Background.

In June 2002, Lopez divorced her former back-up dancer Cris Judd to pursue a relationship with Academy Award winning actor and director, Ben Affleck, "Hollywood's Golden Boy". That November, Affleck proposed, resulting in a higher amount of attention towards the couple. The public and media began to refer to them as "Bennifer" and they became a prominent supercouple in the media and popular culture. Bennifer became a popular term, which was eventually entered into urban dictionaries and neologism dictionaries as notable, and the name blend started the trend of other celebrity couples being referred to by the combination of each other's first names.  Speaking of the publicity, Lopez told MTV News: "We try [to keep things private]." "I'm not saying there's not times that we wish [we] could just be going to the movies and come out and there's not a crowd there waiting. You just want to spend your Sunday afternoon not working, but at the same time we both love what we do. If that's something that's part of it, then that's fine. We feel the love and we're very happy about it," she stated. While speaking of the damage that could be caused, Lopez said: "I think [the media can cause damage] if it's not a real thing. I've been in relationships where they were kind of unstable, and so the media messed with it a lot." The overexposure from the media and public interest in their relationship resulted in less admiration for their work and negatively affected their careers.

Writing and recording.

Affleck became Lopez's muse when writing and recording the album. "I wrote a lot of songs inspired, in a way, by what I was going through at the time that this album was being made, and he was definitely a big part of that," she told MTV News. The singer took more of a "hands-on role", co-writing more material than she had on her previous albums. The album was titled "This Is Me... Then", as it was something she wanted to look back on in retrospection. Lopez explained, "Who you are at that time, what kind of music you like, what kind of beats you're into, what kind of state of mind you're in, what you're attracted to... it's all very telling of where you are in your life at that point.... Twenty years from now, if I give this [album] to one of my kids, I'll be like, 'This was me then, at that moment.'" Lopez dedicated the album to Affleck, with the words "You are my life... my sole inspiration for every lyric, every emotion, every bit of feeling on this record" written on the disc jacket.  Lopez wrote lyrics for the album in a small red leather diary, which she described as her "magic book". In it, she often scribbled down her thoughts and ideas. The album's artwork and liner notes were modeled after this book, which would "further the feel of an intimate portrait of Lopez's soul". "I wanted the pictures to look kind of aged, like it was a scrapbook.... All the writing [in it] is all kinds of crazy and upside down and sideways just as it is in my book," Lopez stated. While creating the album, she listened to a vast range of blues and soul music, which she listened to growing up. Artists such as Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross and Michael Jackson among other had a profound influence on the album's sound. According to Lopez, she attempts to "elicit a similar feeling" in her own songwriting from these artists' songs on the album, because they made her "heart sing". Vandross and Wonder's records "just stay with you" according to Lopez, who wanted to make something that was true to her upbringing as well as her current love life.  The majority of "This Is Me... Then" was recorded over two weeks. Lopez was drawn to the "contagious" melodies of Michael Jackson's album "Off the Wall" (1979), which led her to summon the record's mixer and engineer, Bruce Swedien, to work on "This Is Me... Then". Lopez felt that Jackson's "clear and spacious" records made her feel a "certain way". She said, "It has such a beautiful quality on it, and every time I looked at a record [I liked], it would be engineered and mixed by Bruce Swedien. I was like, 'Who is this guy? I want this guy.' So I tracked him down and he was like, 'I want to do something with her. I know exactly what she needs. I'm coming in.' And it made a huge difference." Lopez worked closely with longtime producer Cory Rooney on the album. Discussing the process, Rooney stated, "This is by far the best record that I've ever worked on or done [...] In the beginning of the recording [process] she said it's important that she makes a record that is a few notches above everything else she did. She wanted to show growth musically and vocally." Other producers Lopez worked with primarily were Troy Oliver, Loren Hill and Dan Shea. She had previously collaborated with Oliver and Shea on "J.Lo" (2001).

Composition.

"This Is Me... Then" was considered a departure from Lopez's previous work, with more of an adult-oriented contemporary R&B sound, which included multiple ballads. "The Age" newspaper described "This Is Me... Then" as a "declaration of love" for Ben Affleck. "Boston Globe"s Steve Morse wrote, "[the] love affair has fired up Hollywood and now pop listeners can now share the vibe. This is one hot album, as [Lopez] sings to lovers everywhere with a soulful passion that will quicken pulses and libidos." "Entertainment Weekly" described it as having a Minnie Riperton sound, while "The Guardian" noted the musical influence of Diana Ross and likened its sensuality to Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" (1973). The album evokes 1970s soul music, and blends "streetwise" hip hop with "old-school soul".  The album's opening song, "Still" is built around a sample from Teddy Pendergrass' "Set Me Free", and its lyrics concern an ex-lover. "Entertainment Weekly" observed that it may be about Lopez's ex-boyfriend Sean Combs, with lyrics such as "Do you ever wish we never split?" The song was likened to the music of Deniece Williams. "Loving You" samples Mtume's "Juicy Fruit" and George Benson's "Never Give Up on a Good Thing", while the ballad "I'm Glad" incorporates a part of Schooly D's "P.S.K. What Does It Mean?". The instrumentation of "I'm Glad" consists of a piano, guitar and classical harp runs, which are laced throughout a computer-generated beat. In "I'm Glad", Lopez discusses finding true love, and declares "I think I'm in love/Damn, finally!"  Two versions of the song "The One" are featured on the album. The first version, which is the fourth track on the album, is based around "You Are Everything" by The Stylistics. "Dear Ben", originally titled "Perfect", opens to an "atmosphere of lush strings and sparse percussion", described as a "starry-eyed paean to fiancé Ben Affleck". It contains lyrics which detail the characteristics of Lopez's perfect man, such as "You will always be... To me, my lust, my love, my man, my child, my friend and my king" and "God made you for me". "Dear Ben" was considered a profession of Lopez's love for Affleck to the media, and has been described as the album's "glowing centerpiece". Lopez made the decision to change the song's title to "Dear Ben" the day before "This Is Me... Then" was sent for manufacturing.  "All I Have", a duet with LL Cool J which samples Debra Law's "Very Special", is a breakup song, and has been noted to conjure up her publicized split with Combs. "Jenny from the Block" features lyrics about Lopez remaining humble despite fame and fortune. It samples several songs, including "Hijack" by Enoch Light and KRS-One's "South Bronx". "The Age" wrote that the song intones Lopez's "modest childhood roots, vowing she wishes to remain simple despite her diamonds", while MTV said that she finds "the middle ground between Hollywood A-Lister and Big Apple B-Girl" on the "club-banging" song. In the ballad "Again", Lopez considers finding love again; "I was scared to let go and trust your love," she sings in the second verse. The theme of Lopez's relationship with Affleck is also evident in the vintage-sounding mid-tempo song "Baby I Love U!", which features a guitar and piano instrumentation that includes a "haunting" interpolation from the theme of the film "Midnight Cowboy" (1969). The song, described as "cheesy" and "blissful", has Lopez singing about being a hopeless romantic ("Can you love me for a lifetime/ In just one night?"). The album closes with the second version of "The One". Some slight differences are shown in this version, with the instrumental being different, the vocal effects are different, and a new verse was recorded in place of the original version. The song ends immediately after she sings the line, "I can be anything you need", like in the original, except silence is heard after that line is said.

Singles.

On September 26, 2002, a song entitled "Jenny from the Block" by Lopez featuring Styles P and Jadakiss of The LOX was leaked online. A pop radio station in Hatford, Connecticut, later picked up the song from the internet. "Jenny from the Block" was then immediately distributed to other stations owned by Infinity Broadcasting as the album's lead single. Cory Rooney later revealed in 2016 that it was Sony Music executive Tommy Mottola who leaked the song. Rooney and Lopez initially wanted a song titled "Glad" to be the album's lead single, but Mottola favored "Jenny from the Block". Rooney recalled: "When we played 'Jenny from the Block,' he said, 'This is your single.' So right away we both were like no no no that’s not the single. He told us, 'You guys are crazy. This is the single I don’t give a shit what you say you’re gonna destroy the album if you don’t listen to me.'" According to Rooney, Mottola leaked the single the following day without their knowledge, noting: "He pulled the trigger and all over the world they were playing that record that day." "Jenny from the Block" went on to experience international commercial success, peaking within the top ten in the United States as well as over twelve other countries. An accompanying music video for the song, directed by Francis Lawrence and featuring Affleck, was released. According to "The Spectator", "Before celebrities become stars, they dream about gaining fame, fortune, and being in the spotlight [...] The video is basically about how she cannot find privacy with her fiance Ben Affleck. A lot of glamour is associated with fame and fortune; however, along with that glamour comes the loss of privacy". The music video became one of the most controversial ones in pop culture at the time. Considered "the video that killed Ben Affleck's career", the actor stated, years after his engagement to Lopez ended, that he regretted filming it.  On December 14, 2002; "All I Have" featuring rapper LL Cool J was released as the second single from "This Is Me... Then". Not only did it become the album's second consecutive top-ten single in the United States, "All I Have" became Lopez's fourth song to top the "Billboard" Hot 100. The song also performed well internationally, ranking within the top ten of numerous charts. The song samples the 1981 track "All I Have" by Debra Laws. Laws later filed a lawsuit in 2003 against Lopez, LL Cool J and Sony Music Entertainment for "misappropriating her voice and name" in the song. More than three years later, the district court discovered that Law's music label had given Sony permission to use a 10-second sample of Law's song. The lawsuit was dropped, and Laws was advised to sue her own label and publisher for "breach of contract for entering a license agreement without her authorization". According to Lopez, she initially didn't want "Jenny from the Block" or "All I Have" to be released as singles from the album. She felt that the tracks were too similar to her previous singles such as "Ain't It Funny" and "I'm Real"; she felt like she was "visiting old territory". "Those tracks were like a different era for me, and I didn't want people to perceive it like I'm just trying to capitalize on the same thing. But the record company was like, 'Who cares what they think, those are hits mama!'". Lopez, who stated she "calls the shots", eventually agreed.  On April 8, 2003, "I'm Glad" was released as the album's third single. Unlike its predecessors, "I'm Glad" failed to enter the top ten in the United States, while performing moderately in the international market. Its accompanying music video was a remake of the 1983 film "Flashdance" which was based on Maureen Marder's life, who was a "construction worker by day and dancer by night". The music video, described as a "homage" to the film, impressed the filmmakers and they began talks with Lopez about creating a re-make. However, Paramount Pictures threatened to sue Sony over copyright issues. A representative for Epic Records confirmed that this issue was settled. Marder also filed a lawsuit against Sony and Lopez which was quickly dismissed by the courts. That August, "Baby I Love U" was released as the album's fourth and final single, but failed to gain notable chart recognition.

