grammophon
 Isabeau (Pobbé, Ferraro, Rola; 1962) Cetra

References

Warrack, John and West, Ewan (1992), The Oxford Dictionary of Opera, 782 pages,
Nicla Sguotti, Tullio Serafin, il custode del bel canto, Padova, Armelin Musica, 2014,  (https://web.archive.org/web/20150206232622/http://www.niclasguotti.it/tullio-serafin.html)

External links
[ AMG AllMusic entry]

1878 births
1968 deaths
Musicians from Venice
Italian male conductors (music)
Music directors (opera)
Conductors of the Metropolitan Opera
20th-century Italian conductors (music)
20th-century Italian male musicians

Tullio Serafin


Mughal architecture is the type of Indo-Islamic architecture developed by the Mughals in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries throughout the ever-changing extent of their empire in the Indian subcontinent. It developed from the architectural styles of earlier Muslim dynasties in India and from Iranian and Central Asian architectural traditions, particularly Timurid architecture. It also further incorporated and syncretized influences from wider Indian architecture, especially during the reign of Akbar (r. 1556–1605). Mughal buildings have a uniform pattern of structure and character, including large bulbous domes, slender minarets at the corners, massive halls, large vaulted gateways, and delicate ornamentation; examples of the style can be found in modern-day Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.

The Mughal dynasty was established after the victory of Babur at Panipat in 1526. During his five-year reign, Babur took considerable interest in erecting buildings, though few have survived. His grandson Akbar built widely, and the style developed vigorously during his reign. Among his accomplishments were Agra Fort, the fort-city of Fatehpur Sikri, and the Buland Darwaza. Akbar's son Jahangir commissioned the Shalimar Gardens in Kashmir.

Mughal architecture reached its zenith during the reign of Shah Jahan, who constructed Taj Mahal, the Jama Masjid of Delhi, the Shalimar Gardens of Lahore, and renovated the Lahore Fort. High-ranking officials below the emperor were also able to build major monuments, as with the example of the Wazir Khan Mosque. The last of the great Mughal patrons was Aurangzeb, who built the Badshahi Mosque, Bibi Ka Maqbara, Moti Masjid etc.

Background
Mughal emperors and elites consciously used architecture as a way to publicly display their presence and power. The extensive architectural patronage of the Mughals was made possible by their considerable wealth, which exceeded that of other contemporary Muslim empires like the Ottomans and Safavids. In the Indian subcontinent, more monuments survive from the Mughal period than any other period. Major monuments of this time include mosques, mausoleums, palaces, gardens, and fortresses.

Mughal architecture was derived from three main architectural traditions: local Indo-Islamic architecture, the architecture of Islamic Persia and Central Asia, and indigenous Hindu architecture. Because earlier Indo-Islamic architecture already borrowed from both Hindu and Islamic architectural styles, certain influences in Mughal architecture can be difficult to attribute to one source or the other. With regards to Hindu architecture, local Rajput palaces were likely a key influence. Early Mughal architecture developed from existing Indo-Islamic architecture while following the model of Timurid architecture (based in Central Asia), due in part to the Timurid ancestry of the Mughal dynasty's founder, Babur. By the late 16th century, a more distinctive Mughal tradition emerged based on the combination of these two sources.

Under the reign of Akbar (), the use of Hindu architectural elements was especially prolific, including in high-profile construction projects like Fatehpur Sikri. Under his successors, there was a shift towards more typically Islamic architectural designs. Under Akbar in particular, non-Muslims were present among the highest-ranking officials and were able to become patrons of architecture as well. The most notable example is Raja Man Singh, a Hindu amir who built both Hindu temples and Muslim mosques and shrines.

During the reign of Shah Jahan (), a "classical" Mughal style was consolidated and remained essentially in use until the end of the Mughal period. A certain level of stylistic consistency was achieved throughout the empire at this period thanks to the role of a central department of architects, similar to the imperial architects that existed in the Ottoman Empire.

Mughal architecture has also influenced later Indian architectural styles, including the Indo-Saracenic style of the British Raj, the Rajput style and the Sikh style.

Characteristics

General

Mughal architecture is distinguished by an elegant style in which careful linear divisions of spaces and surfaces took priority over the more three-dimensional combination of elements that distinguished earlier Indo-Islamic architecture. The use of colour was also relatively restrained, with emphasis instead on finishing surfaces with high-quality, polished materials. Bulbous domes and ogive arches were among the most prominent recurring elements. In addition to domes and arches, the local tradition of trabeate construction also continued, especially in secular architecture like palaces.

Another distinguishing characteristic was the use of red sandstone as a building material, along with white marble. This replaced the prominence of brick in earlier Indo-Islamic architecture, though construction materials still varied depending on the region. Sandstone is a very hard material, but local Indian stonemasons were skilled in carving it with intricate detail, which was another distinguishing feature of the Mughal style. White marble was initially used as a cladding to compliment and finish the look of sandstone buildings, as in Humayun's Tomb, but later it was used on a grander scale to cover entire buildings, as in the Taj Mahal. Brick was sometimes still used for domes and arches, but in these cases it was usually faced with plaster or stone as a finish.

Decoration

Decorative motifs included geometric and floral designs, as well as elaborate inscriptions in Arabic, Persian, and even in local languages during the late Mughal period. Decoration was commonly executed in tile or stone.

Tilework was more commonly applied to the exterior of buildings and existed in two main types: cuerda seca and mosaic tilework. Cuerda seca tiles were decorated with coloured glazes separated by dark lines, while mosaic tilework consisted of single-coloured tile pieces that were cut and fitted together to create larger patterns.

Stonework was of high quality and marks one of the most sophisticated aspects of Mughal decoration. Carved stonework included ornately-sculpted pillars and corbels, flat panels carved in low relief with depictions of flowers,  and pierced marble screens known as jalis. Pietra dura, known as parchin kari in the Indian subcontinent, was the technique of decorating with inlaid stone. It developed in this region independently from the Italian technique that is widely known elsewhere.

Influences

Elements of earlier Indo-Islamic architecture that continued in Mughal architecture are the cusped (multifoil) arches, which appeared earlier in the architecture of Delhi and Gujarat, as well as the do-chala roof, a feature originating in Bengali architecture that was adopted in the architecture of the Bengal Sultanate.

Features of Persian or Central Asian (Timurid) influence were the iwan (a vaulted space open to one side), the use of domes, the pointed four-centred arch, the use of decorative tilework, and the chahar bagh type of garden, along with various other motifs and building layouts. In dome construction, Persian-style squinches were used in some cases, but in other cases the domes were supported by flat beams over the corners of the chamber.

Elements of Mughal architecture that demonstrate Hindu influences include the use of trabeate constructions, the use of corbel arches instead of arches with voussoirs, and the style of ornately-carved pillars. Jharokhas (projecting balconies), chhatris (domed kiosks), and chhajjas (wide stone eaves) are also elements that were borrowed from local Hindu architecture and became very popular in Mughal architecture. Some elements, such as projecting balconies, had parallels in Islamic architecture elsewhere but their specific Mughal forms were of local inspiration.

