MV Ocean Star Pacific

MV "Ocean Star Pacific was a cruise ship owned by PV Enterprises International. She was built in 1971 by Wärtsilä Helsinki Shipyard, Finland for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and christened as MV "Nordic Prince. She subsequently sailed under the monikers Carousel, Aquamarine, and Arielle, prior to being renamed Ocean Star Pacific.
History.
"Nordic Prince" was the second ship to be built for Royal Caribbean, and one of the first modern purpose-built cruise ships. She was launched on 9 July 1970, and entered service for RCCL on 31 July 1971. Like her older sister, "Song of Norway", she was used for cruising on the Caribbean with Miami as the starting port. In June 1980, the ship was lengthened at Wärtsilä Helsinki by 26 meters. When RCCL acquired new tonnage in the late 1980s, "Nordic Prince" was used for cruising around the world.
"Nordic Prince" became the first RCCL ship to be supplanted by larger tonnage in March 1995, when she was sold to Sun Cruises. Before the ship entered service for her new owners, the sky lounge around her funnel was removed. Renamed "Carousel", the ship began cruising for Sun Cruises on 6 May 1995. During her time with Sun Cruises she spent summers cruising on the Mediterranean but during the winter seasons she returned to the Caribbean. In February 2000, "Carousel" was grounded near Cancún, Mexico, which led to cancellation of five cruises while she was being repaired. Toward the end of her service with Sun Cruises the ship received MyTravel funnel colours. In the early 2000s, Sun Cruises started pulling out of the cruise business. In July 2004, "Carousel" was sold to Louis Cruise Lines, Cyprus, but chartered back to Sun Cruises until May 2005. "Carousel" was the last Sun Cruises ship in service.
Louis Cruise Lines renamed the ship "Aquamarine" and starting from June 2005, she was used on 7-day cruises around the Mediterranean with Genoa as the starting port. In April 2006, the ship was chartered for five years to Transocean Tours who renamed her "Arielle". However, the charter was apparently terminated by early 2008, when the ship returned to Louis fleet and reverted to the name "Aquamarine".
In May 2008, "Aquamarine" was diverted to Milos, an island in the Aegean Sea, after a 1.5-meter gash was found on its hull at about 1.5 m above the water line. The ship's hull was damaged after it scraped against a pier during its departure from the port of Iraklio, in Crete, to the resort island of Santorini. The 872 passengers and the 407 crewmembers on board were safe.
In December 2010, Louis Cruises announced they would be continuing the renewal of their fleet by selling "Aquamarine" to Mexican operator Ocean Star Cruises, which renamed her "Ocean Star Pacific". In March 2011, "Ocean Star Pacific" was moored at Caracas Bay, on Curaçao, for maintenance. She entered service for Ocean Star Cruises on 10 April 2011. On 15 April 2011 the "Ocean Star Pacific" was disabled at Huatulco, Mexico, due to a fire in the engine room.
She crossed the Mexican riviera after undergoing an extensive repair process in Salina Cruz, Mexico, but suffered another breakdown on 26 July 2011, in her cooling systems and air conditioning. She was planned to sail through 17 April 2012.
PV Enterprises International acquired the vessel in May 2012, and received seaworthiness certification in July 2012, changing the name to "Pacific" in November 2012. In December 2014, the vessel, sailing under the name "Pacific Victory", ran aground in Sarangani Bay, Manila, while en route to Alang, India, for ship breaking. In February 2015, "Pacific" arrived in Alang for decommissioning.
References.
https://web.archive.org/web/20150715044432/http://www.mb.com.ph/cruise-ship-runs-aground-in-sarangani-bay/


Johann Friedrich August Tischbein

Johann Friedrich August Tischbein, known as the "Leipziger Tischbein" (9 March 1750, Maastricht - 21 June 1812, Heidelberg) was a German portrait painter from the Tischbein family of artists.
Biography.
He received his first lessons from his father, the set painter Johann Valentin Tischbein. In 1768, he went to Kassel to work in the studios of his uncle, Johann Heinrich Tischbein. Four years later, he took a long trip through France, ending in Paris, where he studied with Johann Georg Wille. In 1777, he took a trip to Naples and Rome, where he met and worked with Jacques-Louis David. He returned to Germany in 1780.
That same year, he was appointed court painter to Friedrich Karl August, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont in Bad Arolsen and was later named "Council and Cabinet Painter". During the 1780s he made three trips to the Netherlands, on behalf of his patron, where he improved his skills in portrait painting.
In 1795, he was hired by Leopold III, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau but, by this time, noble patronage was no longer the necessity it once was so, only one year later, Tischbein went to Berlin and became a successful independent portrait painter. In 1799, he had even greater success in Dresden. The following year, he received an appointment to replace Adam Friedrich Oeser as Director of the Academy of Visual Arts in Leipzig.
In 1806, he went to Saint Petersburg to settle the estate of his brother, the architect and set designer, Ludwig Philipp Tischbein (1744-1806). He remained there for three years to finish several lucrative commissions from the Russian aristocracy.
His daughter, Caroline (1783–1843) and son Carl Wilhelm (1797-1855) also became artists.


Frederique van der Wal

Frederique van der Wal (also Frédérique van der Wal) (born 30 August 1967) is a former model from The Netherlands, known for having appeared in Victoria's Secret, and the covers of magazines such as "Cosmopolitan" and "Vogue". She grew up in The Hague.
Career.
Van der Wal has appeared in campaigns for Revlon, Guess?, and Victoria's Secret. She has also been profiled in "Forbes" and "InStyle".
In 2003, van der Wal appeared in a stage production of "The Vagina Monologues" (Washington D.C.), and has performed in films by directors Barry Sonnenfeld ("Wild Wild West"), Woody Allen ("Celebrity"), James Toback ("Two Girls and a Guy") and Wim Wenders.
Van der Wal has produced and appeared on television programs including "World Class with Frederique" for the Scripts network, The Ultimate Holiday Towns USA, a two-hour special for A&E, as well as broadcasts in her native Holland. She was the Mole in the Hawaii celebrity edition of ABC's popular TV series "The Mole", and was the host and producer of Discovery TLC's "Cover Shot", where she assembled an expert team of make-up artists and stylists to transform an everyday woman into a cover model. Van der Wal is currently a featured host on RTL 5's "The Face".
Van der Wal has also been a guest lecturer at Harvard University, and in 2011, as the recipient of the Marie Claire Entrepreneur of the Year award. She has previously been involved in licensing deals carrying her name as diverse as a line of lingerie, sleepwear and loungewear, a bathing suit line, a workout video, a signature fragrance, and a calendar.
In 2005, her native Holland named a lily in her honor. The "Frederique's Choice Lily" was unveiled at a ceremony in Amsterdam, and inspired her to develop, produce and host a television program called "The Invisible Journey" with the Discovery Channel, which traced the route a flower travels from the growing fields of Africa, through the markets and auction houses in the Netherlands, to a special event in New York City.
Subsequently, van der Wal created a lifestyle brand within the flower industry, Frederique’s Choice. With the launch of the US unit of the business, in 2015 she executive produced and hosted a TV show called HomeGrownMakeover with Frederique and Carter, a 10-episode TV series which aired in 2016 on AETN's FYI channel. The program transforms homes by using flowers and plants, bringing the outdoors indoors. Her business also appeared in the season finale of "Germany's Next Topmodel" with host Heidi Klum.
Personal life.
Van der Wal has a daughter with her partner Nicholas Klein, Scyler Pim van der Wal Klein. Her brother is the New York independent art advisor and curator Michiel van der Wal.


Club 7

Club 7 was a cultural club in Oslo, Norway, active from 1963 to 1985. It was regarded a centre for counterculture in Norway in the 1960s through the 1970s. There was a wide tolerance for alternative lifestyles, including homosexuality.
History.
Club 7 was established in 1963 by Attila Horvath and Odd Schou. The first meeting took place at Kafé René at Lilletorget, Oslo. Among the pioneers was also poet Kate Næss, who is credited for inventing the name of the club. The name "Club 7" is supposed to mean the club should be "more than sex" (the number 6 in Norwegian is pronounced like "sex"). The avant-garde theatre Scene 7 was started in 1966, with Sossen Krohg as artistical director. Other club activities were jazz concerts, poetry evenings, rock concerts, exhibitions, café and activities for children. The club had various locations over years, including Drammensveien 64, the Edderkoppen Theatre, the restaurant Kongen near Frognerkilen, and the Oslo Concert Hall. In the 1970s the club was located in Vika, in block D of Oslo Concert Hall, where it covered an area of 1,400 square meters, and had an average number of 300 visitors per evening. The club had its own library, gallery and newspaper. It hosted blues concerts, folk concerts and jazz concerts, movie shows and dance evenings. The theatre staged experimental plays by playwrights such as Ionesco, Fo and Cocteau. Among the theatre's greatest successes was a dance performance based on Gerd Brantenberg's novel "Egalias døtre". Jens Bjørneboe's play "Tilfellet Torgersen" ("") premiered at Scene 7 on 25 January 1973. The theatre also showed a series of children's plays written by Sossen Krohg, starting with "Skinka Nøff og Grynta som ikke ville bli julebord" in 1975.
The club closed in 1985 after bankruptcy.


