Biography.

Family and early life.

Hańska was the fourth of seven children born to Adam Wawrzyniec Rzewuski and his wife, Justyna Rzewuska (née Rdułtowska). Their family was established as Polish nobility, known for wealth and military prowess. One ancestor had imprisoned his own mother in a tower to extract his part of an inheritance. Hańska's great-grandfather, Wacław Rzewuski, was a famous writer and Grand Crown Hetman. When the Russian Empire gained control of lands owned by the family through the Partitions of Poland at the end of the 18th century, Rzewuski swore his allegiance to Catherine II. He was rewarded with a comfortable position in the ranks of the empire. Moving between assignments in Kiev, St. Petersburg, and elsewhere, he chose as his primary residence the village of Pohrebyszcze in the region of Vinnytsia.  She was born in the Pohrebyszcze castle, in the Kiev Governorate of Russian partition of Poland. Although scholars agree that Hańska was born on 6 January, the year is disputed. Her biographers and those of her Balzac offer conflicting evidence of her age, taken from correspondence, family records, and testimonies from descendants. Most estimates range between 1801 and 1806. Balzac's biographer Graham Robb writes: "Balzac chose 1806 as her date of birth and he was probably right." Roger Pierrot's 1999 biography of Hańska, however, contends that she was born in 1804. Polish Biographical Dictionary gives 24 December 1805 (Georgian) which converts to 5 January 1805 (Julian).  Like her brothers and sisters, Hańska was educated by her parents about family lineage and religion. Her mother was a devout Catholic, but her father also taught the children about Voltairian rationality. The family was secluded in Pohrebyszcze, with only occasional trips away. Once a year, the family visited Kiev for a market gathering, during which Rzewuski sold grain and her mother purchased clothing and supplies for the estate.  Ewelina had three brothers: Adam, Ernest and Henryk, and three sisters: Alina, Karolina (better known as Karolina Sobańska) and Paulina. Hańska was closest to her brother Henryk, who later became famous for his work in the genre of Polish folk literature known as gawęda. They shared a passion for philosophical discussions, especially related to love and religion. Hańska's other brothers, Adam and Ernest, both pursued military careers. Hańska's eldest sister, Karolina, was admired as a child for her beauty, intellect, and musical talent. She later married a man 34 years her senior, a landowner from Podole named Hieronim Sobański. They separated after two years, and she began a series of passionate affairs with some of her many suitors. These included the Russian general Ivan Ossipovitch Witt, the Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz, and the Russian writer Alexander Pushkin. The Tsar considered her behavior scandalous and declared her dangerously disloyal. As a result, Hańska and the other Rzewuski women were watched carefully by police when they visited the Russian capital of St Petersburg. Hańska's younger sisters, Alina and Paulina, married early into comfortable upper-class families. Alina married a wealthy landowner from Smilavichy, whose father had gained his fortune by managing property for the Ogiński family. Her nephew Stanisław Moniuszko became a renowned composer. Paulina married a banker from Odessa named Jan Riznič.

Marriage to Hański.

In 1819 Eveline married Wacław Hański, a noble who lived nearby at Verhivnya (Wierzchownia). Their marriage was a union of wealthy families, not of passion. His estate covered and employed over 3,000 serfs, including 300 domestic servants. The manor had been designed by a French architect, and its owner filled it with luxuries from around the world: paintings from galleries in Milan and London, dinnerware from China, and a library of 25,000 books in a variety of languages. Hański boasted that none of the furniture was Russian.  Hański was more than twenty years older than Ewelina, who was a teenager at the time of their wedding, and his personality clashed with her youthful vigor. He spent most of the day supervising the grounds, by some accounts with an iron fist. After dinner he was usually too fatigued to spend time with his wife, and retired early. He was generally dour, and lived with a depressed condition that Hańska referred to as "blue devils". Although she was surrounded by opulence, Hańska found herself dissatisfied with her new life and with her husband's emotional distance in particular. As one biographer put it: "He loved Eve but he was not deeply in love with her."  In the first five years of their marriage, Hańska gave birth to five children, four of whom died as infants. The surviving daughter, Anna, was a welcome joy to Hańska, and she trusted her care to a young governess named Henriette Borel who had moved to Wierzchownia from the Swiss town of Neuchâtel.  The estate at Wierzchownia was isolated. Hańska was bored by visits to the court at St. Petersburg, and even more bored by noble guests in her own home. She found nothing in common with the ladies of high society, and longed for the stimulating discussions she had enjoyed with her brother Henryk. She spent her time reading the books her husband imported from faraway lands.

Becoming "The Stranger".

One of the writers who most enchanted Hańska was the French novelist Honoré de Balzac. After laboring in pseudonymous obscurity for ten years, Balzac published "Les Chouans" ("The Chouans") in 1829. A tale of star-crossed love amidst a royalist uprising in Brittany, it was the first work to which he signed his own name. Hańska was intrigued by the glowing portrayal of the female protagonist, driven by true love to protect the object of her desire. She also enjoyed Balzac's "Physiologie du mariage" ("The Physiology of Marriage"), also published in 1829, which heaps satirical scorn on husbands and celebrates the virtue of married women.  When she read his 1831 novel "La Peau de chagrin" ("The Magic Skin"), however, Hańska was appalled by the coarse depiction of Foedora, the so-called "femme sans cœur" ("woman without a heart"). She felt that Balzac had lost the reverence shown in his earlier works, and worried that he had based Foedora on a real woman from his life. Motivated partly by concern, partly by boredom, and partly by a desire to influence the life of a great writer (as her sister Karolina had done), she wrote to Balzac.  On 28 February 1832 Hańska posted a letter from Odessa with no return address. In it, she praised Balzac for his work, but scolded him for the negative portrayal of women in "La Peau de chagrin". She urged a return to the glowing representations in his earlier novels, and signed enigmatically: "L'Étrangère" ("The Stranger" or "The Foreigner"). Balzac was intrigued by the letter; he took out a personal advertisement in the "Gazette de France" indicating his receipt of an anonymous letter and expressing regret for being unable to reply. She probably never saw this notice.  Hańska wrote to Balzac several times during 1832. On 7 November she posted a seven-page letter filled with praise and flattery:Your soul embraces centuries, Monsieur; its philosophical concepts appear to be the fruit of long study matured by time; yet I am told that you are still young. I would like to know you, but feel that I have no need to do so. I know you through my own spiritual instinct; I picture you in my own way and feel that were I to set eyes upon you I should exclaim, 'That is he!' Your outward semblance probably does not reveal your brilliant imagination; you have to be moved, the sacred fire of genius has to be lit, if you are to show yourself as you really are, and you are what I feel you to be—a man superior in his knowledge of the human heart.  She insisted, however, that they could never meet, and indeed that he should never know her name: ("For you I am The Stranger, and shall remain so all my life.") Still, she wished for him to write back, so she advised him to place a notice in "La Quotidienne" to "L'É" from "H.B.". He purchased a notice similar to the earlier one in the "Gazette", and signed it according to her instructions.  In her next letter Hańska made arrangements for a trusted courier to collect letters from Balzac, and thereby allow for a direct correspondence. Before long she sent him the news that she and her husband would be traveling Europe, and visiting Vienna, Hanski's childhood home. They would also travel to the Swiss village of Neuchâtel, to visit the family of her daughter's governess. Contradicting her vow of eternal anonymity, she suggested a meeting. Balzac agreed immediately, and began to make preparations for the journey. Also, sometime in 1833, Balzac wrote his first confession of love to her, despite being at that time in another relationship.

Meeting Balzac.

In September 1833, after traveling to the French village of Besançon to find cheap paper for a publishing enterprise, Balzac crossed into Switzerland and registered at the "Hôtel du Faucon" under the name Marquis d'Entragues. He sent word to Hańska that he would visit the garden of the "Maison Andrié", where she and her family were staying. He looked up and saw her face at the window, then – as he described it later – he "lost all bodily sensation". They met later that day (September 25) at a spot overlooking Lake Neuchâtel; according to legend, he noticed a woman reading one of his books. He was overwhelmed with her beauty, and she wrote soon afterwards to her brother, describing Balzac as "cheerful and lovable just like you".  Hańska and Balzac met several times over the next five days, and her husband became enchanted with Balzac as well, inviting him to meals with the family. During a trip to Lake Biel, Hański went to arrange lunch, leaving his wife and Balzac alone. In the shade of a large oak tree, they kissed and exchanged vows of patience and fidelity. She told him of the family's plan to visit Geneva for Christmas; Balzac agreed to visit before the end of the year. Before he left Nauchâtel, she sent a passionate letter to his hotel: "Villain! Did you not see in my eyes all that I longed for? But have no fear, I felt all the desire that a woman in love seeks to provoke".  Arriving in Geneva on December 26, the Christmas Eve, Balzac stayed at the Auberge de l'Arc, near the Maison Mirabaud where the Hański family had settled for the season. She left a ring for him at the hotel, with a note asking for a new promise of love. He gave it, and described how he began wearing the ring on his left hand, "with which I hold my paper, so that the thought of you clasps me tight." At this time he began working on a philosophical novel, "Séraphîta", about a hermaphroditic angel united by the love of a mortal man for a compassionate and sensual woman. Balzac explained that she was his model for the latter. It was clear to all that Hański was in ill health, and Hańska began to think about her future with the French author. In the meantime, she asked Balzac to begin collecting for her autographs of the famous people he spent time with in Paris and elsewhere.  After leaving Geneva on 8 February, the Hański family spent several months visiting the major cities of Italy. In Florence the sculptor Lorenzo Bartolini started work on a bust of Hańska. In the summer of 1834 they returned to Vienna, where they would stay for another year. During this time Balzac continued writing to Hańska, and by accident two especially amorous letters fell into the hands of her husband. He wrote to the French author, furious, and demanded an explanation. Balzac wrote to Hański claiming that it was nothing more than a game: "One evening, in jest, she said to me that she would like to know what a love-letter was. This was said wholly without meaning... I wrote those two unfortunate letters to Vienna, supposing that she remembered our joke..." Hański apparently accepted the explanation, and invited Balzac to visit them in Vienna, which he did in May 1835.  Balzac's biographers agree that, despite his vows of loyalty to Hańska, he conducted affairs with several women during the 1830s, and may have fathered children with two of them. One was an Englishwoman named Sarah who had married the Count Emilio Guidoboni-Visconti. Hańska wrote to Balzac about these rumors in 1836, and he flatly denied them. Her suspicion was raised again, however, when he later dedicated his novel "Béatrix" to "Sarah". Balzac also corresponded with Hański; while most of their family disapproved of Balzac, Hański respected him, and the two exchanged letters on literature and agronomy. Meanwhile, Hańska was experiencing a renewal of religious interest, partly because her daughter's governess, Henriette Borel, left to join a nunnery in Paris. Hańska taught her daughter Anna from the works of Christian scholars including Jean Baptiste Massillon and St. François de Sales. Her religious interest was more towards mysticism than mainstream religions; she corresponded with Baroness Barbara von Krüdener, and read on Rosicrucianism, Martinism and Swedenborgianism. Balzac treated this attack of devotion with the sharpest disapproval. When Balzac sent her works in progress, her only replies were moral queries, rather than the stylistic criticism for which he hoped.