Major building types

Large fortified citadels or palace complexes, such as the Agra Fort and the Red Fort in Delhi, were enclosed in massive walls reinforced by semi-circular towers and entered via monumental gateways. Inside, the classic Mughal palace was laid out with symmetrical gardens and various pavilions. Open pavilions with rows of cusped arches were a recurring feature. Rich decoration was used to embellish rooms and halls.

Gardens were a favourite concern of Mughal emperors, whether they were created as separate, dedicated garden sites or as the setting for pavilions and mausoleums within larger architectural complexes. They were laid out in a formal manner with terraces, precise divisions, and water features.

Mosques were relatively more restrained in their decoration but were built on a grand scale. The typical mosque layout in the classic Mughal era involved a large rectangular courtyard surrounded by an arcade on three sides and a prayer hall on one side. The prayer hall consisted of a wide vaulted hall fronted by an arcade of monumental arches, with the central archway consisting of a larger iwan rising above the others.

The most monumental and elaborate Mughal structures were royal mausoleums, deliberately designed to show off the power and sophistication of their patrons. The classic Mughal tomb was an octagonal or rectangular structure with a central dome and outer iwans, raised on a terraced platform.

Other public buildings and infrastructure works included roads, milestones (known as kos minar), caravanserais (inns for merchants and travelers), and bridges. These were more functional in nature and less decorative, though some caravanserais were embellished with elaborate gateways.

Monuments

Babur
The architectural patronage of Babur, the first Mughal emperor, is mainly known for its terraced gardens. These gardens, often established in palaces and citadels, were modeled on the Persian chahar bagh ("four gardens") type, in which gardens are geometrically divided into different plots, usually four equal parts. This type followed Timurid antecedents, though the use of water channels as linear dividers may have been a Mughal innovation. Babur himself was initially buried at Agra, but in 1644 his tomb was moved to one of his favourite gardens in Kabul, now known as the Gardens of Babur.

In religious architecture, Babur's mosques also followed the designs of earlier Timurid mosques, with  a tall central entrance portal (pishtaq), a courtyard, and a prayer hall covered by a large central dome flanked by side aisles covered by smaller domes. An example of this is his mosque at Panipat.

Akbar

Agra Fort

Agra fort is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. The major part of Agra fort was built by Akbar from 1565 to 1574. The architecture of the fort clearly indicates the free adoption of the Rajput planning and construction. Some of the important buildings in the fort are Jahangiri Mahal built for Jahangir and his family, the Moti Masjid, and Mena Bazaars. The Jahangiri Mahal has a courtyard surrounded by double-storeyed halls and rooms.

Humayun's Tomb

Humayun's tomb is the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun in Delhi, India. The tomb was commissioned by Humayun's first wife and chief consort, Empress Bega Begum (also known as Haji Begum), in 1569–70, and designed by Mirak Mirza Ghiyas and his son, Sayyid Muhammad, Persian architects chosen by her. It was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent. It is often regarded as the first mature example of Mughal architecture.

Fatehpur Sikri

Akbar's greatest architectural achievement was the construction of Fatehpur Sikri, his capital city near Agra at a trade and Jain pilgrimages.  The construction of the walled city was started in 1569 and completed in 1574.

It contained some of the most beautiful buildings – both religious and secular which testify to the Emperor's aim of achieving social, political and religious integration.  The main religious buildings were the huge Jama Masjid and small Tomb of Salim Chisti. Buland Darwaza, also known as the Gate of Magnificence, was built by Akbar in 1576 to commemorate his victory over Gujarat and the Deccan. It is 40 metres high and 50 metres from the ground. The total height of the structure is about 54 metres from ground level.

The Haramsara, the royal seraglio in Fatehpur Sikri was an area where the royal women lived. The opening to the Haramsara is from the Khwabgah side separated by a row of cloisters. According to Abul Fazl, in Ain-i-Akbari, the inside of Harem was guarded by senior and active women, outside the enclosure the eunuchs were placed, and at a proper distance there were faithful Rajput guards.

Jodha bai Palace is the largest palace in the Fatehpur Sikri seraglio, connected to the minor haramsara quarters. The main entrance is double storied, projecting out of the facade to create a kind of porch leading into a recessed entrance with a balcony. Inside there is a quadrangle surrounded by rooms. The columns of rooms are ornamented with a variety of Hindu sculptural motifs.

Tomb of Salim Chisti

The Tomb of Salim Chishti is famed as one of the finest examples of Mughal architecture in India, built during the years 1580 and 1581. The tomb, built in 1571 in the corner of the mosque compound, is a square marble chamber with a verandah. The cenotaph has an exquisitely designed lattice screen around it. It enshrines the burial place of the Sufi saint, Salim Chisti (1478 – 1572), a descendant of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer, who lived in a cavern on the ridge at Sikri. The mausoleum, constructed by Akbar as a mark of his respect for the Sufi saint, who foretold the birth of his son.

Jahangir

Begum Shahi Mosque

The Begum Shahi Mosque is an early 17th-century mosque situated in the Walled City of Lahore, Pakistan. The mosque was built between 1611 and 1614 during the reign of Mughal Emperor Jahangir by his mother, Mariam-Uz-Zamani, and is Lahore's earliest dated Mughal-era mosque. It is known for its exquisite fresco decoration of geometric and floral motifs painted on stucco, along with inscriptions of the names of God. The mosque would later influence construction of the larger Wazir Khan Mosque a few decades later.

Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah

The tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah, is a mausoleum in the city of Agra in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Often described as a "jewel box", sometimes called the "Bachcha Taj", as the tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah is often regarded as a draft of the Taj Mahal.

Shah Jahan

Rather than building huge monuments like his predecessors to demonstrate their power, Shah Jahan built elegant monuments. The force and originality of this previous building style gave way under Shah Jahan to a delicate elegance and refinement of detail, illustrated in the palaces erected during his reign at Agra, Delhi and Lahore. Some examples include the Taj Mahal at Agra, the tomb of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, under the chief architect Ustad Ahmad Lahori, a Punjabi Muslim. The Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque) in the Agra Fort and the Jama Masjid at Delhi, the latter built under the supervision of his Grand Vizier, Saadullah Khan, a Punjabi Muslim, are imposing buildings of his era, and their position and architecture have been carefully considered so as to produce a pleasing effect and feeling of spacious elegance and well-balanced proportion of parts. Shah Jahan also renovated buildings such as the Moti Masjid, Sheesh Mahal and Naulakha pavilion, which are all enclosed in the Lahore Fort. He also built a mosque named after himself in Thatta called Shahjahan Mosque (not built in the Mughal architecture, but in Safavid and Timurid architecture that were influenced by the Persian architecture). Shah Jahan also built the Red Fort in his new capital at Shah Jahanabad, now Old Delhi. The red sandstone Red Fort is noted for its special buildings-Diwan-i-Aam and Diwan-i-Khas. Another mosque was built during his tenure in Lahore called Wazir Khan Mosque, by Shaikh Ilm-ud-din Ansari who was the court physician to the emperor. It is famous for its rich embellishment which covers almost every interior surface. Overall public works by high nobles of Shah Jahan's amirs included Ali Mardan Khan, Ilmuddin Wazir Khan, Khan-i Dauran Nasiri Khan, and Kartalab Khan Deccani.

Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal, a World Heritage Site was built between 1632 and 1653 by the emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal . Its construction took 22 years and required 22,000 laborers and 1,000 elephants, at a cost of 32 million rupees. (corresponding to US$ 827 million in 2015) It is a large, white marble structure standing on a square plinth and consists of a symmetrical building with an iwan (an arch-shaped doorway) topped by a large dome and finial.

The building's longest plane of symmetry runs through the entire complex except for the sarcophagus of Shah Jahan, which is placed off centre in the crypt room below the main floor. This symmetry is extended to the building of an entire mirror mosque in red sandstone, to complement the Mecca-facing mosque placed to the west of the main structure. Parchin kari, a method of decoration on a large scale-inlaid work of jewels and Jali work has been used to decorate the structure.

Wazir Khan Mosque

The Wazir Khan Mosque was commissioned during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1634, and completed in 1642. Considered to be the most ornately decorated Mughal-era mosque, Wazir Khan Mosque is renowned for its intricate faience tile work known as kashi-kari, as well as its interior surfaces that are almost entirely embellished with elaborate Mughal-era frescoes. The mosque has been under extensive restoration since 2009 under the direction of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and the Government of Punjab.

Shalimar Gardens

It is a Mughal garden complex located in Lahore, capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab. The gardens date from the period when the Mughal Empire was at its artistic and aesthetic zenith. Construction of the gardens began in 1641 during the reign of Emperor Shah Jahan, and was completed in 1642. In 1981 the Shalimar Gardens were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as they embody Mughal garden design at the apogee of its development.

Shah Jahan Mosque

The Shah Jahan Mosque is the central mosque for the city of Thatta, in the Pakistani province of Sindh. The mosque commissioned by Shah Jahan, who bestowed it to the city as a token of gratitude. Its style is heavily influenced by Central Asian Timurid architecture, which was introduced after Shah Jahan's campaigns near Balkh and Samarkand. The mosque is considered to have the most elaborate display of tile work in South Asia, and is also notable for its geometric brick work - a decorative element that is unusual for Mughal-period mosques.

Shahi Hammam

Shahi Hammam is a Persian-style bath which was built in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1635 C.E. during the reign of Emperor Shah Jahan. It was built by chief physician to the Mughal Court, Ilam-ud-din Ansari, who was widely known as Wazir Khan. The baths were built to serve as a waqf, or endowment, for the maintenance of the Wazir Khan Mosque.

Aurangzeb
In Aurangzeb's reign (1658–1707) squared stone and marble was replaced by brick or rubble with stucco ornament. Srirangapatna and Lucknow have examples of later Indo-Mughal architecture. He made additions to the Lahore Fort and also built one of the thirteen gates which were later named after him (Alamgir).

Badshahi Mosque

The Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan, was commissioned by the sixth Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Constructed between 1673 and 1674, it is the largest Mughal mosque and the last of the imperial mosques to be built. The mosque is adjacent to the Lahore Fort and is the last in the series of congregational mosques in red sandstone. The red sandstone of the walls contrasts with the white marble of the domes and the subtle intarsia decoration. Aurangzeb's mosque's architectural plan is similar to that of his father, Shah Jahan, the Jama Masjid in Delhi; though it is much larger. It also functions as an idgah. The courtyard which spreads over 276,000 square feet, can accommodate one hundred thousand worshippers; ten thousand can be accommodated inside the mosque. The minarets are  tall. The Mosque is one of the most famous Mughal structures but suffered greatly under the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. In 1993, the Government of Pakistan included the Badshahi Mosque in the tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Additional monuments

Additional monuments from this period are associated with women from Aurangzeb's imperial family. The construction of the elegant Zinat al-Masjid in Daryaganj was overseen by Aurangzeb's second daughter Zinat-al-Nissa. Aurangzeb's sister Roshan-Ara who died in 1671. The tomb of Roshanara Begum and the garden surrounding it were neglected for a long time and are now in an advanced state of decay.

Bibi ka Maqbara
Bibi Ka Maqbara  was a mausoleum built by Emperor Aurangzeb, in the late 17th century as a loving tribute to his first wife, Dilras Bano Begum in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. Some accounts suggest that later it was taken care by Azam Shah, son of aurangzeb. It is a replica of the Taj Mahal, and was designed by Ata-Ullah, the son of Ahmed Lahori, who was the principal designer of the Taj Mahal.

Late Mughal

Lalbagh Fort

Lalbagh Fort (also known as "Fort Aurangabad"), a Mughal palace fortress at the Buriganga River in the southwestern part of Dhaka, Bangladesh, whose construction started in 1678 during the reign of Aurangzeb's son Azam Shah.

Sunehri Mosque

Sunehri Mosque is a late Mughal-era mosque in the Walled City of Lahore, Pakistan. Sunehri Mosque was built in 1753 when the empire was in decline, during the reign of Muhammad Shah.

Tomb of Safdar Jang
The Tomb of Safdar Jung completed in 1754 is one of the last examples of Mughal Architecture.

Gardens

Mughal gardens are gardens built by the Mughals in the Islamic style. This style was influenced by Persian gardens. They are built in the char bagh structure, which is a quadrilateral garden layout based on the four gardens of Paradise mentioned in the Qur'an. This style is intended to create a representation of an earthly utopia in which humans co-exist in perfect harmony with all elements of nature.

The quadrilateral garden is divided by walkways or flowing water into four smaller parts. Significant use of rectilinear layouts are made within the walled enclosures. Some of the typical features include pools, fountains and canals inside the gardens.

Some famous examples of Mughal gardens are the Bagh-e-Babur at Kabul, Mehtab Bagh gardens at the Taj Mahal, gardens at Humayun's Tomb, Shalimar Gardens at Lahore, Wah Gardens in Wah , Khusro Bagh at Prayagraj, as well as Pinjore Gardens at Haryana.

The ensemble of six Mughal Gardens of Jammu and Kashmir (Pari Mahal, Nishat Bagh, Shalimar Bagh, Chashme Shahi, Verinag Garden, Achabal Gardens) are on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India.

Bridges

Shahi Bridge, Jaunpur was constructed during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. Mughal Emperor Akbar ordered the construction of the Shahi Bridge, which was completed in the year 1568–69 by Munim Khan. It took four years to complete the bridge. It was designed by Afghan architect Afzal Ali.

