title: Dropkick Murphys

text: On Saturday August 13, 2011, Dropkick Murphys issued a statement of solidarity with the 45,000 Communications Workers of America (CWA) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) on strike from Verizon Communications, Inc.


title: Dropkick Murphys

text: The band has said that they are all Democrats, and during the 2004 United States presidential election were part of Punkvoter, a political activist group dedicated to defeating George W. Bush. That year they also appeared on the "Rock Against Bush, Vol. 2" compilation contributing the song "We Got the Power".


title: Dropkick Murphys

text: In November 2014, an 18-year-old was arrested for assaulting two Lancaster, Pennsylvania police officers (one being a female, who needed to be hospitalized). During the assault the teen screamed out "Dropkick Murphys". A few days following the incident, Ken Casey called the police chief to offer his condolences and apologized for the fan's actions. Casey also sent the officers a UPS package full of shirts, hats and other band garb along with tickets to their show. When asked if the officers would wear the band's gear the police chief joked "probably to court". The police chief wasn't familiar with the band prior to the incident but his officers, including the two assaulted, were. The teen was charged with two counts of felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest and possessing drug paraphernalia. He was released on $40,000 bail.


title: Dropkick Murphys

text: In January 2015, Republican governor of Wisconsin Scott Walker used the band's song "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" when he took to the stage at the Iowa Freedom Summit. The band, who strongly opposes the political views of Walker, posted on their Twitter page "please stop using our music in any way...we literally hate you !!! Love, Dropkick Murphys". This wasn't the first time the song was used by a Republican politician. Wisconsin State Rep and Speaker of the State Assembly Jeff Fitzgerald used the song to which the band replied: "The stupidity and irony of this is laughable. A Wisconsin Republican U.S. Senate candidate and crony of anti-Union Governor Scott Walker using a Dropkick Murphys song as an intro is like a white supremacist coming out to gangsta rap! Fitzgerald: if you and your staff can't even figure out your music you might wanna give up on the politics!!!!! We stand beside our Union and Labor brothers and sisters and their families in Wisconsin and all over the U.S!" The band's comments towards Walker gained national media exposure with those in the left-wing media defending the band and those in the right- wing media condemning the band for their comments. The band released a full statement on the issue saying: "The bottom line is: when a politician uses our music to walk out to, for better or worse, it brands us with that person. If one of our favorite teams' rivals, such as the Montreal Canadiens, used a Dropkick Murphys song when they took the ice, we'd be equally displeased. We feel that we have the right to ask to not be associated with certain events or people – we don't think that's too much to ask. This isn't a legal issue to us—we're not looking to sue someone. Yes, our words were a little harsh, but it was borne out of frustration with the past history of Wisconsin Republicans, such as Jeff Fitzgerald, using our music. The band has stood for and aligned itself with certain principles since its inception in 1996, so people who react as though we're jumping on some sort of political bandwagon simply don't know the history of the band. We are what we are, we believe what we believe—and for the most part, try to leave our politics to our lyrics."


title: Dropkick Murphys

text: Opiate addiction plays a big role on the band's ninth album "11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory". The band wanted to bring more attention to this epidemic in America and the lives being lost to drugs. Songs like "Paying My Way" and especially "You'll Never Walk Alone" were recorded in response. "As you may know, opiate overdoses are an epidemic in America now particularly in this area. I've been to thirty wakes in two years, three this week, one being my cousin, Al's lost a brother in law. It's hit home close to us. I was leaving one of the wakes and this song ("You'll Never Walk Alone") came on and as I was listening to the lyrics it summed up exactly how I was feeling. Sad but knowing there is hope. You never have to be alone. I hope you like our version" Casey said. The album also featured "4-15-13", a tribute to the lives lost and affected by the Boston Marathon bombing.


title: Dropkick Murphys

text: In January 2017, guitarist Tim Brennan was asked about the band's longtime support for unions and workers' rights and the possible effect President Donald Trump will have. "Who fucking knows what's going to become of the country when the Trump administration is in full swing and everything. All we can do is continue to do what we do. ... But that's something that's always been close to the heart of the band and we always will continue to support. So if something comes up where we need to pay specific attention to that, we're gonna do it." Brennan said. Brennan was also asked about Donald Trump and his ties to White Nationalism, if there was concern of that being brought into their shows such as an incident at one of the band's shows involving a guy that came onstage and was Nazi saluting, resulting in Ken Casey tackling him. Brennan said "You know, I don't think we are. We're certainly not thinking about it at the moment. Hopefully that's not something that ends up happening because of the election or anything like that. But I think we've tried to make it fairly clear over the last 20 years that while we love everyone coming to our shows and we love our fans, people like that are not welcome at our shows. Period."


title: Dropkick Murphys

text: In January 2017 drummer Matt Kelly discussed the 2016 presidential election and the band's political views of Donald Trump saying, "I was opposed to both Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton and voted for neither of them; I voted for Gary Johnson. If the Democrats continued to hold executive office, there'd be no outcry against the countless drone strikes, missile strikes, or sending troops to fight endless wars in the Middle East. So far, the people so critical of G.W. Bush foolish warmongering turn a blind eye to the horrors perpetrated under Mr. Obama's watch". Kelly however remained optimistic that Donald Trump could be a good president saying "With Trump, I honestly don't know. I certainly don't think he has the moral fibre to be POTUS, but time will tell. I hope and pray that he is smarter than he's letting on! He seems to be the "bull in the china shop" type. If he brings more middle-class jobs to America and tries to rid us of the draconian National Defense Authorization Act, that would be a big thumbs-up from me but I highly doubt he'll even touch that but then again, what does he have to lose? He's not a career politician! Time will tell." Al Barr in a 2017 interview discussed his views on the 2016 election and the band's political stance by saying "I was a Bernie Sanders guy, and when (Donald) Trump won, I wasn't surprised at all. I remember early on listening to a non-partisan person say that Bernie would win if he could get a foot forward, and Trump would win if he couldn't. And that's exactly what happened. And I'll say that I don't think we would have been any better off with a Hillary Clinton presidency. I think that she is an evil woman. I don't think she had the people's best interest at heart. My heart was broken early on when the DNC (Democratic National Committee) stole the election from him (Sanders), which was proven. This is coming from a former Democrat. I'm an Independent as a result of this election. I feel like I expected more from the party I was once a part of. I really don't look at myself as an activist. I think that what we do as a band isn't that. You're coming to see Dropkick Murphys, not get political speeches and get moved. Our music speaks for itself and always has. You know that we're pro-union, we're anti-racism, we're backing the working man. When you go to an Anti-Flag or Dead Kennedys show, that's their thing, and you expect that. We stand up for what we feel is right or wrong and always have. We've never been the band that is trying to feed you from the stage with our own personal beliefs. When I go to see band, I want to forget about my troubles and what's going on in the world and have a good time.


title: Dropkick Murphys

text: In February 2020, drummer Matt Kelly was asked about President Donald Trump, the current state of America and said "Employment is up, so that's good ... and that's about it ... screw him and his opponents on the other side of the aisle. They're like a bunch of quarrelling children. Embarrassing."


title: Dropkick Murphys

text: In a March 6, 2021 interview with the "Boston Herald", Ken Casey discussed the band's tenth album, "Turn Up That Dial", and the inspiration behind some of the album's songs. One of the songs, "Chosen Few", takes jabs at former President Donald Trump and his mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Casey said that while he hated Trump, this would be the only song to focus on the former president as he felt Trump dominated the news too much in the four years he was president and he didn't want him to dominate their album.


title: Dropkick Murphys

text: In an April 29, 2021 interview, Ken Casey was asked how he celebrated Trump's election loss and the impact it had on their 2021 album "Turn Up That Dial" saying ""I haven't had a drink or drug for thirty years, next Wednesday actually, so it wasn't with alcohol. I celebrated Trump losing by my blood pressure coming down! This could easily have been a "screw you, Donald Trump" record but he's sucked enough life out of me, he's not getting any more! Even before the pandemic, the idea behind this album was 'here's to better times.' I have best friends who grew up blue collar Boston Irish, which means Democrat, who've been swindled by this snake oil salesman's lies. People have family members they're not talking to because of this; it's done terrible things to relationships in America. The guy craves attention so my attitude is let's not speak his name. Be wary that this doesn't happen again but at the same time don't talk about him."


title: Dropkick Murphys

text: On June 24, 2021, Ken Casey along with music artists Dionne Warwick, Sam Moore and Corey Glover appeared in Washington, D.C. at the U.S. Capitol alongside congressmen Ted Deutch and Darrell Issa to help introduce the American Music Fairness Act which would help music performers and recorded-music copyright owners to be paid for airplay on of their songs AM/FM radio stations. The United States currently is the only major country in the world where radio pays no royalties to the performer or copyright owner and only to the songwriter of the song. "I'm a punk rocker! We don't even want to be played on the radio, but I'm here in support of my fellow musicians. When other people are making millions and billions, well, I think the trickle down should be a little more equitable," Casey said.


title: Dropkick Murphys

text: On March 23, 2022, the band got into a social media feud on Twitter with a local Massachusetts Neo-Nazi group called the Nationalist Social Club who used their song "The Boys Are Back" in a promotional video. "F***** Losers. Stop using our song for your little dress up party video. We will SMASH you" the band's social media post read. These interactions came in the midst of the local Neo-Nazi group attending and attempting to take over a local St. Patrick's Day parade in Boston. This was met with a protest rally on March 26, 2022, being held against the hate group though the band had no involvement in the protest rally.


title: Dropkick Murphys

text: In 2005, the band released a two-song CD single for the family of Andrew K. Farrar, Jr., a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps who was killed on January 28, 2005, in Al Anbar, Iraq, during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Farrar, who was a big fan of the Murphys, made a request to his family that if he did not survive his tour of duty, he wanted "The Fields of Athenry" to be played at his funeral. The single features a slower version of "The Fields of Athenry" that was originally recorded and placed in Farrar's casket, although the band decided to release the alternate version. The disc also features the track "Last Letter Home", which was written about Farrar and was featured on the Murphys' 2005 album "The Warrior's Code". All of the proceeds from the $10 single go to the Sgt. Andrew Farrar Memorial Fund and can be purchased through the band's website or at one of their shows.