Brouwershaven

Brouwershaven is a small city on the Grevelingen in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland, lies about 45 km southwest of Hellevoetsluis and 10 km north of Zierikzee.
Brouwershaven received city rights in 1477.
In 2001, the town of Brouwershaven had 1307 inhabitants. The built-up area of the town was 0.39 km2, and contained 705 residences.
The statistical area "Brouwershaven", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 1540.
Brouwershaven was a separate municipality until 1997, when it was merged into Schouwen-Duiveland.
History.
Brouwershaven was founded in 1285AD as new harbor for Brijdorpe although today the harbor was silted up. The town was built as a fortified bastide, and is considered to be the first of this type of settlement in the Netherlands.
The name Brouwershaven (Brewers Haven) is anecdotally thought of to have originated from the import of Beer from Delft through the port. and is first mentioned in 1318AD. In 1403 the city got town rights but had no seat in the States of Zeeland.
The history of Brouwershaven has always had a connection with the water. The fish and shellfish was an important source of income as was trade in wine and beer, wood, stone, wool and flax, turnips and beets. Another staple industry of the town is salt from evaporated seawater.
In 1575 the little Bastide town was conquered by Spanish troops and then set on fire. From 1590 Brouwershaven was provided with earthen ramparts, surrounded by a moat. Five gates gave access to the city. When the flood of 1682 a part of the fortifications were destroyed. The fortress was disbanded in 1820, ramparts and moats to the east and north sides of the city however, are preserved.
The 17th century was a heyday for the fishing port. However, with the development of larger ships came the problem of accessing the narrow port entrance and its economy began to decline.
In the 19th century Brouwershaven experienced a slight revival when the Brielle Meuse and Goereese Gat silted up. Rotterdam threatened to become unreachable for ships so some shipping stopped in Brouwershaven, where the cargo was transferred to smaller vessels. The government also built a large office for pilotage and for the tax authorities there. However, a new canal in 1872 eliminated is function in favor of Rotterdam again.
After the floods of 1953 improved connections and the Delta Works, the construction of a marina and promotion of tourism, have once again improved the civic life of the town.
Heraldry.
A shield for the town appears as early as 1540 and consists of a gold eagle sable, the arms of Louis of Bavaria, with chest arms of his wife Margrethe II of Hainaut. This diamond-shaped shield has four lions the position which has changed over time, in the current version they are away and turn each other in pairs. In addition to the eagle stands in gold a lion rampant gules (red), from the shield of Holland. The shield is covered by a golden crown with five leaves. Such a heraldic crown was actually awarded only to towns with a seat on the provincial council and Brouwershaven was granted this improperly in this case because Brouwershaven never had a seat in the States of Zeeland.
The shield was confirmed as municipal coat of arms on July 31, 1817. After the local government reorganization of 1961 the Shield was retained for the new municipality.


Suvorov Monument (Saint Petersburg)

The Suvorov Monument () is a bronze sculpture of "Generalissimo" Alexander Suvorov located in Saint Petersburg. It is at the centre of Suvorov Square, opposite the Field of Mars and the Trinity Bridge, and between the Marble Palace and the Saltykov Mansion.
Commissioned in 1799 by Emperor Paul I to commemorate Suvorov's Italian expedition that year, the execution was entrusted to sculptor Mikhail Kozlovsky. His design was approved in early 1800, and depicted Suvorov in the allegorical guise of the god Mars. The sculpture was cast in bronze, but neither Paul nor Suvorov lived to see its unveiling, which took place in May 1801. The monument marked a number of firsts, it was the first monument in Russia to someone other than a member of the Imperial family, and the first time that a monument had been ordered during the subject's lifetime. It was also first major monument created entirely by Russian craftsmen.
The monument was originally planned to be located in Gatchina, though the site was changed to the Tsaritsyn Meadows, later the Field of Mars. It was unveiled in the presence of Emperor Alexander I, many of his generals, and Suvorov's son Arkadi. The monument was moved to its present location in 1818 as part of a general reconstruction of the area by architect Carlo Rossi. It now stands at the centre of Suvorov Square. Its pedestal was replaced in the 1830s, and it survived the siege of Leningrad undamaged.
Commission.
The monument was developed by order of Emperor Paul I, to commemorate Suvorov's 1799 Italian expedition, for which he received the victory title of "Prince of Italy". The granite pedestal bears the inscription: "The Prince of Italy, Count Suvorov-Rymniki. 1801."
Design and execution.
The figure of Suvorov was sculpted in bronze by Mikhail Kozlovsky between 1799 and 1801, with his proposed design being approved in January 1800. Suvorov is depicted in the allegorical guise of the god Mars, with a raised sword in his right hand and with a shield in his left, in classical armour and helmet. The face of the figure does not exactly resemble Suvorov, but is intended to be symbolic of a "heroic" figure. The figure stands beside an altar with reliefs of Faith, Hope and Love, on which the papal tiara and crowns of Austria and the Kingdom of Sardinia are placed, protected by the figure's shield, which bears the Russian coat of arms. The cartouche on the pedestal is supported by figures representing the genius of Glory.
The monument was cast in bronze by Vasily Ekimov in the foundry workshop of the Imperial Academy of Arts, with the bronze bas-relief on the pedestal sculpted by Fyodor Gordeyev. In the agreement with Ekimov signed on 12 October 1800, it was arranged that the statue would be cast and polished by 1 April 1801. The foundry however was experiencing a particularly heavy workload, with the gates for the Mikhailovsky Castle, and statues, bowls and vases for the Grand Cascade at the Peterhof Palace being cast there, resulting in some delays for the monument. The pedestal was made of marble to the design of Andrey Voronikhin, using materials left over from the construction of Saint Isaac's Cathedral. Kozlovsky made several complaints against the contractors building the pedestal, accusing them of poor workmanship. As completed, the statue stands , with the pedestal high. It was officially unveiled on . It was the first monument in Russia to someone other than a member of the Imperial family or its earlier predecessors, and the first time that a monument had been ordered during the subject's lifetime. It was also first major monument created entirely by Russian craftsmen. In the event, neither Suvorov nor Paul lived to see its completion. Suvorov died in May 1800, while Paul was killed during a palace coup in March 1801. Instead the new emperor, Paul's son, Alexander I, attended the unveiling, along with many of his generals, and Suvorov's son Arkadi.
Location.
The monument was initially to be placed in Gatchina, until Emperor Paul designated a new site so as to be close to his new residence at the Mikhailovsky Castle. The monument was originally located in the southern part of the Tsaritsyn Meadows, now the Field of Mars, close to the Moyka River. In 1818 the area around the Mikhailovsky Castle was redeveloped by architect Carlo Rossi, who suggested moving the monument to a newly created square facing the River Neva. Emperor Alexander I approved the suggestion, and the square became known as Suvorov Square. At some point between 1801 and 1818 a chain fence supported by cannon balls was erected around the monument. In 1834 the original marble pedestal was found to be suffering from cracking, and was replaced with a pink granite pedestal of the same design between 1836 and 1838.
During the siege of Leningrad plans were made to hide the monument in the cellar of a nearby house, but the window opening was too small and the plan to hide the monument was never carried out. A story arose that one of the numerous bombs dropped on the city narrowly missed the monument and instead struck the cellar of the house. The monument was the subject of a 1941 poem by Vsevolod Rozhdestvensky, "Suvorov Monument", with its opening lines
"Among the Baltic sunny spaces,

Over the wide open Neva,

As the god of war, rose bronze Suvorov

A vision of Russian battle glory."
The monument survived the siege of Leningrad undamaged.
Preliminary models of the monument are displayed in Moscow's Tretyakov Gallery and Saint Petersburg's Russian Museum.


MS Viking XPRS

MS "Viking XPRS" is a fast cruiseferry owned by the Finland-based Viking Line and operated on their service between Helsinki, Finland and Tallinn, Estonia. Her keel was laid on 16 April 2007 and launching took place on 19 September 2007. "Viking XPRS" entered service on 28 April 2008.
Concept.
"Viking XPRS" is Viking Line's first new building for the Helsinki–Tallinn route. She is the first newbuilding delivered to the company since MS "Kalypso" in 1990 and also Viking Line's first fast cruiseferry, with a building contract worth approximately 120–130 million euros. The "Viking XPRS" makes the crossing between the two capitals in about two and a half hours, with two daily departures from each port. The ship is designed with separate cardecks for freight and for passengers cars, and with a limited passenger cabin capacity as she only does daytime crossings. The interiors of the "Viking XPRS" were designed by Tillberg Design, like those of several of the company's earlier newbuildings.
In April 2009 the "Viking XPRS" won the award for Outstanding Ferry Exterior in ShipPax Awards 2009, held as a part of the Shipping 2009 conference in France.
Planned sister ships.
The order of the "Viking XPRS" included an option for two sister vessels. On 2 October 2006, Viking Line announced that this option would not be exercised.
Name and home port.
The name "Viking XPRS" was originally only a concept name for the new ship. A naming competition was held on Viking Line website in May and June 2007, which resulted in over 16,000 name proposals. The concept name "Viking XPRS" was suggested by many entrants to the competition, and in the end it was chosen as the ship's final name due to it already being well known by the public. The naming ceremony took place on 14 September 2007.
The ship was originally planned to be registered in Finland, with Mariehamn painted on the hull as the home port when the ship was floated out of dry dock. Due to difficulties in negotiations with the Finnish Seamen's Union and the generally higher personnel expenses under Finnish flag, the company decided to move the ship under Swedish flag in January 2008. In March 2008 Norrtälje in Sweden was revealed as the port of registry. But from 24 January 2014 Viking XPRS started sailing under Estonian flag, as it cuts costs for Viking Line. Because of that the ship got a new Estonian crew and all of the signs were replaced from Swedish to Estonian and English. The new home port is Tallinn.
Construction.
"Viking XPRS" was built at Aker Finnyards' Helsinki New Shipyard. The original delivery date of the ship was set for January 2008, but due to numerous delays the delivery of the ship was pushed back until 28 April 2008. Reasons for the delays included slower-than-planned furnishing works and faults in one of the Rolls-Royce-manufactured propellers. Due to the propeller fault the ship sailed for dry docking at Aker Finnyards' Rauma shipyard on 8 April 2008 where the propeller was changed. The ship was eventually delivered to Viking Line on 21 April 2008.
Service history.
"Viking XPRS" made her maiden voyage between Helsinki and Tallinn on 27 April 2008 and entered regular service on the route the following day. Compared to that had sailed on the route the previous year the "Viking XPRS" attracted a notably larger number of passengers, with a 61% raise in passenger number and 74% raise in vehicles transported between Helsinki and Tallinn between June and August 2008 compared to the same months in 2007. During her first year in service, the ship transported approximately 1,466,000 passengers – more than any other ship that has trafficked in the northern Baltic Sea.
In February 2009 the "Viking XPRS" was voted as one of the top 5 medium-sized cruise ships in the world by readers of the prestigious Condé Nast Traveler guide, rating higher than the ships of Holland America Line amongst others. "Viking XPRS" gained top spot in the "shore excursions" category, despite the fact the ship offers no organised excursions. In addition to the fact that the "Viking XPRS" is not an actual cruise ship, this led to the proposition that the ship's high placement in the ranking was in fact the result of a hoax of some kind.
On 24 January 2014 Viking XPRS was re-flagged to Estonia, right after returning from repairs which started on 13 January. MS Viking XPRS is the first ship in Viking Line's history to sail under Estonian flag.
Decks.
The ship has ten decks but not all are accessible to passengers.


