Tick, Tick... Boom!

Tick, Tick... Boom! (styled as tick, tick... BOOM!) is a musical written by American composer Jonathan Larson. "Tick, Tick... Boom!" tells the story of an aspiring composer named Jon, who lives in New York City in 1990. Jon is worried he has made the wrong career choice to be part of the performing arts. The story is autobiographical, as stated by Larson's father in the liner notes of the cast recording – Larson had been trying to establish himself in theater since the early 1980s.
Larson began to perform the piece as a solo work in 1990. After his death, in 1996, it was revised and revamped by playwright David Auburn as a three-actor piece and was premiered Off-Broadway in 2001. Since then, the show has had an Off West End production, a West End production, an American national tour, two Off-Broadway revivals, in 2014 and 2016, and numerous local and international productions.
A film adaptation, directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda in his feature-length directorial debut, will be released on Netflix in 2021.
History.
The show was first performed Off-off-Broadway in September 1990 by Jonathan Larson in a workshop at the Second Stage Theater under the title "Boho Days". Larson revised the developing piece following Second Stage, changing the title to "Tick, Tick... Boom!", and presented with him as performer in November 1991 at the Village Gate (with college friend Victoria Leacock producing), and then later in 1992 and 1993 in the "O Solo Mio" fests at New York Theatre Workshop. Larson performed the show as a "rock monologue", a new form of theatre for the time. The performance attracted the attention of a young producer named Jeffrey Seller, who became a fan of Larson's work. In 1995, he saw the New York Theatre Workshop production of Larson's musical "Rent" and convinced his fellow producers to bring it to Broadway.
After Larson's death in 1996, Leacock asked David Auburn, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Proof", to reconfigure "Tick, Tick... Boom!". He restructured the monologue into a three-actor musical, with one actor playing Jon and the other two actors playing Michael and Susan, as well as all the other roles in the show. Also, the script and score were streamlined and edited. This revised version of the piece premiered Off-Broadway at the Jane Street Theater on May 23, 2001. Auburn received credit as "Script Consultant".
Plot.
Over a persistent ticking sound, Jon introduces himself: "The sound you are hearing is not a technical problem. It is not a musical cue. It is not a joke. It is the sound of one man's mounting anxiety. I... am that man." Jon is an aspiring composer for musical theatre, who lives in SoHo, New York. He is nearing his 30th birthday and worries about his aging and lack of achievement ("30/90"). Michael, a friend of Jon's since childhood, gave up acting to pursue a more lucrative career as a research executive. Susan, Jon's girlfriend, is a dancer who teaches ballet to "wealthy and untalented children".
Susan and Jon discuss the upcoming 30th birthday party that she is throwing for him. She pressures him to play "Happy Birthday to You" to himself on the piano at the party, but he is hesitant because it reminds him of the aging aspect of birthdays. Michael wants to schedule a job interview for Jon with Michael's firm. Again, Jon is hesitant, but agrees to think it over. Later, on the roof of his apartment building, Jon reveals that he is also nervous about an upcoming workshop of his newest musical, "SUPERBIA." Susan comes to join him; he comments on her dress and how beautiful it makes her look ("Green Green Dress").
The next morning, Jon is awake early. Susan asks him about the possibility of leaving New York. Susan wants to raise a family and does not view that as compatible with Jon's "starving artist" lifestyle. Jon is torn between following his dream of composing and opting for security and family in a different career. Meanwhile, the other two main characters recap their views on what Jon should do ("Johnny Can’t Decide"). Jon's reverie, however, is cut short; he needs to report to his day job as a waiter in a SoHo diner ("Sunday").
After work, Michael picks Jon up in his brand new BMW to show Jon his new apartment. Michael exults at the thought of a life of luxury ("No More"), and pressures Jon further to consider changing his career path. Frustrated, Jon finally agrees to accompany Michael to work the next day and visit a brainstorming session at his firm. Back at home, Jon phones his parents and then his agent. He plans to spend the remainder of the evening composing, but he is interrupted by a call from Susan, who wants to see him. They argue, albeit in a passive and psychological manner that scarcely seems like an argument at all ("Therapy").
On Monday morning, Jon walks to Michael's office for his brainstorming session. On the way, Jon thinks back to a workshop in which his work was reviewed by a composer "so legendary his name may not be uttered aloud" ("St----- S-------"). He also worries about his musical style and its place on Broadway, but has little time to develop this train of thought before he arrives at Michael's firm. The brainstorming session involves naming a cooking fat substitute through a convoluted “idea-generating" process. Jon sees the futility of the process, and his unwillingness to cooperate gets him removed from the meeting. Later, as Jon drives Michael to the airport for a business trip, they argue about the meeting. Michael tells Jon that the life Susan wants doesn't sound bad, and that he wishes his job could give him the chance to settle down ("Real Life").
After dropping Michael off, Jon goes to a rehearsal for "SUPERBIA," but not before stopping to get a snack of Twinkies ("Sugar"). At the market, he spies Karessa Johnson, one of his actors for "SUPERBIA." She reveals a similar weakness for Twinkies, and this leads to a sudden friendship between the two. After the rehearsal, Susan sees Jon and Karessa walking together and becomes jealous. She informs Jon that she's gotten a job in Northampton, Massachusetts which may be permanent. Jon and Susan argue about the state of their relationship; in a turnaround from the events leading up to "Therapy", Jon begs Susan to stay and be with him. Despite this, she leaves for home, and Jon thinks about what may have happened to make her behave this way ("See Her Smile").
The next morning, Jon arrives early at the theatre for the workshop of "SUPERBIA." Although initially the theatre is empty, soon it is filled with very important people: Jon's family and friends, as well as Broadway producers and artists, including Jon's idol, St----- S-------. Karessa steals the show with her performance of “Come to Your Senses”. The workshop is a success, and Jon gets many congratulations; but there are no offers to produce "SUPERBIA" on or off Broadway. Jon is no closer to being a professional composer, and so, in his eyes, the workshop has been a failure.
After the workshop, Jon visits Michael and tells him that he is through with music. For the first time, though, Michael tries to persuade him to stick with it. Michael says that while he enjoys how he makes a lot more money now than he did as a starving artist, he finds the job itself to be emotionally banal and unrewarding. The two argue, and Jon yells at Michael for not understanding fear or insecurity. Michael responds by telling Jon that he is HIV-positive. Shocked at this news, Jon leaves quickly.
Distressed and alone, Jon wanders through Central Park until he finds himself in the abandoned theater inside Belvedere Castle. He finds an old rehearsal piano, and begins to play it while collecting his thoughts. Jon ponders on whether the amount of sacrifice required for his career in music is worth it, and whether those telling him to "have it all, play the game" are right ("Why"). Ultimately, he realizes that he will only be happy as a professional composer, no matter what hardships that may bring.
The next morning is Jon's thirtieth birthday party ("30/90 Reprise"). He sees Susan, who is getting ready to leave. She gives him his birthday gift: a thousand sheets of blank manuscript paper. They agree to write to each other, and she leaves. Michael gives him a birthday gift of belts (Michael thinks belts are a sign of luxury). The phone rings, and the caller is Stephen Sondheim. Sondheim leaves Jon his contact information so they can meet and discuss "SUPERBIA". Jon realizes that he is surrounded by friends and that his talents are finally being recognized. He says, "the tick tick booms are softer now. I can barely hear them, and I think if I play loud enough I can drown them out completely." Jon sits down at his piano to play "Happy Birthday to You".
Musical numbers.
Notes
Film adaptation.
In July 2018, it was announced that Lin-Manuel Miranda would direct a film adaptation of "Tick, Tick... Boom!" The film will be produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer and written by Steven Levenson. The film, to be distributed by Netflix, will be Miranda's feature-length directorial debut. Miranda expected production to begin in late 2019, but production was delayed until March 3, 2020.