title: Dropkick Murphys

text: On October 19, 2014, the band played a special surprise performance at the memorial ceremony for Maj. Michael Donahue, who was from Whitman, Massachusetts, and was killed during combat in Afghanistan the previous month. Donahue was a huge fan of the band and they closed out the ceremony which included a performance of his favorite song, "The Green Fields of France".


title: Dropkick Murphys

text: In 2009, Ken Casey founded the charity organization, "the Claddagh Fund" which supports community-based non-profits with a focus on children and veterans organizations and programs that support alcohol and drug rehabilitation in cities across the country and around the world. In 2011, the band donated $1 from every ticket sold on their nine date "Sham Rock-N-Roll Festival" to the Claddagh Fund. $1 from every ticket sold at the show of September 11 in Altamont, New York, on that tour was donated to various 9/11 charities.


title: Dropkick Murphys

text: Following the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing, the Dropkick Murphys created a special "For Boston" T-shirt they sold through their website with all donations going to the victims. The donations reached $65,000 in less than 15 hours and totaled over $100,000. The band also will donate all money from sales from a special three song charity EP titled "Rose Tattoo: For Boston Charity EP" through iTunes featuring a re-recorded version of their song, "Rose Tattoo" with guest vocals by Bruce Springsteen. Springsteen contacted the band following the tragic events asking if there was anything he could do to help. The band also played benefit shows where all money was donated to the victims including the four who lost their lives.


title: Dropkick Murphys

text: In December 2015, the band announced they were teaming up with the Pablove Foundation, a group which invests in underfunded, cutting-edge pediatric cancer research, inspires cancer families through education, and improves the lives of children living with cancer through the arts. The band released an exclusive T-shirt which was available for only four days with 100% of the proceeds donated to the Pablove Foundation.


title: Dropkick Murphys

text: In January 2018, the band teamed up with Devin McCourty of the New England Patriots on a raffle raising money for the Dropkick Murphys' Claddagh Fund and McCourty's Embrace the Kids Foundation. The grand prize includes a trip and tickets to Super Bowl LII.


title: Dropkick Murphys

text: In November 2019, the band performed at a charity event for Worcester, MA firefighter Lt. Jason Menard, who lost his life after rescuing his crew from a house fire in the Central Massachusetts city. The band also sold a benefit tee shirt as a fundraiser for his family.


title: Dropkick Murphys

text: On May 20, 2016, the Dropkick Murphys received the "Robert F. Kennedy Children's Action Corps' Embracing the Legacy Award" for years of charity work with various organizations including work with children and military veteran. The award, "which parallels Robert F. Kennedy's quest for social justice on behalf of society's most vulnerable people" was presented to the band at the Kennedy Library.


title: Ben Silbermann

text: Ben Silbermann (born July 14, 1982) is an American Internet entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and executive chairman of Pinterest, a visual discovery engine. which lets users organize images, links, recipes and other things.


title: Ben Silbermann

text: Silbermann was born in 1982. He was raised in Des Moines, Iowa. His parents, Jane Wang and Neil Silbermann, are ophthalmologists. In 1998, Silbermann attended the Research Science Institute at MIT. He graduated from Des Moines Central Academy and Des Moines Roosevelt with the class of 1999. He then graduated from Yale University in the spring of 2003 with a degree in Political Science.


title: Ben Silbermann

text: Before Pinterest (which launched in March 2010), Silbermann worked at Google in the online advertising group. However, after a short time with the company he left and started designing his own iPhone apps with a college friend, Paul Sciarra. After their initial application, Tote, failed to gain significant traction, the cofounders teamed up with Evan Sharp to create a pinboard product that would eventually be named Pinterest. Silbermann says that the genesis of Pinterest came from his love of collecting as a kid. "Collecting tells a lot about who you are," he said, and when they looked at the web "there wasn't a place to share that side of who you were." A little over nine years after starting Pinterest, the company held its IPO in April 2019 which valued the company around 12 billion dollars, beating expectations.


title: Ben Silbermann

text: On June 28, 2022, it was announced Silberman would step down as Chief Executive Officer and transition to the role of Executive Chairman, and online commerce expert Bill Ready will become Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors.


title: Ben Silbermann

text: Silbermann is married to Divya Bhaskaran, with whom he has two children. He resides in San Francisco, California.


title: Porco Rosso

text: The plot revolves around an Italian World War I ex-fighter ace, now living as a freelance bounty hunter chasing "air pirates" in the Adriatic Sea. However, an unusual curse has transformed him into an anthropomorphic pig. Once called Marco Pagot (Marco Rossolini in the American version), he is now known to the world as "Porco Rosso", Italian for "Red Pig" or "Red Pork".


title: Porco Rosso

text: A first English-dubbed version was made for Japan Airlines and included in the Ghibli LD Box Set and on the first Region 2 DVD releases in 2002. The film was later redubbed by Walt Disney Home Entertainment and released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States and Canada on February 22, 2005. GKIDS re-issued the film on Blu-ray and DVD on November 21, 2017, under a new deal with Studio Ghibli.


title: Porco Rosso

text: In 1929, Porco Rosso, an Italian World War I fighter ace and freelance bounty hunter who has been cursed to have a pig’s head, fends off an attack on an ocean liner by airborne pirates. Porco treats himself to dinner at the Hotel Adriano, which is run by his friend Gina.


title: Porco Rosso

text: At the hotel, the heads of the pirate gangs are contracting Curtis, an arrogant and ambitious American ace, to assist them in their next attacks. Curtis falls in love with Gina on the spot but is frustrated to see his declarations rebuffed and her affection for Porco. After successfully executing a pirating mission, Curtis tracks down Porco, who is flying to Milan to have his plane serviced, and shoots him down as he experiences an engine outage, claiming to have killed him. Porco survives, though his plane is heavily damaged. Porco continues the trip by train with the remains of the plane, much to the irritation of Gina, who reminds him that there is a warrant for his arrest in Italy.


title: Porco Rosso

text: Porco arrives discreetly in Milan to meet Piccolo, his mechanic. He learns that Piccolo's sons have emigrated to find work elsewhere due to the Great Depression, and much of the engineering will have to be carried on by his young granddaughter Fio. In addition to this, the plane is rebuilt exclusively by Piccolo's female relatives, with even old grandmothers helping, in order to earn money. Porco is initially skeptical of Fio's abilities as a mechanic, but after seeing her dedication to the repair project he accepts her as a competent engineer. Once Porco's plane is finished, Fio joins him on his flight home, with the justification that if the secret police arrest the team, they can say that Porco forced them to help and took Fio as a hostage. Stopping off to refuel on the way, Porco discovers that the new fascist government is beginning to hire seaplane pirates for their own use, thus putting him out of business.


title: Porco Rosso

text: Back at the Hotel Adriano, Curtis proposes to Gina but she turns him down, saying that she is waiting for Porco Rosso. Upon returning home, Porco and Fio are ambushed by the pirates, who threaten to kill Porco and destroy his plane. Fio talks them out of it, but Curtis appears and challenges Porco to a final duel. Fio makes a deal with him declaring that if Porco wins, Curtis must pay off his debts owed to Piccolo's company, and if Curtis wins, he may marry her.


title: Porco Rosso

text: That night, while preparing shells for the dogfight, Porco tells Fio a story from World War I. Two days after Gina's first wedding to his friend Bellini, his squadron was attacked by Austro-Hungarian aircraft. Overwhelmed and unable to save his fellow pilots he entered a cloud to evade his pursuers. He recalls blacking out and awakening to find himself in complete stillness above the clouds, with a silver band shimmering high in the distant sky. Allied and enemy aircraft, flown by the airmen who died in the dogfight—Bellini included—rise out of the cloud and fly upward towards the band, ignoring him. Porco soon sees that the band is in fact thousands of planes flying together. He blacks out again and awakens flying low over the sea, alone. As she falls asleep, Fio briefly sees Marco's true face instead of the pig.


title: Porco Rosso

text: The next day, the duel is arranged and a large crowd gathers to observe. The indecisive and long dogfight between Porco and Curtis soon devolves into a bare-knuckle boxing match when both planes' machine guns jam. As they fight, Porco accuses Curtis of being a womanizer, but Curtis responds that he is worse; Fio adores him, and Gina is waiting on him to the exclusion of any other man, but he fails to reciprocate either of them, especially Gina. This comes as such a shock to Porco that Curtis is able to knock him down, only for Porco to be saved by a pirate referee signaling the end of a round. The fight ends with both combatants knocking each other out and falling under the shallow water.


title: Porco Rosso

text: Gina arrives and calls out to 'Marco' (Porco), who rises first and is declared the winner. She warns the crowd that the Italian air force has been alerted and is on its way, and invites everyone to regroup at her hotel. To Gina's frustration, Porco hands Fio over to Gina, requesting that she look after her, and turns away. Just before Gina's plane takes off, Fio leans out and gives Porco a kiss.


title: Porco Rosso

text: As the crowd leaves, Porco volunteers to lead the air force away and invites Curtis to join him. Curtis reacts with surprise and asks Porco to turn around, suggesting that—like Fio—he had briefly seen Marco's true face. In the epilogue, Fio narrates as she flies in a jet seaplane that in the end Porco outflies the Italian air force and remains at large; Fio herself became president of the Piccolo company, which is now an aircraft manufacturer; Curtis became a famous actor, and the pirates continued to attend the Hotel Adriano in their old age. She does not divulge whether Gina's hope about Porco Rosso was ever realized, saying it is their secret. However, a red plane can be seen docked by Gina's garden as the jet flies over the hotel.


title: Porco Rosso

text: The film was originally planned as a short in-flight film for Japan Airlines based on Hayao Miyazaki's manga "The Age of the Flying Boat", but grew into a feature-length film. The outbreak of war in Yugoslavia cast a shadow over production and prompted a more serious tone for the film, which had been set in Dalmatia. The airline remained a major investor in the film, and showed it as an in-flight film well before its theatrical release. Due to this, the opening text introducing the film appears simultaneously in Japanese, Italian, Korean, English, Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, French, and German. Telecom Animation Film Co., Ltd. helped animate the film.


title: Porco Rosso

text: As with Miyazaki's other films, Joe Hisaishi composed the soundtrack. For the soundtrack, Tokiko Kato performs "The Time of Cherries" as well as an original song, "Once in a While, Talk of the Old Days".