Gallery

See also

Indo-Islamic architecture
Indo-Persian culture

References

Sources

Indian architectural styles
Islamic architecture
16th-century architecture
17th-century architecture
18th-century architectural styles

Mughal architecture


Sizerville State Park is a  Pennsylvania state park in Portage Township, Cameron County and Portage Township, Potter County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is nearly surrounded by Elk State Forest making it part of one of the largest blocks of state-owned land in Pennsylvania. Sizerville State Park is on Pennsylvania Route 155, six miles (10 km) north of the borough of Emporium.

History
Sizerville State Park is named after the nearby ghost town of Sizerville, Pennsylvania, which was in turn named for the Sizer family, early settlers of the region. With the end of the logging boom of the late 19th century, the town was gradually abandoned. Sizerville State Park was first opened in 1924. The first park facilities were opened in 1927. The Civilian Conservation Corps led an effort to reforest the lands surrounding Sizerville State park during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Thousands of acres of old growth timber had been logged at the turn of the 20th century. The CCC planted thousands of acres of white pine and hemlock trees. Today these trees have reached maturity and make up most of the forested acres of Sizerville State Park.

Recreation
Sizerville State Park features five different loop trails for hiking.  Bottomlands, North Slope, and Campground are all on fairly flat land. Sizerville Nature Trail is a three-mile (5 km) loop that features several educational stopping points. It is also a trailhead for the Bucktail Path Trail. Nady Hollow Trail climbs a  mountain.

Sizerville State Park has a 23-site campground.  Eighteen of the sites have an electrical hook-up.  The campground facilities include a sanitary dump, flush toilets and showers.  Those interested in camping in tents can hike into five sites that are on the bank of a creek. The swimming pool is open to the public from Memorial Day until Labor Day.

There are six picnic pavilions and over 200 picnic tables on the grounds of Sizerville State Park. The picnic areas are shaded by the forest of white pine and hemlock. Many of the picnic areas are within walking distance of restrooms and playground facilities.

There are six creeks within Sizerville State Park that make for some ideal fishing.  The east and west branches of Cowley Run are the home of brook and brown trout.  Cowley Run offers some of the best fishing in the park. It contains a population of native brown trout and is stocked each spring by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. Portage Creek and Driftwood Creek, branches of Sinnemahoning Creek, also contain trout and a population of smallmouth bass. Sinnemahoning Creek is another site for the fishing of bass and trout.

Hunting is permitted in  of Sizerville State Park. Hunters are expected to follow the rules and regulations of the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The common game species are ruffed grouse, squirrels, wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, and American black bears.

Snowmobiling and cross-country skiing take place in the winter months at Sizerville State Park.  An average of  of snow falls on the park every winter. The park provides access to miles of groomed snowmobile and cross-country skiing trails in the nearby state forest lands.

Environmental education

The Environmental Education Building houses exhibits and information about the plant and wildlife found in the park. Homeowners are taught how to plant around their homes to make them more attractive to creatures like butterflies and squirrels. Sizerville State Park provides environmental education programs to youth groups, schools, and teachers. Park rangers also lead guided tours of the park, providing hands on learning experiences.

Nearby state parks
The following state parks are within  of Sizerville State Park:
Bendigo State Park (Elk County)
Bucktail State Park Natural Area (Cameron and Clinton Counties)
Cherry Springs State Park (Potter County)
Denton Hill State Park (Potter County)
Elk State Park (Elk County)
Kettle Creek State Park (Clinton County)
Kinzua Bridge State Park (McKean County)
Lyman Run State Park (Potter County)
Ole Bull State Park (Potter County)
Patterson State Park (Potter County)
Prouty Place State Park (Potter County)
Sinnemahoning State Park (Cameron and Potter Counties)

References

External links

State parks of Pennsylvania
Protected areas established in 1924
Civilian Conservation Corps in Pennsylvania
Parks in Potter County, Pennsylvania
Parks in Cameron County, Pennsylvania
Campgrounds in Pennsylvania
1924 establishments in Pennsylvania
Protected areas of Cameron County, Pennsylvania
Protected areas of Potter County, Pennsylvania

Sizerville State Park


Cohors quarta Gallorum equitata ("4th part-mounted Cohort of Gauls") was a Roman auxiliary cohort containing both infantry and cavalry contingents. It was probably raised in Gallia Lugdunensis at the time of the founder-emperor Augustus (30 BC – 14 AD). It is first attested in Moesia in 75 AD and was still in Moesia Inferior in 105. It therefore probably took part in the emperor Trajan's Dacian Wars (99–106). After a brief stay in Thracia (where it is attested in 114), it was transferred to Britannia not later than 122. Its last datable attestation is in 276-82 at Vindolanda. But the Notitia Dignitatum, a late Roman official document, records a cohors IV Gallorum at Vindolanda under the dux Britanniarum, the commander of limitanei (border forces) along Hadrian's Wall. The Western section of the Notitia was drawn up in the 420's but the British units must date to before 410, when the island was evacuated by the Roman army.

In Britannia, the regiment was stationed in various forts. In the 3rd century it is attested, from 213 onwards, in the fort at Vindolanda (Chesterholm) on Hadrian's Wall, but the regiment's inscriptions have also been found, undatable, at Risingham, Templeborough, Castlehill, Castlesteads and High Rochester. According to Holder, the sequence was Castlehill 144–60, Risingham 160–80 and then at Vindolanda. Castlehill was a fort on the Antonine Wall in Caledonia (Scotland) that was held for only 20 years by the Romans.

The names of ten praefecti (regimental commanders) are preserved, of which the origin of just one is certain: Quintus Petronius Urbicus from Brixia (Brescia) in northern Italy (). Of the common ranks, the origin of just one is known: an Illyrian eques (common cavalryman), C. Iulius Valens of the Tralli tribe, attested in 114.

See also
 List of Roman auxiliary regiments

Citations

References
 Holder, Paul Studies in the Auxilia of the Roman Army (1980)
 Holder, Paul Bulletin of the John Rylands Library 79 (1997)
 Spaul, John COHORS 2 (2000)

Military of ancient Rome
Auxiliary equitata units of ancient Rome

Cohors IV Gallorum equitata


Henrik Hanssen is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by actor Guy Henry. He made his first appearance in the thirteenth series episode "Shifts", broadcast on 19 October 2010. Hanssen is initially a consultant general surgeon and the joint Director of Surgery of Holby City Hospital. He later becomes the sole Director of Surgery and the chief executive officer of the hospital trust. Henry has also appeared in Holby City sister show, Casualty, as Hanssen on multiple occasions.

On 25 August 2013, Henry announced he had left Holby City after three years in the role and his on-screen departure aired on 8 October 2013. A year later, it was announced that Henry had chosen to return to his role and Hanssen's return scenes aired on 28 April 2015. Following his return, he has made several guest appearances in Casualty. Henry made a temporary departure in October 2016 and after a guest appearance on 3 January 2017, he returned on 7 February 2017. He made another temporary departure on 13 August 2019, and returned on 18 February 2020, staying until the show's conclusion in 2022.