Promotion.

Upon its initial release, 200,000 copies of "This Is Me... Then" included a four-panel insert that featured information about her fragrance Glow by JLo, and a peel-off fragrance label that allowed those who purchased the CD to test the scent. On September 27, 2002 a spokesperson for Lopez revealed that she planned to take a break from acting to launch a tour in support of "This Is Me... Then" in April 2003. However, in late July 2003, Lopez clarified that these plans had been canceled.

Critical reception.

According to the reviewer aggreatator Metacritic which sampled nine reviews of the album, it garnered mostly "mixed or average" reviews. Writing for "Billboard" magazine, Michael Paoletta gave "This Is Me... Then" a favorable review, stating that "even naysayers will have to serve props to Lopez for the considerable growth she reveals as both a performer and tune-smith". Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album a positive review, calling the feel of it "sexy, stylish, and fun, and there are numerous highlights, all feeling effortless". While Erlewine thought the title was "nonsensical and bewildering", he opined that this was the "strongest, sultriest, best music [Lopez] has recorded". Tom Sinclair of "Entertainment Weekly" stated "the girl has a way with hooks, even if they're often borrowed", and audiences are "seduced by the breezy pleasure of her new music".  Arion Berger of "Rolling Stone", however, was not positive. Berger criticized the songs as being "pitched too high for her register", while calling the production "cheap". Berger also observed that "love has dulled whatever street edge she might have had". Similarly, "The Village Voice"s Jon Caramanica was unfavorable, writing: "This Is Me is like the gift you get from your grandmother—awkward, unwanted, and blindly self-righteous. Used to have a little, and still does." Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani on the other hand gave the album a favorable review stating that ""This Is Me...Then" manages to find the right formula for Lopez's slinky vocal and is more unified than its predecessors". Cinquemani felt that "Lopez will no doubt earn a grain of respect from critics". Yahoo! Music's James Poletti was also positive, stating that while Lopez's voice "frequently sounds a trifle thin accompanied by the sort of sounds that we're better used to hearing behind a Creative Source or Gwen McCrae vocal", the "honeyed backing massages any real concerns from your mind".

Commercial performance.

"This Is Me... Then" was a commercial success, although not as successful as "J.Lo". Released on November 26, 2002, the album debuted on the "Billboard" 200 at number six, with first-week sales of 314,132. This marks the highest opening sales week of Lopez's career. "Rolling Stone" noted that despite this, "unlike her previous releases, the field wasn't empty for this album to dominate". In its second week, it dropped to number seven with 171,000 copies sold. Throughout December, the album remained in the chart's top ten, and was later ranked by the magazine as the twelfth most successful album of 2002. It sold 1.28 million copies within a month of release. For the week ending December 22, 2002, "This Is Me... Then" sold 345,150 copies, moving from number eight to number five as a result of holiday season gains.  For the week of January 2, 2003, the album remained in the top five of the "Billboard" 200, selling 233,000 copies. For the week ending January 18, 2003, "This Is Me... Then" made its biggest jump on the "Billboard" 200, climbing from number six to number two, with sales of 88,000 units, blocked from reaching the top spot by Norah Jones' "Come Away With Me" (2002) which sold 108,000 copies. Throughout February 2003, the album continued to perform strongly, averaging close to 80,000 copies sold each week, while remaining in the top ten. Additionally, the album peaked at number five on "Billboard"s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. By June 2013, "Billboard"s Gary Trust reported that "This Is Me... Then" had sold 2.6 million copies in the United States; her third best-selling album.  Internationally, the album entered the top ten of most countries. In Australia, the album debuted and peaked at number 14 on the ARIA Charts for the week ending December 8, 2002. Commercially, it became one of her lowest-charting albums there. However, "This Is Me... Then" remained on the ARIA Charts until July 6, 2003, allowing it to be certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association for shipments of over 70,000 units. In the United Kingdom, the album peaked at number 13, selling 47,000 copies in its first week. This was eleven positions lower than her previous album, "J.Lo". It was eventually certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry in July 2013, marking shipments of over 600,000 copies. "This Is Me... Then" peaked at number five in Canada, and fell to number eight the following week with sales of 17,900. In total, the album has sold over 200,000 copies in Canada, earning a double platinum status in March 2006. In France, it debuted and peaked at number four for the week ending November 30, 2002. After re-entering the French Albums Chart on multiple occasions, it made its final appearance on August 1, 2004 at number 179. The Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique certified "This Is Me... Then" double gold, with sales exceeding 320,000 copies. The album peaked at number four in Germany and was certified Gold by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for shipments of 150,000 units. In Greece, the album peaked at number one and was certified Gold there for sales of 15,000 copies in 2004. Additionally, it peaked at number 10 in Finland, and has sold 19,998 copies there. "This Is Me... Then" has sold over 6 million copies worldwide.

Track listing.

Notes

Certifications.

!scope="row"|Australia (ARIA)!scope="row"|Austria (IFPI)!scope="row"|Belgium (IFPI)!scope="row"|Canada (CRIA)!scope="row"|Europe (IFPI)!scope="row"|Finland (IFPI)!scope="row"|France (SNEP)!scope="row"|Germany (IFPI)!scope="row"|Greece (IFPI) !scope="row"|Hungary (Mahasz)!scope="row"|Netherlands (NVPI)!scope="row"|New Zealand (RMNZ)!scope="row"|Portugal (AFP)!scope="row"|Spain (PROMUSICAE)!scope="row"|Sweden (IFPI)!scope="row"|Switzerland (IFPI)!scope="row"|United Kingdom (BPI)!scope="row"|United States (RIAA)

This Is Me... Then is the third studio album by American singer Jennifer Lopez. It was released on November 25, 2002, by Epic Records. Prior to its release, Lopez began a high-profile relationship with Ben Affleck and a media circus ensued. Her relationship with Affleck served as her main inspiration for the album, which is dedicated to him. Initially scheduled to be released the following year, "This Is Me... Then"s release date was quickly pushed forward after its lead single, "Jenny from the Block", was purposely leaked by Tommy Mottola, the head of Sony Music Entertainment.

This Is Me...Then je čtvrté album zpěvačky a herečky Jennifer López. Album vyšlo 19. listopadu 2002 a v americké albové hitparádě dosáhlo nejvyššího umístění na čísle dvě. Ve dvacítce nejprodávanějších alb se drželo celých dvanáct týdnů.


Functions of flavonoids in plants.

Flavonoids are widely distributed in plants, fulfilling many functions. Flavonoids are the most important plant pigments for flower coloration, producing yellow or red/blue pigmentation in petals designed to attract pollinator animals. In higher plants, flavonoids are involved in UV filtration, symbiotic nitrogen fixation and floral pigmentation. They may also act as chemical messengers, physiological regulators, and cell cycle inhibitors. Flavonoids secreted by the root of their host plant help "Rhizobia" in the infection stage of their symbiotic relationship with legumes like peas, beans, clover, and soy. Rhizobia living in soil are able to sense the flavonoids and this triggers the secretion of Nod factors, which in turn are recognized by the host plant and can lead to root hair deformation and several cellular responses such as ion fluxes and the formation of a root nodule. In addition, some flavonoids have inhibitory activity against organisms that cause plant diseases, e.g. "Fusarium oxysporum".

Subgroups.

Over 5000 naturally occurring flavonoids have been characterized from various plants. They have been classified according to their chemical structure, and are usually subdivided into the following subgroups (for further reading see):

Anthocyanidins.

Anthocyanidins are the aglycones of anthocyanins; they use the flavylium (2-phenylchromenylium) ion skeleton.

Anthoxanthins.

Anthoxanthins are divided into two groups:

Flavanones.

Flavanones

Flavanonols.

Flavanonols

Flavans.

Include flavan-3-ols (flavanols), flavan-4-ols and flavan-3,4-diols.

Dietary sources.

Flavonoids (specifically flavanoids such as the catechins) are "the most common group of polyphenolic compounds in the human diet and are found ubiquitously in plants". Flavonols, the original bioflavonoids such as quercetin, are also found ubiquitously, but in lesser quantities. The widespread distribution of flavonoids, their variety and their relatively low toxicity compared to other active plant compounds (for instance alkaloids) mean that many animals, including humans, ingest significant quantities in their diet. Foods with a high flavonoid content include parsley, onions, blueberries and other berries, black tea, green tea and oolong tea, bananas, all citrus fruits, "Ginkgo biloba", red wine, sea-buckthorns, buckwheat, and dark chocolate (with a cocoa content of 70% or greater). Further information on dietary sources of flavonoids can be obtained from the US Department of Agriculture flavonoid database.

Parsley.

Parsley, both fresh and dried, contains flavones.

Blueberries.

Blueberries are a dietary source of anthocyanidins.

Black tea.

Black tea is a rich source of dietary flavan-3-ols.

Citrus.

The citrus flavonoids include hesperidin (a glycoside of the flavanone hesperetin), quercitrin, rutin (two glycosides of the flavonol quercetin), and the flavone tangeritin.

Cocoa.

Flavonoids exist naturally in cocoa, but because they can be bitter, they are often removed from chocolate, even dark chocolate. Although flavonoids are present in milk chocolate, milk may interfere with their absorption; however this conclusion has been questioned.

Peanut.

Peanut (red) skin contains significant polyphenol content, including flavonoids.  Unit: mg/100g

Dietary intake.

Food composition data for flavonoids were provided by the USDA database on flavonoids. In the United States NHANES survey, mean flavonoid intake was 190 mg/d in adults, with flavan-3-ols as the main contributor. In the European Union, based on data from EFSA, mean flavonoid intake was 140 mg/d, although there were considerable differences between individual countries.  The main type of flavonoids consumed in the EU and USA were flavan-3-ols, mainly from tea, while intake of other flavonoids was considerably lower.

Research.

Though there is ongoing research into the potential health benefits of individual flavonoids, neither the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) nor the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has approved any health claim for flavonoids or approved any flavonoids as pharmaceutical drugs. Moreover, several companies have been cautioned by the FDA over misleading health claims.. A web resource provides physicochemical properties and comprehensive literature of flavonoids.

