History of the excavations and research.

The excavations commenced in 1954, when Joseph Poulík discovered the 2nd church in the curve of the rampart close to the western entrance of the "acropolis". The church was surrounded by a cemetery of about 200 graves, including three burials with swords (nos 90, 265 and 280) and rich grave goods in other burials including spurs, buttons and earrings and elaborately ornamented belt fitting. Excavations of the adjacent ramparts showed that they were built in two phases. To the East another stone building was found, originally thought to be a church, but this interpretation is not now accepted. In 2011 the new Exhibition Pavilion was opened which incorporates the foundations of Church 2.

The 3rd "basilica" church.

In 1957 excavations moved to the 3rd or basilica church. This doubled aisled church with an eastern apse and western atrium and narthex, is by far the largest church to have been found at Mikulčice. It may have served as a cathedral. It was surrounded by a graveyard of about 550 burials, some of which were very rich and included five burials with swords (nos 341, 375, 425, 438, 500 and 580). 580 was a particularly rich burial, placed in the Nave of the church, and is likely to have been a member of the ruling elite. It contained a sword, an axe, a dagger with decorated hilt, a bucket, belt fittings and a golden button. The body had been placed in a coffin made from forged iron panels.

The "palace" building.

In 1958 the excavations moved to the "palace" building, to the west of Church 3. The palace had been built of stone, but the stone had been removed and the rectangular outline was preserved by the robber trenches. The building was 26 m long and 10 m wide, with a hall with a fireplace, at the west end and a smaller chamber at the east end. Some rich burials were found in the area and there was extensive evidence of metalworking including goldsmithing. There was some evidence of settlement that pre-dated the Greater Moravian Empire including a hoard of clay animal figurines. A number of iron styli for writing on wax tablet were discovered, suggesting that the building would have been used for administrative purposes.

The 4th and 11th churches.

Also excavated in 1958 was the 4th church, which was almost rectangular with an apse. It was surrounded by about 100 burials. The graves were more poorly furnished, possibly reflecting Christianisation. In this cemetery there were more female burial than male. Close to this church was the largely destroyed 11th church, associated with a much richer cemetery. This included the burial (no. 821) of a six-year-old child with a cast bronze Avar horse head fitting, pottery vessels, a bucket and a bell.

The 5th church and timber hall.

Excavation of the 5th church followed in 1959, together with a timber hall building with wattle and daub infill panels. The fifth church had a rectangular nave with an almost rectangular chancel. Adjacent to the church, which was next to a roadway leading to a gateway in the rampart, was a metalworking workshop producing high quality goods.

The 6th church and river deposits.

In 1960 excavation moved to an extramural settlement outside the rampart, which had been reached over the river course by a wooded bridge. Extensive remains of wood were recovered including a logboat. Also discovered was a circular stone rotunda church with two semi-circular apses. Also in 1961 the 8th church was excavated, which had a rectangular nave and chancel. The graves of surrounding cemetery were relatively poorly furnished, but in the nave of the church was found a large hoard ironwork, including axes, ploughshares sickles and iron ingots. Also excavated was the bridge leading into the Outer bailey and the surrounding rampart. Finds from river-bed included another longboat, an archery bow, identified as being made from English yew, wicker fish-traps, ladles, spoons, buckets and vats.

"Kostelisko" Island and pre-Great Moravian finds in the outer bailey.

In 1962, the extramural settlement, on a former island, known as "Kostelisko", was excavated. The church was a round structure with four apses or niches set within the thickness of the walls of the rotunda. The church had survived into the 15th century, when it had been fortified during the Hussite wars. The cemetery associated with the church contained about 80 burials of the Great Moravian period, but also early medieval burials. The Moravian burials were very rich and contained a number of warrior burials with iron axes and spurs. In 1963–4 Excavation moved to investigating the interior of the Outer bailey and also church no 10, which was outside the ramparts and over the other side of the former river. In the outer bailey there were numerous wooden dwellings and a number of these building had rich graves cut through their floors. Below this level on the bedrock there was an ashy layer with Avar cast metalwork, suggesting an 8th-century settlement that predated the Great Moravian Empire.

Second and third phases of excavation programme.

From 1964 to 1974 the second phase of excavation explored the outer bailey and oxbow lakes with preserved woodwork and bridges. This was followed by the third phase from 1975 to 1990, which concentrated on area excavation within the ramparts of the "acropolis " which ended previous work. Also between 1984 and 1990 the "Kostelisko" cemetery was excavated to the west of the 9th church. This contained approximately 415 graves which were accompanied by rich grave goods. In 1990 the yearly excavations were suspended. In 1993 a series of limited excavations, mainly to confirm the stratigraphy on the main sites were started. Also the Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences started rescue excavations in the vicinity of Mikulčice. These include the Panské Cemetery, excavated in 1999–2000, when the railway to Prerov was widened. This cemetery revealed 128 burials from the 9th to the 11th centuries.

The stone churches.

The stone used for the building of the church would have been quarried from the White Carpathian Mountains and brought a distance of about 8 kilometres. The churches were rendered on the outside and plastered internally. There is evidence for wall painting, which appears to have been mainly geometric designs in the 4th and 6th churches. The lack of evidence for roofing materials, makes it likely that the roofs were covered with split wooden tiles or shingles.  The churches discovered at Mikulčice belong to the general tradition of Pre-Romanesque church architecture but the design and layout can be seen as being derived from various areas of Europe; from Byzantine architecture, Italian architecture, Germanic and Anglo-Saxon and Celtic of the British Isles. This mixture of styles is not surprising. Initially the bishop of Passau was charged with the Christian mission in mission in the area north of the Danube in the 8th century. In this he was assisted by Hiberno-Scottish Monks. The first Moravian ruler known by name, Mojmir I of Moravia was baptised in 831 by Reginhar, bishop of Passau Mojmir was deposed by Rastislav in 846; as Mojmir was aligned with the Germans and the Catholic Church, Rastislav asked for support from the Byzantine Empire and aligned himself with the Eastern Orthodox Church. This was followed in 863 by the mission of Cyril and Methodius and for the remainder of the century there was a power struggle over the Christianization of Moravia. This is clearly reflected in the church architecture at Mikulčice.

The cemeteries and grave goods.

Over 2,500 inhumation burials, mainly in cemeteries of the Great Moravian period, have now been found at Mikulčice. The largest and richest of these cemeteries were those associated with the Basilica church (no. 3) and the "Kostelisko" site. The detailed study of the chronology and typology of grave goods is yet to be completed. A degree of social stratigraphy can be distinguished in the with the élite warrior burials who are accompanied by their swords and the horse-men who are equipped with gilded bronze spurs and battle axes. Very typical of Great Moravian metalworking is the hollow globular metal buttons or "gombik" that were used, often in pairs, to hold a cloak or garment around the neck, They occur with both male and female burials and were almost certainly made in local workshops.

See also.

Church of St. Margaret of Antioch, Kopčany which lies c 2 km to the east and dates to the 9th century A.D.

Comparable sites to Mikulčice in Moravia.

Modrá Archeopark or Skanzen is a reconstruction of a village of the Great Moravian Empire, drawn from examples of buildings with have been excavated on neighbouring sites in the valley of the Morava. Considerable care has been taken to use original building techniques in the re-constructions. The Archaeopark lies to the south of Modrá village and immediately to the south of the foundations of the Great Moravian church, which was uncovered Jan Nevěřil (1911) and by V Hruby (1935–1936). The church was surrounded by 37 burials, which were studied by J Cibulka in 1958. A replica of the stone church was built close to the original foundations in 1998–2000. The site is very close to the Velehrad monastery, which is associated with Saints Cyril and Methodius and to the west of Uherské Hradiště and Staré Město.  The Archaeopark is partly surrounded by a wooden box framed rampart and the park is entered through a wooden framed gateway. Inside the enclosure there are reconstructions of the Palace (presumably based on that at Miculcice), Houses, and sunken floored buildings, used as workshops. There are stalls and byres for the animal on the site.

The Mikulčice Archaeopark is centred on the site of "Valy" or "Na Valech", which is to the east of Mikulčice and immediately adjacent to the river Morava, which forms the boundary between the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The site of the "Acropolis" would have been a low-lying island in the Morava, which has now been canalised. The "Acropolis", was surrounded by a stone faced rampart, which would have been reached by a wooded bridge from the Outer bailey. The ramparts of the "Acropolis" enclosed an area of about 6 hectares. There are further extramural settlements surrounding the site. Settlement started possibly in the 8th century A. D. and continued until the demise of the Great Moravia Empire into the early part 10th century.)The excavations started 1955 and have progressed, almost continuously, until the present time. The Archaeopark is a branch of the Masaryk Museum in Hodonin and an archaeological research institute of Czech Academy of Science in Brno is also on the site. Mikulčice is currently being considered by Unesco for designation as a World Heritage Site.

Die Burg Morava war eine slawische Anlage bei "Mikulčice-Valy" in Südmähren. Sie ist die größte ihrer Art in Tschechien und wahrscheinlich im gesamten slawischen Siedlungsgebiet des 9. Jahrhunderts. Bis ca. 871 war sie Mittelpunkt des Mährerreiches.


Overview.

The resolution of the SkySat satellite imagery and videos is high enough to observe objects that impact the global economy such as terrain, cars and shipping containers. The satellites can capture video clips lasting up to 90 seconds at 30 frames per second. The high-definition satellite video from SkySat satellites "could help us understand our world better by analyzing movement of goods and people, providing visual data about supply chains, shipping, industrial plant activity, and even humanitarian relief efforts".  The constellation's goal is to be able to provide high-resolution satellite imagery of any place on Earth multiple times a day. When Skybox originally developed the satellites, they planned to "change the nature" of the satellite industry by building satellites with "off-the-shelf" electronics that cost under US$50 million.

History.