Storylines

Holby City
Hanssen is introduced as the new joint Director of Surgery at Holby Hospital, working alongside Connie Beauchamp (Amanda Mealing). In a meeting with the hospital board, he criticises Connie's plan to purchase a new MRI scanner for the cardiothoracic ward as being self-serving and naïve. He later informs the staff that budget cuts and redundancies will have to be made for the good of the hospital in a fraught economic climate. Hanssen considers making general surgeon Ric Griffin (Hugh Quarshie) redundant as he is unable to perform clinical duties while undergoing chemotherapy. Connie defends Ric's position, and Hanssen allows her to make the final decision on redundancies, resulting in the dismissal of six nurses. Hanssen later grants Ric leave of absence to concentrate on his health. Before departing, Ric requests that Hanssen direct his budget cuts away from the general surgery department.

After Connie's resignation from Holby City at the start of 2011, Hanssen becomes the sole Director of Surgery. He also assumes the position of CEO following the resignation of Mark Williams in January 2011, merging this role with his Director of Surgery duties. In March 2011, after attempting to move all Upper-GI surgical cases from Keller ward to St James' Hospital, undermining Ric in the process and causing Ric to form a mutiny with fellow members of staff, Hanssen offers to operate on Ric in a risky bid to remove his terminal cancer.

Henrik's friendship with Sahira Shah (Laila Rouass), whom he hires to Darwin Ward in early 2011, is frowned upon by many of his colleagues, who believe that he is favouring her. Sahira is able to make Hanssen see the error of his ways several times and seems to calm him. Her relationship with Greg Douglas (Edward MacLiam), another Darwin surgeon, leads to conflict between the pair, and the belief that Hanssen has feelings for Sahira. When the affair between Sahira and Greg comes out, Sahira leaves the hospital, and it is revealed Hanssen feels like Sahira is a daughter to him and is distraught by her departure.

Serena Campbell (Catherine Russell) is hired as a new consultant on Keller Ward, and Hanssen finds himself trapped between her and Ric for several episodes. Later on Hanssen agrees with Serena's non-referral scheme and decides to pilot it. When Hanssen's decision costs a patient his life, the patient's unstable son takes Hanssen hostage; however, the scenario makes Hanssen realise that the NHS' current system is wrong and he campaigns against it. In the following weeks, the pressure from the board and the doubt cast by his colleagues causes Hanssen to depart Holby suddenly and without notice; Serena, and then Imelda Cousins (Tessa Peake-Jones), take up the position of temporary Director of Surgery.

Following Serena's bidding, Jac Naylor (Rosie Marcel) tracks Hanssen to Sweden. It is revealed that Hanssen disowned his father Anders Lövborg many years ago, due to Anders using data collected by the Nazis in his scientific research, which Hanssen believes was what led to his Jewish mother Elizabet's suicide. Hanssen then finds out that Elizabet wanted Anders to use the data so that her brother's death in the Holocaust wouldn't be pointless, and that the true reason she committed suicide was because she thought Anders was dead after his disappearance and she couldn't live without him. Now knowing the truth, Hanssen forgives his father and reunites with Anders on his deathbed. Hanssen agrees to return to Holby, to Serena's anguish, and quiets the board by making Serena his deputy.

Hanssen becomes close to F1 Tara Lo (Jing Lusi) when he discovers she is practising with a brain tumour, he warns her that if any growth occurs in the tumour she will stop practising with immediate effect, Tara later begins to notice signs of growth but keeps it a secret. Hanssen organises CT scans to which she refuses to go to but later her boyfriend Oliver Valentine (James Anderson) finds a recent CT she had and informs Hanssen who tries to pull her out of theatre. Later he shows her the scan which confirms a 20% growth and with the support of Hanssen, Tara agrees to surgery to remove a large amount of the tumour but following complications in theatre she is pronounced brain-stem dead leaving Hanssen deeply upset.

Hanssen mellows as he returns to the more hands on side of medicine, spending more time treating patients on the wards and developing his working relationships with colleagues. Hanssen departs Holby General quietly after turning over the role of CEO to Serena. Hanssen returns to Sweden where he reconciles with Maja Johansson (Pia Halvorsen), his former partner, and finally meets his son, Fredrik, and his newborn grandson.

Over twenty months later, Hanssen's successor Guy Self (John Michie) steps down from the position and orchestrates a plan to bring in a new CEO who will persuade the board to fund his vision of a new neurology centre. Realising that Guy is manipulating both her and the board for his own ends, Serena takes action and makes a call to Hanssen who ultimately decides to return to Holby and takes the vacant CEO position. A rivalry develops between Hanssen and Guy, while he also shows his disdain towards Dominic Copeland (David Ames). Hanssen agrees to dress up as Santa so the children at the hospital are not let down after the hired Santa does not show up.

Hanssen's son Fredrik arrives at the hospital  and clashes with his father. After weeks of arguing, Fredrik leaves but later returns with a gun, killing Raf di Lucca and severely wounding Oliver Valentine and Jac Naylor. Hanssen, along with the police, confronts Fredrik, who is then shot and dies.

After Raf's memorial, Hanssen's mental health deteriorates and he takes a break from the hospital, calling on Serena who returns to Holby and takes charge in his absence. Roxanna MacMillan tells Hanssen that he should not be torturing himself, but he still takes responsibility for Fredrik's actions. Weeks later, Hanssen returns to the hospital and resumes his role as CEO. He visits Ollie, who asks where he has been. Hanssen gets angry at the idea of Ollie trying to retrain and return to work, and tells him that his brain has been damaged. Hanssen goes into theatre to perform an operation with Meena Chowdhury, Sacha Levy and Dom, while Ollie is taunting him. After surgery, Hanssen shouts at Ollie again. Meanwhile Fletch is refusing to write the proposal for Hanssen. Hanssen and Fletch argue. Hanssen pins him up against the wall all while Ollie is watching. Hanssen bursts into tears and Ollie recollects Jac saying that he should stay and become a Consultant and how he took the bullet. Hanssen goes out on to the main ward and starts crying again and Ollie comforts him. Hanssen goes back to theatre, telling Sacha that he cannot be CEO anymore.

Hanssen continues to work at Holby as a consultant surgeon and is replaced as CEO by Abigail Tate, an old friend of Serena's. During this time suspicions are aroused over the ethics of his old friend John Gaskell and his subsequent medical trials. When the truth about Gaskell was exposed Abigail abruptly left and Hanssen assumed the role of CEO once more, but in the fallout of Roxanna's murder and John's death, he began to question whether he was suitable to lead Holby anymore.