The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel

The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel is a sequel book to the classic adventure tale, "The Scarlet Pimpernel." Written by Baroness Orczy and first published in 1919, the book consists of eleven short stories about Sir Percy Blakeney's exploits in rescuing various aristos and French citizens from the clutches of the guillotine.
The stories, which are listed below, are set in 1793 but appear in no particular order. They occasionally refer to events in other books in the series.
Contents.
Sir Percy Explains.
Madeleine Lannoy, whose husband was killed at Versailles defending the Queen from the mob, has become a street dancer in the worst parts of Paris. She has taken on this guise in the hope of finding her only son who has been stolen by Citizen Jean Paul Marat, annoyed by her spurning his advances. All she knows is that her child "is to be reared up in the company of all that is most vile and most degraded in the disease-haunted slums of indigent Paris" and that if she doesn't find him soon he risks becoming a criminal or a drink-sodden reprobate at best.
A Question of Passports.
Citizen Bibot of the Town Guard has command of the Porte Montmartre – the last commandant there, citizen Ferney, was guillotined for having allowed a whole batch of aristos to escape and find safety outside the walls of Paris. Citizen Marat arrives to warn Bibot to be watchful because the Pimpernel has promised to rescue the Duc and Duchesse de Montreux and their family, (who are on their way to the Conciergerie prison) that very evening, but Bibot is determined that the Scarlet Pimpernel will not get one over on him.
Two Good Patriots.
Being the disposition of citizeness Fanny Roussell, who was brought up together with her husband, before the Tribunal of the Revolution on a charge of Treason – both being subsequently acquitted.
The Old Scarecrow.
Nobody in the quartier could quite recollect when it was that citizen Lepine, the new public letter-writer first set up in business at the angle formed by the Quai des Augustins and the Rue Dauphine; but he certainly was there on 28 February 1793, when Agnes, with eyes swollen with tears, a market basket on her arm and a look of dreary despair on her young face, turned that self same angle on her way to the Pont Neuf, and nearly fell over the rickety construction which sheltered him and his stock.
A Fine Bit of Work.
Pierre Lenėgre had been a footman in the household of Marie Antoinette. After speaking out in favour of the Queen in a public place he was denounced by the Committee of Public Safety and would have gone to the guillotine had the Scarlet Pimpernel not saved him. Sir Percy is visiting Pierre's parents when he learns that Père Lenègre has been denounced by the concierge Jean Baptiste, who knows Percy often visits them, and that the gendarmes are on their way to arrest him.
How Jean-Pierre Met the Scarlet Pimpernel.
The Marquis and Marquise de Mortaine and their son le Vicomte are hiding from the Revolutionary Guard in the attic of a house in Lyons. Out of money they have not eaten for two days and the young Vicomte is slowly starving to death. Their loyal servant Jean-Pierre is out looking for milk for the child when he passes out from hunger, awaking to the sound of two men talking in English. He tells the crowd who are after them, which direction they have gone in return for a bottle of wine and a roast capon, but he soon feels like a treacherous coward. Having dropped and broken the precious wine bottle he is rescued by the two strangers who listen to his plight and bring food to the starving aristos. It becomes evident that the Vicomte is very ill and must see a doctor at once, but the only man up to the job is the infamous republican Citizen Laporte, who would certainly send them all to the guillotine.
Out of the Jaws of Death.
Being a fragment from the diary of Valentine Lemercier in the possession of her great-granddaughter. The Lemercier family have been arrested and imprisoned in a dank vault in the Abbaye. They have been in prison for a fortnight when they hear in the distance a noise like the rumbling of thunder – it is the start of the September massacres and hundreds of men, women and children are being slaughtered in the prisons. They are convinced they are facing death and it seems the moment they are dreading has arrived, for heavy blows are falling against the masonry around their prison window.
The Traitor.
November 1793. Lord Kulmsted is a member of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel, however, for some time he has been an adherent in name only. Whether his embitterment comes from lack of money, or jealously of Sir Percy, his oath of fealty has been broken and the threat of treachery hovers in the air. The Scarlet Pimpernel appears not to heed Kulmsted's disloyalty and, against the wishes of the other league members, includes him in a mission to Paris to rescue some women from the household of Marie Antoinette, condemned to die for their loyalty to their martyred queen.
The Cabaret de la Liberté.
Esther Vincent is the daughter of a wealthy banker who has already been sent to the guillotine. Although her father's house and property was confiscated after his death, the representatives of the people never found the millions which he was supposed to have concealed. Esther is now living in one of the poorer parts of Paris while a number of astute jailbirds are plotting to obtain her money and wealth by forcing her to choose between marrying one of their gang, Citizen Merri, or face death. The Pimpernel takes on the guise of Citizen Rateau, a tall, cadaverous-looking creature, with sunken eyes and broad, hunched up shoulders and a dry rasping cough that proclaimed the ravages of some mortal disease. Can he rescue Esther and her English lover Jack Kennard from the evil plot?
"Needs Must—".
Lucile Clamette and her three children are up in front of Commissary Lebel and citizen Chauvelin, who are trying to entrap her former employer, Henri the Vicomte de Montogrueil. Frightened by threats that her children will be sent to a House of Correction on the orders of the Committee of Public Safety, she agrees to write a letter to Henri and his father, the Marquis, as dictated by Chauvelin. The father and son are in possession of some incriminating papers containing evidence of bribes paid to members of the CPS, which have so far allowed them to pass unmolested by the terrorists. If the Marquis hands over the papers they will be soon be arrested and sent to the guillotine but how can he refuse, when Lucile's children are in such danger? Lucile's son runs to the Cabaret de la Liberté to find Citizen Rateau (one of the Pimpernel's recurring alter-egos) and tells him of the family's plight.
A Battle of Wits.
Tournefort, a sleuth-hound employed by the Committee of Public Safety, is hanging around a house in St Lazare one night when he hears a voice talking to a 'Madame la Comtesse' and discussing how the diamonds she has left in her château can be recovered. Realising that this can only be the wife of the Comte de Sucy, he listens for more details then demands entry to the house to confront and arrest the traitors. The concierge tells Tournefort that he is imagining things and assures him he has seen no aristos. Tournefort doesn't believe him but despite searching the lodge, fails to find any evidence. Determined to steal a march on citizen Chauvelin, Tournefort enlists the help of citizen Gourdon and a gang of ruffians (which includes one Citizen Rateau) and they ransack the château looking for the missing jewellery, however Chauvelin has got wind of the scheme and presently appears on the scene...


Local Heroes (British TV series)

Local Heroes is a science and history television programme in the United Kingdom, presented by Adam Hart-Davis.
Made by Screenhouse Productions and directed by Paul Bader, it was first aired on the ITV regional network Yorkshire Television in 1991. In the show, Adam Hart-Davis, dressed in the pink and yellow cycling clothes that would become the show's trademark, rode around the YTV region (including Yorkshire, Norfolk and Lincolnshire) on a matching pink and yellow bicycle, stopping in a particular area to tell the stories of scientists that lived or were born there. These stories were embellished by experiments, performed on the street by Hart-Davis, generally using bits of wood and junk from a trailer on his bike.
This hobo-meets-Johnny Ball style approach to science-education proved appealing, and after two series, the show was sold to the national BBC2 network in 1994. The move saw two changes: the scope of the show was expanded nationwide, with a different region visited each episode; and the theme tune was changed from "No More Heroes" by The Stranglers to a twee and plinky number, more in keeping with the programme genre. Eventually this was replaced by a more upbeat theme, by "Wallace and Gromit" composer Julian Nott, played by a Czech orchestra.
Since then, the series has covered over 200 'heroes', and has seen several special episodes. The first special saw Hart-Davis visit Egypt to investigate ancient heroes, while another took him to Italy for a Renaissance special. Another notable show was the finale of the last series (to date), which was performed in front of a live audience at the Royal Institution, much in the style of the Institution's Christmas Lectures.
The show continued until 2000. Since then, Hart-Davis has moved on to other shows, and the bbc.co.uk Local Heroes pages have now been deleted, suggesting that no further series are planned.
Series 2.
1 Devon: Isambard Kingdom Brunel:
 Henry Moule:
 Thomas Savery:
 Mary Anning:
2 Scotland: Alexander Bain (inventor): Electro-chemical telegraph
 Charles Macintosh: Mac
 James Clerk Maxwell:
 Robert Stirling: Inventor
 James Gregory (mathematician): Mathematician
3 East: William Harvey: Reformed incorrect thinking about the circulation of blood.
 Robert Fitzroy: Pioneered storm warning system and invented the weather forecast.
Benjamin Wiseman: Patented a Windmill in 1783.
 William Hase: Modified prison treadmills to take power outside the prison.
 William Gilberd: Discovered the earth is a magnet.
 John Jeyes: Invented a unique three-function toilet cleaner Jeyes Fluid.
 William Hyde Wollaston: Invented a clever mirror-and-prism device (Camera lucida) that lets you see your subject superimposed on your sketch pad.
4 North East: John Walker (inventor): Invented the friction match.
Charles Algernon Parsons: Invented the steam turbine.
 Joseph Wilson Swan: Invented the incandescent light bulb.
 Lewis Fry Richardson: Inventor of sonar and the understanding of the mathematics of the weather.
 Thomas Wright (astronomer): First to understand the Milky Way.
 Gladstone Adams: Invented the windscreen wiper.
5 Wales: Thomas Telford: Developed a system for road building & built bridges.
Alfred Russel Wallace: Devised theory of natural selection jointly with Darwin.
 William Price (physician): Pioneer of cremation.
 Harry Grindell Matthews: Invented a portable radio, and supposed Death Ray inventor.
 Richard Trevithick: Ran world's first steam locomotive at Merthyr.
 Robert Recorde: Invented equals sign.
 Hugh Owen Thomas (and the bonesetters of Anglesey): Four generations of bonesetters and founder of
 orthopaedic surgery.
6 South East:
Samuel Morland: Invented giant megaphones and was master mechanic to Charles II
Hertha Ayrton: Invented way of clearing trenches of Mustard Gas.
 Eleanor Coade: Her artificial stone was used for many landmarks.
 Henry Maudslay: Founder of precision engineering and first production line.
 Thomas Young (scientist): Discovered how the eye works and translated the Rosetta Stone.
 Liborio Pedrazzoli: Inventor of swimming umbrellas.
 Ralph Wedgwood (inventor): Invented carbon paper.
 William Willoughby Cole Verner: Invented cavalry sketching board to enable cavalrymen to make accurate maps whilst on horseback.
Series 3.
1 Devon and Cornwall: Thomas Newcomen et al.
2 London: Cornelius Drebbel et al.
3 South: Robert Hooke et al.
4 Special - Egypt
5 Special - Italy
6 Special - Science Week
Series 4.
1 South: Henry Cavendish et al.
2 East of Scotland: James Dewar et al.
3 Cotswolds: William Henry Fox Talbot et al.
4 St Pauls: Heroines


Night Watch (Discworld)