Willem George Frederik Derx

Willem George Frederik Derx (8 May 1813 – 10 December 1890) was a Dutch civil servant, who made a career in the administration on the Dutch Gold Coast.
Biography.
Derx was born in Nijmegen to Johan Henrich Derx, who was originally from the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, contemporary Germany, and Maria Christina Lijtgen from Zaltbommel.
Derx joined the colonial administration of the Dutch Gold Coast in 1838, when the colony was reorganized in the wake of the Dutch–Ahanta War. He eventually became bookkeeper and officer of justice of the colony. During governor Anthony van der Eb's year-long leave to the Netherlands between 1846 and 1847, Derx was acting governor.
During this first period at the Gold Coast, Derx married Jacoba Araba Bartels, daughter of the Euro-African trader Carel Hendrik Bartels, with whom he had three sons. His second son Willem Jan Derx would become a vice admiral of the Royal Netherlands Navy. After Jacoba Araba died during childbirth in 1848, Derx fathered a son and a daughter with another, unknown woman while on the Gold Coast.
According to historian Larry Yarak, Derx was less fortunate in the trading business than his boss, governor Van der Eb, which tempted him to compensate his meagre salary by other means; he was frequently accused by the local rulers of Elmina of abusing his position of fiscal by demanding high fines. In one particular case in 1844, Derx ordered the King of Elmina to pay a fine of four ounces of gold for having sentenced the prominent Elmina trader Kweku Akwa for overcharging his customers. Eventually the local rulers of Elmina issued a petition of grievances about Derx' conduct to governor Van der Eb, but it is unsure what consequences this had.
Derx apparently left the Gold Coast in the late 1840s and married Anna Frederika Lamslag in the Netherlands, with whom he had three sons and three daughters.
Return to the Gold Coast.
The Dutch government decided in 1855 to resume the recruitment of soldiers for the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army on the Gold Coast, and appointed Derx as the commissioner in charge. Apparently Derx was also interested in taking the position because he grew increasingly concerned about the management of the estate of his late father-in-law Carel Hendrik Bartels, who had died in 1850, by Bartels' son Carel Bartels. Derx arrived on 22 October 1856 in Cape Coast and was then escorted to Elmina. Since the previous governor Hero Schomerus had died a month earlier on 25 September, Derx was also to become governor of the Dutch Gold Coast. This proved controversial, both with the Dutch colonial administrators, who felt passed by, and with the local population of Elmina, who accused Derx of having handled a dispute between Elmina wards unadvisedly in 1846, during his previous stint as governor.
Both groups tried to prevent Derx from taking office, to no avail. Derx however wrote the Minister of Colonies that although he had taken the oath of office, he "stood alone" and was not able to fulfil his duties. Within half a year he was recalled to the Netherlands.


Maria Duyst van Renswoude

Maria Duyst van Voorhout (1662 in Delft – 1754 in Utrecht), was a 17th-century heiress who lived to a great age and used her inheritance to start the Fundatie van Renswoude in three cities, Delft, Utrecht, and The Hague.
Biography.
Maria was the daughter of a mayor of Delft and came from a long line of Delft beer brewers. Her parents died when she was young and she married at nineteen to a magistrate of Leiden, Dirk van Hogeveen, who died two years later. Against the wishes of her wealthy grandmother, she remarried Frederik Adriaan Reede van Renswoude, a nobleman who carried the title "Heer van Renswoude", but who led an expensive lifestyle and who had many debts. The couple had a daughter who died in infancy. In 1686 Maria's grandmother died and she inherited her fortune, but could only gain access to the funds after her husband died. Maria had already enough money of her own however without her grandmother's money, even though she lent large sums to her husband, and she lived on the Lange Voorhout in the Hague and was a member of the "De Haegsche Sociteyt" and was friends with Anthonie van Leeuwenhoek.
In 1730 she and her husband moved to Utrecht after he was involved in a scandal about homosexuality. Because he was a nobleman in Renswoude and above the law there, he escaped imprisonment or hanging. After the public outcry subsided he could visit his wife in Utrecht, but he never returned to The Hague. In 1738 Frederik died and Maria was given control of her grandmother's money. In 1749 she made up her testament as lady of Renswoude en Emmickhuysen and declared that her fortune should be divided into thirds and spent on the technical education of poor young boys in the cities of Utrecht, The Hague, and Delft. The boys would be the smartest of the orphanages "Stads Ambachtskinderhuis" (in Utrecht), the "Weeshuis der Gereformeerden" (in Delft) and the "Burgerweeshuis" of The Hague.
After she died in 1754, her testament was contested by distant family members, but those rights were settled and in 1756 three foundations were created according to her wishes and were each called the "Fundatie van Renswoude" in all three cities. These schools operated according to her vision until the 19th century, when they suffered from the Tiercering and due to lack of funds became boarding addresses associated with public day schools. In this capacity they continued to operate into the 20th century, but now all three are closed.


Johan Starrenberg

Johan Starrenberg (c1650, Groningen – after 1691, The Hague), was a Dutch Golden Age painter.
Biography.
According to Houbraken he painted rough portraits that were "better seen from a distance", and enjoyed the patronage of the Stadtholder of Friesland, Henry Casimir II, Prince of Nassau-Dietz. He was a friend of the painter Jacob de Wolf who commit suicide in 1685.
According to the RKD he was in Groningen from 1670–1681, and in 1681 he became a member of the Confrerie Pictura in the Hague, where he was also registered from 1690-1691.


Memento (novel)

Memento ("Warning") is a novel with reporting elements, written by Czech author Radek John and published in 1986. The story is set in Prague in the 1980s.
The novel is written with literary language with elements of argot and slang of drug addicts. It is a subjective narration from the point of view of Michal, the main character. The author wanted to warn the public of rising drug problems in present days. Its importance lies in the fact it is the first work concerning this taboo theme in the time of the previous totalitarian communist regime in Czechoslovakia. The situation at that time was that the number of addicts was growing, but it had not been publicly discussed. It warns that escaping from problems through drugs will end badly.


Paul Schnabel

Paul Schnabel (born July 17, 1948 in Bergen op Zoom) is a Dutch sociologist and the director of an agency of the Dutch government called Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau ("Netherlands Institute for Social Research"), usually abbreviated as "SCP" (or "SCPB"). He is also professor at Utrecht University. Since 9 June 2015, he has been a member of the Senate on behalf of Democrats 66 (D66).
Biography.
Schnabel grew up in Breda. He studied sociology at Utrecht and Bielefeld Universities. He received his Ph.D. in 1982 for his dissertation on new religious movements and mental health.
Apart from his work for the SCP he has other appointments in several institutions in Dutch society such as the Netherlands Institute for Art History (RKD), and the Scientific Council for Government Policy. He is a columnist to the Dutch newspapers "NRC-Handelsblad" and "Het Financieele Dagblad". As of 2008, he is also the chairperson of the committee that selected the 1,000 texts deemed as "key" of the Dutch and Flemish cultural history for the Digital library for Dutch literature.
In addition to his role in parliament, Schnabel has been serving as member of the Dutch delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe since 2015. As member of D66, he is part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group. He is a member of the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media; the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development; the Sub-Committee on Public Health and Sustainable Development; and the Sub-Committee on Culture, Diversity and Heritage.
Since 2006 "De Volkskrant" lists him in their top ten of the most influential persons in the Netherlands.


Johannes Meerman

Johannes Meerman (1624 – 1675) was a Dutch Golden Age mayor of Leiden who was a friend and assistant to Johan de Witt.
He was ambassador to England in 1667 where he helped close the Triple Alliance with England and Sweden. He commissioned a family portrait from the painter Pieter Cornelisz van Slingelandt that hangs in the Louvre.


Alqas Mirza

Abu'l Ghazi Sultan Alqas Mirza (), better known as Alqas Mirza ()
(15 March 1516 – 9 April 1550), was a Safavid prince and the second son of king (shah) Ismail I (r. 1501–1524). In early 1546, with Ottoman help, he staged a revolt against his brother Tahmasp I (r. 1524–1576), who was king at the time.
Biography.
Of the four sons that survived of Ismail I, Alqas was the second one. Sam Mirza was probably his full brother, while Bahram Mirza and (the future king) Tahmasp were brothers born by other mothers. In 1532/33, he was given the governorship of Astarabad by Tahmasp (by that time king), while Badr Khan Ustajlu was made his regent ("lala"). In March 1538 Tahmasp I ordered Alqas with his regent to move against the rebel Shirvanshah, and six months later he was appointed governor of Shirvan, where he remained for the next eight years. During the frequent Caucasian campaigns under Tahmasp's tenure, Alqas was ordered to attack the Circassians, who however defeated him. Afterwards, he was appointed governor of Derbent (Darband). He started to openly revolt there, which included minting his own coins. Upon hearing of this, Tahmasp, at that time in a winter campaign in Georgia, started to march upon Derbent. Alqas subsequently fled Derbent, to Crimea, while by early 1547, Tahmasp had already re-taken Derbent.
As Crimea passed into Ottoman hands at that time, Alqas moved to Istanbul by sea, arriving there towards the end of summer 1547. At Istanbul, he contacted the Ottoman sultan Suleiman, explaining his reason of departure from Iran, as well as his desire to return there as an Ottoman client. Upon hearing this, Suleiman hastily moved from Edirne to meet the exiled Alqas, who promised strong Qizilbash support if Suleiman might help him, and he may have converted to Sunnism.


Jennifer Kilian

Jennifer Mary Kilian (born September 19, 1953, New York City, New York, United States) is an American-Dutch translator. She started translating in 1988, when she co-founded Kist & Kilian with her associate Katy Kist. She studied art history at Barnard College and at the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU, NY, earning her Ph.D. in 1993 for her catalogue raisonne of the paintings of the Dutch Golden Age artist "Karel du Jardin". Her book on the artist was published in 2005, and her catalogue of the Du Jardin exhibition in the Rijksmuseum came out in 2007/2008. As a translator, she has worked for the Mauritshuis, the Van Gogh Museum, and the Rijksmuseum, translating books, catalogues, wall texts, brochures, etc., on history and art history.


