Plot.

In 1960, protagonist 10-year-old Arthur lives with his grandmother Daisy in a quiet farm house on a dirt road, in a small rural community in Northeastern Connecticut (based on Sterling). His grandfather Archibald has recently gone missing and he sees little of his parents (who are away looking for work). Daisy entertains Arthur with stories of his grandfather's adventures in Africa, featuring the tall Bogo Matassalai and the minuscule Minimoys, of whom the latter now live in Archibald's garden, protecting a collection of rubies. Arthur becomes enamoured of a picture of Selenia, the princess of the Minimoys. When Daisy receives a two-day deadline to pay a large sum of money to a building developer named Ernest Davido, who plans to evict the two, Arthur looks for the rubies to pay off the debt and discovers various clues left by his grandfather. He is met in the garden by the Bogo Matassalai, who reduce Arthur to Minimoy size. From the Minimoys, Arthur learns that they are in danger from Maltazard, a Minimoy war hero who now rules the nearby 'Necropolis', after corruption by a weevil, by whom he has a son named Darkos.  Arthur, reflecting his legendary British namesake, draws a sacred sword from its recess and uses it to protect the Minimoys from Maltazard's soldiers; whereupon Sifrat, the ruler of the Minimoys, sends Arthur to Necropolis, with the princess Selenia and her brother Betameche. "En route", they are attacked on two occasions by Maltazard's soldiers. In Necropolis, Selenia kisses Arthur, marking him as her husband and potential successor, and confronts Maltazard alone. When Maltazard learns that she has already kissed Arthur and thus can no longer give him her powers and cure his corruption, he imprisons all three, who discover a Minimoy form of Archibald. Thereafter Arthur and his grandfather escape and return to human form, with little time to spare before Maltazard's flood reaches the Minimoys. With the help of Mino, a royal advisor's long-lost son, Arthur redirects the flood to Necropolis; whereupon Maltazard abandons Necropolis and his son, and the water ejects the rubies above ground. Archibald pays Davido with one ruby; and when he tries to take them all, the Bogo Matassalai capture him and give him to the authorities (scene deleted in the U.S. edition). The film ends with Arthur asking Selenia to wait for his return, and her agreement to do so.

Production.

The animation was done by the French company BUF Compagnie, which hired approximately 100 animators, most of them from French animation schools and without any previous experience. Besson wanted a photorealistic environment, and BUF initially used microlenses to film physical environments, but eventually instead used photogrammetry, where a digitized photograph of a real object is manipulated with a computer. Sets were built to 1:3 scale, which allowed the animators to use natural elements, such as plants and grass. While the film did not use motion capture, real actors were used as reference, and recorded with 13 to 14 video cameras, but without the markers used in motion capture. Besson directed their performances. In terms of lip sync with actors' dialog, the French animators could not cope with the English phonemes. For Madonna and David Bowie, a camera was used to record their lips to help the animators. The animation was done with proprietary software.

Reception.

Box office.

The film was budgeted at $85 million. In its first two weeks in cinemas in France "Arthur" earned over US$20 million.

Critical response.

"Arthur and the Invisibles" received negative reviews from film critics. In the United States, the movie's Los Angeles run garnered 22% positive reviews at the critic review aggregate site RottenTomatoes.com from 92 critics. The critic's census reads, "Arthur wastes its big-name voice talent on a predictable script and substandard CG animation." "Los Angeles Times" reviewer Alex Chun wrote that, "Director Luc Besson admits he knew nothing about animation before he started this project, and it shows". "Variety"'s Robert Koehler called it "alienating and dislikable" and specifically noted that, "Having African-American thesps Snoop Dogg and Anthony Anderson voice creatures that are basically humanoid monkeys shows poor taste."  Many found it derivative of sources ranging from King Arthur's sword-in-the-stone to the films "The Dark Crystal" and "The Ant Bully", which itself was based on a children's book written three years before Besson's. "It all simply looks as if [conceptual artist Patrice] Garcia and Besson couldn't decide on any one thing to copy," said Frank Lovece of "Film Journal International", "so they copied them all." Lovece also noted that, "the whole thing gets seriously creepy when [the animated versions of] the grown-up, pinup-beauty princess and the 10-year-old boy fall for each other. Mary Kay Letourneau comes uncomfortably to mind." "Common Sense Media" disliked the film, giving it 2 stars out of 5 and saying, "Uneven animation-live action combo may bore kids." Josh Tyler of "Cinema Blend" greatly disliked the film, giving it 1.5 stars out of 5 and saying, "Sure it has sometimes loved French director Luc Besson's name on it, but the character designs look like they were stolen from those wispy haired troll dolls that were popular for about five minutes fifteen years ago, and the plot sounded like it was written by a ten-year-old kid underneath a heavy bedspread with a big chief tablet and a pencil the size of a horse's leg." Besson, in a May 2007 interview, blamed American distributor The Weinstein Company for the film's failure in the U.S., saying "Why the critics didn't like "Arthur" was because [Weinstein] changed so much of the film and tried to pretend the film was American. [...] America and the UK were the only countries where the films were changed. The rest of the world has the same film as France."

Awards.

On 1 February 2007, the film received the Imagina Award in the category Prix du Long-Métrage. On 1 October 2007, Mylène Farmer was awarded the NRJ Ciné Award for her dubbing of Sélénia's voice in "Arthur and the Minimoys".

Differences between release versions.

After a screening test in the United States, the Weinstein company edited the film. Approximately nine minutes were cut. Most of the edits pertained to the love story between Arthur and Selenia (due to age differences). The Scenes were:  The entire storyline involving the parents and their greed for money was also deleted, cut short by a small cutscene and a narrator explaining that worrying over their son was all they needed to reform completely.  The British version of the film, also distributed by the Weinstein Company, similarly lacked these scenes.

Technology.

The Minimoys featured in the first Augmented Reality Nestle Chocopic cereal box with the help of Dassault Systemes technology 3DVIA Virtools.

Sequels.

"Arthur and the Invisibles" was followed by a 2009 sequel, "Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard", based on a novel of the same name, and another sequel in 2010 titled "", based on the final book in the series. In the UK & Ireland, both sequels were combined and made into a single movie titled "Arthur and the Great Adventure", released in December 2010.  An animated TV series, "Arthur and the Minimoys", was produced by Studio 100, and debut in 17 July 2018. A 20-episode web series is also being planned.

Arthur and the Invisibles (French: Arthur et les Minimoys) is a 2006 French adventure comedy fantasy animated/live-action film adaptation of the 2002 children's book "Arthur and the Minimoys", and the 2003 sequel "Arthur and the Forbidden City", written by filmmaker Luc Besson, who also directed the film.

Arthur a Minimojové (ve francouzském originále: Arthur et les Minimoys) je francouzský dobrodružný film z roku 2006. Režisérem filmu je Luc Besson. Hlavní role ve filmu ztvárnili Freddie Highmore, Mia Farrow, Ron Crawford, Adam LeFevre a Penny Balfour.


Release and cover.

"Come with Me" premiered on Australian radio stations on June 13, 2013. It was digitally released the next day in most countries worldwide including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. On July 15, a Spanglish version of the song was made available for digital download in the same territories. A four-track digital remix EP done by British remix and production team 7th Heaven was made available for download on September 16. The EP contains Radio and Extended version of both the English and Spanglish version of "Come with Me". The cover art for the single features Martin's half face and is in purple color. Mike Wass of Idolator criticized it, calling it less inspiring and further wrote, "This is one of the best-looking men in the world. Why would you distort his face and use that drab purple color?"

Composition.

"Come with Me" was written and produced by Anthony Egizii and David Musumeci better known under their production name DNA Songs in a collaboration with Ilan Kidron, a member of the three piece Irish-Australian electro house music group The Potbelleez. It was conceived during Martin's stay in Australia where was a coach on the second season of the talent show "The Voice". The single is an uptempo club, dance-pop and EDM track with "scintillating Latino dance beats" and a length of three minutes and thirty-eight seconds (3:38). "Come with Me" features "a nice wobbly drum-and-bass effect on the chorus that leads into a big Ibiza rave-a-thon chorus." Idolator's Sam Lansky noted that the song has the same musical structure as Jennifer Lopez's 2013 single "Live It Up". Similarly, Brendon Veevers of "Renowned for Sound" compared the single to the collaboration releases by Lopez and rapper Pitbull and deemed it as an attempt to replicate the success of the works by other Latin artists.

Reception.

Critical.

"Come with Me" received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics. Carlos Quintana of About.com's Latina Sound wrote, "With its intoxicating beats, I am sure 'Come With Me' will be one of the most popular songs in the near future. If you are into mainstream music, you are going to love it." According to "The Huffington Post", "Come with Me" is an upbeat club banger which sounds exactly like a fan would expect Martin's big return to sound, with Martin crooning about spending the night with someone over a danceable beat. American host and reviewer Ryan Seacrest wrote that it's a catchy hit which does not disappoint. Lansky wrote that with "Come with Me", Martin is going for the "mainstream radio jugular" describing it as a "big dancefloor banger that’s definitely, well, trend-riding". Despite that, according to him, "it feels like a pastiche of a million other better songs; the end result is just a little pedestrian." On the opposite side, Veevers was more critical towards the song giving it two out of five stars. He praised the decision for Martin to change his music style and go to different direction, however, according to him, the end result sounds foreign and uncomfortable for the singer, "Gone is the raw vocal emotion and instrumental passion – both of which have been replaced by an over the top production which appears to be aimed at a much younger fan-base with this comeback."