Night Watch is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the 29th book in his "Discworld" series, published in 2002. The protagonist of the novel is Sir Samuel Vimes, commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. A five-part radio adaptation of the novel was broadcast on BBC Radio 4. "Night Watch" placed second in the annual Locus Poll for best fantasy novel.
Plot summary.
On the morning of the 30th anniversary of the Glorious Revolution of the Twenty-Fifth of May (and as such the anniversary of the death of John Keel, Vimes' hero and former mentor), Sam Vimes — whose wife is in labor with their first child — is caught in a magical storm while pursuing Carcer, a notorious criminal. He awakens to find that he has somehow been sent back in time.
Vimes's first idea is to ask the wizards at the Unseen University to send him home, but before he can act on this, he is arrested for breaking curfew by a younger version of himself. Incarcerated in a cell next to his is Carcer, who after being released joins the Unmentionables, the secret police carrying out the paranoid whims of the Patrician of the time, Lord Winder.
When he is taken to be interrogated by the captain, time is frozen by Lu-Tze, who tells Vimes what has happened and that he must assume the identity of Sergeant-At-Arms John Keel, who was to have arrived that day but was murdered by Carcer. It is stated that the event which caused Vimes and Carcer to be sent into the past was a major temporal shattering. Vimes then returns to the office, time restarts and he convinces the captain that he is Keel.
Young Vimes believes Vimes to be Keel, allowing Vimes to teach Young Vimes the lessons for which Vimes idolized Keel. The novel climaxes in the Revolution. Vimes, taking command of the watchmen, successfully avoids the major bloodshed erupting all over the city and manages to keep his part of it relatively peaceful. After dealing with the Unmentionables' headquarters he has his haphazard forces barricade a few streets to keep people safe from the fighting between rebels and soldiers. However, the barricades are gradually pushed forward during the night (by Fred Colon and several other simple-minded watchmen) to encompass the surrounding streets until Vimes finds himself in control of a quarter of the city, dubbed "The Glorious People's Republic of Treacle Mine Road", with a still alive Reg Shoe as one of the leading figures.
The ruler, Lord Winder, is effectively assassinated by the young Assassin's Guild student Havelock Vetinari, and the new Patrician Lord Snapcase calls for a complete amnesty. However, he sees Keel as a threat and sends Carcer to lead a death squad of Unmentionables, watchmen and the palace guard to murder Keel. Several policemen (the ones who died when the barricade fell in the original timeline) are killed in the battle, as is Reg Shoe; Vimes manages to fight off the attack until he can grab Carcer, at which point they are returned to the future and Keel's body is placed in the timeline Vimes has just left, to tie things up, as in the "real" history, Keel died in that fight.
Vimes' son is born, with the help of Doctor "Mossy" Lawn, whom Vimes met while in the past, and Vimes finally arrests Carcer, promising him a fair trial before he is hanged. A subsequent conversation with Lord Vetinari reveals that the Patrician alone knows Vimes took Keel's place, also that he fought alongside Keel's men against Carcer's death squad. He proposes that the old Watch House at Treacle Mine Road (where Keel was sergeant, and which was destroyed by the dragon in "Guards! Guards!") be rebuilt.
Background and publication.
"Night Watch" is the twenty-ninth novel in the comic fantasy "Discworld" series, written by Terry Pratchett, and the sixth to focus on the character of Sam Vimes. Pratchett felt the book was closer to "Discworld" novels like "The Fifth Elephant" more so than the first book, "The Colour of Magic", believing the series had "evolved", attributing the series' success to its ability to change. Pratchett called the humour in the book "the humour that comes out of bad situations", comparing it to the humour of "M*A*S*H". The contents of the book, such as the secret police and the torture chamber, meant that an abundance of gags would seem wrong.
Pratchett commented:
Paul Kidby illustrated the cover of British edition, with "Night Watch" being the first main-sequence "Discworld" novel not to have a cover by Josh Kirby. Kidby had previously worked on "Discworld" in "The Last Hero", "The Pratchett Portfolio" and "Nanny Ogg's Cookbook", establishing "[his] own 'look for the series. Kidby chose to parody Rembrandt's painting "Night Watch", an idea he'd had since first reading "Guards! Guards!", and talked with Pratchett about what characters to include. Kidby pays tribute to the late artist by placing him in the picture, in the position where Rembrandt is said to have painted himself. At the time, Kidby recalls being criticised for making the cover "too brown".
Reception.
The book received critical acclaim. Robert Hanks of "The Independent" drew attention to a "slight softening of the funny bone" and a "hardening of the issues" in the later "Discworld" books, commenting on a lesser amount of jokes per page in "Night Watch". He criticised the book's slow start, but called the book intriguing for its "Chestertonian common-sense morality" and drew comparison to the book's events to the Bloody Sunday. "The New York Times"s Therese Littleton praised the book as "transcend[ing] standard genre fare with its sheer schoolboy humour and characters who reject their own stereotypes".
"Night Watch" won the 2003 Prometheus Award, and came runner-up in the Locus Poll for best fantasy novel. On the suggestion of the book having "darker" themes, Pratchett responded:
Adaptation.
A five-part radio adaptation of the novel was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 from February 27, 2008 that featured Philip Jackson as Sam Vimes and Carl Prekopp as young Sam.


Max Volkhart

Max Volkhart (17 October 1848, Düsseldorf - 1924, Düsseldorf) was a German genre painter and etcher; associated with the Düsseldorfer Malerschule. He was heavily influenced by the Dutch Masters and many of his works are set in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Biography.
His father was the history painter , who was his first teacher. Later, he followed his father's example and enrolled at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, where he studied with , Andreas Müller and Julius Roeting, whose daughter, Anna, he would later marry. Afterwards, he took private lessons from Eduard von Gebhardt. His first major painting, "The Wounded at Gravelotte" was inspired by the Franco-Prussian War and was later acquired by Kaiser Wilhelm I.
This period was followed by an extended trip to Belgium and the Netherlands, where he focused on studies from nature. In 1881 at Rotterdam, he presented a Panorama depicting the victory of Maurice, Prince of Orange over the Spaniards at the Battle of Nieuwpoort.
In 1883, he became a member of the " (Rowing association), which had a boathouse in the harbor next to the Kunstakademie, and participated in numerous rowing competitions with some of his fellow artists.
He was also a member of ", a progressive artists' association that grew out of the Revolution of 1848. He participated in many of their regular festivities, which included an annual masked ball, and directed their "Doppelhochzeitsfeier" (Double wedding) in 1898.
In his later years, he apparently faded into obscurity, as the exact date of his death seems to have been unrecorded and several sources give his year of death as 1935, rather than 1924.


Peeter Symons

Peeter Symons or Peeter Simons ("fl" 1629–1636) was a Flemish painter only known for his collaboration with Rubens in 1636 on the commission from the Spanish king Philip IV of Spain to create a series of mythological paintings to decorate the Torre de la Parada, a hunting lodge of the king near Madrid.
Life.
Very little is known about the life of Peeter Symons. He was possibly the son of Michiel Simons the Elder. He was registered in 1629 in the Guild of Saint Luke of Antwerp as the son of a master. He received various pupils including Michel de Rudder, Balthasar Willebeeck and Daniel Verbraken. In the Guild year 1636-1637 he was recorded for the last time as a master of the Guild.
Anthony van Dyck painted a (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) around 1630-1632. The portrait was made to be engraved and included in van Dyck’s "Iconography" (Icones Principum Virorum), a collection of engraved portraits of leading personalities of van Dyck’s time. The painting was engraved by possibly Jacobus de Han. The inclusion of Symons in this project of van Dyck demonstrates that Symons was held in high esteem by his fellow artists.
Work.
The work of Peeter Symons is virtually unknown. An inventory of 1644 mentions a painting of a fish by Symons, which could be an indication that the artist painted still lifes.
Symons collaborated with Rubens in the mid 1630s. Rubens received in 1636 a commission from the Spanish king Philip IV of Spain to create a series of mythological paintings to decorate the Torre de la Parada, a hunting lodge of the king near Madrid. The mythological scenes depicted in the series were largely based on the "Metamorphoses" of Ovid. Rubens realized this important commission with the assistance of a large number of Antwerp painters such as Jacob Jordaens, Cornelis de Vos, Jan Cossiers, Peter Snayers, Thomas Willeboirts Bosschaert, Theodoor van Thulden, Jan Boeckhorst, Jacob Peter Gowy, Jan Baptist Borrekens and others, who worked after Rubens' designs. Peeter Symons was also involved in this project as a collaborator. Two of the canvases which Symons created after designs by Rubens for this project are recorded. One representing (Museo del Prado, Madrid) is based on a sketch by Rubens also in the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid. This painting shows his formal dependence on Rubens, although Symons never achieved in his works the freshness of the master, since his figures are much more rigid and lack the dramatic tension of Rubens. A second canvas painted by Symons representing Neptune and a nymph for the Torre de la Parada is documented but now considered lost.


Statue of Bruce Lee (Los Angeles)

A statue of Bruce Lee is located in Chinatown, Los Angeles, commemorating the martial artist of the same name.
History.
The 7-foot bronze sculpture of Bruce Lee was created by an unknown artist in Guangzhou, China and depicts Lee in a martial arts stance and holding nunchucks. It was transported to Los Angeles, California after a five-year effort by Lee's daughter Shannon, and is the only statue of her late father in the United States. Its unveiling occurred on June 15, 2013 to a crowd of hundreds, including ground-breaking Asian American actor James Hong. It was permanently installed on a commemorative pedestal and unveiled on September 28, 2018 at a ceremony attended by Shannon Lee and California State Senator Kevin de Leon. Its permanent installation will not occur until the erection of spectator seating and a concrete plinth.
Although born in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Lee opened a martial arts school in Los Angeles' Chinatown and was a fixture there during the filming of the 1960s television series The Green Hornet. The statue is located near the pedestrian intersection of Sun Mun Way and Jung Jing Road in Chinatown's Central Plaza, not far from the life-size 1961 bronze statue of Sun Yat-Sen. Weighing in at about 1,595 pounds (723.47 kg), the Bruce Lee statue has become a cultural mecca for Lee's fans, who are regularly seen taking selfies while poised in martial arts stances.


Edesamegina Endukalidina

Edesamegina Endukalidina (Telugu: ఏ దేశమేగినా ఎందుకాలిడినా) is a Telugu Patriotic song written by Rayaprolu Subba Rao.