Councils of Split

There have been several church councils held in the town of Split in the early Middle Ages, and whose conclusions have significance for the whole territory of the early Croatian Kingdom.
Since 920's the Byzantine Empire was considerably weakened so Emperor Romanos I gave management over Dalmatia to the Croatian King Tomislav who needed it in order to connect the church authorities in Croatia and Dalmatia so he could easily integrate Dalmatia into his Kingdom. This transfer of powers is confirmed by the fact that the Byzantine governor of Dalmatia wasn't listed as one of the participants on the official council documents.
Council of 925.
First Church Council of Split was convened by Pope John X in year 925. The main task of this Council was solving issues of the ecclesiastical jurisdiction in the Kingdom of Croatia and the eradication of the Slavic language and the Glagolitic alphabet in the liturgy.
Just before the beginning of the Council session the Pope sent two of his legacies, John, Bishop of Ancona and Leon, Bishop of Palestine, to give one invitation letter to each of the Slavic rulers, Archbishop of Split and other Dalmatian bishops.
During the Council session, which was attended by the Croatian King Tomislav, Prince Michael of Zahumlje, and other unnamed Croatian and Serbian nobles ("Croatorum atque Serborum proceribus"), various ecclesiastical organization and discipline issues were discussed, while 15 conclusions were adopted. Most important question was one about the seat of the newly founded ecclesiastical province of Croatia and Dalmatia. Contenders for the seat of Metropolitan were: "John, Archbishop of Split", as the successor of Salona Church founded by alleged student of Saint Peter Saint Domnius, "Formin, Bishop of Zadar", as representative of Zadar, capital of Dalmatia, and "Gregory, Bishop of Nin", whose diocese was territoriality the largest. Article 1 of the Councils decisions states that "seat of the newly founded ecclesiastical province will be granted to the church and city where the bones of Saint Domnius lie", i.e. Archbishop John of Split.
Furthermore, articles 2, 3, 8 and 9 state that delegates agreed upon the issue of borders between individual dioceses, and on questions about regulation of the church estates (articles 4 and 5). Article 14 defines that the connection between Christian marriage and education of clerics is unbreakable, while article 15 regulates question of clerical marriage. Penalties in the case of serious crimes such as murder of master, priest or ruler are contained in articles 6, 7 and 13. Article 11 specifically emphasizes that the bishop of Nin is suffragan bishop of the Split Metropolitan. Article 10 prohibited the ordination and promotion of those priests who didn't know Latin, except if there wasn't enough priests in the area. This decision was directed against the Glagolitic clergy and those who served mass in Slavic language because Pope didn't understand it so he was afraid that those priests might spread heresy.
Council of 928.
Second Church Council of Split was convened because Bishop of Nin Gregory appealed to the Pope because he thought there were some irregularities on the first council. Namely. Gregory thought that Archbishop of Split was appointed Metropolitan because of his reputation and wealth, and connections he had in Rome, rather than because he was better than other candidates. Second council was convened in 928, and was chaired by the papal legate bishop Madalberta. This Council confirmed the conclusions from the first Council. The most important decision that was made on this council was the one about abolition of the Diocese of Nin "because it didn't have tradition from the ancient times". Council offered Bishop Gregory to choose one of three free dioceses in exchange. He later took Diocese of Skradin, as ordered by Pope Leo VI. Archbishop of Split was given right to govern all parishes on the Croatian territory. All bishops were rebuked for trying to take territory from each other, and were also urged to obey to the Archbishop of Split.
Council of 1060.
The Third Church Council was convened in Split in year 1060. Councilors concluded that all priests have to know Latin, although neither Glagolitic nor Slavic were banned. A part of clergy, mostly from islands in the Kvarner Gulf, was against these reforms so they chose their own bishop that sided with them. Eventually, side that was for reforms won, so Peter Krešimir IV issued many grants.


Leningrad Hero City Obelisk

Leningrad Hero City Obelisk () is a monument in the shape of an obelisk located in Vosstaniya Square in Saint Petersburg, Russia, which was known as Leningrad from 1924 to 1991. It was installed on Victory Day of May 1985 to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the Red Army's victory in the German-Soviet War. The monument was designed by architects Vladimir Lukyanov and A. I. Alymov.
The Hero-City Obelisk is pentahedral in shape; its cross section has the shape of a star. In its lower part, the Obelisk is encircled with a bronze wreath covering the joint of the two monoliths. The monument is decorated with bronze high reliefs devoted to the heroic defence of Leningrad while a gold star shines on its top. After the Alexander Column, it is the highest stone monument in Saint Petersburg.
When Soviet forces eventually lifted the siege in January 1944, over one million inhabitants of Leningrad had died from starvation, exposure and German shelling. 300,000 soldiers had perished in the defence and relief of Leningrad. Leningrad was awarded the title Hero City in 1945, being the first city to receive that distinction.
Installing the obelisk required highly skilled builders and fitters. Grey granite resembling the colour of soldier's overcoat was chosen to make the body of the monument. The rock was obtained from a quarry of the Vozrozhdenie (literally: "Revival") deposit near the town of Vyborg. On 6 November 1983, a monolith weighing 2200 tonnes was separated from the source rock with the help of a controlled explosion. The finishing touches and polishing of the granite were done on the site. In early April 1985, the Obelisk crowned with the "Gold Star" was installed onto its pedestal.
Principal dimensions.
The total height of the obelisk is 36 meters. It consists of a crowned top and a central trunk of height 22.5 meters, pommel and Star — 4.5 m. and base — 9 m. Its base has a diameter of 3.5 meters and a width of 9 meters. The overall mass of the monument is approximately 390 tonnes. The total mass of the monument with the base is 750 tonnes. The diameter bronze wreaths is 4.5 meters while that of the Gold Star at its top, which is made of stainless steel, is 1.8 meters.


Bart Nieuwkoop

Bart Nieuwkoop (born 7 March 1996) is a Dutch footballer who plays as a right back for Feyenoord of Eredivisie.
Career.
Nieuwkoop is a youth exponent from Feyenoord. He made his team debut on 4 October 2015 against De Graafschap starting in the first eleven and was replaced after 68 minutes by Tonny Vilhena.
Honours.
Feyenoord


Pieter Ramp

Pieter Ramp (1592 – 1660), was a Dutch Golden Age member of the Haarlem schutterij.
Biography.
He was born in Haarlem or Alkmaar as the son of Frederik, "heer van Rolland" and mayor of Alkmaar, and Wilhelmina van Outshoorn van Sonnevelt. Pieter became a flag bearer of the St Adrian militia in 1611-1630. He was portrayed by Frans Hals in his schutterstuk called "The Banquet of the Officers of the St Adrian Militia Company in 1627". For a long time he was considered the young cavalier in Hals' "Yonker Ramp and his sweetheart". He is wearing the same jacket as Hals' "Laughing Cavalier".
He moved to the Hague in 1630 where he later died.


Yaropolk II of Kiev

Yaropolk II Vladimirovich () (1082 – 18 February 1139), Prince of Pereyaslav (1114–1132), Velikiy Kniaz (Grand Prince) of Kiev (Kyiv, 1132–1139), son of Vladimir II Monomakh and Gytha of Wessex. He fought in several campaigns against the Polovtsy (Cumans), once in 1103 and again in 1116.
After the death of his brother in 1132, Msitslav I the Great, Yaropolk received the crown of Kiev. Yaropolk had to deal with the many interests of his family, most of all his powerful half brother Yuri Dolgoruki. Yaropolk appointed Vsevolod Mstislavich to succeed him in Pereyaslav but Yuri Dolgoruki, with the consent of the Novgorodians, soon drove out his nephew. Yaropolk appointed another son of Mstislav I: Iziaslav Mstislavich to Pereyaslav, who also received Turov. He was replaced soon thereafter by Yaropolk's brother Viacheslav Vladimirovich.
The peace didn't last long and in 1134 the merry-go-round started once more. Iziaslav had to transfer Turov to his uncle Viacheslav to let him rule the principality once again. Pereyaslav would come to Yuri Dolgoruki on the condition that Iziaslav got to rule Rostov although Yuri kept a large part of the principality under his influence. Iziaslav also got to rule Volyn and another half brother of Yaropolk, Andrey Vladimirovich was to rule Pereyaslav.
Vsevolod Olgovich, then Prince of Chernigov, the Cumans and his allies who were asked by Iziaslav to make his point against Viacheslav, continued their war against Yaropolk and crossed the Dnieper to loot the Kiev region. After a decisive battle at the river Supoy in 1135, Yaropolk had to cede the town of Kursk and Poseme only gained 17 years earlier.
Due to this change of balance the people of Novgorod expelled Vsevolod Mstislavich from Novgorod and replaced him with the brother of the Chernigov prince, Sviatoslav Olgovich. Vsevolod moved to Pskov and died in 1138 at the siege of Novgorod. Who were convinced to replace Sviatoslav with Rostislav Yuryevich, the eldest son of Yuri Dolgoruki.
Sviatoslav continued the war against Yaropolk with also this time, Yaropolk's old enemies, the Cumans on his side. He found soon the combined troops of Kiev, Pereyaslav, Rostov, Polotsk, Smolensk, parts of Halych and 30-thousand Hungarians, sent by the king Bela II before the gates of Chernigov. He was forced to make peace in 1139.
Just before his death Yaropolk assisted Bela II when he was faced with internal enemies.
He died in 1139, and was buried in the church of St. Andrey. His brother, Vyacheslav I, who succeeded him was soon driven out by Vsevolod II.
Marriage and children.
Married in 1116 to Helena an Ossetian princess.