Commercial.

In Australia, "Come with Me" debuted at number three. Martin appeared on the Australian Singles Chart for the first time since "I Don't Care" peaked at number twenty-five in 2005. "Come with Me" also became his fifth top ten single in Australia. In the first week of July 2013, the single was certified Gold by the ARIA. On July 1, 2012, "Billboard" reported that "Come with Me" debuted on the Latin Pop Songs at number thirty and Latin Airplay chart at number forty-nine. So far, the song has reached number five on Latin Pop Songs and number one on Latin Airplay. With 12 No. 1s, Martin passed Gloria Estefan (11) for the second-most toppers in the chart's 19-year history. Enrique Iglesias leads with 24 No. 1s. "Come with Me" also entered two other "Billboard" charts: Mexico Airplay and Mexico Espanol Airplay peaking at numbers nineteen and five respectively.

Music videos.

An official lyric video of the English version of the song was uploaded to Martin's official Vevo YouTube page on June 27, 2013. Martin also filmed two music videos for "Come with Me" on July 19, 2013, one for the English version of the song and one for the Spanglish version. The video for the Spanglish version premiered on August 14, 2013 on Univision. One week later, on August 21, 2013, both the English and Spanglish video were published on Vevo.

Live performances.

Martin performed the song on the grand finale of "The Voice" in Australia on June 17, 2013 where he was one of the coaches. He also performed the Spanglish Version at the 2013 Premios Juventud on July 18, 2013 and on the finale of the "La Voz Kids" on July 28, 2013. Martin also performed "Come with Me" on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on September 26, 2013 and during the NRL Grand Final on October 6, 2013. He also performed it during his in October 2013. He also performed the song on March 30 during the finale of The Voice Arabia. He also performed the song on April 23, 2014 during the Chinese Music Awards. During the performance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, one of the backing dancers suffered a wardrobe malfunction when the back of her top snapped, leaving her to improvise her way off the set. She eventually came back on to finish the performance.

"Come with Me" is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Ricky Martin. It was produced by the Australian duo DNA Songs (Anthony Egizii and David Musumeci) and IIan Kidron from The Potbelleez. "Come with Me" premiered on June 13, 2013, during "The Kyle and Jackie O Show" in Australia and was digitally released worldwide on June 14, 2013. The Spanglish Version of the song was released on July 18, 2013 and the 7th Heaven remixes were released on September 16, 2013.

Come with Me je píseň portorického popového zpěváka Rickyho Martina. Vydána byla na internetu 14. června 2013, má být součástí jeho připravovaného desátého studiového alba. Tuto elektronickou taneční skladbu produkovali Anthony Egizii a David Musumeci z Austrálie, kde Martin působil jako jeden z porotců během místní verze soutěže "The Voice". Španělská verze písně byla vydána 18. července 2013, remixy od uskupení 7th Heaven vyšly 16. září 2013.


Plot.

In the film, Arenas is born in Oriente in 1943 and raised by his single mother and her parents, who soon move the entire family to Holguín. After moving to Havana in the 1960s to continue his studies, Reinaldo begins to explore his ambitions, as well as his sexuality. After receiving an honorary mention in a writing contest, Arenas is offered the chance to publish his first work. Through his work and friendships with other openly gay men (such as Pepe Malas and Tomas Diego), Arenas manages to find himself.  The political climate in Cuba becomes increasingly dangerous, and in the early 1970s Arenas is arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting minors, and for publishing abroad without official consent. In the next decade, he is in and out of prison, attempting and failing to leave the country several times.  In 1980, Arenas finally leaves Cuba for the United States, starting a new life with his close friend Lazaro Gomez Carriles. A few years later, Arenas is diagnosed with AIDS, and after spending several years suffering he dies in 1990.

Production.

Julian Schnabel got the idea of making "Before Night Falls" immediately after making "Basquiat"; however, it took four years to actually produce the film.  Bardem spent one-and-a-half months in New York City with Arenas's best friend, Lazaro Gomez Carriles, taking two hours a day to study how Arenas walked and talked.

Reception.

Critical response.

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 73% approval rating based on 98 reviews and an average rating of 6.8/10. The site's consensus states: "An impressionistic, fragmented look at Reinaldo Arenas, "Before Night Falls" imagery manages to evoke a sense of the writer's artistry, and Bardem's strong performance holds the film together. Finally, a biopic done well." Metacritic reports an 85 out of 100 rating based on 26 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".  Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4, stating, "One is reminded a little of the Marquis de Sade, as portrayed in "Quills". It was never simply what they wrote, but that, standing outside convention, taunting the authorities, inhabiting impossible lives, they wrote at all." Peter Travers from "Rolling Stone" awarded the film a full five out of five stars, writing, "In uniting to honor Arenas, Bardem and Schnabel create something extraordinary."

Box office.

The film opened in eight venues on December 22, 2000, and earned $85,230 in its first weekend, ranking #34 in the North American box office. The film received a wide release on February 23, 2001.  "Before Night Falls" grossed $4.2 million in the US and $4.3 million overseas for a worldwide total of $8.5 million from an estimated $20 million budget.

The screenplay was co-written by Schnabel, Lázaro Gómez Carriles and Cunningham O'Keefe. The film stars Javier Bardem (who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor), Johnny Depp, Olivier Martinez, Andrea Di Stefano, Santiago Magill and Michael Wincott. The film had its world premiere at the 2000 Venice International Film Festival.

Než se setmí (v anglickém originále Before Night Falls) je americký dramatický film z roku 2000. Režisérem filmu je Julian Schnabel. Hlavní role ve filmu ztvárnili Javier Bardem, Johnny Depp, Olivier Martinez, Andrea Di Stefano a Santiago Magill.


Definition.

A pseudometric space formula_1 is a set formula_2 together with a non-negative real-valued function formula_3 (called a pseudometric) such that,for every formula_4,  Unlike a metric space, points in a pseudometric space need not be distinguishable; that is, one may have formula_8 for distinct values formula_9.

Topology.

The pseudometric topology is the topology induced by the open balls  which form a basis for the topology. A topological space is said to be a pseudometrizable topological space if the space can be given a pseudometric such that the pseudometric topology coincides with the given topology on the space.  The difference between pseudometrics and metrics is entirely topological. That is, a pseudometric is a metric if and only if the topology it generates is T (i.e. distinct points are topologically distinguishable).

Metric identification.

The vanishing of the pseudometric induces an equivalence relation, called the metric identification, that converts the pseudometric space into a full-fledged metric space. This is done by defining formula_25 if formula_8. Let formula_27 be the quotient space of by this equivalence relation and define Then formula_29 is a metric on formula_30 and formula_31 is a well-defined metric space, called the metric space induced by the pseudometric space formula_32.  The metric identification preserves the induced topologies. That is, a subset formula_33 is open (or closed) in formula_1 if and only if formula_35 is open (or closed) in formula_31 and "A" is saturated. The topological identification is the Kolmogorov quotient.  An example of this construction is the completion of a metric space by its Cauchy sequences.

In mathematics, a pseudometric space is a generalization of a metric space in which the distance between two distinct points can be zero. In the same way as every normed space is a metric space, every seminormed space is a pseudometric space. Because of this analogy the term semimetric space (which has a different meaning in topology) is sometimes used as a synonym, especially in functional analysis.

Pseudometrický prostor je matematická struktura zobecňující pojem metrického prostoru. Pseudometrický prostor je definován jako metrický prostor, ve kterém mohou existovat dva různé body s nulovou vzdáleností.


History.

The first Silver Panda coins—issued in 1983, 1984, and 1985—were proof quality, with a precious metal content of 27 grams of 0.900 fine silver and a diameter of 38.6 mm. Mintages were only 10,000 for each year. No Silver Pandas were issued in 1986. The 1987 Silver Panda coins were minted in proof quality from 1 troy oz. of sterling (.925 fine) silver, with a diameter of 40 mm. There are several mints that produced Silver Panda coins over the years, including: Shanghai, Shenyang, and Shenzhen. Unlike coins made by US and German mints that carry mintmarks to distinguish their origin, Chinese mints generally do not carry mintmarks. In certain years there are minor variations in the coin design—such as the size of the date, and temple. That allows the originating mint to be determined. An example is 1996 where different mints produced coins with minor variations in the font size of the date on the obverse side of the coins. In 2015 the Gold and Silver Panda coins were not labeled with metal fineness and weight. This information returned in 2016 when the 1 troy ounce coin was replaced by the 30-gram coin (one troy ounce is approximately 31.1 grams).  The official distributor in China for the Silver and Gold Panda coins is the China Gold Coin Incorporation (CGCI).  As of 2020, the highest-priced coin is a perfect 1983 proof panda worth $16,430. The highest-priced, non-proof coin is a perfect large-date 1991 panda worth $3,100.