title: Porco Rosso

text: "Porco Rosso" is one of the few films directed by Hayao Miyazaki in which the historical and geographical settings are clearly defined and where most of the story could have happened in the real world. Marco is an Italian hero from the First World War and is shown fighting against Austro-Hungarian fighter planes in a flashback sequence. The story is set in Milan, the Adriatic Sea east coast between Dalmatian and Kvarner islands, and the city of Fiume (now Rijeka) after its annexation to fascist Italy and Northern Italy. The concealed beach Porco uses as a hideout bears a strong resemblance to Stiniva, an inlet on the southern side of the Croatian island of Vis.


title: Porco Rosso

text: Miyazaki shed light on the political context of the making of the film in an interview with "Empire". He reflects that the conflicts that broke out during the film's production (such as those in Dubrovnik and elsewhere) made "Porco Rosso" a much more complicated and difficult film.


title: Porco Rosso

text: Evident historical and political realism aside, at least one scholar has argued that the film's more overt historical references can be understood as representative of "wakon yōsai" (; "Japanese spirit, Western learning")—a tendency, since the Meiji period, for Japanese artists to paint Europe as spectacular, while simultaneously maintaining the distance necessary to preserve a distinct sense of Japanese identity. "In Porco Rosso," states academic Chris Wood, "Europe is tamed, rendered as a charming site of pleasurable consumption, made distant and viewed through a tourist gaze."


title: Porco Rosso

text: The fictional "Piccolo" aircraft company depicted in the film is based on the Italian aircraft manufacturers Caproni and Piaggio. The jet shown in the last scene is very similar in concept to the Caproni C-22J, an aircraft designed by Carlo Ferrarin, a designer for Caproni, whose name is notably used in the film for Marco's Air Force pilot friend. The jet-amphibian also has a V-tail, slightly reminiscent of the Magister jet trainer. The Savoia-Marchetti S.55, Fiat C.R.20 and Macchi M.39 are featured in the movie.


title: Porco Rosso

text: Porco's air-force friend Ferrarin was inspired by the Italian Air Force pilot Arturo Ferrarin who flew with an Ansaldo SVA.9 from Rome to Tokyo in 1920. Additionally, the Caproni Ca.309 light reconnaissance aircraft, known as the "Ghibli", was the namesake for Miyazaki's and Takahata's animation studio.


title: Porco Rosso

text: Porco's plane is named after the Savoia S.21, but is based on the Macchi M.33. While in Piccolo's engine shop, the engine to be used in Porco's rebuilt Savoia S.21 also has the word "Ghibli" visible on its rocker covers—in design it is a narrow-angle V-12 engine, similar in form to racing engines of the period. Piccolo mentions that it was used in a racing aeroplane for the Schneider Trophy race in the year before.


title: Porco Rosso

text: In the early 1930s, Italian seaplane designers set world speed records (such as the Macchi M.C.72 designed by the Italian airplane designer Mario Castoldi). One of the test pilots killed during the attempt to set the speed record was named Bellini, the name given to Porco's pilot friend in the film. Italian top fighter aces Francesco Baracca and Adriano Visconti also appear in the film.


title: Porco Rosso

text: Marco Pagot, the real name of the main character, is also a homage to the Pagot brothers, pioneers of Italian animation (Nino and Toni Pagot were the authors of the first Italian animated feature film, "The Dynamite Brothers", and Nino's son and daughter Marco and Gi Pagot were Miyazaki's collaborators in the production of "Sherlock Hound").


title: Porco Rosso

text: Meanwhile, the character of Curtis is likely to have been named after the American aviation pioneer Glenn Hammond Curtiss who, along with the Wright Brothers, founded the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. Curtis' airplane is a Curtiss R3C, which was built for the 1925 Schneider Cup race (which Porco refers to when he first meets Curtis). His character is also an oblique reference to Ronald Reagan, in that his ambitions lie not only in Hollywood, but also the Presidency. The rest of Curtis' character appears to come directly from the adventure film heroes portrayed by Errol Flynn at this time—indeed, they share a jaw line—including his buccaneering derring-do, willingness to fight, and overall demeanour combined with romantic ardour.


title: Porco Rosso

text: The film was released in Japan on July 18, 1992 by Toho, and was released on VHS by Tokuma Shoten in 1993. The movie was later reissued on VHS by Buena Vista Home Entertainment Japan (now Walt Disney Studios Japan) on April 23, 1999, and was released on DVD on December 18, 2002. The film was released on Blu-ray Disc on November 6, 2013, with a reissue of the DVD following on July 16, 2014.


title: Porco Rosso

text: An English-dubbed version was made for Japan Airlines and was later included in the 1996 Ghibli ga Ippai Laserdisc Box Set and on the 2002 Japanese DVD release of the film. Walt Disney Home Entertainment released the film on DVD on February 22, 2005 and on Blu-ray on February 3, 2015, both with a new English dub featuring the voices of Michael Keaton, Cary Elwes, Susan Egan, and Kimberly Williams-Paisley, which is included on most international releases as well as the 2014 Japanese DVD reissue. This dub was supervised by Tony Bancroft and written by frequent Ghibli dub screenwriters Don and Cindy Hewitt. GKIDS re-issued the film on Blu-ray and DVD on November 21, 2017 under a new deal with Studio Ghibli.


title: Porco Rosso

text: "Porco Rosso" was the number-one film on the Japanese market in 1992, with distribution rentals of and gross receipts of , at the time equivalent to .


title: Porco Rosso

text: In France, it sold 167,793 tickets, equivalent to an estimated at an average 1992 ticket price of FF34 ($6). In other European countries, it grossed $573,719, for an estimated combined total of grossed in Japan and Europe.


title: Porco Rosso

text: It won the "Cristal du long métrage" ("Best feature-length film award") at the 1993 Annecy International Animated Film Festival, and also made "Time Out"s Top 50 animated movie list. On "Rotten Tomatoes", it has a rating of 95% based on 20 reviews. On review aggregator Metacritic, it has a score of 83, indicating "universal acclaim."


title: Porco Rosso

text: Wilson McLachlan, of the "Left Field Cinema", considered it "the most underrated film from the Studio Ghibli catalogue." Jeannette Catsoulis of "The New York Times" wrote: "Mr. Miyazaki smooshes fantasy and history into a pastel-pretty yarn as irresistible as his feminism." Robert Pardi of "TV Guide" gave the film 4/5 stars, stating: "Miyazaki pays homage to Hollywood’s wartime adventure films in this masterwork built around the adventures of a high-flying pig ... This animated feature's visual splendor is matched by a droll screenplay that takes a sty-side view of heroism ... Seamlessly adapted for American audiences by Donald H. Davis and Cindy Hewitt Davis, this spoof/pastiche of old-movie cliches also soars as a paean to the redeeming power of friendship and loyalty."


title: Porco Rosso

text: In 2011, Miyazaki said that he wanted to make a follow-up anime to the 1992 original film if his next few films following "Ponyo" were successful. The film's working name was "Porco Rosso: The Last Sortie"; it was to have been set during the Spanish Civil War with Porco appearing as a veteran pilot. Miyazaki was to write the film, but Hiromasa Yonebayashi was to direct. The studio has since indicated that the sequel is not in their current plans.


title: Vigil (TV series)

text: Vigil is a British police procedural television serial created by Tom Edge and produced by World Productions. The six-part series aired on BBC One in August 2021. It stars Suranne Jones, Rose Leslie, Shaun Evans, Paterson Joseph, and Martin Compston. The series is set in Scotland and much of the action takes place on a fictional ballistic missile submarine of the Royal Navy.


title: Vigil (TV series)

text: The series received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for the writing, pace, acting, visual style, set design, tone, and atmosphere, but it was criticised for the dialogue, plot, and inaccuracies. In March 2022, the series was renewed for a second series.


title: Vigil (TV series)

text: Detective Chief Inspector Amy Silva of the Scottish Police Service is sent to HMS "Vigil", a nuclear-powered "Vanguard"-class ballistic missile submarine, to investigate a death on board, which takes place shortly after the mysterious disappearance of a Scottish fishing trawler. Her investigations, and those of her colleagues ashore, bring the police into conflict with the Royal Navy and MI5, the British Security Service.


title: Vigil (TV series)

text: The loss of the fictional trawler "Mhairi Finnea" in the series bears similarities to the sinking of the FV "Antares" by Royal Navy nuclear-powered submarine HMS "Trenchant" in the Firth of Clyde in 1990. Families of the "Antares"' crew expressed upset at scenes of the "Mhairi Finnea" foundering; however, the BBC denied that the drama was inspired by or based on a specific real-life event.


title: Vigil (TV series)

text: In a 2021 interview, writer Edge was approached by development producer George Aza-Selinger to develop a submarine project for television. It was inspired by the UK's Continuous At-Sea Deterrent (CASD) and the life of its submarine crews. The show was filmed and primarily set in Scotland. Production designer Tom Sayer created elaborate studio sets to represent the interior of the submarine.


title: Vigil (TV series)

text: The programme's theme music is the song "Fuel to Fire" from the 2013 album "Aventine" by Danish singer, songwriter and musician Agnes Obel. Other music included in the series is composed by Afterhere (Berenice Scott and Glenn Gregory). Episode 4 includes the song "Anchor" by Welsh singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Novo Amor, released as a single in 2015 and included on his 2017 EP "Bathing Beach".


title: Vigil (TV series)

text: Episode 1 attracted an audience of 10.2 million viewers across its first seven days, making "Vigil" the BBC's most watched new drama of the year.


title: Vigil (TV series)

text: The "review aggregator" "Rotten Tomatoes" gave the series a 85% approval rating, with an average rating of 6.6/10, based on 20 reviews. The critical consensus reads, "Vigil is ludicrous just as often as it is suspenseful, but a committed cast and pulpy pace make it worth diving in”. On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 83 out of 100 based on 5 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim”.