Chapter 4 (House of Cards)

"Chapter 4" (or "Episode 104") is the fourth episode of the first season of the American political thriller drama series "House of Cards". It premiered on February 1, 2013, when it was released along with the rest of the first season on the American streaming service Netflix.
Plot.
Frank (Kevin Spacey) learns that House Speaker Bob Birch (Larry Pine) and Linda (Sakina Jaffrey) are refusing to compromise on the education bill. He discourages President Walker (Michel Gill) from compromising on the bill, saying doing so will make Walker look weak. Frank offers to help Majority Leader David Rasmussen (Michael Siberry) become the next Speaker in exchange for ousting Birch. Frank and Doug (Michael Kelly) also offer Black Caucus leader Terry Womack (Curtiss Cook) the Majority Leader position once Rasmussen becomes Speaker.
To win Womack's support, Frank forces Russo (Corey Stoll) to allow a shipyard in his district to close in order to keep a military base open in Womack's. Russo agrees, despite his fear that the resulting job losses will erode his voter base. After Russo gets drunk and leaves his children alone at his apartment, Christina (Kristen Connolly) breaks up with him. With Womack's support, Frank gets enough votes in the House to oust Birch, but tells the Speaker that he will not vote against him if Womack is appointed as Rasmussen's replacement. Both Frank and Birch announce their agreement to Rasmussen, who resigns.
Meanwhile, Claire (Robin Wright) is visited by Remy (Mahershala Ali), who offers a double donation of $1.5 million if the Clean Water Initiative forms a partnership with SanCorp. Despite needing the funds for Gillian's Sudan project, Claire turns it down after consulting with Frank. Instead of taking favors from SanCorp, Frank decides to organize a fundraising gala. To further showcase the CWI, Claire invites Adam Galloway (Ben Daniels), a New York-based photographer with whom she had a relationship in past. Galloway invites Claire for dinner and they share an intimate moment, but she turns down his advances and makes it clear their relation is to be business only.
Tensions further escalate between Zoe (Kate Mara) and Hammerschmidt (Boris McGiver) when "The Washington Herald"s owner, Margaret Tilden (Kathleen Chalfant) allows Zoe to continue her work. In order to avoid any further clashes, Hammerschmidt offers Janine's (Constance Zimmer) job as White House correspondent to Zoe. Despite her reluctance, both Janine and Lucas (Sebastian Arcelus) encourage her to take the position. However, Frank persuades Zoe not to take it. As a result, Hammerschmidt angrily calls her "cunt", which she tweets about before resigning from the "Herald". Zoe invites Frank to her apartment, where they end up having sex.
Cast.
Following is the list of billed cast.
Reception.
The episode received positive reviews from critics; however Ryan McGee of "The A.V. Club" said, ""House Of Cards" is limiting the current time spent with its most fascinating aspects."


Ultimate General

Ultimate General is a series of American Civil War computer wargames that focus on tactics and military history. There are currently two titles in the series: Ultimate General: Gettysburg and Ultimate General: Civil War. Both were developed by a Ukrainian company, Game-Labs, and designed by Nick Thomadis, the creator of "DarthMod" (a series of mods that improve the AI in the "Total War" games) and one of the most well-known modders in the "Total War" modding community.
Ultimate General: Gettysburg.
"Ultimate General: Gettysburg" was the first game of the series, which allows players to lead thousands of soldiers in the Battle of Gettysburg. According to the developers, the game is unique in "Giving you the chance to be the General of either the Union or Confederate army in the battle of Gettysburg, it allows you to recreate the historical facts or try out many speculative scenarios." It first became available in Steam Early Access on 12 June 2014, and was fully released on 15 October 2014 The game has been updated since release and the latest version, Patch 1.7, was released on 15 July 2016.
The game claims to have accurate maps utilising satellite images and historical charts. Additional game-play features include Custom Battles, where different AI Commanders and the multi-day battles provide replayability. There are also additional custom battles where players can unlock a large number of speculative scenarios that can be played as quick battles, either randomised or with full unit strength and default army deployments. There is also a Multiplayer Experience in which the game has 18 maps for one-on-one matches.
There are differences between the iPad and the computer versions. The game was redesigned to provide usability and playability on tablets, and the user interface was reworked. The campaign here is replaced by 10 missions for each side, and multiplayer is not available.
Ultimate General: Civil War.
"Ultimate General: Civil War", unlike "Gettysburg," offers a campaign system that covers the whole American Civil War from 1861-1865, including historical battles, units and events. The game was released on 16 November 2016 in Steam Early Access. As an early access version, the game was regularly updated, and a "completed version" of the game was released on 14 July 2017. The "final" version of the game, Patch 1.10, was released on 18 May 2018.
The game campaign allows players to participate in more than 50 battles, from small engagements to major battles that can last several days over multiple maps. The player's, and therefore the campaign's, ongoing success is interactively connected to player actions and battle outcomes. Historical battles can be also played separately. As with the previous title, the battle landscapes are hand-drawn, utilising data from satellite and historical maps
The full edition includes well-known conflicts such as Battle of Aquia Creek, Battle of Philippi (West Virginia), 1st Battle of Bull Run, Battle of Shiloh, Battle of Gaines' Mill, Battle of Malvern Hill, 2nd Battle of Bull Run, Battle of Antietam, Battle of Fredericksburg, Battle of Stones River, Battle of Chancellorsville, Battle of Gettysburg, Battle of Chickamauga, Battle of Cold Harbor, and Battle of Richmond. Custom battles also include the ability to play hypothetical battles such as Battle of Washington, and imagined parts of historical conflicts, while also covering additional battles, such as Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse.


Wild Gunman

 is a light gun shooter game created by Nintendo. Originally created as an electro-mechanical arcade game in 1974 by Gunpei Yokoi, it was adapted to a video game format on an arcade cabinet and light gun. It was released in 1985 as a launch game for the Nintendo Entertainment System with the Zapper light gun.
Original version.
The original version of "Wild Gunman" is one of Nintendo's electro-mechanical (EM) arcade games created by Gunpei Yokoi and released in 1974. It consists of a light gun connected to a 16 mm projection screen. Full-motion video footage of an American Wild West gunslinger is projected onto the screen. When this enemy character's eyes flash, the player draws and fires the gun. If the player is fast enough, the projection changes to that of the shot gunman falling down; otherwise it shows the gunman drawing and firing his gun. A victorious player faces off against several more gunslinger opponents. This version of "Wild Gunman" was released in North America by Sega in 1976.
The second version has a plastic gunman figure mounted on top of a plastic battery box called "Custom Gunman", which later became one of the microgames in the Game Boy Advance title "".
In Japan, "Wild Gunman" was the sixth highest-grossing EM arcade game of 1976, below two other Nintendo Laser Clay Shooting System titles, "Sky Hawk" at fourth place and "Mini Laser Clay" at fifth. In North America, "Wild Gunman" was one of the most popular arcade machines at the AMOA 1976 show.
Video game versions.
Nintendo converted the electro-mechanical concept into a video game, replacing photographic images with cartoon-style sprites.
In 1984 in Japan, the Famicom version was released for use with the Zapper gun peripheral. This was also available packaged with a plastic, western-style revolver accessory (modeled after the Colt Single Action Army) that can be used instead of the Zapper. In 1985 in the United States, it was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System.
In the NES version, the player waits for the opponent's eyes to flash (accompanied by a speech bubble reading "FIRE!!") before shooting. It features a shooting gallery where opponents are to be shot from the windows of a saloon. A piece of Frédéric Chopin's "Funeral march" indicates the player's defeat. This version was also published on the PlayChoice-10 arcade system. On the Wii U Virtual Console, the Wii Remote pointer is used instead of the Zapper.
In popular culture.
Experimental filmmaker Craig Baldwin's 1978 short "Wild Gunman" features footage from the original 1974 arcade game which was re-edited, sped up, and slowed down to surreal effect.
In the 1989 film "Back to the Future Part II", protagonist Marty McFly plays a non-existent arcade version of the NES "Wild Gunman" resembling a Nintendo VS. System cabinet. The 1990 follow-up, "Part III", reveals that frequently playing the game has given Marty the skill to shoot a real revolver. Nintendo re-released the game to the Wii U Virtual Console on October 21, 2015 to coincide with "Back to the Future" Day, honoring the game's appearance in the film.
In the "Super Smash Bros." series, the "Duck Hunt" duo can summon "Wild Gunman" characters to attack their opponents. Their "Final Smash" attack causes opponents to get caught in the middle of a shootout between the gunmen and the enemy characters from "Hogan's Alley".


Sword of Honour (video game)

Sword of Honour is an action-adventure video game developed by Dynafield Systems in 1992 for Amiga, Commodore 64 and PC DOS systems. The game took almost three years to finish.
Gameplay.
"Sword of Honour" combines the action-adventure oriented gameplay of the 1987 game "The Last Ninja" with the side-scrolling perspective of the 1986 games "Ninja" (aka "Ninja Mission") and "Fist II: The Legend Continues", and the icon-based controls of the 1987 game "Barbarian". The player fights enemies (either in unarmed combat or with the aid of ninjatō, kusarigama, tekagi-shuko, shuriken and kunai), avoids traps, collects and uses items, and interacts with characters.
Plot.
The player takes a role of an elite ninja sent for a mission to recover the stolen family sword of the fictional Shogun Yuichiro from a castle of his enemy, the evil Lord Toranaga. The ninja must retrieve the sword and punish Toranaga before Yuichiro will be forced to commit seppuku.
Reception.
The game received mixed reviews and scores, from 86% in "CU Amiga" (calling it "an excellent combat title, but there is so much more in there that you would be a complete fool to miss it"), to 77% in "The One" and 67% in "Amiga Format", to only 23% in "Amiga Power" (which said the game "sets a low standard, and still fails to reach it").


The Red City

The Red City (1909) is a historical novel by the American writer Silas Weir Mitchell. The novel is set in Philadelphia in the 1790s, during the second term of George Washington's Presidency when the city served as the temporary capital of the United States. Its general theme is of the city's "greatness" during this era. The "red city" of the title is a reference to the red brick used for many of Philadelphia's public and private buildings in the eighteenth century.
The book depicts the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793, which engulfed the city.


Katharina Pepijn

Katharina Pepijn or Catharina Pepijn (baptized on 13 February 1619, Antwerp - 12 November 1688, Antwerp) was a Flemish painter who was known for her history paintings and portraits.
Life.
Very little is known about the life and training of Katharina Pepijn. She was the daughter of Marten Pepijn and Marie Huybrechts. She likely trained with her father, a prominent painter in Antwerp. In 1654 she became a member of the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke as a 'wijnmeester', i.e. the daughter of a master.
Very little is known about her career. At the end of her life she was renting a house in a beguinage. She was taken ill and was cared for by a nurse. After she died she was buried at Antwerp Cathedral.
Work.
Katharina Pepijn was known in her time as a history and portrait painter.
Currently only two works are attributed to Katharina Pepijn. Both are portraits of abbots of St. Michael's Abbey, Antwerp, executed with oil on canvas in the 1650s. That of Abbot Johannes Chrysostomus vander Sterre was made shortly after his death in 1652. The other is of Abbot Norbert van Couwerven. Both paintings were originally kept at St. Michael's Abbey. Her portraits are in the style of Rubens and van Dyck.