By April 2012, Skybox Imaging had raised a total of of private capital from Khosla Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Canaan Partners and Norwest Venture Partners to develop the SkySat constellation.  On 21 November 2013, the first satellite, SkySat-1, was launched on a Dnepr rocket from Dombarovsky Air Base, Russia. Less than a month later, on 11 December 2013, the first images captured by the SkySat-1 satellite, of Perth, Abu Dhabi, and the coast of Somalia, were released. The second satellite, SkySat-2, launched on a Soyuz-2/Fregat rocket from Baikonur, Kazakhstan on 8 July 2014. The company plans to eventually launch a fleet of 24 satellites. and released its first images within 48 hours of launch.  On 10 February 2014, SSL announced that Skybox had awarded it a contract to build 13 more satellites based on a revised "SkySat C" design. The first of these, Skysat-3, also referred to as SkySat-C1, was launched on 22 June 2016 by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C34.  On 10 June 2014, Skybox Imaging announced that it had entered into an agreement to be acquired by Google for. The acquisition was completed on 1 August 2014. Skybox Imaging changed its name to "Terra Bella" on 8 March 2016, to indicate its focus on image analytics. The new name was partially based on the Terra Bella Avenue in Mountain View, California, where the company's headquarters are located. Terra bella is Italian for "beautiful Earth". The name change was also partially due to perceived trademark infringement that came to light in the Google acquisition.  Four more SkySat units were launched on 16 September 2016, by the Vega rocket's seventh flight from Kourou.  In 2017, Google sold Terra Bella and its SkySat satellite constellation to Planet Labs, adding to their existing fleet of around 50 satellites, for an undisclosed price and entered into a multi-year agreement to purchase SkySat imaging data. Planet Labs launched six more SkySat satellites, along with four Dove CubeSats, on a Minotaur-C rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base on 31 October 2017. An additional two SkySat satellites and three Dove CubeSats were launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg on 3 December 2018.

Satellite constellation.

The SkySat satellites are based on the CubeSat concept, using inexpensive automotive grade electronics and fast commercially available processors, but scaled up to approximately the size of a minifridge. The satellites are approximately 80 cm long, compared to approximately 30 cm for a 3U CubeSat, and weigh 220 lbs.  The first two prototype satellites (SkySat-1 and 2) were produced by Skybox Imaging in-house. They did not have a propulsion system.  The other 13 satellites are manufactured by SSL, the optical payloads are built by L3 Technologies, and the satellite thrusters are provided by ECAPS. The 13 SkySat-C satellites are slightly larger and heavier (with mass about 120 kg or 264 lbs) than the prototypes. They have a planned operational life of 6 years.  The SkySat-C satellites were put on a 500 km SSO orbit.  Three of Planet's commercial SkySat (SkySat-16, -17 and -18) Earth-imaging spacecraft launched on top of a stack of 58 SpaceX Starlink-8 satellites on 13 June 2020 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, and three more (SkySat-19, -20 and -21) will hitch a ride on another SpaceX mission in July 2020. Built by Maxar Technologies, each of the SkySat satellites weighs around 110 kg at launch. The SkySats are about the size of a mini-refrigerator, and their optical instruments produce images of Earth with a resolution of 50 cm, according to Planet.

List of satellites.

There have been 18 satellites launched.

SkySat is a constellation of sub-meter resolution Earth observation satellites owned by Planet Labs, providing imagery, high-definition video and analytics services. Planet acquired the satellites with their purchase of Terra Bella (formerly Skybox Imaging), a Mountain View, California-based company founded in 2009 by Dan Berkenstock, Julian Mann, John Fenwick, and Ching-Yu Hu, from Google in 2017.

Terra Bella (bis März 2016 "Skybox Imaging") ist ein amerikanisches Unternehmen, das die Erdbeobachtungssatelliten der SkySat-Reihe betreibt. Terra Bella fertigt hauptsächlich für Google hochauflösende Satellitenaufnahmen an.


History.

Their progenitor, Demid Antufiev, was a free blacksmith from Tula, where their family necropolis is preserved as a museum. His son Nikita Demidov (March 26, 1656November 17, 1725) made his fortune by his skill in the manufacture of weapons, and established an iron foundry for the government. Peter the Great, with whom he was a favorite, ennobled him in 1720. For two centuries, the Demidov plants produced a large portion of Russia's iron and steel. The Palace of Westminster was one of many notable buildings constructed of Demidov metal products.  Nikita's son, Akinfiy Demidov (1678–1745), increased his inherited wealth by the discovery and working of gold, silver and copper mines. He also founded the Siberian town of Barnaul, whose central square still bears his name. He also commissioned the Leaning Tower of Nevyansk. His fortune was inherited by his eldest son Prokofi Demidov, whilst his younger son Nikita Akinfievitch Demidov (1724–1789) became an arts patron.  Akinfiy's nephew, Pavel Grigoryevich Demidov (1738–1821), was a great traveller and benefactor of Russian scientific education who befriended Carl Linnaeus and Pallas. He established the Demidov Lyceum in Yaroslavl, the Demidov chair in Natural history at Moscow University, and founded an annual prize for Russian literature, awarded by the Academy of Sciences. A bronze monument to him was installed in Yaroslavl in 1828.  Pavel's nephew, Nikolay Nikitich Demidov (1774–1828), fought in the Napoleonic War with distinction, raised and commanded a regiment to oppose Napoleon's invasion of Russia, and carried on the accumulation of the family wealth from mining; he contributed liberally to the erection of four bridges in St Petersburg, and to the propagation of scientific culture in Moscow. He was created a Count by the Grand Duke of Tuscany.  Nikolay's son Count Pavel Nikolayevich Demidov (1798–1840) fought as an officer in his father's regiment and received his baptism of fire at the battle of Borodino in 1812. After the war, he entered the Chevalier Guards regiment. He received his discharge in 1831 with the rank of captain when he entered civil service as governor of the province of Kursk. In 1834, he entered service in the Ministry of the Exterior as court Huntsmaster, later State Councillor. Count Pavel Demidov is best known for his philanthropy, primarily for having founded the Demidov Prize. He married the well-known society beauty and maid-of-honour to her majesty the Empress Alexandra Feodorovnya Aurore Stjernvall von Vallen (1808–1903) in 1836. Their son, Pavel Pavlovich Demidov, who became the 2nd Prince of San Donato, was the grandfather of Prince Paul of Yugoslavia.  Nikolay's second son, Anatoly Nikolaievich Demidov, 1st Prince of San Donato (1813–1870), was a well-known traveller and patron of art. In 1840, he acquired the Italian title of Prince of San Donato and married Princess Mathilde, daughter of Jérôme Bonaparte. His Villa Demidoff is a minor landmark of Florence. Anatole's great grand nephew, Prince Paul of Yugoslavia, was regent of Yugoslavia between 1934 and 1941.  The second and last Prince Lopukhin, Paul, was granted the right to pass his title and name to his great-nephew, Nikolai Demidoff, a representative of another branch of this industrialist clan. The revolution impoverished the princes Lopukhin-Demidov, who settled in Finland where they (for a while) owned the manor of Anttolanhovi near Mikkeli. The dowager princess Natalia deceased in Mikkeli in 1957. The princely family (surname rendered as Demidoff) still exist.

Hereditary commanders of the Knights Hospitaller.

In 1798, Nikolay Nikitich Demidov was made a Family Commander of the Russian Grand Priory of the Order of Saint John, by Tsar Paul I. Those favoured by Emperor Paul and his son Alexander had been given beneficed Commanderies, and others were encouraged to use their wealth to create their own Commanderies; it is these which were known as Family or Ancestral Commanderies.  In 1811, a Ukase was enacted which brought this institution to an end. However, by personal grant of the Emperor, the title of "Hereditary Commander" was held by some descendants who qualified.  In 1928, a group of descendants of the original Family Commanders formed an Association. By 1958, the group was chaired by Grand Duke Vladimir (successor to the Russian Throne). This group regulated the claims of the descendants. On 14 April 1958, under his signature of Grand Duke Vladimir decided in favour of Paul Demidoff; ""de faire droit à Votre requête et de confirmer Votre titre de Commandeur Héréditaire de l'Union des Descendants des Commandeurs Héréditaires et Chevaliers du Grand Prieuré Russe de l'Ordre de St. Jean de Jérusalem en tant que descendant direct de Demidoff Nicolas fils de Nicétas qui, par grâce de Mon trisaïeul, S.M. l'Empereur Paul I-r Grand Maître de l'Ordre de St. Jean de Jérusalem avait été élevé le 2I Juillet 1799"" - in translation; ""to grant Your request and to confirm Your title of Hereditary Commander of the Union of the Descendants of the Hereditary Commanders and Knights of the Russian Grand Priory about St John of Jerusalem as a direct descendant of Demidoff Nicholas son of Nicétas which, by grace of My great-great-grandfather, H.M. the Emperor Paul I Grand Master of the Order of St John of Jerusalem had been elevated 21 July 1799"".  Alexandre Tissot Demidoff (of Berkshire, England) chairs an Association which seeks to continue the humanitarian tradition of the Russian Grand Priory, to which Alexander Demidoff (of Paris, and son of Paul Demidoff above) belongs.

The Demidov family () also Demidoff, was a prominent Russian noble family during the 18th and 19th centuries. Originating in the city of Tula in the 17th century, the Demidovs found success through metal products, and were entered into the European nobility by Peter the Great. Their descendants became among the most influential merchants and earliest industrialists in the Russian Empire, and at their peak were predicted to be the second-richest family in Russia, behind only the Russian Imperial Family. The Demidov family lost its fortune after the February Revolution of 1917, but continues to exist under the rendering Demidoff.

Demidow auch Demidoff di San Donato und Lopuchin-Demidow ( "Демидов") ist der Name eines weitverzweigten russischen Adelsgeschlechts, das von russischen Großindustriellen zu toskanischen und russischen Titularfürsten aufstieg. Die Familie brachte zahlreiche Philanthropen, Mäzene, Förderer von Kunst und Wissenschaft hervor.


Name.

This Surah is named from the word Ash-Shu'ara in ayat 224.

Time of Disclosure.

The topic and the style appear, and the traditions affirm, that it was uncovered during the center Makkan period. As indicated by Ibn Abbas, Surah Ta-Ha was uncovered first, at that point Surah Al-Waqiah, and afterward Surah Ash-Shu'ara.. About Surah Ta-Ha it is notable that it had been uncovered before Umar embraced Islam.

Principal Subjects.

The significant issues, divine laws, and direction revealed in the surah can be listed as follows:-

Exegesis.