Design.

The center of the obverse is a depiction of The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests located in the Temple of Heaven complex. The Hall was built between 1406 to 1420. Chinese characters on top say "", meaning the People's Republic of China and the bottom the year of issue. If the issue is a commemorative issue, the theme will be marked here also. The reverse shows portraits of the giant panda that changes every year (except for 2001 and 2002, which share the same design).

Minting history.

There are many varieties of types of coins issued:

The Chinese Silver Panda () is a series of silver bullion coins issued by the People's Republic of China. The design of the panda is changed every year and minted in different sizes and denominations, ranging from 0.5 troy oz. to 1 kilogram. Starting in 2016, Pandas switched to metric sizes. The 1 troy ounce coin was reduced to 30 grams, while the 5 troy ounce coin was reduced to 150 grams. There is also a Gold Panda series issued featuring the same designs as the Silver Panda coins.

Stříbrná panda () je mince ze série stříbrných ražených mincí vydávaných Čínskou lidovou republikou. Vzor mincí, které jsou emitovány v různých hmotnostech a jmenovitých hodnotách v rozsahu od 0,5(0,25) trojské unce do 1 kg, se mění každý rok. Jsou rovněž vydávány zlaté mince, které mají stejný design jako mince stříbrné.


History.

Following the events of the Victoria Hall disaster in Sunderland, England in 1883 in which more than 180 children died because a door had been bolted at the bottom of a stairwell, the British government began legal moves to enforce minimum standards for building safety. This slowly led to the legal requirement that venues must have a minimum numbers of outward opening emergency exits as well as locks which could be opened from the inside.  However, these moves were not globally copied for some time. For example, in the United States, 146 factory workers died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911 when they were stopped by locked exits, and 492 people died in the Cocoanut Grove fire in a Boston nightclub in 1942. This led to regulations requiring that exits of large buildings open outward, and that enough emergency exits be provided to accommodate the building's capacity.  Similar disasters around the world also resulted in public fury and calls for changes to emergency regulations and enforcement. An investigation was launched by the Argentine federal government after 194 people were killed during the 2004 República Cromañón nightclub fire in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The emergency exits had been chained shut by the owners, to prevent people from sneaking into the nightclub without paying.

Buildings.

Local building codes will often dictate the number of fire exits required for a building of a given size. This may include specifying the number of stairs. For any building bigger than a private house, modern codes invariably specify at least two sets of stairs. Furthermore, such stairs must be completely separate from each other. Some architects meet this requirement by housing two stairs in a "double helix" configuration where two stairs occupy the same floor space, intertwined. For old buildings that predate modern fire code requirements and lack space for a second staircase, having intertwining stairs so close to each other may allow firefighters going up and evacuees going down to use separate staircases. Westfield Stratford City uses this configuration in the Upper car park. This part of the building has 8 storeys: LG, G & 1 are part of the shopping centre; 2 has some offices & a storage area; CP1, CP2, CP3 & CP4 are a multi-storey car park. The floors are served by the main public lifts & escalators, & by 1 set of a double-helix stairway & lift per 1000 square metres, going into the service areas. The main public escalators don't count as fire exits, as the doors may be locked during less busy periods. The building, therefore, has one fire exit per 4000m of floor space.  Knowing where the emergency exits are in buildings can save lives. Some buildings, such as schools, have fire drills to practice using emergency exits. Many disasters could have been prevented if people had known where fire escapes were and if emergency exits had not been blocked. For example, in the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center, some of the emergency exits inside the building were inaccessible, while others were locked. In the Stardust Disaster and the 2006 Moscow hospital fire, the emergency exits were locked and most windows barred shut. In the case of the Station Nightclub, the premises was over capacity the night fire broke out, the front exit was not designed well (right outside the door, the concrete approach split 90 degrees and a railing ran along the edge), and an emergency exit swung inward, not outward as code requires.  In many countries, it is required that all new commercial buildings include well-marked emergency exits. Older buildings must be retrofitted with fire escapes. In countries where emergency exits are not standard, fires will often result in a much greater loss of life.

Signage.

The UK Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 define a fire safety sign as an illuminated sign or acoustic signal that provides information on escape routes and emergency exits. Well-designed emergency exit signs are necessary for emergency exits to be effective.  Fire escape signs usually display the word "EXIT" or the equivalent word in the local language with large, well-lit, green letters, or the green pictorial "running-man" symbol developed and adopted in Japan around 1980 and introduced in 2003 by ISO 7010. Pictorial green "running-man" sign is mandatory in the Japan, European Union, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and increasingly becoming common elsewhere.  Some states in the United States currently require the exit signs to be colored red, despite the usage of color red in signage usually implies hazards, prohibited actions or stop, while the color green implies safe place/actions or to proceed. Older building code in Canada required red exit signs, but no new installation is allowed.

Blocked exits.

Fire fighters have cited overzealous guards who told people during a fire that they are not allowed to use emergency exits. The practice is actually quite common in the absence of fires, as well. Some skyscrapers have stairwells with standard emergency exit signs on each door, which then lock upon closing. Users of these stairwells are trapped, whether they know or do not know that the only door that opens from the inside is the one on the ground floor.  A further problem becoming very common in the USA (2005) is that retail stores at night close one of their main entrance/exits through makeshift heavy metal barriers, signage, paper notes, or junk placed in front of the exits. Some actually lock their exits. A large array of signage and mechanical exit systems have also been devised, including signage that says contradictorily, "This is not an exit," "Do not use this exit," or warning users that a heavy penalty will be assessed for non-emergency use.  Some systems do not allow the exit to be opened until the user signals the intention to exit (through a button or lever) for some amount of time, such as 20 seconds. It is also common for these exits to remain completely locked until somebody tests them.  Some have alarms activated when they are opened, to alert staff of unauthorized use during non-emergencies. On many exits, the user may have to hold down a crash bar or other door opening device for a period of time to unlock the door. Many exits have a sign reading, 'emergency exit only, alarm will sound if opened', to warn of the fact that it is an emergency exit only.

Aircraft.

In aircraft terms, an "exit" is any one of the main doors (entry doors on the port side of the aircraft and service doors on the starboard side) and an "emergency exit" is defined as a door that is only ever used in an emergency (such as overwing exits and permanently armed exits). Passengers seated in exit rows may be called upon to assist and open exits in the event of an emergency.  The number and type of exits on an aircraft is regulated through strict rules within the industry, and is based on whether the aircraft is single or twin-aisled; the maximum passenger load; and the maximum distance from a seat to an exit. The goal of these regulations is to make possible the evacuation of an airliner's designed maximum occupancy of passengers and crew within 90 seconds even if half of the available exits are blocked.  Any aircraft where the emergency exit door sill height is above that which would make unaided escape possible is fitted with an automatic inflatable evacuation slide, which allows occupants to slide to the ground safely. † 9 passenger aircraft only  Ventral exits must allow the same rate of egress as a Type I exit, tailcone exit are aft of the fuselage. Aircraft for less than 19 passenger must have one sufficient exit in each side of the fuselage, two per side for more, no more than apart from each other.  In November 2019, the EASA allowed 'Type-A+' exits with a dual-lane evacuation slide to increase maximum accommodation increased to 480 seats up from 440 with four pairs of doors on the A350-1000, and up to 460 on the A330-900.

An emergency exit in a structure is a special exit for emergencies such as a fire: the combined use of regular and special exits allows for faster evacuation, while it also provides an alternative if the route to the regular exit is blocked by fire, etc.

Úniková cesta jsou komunikační prostory v budově, které vedou na volné prostranství mimo budovu a umožňují bezpečnou evakuaci všech osob, které se v budově nacházejí.


Plot.

Queens car salesman Joey O'Brien (Robin Williams) must deal with the ever-increasing pressures in his life: he has an ex-wife demanding alimony, a daughter who is missing, a married mistress (Fran Drescher) and a single mistress (Lori Petty) who are both desperately in love with him, and a two-day deadline to either sell twelve cars or lose his job. In addition, he has an outstanding loan to a Mafia don which he must either quickly repay, or lose his life.  On the day of the big dealership car sale (and the final day of O'Brien's deadline), the car dealership is taken hostage by an AK-47-toting motorcyclist (Tim Robbins) who believes his wife (Annabella Sciorra) is cheating on him. Joey manages to talk the man out of doing any harm to the other hostages, as police surround the dealership. Without realizing that the assailant's gun is not loaded, the police wound him after most of the hostages have already been released which prompts Joey to promise to remain with him while he recovers. The crisis solves all of Joey's problems: his mistresses learn of each other and dump him, his daughter returns, his job is secure, the Mafia don (whose son was among the hostages) forgives his debt, and he begins to reconcile with his ex-wife.

Production.

To prepare for his role in the film Williams spent time in car dealerships in Queens, NY.

Release.

The film was not a box office success, although it did turn a profit.

Reception.