title: Vigil (TV series)

text: Lucy Mangan of "The Guardian" found the first episode intriguing, awarding it five stars and describing it as "solid, old-fashioned entertainment". "The Independent" gave the first episode four out of five stars, praising the cast and Tom Edge's writing. In a four-starred review for London's "Evening Standard", Katie Rosseinsky said: "Even scenes set in the depths of the sub are visually striking, lit up in reds and blues. Add in some jump scares, a handful of near-catastrophes and a couple of cliffhangers and you have all the makings of a taut mystery with intriguingly murky depths. Sunday nights are stressful again – I wouldn’t have it any other way." In a five-starred review, "Empire" magazine described "Vigil" as "[a] relentless conspiracy drama bursting with performers who know how to keep their cards close to their chests. British TV doesn’t get more thrilling than this." Hugo Rifkind in "The Times" described "[s]etting a whodunnit on a submarine" as "a masterstroke". Giving the programme four stars, Suzy Feay of the "Financial Times" said that "The submarine setting has the welcome effect of pressure-cooking some fairly standard ingredients into a tasty concoction".


title: Vigil (TV series)

text: Other reviewers were less complimentary, citing the unrealistic sets and other technical inaccuracies, the implausibility of numerous elements of the plot, and the political bias of the production. James Delingpole in "The Spectator" described it as "amateurish and implausible", noting that among other issues, "the uniforms are wrong; the ceilings are too high and the sub generally far too spacious" and criticised "the hackneyed dialogue, the implausible plotting and the box-ticking". Anita Singh in "The Telegraph" described the series as "so bad it could be Russian propaganda", and her colleague Ed Power noted that "the story was nonsense" and that "the premise was wasted". "The Telegraph" also reported that the naval advisor working on the series was an SNP councillor and anti-nuclear campaigner, leading to accusations of bias. Carol Midgley in "The Times" said that "this subpar ocean drama made my heart sink", and described it as "stultifying".


title: Vigil (TV series)

text: Swedish newspaper "Aftonbladet" said the series was "effective" in the beginning but more and more became like an "unnecessary under-water version of "Line of Duty"".


title: Good Sam (TV series)

text: Good Sam is an American medical drama television series created by Katie Wech for CBS, starring Sophia Bush and Jason Isaacs, which premiered on January 5, 2022. In May 2022, the series was canceled after one season.


title: Good Sam (TV series)

text: Heart surgeon Dr. Samantha Griffith (Sophia Bush) becomes the top surgeon at Lakeshore Sentinel Hospital after her boss and father, Dr. Rob Griffith (Jason Isaacs), falls into a coma. Her life becomes complicated when he awakens and wants to resume surgery, which means Samantha would be supervising him.


title: Good Sam (TV series)

text: On September 19, 2019, CBS put "Good Sam" into development. Writer Katie Wech produced the series with Jennie Snyder Urman through her Sutton St. Productions and CBS Television Studios. In February 2020, the series was given a pilot order, with further development paused during the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 14, 2021, the show was given a series order. On May 12, 2022, CBS canceled the series after one season.


title: Good Sam (TV series)

text: In February 2020, Sophia Bush was cast as lead role. In March 2020, Jason Isaacs joined the main cast. In January 2021, Skye P. Marshall and Michael Stahl-David were cast in starring roles. In February 2021, Edwin Hodge joined the cast in a starring role. In January 2022, it was reported that Sendhil Ramamurthy was cast in a recurring role while Hilarie Burton and Bethany Joy Lenz are set to guest star. In February 2022, Victoria Rowell joined the cast in a recurring role.


title: Good Sam (TV series)

text: Principal photography for the series began on October 18, 2021 and concluded on March 24, 2022, in Oakville, Ontario.


title: Good Sam (TV series)

text: The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 63% approval rating with an average rating of 7.5/10, based on 8 critic reviews. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 56 out of 100 based on 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".


title: Bakelite

text: Polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride, better known as Bakelite ( ), is a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, formed from a condensation reaction of phenol with formaldehyde. The first plastic made from synthetic components, it was developed by Leo Baekeland in Yonkers, New York in 1907, and patented on December 7, 1909 ().


title: Bakelite

text: Because of its electrical nonconductivity and heat-resistant properties, it became a great commercial success. It was used in electrical insulators, radio and telephone casings, and such diverse products as kitchenware, jewelry, pipe stems, children's toys, and firearms. The "retro" appeal of old Bakelite products has made them collectible.


title: Bakelite

text: The creation of a synthetic plastic was revolutionary for the chemical industry, which at the time made most of its income from cloth dyes and explosives. Bakelite's commercial success inspired the industry to develop other synthetic plastics. In recognition of its significance as the world's first commercial synthetic plastic, which transformed the chemical industry, Bakelite was designated a National Historic Chemical Landmark on November 9, 1993, by the American Chemical Society.


title: Bakelite

text: Baekeland was already wealthy due to his invention of Velox photographic paper when he began to investigate the reactions of phenol and formaldehyde in his home laboratory. Chemists had begun to recognize that many natural resins and fibers were polymers. Baekeland's initial intent was to find a replacement for shellac, a material in limited supply because it was made naturally from the secretion of lac insects (specifically "Kerria lacca"). He produced a soluble phenol-formaldehyde shellac called "Novolak", but it was not a market success, even though it is still used to this day (e.g., as a photoresist).


title: Bakelite

text: He then began experimenting on strengthening wood by impregnating it with a synthetic resin rather than coating it. By controlling the pressure and temperature applied to phenol and formaldehyde, he produced a hard moldable material that he named Bakelite, after himself. It was the first synthetic thermosetting plastic produced, and Baekeland speculated on "the thousand and one ... articles" it could be used to make. He considered the possibilities of using a wide variety of filling materials, including cotton, powdered bronze, and slate dust, but was most successful with wood and asbestos fibers, though asbestos was gradually abandoned by all manufacturers due to stricter environmental laws.


title: Bakelite

text: Baekeland filed a substantial number of related patents. Bakelite, his "method of making insoluble products of phenol and formaldehyde," was filed on July 13, 1907 and granted on December 7, 1909. He also filed for patent protection in other countries, including Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Hungary, Japan, Mexico, Russia and Spain. He announced his invention at a meeting of the American Chemical Society on February 5, 1909.


title: Bakelite

text: Baekeland started semi-commercial production of his new material in his home laboratory, marketing it as a material for electrical insulators. In the summer of 1909 he licensed the continental European rights to Rütger AG. The subsidiary formed at that time, Bakelite AG, was the first to produce Bakelite on an industrial scale.


title: Bakelite

text: By 1910, Baekeland was producing enough material in the US to justify expansion. He formed the General Bakelite Company of Perth Amboy, NJ as a U.S. company to manufacture and market his new industrial material, and made overseas connections to produce it in other countries.


title: Bakelite

text: The Bakelite Company produced "transparent" cast resin (which did not include filler) for a small market during the 1910s and 1920s. Blocks or rods of cast resin, also known as "artificial amber", were machined and carved to create items such as pipe stems, cigarette holders and jewelry. However, the demand for molded plastics led the company to concentrate on molding rather than cast solid resins.


title: Bakelite

text: The Bakelite Corporation was formed in 1922 after patent litigation favorable to Baekeland, from a merger of three companies: Baekeland's General Bakelite Company; the Condensite Company, founded by J. W. Aylesworth; and the Redmanol Chemical Products Company, founded by Lawrence V. Redman. Under director of advertising and public relations Allan Brown, who came to Bakelite from Condensite, Bakelite was aggressively marketed as "the material of a thousand uses". A filing for a trademark featuring the letter B above the mathematical symbol for infinity was made August 25, 1925, and claimed the mark was in use as of December 1, 1924. A wide variety of uses were listed in their trademark applications.


title: Bakelite

text: The first issue of "Plastics" magazine, October 1925, featured Bakelite on its cover, and included the article "Bakelite – What It Is" by Allan Brown. The range of colors available included "black, brown, red, yellow, green, gray, blue, and blends of two or more of these". The article emphasized that Bakelite came in various forms. "Bakelite is manufactured in several forms to suit varying requirements. In all these forms the fundamental basis is the initial Bakelite resin. This variety includes clear material, for jewelry, smokers' articles, etc.; cement, using in sealing electric light bulbs in metal bases; varnishes, for impregnating electric coils, etc.; lacquers, for protecting the surface of hardware; enamels, for giving resistive coating to industrial equipment; Laminated Bakelite, used for silent gears and insulation; and molding material, from which are formed innumerable articles of utility and beauty. The molding material is prepared ordinarily by the impregnation of cellulose substances with the initial 'uncured' resin." In a 1925 report, the United States Tariff Commission hailed the commercial manufacture of synthetic phenolic resin as "distinctly an American achievement", and noted that "the publication of figures, however, would be a virtual disclosure of the production of an individual company".


title: Bakelite

text: In England, Bakelite Limited, a merger of three British phenol formaldehyde resin suppliers (Damard Lacquer Company Limited of Birmingham, Mouldensite Limited of Darley Dale and Redmanol Chemical Products Company of London), was formed in 1926. A new Bakelite factory opened in Tyseley, Birmingham, around 1928. It was the "heart of Bakelite production in the UK" until it closed in 1987.


title: Bakelite

text: In 2005 German Bakelite manufacturer Bakelite AG was acquired by Borden Chemical of Columbus, OH, now Hexion Inc.


title: Bakelite

text: In addition to the original Bakelite material, these companies eventually made a wide range of other products, many of which were marketed under the brand name "Bakelite plastics". These included other types of cast phenolic resins similar to Catalin, and urea-formaldehyde resins, which could be made in brighter colors than polyoxybenzylmethyleneglycolanhydride.


title: Bakelite

text: Once Baekeland's heat and pressure patents expired in 1927, Bakelite Corporation faced serious competition from other companies. Because molded Bakelite incorporated fillers to give it strength, it tended to be made in concealing dark colors. In 1927, beads, bangles and earrings were produced by the Catalin company, through a different process which enabled them to introduce 15 new colors. Translucent jewelry, poker chips and other items made of phenolic resins were introduced in the 1930s or 1940s by the Catalin company under the Prystal name. The creation of marbled phenolic resins may also be attributable to the Catalin company.


title: Bakelite

text: Making Bakelite is a multi-stage process. It begins with heating of phenol and formaldehyde in the presence of a catalyst such as hydrochloric acid, zinc chloride, or the base ammonia. This creates a liquid condensation product, referred to as "Bakelite A", which is soluble in alcohol, acetone, or additional phenol. Heated further, the product becomes partially soluble and can still be softened by heat. Sustained heating results in an "insoluble hard gum". However, the high temperatures required to create this tends to cause violent foaming of the mixture when done at standard atmospheric pressure, which results in the cooled material being porous and breakable. Baekeland's innovative step was to put his "last condensation product" into an egg-shaped "Bakelizer". By heating it under pressure, at about , Baekeland was able to suppress the foaming that would otherwise occur. The resulting substance is extremely hard and both infusible and insoluble.