The foundation of the Surah is that the disbelievers of Makkah were in constant refusal, on one appearance or the other, to acknowledge the message of Islam given by Muhammad. Some of the time they would state that he didn't give them any indication to persuade them regarding his prophethood; once in a while they would mark him as a poet or a magician and mock his message; and once in a while, they would disparage his Mission, that his supporters were either a small number of silly youth or the destitute individuals and slaves – though, they contended, if his Mission actually had some incentive for the individuals, the nobles and the older folks would have acknowledged it first. Consequently, while from one viewpoint, Muhammad was getting wearied by his endeavors to show them reasonably the mistakes of their statements of faith and demonstrate the reality of the principles of Tawhid and the Hereafter, the disbelievers, on the other, were never sick of embracing one sort of stiff-necked attitude after the other. This situation was making incredible anguish and despondency for Muhammad.  Such were the conditions when this Surah was uncovered. It starts with uplifting statements to Muhammad, inferring,  After this discourse, till ayat 191, very much the same topic has been introduced persistently, and it is stated:  It is to delineate this that the historical backdrop of seven of the old clans has been told, who endured in dismay simply like the disbelievers of Makkah. Pertinently, the following focuses have been pushed:

Hadith about Ash-Shu'ara.

The first and foremost exegesis/tafsir of the Qur'an is found in hadith of Muhammad. Ḥadīth (حديث) is literally "speech" or "report", that is a recorded saying or tradition of Muhammad validated by isnad; with Sirah Rasul Allah these comprise the sunnah and reveal shariah. According to Aishah, the life of Prophet Muhammad was practical implementation of Qur'an. So mention of a surah in hadith elevates the importance of that particular surah from certain aspect.

Ash-Shu‘arā’ (ِArabic: الْشُّعَرَاء, "The Poets") is the 26th chapter (sūrah) of the Qurʾan with 227 verses (āyāt). Many of these verses are very short.

Asch-Schuʿarā’ oder aš-Šuʿarāʾ () ist die 26. Koransure. Ihr Titel bedeutet übersetzt „Die Dichter“. Sie ist mit 227 Versen die Sure mit den zweitmeisten Versen. In chronologischer Reihenfolge ist sie die 65. Koransure und wurde in Mekka offenbart. Sie wird eingeleitet mit den Buchstaben „ṬSM“.


Early life.

Roosevelt was born on June 13, 1825, to Cornelius Van Schaack Roosevelt (1794–1871) and Margaret Barnhill (1799–1861). His siblings were Silas Weir Roosevelt (1823–1870), Cornelius Van Schaack Roosevelt, Jr., Robert Barnhill Roosevelt (1829–1906), Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. (1831–1878), who was married to Martha "Mittie" Bulloch (1835–1884), and William Wallace Roosevelt (1834–1835).

Career.

Roosevelt became a member of his father's mercantile firm, Roosevelt & Son, at the age of twenty, and eventually succeeded him as its head. He was connected with many other institutions, including as vice president of the Chemical Bank of New York; president of the Broadway Improvement Company; vice president of the Bank of Savings; member of the board of managers of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company; director of the New York Life Insurance Trust.  He was a trustee to the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children and on the New York Board of Park Commissioners during the William Lafayette Strong Administration. He was a president of Roosevelt Hospital that was founded by his distant cousin James H. Roosevelt.

Personal life.

On December 22, 1847, he married Elizabeth Norris Emlen (1825–1912), the daughter of William Fishbourne Emlen (1786–1866) and Mary Parker Norris (1791–1872). Together, they had four children, including:  He died on July 15, 1898 near Mineola, New York while riding a train on his way home to Oyster Bay, New York.

Descendants.

Through his son, Alfred, he was the grandfather of Elfrida Roosevelt, who married Sir Orme Bigland Clarke, 4th Baronet, and was the mother of Sir Humphrey Clarke, 5th Baronet.

James Alfred Roosevelt (June 13, 1825 – July 15, 1898) was an American businessman and philanthropist. A member of the Roosevelt family, he was an uncle of President Theodore Roosevelt.

James Alfred Roosevelt (* 13. Juni 1825 in New York City; † 15. Juli 1898) war ein US-amerikanischer Geschäftsmann und Bankier.


Early life and education.

Christian Blanc is the son of Marcel Blanc, a member of the French Resistance and exotic fruits merchant. Blanc studied at the Montesquieu high school in Bordeaux before enrolling in SciencesPo Bordeaux. He became one of the main leaders of the National Union of Students of France, where he met future Prime Minister Michel Rocard. Active at the time in the University Antifascist Front for Peace in Algeria, Blanc is subsequently invited by Fidel Castro to the Latin American Solidarity Conference in Cuba in the summer of 1967.

Senior official.

After graduation, Blanc joined a subsidiary of the Caisse des dépôts, a French public sector financial institution, before becoming bureau chief at the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Closely associated with Michel Rocard, Blanc ran his 1980 Presidential Campaign.  From 1981 to 1983, Blanc was the chief of staff for European Commissioner Edgar Pisani. He becomes prefect in the Hautes-Pyrénées region (1983-1984). Christian Blanc became secretary general of the Nouvelle-Calédonie region with Edgard Pisani, and was then appointed prefect of Seine-et-Marne (1983-1985).  In 1988, Blanc returned to Nouvelle-Calédonie as head of the “Mission of dialogue” mission of the French government, tasked with finding a political solution to the conflict that was shaking the island at the time. He negotiated the Matignon Agreements, adopted by referendum in November 1988.

Business executive.

In 1989, Christian Blanc became the president of RATP. He resigned in 1992, following a spat with the government. During his presidency, RATP decided to create the first automated metro line – Paris Métro Line 14. He was subsequently appointed CEO of Air France in 1993 and tasked with rescuing the embattled French giant. Blanc developed a staff-backed, wide-ranging strategic plan, which enabled AirFrance to become profitable again in 1997.  In 1997, Blanc offered a new strategic plan to continue the restructuration of the company, only to clash with newly elected Prime Minister Lionel Jospin. The disagreement with the government over the need to privatize AirFrance led to Blanc's resignation in 1997.  Between 1998 and 1999, Christian Blanc served as an advisor to the Lebanese carrier Middle East Airlines.  Between 1999 and 2001, Blanc was the administrator of the Action Against Hunger. At the same time he ran two startups: Skygate, a developer of small-scale satellite receptors, and Karavel, an online travel agency.  In 2000, Blanc was appointed president of Merrill Lynch France. He narrowly escaped the September 11 attacks because he had gone outside for a cigar when the planes struck the World Trade Center.  In September 2014, Christian Blanc was designated CEO of Syphax Airlines, a position he held for just two months because the Tunisian company had failed to go through the necessary administrative procedures allowing it to hire a foreign employee.

Political career.

Blanc began his political career as a member of future Prime Minister Michel Rocard's team in the 1970s, helping Rocard win election as mayor of Conflans-Sainte Honorine in 1977. During François Mitterand's presidency, he refused offers from both Rocard and later Edith Cresson to enter government and instead remained in his position with the RATP Group.  Blanc stood for election in the 2002 legislative elections in the third electoral district of Paris, running under the banner of the Énergies democrats (Democratic Energies) and winning 9.63% of the vote. He was elected to the National Assembly to represent the third district of Yvelines on 15 December 2002, replacing Anne-Marie Idrac, who had stood down to become president of the RATP. Winning in the first round, Blanc became a member of the UDF party group in the National Assembly.  In 2003, Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin tasked Blanc with an economic development project. Six months later, Blanc submitted an official report, entitled For an Ecosystem of Growth, whose recommendations included creating business clusters. The French government began putting Blanc's recommendation into effect from 2004 onwards.  In 2006, Blanc called on President Jacques Chirac to resign for the sake of “accelerating reforms” and to put an end to “paralysis.” The same year, he launched the “Committee for the Modernization of France” together with Alain Lambert and Jean-Marie Bockel that sought the “comprehensive and coherent” modernization of the French economy and French society. Blanc also took part in the Pébereau Commission, which calculated France's national debt at €2 trillion.  Blanc was a supporter of the presidential candidacy of Nicolas Sarkozy in the 2007 presidential election and became member of the New Center party during the legislative elections, in which he was re-elected in the first round. Between 2002 and 2007, Blanc served as president of Énergies democrats and the founder of Énergies 2007, movements which supported reforming the French state and pursuing further European integration.  As Vice-President of the New Center, he ran in the 2008 French local elections to become the mayor of Le Chesnay, a wealthy western suburb of Paris, but secured only 36.28% of the vote and failed to unseat the incumbent mayor in a three-way race.

State Secretary for Greater Paris (2008-2010).

On March 18, 2008, Blanc was appointed Secretary of State of the Région Capitale ("Greater Paris"), a new position in the French Government of François Fillon. Blanc was responsible for crafting the legal framework for the “Greater Paris” project, which entered into law in May 2010 and provided for a network of automated metro lines surrounding Paris. After the French Parliament's enactment of the Greater Paris law, Blanc announced his resignation from the government on July 4, 2010.  In June 2010, after Blanc dismissed his chief of staff, allegations regarding his tax situation appeared over the next eight days in France's Canard Enchaîné newspaper. One week later, the same newspaper claimed that Blanc allegedly used his secretarial budget to purchase cigars worth €12,000 over the course of ten months, a claim which was widely reprinted by French media. In an interview with the Figaro, Blanc accused his former chief of staff Guillaume Jublot, who had been recently fired by Blanc, of feeding false information to the Canard Enchaîné. After discussions with then-Prime MInister François Fillon, the two men released a statement in which they jointly declared it "suitable that Mr. Blanc honors his personal expenses in full." The matter helped accelerate Blanc's decision to leave government, with the opposition and elements of press speculating that his exit might be a tactic by the ruling UMP to turn media attention away from President Nicolas Sarkozy's role in the Woerth-Bettencourt scandal. The UMP denied any such links. Blanc retook his seat in the National Assembly after leaving the government in August 2010 and declined to stand in the 2012 legislative elections.  On December 2, 2011, the High Court of Paris found Christian Blanc to have acted in good faith in relation to the cigar affair and dismissed those charges against him. Whereas the initial claims had been widely covered by the press over the course of several weeks, this acquittal was met with radio silence.  In 2015, Odile Jacob published Blanc's book Paris, ville-monde (Paris, World City), in which Blanc lays out a strategy for France to reclaim a leading role in the global economy.

Governmental functions.

Secretary of State for the Development of the Capital Region: 2008-2010 (Resignation on 4 July 2010).  Electoral mandates  National Assembly of France  Member of the National Assembly of France for Yvelines : 2002-2008 (Became secretary of State in 2008) / And since 2010. Elected in 2002, reelected in 2007.

