Macro-economic trend.

In the 2014 Economic Freedom Index published by The Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC, Kazakhstan has gained 22 points over the past 17 years, which is noted by the authors as among the 20 best improvements recorded by any country. Kazakhstan's economic freedom score is 69.1, equalling "moderately free". Its overall score has increased by 0.1 point, with significant improvements in investment freedom and government integrity offsetting steep declines in fiscal health and monetary freedom. Kazakhstan is ranked 11th among 43 countries in the Asia–Pacific region, and its overall score is above the regional and world averages.  This chart shows trends in the gross domestic product of Kazakhstan at market prices estimated by the International Monetary Fund, with figures in millions of Kazakhstani tenge. The following table shows the main economic indicators in 1980–2017. Inflation under 5% is in green.

Economic growth and GDP.

Kazakhstan's GDP grew 4.1% in real terms during the period from January to September 2014.  Kazakhstan's real GDP growth was projected to reach 4.3% in 2014, the main driving force of the economy in Kazakhstan in 2014 is the consumer sector; the consumption in Kazakhstan is mainly boosted by the retail lending.  According to the Agency of Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan the Kazakhstan's GDP growth in the first quarter of 2014 was 3.8%.  The Government of Kazakhstan signed a Framework Partnership Agreement with IBRD, IFC, MIGA on 1 May 2014; according to this Agreement the World Bank will allocate $2.5 billion to Kazakhstan, for the diversification of the economy and reaching the sustainable development.  The World Bank report shows that Kazakhstan, as of 2015, reached the level of an upper-middle-income country with GDP 170 billion US$.  Foreign direct investment increased 30 percent in 2015 in Kazakhstan's agricultural industry and 80 percent in the country's petroleum products sector.  In 2016 Kazakhstan's economy started to recover from the crisis caused by low oil prices and the tenge devaluation. According to the Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan, in nine months of 2016 the GDP growth reached 0.4%. Sectors of economy that experienced the highest growth included construction (6.9%), agriculture (4.9%), and transport sector (4.0%).  Kazakhstan was ranked 25th out of 190 countries in the World Bank's Doing Business 2020 report. The country improved its position by 3 points, from 28 to 25, in the 2020 ranking compared to the previous year. This placed Kazakhstan ahead of countries such as Iceland (26th place), Austria (27th place), Russia (28th place), Japan (29th place), etc.

Sectors of economy.

Primary.

Energy.

Kazakhstan is the leading country in the world for uranium production volumes with 35% of global production, and it has the world's second biggest uranium reserves after Australia.

Oil and gas.

Oil and gas is the leading economic sector. In 2000, Kazakhstan produced 35,252,000 metric tons of oil (700,000 barrels per day), a 17.4% increase over 1999's 30,025,000 tons. It exported 28,883,000 tons of oil in 2000, up 38.8% from 20,813,000 tons in 1999. Production in 2001 has been growing at roughly 20%, on target to meet the government's forecast of 40,100,000 tons of oil (800,000 barrels per day). In 2000, production reached 11.5 km3 of natural gas, up from 8.2 km3 in 1999.  Kazakhstan has the potential to be a world-class oil exporter in the medium term. The landmark foreign investment in Kazakhstan is the TengizChevroil joint venture, owned 50% by ChevronTexaco, 25% by ExxonMobil, 20% by KazMunaiGas of Kazakhstan, and 5% by LukArco of Russia. The Karachaganak natural gas and gas condensate field is being developed by BG, Agip, ChevronTexaco, and Lukoil. The Agip-led Offshore Kazakhstan Consortium has discovered potentially huge Kashagan oil field in the northern Caspian. Kazakhstan's economic future is linked to oil and gas development. GDP growth will depend on the price of oil, as well as the ability to develop new deposits.

Mining.

Kazakhstan is a leading producer of many mineral commodities, including salt, uranium, ferrochrome, titanium sponge, cadmium, potassium, magnesium, rhenium, copper, bauxite, gallium and zinc.

Industry.

Motor cars.

In June 2014 the CKD (Complete Knock-Down) assembly of Toyota Fortuner was launched in Kostanay, Kazakhstan. The expected annual output makes around 3,000 cars.  The Kazakhstan's car industry was developing rapidly in 2014 producing $2 billion worth of products annually. Unfortunately the industry experienced a decline despite high hopes, with sales dwindling to only 46,000 in 2016.

Rail.

GE Transportation acquired 50% stake in Lokomotiv Kurastyru Zauyty in a joint venture with Kazakhstan's national railway company Temir Zholy.

Services.

Technology.

On 22 December 2014 the World Bank approved an $88 million loan that would support Kazakhstan's efforts to facilitate commercially and socially viable innovation in technology. The Fostering Productive Innovation Project aims to improve the country in areas that are able to foster and support technological innovation.

Retail.

According to A.T. Kearney's 2015 Global Retail Development Index, Kazakhstan ranked 13 out of 30. In the 2016th Index, Kazakhstan ranked as the 4th best developing country for retail investments, scoring 56.5 out of 100. Kazakhstan's market attracted large international retailers, such as French retail chains Carrefour and Leroy Merlin, as well as food giants McDonald's and KFC.

External trade and investment.

Trade.

Sherin Suzhikova, Counselor of Kazakhstan's Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Chao yon-chuan, Secretary-General of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, signed an agreement on 13 October 2006 in Taipei to improve economic relations through "exchanges of market information and visits by trade professionals." TAITRA has an office in Almaty, Kazakhstan.  In 2006, North Dakota's then Lieutenant Governor Jack Dalrymple led an 18-member delegation of the North Dakota Trade Office representing seven North Dakota companies and Dickinson State University on a trip to Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Russia. North Dakota exports mostly machinery to Kazakhstan, the eighth largest destination for North Dakotan exports; machinery exports increased from $22,000 to $25 million between 2000 and 2005.  The percentage of high-tech exports (as a share of manufactured exports) from Kazakhstan has grown from just 4.46% in 1995 to 37.17% in 2014. One of the main factors that triggered this growth was the Technology Commercialization Project developed and implemented by the World Bank Group and the Kazakh Government. Through this project, 65 Kazakh tech startups received funding and training helping them get their innovations into markets.  China is Kazakhstan's important trade partner. In late March 2015 the two countries signed 33 deals worth $23.6 billion. The deals cover different industries, such as oil refining, cars, steel.  Kazakhstan's foreign trade turnover in 2018 comprised $93.5bn that is 19.7% more compared to 2017. The volume of export in the reporting period made $67bn (+25.7%) and import was $32.5bn (+9.9%).

National investment strategy.

The Kazakh government approved in August 2017 a national investment strategy, which seeks to increase foreign investments by 26% in five years and create a more favorable investment climate. The strategy also identified 27 countries as the most important sources investments.

Foreign direct investment.

Kazakhstan is the largest recipient of total and annual foreign direct investment of all CIS countries. The OECD has recognized the strides the government has made in opening the country to international investment and in improving the policy framework for investment as part of their efforts to diversify the economy. In 2017 Kazakhstan was invited by OECD to become Adherent to the OECD Declaration on International Investment and Multinational Enterprises.  In June 2014 Kazakhstan's President, Nursultan Nazarbayev, signed into law tax concessions to promote foreign investment, including a 10-year exemption from corporation tax, an 8-year exemption from property tax, and a 10-year freeze on most other taxes. Other measures include a refund on capital investments of up to 30 percent once a production facility is in operation. In order to attract investment, Kazakhstan lowered the tax burden for foreign investors. The corporate income tax rate dropped from 30% to 20%. The government also gradually reduced VAT from 16% in 2006 to 12% in 2009.  As of 30 September 2014, total foreign investment in Kazakhstan reached US$211.5 billion. Of that total, net foreign Direct Investment constituted US$129.3 billion, with portfolio and other investments comprising the remaining US$82.2 billion.  As of July 2015, Kazakhstan attracted $16 billion in the manufacturing industry over the past five years, which is 2.5 times more than over the previous five years. Kazakhstan put into operation four hundred new products, such as car industry, railway engineering, manufacture of basic chemical products, uranium industry, the industry of rare earth metals. The volume of new enterprises amounted to 580 billion tenge.  In June 2015 – June 2016 the total number of enterprises owned by foreign investors in Kazakhstan increased by 2.3 percent and reached 9,000. 8,691 foreign companies operating in the Kazakhstan are small businesses.  As of the beginning of 2016, the World Bank invested over $6.8 billion in Kazakhstan since 1992. These funds were invested in development of roads and social infrastructure, increasing of competitiveness of SME's, education, healthcare, environment protection, etc.  In 2012, Kazakhstan conducted the first review of the OECD investment standards, which resulted in 12 recommendations on how to improve the investment climate of the country. After adopting Law on public - private partnership that extends the use of the mechanism and revising standards of intellectual property protection and the rules of attracting foreign labor, Kazakhstan started a second review of the OECD in 2016.  According to Ministry of Investment and Development of Kazakhstan, as of May 2016, attraction of foreign investment in oil refining increased by 80%, food industry - 30%, in engineering - by 7 times. The Ministry also reported that there were 200 investment projects in country worth more than $40 billion.  In mid-2016 a group of companies led by Chevron announced a $36.8 billion investment in Kazakhstan's Tengiz oil field.  In the first quarter of 2016, Kazakhstan attracted $2.7 billion in foreign direct investment. The largest investor in the Kazakh economy is The Netherlands ($66 billion), followed by the United States ($26 billion) and Switzerland ($15 billion). According to the Chairman of Kazakhstan National Bank, a key factor triggering the increased inflow of foreign investment is implementation of the Nurly Zhol state program that provides for the creation of favorable conditions. As of September 2016, foreign investments in the Kazakh economy totaled $5.7 billion, which is 4,8% more than during the same period of the previous year.  Summarizing 2016, Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov noted that Kazakhstan attracted $20 billion of foreign direct investment during the year. The gross inflow of foreign direct investment in 2016 grew by 40% compared to 2015 and surpassed the previous record of 2008. The number of foreign businesses operating in Kazakhstan increased 25% in 2016 compared to 2015. The main recipients of foreign direct investment were the mining industry, geological exploration and processing. The top four investors include the Netherlands, the United States, Switzerland and France.  Kazakhstan introduced a visa-free regime for citizens of EAEU, OECD, Monaco, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, and Singapore starting from 2017. The visa-free entry is expected to increase cooperation with investors and businesses of these countries.  Agriculture is one of Kazakhstan's most important sectors where the country seeks to attract foreign investments to boost the competitiveness of this sector of economy. To that end, in 2017 KazAgro negotiated with the European Investment Bank (EIB) a €200 million loan for a period of 15 years.  Kazakhstan attracted $330 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) from more than 120 countries since 1991 until 2019. More than 50% of FDI in Kazakhstan was directed from the European Union (EU). 15%, or $48.4 billion, of FDI originared from the United States, and 5% from the United Kingdom and China each. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev set foreign investment attraction as a priority in his 2 Sept. state-of-the-nation address. In 2018, Kazakhstan attracted $24 billion of foreign direct investments. The Foreign Ministry of Kazakhstan plays an important role in attracting foreign investors to the country.