Hański's death.

Hański died in November 1841. She sent Balzac a letter, sealed in black, with the news. He instantly wrote back: ""je n'en aurais peut-être pas voulu recevoir d'autre de vous, malgré ce que vous me dites de triste sur vous et votre santé"" ("I could not perhaps wish to have received any other [news] from you, in spite of the sad things you tell me about yourself and your health"). He made plans to visit Dresden in May, and obtain a visa to visit her in Russia.  The future, however, was not as simple as Balzac wanted to believe. Hańska's family did not approve of the French author; her Aunt Rozalia was especially disdainful. To make matters worse, her late husband's uncle protested the Hański's will in which she had inherited Hański's estate. Horrified that her daughter would be robbed of everything, Hańska insisted that she must end her relationship with Balzac. "You are free", she wrote to him. As she made plans to protest the uncle's interference in St. Petersburg, Balzac wrote back to offer his help. He suggested that he could become a Russian citizen and "go to the Czar myself and ask him to sanction our marriage". She asked for his patience, which he offered anew.  Soon after she arrived in the Russian capital of St. Petersburg, in order to resolve some of the litigation issues surrounding her inheritance, she took Anna to a recital by the Hungarian composer and pianist Franz Liszt. Although she did not succumb to Lisztomania, she was impressed by his musical talent and his good looks. "He is an extraordinary mixture", she wrote in her diary, "and I enjoy studying him." They saw one another on several occasions, but she ultimately rejected his advances. One biographer says that their last meeting "gives striking evidence of her loyalty to Balzac".  In late July 1843 Balzac visited her in St. Petersburg, the first time they had seen one another in eight years. He was struck by Hańska's resilient beauty, but his condition had deteriorated over the years. Biographers agree that she was much less physically attracted to him at this time. Still they renewed their vows of love and planned to marry as soon as she won her lawsuit. In early October he returned to Paris. Soon afterwards, she wrote a story based on her own experience writing to Balzac for the first time. Unhappy with it, she threw it into the fire, but the French author begged her to rewrite it so he could adapt it. He assured her that she would "know something of the joys of authorship when you see how much of your elegant and delightful writing I have preserved". Her story became "Modeste Mignon", Balzac's 1844 novel about a young woman who writes to her favorite poet.  Also in 1844 Hańska won her lawsuit. The wealth of her late husband's estate would go to Anna, who had become engaged to a Polish Count, Jerzy Mniszech. They planned to marry in 1846, after which time Hańska would bestow the inheritance. Thus Hańska's marriage to Balzac would have to wait. In the meantime, two urgent problems began to complicate their plans. One was his health, which had been deteriorating for years. In October 1843 he wrote to her about "horrible suffering which has its seat nowhere; which cannot be described; which attacks both heart and brain". Balzac's other problem was financial: despite his illness, he could not afford to relax his work schedule, since he owed more than 200,000 francs to various creditors.

Second marriage and widowhood.

Hańska and Balzac were determined, however, and in 1845 she visited him in Paris with Anna and Jerzy. In April of the following year they visited Italy; Balzac joined them for a tour of Rome, and they proceeded to Geneva. Soon after he returned to Paris, she wrote with the news that she was pregnant. Balzac was overjoyed, certain that they would have a boy, and insisting on the name Victor-Honoré. The thought of having a son, he wrote, "stirs my heart and makes me write page upon page". To avoid scandal, he would have to marry Hańska in secret, to hide the fact that their child was conceived out of wedlock. In the meantime, Anna married Jerzy Mniszech on 13 October in Wiesbaden. Balzac served as a witness and wrote an announcement for the Paris newspapers, which offended Hańska's sister Alina.  Hańska, living for a time in Dresden, was not soothed, either, by Balzac's disregard for financial stability. For years he had planned to buy a house for them to share, but in August 1846 she sent him a stern admonition. Until his debts were paid, she wrote, "we must postpone buying any property". One month later he purchased a house on the "Rue Fortunée" for 50,000 francs. Having collected finery from his many travels, he searched across Europe for items to properly complete the furnishings: carpets from Smyrna, embroidered pillowcases from Germany, and a handle for the lavatory chain crafted from Bohemian glass.  In November, Hańska suffered a miscarriage; she wrote to Balzac with the tragic news. He wanted to visit her, but Anna wrote asking him to remain in Paris. The emotion involved, she wrote, "would be fatal". Hańska made plans to return to Wierzchownia, but Balzac begged her to visit him, which she did in the spring of 1847. As soon as she was back in Ukraine, however, a new wrinkle unfolded. Hańska had long been unhappy with the presence of Balzac's housekeeper, Louise Breugniot, and he promised to break with her before marrying. He wrote with alarm to Hańska explaining that Breugninot had stolen her letters to him and blackmailed the author for 30,000 francs. Biographers disagree about truth of this story; Robb suggests it was "a convincing hysterical performance put on for the benefit of his jealous fiancée".  Still, Balzac believed that keeping her letters was dangerous and, in a moment of characteristic impulse, threw them into the fire. He described it to her as "the saddest and most frightful day of my life... I am looking at the ashes as I write to you, and I tremble seeing how little space fifteen years takes up." On 5 September 1847 he left Paris to join her for the first time in Wierzchownia. They spent several happy months together, but financial obligations required his presence in France. The Revolution of 1848 began one week after his return. Back in Wierzchownia, Hańska lost 80,000 francs due to a granary fire, and her time was consumed with three lawsuits. These complications, and Balzac's constant debt, meant that their finances were unstable, and she hesitated anew at the idea of marriage. In any case, a wedding would be impossible without approval from the Tsar, which he did not grant until spring of 1850. On 2 July 1849 Russian authorities responding to Balzac's request in December 1847 to marry Hańska stated that he could do so, but that Hańska could not keep her land.  Balzac returned to Wierzchownia in October, and immediately fell ill with heart issues. His condition deteriorated throughout 1849, and doubts persisted in her mind about their union. Biographers generally agree that Hańska was convinced by Balzac's frail state and endless devotion. One wrote: "It was charity, as much as love or fame, which finally turned the scale." Robb indicates that the wedding was "surely an act of compassion on her part". To avoid rumors and suspicion from the Tsar, Hańska transferred ownership of the estate to her daughter. On 14 March 1850 they traveled to Berdychiv and, accompanied by Anna and Jerzy, were married in a small ceremony at the parish church of St. Barbara.  Both Hańska and Balzac took ill after the wedding; she suffered from a severe attack of gout, for which her doctor prescribed an unusual treatment: "Every other day she has to thrust her feet into the body of a sucking-pig which has only just been slit open, because it is necessary that the entrails should be quivering." She recovered, but he did not. They returned to Paris in late May, and his health improved slightly at the start of summer. By July, however, he was confined to his bed. Hańska nursed him constantly, as a stream of visitors – including the writers Victor Hugo and Henri Murger – came to pay their respects. When Balzac's vision started to give out, she began to act as his secretary, helping him with his writing.  In mid-August Balzac succumbed to gangrene and began having fits of delirium. At one point he called out for Horace Bianchon, the fictional doctor he had included in many novels. But he also expressed great worry for Hańska, once telling Hugo: "My wife is more intelligent than I, but who will support her in her solitude? I have accustomed her to so much love." He died on 18 August 1850.  As most of Balzac's biographers point out, Hańska was not in the room when he died. Robb says she "must have retired for a moment", while André Maurois notes that she had been by his side for weeks with no way of knowing how long it would continue, and "there was nothing to be done". Vincent Cronin attributes her absence to the nature of their relationship: "From the first day by the lakeside at Neuchâtel theirs had been a Romantic love and Eve wanted to guard it to the end against that terrible taint of corruption."

Later years and death.

Hańska lived with Balzac's mother for a time after his death, in the house he had spent so much time and expense furnishing. The elder Mme. Balzac moved in with a friend after several months, and Hańska approached the remains of her late husband's writing. Several works had been left incomplete, and publishers inquired about releasing a final edition of his grand collection "La Comédie humaine". Hańska sponsored new editions of his works and was involved in editing some of them, even adding occasional content. Balzac's debt, meanwhile, still exceeded 200,000 francs, which Hańska paid while also providing for his mother's living expenses. One of her letters at the time gives voice to her frustrations: "In nursing my husband's incurable malady I ruined my health, just as I have ruined my private fortune in accepting the inheritance of debts and embarrassments which he left me." Anna and Jerzy moved into a nearby house in Paris.  Despite her obligations, Hańska was a beautiful unmarried woman of means living in Paris. The writer Jules Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly described her this way: "Her beauty was imposing and noble, somewhat massive, a little fleshy, but even in stoutness she retained a very lively charm which was spiced with a delightful foreign accent and a striking hint of sensuality." As she began sorting through Balzac's papers, she called on his friend, Champfleury, for assistance. As they worked one evening, he complained of a headache. "I'll make it go away," she said, and began massaging his forehead. As he wrote later: "There are certain magnetic effluvia, in such situations, of which the effect is that the matter does not stop there." Her affair with the man twenty years her junior was brief, but it provided a tremendous release to Hańska, who had spent decades with older men in various states of ill health. She began partaking of the social life around her. "The night before last I laughed as I have never done before," she wrote in 1851. "Oh, how wonderful it is not to know anyone or have to worry about anyone, to have one's independence, liberty on the mountain-tops, and to be in Paris!"  Champfleury was intimidated by her vitality and jealousy, and removed himself from her life. On his recommendation, she turned creative control of Balzac's unfinished novels "Le Député d'Arcis" and "Les Petits Bourgeois" to another writer, Charles Rabou. Rabou added extensively to them and published both books in 1854. To soothe the publisher, Hańska falsely claimed that Balzac had chosen Rabou as his literary successor.  Hańska met the painter Jean Gigoux when she hired him in 1851 to paint Anna's portrait. They began a relationship that lasted many years, but never married. Over the next thirty years, Hańska and particularly her spend-thrift daughter spent the remainder of their fortune on fine clothing and jewelry. Jerzy, meanwhile, succumbed to mental disorders and died in 1881, leaving behind a trail of debts. Hańska was forced to sell the house, but was allowed to continue living there. She died on 11 April 1882 and was buried in Balzac's grave at Père Lachaise Cemetery.