Ben Liebrand

Ben Liebrand () (born 27 September 1960 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands) is a Dutch dance music DJ and remixer. He has produced for artists such as Forrest and MC Miker G & DJ Sven and remixed tracks by artists such as Alexander O'Neal, Salt-N-Pepa, Sting, TLC, Fun Fun, Tavares, The Limit, Bill Withers, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, Hot Chocolate, Pia Zadora, The Doobie Brothers, The Art Of Noise, Dimples D and Phil Collins. He has also seen success under his own name, a prime example being his remix of Jeff Wayne's "The Eve of the War", which reached number three on the UK Singles Chart.
His radio show "In The Mix" was the first non-stop mixed show that aired on Dutch National Radio on April 2, 1983. Early listeners were Armin van Buuren, Tiësto (Tijs Verwest), Olav Basoski, Ferry Corsten and DJ Dano (Daniël Leeflang), who have cited Liebrand as their main reason for entering the music business. "In The Mix" also spawned an annual yearmix with 100+ tracks called "The Grandmix." The first series of Grandmixes aired from 1983 till 1992. There were only two Grandmixes (1988 and 1989) that were released on limited edition CD exclusively for members of the UK Disco Mix Club. The Grandmix 1990 was planned to follow, but was cancelled (after being pressed) due to changes in copyright rules in the UK. The later Grandmixes from 1999 till 2018 were aired and also released on a 3 CD Box by Sony BMG records.
Music career.
Early history.
Liebrand began his DJing career in 1976 at the age of 16 with his mobile set-up, "The B. Liebrand Audio Studio", playing parties around his hometown of Nijmegen. Two years later, when he became old enough to frequent nightclubs, he moved from mobile discos to a nightclub residency, playing in "Juicy Lucy" nightclub (1978–1979). At this point, he was still letting one record play into another without beatmixing; however in 1979, he began a residency at "The Kwien" (pronounced 'The Queen') nightclub (1979–1980). During this time, Liebrand learned the art of mixing from Kwien resident Huib Luiten.
At his longest residency to date at "The Keizer Karel" (1980–1988) played a five-hour set each night after the club first opened. He continued DJing with his sister Rita Liebrand, at "The Hippodrome" Hennef, Germany (1990–1995). His last residency was in the club "Disco Inferno" (2000–2004). Ben is still active as a DJ having specialised in doing key-mixing on 4 Pioneer CD players simultaneously.
Radio Veronica early years.
On 1 April 1983, Liebrand was hired by the Dutch radio station Radio Veronica, producing a weekly individual mix show called "In The Mix." This one-hour show played at 2am weekly, and ran from early 1983 to November 1985. From that radio show, regular features such as the "Grandmix", a yearly mix of all important dance tracks of the year, was developed. Taking a full month to organise, mix and record, the first Grandmix was broadcast at the end of 1983, but technical complications almost ended this event before it started. Arriving at the Veronica Studio, Liebrand discovered that he had forgotten the second of the two tapes on which the Grandmix '83 was recorded. But he happened to have a tape of a just finished "High Fashion Dance Mix" with him, and it was with that tape that the second part of the Grandmix '83 began. In January 1984, the 'Grandmix '83' was broadcast in its entirety. The name "Grandmix" developed into a trademark event for both Radio Veronica and Liebrand, running until 1992. Ben Liebrand registered the name "Grandmix" also as a trademark.
In 1984, Liebrand also started making shorter remixes for the Friday evening 'Curry & Van Inkel show', later the 'Stenders & Van Inkel show' (both on the same radiostation). His "In the Minimix" was always played at "two records past nine" ("twee platen over negen") and formed an important part of the popular radioshow. These minimixes were either three/four track mixes (never exceeding fifteen minutes in total) or remixes of popular chart records at the time.
Many of Liebrand's remixes, released as singles, including Bill Withers "Lovely Day" and Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons "December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" were premiered as 'minimixes' on this radio show. In the case of Phil Collins "In The Air Tonight," however, the mix was completed and then taken by Liebrand to be part of a mix showcase at the DMC Mixing Championship Finals in London. Liebrand explained "Then I put on my remix of Phil Collins, in front of those three and a half thousand DJ’s. And I told them: "If you want to see this released? Call Virgin first thing tomorrow!" That resulted in Virgin being called by two and a half thousand DJ's, and this got the track signed and released by 1pm the day after" which hit Number 4 in the UK charts.
After producing the final "Grandmix" in 1992, Liebrand felt frustrated with lack of feedback that his mixes were gaining. "You didn’t know what people thought of it. 30 days fulltime working on the Grandmix in December, ten to twelve hours a day mixing. On 31 December it was finished, and the last years when I entered the broadcast studios, everybody was busy doing something else, not really interested, and only the technician who was on duty, sat with me in the broadcast room. I plugged in my gear, pressed play around six o’clock, and after an hour I disconnected it again, and took off. Having sat there for one hour, solely with the technician, it was the biggest anti-climax ever. This could be compared to making a piece of art, walking up to a bridge and throwing it in the river, without knowing the people’s opinions about it."
Liebrand Images.
Liebrand embarked on computer-based 3D renderings and animation work, beginning his own visual company, Liebrand Images in 1991. He even was an official Silicon Graphics reseller and instructor for a period of time. He used to work with 3d modelling programs such as Electro GIG and Softimage 3D Extreme. He undertook work such as commercials for clients including the Arcade Compilations CD's, promotional music videos for acts including Atlantic Ocean (Band), 2 Brothers on the 4th Floor and Alan Parsons ) and visuals for station idents for Music TV station TMF. He designs all of his CD covers, labels and video promos himself.
Return of The Grandmix.
In 1997, Liebrand released "Funky Town" and in 1998 began negotiations with Dutch radio-station Radio 538 (an offspring of Radio Veronica), the result of which was the re-broadcasting of all the Radio Veronica "Grandmixes" the last Saturday of the month throughout 1999. The final intention was to broadcast a brand-new "Grandmix" in December 1999, a "MillenniuM-Mix", containing the greatest dance tracks of the century. Liebrand was invited to produce a mid-year summer Grandmix and an end-of-year Grandmix for Radio 538. On 31 December 2001, a three-hour "Grandmix" was broadcast, followed by a "Grandmix Disco Edition" on 23 August of that year. "Grandmixes" were broadcast in the summer and end-of-year of 2002 and 2003.
In 2004, Liebrand returned to Radio Veronica for a two-hour weekly mix. He makes Grandmixes available in a new format on 3 CDs on his website and has his 'In The Mix' show on Radio Veronica.
Until 2018 Grandmixes were available on CD every year. Due to licensing problems which occurred through changes in the music industry in 2019, there was no Grandmix available on CD in 2019. Instead Liebrand changed the concept to a three-hour (2:59:33) long mix called "Grandmix Decade Edition" which covers more than 250 songs of the years 2010–2019. It was broadcast on Radio 538 and Radio Calletti on 31 December 2019 from 18:00-21:00. Listeners have been very happy with this mix returning to the fast mixing style of the early days of Grandmix free of any licensing blockages using all available material to the artists choice.
Personal life.
Liebrand is married to Brenda van Raam. They have two sons, Fabian and Sascha, and a daughter, Linde.
In 2010 they moved from their monumental estate Villa Roozenburg in Weurt (Beuningen, Gelderland), The Netherlands to Okotoks in the provence of Alberta, Canada. From there he continues with his activities.


Column of Glory

The Column of Glory (, "Kolonna Slavy"), sometimes called the Russo-Turkish War Memorial column, is a victory memorial situated in the immediate surroundings of the Trinity Cathedral in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Completed in 2004 as a gift at the 300th anniversary of the city in 2003, the monument is an exact replica of a monument from 1886 that was destroyed by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in 1929.
History.
In honor of the victory in the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-1878, when the Russians liberated Bulgaria from a Turkish invasion, a memorial column was constructed in 1886 in front of the northern facade of the Trinity Cathedral. Its foundation was 140 trophy cannon barrels used to beat back the Turks during the liberation of Bulgaria. The monument stood eight meters high, and was crowned with the winged figure of victory with a wreath made of oak leaves in one hand and palm branches in the other. An iron spiral staircase was located inside. Ten cannons surrounded the outside of the monument. In 1929, the monument was dismantled and sold by the Soviet Government to Germany for cash.
In 2004 the monument was restored using the original blueprints of the project. The foundation of the column is built out of exact replicas of 128 Turkish cannons cast by the Novolipetsk Steel company. The cannons and other metal parts of the column were given to Saint Petersburg as a gift to its 300th anniversary.


Maud Mulder

Maud Mulder (born 17 November 1981 in Nijmegen, Netherlands) is a Dutch singer who rose to popularity after placing second in "Idols Netherlands 2", the Dutch version of "Pop Idol", shown by RTL 4. She is also a professional field hockey player with hoofdklasse side NMHC Nijmegen.
On 12 March 2006, Mulder participated in the national Dutch Song Contest finals. However, the jury considered the three songs she performed to be without any potential for the Eurovision, since they were like many of The Netherlands' previous (unsuccessful) entries. Apart from that, her vocal performances were weak due to an inflammation of the throat. Maud became third out of three, only just beat by rock band "Behave".
Idols performances.
Top 27: "White Flag" by Dido

Top 10: "Just Like A Pill" by Pink

Top 9: "Signed Sealed Delivered I'm Yours" by Stevie Wonder

Top 8: "Don't Say That You Love Me" by Trijntje Oosterhuis

Top 7: "Blame It On The Boogie" by The Jackson 5

Top 6: "Afscheid" by Volumia!