Casualty
In February 2011, Hanssen visits the Emergency Department downstairs (as seen in Casualty), in order to observe the work there. He clashes with Lead Consultant Nick Jordan (Michael French), prompting Hanssen to instate a new Joint Clinical Lead, in the form of Miriam Turner (Cheryl Campbell), Jordan's old mentor. Off-screen, Hanssen promotes Zoe Hanna (Sunetra Sarker) to the emergency department's clinical lead. When he returns to Holby, Hanssen briefly takes charge of the ED while Zoe and Connie are absent. Robyn Miller (Amanda Henderson) and Ethan Hardy (George Rainsford) dislike his presence, especially when he appears suspiciously. Hanssen later sits in on the interviews for a new Band 6 Staff Nurse position in the ED, which Ben "Lofty" Chiltern (Lee Mead) eventually wins, and is present when Lofty is questioned over the accidental death of an agency nurse.

Development

Henry's casting in Holby City was announced in August 2010. He deemed Hanssen "a bit of a mystery man", sent to the hospital by the Department of Health to make budget cuts. Executive producer Belinda Campbell commented that Henry was a "great asset" to the cast, expanding: "His character will make waves from his very first scene and upset the apple cart of Holby City in more ways than one." Henry shadowed Daren Francis, a surgeon at a North London hospital and Holby City general surgical advisor, as research for the role. He described Hanssen as "punctilious, pedantic and passionate about his work", but with a dry sense of humour, essential for his rivalry of Connie. He explained that Hanssen is not afraid of making enemies and relishes his Machiavellian tendencies, attributing his fractious relationship with Connie to their mutual God complexes and arrogance. Henry considers Hanssen willing to goad people "to go out of their depth", with an ability to frequently "wrong-foot" others. What's on TV deemed Hanssen "Holby very own George Osborne".

Hanssen was initially presented as an "unknown quantity", including to Henry, who knew little of his character's backstory. In an interview with TV Choice, Henry stated that he believed Hanssen to have come from a "rather unfortunate background". He was sent from Sweden to attend public school in Britain, possibly following the death of his mother, resulting in him becoming "a little more pedantic and English than the English." As of October 2010, his family and love-life had not been decided upon, but it was suggested to Henry that while Hanssen was at medical school, he entered a relationship which did not work out and had not had a romance since. Henry commented that it was possible Hanssen was gay or bisexual, and that an upcoming storyline with a younger female mentee may involve unrequited love. In November 2010, media entertainment website Digital Spy announced that Laila Rouass had been cast as Sahira Shah, a surgeon who shares a "dark history" with Hanssen, who has guided her career.

Henry appears as Hanssen in a two-part crossover episode with Holby City sister show, Casualty, originally broadcast in March 2019.

Departure
On 25 August 2013, it was announced that Henry had decided to quit his role as Hanssen and would be leaving towards the end of the year. Henry said how "wonderful" it was to play Hanssen, because he is "such a weird man, but fun to play." He also commented on how delightful it was to work with the cast and crew of Holby City. Simon Harper also commented on Guy's performance as Hanssen: "His brooding, enigmatic performance delivered one of the truly great Holby characters." Henry did an interview with Digital Spy, discussing his final episode on 7 October (the day before his exit scenes aired). Speaking of his final episode, Henry said: "As usual, what he [Hanssen] does is go into mega-vicious mode. But he does also face a challenge, because he has to do a type of surgery which he hasn't done since he was a junior doctor years and years ago. This frightens him and challenges him. So there's quite a lot of operating to be done!" Henry said highlights of his time at Holby City was the storyline with Dylan, in his first episodes, working with Laila Rouass (Sahira Shah), Paul Bradley (Elliot Hope), James Anderson (Oliver Valentine) and Jimmy Akingbola (Antoine Malick). Henry also revealed that when he renewed his contract in 2012, he told the producers that he would not be renewing his contract after that. Throughout the interview, Henry spoke very highly about how pleased he was with his final episode. When asked whether he may return in future, Henry said, "Who knows?".

Return
On 30 October 2014, Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy reported Henry had reprised the role and Hanssen would be returning in spring 2015. His return was announced alongside those of Oliver Valentine (James Anderson) and Essie Harrison (Kaye Wragg). Kilkelly said Henrik would cause "waves" upon his return, after deciding to bring his "surgical brilliance" back to Holby. Henry expressed his gratitude at being able to bring Hanssen back, saying "He's such a weird and wonderful character to play - I've missed him! And the cast and crew at Holby are such fun to work with - I've missed them too. We don't know what dark acts may have befallen Henrik during his time away in Sweden but I do believe that, when he looms down the corridors of Holby once more, his wit and his scalpel will be as incisive as ever!" Executive producer Oliver Kent commented on how the news should "excite Holby fans old and new" and he was "delighted to welcome back Hanssen, Oliver and Essie as they were popular with viewers. Henry began filming in January 2015.

When Guy Self (John Michie) stepped down as CEO to head up a neurology centre, Serena contacted Hanssen about taking over the vacant position. Hanssen's first scenes saw him sitting in his car scrolling through pictures of the staff on his iPad. As the team speculated about who the new CEO was, Hanssen "looms in the doorway". Henry explained that Hanssen had barely changed and was still "a bit of a weirdo!" Hanssen immediately set about changing Guy's regime, setting up a clash between the pair. Henry told a South Wales Echo reporter, "Henrik profoundly disagrees with the way he has been running the place. Hanssen will be sparring with the surgeon." Henry also teased the reason why Hanssen had returned to Holby, after an attempted reconciliation with his family, commenting, "what went wrong?" Shortly after returning to Holby, Hanssen also made a guest appearance in Casualty on 11 July. He has since made several appearances in Casualty.

During the episode broadcast on 25 October 2016, Hanssen left Holby for Sweden. He also needed to deal with his depression. Producers confirmed that the character had not made a permanent exit from the show and would be returning in the future.

Reception
For his portrayal of Hanssen, Henry was nominated for Best Soap Actor (Male) at the 2018 Digital Spy Reader Awards; he came in eleventh place with 3.1% of the total votes.

Hanssen's initial appearances received positive reviews from critics. The Daily Mirror Jane Simon commended Henry's debut, writing that he was "off to a head-start, carrying off the haughty, brisk arrogance of a top consultant." What's on TV similarly commented that "Henry has a ball playing Holby new top dog, stealing all the best lines as he adds a wonderful slice of cutting humour to proceedings." Another positive review of Hanssen came from Becky Jones of the Leicester Mercury, who deemed him "the best thing about the programme", with all of the best lines. Rebecca Jordan of OntheBox enjoyed Henry's "sarcastic yet strangely affable" character, comparing him to Gregory House for his ability to diagnose patients "nearly as fast as he distributes withering one-liners." Jordan pinpointed Hanssen's appeal as being the "much-needed humour" he brought to the series, as well as the dynamic between Hanssen and Connie, writing that "the volatile rapport between him and Connie is thoroughly engaging and leaves little doubt in our minds that he will quickly become an exciting addition to the show." What's on TV selected the episode "The Short Straw" as the "Top TV" choice of the day, commenting that "some of the script is a little heavy-handed, but Guy Henry as panto-esque axeman Henrik  is particularly good fun". Sarah Ellis writing for Inside Soap said "He's great – but I'm still very glad that he's not my boss!"