Influence on Balzac's works.

Eveline was an inspiration for many of Balzac's characters. She can be seen as the model for La Fosseue, Mme Claes, Modesta Mignon, Ursule Mirouet, Adelina Houlot, and especially Eugenie Grandet and Mme de Mortsauf. There is less agreement among scholars on whether she was also the inspiration for more negative characters such as Fedora and lady Dudley, as Balzac seems to have used her mostly as a model for more positive personas. His works also mention numerous characters named Eve or Eveline, and have several dedications to her.  In addition to Eveline, her daughter Anna, sister Alina, aunt Rozalia, first love (Tadeusz Wyleżyński), and several other figures that she introduced Balzac to or told him about, were also incorporated into his works. After they met, Poland, Polish topics, Polish names, and Polish (Slavic) mysticism began to appear much more frequently in his works, as exemplified by such characters as Hoene Wroński, Grabianka and General Chodkiewicz.

Defenders and detractors.

Hańska became a controversial figure among the biographers and researchers of Balzac. As Zygmunt Czerny notes, the "mysterious Pole" was criticized by some (Henry Bordeaux, Octave Mirbeau ("La Mort de Balzac"), Adolf Nowaczyński, Józef Ignacy Kraszewski, Charles Léger and Pierre Descaves), and praised by others (Philippe Bertault, Marcel Bouteron, Barbey d'Aurevilly, Sophie de Korwin-Piotrowska, Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński, Tadeusz Grabowski, Juanita Helm Floyd and André Billy). Czerny notes that one of the "greatest experts on Balzac", Spoelberch de Lovenjoul, referred to her as "one of the best women of the epoch", and that while there are those who deride her influence on Balzac, and question her feelings and motivations, few deny she had a crucial impact on him, and, for most, the "Great Balzac" emerged only after meeting her in early 1830s. Czerny concludes by saying: "However one could analyze her and their relationship, the impact of her love on Balzac was persistent, all-enveloping and decisive".

Eveline Hańska (; 6 January – 11 April 1882) was a Polish noblewoman best known for her marriage to French novelist Honoré de Balzac. Born at the Wierzchownia estate in Volhynia (now Ukraine), Hańska married landowner Wacław Hański (Wenceslas Hanski) when she was a teenager. Hański, who was about 20 years her senior, suffered from depression. They had five children, but only a daughter, Anna, survived.

Ewelina Hańska (* 6. Januar 1801 in Pohrebyschtsche; † 10. April 1882 in Paris), geboren als "Ewelina Rzewuska", war eine polnische Adlige, die durch ihre Beziehung zu Honoré de Balzac bekannt geworden ist.


Early life.

Feetham was born in Penrhos, Monmouthshire, the fifth son of the Reverend William and Mary Feetham; he was educated at Marlborough College and New College, Oxford. He read law in Lincolns Inn and was called to the Bar in 1899. He served with the Inns of Court Rifles in the Second Boer War. He was one of the young lawyers selected by Lord Milner to assist him in a policy of reconstruction following the Treaty of Vereeniging, who became known as "Milner's Kindergarten".

Legal career.

Feetham became deputy town clerk of Johannesburg in 1902 and town clerk the following year. In April 1905, he resigned from the Town Council and joined the South African Bar.  Feetham was, apart from other work as a commissioner, also appointed "to enquire into and report upon the facts relating to the tenure by natives of their lots in the Potchefstroom native location" and after he completed this work, its findings were reported in 1906 by the Government Printer, Pretoria. This commission's work was undertaken because of the claims of the residents of the old native location that members of the Town Council (Stadsraad) in 1888 gave them verbal assurances of a perpetual right of occupation of their stands as long as they paid their annual rent.  He was legal adviser to Lord Selborne, the High Commissioner in 1907 and a member of the Legislative Council of the Transvaal from (1907-1910). In 1915 he was elected to the House of Assembly of South Africa for the Parktown constituency in Johannesburg. During World War I, Feetham was an officer in the South African Cape Corps and served in East Africa and Egypt.  He was awarded a CMG in 1923 for his services as legal adviser to the High Commissioner for South Africa.

Judicial career.

Feetham resigned from Parliament in 1923 to become a judge of the Transvaal Division of the Supreme Court. In 1930, he was appointed Judge President of the Natal Provincial Division succeeding Dove Wilson. In this role, Feetham was able to show is "towering intellect" and "outstanding leadership qualities" to bring about a change for the better in the status of the Natal Court.  In 1939, Feetham became Judge of Appeal on the South Africa Court of Appeals in Bloemfontein.

University of the Witwatersrand.

In 1938, Feetham was elected Vice Chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. He became Chancellor in 1949. He opposed legislation prohibiting the admission of Non-White students to White tertiary institutions. He also played a leading role in the conference between senior members of the Universities of Cape Town and the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, which led to publication of the booklet "The Open Universities in South Africa" (1957). He resigned from the position of Chancellor in 1961 and from the University Council two years later.

Service as commissioner.

Feetham served as an international and local commissioner on a number of high-profile commissions.

Feetham Function Committee.

He was chairman of the Feetham Function Committee on Constitutional Reform in India (1918-1919).

Irish Boundary Commission.

He was Chairman of the Irish Boundary Commission (1924-1925) which decided on the precise delineation of the border between the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland following partition in 1921. Lionel Curtis, Lloyd George's main Irish adviser wrote on the appointment of Feetham:  "Incomparably the best man I know for his purpose is one Richard Feetham KC, legal adviser to the Governor General of South Africa. He is an English trained Barrister and a member of the South African assembly who has been through all our constitutional work since Milner's time. On my advice Montague sent him out to India as chairman of a committee to prepare a scheme for the decentralization of powers of the central government. In four months he solved a problem over which the Government of India had been struggling with for over 20 years."  Despite these glowing references the Boundary Commission's report was completely unacceptable to both Northern Irish and Free State governments, and to Feetham's concern was buried, with neither party even prepared to admit having read it.

Kenya Local Government Commission.

In 1926, he was appointed chairman of a commission to consider the development of local government in Kenya, including the ways in which local government could fund itself.

Feetham Report (Shanghai).

In 1930, Feetham was appointed by the Shanghai Municipal Council to investigate the possibility of the end of extraterritoriality in China and its effect on the Shanghai International Settlement. At the time, the British Government was engaged in negotiations with the Kuomintang government of China to bring an end to extraterritoriality. Feetham proposed that extraterritoriality continue at least in the International Settlement until China could form a united and pacified government with constitutional checks and balances.

Transvaal Asiatic Land Tenure Commission.

Between 1932 and 1935 he chairman of a commission consider the issues around allowing Asians to owning land in the Transvaal. The Transvaal Asiatic Land Tenure Act and its subsequent amendments in 1934, 1935 and 1937 establish statutory segregation of Indians in the Transvaal.

Witwatersrand Land Titles Commission.

Between 1946 and 1949 he was chairman of a commission to consider the ownership of land in Witwatersrand.

Death.

Feetham died on 5 November 1965 in Pietermaritzburg, Natal (now kwaZulu-Natal).

Richard Feetham CMG (1874-1965) was a lawyer, politician and judge in South Africa. He was also the chairman of a number of high-profile international and domestic commissions.

Richard Feetham (* 22. November 1874 in Penrhos, Monmouthshire; † 5. November 1965 in Pietermaritzburg) war ein britischer Richter sowie Politiker und Hochschulkanzler in Südafrika.


Route.

The Paris–Lille railway begins at the Gare du Nord in Paris, running north for 6 km until Saint-Denis. From here, it climbs in northeastern direction at a constant 5 mm/km incline. Near Marly-la-Ville, it turns north and then northwest, and descends towards the river Oise. At Creil, the Oise is crossed. The line to Saint-Quentin and Brussels branches off at Creil.  The line leaves the Oise valley and continues north to the river Somme at Longueau near Amiens. Here the Longueau–Boulogne railway to the Gare d'Amiens and Boulogne-sur-Mer branches off to the west, and a line to Laon to the east. The line to Lille continues in northeastern direction, following the valley of the Somme until Corbie, and then the river Ancre until Miraumont, where the line turns north until it reaches Arras.  From Arras it follows the river Scarpe in eastern direction until Douai, where it turns northwest. After Ostricourt it turns north again, entering the agglomeration of Lille. After a total length of 251 km, it reaches its terminus Gare de Lille-Flandres.

Main stations.

The main stations on the Paris–Lille railway are:

History.

The idea of linking France to Belgium and Great Britain was studied by the French Government as early as 1833. By November 1842, the northern French cities Lille and Valenciennes were already connected to the Belgian railway network. In July 1844 a law was passed that determined the route of the new railway from Paris to Lille. Exploitation of the line from Paris to Lille and several branch lines was granted to the Compagnie des chemins de fer du Nord. Owners of the CF du Nord were Hottinger, Laffitte, Blount and Baron de Rothschild as president. The railway line as well as the Parisian station was inaugurated in June 1846.  The line originally passed through the Oise valley, along Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône and Persan. This way a steep climb and descent between Saint-Denis and Creil could be avoided. The arrival of stronger engines prompted the CF du Nord to construct a 19 km shorter line between Saint-Denis and Creil over the plateau, passing along Chantilly. This new section was opened on 10 May 1859.  Since the opening of the LGV Nord high speed line between Paris and Lille in 1993, most long-distance passenger traffic has shifted away from the classical Paris–Lille line. It remains an important railway for freight traffic and regional passenger traffic.

Services.

The Paris–Lille railway is used by the following passenger services:

The railway from Paris to Lille is an important French 251-kilometre long railway line, that connects Paris to the northern French city Lille. Branch lines offer connections to Belgium and Great Britain. As one of the first railway lines in France, it was opened on 20 June 1846. The opening of the LGV Nord high speed line from Paris to Lille in 1993 has decreased its importance for passenger traffic.

Die Bahnstrecke Paris–Lille ist eine der wichtigsten Eisenbahnstrecken Frankreichs. Diese 251 km lange Strecke verbindet Paris mit Lille. Sie befindet sich in den Regionen Île-de-France und Hauts-de-France.


Function.

The interosseous membrane divides the forearm into anterior and posterior compartments, serves as a site of attachment for muscles of the forearm, and transfers loads placed on the forearm.  The interosseous membrane is designed to shift compressive loads (as in doing a hand-stand) from the distal radius to the proximal ulna. The fibers within the interosseous membrane are oriented obliquely so that when force is applied the fibers are drawn taut, shifting more of the load to the ulna. This reduces the wear and tear of placing the whole load on a single joint. The role of the membrane in load shifting is illustrated when the interosseous membrane is cut; the forces on each bone equalize from their natural proportions.  Additionally, as the forearm moves from pronation to supination, the interosseous membrane fibers change from a relaxed state, to a tense state in the neutral position. They once again become relaxed as the forearm enters pronation.  The interosseous membrane is composed of five ligaments:

Injury.