title: Bakelite

text: Molded Bakelite forms in a condensation reaction of phenol and formaldehyde, with wood flour or asbestos fiber as a filler, under high pressure and heat in a time frame of a few minutes of curing. The result is a hard plastic material. Asbestos was gradually abandoned as filler because many countries banned the production of asbestos.


title: Bakelite

text: Bakelite's molding process had a number of advantages. Bakelite resin could be provided either as powder, or as preformed partially cured slugs, increasing the speed of the casting. Thermosetting resins such as Bakelite required heat and pressure during the molding cycle, but could be removed from the molding process without being cooled, again making the molding process faster. Also, because of the smooth polished surface that resulted, Bakelite objects required less finishing. Millions of parts could be duplicated quickly and relatively cheaply.


title: Bakelite

text: Another market for Bakelite resin was the creation of phenolic sheet materials. Phenolic sheet is a hard, dense material made by applying heat and pressure to layers of paper or glass cloth impregnated with synthetic resin. Paper, cotton fabrics, synthetic fabrics, glass fabrics and unwoven fabrics are all possible materials used in lamination. When heat and pressure are applied, polymerization transforms the layers into thermosetting industrial laminated plastic.


title: Bakelite

text: Bakelite phenolic sheet is produced in many commercial grades and with various additives to meet diverse mechanical, electrical and thermal requirements. Some common types include:


title: Bakelite

text: Bakelite has a number of important properties. It can be molded very quickly, decreasing production time. Moldings are smooth, retain their shape and are resistant to heat, scratches, and destructive solvents. It is also resistant to electricity, and prized for its low conductivity. It is not flexible.


title: Bakelite

text: Phenolic resin products may swell slightly under conditions of extreme humidity or perpetual dampness. When rubbed or burnt, Bakelite has a distinctive, acrid, sickly-sweet or fishy odor.


title: Bakelite

text: The characteristics of Bakelite made it particularly suitable as a molding compound, an adhesive or binding agent, a varnish, and a protective coating. Bakelite was particularly suitable for the emerging electrical and automobile industries because of its extraordinarily high resistance to electricity, heat, and chemical action.


title: Bakelite

text: The earliest commercial use of Bakelite in the electrical industry was the molding of tiny insulating bushings, made in 1908 for the Weston Electrical Instrument Corporation by Richard W. Seabury of the Boonton Rubber Company. Bakelite was soon used for non-conducting parts of telephones, radios and other electrical devices, including bases and sockets for light bulbs and electron tubes (vacuum tubes), supports for any type of electrical components, automobile distributor caps and other insulators. By 1912, it was being used to make billiard balls, since its elasticity and the sound it made were similar to ivory.


title: Bakelite

text: During World War I, Bakelite was used widely, particularly in electrical systems. Important projects included the Liberty airplane engine, the wireless telephone and radio phone, and the use of micarta-bakelite propellers in the NBS-1 bomber and the DH-4B aeroplane.


title: Bakelite

text: Bakelite's availability and ease and speed of molding helped to lower the costs and increase product availability so that telephones and radios became common household consumer goods. It was also very important to the developing automobile industry. It was soon found in myriad other consumer products ranging from pipe stems and buttons to saxophone mouthpieces, cameras, early machine guns, and appliance casings. Bakelite was also very commonly used in making molded grip panels (stocks) on handguns, submachine guns and machineguns, as well as numerous knife handles and "scales" through the first half of the 20th century.


title: Bakelite

text: Beginning in the 1920s, it became a popular material for jewelry. Designer Coco Chanel included Bakelite bracelets in her costume jewelry collections. Designers such as Elsa Schiaparelli used it for jewelry and also for specially designed dress buttons. Later, Diana Vreeland, editor of Vogue, was enthusiastic about Bakelite. Bakelite was also used to make presentation boxes for Breitling watches.


title: Bakelite

text: By 1930, designer Paul T. Frankl considered Bakelite a "Materia Nova", "expressive of our own age". By the 1930s, Bakelite was used for game pieces like chessmen, poker chips, dominoes and mahjong sets. Kitchenware made with Bakelite, including canisters and tableware, was promoted for its resistance to heat and to chipping. In the mid-1930s, Northland marketed a line of skis with a black "Ebonite" base, a coating of Bakelite. By 1935, it was used in solid-body electric guitars. Performers such as Jerry Byrd loved the tone of Bakelite guitars but found them difficult to keep in tune.


title: Bakelite

text: Charles Plimpton patented BAYKO in 1933 and rushed out his first construction sets for Christmas 1934. He called the toy Bayko Light Constructional Sets, the words "Bayko Light" being a pun on the word "Bakelite."


title: Bakelite

text: During World War II, Bakelite was used in a variety of wartime equipment including pilot's goggles and field telephones. It was also used for patriotic wartime jewelry. In 1943, the thermosetting phenolic resin was even considered for the manufacture of coins, due to a shortage of traditional material. Bakelite and other non-metal materials were tested for usage for the one cent coin in the US before the Mint settled on zinc-coated steel.


title: Bakelite

text: During World War II, Bakelite buttons were part of British uniforms. These included brown buttons for the Army and black buttons for the RAF.


title: Bakelite

text: In 1947, Dutch art forger Han van Meegeren was convicted of forgery, after chemist and curator Paul B. Coremans proved that a purported Vermeer contained Bakelite, which van Meegeren had used as a paint hardener.


title: Bakelite

text: Bakelite was sometimes used in the pistol grip, hand guard, and butt stock of firearms. The AKM and some early AK-74 rifles are frequently mistakenly identified as using Bakelite, but most were made with AG-4S.


title: Bakelite

text: By the late 1940s, newer materials were superseding Bakelite in many areas. Phenolics are less frequently used in general consumer products today due to their cost and complexity of production and their brittle nature. They still appear in some applications where their specific properties are required, such as small precision-shaped components, molded disc brake cylinders, saucepan handles, electrical plugs, switches and parts for electrical irons, as well as in the area of inexpensive board and tabletop games produced in China, Hong Kong and India. Items such as billiard balls, dominoes and pieces for board games such as chess, checkers, and backgammon are constructed of Bakelite for its look, durability, fine polish, weight, and sound. Common dice are sometimes made of Bakelite for weight and sound, but the majority are made of a thermoplastic polymer such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).


title: Bakelite

text: Bakelite continues to be used for wire insulation, brake pads and related automotive components, and industrial electrical-related applications. Bakelite stock is still manufactured and produced in sheet, rod and tube form for industrial applications in the electronics, power generation and aerospace industries, and under a variety of commercial brand names.


title: Bakelite

text: Phenolic resins have been commonly used in ablative heat shields. Soviet heatshields for ICBM warheads and spacecraft reentry consisted of asbestos textolite, impregnated with Bakelite. Bakelite is also used in the mounting of metal samples in metallography.


title: Bakelite

text: Bakelite items, particularly jewelry and radios, have become popular collectibles. The term "Bakelite" is sometimes used in the resale market to indicate various types of early plastics, including Catalin and Faturan, which may be brightly colored, as well as items made of Bakelite material.


title: Bakelite

text: The United States Patent and Trademark Office granted Baekeland a patent for a "Method of making insoluble products of phenol and formaldehyde" on December 7, 1909. Producing hard, compact, insoluble and infusible condensation products of phenols and formaldehyde marked the beginning of the modern plastics industry.


title: Ophanim

text: The ophanim (Hebrew: "ʿōp̄annīm", "wheels"; singular: "ʿōp̄ān", “Ofan”), alternatively spelled "auphanim" or "ofanim", and also called "galgalim" (Hebrew: "galgallīm", "spheres", "wheels", "whirlwinds"; singular: "galgal"), refer to the wheels seen in Ezekiel's vision of the chariot (Hebrew ) in . One of the Dead Sea scrolls (4Q405) construes them as angels; late sections of the Book of Enoch (61:10, 71:7) portray them as a class of celestial beings who (along with the Cherubim and Seraphim) never sleep, but guard the throne of God. In Christian angelology, they are one of the choirs (classes) of angels, and are also called Thrones.


title: Ophanim

text: These "wheels" have been associated with (mentioned as , traditionally "the wheels of ", in "fiery flame" and "burning fire") of the four, eye-covered wheels (each composed of two nested wheels), that move next to the winged Cherubim, beneath the throne of God. The four wheels move with the Cherubim because the spirit of the Cherubim is in them. The late Second Book of Enoch (20:1, 21:1) also referred to them as the "many-eyed ones".


title: Ophanim

text: The First Book of Enoch (71.7) seems to imply that the Ophanim are equated to the "Thrones" in Christianity when it lists them all together, in order: "...round about were Seraphim, Cherubim, and Ophanim".


title: Ophanim

text: Maimonides lists Ophanim as the closest of angels to God in his exposition of the Jewish angelic hierarchy.


title: Ophanim

text: The kedusha section in the morning prayer (in the blessings preceding the recitation of the Shema) includes the phrase, "The "ophanim" and the holy living creatures with great uproar raise themselves up; facing the "seraphim" they offer praise, saying, 'Blessed be God's glory from His place." The inspiration behind this particular passage is Ezekiel's vision (ch. i.). The theme of angels praising God was inserted into the passage by paytanim (Jewish liturgical poets).


title: Ophanim

text: Ophanim are mentioned in the "el adon" prayer, often sung by the congregation, as part of the traditional Shabbat morning service.


title: Ophanim

text: In the Jewish angelic hierarchy thrones and wheels are different. This is also true in the Kabbalistic angelic hierarchy.


title: Ophanim

text: "De Coelesti Hierarchia" refers to the Thrones from the Old Testament description as the third Order of the first sphere, the other two superior orders being the Cherubim and Seraphim.