Self-Portrait with Palette (Manet)

Self-Portrait with Palette (French: Autoportrait à la palette) is an 1878–79 oil-on-canvas painting by the French artist Édouard Manet. This late impressionistic work is one of his two self-portraits. Velasquez's self-portrait in "Las Meninas" was a particular inspiration for Manet's painting which despite its allusion to the previous artist's work is very modern in its focus upon the personality of the artist and loose paint handling.
A long series of prominent collectors have owned this painting. Most recently, it sold for $29.48 million at Sotheby's on 22 June 2010.
Description.
The 83 × 67 cm (33 × 26 in) painting shows a half-length portrait of the painter Édouard Manet. In this self-portrait as painter he depicted himself as a stylish Boulevardier in front of a dark background. The depicted wears a black top hat and a brown jacket, under which is a white shirt, of which only the collar can be seen. The neckline of the suit jacket covers a black silk tie which is affixed by a tie pin. In the right, only vaguely depicted hand he holds a long wooden brush with red paint on the tip; the left hand holds a painting palette with about three more brushes. No further accessories are shown. The figure is lit from the left by which the shadows beneath the left arm and the right half of the face are created. His pose is slightly turned to the right, so that the right half of the body is darker than the forward, left half. The painter's gaze is directed forwards at the viewer.
Because Manet was almost certainly not left-handed, the painting is a mirror image.
Origin and meaning.
As has been established by X-ray analysis, Manet painted his "Self-Portrait with Palette" over a portrait in profile of his wife Suzanne Manet. In this picture she was depicted in a pose similar to that in the painting "Madame Manet at the Piano" (1868, Musée d'Orsay).
The dating of the painting goes back to Manet's friend Théodore Duret, who asked Léon Leenhof, the son of Manet's wife, about it after the painter's death. Moreover, Manet had used the same suit jacket that he wore in "Self-Portrait with Palette" in the painting "At "Père Lathuille"" (also from 1879), for the depiction of the son of the restaurant's owner.
"Las Meninas", in which Diego Velázquez depicted himself in a similar pose with brush and palette, is considered an important precedent for the "Self-Portrait with Palette". There the painter stands almost in the background of his studio, while his models, the five-year-old Margarita Teresa of Spain and her servants, occupy the foreground. From here Manet appropriated the pose of the painter and his equipment, but as opposed to Velázquez, he makes himself the thematic center of the image. At the same time, however, he is working on a painting, but leaves its subject matter, as well as his surroundings, to the imagination of the viewer. Manet himself between 1865 and 1870 portrayed Velázquez in a studio scene in which the Spanish painter is posed similarly to his self-portrait.
As a practical matter painters did not and do not wear formal dress while working, as it could far too easily be ruined by oil paint. Manet's depiction of himself as a painter in stylish city-going clothes has various precedents. Already Velázquez had shown himself in costly garb that would be appropriate for a courtier. In 1870 Manet had sat for the painter Henri Fantin-Latour in the painting "Un atelier aux Batignolles" while similarly well-dressed. His wearing of a hat indoors also has a direct precedent. Renoir had depicted Monet in 1875, with suit, hat and all. Just as Velázquez had used his clothes to underscore his proximity to the Spanish court, Manet's clothing shows his role as a stylish and successful Parisian artist, "who not only in his artistic posture, but also in his appearance is quintessentially the "painter of modern life", of Baudelaire's description."
The unfinished right hand with the paintbrush is conspicuous in the painting. Victor Stoichiţă perceives this as Manet's intention and interprets it thusly: "because it is an act of painting that is depicted here, it turns painting around itself like a whirlwind" Françoise Cachin explains it as a way of concentrating the light and the attention of the viewer upon the more important aspects of the painting. Manet's wife Suzanne, however, described this painting and the "Self-Portrait with Cap" (1878–79) as sketches.
Position in the Oeuvre.
The "Self-Portrait with Palette" is the only self-portrait by Manet in which he depicted himself as an artist. He depicted himself in several other paintings, but almost always as one of many figures in a large composition. These works include "Fishing" (1860/61), "Music in the Tuileries" (1862), and "The Ball of the Opera" (1873).
The full-length "Self-Portrait with Cap" (1878–79) is the only other pure self-portrait by Manet. The chronological proximity of the two paintings implies a direct connection between them; accordingly, they have been considered as two stages of a work in progress. In the first painting, "Self-Portrait with Palette", the act of painting itself is depicted by the blurred gestures of the painter. In the latter work, the painter is shown with the clear detachment of a viewer, rather than a creator. To Éric Darragon it appears that the painter has "stepped back, to evaluate his painting."
After Manet's death the two pictures hung on either side of the 1877 painting "Jean-Baptiste Faure in the Role of Hamlet". From this arrangement Stoichiţă concludes that the choice of this Spanish influenced painting was meant to evoke a renewed parallel to Velázquez. Another message derived from the juxtaposition is that the self-portraits could almost be read as "Manet in the Role of Manet". Juliet Wilson-Bareau, however, points out that Manet probably did not intend the pictures to be so displayed, as it was Léon Leenhoff who had the pictures framed and hung them on either side of the Faure portrait.
Reception.
The painting was often considered to be of lesser artistic value than Manet's other works. In 1926 the critic Étienne Moreau-Nélaton wrote: "This work, like the other efforts of the artist, are spoiled by a certain coldness. The artist's hand moves with too much fire, painting so freely here, that it is impossible for the painter to seriously focus upon himself as an object." On the other hand, Theodore Reff in 1982 emphasized the meaning of Manet's decision to approach self-portraiture, which he had never before attempted, at the high point of his career. The chosen clothes, in both case stylish suits, give the impression that Manet considered himself not only a successful artist but a successful figure in society: the paintings are a record of this success.
Wilson-Bareau proposes an alternate explanation for the origin of the self-portraits. When the art historian and Manet biographer Adolphe Tabarant asked Manet's stepson Léon Leenhoff about the point in time at which Manet had been stricken with Syphilis, Leenhoff gave 1879 as an answer, which would explain why Manet, who had never before in his life painted a self-portrait, had painted two within that year. It would seem that with the reality of death right before his eyes, he felt a need to come to terms with himself.
The nephew of the artist, Edouard Vibert (1867–1899) finished shortly before his death a series of copies of various Manet paintings for Madame Manet as mementos of the paintings that had had to be sold after the death of the artist. Around the turn of the 20th century a copy of the "Self-Portrait with Palette" was attested that was ascribed to Vibert.
Provenance.
The "Self-Portrait with Palette" was not sold during Manet's lifetime and after his death was held by his widow. Nor were either of the self-portraits sold in the 1884 estate sale. Manet's widow does not appear to have wanted to sell them until 1897, as Antonin Proust in a letter from May 10 of that year stated that neither Jean-Baptiste Faure nor Auguste Pellerin were interested in the paintings.
On 2 February 1899, Suzanne Manet bequeathed the pictures to her sister Martina Leenhoff, probably with the intention of aiding her during financial difficulties. That year, Madame Manet and Proust renewed their efforts to sell the paintings. This time the art dealers Hermann Paechter and Ambroise Vollard expressed interest. Later that year Paechter obtained the paintings at the price of 6,000 Francs for the "Self-Portrait with Cap" and only 1,000 for "Self-Portrait with Palette". In Théodore Duret's 1902 exhibit catalog the picture is listed as the property of Pellerin.
Shortly after, the "Self-Portrait with Cap" went to the collection of Max Linde in Lübeck. In addition to being an art collector Linde was also an ophthalmologist, with Edvard Munch among his patients. Eventually the Norwegian artist was inspired by the Manet to paint various other full length portraits, including a 1909 portrait of his psychiatrist Daniel Jacobson, which came close to the Manet in style and feeling.
In May 1910, the "Self-Portrait with Palette" appeared in an exhibit at the gallery of Georges Petit in Paris, where it was labeled as on loan from the widow of the Marquis Etienne de Ganay. Just a month later it was shown in an exhibit by the gallery owners Paul Durand-Ruel, Bernheim-Jeune and Paul Cassirer together with all other Manet paintings that had previously been owned by Pellerin. Pellerin had sold his collection to the dealers, with the exception of the "Self-Portrait with Palette", which he had sold to Madame de Ganay immediately beforehand. Ganay owned the painting through the 1920s; by 1931 it was in the collection of the Berlin bank president Jakob Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt immigrated to New York City in 1936, taking his collection with him, and died there in 1955. In 1958 the painting was bought by J. Summers for 65,000.
Later the collector couple John and Frances L. Loeb from New York acquired the painting for $176,800. At the auction of the Loeb collection on 12 May 1997 the painting was sold for $18.7 million to an anonymous bidder. At that time it was the second highest price ever paid for a work by Manet. Shortly thereafter the new owner was revealed to be the Casino developer Steve Wynn, as he displayed the picture in his hotel in the Hotel Bellagio and Wynn Las Vegas. In March 2005, it was privately sold to Steven A. Cohen. The price is estimated to have been between $35 million to $40 million.
On 7 May 2010, it was announced that Cohen had decided to auction the painting at Sotheby's on 22 June 2010. The price was expected to be between $30.1 and $45.2 million. These expectations were not met, however, and the painting sold for £22,441,250 ($29.48 million) to the New York collector Franck Giraud. The price was nevertheless a record for a Manet painting.