"In vitro".

Laboratory studies indicate that flavonoids have effects on isolated cells or cell cultures in vitro, but there is no such evidence from human clinical research.

Antioxidant.

Flavonoids are poorly absorbed in the human body (less than 5%), then are quickly metabolized into smaller fragments with unknown properties, and rapidly excreted. Flavonoids have negligible antioxidant activity in the body, and the increase in antioxidant capacity of blood seen after consumption of flavonoid-rich foods is not caused directly by flavonoids, but is due to production of uric acid resulting from flavonoid depolymerization and excretion.

Inflammation.

Inflammation has been implicated as a possible origin of numerous local and systemic diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular disorders, diabetes mellitus, and celiac disease.  Preliminary studies indicate that flavonoids may affect anti-inflammatory mechanisms via their ability to inhibit reactive oxygen or nitrogen compounds. Flavonoids have also been proposed to inhibit the pro-inflammatory activity of enzymes involved in free radical production, such as cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase or inducible nitric oxide synthase, and to modify intracellular signaling pathways in immune cells, or in brain cells after a stroke.  Procyanidins, a class of flavonoids, have been shown in preliminary research to have anti-inflammatory mechanisms including modulation of the arachidonic acid pathway, inhibition of gene transcription, expression and activity of inflammatory enzymes, as well as secretion of anti-inflammatory mediators.

Cancer.

Clinical studies investigating the relationship between flavonoid consumption and cancer prevention/development are conflicting for most types of cancer, probably because most human studies have weak designs, such as a small sample size. Two apparent exceptions are gastric carcinoma and smoking-related cancers. Dietary flavonoid intake is associated with reduced gastric carcinoma risk in women, and reduced aerodigestive tract cancer risk in smokers.

Cardiovascular diseases.

Among the most intensively studied of general human disorders possibly affected by dietary flavonoids, only preliminary cardiovascular disease research has been investigated:  However, population-based studies have failed to show a strong beneficial effect, which might be due to the considerably lower intake in the habitual diet of those investigated.

Antibacterial.

The plants with flavonoids as their major constituents can inhibit Helicobacter pylori infection and use as anti peptic ulcer disease.

Synthesis, detection, quantification, and semi-synthetic alterations.

Color spectrum.

Flavonoid synthesis in plants is induced by light color spectrums at both high and low energy radiations. Low energy radiations are accepted by phytochrome, while high energy radiations are accepted by carotenoids, flavins, cryptochromes in addition to phytochromes. The photomorphogenic process of phytochrome-mediated flavonoid biosynthesis has been observed in "Amaranthus", barley, maize, "Sorghum" and turnip. Red light promotes flavonoid synthesis.

Availability through microorganisms.

Several recent research articles have demonstrated the efficient production of flavonoid molecules from genetically engineered microorganisms.  Four pieces of magnesium filings are added to the ethanolic extract followed by few drops of concentrated hydrochloric acid. A pink or red colour indicates the presence of flavonoid. Colours varying from orange to red indicated flavones, red to crimson indicated flavonoids, crimson to magenta indicated flavonones.  About 5 mg of the compound is dissolved in water, warmed and filtered. 10% aqueous sodium hydroxide is added to 2 ml of this solution. This produces a yellow coloration. A change in color from yellow to colorless on addition of dilute hydrochloric acid is an indication for the presence of flavonoids.  A colorimetric assay based upon the reaction of A-rings with the chromogen p-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde (DMACA) has been developed for flavanoids in beer that can be compared with the vanillin procedure.

Quantification.

Lamaison and Carnet have designed a test for the determination of the total flavonoid content of a sample (AlCI method). After proper mixing of the sample and the reagent, the mixture is incubated for 10 minutes at ambient temperature and the absorbance of the solution is read at 440 nm. Flavonoid content is expressed in mg/g of quercetin.

Semi-synthetic alterations.

Immobilized "Candida antarctica" lipase can be used to catalyze the regioselective acylation of flavonoids.

Flavonoids (or bioflavonoids) (from the Latin word "flavus", meaning yellow, their color in nature) are a class of polyphenolic plant and fungus secondary metabolites.

Flavonoidy, jinak nazývané také bioflavonoidy, či vitamín P, jsou látky náležející mezi rostlinné sekundární metabolity. Jsou známé pro své antioxidační působení. Celkem k flavonoidům patří asi 60 látek, které mají obvykle kladný vliv na lidský organismus, zvláště pak na cévy.


History of the building itself.

Imperial and Weimar Republic eras.

Construction of the building began well after the unification of Germany in 1871. Previously, the parliament had assembled in several other buildings in Leipziger Straße in Berlin but these were generally considered too small. So, in 1872 an architectural contest with 103 participating architects was carried out to erect a new building. After a short survey of possible sites, a parliamentary committee recommended the east side of the Königsplatz (today, Platz der Republik), which was occupied by the palace of a Polish-Prussian aristocrat,.  Work did not start until ten years later, owing to various problems with purchasing the property as well as arguments between Wilhelm I, Otto von Bismarck, and the members of the Reichstag over how the construction should be performed. After lengthy negotiations, the Raczyński Palace was purchased and demolished, making way for the new building.  In 1882, another architectural contest was held, with 200 architects participating. This time, the winner—the Frankfurt architect Paul Wallot—would actually see his Neo-Baroque project executed. The direct model for Wallot's design was Philadelphia's Memorial Hall, the main building of the 1876 Centennial Exhibition. Some of the Reichstag's decorative sculptures, reliefs, and inscriptions were by sculptor Otto Lessing. On 29 June 1884, the foundation stone was finally laid by Wilhelm I, at the east side of the Königsplatz. Before construction was completed by Philipp Holzmann A.G. in 1894, Wilhelm I died (in 1888, the Year of Three Emperors). His eventual successor, Wilhelm II, took a more jaundiced view of parliamentary democracy than his grandfather. The original building was acclaimed for the construction of an original cupola of steel and glass, considered an engineering feat at the time. But its mixture of architectural styles drew widespread criticism.  In 1916 the iconic words "Dem Deutschen Volke" ("To the German People") were placed above the main façade of the building, much to the displeasure of Wilhelm II, who had tried to block the adding of the inscription for its democratic significance. After World War I had ended and Wilhelm had abdicated, during the revolutionary days of 1918, Philipp Scheidemann proclaimed the institution of a republic from one of the balconies of the "Reichstag" building on 9 November. The building continued to be the seat of the parliament of the Weimar Republic (1919–1933), which was still called the "Reichstag". Up to 42 protesters died during the Reichstag Bloodbath of January 13, 1920, when workers tried to protest a law that would restrict their rights, it was the bloodiest demonstration in German history.

Nazi period.

The building caught fire on 27 February 1933, under circumstances still not entirely known. This gave a pretext for the Nazis to suspend most rights provided for by the 1919 Weimar Constitution in the Reichstag Fire Decree, allowing them to arrest Communists and increase police action throughout Germany. The burning of Reichstag had also created fear in the capitalists (US and west European states) of rise of communism in Germany. This furthered their policy of appeasement towards Hitler (who had portrayed himself as anti-Communist).  During the 12 years of Nazi rule, the "Reichstag" building was not used for parliamentary sessions. Instead, the few times that the "Reichstag" convened at all, it did so in the Kroll Opera House, opposite the "Reichstag" building. This applied particularly to the session of 23 March 1933, in which the "Reichstag" surrendered its powers to Adolf Hitler in the Enabling Act, another step in the so-called "Gleichschaltung" ("coordination"). The main meeting hall of the building (which was unusable after the fire) was instead used for propaganda presentations and, during World War II, for military purposes. It was also considered for conversion to a flak tower but was found to be structurally unsuitable.  The building, never fully repaired after the fire, was further damaged by air raids. During the Battle of Berlin in 1945, it became one of the central targets for the Red Army to capture, due to its perceived symbolic significance. Today, visitors to the building can still see Soviet graffiti on smoky walls inside as well as on part of the roof, which was preserved during the reconstructions after reunification.  On 2 May 1945, Yevgeny Khaldei took the photo "Raising a flag over the Reichstag", which symbolized the victory of the USSR over Germany.

Cold War.

When the Cold War emerged, the building was physically within West Berlin lying in the British zone, but only a few metres from the border of East Berlin, which ran around the back of the building and in 1961 was closed by the Berlin Wall. During the Berlin blockade, an enormous number of West Berliners assembled before the building on 9 September 1948, and Mayor Ernst Reuter held a famous speech that ended with ""Ihr Völker der Welt, schaut auf diese Stadt!"" ("You peoples of the world, look upon this city!") After the war, the building was essentially a ruin. In addition, there was no real use for it, since the seat of government of West Germany had been established in Bonn in 1949. Still, in 1956, after some debate, the West German government decided that the "Reichstag" should not be torn down, but be restored instead. However, the cupola of the original building, which had also been heavily damaged in the war, was demolished. Another architectural contest was held, and the winner, Paul Baumgarten, reconstructed the building from 1961 to 1964. He removed all sumptuous heraldic statues, monuments, decorations, and the like that harked back to the mythology of the German past from the inside, and also the largest ones on the outside of the building. In effect, he created a plain building inside the historic Reichstag, retaining only the outer walls stripped of most of their statues and decoration.  The artistic and practical value of his work was the subject of much debate after German reunification. Under the 1971 Four Power Agreement on Berlin, Berlin was formally outside the bounds of either East or West Germany, and so the West German parliament, the "Bundestag", was not allowed to assemble formally in West Berlin. This prohibition was obeyed even though East Germany had declared East Berlin its capital, violating this provision. Until 1990, the building was thus used only for occasional representative meetings, and one-off events, such as a free concert given by British rock band Barclay James Harvest on the 30th August 1980. It was also used for a widely lauded permanent exhibition about German history called "Fragen an die deutsche Geschichte" ("Questions to the German history").

Reunification.