Christian Blanc (born 17 May 1942 in Talence, Gironde) is a French politician and businessman. A former prefect, Blanc has extensive business experience as head of the RATP (1989-1992), Air France (1993-1997) and Merrill Lynch France (2000-2002).

Christian Blanc (* 17. Mai 1942 in Talence (Département Gironde)) ist ein französischer Manager und Politiker. Blanc arbeitete zunächst einige Jahre im öffentlichen Dienst, unter anderem als Präfekt, bevor er in die Wirtschaft wechselte und die RATP, Air France und die französische Filiale von Merrill Lynch führte. Anschließend wechselte er in die Politik und wurde 2002 in die Nationalversammlung gewählt. Nicolas Sarkozy ernannte ihn 2008 zum Staatssekretär für die Entwicklung der Hauptstadtregion. Von diesem Posten trat Blanc 2010 zurück, nachdem bekannt geworden war, dass für sein Büro Zigarren auf Staatskosten beschafft worden waren.


Charles V comet.

The Great Comet of 1556 is called the comet of Charles V. When the Emperor first caught sight of it he stood aghast, and exclaimed: "By this dread sign my fates do summon me". Charles had long meditated about retiring from the world he had conquered and crushed. Regarding the comet as a sign of Heaven's command to do so, he hastened towards the peaceful monastery of St. Juste, Placentia.  An anonymous English treatise on ""Blazing Stares"" (1618) spoke of the comet as follows :

Contemporary religious interpretation.

The Portuguese Dominican friar Gaspar da Cruz, who visited Guangzhou in 1556, associated the comet with the devastating 1556 Shaanxi earthquake. In his 1569 book he wondered if the comet was a sign of calamities not just for China, but for the entire world – and could be even the sign of the birth of Antichrist.

Alleged connection to the Great Comet of 1264.

Grounding his calculations upon elements deduced from Conrad Wolfhardt's chart along with some other crude data gathered from old records, and comparing the result he obtained with the account given by Friar Giles of Cambridge of a grand comet which appeared in 1264, John Russell Hind was led to conclude, as Richard Dunthorne had been in the previous century, that the comet of Charles V was that of 1264 returned. At any rate, he found a high degree of probability in favor of the conclusion at which he had arrived, and argued that the bodies of these years were identical. Hence he concluded that a return to perihelion might be looked for about the middle of the 19th century, 1848 to 1850. This prediction failed, and as of 2009 no observed comet has matched the orbital elements of either comet. David A. Sargent writes that available evidence points to there being no connection between the comets of 1264 and 1556.

The Great Comet of 1556 (designated C/1556 D1 in modern nomenclature) was a comet that first appeared in February 1556, and which was observed throughout much of Europe. The comet appears to have been seen in some places before the end of February, but it was not generally observed until the middle of the first week in March. Its apparent diameter was equal to half that of the Moon, and the tail was said to resemble "the flame of a torch agitated by the wind." Cornelius Gemma (the son of Gemma Frisius) said that the head of the comet, when it first appeared, was as large as Jupiter, and that its color resembled that of Mars.

C/1556 D1 war ein Komet, der im Jahr 1556 mit dem bloßen Auge gesehen werden konnte. Er wird aufgrund seiner außerordentlichen Helligkeit zu den „Großen Kometen“ gezählt.


Background and composition.

"Born to Die" was written and composed by Del Rey and Justin Parker, and produced by Emile Haynie. The song features "gently apocalyptic" lyrics, and opens with Del Rey singing "Feet don't fail me now/ Take me to the finish line/ Oh my heart, it breaks every step that I take/ But I'm hoping at the gates, they'll tell me that you're mine." According to the singer, the song is a "homage to true love and a tribute to living life on the wild side", theme that is perceived in lines such as "Let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain, you like your girls insane." The original unreleased version of the song featured Del Rey singing "Let me fuck you hard in the pouring rain" instead of "Let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain"; this version is sung at most of her live shows. Laura Snapes of "NME" compared the background to "melted chocolate waterslide, buffeted by impeccable production", with the John Barry-esque "whipping strings" being noted as similar to the music scores of "Gone with the Wind" (1939) and "Western" (1997). "Born to Die" was first released in December 30, 2011 as the second single from the album of the same name. It contains a vocal sample of "Long Red" by Mountain.

Critical reception.

Following the release of the single, Robert Copsey of Digital Spy commented, "we thought it would be near-impossible for Lana to top the chilling 'Video Games', but her new cut – the title track from her forthcoming album – may just have out-haunted its predecessor." Laura Snapes of "NME" considered the song not "quite as flooring as 'Video Games', but then that song is fairly extraordinary", while "Entertainment Weekly" contributor Grady Smith considered it a "beautifully dour tune". Priya Elan also of "NME" said the song "is a grower and whilst not as pitch perfect as 'Video Games', it's pretty damn fine". Aaron-Spencer Charles of "Metro" noted "Lana Del Rey's Born to Die is a slow yet strong song, with Lana singing about her relationship experience over an orchestra. The calm tone of Del Rey's voice sets sad-love mood really well." Tim Lee of musicOMH said the song is "essentially 'Video Games' with percussion", and noted that "her (alleged) agents clearly having stumbled upon a formula with which they can (allegedly) print money and (allegedly) further consign Lana's secretive, (allegedly) real debut LP to the annals of history. You didn't hear it from us, right?"

Music video.

Production and composition.

The music video for "Born to Die" was based on a concept created by Del Rey, and it was directed by Yoann Lemoine, who previously worked with Katy Perry on "Teenage Dream" (2010) and Taylor Swift on "Back to December" (2010). Del Rey wrote the concept in the form of a treatment she titled, "The Lonely Queen" The video was intended to be set in heaven, metaphorically represented by a Romanian castle. While the narrator was flanked by tigers, she would recall memories of being with her beloved. Lemoine took Del Rey's concept and reworked it into something feasible, she said, and she was satisfied with the outcome. Unlike the singer's previous music videos, "Born to Die" had a significantly higher budget and production, with film location taking place at the Palace of Fontainebleau in France. In an interview with British newspaper "The Sun", Del Rey revealed they were going to use tigers in a scene of the music video, saying, "tigers don't come cheap. It's a controversial video. You'll have to wait to see it but I got a generous budget." She also stated that she "...wasn't allowed to be alone with the tiger at any time, for obvious reasons. It was a special experience." On December 14, 2011, the music video leaked online before the official release; this was followed by a statement released through the singer's Facebook page, which said, "Generally, I'm a man of few words, but I will say that this video is the most beautiful thing I've ever done. I hope you like it – this isn't the time or way I wanted to show you the video but I'm in Beijing with no access to social media, and the videos been leaked from Russia so someone is posting this for me."  Bradley Soileau plays Del Rey's fictional boyfriend in the video and was interviewed numerous times about the role. "Billboard" asked if his proximity to Del Rey caused him to become erect, to which he replied: "Embracing her [Del Rey] was easy. Everyone asks the same question, did you have a boner? Ha! No, I didn't. There's a huge crew of people staring at you shouting, moving around, bright lights everywhere. Madness." The model landed the role when Armen Djerrahian photographed him for an interview with "The Wild". Djerrahian knew Lemoine and arranged an introduction. He did not meet Del Rey until the day of the video shoot. Recalling the experience, he applauded the production team, saying they were agreeable coworkers, highlighting Del Rey as a soulful and amazing personality. He identified with background dancers and actresses in rap music videos, as they are often sultry and objectified. About his role, he told MTV:  "...the back story. I'm her boyfriend. It's basically like, the boyfriend, you can see the two sides of the relationship where I'm kissing her, then pointing a gun at her head. That's what it is. It’s a relationship that is so terrible but neither of them want to leave. That's why when she is in the car, and she wipes the glass, she's looking mad sad, distant, thoughtful. But I’m still trying to get her attention. That's kinda the story for it.  Del Rey said she agreed to allow Soileau to play her fictional boyfriend because he reminded her of a previous lover, namely the one she had written the original concept about.

Plot summary.

The video begins with Del Rey seen standing topless in the arms of a tattooed man, played by model Bradley Soileau, with the American flag as a backdrop. This is actually an animated version of the single cover art. The scene is followed by the singer leaving her home and joining her boyfriend for a long car trip. As they enter the car, they start to smoke marijuana together and make out before leaving. While on the road, the relationship of the couple is revealed to be unstable, as Del Rey is forced to kiss her boyfriend while expressing sadness. The trip intercuts with scenes of the couple staying at a luxurious hotel, where they are seen lying on a bed together with the boyfriend ominously holding Del Rey's throat at one point. As Del Rey makes her way out the hotel, the scene cuts back to an apparent car accident, with the singer's bloodied corpse being carried by her lover as a huge fire burns behind them. Also, the video intercuts scenes shot at the Palace of Fontainebleau, showing Del Rey sitting on a throne with tigers beside her in the Trinity Chapel or walking in the Gallery of Francis I. The video ends with the opening scene.

Reception.

The music video received generally positive reviews from critics. Jason Lipshutz of "Billboard" compared the car scenes to the ones of Rihanna's music video for "We Found Love"; Ann Lee of "Metro" considered the music video "sexy", with "Rolling Stone" journalist Matthew Perpetura noting that, "just like the song itself, it's bleakly romantic and majestic in its scope." Becky Bain of Idolator commented that "Interscope apparently has much faith in Del Rey, as the video for her second single, 'Born to Die', looks like it has the budget of about 15 of her 'Video Games' clips." Bain also noted that "besides jungle cats, Lana’s vid features a gorgeous church, a tattooed amour, and a fiery crash" and questioned, "did you really think a song called 'Born to Die' would end with Lana and her sweetie walking off into the sunset together?"

Live performances.

"Born to Die" was performed by Del Rey in a number of live appearances, including at the Bowery Ballroom, where, according to Eliot Glazer of "New York", "the polarizing indie hipstress brought her 'gangsta Nancy Sinatra' swagu." Matthew Perpetua of "Rolling Stone" commented that, despite Del Rey being nervous and anxious while performing the song live, the singer "sang with considerable confidence, though her transitions from husky, come-hither sexuality to bratty, girlish petulance could be rather jarring." Del Rey also performed the song on an intimate show at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles.

Usage in media.

An excerpt of the song was used in the promotion of New Zealand TV Drama "Shortland Street" for the 2014 season.  The song was used in the final scene and credits of the 2014 Xavier Dolan film "Mommy".  The song was also used in the trailer for the 2014 film "Gimme Shelter", starring Vanessa Hudgens.