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 55% based on 11 reviews. Metacritic gives it a score of 50 out of 100 based on 21 critic reviews. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "B-" on scale of A to F.  Critic Roger Ebert had mixed feelings about the film, giving it a two out of four stars, stating, "My problems with "Cadillac Man" were probably inspired more by false expectations than by anything on the screen, and maybe if Robbins had come crashing in through the window in the first scene I would have liked it more."

Cadillac Man is a 1990 American black comedy film directed by Roger Donaldson, starring Robin Williams and Tim Robbins. The plot of the film centers around car salesman Joey O'Brien (Williams) whose life is consumed by turmoil, which all comes to a head when his dealership is taken hostage by Larry (Robbins), a crazed motorcyclist.

Cadillac se slevou (v americkém originále: Cadillac Man) je americká filmová komedie z roku 1990. Režisérem filmu je Roger Donaldson. Hlavní role ve filmu ztvárnili Robin Williams, Tim Robbins, Pamela Reed, Annabella Sciorra a Fran Drescher.


Plot.

In an unnamed war-torn European city in the "Age of Reason", amid explosions and gunfire from a large Ottoman army outside the city gates, a fanciful touring stage production of Baron Munchausen's life and adventures is taking place. In a theatre box, the mayor, "The Right Ordinary Horatio Jackson", reinforces the city's commitment to reason by ordering the execution of a soldier who had just accomplished a near-superhuman feat of bravery, claiming that his bravery is demoralizing to other soldiers and citizens.  Not far into the play, an elderly man claiming to be the real Baron interrupts the show, protesting its many inaccuracies. Over the complaints of the audience, the theatre company and Jackson, the "real" Baron gains the house's attention and narrates through flashback an account of one of his adventures, of a life-or-death wager with the Grand Turk, where the younger Baron's life is saved only by his amazing luck plus the assistance of his remarkable associates: Berthold, the world's fastest runner; Adolphus, a rifleman with superhuman eyesight; Gustavus, who possesses extraordinary hearing, and sufficient lung power to knock down an army by exhaling; and the fantastically strong Albrecht.  When gunfire disrupts the elderly Baron's story, Jackson cancels the acting troupe's contract because of the Baron. The Baron wanders backstage, where the Angel of Death tries to take his life, but Sally Salt, the young daughter of the theater company's leader, saves him and persuades him to remain living. Sally races to the wall yelling for the Turkish army to go away, and the Baron accidentally fires himself through the sky using a mortar and returns riding a cannonball, narrowly escaping the Angel of Death once again. Insisting that he alone can save the city, the Baron escapes over the city's walls in a hot air balloon constructed of women's underwear, accompanied by Sally as a stowaway.  The balloon expedition proceeds to the Moon, where the Baron, who has grown younger, finds his old associate Berthold, but angers the King of the Moon, a giant with separate minds in his head and body, who resents the Baron for his romantic past with the Queen of the Moon. The death of the King's body, and a bungled escape from the Moon, brings the trio back to the Earth, and into the volcano of the Roman god Vulcan. He hosts the group as his guests and reveals Albrecht is working as his servant. The Baron and Vulcan's wife, the Goddess Venus, attempt a romantic interlude by waltzing in the air, but this cuts short the hospitality and Vulcan expels the foursome from his kingdom into the South Seas.  Swallowed by an enormous sea creature, the travellers locate Gustavus, Adolphus, and the Baron's trusty horse Bucephalus. The Baron (who again appears elderly after being "expelled from a state of bliss") encounters the Angel of Death for the fourth time. Finally they escape by blowing "a modicum of snuff" out into the sea creature's cavernous interior, causing it to sneeze the heroes out through its whale-like blowhole. The Baron, young once again, sails to where the Turkish army is located but the Baron's associates are too elderly and tired to fight.  The Baron lectures them firmly but to no avail, and he storms off intending to surrender to the Grand Turk. His companions rally to save the Baron, and through a series of fantastic acts they rout the Turkish army away and liberate the city. During the city's celebratory parade, the Baron is shot dead by Jackson and the Angel of Death appears a final time to take the Baron's life. An emotional public funeral takes place, but the denouement reveals that this is merely the final scene of yet another story the Baron is telling to the same theater-goers in the city. The Baron calls the foregoing "only one of the many occasions on which I met my death" and closes his tale by saying "everyone who had a talent for it lived happily ever after".  The Baron leads the citizens to the city gates to reveal the city has indeed been saved, though it is unclear if the events of the battle occurred in a story or in reality. Sally asks, "It wasn't just a story, was it?" The Baron grins, rides off on Bucephalus, and then disappears.

Production.

Background.

Tall tales based loosely on the German adventurer Hieronymus Karl Friedrich Freiherr von Münchhausen, or Baron Munchausen, were compiled by Rudolf Erich Raspe and published for English readers in 1785 as "" (or "Baron Munchausen's Narrative of his Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia"). The tales were further embellished and translated back to German by Gottfried August Bürger in 1786. These tales were frequently extended and translated throughout the 19th century, further fictionalized in the 1901 American novel "Mr. Munchausen".  The stories were adapted into various films including "Baron Munchausen's Dream" (1911, Georges Méliès), "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" (1943, Josef von Báky with script by Erich Kästner), "The Fabulous Baron Munchausen" (1961, Karel Zeman), and "The Very Same Munchhausen" (1979) directed by Mark Zakharov, who depicted Munchausen as a tragic character, struggling against the conformity and hypocrisy of the world around him.

Budget.

The film was over budget; what was originally $23.5 million grew to a reported $46.63 million. Gilliam, acknowledging he had gone over budget, said its final costs had been nowhere near $40 million.  In "The Madness and Misadventures of Munchausen" (included on the bonus DVD of the 20th Anniversary Edition of "Munchausen"), producer Thomas Schühly said that as part of a deal with 20th Century Fox before it ended up with Columbia, a budget plan had been set up for $35 million, "and it's strange, the "[film's]" final cost was 35 "[million]".... We always had a budget of 34 or 35 million, the problem was when I started to discuss it with Columbia, Columbia would not go beyond 25.... Everybody knew from the very beginning that this cutting out was just a fake.... The problem was that David Puttnam got fired, and all these deals were oral deals.... Columbia's new CEO, Dawn Steel, said 'Whatever David Puttnam "[has]" said before doesn't interest me'".  Regarding the new regime's apparent animosity towards all of Puttnam's projects and "Munchausen", Gilliam added in the same documentary, "I was trying very hard to convince Dawn Steel that this was not a David Puttnam movie, it was a Terry Gilliam movie." Similarly Kent Houston, head of Peerless Camera doing the film's special effects said in "Madness and Misadventures" that they were promised a bonus if they would finish the effects in time, but when they approached the person again when they were done, he was met with the reply, "I'm not gonna pay you, because I don't want to seem to be doing anything that could benefit Terry Gilliam."

Experience.

"Munchausen" is the third entry in Gilliam's ""Trilogy of Imagination"", preceded by "Time Bandits" (1981) and "Brazil" (1985). All are about the "craziness of our awkwardly ordered society and the desire to escape it through whatever means possible." Gilliam explains that, "The one theme that runs through all three of these pictures is a consistently serious battle between fantasy and what people perceive as reality." All three films focus on these struggles and attempts to escape them through imagination: "Time Bandits", through the eyes of a child, "Brazil", through the eyes of a man in his thirties, and "Munchausen", through the eyes of an elderly man.  When the production finally came to a successful closure, several of the actors commented on the rushed tightness of the whole project. Said Eric Idle, "Up until "Munchausen", I'd always been very smart about Terry Gilliam films. You don't ever [want to] be in them. Go and see them by all means - but to be in them, "fucking madness"!!!"  Sarah Polley, who was nine years old at the time of filming, described it as a traumatic experience. "[I]t definitely left me with a few scars... It was just so dangerous. There were so many explosions going off so close to me, which is traumatic for a kid whether it's dangerous or not. Being in freezing cold water for long periods of time and working endless hours. It was physically grueling and unsafe."  Production designer Dante Ferretti afterwards compared Gilliam to his former director, saying, "Terry is very similar to Fellini in spirit. Fellini is a wilder liar, but that's the only difference! Terry isn't a director so much as a film author. He is open to every single idea and opportunity to make the end result work. Often the best ideas have come out of something not working properly and coming up with a new concept as a result. He is very elastic and that's one quality in a director that I admire the most."

Release.