The official German reunification ceremony on 3 October 1990, was held at the "Reichstag" building, including Chancellor Helmut Kohl, President Richard von Weizsäcker, former Chancellor Willy Brandt and many others. The event included huge firework displays. One day later, the parliament of the united Germany would assemble in an act of symbolism in the "Reichstag" building.  However, at that time, the role of Berlin had not yet been decided upon. Only after a fierce debate, considered by many as one of the most memorable sessions of parliament, on 20 June 1991, did the "Bundestag" conclude with quite a slim majority in favour of both government and parliament returning to Berlin from Bonn. In 1992, Norman Foster won yet another architectural contest for the reconstruction of the building. His winning concept looked very different from what was later executed. Notably, the original design did not include a cupola.  Before reconstruction began, the Reichstag was wrapped by the Bulgarian-American artist Christo and his wife Jeanne-Claude in 1995, attracting millions of visitors. The project was financed by the artists through the sale of preparatory drawings and collages, as well as early works of the 1950s and 1960s.  During the reconstruction, the building was first almost completely gutted, taking out everything except the outer walls, including all changes made by Baumgarten in the 1960s. Respect for the historic aspects of the building was one of the conditions stipulated to the architects, so traces of historical events were to be retained in a visible state. Among them were graffiti left by Soviet soldiers after the final battle for Berlin in April–May 1945. Written in Cyrillic script, they include such slogans as "Hitler kaputt" and names of individual soldiers. However, graffiti with racist or sexist themes were removed, in agreement with Russian diplomats at the time.  The reconstruction was completed in 1999, with the Bundestag convening there officially for the first time on 19 April of that year. The "Reichstag" is now the second most visited attraction in Germany, not least because of the huge glass dome that was erected on the roof as a gesture to the original 1894 cupola, giving an impressive view over the city, especially at night.

Dome.

The large glass dome at the very top of the Reichstag has a 360-degree view of the surrounding Berlin cityscape. The main hall (debating chamber) of the parliament below can also be seen from inside the dome, and natural light from above radiates down to the parliament floor. A large sun shield tracks the movement of the sun electronically and blocks direct sunlight which would not only cause large solar gain, but dazzle those below. Construction work was finished in 1999 and the seat of parliament was transferred to the "Bundestag" in April of that year. The dome is open to visitors by prior registration.

The Reichstag ( ; officially: "Deutscher Bundestag – Plenarbereich Reichstagsgebäude" ) is a historic edifice in Berlin, Germany, constructed to house the Imperial Diet (German: "Reichstag") of the German Empire. It was opened in 1894 and housed the Diet until 1933, when it was severely damaged after being set on fire. After World War II, the building fell into disuse; the parliament of the German Democratic Republic (the Volkskammer) met in the Palast der Republik in East Berlin, while the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany (the Bundestag) met in the Bundeshaus in Bonn.

Budova Říšského sněmu v Berlíně byla vystavěna jako sídlo Reichstagu, původního parlamentu Německé říše. V současné době se v budově nachází sídlo německého spolkového sněmu a od roku 1994 se zde koná každých pět let Spolkové shromáždění, které volí prezidenta Spolkové republiky Německo. Novorenesanční budova byla postavena v letech 1884–1894 podle projektu architekta Paula Wallota. Budova byla původně otevřena v roce 1894 a sloužila do roku 1933, kdy byla úmyslně zapálena, za což byl obviněn nizozemský komunista Marinem van der Lubbe. Tato událost je známá jako požár Říšského sněmu. Budova byla dále poničena sovětskými vojsky během bitvy o Berlín v roce 1945.


History.

The first practical petrol engine was built in 1876 in Germany by Nicolaus August Otto, although there had been earlier attempts by Étienne Lenoir, Siegfried Marcus, Julius Hock and George Brayton.

Compression ratio.

With both air and fuel in a closed cylinder, compressing the mixture too much poses the danger of auto-ignition — or behaving like a diesel engine. Because of the difference in burn rates between the two different fuels, petrol engines are mechanically designed with different timing than diesels, so to auto-ignite a petrol engine causes the expansion of gas inside the cylinder to reach its greatest point before the cylinder has reached the "top dead center" (T.D.C) position. Spark plugs are typically set statically or at idle at a minimum of 10 degrees or so of crankshaft rotation before the piston reaches T.D.C, but at much higher values at higher engine speeds to allow time for the fuel-air charge to substantially complete combustion before too much expansion has occurred - gas expansion occurring with the piston moving down in the power stroke. Higher octane petrol burns slower, therefore it has a lower propensity to auto-ignite and its rate of expansion is lower. Thus, engines designed to run high-octane fuel exclusively can achieve higher compression ratios.  Most modern automobile petrol engines generally have a compression ratio of 10.0:1 to 13.5:1. Engines with a knock sensor can and usually have C.R higher than 11.1:1 and approaches 14.0:1 (for high octane fuel and usually with direct fuel injection) and engines without a knock sensor generally have C.R of 8.0:1 to 10.5:1.

Speed and efficiency.

Petrol engines run at higher rotation speeds than diesels, partially due to their lighter pistons, connecting rods and crankshaft (a design efficiency made possible by lower compression ratios) and due to petrol burning more quickly than diesel.  Because pistons in petrol engines tend to have much shorter strokes than pistons in diesel engines, typically it takes less time for a piston in a petrol engine to complete its stroke than a piston in a diesel engine. However, the lower compression ratios of petrol engines give petrol engines lower efficiency than diesel engines.  Typically, most petrol engines have approximately 20%(avg.) thermal efficiency, which is nearly half of diesel engines. However some newer engines are reported to be much more efficient (thermal efficiency up to 38%) than previous spark-ignition engines.

Applications.

Current.

Petrol engines have many applications, including:

Historical.

Before the use of diesel engines became widespread, petrol engines were used in buses, lorries (trucks) and a few railway locomotives. Examples:

Design.

Working cycles.

Petrol engines may run on the four-stroke cycle or the two-stroke cycle. For details of working cycles see:

Cylinder arrangement.

Common cylinder arrangements are from 1 to 6 cylinders in-line or from 2 to 12 cylinders in V-formation. Flat engines – like a V design flattened out – are common in small airplanes and motorcycles and were a hallmark of Volkswagen automobiles into the 1990s. Flat 6s are still used in many modern Porsches, as well as Subarus. Many flat engines are air-cooled. Less common, but notable in vehicles designed for high speeds is the W formation, similar to having 2 V engines side by side. Alternatives include rotary and radial engines the latter typically have 7 or 9 cylinders in a single ring, or 10 or 14 cylinders in two rings.

Cooling.

Petrol engines may be air-cooled, with fins (to increase the surface area on the cylinders and cylinder head); or liquid-cooled, by a water jacket and radiator. The coolant was formerly water, but is now usually a mixture of water and either ethylene glycol or propylene glycol. These mixtures have lower freezing points and higher boiling points than pure water and also prevent corrosion, with modern antifreezes also containing lubricants and other additives to protect water pump seals and bearings. The cooling system is usually slightly pressurized to further raise the boiling point of the coolant.

Ignition.

Petrol engines use spark ignition and high voltage current for the spark may be provided by a magneto or an ignition coil. In modern car engines the ignition timing is managed by an electronic Engine Control Unit.

Power measurement.

The most common way of engine rating is what is known as the brake power, measured at the flywheel, and given in metric horsepower or kilowatts (metric), or in horsepower (Imperial/USA). This is the actual mechanical power output of the engine in a usable and complete form. The term "brake" comes from the use of a brake in a dynamometer test to load the engine. For accuracy, it is important to understand what is meant by usable and complete. For example, for a car engine, apart from friction and thermodynamic losses inside the engine, power is absorbed by the, alternator, and radiator fan, thus reducing the power available at the flywheel to move the car along. Power is also absorbed by the power steering pump and air conditioner's compressor (if fitted), but these are not installed during a power output test or calculation. Power output varies slightly according to the energy value of the fuel, the ambient air temperature and humidity, and the altitude. Therefore, there are agreed standards in the USA and Europe on the fuel to use when testing, and engines are rated at (Europe), and (USA) at sea level,. Marine engines, as supplied, usually have no radiator fan, and often no alternator. In such cases the quoted power rating does not allow for losses in the radiator fan and alternator. The SAE in USA, and the ISO in Europe, publish standards on exact procedures, and how to apply corrections for non-standard conditions such as altitude above sea level.  Car testers are most familiar with the chassis dynamometer or "rolling road" installed in many workshops. This measures drive wheel brake horsepower, which is generally less than the brake horsepower measured at the crankshaft or flywheel on an engine dynamometer. A YouTube video shows workshop measurement of a car's power output. The measured power curve in kW is shown at 3:39 in the video.

Petrol engine (British English) or gasoline engine (American English) is an internal combustion engine with spark-ignition, designed to run on petrol (gasoline) and similar volatile fuels.

Zážehový motor je spalovací motor, u něhož je směs paliva a vzduchu ve válci zapálena (zažehnuta) elektrickou jiskrou, kterou obvykle vytvoří zapalovací svíčka. Tím se liší od vznětového motoru, kde dochází k samovznícení vstříknutého paliva samotnou teplotou stlačeného vzduchu.


Construction.

Sand grains will always stick together unless the sand is reasonably fine. While dry sand is loose, wet sand is adherent if the proper amounts of sand and water are used in the mixture. The reason for this is that water forms little "bridges" between the grains of sand when it is damp due to the forces of surface tension.  When the sand dries out or gets wet, the shape of a structure may change, and "landslides" are common. Furthermore, the mixture of fine (mostly sharper) and coarse sand granules is very important to achieve good "sand construction" results. Fine granules that have been rounded by the natural influences of seas, rivers or fluvials, in turn negatively influence the bonding between the individual granules as they more easily slide past each other. Research is thus necessary to find the most suitable sand to achieve an optimal, landslide-free construction.  Shovels and buckets are the main construction tools used in creating sand castles and sand sculptures, although some people use only their hands. A simple sand castle can be made by filling a bucket with damp sand, placing it upside-down on the beach, and removing the bucket. For larger constructions, water from the sea to mix with the sand can be brought to the building site with a bucket or other container. Sometimes other materials, such as pieces of wood and plastic are constructed to hold piles of sand in place and in specific shapes—these are called forms.  Sand sculpting as an art form has become very popular in recent years, especially in coastal beach areas. Hundreds of annual competitions are held all over the world. Techniques can be quite sophisticated, and record-breaking achievements have been noted in the "Guinness World Records". Sometimes, contests are staged as advertising or promotional events. Most sand sculptors come from other disciplines but there are a few that earn their living solely from sand related activities.

Drip castles.

A variant on the sandcastle is the "drip castle", made by mixing the sand with water and dripping it from a fist held above. Some call the technique "dribbling". When the slurry of sand and water lands on existing sand structures, the effect is Gaudi-esque.

Festivals and competitions.