"Born to Die" is a song by American singer Lana Del Rey, taken from her debut studio album of the same name. The song was released as the singer's second single on December 30, 2011, through Interscope Records. Musically, "Born to Die" is a ballad that speaks of a doomed relationship. Critics noted that it features apocalyptic lyrics and strings similar to John Barry compositions. It received mixed to positive reception from contemporary critics, who considered it as haunting as, yet similar to, Del Rey's previous single "Video Games". In the United Kingdom, "Born to Die" became Del Rey's second top 10 single, when it peaked at No. 9 for the week ending February 4, 2012.

Born to Die ( für ‚Geboren, um zu sterben‘) ist ein Lied der US-amerikanischen Popsängerin Lana Del Rey. Das Stück ist die dritte Singleauskopplung aus ihrem zweiten gleichnamigen Studioalbum "Born to Die".


Synopsis.

The film follows the erotic hallucinations of a priest lusting after the wife of a general.

Reception and legacy.

Although accounts differ, it seems that Artaud disapproved of Dulac's treatment of his scenario. The film was overshadowed by "Un chien andalou" ("An Andalusian Dog", 1929), written and directed by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí. "Un chien andalou" is considered the first surrealist film, but its foundations in "The Seashell and the Clergyman" have been all but overlooked. However, the iconic techniques associated with surrealist cinema are all borrowed from this early film. In Lee Jamieson's own analysis of the film, the surrealist treatment of the image is clear. He writes: "The Seashell and the Clergyman" penetrates the skin of material reality and plunges the viewer into an unstable landscape where the image cannot be trusted. Remarkably, Artaud not only subverts the physical, surface image, but also its interconnection with other images. The result is a complex, multi-layered film, so semiotically unstable that images dissolve into one another both visually and'semantically', truly investing in film's ability to act upon the subconscious."  The British Board of Film Censors famously reported that the film was "so cryptic as to be almost meaningless. If there is a meaning, it is doubtless objectionable".  Alan Williams has suggested the film is better thought of as a work of or influenced by German expressionism.  The BFI included "The Seashell and the Clergyman" on a list of 10 Great Feminist Films, stating: Germaine Dulac was involved in the avant garde in Paris in the 1920s. Both The Smiling Madame Beudet (1922) and The Seashell and the Clergyman are important early examples of radical experimental feminist filmmaking, and provide an antidote to the art made by the surrealist brotherhood. The latter film, an interpretation of Anton Artaud’s book of the same name, is a visually imaginative critique of patriarchy – state and church – and of male sexuality. On its premiere, the surrealists greeted it with noisy derision, calling Dulac “une vache”.

Musical scores.

The silent film is popular with musicians and has been scored by many groups. It was one of the first films scored by Silent Orchestra and performed by them at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC in 2000. This was the first film to be scored by live accompaniment band Minima. Their debut performance was at the UK's Shunt Vaults at London Bridge in 2006. It has also been rescored by Steven Severin of Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Black Cat Orchestra.  Sons of Noel and Adrian performed a live score at The Roundhouse in June 2009. In March 2011, Imogen Heap performed an acappella score of her own composition with the Holst Singers as part of the Birds Eye View festival.  In January 2012, a new score to a director's cut of "The Seashell and the Clergyman" was released by the artist Roto Visage on Kikapu. This score was released in conjunction with Transflux Films and with a Creative Commons license.  In 2015 an electronic soundtrack was composed by Luigi Morleo for the Film Silence Music Festival in Italy.  A new score by Sheffield musicians In the Nursery was performed live to accompany a showing of the film on 9 June 2019 and released on CD on 25 October 2019.

The Seashell and the Clergyman () is an experimental French film directed by Germaine Dulac, from an original scenario by Antonin Artaud. It premiered in Paris on 9 February 1928.

Die Muschel und der Kleriker (Originaltitel: "La Coquille et le Clergyman", alternativ Die Muschel und der Geistliche) ist ein französischer Kurzstummfilm, den Germaine Dulac 1927 nach einem Drehbuch von Antonin Artaud (1896–1948) für ihre Produktionsgesellschaft Délia Film realisierte. Er gilt, noch vor Buñuel und Dalí, als erstes surrealistisches Werk der Filmgeschichte.


History.

Pitt graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1961. He graduated from Brooklyn College with a bachelor's degree in 1965, and from St. John's University School of Law with a JD degree in 1968.  From 1968 to 1978, he served on the staff of the SEC, eventually becoming the agency's general counsel in 1975. Pitt was later the chairman of the SEC, serving for fifteen months between 2001 and 2003 (rather than his full five-year term), before he resigned abruptly during a wave of criticism.

Criticism and resignation.

In July 2002, "The New York Times" wrote: "Democratic and Republican members of Congress joined administration officials today in ridiculing Harvey L. Pitt's request that his pay be increased and his job as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission be elevated to cabinet rank... evoking an outpouring of bipartisan scorn." Pitt had tried to insert a provision into corporate antifraud legislation that would increase his pay by 21%, and also elevate his status to that of cabinet level, on a par with the secretary of state and attorney general, at a time when the stock markets had sunk to five-year lows and some congressional leaders were calling for him to resign. Tom Daschle, the Senate majority leader, who had previously called for Pitt to be dismissed, said: "Of all the things he has to think about, it is amazing to me that this is what he's spending his time thinking about. I think it makes our point, the point many of us had, that he is not qualified to serve in that position."  Pitt became the target of criticism when the Enron scandal broke out on his watch. Democrats alleged that he was too close to the accounting industry and that he subverted efforts to tighten regulation in the wake of the Enron scandal and other cases of corporate malfeasance. Pitt has also been blamed for not investigating millions of dollars made due to "put options" placed on United, and American Airlines just prior to Sept. 11, 2001. He also raised concerns when he met privately with former clients of his while they were subjects of SEC investigations.  Pitt resigned after attempting to appoint a board member (78-year-old William Webster) who chaired the audit committee of a company under SEC investigation for fraud and accounting irregularities, while it lacked internal controls, to head a commission overseeing the accounting industry -- without informing the White House or the other SEC Commissioners of the fact that Webster himself was under scrutiny for his involvement in a corporate accounting fraud investigation. Democratic Senator Paul Sarbanes, Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, called for Pitt's resignation. Republican Senators including Mike Enzi (Wyoming), the only accountant in the Senate, and Richard Shelby (Alabama) joined John McCain in criticizing Pitt. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce withdrew its support of Pitt. A GAO report later criticized Pitt for his lack of diligence in the decision to name Webster to head the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, while also finding that while Pitt was aware of the Webster fraud investigation he was not aware of certain details.  Upon his resignation from the SEC in November 2002 after what the "New York Times" called "a political firestorm over his selection of the head of a new board overseeing the accounting profession", which led to four investigations of his actions, "CFO Magazine" wrote: "Harvey Pitt may be gone, but what he left undone can’t be forgotten. The perpetually embattled chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission resigned on Election Night after 15 tumultuous months in office. Criticized for being too close to his former Wall Street clients, unable to build consensus, and arrogant to boot, he finally succumbed to criticism over his selection of William Webster to head the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board."  Pitt was just the second SEC Chairman to resign abruptly as a result of political turmoil. "Slate magazine" wrote: "Of all Pitt’s transgressions, none has been more pathetic than his self-pitying denunciations of 'guilt by occupation.'... He accepted seedy clients not out of principle, but because he wanted to be a player, and because he wanted the money and publicity such assignments generated." In November 2002 journalist Calvin Trillin wrote a ballad about him, based on Sondheim's "Demon Barber," that began "Attend the tale of Harvey Pitt, Who many thought was quite unfit".  When Pitt was asked in 2005 if he believed he could have left the SEC on a better note if he had stayed longer, he replied: "I feel I left on a very high note."

Other.

Pitt received an honorary LL.D. degree from St. John's University School of Law in 2002, and received the President's Medal of Distinction from the President of Brooklyn College in 2003. He is a columnist with "Compliance Week".  He is now the Chief Executive Officer of the strategic consulting firm, "Kalorama Partners, LLC."

Harvey L. Pitt (born in Brooklyn, New York, February 28, 1945) was the 26th chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), serving for fifteen months between 2001 and 2003.

Harvey Lloyd Pitt (* 28. Februar 1945 in Brooklyn, New York City) ist ein US-amerikanischer Hochschullehrer und Politiker der Republikanischen Partei, der zwischen 2001 und 2003 Vorsitzender der US-Börsenaufsichtsbehörde SEC "(Securities and Exchange Commission)" war.


Early life.

Valbuena grew up in Sucre, a municipality in the Venezuelan state of Zulia. He was raised by a single mother named Nelly, who was the president of the local youth baseball league. Valbuena's older brother and several uncles helped him learn to play baseball.

Professional career.

Seattle Mariners.

Valbuena began his professional career in the Seattle Mariners organization in 2005. He was first promoted to the major leagues on September 1, 2008, from the Mariners' Triple-A team, the Tacoma Rainiers.

Cleveland Indians.

On December 10, 2008, Valbuena was traded to the Cleveland Indians in a three-team trade that sent Franklin Gutiérrez to Seattle. Valbuena hit his first major league home run off of Bartolo Colón on June 7, 2009. In July 2011, the Indians optioned Valbuena to Triple-A Columbus, to make room for the promotion of rookie second baseman Jason Kipnis. In August 2011, Valbuena was recalled after Kipnis was put on the disabled list with an oblique injury. He was designated for assignment and removed from the 40-man roster on November 18. On November 26, he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for cash considerations.

Chicago Cubs.

On April 4, 2012, Valbuena was claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs after being optioned by the Blue Jays. He was outrighted to the minors on April 7. Valbuena was called up from the Triple-A Iowa Cubs on June 14.  Valbuena played 108 games for Chicago in 2013, hitting.218 with 12 home runs and 37 runs batted in (RBIs). The next year, Valbuena's batting average increased to.249 over 149 games and he had 16 home runs and 51 RBIs. By June 2014, Fangraphs noted that Valbuena was hitting fastballs well in the lower, outer portions of the strike zone, which had been a weakness for him in previous years.

Houston Astros.