Severe forearm injuries involving separation of the radius and ulna may be due to rupture of the interosseous membrane. Rupture can lead to proximal migration of the radius and an apparent lengthening of the ulna at the wrist. Often interosseous membrane tears are associated with adverse impacts on forearm rotation. MRI-assisted diagnosis has been used for mid-substance tears of the interosseous membrane but is expensive and not widely available. On the contrary, ultrasound has proven useful in diagnosing tears of the tibiofibular interosseous membrane of the leg, and this technique may also be applied to acute cases of membrane tears in the forearm due to its low cost and portability.

The interosseous membrane of the forearm (rarely middle or intermediate radioulnar joint) is a fibrous sheet that connects the interosseous margins of the radius and the ulna. It is the main part of the radio-ulnar syndesmosis, a fibrous joint between the two bones.

Die Membrana interossea antebrachii ist eine breitflächige bandartige Verbindung (Syndesmose) des Unterarms, die Speiche (Radius) und Elle (Ulna) miteinander verbindet. Die Membran ist einige Millimeter breit und dient als Muskelansatzfläche für verschiedene Unterarmmuskeln. Ihr Ansatzpunkt an der Speiche (radialer Ursprung) liegt unterhalb (distal) der Stirnfläche des Radiuskopfes, die ulnare Anheftung distal der Spitze des Ellenbogenhöckers (Olecranon).


History.

Standerton was founded in 1878 on a farm called "Grootverlangen" and named after its owner Commandant Adriaan Henrik Stander. The South African Republic's Volksraad approved the formation of a town at the drift in 1876 and proclaimed two years later. It was granted municipal status in 1903. The crossing over the Vaal River, now bridged, was known as "Stander's Drift" and a hill close to the town was called "Standerskop" were also named after Stander. During the First Boer War (1880–81), a British unit was besieged by the Boer forces who shelled them from the nearby hill, the former holding out until the end of the war in February 1881.

Great Trek memorial controversy.

The town has received nationwide media attention in 2007 and 2008 following the destruction of an important voortrekker memorial. This monument, located near the facade of the municipality building, was constructed by Afrikaners to mark the 150th anniversary of the Great Trek. The Lekwa municipality's mayor Queen Radebe-Khumalo ordered the structure demolished in April 2007. "That piece of thing means nothing to us. It's just a piece of cement with tracks. I do not even know where it comes from", Radebe-Khumalo declared in a statement quoted by the "Beeld" newspaper.  The incident led to widespread condemnation by the local Afrikaans community. Jan Bosman, a spokesperson for the Afrikanerbond, claimed that "actions like these undo the spirit of reconciliation as promoted by former president Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu". In June 2007, a joint initiative between AfriForum and Solidarity lodged an application to the Pretoria High Court requesting that the mayor offer compensation for damages claimed. A subsequent court order ruled that Radebe-Khumalo and her municipality would pay for the damage and prohibited attempts to remove another statue erected in memory of Anglo-Boer war concentration camp victims.  In May 2010, the memorial was rebuilt on its original site.

Sakhile Township riots.

The township of Sakhile near Standerton was the site of violent, service delivery riots that led to the Lekwa Municipality mayor Juliet Queen Radebe-Khumalo and other senior municipal officials, being recalled by the African National Congress in October 2009. The riots included the burning of tyres and blocking some entries to the town.

Economy.

Agriculture.

The area around the town promotes mixed agriculture with crops such as maize, sunflower seeds, ground nuts and potatoes. Poultry and dairy farming is also conducted in the region.

Education.

Schools.

Standerton Primary School is a school that was officially opened in the year 1959, with its first acting principal being Miss C. Fisher and a total of 153 learners after its initial opening. The school anthem was composed by one Joan Whitington. The new hall is called the Barbara Dunbar Hall. There are three houses called Hawks, Eagles and Falcons. The school motto is ""Sapienta Vincit"" (Latin for "Wisdom Conquers"). The key on the school badge represents unlocking knowledge. The official school colours are blue, red and yellow. The current principal is Mr C. J. van Vuuren.  Khula-Sakhile Secondary School is a school that had been struggling for years with their matriculants' results when finally in the 2013-14 matric group, the school managed to score a 100% pass rate which was seen as a very proud moment for both the Sakhile area as well as the Mpumalanga province as a whole.

Infrastructure.

Dams.

Grootdraai Dam is situated in the upper reaches of the Vaal River less than 10 km upstream of Standerton. It has a catchment area of 8,195 km, a mean annual precipitation of approximately 750 mm, a mean annual potential evaporation at the dam site of 1,400 mm and a natural inflow of 580 million m/a. The full supply capacity of the reservoir is 364 million m. The Grootdraai dam was completed in 1982.

Notable people.

Although Standerton is a rural town surviving mainly on agriculture, it has produced talented people prominent in South African society.

Standerton is a large commercial and agricultural town lying on the banks of the Vaal River in Mpumalanga, South Africa, which specialises in cattle, dairy, maize and poultry farming. The town was established in 1876 and named after Boer leader Commandant A. H. Stander. During the First Boer War a British garrison in the town was besieged by the Boers for three months. General Jan Smuts won this seat during elections and went on to assist in setting up the League of Nations. Standerton is part of the Lekwa Local Municipality.

Standerton ist eine Stadt in der südafrikanischen Provinz Mpumalanga. Sie liegt in der Gemeinde Lekwa im Distrikt Gert Sibande. Standerton ist Sitz der Gemeinde Lekwa.


History and development.

The original project, conceived during the Expo 67-era economic boom, called for three identical towers arrayed in a triangle. It was scaled back to two towers flanking each side of the central core. Ultimately a single tower was built, due to financial constraints; the Hôtel Delta Centre-Ville was later built on the site of what was to be the second identical tower thus forming Place Victoria. Following the improvement and restoration of Square Victoria to its original configuration in 2002, Place Victoria is now a centrepiece of the new Quartier International downtown area. The tower itself is considered by many to be a masterpiece of the International style of skyscraper design. Its façade, fully renovated in 1995, features a bronze-tinted anodized aluminium curtain wall, forming a strong contrast with the slightly slanted pre-cast concrete columns at the four corners, giving the whole a subtly convex aspect. It is divided into three roughly equal blocks by mechanical floors whose corners are recessed in an octagonal shape, creating small open-air interstices behind the columns at these levels. One couple of peregrine falcons has been nesting inside the 32nd floor recess since 1984.  This, 48-story building was the world's tallest reinforced concrete tower until the completion of Lake Point Tower in Chicago in 1968, and the tallest building in Canada until the completion of Toronto-Dominion Centre in 1967.  The building's anchor tenant is still the Montreal Exchange on floors 3 and 4. The national and international law firm Fasken Martineau occupies six floors as well as space for services on the "rez de chaussée". The building is managed by Magil Laurentian Realty Corporation. In August 2004 Jolina Capital, owned by Lino Saputo who is also head of foodmaker Saputo Foods, acquired a majority stake in the building. Property management is still handled by Magil Laurentian, who retains a minority stake. In 2018, the owner of the building is Groupe Mach.

References.

The Tour de la Bourse () is a 48-storey skyscraper in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located at the intersection of Victoria Square and Saint Jacques Street in the International Quarter. It is connected by the underground city to the Square-Victoria-OACI Metro Station.

Der Tour de la Bourse () ist ein Wolkenkratzer in Montreal. Er wurde nach Plänen von Luigi Moretti und Pier Luigi Nervi erbaut und 1964 eröffnet. Mit einer Höhe von 190 Metern ist der Tour de la Bourse das dritthöchste Gebäude der Stadt (bis 1992 war es das höchste). Der Wolkenkratzer im internationalen Stil befindet sich im zentralen Arrondissement Ville-Marie am Square Victoria. Namensgeber des Gebäudes ist die Börse von Montreal.


Early and personal life.

Kwarasey was born in Oslo, Norway to a father from Ghana and a mother from Norway. He holds both Ghanaian and Norwegian passports.

Club career.

Strømsgodset.

Kwarasey played youth football with Trosterud and Vålerenga. After moving to Strømsgodset, he made his debut on 6 May 2007. He scored his first senior goal in 2010, converting a penalty kick in the cup against Modum. Kwarasey was the captain of the club in 2013 when Strømsgodset won Tippeligaen for the first time since 1970. He also won the Kniksen Award as the best goalkeeper in the 2013 season.  Kwarasey announced on 31 October 2014 that he would leave Strømsgodset after the 2014 season, when his contract expired.

Portland Timbers.

Kwarasey signed for the Major League Soccer club Portland Timbers in December 2014. In the one-game knockout round of the MLS Cup 2015 playoffs against Sporting Kansas City, the game went to a penalty-kick shootout. The shootout was tied after all 10 field players had taken their shots, so the goalkeepers went next; Kwarasey scored his shot, then saved his opposite number Jon Kempin's shot, winning his team the shootout and enabling it to advance to the next round. The Timbers won the next two rounds and then the 2015 MLS Cup, the league championship.  During the match against San Jose Earthquakes on 16 April 2016, Kwarasey suffered a finger injury, which turned out to be a torn ligament that would rule him out for a month.

Rosenborg.

Kwarasey returned to Norwegian football in July 2016 after signing a three-and-a-half year contract with Rosenborg. The Timbers stated that this move "helps free up cap space" and "made sense for Kwarasey and his family." The lanky Ghanaian international won the Tippeligaen and the Norwegian Football Cup in his only season with the Norwegian football giants. This was his fourth time of winning a medal in the Norway, after captaining Strømsgodset to their first league title since 1970. He left Rosenborg in 2017 for Brøndby in Denmark.

Brøndby.

On 9 January 2017, it was confirmed by Brøndby that Kwarasey had signed a four-year contract with the club.

Vålerenga.

On 6 June 2017, Kwarasey Larsen agreed a three-year contract with former youth club Vålerenga. Due to the Norwegian transfer window which opens on 21 July, he will not be available to play competitively for Vålerenga until that date, although he will be able to train with the team.

International career.