From 1989 until 2009, a World Championship in Sand Sculpture was held in Harrison Hot Springs in Harrison, British Columbia, Canada, also known as "Harrisand". The competition had solo, double and team categories. The world championship was held in Ft. Myers, Florida, and other venues for a limited time. Other countries hold their own versions of the world championships as it is not possible to get all the people who may qualify in the same place at the same time due to the expense and logistics.  The world's tallest sand castle was built on Myrtle Beach in South Carolina by Team Sandtastic as part of the 2007 Sun Fun Festival. The structure was 49.55 feet (15.1 m) high. It took 10 days to construct and used 300 truckloads of sand. This record was broken in 2019 when a 58-feet tall sand castle was unveiled at Rügen in Germany. The tallest-ever sand castle was built by a group of international artists and was constructed with 11,000 tons of sand.  The world's record for the most simultaneous sand angels made at one time was done in Ludington, Michigan, on June 10, 2017. It was performed by 1,387 sand angel people at the same time. This is almost four times the previous record of 352 made in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on June 6, 2015. The duration they lasted making sand angels was for 30 seconds—twice as long as the 15 seconds at Pembrokeshire.  Since 2003, Bettystown beach, Meath in Ireland has been home to the Irish annual National Sandcastle and Sand Sculpturing competition.

Fight against the tide.

A popular game is building a heap of sand, as high as possible, to withstand the upcoming tide.

Other sand games.

One of the main attractions of a sandy beach, especially for children, is playing with the sand, as it presents more possibilities than an ordinary sandbox.  One can make a mountain, a pit (encountering clay or the water table), canals, tunnels, bridges, a sculpture (representing a person, animal, etc., like a statue, or a scale model of a building), and many other things.  Tunnels large enough to enter are extremely hazardous; children and adults die every year when such underground chambers collapsed under weight and instability of sand, or due to the tide coming up or the structure being hit by a wave. Sometimes, a dam can be built to hold back the water, tidal forts, which are incredibly large sandcastles with thick walls to protect the keep from the sea, can be built, or canals can be dug to contain the water.  Burying someone up to his or her neck in sand, or burying oneself, is another popular beach activity.  A sand glass is a display in which there are multiple colors of sand in water between two sheets of glass. Unlike sand paintings, a sand glass is meant to be turned; the sand, traditionally in black and a light color, moves into new shapes with each turn. The term "sand glass" is a translation of the Portuguese phrase "quadro de areia", literally "sand frame" or "sand picture". Unlike sand paintings, which are a traditional craft, these are found around the world in many colors and sizes.

Sand art is the practice of modelling sand into an artistic form, such as a sand brushing, sand sculpture, sandpainting, or sand bottles. A sandcastle is a type of sand sculpture resembling a miniature building, often a castle.

Hrad z písku je miniatura hradu vyrobená z písku, kterou zejména děti staví pro zábavu na pískovišti nebo na pláži, často pomocí vody a nástrojů jako jsou kyblíky, náklaďáčky nebo lopatky. Nejvyšší hrad z písku měřil 9,6 metru.


Life.

Early years and family.

Born in 1541, in either the village of Fodele or Candia (the Venetian name of Chandax, present day Heraklion) on Crete, El Greco was descended from a prosperous urban family, which had probably been driven out of Chania to Candia after an uprising against the Catholic Venetians between 1526 and 1528. El Greco's father, Geórgios Theotokópoulos (d. 1556), was a merchant and tax collector. Nothing is known about his mother or his first wife, also Greek. El Greco's older brother, Manoússos Theotokópoulos (1531 –

Italy.

It was natural for the young El Greco to pursue his career in Venice, Crete having been a possession of the Republic of Venice since 1211. Though the exact year is not clear, most scholars agree that El Greco went to Venice around 1567. Knowledge of El Greco's years in Italy is limited. He lived in Venice until 1570 and, according to a letter written by his much older friend, the greatest miniaturist of the age, Giulio Clovio, was a "disciple" of Titian, who was by then in his eighties but still vigorous. This may mean he worked in Titian's large studio, or not. Clovio characterized El Greco as "a rare talent in painting".  In 1570, El Greco moved

Spain.

Move to Toledo.

In 1577, El Greco migrated to Madrid, then to Toledo, where he produced his mature works. At the time, Toledo was the religious capital of Spain and a populous city with "an illustrious past, a prosperous present and an uncertain future". In Rome, El Greco had earned the respect of some intellectuals, but was also facing the hostility of certain art critics. During the 1570s the huge monastery-palace of El Escorial was still under construction and Philip II of Spain was experiencing difficulties in finding good artists for the many large paintings required to decorate it. Titian was dead, and Tintoretto, Veronese and Anthonis Mor all refused to come to Spain. Philip had to rely on the lesser talent of Juan Fernández de Navarrete, of whose "gravedad y decoro" ("seriousness and decorum") the king approved. However, Fernández died in 1579; the moment should have been ideal for El Greco.  Through Clovio and Orsini, El Greco met Benito Arias Montano, a Spanish humanist and agent of Philip; Pedro Chacón, a clergyman; and Luis de Castilla, son of Diego de Castilla, the dean of the

Mature works and later years.

Lacking the favor of the king, El Greco was obliged to remain in Toledo, where he had been received in 1577 as a great painter. According to Hortensio Félix Paravicino, a 17th-century Spanish preacher and poet, "Crete gave him life and the painter's craft, Toledo a better homeland, where through Death he began to achieve eternal life." In 1585, he appears to have hired an assistant, Italian painter Francisco Preboste, and to have established a workshop capable of producing altar frames and statues as well as paintings. On 12 March 1586 he obtained the commission for "The Burial of the Count of Orgaz", now his best-known work.  The decade 1597 to 1607 was a period of intense activity for El Greco. During these years he received several major commissions, and his workshop created pictorial and sculptural ensembles for a variety of religious institutions. Among his major commissions of this period were three altars for the Chapel of San José in Toledo (1597–1599); three paintings (1596–1600) for the Colegio de Doña María de Aragon, an Augustinian monastery in Madrid, and the high altar, four lateral altars, and the painting "St. Ildefonso" for the Capilla Mayor of the Hospital de la Caridad (Hospital of Charity) at Illescas (1603–1605). The minutes of the commission of "The Virgin of the Immaculate Conception" (1607–1613), which were composed

Art.

Technique and style.

The primacy of imagination and intuition over the subjective character of creation was a fundamental principle of El Greco's style. El Greco discarded classicist criteria such as measure and proportion. He believed that grace is the supreme quest of art, but the painter achieves grace only if he manages to solve the most complex problems with obvious ease.  El Greco regarded color as the most important and the most ungovernable element of painting, and declared that color had primacy over form. Francisco Pacheco, a painter and theoretician who visited El Greco in 1611, wrote that the painter liked "the colors

Painting materials.

El Greco painted many of his paintings on fine canvas and employed a viscous oil medium. He painted

Suggested Byzantine affinities.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, scholars have debated whether El Greco's style had Byzantine origins. Certain art historians had asserted that El Greco's roots were firmly in the Byzantine tradition, and that his most individual characteristics derive directly from the art of his ancestors, while others had argued that Byzantine art could not be related to El Greco's later work.  The discovery of the "Dormition of the Virgin" on Syros, an authentic and signed work from the painter's Cretan period, and the extensive archival research in the early 1960s, contributed to the rekindling and reassessment of these theories. Although following many conventions of the Byzantine icon, aspects of the style certainly show Venetian influence, and the composition, showing the death of Mary, combines the different doctrines of the Orthodox Dormition of the Virgin and the Catholic Assumption of the Virgin. Significant scholarly works of the second half of the 20th century devoted to El Greco reappraise many of the interpretations of his work, including his supposed Byzantinism. Based on the notes written in El Greco's own hand, on his unique style, and on the fact that El Greco signed his

Architecture and sculpture.

El Greco was highly esteemed as an architect and sculptor during his lifetime. He usually designed complete altar compositions, working as architect and sculptor as well as painter—at, for instance, the Hospital de la Caridad. There he decorated the chapel of the hospital, but the wooden altar and the sculptures he created have in all probability perished. For the master designed the original altar of gilded wood which has been destroyed, but his small sculptured group of the "Miracle of St. Ildefonso" still survives on the lower center of the frame.  His most important architectural achievement was the church and

Legacy.

Posthumous critical reputation.

El Greco was disdained by the immediate generations after his death because his work was opposed in many respects to the principles of the early baroque style which came to the fore near the beginning of the 17th century and soon supplanted the last surviving traits of the 16th-century Mannerism. El Greco was deemed incomprehensible and had no important followers. Only his son and a few unknown painters produced weak copies of his works. Late 17th- and early 18th-century Spanish commentators praised his skill but criticized his antinaturalistic style and his complex iconography. Some of these commentators, such as Antonio Palomino

Influence on other artists.

According to Efi Foundoulaki, "painters and theoreticians from the beginning of the 20th century 'discovered' a new El Greco but in process they also discovered and revealed their own selves". His expressiveness and colors influenced Eugène Delacroix and Édouard Manet. To the Blaue Reiter group in Munich in 1912, El Greco typified that "mystical inner construction" that it was the task of their generation to rediscover. The first painter who appears to have noticed the structural code in the morphology of the mature El Greco was Paul Cézanne, one of the forerunners of Cubism. Comparative morphological analyses of the two painters revealed their common

Debates on attribution.