On January 19, 2015, the Cubs traded Valbuena and Dan Straily to the Houston Astros for Dexter Fowler. At the time of the trade, Valbuena was projected as the Astros' starting third baseman for 2015. Valbuena's average dropped to.224 in 2015, but he set a career-high with 25 home runs. With Jed Lowrie coming off the disabled list and Carlos Correa taking over the primary shortstop position, Valbuena was forced to share some of the first base duties along with Chris Carter and utility player Marwin González in order to get some playing time.  At the beginning of the 2016 season, Valbuena was the starting third baseman for the Astros. He began to split playing time between first and third base. With the call-up of Astros prospect Alex Bregman, Valbuena saw more playing time at first base.

Los Angeles Angels.

On January 24, 2017, Valbuena signed a two-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels. Valbuena split time during the season between third base and first base. He ended the season hitting a career low.199 with 22 home runs and a career high 65 RBIs.  Valbuena was designated for assignment by the Angels on August 5, 2018. He hit.199 for the second straight season, finishing with nine home runs and 33 RBIs. He was released on August 7, 2018. For the season, he had the slowest baserunning sprint speed of all major league third basemen, at 24.1 feet/second.

Death.

On December 6, 2018, Valbuena, José Castillo, and Carlos Rivero were in a car in Yaracuy driven by Rivero's chauffeur when the group was ambushed by highway robbers. The players were members of Venezuelan winter team Cardenales de Lara, and were returning from a game played on the day of the crash. The driver attempted to avoid them but the vehicle struck a rock and overturned, killing Valbuena and Castillo. Four men were arrested in connection to the incident after being found in possession of the players' property.

Luis Adan Valbuena (November 30, 1985 – December 6, 2018) was a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder. He played eleven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 2008 through 2018, for the Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels. While primarily a third baseman, Valbuena also played second base and first base. He was killed in a car crash in 2018 in Venezuela caused by bandits in an attempted robbery.

Luis Adan Valbuena (* 30. November 1985 in Caja Seca, Zulia, Venezuela; † 6. Dezember 2018) war ein venezolanischer Baseballspieler in der Major League Baseball. Sein Debutspiel bestritt er am 2. September 2008 für die Seattle Mariners. Seine Verteidigungspositionen waren die des Third Baseman, des Second Baseman und die des Shortstops "(„Utility-Player“)".


Career.

Jeffrey began playing at an early age, but suffered a career-ending injury. His mother sent him to live with an uncle in the United States. He began working as a mechanic with the Altoona Railroad Shop of the Pennsylvania Railroad.  He eventually came to manage the company team. In 1925, his team played an exhibition game with Penn State University. This resulted in an offer to coach the men's soccer team, a position he held for 27 years. Beginning in 1932, the Nittany Lions would go on a 65-game unbeaten streak, a streak which ended in November 1941. A founding member of the NSCAA, he served as president of the association in 1948.  The United States Soccer Football Federation selected Jeffrey to coach the United States men's national soccer team at the 1950 FIFA World Cup just two weeks before the competition after Erno Schwarz declined the position. Jeffrey led the U.S. team to its historic 1–0 win over England in the 1950 World Cup, considered one of the greatest upsets in soccer history.  In 1953, he retired from Penn State. He moved to Puerto Rico where he taught and coached for several years. On September 29, 1972, the Penn State soccer stadium was named after Jeffrey. The NSCAA awards the annual Bill Jeffrey Award to college coaches.  He died of a heart attack while attending the NCAA soccer meetings in New York. He is buried in Centre County Memorial Cemetery in State College, Pennsylvania.

William "Bill" Jeffrey (August 3, 1892January 7, 1966) was the head coach of the 1950 United States World Cup team that famously beat England 1-0 in one of the greatest upsets in the history of soccer. He was the coach of Penn State for 26 seasons, winning ten national college championships. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

William „Bill“ Jeffrey (* 3. August 1892 in Edinburgh, Schottland; † 7. Januar 1966 in New York City) war ein amerikanischer Fußballtrainer.


Gameplay.

The game is set in 1848, just before the California Gold Rush. The player is Brooklyn newspaperman Jerrod Wilson, who soon receives word that he must go to Sacramento to meet his long-lost brother. After a few minutes of gameplay, word arrives that gold has been found in California, and it becomes much more difficult for Jerrod to settle his affairs in Brooklyn and find a way to Sacramento.  There are multiple paths which Jerrod can take to get to his brother. He can travel on a stagecoach, which is the cheapest path, and the only path that is always available to Jerrod, no matter how long he spends in Brooklyn. This path brings Jerrod into contact with Native Americans, unruly oxen, parching deserts, and the likelihood of a winter storm in the Sierra Nevada. He can travel on a ship to Panama, cross through treacherous swamps and jungles on foot, and catch another ship to Sacramento. This route is more expensive than the others and also requires Jerrod to prepare carefully for many hazards of the tropical climate of Panama, from malaria to jungle ants to crocodiles. The third—and most time-consuming—path is to journey all the way around Cape Horn on a ship. This choice has its own perils, from storms to scurvy. In each route, Jerrod could perish at random by a disease to which there was no cure, such as cholera, forcing players to save their game whenever possible and in multiple slots. Once Jerrod arrives in Sacramento, the three routes converge and all of the puzzles are the same.  Once in California, Jerrod must try to prospect for gold, avoid bandits, and locate his mysterious brother.

Copy protection.

"Gold Rush!" used words from the manual as a form of copy protection. If the user failed to enter the correct word, their character would immediately be arrested for claim jumping and hanged on the gallows, which is the same as the regular in-game punishment for claim jumping, being caught in someone's hotel room, or stealing.

Reception.

In 1989, "Dragon" gave the game 41⁄2 out of 5 stars. "Computer Gaming World" gave the game a positive review, noting it mixes historical simulation with Sierra's traditional adventure gameplay. "Compute!" called "Gold Rush" "entertaining, somewhat educational, and a terrific escapade for first-time adventure game players", but warned that its simplicity might disappoint veteran gamers and that the graphics were inferior to that of some other Sierra adventures.  In 2011, Adventure Gamers named "Gold Rush!" the 96th-best adventure game ever released.

Legacy.

Collector's edition.

The Software Farm released a collector's edition of "California: Gold Rush!" in a wooden box in 2000. They also released an economy pack with just the game in an envelope.

Remake.

The German game developer Sunlight Games secured the rights and re-released the original version on July 25, 2014. A remake with the named "Gold Rush! Anniversary" was released on November 7, 2014 for Microsoft Windows. OS X and Linux versions were released later in November 2014. The ports for iOS and Android were released in March 2015. All graphics are prerendered, but all animations and characters are displayed in real time 3D. The game's graphics are in high definition and the music was remade. All text from the original game was optimized with newly recorded voiceovers. The game can be controlled by a point and click control or with a parser (only Windows, Linux and Mac), which is similar to the old Sierra games which use the AGI interface. "Gold Rush! 2" was released in April 2017 as a sequel to "Gold Rush! Anniversary".  Sunlight Games has released a limited Special Edition, which is limited to 350 pieces. The content of this box which is similar to the old Sierra boxes is: a box with a banderole, a copy on DVD which is DRM-free, a poster, a card with the serial number, a printed making-of booklet, a printed booklet with concept drawings and a golden-colored coin in the design of Gold Rush! The Special Edition can only be ordered at Sunlight Games' online shop.  Adventure Gamers gave the remake 11⁄2 stars out of 5. Just Adventure gave the game B-. 3rd-strike gave the game 7.0.

Gold Rush! (later retitled California: Gold Rush!) is a graphic adventure game originally released by Sierra On-Line in 1988. It was designed by Doug and Ken MacNeill.

Gold Rush! (auch bekannt unter California: Gold Rush!) ist ein Adventure, das 1988 von Sierra On-Line veröffentlicht wurde. Entwickelt wurde es von Doug und Ken MacNeill. Das Spiel wurde Ende der 1990er-Jahre von "The Software Farm" und 2014 von "Sunlight" Games erneut veröffentlicht.


Biography.

Theodore was born in Greenville, South Carolina, to Andrew and Lula Theodore, Greek immigrants, the youngest of five children. Growing up he was involved with the St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral community in Greenville, and the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA). Theodore attended the University of Georgia and graduated in 1952 from Furman University with a Bachelors in Business. He spent a total of 24 years serving in the South Carolina state legislature before being elected in 1986 to the office of lieutenant governor having beaten Republican Congressman Thomas F. Hartnett to the position. He served two full terms in that post under Republican Governor Carroll Campbell.  Ironically, it was fellow Greenville resident Campbell who, in 1978, had defeated Theodore in an election to the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina's 4th congressional district, one of famed political strategist Lee Atwater's first major triumphs. Despite this history, and the differences in their political philosophies and party affiliations, Campbell and Theodore worked together quite effectively during their two terms in office, and remained friendly with each other.  At the conclusion of Campbell's two terms in office, Theodore ran for governor in 1994, defeating Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. to secure the Democratic nomination. Theodore lost to Campbell's protégé David Beasley, however, in the general election. Four years later in 1998 he tried to regain his former post as lieutenant governor but lost in the general election to incumbent Bob Peeler (R).  In 2002, Theodore came out of a quasi-retirement to accept an interim appointment to the South Carolina Public Service Commission, ending in 2004. In 2006, his son, Drew Theodore, became the Democratic nominee for the statewide office of Comptroller General.

Nick Andrew Theodore (born September 16, 1928) is a former American politician from South Carolina. He was the first Hellenic-American elected to the South Carolina State Legislature. He served as a state representative from 1963 to 1966 and 1970 to 1978, a South Carolina state senator from 1967 to 1968 and from 1981 to 1986, and the 85th lieutenant governor of South Carolina from 1987 to 1995. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Nick Andrew Theodore (* 2. März 1928 in Greenville, South Carolina) ist ein ehemaliger US-amerikanischer Politiker. Zwischen 1987 und 1995 war er Vizegouverneur des Bundesstaates South Carolina.


Early life.

David Ángeles was born in the town of Bacolor, Philippines in the house of Carlos de los Angeles y de los Reyes (of Barrio San Vicente) and Ceferina David y Mesina (of Barrio San Isidro) on August 17, 1889.  Early on (up to 1901), Pablo displayed brilliance as a juvenile student at the private Spanish school (equivalent to present primary and intermediate school) of Don Modesto Joaquin, a former Katipunero. His other students would later grow as famous personalities like Justice Jose Gutierrez David, Nicolas Dayrit and Benigno Aquino, Sr., grandfather of the former Philippine President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III. He earned the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1906 at Liceo de Manila and the degree in law in 1909 at "Escuela de Derecho", the nation's leading law school.[5] In 1910, at the age of 20, he passed the Philippine Bar Examination, placing Third, (after Don Felix Gurrea, #1 and Don Jose Escaler, #2) and became the youngest person to qualify the Philippine Bar Examination. He had to wait another year to take his oath of law.