Investor support.

Kazakhstan's investment environment is defined by the government's support for foreign investors. To increase the FDI inflow, the country established the Kazakh Invest National Company. Kazakh Invest is a one-stop shop for investors that facilitates investment projects’ implementation process from an idea to implementation, as well as ensures aftercare services. In 2018, Kazakh Invest helped develop more than 70 investment proposals in a variety of industries: metallurgy, petrochemistry, food industry, tourism and other. It included creating a business plan, financial model and teaser development.

Intellectual property.

Kazakhstan has legislatively addressed the issues of Legal Regulation of Intellectual Property, patent law, and copyright protections.

Public policy.

New Economic Policy "Nurly Zhol".

On 11 November 2014 in his address to the nation for 2015 Nursultan Nazarbayev proclaimed Kazakhstan's New Economic Policy – The Path to the Future (Nurly Zhol). The new economic policy implies massive state investment in infrastructure over the next several years. In the short term, the program "Nurly Zhol" will apply the anti-crisis measures to overcome the turbulence in the global economy. The long-term measures of the state program of infrastructure development will help to create a strong platform for new growth.  Kazakhstan has identified five priorities for modernization of the state and the economy to maintain competitiveness in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Doing business in Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan was ranked 36th in the Ease of Doing Business report released by the World Bank Group in 2018. The report's rankings rate ease of regulations for businesses and strength of property rights.  The Heritage Foundation, a Washington DC - based research center, ranked Kazakhstan 41st in its Index of Economic Freedom 2018. Its overall score has increased by 0.1 point, still being only "moderately free" with significant improvements in investment freedom and government integrity offsetting steep declines in fiscal health and monetary freedom.  Kazakhstan aims to boost economy by attracting private investors interested in developing national companies. This is the main goal of privatization that is expected to decrease the share of public property to 15% of GDP. Such companies as Kazakhstan Railways, Samruk-Energo, Kazatomprom, Kaspost, KazMunayGas and Air Astana are expected to be sold through IPO.  Kazakhstan fell from 32nd to the 38th place in the 2018 IMD World Competitiveness ranking. The report evaluates business efficiency, public finance and domestic economy.

Special Economic Zones.

Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is a part of Kazakhstan's territory, which has a special legal regime, with all the necessary infrastructure, to carry out activities in priority activities.  On the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan, there are 12 special economic zones with different sectoral orientations:

Small and medium-sized enterprises.

A new program to support small businesses was launched in Kazakhstan in February 2015. 2015 is expected to be a pilot period of the program. During that period the initiative will be focused on three major areas, notably agribusiness, machinery building and production of construction materials, and is to be further extended to other industries.  In May 2015 the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) agreed to provide €41 million for technical cooperation projects, advisory support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and a Women in Business program.  In 2016 the number of Kazakhstan's telecom start-ups increased by 10% compared to 2015. Around 9,400 small telecom companies are currently registered in the country.  The Kazakh Government provides extensive support to businesses, especially SME's. The development of SME's is an integral part of Kazakhstan's Business Road Map 2020 state programme. The share of SMEs in Kazakhstan’s GDP increased from 24.9% in 2015 to 28.4% in 2018. Kazakhstan plans to raise this indicator to 50% by 2050.

2014 and 2015 developments.

The country experienced a slowdown in economic growth from 2014 sparked by falling oil prices and the effects of the Ukrainian crisis The country devalued its currency by 19% in February 2014. Another 22% devaluation occurred in August 2015. Kazakhstan was ranked 54th 2017 Economic Freedom of the World report published by Fraser Institute, but ranks 12 places below on place 66 when adjusted by the Gender Disparity Index, which captures the degree to which women around the world have the same legal rights as men and adjusts the economic freedom score accordingly. This shows a large disadvantage of women in business.  The GDP per capita in current USD in Kazakhstan declined by about 40% between 2013 compared and 2017.

Privatisation 2016 - 2020.

In December 2015, Kazakhstan Government approved new privatization plan for 2016 - 2020. It is a large-scale privatization program that continues the privatization of 2014 and includes 60 major state-owned companies. According to Kazakh Finance ministry, the state budget got 6.99 billion tenges ($20.6 million) from the deals reached within the 2014-2016 privatization program as of 20 Sept. 2016. Kazakhstan's privatization program aims to reduce the state participation in the economy to 15 percent, which is the level set for countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Other information.

In recent years a trade route has been established between Kazakhstan and the United States. It now makes up 54% of the World's salt imports and exports by volume (350,000 tonnes per year).

The economy of Kazakhstan is the largest in Central Asia in both absolute and per capita terms, but the currency saw a sharp depreciation between 2013 and 2016. It possesses oil reserves as well as minerals and metals. It also has considerable agricultural potential with its vast steppe lands accommodating both livestock and grain production. The mountains in the south are important for apples and walnuts; both species grow wild there. Kazakhstan's industrial sector rests on the extraction and processing of these natural resources.

Ekonomika Kazachstánu je největší ve střední Asii. Měna však zaznamenala prudké oslabení mezi roky 2013 a 2016. Kazachstán má značný zemědělský potenciál, protože rozlehlé stepi umožňují jak chov dobytka, tak i produkci obilí. Hory na jihu jsou důležité pro pěstování jablek a vlašských ořechů. Pro ekonomiku Kazachstánu jsou nejdůležitější široké zásoby ropy a zemního plynu u Kaspického moře.


Education.

Kuspit graduated from Columbia College in 1955, and earned a M.A. from Yale University in 1958. He received his PhD in philosophy from the Goethe University Frankfurt in 1960. He returned to the United States to teach at Pennsylvania State University and became increasingly interested in art history, so he earned a M.A. from the university in 1964. He was a Fulbright Scholar and taught philosophy and American studies in Saarland University and University of Windsor, while working towards a PhD in art history at the University of Michigan, from which he graduated in 1971.

Academic career.

Teaching Positions.

Kuspit is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Art History and Philosophy at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and School of Visual Arts. He was the A. D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University (1991–1997). In 1983, he received an honorary doctorate in fine arts from Davidson College, in 1996 from the San Francisco Art Institute, and in 2007 from the New York Academy of Art. In 1998 he received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 2005 he was the Robertson Fellow at the University of Glasgow. In 2008 he received the Tenth Annual Award for Excellence in the Arts from the Newington-Cropsey Foundation.

Awards/Grants.

He received the Frank Jewett Mather Award for Distinction in Art Criticism in 1983 (given by the College Art Association). In 1997, the National Schools of Art and Design presented him with a citation for Distinguished Service to the Visual Arts. In 2014 he was the first recipient of the Gabarron Foundation Award for Cultural Thought. He has received fellowships and grants from the Ford Foundation, Fulbright Program, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, and Asian Cultural Council.

Donald Kuspit (born March 26, 1935) is an American art critic and a poet. He is a practitioner of psychoanalytic art criticism and has published on Avant-garde aesthetics, Postmodernism, Modern art, and Conceptual art.

Donald Burton Kuspit (* 26. března 1935) je americký umělecký kritik a básník. Je nositelem doktorátu z filozofie na univerzitě ve Frankfurtu a z historie umění z Michiganské univerzity. Má čestné doktoráty ze Sanfranciského institutu umění a Newyorské akademie umění. Je dlouholetým přispěvatelem magazínu o umění "Artforum". Je autorem, spoluautorem či přispěvatelem do řady uměleckých publikací, mimo jiné o Daleovi Chihulym, Louise Bourgeois a Marcellu Jorim.


Description.

The overall size varies between species from 30 cm tall up to 2 m tall. The leaves are entire, opposite and decussate (each leaf pair at right angles to the next) and rugose or reticulate veined. The bracts (floral leaves) are similar or different from the lower leaves. All parts are frequently covered with hairs. The bracteoles are ovate, lanceolate or linear. The flowers are arranged in whorls called verticillasters which encircle the stems. The stems are usually square in section with rounded corners, although tomentum on the stems can make them appear circular. The colour of the flowers varies from yellow to pink, purple and white. The calyx is tubular or campanulate with five or ten veins visible. Five teeth, either all equal or with the outer two longer than the others. The upper lip is hood shaped and laterally compressed ("P. tuberosa", however, has an uncompressed lip with a dense bearded edge). The lower lip is "trifid", the central lobe being larger than the lateral ones. There are four stamens ascending under the upper lip. Anther with forked end, the upper fork being shorter than the lower. The fruits are four three-sided, nutlets, and sometimes topped with hair, sometimes glabrous. The root system can be very extensive; roots of 6-week-old seedlings have been measured at 0.7 m.  "Phlomis" species are the only host plants of the moths "Coleophora phlomidella" and "C. phlomidis".

Systematics.

The following species belong to genus "Phlomis", but some of them are now distributed in the genus "Phlomoides".

Phlomis is a genus of over 100 species of herbaceous plants, subshrubs and shrubs in the family Lamiaceae, native from the Mediterranean region east across central Asia to China.

Sápa ("Phlomis") je rod rostlin z čeledi hluchavkovitých. Po taxonomických revizích zahrnuje necelých 100 druhů rozšířených od Středomoří přes Malou a Střední Asii po západní Čínu. Některé z nich se pěstují jako okrasné rostliny.


Career.