Karl Girardet

Karl Girardet (7 May 1813, Le Locle – 24 April 1871, Versailles) was a Swiss painter and illustrator, who lived and worked mostly in Paris. After beginning his career as a landscape painter, he became a renowned history painter as well as a confidant to King Louis-Philippe I and an official court painter.
Life.
He was born as Charles Girardet in Le Locle, a part of the French Republic as the eldest son of the lithographer Charles Samuel Girardet. After 1822, he lived in Paris, where he trained as a painter with Louis Hersent and Léon Cogniet. His brother, Edouard, also became a painter.
On a study trip to Switzerland in 1833–35, he made the acquaintance of the aristocratic painter Maximilien de Meuron, by whose influence he obtained commissions for two panoramas of Lausanne. In 1836, he presented his first exhibits in the Salon of Paris and started working as a copyist for the French royal court.
An alpine landscape presented at the 1837 Salon obtained him a first distinction, and he successfully collaborated with Cogniet on two great battle scenes exhibited at Versailles. He embarked on travels across Europe, filling his sketchbook with landscapes in Düsseldorf (1838), Tyrol and Croatia (1839), and Italy (1840). A painting of a Protestant Assembly at Neuchatêl, "Assemblée de Protestants surprise par des troupes catholiques" (1839–42), earned him another distinction at the 1842 Salon and regular commissions by the Neuchâtel Friends of Art.
In 1839, Girardet illustrated his first book, "Roland furieux", followed by "Jardin des plantes" by Boitard in 1842. After a six-month stay in Egypt, 1844, he continued illustrating works including Thiers's famous "Histoire du Consulat et de l'Empire", and completed several royal commissions for paintings of state occasions.
Drafted into the National Guard, Girardet witnessed the fall of the monarchy in July 1848 and fled to Brienz, Switzerland, where he painted landscapes. In 1850, he returned to France to illustrate a great work edited by Alfred Mame about the history and the monuments of the Touraine. This work obtained a first-class medal at the "Exposition Universelle" of 1855 and earned Girardet many more commissions by Mame, notably for children's books and pious works.
In 1857, he moved his studio to the Montmartre quarter, where he would live until his death, and was admitted as a member of the Royal Academy of Amsterdam. He continued to embark on study trips, such as to the Valais (1858–1860), Italy (1861–1862) and Brunnen (1869).
In 1870, caught in besieged Paris during the Prussian invasion of France, Girardet damaged his eyesight while sketching the Prussian positions. Seized by anguish, fearing blindness, he died, alone in his apartment, of suffocation. He was unmarried, but had lived many years with the painter, Augustine Angelina Kaas, for whom he had provided a pension. His family inherited the remainder of his estate, some 100,000 francs.
Work.
Girardet's art belongs to the tradition of Romanticism and to the popular movement in landscape painting called the "School of 1830". His landscapes, based on sketches often completed under adverse weather conditions and within one hour, exhibit a rare vivacity and mastery of subtle color, especially after his 1850 stay in Brienz. Unlike his friends and colleagues Maximilien de Meuron and Rodolphe Töpffer, he was not enchanted by the snow-capped peaks of the Alps, preferring instead to portray lakes, streams and marshes, notably the rivers Aar, Eure and Marne.
Girardet sought official recognition through his historical paintings. Of these, his "Assemblée de Protestants" was his most lasting success; its pathos and deliberate composition are reminiscent of Paul Delaroche's work. Later in his life, deprived of royal patronage by the political upheavals in France, his historical paintings met with little success, and he shifted his attention back to landscape painting, which he continued to exhibit in the Salon until the end of his life.
As a man of modest means, Girardet had little leisure to devote to his art and was compelled to earn money mainly as an illustrator. On his many voyages, he drew small ethnographical reports for the illustrated press; these and the illustrations he drew for luxury albums nourished his visual imagination. After 1855, he abandoned the Orientalist themes that had contributed to his success; and in his late period, as a diligent craftsman, he dedicated himself to the themes and formats in vogue with his "bourgeois" clients.
Girardet's success inspired many other French-speaking Swiss artists, and it helped Swiss art and Swiss landscapes gain recognition with a broad international public. Many of his works are exhibited in the "Musée d'art et d'histoire" of Neuchâtel and in the "Musée national de Versailles".


The Vespertine

The Vespertine is a young adult historical fiction romance novel by Saundra Mitchell. It follows the romantic journey of Amelia van den Broek while she develops her startling new ability to see into the future.
Plot.
In the summer of 1889, Amelia van den Broek is sent by her brother to the city of Baltimore, much grander and different from her fishing village, to find a suitable match for marriage. Along with her cousin Zora, Amelia does all the normal things a young woman would do in the city—call on other ladies, have them to tea, gossip about the latest dance and all the fine gentlemen there. But once there, her eye catches a certain slant of light in the setting sun and she sees a glimpse of the future.
She shares this talent with her cousin Zora, and soon the two girls are calling on and being called upon by the richest young ladies in the city, who each want to know their own fortune, seen through Amelia’s eyes. Amelia also has many run-ins with the mysterious and romantic Nathaniel, who is not a suitable match for her, but whom she feels drawn to nevertheless. They continue to see one another in secret and she soon learns that he has a talent of his own—he can travel with the wind.
Zora also falls in love, and when Amelia has a vision relating to his death, she eventually confesses it to her cousin, who waves off her fear. But when her vision comes to pass and he is killed, Amelia is shipped back home, believing that Nathaniel will come for her and take her away despite hearing word of his death.
Interspersed throughout the novel are chapters of Amelia’s life after this summer, where she has been sent back to her brother and locked away, thought to be mad. Her brother’s wife is kind to her, but both find her difficult. She continues to call out for Nathaniel, who must be dead, because he will not come to her. Her brother’s wife eventually readies Amelia to leave due to her disruptions to their household, though not in a thoroughly unkind manner. Amelia steps out the door, ready to face the world on her own, only to find Nathaniel waiting for her, having been unable to get there sooner because his ability is hindered by water, and she had put the ocean between them. Together, the pair set off to a new life.
Reception.
Rhona Campbell of the School Library Journal said of it: “The protagonist is a bit of a wet dishrag, the dramatic tragedy that Mitchell's prose so direly portends is disappointingly tame, and the titillation doesn't go beyond searing smooches. But the pervasively descriptive and evocative language combines with period vocabulary and detail to create a mood piece one would never want to deny romance-pining schoolgirls…” Booklist said: "Equal parts vivid period detail, gothic melodrama, and foreboding premonitions coming true . . . an absorbing tale of a headstrong and passionate (but not anachronistically so) woman seeking her future.". The Kirkus Review says: “Mitchell depicts Victorian middle-class society with real flair. Her descriptions of the girls ring vibrantly true.”.


Recensio.net

recensio.net – review platform for European history – is a Europe-wide, multi-language platform for scholarly reviews of historical literature. Launched in January 2011, the platform is operated by three institutions: the Bavarian State Library in Munich, the German Historical Institute Paris, and the Institute of European History in Mainz. It has been described by the media as an attempt of historians to "venture into the Web 2.0".
Concept.
The aim of the platform is to answer a perceived restriction of the humanities in Europe, a widespread orientation on languages and national borders. Recensio.net attempts to promote and facilitate the exchange between and the scholarly discussion amongst European historians, primarily by making reviews of publications on European history more visible and easier to access. To accomplish that, all reviews published on recensio.net are available in Open Access and searchable in full text. The Bavarian State Library Munich supports the reviews with metadata and long-term archival storage.
recensio.net acts as an Open Access aggregator. It brings together reviews of recent historical publications published in scholarly journals on one platform. The reviews deal with European history and may have been published both online or in print. All editorial offices of cooperating journals still work independently. Currently, the platform features review sections of more than twenty historical journals from all over Europe, amongst them "Reviews in History" published by Britain's Institute of Historical Research (IHR) and the "German Historical Institute London Bulletin".
On the second branch of the platform, authors of historical monographs and articles can present the core statements of their publications, thus putting them up for scholarly discussion. Users can comment on both reviews and presentations, and become involved in the discussion of current topics and approaches within the field of European history. In doing so, recensio.net aims to promote the ideas of web 2.0 amongst European historians.
To overcome the language barrier, the platform uses three navigational languages (English, German and French), whereas reviews and presentations may be written in any European language. Currently, texts in more than ten different languages can be found on recensio.net.
Organising institutions.
recensio.net is a joint project of the Bavarian State Library (BSB) Munich, the University of Cologne and the Leibniz Institute of European History (IEG) Mainz, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). The editorial staff is located at the Centre for Electronic Publishing (ZEP), a unit of the BSB.
On the occasion of the launch of recensio.net, the international conference "Scholarly communication in the digital age", took place in January 2011 at the Historisches Kolleg in Munich.


Billion Dollar Wreck

Billion Dollar Wreck is a History series documenting Martin Bayerle's attempt to salvage the wreck of the RMS "Republic".


The Italian Brigands

I briganti italiani (internationally released as The Italian Brigands and "Seduction of the South") is a 1962 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Mario Camerini. It was shot in Cerreto Sannita.
Plot.
During the Italian unification the revolutionist Santo Carbone abducts Colonel Breviglieri of the Piedmontese army.