Career.

David Ángeles chose to serve his province, Pampanga. From 1911 to 1912, he was appointed as Justice of the Peace for Sasmuan, Santa Rita and his hometown of Bacolor. From 1913-1915, he served as Deputy Provincial Fiscal. He was elected for three years as a provincial councilor in 1916 and later in 1918 became chairman of the Census Board. In 1919 he was elected to the House of Representatives for the 1st District of Pampanga.  David Angeles became acting Governor of Pampanga at the age of 27 when Don Honorio Ventura was appointed as Secretary of the Interior, being the number one board member. He was elected as governor in 1931 and was re-elected in 1934.  He retired to private practice in 1937. But in 1939, he was appointed by the late President Manuel L. Quezon as "District Judge" of Maasin, the birthplace of his wife, and later was transferred to "Bulacan", where World War II overtook him.  During the first days of the Japanese Occupation, he was practically forced to serve either as Governor of Pampanga, or as District Judge of Bulacan. He chose the latter as being less sinecure, serving therein as such in Malolos, Bulacan and later in Pampanga. In early December 1944, he was kidnapped in his home by the Hukbalahap/HMB Commander Silvestre Liwanag a.k.a. Linda Bie. Within days of his return to his home, the Japanese Kempeitai seized him as "Father of Guerrillas" in Pampanga and brought him to San Fernando. Immediately, the late Don Jose Urquico and the late Don Sergio Aquino obtained custody of him from the Kempeitai head, Colonel Suzuki, who was their friend and guaranteed to keep him incomunicado in Tarlac.  The reason for the Kempeitai's action was that no prominent personality taken by the HMB had ever been surfaced alive except for Angeles David. They came to the conclusion that Angeles David must have agreed to work for them.  Doña Concepcion languished at the arrest of her husband and succumbed on December 24, 1944. When news reached Tarlac of this, Angeles David was allowed to go home to Bacolor, Pampanga, with the understanding that he would return to Tarlac. But he never did.  When the family escaped the path of the battles of liberation, Angeles David was again kidnapped by the HMB Commander Linda Bie at Barrio Pulung Masle, Guagua in February 1945 and again brought to Barrio Santa Cruz Pambilog, San Luis. Word got to Sixth U.S. Army's Counter-Intelligence Corps at San Fernando by a boy who overheard the HMB plan to execute him to shut him up. David Angeles once more adamantly refused to openly support the HMB. With the boy as a guide, two American officers jumped into a jeep and drove pellmell to Barrio Santa Cruz Pambilog. They demanded to see him but the commanders led by Pedro Taruc denied he was around. The two officers spoke with certainty that he was there and that in 36 hours, the U.S. Sixth Army would mount an all-out assault at the headquarters of Luis Taruc should Don Pablo not appear to them with sound mind and body. The HMB commanders relented and led them to the hut where he and his son, Ciceron, were detained. While speaking loudly on niceties, they communicated by hand-written notes. The next day, David Angeles and his son, Ciceron, rode a horse-drawn "caretela" to the CIC headquarters.  Many years later, Ciceron recalled sadly that they mutually recognized and hailed many prominent citizens from all over Pampanga there in a weird kind of last gathering as in an execution camp, but they never saw them again years later. As this is being written, there is a national amnesia of this killing field except for Luis Taruc's letter to President Manuel A. Roxas complaining about the "fascist governor of Pampanga", and boasting later in the same letter that they executed 30,000 fascist traitors.  After the Liberation from the Japanese in World War II, the late President Sergio Osmeña Sr. re-appointed him as District Judge of Bulacan.  Nobody wanted to accept the position of Governor of Pampanga as the Pampanga capitol and town halls were occupied by HMB Mayors and bearded dissidents festooned with ammo bandoleers, not only in Pampanga, but in the Central Luzon. The late President Manuel A. Roxas prevailed upon David Angeles to restore the provincial government as "Acting Governor" of Pampanga in 1945. Beginning from his home town of Bacolor, he formed the Civilian Guards and wrested control of the provincial capitol and the town centers (poblacion) and drove the Hukbalahap|HMB to the hinterlands (Mount Arayat, Candaba swamps and Zambales mountains). In 1946, he was elected Governor of Pampanga. In one year of administration, he was able to pacify the province sufficiently to enable the farmers to work the farms and produce enough for themselves and their landlords.  The late President Manuel A. Roxas again prevailed upon him to run for the "Philippine Senate" in 1947.  He was elected and he served for six years, until 1953. As a senator, he always stood up in the Senate for an "Iron Fist" policy against the HMB in contrast to the voices urging appeasement.  As a senator he was known for his fiery speeches. One such example is of April 1950 expose when he contested President President Elpidio Quirino's announcement that the Hukbalahap rebels had already been decimated. He then revealed that a massacre occurred in his hometown Bacolor, the "Maliwalu Massacre" (April 7, 1950 Good Friday) which was perpetrated by members of the Civilian Guards/Serrano private army in retaliation for the death of one of their commanders, Captain Nonong Serrano.  In the Chinese Immigration Quota Scandal, Senator Pablo Angeles y David was one of the four solons who were cleared of guilt by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee led by then Senator Lorenzo M. Tañada.

Personal life.

At 5' 11" tall David Angeles was a towering figure compared to the average Filipino. His first wife was Concepcion "Concha" Galang Baro, a mestiza of Basque descent. They had six children, named Luis "Sito", Ciceron "Aring", Ernani "Nani", Estrella "Nining", Maria Divina (died at 2 years old) and Florita "Flor". In 1948 then 58 years old, he married Estela "Telang" Cano Galura (Feb 25, 1924), a local beauty queen. They had five children: Estela "Baby", Pablo II "Boy", Pablo III "Amblit", Maria Corazon "Khorrie", and Carlos "Titus". David Angeles served his province and stayed in Bacolor until he suffered a stroke. He spent his later years of life with his family in Aragon Street corner Governor Forbes Avenue (now Arsenio Lacson), Sampaloc, Manila and Tendido Street, San Jose, Quezon City until his passing on May 16, 1965. Beloved by his hometown, a statue of him was erected at the plaza in front of the famous San Guillermo Parish Church in San Vicente, Bacolor.

Pablo "Ambo" David Ángeles (Bacolor, August 17, 1889 - May 16, 1965) was a Filipino magistrate and statesman. During his career, he became a Judge, a member of the Philippine House of Representatives, Governor of Pampanga and a member of the Senate of the Philippines. When he first ran for public office as governor, the Spanish y in his name was accidentally left out in streamers made by friends, so his name is often cited as "Pablo Angeles David".

Pablo Angeles David (* 17. August 1889 in Bacolor, Pampanga; † 16. Mai 1965 in Quezon City) war ein philippinischer Politiker.


Early life.

Styled Lord Mordaunt from 1628, he was the eldest son of John Mordaunt, 1st Earl of Peterborough. He was educated at Eton, under Sir Henry Wotton, and shortly before the outbreak of the First English Civil War was sent to France to be out of harm's way.  He returned to England in 1642, and served for a little while in the parliamentary army, where he commanded his ailing father's troop of horse. In April 1643, after his father's death, he deserted to the king at Oxford. Now Earl of Peterborough, he joined the Cavaliers and fought at the battles of Bristol, Gloucester and Newbury in 1643. At Newbury (20 September 1643) he was wounded in the arm and thigh, and had his horse shot under him. In command of a regiment raised at his own expense he served in the west during the following summer and winter, at Cropredy Bridge and Lostwithiel in 1644. In about December 1644, he married Lady Penelope O'Brien (the only daughter of the 5th Earl of Thomond) and they had two daughters. He was in France during the later phases of the struggle. In 1646 he returned to England and compounded for his estates. A private interview with Charles as he passed through Ampthill to Hampton Court, in the summer of 1647, prompted him to make a last effort on the king's behalf, and in July 1648 he united with the George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland in raising the royal standard at Dorking. The plan was to seize Reigate, but foiled in this, the insurgents were driven back on Kingston, and eventually dispersed in the neighbourhood of Harrow by the parliamentary forces (7 July). Mordaunt was severely wounded, but escaped to Antwerp, and in the following year returned to England and recompounded for his estates (May 1649).

Under Charles II.

When Charles married Catherine of Braganza in 1661, he acquired English Tangier as part of her dowry and Peterborough was sent there as its Governor, arriving 29 January 1662 in command of a regiment of foot which he raised in England (and which would become known as the Tangier Regiment), Harley's (ex-Parliamentary) regiment from Flanders, and remnants of Royalist regiments, also from Flanders. The force was ill-equipped, lacking basic supplies of fuel, beds, cooking-pots and ordnance equipment. In April 1662, he concluded a treaty with the Moors under Ahmad al-Khadir ibn Ali Ghaïlan but, in a disastrous sally out (3 May 1662), his force was soundly defeated. Confining the rest of the troops within the city walls, he himself returned to England unexpectedly, arriving in Plymouth on 8 June 1662. He was sent back, with some reinforcements, but was recalled in December of that year and replaced by Andrew Rutherford. He himself was awarded a generous pension.  He served in the Dutch war, at first as a volunteer in the fleet of the Earl of Sandwich, afterwards in command of the "Unicorn" at the Battle of Lowestoft in 1665 under James, Duke of York. Later he commanded the "Prince" at the Battle of Solebay in 1672.  In 1670 he was appointed Groom of the Stole to the Duke of York, and on 24 February 1673 ambassador extraordinary to arrange the terms of his proposed marriage with the Archduchess Claudia Felicitas of Innsbruck. He had hardly crossed the Channel, however, when the news of the Emperor Leopold I's determination to marry the archduchess himself put an end to the project. He was then commissioned to ascertain the respective personal and other attractions of the Princess Mary of Modena, and several other ladies between whom the duke's choice lay, and Mary having been fixed upon, proceeded to Modena in the following August as ambassador extraordinary to arrange the match. After some demur on the grounds of religion, Pope Clement X refusing a dispensation for the marriage of the princess with a prince who was not a declared Catholic, the scruples of the family were overcome, Peterborough being proxy for the duke (30 September 1673). Peterborough then escorted the princess to England.  On 10 July 1674 Peterborough was sworn of the privy council, and in 1676 was appointed deputy earl-marshal. In 1680 he was deprived of that office and his pension, and excluded from the council, on suspicion of complicity in the alleged Popish Plot. Nevertheless, though suffering from fever, he had himself carried down to Westminster Hall, to vote against the condemnation of Lord Stafford (7 December) In October 1681 he was summoned to Scotland by the Duke of York, whom he attended on his return to England in the following March. On 28 February 1683 he was restored to his place in the council.