In April 2011, The Guardian Daniel Maier wrote that Hanssen was "the best thing about Holby". Maier observed that "he is unerringly calm and logical and as such represents the voice of the viewer when irrational behaviour threatens to glibly generate plot. Continuing drama is nothing without secrets, unkeepable promises, anger and jealousy and yet Hanssen unerringly roots these out and placidly advises his charges to get on with the job. He's pure quiet efficiency gold when he should be dramatic poison." The character's return proved popular with critics and viewers. A South Wales Echo reporter stated, "The boss is back. Henrik Hanssen, one of Holby's truly great characters, has returned to rattle staff and delight his many fans." Sara Wallis of the Daily Mirror observed, "Hanssen is not a man to crack a smile at the best of times but he's particularly moody as Guy shamelessly tries to wrestle control of Holby."

References

External links
 Henrik Hanssen at BBC Online

Holby City characters
Fictional surgeons
Television characters introduced in 2010
Fictional Swedish people
Crossover characters in television
Male characters in television
Fictional Jews
Fictional characters with obsessive–compulsive disorder

Henrik Hanssen


Kratovo (Macedonie: Кратово) is a smaa picturesque toon in the Republic o Macedonie. The seat o Kratovo Municipality, it lies on the wastren brae o Osogovo Muntain at an altitude o 600 metres (2,000 ft) aboon sea level. Locatit in the crater o an extinct volcanae, the toon is kent fur its mony auld brigs.

Ceeties in North Macedonie

Kratovo


Macrophilia is a fascination with or a sexual fantasy involving giants, most commonly expressed as giantesses (female giants), as well as giant objects. It is typically believed to be a male fantasy, with the male playing the smaller part; however, people with any background can have it. When the smaller part is male, they may be depicted as entering, being dominated by, or being eaten by the larger woman. Generally, depictions range from sexually explicit actions to non-sexual interactions while still providing sexual stimulation for those with the fantasy.

Online communities refer to this subculture as macro fetish or GTS fetish, an abbreviation of "giantess" and sometimes the backronym "giant tiny sex".

Description

Although macrophilia literally translates to simply a "lover of large", in the context of a sexual fantasy, it is used to denote attraction to beings larger than themselves. Males who are attracted to larger females are known as Amazon chasers. Generally, the interest differs between macrophiles, and depends on gender and sexual orientation. Macrophiles often enjoy the feel of being physically smaller, ranging from sadomasochistic fantasies such as being abused, degraded, dominated, or eaten, to friendly fantasies such as being rescued, protected and befriended by the larger, typically heroic female, and they often view the much taller being as powerful and dominating.

Psychologist Mark Griffiths speculates that the roots of macrophilia may lie in sexual arousal in childhood and early adolescence that is accidentally associated with giants.

Speculating on why there are not as many female macrophiles, psychologist Helen Friedman theorized that women who already view men as dominant and powerful have no need to fantasize about it. Still there exists a presence of women who can enjoy both aspects of macrophilia. Women who take on the roles of the giantess within this fetish often find the practice to be empowering and enjoy being worshipped.

One article in Men's Health argues that because the pressures faced by men tend to be greater, "becoming unimportant or unnoticed in the presence of an unconquerable creature could be a brief respite".

Community

Internet

The internet has played an important role in helping to develop the fetish. The pornography site Pornhub's 2015 annual report showed that compared to 2014, the biggest increase in search topic was giantess, which had a 1091 percent gain in searches. There also existed an exhibit at the Museum of Sex titled "Kink: Geography of the Erotic Imagination" which explored many different fantasies, including macrophilia.

Online content creators have also developed homemade media that has helped grow the fetish's reach. In addition to generating content across websites, some content creators have even branded themselves in ways that helped them generate a following and gain revenue for their work. After data was gathered from 4,814,732 videos on clips4sale, an established porn site, it was found that "giantess" was the 34th most popular category.

The macro community has produced fiction writing, digital art, and collages on websites such as DeviantArt and Pixiv. Dedicated macrophilia websites include Giantess World, the Giantess City forums, and the male-centered CoiledFist. Karbo, Eskoz, and AshkiiWolf are among the more popular artists. However, similar to other kinks, there are also several content creators that can be found on a variety of social media platforms as well as subscription services. A recent example of female macrophilia is Minia Studios who specializes in digital animation and currently found prominence on X (formerly known as Twitter).  In terms of male macrophilia, the majority of content creators can be found sharing their work on the aforementioned CoiledFist, with a prominent creator being GTF Productions; a creator that was able to begin their own empire of sorts with numerous actors and a production value unseen in macrophilia content from the past.

Video games

Macrophilia video games have also been developed; Sizebox is a sandbox game in which players import models and create scenes. Resize Me! is an anime VR game in development; the player is gradually shrunken by their childhood friend and toyed with.

The popularity of Resident Evil Village's antagonist Lady Dimitrescu has been attributed to her giant size.

Real-world experience
One way macrophiles enjoy their fetish physically is by scheduling private sessions with extraordinarily tall women to engage in non-sexual interactions; trampling, lifting and carrying, foot worshiping, roleplaying and domination.

See also
 Amazons
 Action heroine
 Crush fetish
 Female bodybuilding
 Giantess
 Lust
 Masturbation
 Microphilia
 Pornography
 Resizing (fiction)
 Vorarephilia

References

Further reading

Size
Paraphilias
Giants

Macrophilia


The Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg is the body responsible for Film Funding and Media Business Development in the states of Berlin and Brandenburg. It is also the first point of contact for international and German professionals active in the film and media industries.

The Medienboard's Film Funding department has an annual budget of roughly €24 million. Among the films that have received support from the Medienboard in the past couple of years are the Bollywood production Don 2 starring Shah Rukh Khan, Inglourious Basterds directed by Quentin Tarantino, The White Ribbon directed by Michael Haneke, The Ghost Writer directed by Roman Polanski, The Reader directed by Stephen Daldry, Unknown directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, When We Leave directed by Feo Aladag and Keinohrhasen directed by Til Schweiger.

The Medienboard's Media Business Development department is responsible for promoting and showcasing the region's national and international image and standing. It provides current information on the region and encourages the state and industry-wide networking of the film and media industry. It also supports film and media companies interested in setting up operations in the capital region. With an annual budget of roughly €5 million, the department also supports regional film and media-related projects as well as the development of innovative audiovisual content in the fields of games, Web 2.0 and mobile.

Film Funding
The Medienboard funds German and international films in the categories of Development, Production (feature films, documentaries, animation, short films and international co-productions) and Sales & Distribution (in Germany). The funds provided by the Medienboard are conditionally repayable loans and must be spent entirely in Berlin-Brandenburg. They can be combined with other funding.