Jalali graduated with a degree in Economics from Melli University in Tehran, then started his career as a photographer with "Tamasha Magazine" in 1972. In 1974 he joined the Royal Photographic Society in Great Britain. He is best known for his documentary photographs from the Iranian Revolution in 1979 and from the Iran–Iraq War, but after the revolution he focused more on teaching photography at Iranian universities than practicing it. Jalali was a founding member and curator at the Museum of Photography in Tehran (also known as Akskhaneh Shahr), Iran's first museum of photography.  His last work was a photo series called "Image of Imaginations", which took three years (2003–2006) for him to complete. It was a mixture of flowers or Iranian calligraphy with old photographs drawn from Iranian photographic history. Jalali later explained: "I have been exposed to many images by little known photographers around the country. Those that I could keep, I have held as mementos, and others have left their marks on my imagination." The Museum of Fine Arts in Nantes bought this photo series for their collection.  Jalali was given a special homage for his forty-year career in photography by the Fundació Antoni Tàpies in Barcelona with a solo exhibition curated by Catherine David from September to December 2007 and the publication of a monograph. He was a contributor to the exhibition in the British Museum, London, "Word into Art : Artists of the Modern Middle East" in 2006.  Until the end of his life, Jalali was a member of the editorial board for "Aksnameh", a bi-monthly journal of photography in Tehran.  The veteran photographer was being treated for pancreatic cancer in Germany. He returned to his home in Tehran on 14 January 2010 and died the next morning at the age of 65.  His work is in numerous collections, including Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes, the British Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Sprengel Museum, Hannover and Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art.  Jalali was the husband of photographer Rana Javadi.

Bahman Jalali (1944 – 15 January 2010) was an Iranian photographer who played a significant role in educating a new generation of Iranian photographers. He taught photography at several universities in Iran over a 30-year period.

Bahman Jalali (1944 Teherán – 15. ledna 2010) byl íránský fotograf, který hrál významnou roli ve vzdělávání nové generace íránských fotografů. Po dobu 30 let vyučoval fotografii na několika univerzitách v Íránu.


Early life and education.

Fatone was born in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Joe and Phyllis Fatone. He has a brother, Steven, and a sister, Janine, and was raised at 2140 84th Street in the Bensonhurst neighborhood, His father had sung in a doo-wop group called the Orions. At 13, he moved with his family to Orlando, Florida, where he attended a Dr. Phillips High School.

Career.

After high school, Fatone worked as a performer at Universal Studios in Orlando, where he played "Wolfie" in Beetlejuice's Rock and Roll Graveyard Revue.

NSYNC.

In the summer of 1995, after befriending Chris Kirkpatrick, a fellow Universal Studios stage performer who was singing in a doo-wop group, he became the fourth member of NSYNC, along with Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez. Then Lance Bass was added to the group that would become NSYNC. In 2001, Fatone co-starred with *NSYNC bandmate Lance Bass in the Miramax film "On the Line", he guest starred with NSYNC on a 2001 episode of "The Simpsons" episode New Kids on the Blecch, and also did voice work with Bass on the same episodes of Disney's "Kim Possible" and Adult Swim's "Robot Chicken".

Post-NSYNC career.

Fatone co-starred in the 2002 dramatic comedy motion picture "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" as Toula's cousin Angelo, appeared in the show "My Big Fat Greek Life", and reprised the role again in the 2016 sequel "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2". He acted in the critically acclaimed movie "The Cooler". He has had minor roles in both the experimental film "Red Riding Hood" and "Homie Spumoni", the latter alongside Jamie-Lynn Sigler. Fatone has also been on Broadway, performing leads in "Rent" in 2002 and in a revival of "Little Shop Of Horrors".  Fatone hosted NBC's "The Singing Bee" as well as the Australian version of the show on Nine Network. On August 21, 2007, it was announced that he, along with Lisa Rinna, would replace Joan Rivers and Melissa Rivers as hosts of TV Guide's red carpet pre-shows for the 2007–2008 season. His hosting duties with TV Guide continued for the 2008–2009 season.  In 2005, NBC contracted Fatone as the host (or "ringmaster") of its celebrity reality series Celebrity Circus. That year, he also guest starred in the "Hannah Montana" episode "Bye Bye Ball" as restaurant owner Joey Vitolo, a former baseball player who forces Hannah to sing in exchange for a replacement signed ball for her brother. Fatone went on to depict another baseball player on the Disney Channel series "Imagination Movers" in 2010"." From July 6–18 of that same year, he also performed in the musical "The Producers" at the Pittsburgh Benedum Center in the role of comedic Nazi Soldier Franz Liebkind.  Fatone has lent his voice to several episodes of "Robot Chicken", starring as himself in a kung fu skit called "Enter the Fat One" and having a vocal cameo in the show's. From 2010 to 2015, Fatone served as the announcer for host Steve Harvey on the show "Family Feud." In 2011, he took a job hosting the Live Well Network series "My Family Recipe Rocks". In October of the same year, he also appeared in the horror film "Inkubus".  In January 2012, he was one of eight celebrities participating in the Food Network reality series "". Though eliminated in week six, he secured a $5,000 award for his charity, the Fatone Family Foundation.  He appeared as a celebrity guest host for the show "The Price Is Right Live!" at Bally's Las Vegas. Fatone was also a guest on season two of Adult Swim's "The Eric Andre Show." From May to June 2013, he played Bert in the Pittsburgh CLO production of "42nd Street".  Fatone made a cameo in February 2014 on the hidden camera show "Impractical Jokers", standing in for one of the show's stars, Brian Quinn, during a challenge. He later appeared as a guest in a 2017 episode, having given permission to film at his Orlando-based hot dog restaurant Fat One's. Since 2016, he has been the host or featured guest in specials such as "Nitro Circus Spectacular", "The Joker Games", and "Fantasy Draft". He has served as the permanent host of the spin-off series "" since its premiere in 2017. His relationship with the show's stars also earned him a cameo in the 2020 film "."  In April 2014, Fatone began hosting the Food Network cooking competition "Rewrapped", where chefs must recreate classic snack foods and then create new dishes using said snack food. In August of the same year, Fatone became the host of another series, "Parents Just Don't Understand", which aired on the Hub Network prior to its rebranding as Discovery Family. He also guest starred in three episodes of "The Jack and Triumph Show" in 2015.  In 2019, Fatone portrayed the Rabbit on season one of the singing competition show "The Masked Singer", tying with Rumer Willis for fourth place overall. He currently serves as the presenter of "Common Knowledge", a game show that premiered on January 14, 2019 on the Game Show Network.

"Dancing with the Stars".

On February 1, 2007, the ABC television network announced that Fatone would participate in season 4 of the American version of "Dancing with the Stars", which debuted March 19, 2007. He ended up placing second, losing the mirror ball to Apolo Anton Ohno and Julianne Hough. He competed with professional partner Kym Johnson. Fatone participated in the 15th season of "Dancing with the Stars" for a second chance to win a mirror ball trophy, again dancing with Kym Johnson. They were the second couple eliminated. He later returned in season 27 during Trio Week as a trio partner to John Schneider and Emma Slater.

"Dancing with the Stars at Sea".

In February 2013, Fatone appeared on Holland America Line's "Dancing with the Stars at Sea," aboard the MS "Eurodam". He returned to Dancing with the Stars at Sea on Holland America Line's MS "Nieuw Amsterdam" in January 2014, alongside co-star. He was paired with Lacey Schwimmer and appeared alongside Mark Ballas, Sabrina Bryan, and a dance ensemble. Unlike the TV show, however, this was not a competition and there were no eliminations.

"Total Nonstop Action Wrestling".

On October 18, 2009, Fatone attended the TNA Wrestling's biggest annual pay-per-view event TNA Bound for Glory and co-hosted the live pre-show alongside Jeremy Borash. This was not the first time Fatone has been linked to TNA, as he has been spotted at Universal Orlando where TNA tapes its weekly television program.

"*NSYNC Performance".

On August 25, 2013, the members of NSYNC regrouped for a one-off performance at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards. They performed a medley of "Girlfriend" and "Bye Bye Bye." After the performance, Lance Bass said that the group does not have plans at the moment for a reunion tour or new music.

Personal life.

Fatone met his wife, Kelly Baldwin, whilst they were still in high school in 1993. After joining Nsync two years later, their relationship was off-and-on.  It was a much speculated rumor that Fatone had briefly dated singer Pink in early 2000, which Pink has spoke on stating, "[Joey] took me to Friendly's. As a friendly date, not like, a date-date. I just wanted ice cream. We were in the friend zone." The singer has stated that although they did technically go on a date, it was more platonic and that Fatone was "a total sweetheart."  After rekindling his romance with Baldwin, shortly after that same year, she became pregnant in the spring of 2000 with their first child, Briahna whom was born exactly a year after the release of Nsync's hit sophomore album, "No Strings Attached". They became in engaged in the Fall of 2002.  On September 9, 2004, Fatone married his high school sweetheart, Kelly Baldwin, at Oheka Castle on Long Island, New York, in a ceremony that was attended by all his Nsync bandmates. Fatone and his wife have two daughters: Briahna Joely, born March 21, 2001, and another born January 2010. Fatone's best friend, Lance Bass, is their godfather.

Filmography.

"Dancing with the Stars".

Season 4: Season 15:

Joseph Anthony Fatone Jr. (born January 28, 1977) is an American singer, dancer, actor, and television personality. He is best known as a member of the boyband NSYNC, in which he sang baritone. In 2007, he came in second place on the ABC reality show "Dancing with the Stars". He was the host of the U.S. and Australian versions of "The Singing Bee", which aired on NBC in the U.S. Fatone was also the announcer for the game show "Family Feud" from 2010 to 2015. Fatone previously hosted on Food Network's "Rewrapped", Live Well Network's "My Family Recipe Rocks", and "The Price Is Right Live!" at Bally's Las Vegas.