When "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" was finally completed, David Puttnam, who had obtained the film's US distribution rights for Columbia Pictures, had been replaced as CEO of Columbia; coupled with Gilliam's prior quarrels with major studios over "Brazil", the film saw only very limited distribution in the US, earning $8 million in US box office.  In "Madness and Misadventures", Robin Williams commented on the low number of release prints that Columbia produced, saying "[Puttnam's] regime was leaving, the new one was going through this, and they said, 'This was "their" movies, now let's do "our" movies!' It was a bit like the new lion that comes in and kills all the cubs from the previous man."  In a 2000 interview with IGN, Gilliam said about the contemporary press perception of the film being a financial disaster how "It seemed actually appropriate that Munchausen–the greatest liar in the world–should be a victim of some of the greatest liars in the world." He compared the film's budget problems to the even more serious problems of "We're No Angels" that commonly go unmentioned, and he went on to declare its difficulties as a mixture of "trade press" still being upset about Gilliam's battle with Universal over "Brazil", nepotism, and an intrigue on behalf of Ray Stark successfully trying to have Puttnam removed from Columbia, coupled with the fact the studio was being sold at the time:  The negative stories about the shoot that were turning up in the Hollywood press were coming, we found out later, from a source at Film Finances–which was the completion bond company on the film. Their lawyer was a guy named Steve Ransohoff, whose father was Martin Ransohoff–who was Ray Stark's friend and partner. [...] I thought it was quite extraordinary, because the stories were doing two things – they were making me and the whole project look like it was completely out of control and all my fault, and that Film Finance, the completion guarantors, were the only thing holding it together–the people trying to bring control to it... the fact was, they were absolutely useless.  The ultimate fact was that when the film was ultimately released, there were only 117 prints made for America – so it was never really released. 117 prints!...an art film gets 400. We were ultimately the victim of Columbia Tri-Star being sold to Sony, because at that time all they were doing was trying to get the books looking as good as possible. We weren't the only film that suffered, but we were the most visible one. And what happened–to complete the story in a neat and tidy way–was that they were not spending any money on advertising to promote any of the movies started by the previous regime–by Putnam's regime. They were burying films left right and center by spending no money on them–and the books looked really good at the end of that.  The joke is, if you look back, we got the best reviews and we were doing the best business in the opening weeks of any film they had released since "Last Emperor". We actually opened well in the big cities–we opened really well. A friend who had bought the video rights said he had never seen anything so weird–Columbia was spending their whole time looking at exit polls to prove the film would not work in the suburbs, and so it would be pointless to make any more prints. He said, "I've never seen anything like this." There it was. Then it becomes this kind of legend–which it deserves to be... even if it's the wrong legend.

Reception.

"The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" has a 92% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on 51 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.33/10. The site's consensus reads: "Bursting with Terry Gilliam's typically imaginative flourishes, this story of a possibly deranged Baron recounting his storied life is a flamboyant and witty visual treat". On Metacritic, it has a score of 69 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "Generally favorable reviews".  Regarding the obvious gap between the movie's troubled production and its eventual triumph of aesthetic cinematic form on the screen, Jeff Swindoll wrote in his 2008 DVD review of "Munchausen" for "Monsters and Critics": "For the absolute hell that the production of the film turned out to be, you really don't see any of that tension on the screen.... the film is a fantastic, whimsical treat.... "Baron Munchausen" is full of whimsy, fantasy, bright colors, and fabulous characters. None is as fantastic as the Baron himself as played, with a twinkle in his eye, by the grand John Neville."  Roger Ebert gave the film 3 out of 4 stars and found that it was "told with a cheerfulness and a light touch that never betray the time and money it took to create them", appreciating "the sly wit and satire that sneaks in here and there from director Terry Gilliam and his collaborators, who were mostly forged in the mill of "Monty Python"". While considering the film's special effects as "astonishing", Ebert also contended "the movie is slow to get off the ground" and "sometimes the movie fails on the basic level of making itself clear. We're not always sure who is who, how they are related, or why we should care". But "allowing for the unsuccessful passages there is a lot here to treasure", and Ebert concluded overall, "this is a vast and commodious work", "the wit and the spectacle of "Baron Munchausen" are considerable achievements". Additionally, Ebert considered John Neville's title role performance as appearing "sensible and matter-of-fact, as anyone would if they had spent a lifetime growing accustomed to the incredible".  "The Washington Post" called the film a "wondrous feat of imagination", though "except for Williams, the actors are never more than a detail in Gilliam's compositions".  Richard Corliss wrote: Everything about "Munchausen" deserves exclamation points, and not just to clear the air of the odor of corporate flop sweat. So here it is! A lavish fairy tale for bright children of all ages! Proof that eccentric films can survive in today's off-the-rack Hollywood! The most inventive fantasy since, well, "Brazil!" You may not believe it, ladies and gentlemen, but it's all true.  Vincent Canby called the film "consistently imaginative" and a "spectacle [that] is indeed spectacular and worth the admission price and patches of boredom"; he said the "major credit must go to Giuseppe Rotunno, the cameraman; Dante Ferretti, the production designer; Richard Conway, who did the special effects, and Peerless Camera Company Ltd., responsible for the optical effects. Without them, "Baron Munchausen" would have looked about as big and as interesting as a 25-cent postage stamp."

Accolades.

The film was nominated for four British Academy Film Awards, winning three: and losing Best Special Effects to Back to the Future Part II.  In 1990, the film was nominated for four Oscars:  In 1991, the film was further nominated for four Saturn Awards:  It won the 1990 Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists Silver Ribbon in three categories:  It was nominated in 1990 for a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (losing to "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"); actress Sarah Polley was nominated for two Young Artist Awards in the categories Best Musical or Fantasy and Best Young Actress.

Home media.

A laserdisc was released with features such as a commentary track by Gilliam and deleted scenes. The first DVD edition of the film, issued on 27 April 1999, did not include any of these or any other extras.  A 20th anniversary edition was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 8 April 2008. It includes a new commentary with Gilliam and co-writer/actor McKeown, a three-part documentary on the making of the film, storyboard sequences, and deleted scenes.

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is a 1988 adventure fantasy film co-written and directed by Terry Gilliam and starring John Neville, Sarah Polley, Eric Idle, Jonathan Pryce, Oliver Reed, and Uma Thurman. The film is based on the tall tales about the 18th-century German nobleman Baron Munchausen and his wartime exploits against the Ottoman Empire.

Dobrodružství Barona Prášila (v britském originále: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen) je britský dobrodružný film z roku 1988. Režisérem filmu je Terry Gilliam. Hlavní role ve filmu ztvárnili John Neville, Sarah Polley, Eric Idle, Jonathan Pryce a Oliver Reed.


History.

The palace was built about 1606 on the shore of the Salzach river north of the medieval city walls, at the behest of Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich Raitenau. The Archbishop suffered from gout and had a stroke the year before; to evade the narrow streets of the city, he decided to erect a pleasure palace for him and his mistress Salome Alt. Allegedly built within six months according to Italian and French models, it was initially named Altenau Castle.  When Raitenau was deposed and arrested at Hohensalzburg Castle in 1612, his successor Mark Sittich von Hohenems expelled Salome Alt and her family from the premises. Mark Sittich gave the palace its current name from, "bella": "amazing", "wonderful". It was rebuilt in a lavish Baroque style from 1721 to 1727, according to plans designed by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt.  On 1 June 1815 the later King Otto of Greece was born here, while his father, the Wittelsbach crown prince Ludwig I of Bavaria served as stadtholder in the former Electorate of Salzburg. The current Neoclassical appearance dates from about 1818, when the place was restored after a blaze. Archbishop Maximilian Joseph von Tarnóczy resided here from 1851 to 1863. The father of Hans Makart worked here as a chamberlain. Joachim Haspinger (1776-1858), Capuchin priest and a leader of the Tyrolean Rebellion, spent his last year in a small flat.  The palace was purchased by the City of Salzburg in 1866. After World War II it was temporarily used for the mayor's office and housed several departments of the municipal administration.

Marble Hall.

The Marble Hall of Mirabell Palace is the venue of the "Salzburg Palace Concerts" (), directed by Luz Leskowitz. It is also a popular location for weddings.  On 3 June 1944 Gretl Braun, the sister of Eva Braun (later to marry Adolf Hitler), married SS-Gruppenführer Hermann Fegelein, who served as Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler's liaison officer on Hitler's staff. Their wedding took place at Mirabell Palace with Hitler, Himmler, and Martin Bormann as witnesses. Her sister Eva made all the wedding arrangements.

Gardens.

The "Mirabellgarten" was laid out under Prince-Archbishop Johann Ernst von Thun from 1687 according to plans designed by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. In its geometrically-arranged gardens are mythology-themed statues dating from 1730 and four groups of sculpture (Aeneas, Hercules, Paris and Pluto), created by Italian sculptor Ottavio Mosto from 1690. It is noted for its boxwood layouts, including a sylvan theater ("Heckentheater") designed between 1704 and 1718. An orangery was added in 1725.  The gardens were made accessible to the public under Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. Up to today, it is one of the most popular tourists' attraction in Salzburg. Several scenes from "The Sound of Music" were filmed here. Maria and the children sing 'Do-Re-Mi' while dancing around the horse fountain and using the steps as a musical scale.

References.

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Mirabell Palace () is a historic building in the city of Salzburg, Austria. The palace with its gardens is a listed cultural heritage monument and part of the Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Palác či zámek Mirabell (německy "Schloss" nebo "Palais Mirabell") je neoklasicistní budova s přilehlými zahradami v centru Salzburgu v Rakousku. Palác včetně zahrad je uveden na seznamu kulturní dědictví UNESCO jako součást historického jádra města.


Definition.

Definitions of the Pacific Northwest region vary, and even Pacific Northwesterners do not agree on the exact boundary. The most common conception includes the U.S. states of Idaho, Oregon and Washington and the Canadian province of British Columbia.  Broader definitions of the region

History.

Indigenous peoples.