Top 5: "This Is How We Do It" by Montell Jordan

Top 5: "Dancing In The Street" by Martha & The Vandellas

Top 4: "Making Whoopee" by Frank Sinatra

Top 4: "Are You Gonna Go My Way?" by Lenny Kravitz

Top 3: "Thank You" by Dido

Top 3: "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers

Top 3: "Hole In The Head" by Sugababes

Grand Final: "Dancing In The Street" by Martha & The Vandellas

Grand Final: "When You Think Of Me" by Mark Wills


Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2007

The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the fifth edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest. It was held in the Ahoy indoor sporting arena in Rotterdam, the Netherlands on 8 December. The host country was chosen by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) on 13 July 2006. The host city was announced on 11 September 2006. AVRO won the rights to host the show over Hrvatska radiotelevizija (HRT) of Croatia (who did not participate in this contest) and the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) of Cyprus.
The budget for the contest was stated to be more than €2,000,000.
 won the Contest by a single point over . The winning performer was Alexey Zhigalkovich, singing "S druz'yami" ("With friends"). This was Belarus' second win; they won for the first time in 2005.
Location.
Bidding phase and host selection.
Three countries bid for the rights to host the fifth Junior Eurovision Song Contest: Hrvatska radiotelevizija (HRT) for ; Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) for ; and Algemene Vereniging Radio Omroep (AVRO) for the . AVRO were awarded the rights to host the contest in 2007, with a budget of more than 2,000,000 € being spent to stage the event.
Venue.
The base of the present Ahoy was laid in 1950. After the devastation caused by the Second World War, the city of Rotterdam had worked on reconstruction and Rotterdam port was virtually complete. To mark the occasion, the Rotterdam Ahoy! exhibition was held in a purpose-built hall on the site where the medical faculty of the Erasmus University now stands. The exhibition hall was called the Ahoy-Hal. The apostrophe is a remnant of the original exclamation mark. The hall was used for a series of national and international events, such as the exhibition of the architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s work. During the North Sea flood of 1953 the hall also proved its worth as a reception centre for victims. Rotterdam Ahoy, in its current form, was built in 1970. The complex’s striking design won various national and international awards for its special steel structures. The first event to be held there was the Femina family exhibition. Since then, Ahoy has been expanded on a number of occasions, and was renovated and refurbished in 1998 to create today’s multifunctional venue.
Official CD and DVD.
An official double CD of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was intended to go on sale on 23 December 2007. The EBU announced that there would be no official DVD of the contest due to a lack of interest. The Belgian single was released on 5 October 2007, while the Dutch entry went on sale on 26 October 2007. There are no plans for commercial single releases of JESC entries in other countries, but a few promo copies for Rotterdam might be printed.
Participants.
Patricia Goldsmith, Communications Adviser of the Eurovision TV department, stated that "19 countries will take part" in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2007, though Spanish broadcaster Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE) later announced its withdrawal from the contest. Croatian broadcaster HRT also withdrew due to expense and difficulties in broadcasting the contest live. Armenia, Bulgaria, Georgia and Lithuania were the newcomers this year. Bosnia and Herzegovina was going to be one of the four débutants but Georgia took this place when Radiotelevizija Bosne i Hercegovine (BHRT) decided to withdraw from participation. The minimum age of contestants was raised from 8 to 10 years this year.
The Swedish representative, Frida Sandén, was a backing singer for her sister Molly who represented Sweden in 2006.
Score sheet.
12 points.
Below is a summary of all 12 points received:
International broadcasts and voting.
Voting and spokespersons.
Viewers from each participating country voted by telephone and SMS. Each country's awards points to their top-10 favourites based on these public voting results. The following spokespersons announced the point 1 to 8, 10, and the maximum 12 points.
Commentators.
Participating countries.
Most countries sent commentators to Rotterdam or commentated from their own country, in order to add insight to the participants and, if necessary, provide voting information. A live webcast was also streamed via the Junior Eurovision official website.
Official album.
Junior 07 Eurovision Song Contest, is a compilation album put together by the European Broadcasting Union, and was released by Universal Music Group on November 2007. The album features all the songs from the 2007 contest, along with karaoke versions.


Hannie van Leeuwen

Johanna (Hannie) van Leeuwen (18 January 1926 – 1 August 2018) was a Dutch politician of the Anti-Revolutionary Party (until 1980) and its successor, the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party.


Agneta Matthes

Agneta Wilhelmina Johanna van Marken-Matthes (4 October 1847 – 5 October 1909) was a Dutch entrepreneur. She and her husband Jacques van Marken were involved in the manufacture of yeast throughout their lives, and were engaged in the cooperative movement, taking care of their workers. Matthes and Van Marken created living quarters for workers in her hometown, Delft in South Holland, named Agnetapark after her. These are considered a model for the cooperative development and construction of garden cities (self-contained communities) for workers. Matthes founded and ran a Delft perfume factory, Maison Neuve, to take advantage of a by-product from the yeast factory.
Life.
Family and childhood.
Agneta Wilhelmina Johanna Matthes was born on 4 October 1847 in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Agneta Matthes was the daughter of Jan Willem Frederik Matthes, an insurance agent. She and her sister, Sara Elizabeth Marken-Matthes (1849–1902), grew up in upper middle-class circumstances. Matthes was taught privately, and spent 1862 to 1864 in Utrecht in a boarding school. When she returned to Amsterdam, she studied piano and dance, and took art classes and religious instruction. Matthes' sister Sara Elizabeth, who was affectionately known as Nora, married Zionist politician Arnold Kerdijk (1846–1907), the founder of the Free-thinking Democratic League, in 1876. He was a Member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands between 1877 and 1901. Sara Elizabeth and Arnold lived at the Spoorsingel in Delft and had four children. Agneta maintained a close relationship with them, Nora named her first-born daughter after her sister "Agneta".
Marriage.
In 1865, Agneta met Jacob Cornelis van Marken, known as Jacques, who studied technology and sociology at the Polytechnical School of Delft, a precursor of the Delft University of Technology. During his studies he took a study tour to Austria-Hungary and found a new method of producing yeast, which fascinated him. Later, when he heard a baker in Delft complain about the varying quality and poor availability of yeast in the Netherlands, he recalled the method which he learnt during his tour, and decided to produce industrial baker's yeast of consistently high quality.
On 7 October 1869 the couple married just before the first yeast factory in the Netherlands, the "Nederlandsche Gist & Spiritusfabriek NV", opened. The factory is now part of the multinational chemical company Koninklijke DSM. Jacques van Marken is regarded as one of the Dutch pioneers in the development of industrial food production because of his concept of factory production.
Their marriage was registered in the Delft population register on 10 November 1869. Their first home was a modest apartment on a canal, but they moved frequently after that. As of 2012, all of their homes are still standing and all are classified as historic buildings. Their last home, to which they moved on 3 June 1885, was a villa in Agnetapark, Delft. When Matthes learnt that their marriage would be childless, she decided to dedicate her life to her husband's business and career, and participated in the establishment and management operation. She accompanied her husband to the factory every day, having her own office. She also continued to have private lessons. In addition to administrative activities, their main interests were personnel policy issues. Matthes and van Marken maintained close contact with the employees of the factory and their families, which appealed to the couple's sense of community; they wanted to be part "of a larger whole". Agneta Matthes shared her husband's belief in progress, and they both promoted the personal development of their employees.
Husband's infidelity and children.
In 1886, when Jacques van Marken was in France at a spa, Agneta Matthes found a letter from Maria Eringaard requesting the child support that he owed for their children, which led to Matthes discovering that her husband had begun a relationship with Eringaard in 1871 when she was aged 15, and that he had four children by her. Matthes solved the financial problems discreetly. She did not tell van Markem that she knew about the affair until 1889, when Eringaard died of tuberculosis, as had two of her children.
Van Marken and Matthes took care of the three surviving children, Cornelis, Clara, both adolescents, and Anna, a young child. Officially they were foster children, but it was an open secret (officially secret but widely known) in Dutch society that van Marken was their father. With the consent of Matthes, van Marken planned to adopt them, but his religious father vetoed the adoption. Jacob Cornelis Eringaard, the eldest illegitimate son of van Marken, later headed the "Gist & Spiritusfabriek" and pursued the social interests of his father and his wife. The youngest daughter, Erry Anna Eringaard, was married in 1932 to the diplomat and publisher Daniel Johannes von Balluseck (1895–1976).
Activities and services.
Legal situation and sources of information.
Because legally, married women were required to have the approval of their husbands to do business, Agneta Matthes acted "for and on behalf" of her husband. Also because of this, extensive records of the business ventures and career of Jacques van Marken exist, while only a few sources mention the activities of Matthes. It is unclear, therefore, to what extent Agneta was responsible for ideas. She undoubtedly had operational control of the perfume factory, "Maison Neuve". She undertook an empirical analysis of the housing needs of 48 working families, equipped Agnetapark significantly, and was influential at least during the early years in the management of her husband's other companies, especially in matters of personnel.
Start-ups.
Matthes and van Marken, who was called a welfare engineer by his contemporaries, developed a premium wage system for his factory workers of the "Nederlandsche Gist & Spiritusfabriek NV" (1869), under which all employees could receive bonuses of two to 20 percent of their salary in addition to their basic salary "for good work and because of zeal". The company paid up to ten percent of its profits as a dividend to its employees. In 1880, the engineer, Gerhard Knuttel, a grandnephew of van Marken, established a "Concerns van het Personeel" (human resources management), the first such institution in the Netherlands. Due to van Marken's health problems, François Gerard Waller, his nephew, was entrusted with the management of the factory in 1886.
In 1873, Agneta Matthes founded her own business, the Delft perfume factory, "Maison Neuve", where her husband acted pro forma as owner because of the legal issues. The factory used the ethanol by-product of the yeast production of "Gist & Spiritusfabriek".
Agneta concentrated on the perfume factory in the following years, and collaborated with the Delft porcelain manufacturer De Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles, which created perfume bottles for her products. She participated in international exhibitions, where her perfume brand, PMN (Parfumerie Maison Neuve), won several prizes and gained recognition for her company. She won the bronze medal of the 1878 on the Paris World's Fair. In Australia, her perfumes won first prize at the international perfume fair. She sold the company in 1886 with profit.
In 1883, the couple became interested in margarine, a young industry in the Netherlands at the time. With private capital and a legacy from Matthes' mother, they founded the "Nederlandsche Oliefabriek NV", and built a factory next to the yeast factory. In 1885, they took over " Delftse Lijm & Gelatinefabriek NV". Jacques van Marken officially acted as sole manager. To operate a purchasing cooperative in Agnetapark, they founded the Cooperative "Winkelvereeniging" in 1873. In 1892 they also founded a printing company, which now is owned by the "Koninklijke Drukkerij GJ Thieme". In all these companies, Matthes was instrumental in decision making, planning and organisation. The couple pursued the same personnel policy as in the "Gist & Spiritusfabriek". In 1878, they established the first works council of the Netherlands, called, "de Kern" (the kernel). At the height of their success in 1885, when they employed approximately 1,250 employees, their companies were collectively known as, the "Delftsche Nijverheid" (Delft Industry).
Factory journal.
On 24 June 1882, the first issue of an internal newspaper of the factory, called, "Fabrieksbode" ("messenger of the factory"), was published. It was the first magazine of that kind in the world. Agneta helped her husband with other publications, such as his 1881 book, "La question ouvrière à la fabrique néerlandaise de levure et d'alcool. Essai de solution pratique" (The Labour Problem in the Dutch Yeast and Alcohol Factory. Attempt at a Practical Solution), and another in 1894, "L'Organisation Sociale dans l'industrie" (The Social System in the Industry), which was printed in two editions and translated into English and German. The full extent of Matthes' participation is not known, but she was certainly in charge of the translations.
Social welfare.
Agnetapark.
In 1881 the couple began work on a housing quarter for their workers that followed the principles of the garden city movement. With financial support from Matthes' mother, they purchased a plot of land for 16,000 guilders. in Hof van Delft, then a rural, sparsely populated village well outside the Delft city limits. From 1882 to 1884, the area was developed in the style of an English landscape garden, crisscrossed by streams, after the plans of landscape architect, Louis Paul Zocher, son of Jan David Zocher. Eugene Cowl, an architect, designed 48 row houses, other buildings, and a villa for Matthes and van Marken. The facility was named "Agnetapark", after its founder. The residential park featured individual multi-story apartments with private entrances, private bathrooms, and private garden areas. Matthes and van Marken established a corporation for the development of the settlement, and gave the park to its workers in 1870 as a cooperative, in order to prevent speculation.
To the great astonishment of the founders, the employees were not so happy as expected. The area was remote from urban infrastructure and lacked good transportation facilities. These disadvantages were offset by an improvement of community facilities in three buildings: " De Gemeenschap" (the community), a large house with a kindergarten and an elementary school, which served as a gathering place and a dining room. Other features included a gymnasium, a billiards club, "de Tent" (the tent) – a music and event pavilion, and a grocery store, which later also sold clothes. The park had a playground, a bowling alley, a shooting range, and a boathouse with rowing boats for hire. A volunteer fire department, a brass band, and clubs for shooting, bowling, and cycling also were founded.
The employees, however, did not like living so close to their employers. They complained about the distance to the city and the transportation problems, and they criticised the rental rates and the reserves they had to make. After the deaths of Matthes and van Marken, however, the park gradually evolved into a desirable residential area. In 1931 the villa, "Rust Roest", which had long been empty, was converted into a school. It was demolished in 1981. Since 1989, the park has been listed as Cultural heritage.
Corporate citizenship.
In 1871, van Marken was appointed secretary of the "Vereeniging van het Volksonderwijs bevordering dead" (Association for the Advancement of Public Education), after which time Agneta Matthes regularly visited charity schools and was involved in the improvement of their situation.
During the winter of 1879–1880, extended periods of extreme cold affected the Netherlands. Permafrost and temperatures down to minus 16 degrees Celsius led to distress among the citizens of Delft. In response, Matthes founded the "Vereeniging voor Armenzorg" (Association to care for the poor), helping regardless of religious or political beliefs. She prompted her husband to launch a "Wintersnood-Commissie", which was led by him, his brother-in-law Arnold Kerdijk, and CEO-to-be Gerard Knuttel.
In 1880, the couple founded a health insurance scheme for bakers. This insurance was also the first step toward more regulated pensions. Insurance in case of accidents at work was established in 1884.
Criticism.
Van Marken was regarded as a "social entrepreneur" and a pioneer of his time regarding social issues, however, he was criticised for acting for his workers instead of letting them participate. Although she was not explicitly mentioned, Matthes also drew criticism. In 1906, the journalist Frank van der Goes published van Marken's obituary in "Het Volk", the organ of the Social Democratic labour movement. Two critical articles were entitled, "Een levensleugen" (A Delusion of a Life) and imputed ulterior motives of van Marken's undoubted social engagements. Van der Goes wrote that by providing care to his workers, van Marken had bribed their loyalty and wanted to exercise social control, while his staff was unduly dependent on him; for example, they found difficulty changing jobs once they had moved into a house in Agnetapark.
Despite the disappointments regarding Agnetapark, it was an important model for the cooperative development and construction of garden cities for workers. The park is considered the first social housing scheme which cared about providing hygienic living conditions in a green environment for a high quality of life.
References.
Citations
Bibliography
Online citations