title: Ophanim

text: "The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception" refers that the "Lord of the Flame", the Hierarchy of Elohim astrologically assigned to Leo, are the Thrones (from the Old Testament description, "because of the brilliant luminosity of their bodies and their great spiritual powers."); the other two superior hierarchies being also the Cherubim and Seraphim. According to this conception, the heavenly Seraphim and Cherubim as well as the Ophanim continue to aid humans in spiritual evolution; as do the heavenly Archangels and Angels.


title: Playboy Mansion

text: The Playboy Mansion, also known as the Playboy Mansion West, is the former home of "Playboy" magazine founder Hugh Hefner who lived there from 1974 until his death in 2017. Barbi Benton convinced Hefner to buy the home located in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California, near Beverly Hills. From the 1970s onward the mansion became as the location of lavish parties held by Hefner which were often attended by celebrities and socialites. It is currently owned by Daren Metropoulos, the son of billionaire investor Dean Metropoulos, and is used for corporate activities. It also serves as a location for television production, magazine photography, charitable events, and civic functions.


title: Playboy Mansion

text: Hefner established the original Playboy Mansion in 1959. It was a 70-room brick and limestone residence in Chicago's Gold Coast, which had been built in 1899. Hefner had founded "Playboy" in Chicago in 1953. After he moved to California, his company eventually let the mansion for a nominal rent to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and then donated it to the school outright. The school later sold the mansion, which was then redeveloped for luxury condominiums.


title: Playboy Mansion

text: After Hefner's death in 2017, it began to emerge publicly that sex and drug abuse occurred frequently at the Playboy Mansion during Hefner's lifetime.


title: Playboy Mansion

text: The house is described as being in the "Gothic-Tudor" style of architecture by "Forbes" magazine, and sits on . It was designed by Arthur R. Kelly in 1927 for Arthur Letts Jr., son of The Broadway department store founder Arthur Letts.


title: Playboy Mansion

text: It was acquired by Playboy in 1971 for $1.1 million, from Louis D. Statham (1908–1983), an engineer, inventor and chess aficionado. In early 2011, it was valued at $54 million. It sits close to the northwestern corner of the Los Angeles Country Club, near University of California, Los Angeles, and the Bel-Air Country Club. $15 million has been invested in renovation and expansion.


title: Playboy Mansion

text: The mansion has 29 rooms including a wine cellar (with a Prohibition-era secret door), a screening room with built-in pipe organ, a game room, three zoo / aviary buildings (and related pet cemetery), a tennis/basketball court, a waterfall and a swimming pool area (including a patio and barbecue area, a grotto, a basement gym with sauna below the bathhouse). Landscaping includes a large koi pond with artificial stream, a small citrus orchard and two well-established forests of tree ferns and redwoods. The west wing (originally servant's wing) housed the editorial offices of "Playboy". The main aviary building is the original greenhouse, with four guest-rooms adjoining. The master suite occupies several rooms on the second and third floors, and is the most heavily renovated area of the mansion proper, with an extensive carved-oak decor dating to the 1970s. Otherwise, the mansion proper is maintained in its original Gothic-revival furnishings for the most part. The pipe organ was extensively restored in the last decade. There is also an outdoor kitchen to serve party events. These features and others have been shown on television.


title: Playboy Mansion

text: The game room (game house) is a separate building on the north side. There are two sidewalks from the fountain in front of the main entrance, running past a wishing-well. That on the right leads to the game house and runs past a duplicate Hollywood Star of Hefner. Its front entrance opens to a game room with a pool table in the center. This room has vintage and modern arcade games, pinball machines, player piano, jukebox, television, stereo, and couch. The game house has two wings. Left is a room with a soft cushioned floor, mirrors all around, television. There is a restroom with a shower. The right wing of the game house has a smaller restroom and entrance to a bedroom. This bedroom is connected to another, which has an exit to the game house's rear backyard. The game house has a backyard with lounge chairs and gates on either side.


title: Playboy Mansion

text: In 2006, Hefner's former girlfriend, Izabella St. James, wrote in her memoir, "Bunny Tales", that the house was in need of renovation: "Everything in the Mansion felt old and stale, and Archie the house dog would regularly relieve himself on the hallway curtains, adding a powerful whiff of urine to the general scent of decay." She also observed: "Each bedroom had mismatched, random pieces of furniture. It was as if someone had gone to a charity shop and bought the basics for each room", and that: "The mattresses on our beds were disgusting – old, worn and stained. The sheets were past their best, too."


title: Playboy Mansion

text: The mansion next door is a mirror image of the Playboy Mansion layout, only smaller, and was purchased by Hefner in 1996 as the home for his separated wife Kimberley Conrad and their children, Marston and Cooper. Hefner and Conrad married in 1989 and separated in 1998. In March 2009, Hefner and Conrad put the property up for sale for the asking price of $28 million. In August 2009, the property was purchased by Daren Metropoulos for $18 million.


title: Playboy Mansion

text: In 2002, Hefner purchased a house across and down the street from the mansion for use by Playmates and other guests who would prefer to stay further from the busy activity of the Mansion proper. That residence was commonly referred to as the Bunny House. In April 2013, the Bunny House was listed for sale for the asking price of $11 million. In September 2017, the property was sold to an unidentified buyer for $17.25 million.


title: Playboy Mansion

text: In January 2016, the Playboy Mansion was listed for sale by Playboy Enterprises, Inc. for the asking price of $200 million, subject to the condition Hefner be allowed to continue to rent the mansion for life. In August 2016, the Playboy Mansion was bought for $100 million by Daren Metropoulos, the co-owner of Hostess Brands and a principal in the investment firm C. Dean Metropoulos & Co. Metropoulos intends to renovate and restore the mansion to its original form.


title: Playboy Mansion

text: In 2009, Metropoulos bought the mansion next door to the Playboy Mansion from Hefner and his ex-wife Kimberly Conrad, and ultimately now wants to join the two properties. The Playboy Mansion and the mansion next door owned by Metropoulos were both designed by American architect Arthur R. Kelly and each estate has a common boundary with the Los Angeles Country Club.


title: Playboy Mansion

text: In May 2016, Eugena Washington was the last Playmate of the Year to be announced by Hefner at the Playboy Mansion.


title: Playboy Mansion

text: In March 2018, Daren Metropoulos, the owner of the Playboy Mansion, entered into an agreement with the City of Los Angeles which permanently protects the mansion from demolition. The agreement between Metropoulos and the City of Los Angeles, referred to between the parties as a "permanent protection covenant," is binding on all future owners. The agreement protects the mansion from demolition, but still allows Metropoulos to make modernizations and substantial renovations and repairs to the property "following a long period of deferred maintenance" while under Playboy ownership.


title: Playboy Mansion

text: Under the permanent protection covenant, Metropoulos has further agreed to restore the house and facade to "its original grandeur." The compromise agreement reversed a move in November 2017 by Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz to seek landmark status for the mansion in the hope of protecting the architectural integrity of the estate for what he called "an excellent example of a Gothic-Tudor." If designated a historic landmark, Metropoulos would have faced a lengthy process for permitting and review for the rehabilitation of the property. The permanent protection covenant avoided a potentially drawn out and contentious legal action between the City of Los Angeles and Metropoulos for the City of Los Angeles seeking the formal designation of the mansion as a historic landmark.


title: Playboy Mansion

text: The original Playboy Mansion was a 70-room, classical brick and limestone residence in Chicago's Gold Coast district at 1340 North State Parkway which had been built in 1899 for Dr. George Swift Isham, a prominent surgeon whose social circle included Theodore Roosevelt and Robert Peary. The building was designed by architect James Gamble Rogers, best known for his work at Yale University and Columbia University.


title: Playboy Mansion

text: In 1959, the building was acquired by Hefner. The mansion's basement, Hefner's original "grotto", had a swimming pool with a glass wall and attached bar. In addition to a game room and bowling alley, the residence contained a two-floor dormitory for Bunnies employed at the Chicago Playboy Club and discrete apartments that were occupied by several employees, including longtime Hefner aide Bobbie Arnstein.


title: Playboy Mansion

text: For a period in the 1970s, Hefner divided his time between Chicago and the "Playboy Mansion West" in Los Angeles. The Chicago mansion boasted a brass plate on the door with the Latin inscription "Si Non Oscillas, Noli Tintinnare" ("If you don't swing, don't ring").


title: Playboy Mansion

text: Although Playboy Enterprises remained headquartered in Chicago until 2012, Hefner left the city permanently for Los Angeles in 1974 following the conviction and ensuing suicide of Bobbie Arnstein, the culmination of an "investigation of drug use in Hefner's mansion" by U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois (and future Governor of Illinois) James R. Thompson. Derick Daniels (who served as president and chief operating officer of Playboy Enterprises from 1976 to 1982) resided in an apartment at the mansion during his tenure with the company. Eventually, the property was turned into a dormitory for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, with Hefner formally deeding the building to the Art Institute in 1989. In 1993, the Chicago mansion was sold to developer Bruce Abrams and converted into seven high-price luxury condos. In 2011, one condominium was placed for sale at an asking price of $6.7 million.


title: Playboy Mansion

text: According to Playboy Enterprises' SEC filings, Hefner paid Playboy rent for "that portion of the Playboy Mansion used exclusively for him and his personal guests' residence as well as the per-unit value of non-business meals, beverages and other benefits received by him and his personal guests". This amount was $1.3 million in 2002, $1.4 million in 2003, and $1.3 million in 2004.


title: Playboy Mansion

text: Playboy paid for the Mansion's operating expenses (including depreciation and taxes), which were $3.6 million in 2002, $2.3 million in 2003, and $3.0 million in 2004, net of rent received from Hefner.


title: Playboy Mansion

text: The Playboy Mansion has hosted charity events, including Karma Foundation, the Celebrity Poker Tournament, a fundraising party for the Marijuana Policy Project, and an event to benefit research into autism.


title: Playboy Mansion

text: In February 2011, 123 people complained of fever and respiratory illness after attending a DomainFest Global conference event held at the Playboy Mansion. After an investigation in response to the reported illnesses of the DomainFest attendees, epidemiologists from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health disclosed their findings at a Centers for Disease Control conference the disease outbreak was traced to a hot tub in the mansion's famed grotto, where they found "Legionella pneumophila", which causes Legionnaires' disease.


title: Playboy Mansion

text: The 2022 documentary series "Secrets of Playboy" featured interviews with former Playboy employees who alleged numerous acts of sexual and drug abuse took place at the mansion during Hefner's lifetime. Before the first episode of the documentary series aired on January 24, 2022, "Playboy" released a statement which dissociated itself from Hefner. On June 21, 2022, a California civil trial jury found that comedian Bill Cosby sexually assaulted 16 year old Judith Huth at the Playboy Mansion in 1975.


title: Playboy Mansion

text: In response to Sondra Theodore's later claim that Hefner manipulated her into an orgy and hosted prostitution sex parties known as "Pig Nights" during the time she lived at the Playboy Mansion, a spokesperson for "Playboy" issued a statement to Fox News Digital in August 2022 claiming that "Today’s Playboy is not Hugh Hefner’s Playboy," and that "We trust and validate these women and their stories, and we strongly support those individuals who have come forward to share their experiences. As a brand with sex positivity at its core, we believe safety, security and accountability are paramount." Soon afterwards, renowned Playmate Jenny McCarthy, who was affiliated with Playboy in later time in 1993 and 1994, claimed to Fox News that she did not experience the claims described in "Secrets of Playboy" and that the mansion had become "almost like Catholic school" by the time she was living there, but also did not speak out against the claims made by the "Secrets Of Playboy" accusers, stating "I think I went in there in a window of time that was kind of safe, but hearing some of these girls’ stories was really rough."