The Pacific Northwest has been occupied by a diverse array of indigenous peoples for millennia. The Pacific Coast is seen by some scholars as a major coastal migration route in the settlement of the Americas by late Pleistocene peoples moving from northeast Asia into the Americas.  The coastal migration hypothesis has been bolstered by findings such as the report that the sediments in the Port Eliza Cave on Vancouver Island indicate the possibility of survivable climate as far back as 16 kya (16,000 years ago) in the area, while the continental ice sheets were nearing their maximum extent. Other evidence for human occupation dating back as much as 14.5 kya (14,500 years ago) is emerging from Paisley Caves in south-central Oregon. However, despite such research, the coastal migration hypothesis is still subject to considerable debate.  Due in part to the

Initial European exploration.

In 1579 the British captain and erstwhile privateer Francis Drake sailed up the west coast of North America perhaps as far as Oregon before returning south to land and make ship repairs. On 5 June 1579, the ship briefly made first landfall at South Cove, Cape Arago, just south of Coos Bay, Oregon, and then sailed south while searching for a suitable harbor to repair his ailing ship. On June 17, Drake and his crew found a protected cove when they landed on the Pacific coast of what is now Northern California. While ashore, he claimed the area for Queen Elizabeth I as Nova Albion or New Albion. Juan de Fuca, a Greek captain sailing for the Crown of Spain, supposedly found the Strait of Juan de Fuca around 1592. The strait was named for him, but whether he discovered it or not has long been questioned. During the early 1740s, Imperial Russia sent the Dane Vitus Bering to the region. By the late 18th century

Continental crossover exploration.

Explorer Alexander Mackenzie completed in 1793 the first continental crossing in what is called today central British Columbia and reached the Pacific Ocean. Simon Fraser explored and mapped the Fraser River from Central British Columbia down to its mouth in 1808. And mapmaker David Thompson explored in 1811 the entire route of the Columbia River from its northern headwaters all the way to its mouth. These explorations were commissioned by the North West Company and were all

Early settlements.

Noteworthy Russian settlements still in place include: Unalaska (1774), Kodiak 1791 and Sitka (1804) making them the oldest permanent non-Indigenous settlements in the Pacific Northwest. Temporary Spanish settlement Santa Cruz de Nuca (1789–1795) held on a few years at Nootka Sound.  Other early occupation non-Indigenous settlements of interest, either long lasting or still in place, built and operated by either the North West Company, the Pacific Fur Company or the Hudson Bay Company include: Fort Saint-James (1806) oldest in British Columbia west of the Rockies, Spokane House (1810) oldest in Washington,

Boundary disputes.

Initial formal claims to the region were asserted by Spain in 1513 with explorer Nuñez de Balboa, the first European to sight the Pacific Ocean from the Americas. Russian Maritime Fur Trade activity, through the Russian-America Company, extended from the farther side of the Pacific to "Russian America". This prompted Spain to send expeditions north to assert Spanish ownership, while Captain James Cook and subsequent expeditions by George Vancouver advanced British claims. As of the Nootka Conventions, the last in 1794, Spain gave up its exclusive a priori claims and agreed to

Geology.

The Northwest is still highly geologically active, with both active volcanoes and geologic faults.  Active

Geography.

The Pacific Northwest is a diverse geographic region, dominated by several mountain ranges, including the Coast Mountains, the Cascade Range, the Olympic Mountains, the Columbia Mountains, and the Rocky Mountains. The highest peak in the Pacific Northwest is Mount Rainier, in the Washington Cascades, at. Immediately inland from the Cascade Range are broad, generally dry plateaus. In the US, this region is known as the Columbia Plateau, while in British Columbia, it is the Interior Plateau, also called the Fraser Plateau. The Columbia Plateau was the scene of massive ice-age floods, and as a consequence, there are many coulees, canyons, and the Channeled Scablands. Much of the plateau, especially in eastern Washington, is irrigated farmland. The Columbia River cuts a deep and wide gorge around the rim of the Columbia Plateau and through the Cascade Range on its way to the Pacific Ocean.  Because many areas have plentiful rainfall and mild summers, the Pacific Northwest has some of North America's most lush and extensive forests, which are extensively populated with Coast Douglas fir trees, the second tallest growing evergreen conifer on earth. The region also contains specimens of the tallest trees on earth, the coast redwoods, in southwestern Oregon, but the largest of these trees are located just south of the California border in northwestern California. Coastal forests in some areas are classified as temperate rain forest.  Coastal features are defined by the interaction with the Pacific and the North American continent. The coastline of the Pacific Northwest is dotted by numerous fjords, bays, islands, and mountains. Some of these features include the Oregon Coast, Burrard Inlet, Puget Sound, and the highly complex fjords of the British Columbia Coast and Southeast Alaska. The region has one of the world's longest fjord coastlines.  The major cities of Vancouver, Portland, Seattle, and Tacoma all began as seaports supporting the logging, mining, and farming industries of the region, but have developed into major technological and industrial centers (such as the Silicon Forest), which benefit from their location on the Pacific Rim.  If defined as British Columbia, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, the Pacific Northwest has four US National Parks: Crater Lake in Oregon, and Olympic, Mount Rainier, and North Cascades in Washington. If a larger regional definition is used, then other US National Parks might be included, such as Redwood National and State Parks, Glacier Bay National Park, Wrangell–St. Elias National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and parts of Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park. There are several Canadian National Parks in the Pacific Northwest, including Pacific Rim National Park on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Mount Revelstoke National Park and Glacier National Park in the Selkirk Range alongside Rogers Pass, Kootenay National Park and Yoho National Park on the British Columbia flank of the Rockies, Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve in Haida Gwaii, and the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve in the Strait of Georgia. There are numerous protected areas in British Columbia and in the United States.  Other outstanding natural features include the Columbia River Gorge, Fraser Canyon, Mount St. Helens, Malaspina Glacier, and Hells Canyon. The south-central Coast Mountains in British Columbia contain the five largest mid-latitude icefields in the world.

Population.

Most of the population of the Pacific Northwest is concentrated in the Portland–Seattle–Vancouver corridor. As of 2016, the combined populations of the Lower Mainland region (which includes Greater Vancouver), the Seattle metropolitan area, and the Portland metropolitan area totaled around nine million people. However, beyond these three cities, the PNW region is characterized by a relatively low density population distribution. Some other regions of greater population density outside this corridor include the Greater Victoria area on southern Vancouver Island (with a population of approximately 370,000), the Okanagan Valley in the British Columbia

Politics.

A major divide in political opinion separates the region's greatly more populated urban core and rural areas west of the mountains from its less populated rural areas to their east and (in British Columbia and Alaska) north. The coastal areas—especially in the cities of Vancouver, Victoria, Bellingham, Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Portland, Eugene, and Ashland—are some of the most politically liberal parts of North America, regularly supporting left-wing political candidates and causes by significant majorities, while the Interior and North tend to be more conservative and consistently support right-wing candidates and causes. The religious right has far less influence throughout the region than elsewhere in the U.S., and certain areas of the British Columbia Interior, particularly the West Kootenay and some areas of Vancouver Island and the BC Coast, have long histories of labour, environmental, and social activism (see History of British Columbia#Rise of the labour movement).  The urban core in addition to certain rural districts is known for supporting liberal political views, perceived as controversial in much of the rest of North America. Many jurisdictions have relatively liberal abortion laws, gender equality laws, legal cannabis, and strong LGBT rights, especially British Columbia, where gay marriage has been legal since 2003, Washington, where it has been legal since 2012, and Oregon, where same-sex marriage was made legal in May 2014. Oregon was the first U.S. state to legalize physician-assisted suicide, with the Death with Dignity Act of 1994. Washington State was the second when

Economy.

Aluminum smelting was once an important part of the region's economy due to the abundance of cheap hydroelectric power. Hydroelectric power generated by the hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River powered at least ten aluminum smelters during the mid-20th century. By the end of World War II these smelters were producing over a third of the United States' aluminum. Production rose during the 1950s and 1960s, then declined. By

Education.

Colleges and universities

Culture.

Although the dominant culture in the Pacific Northwest today is Anglo-American, Anglo-Canadian, and Scandinavian American, there is significant Mexican and Chinese influence. 23% of Vancouver, British Columbia, is Chinese, and 50% of residents of the City of Vancouver do not speak English as their first language. Parts of Oregon and Washington are bilingual in both English and Spanish, and Native American culture is strong throughout the Pacific Northwest. The hippie movement also began in California and the Pacific Northwest. There have been proposals for certain parts of the Pacific Northwest becoming its own country because of the shared ecoregion and culture, the most well-known being Cascadia. However, the region is strongly divided by the international border, and this division grew more rather than less powerful over the 20th century. Carl Abbott argues that, given the twin factors of limited economic integration vis-a-vis NAFTA, and cultural similarities, he views the major cities as "going their separate ways" as east–west gateways of commerce, competing with each other, rather than forming north–south connectors of a tentative "mega-region".  Cannabis use is relatively popular, especially around Vancouver, Victoria, Bellingham, Seattle, Olympia, Spokane, Portland, and Eugene. Several of these jurisdictions have made arrests for cannabis a low enforcement priority. Medical marijuana is legal in British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon, as well as in Alaska, which has legalised cannabis and has many licensed dispensaries, and in the Yukon, although less than 50 of the territory's residents are licensed to use medical marijuana, and no legal dispensaries operate within its borders. As of December 6, 2012, possession of less than an ounce of marijuana for recreational use by persons over 21 years of age became legal in Washington state as a result of state ballot measure Initiative 502, which was approved by the state's voters on November 6, 2012, by a ten-point margin. As of July 1, 2015, recreational marijuana use was legalized in Oregon as well.