In November 2007, Kwarasey declared that he would play international football for Ghana. However, he played a friendly match for Norway under-21 in 2008. In October 2010, Kwarasey received his Ghanaian passport and became eligible to play for Ghana. On 30 July 2011, Kwarasey was called up to the Ghana national team for a match against Nigeria. That match was postponed due to security reasons, although Kwarasey confirmed his intention to become Ghana's first-choice goalkeeper. He made his international debut for Ghana on 2 September 2011 in an 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Swaziland, before playing in a friendly match against Brazil at Craven Cottage in London three days later. Kwarasey was named to Ghana's 23-man squad for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. He was the team's first choice goalkeeper throughout the tournament, as the Black Stars finished in fourth place.  Kwarasey made two appearances for the Black Stars during their successful 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, serving as understudy to Fatau Dauda. On 2 June 2014, Kwarasey was named in Ghana's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He started in goal for the Black Stars in the team's opening match, a 2–1 defeat against the United States in Natal. After his team defeat, he planned to quit playing with Black Stars. In August 2014, he was dropped from the national team. In January 2017 he was called back into the Black stars team ahead of the 2017 African Cup of Nations but dropped out of the team due to injury and was replaced by experienced Enyimba FC goalkeeper Fatau Dauda.

Honours.

Club.

Strømsgodset  Portland Timbers  Rosenborg

Adambathia Larsen "Adam" Kwarasey (born 12 December 1987) is a professional footballer who plays for Norwegian club Vålerenga as a goalkeeper.

Adambathia Larsen Kwarasey (* 12. Dezember 1987 in Oslo) ist ein ghanaisch-norwegischer Fußballtorwart, der seit Anfang 2015 im Profikader des US-amerikanischen Erstligisten Portland Timbers steht.


Origins.

The building was originally a small castle on the crest of a ridge on the road inland from the Lincolnshire fen edge towards the Great North Road. It is said to have been begun by Gilbert de Gant, Earl of Lincoln in the early 13th century. However, he was the first and last in this creation of the Earldom of Lincoln and he died in 1156. Gilbert's heyday was the peak time of castle building in England, during the Anarchy. It is quite possible that the castle was built around 1140. However, the tower at the south-east corner of the present building is usually said to have been part of the original castle and it is known as King John's Tower. The naming of King John's tower seems to have led to a misattribution of the castle's origin to his time.  Gilbert de Gant spent much of his life in the power of the Earl of Chester and Grimsthorpe is likely to have fallen into his hands in 1156 when Gilbert died, though the title 'Earl of Lincoln' reverted to the crown. In the next creation of the earldom, in 1217, it was Ranulph de Blondeville, 4th Earl of Chester (1172–1232) who was ennobled with it. It seems that the title, if not the property was in the hands of King John during his reign; hence perhaps, the name of the tower.  During the last years of the Plantagenet kings of England, it was in the hands of Lord Lovell. He was a prominent supporter of Richard III. After Henry VII came to the throne, Lovell supported a rebellion to restore the earlier royal dynasty. The rebellion failed and Lovell's property was taken confiscated and given to a supporter of the Tudor Dynasty.

The Tudor period.

This grant by Henry VIII, Henry Tudor's son, to the 11th Baron Willoughby de Eresby was made in 1516, together with the hand in marriage of Maria de Salinas, a Spanish lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine of Aragon. Their daughter Katherine inherited the title and estate on the death of her father in 1526, when she was aged just seven. In 1533, she became the fourth wife of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, a close ally of Henry VIII. In 1539, Henry VIII granted Charles Suffolk the lands of the nearby suppressed Vaudey Abbey, founded in 1147, and he used its stone as building material for his new house. Suffolk set about extending and rebuilding his wife's house, and in only eighteen months it was ready for a visit in 1541 by King Henry, on his way to York to meet his nephew, James V of Scotland. In 1551, James's widow Mary of Guise also stayed at Grimsthorpe. The house stands on glacial till and it seems that the additions were hastily constructed. Substantial repairs were required later owing to the poor state of the foundations, but much of this Tudor house can still be seen today.  During Mary's reign the castle's owners, Katherine Willoughby and her second husband, Richard Bertie, were forced to leave it owing to their Anglican views. On Elizabeth's succeeding to the throne, they returned with their daughter, Susan, and their new son Peregrine, later the 13th Baron. He became a soldier and spent much of his time away from Grimsthorpe.

The Vanbrugh building.

By 1707, when Grimsthorpe was illustrated in "Britannia Illustrata", the 15th Baron Willoughby de Eresby and 3rd Earl Lindsey had rebuilt the north front of Grimsthorpe in the classical style. However, in 1715, Robert Bertie, the 16th Baron Willoughby de Eresby, employed Sir John Vanbrugh to design a baroque front to the house to celebrate his ennoblement as the first Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven. It is Vanbrugh's last masterpiece. He also prepared designs for the reconstruction of the other three ranges of the house, but they were not carried out. His proposed elevation for the south front was in the Palladian style, which was just coming into fashion, and is quite different from all of his built designs.  Inside, the Vanbrugh hall is monumental with stone arcades all around at two levels. Arcaded screens at each end of the hall separate the hall from staircases, much like those at Audley End House and Castle Howard. The staircase is behind the hall screen and leads to the staterooms on the first floor. The State Dining Room occupies Vanbrugh's north-east tower, with its painted ceiling lit by a Venetian window. It contains the throne used by George IV at his Coronation Banquet, and a Regency giltwood throne and footstool used by Queen Victoria in the old House of Lords. There is also a walnut and parcel gilt chair and footstool made for the use of George III at Westminster. The King James and State Drawing Rooms have been redecorated over the centuries, and contain portraits by Reynolds and Van Dyck, European furniture, and yellow Soho Tapestries woven by Joshua Morris around 1730. The South Corridor contains thrones used by Prince Albert and Edward VII, as well as the desk on which Queen Victoria signed her coronation oath. A series of rooms follows in the Tudor east range, with recessed oriel windows and ornate ceilings. The Chinese drawing room has a splendidly rich ceiling and an 18th-century fan-vaulted oriel window. The walls are hung with Chinese wallpaper depicting birds amidst bamboo. The chapel is magnificent with superb 17th-century plasterwork.

The park.

The park was originally the southern edge of the great Lincolnshire forest, and its medieval deer park and Tudor oak park are crossed by fine avenues of trees. Oak trees which will have been among those recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 were growing in the park when drawings of the park were made in the early 18th century. Some of these ancient trees were reportedly still alive in the 20th century. The present Grimsthorpe Castle park was designed by Lancelot "Capability" Brown (1771) and implemented by his patron, the 3rd Duke of Ancaster. The garden contains a knot garden, hedged rose gardens, a terrace with herbaceous and shrub borders, and a summerhouse designed by Vanbrugh. The formal flower and topiary garden leads imperceptibly into the woodland garden, and provides a fine setting for the ornamental vegetable garden and orchard, created in the 1960s by the Countess of Ancaster and Peter Coates. Intricate parterres marked with box hedges lie close to the Castle, and a dramatic herbaceous border frames views across the lake.

Nineteenth century.

The 1st Earl of Ancaster was very interested in technology, and attempted to improve the productivity of the estate in a number of ways. He organised an early demonstration of steam ploughing, built a private railway and used portable steam engines in the sawmill and for pumping.

Twentieth century.

During the First World War Grimsthorpe Park was used by the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force as an emergency landing ground. During the Second World War the central part of the park, near the Vaudey Abbey site, was used as a bombing range. In 1944 the castle housed a company of the Parachute Regiment while it was recovering from operations in Italy and training for what became Operation Market Garden. Their flight for Arnhem began from RAF Folkingham.  Grimsthorpe and Drummond castles are now owned and managed by a trust.

Art collection.

A life-sized Zurbarán portrait of Benjamin hangs at Grimsthorpe; it is the sole painting that has been separated from the series Jacob and his twelve sons by Francisco de Zurbarán that hangs at Auckland Castle in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, where there is a copy of it.

Grimsthorpe Castle is a country house in Lincolnshire, England north-west of Bourne on the A151. It lies within a 3,000 acre (12 km2) park of rolling pastures, lakes, and woodland landscaped by Capability Brown. While Grimsthorpe is not a castle in the strict sense of the word, its character is massive and martial – the towers and outlying pavilions recalling the bastions of a great fortress in classical dress. Grimsthorpe has been the home of the de Eresby family since 1516. The present owner is Jane Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 28th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby, granddaughter of Nancy Astor, who died at Grimsthorpe in 1964.

Grimsthorpe Castle ist ein englischer Adelssitz in der Grafschaft Lincolnshire. Es liegt etwa sechs Kilometer nordwestlich von Bourne in einem rund 12 km großen Park. Das Haus befindet sich seit 1516 im Besitz der Familie Willoughby de Eresby. Die derzeitige Besitzerin ist Jane Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 28. Baroness Willoughby de Eresby, die Enkelin von Nancy Astor.


Plot.

Evan Danielson (Eddie Murphy) is a very successful financial advisor, who had been working at the same securities firm for eight years as their top account manager, that is until Johnny Whitefeather (Thomas Haden Church) was hired as his rival. Whitefeather seems to have the whole company under some spell as he spiels his nonsensical idioms filled with Native American mumbo jumbo. These top executives seem more content with chanting Indian style noises rather than listen to how they can make money through sound investments.  When Evan finally discovers that his daughter, Olivia (Yara Shahidi), is somehow able to tell the future within the financial world by using her "goo-gaa" comfort blanket and her imaginary friends (Queen Qwali and Princesses Kupida, Sopida and Mopida), he discovers he has an invaluable upper hand now at the office. During work, Olivia accidentally drew all over Evan's 11:00 worksheets for a meeting. Outraged, Evan goes to the meeting and he shows off the paperwork like ChemStar is sparkly, Aerodyne and Yellowfin get married, and that brought confusion to his workers.  In order for Evan to ask these imaginary friends any question he must travel through the imaginary world, through a dense forest, past a dragon, through caves, and even walk through France. Before, Evan who is a part-time father really had no time for his daughter, now is forced to play with her and by her rules.  After only a couple of days with her, he rediscovers the inner child within himself and genuinely has a lot of fun playing these imaginary games with Olivia. Whitefeather becomes suspicious and begins to search for Evan's secret. When he finds out that Evan was just playing with a wakalyapi blanket, he purchases a six thousand dollar blanket and forces his son to tell him the "future" and making him extremely hyperactive by making him drink many cans of Red Bull.  Whitefeather and Evan are now competing for the position of heading the Western division of the company D.D.E. In order to be prepared for the most important presentation of his life, Evan must once again invoke the use of the Goo-Gaa blanket and meet up with the princesses. The only problem is that Olivia is spending the night at her friends house, and there is no way for Evan to obtain the Goo-Gaa without taking it from her.  Also, the presentations will be held on the day of Olivia's class play. Evan manages to get Olivia to give him the Goo-Gaa, but she is soon seen crying because he seems to care only about the blanket, not her. Evan returns home and tries to get the princesses' attention. Evan then starts working on his presentation. As hours pass, he stretches, and the Goo-Gaa falls on the floor, but he continues working without noticing.  Evan decides to go to the presentation instead of Olivia's class concert. Johnny gives his presentation, but his idea is too crazy for the owner of the company. Then it's Evan's turn. When he is about to present, he suddenly decides to go to Olivia's class concert, and leaves the presentation. As he drives over, he changes into a king costume.  Back at the class concert, Olivia is about to sing her solo part, then all of a sudden Evan appears dressed as a king, and Olivia starts singing, delighted to see him.  After the class concert, Evan starts talking to Olivia about how sorry he is for misusing her blanket, not caring about her, and for using the princesses for the wrong reason. Meanwhile, the owner of the company, D.D.E. appears, and wants to talk to Evan. He and Evan talk, and he decides to give the position to Evan because of how much Evan cares about his family. Evan accepts. Evan goes back to Olivia, for whom it is time to say good-bye to the princesses. They both start waving, and as a gust of wind blows, some leaves form into the shape of a person then fly off into the sky. Evan, Olivia's mother, and Olivia leave happy.