The exact number of El Greco's works has been a hotly contested issue. In 1937, a highly influential study by art historian Rodolfo Pallucchini had the effect of greatly increasing the number of works accepted to be by El Greco. Pallucchini attributed to El Greco a small triptych in the Galleria Estense at Modena on the basis of a signature on the painting on the back of the central panel on the Modena triptych ("", Created by the hand of Doménikos). There was consensus that the triptych was indeed an early work of El Greco and, therefore, Pallucchini's publication became the yardstick for attributions to the artist. Nevertheless, Wethey denied that the Modena triptych had any connection at all with the artist and, in 1962, produced a reactive catalogue with a greatly reduced corpus of materials. Whereas art historian José Camón Aznar had attributed between 787 and 829 paintings to the Cretan master, Wethey reduced the number to 285 authentic works and Halldor Sœhner, a German researcher of Spanish art, recognized only 137. Wethey and other scholars rejected the notion that Crete took any part in his formation and supported the elimination of a series of works

Notes.

a. Theotokópoulos acquired the name "El Greco" in Italy, where the custom of identifying a man by designating a country or city of origin was a common practice. The curious form of the article ("El") may be from the Venetian dialect or more likely from the Spanish, though in Spanish his name would be "". The Cretan master was generally known in Italy and Spain as "Dominico Greco", and was called only after his death El Greco ().  b. According to a contemporary, El Greco acquired his name, not only for his place of origin, but also for the sublimity of his art: "Out of the great esteem he was held in he was called the Greek (il Greco)" (comment of Giulio Cesare Mancini about El Greco in his "Chronicles", which were written a few years after El Greco's death).  c. There is an ongoing dispute about El Greco's birthplace. Most researchers and scholars give Candia as his birthplace. Nonetheless, according to Achileus A. Kyrou, a prominent Greek journalist of the 20th century, El Greco was born in Fodele and the ruins of his family's house are still extant in the place where old Fodele was (the village later changed location because of pirate raids). Candia's claim to him is based on two documents from a trial in 1606, when the painter was 65. Fodele natives argue that El Greco probably told everyone in Spain he was from Heraklion because it was the closest known city next to tiny Fodele.  d. This document comes from the notarial archives of Candia and was published in 1962. "Menegos" is the Venetian dialect form of, and (=) is a Greek term for painter.  e. The arguments of these Catholic sources are based on the lack of Orthodox archival baptismal records on Crete and on a relaxed interchange between Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic rites during El Greco's youth. Based on the assessment that his art reflects the religious spirit of Roman Catholic Spain, and on a reference in his last will and testament, where he described himself as a "devout Catholic", some scholars assume that El Greco was part of the vibrant Catholic Cretan minority or that he converted from Greek Orthodoxy to Roman Catholicism before leaving the island.  f. According to archival research in the late 1990s, El Greco was still in Candia at the age of twenty-six. It was there where his works, created in the spirit of the post-Byzantine painters of the Cretan School, were greatly esteemed. On 26 December 1566 El Greco sought permission from the Venetian authorities to sell a "panel of the Passion of Christ executed on a gold background" ("un quadro della Passione del Nostro Signor Giesu Christo, dorato") in a lottery. The Byzantine icon by young Doménicos depicting the "Passion of Christ", painted on a gold ground, was appraised and sold on 27 December 1566 in Candia for the agreed price of seventy gold ducats (The panel was valued by two artists; one of them was icon-painter Georgios Klontzas. One valuation was eighty ducats and the other seventy), equal in value to a work by Titian or Tintoretto of that period. Therefore, it seems that El Greco traveled to Venice sometime after 27 December 1566. In one of his last articles, Wethey reassessed his previous estimations and accepted that El Greco left Crete in 1567. According to other archival material—drawings El Greco sent to a Cretan cartographer—he was in Venice by 1568.  g. Mancini reports that El Greco said to the Pope that if the whole work was demolished he himself would do it in a decent manner and with seemliness.  h. Toledo must have been one of the largest cities in Europe during this period. In 1571 the population of the city was 62,000.  i. El Greco signed the contract for the decoration of the high altar of the church of the Hospital of Charity on 18 June 1603. He agreed to finish the work by August of the following year. Although such deadlines were seldom met, it was a point of potential conflict. He also agreed to allow the brotherhood to select the appraisers. The brotherhood took advantage of this act of good faith and did not wish to arrive at a fair settlement. Finally, El Greco assigned his legal representation to Preboste and a friend of him, Francisco Ximénez Montero, and accepted a payment of 2,093 ducats.  j. Doña Jerónima de Las Cuevas appears to have outlived El Greco, and, although the master acknowledged both her and his son, he never married her. That fact has puzzled researchers, because he mentioned her in various documents, including his last testament. Most analysts assume that El Greco had married unhappily in his youth and therefore could not legalize another attachment.  k. The myth of El Greco's madness came in two versions. On the one hand Gautier believed that El Greco went mad from excessive artistic sensitivity. On the other hand, the public and the critics would not possess the ideological criteria of Gautier and would retain the image of El Greco as a "mad painter" and, therefore, his "maddest" paintings were not admired but considered to be historical documents proving his "madness".  l. This theory enjoyed surprising popularity during the early years of the twentieth century and was opposed by the German psychologist David Kuntz. Whether or not El Greco had progressive astigmatism is still open to debate. Stuart Anstis, Professor at the University of California (Department of Psychology), concludes that "even if El Greco were astigmatic, he would have adapted to it, and his figures, whether drawn from memory or life, would have had normal proportions. His elongations were an artistic expression, not a visual symptom." According to Professor of Spanish John Armstrong Crow, "astigmatism could never give quality to a canvas, nor talent to a dunce".

Doménikos Theotokópoulos ( ; 1 October 1541 7 April 1614), most widely known as El Greco ("The Greek"), was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El Greco" was a nickname, a reference to his Greek origin, and the artist normally signed his paintings with his full birth name in Greek letters, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος, "Doménikos Theotokópoulos", often adding the word Κρής "Krēs", Cretan.

Doménikos Theotokópoulos známý jako El Greco (španělsky Řek) (asi 1541 – 7. dubna 1614) byl malíř řeckého původu, známý jako hlavní představitel španělského pozdního manýrismu a počínajícího baroka. Jako významný inovátor byl objeven uměleckou veřejností až koncem 19. století. Jeho dílo bylo jednou z inspirací pro malíře 20. století, zejména Pabla Picassa.


Life.

Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus was probably born about 69 AD, a date deduced from his remarks describing himself as a "young man" twenty years after Nero's death. His place of birth is disputed, but most scholars place it in Hippo Regius, a small north African town in Numidia, in modern-day Algeria. It is certain that Suetonius came from a family of moderate social position, that his father, Suetonius Laetus, was a tribune belonging to the equestrian order ("tribunus angusticlavius") in the Legio XIII Gemina, and that Suetonius was educated when schools of rhetoric flourished in Rome.  Suetonius was a close friend of senator and letter-writer Pliny the Younger. Pliny describes him as "quiet and studious, a man dedicated to writing." Pliny helped him buy a small property and interceded with the Emperor Trajan to grant Suetonius immunities usually granted to a father of three, the "ius trium liberorum", because his marriage was childless. Through Pliny, Suetonius came into favour with Trajan and Hadrian. Suetonius may have served on Pliny’s staff when Pliny was Proconsul of Bithynia and Pontus (northern Asia Minor) between 110 and 112. Under Trajan he served as secretary of studies (precise functions are uncertain) and director of Imperial archives. Under Hadrian, he became the Emperor's secretary. But Hadrian later dismissed Suetonius for the latter's alleged affair with the empress Sabina.

Works.

The Twelve Caesars.

He is mainly remembered as the author of "De Vita Caesarum"—translated as "The Life of the Caesars" although a more common English title is "The Lives of the Twelve Caesars" or simply "The Twelve Caesars"—his only extant work except for the brief biographies and other fragments noted below. "The Twelve Caesars", probably written in Hadrian's time, is a collective biography of the Roman Empire's first leaders, Julius Caesar (the first few chapters are missing), Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian, Titus and Domitian. The book was dedicated to his friend Gaius Septicius Clarus, a prefect of the Praetorian Guard in 119. The work tells the tale of each Caesar's life according to a set formula: the descriptions of appearance, omens, family history, quotes, and then a history are given in a consistent order for each Caesar. He recorded the earliest accounts of Julius Caesar's epileptic seizures.  The two last works were written in Greek. They apparently survive in part in the form of extracts in later Greek glossaries.

Other works.

Lost works.

The below listed lost works of Suetonius are from the foreword written by Robert Graves in his translation of the "Twelve Caesars."  The introduction to Loeb edition of Suetonius, translated by J. C. Rolfe, with an introduction by K. R. Bradley, references the "Suda" with the following titles:  The volume then goes on to add other titles not testified within the Suda.  Two other titles may also be collections of some of the aforelisted:

Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (), commonly known as Suetonius (; c. 69 – after 122 AD), was a Roman historian who wrote during the early Imperial era of the Roman Empire.

Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (okolo 75 Hippo Regius, Alžírsko – 130 – 140) byl římský polyhistor. Působil jako obhájce a učitel gramatiky. V letech 119 – 121 byl císařským tajemníkem, ale pro příliš blízký vztah s císařovnou upadl v nemilost a musel se vzdálit od dvora.


Background.

Two songs originally on the album, "Trace of Gold" and "Today for Me", written by Stephanie Saraco, were replaced just before the album release by "Anytime" and "A Moment Like This". Early released versions of the CD still show the original tracks on players that read the data from the CD itself (such as Windows Media Player). The two songs have yet to be heard by the general public. Copies of "Thankful" sold during its first year of release contained a computer program that could be loaded, and used with the internet for artist updates and music videos. The program ceased to function when her official RCA website was launched. "Thankful" included three cover tracks, "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" originally by Aretha Franklin, "Some Kind of Miracle" originally sung by Puff Johnson and "Just Missed the Train" by Trine Rein. "Just Missed the Train" was previously covered by Danielle Brisebois and Carly Smithson (then Carly Hennessy), who worked on much of her album with Brisebois.

Critical reception.

Critical response for "Thankful" was generally positive. On Metacritic, a website that compiles various reviews, the album received a score of 62, indicating generally favorable reviews. "Entertainment Weekly" noted that "Clarkson glides through octaves with the masterful control of someone who's been doing this for decades". "Rolling Stone" gave the album three out of five stars, praising Clarkson's talent and vocal abilities, while criticizing the album for feeling manufactured. They note that "[her] high notes are sweet and pillowy, her growl is bone-shaking and sexy, and her midrange is amazingly confident for a pop posy whose career is tied for eternity to the whims of her American Idol overlords".  On the other hand, "Q" gave the album a very negative review, stating that the album "has her trilling like Mariah Carey on fluffy R&B tunes."

Commercial performance.

Release of the album was preceded by the single "Miss Independent", which became a top 10 "Billboard" Hot 100 hit and a number one top 40 smash. In thanks to the success of the single, as well as buzz from her "American Idol" win (Clarkson also appeared several times on the show's second season to promote "Thankful"), the album sold well in the United States. It managed to debut at number one on the "Billboard" 200 with 297,000 copies sold. The album sold over 1 million copies in six weeks. According to Nielsen SoundScan, "Thankful" has sold 2,800,000 copies to date in the US. Further single releases "Low" and "The Trouble with Love Is" did not replicate the success of the first single. "Just Missed the Train" and "You Thought Wrong" had been planned for possible single releases, but after the underperformance of "Low" and "The Trouble with Love Is", they were canceled.