Environmentalism.

Environmentalism is prominent throughout the region, especially west of the Cascades. Environmentally conscious services such as recycling and public transportation are widespread, most notably in the more populous areas. A 2007 statistical analysis ranked the 50 Greenest Cities in the United States, placing Portland, Oregon first, Eugene, Oregon, fifth, and Seattle, Washington, eighth. The region as a whole is also known for its bicycle culture as an alternative form of transportation; Portland is considered by Forbes Traveler to be the second most bicycle-friendly city in the world. Portland is also the hub of American bicycle manufacturing; as a whole it generated over $68 million in revenue in 2007 alone. Seattle, Washington has also garnered a reputation for its contributions to public transportation with the Puget Sound Transit system, including an underground

Music.

The modern-era Pacific Northwest is known for indie music, especially grunge, alternative rock, and metal as well as historically-strong folk music and world music traditions. Many are associated with the independent label Sub Pop. Lately the region has also gained notice for its Hip hop music in the Pacific Northwest. KEXP.org is a popular and nationally noted Seattle-based public indie music radio station. Among the area's largest music

Cuisine.

Foods typical of the Pacific Northwest include wild salmon, halibut, shellfish, huckleberries, marionberries, a wide variety of Asian cuisines, and locally produced fruits, vegetables, and cheeses.  Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Italian, Mexican, and Greek cuisines are prevalent throughout the Northwest, and reflect the historically strong presence of those communities in the restaurant industry there. Teriyaki restaurants are particularly common in the Seattle area. Eateries

Sports.

Skiing, snowboarding, cycling, mountaineering, hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, boating, and water sports are popular outdoor activities. Vancouver, Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, Spokane and Victoria are home to numerous professional sports teams, including the BC Bears, BC Lions, Eugene Emeralds, Everett AquaSox, Everett Silvertips, Hillsboro Hops, OL Reign, Portland Thorns FC, Portland Timbers, Portland Trail Blazers, Portland Winterhawks, Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, Seattle Dragons, Seattle Mariners, Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Seawolves, Seattle Sounders FC, Seattle Storm, Seattle Thunderbirds, Spokane Indians, Pacific FC, Tacoma Defiance, Tacoma Rainiers, Vancouver Canadians, Vancouver Canucks, Vancouver Warriors and Vancouver Whitecaps FC  The region's three USSF Division 1 Major League Soccer teams the Whitecaps FC, Sounders FC, and Timbers play to sold-out crowds and compete annually for the Cascadia Cup. The USSF Division 4 USL Premier Development League also has seven teams in the Northwest Division. In addition to all this, the region has its own representative non-FIFA team which joined the N.F.-Board officially in 2013 to participate in friendlies and the VIVA World Cup.  In 2018, the Cascadia Association Football Federation competed in the 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup representing the Pacific Northwest.  Vancouver is home to a 4-team league for Australian football, the British Columbia Australian Football League, one of several Canadian Australian football leagues.  Hockey is the most popular spectator sport in British Columbia, with the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL being the most popular professional team, although the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League also have a very strong following. The Canadian Football League's BC Lions are considered Vancouver's second most popular team, although major

Video games.

Seattle is considered by "Digital Trends" magazine to be the top gaming city in America, a possible indicator of markedly higher rates of video game usage throughout the Pacific Northwest in general. Most major companies are headquartered in

Demographics.

In the U.S. side of the region, Latinos make up a large portion of the agricultural labor force east of the Cascade Range, and are an increasing presence in the general labor force west of the Cascades. Despite the second Great Migration from the 1940s to 1960s due to the booming Boeing war industry and post-war growing economy, African Americans are less numerous in the Pacific Northwest; however, the overall African American population has been growing in other smaller urban areas throughout the region, such as Spokane and Eugene. African Americans tend to concentrate in western urban areas such as Tacoma, south Seattle, and Portland. Nonetheless, blacks have a very large presence in Tacoma's Hilltop and South Tacoma neighborhoods, Seattle's Central District and Rainier Valley neighborhoods, and in Portland's Northeast Quadrant. There are growing numbers in Vancouver as well, particularly Africans, Jamaicans and blacks from the United States. As of the first decade of the 21st century, many Asians were moving out and into middle class suburbs, though some would voice concern about preserving historical communities particularly in Vancouver. British Columbia has the largest Asian presence per-capita in North America, with 10% of the population being of Chinese ancestry and also large numbers of South Asians, Filipinos,

Language.

Most Americans and Canadians consider the Pacific Northwest English accent "neutral", though indistinct from the Midwestern dialects that some believe typify American speech. It possess the low back vowel merger, or the cot–caught merger. Canadian raising occurs in British Columbia and some speakers in Washington to a similar degree as it does in southern Ontario, but weaker than other parts of Canada. The California Vowel Shift also affects speech in the region.  Chinook Jargon was a pidgin or trade language established among indigenous inhabitants of the region. After contact with Europeans, French, English, and Cree words entered the language, and "eventually, Chinook became the lingua franca for as many as 250,000 people along the Pacific Slope from Alaska to Oregon". Chinook Jargon reached its height of usage in the 19th century, though remained common in resource and wilderness areas, particularly, but not exclusively, by Native Americans and Canadian First Nations people, well into the 20th century. Today, its influence is felt mostly in place names and a handful of localized

Self-determination movements.

Among the fiercely independent and frontier nature of the former Oregon Country and now western part of the United States, is the desire of some Pacific Northwesterners to improve upon their form of democracy by further subdividing the region into

Spirituality and religion.

The Pacific Northwest has the lowest rate of church attendance in the United States and consistently reports the highest percentage of atheism; this is most pronounced on the part of the region west of the Cascades. A recent study indicates that one quarter of those in Washington and Oregon believe in no religion. Similarly, according to the 2011 National Household Survey, 44% of British Columbia residents reported no religion.  Religion plays a smaller part in Pacific Northwest politics than in the rest of the United States. The religious right has considerably less political influence than in other regions. Political conservatives in the Pacific Northwest tend to identify more strongly with free-market libertarian values than they do with more religious social conservatives.  That said, three of the four major international charities in the region are religious in nature: World Concern, World Vision International, and Mercy Corps. This is part of a long tradition of activist religion. The Skid Road Group, a shelter offering soup and sermons to the unemployed and recovering alcoholics, was launched in Vancouver, with the Salvation Army having deep roots in the Gastown district, dating back to the era of the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway (1880s) and attained prominence in the same centers during the Klondike Gold Rush.  The region is also known as a magnet for a wide range of philosophical and spiritual belief systems. Eastern spiritual beliefs have been adopted by an unusually large number of people (by North American standards), and Tibetan Buddhism in particular has

The Pacific Northwest (PNW), sometimes referred to as Cascadia, is a geographic region in western North America bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and (loosely) by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common conception includes the Canadian province of British Columbia (BC) and the U.S. states of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Broader conceptions reach north into Southeast Alaska and Yukon, south into northern California, and east to the Continental Divide to include Western Montana and parts of Wyoming. Narrower conceptions may be limited to the coastal areas west of the Cascade and Coast mountains. The variety of definitions can be attributed to partially overlapping commonalities of the region's history, culture, geography, society, and other factors.

Pacific Northwest (zkratka PNW nebo PacNW) je region na severozápadě Severní Ameriky. Existuje několik definic, ale je třeba rozlišovat tento region a Severozápadní teritoria. K označení pobřežních oblastí se používá termín "Northwest Coast" (severozápadní pobřeží). Termín Severozápadní plošina se používá k označení vnitrozemských regionů, které se jinak nazývají také "the interior", přičemž v Britské Kolumbii se tento název používá s velkým počátečním písmenem jako řádný název.


Description.

"J. podagrica" is a caudiciform perennial herb growing up to 1 metre (3 feet) tall. The grey-green, knobby, swollen caudex has a bottle-like appearance, giving rise to some of the common names. Leaves are held on long fleshy yet stout petioles which emerge from the tip of the stem and radiate in all directions. Leaves are peltate and 3 or 5 lobed. Dense clusters of small, orange-red, flowers are held above the leaves on long slim peduncles. The clusters carry both male and female flowers and flowering continues for most of the year. Fruit are green capsules at first, becoming blackish-brown at maturity, when they explode and scatter their seeds up to 4 metres (13 feet) away.  When cut, the plant exudes a copious sticky sap which may cause dermatitis on contact.

Cultivation.

The swollen caudex, showy leaves, and colourful flowers make "J. podagrica" an attractive ornamental, and it is grown as an indoor plant in many parts of the world.