Eva Dorrepaal

Eva Dorrepaal (born 17 October 1970) is a Dutch actress. She appeared in more than thirty films since 1993. On a number of films Dorrepaal collaborated with director Edwin Brienen.


History of Brno

Brno was recognised as a town in 1243 by Wenceslaus I, King of Bohemia, but the area had been settled since the 2nd century. It is mentioned in Ptolemy's atlas of Magna Germania as Eburodunum. From the 11th century, a castle of the governing Přemyslid dynasty stood here, and was the seat of the non-ruling prince.
During the 14th century, Brno became one of the centres for the Moravian regional assemblies, whose meetings alternated between Brno and Olomouc. These assemblies made political, legal, and financial decisions. They were also responsible for maintaining regional records.
During the Hussite Wars, the city remained faithful to Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor. The Hussites twice laid siege to the city, once in 1428 and again in 1430, both times in vain.
During the Thirty Years' War, in 1643 and 1645, Brno was the only city to succeed in defending itself against Swedish sieges, thereby allowing the Austrian Empire to regroup its armies and to repel the Swedes. In recognition of its services, the city was rewarded with a renewal of its city privileges. In the years following the Thirty Years' War, the city became an impregnable Baroque fortress. In 1742, the Prussians vainly attempted to conquer the city, and the position of Brno was confirmed with the establishment of a bishopric in 1777. In 1805, The Battle of Austerlitz took place about 10 kilometers (6 miles) southeast of Brno.
In the 18th century, development of industry and trade began, and continued into the next century. Soon after the industrial revolution, the town became one of the industrial centres of Moravia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire – sometimes referred to as the "Moravian Manchester". In 1839, the first train arrived in Brno. Together with the development of industry came the growth of the suburbs, and the city lost its fortifications, as did the Spielberg fortress, which became a notorious prison to which were sent not only criminals, but also political opponents of the Austrian Empire. Gas lighting was introduced to the city in 1847 and trams in 1869. Mahen Theatre in Brno was the first theatre building in Europe to use Edison's electric lamps, Thomas Edison then visited Brno in 1911 to see the theatre.
During the "First Republic" (1918–1938), Brno continued to grow in importance – Masaryk University was established (1919), the state armoury and automotive factory "Československá státní zbrojovka Brno" was established (1919), and the Brno Fairgrounds were opened in 1928 with an exhibition of contemporary culture. The city was not only a centre of industry and commerce, but also of education and culture (see the section on notable people from Brno).
In 1939, Brno was annexed by Nazi Germany along with the rest of Moravia and Bohemia. All Czech higher education institutions were closed down on 17 November including four universities in Brno. 173 students were sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp and Kounic's students residence was transformed into Gestapo headquarters and prison. Brno was liberated on 26 April 1945 by Red Army after more than two weeks of heavy fighting.
After the war, and the reestablishment of the Czechoslovak state, the majority of the ethnic German population (except antifascists, members of the resistance, mixed marriages, etc.) was expelled to Germany or Austria. The expulsion of some 20,000 Germans is referred to as Brno death march.


Johan Schatter

Johan Schatter (4 October 1594 – 28 June 1673), was a Dutch Golden Age brewer and mayor of Haarlem.
Biography.
He was born in Haarlem as the son of the malt maker Hercules Schatter and Cornelia Jacobsdr van Os, brewers of "De Gecroonde Ruyt", which he took over. Johan became a judge, magistrate, and mayor, and joined the St Adrian militia as captain and served from 1624-1627, 1636-1637, and served as fiscal/provost from 1637-1642. He was portrayed by Frans Hals twice; in his schutterstuk called "The Banquet of the Officers of the St Adrian Militia Company in 1627", and again in 1633. He married Volckje, the daughter of Pieter Jacobsz Olycan on 24 April 1616.
He died in Haarlem.


Tony Van Vliet (Australian politician)

Anthony "Tony" Van Vliet (22 October 1933 – 16 October 1982) was an Australian politician. A teacher by profession, he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Council as the Labor Party member for Waverley Province at the 1982 state election, but died suddenly before he could be sworn in.
Van Vliet was born and raised in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. He moved to Australia in 1952, subsequently studying education at the University of Melbourne. He was a teacher and careers counsellor at Monash High School from 1972 to 1981, and was the deputy principal at Moorabbin High School at the time of his election in 1982. He was actively involved in teachers unions throughout his career, serving as the secretary of his school branch and serving on the central committee of the Victorian Secondary Teachers Association from 1973 to 1974. He was also involved in a number of community groups, serving stints as treasurer of the Westernport Regional Council for Social Development and president of the Springvale Community Aid Bureau.
Van Vliet had made two previous unsuccessful attempts to enter parliament as the Labor candidate for the Legislative Assembly seat of Noble Park at the 1976 election and 1979 election before deciding to run for the Legislative Council in 1982. He won Labor preselection to contest the marginal Liberal-held Legislative Council seat of Waverley Province at the 1982 state election and was successful in the state election, winning the open seat amidst Labor's statewide victory under John Cain. He fell ill soon after, and was unable to be sworn in to take his seat before his sudden death on 16 October. The resulting by-election was won by Labor candidate Brian Mier.


Joachim van den Hove

Joachim van den Hove (1567? – 1620) was a Flemish/Dutch composer and a lutenist. He composed works for lute solo and for lute and voice. Moreover, he wrote many arrangements for lute of Italian, French, and English vocal and instrumental music, and of Flemish/Dutch folk music. Van den Hove disputes with Adriaensen and Vallet the distinction of being the most important representative of 17th century Dutch lute music.
Van den Hove was born in Antwerp, where his father, Peeter van den Hove, was a respected musician. After the Fall of Antwerp in 1584–5 the family fled north. From at least 1593 to 1616 Joachim lived in Leiden, where in 1594 he married Anna Rodius (originally "de Roy") from Utrecht. There he was a lutenist and also lute teacher. His most famous pupils were the young Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange and Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange.
Van den Hove's financial fortunes declined and in 1616 his properties were confiscated. Before his Leiden home was sold by public auction in 1618, he had fled to The Hague, where he died in poverty in 1620.
Published collections of his works are:
Works in manuscripts:


Begijnhof Chapel, Amsterdam

The Begijnhof Chapel, dedicated to Saint John and Saint Ursula, is a Roman Catholic chapel run by the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, in the St Nicholas Parish of Amsterdam. It is located in a former schuilkerk in the Begijnhof across from its original location, the English Reformed Church, Amsterdam. The Miracle of Amsterdam is commemorated yearly with a procession starting from this church.
History.
Around 1150, a group of women came together to live in a religious community, primarily to look after the sick. These were the first 'Beguines’ although the name was not yet used. The women were not nuns and nor did they live in the seclusion of a convent. They had no founders nor did they make lifelong vows. They were unmarried women who made a vow of chastity and promised obedience to the parish priest, but since they were not expected to make a vow of poverty, they were free to dispose of their own possessions as they wished. They could renounce their vows at any moment and leave the Beguinage, for instance, to get married. We do not know exactly when the Beguinage was founded. According to the Amsterdam City Archives, the first time the word ‘beguines’ was used was in an official document of 1307 found in the accounts of the Bailiff of Amstelland. Another document, dated 31 July 1346, speaks of the Beghijnhuis (house of the Beguines) ceded to them by one Cope van der Laene on St Peter’s Eve.
The church of the Beguines.
As early as 1397 the Beguines had a small chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. On 17 October 1419, after the enlargement of the Beguinage, Matthias, titular Bishop of Biduane (a small town on the Adriatic), in his capacity as vicar-general of Frederic III, Bishop of Utrecht, solemnly consecrated a new chapel. This chapel, with its own burial ground, was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the apostle Matthew.
The church was badly damaged during the two great fires of 23 April 1421 and 25 May 1452. After its restoration, it was re-dedicated. The Beguines themselves paid for the rebuilding and restoration.
When a Beguine died, she was buried in the church, as was common at the time. There was, however, one special, well-known exception: Mistress Cornelia Arens. In her lifetime, the church had turned from a Catholic to a Protestant place of worship, and so she refused to be buried in it, asking to be placed in the ‘wide church path near the gutter’. Despite her wish, when she died on 14 October 1654, she was at first buried in the church and only on 2 May 1655 was she reburied against the church wall outside. Later on, because of work on this wall, her grave was moved to the edge of the bleaching field. Every year on 2 May, her grave is still adorned with flowers.
The Alteration.
Until 1578, Amsterdam was almost completely Roman Catholic, with two large parish churches, six chapels and many monasteries and convents. Every year the worship of the Sacrament of the Miracle drew thousands of pilgrims to the city for the yearly procession known as the Stille Omgang. A fair grew up alongside, ensuring a flourishing economy.
In Amsterdam, the Protestant reformers were particularly opposed to the ‘idolatry’ of the Host and the ‘Roman Catholic concept’ of the Holy Mass. The Orangist Calvinists prevailed and on 26 May 1578, the Alteratie (transition of the municipality to the Protestant church) turned out badly for the Roman Catholics. In an unbloody revolution, the Protestants in Amsterdam took over power and the Catholic magistrates were dismissed. It was now strictly forbidden for Roman Catholics to openly profess their faith, which meant that all churches, monasteries and convents were confiscated by the authorities. The Amsterdam Protestant clergy were assiduous in denouncing every house used for "Paepse afgoderij" (Popish idolatry) to the authorities, but the authorities exercised a degree of restraint in acting on these denouncements. The Beguines, too, had to hand over the church in their courtyard. It was given to the English and has since been called the ‘English Reformed Church’. The Catholics established churches in their houses so that they could nevertheless profess their faith.
The hidden church.
After the Beguines were obliged to surrender their church, they worshipped in the church sacristy, until this sacristy was in turn appropriated by the Protestant city council. Then they worshipped in one of the small houses in their hofje, not always the same one. The first steps in the construction of the present chapel were taken as early as 1665, after joining two of the hofje houses bought for that purpose at the initiative of parish priest Van der Mije (1665–1700); his nephew laid the foundation stone on 2 July 1671. The Protestant council members of the city of Amsterdam approved the building plans on condition that the building did not look like a church from the outside. The interior chapel was designed by the Catholic architect in Amsterdam, Philips Vingboons (1607–78), and was dedicated to St John the Evangelist and St Ursula. In its present form, it has a gallery with a left and a right section, resting on six wooden columns. The main altar has a painting depicting the Miracle of Amsterdam. Two side-altars have paintings by Claes Corneliszoon Moeyaert. The current facade with its gothic-style leaded ogive windows dates only from the 19th century. When the present chapel was opened in 1682, 150 Beguines and 12 widows or single women lived in the Beguinage.
The chapel has undergone many changes. It was extended considerably to the right and the Beguines were given their own side chapel on the left. The façade was renewed and accessibility improved by building a porch. The interior of the chapel also underwent various changes in respect to the paintings, lamps, tabernacle, statues, and windows.
But throughout, the eucharistic reflection, prayer and silence were central.


Jan C. Uiterwijk

Jan Christiaan Uiterwijk (May 16, 1915 - August 29, 2005) was a Dutch entrepreneur.
Jan Uiterwijk was born in Groningen to Daniel Uiterwijk and Dina Cornelia Verhagen. As a young man he and his brother were well known soccer players. At the end of World War II he moved to America with his wife Maria and three boys (Robert, Jan D., and Hendrik). In America he worked in international trade ultimately becoming an owner operator of several shipping lines, most notably Uiterwyk Corp located in Tampa, Florida.


Abraham van der Weijden

Abraham van der Weijden, a Dutch citizen, was a ship’s captain and the initiator of Freemasonry in South Africa.
Personal life.
Van der Weijden was born in Delft, The Netherlands in 1743. He married Johanna Slegge on 29 July 1764. He died in South Africa on 31 January 1773.
Career.
He was trained as ship’s captain. He started in the service of The Dutch East India Company (DEIC) on 2 October 1768. He joined from the Delft division of the DEIC. Van der Weijden was in charge of the shipped called “Pauw”. This was a 140 feet long ship used by the DEIC from 1768-1784. The Pauw departed for Batavia on 5 December 1771 and stopped over in Cape Town, South Africa on 24 April 1772. Cape Town was a refreshment station between Europe and Asia, specifically for the ships from the DEIC. On 4 July 1772 the ship reached Batavia.
Connection with South Africa.
When van der Weijden arrived in 1772, he stayed over for a few weeks. He had contact with the other personnel of the DEIC stationed at Cape Town. Being a freemason and a member of the Grand Lodge in the Netherlands he set up a meeting to establish a Lodge in South Africa. This meeting took place on 2 May 1772.
Freemasonry.
At that meeting in 1772 Lodge de Goede Hoop was established with the first members being, Jacobus Alexander le Febre, Christoffel Brand, Jan Adriaan van Schoor, Abraham Chiron, Johann Conrad Gie, Pieter Soermans, Petrus Johannes de Witt and Olof Godlieb de Wet. Chiron was elected Grand Master. It was established under The Grand Lodge from the Netherlands. Van der Weijden issued a provisional warrant of authority, which was subject to the Netherlands' approval. It was approved by the Grand Master of the Netherlands. In July 1772 van der Weijden established the Lodge La Fidele Sinceritie in Batavia.
Death.
In January 1773 van der Weijden and other Ship Captains we invited for lunch by Governor Joachim van Plettenberg. Van der Weijden had a difference of opinion with Carl Phillip Cassel, also a ship’s captain. Cassel stabbed him to death and fled to France. He was the recipient of the first Masonic funeral in South Africa.


Zuiderkerk

The Zuiderkerk ("southern church") is a 17th-century Protestant church in the Nieuwmarkt area of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. The church played an important part in the life of Rembrandt and was the subject of a painting by Claude Monet.
The church is open to the public and currently serves as a municipal information center with exhibitions on housing and the environment.
History.
The Zuiderkerk was the city's first church built specifically for Protestant services. It was constructed between 1603 and 1611 and stands on the Zuiderkerkhof ("Southern Churchyard") square near the Sint Antoniesbreestraat. The distinctive church tower, which dominates the surrounding area, was not completed until 1614 and contains a carillon of bells built by the brothers Hemony, installed in 1656 along with four bells which are rang monthly?
The design of the church in Amsterdam Renaissance style is by Hendrick de Keyser, who was also buried in the church in 1621. A memorial stone was placed on top of his tomb in 1921. De Keyser designed the church as a pseudo-basilica in Gothic style, with a central nave and two lower side aisles, six bays long, with Tuscan columns, timber barrel vaults and dormers. The stained glass in the rectangular windows was replaced by transparent glass in the 17th century. The richly detailed tower is a square stone substructure, on which an octagonal sandstone section stands with free-standing columns on the corners. On top of this is a wooden, lead-covered spire.
Three of Rembrandt's children were buried in the Zuiderkerk, which is very near to Rembrandt's house in the Jodenbreestraat. Ferdinand Bol, one of Rembrandt's most famous pupils, was buried in the Zuiderkerk in 1680.
The Zuiderkerk was used for church services until 1929. During the final (1944-1945) winter of World War II, known as the "hongerwinter" ("hunger winter") in the Netherlands because food was so scarce, the church was in use as a temporary morgue because people were dying faster than they could be buried. The church was closed in 1970 because it was at the point of collapse. In the years 1976-1979, the church underwent renovation, and since 1988 it serves as a municipal information centre, with regularly changing exhibitions as well as a permanent exhibition which features a scale model of Amsterdam as it is envisioned in 2020.
Since June 2006, the church also houses the "Wall of Fame", a homage to Dutch celebrities who have made a positive contribution to society, such as charitable work. The honourees include Amsterdam mayor Job Cohen, renowned former soccer player Johan Cruijff and four-time Olympic swimming champion Inge de Bruijn.
Depiction by Monet.
French Impressionist painter Claude Monet painted the church during a visit to the Netherlands. There is some confusion about the date of this painting, but it was probably one of 12 paintings made by Monet in 1874 during a visit to Amsterdam.
The composition is centred on the church spire, with the Groenburgwal canal leading up to it in the foreground. The reflections of the buildings on the water are represented by yellow brushstrokes only, with no detail to them.
The painting hangs in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.


Pripps

Pripps was a major brewery in Sweden and is now a part of Carlsberg, in which Pripps remains as a trademark. The company was based in Stockholm; their main product was Pripps Blå. They also owned Ramlösa. Pripps was founded in Gothenburg by Johan Albrecht Pripp in 1828.
Beer.
Pripps Blå, lit. "Pripp's Blue", is a light lager first introduced in 1959; it is said to be one of the most popular beers in Sweden.
Pripps Blå is an inexpensive beer, for it is brewed with exactly 51% barley — the minimum amount of barley in beer required by Swedish law. A low-calorie version called "Pripps Blå Light" is also made. Other versions are "Pripps Blå Extra Stark", a full malt, extra strong beer with 7.2% alcohol and "Pripps Blå Pure" with a lower carbohydrates content, scheduled to replace Pripps Blå Light.
Brewery.
The beers are brewed at Carlsberg Sverige.