Personnel.

Adapted from AllMusic.

Thankful is the debut studio album by American singer Kelly Clarkson, released in the United States by RCA Records on April 15, 2003. "Miss Independent" was its first single, followed by "Low" and "The Trouble with Love Is". Initially, the album had been scheduled to be released in November 2002, however, Clarkson's demanding schedule and difficulty finding tracks that suited her taste and image forced the album to be delayed several times. By the time the album was released, over six months had elapsed since "A Moment Like This" had reached number one.

Thankful je debutové album americké zpěvačky Kelly Clarkson. Album vyšlo pár měsíců po jejím vítězství v pěvecké soutěži American Idol. Deska vyšla 15. dubna 2003. Clarkson za desku získala svou první nominaci na cenu Grammy.


Types.

Many variations of clearcutting exist; the most common professional practices are:  Clearcutting contrasts with selective cutting, such as high grading, in which only commercially valuable trees are harvested, leaving all others. This practice can reduce the genetic viability of the forest over time, resulting in poorer or less vigorous offspring in the stand. Clearcutting also differs from a coppicing system, by allowing revegetation by seedlings. Additionally, destructive forms of forest management are commonly referred to as 'clearcutting'.

Clearcutting regeneration, harvesting or system.

Clearcutting can be differentiated into  Confusion between these different uses of the term is common. Furthermore, as indicated above many variations mean technically correct usage may not be descriptive enough to know what is meant on that particular occasion.

Effects on the environment.

Environmental groups criticize clear-cutting as destructive to water, soil, wildlife, and atmosphere, and recommend the use of sustainable alternatives. Clear-cutting has a very big impact on the water cycle. Trees hold water and topsoil. Clear-cutting in forests removes the trees which would otherwise have been transpiring large volumes of water and also physically damages the grasses, mosses, lichens, and ferns populating the understorey. All this bio-mass normally retains water during rainfall. Removal or damage of the biota reduces the local capacity to retain water, which can exacerbate flooding and lead to increased leaching of nutrients from the soil. The maximum nutrient loss occurs around year two, and returns to pre-clearcutting levels by year four.  Clear-cutting also prevents trees from shading riverbanks, which raises the temperature of riverbanks and rivers, contributing to the extinction of some fish and amphibian species. Because the trees no longer hold down the soil, riverbanks increasingly erode as sediment into the water, creating excess nutrients which exacerbate the changes in the river and create problems miles away, in the sea. All of the extra sediment and nutrients that leach into the streams cause the acidity of the stream to increase, which can kill marine life if the increase is great enough. The nutrient content of the soil was found to return to five percent of pre-clearcutting levels after 64 years, which demonstrates how clearcutting affects the environment for many years.  Clearcutting can destroy an area's ecological integrity in a number of ways, including: the destruction of buffer zones which reduce the severity of flooding by absorbing and holding water; the immediate removal of forest canopy, which destroys the habitat for many rainforest-dependent insects and bacteria; the removal of forest carbon sinks, leading to global warming through the increased human-induced and natural carbon dioxide build-up in the atmosphere; the elimination of fish and wildlife species due to soil erosion and habitat loss; the removal of underground worms, fungi and bacteria that condition soil and protect plants growing in it from disease; the loss of small-scale economic opportunities, such as fruit-picking, sap extraction, and rubber tapping; and the destruction of aesthetic values and recreational opportunities.

Negative impacts.

Clearcutting can have major negative impacts, both for humans and local flora and fauna. A study from the University of Oregon found that in certain zones, areas that were clear cut had nearly three times the amount of erosion due to slides. When the roads required by the clearcutting were factored in, the increase in slide activity appeared to be about 5 times greater compared to nearby forested areas. The roads built for clearcutting interrupt normal surface drainage because the roads are not as permeable as the normal ground cover. The roads also change subsurface water movement due to the redistribution of soil and rock. Clearcutting may lead to increased stream flow during storms, loss of habitat and species diversity, opportunities for invasive and weedy species, and negative impacts on scenery, as well as a decrease in property values; diminished recreation, hunting, and fishing opportunities. Clearcutting decreases the occurrence of natural disturbances like forest fires and natural uprooting. Over time, this can deplete the local seed bank. An example of what clearcutting did in Ontario before 1900 can be found in Edmund Zavitz.  In temperate and boreal climates, clearcutting can have an effect on the depth of snow, which is usually greater in a clearcut area than in the forest, due to a lack of interception and evapotranspiration. This results in less soil frost, which in combination with higher levels of direct sunlight results in snowmelt occurring earlier in the spring and earlier peak runoff.  The world's rain forests could completely vanish in a hundred years at the current rate of deforestation. Between June 2000 and June 2008 more than 150 000 square kilometers of rain forest were cleared in the Brazilian Amazon. Huge areas of forest have already been lost. For example, only eight to fourteen percent of the Atlantic Forest in South America now remains. While deforestation rates have slowed since 2004, forest loss is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. Farmers slash and burn large parcels of forest every year to create grazing and crop lands, but the forest's nutrient-poor soil often renders the land ill-suited for agriculture, and within a year or two, the farmers move on.

Positive perspectives.

Clearcutting can be practiced to encourage the growth and proliferation of tree species that require high light intensity. Generally, a harvest area wider than double the height of the adjacent trees will no longer be subject to the moderating influence of the woodland on the microclimate. The width of the harvest area can thus determine which species will come to dominate. Those with high tolerance to extremes in temperature, soil moisture, and resistance to browsing may be established, in particular secondary successional pioneer species.  Clearcutting can be used by foresters as a method of mimicking a natural disturbance and increasing primary successional species, such as poplar (aspen), willow and black cherry in North America. Clearcutting has also proved to be effective in creating animal habitat and browsing areas, which otherwise would not exist without natural stand-replacing disturbances such as wildfires, large scale windthrow, or avalanches.  Clearcuts are used to help regenerate species that cannot compete in mature forests. A number of them are aspen, jack pine and, in areas with poor soils, oaks—are important species for both game and nongame wildlife species. Clearcutting can also lead to increased vascular-plant diversity in the area. This is most pronounced after a couple years of clearcutting and in herb-rich forests where scarification took place.  No significant changes in water temperature were observed when patch clearcutting was done 100 feet away from a river. This suggests that patch clearcutting is a possible solution to concerns about changes in water temperature due to clearcutting. The effects of clearcutting on soil nutrient content were not examined in this study.  More recently, forest managers have found that clearcutting oak stands helps regenerate oak forests in areas of poor soil. The tree canopies in oak forests often shade out the ground, making it impossible for newly sprouted oaks to grow. When the mature trees are removed, the saplings stand a chance of recruiting into the forest.

Effects on wildlife.

Clearcutting's main destruction is towards habitats, where it makes the habitats more vulnerable in the future to damage by insects, diseases, acid rain, and wind. Removal of all trees from an area destroys the physical habitats of many species in wildlife. Also clearcutting can contribute to problems for ecosystems that depend on forests, like the streams and rivers which run through them.  In Canada, the black-tailed deer population is at further risk after clearcutting. The deer are a food source for wolves and cougars, as well as First Nations and other hunters. While deer may not be at risk in cities and rural countryside, where they can be seen running through neighbourhoods and feeding on farms, in higher altitude areas they require forest shelter.

Effects on Environmental Injustice.

Clearcutting, which often leads to deforestation, negatively affects the health of people, but deforestation also creates issues of Environmental Justice. This issue has been present for many years, dating back to influential figures Gifford Pinchot and Robert Marshall in the early 1900s. While Gifford proposed that natural resources should serve the people, decisions to do so were monopolistic and served only the wealthy. Pinchot argued all Americans should benefit from the management of natural resources. Since then, society has faced decisions made by community leaders that have negatively affected people and the environment  Recently in the forestry industry, a new form of land management has been implemented. Known as Outcome Based Forestry, (OBF) is a form of logging different from original regulations of logging harvesting. This newer program allows for a wide range of harvesting as long as the removed trees do not exceed the amount of tree growth. Since implemented, this program has led to a method of large-scale clearcutting and monoculture tree planting to meet economic demands. This program brings about some concern because along with clearcutting degrading the land, the effects of such degrading management practices effect the human laborers and livelihoods of people who are not even associated with the logging.  The state of Maine's forest practices can be used to better understand terms associated with Environmental Justice.Dominant culture is the majority beliefs, values, and worldview of a particular group of people that has formed the bedrock of all decisions. Components of dominant culture are based on a capitalistic ideology with technological progress, a sense of individualism, patriarchy, and abled bodies. In Maine, the forest industry is dependent on the timber market. Depending on what materials are in highest demand, only certain tree species and volume of wood are needed. The lumber markets are highly variable and can force loggers from having a stable work schedule and income. Especially with the winter of 2019/2020 being short due to a warm weather, many loggers have not been able to be independent they literally cannot make ends meet due a lack of income. It was like a breath of fresh air for loggers when L.D. 1698 in Maine was created; proposing a tax credit for renewable fuels and chemicals manufacturing through the use of responsibly harvested wood from Maine, and give a tax break to managers to ensure responsible harvesting. The bill was shortly afterward recalled; removing the proposed tax break to loggers and giving manufacturers a tax break instead. L.D. 1698 is an environmental justice issue of hierarchal dualism, where the manufacturers who are already successful get the privilege of the tax reduction, whereas the small self-employed logging businesses who have families to provide for get no privilege, but oppression in having to pay the tax instead.  To the loggers and other workers who have no control over these laws, there are discrimination patterns. The loggers who work on the front lines of the forestry industry are often identified as uneducated and lazy, but this perspective does not take into consideration intersectionality and the Black Feminist Theory. Intersectionality is the interconnected nature of social categorizations. Loggers hold multiple identities: a parent, child, mechanic, accountant, forester, and ecologist. Understanding that within the Black Feminist Theory there is intersectionality among individuals can change the way decisions like L.D. 1698 are made in the future. It is most likely that loggers have an understanding and skills from the long histories of interaction with the land that most others do not have – known as indigenous epistemology. Using their invaluable knowledge could also help better decision making.  Further, Maine's forests provide necessary resources to humans for survival and quality of life, but the forests also need to be taken care of appropriately in order to support humans. Anthropocentrism is the way many people see the environment – that humankind is the central element of existence, and the environment is in existence solely to help humans survive. Since Outcome Based Logging has been established in Maine, research done by the University of Maine's Sustainability Solutions Initiative has found data showing that the 8 million acres of certified forest land in Maine (primarily Northern Maine), is being overharvested. This leads to reduced long-term stability of timber harvests, not to mention the effects to watersheds through erosion and pollution.  For Lake Erie in North America, the problem of exploitation from dumping waste into the waters from factories and pollution from boats has been solved in an uncommon way. Lake Erie has been granted legal rights just like humans are reserved to. If this same bill was created for Maine's woodlands, the environmental degradation and environmental justice that both the land and people face could be reduced, and quality of life could increase. This is just one example how recognizing Environmental Justice land can used to better people and the environment.