Joseph Anthony Fatone Jr. (* 28. ledna 1977 Brooklyn) je americký zpěvák, tanečník, herec a televizní osobnost. Je znám jako člen chlapecké skupiny 'N Sync. V roce 2007 se umístil na druhém místě v reality show ABC "Dancing With The Stars". Byl hostem americké a australské verze "The Singing Bee", kterou vysílala NBC v USA. Byl také hlasatelem herní show "Family Feud"od od roku 2010 do roku 2015. Fatone dříve hostil na obalech Food Network's "Rewrapped", Live Well Network's "Family Recept Rocks" a "The Price is Right Live!" v Bally's Las Vegas. V létě 1995 se spřátelil s Chrisem Kirkpatrickem, sbormistrem Universal Studios, který zpíval ve skupině Doo-wop, stal se čtvrtým členem 'N Sync, spolu s Justinem Timberlakem a JC Chasezem. Fatone účinkoval také v epizodě "Hannah Montana" jako majitel restaurace jménem Joey Vitolo.


Background.

"Areopagitica" was published 23 November 1644 at the height of the English Civil War. It takes its title in part from "Areopagitikos" (), a speech written by Athenian orator Isocrates in the 4th century BC. (The Areopagus is a hill in Athens, the site of real and legendary tribunals, and was the name of a council whose power Isocrates hoped to restore.) Some argue that it is more importantly also a reference to the defense that St Paul made before the Areopagus in Athens against charges of promulgating foreign gods and strange teachings, as recorded in.  Like Isocrates, Milton (who was not a Member of Parliament) did not mean his work to be an oral speech to that assembly. Instead, it was distributed via pamphlet, thus defying the same publication censorship which he argued against. As a radical, Milton had supported the Presbyterians in Parliament, and would later work as a civil servant for the new republic, but in this work he argued forcefully against Parliament's 1643 "Ordinance for the Regulating of Printing", also known as the Licensing Order of 1643, in which Parliament required authors to have a license approved by the government before their work could be published.  This issue was personal for Milton, as he had suffered censorship himself in his efforts to publish several tracts defending divorce (a radical stance which met with no favour from the censors). "Areopagitica" is full of biblical and classical references which Milton uses to strengthen his argument. This is particularly fitting because it was being addressed to the Calvinist Presbyterians who comprised Parliament at that time.  According to George H. Sabine, the "Areopagitica" presumed and was written for an engaged public:

Argument.

Before presenting his argument, Milton defends the very idea of writing a treatise such as "Areopagitica". He compliments England for having overcome the tyranny of Charles I and the prelates, but his purpose is to voice his grievances. Milton defends this purpose, holding that to bring forth complaints before the Parliament is a matter of civil liberty and loyalty, because constructive criticism is better than false flattery. He concludes his introduction by encouraging Parliament to obey "the voice of reason" and to be "willing to repeal any Act" for the sake of truth and upright judgment.

Origins of licensing system.

Milton begins with historical evidence noting that Ancient Greece and Rome did not adhere to the practice of licensing. In some cases, blasphemous or libellous writings were burnt and their authors punished, but it was after production that these texts were rejected rather than prior to it. Milton argues that a work should be "examined, refuted, and condemned" rather than prohibited before examination. Milton points out that licensing was first instituted by the Catholics with the Inquisition. This fact appealed to Parliament's religious beliefs since it was dominated by Protestants, and there were conflicts between the Protestants and Catholics in England; see Protestant Reformation. Milton provides historical examples of the aftermath following the Inquisition, including how there were popes in Rome beginning in the 14th century who became tyrannical licensers. For example, Pope Martin V became the first to prohibit the reading of heretical books, and then in the 16th century the Council of Trent and Spanish Inquisition prohibited texts that were not even necessarily heretical, but only unfavorable to the friars.

Use of books and reading.

Milton precedes his argument by discussing the purpose of reading. He mentions that Moses, David, and Paul were all learned, which reminds his Protestant audience that being learned involves reading "books of all sorts". He argues that this includes even the "bad" or heretical books, because we can learn from their wrongs and discover what is true by considering what is not true. Milton's point is that God endowed every person with the reason, free will, and conscience to judge ideas for themselves, so the ideas in a text should be rejected by the reader's own choice, not by a licensing authority. Also, the mind is not corrupted simply by encountering falsehood. Milton points out that encountering falsehood can actually lead to virtuous action, such as how St. Paul's converts had privately and voluntarily burned Ephesian books considered to be "magick".

Usefulness of licensing order.

Milton then argues that Parliament's licensing order will fail in its purpose to suppress scandalous, seditious, and libellous books: "this order of licencing conduces nothing to the end for which it was fram'd". The order was meant to rectify manners by preventing the spread of an "infection" caused by bad books. Milton objects, arguing that the licensing order is too sweeping, because even the Bible itself had been historically limited to readers for containing offensive descriptions of blasphemy and wicked men. Milton also points out that Parliament will not protect the ignorant from bad books by this Order, because the books would more likely have been read by the learned anyhow. Furthermore, whatever bad ideas were written can still be taught through word of mouth or otherwise, so "infection" or corruption is not prevented. Milton's point is that licensing books cannot possibly prevent societal corruption (it is "far insufficient to the end which it intends"), so there is no viable stopping point: "If we think to regulat Printing, thereby to rectifie manners, we must regulate all recreations and pastimes, all that is delightful to man". Finally, Milton also points out that, if there are even licensers fit for making these judgments, then the possibility of error in licensing books is still great, and the amount of time that the job would take is impractical.

Harmfulness of licensing order.

Milton argues that licensing is "a dishonour and derogation to the author, to the book, to the privilege and dignity of Learning". This is because many authors will produce a written work with genuinely good intentions only to have it censored by what amounts to a subjective, arbitrary judgment of the licenser.  Milton also thinks that England needs to be open to truth and understanding, which should not be monopolised by the government's standards. Faith and knowledge need exercise, but this Order will lead to conformity and laziness. Licensing will hinder discovery of truth by the government's prejudice and custom, because there will always be more truth to be found that we do not yet know of. Milton thinks that licensing could potentially hinder God's plans, since it gives the licenser the power to silence others.

Conclusion.

Milton recognises individual rights, but he is not completely libertarian in "Areopagitica" as he argues that the "status quo ante" worked best. According to the previous English law, all books had to have at least a printer's name (and preferably an author's name) inscribed in them. Under that system, Milton argues, if any blasphemous or libellous material is published, those books can still be destroyed after the fact. "Those which otherwise come forth, if they be found mischievous and libellous, the fire and the executioner will be the timeliest and the most effectuall remedy, that mans prevention can use." Milton seeks a means by which to ensure that authors and publishers remain culpable for any "mischievous" or "libellous" work that they produce. Regardless, Milton certainly is not without remorse for the libellous author, nor does he promote unrestricted free speech. In addition, he admits that his tolerance is limited: "I mean not tolerated Popery, and open superstition, which as it extirpats all religions and civill supremacies, so it self should be extirpat".

Critical response.

"Areopagitica" did not persuade the Presbyterians in Parliament to invalidate the prepublication censorship component of the Licensing Order of 1643; freedom of the press in this sense was not achieved until 1695. However, as Milton's treatise has been overwhelmingly praised, understanding his audience moves us toward an understanding of why it was unsuccessful. Milton and the Presbyterians had together abolished the Star Chamber under Charles I, but now that they were not being oppressed and they held the power, the Presbyterians in Parliament no longer held to their defence of freedom of the press. Through the Licensing Order of 1643, they were set on silencing the more radical Protestants, the Independents as well as works supporting the King which had begun to appear in London. Milton's treatise is his response to that licensing order, which clearly came at a time when he and the Parliament were already at odds.  In addition, by the time Milton wrote "Areopagitica" he had already unsuccessfully challenged Parliament in other areas of privilege and right. Milton's divorce tracts proved too radical for his immediate day, as did this work. Milton's ideas were ahead of his time in the sense that he anticipated the arguments of later advocates of freedom of the press by relating the concept of free will and choice to individual expression and right. Milton's treatise "laid the foundations for thought that would come after and express itself in such authors as John Locke and John Stuart Mill".  However, although Milton's ideas were initially resisted by the Puritans, they were incorporated into the official charter of the Puritan church within a few years. The Westminster Confession of Faith, written between 1643–1650, allows for divorce on two grounds: infidelity and abandonment.  The Westminster Confession of Faith states: "Adultery or fornication, committed after a contract, being detected before marriage, giveth just occasion to the innocent party to dissolve that contract. In the case of adultery after marriage, it is lawful for the innocent party to sue out a divorce, and after the divorce to marry another, as if the offending party were dead."  The Westminster Assembly or Synod was a broad representation of the "Puritan" community in Britain at that time. 120 members were leaders in the Church of England, 30 were lay delegates and 6 were commissioners from the Church of Scotland.  Another example of its influence is in that of the United States Constitution, which includes the prohibition against prior restraint, or pre-publication censorship. This prohibition is necessary because, as Milton recognised in "Areopagitica", to threaten censorship prior to publication would have a chilling effect on expression and speech, or in Milton's view, it would interfere with the pursuit of truth as it relates to a providential plan.

Modern references to "Areopagitica".

A quotation from "Areopagitica" is prominently displayed over the entrance to the renovated Main Reading Room of the New York Public Library: "A good Booke is the precious life-blood of a master spirit, imbalm'd and treasur'd up on purpose to a life beyond life".  The Supreme Court of the United States has referred to "Areopagitica", in interpreting the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, to explain the Amendment's protections. The Court has cited "Areopagitica" by name in four cases. Most notably, the Court cited "Areopagitica" in the landmark case "New York Times Co. v. Sullivan" to explain the inherent value of false statements. The Court cited Milton to explain the dangers of prior restraint in "Times Film Corporation v. City of Chicago". Later, Justice Douglas concurred in "Eisenstadt v. Baird", citing the pamphlet to support striking down restrictions on lecturing about birth control. Finally, Justice Black cited "Areopagitica" when he dissented from the Court's upholding of restrictions on the Communist Party of the United States against a free speech and free association challenge in "Communist Party of the United States v. Subversive Activities Control Board". In each instance, Milton is cited by the Court's members to support a broad and expansive protection of free speech and association.  The online magazine "Areo", whose editor-in-chief Helen Pluckrose and whose frequent contributor James A. Lindsay were involved in orchestrating the Grievance Studies affair, is named after "Areopagitica".