Funding for Media Business Development
The Medienboard funds projects and measures designed to promote the ongoing development, professionalization and showcasing of the film and media industry in Berlin and Brandenburg. These include awards, competitions, festivals, events, professionalization programs, children's cinema projects, cinema-cultural events and other film-related initiatives. The Medienboard also supports the development of innovative audiovisual content as an important element of a future-oriented audiovisual culture. With a budget of €1 million per year, the program is designed to motivate young and creative companies in the digital industries – but also traditional content producers – to invest in the development of innovative and interactive formats.

MEDIA Antenna Berlin-Brandenburg
MEDIA Antenna Berlin-Brandenburg, which is affiliated with the Medienboard, is one of the four German information offices set up as part of the EU's Brussels-based MEDIA Programme. It provides information and support for producers, distributors, cinema operators, festivals and audiovisual companies with regard to the funding measures provided by the MEDIA Programme. It also supports applicants in filing submissions. MEDIA Antenna is financed by the MEDIA Programme, the Medienboard and the Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM - Central German Media Fund) in Leipzig.

Berlin Brandenburg Film Commission
The Berlin Brandenburg Film Commission (bbfc) is a department within the Medienboard that assists film and media companies interested in shooting in Germany's capital region. The bbfc helps in finding locations, acquiring filming permits and connecting to the local film industry. The Film Commission also holds a comprehensive and constantly updated database of addresses and images covering the Berlin-Brandenburg film and media region.

Capital Regions for Cinema (CRC)
In 2005, the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg joined with the Ile de France Film Commission, the Roma Lazio Film Commission and the Madrid Film Commission to create a network known as the Capital Regions for Cinema (CRC). The CRC seeks to bring together the creative potential of these European film metropolises and to develop overall conditions for cooperation and coproduction. Four times a year, during the film festivals in Berlin, Cannes, Rome and San Sebastian, European producers pitch their new projects as part of the CRC meetings.

Organisations based in Brandenburg
Mass media in Brandenburg

Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg


Jean-Yves Thériault vs. Don "The Dragon" Wilson was a middleweight kickboxing bout that took place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on December 18, 1984, which ended in a decision draw.

Background
Jean-Yves Thériault began his career in 1976 after six months of training and rose to prominence when he defeated Robert Biggs to win the PKA Middleweight Championship of the World in November 1980. He had accumulated a record of 47 wins and 3 losses by the time of the fight, mostly competing in his home country of Canada. His last lost was in November 1979 when he dropped a decision to Ralph Hollet.

Don "The Dragon" Wilson came from a kung fu (White Dragon Style) and karate (Goju Ryu) background and started his career fighting in his native Florida in 1974. After winning the Florida state and American titles, he took the WKA Light Heavyweight Championship of the World in October 1980 when he defeated Andy White by knockout. He defended the title six times before winning the KICK World Light Heavyweight title from Curtis Crandall and the WKA Cruiserweight World title from Maurice Smith in 1983.

Thériault and Wilson had been set to fight years earlier when Wilson defeated Rodney Batiste in July 1980 in an eliminator for the vacant PKA Middleweight title. The fight  never materialised, however, due to a number of contractual and promotional issues, and Thériault faced Robert Biggs instead.

The fight
The bout took place on December 18, 1984 at the Verdun Auditorium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in front of 7,000 spectators, with the fight set for twelve, two-minute rounds under American kickboxing rules. Neither fighter put any of their titles on the line.

The fight went the distance and ended in a decision draw. Many believe Wilson to have been a clear winner, but Thériault was the one who registered the only knockdown of the fight.

Aftermath
As arguably the biggest bout in the sport's history at the time, it was considered a disappointment with neither Thériault or Wilson emerging as kickboxing's best fighter. A rematch between the pair was discussed but never came to fruition.

Following the fight, Wilson said "I feel I won the bout, but not as convincing as I can. Next time we meet, I feel I can knock Thériault out. He's just not that tough." To which Thériault replied "Wilson fights on fear. He was able to stay out of trouble, but he did nothing to hurt me. I think he overrates himself. We'll see if he's so smug after the next fight".

In an interview with Black Belt, Wilson spoke about rematches, and expressed frustration at Thériault not agreeing to fight him again.

References

Kickboxing events
1984 in kickboxing
Kickboxing in Canada
Sport in Montreal

Jean-Yves Thériault vs. Don Wilson


The Double Herm of Socrates and Seneca is an ancient Roman statue from the first half of the third century AD. The herm depicts the Greek philosopher Socrates on one side, and the Roman Stoic Seneca the Younger on the other. It currently belongs to the Antikensammlung Berlin, found in the Altes Museum.

Description
The two philosophers are joined together at the back of the head; their chests are in the shape of a herm. Both men have the usual cloak of a philosopher or orator above their left shoulder, although Socrates also wears an undershirt. The bearded Socrates is given a satyr-like form, as in literary descriptions and other portraits. Seneca, on the other hand, is depicted as clean-shaven with a receding hairline. His small, full-lipped mouth is pursed. It is speculated that the depiction of Seneca derives from a work created between AD 50 and 60—within the lifetime of the philosopher.

In ancient art, double herms were a common statue type. While in Greece they were displayed in public rooms, in the Roman empire they were shown in private spaces. Thus, the combination of the two philosophers here owed something to the personal inclinations of the person who commissioned it, even if it is not clear why these two philosophers were linked in particular. Probably it has to do with the fact that they were both forced to commit suicide. The presentation of philosophers (and poets) as double herms was the most common use of this genre. This parallel presentation is also seen in literature, for example in the Parallel Lives of Plutarch.

Identification
The double herm is important to scholarship since it is the only image that can certainly be said to depict Seneca. The attribution is proven by a Latin inscription on the left side of the bust (from the point of view of someone looking at Seneca), while Socrates is identified by a Greek inscription on the right hand side.  The identification of Socrates can be considered certain based on comparison with many other depictions of Socrates, many of which are of much better quality. The portrait of Seneca on the other hand is used today to identify other portraits and statues of Seneca.

References

Bibliography

 Max Kunze. "Doppelherme des Sokrates und Seneca," in Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. Preußischer Kulturbesitz. Antikensammlung (ed.), Die Antikensammlung im Pergamonmuseum und in Charlottenburg. von Zabern, Mainz 1992, , pp. 215f.
 Socrates and Seneca. in Königliche Museen zu Berlin (ed.), Alexander Conze (foreword): Beschreibung der antiken Skulpturen mit Ausschluss der pergamenischen Fundstücke. Spemann, Berlin 1891, , pp. 158–159. (Directory-No. 391)

Archaeological discoveries in Italy
3rd-century Roman sculptures
Altes Museum
Cultural depictions of Socrates
Cultural depictions of Seneca the Younger
Busts of writers
Classical sculptures in the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

Double Herm of Socrates and Seneca