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, (24 June 1532 – 4 September 1588) was an English statesman and the favourite of Elizabeth I from her accession until his death. He was a suitor for the queen's hand for many years.


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: Dudley's youth was overshadowed by the downfall of his family in 1553 after his father, The 1st Duke of Northumberland, had failed to prevent the accession of Mary I. Robert Dudley was condemned to death but was released in 1554 and took part in the Battle of St. Quentin under Mary's husband and co-ruler, Philip, which led to his full rehabilitation. On Elizabeth I's accession in November 1558, Dudley was appointed Master of the Horse. In October 1562, he became a privy councillor and, in 1587, was appointed Lord Steward of the Royal Household. In 1564, Dudley became Earl of Leicester and, from 1563, one of the greatest landowners in North Wales and the English West Midlands by royal grants.


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: The earl of Leicester was one of Elizabeth's leading statesmen, involved in domestic as well as foreign politics alongside William Cecil and Sir Francis Walsingham. Although he refused to be married to Mary, Queen of Scots, Leicester was for a long time relatively sympathetic to her until, from the mid-1580s, he strongly advocated for her execution. As patron of the Puritan movement, he supported non-conforming preachers but tried to mediate between them and the bishops of the Church of England. A champion also of the international Protestant cause, he led the English campaign in support of the Dutch Revolt (1585–87). His acceptance of the post of governor-general of the United Provinces infuriated Queen Elizabeth. The expedition was a military and political failure, and it ruined the earl financially. Leicester was engaged in many large-scale business ventures and was one of the main backers of Francis Drake and other explorers and privateers. During the Spanish Armada, the earl was in overall command of the English land forces. In this function, he invited Queen Elizabeth to visit her troops at Tilbury. This was the last of many events he had organised over the years, the most spectacular being the festival at his seat Kenilworth Castle in 1575 on the occasion of a three-week visit by the Queen. Leicester was a principal patron of the arts, literature, and the Elizabethan theatre.


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: Leicester's private life interfered with his court career and "vice versa". When his first wife, Amy Robsart, fell down a flight of stairs and died in 1560, he was free to marry the queen. However, the resulting scandal very much reduced his chances in this respect. Popular rumours that he had arranged for his wife's death continued throughout his life, despite the coroner's jury's verdict of accident. For 18 years he did not remarry for Queen Elizabeth's sake and when he finally did, his new wife, Lettice Knollys, was permanently banished from court. This and the death of his only legitimate son and heir were heavy blows. Shortly after the child's death in 1584, a virulent libel known as "Leicester's Commonwealth" was circulated in England. It laid the foundation of a literary and historiographical tradition that often depicted the earl as the Machiavellian "master courtier" and as a deplorable figure around Elizabeth I. More recent research has led to a reassessment of his place in Elizabethan government and society.


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: Robert Dudley was the fifth son of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, and his wife Jane, daughter of Sir Edward Guildford. His paternal grandfather, Edmund Dudley, had been an adviser to King Henry VII and was executed for treason in 1510 by King Henry VIII. John and Jane Dudley had 13 children in all and were known for their happy family life. Among the siblings' tutors figured John Dee, Thomas Wilson, and Roger Ascham. Roger Ascham believed that Robert Dudley possessed a rare talent for languages and writing, including in Latin, regretting that his pupil had done himself harm by preferring mathematics. Robert learned the craft of the courtier at the courts of Henry VIII, and especially Edward VI, among whose companions he served.


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: In 1549 Robert Dudley participated in crushing Kett's Rebellion and probably first met Amy Robsart, whom he was to wed on 4 June 1550 in the presence of the young King Edward. She was of the same age as the bridegroom and the daughter and heiress of Sir John Robsart, a gentleman-farmer of Norfolk. It was a love-match, the young couple depending heavily on their fathers' gifts, especially Robert's. John Dudley, who since early 1550 effectively ruled England, was pleased to strengthen his influence in Norfolk by his son's marriage. Lord Robert, as he was styled as a duke's son, became an important local gentleman and served as a Member of Parliament for Norfolk in 1551–52, March 1553 and 1559. His court career went on in parallel.


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: On 6 July 1553, King Edward VI died and the Duke of Northumberland attempted to transfer the English crown to Lady Jane Grey, who was married to his second youngest son, Lord Guildford Dudley. Robert Dudley led a force of 300 into Norfolk where Edward's half-sister Mary was assembling her followers. After some ten days in the county and securing several towns for Jane, he took King's Lynn and proclaimed her in the marketplace. The next day, 19 July, Jane's reign was over in London. Soon, the townsmen of King's Lynn seized Robert Dudley and the rest of his small troop and sent him to Framlingham Castle before Mary I.


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: Robert Dudley was imprisoned in the Tower of London, attainted, and condemned to death, as were his father and four brothers. His father went to the scaffold. In the Tower, Dudley's stay coincided with the imprisonment of his childhood friend, Edward and Mary's half-sister Elizabeth, who was sent there on suspicion of involvement in Wyatt's rebellion. Guildford Dudley was executed in February 1554. The surviving brothers were released in the autumn; working for their release, their mother (who died in January 1555) and their brother-in-law, Henry Sidney, had befriended the incoming Spanish nobles around Philip of Spain, Mary's husband.


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: In December 1554, Ambrose and Robert Dudley took part in a tournament held to celebrate Anglo-Spanish friendship. Yet, the Dudley brothers were only welcome at court as long as King Philip was there, otherwise they were even suspected of associating with people who conspired against Mary's regime. In January 1557 Robert and Amy Dudley were allowed to repossess some of their former lands, and in March of the same year Dudley was at Calais where he was chosen to deliver personally to Queen Mary the happy news of Philip's return to England. Ambrose, Robert, and Henry Dudley, the youngest brother, fought for Philip II at the Battle of St. Quentin in August 1557. Henry Dudley was killed in the following siege by a cannonball—according to Robert, before his own eyes. All surviving Dudley children — Ambrose and Robert with their sisters, Mary and Katherine — were restored in blood by Mary I's next parliament in 1558.


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: Robert Dudley was counted among Elizabeth's special friends by Philip II's envoy to the English court a week before Queen Mary's death. On 18 November 1558, the morning after Elizabeth's accession, Dudley witnessed the surrender of the Great Seal to her at Hatfield. He became Master of the Horse on the same day. This was an important court position entailing close attendance on the sovereign. It suited him, as he was an excellent horseman and showed great professional interest in royal transport and accommodation, horse breeding, and the supply of horses for all occasions. Dudley was also entrusted with organising and overseeing a large part of the Queen's coronation festivities.


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: In April 1559 Dudley was elected a Knight of the Garter. Shortly before, Philip II had been informed:


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: Lord Robert has come so much into favour that he does whatever he likes with affairs and it is even said that her majesty visits him in his chamber day and night. People talk of this so freely that they go so far as to say that his wife has a malady in one of her breasts and the Queen is only waiting for her to die to marry Lord Robert ... Matters have reached such a pass ... that ... it would ... be well to approach Lord Robert on your Majesty's behalf ... Your Majesty would do well to attract and confirm him in his friendship.


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: Within a month the Spanish ambassador, Count de Feria, counted Robert Dudley among three persons who ran the country. Visiting foreigners of princely rank were bidding for his goodwill. He acted as an official host on state occasions and was himself a frequent guest at ambassadorial dinners. By the autumn of 1559 several foreign princes were vying for the Queen's hand; their impatient envoys came under the impression that Elizabeth was fooling them, "keeping Lord Robert's enemies and the country engaged with words until this wicked deed of killing his wife is consummated." "Lord Robert", the new Spanish ambassador de Quadra was convinced, was the man "in whom it is easy to recognise the king that is to be ... she will marry none but the favoured Robert." Many of the nobility would not brook Dudley's new prominence, as they could not "put up with his being King." Plans to kill the favourite abounded, and Dudley took to wearing a light coat of mail under his clothes. Among all classes, in England and abroad, gossip got underway that the Queen had children by Dudley—such rumours never quite ended for the rest of her life.


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: Already in April 1559 court observers noted that Elizabeth never let Dudley from her side; but her favour did not extend to his wife. Amy Dudley lived in different parts of the country since her ancestral manor house was uninhabitable. Her husband visited her for four days at Easter 1559 and she spent a month around London in the early summer of the same year. They never saw each other again; Dudley was with the Queen at Windsor Castle and possibly planning a visit to her, when his wife was found dead at her residence Cumnor Place near Oxford on 8 September 1560:


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: There came to me Bowes, by whom I do understand that my wife is dead and as he sayeth by a fall from a pair of stairs. Little other understanding can I have of him. The greatness and the suddenness of the misfortune doth so perplex me, until I do hear from you how the matter standeth, or how this evil should light upon me, considering what the malicious world will bruit, as I can take no rest.


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: Retiring to his house at Kew, away from court as from the putative crime scene, he pressed for an impartial inquiry which had already begun in the form of an inquest. The jury found that it was an accident: Lady Dudley, staying alone "in a certain chamber", had fallen down the adjoining stairs, sustaining two head injuries and breaking her neck. It was widely suspected that Dudley had arranged his wife's death to be able to marry the Queen. The scandal played into the hands of nobles and politicians who desperately tried to prevent Elizabeth from marrying him.