Areopagitica; A speech of Mr. John Milton for the Liberty of Unlicenc'd Printing, to the Parlament of England is a 1644 prose polemic by the English poet, scholar, and polemical author John Milton opposing licensing and censorship. Areopagitica is among history's most influential and impassioned philosophical defences of the principle of a right to freedom of speech and expression. Many of its expressed principles have formed the basis for modern justifications.

Areopagitika, aneb řeč o svobodě tisku (anglicky "Areopagitica; A speech of Mr. John Milton for the Liberty of Unlicenc'd Printing, to the Parlament of England") je pojednání namířené proti cenzuře, které roku 1644 sepsal John Milton, anglický básník, učenec a autor polemických statí. "Areopagitika" se řadí mezi nejvlivnější a nejostřejší filozofické obhajoby práva na svobodu slova a projevu. Principy formulované v Miltonově spisu dnes tvoří základ mnoha norem v oblasti svobody slova.


History.

Origins.

The dish was created in the Centre-du-Québec area in the late 1950s. Several restaurants in the area claim to be the originators of the dish, but no consensus exists.

Development.

Poutine was consumed in small "greasy spoon" diners (commonly known in Quebec as "cantines" or "casse-croûtes"), pubs, at roadside chip wagons (commonly known as "cabanes à patates", literally "potato shacks") and in hockey arenas. For decades it remained a country snack food in Quebec's dairy region, due to the narrow freshness window of cheddar cheese curds. In 1969, poutine was brought to Quebec City in Ashton Leblond's food truck (a business which grew into the Chez Ashton fast-food chain). In the early 1970s, La Banquise began serving poutine in Montreal, followed by the Burger King chain in 1983. Others that followed used inferior cheese and the dish's reputation declined. Poutine was largely perceived as an unsophisticated backwoods creation or unhealthy junk food to be consumed after a night of drinking.  Montreal chefs would make poutine to feed their staffs but had not dared to put it on their menus. In the 1990s, attempts were made to elevate the dish by using baked potatoes and duck stock. In November 2001, Martin Picard of bistro Au Pied de Cochon began serving a foie gras poutine which was praised by customers and food critics. This influenced chefs in Toronto and Vancouver to feature poutine on upscale menus. Chef Mark McEwan served lobster poutine at his Bymark eatery, and chef Jamie Kennedy served braised beef poutine at his eponymous restaurant. Over the next decade, poutine gained acceptance and popularity in all types of restaurants, from haute cuisine to fast food, and spread across Canada and internationally.

Etymology.

The "Dictionnaire historique du français québécois" lists 15 meanings of "poutine" in Québécois and Acadian French, most of which are for kinds of food; the word "poutine" in the meaning "fries with cheese and gravy" is dated to 1982. Other senses of the word have been in use since at least 1810.  While the exact provenance of the word "poutine" is uncertain, some attribute it to the English word "pudding". Among its various culinary senses, that of "a dessert made from flour or bread crumbs" most clearly shows this influence; the word "pouding", borrowed from the English "pudding", is in fact a synonym in this sense.  The "Dictionnaire historique" mentions the possibility that the form "poutine" is simply a gallicization of the word "pudding". However, it considers it more likely that it was inherited from regional languages spoken in France, and that some of its meanings resulted from the later influence of the similar-sounding English word "pudding". It cites the Provençal forms "poutingo" "bad stew" and "poutité" "hodgepodge" or "crushed fruit or foods"; "poutringo" "mixture of various things" in Languedocien; and "poutringue" or "potringa" "bad stew" in Franche-Comté as possibly related to "poutine". The meaning "fries with cheese and gravy" of "poutine" is among those held as probably unrelated to "pudding", provided the latter view is correct.  According to Merriam-Webster, a popular etymology is that "poutine" is from a Québécois slang word meaning "mess".

Recipe.

The traditional recipe for poutine consists of:  To maintain the texture of the fries, the cheese curds and gravy are added immediately before serving the dish. The hot gravy is usually poured over room-temperature cheese curds, so they are warmed without melting completely. The thin gravy allows all the fries to be coated. The serving dish typically has some depth to act as a basket for the fries so that they retain their heat. It is important to control the temperature, timing, and the order in which the ingredients are added to obtain the right food textures—an essential part of the experience of eating poutine.  Freshness and juiciness of the curds is essential. Air and moisture seep out of the curds over time, altering their acidity level. This causes proteins to lose their elasticity, and the curds to lose their complex texture and characteristic squeaky sound when chewed. The curds should be less than a day old, which requires proximity to a dairy. While Montreal is from a cheese plant in Mirabel, restaurants and specialty cheese shops outside of dairy regions may be unable to sell enough curds to justify the expense of daily deliveries. Furthermore, Canadian food safety practices require curds to be refrigerated within 24 hours, which suppresses the properties of their texture. This has resulted in "poutineries" which specialize in the dish; busy poutineries may use of curds per day. Poutineries which are too distant from dairies may make their own cheese curds on site, in batches every few hours, to ensure a fresh and steady supply.

Variations.

The texture, temperature and viscosity of poutine's ingredients differ and continuously change as the food is consumed, making it a dish of highly dynamic contrasts. Strengthening these contrasts, superior poutines are identified by the crispiness of the fries, freshness of the curds, and a unifying gravy. Even small variations in ingredients or preparation—the oil used for frying, the origin of the curds, or spices in the gravy—can result in a distinctly different experience of eating the poutine.  Some recipes eliminate the cheese, but most Québécois would call such a dish a "frite sauce" (), not poutine. When curds are unavailable, mozzarella cheese may be an acceptable alternative. Shredded mozzarella is commonly used in Saskatchewan. Sweet potato may be used as a healthier alternative to french fries, adding more dietary fibre and vitamins.  Poutineries, like Montreal's La Banquise, which is credited for much of the innovation and popularization of poutine, have dozens of varieties of poutine on their menus. Many of these are based on the traditional recipe with an added meat topping such as sausage, chicken, bacon, brisket, or Montreal-style smoked meat, with the gravy adjusted for balance. The Quebec City-based chain Chez Ashton is known for its poutine Galvaude (topped with chicken and green peas) and Dulton (with ground beef). New variations are frequently introduced. Pulled pork was popular around 2013, followed a couple years later by Asian-fusion poutines.  Montreal's multiculturalism has led to many takes on the dish inspired by other cuisines, such as Haitian, Mexican, Portuguese, Indian, Japanese, Greek and Italian. These poutines may bear little resemblance to the traditional recipe. They replace some or all of the ingredients but maintain the dynamic contrasts of textures and temperatures with a crispy element, a dairy or dairy-like element, and a unifying sauce. Many variations on the original recipe are popular, leading some to suggest that poutine has emerged as a new dish classification in its own right, as with sandwiches, dumplings, soups, and flatbreads.  Poutineries will frequently offer limited-time promotional specials, such as a Thanksgiving poutine with turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. In anticipation of the legalization of cannabis in Canada, Montreal's Le Gras Dur served a "pot poutine" with a gravy that included hemp protein, hemp seeds and hemp oil, offered with a joint-like roll of turkey, wild mushrooms and arugula.  Gourmet poutine with three-pepper sauce, merguez sausage, foie gras or caviar and truffle can be found. This is a trend that began in the 1990s and is credited to David McMillan of Montreal's Joe Beef and Globe restaurants. Savoury sauces like Moroccan harissa, lobster sauce, and red-wine veal "jus" have been used to complement artisanal cheeses and rich ingredients.  Chains such as Smoke's Poutinerie, New York Fries, McDonald's, Wendy's, A&W, KFC, Burger King, Harvey's, Mary Brown's, Arby's, and Wahlburgers restaurants also sell versions of poutine in Quebec and the rest of Canada (although not always country-wide). Tim Hortons began selling poutine in 2018. Fast-food combination meals in Canada often have the options to have french fries "poutinized" by adding cheese curds (or shredded cheese in the Prairies and Western Canada) and gravy, or substituting a poutine for a fries side.

Internationally.

Poutine is found in the northern border regions of the United States, including New England and the larger Northeast, the Pacific Northwest, and the Upper Midwest. These regions offer further variations of the basic dish, usually by utilizing cheeses other than fresh curds, which are not widely available in the US. In the country culture, a mixed fry can also come with cooked ground beef on top and is referred to as a hamburger mix, though this is less popular than a regular mix.  Disco fries, french fries typically covered in mozzarella cheese and brown gravy, were popularized in New Jersey in the 1990s. They gained their name in the 1970s for being a favourite of late-night diners, who often came from dancing at disco clubs.  Poutine spread to the United Kingdom, Korea and Russia, where it has been referred to as "Raspoutine". The first poutinerie in Paris, La Maison de la Poutine, opened in 2017 and quickly gained attention from mainstream media and gastronomers.

Cultural aspects.