Production.

The film's production ran from September 10 to December 14, 2007. Filming locations included Denver and Los Angeles.

Music.

The score to "Imagine That" was composed by Mark Mancina, who recorded his score with an eighty three piece ensemble of the Hollywood Studio Symphony at the Sony Scoring Stage.  The film soundtrack features several covers of Beatles songs, such as "Got to Get You into My Life", "Nowhere Man", and two different versions of "Here Comes the Sun", while the song "All You Need Is Love" plays a part in the film's plot.

Reception.

Box office.

On its opening weekend, the film opened #6 grossing $5.5 million in 3,008 theaters with an $1,830 average. The film went on to gross $22.3 million worldwide, making this a box office bomb. This opened similar to Eddie Murphy's previous summer movie, "Meet Dave", which also had a lackluster opening week. However, "Meet Dave" received worse reviews than "Imagine That". The film was released in the United Kingdom on August 14, 2009, and failed to reach the Top 15.  About the movie's failure, Murphy said: "The movie didn’t have a chance at the box office – it’s just me and this little girl and a blanket." He also said he considers the movie one of his worst movies he ever made, ironically said: "If I really want to cry, I'll put on "Imagine That"."

Critical response.

The film received mixed reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 41% based on 118 reviews, with an average rating of 4.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Despite a promising turn by newcomer Yara Shahidi, "Imagine That" is another pedestrian family comedy that squanders Eddie Murphy's comedic talents." At Metacritic, the film received a weighted average score of 54 out of 100, based on reviews from 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Home media.

"Imagine That" was released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 13, 2009.

Imagine That is a 2009 American comedy film starring Eddie Murphy directed by Karey Kirkpatrick and written by Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson. It centers on the relationship between a workaholic father (Murphy) and his daughter, Olivia (Yara Shahidi), whose imaginary world becomes the secret to her father's success.

Zuhause ist der Zauber los (Alternativtitel "Imagine that – Die Kraft der Fantasie"; Originaltitel "Imagine That") ist eine romantische amerikanisch-deutsche Filmkomödie des Regisseurs Karey Kirkpatrick aus dem Jahr 2009. In den Hauptrollen sind Eddie Murphy, Thomas Haden Church, Nicole Ari Parker und Martin Sheen zu sehen.


History.

The line was designed by the Austrian Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia to connect its two joint capitals and built by a company named the "Imperiale Regia Privilege Strada ferrata Ferdinandea Lombardo-Veneta dell'Imperatore" in honour of Ferdinand I of Austria. It was built in sections: the first section to be completed was between Padua and Marghera, opened on 13 December 1842, and was the third railway opened in Italy. On 13 January 1846 a bridge over the Venetian Lagoon between Mestre and Venice was opened, with 222 arches supported on 80,000 larch piles. It was followed by the opening of the Padua–Vicenza section on 11 January 1846 and the Milan–Treviglio section on 15 February 1846.  The First Italian War of Independence slowed construction of other sections: the Vicenza–Verona Porta Vescovo stretch was inaugurated on 3 July 1849; it was extended across the Adige river to Verona Porta Nuova on 14 December 1852. An extension followed to Brescia and Bergamo via Coccaglio on 22 April 1854. The line was completed with the opening of the section between Bergamo to Treviglio on 12 October 1857, following the inauguration of the bridge over the Oglio at Palazzolo. The original route via Treviglio, Bergamo and Brescia was 285 km long. The direct between Rovato and Treviglio, bypassing Bergamo was opened on 5 March 1878, and the line took its current form.  In 1852 the original operating company was taken over by the state, but it was privatised in 1856, being sold to the Rothschild banking family of France for 156.25 million gold francs to form the "Societé IR Privilégiée des Chemins de Fer Lombards-Vénitiens et de l'Italie Centrale", with a concession to complete the Milan–Venice line and to extend it to Trieste (the Venice–Trieste line) and to build branches to Lake Maggiore (the beginning of the Milan-Domodossola line), Como (the Milan–Chiasso line), Pavia (the beginning of the Milan–Genoa line), Piacenza (the beginning of the Milan–Bologna line) and to Mantua and Borgoforte (the beginning of the Verona–Mantua–Modena line). The Rothschild's rail interests were collectively referred to as the Südbahn. With the transfer of Veneto to Italy as a result of the Third Italian War of Independence in 1866, the Milan–Venice railway became part of the Società per le strade ferrate dell'Alta Italia ("Upper Italian Railways"). In 1885 it became part of the Rete Adriatica ("Adriatic Network") and in 1905 it was absorbed into Ferrovie dello Stato on its foundation.  Electrification at 3000 volts DC was completed in 1956.

The current line.

The railway is long, double track and fully electrified. The most important cities passed are Brescia, Verona, Vicenza, Padua and Mestre: these are also the key interchange points with other public transport services. The line has four tracks between Milan Lambrate and Treviglio and between Padua and Venezia Mestre, including high-speed lines on those sections. The high speed pair of lines is referred to as "DD" (derived from "direttissima"—literally most direct—an Italian word for high-speed railway) and the other pair is referred to as the "Linea Lenta" (meaning "slow line", abbreviated "LL"). The high-speed line between Treviglio and Brescia was completed in December 2016 and planning for its extension from Brescia to Venice is under way.  The line is served by Trenitalia and Trenord regional trains between Milan and Verona and between Verona and Venice. The section from Pioltello to the Milan Cintura (belt) line is also served by trains of the S5 and S6 (starting from Treviglio) lines of the Milan Suburban Railway Network. The Padua–Venice section is also used by the lines of the Metropolitan Regional Rail System of the Veneto region. Long distance passenger traffic is served by Trenitalia Eurostar and Cisalpino trains. The railway is also used by freight trains operated by several railway companies.

The Milan–Venice railway line is one of the most important railway lines in Italy. It connects the major city of Milan, in Lombardy, with the Adriatic Sea at Venice, in Veneto. The line is state-owned and operated by the state rail infrastructure company, Rete Ferroviaria Italiana that classifies it as a trunk line. The line is electrified at 3,000 volts DC.

Die Bahnstrecke Mailand–Venedig ist eine der wichtigsten Hauptbahnen in Italien. Sie verbindet die Hauptstadt der norditalienischen Region Lombardei, Mailand mit der an der Adria gelegenen Stadt Venedig in der Region Venetien. Die Strecke wird von dem staatseigenen Unternehmen Rete Ferroviaria Italiana betrieben.


History.

The Government of Quebec reorganized the province's public school boards in the mid-1990s. School boards in Quebec had been organized along confessional lines, Catholic and Protestant, since before Canadian Confederation. The province of Quebec was guaranteed a confessional public school system by the British North America Act, 1867, now known as the Constitution Act, 1867. The provincial government was therefore required to ask the federal government to amend the Canadian Constitution if it were to reorganize school boards along linguistic lines (English and French). The amendment was passed by both the House of Commons and the Senate, notwithstanding the unresolved constitutional debate between Quebec and the rest of Canada.  The EMSB officially began operations on July 1, 1998 after the English sectors of the Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal (PSBGM), the Montreal Catholic School Commission (CECM), the "Commission scolaire Jérôme-Le Royer" and the "Commission scolaire Sainte-Croix" were amalgamated to form the EMSB.  The political infighting among the board's commissioners has received significant coverage in Montreal's English-language media, most notably the "Montreal Gazette". This fighting, for the most part, had previously pitted Catholics vs. Protestants. That division has recently become much less significant, however. The harmonization of the previous boards' administrative policies as well as the debate over school closings due to declining enrollment have been especially inflammatory. In 2005, both the "Montreal Gazette" and the French-language tabloid "Le Journal de Montréal" printed a special series of articles denouncing alleged nepotism and graft in the province's public school boards. The "Gazette"'s investigation focused almost exclusively on the hiring practices of the English Montreal School Board. A recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling requiring provincial public bodies to hold open meetings will challenge its board of commissioners, which habitually meets behind closed doors.  Enrolment in the English Montreal School Board's schools and centres continues to decline as it does in most anglophone public school boards in Quebec. This is a part of an ongoing decline which began with the enactment of the Charter of the French Language by the Québec government In 1977.  The EMSB recently announced its intention to create its own foundation. According to its website, the goal of a future EMSB foundation would be to "ensure funding for unique and creative projects by raising charitable funds from individuals, businesses, community service organizations, and other friends". A Montreal businessman had already made a first donation to the school board in the autumn of 2006. The board has also organized, for the past several years, an annual fundraising golf tournament.  Since the EMSB's creation in 1998, the board has closed 18 schools, most recently 3 elementary schools in 2012. The School Board's chairperson attributes the declining enrolment to Bill 101, families moving to cities with lower home taxes such as Laval, and the general decline in birth rates.  The EMSB had the highest voter turnout among all school boards in Quebec, with 18%.  In 2019, the EMSB said it would not enforce Bill 40, the Government of Quebec's proposed ban of public servants wearing religious symbols, stating that the board has never received a complaint from a parent or student about a teacher's religious symbol.

List of EMSB Schools.

This school board oversees 35 elementary schools, 17 secondary schools, 8 outreach schools, 7 social affairs institutions and 12 adult and vocational centres, in which over 44,000 students are enrolled.

The English Montreal School Board (EMSB) (French: Commission scolaire English-Montréal - CSEM) is one five public school boards on the island of Montreal.