Clearcutting, clearfelling or clearcut logging is a forestry/logging practice in which most or all trees in an area are uniformly cut down. Along with shelterwood and seed tree harvests, it is used by foresters to create certain types of forest ecosystems and to promote select species that require an abundance of sunlight or grow in large, even-age stands. Logging companies and forest-worker unions in some countries support the practice for scientific, safety and economic reasons, while detractors consider it a form of deforestation that destroys natural habitats and contributes to climate change.

Mýcení je kácení lesa (pilou sekyrou, motorovou pilou, moderními stroji např. harvestery) za účelem odlesňování. V novějším pojetí se tak nazývá též lesní těžba.


History.

"Thrasher" was founded in 1981 by Fausto Vitello and Eric Swenson, primarily as a way to promote Independent Truck Company, their skateboard truck company. The magazine's first editor was Kevin Thatcher. In 1993, Jake Phelps was named editor of the magazine. In 1999, the magazine sponsored a PlayStation game called "Thrasher Presents Skate and Destroy". Vitello's son, Tony, took over as owner of the magazine after his father died of a heart attack in 2006 and Swenson committed suicide in 2011. On March 14, 2019 long time editor Jake Phelps died.

Website.

The magazine's website features regularly updated episodes of segments and hosts a forum in which registered users can engage in online discussion.

Skater of the Year.

The title of "Skater of the Year" is awarded annually by "Thrasher" magazine. The tradition was started in 1990, and the accolade remains one of the most respected awards in global skateboarding culture. The title is bestowed to one skater annually and announced by Thrasher's editor. Chris Cole and Danny Way are the only double recipients. Milton Martinez was nominated for and won Skater of the Year for 2019.

Partial Videography.

"Thrasher" also released a periodic "King of the Road" video most years between 2003 and 2019.

King of the Road.

In 2003, "Thrasher" started the King of the Road (KOTR) skateboarding competition. In the KOTR contest, a group of pre-invited teams of professional skaters are each given a booklet containing a series of challenges. Points are awarded at the completion of each challenge. The teams compete at the same time over a two-week period, in which they travel across the U.S. to complete as many challenges as possible.  KOTR has been held annually since its inception, with the exceptions of 2008 and 2009. In 2011, "Thrasher" and Converse hosted the competition in China, with the participation of the four biggest Chinese skateboard deck companies.

Skate Rock.

"Thrasher" released a music compilation series titled "Skate Rock" under the High Speed Productions label. The first release was in 1983, with "Volume One", and continued until "Volume Eight" in 1990. The series focused primarily on punk rock and thrash bands, and most of the bands were made up of skateboarders, including well known professionals and community stars such as Steve Caballero, Tony Alva, Bob Denike, Brian Brannon, Mofo, Pushead, Chuck Treece, and Klaus Grabke.  Of the seven volumes of Skate Rock, all volumes were produced as a cassette available through "Thrasher Magazine". Some volumes were also available as vinyl records.

"Volume 1".

Label: High Speed Productions
 Released: 1983
 Format: Cassette
 Genre: Rock
 Style: Punk

Volume Two: Blazing Wheels And Barking Trucks.

Label: High Speed Productions
 Released: 1984
 Format: LP
 Genre: Rock
 Style: Punk

Volume Three: Wild Riders Of Boards.

Label: High Speed Productions
 Released: 1985
 Format: Cassette/LP
 Genre: Rock
 Style: Punk, Thrasher, Hardcore

Volume Four: Smash.

Label: High Speed Productions
 Released: 1986
 Format: Cassette/LP
 Genre: Rock
 Style: Punk, Thrash

Volume Five: Born to Skate.

Label: High Speed Productions
 Released: 1987
 Format: Cassette, Compilation
 Genre: Rock
 Style: Punk, Thrash, Hardcore

Volume Six: Road Rash.

Label: High Speed Productions
 Released: 1988
 Format: Cassette, Compilation
 Genre: Rock
 Style: Punk, Hardcore

Volume Seven: Noise Forest.

Label: High Speed Productions
 Released: 1989
 Format: Cassette, Compilation
 Genre: Rock
 Style: Punk, Hardcore

Volume Eight: Pierced Ears.

Label: High Speed Productions
 Released: 1990
 Format: Cassette, Compilation
 Genre: Rock
 Style: Punk

Thrasher is a skateboarding magazine founded in January 1981 by Eric Swenson, and Fausto Vitello, and published by High Speed Productions, Inc. of San Francisco, US. The publication consists primarily of skateboard and music-related articles, photography, interviews and skatepark reviews. The magazine also maintains a website, which includes segments with names such as "Firing Line" and "Hall of Meat", an online store, a video collection, a radio show, and a forum for registered users. The company also owns and operates the Double Rock indoor skateboarding facility, and the San Francisco skateshop, 66 6th.

Thrasher - Skater Of The Year (S.O.T.Y.) je anketa, kterou pořádá americký časopis Thrasher a ve které je vybírán nejlepší skateboardista roku.


Early life.

Ofarim ist the first child of Israeli musician Abi Ofarim (1937–2018), whose career – both solo and with first wife Esther Ofarim – dates back several decades, and his third wife Sandra. He has a younger brother, Tal, a musician, who was born in 1984. Gil speaks German, Hebrew, and English. He sings in English and German.

Music career.

Ofarim's showbiz career took off in May 1997 when he was spotted in a Munich underground station by a talent scout for "Bravo" magazine and was asked to do a pictorial story spread. The article generated thousands of letters from fans and he landed a recording contract with BMG. His first single "Round 'N' Round (It Goes)" was released in November 1997 and became a top 40 hit in Germany. Ofarim' debut album "Here I Am" was released to international success in May 1998.

2003–2007: "On My Own".

After several other successful singles, Ofarim became increasingly disenchanted with being a teen idol. His 2003 album "On My Own", released on Neotone Records, showcased his move in a different musical direction, taking his work further into the pop rock and adult contemporary genres. While the album failed to chart, it produced the single "The Reason" and led to a stint as Bon Jovi's opening act on the German leg of their Bounce Tour. In 2004, Ofarim ventured into acting when he co-starred in the ProSieben coming-of-age film "Endlich Sex!" alongside Jasmin Schwiers. In it, he played musician Christoph, the love interest of lead role Saskia. The film was broadcast to moderate ratings but was largely panned by critics. Ofarim performed several songs in "Endlich Sex!", including "In Your Eyes" which was released by Neotone as a single in March 2004.  Starting in 2005, Ofarim became the lead singer of the rock band Zoo Army, also consisting of his broter Tal, Roland Söns and Dominik Scholz. They released their first single "I'm Alive" and their debut album "507" in the first half of 2006. The same year, he had a supporting role in the RTL two-part television drama film "Sturmflut", a fictionalized ensemble story depicting the events surrounding the North Sea flood of 1962. Starring a roster of bankable television actors such as Jan Josef Liefers and Götz George, the film earned largely favorable reviews and strong ratings. Also in 2016, Ofarim played the lead role in the American b movie "Strip Mind", which opened in Germany on 3 January 2007. The psychological thriller was largely panned by critics who criticized its casting, pacing and the "horrible" synchronization. The following year, Disney consulted him to record "So nah," the German version of Jon McLaughlin's "So Close" from the musical fantasy film "Enchanted" (2007) as well as "Mehr als du seh’n kannst," a re-written version of Rufus Wainwright's "Another Believer," for the computer-animated science fiction comedy film "Meet the Robinsons" (2007).

2008–present: Band career and "Alles auf Hoffnung".

In 2008, Ofarim had a guest role in an episode of the children's television series "Ein Fall für B.A.R.Z.". The same year, he formed another rock band, Acht, along with Oswin Ottl, Petros Kontos, and Andy Lind. Their debut album, "Stell dir vor", entirely recorded in German and released in 2010, reflected a new domestic-marketing approach. The quartet supported American singer Alex Band throughout his European concert tour. Also in 2020, Ofarim had appeared as a guest in the ZDF crime television series "Ein starkes Team". In October 2012, Ofarim was a contestant on the second season of "The Voice of Germany". Coached by singer Xavier Naidoo, he was eliminated in the season's quarter final. His live performances of The Goo Goo Dolls's "Iris" (1998) and Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" both entered the German Singles Chart and marked his first chart entries in a decade.  In 2013, Ofarim had a recurring role a Mick in the mystery series "Armans Geheimnis", produced by and broadcast on Das Erste. In 2017, he took part in the German TV series " Let's Dance" and became winner with his dance partner Ekaterina Leonova. On 1 August 2019, he was revealed to be the Grasshopper on The Masked Singer where he was placed as runner-up.

Personal life.

In 2007, a newly identified species of moth from the "Amata" genus and found in Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights was named "Amata gil" after him.  On 15 December 2014 Gil married his longtime girlfriend Verena Brock. On 6 March 2015 the couple welcomed their first child, a son Leonard (Leo) Dean Ofarim. On 30 January 2017 the couple welcomed their second child, a daughter Anouk Marie Ofarim.  The couple separated, giving Gil full custody of the children. However the exact date and year of this is still not exact. Gil Ofarim has kindly asked that all press and media leave him and Verena Brock alone during this difficult time.

Gil Doron Reichstadt Ofarim (born 13 August 1982) is a German singer, songwriter, and actor, also known as the lead singer of the bands Zoo Army and Acht.

Gil Doron Reichstadt Ofarim, narozen 13. srpna 1982 v Mnichově, je německý hudebník. Rodiče: Abi & Sandra Sourozenci: Tal Ofarim [bratr] Nástroje: Kytara, bubny, klávesy Jazyky: angličtina, němčina, hebrejština Jeho vzory: Sting, Metallica, Jimi Hendrix, jeho otec – Abi