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: Most historians have considered murder to be unlikely. The coroner's report came to light in The National Archives in 2008 and is compatible with an accidental fall as well as suicide or other violence. In the absence of the forensic findings of 1560, it was often assumed that a simple accident could not be the explanation—on the basis of near-contemporary tales that Amy Dudley was found at the bottom of a short flight of stairs with a broken neck, her headdress still standing undisturbed "upon her head", a detail that first appeared as a satirical remark in the libel "Leicester's Commonwealth" of 1584 and has ever since been repeated for a fact. To account for such oddities and evidence that she was ill, it was suggested in 1956 by Ian Aird, a professor of surgery, that Amy Dudley might have suffered from breast cancer, which through metastatic cancerous deposits in the spine, could have caused her neck to break under only limited strain, such as a short fall or even just coming down the stairs. This explanation has been widely accepted. Suicide has also often been considered an option, motives being Amy Dudley's depression or mortal illness.


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: Elizabeth remained close to Dudley and he, with her blessing and on her prompting, pursued his suit for her hand in an atmosphere of diplomatic intrigue. His wife's and his father's shadows haunted his prospects. His efforts leading nowhere, in the spring of 1561 Dudley offered to leave England to seek military adventures abroad; Elizabeth would have none of that and everything remained as it was.


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: In October 1562 the Queen fell ill with smallpox and, believing her life to be in danger, she asked the Privy Council to make Robert Dudley Protector of the Realm and to give him a suitable title together with twenty thousand pounds a year. There was universal relief when she recovered her health; Dudley was made a privy councillor. He was already deeply involved in foreign politics, including Scotland.


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: In 1563, Elizabeth suggested Dudley as a consort to the widowed Mary, Queen of Scots, the idea being to achieve firm amity between England and Scotland and diminish the influence of foreign powers. Elizabeth's preferred solution was that they should all live together at the English court, so that she would not have to forgo her favourite's company. Mary at first enquired if Elizabeth was serious, wanting above all to know her chances of inheriting the English crown. Elizabeth repeatedly declared that she was prepared to acknowledge Mary as her heir only on condition that she marry Robert Dudley. Mary's Protestant advisors warmed to the prospect of her marriage to Dudley, and in September 1564 he was created Earl of Leicester, a move designed to make him more acceptable to Mary. In January 1565, Thomas Randolph, the English ambassador to Scotland, was told by the Scottish queen that she would accept the proposal. To his amazement, Dudley was not to be moved to comply: But a man of that nature I never found any ... he whom I go about to make as happy as ever was any, to put him in possession of a kingdom, to lay in his naked arms a most fair ... lady ... nothing regardeth the good that shall ensue unto him thereby ... but so uncertainly dealeth that I know not where to find him. Dudley indeed had made it clear to the Scots at the beginning that he was not a candidate for Mary's hand and forthwith had behaved with passive resistance. He also worked in the interest of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, Mary's eventual choice of husband. Elizabeth herself wavered as to declaring Mary her heir, until in March 1565 she decided she could not bring herself to it. Still, she finally told the Spanish ambassador that the proposal fell through because the Earl of Leicester refused to cooperate.


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: By 1564, Dudley had realised that his chances of becoming Elizabeth's consort were small. At the same time he could not "consider ... without great repugnance", as he said, that she chose another husband. Confronted with other marriage projects, Elizabeth continued to say that she still would very much like to marry him. Dudley was seen as a serious candidate until the mid-1560s and later. To remove this threat to Habsburg and Valois suitors, between 1565 and 1578, four German and French princesses were mooted as brides for Leicester, as a consolation for giving up Elizabeth and his resistance to her foreign marriage projects. These he had sabotaged and would continue to sabotage. In 1566 Dudley formed the opinion that Elizabeth would never marry, recalling that she had always said so since she was eight years old; but he still was hopeful—she had also assured him he would be her choice in case she changed her mind (and married an Englishman).


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: As "a male favourite to a virgin queen", Robert Dudley found himself in an unprecedented situation. His apartments at court were next to hers, and—perceived as knowing "the Queen and her nature best of any man"—his influence was matched by few. Another side of such privileges was Elizabeth's possessiveness and jealousy. His company was essential for her well-being and for many years he was hardly allowed to leave. Sir Christopher Hatton reported a growing emergency when the Earl was away for a few weeks in 1578: "This court wanteth your presence. Her majesty is unaccompanied and, I assure you, the chambers are almost empty."


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: On ceremonial occasions, Dudley often acted as an unofficial consort, sometimes in the Queen's stead. He largely assumed charge of court ceremonial and organised hundreds of small and large festivities. From 1587 he was Lord Steward, being responsible for the royal household's supply with food and other commodities. He displayed a strong sense for economising and reform in this function, which he had "de facto" occupied long before his official appointment. The sanitary situation in the palaces was a perennial problem, and a talk with Leicester about these issues inspired John Harington to construct a water closet. Leicester was a lifelong sportsman, hunting and jousting in the tiltyard, and an indefatigable tennis-player. He was also the Queen's regular dancing partner.


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: After the Duke of Northumberland's attainder the entire Dudley inheritance had disappeared. His sons had to start from scratch in rebuilding the family fortunes, as they had renounced any rights to their father's former possessions or titles when their own attainders had been lifted in January 1558. Robert Dudley financed the lifestyle expected of a royal favourite by large loans from City of London merchants until in April 1560 Elizabeth granted him his first export licence, worth £6,000 p.a. He also received some of his father's lands, but since he was not the family heir it was a matter of some difficulty to find a suitable estate for his intended peerage. In June 1563 the Queen granted him Kenilworth Manor, Castle, and Park, together with the lordships of Denbigh and Chirk in North Wales. Other grants were to follow. Eventually, Leicester and his elder brother Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick, came to preside over the greatest aristocratic interest in the West Midlands and North Wales.


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: At the time Robert Dudley entered his new Welsh possessions there had existed a tenurial chaos for more than half a century. Some leading local families benefited from this to the detriment of the Crown's revenue. To remedy this situation, and to increase his own income, Dudley affected compositions with the tenants in what Simon Adams has called an "ambitious resolution of a long-standing problem ... without parallel in Elizabeth's reign". All tenants that had so far only been copyholders were raised to the status of freeholders in exchange for newly agreed rents. Likewise, all tenants' rights of common were secured as were the boundaries of the commons, thus striking a balance between property rights and protection against enclosure.


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: Though an absentee landlord, Leicester, who was also Lord of Denbigh, regarded the lordship as an integral part of a territorial base for a revived House of Dudley. He set about developing the town of Denbigh with large building projects; the church he planned, though, was never finished, being too ambitious. It would have been not only the largest, but also the first post-Reformation church in England and Wales built according to a plan where the preacher was to take the centre instead of the altar, thus stressing the importance of preaching in the Protestant Church. In vain Leicester tried to have the nearby episcopal see of St. Asaph transferred to Denbigh. He also encouraged and supported the translation of the Bible and the Common Prayer Book into Welsh.


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: Ambrose and Robert Dudley were very close, in matters of business and personally. Through their paternal grandmother they descended from the Hundred Years War heroes, John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, and Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick. Robert Dudley was especially fascinated by the Beauchamp descent and, with his brother, adopted the ancient heraldic device of the earls of Warwick, the Bear and Ragged Staff. Due to such genealogical aspects the West Midlands held a special significance for him. The town of Warwick felt this during a magnificent visit by the Earl in 1571 to celebrate the feast of the Order of Saint Michael, with which Leicester had been invested by the French king in 1566. He shortly afterwards founded Lord Leycester's Hospital, a charity for aged and injured soldiers still functioning today.


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: Kenilworth Castle was the centre of Leicester's ambitions to "plant" himself in the region, and he substantially transformed the site's appearance through comprehensive alterations. He added a 15th-century style gatehouse to the castle's medieval structures, as well as a formal garden and a residential wing which featured the "brittle, thin walls and grids of windows" that were to become the hallmark of Elizabethan architecture in later decades. His works completed, the Earl staged a spectacular 19-day-festival in July 1575 as a final, allegorical bid for the Queen's hand; it was as much a request to give him leave to marry someone else. There was a Lady of the Lake, a swimming papier-mâché dolphin with a little orchestra in its belly, fireworks, masques, hunts, and popular entertainments like bear baiting. The whole scenery of landscape, artificial lake, castle, and Renaissance garden was ingeniously used for the entertainment.


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: Confronted by a Puritan friend with rumours about his "ungodly life", Dudley defended himself in 1576: I stand on the top of the hill, where ... the smallest slip seemeth a fall ... I may fall many ways and have more witnesses thereof than many others who perhaps be no saints neither ... for my faults ... they lie before Him who I have no doubt but will cancel them as I have been and shall be most heartily sorry for them. With Douglas Sheffield, a young widow of the Howard family, he had a serious relationship from about 1569. He explained to her that he could not marry, not even in order to beget a Dudley heir, without his "utter overthrow": You must think it is some marvellous cause ... that forceth me thus to be cause almost of the ruin of mine own house ... my brother you see long married and not like to have children, it resteth so now in myself; and yet such occasions is there ... as if I should marry I am sure never to have [the Queen's] favour". Although in this letter Leicester said he still loved her as he did at the beginning, he offered her his help to find another husband for reasons of respectability if she so wished. The affair continued and in 1574 Douglas gave birth to a son, also called Robert Dudley.


title: Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

text: Lettice Knollys was the wife of Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex, and a first cousin once removed of Queen Elizabeth on her mother's side. Leicester had flirted with her in the summer of 1565, causing an outbreak of jealousy in the Queen. After Lord Essex went to Ireland in 1573, they possibly became lovers. There was much talk, and on Essex's homecoming in December 1575, "great enmity between the Earl of Leicester and the Earl of Essex" was expected. In July 1576 Essex returned to Ireland, where he died of dysentery in September. Rumours of poison, administered by the Earl of Leicester's means, were soon abroad. The Lord Deputy of Ireland, Sir Henry Sidney, conducted an official investigation which did not find any indications of foul play but "a disease appropriate to this country ... whereof ... died many". The rumours continued.