Das English Montreal School Board (EMSB, frz. "Commission scolaire English-Montréal") ist eine staatliche Schulbehörde in der kanadischen Provinz Québec. Sie ist für die Organisation des englischsprachigen Schulunterrichts im Zentrum und im Norden der Verwaltungsregion Montreal zuständig.


History.

During the 1950s, a large number of major automotive spare parts dealers in Germany came together to publish a joint catalog of automotive spare parts. From the mid-1960s on, the first gas stations began selling automotive accessories: This created competition for wholesalers that had been generating high revenues through sales of accessories. For that reason, several dealers decided to combine their purchase operations. For this to occur, a joint legal form had to be created. This is how ATR GmbH came about in 1967. ATR founding members included wholesalers Auto Merkur, Auto Staiger, Matthies, Stahlgruber und Wessels. ATR is the eldest trading cooperation for automotive spare parts in Germany. Founding members Johannes J. Matthies GmbH & Co KG in Hamburg and Stahlgruber GmbH in Poing, Bavaria have remained part of ATR until today.  ATR launched its private label brand Cartechnic for garage products and accessories in 1990. Today, the range includes more than 700 products. The wholesalers involved in ATR pushed on with developing a joint catalog after that, though these efforts only gained momentum with electronic data processing. The ATR partners first showcased their electronic spare parts information system ARTis at the Automechanika trade show in 1992.  As sales and purchases of automotive spare parts and accessories in the 1990s gradually turned into a global business, ATR moved with the times and aspired an internationalization. Its first non-German partners were French parts dealer Groupe Laurent (1991) and Spain’s Gerstenmaier (1992). The foundation of ATR International AG in 1999 created the legal framework for the group-purchasing cooperation’s international expansion.

Facts and figures.

Today, 38 partners along with 281 trading companies in 64 countries form part of ATR International AG. These include members in the USA, South America, Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia. ATR has now a presence on five continents.  ATR partner companies employ more than 151,000 employees and operate approx. 10,000 local sales points. All in all, members of ATR International AG generated external revenues of 23.7 billion euros in 2018. ATR is one of the largest revenue generators among purchasing cooperations serving the independent automotive spare parts market globally. The non-listed AG’s 38 partners hold the company’s capital.

Garage workshops.

In 2008, ATR consolidated independent garage and specialty store service concepts Meisterhaft, AC AUTO CHECK and autoPARTNER into ATR SERVICE GmbH, which now comprises more than 1,318 owner-operated workshops in Germany (as of March 2020). This makes ATR SERVICE GmbH the largest franchiser of independent multi-brand garages in Germany. With its 349 workshops located in Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Portugal and Romania, international garage service concept ACC AUTO CHECK CENTER also forms part of ATR.

Suppliers.

ATR suppliers encompass both spare parts manufacturers and original equipment manufacturers such as Bosch, Continental, Hella, Mahle, Schaeffler und ZF Friedrichshafen AG. All in all, ATR works with around 150 suppliers, including companies servicing product groups such as automotive electric equipment, auto-chemicals, automotive accessories, auto body parts, wear parts and tools & workshop equipment.

ATR (Auto-Teile-Ring, English: “Spare Parts Pool”) is the corporate umbrella of one of the world's largest independent trading cooperations for automotive spare parts and a service center for four garage service concepts. The headquarters of ATR is located in Stuttgart (Baden-Württemberg). ATR companies provide auto shops and spare parts dealers with original spare parts and garage equipment.

ATR (Auto-Teile-Ring) ist das Unternehmensdach für eine Handelskooperation für Kfz-Ersatzteile und eine Servicezentrale für vier Werkstattkonzepte. Sitz von ATR ist Stuttgart-Hedelfingen (Baden-Württemberg). Die Unternehmen von ATR beliefern Kfz-Werkstätten und Autoteilefachhändler mit Originalersatzteilen und Werkstattausrüstung.


Plot.

Episode 1 – "The Severed Head".

Philippe Guérande (Édouard Mathé), a reporter working for the newspaper "The Paris Chronicle" who is investigating a criminal organisation called the Vampires, receives a telegram at work stating that the decapitated body of the national security agent in charge of the Vampire investigations, Inspector Durtal, was found in the swamps near Saint-Clement-Sur-Cher, with the head missing. Being turned down by the local magistrate (Thelès), he spends the night in a nearby castle owned by Dr. Nox (Jean Aymé), an old friend of his father, along with Mrs. Simpson (Rita Herlor), an American multimillionaire who desires the

Episode 2 – "The Ring That Kills".

Grand Vampire in disguise as Count de Noirmoutier, reads that ballerina Marfa Koutiloff (Stacia Napierkowska), who is engaged to Philippe, will perform a ballet called "The Vampires". To prevent her from publicizing the Vampires' activities and to deter Philippe, he gives Marfa a poisoned ring before her performance, which kills her onstage. Amidst the panicking crowds Philippe recognizes the Grand Vampire and follows him to an abandoned fort and is

Episode 3 – "The Red Codebook".

While faking illness to get off work, Philippe tries to decode a red booklet that he lifted from the Grand Inquisitor's body, which contains the crimes of the Vampires. He discovers that his house is under surveillance by the Vampires, so he leaves in disguise. Following clues in the booklet he arrives at "The Howling Cat" night club. Performing there is Irma Vep (Musidora), whose name Philippe sees is an anagram for vampire. After her act, the Grand Vampire assigns Irma to retrieve the red booklet. As Philippe returns

Episode 4 – "The Spectre".

The Grand Vampire, under the alias of a real estate broker "Treps", meets Juan-José Moréno (Fernand Herrmann), a businessman, who asks for an apartment with a safe. The Grand Vampire puts Moréno into an apartment whose safe is rigged to be opened from the rear through the party wall of an apartment belonging to Irma Vep and the Grand Vampire. However, the case Moréno places inside contains the Vampires’ black attire. Later, in disguise as bank secretary "Juliette Bertaux", Irma learns that a man called Mr. Metadier has to bring ₣300,000 to another branch. In the event that he is unable to make the delivery, Irma will. Soon afterward, Mr. Metadier is murdered by the Vampires and his body thrown from a train. When Irma is about to take the money for him a spectre of Mr. Metadier appears and takes it

Episode 5 – "Dead Man's Escape".

The examining magistrate from Saint-Clement-Sur-Cher relocates to Paris and is assigned to the Vampire case and the Moréno affair. After being summoned to the magistrate, Moréno commits suicide using a concealed cyanide capsule. His body is left in his cell, but during the night he wakes up, very much alive. He kills the night-watchman and takes his clothes, escaping from the prison. He is noticed by Mazamette, who is suffering from insomnia. The following morning, Moréno is found to have escaped. While writing an account of the events, Philippe is pulled out of his window by the Vampires and whisked into a large costume box. He is driven away and the box is unloaded, but incompetently, and it slides down a large flight of stairs. The Vampires retreat and Philippe is let out by two bystanders. He visits the costume designer Pugenc whose name and box number (13) are on the costume box, just missing Moréno and his gang who have bought police uniforms for a scheme of their

Episode 6 – "Hypnotic Eyes".

Fifteen days have passed since the events at Maillot. Moréno is looking for clues to lead him to the Vampires, and reads in a paper that a Fontainebleau notary has been murdered by them; as he happens to possess a gaze with a terrible hypnotic power, he takes control of his new maid, Laura, to turn her into his slave. Meanwhile, Philippe and Mazamette happen to see a newsreel on the murder inquest, in which they spot Irma Vep and the Grand Vampire. They cycle to Fontainebleau to investigate. En route they spot an American tourist, Horatio Werner, riding fast into the forest, and follow him. He places a box under one of the boulders, and they take it. The Grand Vampire, who is staying in the Royal Hunt Hotel under the pseudonym of Count Kerlor, along with Irma in disguise as his son, Viscount Guy, reads in a paper that George Baldwin (Émile Keppens), an American millionaire, has been robbed of $200,000. Whoever can capture the criminal, Raphael Norton, who has fled to Europe with the actress Ethel Florid, will be awarded the unspent balance of

Episode 7 – "Satanas".

A mysterious man (Louis Leubas) arrives at Moréno's home, and shows that he knows that the Grand Vampire's body is inside a trunk. Moréno tries to get rid of him, but he is paralysed by a pin in the man's glove. The man reveals himself to be the true Grand Vampire, Satanas, and that the first was a subordinate. While at a cabaret called the "Happy Shack", Moréno and Irma receive a note from Satanas saying they will see proof of his power at two o'clock. At two he fires a powerful cannon at the "Happy Shack", largely destroying it. Meanwhile, Philippe decides to visit Mazamette, but he is out "chasing the girls." He hides as Mazamette arrives home, drunk, with two women and a friend, who he later chases out angrily at gunpoint. The next morning, Irma and Moréno go to Satanas’ home to surrender, and Satanas offers them the chance to work with him, informing them

Episode 8 – "The Thunder Master".

Irma, sentenced to life imprisonment, has been sent to St. Lazarus’ prison. A transfer order is sent to the prison to send Irma to a penal colony in Algeria. On the day of her departure, Irma finds out that Moréno has been executed. Satanas follows Irma's transportation route, stopping at a seaside hotel in disguise as a priest. At the port, he gives some religious comfort to the prisoners, but Irma's copy contains a secret message saying "the ship will blow up" and giving her directions on how to safeguard herself. Satanas destroys the ship with his cannon. Meanwhile, Philippe finds through the red codebook that the explosive shell that landed on the "Happy Shack" came from Montmartre, and Mazamette goes to investigate. His son, Eustache Mazamette (René Poyen), is sent home from school for bad behaviour, so they go to "investigate" together. They find some men loading boxes into a house,

Episode 9 – "The Poisoner".

Irma is now a devoted collaborator of Venomous, who is set on getting rid of Philippe and Mazamette. He learns that Philippe is engaged to Jane Bremontier (Louise Lagrange), and the following day Irma and Lily Flower rent an apartment above hers. Irma's maid, a Vampire also, hears that Philippe and Jane's engagement party will be catered for by the famous Béchamel House. Venomous cancels their catering order, and on the day of the party the Vampires appear instead. Jane's mother (Jeanne Marie-Laurent) gives the concierges one bottle of the Vampires' champagne as a present, and just as dinner is served the male concierge, Leon Charlet, drinks it, is poisoned and dies. His wife stops the party guests from drinking their champagne just in time, and the Vampires make a hasty escape. A few days later, Mazamette and Philippe's mother pick up Jane and her mother in the night in order to take them to a

Episode 10 – "The Terrible Wedding".