A cultural marker, poutine had long been Quebec's adored junk food before spreading across the rest of Canada and the United States. It had by then made inroads with food critics and established culinary circles, challenging its junk food status. Food critic Jacob Richler noted in 2012 that Canadian dishes are too similar to their European roots to be considered original, with the exception of poutine, which he credited as the country's most famous culinary creation. In May 2014, the word "poutine" was added to the "Merriam-Webster Dictionary" of the English language.  In 2007, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) declared the results of an online survey on the greatest Canadian inventions, in which poutine ranked at 10. "Maclean's" 2017 survey of "favourite iconic Canadian food" placed poutine first with 21% of respondents, ahead of maple syrup with 14%. By 2011, media outlets were reporting 11 April as National Poutine Day. In March 2016, poutine was served at the White House during the first state dinner hosted by President Barack Obama and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Poutine has been a highlight of Canada Day celebrations in Trafalgar Square in London, England, for several years, and was a comfort food for the local community after the 2013 Lac-Megantic derailment. It was served at the inaugural Canadian Comedy Awards.  The first poutine festival was held in Warwick, Quebec, in 1993. This annual event expanded to become the largest cheese festival in Canada. In 2014, it was moved to the larger town of Victoriaville. Montreal has hosted La Poutine Week, an annual festival, food tour, and competition held 1–7 February, since 2013. Participating restaurants numbered over 100 in 2015. In 2018, this grew to 170 restaurants in Montreal plus another 70 in Quebec City, Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Regina, Edmonton and Vancouver. Poutine festivals are also held in Drummondville (since 2008), Ottawa-Gatineau, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Quebec City and Sherbrooke. Some US cities such as Chicago, IL, Manchester, NH, and Knoxville, TN, have also held festivals. Since 2010, the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFCE) has held a world poutine-eating championship sponsored by Toronto-based chain Smoke's Poutinerie. There was criticism that the inaugural contest was held outside of Quebec and excluded Québécois. The IFCE stated that Montreal poutineries had not expressed any interest in holding the competition. Regulations for contests in Quebec make it difficult to include the province, which is often absent from national contests. Smoke's has since sponsored a cross-Canada poutine eating tour. In 2011, chef Chuck Hughes won on "Iron Chef America" (episode 2 of ) by beating Bobby Flay with a plate of lobster poutine.  Jones Soda Co., originally a Canadian company now based in the US, created a poutine-flavoured limited-edition soft drink in 2013, which received international pop culture attention. Bacon-poutine was one of four flavours selected as a finalist in the 2014 Lay's Canada Do Us A Flavour potato chip contest. Though it did not win, Lay's later added a bacon-poutine variety in its Canada entry for the World Flavourites. Loblaws' President's Choice and Ruffles brands also offer poutine-flavoured potato chips in Canada. Giapos Ice Cream of New Zealand has served a "poutine ice cream" of oolong matcha tea, ice cream and caramel sauce over hand-cut fries since 2017. In a 2018 promotional campaign for the film "Crazy Rich Asians", "the world's richest poutine" was created with wagyu steak, lobster, truffles, shiitake and chanterelle mushrooms, edible orchids, and gold flakes, priced just under $450.  Joel Edmundson, of the 2018–19 National Hockey League champion team, ate poutine from the Stanley Cup during celebrations attended by over 4,000 fans in his hometown of Brandon, Manitoba.

Social mobility and appropriation.

The social status of poutine has evolved dramatically since its origins in rural Quebec in the 1950s. The dish was long mocked as a culinary invention and used as a means of stigmatization by non-Québécois against Quebec society to reduce its legitimacy. While the first generations that suffered from the poutine stigma opted to disidentify from the dish, Quebec youth has recently been operating a reappropriation of poutine to positively revalue the dish as a symbol of Quebecois cultural pride. Today, the dish is celebrated in many annual poutine festivals in Quebec, the rest of Canada, and in the United States.  The evolution of the different symbols associated with poutine was first studied by Charles-Alexandre Théorêt in "Maudite Poutine!". Théorêt revisited many of these stigmas in an interview given at "Tout le monde en parle" on 11 November 2007.  As poutine gained popularity outside Quebec provincial borders in the mid-2000s, the dish gradually stopped being mocked and was eventually introduced into the popular discourse as a symbol of Canadian nationalism. Today, the dish is often presented as being of Canadian cuisine, even as Canada's national dish. Nicolas Fabien-Ouellet, the author of "Poutine Dynamics" (a peer-reviewed article published in the journal "CuiZine") has suggested that this "Canadization" of poutine constitutes cultural appropriation, despite the fact that Quebec is part of Canada. This supposed appropriation is not linked to its preparation or consumption outside Quebec provincial borders per se, but strictly to its presentation as a Canadian dish instead of a Québécois dish.

In politics.

In a "Talking to Americans" segment on the Canadian mock television news show "This Hour Has 22 Minutes", during the 2000 US election, comedian Rick Mercer posed as a reporter and asked US politicians what they thought of "Prime Minister Jean Poutine" and his endorsement of George W. Bush for president. (The Prime Minister of Canada at the time was Jean Chrétien.) None of the interviewees noticed the insertion of "Poutine" and Bush pledged to "work closely" with Mr. Poutine. A few years later, when Bush made his first official visit to Canada as president, he joked in a speech, "There's a prominent citizen who endorsed me in the 2000 election, and I wanted a chance to finally thank him [...] I was hoping to meet Jean Poutine." The remark was met with laughter and applause.  Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel had a Canadian lunch with counterpart Justin Trudeau on 16 June 2017, during which they ate hotdogs and poutine. Michel tweeted later that this was "A great way to meet a dear friend though our fries are better", referring to the popular claim that fries were originally invented in Belgium.

Poutine (, ) is a dish that includes french fries and cheese curds topped with a brown gravy. It originated in the Canadian province of Quebec and emerged in the late 1950s in the Centre-du-Québec area. It has long been associated with Quebec cuisine. For many years, it was perceived negatively and mocked, and even used by some to stigmatize Quebec society. Poutine later became celebrated as a symbol of Québécois cultural pride. Its rise in prominence led to its popularity outside the province, especially in Ontario, the Maritimes, and in the Northeastern United States.

Poutine je kanadské jídlo, podávané především v podnicích rychlého občerstvení. Tvoří je dvakrát smažené bramborové hranolky, kousky pařeného sýra a omáčka z masového vývaru zahuštěného jíškou. K základním surovinám je také možno přidat slaninu, trhané maso, plísňový sýr, cibulku nebo hrášek. Vznikla také luxusní varianta, která obsahuje foie gras.


Process.

The underlying technology is very similar to a mimeograph. It brings together several processes which were previously carried out manually, for example using the Riso Print Gocco system or the Gestetner system.  The original is scanned through the machine and a master is created, by means of tiny heat spots on a thermal plate burning voids (corresponding to image areas) in a master sheet. This master is then wrapped around a drum and ink is forced through the voids in the master. The paper runs flat through the machine while the drum rotates at high speed to create each image on the paper.  This simple technology is highly reliable compared to a standard photocopier and can achieve both very high speed (typically 150 pages per minute) and very low costs. A good lifespan for a risograph might involve making 100,000 masters and 5,000,000 copies.  Risograph printers use a soy ink made from vegetable soybean oil. One disadvantage of this soy based ink printing medium is that all paper stock has to be uncoated for the ink to dry and adhere to the paper stock.  Because the process involves real ink like in offset printing, and does not require heat to fix the image on the paper that a photocopier or laser printer does, the output from a risograph can be treated like any offset-printed material. This means that sheets which have been through a risograph may be fed through a laser printer afterwards and vice versa.  Risographs have typically had interchangeable color inks and drums allowing for printing in different colors or using spot color in a single print job. The Riso MZ series models have two ink drums, thereby allowing two colors to be printed in one pass.

Manufacture.

The key master-making thermal head component is manufactured by Toshiba. Machines similar to Risographs are manufactured by Ricoh, Gestetner, Rex Rotary, Nashuatec and Duplo. Gestetner, Rex Rotary and Nashuatec are now owned by Ricoh.

Use.

For schools, clubs, churches, colleges, political campaigns, and other short-run print jobs, the risograph bridges the gap between a standard photocopier (which is cheaper up to about 50 copies) and using a commercial lithograph printer (which is cheaper over about 10,000 copies).

Risograph is a brand of digital duplicators manufactured by the Riso Kagaku Corporation, that are designed mainly for high-volume photocopying and printing. It was released in Japan in August 1986. It is sometimes called a digital duplicator or printer-duplicator, as newer models can be used as a network printer as well as a stand-alone duplicator. When printing or copying many duplicates (generally more than 20) of the same content, it is typically far less expensive per page than a conventional photocopier, laser printer, or inkjet printer.

Risograf (Risograph) je digitální vysokorychlostní tiskařský systém vyrobený společností Riso Kagaku Corporation. Původní zaměření na objemné kopírování je časem stále více nahrazené orientací na objemný tisk ať už z lokálního počítače nebo v síťovém prostředí. Mezi základní výhody Risografů patří jejich rychlost a spolehlivost v kombinaci s dlouhou životností a nízkými provozními náklady. Zmíněné nižší náklady oproti tisku na běžné inkoustové nebo laserové tiskárně dosahuje Risograf při tisku cca 30 a více stejných výtisků.


Design and development.

In late 1925 and early 1926, the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) published a series of papers by Harry Ricardo on the sleeve valve principle. The main advantages over the traditional poppet valves was better volumetric efficiency and the ability to operate at higher rotational speeds. This allowed a smaller engine to produce the same power as a larger one, leading to better fuel efficiency and compact design, particularly in multi-row radial engines.  Roy Fedden, Bristol's primary engine designer, became interested in the concept and by 1927 he had constructed a working two-cylinder V as a test bed, with the idea of developing it into a V-12. Problems cropped up on the design, notably the sleeves bursting during the power stroke and stripping their driving gears. A long series of tests and materials changes and improvements required six years and an estimated £2 million to cure. By 1933, the problems had been worked out and the Perseus went on to become the first sleeve valve aero-engine in the world, to be put into large quantity production.  The result was a Bristol Mercury-sized engine adapted to the sleeve valve system, the Perseus, and its smaller cousin, the Bristol Aquila. The first production versions of the Perseus were rated at 580 horsepower (433 kW), the same as the Mercury model for that year, which shows that the sleeve system was being underexploited. The engine was quickly uprated as improvements were introduced and by 1936 the Perseus was delivering 810 hp (604 kW), eventually topping out at 930 hp (690 kW) in 1939, while the Perseus 100 with an increased capacity of 1,635 cu in (26.8 L), produced at 2,700 rpm at 4,250 ft (1,296 m). This far outperformed even the most developed versions of the Mercury.  The Perseus saw limited use in the civilian field, notably on the Short Empire flying-boats but was more common in the expanding military field, where it was found on the Westland Lysander reconnaissance aircraft and the Vickers Vildebeest, Blackburn Botha, Skua and Roc bombers.  The main contribution of the Perseus is that its design was used as the basic piston and cylinder for the "twinned" versions, the tremendously successful Bristol Hercules and Bristol Centaurus engines. It was in these designs that the advantages of the sleeve valve were finally put to good use and by war's end, the Centaurus was one of the most powerful engines in the world.

Applications.

"Note:"

The Bristol Perseus was a British nine-cylinder, single-row, air-cooled radial aircraft engine produced by the Bristol Engine Company starting in 1932. It was the first production sleeve valve aero engine.

Bristol Perseus byl britský devítiválcový hvězdicový motor vyráběný firmou Bristol od roku 1932. Šlo o první letecký motor se šoupátkovým rozvodem.