Paradise Now

Paradise Now () is a political and psychological drama film directed by Hany Abu-Assad about two Palestinian men preparing for a suicide attack in Israel. It won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film and was nominated for an Academy Award in the same category.
"The film is an artistic point of view of that political issue," Abu-Assad said. "The politicians want to see it as black and white, good and evil, and art wants to see it as a human thing".
Plot.
"Paradise Now" follows Palestinian childhood friends Said and Khaled who live in Nablus and have been recruited for suicide attacks in Tel Aviv. It focuses on what would be their last days together.
Their handlers from an unidentified resistance group tell them the attack will take place the next day. The pair record videos glorifying God and their cause, and bid their unknowing families and loved ones goodbye, while trying to behave normally to avoid arousing suspicion. The next day, they shave off their hair and beards and don suits in order to look like Israelis. Their cover story is that they are going to a wedding.
An explosive belt is attached to each man; the handlers are the only ones with the keys needed to remove the belts without detonating them. The men are instructed to detonate the bombs at the same place, a military check point in Israel, with a time interval of 15 minutes so that the second bomb will kill police arriving after the first blast.
They cross the Israeli border, but have to flee from guards. Khaled returns to their handlers, who have fled by the time Said arrives. The handlers remove Khaled's explosive belt and issue a search for Said. Khaled believes he is the best person to find Said since he knows him well, and he is given until the end of that day to find him.
After Said escapes from the guards, he approaches an Israeli settlement. At one point, he considers detonating the bomb on a commercial bus, but he decides not to when he sees a child on board. Eventually, Said reveals his reason for taking part in the suicide bombing. While in a car with Suha, a woman he has fallen in love with, he explains that his father was an "ameel" (a "collaborator", or Palestinian working for the Israelis), who was executed for his actions. He blames the Israelis for taking advantage of his father's weakness.
Khaled eventually finds Said, who is still wearing the belt and about to detonate it while lying on his father's grave. They return to the handlers, and Said convinces them that the attack need not be canceled, because he is ready for it. They both travel to Tel Aviv. Influenced by Suha, who discovered their plan, Khaled cancels his suicide attack. Khaled tries to convince Said to back off as well. However, Said manages to shake Khaled by pretending to agree.
The film ends with a long shot of Said sitting on a bus carrying Israeli soldiers, slowly zooming in on his eyes, and then suddenly cuts to white.
Production.
Hany Abu-Assad and co-writer Bero Beyer started working on the script in 1999, but it took them five years to get the story before cameras. The original script was about one man searching for his friend, who is a suicide bomber, but it evolved into a story of two friends, Said and Khaled.
The filmmakers faced great difficulties making the film on location. A land mine exploded 300 meters away from the set. While filming in Nablus, Israeli helicopter gunships launched a missile attack on a car near the film's set one day, prompting six crew members to abandon the production indefinitely. "Paradise Now"'s location manager was kidnapped by a Palestinian faction during the shoot and was not released until Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's office intervened. In an interview with the "Telegraph", Hany Abu-Assad said, "If I could go back in time, I wouldn't do it again. It's not worth endangering your life for a movie." The Israel Film Fund is underwriting the film’s distribution in Israel.
Statements by the filmmakers.
In Hany Abu-Assad's Golden Globe acceptance speech he made a plea for a Palestinian state, saying he hoped the Golden Globe was “a recognition that the Palestinians deserve their liberty and equality unconditionally."
In an interview with Jewish American "Tikkun" magazine, Hany Abu-Assad was asked "When you look ahead now, what gives you hope?", "The conscience of the Jewish people" he answered. "The Jews have been the conscience of humanity, always, wherever they go. Not all Jews, but part of them. Ethics. Morality. They invented it! I think Hitler wanted to kill the conscience of the Jews, the conscience of humanity. But this conscience is still alive...Maybe a bit weak...But still alive. Thank God." He has also stated in an interview to Tel Aviv-based newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth" that had he been raised in the Palestinian territories instead of in his Arab-Israeli home city of Nazareth, he would have become a suicide bomber himself.
Israeli-Jewish producer Amir Harel told reporters that "First and foremost the movie is a good work of art", adding that "If the movie raises awareness or presents a different side of reality, this is an important thing."
Controversies.
Oscars.
"Paradise Now" was the first Palestinian film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. An earlier Palestinian film, "Divine Intervention" (2002), had controversially failed to gain admission to the competition, allegedly because films nominated for this award must be put forward by the government of their country, and Palestine's status as a sovereign state is disputed. However, since entities such as Puerto Rico, Hong Kong and Taiwan have been submitting entries for years although they are not sovereign states with full United Nations representation, accusations of a double standard were made.
"Paradise Now" was submitted to the Academy and to the Golden Globes as a film from 'Palestine'. It was referred to as such at the Golden Globes. However, Israeli officials, including Consul General Ehud Danoch and Consul for Media and Public Affairs Gilad Millo, tried to extract a guarantee from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that "Paradise Now" would not be presented in the ceremony as representing the state of Palestine, despite the fact it was introduced as such in the Academy Awards' official website. The Academy Awards began to refer to the film's country instead as "the Palestinian Authority". This decision angered director-writer Hany Abu-Assad, who said it represented a slap in the face for the Palestinian people and their national identity. The Academy subsequently referred to it as a submission from the "Palestinian Territories". In a further complication, Israeli writer Irit Linor points out that "according to internationally accepted conventions, the nationality of a film is usually determined by the country that invested in it - and that while the film was categorized by the Academy as representing Palestine, it was produced with European funds, by an Israeli-Arab director."
On March 1, 2006, a group representing Israeli victims of suicide bombings asked the Oscar organizers to disqualify the film. These protesters claimed that showing the film was immoral and encouraged killing civilians in terror acts.
Reception.
Critical response.
"Paradise Now" has an 89% rating on the review compendium website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 103 reviews, and an average rating of 7.48/10. The site's consensus: "This film delves deeply into the minds on suicide bombers, and the result is unsettling ." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 71 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Stephen Holden, in his October 28, 2005 article in the "New York Times", applauded the suspense and plot twists in the movie, and the risks involved in humanizing suicide bombers, saying "it is easier to see a suicide bomber as a 21st-century "Manchurian Candidate" - a soulless, robotic shell of a person programmed to wreak destruction - than it is to picture a flesh-and-blood human being doing the damage."
In contrast, in a February 7, 2006 article for "Ynetnews" entitled "Anti-Semitism Now", Irit Linor criticized the movie as a "quality Nazi film".


Johan Ludwig Lund

Johan Ludwig Gebhard Lund (primarily known as J. L. Lund) (16 October 1777 – 3 March 1867) was a Danish painter, born in Kiel, Duchy of Holstein, to master painter Hans Giewert Lund and his wife Maria Magdalena Christina Bremer. An adherent of romanticism, he is known for his history paintings.
Training as artist.
Lund came to Copenhagen to train as an artist, and in 1797, at the age of 22, he started his studies at the Royal Danish Academy of Art ("Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi") with the support of Johan Frederik Clemens, acclaimed royal engraver and influential member of the Academy. He came quickly into contact with the rich and powerful of that time, which had a decided influence on his artistic development. He studied under neoclassicist Nikolaj Abraham Abildgaard at the Academy from 1797 to 1799, and taught drawing privately during his student years. He received the Academy's small silver medallion in 1798 and the large silver medallion in 1799, but never competed for the gold medallion.
Student travels.
Lund was friends with Caspar David Friedrich, another student at the Academy and likeminded fellow-romanticist, and traveled with him to Dresden, Germany in 1799 to continue his studies at the Dresden Academy. From there he went on to Paris, where he studied under Jacques-Louis David from 16 September 1800 to April 1802. During this time, he also took excursions to Switzerland and Lake Maggiore (August–October 1801).
He went on to Italy in 1802, first to Florence and then to Rome, where he lived from 1802 to 1810. In Florence he was deeply affected by the religious art prior to Raphael's time. He was part of the expatriate colony of Danish and German artists and scientists in Italy, which included Friederike Brun, Charlotte Humboldt, Georg Zoëga and Bertel Thorvaldsen. Cultured, talented and sociable, he secured himself many important contacts during this time, including those within the Danish royal house.
From 1804 to 1807, he received stipends from the Academy, inclusive a travel allowance to support his stay in Italy, between 1804 and 1806.
During that time and also years later during a subsequent stay in Rome, he associated himself with the German painters known as the Nazarenes, a group of romantic painters headed by Johann Friedrich Overbeck and Peter Cornelius. He studied with them the early Italian style of painting, which was then considered primitive.
In 1803 and 1804 he painted a large picture, "Andromache i Afmagt ved Synet af Hectors mishandlede Lig" ("Andromache, Powerless at the Sight of Hector’s Maligned Corpse") which was seized by English pirates in 1807 on its voyage to Denmark. It was during the Napoleonic Wars when England and Denmark were enemies. This painting is now in the Danish Ambassador's residence in Rome. A companion piece painted between 1807 and 1811, "Pyrrhus og Andromache ved Hectors Grav" ("Pyrrhus and Andromache at Hector's Grave"), was contributed to the Danish Royal Painting Collection, now the Danish National Gallery ("Statens Museum for Kunst"), by Baron Schubart, General Consul in Livorno.
These paintings helped establish himself as an idealistic and romantic painter, in contrast to rival neoclassicist Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg's realistic approach to the visual arts. The two artists represented, for many years, opposing viewpoints and cultural ideals in the Danish art scene.
Academic career.
In 1809 Lund began attempts to secure the Academy professorship vacated by his former teacher Abildgaard upon his death in 1806. He returned to Denmark in 1810 along with Frederikke Brun in order to more actively pursue the teaching position.
He began exhibiting at Charlottenborg in 1812 and exhibited there routinely until 1861. The Academy also invited him to apply for membership in 1812. He submitted the painting ""Habor og Signe" (Hagbard and Signy) for consideration, and he was accepted into the Academy in 1814. While his Nordic-themed painting received praise, it was not displayed in the large painting gallery. While he received the Academy's endorsement to become member, he did not receive their recommendation to become either royal history painter or professor.
The Academy, considering not only Lund's bid for the position, but also that of his rival Eckersberg as well as that of Christian Gotlieb Kratzenstein-Stub, wished to postpone a decision until Eckersberg returned home from his student travels. Lund lost his patience with these delays and traveled back to Rome where he lived from 1816 to 1819. He had now decided to establish himself as an altar painter, and as a member of the Nazarenes.
In 1818 with support from Prince Christian Frederik, he was finally named professor at the Academy along with Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg. Kratzenstein-Stub ceased being under consideration upon his death in 1816.
He then returned to Copenhagen accompanied by Bertel Thorvaldsen in 1819, and married Augusta Lorentzen, daughter of the organist, Johan Henrich Lorentzen, and his wife, Frederikke Vilhelmine Lintrup, on 24 December 1820.
The hiring of the two counterparts to the School of Model Painting brought new vitality to the Academy. But while Eckersberg's star and realism were on the ascent, and he would come to be remembered as the father of the Golden Age of Danish Painting, Lund's star and romanticism were primarily on the descent.
But during his 42 years at the Academy Lund had a strong influence on his many students. He encouraged them to study 17th century Dutch landscape art, which could be readily seen in Copenhagen. His Romantic approach to art was greatly appreciated by a group of young landscape painters who were younger than Eckersberg's pupils; they aimed to produce evocative landscapes in reaction to Eckersberg's precise depictions of nature. This trend culminated in the large-scale landscapes of the Nationalist Romantic style, His closest students include historical painter Ditlev Blunck, and landscape painters Johan Thomas Lundbye, Dankvart Dreyer, P.C. Skovgaard, and Vilhelm Kyhn.
He served as Treasurer of the Academy 1821–1832 and again 1854–1866. He stopped teaching in 1861, and was eventually titled "etatsråd" (state advisor or council). He was never named to the highest post at the Academy, Director of the Academy, unlike Eckersberg, his old rival, who served in that capacity from 1827 to 1829.
He had a cheerful and positive personality and was fresh and full of life to the age of 89. He died of natural causes without any sign of sickness during his sleep.
Lund kept his international orientation throughout his life in contrast to the growing nationalism and regionalism in the arts. He continued to keep his contacts in Germany and Italy.
Works.
His main works were historical paintings with historical, mythological and biblical themes, such as the five large paintings at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, which depicted Denmark's various cultural time periods. These include "Christendommens indførelse i Danmark"" ("Christianity's Introduction in Denmark") painted in 1827, until then the largest oil painting to have been painted in Denmark. Again his assignment was matched by a comparable one given to Eckersberg. in which he painted the Oldenborg royal family line in eight large pictures, presumably to replace those painted by Abildgaard and destroyed in the fire of 1794.
The other painting in Lund's series are "Nordisk offerscene fra den Odinske periode" ("Nordic Sacrificial Scene from the Period of Odin") painted in 1831, "Solens tilbedelse" ("Worship of the Sun") painted in 1834, "Procession ved Kristi Legemsfest fra den katolske tid i Danmark" ("Corpus Christi Procession from Denmark's Catholic Period") painted in 1834, and "'Luthersk gudstjeneste" ("Lutheran Church Service") painted in 1843.
Lund's and Eckersberg's paintings survived the fire at Christiansborg in 1884.
He is also well known for his altarpieces and paintings of religious themes, which were influenced by his admiration for such Renaissance painters as Fra Angelico, Perugino and Raphael.
His small landscapes also received favour from art historian, critic and advocate of a national art movement, Niels Lauritz Høyen. He painted few portraits. He designed the main curtain of the Royal Theatre ("Det kongelige teater") with a view of the Acropolis in 1828, which still hangs to this day. A preliminary sketch of the project is in the Theatre Museum. The Royal Theatre owns other artpieces of his.
Early Italian art, his contact with the Nazarenes, fellow countryman and expatriate Bertel Thorvaldsen, and for romanticism's ideals, all left an indelible influence on his artistic production.
The Royal Library houses a collection of his letters, inclusive correspondence with younger artists that bears witness to his influence on them.
He is portrayed as an old man in a painting by one of his students, Professor August Schiøtt, a prodigious portraitist. This portrait, considered one of his best, led to Schiott's membership in the Academy in 1854.
Lund's works appear in various Danish art museums, including the Danish National Gallery ("Statens Museum for Kunst"). His works are also in the collections of several Danish castles, as well as religious works to be found at various Danish churches.
He was an educated, cultured and diligent man and artist, with good contacts. He left a lasting impression by his many monumental paintings still widely on display, and by the effect he had on a generation of artists due to his long professorship at the Academy.