A few months have passed, and Philippe and Jane are now married. Augustine Charlet (Germaine Rouer), widow of the poisoned concierge, is hired by the Guérandes to be their chamber maid. Augustine, still tormented by the mysterious poisoning death of her husband, receives an advertising circular for a psychic, Madame d’Alba of 13 Avenue Junot, and decides to consult her. Madame d’Alba, a Vampire, hypnotises Augustine and instructs her to unlock the door of Philippe's apartment at 2 am. Mazamette, who has taken an attraction to Augustine, awakens that night and sees her descend the stairs to unlock the door. The Vampires enter, tie her up, and feed poisonous gas into the Guérandes’ room. Mazamette shoots at them and they flee, and Augustine explains her actions. As they go to the

Production.

Development and writing.

The genre of crime serial was popular and prolific at the time, and Feuillade had had a big success with his previous work, the serial "Fantômas". It is suspected that production of "Les Vampires" started when Gaumont learned that rival company Pathé had acquired the rights to release the serial "The Mysteries of New York", known in America as "The Exploits of Elaine", and felt they had to fend off competition. Another American serial, "The Perils of Pauline", had become massively popular since the release of "Fantômas".  The idea of the criminal gang was possibly inspired by the Bonnot Gang,

Filming and editing.

The film was mostly shot on location in Paris, and is said to have been strenuous, some actors having to leave due to the wartime efforts. It was shot inexpensively, evidenced by the utilization of painted flats for doors and re-use of furniture in the film's sets and its reliance on stock footage for more elaborate shots such as a ferry exploding in "The Thunder Master". The episodes were also produced very quickly; estimations have been made that there would have been a three- to four-month period between the filming of an episode and the release. Feuillade makes little use of popular cinematic techniques, most of

Release.

"Les Vampires" was serialised in French cinemas as ten episodes of differing length, the first two appearing on 13 November 1915 and the last on 30 June 1916. The film was first shown in Mexico on 24 May 1917 and has an American release at approximately the same time. The rediscovered film made its début in the US at the 1965 New York Film Festival.  Despite World War I limiting the audience for the film (unlike Feuillade's earlier work "Fantômas") it was a huge success in France, massively outshining the original competition from Pathé and the serial "The Mysteries of New York". Much of the film's success is said to have been from the inclusion of Musidora as the antagonist Irma Vep, who fit well with the archetypes of "vamp" and "femme fatale", often being compared to Theda Bara. The police force, however, condemned the series for its apparent glorification of crime and dubious morality. Some of the episodes were temporarily banned, but these bans were retracted after a personal appeal from Musidora.  A 7-volume novelization of "Les Vampires" by Feuillade and George Meirs was published in 1916 by Tallandier (as 4 paperbacks followed by 3 magazine-size issues).

Promotion.

Early advertising for "Les Vampires" was done mysteriously; in November 1915, the walls of Paris were plastered with street posters that depicted three masked faces with a question mark

Home media.

On 16 May 2000, the film was released on DVD in the US by Image Entertainment on two discs, with music by Robert Israel. Additional features to this version are the short films "For the Children" (a wartime fundraiser starring the cast of "Les Vampires") and "Bout de Zan and the Shirker" (a comedy featuring René Poyen), as well as a supplementary essay on the film "The Public Is My

Critical reception.

Contemporary.

"Les Vampires", like other Feuillade crime serials, was generally despised by critics of the time. A reviewer for the magazine Hebdo-Film said: "That a man of talent, an artist, as the director of most of the great films which have been the success and glory of Gaumont, starts again to deal with this unhealthy genre [the crime film], obsolete and condemned by all people of taste, remains for me a

Re-evaluation.

Since its original release, some critics, among them Richard Abel, Noel Burch, Francis Lacassin, Annette Michelson, and Richard Roud, have re-interpreted the film. It is now arguably Feuillade's most famous work, and his most critically revered. Rotten Tomatoes reports 100% approval among 14 critics. While Mathé and Lévesque as the leads have been called pallid and hammy respectively, many critics have praised Musidora for her performance, being described as acting with "voluptuous vitality". In 1987 film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum called it "one of the supreme delights of film." In 2003, Slant Magazine gave it four stars, calling it "remarkably attuned to the morality of the time" and "exhilarating". It also noted "...its Machiavellan reflection of a complacent bourgeois order on the brink of collapse makes this realist master-work". In a later review, for the 2012 Blu-ray Disc version, the magazine gave further praise to the film, commenting on the film's stripped

Accolades.

In 2002, the film came out joint 30th on the Sight and Sound 'Critics' Top Ten Poll' and 78th on The Village Voice's '250 Best Films of the 20th Century' list. In

Aftermath.

Musidora saw a noticeable raise in her public profile after the film's release, becoming a star of French cinema. She was able to concentrate her career on directing and writing her own films. Édouard Mathé and Marcel Lévesque enjoyed lengthy film careers as a result of their performances. The three leads, as well as many other cast members, were re-cast by Feuillade to appear in his other serials such as "Judex", "Tih Minh", "Barrabas" and "Parisette".

Legacy.

The film is said to have established the genre of crime thriller, creating cinematic thriller techniques used later by Alfred Hitchcock and Fritz Lang. The use of gadgetry such as canons and bombs was also adopted by Lang in films such as "Dr. Mabuse the Gambler" and "The Spiders". It is also said to have inspired experimental filmmakers such as Luis Buñuel and French New Wave directors such as Alain Resnais and Georges Franju. Some have called it an early example of a gangster film.  Olivier Assayas' 1996 movie "Irma Vep", with a story line of a director's attempt to remake "Les Vampires", is both

Les Vampires is a 1915–16 French silent crime serial film written and directed by Louis Feuillade. Set in Paris, it stars Édouard Mathé, Musidora and Marcel Lévesque. The main characters are a journalist and his friend who become involved in trying to uncover and stop a bizarre underground Apache gang, known as The Vampires (who are not the mythological beings their name suggests). The serial consists of ten episodes, which vary greatly in length. Being roughly 7 hours long, it is considered one of the longest films ever made. It was produced and distributed by Feuillade's company Gaumont. Due to its stylistic similarities with Feuillade's other crime serials "Fantômas" and "Judex", the three are often considered a trilogy.

Die Vampire (Originaltitel: "Les Vampires") ist ein zehnteiliges französisches Stummfilm-Serial von Louis Feuillade aus den Jahren 1915/16 über eine Verbrecherbande, die sich selbst als "die Vampire" bezeichnet und hauptsächlich in Paris, aber auch in der näheren Umgebung ihr Unwesen treibt. Ihr Gegenspieler ist der Journalist Philippe Guérande, unterstützt vom abtrünnigen Vampir Oscar Mazamette.


Structure and theme.

The Psalm is composed of four stanzas of two lines, which the word Jacob envelops. The two central stanzas evoke with images full of life the miracle of the Red Sea and the passage of the Jordan. God is evoked only at the end of the Psalm, doubtless to arouse the expectation.  The first stanza recalls by the verb that the Hebrew people are born in the exodus. The words sanctuary and domain designate the entire Holy Land, the inheritance of God, not only in the geographical sense but also in a spiritual sense. The miracles that allow Israel to cross the Red Sea and cross the Jordan River are poetically enhanced by the process of hyperbole and by images evoking a life of natural elements, water and mountains. It is a means of manifesting all creation with Israel and actively participating in its march towards the Promised Land.  At eight verses the psalm is comparatively concise.  Psalm 114 begins with the Hebrew 'בְּצֵאת יִשְׂרָאֵל, מִמִּצְרָיִם; בֵּית יַעֲקֹב, מֵעַם לֹעֵז' and in Hebrew is an acrostic Poem. It is also one of the so called Egyptian Hallel prayers, though it is sometimes ascribed to King David.

Uses.

Christianity.

Since the sixth century, the psalm has been used as a reading at Christian burial services, and also in ministry to those who are dying. It has also been read at Easter Day services, as Israel's deliverance from slavery is seen as a metaphor for deliverance from sin.

Protestant Christianity.

In the Revised Common Lectionary, the Psalm appears in Year A on the seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost.

Orthodox Christianity.

In Slavic and Greek Orthodox churches, it is sung as an antiphon for the feast of Theophany, for the following Sunday and for Palm Sunday.

Catholic.

St. Benedict of Nursia choose this psalm as one of the Psalms sung for the offices of Vespers. Since the early Middle Ages, Psalm 114 has been performed at the office of Vespers on Monday, according to the rule of St. Benedict (AD 530.)  In the Liturgy of Hours today, the first part of Psalm 114 is sung or recited on Vespers Sunday. It is the only psalm traditionally chanted using Tonus peregrinus.

In popular culture.

Part of the psalm is quoted at the beginning of Dante's "Purgatorio".

Psalm 114 is the 114th psalm of the Book of Psalms. In the Greek Septuagint version of the bible, and in its Latin translation in the Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 113 in a slightly different numbering system.

Der 114. Psalm ist ein Psalm aus dem biblischen Buch der Psalmen. In der jüdischen Liturgie ist er Teil des sogenannten ägyptischen Hallels.


Club career.

Chitiva started his top-flight career in 1997 playing for Millonarios in his hometown of Bogotá in Colombia. In 2001, Chitiva was signed by Mexico's Pachuca, at the recommendation of the team's Colombian goalkeeper and captain Miguel Calero. Chitiva has been ever present in the Pachuca side ever since and a driving force in the team's four domestic Mexican titles (2001, 2003, 2006, 2007) since his arrival. Chitiva's ability to deliver the killer cross and finish in the box with timely runs have made him a hero to the Pachuca fans.  Most recently, Chitiva helped lead Pachuca to its historic capture of the South American Cup Copa Sudamericana - the first intercontinental title victory for a Mexican side.  In July 2011 he returned to Pachuca for the Apertura 2011 to finally retire as one of the most notable players in Pachuca's history.

International career.

Chitiva applied and received dual citizenship in Mexico so that Pachuca no longer has to use a foreigner spot for him in their roster. Chitiva remains, however, fiercely loyal to his Colombian heritage and has stated his desire to play for his nation's full national team on numerous occasions.  Former Colombian coach, Jorge Luis Pinto, capped the Pachuca player for two friendly matches against Switzerland and Paraguay in late March 2007. Although he entered as a substitute late in the Switzerland game, he helped finish the Colombian win with a final 3rd goal. He was also a crucial element in the 2–0 defeat against Paraguay three days later on March 28, 2007.

Club Honors.

C.F. Pachuca

Andrés Chitiva Espinoza (born August 13, 1979) is a retired Colombian footballer who last played for CF Pachuca on the Primera División Mexicana. He was a pacy left winger who possessed great speed, dribbling skills and crossing ability.

Andrés Chitiva (* 13. August 1979 in Bogotá) ist ein ehemaliger kolumbianischer Fußballspieler, der im Mittelfeld bzw. im Angriff agiert hat.