Uses.

There are many uses of "J. podagrica" in folk medicine, including as an analgesic, tonic, aphrodisiac, purgative, laxative, and to treat infections, intestinal worms, snakebite, gout, and more. Other uses include tanning, dye making, soap making, biofuel, fish poison, lamp lighting, and fertiliser.  Additionally, a number of research projects have sought to identify medicinally useful compounds from "J. podagrica".

Toxicity.

All parts of the plant are considered toxic, in particular the seeds. The main toxins are a purgative oil and a phytotoxin or toxalbumin (curcin) similar to ricin in Ricinis.

Jatropha podagrica is a succulent plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. It is native to the tropical Americas but is grown as an ornamental plant in many parts of the world due to its unusual appearance. Common names include Gout Plant, Gout Stalk, Guatemalan Rhubarb, Coral Plant, Buddha Belly Plant, Purging-Nut, Physic Nut, Goutystalk Nettlespurge, Australian Bottle Plant, and Tartogo.

Dávivec odulý ("Jatropha podagrica") je vytrvalá, jednodomá sukulentní rostlina zajímavého vzhledu, s nápadnými oranžově červenými květy. Je jedním z mnoha tropických druhů rodu dávivec.


Career.

Groningen.

Born in Hoogezand, Nijland began his professional career during the 2007–08 season with Groningen and signed a contract with the club until 2009.  Nijland made his Groningen debut, where he set up one of the goals, in a 3–0 win against NAC Breda in the opening game of the season on 18 August 2007. He also made his European debut, where he played the whole game, in a 1–1 draw against Fiorentina on 20 September 2007. He continued to make a handful of first team appearances and then scored his first goals for the club, in an 8–1 win over IJsselmeervogels in the second round of KNVB Cup on 26 September 2007. However, he suffered an injury, which he sustained in training and was sidelined for months. After two months on the sidelined, he made his first team return on 9 December 2007, coming on as a substitute in the second half, in a 4–2 loss against Heerenveen. Two weeks later on 22 December 2007, he scored his first Groningen league goal and set up one of the goals, in a 2–1 win over Heracles Almelo. Seven days later on 29 December 2007, Nijland scored a brace, in a 3–1 win over Sparta Rotterdam, followed up by setting up two goals, in a 3–2 win over Excelsior in the next game. For his performance, Nijland signed a contract extension with the club, keeping him until 2012 and revealed that he turned down a move to join Ajax in the January transfer window, where he could have joined alongside Bruno Silva and Rasmus Lindgren. Nijland then scored again on 24 February 2008, in a 3–1 win over VVV-Venlo. Despite suffering from ankle injury, Nijland finished his first season at Groningen, making twenty–three appearance and scoring six times in all competition.

PSV Eindhoven.

On 24 August 2008, Nijland left Groningen when he was transferred to PSV for a fee of €4 million, signing a five–year contract, keeping him until 2013.  Nijland then made his PSV debut, where he made his first start for the club and played for 55 minutes before being substituted, in a 1–0 win over Sparta Rotterdam. After missing out one match, he returned and set up one of the goals, in a 3–2 loss against Roda JC on 25 October 2008. It wasn't until on 29 November 2008 when he scored his first goal for the club, in a 2–2 draw against Heerenveen. In his second meeting against his former club Groningen on 21 February 2009, Nijland came on as a late substitute in the second half and scored a winning goal, in a 1–0 win. However, as the 2008–09 season progressed, his first team opportunities was limited, as he appeared most of the time on the substitute bench before an injury forced him out for the rest of the season. In his first season at PSV, he went on to make nineteen appearance and scoring once in all competitions.  In the 2009–10 season, Nijland made one appearance for PSV, where he came on as a substitute in the second half, in a 2–0 win over Roda JC in the third round of KNVB Cup. Following his loan spell at Willem II came to an end, he scored on his first appearance for the club in the 2010–11 season, in a 3–0 win over Sparta Rotterdam in second round of KNVB Cup. Nijland went on to make seven appearance in the 2010–11 season in all competition.  After being told by the club's technical manager Marcel Brands that he would not be at the club next season, Nijland returned to the club at the end of the 2011–12 season and was linked with a move to German side 1860 Munich and even started a negotiation between the two parties, but remained at PSV Eindhoven after he rejected a move to the club.  At the end of the 2012–13 season, Nijland was released by the club after being told that his contract would not be renewed.

Loan spells.

On 24 December 2009, PSV loaned Nijland to Willem II for the remainder of the 2009–10 season. Nijland made his Willem II debut on 13 January 2010 in a friendly match against UD Ojen, where he scored five goals, in a 9–1 victory for the club. Ten days later on 23 January 2010, he scored on his league debut for Willem II, in a 4–2 loss against Heerenveen, followed up by scoring his second on 29 January 2010, in a 2–1 win against RKC Waalwijk. He went on to score two more goals later in the season against NEC, Sparta Rotterdam and Eindhoven. At the end of the 2009–10 season, Nijland helped the club survive relegation to ensure that Willem II stayed in the top–flight football for another season and scored five times in twenty appearance.  On 25 May 2011, PSV loaned Nijland to NEC Nijmegen for the 2011/12 season. Nijland scored on his debut in the opening game of the season, in a 2–2 draw against Heerenveen. He scored his second goal of the season, in the second round of KNVB Cup, in a 4–1 win over Fortuna Sittard on 20 September 2011. However, Nijland suffered injuries as the 2011–12 season and went on to make nineteen appearance and scoring two times in the 2011–12 season in all competition.  On 28 January 2013, Nijland went to Australian club Brisbane Roar on a four-month loan deal. Nijland made his debut for Brisbane in round 19 against Central Coast Mariners in a 2–2 draw. Despite keen on signing for the club on a permanent basis, Nijland failed to score a single goal in his ten appearances at the club and at the end of the 2012–13 season, he returned to his parent club.

PEC Zwolle.

After leaving PSV Eindhoven, Nijland signed for newly promoted side PEC Zwolle, signing a three–year contract, keeping him until 2016. Upon joining the club, Nijland re–joined Manager Ron Jans from his time at Groningen.  Nijland made his PEC Zwolle debut, where he came on as a late substitute, in a 3-0 win over Hercales, It wasn't until on 1 September 2013 when he scored his first PEC Zwolle goal, in a 1–1 draw against Utrecht. His second goal then came on 8 December 2013, in a 4–1 loss against Go Ahead Eagles. However, his first season at PEC Zwolle was a disappointment for him, as his first team opportunities was limited and restricted into making twenty–five appearance and scoring two times in all competition.  Frustrated with a lack of first team opportunities last season, Nijland considered leaving the club ahead of the 2014–15 season Despite this, Nijland was named in the starting eleven in the 2014 Dutch Supercup-game between PEC and Ajax, where he scored the winning goal in a 1-0 win, giving PEC its first ever Supercup win and himself his second major trophy at the club. Following the match, his performance was praised by the club's director Gerard Nijkamp. Niljand's season proved was an improvement for him, as he was given more first team opportunities and by the first half of the season, he scored five times in seventeen appearance against Vitesse (in addition to being named Man of the Match by Voetbal International, Heracles Almelo, Go Ahead Eagles and Excelsior (twice). At the start of 2015, he scored three more goals against Utrecht and Dordrecht before receiving a straight red card, in a 1–0 loss against Go Ahead Eagles on 15 February 2015. After serving a two match suspension, Nijland returned to the first team on 7 March 2015 and scored a hat–trick of his career, in a 6–1 win over Cambuur despite playing for twenty–one minutes during the match. Despite suffering an injury towards the end of the 2014–15 season, Nijland finished the 2014–15 season, making thirty–eight appearance and scoring thirteen times in all competitions, making him the club's topscorer.  In the 2015–16 season, Niljand continued to be in the first team regular despite facing new competitions and it wasn't until on 7 November 2015 when he scored his first goal of the season, in a 1–1 draw against Heracules Almelo, followed up by scoring in a 5–0 win over Roda JC. As the 2015–16 season progressed, Niljand went on to score four more goals against Heerenveen, De Graafschap (twice) and Willem II. As a result, Niljand signed a contract extension with the club, keeping him until 2018. Despite suffering from injuries as the 2015–16 season progressed, Nijland finished the 2015–16 season, making twenty–seven appearance and scoring six times in all competitions.  In the 2016–17 season, Nijland appeared in the first three matches to the season before a thigh injury, which he sustained during a 4–0 defeat to PSV Eindhoven.

International career.

In May 2008, Nijland was called up by the B Team.

Personal life.

He is the son of Hans Nijland, the former Managing Director of FC Groningen.  In addition to playing football, Nijland said he has been taking Spanish classes in an interview with Goal.com. Stef also revealed that he's often being called Stefan than Stef.

Stefan Nijland (; born 10 August 1988) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a forward for De Graafschap.

Stef Nijland (* 10. srpna 1988, Hoogezand, Nizozemsko) je nizozemský fotbalový útočník, který v současné době působí v klubu PEC Zwolle. Mimo Nizozemska hrál v Austrálii, kde hostoval v klubu Brisbane Roar FC.