Transport.

Sarcelles is served by Garges – Sarcelles station on Paris RER line D.  It is also served by Sarcelles – Saint-Brice station on the Transilien Paris – Nord suburban rail line. This station, although administratively located on the territory of the neighbouring commune of Saint-Brice-sous-Forêt, lies in fact very near the town centre of Sarcelles.

Population.

the commune has about 40,000 residents from 40 backgrounds.

Immigration.

A substantial number of inhabitants of the town are pieds-noirs from Northwest Africa who immigrated to France in the 1960s. Sarcelles is also home to a vibrant Jewish community and the largest concentration of Assyrians in France.  Rahsaan Maxwell, author of "Ethnic Minority Migrants in Britain and France: Integration Trade-Offs", stated that compared with other French communities, the ethnic minorities in Sarcelles have more influence, so therefore "Sarcelles should not be considered representative of cities across metropolitan France". Residents believe that there is a "Sarcelles identity," meaning any ethnic group can be a part of the city, and they believe it lowers levels of crime and violence.  Compared with other parts of France, ethnic minorities in Sarcelles gained political power at a faster rate, with gains made in the 1980s instead of the 1990s and 2000s. Many politicians responded to minority demands sooner as many immigrants, especially Caribbeans and Sephardic Jews, had French citizenship. François Pupponi, the mayor in the 2000s dedicated monuments commemorating the histories of ethnic groups, authorised funding of organisations supporting specific ethnic groups such as running Arabic and Hindi language classes and permitted the use of public facilities for religious events. Pupponi argued that this style is the best method of giving many ethnic groups one sense of community. Critics argued that funding groups catering to specific ethnic groups promotes segregation.

Caribbeans.

, 8.7% of the population was of Caribbean origin., many of the ethnic Caribbean residents have French citizenship.  By the 1970s, Afro-Caribbeans became more interested in changing politics. By the 1980s, Guy Guyoubli, a local activist, organised an almost all-Caribbean protest list. Maxwell wrote that this demonstrated that Caribbeans had serious intentions of participating in the political system, even though there were no representatives elected from the lists. At the time, ethnic minorities across Metropolitan France were increasingly trying to influence the political system. The city's first ever two Caribbean councillors were elected in 1989. Around 1989, Raymond Lamontagne, the mayor, opened Metropolitan France's first ever Caribbean-orientated, council-funded community centre.

Maghrebian Muslims.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Maghrebians began to arrive in Sarcelles. Political organisation came in subsequent decades. Originally, the Muslims worshipped in converted makeshift areas, but, later, purpose-built mosques appeared. In the 1990s, Maghrebians were first elected to the commune council. Maxwell wrote that Maghrebians began obtaining "key positions" only in the vicinity of 2012 due to "low turnout and weak community organisations".

Assyrian and Chaldean.

A memorial to Assyro-Chaldean victims of the 1915 Assyrian genocide was dedicated in 2005. Part of the film "The Last Assyrians" features the Assyrian and Chaldean community.

Sephardic Jews.

Sarcelles gained a large population of Sephardic Jews as a consequence of the post-World War II Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries., many of the Jewish residents have French citizenship.  During the peak immigration of Sephardic Jews, they subscribed to a belief in assimilation and secularism and they had the North African belief of what Michel Wieviorka and Philippe Bataille, authors of "The Lure of Anti-Semitism: Hatred of Jews in Present-Day France", describe as "a structuring role" that "does not cover all aspects of social life". Beginning in the 1980s, religion became more public and important, and Wieviorka and Bataille stated that the previous North African practice is "becoming mixed up with the neo-Orthodox practices of the 'young people' for whom religion controls everything."  In 1983, there was a wave of councillors who were Sephardic Jews.

Crime.

In 2012, Maxwell stated that "petty crime" and vandalism had become consistent issues and that "violent confrontations" between black migrants, Maghrebians and Jews was "a recurring theme". He added that, by 2012, the commune had "developed a reputation as one of the more dangerous Paris suburbs." Maxwell wrote that local residents told him that the reputation was overblown.  Maxwell wrote that, during the 2005 French riots, a report concluded that the damage to buildings in Sarcelles was "relatively moderate" and that a later report concluded that, compared with most cities, Sarcelles had fewer days of severe riots. He also stated that local residents characterised the damage as "not as bad as elsewhere and not as bad as one might have expected given Sarcelles's economic and ethnic profile."

International relations.

Twin towns – sister cities.

Sarcelles is twinned with:

Education.

The commune has 19 public "écoles maternelles" (pre-schools/nurseries), 21 public "écoles primaires" (primary schools), six public "collèges" (junior high schools), two public "lycées" (senior high schools/sixth-form colleges), and two other educational institutions.  The "Bibliothèque intercommunale Anna Langfus" is located in Sarcelles. This library has over 60,000 items and is divided between an adults' section and a children's section. In addition the "Espace Musique Mel Bonis" is in Sarcelles.

Sarcelles () is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Sarcelles is a sub-prefecture of the Val-d'Oise department and the seat of the Arrondissement of Sarcelles.

Sarcelles je město ve Francii. Leží v departementu Val-d'Oise 15 km severně od centra Paříže. Žije v něm přibližně 58 000 obyvatel.


Life history.

Bawean deer reside on the Bawean island in Indonesia, close to the Java Sea. The Bawean deer is sometimes included with the Indian hog deer "Hyelaphus porcinus" (Haltenorth 1963), but it is a totally different species (Groves and Grubb 1987; Grubb 2005). The most recent analyses indicate that these two species, together with calamianensis, constitute a different genus distinct from Axis, and Hyelaphus (Meijaard and Groves 2004, Pitra et al. 2004).  They live in woodlands and upland forests with dense undergrowth which is used for shelter, providing a refuge in which the deer sleep and rest during the day. They live in small groups of four or five deer, mostly one female, the infant, and two males. They are herbivores and consume grasses, herbs, leaves, twigs, corn crops, and leaves of the cassave plants. Their pelage is short, smooth, and soft, and generally a light brown in color. There are few distinctive yellow markings which are limited to the head and neck. There is also a light throat patch or 'bib' and a whitish eye-ring. Infants have white spots on their backs when younger. Females will have one offspring at a time per year. The gestation period is 225–230 days, and the majority of births occur in February to June.  Males can be very aggressive towards other males that approach their small families, and will spray other males and predators in the face with their glandular secretions. They also mark their territories with this as well. When fleeing, the Bawean deer carries its head low and runs with a trotting gait. Their spine also curves high towards the rear when fleeing from predators. When fleeing from predators the males will run in front and the infant, if there is one, will be behind the males. The female will run in the back. This is effective in order to protect the infant from predators.

Conservation threats.

Their past extinction was due to tigers—precisely, the Balinese tiger—and humans hunting them for their antlers and pelts. Their main predators now are humans, leopards, dholes (the Asiatic wild dog), pythons, and crocodiles.  Another cause for population decline is human related habitat loss. The land on which the deer live is cleared for agriculture and buildings.

Conservation efforts.

The World Wildlife Fund has noted that some of the factors for the decline of this species and others in Indonesia include climate changes: warming ocean temperatures, rising sea levels, prolonged droughts, and increased flooding. The Indonesian government passed a bill in 1977 protecting the endangered Bawean deer, and consequently their numbers have risen. With the help of this law their reproductive success has gone up over the years. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the Kuhl's hog deer as being critically endangered, meaning that the species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

The Bawean deer ("Hyelaphus kuhlii"), also known as Kuhl's hog deer or Bawean hog deer, is a highly threatened species of deer found only in the island of Bawean (Gresik Regency) in Indonesia.

Jelínek baveánský ("Hyelaphus" "kuhlii", případně "Axis kuhlii") je kriticky ohrožený endemit z čeledi jelenovitých, který se vyskytuje pouze na ostrově Bawean v Indonésii. Mláďata těchto malých savců mají světle skvrnitou srst, což odlišuje jelínka baveánského od jeho příbuzných druhů z rodu "Hyelaphus", například jelínka vepřího ("Hyelaphus porcinus)".


Administration.

Gangnam is one of three "gu" that make up the Greater Gangnam Area along with neighboring Seocho District and Songpa District. Combined, these three "gu" cover approximately of land and had a population of 1,567,881 as of 2010, making up 20% of the area and 15% of the population of Seoul.  The Gangnam District office has designated two smoke-free zones within the district. The first is the section of Gangnam Boulevard between exit No. 2 of Gangnam Station of Seoul Subway Line 2 and exit No. 5 of Sinnonhyeon Station of Line 9; the second is the 836-meter (914-yard) section of sidewalk along Yeongdong Boulevard from exit No. 5 of Samseong Station on Line 2, outside COEX Convention & Exhibition Center and ASEM Tower of the COEX complex.

Divisions.

Gangnam District is composed of 26 dong (neighborhoods):

Economy.

Both the Greater Gangnam Area and Gangnam itself are widely known for its heavily concentrated wealth and very high standard of living, which has been compared to cities such as Beverly Hills, California. The most significant indicator is its extremely expensive real estate. Seoul as a whole is known for its expensive housing prices—as of 2011, its average apartment cost approximately US$5,500 per m—but the average price in Gangnam is almost twice as high, roughly US$10,000 per m, which is 3.5 times the nationwide average. As for land value, the mere 40 km land of Gangnam district rivals with the entire land value of the city of Busan, the second-largest city in South Korea. Combined with the neighboring districts of Seocho and Songpa, the Greater Gangnam Area accounts for almost 10% of the land value of the entire country.  While Seoul's traditional business centers such as Central District, Jongno District, Yongsan District and Yeongdeungpo District still maintain their leading roles, Gangnam and its neighboring districts have fast become the new core across all areas of business over the last few decades. KOSPI 200 companies based in Gangnam district include KEPCO, GS Group, Hyundai Department Store Group, HITEJinro, Hansol, Hankook Tire, GLOVIS and Korea Zinc Corporation. Besides, POSCO also operates POSCO Center in Teheran Valley, and KT&G operates Kosmo Tower. Other notable companies based in Gangnam include Dongbu Fire Insurance, Young Poong Group, T'way Airlines and Hankook P&G. Gangnam is also home to many IT and other internet-related companies including NC Soft and Pandora TV, and is also a strong hub of the country's financial and banking sectors. Many international companies also operate key offices in Gangnam, including Google, IBM, Toyota, and AMI.  Since January 2012, the area has also been home to FNC Entertainment, which moved into its own company offices in Cheongdam-dong, separate from its parent company in the CJ E&M Music Performance Division Building in neighbouring Apgujeong-dong. Other entertainment companies located there include SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, Cube Entertainment, Pledis Entertainment, LOEN Entertainment, Source Music, Plan A Entertainment, DSP Media, MBK Entertainment, Nega Network, C-JeS Entertainment, WM Entertainment, NH Media, J. Tune Entertainment, TOP Media, Happy Face Entertainment, Dream Tea Entertainment, Polaris Entertainment, Jellyfish Entertainment, DR Music and Stardom Entertainment.  The Korean subsidiary of American Megatrends, AMI Korea, is headquartered in Daechidong, Gangnam District.