Under James II.

He bore St. Edward's sceptre at the coronation of James II, by whom he was made Groom of the Stole and a Knight of the Garter in 1685, and colonel of the 3rd regiment of horse. In March 1687 he was received into the Roman church. When the King fled England in 1688, Peterborough was caught trying to escape with him, taken near Ramsgate and committed to the Tower of London (24 December).

Later life.

He was stripped of all his former offices and on 26 October 1689 he was impeached of high treason, together with the Earl of Salisbury, 'in departing from their allegiance, and being reconciled to the Church of Rome.' The proceedings were stalled by the subsequent dissolution, and on 9 October 1690 he was released on bail. In February 1696 he again fell under suspicion of treasonable practices, and was confined to his own house, but was enlarged in the following May. Peterborough was lord of the manors of Turvey in Bedfordshire and Drayton, Northamptonshire, and was for many years lord-lieutenant of the latter county. He died on 19 June 1697, and was buried in the parish church of Turvey.

Family.

Peterborough married, in 1644, Lady Penelope O'Brien, daughter of Barnabas O'Brien, 6th Earl of Thomond and Anne Fermor, by whom he had two daughters: Elizabeth, who died unmarried, and Mary, who married Henry Howard, 7th Duke of Norfolk, from whom she was divorced in 1700. The Countess of Peterborough was groom of the stole to Mary of Modena, and survived till April 1702. Samuel Pepys admired her: "a very wise woman".  On his death in 1697, his earldom passed to his nephew, the Earl of Monmouth, and his barony (which was able to pass through the female line) passed to his daughter, the Duchess of Norfolk. Since she died childless, the barony returned to the earls of Peterborough until that title died out in 1814.

Henry Mordaunt, 2nd Earl of Peterborough (15 November 1621 – 19 June 1697) was an English soldier, peer and courtier.

Henry Mordaunt, 2. Earl of Peterborough, KG, PC, FRS (* 15. November 1621 in England; † 19. Juni 1697 ebenda) war ein englischer Courtier, Peer, Politiker und Offizier.


Plot.

In 1962, con man Chester MacFarland and his wife Colette tour Greece and visit the Acropolis of Athens. There, they meet Rydal Keener who scams tourists while working as a tour guide. The MacFarlands discover that Rydal is an American and invite him to dinner. Rydal, intrigued by the couple's wealth and Colette's beauty, accepts their invitation and brings along a girlfriend.  Colette likes Rydal but Chester does not trust him. After dinner, they part but Rydal goes back to their hotel to return a bracelet that Colette left in their shared taxi. Meanwhile, a private detective hired by victims of Chester's investment swindles goes to the MacFarlands' hotel room and demands that Chester repay their money. The detective pulls a gun and Chester kills him by accident in a brief struggle when the detective falls and hits his head. While Chester is trying to stow the body in the detective's hotel room, Rydal finds him in the corridor. Chester asks Rydal for his help, pretending that he found the detective drunk and unconscious in the lobby. When the two of them try to get the dead detective's body into his hotel room, they are seen by an elderly couple who think that Chester and Rydal are only trying to help a drunk man to get into his hotelroom and so they give them a friendly "Good evening!" In their panic, Colette and Chester hastily pack their suitcases and leave the hotel, without checking out. They also leave their passports behind at the hotel front desk.  Rydal takes the MacFarlands to see a friend who can furnish false passports to replace those they left at the hotel. He suggests waiting for the counterfeit documents in Crete. In the capital city Iraklion, they cannot check into a hotel without identification papers and so they spend the evening at a restaurant where Chester gets drunk while watching Rydal and Colette dance and grow close and they all sleep the night on the quayside. Next morning, they travel by bus to Chania where Colette visits Rydal's room while her husband sleeps; it is left ambiguous as to whether they have sex. On the way back to Iraklion, Colette believes someone has recognized her from newspaper pictures of the Americans who fled the hotel in Athens and runs off the bus at a stop. Chester and Rydal follow and together they walk to the ruins of Knossos.  It begins to rain and they seek shelter. Chester lures Rydal into an underground labyrinth and knocks him out. As Chester emerges alone from the labyrinth, Colette assumes that he has killed Rydal. She then refuses to go any further with Chester telling him that this is no way to live, fleeing from one part of the world to another, always afraid that they will be found out by the police, especially now two people have been murdered. Chester tries to force her, grabbing her arm, but as she struggles, she loses her balance and falls down the wall that the stairs are built on. Chester rushes down to her but she is dead. He takes her in his arms and cries out in grief.  When Rydal comes to in the morning, he discovers Colette's dead body and while leaving, is seen by a group of students and their guide. He also discovers Chester's coat, hat and sunglasses and puts them on. Chester has rushed to Iraklion to pick up the passports paying Rydal's friend $2,500. Rydal arrives in Knossos and tracks down Chester. The two realize that they are bound together by the detective's death, the acquisition of false passports and Colette's death. If either is arrested, he will implicate the other.  As they take the ship back to Athens, they have a conversation while standing at a railing, looking out over the sea. Chester offers Rydal $10,000 to keep him quiet. Rydal then reveals that he "never wanted Chester's money. He wanted Chester's wife." Chester grabs him by the throat and nearly pushes Rydal overboard telling him to never talk about his wife again.  After arriving in Athens, they go to the airport, where Chester pretends to buy them both tickets to Frankfurt. He says he is going for a drink and boards a plane to Istanbul leaving Rydal with a suitcase containing documents that will tie him to Colette. Rydal realizes that Chester has probably reported him to the police anonymously and he flees the airport and appears to have escaped the police.  Rydal locates Chester in Istanbul and calls him from a payphone, demanding a meeting in the Grand Bazaar. He threatens to go to the police unless Chester pays him off, and hangs up. Unbeknownst to Chester, Rydal has already been arrested by the FBI. He has a covert meeting with the FBI agent, who he has made a previous deal with. The agent demands that Rydal extract a confession from Chester or their deal will be off. He makes Rydal wear a wire to his meeting with Chester. At their rendezvous, Rydal's insistent questioning makes Chester suspicious. Sensing a trap, he flees and a chase through the dark ensues with both Chester and Rydal fleeing the FBI agent and the Turkish police. A policeman shoots Chester who, as he lies dying, speaks into Rydal's wire tap admitting responsibility for the two deaths and exonerating Rydal. After Rydal is released, he asks the FBI agent where Chester will be buried. He answers that as they haven't been able to trace any next of kin, Chester will be buried in Istanbul. When the agent asks Rydal why he wants to know, Rydal answers: "I thought I'd go to his funeral". When he visits Chester's grave, he buries Colette's bracelet there at the tombstone.

Production.

Hossein Amini wrote the screenplay, which also marks his directorial debut; Amini said he had wanted to direct a film adaptation of the novel for the past 15 years. Amini's screenplay is based on the 1964 novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith. He wrote:  What I love about Highsmith is the way that she puts us in the shoes of traditionally 'unlikeable' characters, often criminals, and then makes us not only understand their motivations but recognize something of ourselves in them... It was this type of connection that drew me to Chester MacFarland... a jealous, alcoholic conman who is nevertheless a deeply tragic figure. His journey of murder, flight and redemption made him an unforgettable character for me and one of the main reasons I wanted to turn the novel into a film. Producer Tom Sternberg optioned the rights to the novel and originally set up a project with the production company Mirage. Sternberg developed the project with Amini and it found the backing by StudioCanal and Working Title.  Principal photography began August 2012 in Athens, Crete, Istanbul, and London's Ealing Studios. Identifiable locations include the Küçük Hasan mosque on Chania harbour, a nearby café and the Grand Arsenal in Plateia Katehaki, the ruins of Knossos near Iraklion, and the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.

Release.

StudioCanal distributed the film in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia, and New Zealand, and Universal Studios distributed it in Spain and Scandinavia; the latter sold distribution rights for other territories. Entertainment One acquired rights for Canada. Magnolia Pictures picked up distribution rights for the United States and released the film via VOD on August 28, 2014, to be followed by a theatrical release on October 3, 2014.

Reception.

"The Two Faces of January" received mostly positive reviews; it holds an 80% rating based on 122 reviews on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, with an average score of 6.75/10. The consensus states: "With striking visuals, complex characters, and Hitchcockian plot twists, "The Two Faces of January" offers a pleasantly pungent treat for fans of romantic thrillers." On Metacritic, the film has a 66/100 rating from 30 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Peter DeBruge of "Variety" wrote that Amini "expertly blends touches of Hitchcock and Highsmith". In comparing it to "The Talented Mr. Ripley", Deborah Young of "The Hollywood Reporter" said that it lacks the ""joie de vivre"" of that film, but has lush cinematography and shows Amini's "skill at working with actors". Manohla Dargis of "The New York Times" wrote, "Mr. Amini adds embellishing details and plot layers, hints at a grave Oedipal disturbance, turns up the sexual heat and smoothly increases the narrative torque." Betsy Sharkey of the "Los Angeles Times" wrote, "As was the case in the book, there are moves that don't always make sense, but the game-playing is riveting."

The Two Faces of January is a 2014 American-British-French thriller film written and directed by Hossein Amini, in his directorial debut. It is based on Patricia Highsmith's 1964 novel "The Two Faces of January" and stars Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst and Oscar Isaac.

Der Film Die Zwei Gesichter des Januars basiert auf Patricia Highsmiths gleichnamigem Roman. Regie führte Hossein Amini, der auch das Drehbuch schrieb. Die Hauptrollen spielen Oscar Isaac, Viggo Mortensen und Kirsten Dunst. Die Premiere fand im Februar 2014 auf den 64. Internationalen Filmfestspielen Berlin statt. In Deutschland kam der Film am 29. Mai 2014 in die Kinos.