Storm in a Cocoon

Storm in a Cocoon (; literally "Property Protector"), is a Hong Kong pre-modern serial produced by TVB, starring Steven Ma and Tavia Yeungas the main leads. Filming for this series took place in Shunde and Hong Kong.
Synopsis.
The boss of Shunde's largest silk factory "Wing Tai Lung", Poon Wing Lin (Elliot Ngok), has decided to pass down the business to his eldest son, Poon Ka Hin (Evergreen Mak) and second daughter, Poon Hau Yee (Akina Hong) due to his old age. However, Hau Yee unexpectedly commits suicide. When third son Poon Ka Yeung (Steven Ma), a military doctor, returns to help run the business, he begins investigating Hau Yee's death as he suspects her death was not a suicide. As Hau Yee's best friend, silk factory worker Tong Bing Bing (Tavia Yeung) also shares Ka Yeung's suspicions and joins him to find the true cause of Hau Yee's death. As their search goes on, they unfold a number of complex relationships between the Poon family and its factory workers, particularly Sin Bik Suet (Maggie Siu), the senior worker in the factory who contends with Bing Bing's behavior, and Fung Chi Chung (Natalie Tong), a duplicitous young woman who enters the factory with secrets of her own to hide.
As Ka Yeung and Bing Bing spend more time together, they gradually develop feelings for one another. However, their relationship is complicated by the reappearance of Bing Bing's long-long fiancé, Kwan Jo Yiu (Raymond Cho), who brings more trouble than everyone anticipates. As they come closer to finding Hau Yee's murderer, the Poon family faces retribution and Ka Yeung and Bing Bing struggle to protect the Poon family's property, not realizing the murderer is much closer to them than they expected.
Though Hau Yee's murderer is apprehended, "Wing Tai Lung" later faces a new danger with the arrival of Chiang Chi Yan (Cheung Kwok Keung), who intends to manipulate and destroy the Poon family by first convincing Ka Hin that he is actually Chi Yan's son and not Wing Lin's son. Believing that Wing Lin's constant criticism of Ka Hin's ability to run the business stems from Chi Yan's claims, Ka Hin willingly takes part in the plan to destroy the Poon family. Ka Yeung and Bing Bing risk everything in order to stop Chi Yan, Wing Cheung and Ka Hin before it's too late.


Heinrich Schwemminger

Heinrich Schwemminger (7 January 1803, Vienna - 13 March 1884, Vienna) was an Austrian history painter.
Life and work.
His father, Anton Schwemminger (1764-1808), was a porcelain painter. His younger brother, Josef, also became a painter. His sister, Theresia, married the painter Karl Schubert; a brother of the composer Franz Schubert.
From 1818 to 1830, with a few interruptions, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna. After 1823, he specialized in history painting. He found his inspiration in the Classical sculptors and the works of Raphael. While at the Academy, in 1820, he was awarded the Gundel-Prize for excellence and, after graduating, he received the (1833). During those years, he spent much of his time in Munich, where he joined the group of artists who were associated with Moritz von Schwind. Thanks to a scholarship, he was able to spend the years from 1837 to 1842 in Rome.
Upon returning, in 1843, he was hired as Curator for the gallery at the Academy. In 1848, he became a member and, the following year, a Professor. From 1857 to 1874, he was the Director of the gallery. Following a major reorganization in 1866, he published the first complete catalog for the collection. In 1868, he became a member of the Vienna Künstlerhaus. He also worked on the art-related equipment at the Vienna State Opera and various other state theatres.
He died at the age of eighty-one. In 1958, a street in Vienna's Inzersdorf district was named after him.


Revolutionary Islam

Revolutionary Islam (French L'islam révolutionnaire, ) is a book written by international revolutionary Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, also known as Carlos the Jackal, under the direction of Jean-Michel Vernochet. It was published in 2003 by the Éditions du Rocher.


Lindy (opera)

Lindy is an opera in two acts by Australian composer Moya Henderson to an English libretto by Judith Rodriguez. It is based on the death of Lindy and Michael Chamberlain's baby Azaria Chamberlain in the Australian outback at Uluru in 1980.
The opera lasts for about 1 hour and 35 minutes. It premiered on 25 October 2002 at the Sydney Opera House.
Recording.
The performances of 31 October and 2 November were used for the
CD recording by ABC Classics (Cat: 476 7489, UPC Number: 028947674894).


ThingamaBob

ThingamaBob is science entertainment television series. The series premiered in the United States on the H2 on January 18, 2014. The show follows inventor Bob Partington around as he attempts to build various contraptions for local businesses in Brooklyn. Ten episodes have been scheduled to be produced by TGroup Productions in association with 1stAveMachine.
Plot.
Bob Partington is an inventor from Brooklyn, New York. In each episode, Bob receives a new box of items which are related to American history in a way. Bob is required to use these items to reinvent three unique inventions. The show follows Bob around as he comes up with ideas to use the items for and eventually constructs fully functioning contraptions. The show is accommodated with historical facts regarding the items Bob has to use.


Kingdoms of Fire

Kingdoms of Fire () is an Arab historical drama television series about the reign of Ottoman Empire's Selim I and Mamluk Sultanate's Tuman bay II, created by Muhammed Abdulmalik and directed by British director Peter Webber.
The 14-episodes series is produced by Genomedia Studios with a budget of $40 million, financed and supported by the government of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the originator of the movie, and filmed in Tunisia, debuted on MBC channels on 17 November 2019.
The second season is under development process.
Fatima Bhutto of "Foreign Policy" wrote that the show is "an expensive salvo against Turkey’s cultural neo-Ottomanism" and that the director was chosen for "added cachet".
Overview.
The series depicts events that took place between Egypt, Syria and the Ottoman Empire between the 15th and the 16th century. It demonstrates the competition between the Mamluks and the Ottomans over the control of the Middle East, through the rise of two main characters, Tuman bay II, the last Sultan of the Mamluks in Cairo, and Sultan Selim I of Istanbul.
Reception.
Bhutto, a Pakistani journalist, stated in 2020 that the show in terms of an anti-Ottomanist production "has apparently failed; no one seems to be watching" in Pakistan.
Criticism.
Multiple comments from Turkish side after airing of fire episode considered the show a targeted harassment and an anti-Ottoman, due to recent tensions between Turkey to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.


On Wings of Eagles (miniseries)

On Wings of Eagles (also known as Teheran) is a 1986 American television miniseries starring Burt Lancaster and Richard Crenna, and directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. It was adapted from Ken Follett's 1983 book of the same name.
Synopsis.
The story is set during the Iranian Revolution (1978–1979). As Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi is overthrown by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in the takeover of Iran, two executives of Electronic Data Systems, are arrested on false charges and then imprisoned. The head of the company, H. Ross Perot (Richard Crenna), travels to Tehran to negotiate for their release. Meanwhile, a retired US Army Special Forces Colonel, Arthur D. 'Bull' Simons (Burt Lancaster), is hired by Perot to formulate a rescue plan at any cost.
Awards.
The miniseries was nominated for Outstanding Miniseries at the 38th Primetime Emmy Awards.