Economic development.

Until the early 1980s Gangnam and its neighboring areas had remained the least developed in Seoul, but prodigious development over the last 30 years has earned it a reputation of being one of the most affluent, dynamic, and influential areas in both Seoul and South Korea as a whole.  In addition, the COEX Convention & Exhibition Center in Gangnam recently hosted several international conferences such as the 2010 G-20 summit and the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit.

Education.

South Korea is known for its high standard of education and intense competition for university entrance, and Gangnam is considered the national capital of education, which is one of the decisive factors to make Gangnam the most attractive destination in South Korea. In 2010, roughly 6% of the successful candidates to Seoul National University, which is considered the best university in South Korea, were from Gangnam district, while Gangnam's population makes up only 1% of the country's population. In 2008, 22.7 out of 1,000 students in Gangnam district went abroad to study, while the nation's average ratio in the same time frame was only 3.6 per 1,000 students. Following the substantial raising of the profile of the Gangnam district internationally, the area has become a popular destination for international students seeking Korean language lessons, marking the rise of Korea as a'study tourism' destination. Both long-standing locally owned schools such as the Seoul Korean Academy, and more recent foreign-owned entities such as Lexis Korea report a significant increase in interest in the location.  International schools:  Former schools

Attractions.

The important business district around Teheranno (Tehran Street) runs east-west from Gangnam Station to Samseong Station and the COEX Convention & Exhibition Center-Korean World Trade Center complex. Several popular shopping and entertainment areas are located in Gangnam District, including Apgujeong, the COEX Mall and the area around Gangnam Station and Garosugil.  Cheongdam-dong is notable as an upmarket shopping area, with stores of global and local luxury brands, such as MCM Haus flagship store; Vera Wang's third global and first Asian flagship store 'Vera Wang Bridal Korea'; as well as French jeweler Cartier's "Cartier Maison", located on Apgujeong-ro, which is the largest in Korea and at the time of opening, in 2008, the seventh largest in the world.  The area has a large concentration of vegetarian and other upscale restaurants that serve Korean cuisine with a modern twist, namely on the main street from Bongeun Temple to Park Hyatt Hotel in Samseong-dong.

Transportation.

Gangnam District is served by Seoul Subway Line 2, Seoul Subway Line 3, Seoul Subway Line 7, Seoul Subway Line 9, Bundang Line and the Shinbundang Line.

Festivals.

There are several festivals held in Gangnam District.  Following the anti-American protests in Seoul in the early 2000s, the local authorities in the Gangnam District have organized various cultural and sporting events, such as the International Peace Marathon, jointly with the United States Forces Korea. In 2009 they were awarded a'special prize' by the US Army for promoting cultural exchanges with American troops.

Twin towns – sister cities.

Gangnam District is twinned with:

The Gangnam District (;, ), also anglicized as Kangnam, is one of the 25 local government districts which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. Gangnam literally means "South of the River". Gangnam District is the third largest district in Seoul, with an area of. As of the 2017 census, Gangnam District had a population of 561,052.

Obvod Kangnam ( – "Kangnam gu", přepisováno také "Gangnam") je jedna z pětadvaceti městských čtvrtí Soulu, hlavního města Jižní Korey. Má rozlohu bezmála čtyřicet čtverečních kilometrů a k roku 2017 v ní žilo přes 560 tisíc obyvatel.


Design and development.

The aircraft was designed by three young scientists at the Lvov University of Technology ("Polytechnic") as their thesis. The designers initially planned to build a single aircraft (designated as the NPR-1, after the initials of the design team's members), but in 1937 the Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów became interested in their design and hired professional designers to modify it to fit the needs of the Polish Air Force. At the time the PAF was looking for an advanced trainer and it was decided that Ogar would be perfect for that role.  The prototype was completed in 1937 and in early 1938 underwent static tests. In the summer of 1938 it was successfully test-flown by S. Szubka. The first prototype, equipped with a de Havilland Gipsy Major engine, was heavier than anticipated and as a result the aircraft had poor stall characteristics and stability issues. By the end of the summer a second prototype, with an enlarged vertical stabilizer and a stronger PZInż. Major engine was completed and sent to the Institute of Aviation in Warsaw for further tests. Michał Rosnowski designed further modifications and the aircraft was scheduled to enter serial production in late 1938, however, numerous problems with handling and weight and balance postponed the start of serial production until late 1939. Out of the initial order of 150, 50 were finally ordered in the summer of 1939. Out of the first batch of 17 airframes started in July 1939, none were delivered to the Polish Air Force by the invasion of Poland. The first prototype was provided to the air force but was destroyed near Lubartów shortly afterwards. The other prototype was destroyed in an air raid on Warsaw's Okęcie Airport.  The aircraft was powered by a four-cylinder PZInż. Major 4 engine, with.

The PWS-35 "Ogar" () was a two-seat, aerobatic training biplane that was designed by Kazimierz Nowicki, Marian Piątka and Michał Rosnowski at the Lviv Polytechnic in 1935/1936.

PWS-35 Ogar (Ohař) byl polský jednomotorový dvoumístný cvičný a sportovní letoun, který navrhli Kazimierz Nowicki, Marian Piątka a Michał Rosnowski ze Lvovské polytechniky v tehdejším Polsku. Letoun vyrobila ve dvou exemplářích společnost PWS (Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów, Podlaská továrna na letadla) z Biale Podlasky.


History.

In 1999, Home Credit a.s. was founded in the Czech Republic and in 1999 company expanded to Slovakia. In 2000s company started to expand to Commonwealth of Independent States countries - Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Belarus. As of 2007 the company was the second largest consumer lender in Russia. In 2010s company expanded to Asia, specifically China, India, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam. In 2010 the company was first foreign company to set up as a consumer finance lender in China. In 2015 company launched its operations in the United States of America through a partnership with Sprint Corporation. The group offers loans in 434,232 retail stores and also in digital space.  In 2017 PAG initiated investment of 2 billion RMB into Home Credit Group's Chinese business entity as an interest-bearing convertible loan. The deal was subsequently terminated in 2018 by PAG and Home Credit Group repaid the loan with interest.  In 2018 Home Credit Group initiated sale of its Czech operation consisting of Home Credit Czech and Slovak and Air Bank to Moneta Money Bank. The deal was criticized as one-sided deal that gives Home Credit's subsidiaries unusually high valuation with unusual terms of the deal that would lead to renaming of Moneta Bank to Air Bank. The criticism was strengthen also because of Moneta Chief Executive Tomas Spurny being historically connected to Home Credit Group majority shareholder PPF Group. In February 2019, Moneta based on feedback from its shareholders revised offer with lower valuation. In October 2019, the Home credit India has tied up with The Karur Vysya Bank Ltd, a commercial bank having its head office at Karur, Tamil Nadu, India for joint lending.  In 2019, the company was preparing IPO in Hong Kong, however it was scrapped after investors estimated the value between 5 and 7.5 billion euros, whereas shareholders were targeting market capitalization of 10 billion euros.

Home Credit China.

Home Credit entered China in 2007 and applied for a pilot consumer finance license in 2010. Home Credit was asked by Chinese officials to help improve relationship between China and the Czech Republic in order to receive full license. Since 2010, Home Credit's parent company PPF helped swing anti-communist international relations sentiment towards strong China ally. In 2014, PPF helped arrange visit of the Czech president Miloš Zeman to China and subsequently helped pay for private plane for the return trip. The company in 2014 also received nation-wide license for consumer finance lending. In 2016, the company CEO Jiří Šmejc claimed to be proud of the impact on the revival of Czech-Chinese relations. Home Credit funded a newly formed think tank, Sinoskop, to counter a longer-established China-watching body, Sinopsis.

Criticism.

In 2019, it was uncovered that Home Credit paid public relations company to influence public in opinion in Czechia about China. Home Credit did hire an agency called C&B Reputation Management, which did marketing for Home Credit. It was also supposed to improve the Czech view of the Chinese communist regime.

Suspension of Sprint and Visa card services.

On March 16, 2020, an email was sent out to Home Credit US cardholders stating that they are shutting down the Sprint and Visa Home Credit card program. "The difficult decision was made to shut down the Sprint® Credit Card, Sprint® Signature Credit Card, and Home Credit Visa® Card portfolios. As of 12:00am CT on March 17, 2020, all Purchases and Cash Advances on all Accounts will be suspended. In the near future, all Accounts will be closed..."

Home Credit B.V. is an international non-bank financial institution founded in 1997 in the Czech Republic and headquartered in Netherlands. The company operates in 10 countries and focuses on lending primarily to people with little or no credit history. As of 2016 the company has served already over 111 million active customers. Major shareholder of company is PPF, a privately held international financial and investment group owned by Petr Kellner, which controls an 88.62% stake.

Home Credit B.V. je mezinárodní holdingová společnost, nebankovní instituce sídlící v Nizozemsku, která byla založena v roce 1997 v Česku. Funguje v deseti zemích světa a zaměřuje se na lidi, kteří nemají žádnou úvěrovou historii. V roce 2016 firma měla 111 milionů zákazníků. Hlavním akcionářem společnosti je s 88,6 % podílem PPF, soukromá mezinárodní finanční a investiční skupina vlastněná českým podnikatelem Petrem Kellnerem.